early 20 years ago, the canny kobold sorcerer Kibizax carved out a tiny empire in the caves and sewers beneath Absalom. Being a sort of visionary, he also hired a Taldan tutor to teach his two children about the ways of humans to strengthen his tribe's influence. The plan worked well, and the Sewer Dragon tribe became one of the most influential kobold groups on the Isle of Kortos. But new troubles lie ahead, along with a rather unconventional alliance...
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You are kobolds of Absalom’s Sewer Dragon tribe. Made strong thanks to an alliance with the Pathfinder Society, your tribe has many enemies seeking to test its newfound might. Chief Yiddlepode, wise chieftain of the Sewer Dragons, knows that her alliance means nothing if the tribe can’t defend its territory. For the past several months, the tribe has sent its best and brightest on scouting missions throughout the region, repelling others from intruding on the Sewer Dragons’ rightful domain.
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Looking resplendent in her favorite blue velvet opera cloak, Chief Yiddlepode calls you all in. “I need you to make contact with our ally, the Otugh known as ‘Hats’.”
Even though none of you have met Hats personally, you’ve all heard of him. Constant supplies and the occasional tribute have endeared the otyugh to the Sewer Dragons, and Hats now acts as further muscle for the kobolds as well as an additional set of eyes and ears in the sewers.
Chief Yiddlepode paces, tail twitching, as her excitement grows. “Hats sent a runner. He captured a human trespassing around our domain, but we can’t leave it to him to interrogate what may be an important captive!” She straightens, giving you all an imperious look. “Your orders are clear. Find and interrogate Hats’ captive. Discover what intrusion has taken place within the domain of the Sewer Dragons and deal with it. Above all, don’t risk the tribe’s alliance with the Pathfinder Society. The Sewer Dragons are relying on you!”
On that note of finality, she sends you off.
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You may know more than the average kobold about your tribe's current situation, for you are not your average kobolds.
Engashez thinks very carefully, heeding Shyrahk's admonition.
"Okay... I know a little about this. The chief is right; we need to be careful if this prisoner is a Pathfinder. The Pathfinder Society has been very good to the Sewer Dragons; we don't want to ruin that relationship. Pathfinders carry a device called a 'wayfinder.' Kind of like a magic compass. That will help us know if it's one of them."
Stupid Pathfinders. Sewer Dragons should have glory all our own. We should have a dragon patron, not some weak society of surface light-runners.
"You all know 'Hats,' right? Engashez doesn't need to explain that the silly otyugh likes human hats, right? That we trade them for its allegience? That's what I thought." The proud kobold continues. "But what you maybe didn't know is that unfinished tunnels by its lair have been active recently. Yes, the tunnels that Yippitok accidentally blew up..." Which is why Yippitok isn't our alchemist anymore.... "Yes, Engashez has heard of interesting movements down there recently. Maybe this is connected."
"Hey, listen up, Chief Yiddlepode had made chummy with Pathfinder Society has brought great power to our tribe. We have many shiny shiny we have gotten from Pathfinder's. Pathfinder allies carry magic compasses called wayfinders like this." Athrax holds up a broken Wayfinder.
"Hats first big ally with Sewer Dragons. He's an otyugh named Hats. Hats likes hat's so we give them to him."
"We may go close to unfinished section of underground tunnels. Yippitok, former alchemist made big explosion and collapsed it into ruin. Scouts whisper of movement in the broken caverns."
"I know what others do not. The ruined section of tunnel near Hats’s lair is actually used by allies of the Pathfinder Society. These people working for something the surface dwellers call a museum."
Pethjun happily clunks her tail, and the razors attached to it, on the floor. "We finally get to meet Hats, huh? Maybe he'll be a worthy opponent for me." Her excitement drops and even turns into boredom as the rest of the group starts talking about the tunnels near Hats and their failure of a previous alchemist.
With a wide yawn, gives a stretch. "Let's get going already. We just need to go meet Hats and the bigfoot he captured, who cares about the collapsed tunnels and whatever a museum is."
Fazgyn sits in the corner, back to the wall and eyeing his companions suspiciously. His tail flicks in irritation at the thought of having to work with others.. several of whom he can see bear the marks of some of his inventions.
His great maw splits wide in anticipation of being able to explore some of these newest tunnels, and he almost laughs at the idea of more mayhem to be caused with some well placed.. defenses.
