Nighttail informs you of the general layout of the level below: Chief Roaghaz's lair is at the very back, protected by traps, as well as his most powerful allies. The area immediately underneath you is a sort of antechamber, leading up to the tribe's shrine. You have to pass through it to get to Roaghaz.
"That's where Churgri lives," she hisses. "Surrounds herself with walking man-corpses. Always sucks up to Roaghaz, and tries to convince Bloodvows to join the Hangtooths in the hills. And looks for sacrifices, human or kobold... gah, she makes Nighttail sick."
As promised, the shaft descends into an empty cave , with two two tunnels leading northward. The ceiling here is low, but from what Khardir can make out with his dwarven vision, it rises to a more tolerable height as the tunnels join into a larger chamber beyond. Unlike most areas in the warren, it seems to be firelit.
"That's the shrine," whispers Nighttail. "Want to split up? Nighttail and Hak can takes the left, if you takes the right..."
This hushed conversation, as well as the sounds of your descent, are mostly drowned out by a loud chanting echoing in from ahead. The shrill voice belongs to kobold, without a doubt, but the words are not Draconic—there is something far more sinister about the sounds of this foul tongue.
"Agreed," whispers Bernard, licking his lips nervously. Despite the higher ceiling he still hunches over, as if from habit, and greatsword held before him checks with his companions before taking the right tunnel, creeping as quietly as he can.
Khardir grips his hammer haft with his fingers twisting, opening and closing, and follows alongside Bernard.
Climbing down and assessing the area, Vibenia nos grimly as Nighttail warns them of what lay ahead. "Sounds like a good idea." she whisper back.
Making sure her crossbow is loaded, she follows in grim silence.
The ceiling in the centre of this cave is twelve feet high. A crude idol stands in the middle of the cave, resembling a rearing griffon, but scaled like a lizard with leathery wings spread wide. The statue is decorated with grisly strips of dried viscera, hung over its spread wings and drooping from its beak.
Amidst various offerings left at the feet of the statue—mostly coins of various shapes and sizes—lies the restrained form of a young woman, clad in dark gambeson. Looming above her stands a red-scaled kobold wearing dark fur-trimmed robes, brandishing a wicked-looking sacrificial knife. Forming a defensive line in front of them are four humanoid skeletons, unnaturally animated by some sinister force, grasping various weapons and clad in the rusted remnants of armour.
With a toothy sneer on her face, Churgri ceases her sinister chant, motioning with a gem-tipped staff towards her undead minions.
"Դուք երկու, գնացեք!" she shrieks. "Դու, գնա ճիշտ! Սպանել բոլորին!"
This particular depiction of Vapula seems to be a distinctly kobold interpretation of the infernal duke's symbolic form, making him seem more draconic in nature. No doubt the underground-dwelling rpetilians seek inspiration for their own trapped warrens from the otherwordly caverns of the Pyrite Vault.
Pulling out a small vial and drinking it quickly before nudging Nighttail, [smaller]"I need to get into that room so I don't hit anyone."
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The skeletons rush forwards at a surprising alacrity, unburdened by meddlesome flesh. They are eerily silent, the only sounds they make being their footsteps—dry bone scraping against the stone floor—and the errant clink of rusted metal. They lash savagely at Bernard and Nighttail with both their weapons and claws, a mere mockery of their erstwhile martial skill. One manages to tear into Hak with its claws, tearing a bloody rent across its scales. Meanwhile, another lands a blow with its broken longsword, leaving Bernard open to the bony grasp of its accomplice. Once again, he is bloodied.
Nighttail and Hak both take offense to the latter being hurt, charging towards their assailant. The kobold's spear is poorly suited for the task, passing harmlessly through the skeleton's rib cage. Fortunately, Hak fares better, swiping the offending undead into splinters with its powerful claws.
Churgri seems indifferent to the demise of her minion, instead beseeching some dark patron for aid. A winged shadow seems to pass over her, momentarily making her seem much more terrifying than anything of her size and stature has the right to be. There is a cloying sense of malevolence that remains about her person.
Trapped in the back line, Khardir waits for an opening.
Bernard lets out a cry as he's wounded - more from annoyance at his perennial inability to not be gouged in every fight - and then brings his great sword slamming down like a cudgel upon the skeleton before him.
Bernard is able to cause significantly more damage than Nighttail, sending his sword crashing through the nearest skeleton. Ribs scatter as the sword carves into its spine, but the malign forces animating this ghastly puppet keep it standing upright despite its grievous injuries.
Ignoring the skeletons, Vibenia takes her time, lining up her shot and firing at the kobold priestess standing over the bound woman.
