A small pool of blood begins to grow beneath Darian.
Dropping his sword, Josef pulls his bow and an arrow, loosing it at the fleeing mite.
"Somebody heal Darian. Please."
Josef finishes off the last mite.
The ivory statuette on the table depicts a crouching horned devil. It sits on a pile of scrap paper, scribbled on in Undercommon. Aside from that all there is of value in the room are 12 small spears, 193 cp, 120 sp, and 32 gp.
What are you doing now?
Jory approaches the table and inspects the statuette.
____
Josef puts his bow away again before picking up his dropped sword and running his hand along the blade side, checking for damage. Finding nothing that requires immediate attention, he sheaths the sword before turning back to see if there's anything his inexpert self should be doing to help.
Josef drops the bow next to his sword, tearing Darian's shirt off of him to turn into both dressing and bandage as he goes to try to bind the worst wound.
He manages to secure the shirt as a stable bandage, staunching the wound and helping the clotting along.
17hp back for Darian
Jory The statuette is as I've already described. You do detect some sounds from across the chasm though. It sound like someone in pain?
What are you doing now?
Darian’s eyes open, and sees the worried looks of Isabel and Lisl leaning over him. ”Well,” he says with a small grunt of pain, ”this is one way to wake up,” he adds with a wink to Isabel before slowly sitting up and taking stock of the situation.
A little bit of his own magic, and he feels right as rain once more, aside from the ache in his muscles from the things venom. He stands and sheathes his sword while he gets an update on what happened and what they’ve found. He looks to the papers and asks, ”If none of you can read these, I think we should keep them until we find a translator.”
He then hears the cries of pain from across the chasm. ”Someone is being hurt over there,” he says with concern in his voice. He walks to the chasm and looks across, gauging it’s width, before taking some steps back, ”Wait here if you don’t think you can make it across. Or try the other path around and see if it empties on the other side.” He then begins trying to climb across the same way the mite was. He takes his time, testing handholds and footholds before giving them his full weight, knowing he weighs significantly more than these mites.
B4.
A deep and ominous chasm splits the passage. The chasm is a few yards wide, and twice as deep, but thick ropes of tangled roots fill the entire area. The passage continues on the far side of the chasm, and between the two ledges, numerous loops have been tied into the roots to serve as
hand- and footholds.
Crossing the chasm is easy.
B3.
The walls of this egg-shaped cavern are obscured by thick tangles of long, pallid roots. To the east, the chamber opens into a wide, root-filled chasm.
It is in this small cavern you find the source of the sounds of pain you have heard, a black scaled Kobold hangs limply on the wall groaning in pain from numerous small wounds. Beside hand three more Kobolds, these however are all dead, having succumbed to torture by the mites.
What are you doing now?
Darian looks the room over for any threats before sheathing his sword and moving over to the Kobold. He places a hand on the things shoulder and channels some healing magic into it.
If it is enough to wake it up, he looks at it and asks, ”Do you speak the Common tongue?”
"If by chance it does not, I speak the language of his kind." Freya offers.
"Uh, guys? It's a kobold, right? What are you planning on asking it? How to best serve baby?"
”Those mite things were malicious and entirely unwilling to speak rationally, despite my giving them the ability to do so,” Darian retorts. He points to the bound Kobold and it’s deceased companions. ”How would you feel if it were a Human, Elf, or countless other intelligent races bound here would you feel the same way? Clearly they were enemies of these things, and as such I do not intend to judge them based on their heritage alone. As to your more direct question, I intend to ask it why these things have captured and tortured it. The Swordlords have requested the Sootscale Kobolds, who I might add by their own accounting, are normally not a troublesome tribe, be calmed be it by force or by peaceable means, and I, good sir, would prefer the latter if it is at all possible. And given this ones coloration I am betting that it is a member of this tribe. As such, I am willing to at least try to reason and negotiate with them.”
Josef looks at Darian with some shock. "Are you going to give it more room to talk than you just gave me? Why would you? You already know I'm on your side, right?"
”Of course I know you are on our side. But,” Darian sighs, ”but we won’t make peace with their tribe if we initiate our dealings with them with statements such as the ones you made. What if, when it comes to, it goes back to its people and tells them that we view them as nothing more than baby snatchers and villains.”
”I would rather not risk the lives of you, me, or anyone in our company if a peaceful solution can be found. And our best chance of that is to not initiate such dealings with derogatory remarks. That is the only point I wish to make.”
Darian turns to face Josef, bumping his head on a low-hanging root in the process. Rubbing his head, he chuckles and adds, ”If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”
|
Isabel brushes past both Darian and Josef with a murmur that sounds suspiciously like a frustrated "Men!" Crouching down in front of the kobold she gives him a wide smile.