You all arrive at Hats's lair unchallenged. Hats isn’t looking at you... He’s staring down into a pit, tossing hats into it. “Let’s do the Chef’s hat next!”
A cantankerous voice answers from the pit. “Haven’t you had enough of my modeling yet? I refuse to try on another hat until you let me talk with the Sewer Dragons!”
“Awww... But I never get to see what they look like when they’re on me!” Hats grabs a brass helmet with a spike on it. “How about this one? I’ve been told it’s very martial!” He flings the helmet into the pit.
One of Hats’s tentacles droops. “Oops.”
“Look, I’m sure you have many fine millinery creations... But can you watch how you fling them?” The voice from the pit is sounding resigned. "You nearly took out my liver! It's held up through a lot of abuse, and I would kind of like to keep it!"
The otyugh's hideaway is a partially collapsed vault off one of the sewer's less-traveled sections. The space is wide and open, but the collapsed eastern wall, along with numerous wooden coat racks placed haphazardly around the chamber, makes it seem cramped. Each of the racks supports a collection of hats of varying sizes, all of which are lathered in varying degrees of dirt and grime.
Hats is a hulking mutant with four flailing tentacles—three spiked and one covered in eyes—instead of his species’s standard three. As you come in, he steps away from the pit and bounds towards you. “Oh! Hi! Would you like to model my hats?” He pats you down with his one free tentacle (he uses his other two barbed tentacles to display the hat of a naval commodore and a pristine white cowl acquired from a prophet of Kalistrade) and to measure your heads. His one tentacle covered in eyes squints at you. “Um... Have we met? I forgot. Who are you, anyway?”
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"Oh great Hats thank you for the offer. Which Hat mightzz you recommend?" the Al chemical powerhouse further introduces himself. "I am great new chief Alchemist of Sewer Dragons! My predecessor, Yippitok, had perished at the hands of some bad light-runners. Not like the one you have captive down there. Yippitok is the one who did the collapsing of the tunnels near here." thinking to himself I must show the Pathfinders that I can be a good recruit into their ranks.
"After I try on one of 'Hats' splendorous hats can I speak with man below?" the little alchemist approaches the pit and looks in waving at the man below followed with a wink as if to say "Don't worry I will get you out of there. Clutching the broken Wayfinder at his neck and the journal at his hip he waits for the otyugh's reply.
Fazgyn slides around the corner of the room, keeping to the shadows. His keen eyes peer through the dark, taking stock of the various implements and accouterments Hats has decorated the room with.
Anything can be turned to use with enough time and effort.. he thinks, considering the topsiders objections to the helmet being tossed to him.
As Hats reaches tentacles towards him, he quickly ducks out of the way, waving the tentacles away. "Hssss... no hats for Fazgyn. No touch." he objects.
"We here for Top sider. No for hats." Fazgyn refuses to be distracted from his mission.
Hats shoves a pink and flowered bonnet on Athrax’s head, then looks at Fazgyn and Skyrahk over. He holds out a horned Ulfen helmet for Fazgyn, then pauses as if unavailable to believe what he heard. “No... hats?” His tentacles droop a moment, then he perks up and pulls out a snazzy looking beret. “Maybe you haven’t found the right one!”
Meanwhile his free tentacle slides around Skyrahk’s head. “I didn’t get your name! Are you shy? Ooh, ooh! I have the perfect hat for shy people that want to make friends! You’ll love this!” The otugh slaps a belled jester cap on Skyrahk’s head and eyes him closely. The little bells jingle and shake as the otugh pokes them.
Poke. Jingle. Poke. Jingle.
“There. Do you feel braver now little one?”
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Fazgyn reconsiders his no hats position as he considers what a couple of horns could do to help a trap. Gingerly, he tests the point on one horn as the helmet rests atop his head.. satisfied and thinking nefarious thoughts, he grins. "Ok.. me like this hat. It could be big help in making big ouchy later!"
Amused at the tinkly hat placed upon Skyrahk's head, he reaches out and swipes at one of the dangling bells, making it jingle.
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Fazgyn gives Skyrahk an innocent grin full of teeth.. or at least as innocent as a kobold can manage to look.
