Mikmek moves obeying Yig's order and litterally dives over the recess and taking the stone move it closing the hole in the floor.
Oozulla felt threatened by invisible enemy, so she stepped away from it and dropped her concentration on magical wall, calling for mythical power of Old Sharptooth. Her slave and snake stood near her to cover from possible attacks.
Oozulla and the others steps back and she maintains the concentration for her illusion spell.
The slave is ready to strike as soon as he see the enemy.
The auras in the point number 2 moves north and outside of the limit of your detect magic cone effect.
Both the rats engaging Yig and Szz vanish... in the same instant five more rats with the same fiendish appearance appears north, near the entrance of the tunnel forming a V formation. Only the southern tries to attack Oozulla, but the witch is able to avoid its bite.
Ryzztyl, keeps his focus on the moving tarket while concentrating on his magic in order to keep it in sight. He announces to the others where it may be located while moving forwards.
So, Ryzztyl moves one while keeping the concentration to locate the magical auras.
He informs the team of the new position of Tartuk .
He also discovers a new aura of faint transmutation
EDIT: Sorry, I've copy/pasted the wrong url. Now should be correct!
Trusting his companions directions which seem all the more corect due to the rats presence, Yighukiskar charges the area Ryzztyl indicates.
Yighukiskar's charge not only triggers an attack from the southern rat, but also from the other one who can reach him. Luckily for the fighter both rats miss him. Not the same can be said of his cold iron dagger who is able to hit something and spill some blood to the ground.
"Can't hide forever fey!" he snarls as blood runs down his blade and over his forearm.
Szzlax moves and smashes the rat for 11 damage, making the fiendish creature disappear...
Mikmek remains in his place holding the floor stone to prevent the recovering of something from the treasure hole.
Oozulla dropped her concentration on magical wall.
she pointed somewhere towards exit. Mythical power of Old Sharptooth transformed her anger into something new: cone of draconic fire burned from her fingers.
New map
The 2 rats in the west seems able to avoid the flames and are untouched buy the cone of fire.
The slave moves and attacks the point from where Yighukiskar striked the invisible foe, but he miss. One of the rat tries to bite the slave, and it hits critically knocking the human unconscious.
A spell is casted by the invisible foe.
The 4 remaining rats move closer, attacking with a supernatural speed.
Each of the rats bite twice.
The western-more second bite hits Yighukiskar for 3 damage
The second western miss Yighuiskar twice.
The next one, moves over the body of the unconscious slave and hits Szzlax twice for 3 and 1 damages
The eastern-more miss twice Oozulla.
Ryzztyl can see that the auras are moving into the tunnel with an amazing speed before vanishing outside of the 60 ft distance of the spell's range.
Oozulla could not understand tricky gnome magic.
But she knew what to do with those nasty fiendish rats.
She stepped one step away from them and sent a crossbow bolt into one that tried to bite her.
Bolt pierced creature's heart. Oozulla reloaded her crossbow and aimed at the next one.
Map
Yighuk feels the disturbance in the air as the invisible creature before him moves away. Calling back to Ryzztyl he asks, "Where is he? Which way?"
Oozulla's blolt pierce through the summoned fiendish rat for 5 damage making its disappear.
"The coward has fled down the tunnel, at speed" Ryzztyl growls. "He had just cast a haste spell."
The blue kobold glances over at Mikmek on the stone that had been moving. "It seems that he left without taking something he wanted to take with him. He may be coming around. I'll keep my eyes open that way." He then turns around to look towards the other passages where the imposter could return .
Mikmek stands upon the stone of the floor, preventing it to be moved. He also replies to Ryzztyl's words:
"There are no others secret tunnels, only the main entrance and this one. If he is fleeing away in the tunnel he will be able to reach the main entrance only in a few minutes. Let's crush this rats first, and then close this tunnel and barricade the entrance.
Saying so Mikmek fires an arrow with his short-bow, dealing 3 damage to the western-more rat. Yet the rat is still conjured and doesn't vanish.
Szzlax nods and goes to smash another rat.
Szzlax miss the rat.
When he hears that their quarry has taken flight Yighukiskar gives a shrill hunting call and bolts for the tunnel with incredible speed, the thrill of the chase perhaps overcoming his better sense.
One of the rat miss Yighuiskar, while the other one bites him for 2 damage, then the champion is able to reach the tunnel entrance and follow the fugitive inside it.
Yig moves 25 feets before entering the tunnel and then goes deep for the firsts 35 feets before clashing upon what could be the invisible foe.
So he strikes against him, but no blood is spilled this time by his dagger.
"He is here!" the warrior calls back.
Not wanting to let the elusive fey move off again the kobald drops his shield and makes a grab at him.
Your dagger pierce thorough the invisible foe, dealing 10 damage to him.
Into the tunnel, Yighukisarak's dagger pierce thorough out the invisible foe, dealing 15 damage to him.
The body of Tartuk appears on the ground.
He is unconscious, yet still a kobold body.
In the same instant in the chamber all the fiendish dire rats vanish in the shadow that conjured them.