"Greetings. We will get you down from here in a minute, once my men stop arguing. Are you a member of the Sootscales? I imagine there aren't many kobolds with such beautiful black scales! Are your tribe fighting with the mites or something?" Reaching out with one hand she gently places it on the kobolds snout and reaches out with her mind, trying to tamp down the kobold's pain.
Lisl delicately aids Darian with additional healing, now that the immediate threat is over.
The Kobold is named Mikmek, the last surviving Sootscale of a doomed attack on the mite cavern. He speaks to you in chirping, but understandable common. "Yes, yes. Mikmek be good. Came here to punish nasty Mites! They stole holy statue of the Sootscales. Get it back, much reward!"
What are you doing now?
"Holy statue?" asks Lisl, still crouched over in the uncomfortable caves. "What does it look like? Is it still in here somewhere?"
"I only remember seeing one statue since we came in." He shrugs and points back at the table (across the chasm, IIRC).
Darian reaches into the pack they gathered their findings in, and retrieves the ivory statuette. He holds it up and asks ”Would this happen to be it?”
|
|
"How did this happen?" Isabel adds to the questions. "Did the Mites steal it from you?" She gives him a chance to answer the rest of the questions before carrying on.
"We'll come with you to bring the statue back - it's the least we can do. Could you tell me a bit more about your tribe while we go? I'd like to learn as much as I can about your people."
Mikmek quivers in joy when shown the statue. "Yes yes! Old Sharptooth." He squeals, bowing to it.
If you give him a weapon he clutches it happily, babbling to the nice pinkskin (Isabel) all he can tell her regarding the Sootscales.
The name of the Sootscale kobold tribe changes each time their chieftain changes—currently, they are ruled by Chief Sootscale, and so they are known as the Sootscale kobolds. They have lived in an old silver mine in the side of a hill just north of the Shrike River for several decades, periodically clashing with bandits or mites or trappers but always enduring even through the most disastrous of times. The Sootscales all have dark gray or black scales, and have a particular fondness for swimming in the Shrike River and catching fish with their tiny teeth.
As Mikmek talks freely you start to notice some gaps in his description of his tribe.
From what he skips over you start to sense that the tribe has a problem with it's leadership. Some prodding and a few leading questions give you a better picture.
In fact, Chief Sootscale is not the actual leader of these kobolds. Their true leader is a frighteningly intelligent and
manipulative kobold sorcerer named Tartuk who came to the tribe a year ago from the east. Tartuk is a destructive force—a murderer and a maniac who finds a perverse glee in manipulating his kin into self-destructive spirals of fear and madness.
As the group makes their way to the surface, and then on to the Sootscale Lands, Darian moves his horse alongside Josef’s. ”Sorry about back there.”
Not noticing anything untoward, Freya silently stays back letting the more socially capable of her companions continue to handle the situation.
|
|
Isabel, who spends more time talking to Mikmek than anyone else, notices his evasions. Some sympathy and comparisons with some people she knew in Restov gradually draws more information out of him until she has a fairly clear understanding of the tribes situation.
Dropping back when the kobold becomes tired of conversation she relays what she has discovered to the rest of the group. "It seems Chief Sootscales is not really in command of his tribe any more. There is a shaman, named Tartuk, who seems to be driving the tribes to destruction and madness. I get the impression he's usurped the chief. Now, if we want to make a permanent alliance with the Kobolds then this could be our chance. If we remove Tartuk and return the statue I think Chief Sootscales would be very grateful - grateful enough for us to make a treaty I wouldn't doubt. Are we willing to try that?" She asks, looking at Darian and Josef. "Try and deal with things with as little violence as we can? I think its important that we try and build for the long term here."
”Agreed. I wonder, will we have a chance to speak with the chief first? If so, dealing with just this bloodthirsty shaman would be far less dangerous than the shaman and the entire tribe,” Darian replies.
"Hmmm, a little palace coup, eh?" Jory barks out a laugh. "Kobold politics, huh....not too different from Restov! It is within our remit, I believe, to secure the area through means diplomatic or military. Seems a good thing if we can win these creatures over and not spill blood to do it. Gain a trading partner."
As Darian offers an olive branch, Josef doesn't rebuke the offer, but he shrugs and remains a little cold. "Looking for an advantage is rarely wrong. Chasing potential allies while abusing existing ones rarely results in increased strength."
----
"Avoiding violence is always the best option. Delaying it trying to convince yourself you are avoiding it is dangerous. Knowing the difference is the problem. I don't know the difference, here."
----
"If the tribe has been through multiple puppet chiefs, will it be easier, or even more effective, to find an ally to rule or to put a new puppet in charge?"
Darian sighs at Josef’s rebuke, ”I know, and I’m sorry. But I did not intend the statement as abusive. In the tension of nearly dieing, finding a tortured prisoner, and trying to create an initial first impression, my tongue flew off the handle a bit.”