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Vanarog stands at the rear of the group as he listens to Chief Yiddlepode give our her crazy demands. Yes yes, order me around now while you still have the chance... someday this will all be mine... I am destined you know!
This Athrax isn't near the softscale as the rest of my future minions, I will remember his wisdom and perhaps save him a seat at my council...
Vanarog keeps his yap closed during the meeting and the following trip to 'Hats', knowing full well his plans of succession tend to make the Chief angry with him... she's on the list. Stomach so full... must press on...
Once they arrive at 'Hats', Vanarog's demeanor intensifies, away from the Chief he can be more like his true self. He walks with a large walking stick with two carved dragon heads, a small bent silver crown atop his head, with a red and silver accented cape flowing behind him. "Where's this prisoner Mr Hat(s)? Chief doesn't send her best and most important heroes to do just anything!"
He hops up towards the front of the group, being by far the smallest of the group physically, he makes up for it with the largest of personalities. "I am . Some softscales choose to add in the Majestic, or the Mighty, or the Destined, or perhaps even future Chief..." He pulls his cape in front of him majestically at the last bit, smiling mischievously as he does.
As he sees the creature doing its best to put hats on everyone Vanarog takes a step back, the eyes on his staff glowing blue "Vanarog the Majestic already wears a crown of silver, as you can see... unless you have a crown of gold or a larger silver crown... then NO." He seems quite defensive about his head wear, it is majestic and all.
Hats’ tentacle eyeballs Varanog’s silver crown. “That is a nice hat, Varanog. Very princely!” Then Hats turns to survey the other sewer dragons remaining. His eyes glaze right past the poor hatless Pethjun and lock straight to Engashez and her hat of disguise. “Oh... THAT is an awesome hat! Oh, can I try on that amazing hat?” His tentacles quiver with joy. “The prisoner isn’t very interesting... He doesn’t appreciate superior headware. But I’ll let you see him if you let me try on that magnificent hat!”
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Vanarog nods slightly, bearing a noticeable air of 'obviously'. He then turns to Engashez and points to his inferior headpiece "Quickly now already!" He shoos his little hand at the softscale. Let's hope this one isn't a simpleton like my last assistant. I wonder if he ever made it out of that hole?
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Fazgyn watches this all with a seemingly detached air, but the wheels are turning in his mind. "This one likes giving orders.. I shall have to watch out for him. Maybe he will feel a slow fang, or maybe he tell where slow fangs go.. we will see.."
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No stranger to ridicule at the hands of her fellow kobolds, Engashez brushes off Vanarog's brusque commands. She instead gives Hats her full attention, bowing towards the otyugh with a definite air of respect.
"I'm thrilled that you've noticed my beautiful hat." The headwear, normally in the shape of the kobold skull that frames her face, suddenly transforms! Shifting rapidly, it cycles through an odd and chaotic assortment of forms that includes regal crowns, elaborate Taldoran fashions, and simple tribal adornments. She settles on a tall, flat-topped conical affair in black with a broad band and buckle, and a wide brim, and then holds the hat out towards the otyugh.
"I would be happy to allow you to try it on, but you must promise to return it. It's quite precious to me. Will you do that?"
As Engashez displays the hat of disguise’s versatility, Hats’s jaw drops and his other tentacles quiver even more. “Um, sure... Sometime!”
But maybe not anytime soon.
Hats needs no other invitation. He scoops the hat onto his own head and bounces happily around the cavern. “This is the most amazingest hat ever! It is like having infinite hats in ONE HAT! It is the hat of HATS!” He bounces forward towards the pit, and points with his free tentacle at the prisoner. “There he is, if you want to talk to him! Hey, look captured guy! I am wearing my most hattiest hat ever!”
Currently, the ‘hattiest hat’ resembles a gigantic tower of gears with dozens of cuckoo clocks coming out of it.
Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
From the pit, the cranky voice says, “Truly there are no words to describe that monstrosity on your head...”
Hats beams. “I know!”
As you all peer over the side of the pit at the prisoner, he seems somewhat disappointing even for a human. He looks like a wan and sick elderly bum, especially surrounded on all sides by the headware that his Otugh captor had flung at him. But as he sees you, he leaps up with excitement and executes a courtly bow.