Yighukiskar lets out a victorious howl when he hears the body strike the floor and fade into view. Retrieving his shield he grabs a hold of the fallen creature and drags him back into the chamber where the rest of the party is.
"We have done well! The false prophet is defeated! I believe he still breaths, if we can keep him alive then we can extract information from him and then begin his true punishment."
Ryzztyl hisses in pleasure. "Excellent. Still, the impostor is clever, having fooled the clutch for such a long time. We had best prove our case to the Chief and the clan so that when the gnome awakens he cannot claim we are the criminals." He then turns his focus on the various auras he had seen, hoping he could identify them.
"The crossbow and boots have power to them, although I cannot identify them. As does something in the bag," the blue-scaled kobold said. "And there is something over there," pointing to where the other auras were seen. "I cannot see what may be there, but it could be something similar to this cache."
"There is wisdom in your words." Yighukiskar replies.
Binding and gagging the unconscious "kobold" and leaving his care to those better studied in the healing arts Yighukiskar begins investigating as directed by Ryzztyl.
As soon as Yighukiskar enters the chamber again, dragging with him the body of Tartuk, Mikmek moves to the secret tunnel entrance and close it.
"Better to keep it secret from the rest of the tribe" he explains.
He is barely able do so...
After a few seconds Chief Sootscale and 3 of his guards (Faz, Kir, Nyd) enters the Shrine. They are coming from the entrance where there was the illusion wall made by Oozulla.
"What does it means, Yighuk?" asks Sootscale to his former pupil.
You both realize that keeping Tartuk alive could be a very bad idea if he goes back to consciousness. Since he is a Summoner, even muffled and tied he could be able to use his spell-like ability to summon some other creatures as the dire rats, this without using verbal and somatic components.
The slave is still alive, and stable, but will probably need medical care.
About the other aura on point number 3, it's a faint transmutation, you are able to understand it comes from some kind of Scroll hidden inside the wall, a scroll of fly.
You all also hear the rumor of the tribe who is probably slowly going to gather to your current position after hearing the rumors of the battle.
Yighuk is able to find a hidden cache, where there is a diary.
It's written in the Undercommon language.
Between the pages of the diary, hidden, there is a magic scroll, the one whose aura Ryzztyl was able to perceive.
After Yighuk discovers the diary, the Chief and the guards enter the room.
Glancing at the journal and realizing he has no ability to decipher it Yighukiskar hands the book and scroll to Oozulla.
When the chief arrives he turns to face him, giving a respectful inclination of his head but not taking a knee as he would have done in the past. "Great Chief it means glory. Glory for the Sootscale and glory for all scaly kind. On your order we traveled to the home of our enemy the Mites whom we warred with at the behest of this one." he indicates the bloodied and bound form of Tartuk. "There we brought slaughter to the foes of our clan. We fought into their warrens, freeing Mikmek Thrice Blessed and leaving none alive. When we finally came to the heart of their lair we stood against their chief and his greatest warriors and crushed them."
Pausing a moment the fighter allows the weight of his words to sink in. Pride seems to radiate from him as he speaks, the sight of more of the tribe entering the room only driving him onward. When he sees the audience has grown significantly he continues.
"It was in their inner sanctum that we found the idol of Old Sharptooth and it was there that Oozulla the Revealer's touch awakened the Great Shadow." His voice rises at this last revelation, fervor filling his eyes. "Old Sharptooth appeared to us and his power filled us. From the Sootscale tribe he has selected his chosen and we four stand before you. I tell you now that I am no longer Yighuk but Yighukiskar, Chosen of Old Sootscale and Champion of the Great Shadow! We have been charged by Old Sharptooth to see his will done and that will is to see us throw down the warm bloods and rule as is our right. Long have his plots turned and grown and long will they continue. One such was to bring this false prophet to us so that the idol might come to his Chosen. Now that his usefulness to the Great Shadow is over however he revealed to us that this creature is nothing more than a treacherous fey in disguise. He sought to weaken our tribe from within with his false magics." Looking down at Tartuk again he finishes almost to himself, "He has failed and will know the price of his acts."
Can Oozulla have casted "Stabilize" as she understand the fight is over to save her slave?
Does idol of Old Sharptooth have any sharp point, like creature horn, wing or something?
Oozulla stepped forward with an returned idol in her hand.
Oozulla stabilizes her slave with the cantrip before receiving the journal from Yighukiskar.
The chief is stunned by the stream of words spoken by the team's fighter, his three guards look each other barely able to understand half of the spoken words.
Sootscale looks around into the room, meeting the gaze of Mikmek.
"But.. how... I..."
The scout leader moves near the chief, whispering him some words.
In the mean time Oozulla is able to have a quick reading at the diary:
He was killed in a fight against a group of ogres who were tormenting his village. Restored to life by the use a scroll of reincarnate that had sat in the village treasury for years. In an ironic twist of fate, Tartuk came back as a kobold.