"Ah! Rescuers! Excellent timing, these adorable little beasties were just about to sacrifice me. Or eat me. Or something." The woman calls out as she begins struggling with her bonds in the commotion.
Churgri hisses with annoyance, delivering a quick kick at Syksy's side in a petty attempt to quiet her would-be sacrifice. Vibenia takes this opportunity to shoot at the distracted kobold. The bolt only barely misses its target, seeming to deflect off empty air even as the priestess manages to only half-step behind the grisly statue. It seems the subject of the idol is shielding her in more ways than one...
The skeletons keep up their tireless onslaught, raining blows on Bernard. With so many attacks to avoid, it is more-or-less inevitable that some get past his defences: once again, the longsword-wielding cadaver manages to get in a lucky swing, slashing the guardsman on the arm.
Meanwhile, the skeleton attacking Hak is faring significantly worse. With nothing to distract it from its prey, the allosaur is proving more than capable of avoiding its clumsy swings. Noting that she is ill equipped to deal with the fleshless corpses by herself, Nighttail instead focuses on spurring on her companion. It subsequently makes short work of its target, crunching the skeleton's brittle skull into splinters with its powerful jaws.
"Now fey-child, go!" Nighttail shouts at Nisany.
Churgri looks at Nighttail and her reptilian mount, sneering with disgust. She raises her staff with two hands and speaks another prayer, causing a shadowy image of the weapon to appear near Hak. As the kobold priestess swings hers—as if to attack—the replicate staff imitates her movements, striking the allosaur on its head. Nighttail spits Draconic curses at Churgri, trying to rein in her now obviously quite wounded companion.
”Dawwww, see? Look at ‘em tryin to be all ferocious.” Sysky comments in sincerity after the kick as she rolls around in place.
"Why does everyone have to be all bunched up" Time be to dumb I guess Tugging her dagger free and running up to the stone slab.
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Nisany rushes forward, deftly cutting the bindings from the kobold's captive. Churgri bares her teeth at the gnome, furious.
Bucklers, thinks Bernard with desperate annoyance. Full plate. Half plate. Breast plates, full chain, anything to keep these weapons off me!
Gritting his teeth against the fresh pain, he swings at the same skeleton.
With the skeleton's death, Bernard lets out an 'aha!' of triumph, and steps forward into the square it had occupied.
"Thank you new small friend!" Syksy says upon being freed.
Nodding, "Yep! Just don't die."
"Same to you!"
"'scuse me!" says Khardir as he does his best to squeeze past Vibenia and into the space near Bernard. He brings up his hammer and swings at the skeleton.
Deciding not to wait for the battle ahead of her to clear, Vibenia turns and heads the other way, going around the bend, down the tunnel Nisany and Nighttail used.
Having decimated the walking corpse ahead of him, Bernard advances into the shrine. Khardir is quick on his heels, taking a swing at the remaining skeleton. Unfortunately, the warhammer passes just below its rib cage.
"Դուք!" screeches Churgri. "Ստացեք ինձ եւ այդ մարդու միջեւ, ապա սպանեք նրան!"
Perking up, the skeleton dutifully steps in between Bernard and the kobold priestess before throwing itself at him once again, clawing and grasping. This time, with only one foe to focus on, the guardsman is easily able to fend off its graceless swings and ungainly lunges.
Meanwhile, Nighttail hops off Hak, slapping the allosaur on its rump with the haft of her spear. The wounded animal roars and sprints into the tunnel leading back to the antechamber, brushing past Vibenia as she makes her way in. Meanwhile, Nighttail rushes forward past Nisany, stabbing at Chrugri with a ferocious cry. The spearpoint tears into the priestess' robes but fails to wound her, instead revealing the gleam chainmail beneath the fur-trimmed vestments.
Churgri steps back and sneers. She lifts a taloned hand and intones another prayer: the words are an unintelligible hiss, but there is no mistaking this for anything but a condemnation. Immediately, your kobold ally crumples to the ground, muscles seized into painfully contorted positions. The priestess waves her staff imperiously, causing its shadow to flit across the room to deliver a further show of physical discipline on the apostate, cracking her prone form across the back.
Bernard takes a deep sucking breath as he gazes at the scene before him, eyes widening as Nighttail collapses, the shaman backs away - all of it happening so quickly that he barely has time to register his own decision before ducking his chin against the inevitable blow and breaking into a run, leaving the skeleton behind for Khardir and Vibenia so as to charge down the length of the cavern.
"Aaaarrrrgghhh! As warcries go, it lacks finesse, but Bernard is able to convey the depths of his horror, hatred, and determination as he closes with the shaman and swings his greatsword with every ounce of his remaining strength.