“You lot! Excellent! Simply excellent! You're Sewer Dragons, aren't you? Oh, my apologies, I mean, you are most capable defenders of the exalted Sewer Dragon tribe of Absalom—rulers of the sewers upon which I have miserably intruded.” He looks up at you hopefully.
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Vanarog watches the hat flip around through different forms and styles and becomes quite agitated when he sees one of the forms be a beautiful crown, similar to his but much less bent. Oh I see how it is, trying to show me up!
GOOD!
Now that the hat situation has been resolved to his liking, 'The Majestic' turns his attention towards the peon in the pit. He looks down at the old vagabond and smiles cruelly I best show him he's not dealing with some softscale that can be manipulated with his groveling words!
From the edge of the pit Vanarog weaves his arms and raises his staff, the eyes on the dragons glow and mouths open to puff out a pale blue smoke. After he does so a shimmering disk, requiring only the most impressive of all magics appears beneath Vanarog, lifting him three feet from the ground to a towering height of nearly 6 feet!
"You there! Why have you come into the Sewer Dragon's lands! Speak now else I will melt your face from your skull with but one mighty spell!"
“Oh, very good!” The human’s shaggy eyebrows rise high at Varanog’s display. Then the old man claps. “I’ve always liked that spell! How good to have competent allies!”
He pulls out a wayfinder and waves it at all of you. “I'm a member of the Pathfinder Society, you see. A venture-captain, in fact, one who helped forge our alliance! I'd been following a group of our suspected enemies above ground, and they descended into the sewers nearby. In a section of nearby tunnels, I found our enemies hard at work, constructing some sort of magical portal in a ruined sewer line. In my folly, I alerted those I was following and was waylaid. I managed to drive them off, before your friend—the one with the headwear fascination— found me and dragged me here. That doesn't matter though. All in the past, I'd say.” He waves a hand behind him.
“I need to warn the Society!” He says, urgently. “But, I don't think there's enough time before this portal opens. You fine soldiers of the Sewer Dragons should do… only you can stop it!”
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Vanarog leans forward to get a better look at the wayfinder before cursing under his breath Dammit all, I guess we don't get to melt his face yet after all...
The majestic one stands proudly on his floating disk of unmatched arcane power and listens to what the old man has to say, just in case he is telling the truth.
"Go on Pathfinder, you've got Vanarog's attention... for now."
He appears to be telling the truth, though it is clear that he earnestly wants out of here.
“Excellent, Varanog! And how may I address the rest of you?” He peers hopefully at the other kobolds, blinking a moment as he catches sight of Athrax’s bonnet and Skyrahk’s jester cap. His back shakes for a moment, and then he is overcome by a hacking cough made into his robes.
The hacking cough was to cover him laughing him ass off.
“By the way, ‘Pathfinder’, though an accurate appellation, seems a bit distant as a way for good allies to refer to one another, yes? I’m Drandle Dreng.” He looks at you like he expects the name to mean something, then sighs at the lack of reaction. “Right.”
“Sooo.... Let’s talk about what you might be up against!” Running a hand through his wild grey hair, he concentrates a moment. “The ruffians and tresspassers that we were speaking of before... They’re an organization opposed to the Pathfinder Society, known as the Onyx Alliance. They're from very far away, and they have a grudge against the Society because we've stopped some of their previous schemes. Most importantly, they're a ruthless band of villains, and if they're building a beachhead in the sewers, they'll be sure to clear out any potential threats—your tribe included!”
“I’m sure you must have questions.” He waits. “So, what can I tell you?”
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Engashez approaches the lip of the pit, but only close enough to peer in; she keeps her eye on Hats and his galavanting around with her hat. She begins addressing the Pathfinder, but is clearly distracted.
"I am Engashez, the Dragon Speaker. I ummmm..." What is that beast doing with my hat. This was a mistake! "I speak for the tribe, most of the time." Be careful you bumbling fool! The magic will protect it some, but not if you go whipping it around... "While it's... ummm..." I better get that thing back, or the tribe is going to lose an otyugh ally... "...while it's easy to... recognize... the tribe's interest here," Curses! I was such a fool! "we need some information... if we're going to act." If this comes to blows, will I be able to get the others to support me? "This Onyx Alliance..." They think the hat is just silly, that's obvious. They don't see the power it gives me in negotiations; they think it's just a toy. "...what are they about? What are their goals, other than hassling you? What are their strengths?"