Scandalized, the village didn't know how to react. Tartuk did—he hadn't meant to give his life to save the village (he’d actually been trying to surrender to the ogres and offer to help them destroy the village in return for sparing his life, but the ogres crushed him before he got his offer out), and now they’d turned him into one of the most hated of monsters—a kobold! The fact that his new scales were the same deep purple as his hair in his previous life served only to ensure Tartuk’s shame. Enraged, he fled into the woods, only to nurse a deep grudge. He found a tribe of kobolds, joined them, used his magic and manipulative lies to rally them, and led his new army in an attack against his old village. The resulting battle was furious, and only Tartuk survived. That was fine with him.
Since then, the mad kobold has drifted through several River Kingdoms, periodically haunting towns and murdering gnomes he finds and at others insinuating himself into kobold tribes, taking them over from within, and then driving them to extinction by forcing them into wars they can’t possibly win. The Sootscales are but Tartuk’s latest project. His journal indicates that when he grows tired of his life, he intends to use the scroll to fly up as high as he can, effectively committing suicide when the spell expires in
5 minutes and leaves him at a height of nearly 2,000 feet, well out of the safety range for the spell’s expiration.
" Tartuk had been doing this for years, he joined other tribes and make them fight one each other. Initially, he tried to surrender his gnome village to ogres and negotiate with them, when he was killed, but citizens of his village thought he was willing to save them and used reincarnation magic to return him to life... He was reincarnated as purple kobold and in this disguise he spend rest of his life, making kobold tribes war one each other. When we spoke earlier, Old Sharptooth was disgusted by this tricky gnome. So let the traitor feel the wrait of our deity!"
She turned the idol of Old Sharptooth upside down and stroke Tartuk's throat with sharp horns.
Yighukiskar watches as Oozulla strikes down the purple kobold, ignorning the drops of blood that strike his face.
Hearing how the gnomes reincarnation was corrupted he revels in the Great Shadows wiles.
"There is no shame for us in this deception. It was Old Sharptooths will that he come here and that he be accepted. You have questions Chieftain. Ask them and know our will."
"So, Yighukiskar, you and the other chosen ones came back, saving our tribe, and blessed by the divine power of Old Sharptooth.
It seems to me that your are establishing yourself as the new leadership of the tribe. Are you going to remove me and the current leadership?"
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"No Chieftain. You are the Sootscale. You have lead with the strength and guile of a dragon-blood and such skill will be needed in the times to come. The rise of dragonkind will not be easy nor swift but it will happen with the blessing of Old Sharptooth, the might of his Chosen and the fervor of his children. We four are called to purpose beyond tribe and need leaders such as you to lead our people. Kneel and swear your devotion to the Four and through us to the Great Shadow himself and see yourself and your tribe gain the honor of being the first to do so. Kneel and take your place as first among our council."
A few of the tribe had start gathering into the tribal hall.
With them there is Nakpik, who goes close to Chief Sootscale and Mikmek.
Chief Sootscale looks at his leadership mates, who both whisper something to him. The chief nods to Mikmek before speaking. This times his voice is louder enough that everyone can hear the chief's speaking.
"A chief always know that the time will come for him to leave the leading place. Yet what you are saying is beyond any possible imagination for a ordinary kobold life.
I always knew that some of your generation were strong and promising enough, and that one day I'll had to face some of you, and probably dying doing so. Yet what you are proposing is instead the best for me and also for the future of the tribe.
I Sootscale, chief of the Sootscale tribe, bend mine knee and pledge mine allegiance to you four, chosen of the Mighty Old Sharptooth.
Saying so the chief knees in front of you four. Mikmek follows him, and so does Nakpik, and later the guards and the rest of the tribal minions.
Yighukiskar looked out over the kneeling tribe, his scales practically glowing with hubris.
[i]"This day has always been inevitable though I expected it would be the Chiefs body laying at my feet. This is better though. Now the full strength of the Sootscale is at our disposal. It is not enough but it is a start."[/b]
"It is a dream of the impossible Chief. A dream that has slept a dragons sleep but now begins to rouse. The first tendrils of smoke rise and herald the coming of a new day."
"Rise Sootscale, first to heed the call of Old Sharptooth, Blood of the Chosen. See to your duties and prepare for there is great work and glory ahead of us. Chief Sootscale, the Chosen need to sit in council. I would have your wisdom and that of your advisers there."
Chief Sootscale rises, followed by all the others.
"It should be better, mine chosen lords, if we would have a council meeting in private. Into mine Open Court or wherever you like in the lair, all it's at your disposal."
Yighukiskar nods, "Let us go then, we have much to discuss."
"Bring the false one's treasures. We will need to see how they might aid us."
Once the group has some privacy he asks, "So my brothers and sister, it falls to us to plan our next steps. What are your thoughts?"
Following the Chieftain, Mikmek and Nakpik you enters the chief Open Court.
The three guards station near the entrance, far enough to grand you seven a good privacy but also keeping the rest of the curious tribe minion away from the chamber.
Szzlax grins at the whole affair. Not really keeping up with the whole conversation but understanding the chief bending a knee. When they are alone he says "Szzlax think we eat! Lots of smashing and good works mean we have big eat. Then Szzlax say we go smash more. The shadow dragon say lots of other bads to smash."
Chief Sootscales nods to Szzlax's comment about food, and asks Kir, one of the guards, to bring it here personally.
After something is brought in and the guard is gone, the council meeting continues.