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Coming around the corner, Vibenia was all set to take aim at the kobold witch, when she sees and hears Bernard's charge. Seeing Kardir facing the last skeletal warrior, she drops her crossbow, drawing a mace from her belt as she moves into the perfect position to deliver a devastating strike to the base of the grinning skull.
Now freed, the woman scrambled to her feet and looked at the assortment of weapons before letting out a triumphant ”Ah!” and grabbing the long sword with the long handle.
Tugging a small vial free and yelling, Bernard back up!"
Charging across the room with nary a thought for his own safety, Bernard barely notices as he is slashed on the thigh by the remaining skeleton. The guardsman's ferocity takes Churgri by surprise, the desperate strength of his blow only barely punching through the magical defences surrounding her. As the greatsword sinks deep into her side, it is apparent that the gasping and bleeding kobold is only barely holding on to consciousness.
Meanwhile, Vibenia's expert swing takes the skeleton's head clean off, shattering its skull into tiny splinters of bone, as well as sending a shower of broken teeth pattering across the length of the floor. The rest of its body simply collapses into a pile bones and rusted metal, its sword falling on the stone with a clatter.
Nighttail continues to lie on the ground, twitching helplessly.
As the kobold priestess staggers away from Bernard, Nisany launches a bomb at her. Though it might otherwise have been a perfect hit, the vial shatters against an invisible field of force before impacting her directly—as a result, some of the burning fluid splatters on Bernard, as well. The following explosion is still enough to bring down Churgri, throwing her clean off her feet. With her goes the shadowy duplicate of her staff, disappearing as she looses her grip on the real thing.
With the priestess' fall, Nighttail comes out of her paralysis. She immediately calls out to Hak, who comes barreling back into the room. The kobold jumps to her feet and embraces her wounded companion, looking imploringly to Khardir. "You heals Hak, yes? Please?"
Aside from your new friend's possessions, there is a small pile of coins surrounding the grisly idol. All of the individual coins are of different mintings, but have been uniformly defaced with the symbol of a rearing griffon. Spattered with blood from past sacrifices, they glitter malevolently in the firelight.
Putting her mace back on her belt, Vibenia turns to Nighttail, taking out the enchanted rib-wand and calling up it's magic to heal Hak. As it's wounds begin to close, she gives the kobold a nod before turning to look at the mess of wounds all over Bernard.
"There has got to be better armor somewhere in town." she says, activating the wand a few more times.
Since Vibenia has the situation with Hak in hand, Khardir puts away his hammer and takes in the area of the idol.
"Hrm," he says. "What does this rearing griffon mean?" he asks Nighttail. "Symbol of Churgri's god or something?"
His eyes flicker over the various treasures and, being a dwarf, start instinctively counting.
Putting her mace back on her belt, Vibenia turns to Nighttail, taking out the enchanted rib-wand and calling up it's magic to heal Hak. As it's wounds begin to close, she gives the kobold a nod before turning to look at the mess of wounds all over Bernard.
Nighttail is overjoyed to see Hak magicked back to health, hugging him again. "Thanks, softskin! You's alright."
"Hrm," he says. "What does this rearing griffon mean?" he asks Nighttail. "Symbol of Churgri's god or something?"
The kobold half nods and half shrugs at the question. "Yes. Vapula, he's called. Nighttail isn't very religious, and so doesn't know much about him. Other than him being bad, that is! Demands sacrifices, both humans and kobolds. Nighttail thinks that's just another way of keeping the others in line, though..."
Wincing as the fire still licks to close to Bernard and moving closer to him, "Sorry."
Looking around the room. Corpse, coin, captive.. hmm cloak.. Reaching down and tugging at the cloak and mumbling, "Thanks." Grinning at the little bottles the failed leader had.
Letting it go, "We will want that cloak and the potions."
Turning back to the newly freed woman, "You got a name?"'
Bernard sinks into a crouch when the shaman dies, greatsword resting upon his shoulder, hands hanging down between his knees as he struggles to catch his breath.
The wounds that score his body burn and leave him light headed; he closes his eyes, listening to his friends move around the cavern, and only when Vibenia approaches and heals him does he look up with a tired grin.
"There has to be, right? Too bad I've pissed off the blacksmith. But I swear. I'll find something better than this chain shirt or not bother coming back."
He extends his hand so she can help him rise to his feet, then groans, twisting once or twice to each side to stretch out his spine before stepping over to join Nisany as she considers their new companion.
"Looks like we arrived just in time. Name's Bernard, formerly a member of the local guard." His smile is friendly, concern clear in his brown eyes. "You doing all right? Want us to escort you out of here first before we press on?"