She marches over to Hats, her questions forgotten. "That's it, give it back. You've had it long enough; you're going to ruin it!"
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Athrax looks into the pit down at Drandle Drang "Greetings Pathfinder! I am Athrax great Alchemist of Sewer Dragons. Tell me what does this Magic Portal do? Also you are right we are very competent, dont worry about using simple words. We will know what you mean by the true words of what you describe." This guy might be my in. clutching the broken wayfinder at his hip I will be able to get into the Society. To be the first Kobold inducted in to the Great Pathfinder Society. I will show them that we can be trusted and we Sewer Dragons can like the best of them.
Athrax fades off into a day dream about sitting in the Pig's Belly waiting to be called on missions. Telling stories to everyone who would listen and buy him a pint of course.
"Oh Yes sorry back to the mission at hand. What do you need to do? What duties can I complete for the Society?"
Drandle Dreng opens his mouth to respond to Ahtrax, but before he can, Hats reacts to what was said to him.
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Hats pauses and frowns for a moment when Engashez turns on him, and then Skyrahk’s words sink in*. The Otugh turns to Prophet of Kalistrade cowl. “That isn’t what friends say! Right, awesome Cowl?”
Hats answers himself in a high-pitched squeaky voice, holding up the Cowl like a puppet. “Oh no! You must save us, Brave Hats!’
He hoists up the the Naval Commodore Hat with another tentacle, and speaks for it in a strident and almost military voice. “As your Commodore Hat, I demand you challenge the naughty dragons to battle!”
Then Hats shrugs. “I don’t know, hats on my tentacles. They don’t look up for battle with the awesome and amazing Hats, especially when he is wearing the hattiest hat.” This important consultation done, he then he turns back to Engashez and Skyrahk.
“Destroy my !?! I am nice ally to Sewer Dragons! You bring me tribute, I protect clan! ”
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Pethjun, when the group gets to Hats' lair hangs back for a bit watching the creature before deciding it's not even worth risking challenging. She readjust the black raven feather headress she has on and slips in behind the group, bored by the talk of silly hats.
Of to the side, she pulls out her rapier and starts practicing forms with it, striking imaginary creatures big and small, half-listening to the softscales and bigfeet talking. Her interest perks, though, when Dreng mentions the intruders. She stops practicing for a second, before cautiously approaching the lip of the pit.
When the mention of a threat pops up, though is when she finally starts speaking, though. "I don't know of you can call these other true dragons, soilders, they're all pretty much softscales when it comes to actual combat. I'm Pethjun, the best fighter in these sewers!" With this she gives everyone in the room a withering glance, "And I'll fight anyone who says otherwise!"
She turns her attention back to the man in the pit, before asking, "Just who and what are we fighting? Are they competent with a blade at all or something worthy of My prowess?"
When Engashez and Skyrahk start to antagonize Hats, Pethjun gives a snort of laughter. "Haha, you lent him your hat like a softscale and can't handle the consequences! I'm going to love watching you handle this!"
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"Skyrahk is... right." Engashez forces herself to calm down... barely. Hats is pretty big, and Skyrahk might be my only ally if it comes to blows... most here would love to see more power vacuum within the tribe.
"I don't want to hurt your hats," sure I don't, "I just don't want you to hurt my hat."
"I'm sorry I got mad...." Soooooo sorry....
"Can I have my hat back, please?"
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Vanarog merely nods as Dreng introduces himself and his title, not knowing anything other than he seems to be telling the truth and has the all important wayfinder thing.
"Tell me more of this Onyx alliance. Are they bigfeet like you or softscales like these? Or something else completely!" His temper starting to flare at the bickering with Hats.
Leave it to these to start a fight with big Dragon's ally over a stupid hat... "Maybe you should just give him your hat Engashez else Chief put you on permanent trap testing duty!"
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Pethjun nods at Vanarog's words. "I'm sure Chief wouldn't be too happy if you ruined our relationship with our friend Hats. Might just be best to lend him the hat for a while. If he can't see what they look like on himself then he'll probably tire of it at some point."
“But... It’s the hattiest hat.” The tentacles of Hats droop. “Does this mean that you don’t want to offer Hats tribute?”
