KenderKin's Kingmaker Part 1 (Inactive)

Game Master Freddy Honeycutt

He is to be executed?

Mikmek
"Up to chief Sootscale, Mikmek not say, maybe chief gives him to you reward for statue return..."

I can assure you that I don't want a mite as any kind of reward...

Torod just grins.

"Come come, Chief waiting, come hurry! Hurry."

The two kobolds lead the way taking you past all kinds of twists and turns in the tunnels as you go

Quick trip

More and more kobolds join the march into the recesses of the old mine.....

You come face to face with

Chief Sootscale

The chief's eyes shine with excitement.

"You give statue to me now."

DM

A few clarification questions... how many kobolds exactly? Is the cavern lit? Did anyone happen to detect magic on the statue? I can't recall. Isn't the statue in Mikmek's possession?

Eadric studies the tunnels and the growing number of kobolds carefully, trying to formulate a plan and gauge their intentions, in case things go wrong...

Upon meeting Chief Sootscale, Eadric nods in greeting. Before Eadric, or anyone else can get a word out, the chief's demand causes Eadric to turn and look at Mikmek while making a gesture that he not comply immediately. I can see that we will be dispensing with greetings and introductions. Very well, but I must insist that before we return this statue to you, and we fully intend to do so, that we have important matters to discuss...

Clarifications

you count 15 kobolds....

The kobolds have lit torches in the sconces along the way and have lit the meeting chamber as well....

your shield is lit (presumed someone did as you requested)

The statue has no magic

Yes Mikmek has the statue, but seems to be following your lead

Also you are in the area Y6 on the map.......

Thanks KK!

Y6? The tunnel on the right side of the map?

Thanks KK!

Y6? The tunnel on the right side of the map?

Yep, how else would you know about all those side passages and stuff on the map??

I was just clarifying that we are meeting the chief... in a hallway... ;)

These kobolds are really not big on formality. :)

Obi looks around at the gathered kobolds carefully. It would be good to see which ones were braver then the rest, so he could see who he would hit with a spell first if things go badly...
I'm not actively looking at them, just posting what Obi's doing while Eadric handles the negotiations

Eadric addresses Chief Sootscale, It has recently come to our attention, my comrades and I, that your tribe has been at war with a group of mites under the large sycamore tree to the north-west. I assume it would please you to know that we have eliminated the mites at that location, including their giant centipedes.

We also rescued Mikmek here from the mites and recovered this statue that your tribe apparently holds dear. Seeing as how we four have been tasked with mapping, exploring and making safe this region, we have traveled here to gauge your intentions and determine the likelihood of peaceful co-existence. We return the statue as an offering of friendship.

What do you say? Are you receptive to the idea of a treaty of peace, and a declaration of alliance, between us?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Chief Sootscale agrees quickly and motions Mikmek forward.

The cheif then smashes the statue into a thousand pieces...

"Sootscale chief, Tartuk must go!"

"Mikmek will go with you find kobold home with humans,"

Do I sense he is sincere? Or is he in a hurry...

Eadric raises an eyebrow as the statue is hurled against the floor. These kobolds are strange... they fight the mites for a statue just so they can destroy it?

Who is Tartuk? And where must he go?

Mikmek to live with us? Why does everything out here want to come home with us?

Agreed. Mikmek can serve as ambassador on behalf of your tribe.

In Elven: "Be very careful here. This can easily turn very ugly."

In Elven: Agreed. What do you know about kobolds? Are they likely to honor an agreement?

Mikmek recovers enough to talk to Eadric
"Tartuk shaman of tribe he brings statue and gets orders tha he hears from tha statue then even chief must obey, now curse gone, voice gone chief take back tribe from Tartuk..."

"Chief Sootscale need help, Tartuk have bad magic!"

"Yous new allies an bonded tah help."

Wait, wait, wait, Eadric raises his hand and motions for Mikmek to slow down. Are you saying that Chief Sootscale is tired of taking orders from his shaman and now he wishes our help running this Tartuk off? This seems an internal matter... and we certainly aren't bonded to help. It seems the Chief's acceptance of our proposal is little more than convenient timing. I'm not sure that I am comfortable with getting involved without more information...

I'm getting that hired assassins feeling again... :)

Ellaria nods and raises her voice. "I agree. We should at least get a better idea of what's going on before agreeing to get involved in this internal conflict between kobolds. In addition, if we help you, we should have a contract of sorts".

Mikmek is dancing around with the other cheering kobolds....

he says “Death to Tartuk!”

As soon as the name is spoken the cheering ends and the kobolds fall silent with mikmek clapping his hands over his snout.....

Sense motive
DC 13

I'm not sure they will honor any agreement, written or not, Eadric says to Ellaria. What we need to find out is what it is Tartuk and his statue have been telling these kobolds to do... I seem to recall something about the kobolds in this area being recently more of a problem. Perhaps this Tartuk is to blame?