"Ha!" the woman says on unsheathing her blade and turning around. Only to see the fight had already ended. "Awwww..."
"Syksy," she happily replies to her new small friend, her mood immediately switching back from glum to chipper, smiling down at the gnome. She had chilly blue eyes, and it was noticeable her hair was plum dyed.
Sheathing her sword she turns to Bernard as he introduces himself. "And I thank ye for that. Syksy Kalma, Armiger of the Order of the Pike, in your debt and at your service."
Turning back to the altar she picks up a set of blackened chainmail and begins to put it on. "Nah I'd be glad to help if ya got more to fight down here. I was able to sleep on and off while they had me so I should be good."
Finishing with the armor she picks up an ornate helmet styled after the head of a boar and puts it on, along with gathering a various assortment of other weapons. Mostly spear. "Ready when y'all are," she says after, her voice muffled.
Nighttail waves awkwardly at Syksy, clambering up on the back of her allosaur companion. "Sorry about that, softskin. Churgri was real mean, and I'm glad she's dead. When Nighttail's chief, we'll tear down that statue right quick! Uh, that's me: Nighttail. Anyways, no more sacrifices."
The kobold goes on to describe the following chambers: "Chief Roaghaz is to the left, through that tunnel. He's there with his best warriors. Four or so, Nighttail thinks. Tougher than the rest, and all just as mean as Roaghaz. No need to spare them. There's traps along the way as well, though Nighttail isn't sure what they are—she's not really welcome down here, before. Roaghaz doesn't trust Nighttail."
She hesistates for a moment. "To the right, behind that gate, there's the Chamber of Future. We don't want to go in there—nothing there but the Guardians, and those who can't fight. They won't stop us from getting Roaghaz..."
Even with her recent betrayal, the kobold seems uncomfortable disclosing this latter information.
"Well met Syksy, glad to meet you while you're still breathing." Vibenia says to the rescued woman. She definitely looked like she could hold her own in a fight, which would be a very good thing.
"So non-combatants and their protectors to the right, and that murdering bastard and his strongest warriors to the left. Sounds like an easy choice to me." she says picking up her crossbow.
Syksy happily waves back at Nighttail. "No worries."
"I too am happy to still be breathing and meeting you. And you. And you. And you. Also, you." she says to Vibenia before turning to the others present.
"That's no choice at all, there may as well only be one path down here." she adds with a chuckle.
Even without exact knowledge about the traps lying ahead, Nighttail's warning is enough to lead Khardir and Vibenia's keen eyes to a series of tripwires running across the tunnel. Even before they round the corner, the scent of oil fumes belies the danger—the entire hallway is coated with the slick substance. Hung above are well-concealed nets laden with vials of alchemist's fire, no doubt jury-rigged to set the entire tunnel alight.
As the first of you start ascending the rough-hewn steps up into the chief's chambers, you are met by what passes for kobold luxury: the floor of this large cavern is lavishly strewn with fresh straw, no mould in sight. Upon the walls hang the bones of many different creatures—animal and humanoid both—arrayed into vague approximations of their proper configurations. Two boulders bisect the cave, blocking the back half of the cavern from sight.
Two grizzled kobold warriors bar the way further into the chamber, clad in bone armour and brandishing javelins and spears. They are backed by two hunters, crossbows at the ready. Roaghaz himself skulks at the back, part way hidden behind one of the boulders. He is slight, even for a kobold, but carries himself with arrogance unbecoming of his stature. Like most of the other Blood Vow kobolds, he is green-scaled, but his are a particularly vibrant shade of emerald. There is an especially prominent hornlet sprouting from the top of his snout, as well, hinting at especially strong draconic heritage.
Roaghaz can be heard hissing to his underlings, "Անիծանքներ! Ձեզանից ով է սեռական խառնաշփոթները? Այս մասին ավելի ուշ խոսք կունենանք..."
Hearing you enter, the chief clears his throat and tosses his once-fine purple cloak aside, revealing a bone wand and an assortment of scroll tubes on his belt. He raises a claw in admonishment, though the impact of the gesture is somewhat lessened by his sheltered position.
"Tremble before Chief Roaghaz, puny softskins!" he calls out in nasally Taldane. "True Dragon-Heir, and Chosen of the Great Lord Aeteperax! You think you can trespass in the lair of the Blood Vow Tribe with impunity!?"
The other kobolds let out a cheer, rattling their various weapons and yapping excitedly. One of the hunters lets out a shot from its crossbow, while a warrior tosses a javelin Bernard's way. The former is deflected off the natural cover of the stairway itself, but the latter arches just right to graze the guardsman on the shoulder.
"Lord Ate-a-pirate-axe?" Syksy attempts to repeat the name.