The tentacle bearing Awesome Cowl points at Engashez, and Hats narrates for it in his high squeaky voice. “Maybe they do not wish Brave Hats to pledge himself in protection to them. Not all Dragons can be as wise as Brave, Brave Hats.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to SMITE the naughty dragons in battle!?” inquires the once-strident Commodore Hat, uncertainly.
Hats looks glumly at the Cowl and Commodore hat. “I don’t know if I want to battle anything, hats on my tentacles, without my hattiest hat. Maybe Hats will just stay here and catalog his millinery collection, instead of helping dragons that no longer want him.”
He hands Engashez back her hat, but his many-eyed tentacle is making sad puppy-dog eyes at the kobold, and he’s starting to sniffle. This is an amazing feat for a creature that does not have a nose.
“Oh, for goodness sake,” mutters the cranky Venture Captain in the pit. “You have invaders at your threshhold, and you’re going to argue with the Otugh about a hat?”
Dreng turns to Athrax, Pethjun and Varanog. “Alright... Let’s handle your questions, shall we?” He starts to pace, clearly favoring one leg so much that he’s almost hopping with agitation. It’s not certain whether the elderly Venture Captain acquired the injury from the fall, or from having a bronze helmet flung at him, but he’s clearly got a limp. “Great Alchemist Athrax! You wanted to know about portals, correct?” The aged Venture Captain raises a quizzical eyebrow.
“All I know is that it connects to a larger base of operations for the Onyx Alliance. From the few minutes I had to inspect the device, it's clear to me that the portal can only be activated from the other side, wherever the other side may be. If the Onyx Alliance successfully activates the portal, someone will need to go through and find a way to close it. From what I overheard, it is set to activate shortly after additional reinforcements arrive from the surface.”
“Fierce Pethjun, best fighter in the Sewers!” Dreng nods his head in acknowledgment. “You will find challenge a-plenty here. The Onyx Alliance do have some excellent swordsmen who could be worthy opponents for you. My concern is that there are so many of them. This will take not only your fierce warrior talents, but also your guile. They have no intention of offering you a fair fight. Under the circumstances, I suggest that you use every advantage you have.”
“They are Big Feet like me. But some of them have armor and other protections.” Dreng nods acknowledgement to Varanog. “You spoke of Trap Testing duty. That is precisely what I have in mind, actually. Not for your fellow kobolds, but for the enemy!” His eyes light up. “I have more suggestions, if you’d like to hear them.”
Then he looks around. “Um. Before I do that, is there any chance you can lift me up and out of here? This conversation would be so much easier if I didn’t have to keep craning my neck up to talk with you.”
He waits, expectantly.
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Engashez glares at the other kobolds, furious at their lack of support, and brushes off the light-runner's complaints while she tries to soothe relations between Hats and the Sewer Dragons.
Not even the coldest heart could fail to be warmed at least a little by Hats' display. Engashez, though, is as cold as any of the Sewer Dragons--at least, that's what she'll say. In latter days she always maintains her actions to have been purely a strategic choice--her first-hand experience with being shunned by her peers surely never was a factor.
"Hats, please, let's not be hasty." As she puts her hat of disguise back on her head, Engashez gives it the image of something little more than a dumpy, patched, and weather-beaten sack. "Please, allow me to make up for this. I can't let you keep the hattiest hat; you know that. You're not unreasonable; it was only ever a loan, and I'm thankful that you returned it when I asked." She steps closer, careful to read Hats' body language to see if she's going too far.
"Let me clean up your hats; let's make them the best that they've ever been." Engashez brings forth arcane power through some simple words and gestures, sending forth magical energy to clean and perk up each and every one of Hats' namesake possessions; if anything, they now appear better than when they were first made.
"Please accept my apology. The Sewer Dragons have always held you in high regard, and I let my emotions get in the way. You are our first and strongest ally."
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Skyrahk smirks at Vanarog. "You will of course let him use your floating platform for a moment, yes? Otherwise, you may very well be the one testing traps when the chief hears about it."
Vanarog smiles at the suggestion "Yes, it will be I, Vanarog the Majestic who saves our injured Pathfinder from the dank, dark hole, while you try not to drive off our most magnificent and trusted Hat over that silly hat!"