Eadric furrows his brow at Mikmek's outburst. It seems we are being asked to do more than just run this Tartuk off...

Eadric addresses Mikmek, When did this Tartuk begin calling the shots around here? And what kinds of things has he been telling you to do?

Sense Motive check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"You're probably right", Ellaria says in elven. "We should do our best to understand what's going on, as I'm not very enthusiastic about intervening in their small conflict here without a good reason".

Mikmek

"Every week Tartuk selects a sacrifice to statue of
Old Sharptooth, he says these are “bad kobolds”

"I losses freinds to war with mites an to sacrifices Tartuk says do."

So this Tartuk was sacrificing your tribe-mates to this statue? Or in the name of something... else?

Mikmek
"Yes Tartuk sacrifice to Old sharp Tooth kobold who not want to do what statue say."

And what kinds of things is this Tartuk asking you to do, that you would risk death by refusing to do so?

Mikmek
"Tartuk says go to war say fight say all enemies o kobolds, say kill mites, say kills gnomes, say, kill humans, say kills children, say kills and fight everyone!"

"Please Tartuk kills Mikmek must save Mikmek, yous goes MikMek dies from Tartuk!"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

In Elven, If this is all true, then it would seem that we have found the reason for the kobolds increased activity and aggressiveness. It would seem in our best interests to deal with this Tartuk. What say you two?

Turning to Obi, Eadric adds in common, What about you? Are you convinced that we should help these kobolds deal with this Tartuk?

"It sounds like tyranny. I would help get rid of it even without the truce." Obi replies.

In elven "I will stand by your side."

In elven, And I by you...

"I agree as well. It should be the right thing to do."

Ok. It is decided. We will help you Mikmek. Perhaps you can tell us about this Tartuk? Does he wield magic? If so, what kinds of things can he do...

How is everyone? Ready for combat? Any special plans we wish to make?

I'm down one Sorcerer lv 1 spell, but I've got more than enough for a single kobold. Even if he has allies, we should have much of a problem, since only the mites had DR. :)

Mikmek
"Tartuk talks to devils an is haunted with magics everywhere,"

"Bad magic..."

Updated map

You are currently in the area in the top right of the map....

Chief Sootscale points his finger down the narrow hallway to your right....

The walls of this cavern are decorated by a rickety wooden
frame formed from clean-cut branches lashed together with
gut and twine. Banners cut from two-foot-wide strips of old
blankets and horsehides hang from floor to ceiling, covering
much of the walls. The sloppily painted banners bear dozens
of primitive icons and mystic symbols. A large cauldron filled
with bubbling red liquid boils in the center of the room.

Standing over the cauldron is

Tartuk

"Welcome scaleless fools you dare challenge mighty Tartuk!"

Initiative
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

I'll do up a battlemap later today...

Initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

Initiative:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Eadric is doing a battle map......

Mikmek initiative
1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Eadric is up!

Sorry... I have been out all day... I'm working on it and hope to have it posted later tonight.

Grrrrr.... now Photobucket is down for maintenance... I will post the map to Imageshack so that KK can see it and let me know if I need to make any changes. Once Photobucket is back up I'll repost the map there so everyone can see it.

--->Map

EDIT: Scratch that.. it looks like Photobucket is experiencing hardware failure on an epic scale... the site has been down since the 12th?!? We may have to stick with Imageshack for a bit... sorry Ellaria. :(

Great map!

Mikmek
"Yous can go this way an come to a wall o wood an banners he has hung or go through tha other passageway."

Feel free to discuss tactics and decide on a direction to enter, split the teams up etc. I will assume you were able to spy tartuk and the layout well enough to come up with something tactical....

Thanks. :)

This way seems quite confined... perhaps Obi and Torod can go this way while Ellaria and I go around the other way... Eadric looks to the others for input.

Photobucket is back up so here is a new link that everyone should be able to see.--->MAP

Initiative: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

"Sure, let's surround him. The only problem will be if we'll find some of his friends on our way."

Obi pulls a small wand from his belt as he goes to inspect the way filled with banner and wooden barriers.

Do the barriers prevent passage, or do they just make it hard to get through without being heard?

The wood is almost like a fence with a top and bottom rail yet nothing except the banners blocking the way. Obi finds the banners to be a thin material yet they are secured at both the top and bottom, likely you could.....

Burst through the banners like a football team

Squeeze between two banners

Cut through a banner

Barge through the other doorway....

Torod will go around to the open doorway.

I am out of town for the weekend... so map updates will not be possible til I get back. I will continue to try and post over the weekend whenever possible.

Eadric is applying to crypt of the everflame no doubt!

;)

I have promised myself no new pbp's!
;)

Just got home... and no, I am not applying to Crypt of the Everflame. I am not looking to add anymore PBPs to my plate. :)