Josef let's Darian's explanation sit out there, in the open, with no acknowledgement or acceptance.
Obviously, somebody's miffed.
He isn't shut down, though, as he does contribute to the ongoing conversation.
|
|
"If the tribe has been through multiple puppet chiefs, will it be easier, or even more effective, to find an ally to rule or to put a new puppet in charge?"
"The issue would be finding a leader that would feel positively towards us." Isabel muses. "If we can return the statue and remove the tyrannical shaman then Chief Sootscale should be firmly in our debt - I doubt we could do any better than that frankly. He's probably more legitimate in the tribes eyes anyway. If we replace him it could lead to a new leader every month and that would be ridiculous!"
With a plan decided Isabel returns to Mikmek and falls into conversation again, trying to ensure that at least one kobold will be well disposed towards them. She's not unaware of the tension currently flowing between Darian and Josef but is consciously leaving her lover to deal with it himself rather than butt in too soon.
A days travel south brings you to the entrance to the caverns populated by the Sootscale tribe of Kobolds.
Mikmek hurries forward as you reach the iron bars that block the entrance, chirping excitedly to the Kobold behind the bars. This Kobold reacts with great delight to Mikmeks words.
"They has the holy statue, they bring it back to us! The pests are all dead!"
Y1. Main Entrance.
An outcropping of large boulders emerges from the weathered face of a nearby hillock. A narrow opening in the rock leads into darkness below. A fallen sign leans against the side of the cave entrance.
Y2. Alcoves.
Even for kobolds, these tight tunnel openings are cramped. Small creatures can move through the tunnels in single file, while Medium creatures must squeeze through.
Y3. Temple.
The walls of this cave have been smeared with what appears to be charcoal and blood to depict multiple representations in red and black of a looming, sharp-toothed reptilian devil. Two low stone tables sit in the middle of the room, one of which is stained with blood.
Y4. Common Room.
The air in this large cave feels warm and close, thick with a reptilian stink mixed with smoke and burnt meat. Numerous beds of furs lie scattered throughout the room amid smoldering cookfires, while to the south, a ten-foot-wide alcove contains a large mound of furs framed by dozens of sticks on which are mounted the skulls of many birds and small animals, all smeared with ash.
The common room holds six Kobolds and the Chief Sootscale himself. He straightens when tallfolk enter the room, though the escort of Kobolds with you stop him from ordering an attack.
Once he is informed that you bring the holy statue back to the tribe he demands you give it to him!
What are you doing now?
”Chief Sootscale,” Darian says with a bow, ”I am honored by your granting us audience. My companions and I have defeated your foes to the north, and recovered that which they stole from you,” he slowly opens the pack and retrieves the statue, holding it forward to Chief Sootscale. ”I return it to you gladly, hoping that this act of comradery will lead to continued peace between your and our kind.”
When you hand him the statue Sootscale holds the statue in his hands with a fierce look of concentration, as if he were making a particularly difficult decision.
Finally, he shrieks in triumph, holds the statue over his head, and then smashes it down onto the ground, shattering it. The other kobolds in the room freeze in shock while Sootscale, a frantic grin on his snout,
thanks you for "Freeing us from this curse" and then encourages you to come with him to "Kill the usurper."
Lisl arches an eyebrow and says, "While I am generally loath to become involved in religious disputes and internal civil wars of outside cultures, it seems that we have stepped into this one."
Darian draws his sword and readies his shield, and follows close behind the chief.
With the alliance confirmed, Freya, Fenrir, and Muninn follow along.
"Well, this seems to be going along the outline of the hope, but at a very accelerated pace. A little dangerous, that." As he talks, Josef pulls his sword as well, giving it a quick spin from his wrist.
Y5. Tartuk's Quarters.
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.
None of the symbols mean anything. They are just mystic seeming daubs thrown up to give the room atmosphere.
As the Chief stalks into the quarters Tartuk looks up and hisses in Draconic. "Sootscale. What is the meaning of this? Why have you bought the worthless pinkskins into holy ground?"
Sootscale answers him, using Common. "No more. No more sacrifices for your 'God' faker. Old Sharptooth is destroyed, and now you will be!".
Tartuk is yelling at his loyalist guards to kill you.
What are you doing now?
Josef laughs as he sees the kobolds preparing to engage, he assumes from something the puppet master said. "You can change sides or you can die, little ones. It makes no difference to me!" As he takes the time to do another flashy display of skill as opposed to simply putting one of the guards down.
Darian raises his sword to a combat ready position, and pushes his inner magic out to his allies, including Sootscale. All of their weapons begin to glow with white energy.
__________
In tight quarters, Jory brandishes his rapier, ready to move to Josef or Darian's support.