With a flick of his spindly wrist, Vanarog lowers the disk to the ground, then steps off of it. He points down to the pit where it hovers just over the ground and down into the hole, laying flat on the ground until Dreng steps on. Once he's in position Vanarog lifts his clawed finger up, rising the disk steadily out of the pit and back to ground level. "Now, continue to offer us some suggestions on this portal you speak of!" He flicks his tail at Skyrahk rudely.
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Pethjun watches Hats' performance with a smirk, intrigued by the funny actions of the osluyth, but her eyes are also narrowed slightly trying to judge if the creature is liable to attack the group, or more importantly, her. When it passes back the hat, Pethjun turns away, assured she won't have to do anything more than report on the incident to Chief Yiddlepode.
Her attention rivets back to the bigfoot when he calls her name, though. "Ah, someone who recognizes me for what I am!" She rattles the spikes on her tail in excitement over the possibility of fighting a challenging foe. Hmm, maybe a large number of enemies, instead of one large enemy, will earn me my place in Sewer Dragon history.
She gives the venture captain a toothy smile and retorts to his warning, "I doubt they will much of a problem for me, but I never planned on fighting fair to begin with! Only a softscale with goldfever would do that! But let's hear your plan and see if it's worthy of consideration."
Fazgyn settles in the back of the cave, watching the amusing show as it unfolds before him. However, when the soft foot mentions traps, his ears perk up.. or would have if he had any.. He steps forward towards Dreng.
"Me sets all traps here.. and every dragon fears my slow fang. What you know of traps?? Tell me!" he says, insistently. His eyes gleam with a fearsome light.. it seems that the newcomer has managed to stroke both of his passions at the same time; exploring the tunnels and new traps!
pulling his very stained and discolored journal out, Athrax begins taking detailed notes from the Venture-Captain ensuring he can keep a good log of what has transpired.
"And then?" he asks as Dreng explains further about the mission at hand. "This will be a piece of grub cake!"
The many eyes of Hats gaze mournfully at the Hattiest hat, even in its battered sackcloth form. Still, the hats on his tentacles have plenty to say about their transformations. “I say!” declares the Strident Commodore, sounding pleased, “These sparkles will impress the frontline troops!”
Awesome Cowl raises itself up, once again narrated by Hats in his high squeaky voice, “As the cowl of a mighty prophet, I foresee that someday Engashez will regret not allowing the Hattiest Hat to become part of the best hat collection in the world. Still, I think that brave, brave Hats should forgive the naughty dragon, since she cleaned our drape so nicely.”
“Thank you, hats on my tentacles. As always, you give me wise counsel.” Hats quietly collects the jester’s cap, ulfen helmet and flowery bonnet. “Dragons, Hats must stay and tend his sparkly hat collection, but he will always be ally to his friends the Dragons. Farewell, Dragons! Farewell, Hattiest Hat!”
With one sad tentacle wave, the Otugh turns away, leaving you to your interrogation of the scruffy big foot Venture Captain.
“Ah, Varanog! Straight to the point as always! Excellent!” The elderly Venture Captain gingerly limps towards Varanog’s floating disk. For an elderly injured big foot, the old VC is surprisingly graceful as he floats up to you. “Thanks for the lift!” Brushing himself off with dignity, he continues with his suggestions.
“Back to the mission at hand...” Dreng’s eyes light up. “I believe the best course of action would be to strike at the forces guarding the portal; I've already given them a good licking myself, so they shouldn't be too difficult to deal with.’ He nods to Pehtjun. “Your prowess will come in hand there!”
Then Drang waggles his bushy eyebrows. “After that, reinforcements from the surface are supposed to come, so you'll want to prepare. I hear kobolds are quite determined and skilled when it comes to setting traps!” He claps, nodding to Fazgyn’s expertise. “Once you've dispatched the reinforcements, the portal should activate. You'll need to go through to the other side, and figure out how to disable it!”
“Any other questions before I go?”
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Vanarog squints his eyes at the old man riding his very own most impressive creation like he owned it That's MY disk! Fine, you can ride it for now since you are so old.
After hearing through the general thoughts and plans outlined by the big foot, Vanarog quickly and alertly interjects "Go through the portal? And turn it off? So just how exactly are we going to get back here! I can't leave this place... I'm destined you know!" He follows up the final statement with his patented regal pose, straightening his crown and whipping his cape majestically in front of him.