"One of the mandates, Old Sharptooth has given us, is to unite the kobold people," Ryzztyl says. "It may be difficult, but we need to send a..." the blue kobold pauses, trying to think of the words, "diplomatic... mission?" He shrugged. "We need to become an ally with the other tribe. I would even consider further communication with the taztylwyrms. Together we can crush the humans and reach our next objective."
Nakpik adds something too:
"Mine lords, your redscaled prisoner is still here, I personally had taken... "care"... of him. He is tortured but still alive. If you need him he is of course at your disposal."
Yighukiskar nods both at Ryzztyls words and Nakpik's reminder.
"We may have need of him soon but for now we will discuss. Ryzztyl I agree we must swell the ranks of those who serve the Great Shadow and this red scale tribe would seem a good place to start. What say you Oozulla?"
"Ryzztyl, I think you have a good idea about starting soon.", she hesitated a bit and then nodded to Szzlax: "You are also right, my fierce brother".
Oozulla continued: "My preference is not to start promptly. I'd like to stay in caves for a day or two, brew some magic and prepare for future travel. As well, I'd like to complete Ritual of Scales.
She stopped for a while to notice the reaction of the Chief and others.
"Then, we could start by speaking with tatzlwyrms. This might be hard to convince them to join us, but if they will - we will have a stronger ally to deal with redscales. I don't think smashing other tribes completely will help us to build kobold empire - we should deny them their numbers..
..smash their warriors and destroy their traps.. she translated for Sszlax
..and then others will surrender. Did prisoner said something new about his tribe?"
Chief replies to Oozulla's last question:
"He said nothing new. 30 warriors, including their current chieftain, and about the same number of workers.
Their chief has arcane powers, probably a sorcerer. But I'm more worried about their wyvarans, 8 of them before, now 6 since you killed 2 of them... especially their so called prophet, the leading wyvaran seems particularly dangerous.
Yihuksikar considers the council and thoughts of the others before speaking.
"I propose this then. We will stay near the the warren for two days to recover and give Oozulla time to prepare. During this time we will make the trip the the ford and seek out the River Wyrm. We have had favorable dealings with it before and may make roads to gaining the Taztylwyrms strength through him. After two days we will go to the redscale to seek their submission. A diplomatic mission as Ryzztyl says. If we must turn to Szzlax plan then let it be against their leaders. Destroying their warriors and workers leaves them no use to us."
He pauses to let the group consider his words but then adds, "In the meantime I do not care for this Staglord and his machinations. We will see to him soon enough but for now I would have Mikmek's scouts keep eyes upon them so we know what moves they make. Do not seek blood yet but only knowledge."
Mikmek thinks about Yighukiskar's words, the he says:
"I'll personally take part in a surveillance operation towards the Staglord. I've already lost a lot of mine scouts, and I think it will be better for the rest of the tribe to stay safe inside the Lair, we can't afford loosing more warriors and workers after the Mite's war."
Chief replies to Mikmek:
"I agree with Mikmek evaluations. We won the war, but got too many casualties, it's better to focus on a defensive and isolationist strategy for now, preparing traps and fortifying the lair in case of a new war."
"There will be more war. Our lair is hidden for now but eventually it's location will be found. I agree, those Sootscale remaining should work on training and fortification. Let's the tunnels run deep and twisted and each inch be a hazard to our foes."
Szzlax shrugs as the rest of the conversation continues intent on stuffing his face with as much food as possible. When others mention him he simply adds, "Szzlax smash any not be our friends!"
Seeing agreement from the rest of the chosen Yighukiskar brings the meeting towards an end.
"It is agreed then. Chieftain we will take the shamans quarters as our own for now. Before we set to task have the red kobold brought up. Let us speak with him."
"The shaman quarters and the shrine area are at your complete disposal, mine lords." said Chief Sootscale.
Nakpik also adds:
"Mighty Yighukiskar, you can find the red-scaled chained in mine office, or if you want I can send him to your new quarters"
"Have him brought to us." Dismissing the council Yighukiskar returns to the shamans quarters with the rest of the Chosen.
The team moves back to the former shaman quarters.
There is laying the stable, yet unconscious, human slave.
After a few minutes Vrek the guard comes bringing the red prisoner with him. The kobold is still tied.
"Redscale, you spoke in the past of the might of Old Sharptooth and so I now tell you that you stand in the presence of his Chosen four. I do not expect you will believe me but perhaps your faith grants you a vision I once laced. The Great Shadow has charged us with bringing about an empire of scaly kind. The Sootscale have seen glory of this and have submitted to our will, now we will seek the same from your tribe. Let us start at the beginning though. What is your name and by what name does your tribe know itself?"
The redscale seems to think a little bit before answering Yig:
"I'm Kib of the Redscales tribe. I follow the Dragon, what you call Old Sharptooth, but I don't believe the God has choosen you four. We have our Prophet, he must acknowledged your presumed holy vocation, I serve the Dragon serving the Prophet. Nothing else matter to me."
"In a few days time you will take us to the Redscale Kib. Then your prophet will acknowledge our divine power either through his oracular vision or by right of might."
Looking to one of the guards he says, "Take this one back. See that he is fed and allowed to rest but keep watch upon him."
When they are gone he looks to the group and says, "We should prepare to journey to the ford."
With the majority of the magical items identified Yighukiskar gets the group moving out and to the ford.
Before Yighukiskar is able to get the group move out, something strange happens to the chosen:
You are all still in your new chambers and alone, no curious kobolds from the tribe are around the shrine or the former shaman's quarters.
Suddenly you all fall asleep, something magical, but in the same time you all can feel it's not coming not from an external source, instead the magic is coming directly from your own new mythical powers.
You all four find yourself into some kind of special shared dream landscape. Surrounded by some dark shadows, you are inside some kind of circle while 5 gigantic claws emerge from the ground, each of them is covered with few scales of a different color: red, black, blue, green and white.
You can feel the presence of Old Sharptooth all around in this sacred ground.
Blinking to clear his eyes of sleep Yighukiskar looks about and, feeling the presence of their god, kneels and lowers his head.
"Great Shadow what is it you require?"
The voice of Old Sharptooth comes from nowhere yet from everywhere:
"Something urgent comes to mine attention, something I never foresee before now. But something strange events comes to the fate of mythic beings and gods too.
Mine legacy, I must have risked more in summoning you to this real of dreams and shadows, but the Fate has turned to an unexpected turn, and now mine chosen, even I had to change a portion of mine plans.
Our main enemy, the green fey queen, moved her attention to another realm, and so we must hurry up to catch the opportunity to fulfill our glorious destiny once more.
I'm sending one of you, with the might of mine own blessing to a secret mission, to recover one of the seals. Yet the rest of you, mine legacy, must still hold and go on in their Holy Mission to establish Our Kingdom of Kobolds."
"The Great Shadow, we are ready to proceed and do that," Oozulla kneeled and lowered her head as sign of her servitude, "please, forgive if our hesitation made you think we are afraid. The Great Kobold Empire will start to grow soon and we will lead it to prosperity."
"We are kobold. We are dragon. We adapt to changing circumstances and prevail. It is what we are at our core," Ryzztyl says, matter-of-factly. "The green fey queen is a fool to take her attention away from our realm. When she returns, she will not even recognize it."
"Who have you chosen, Great One, to recover the next seal? Whoever it is, the rest of us will still tame this region and build an empire."
"My brother and sister speak well Great Shadow. We will not fail you in either task. The Fey Queen will know defeat across realms."
"Szzlax is ready to smash!" says the green barbarian.
The echoes of the voice of Old Sharptooth starts again coming from all the claws:
"From all of your four, I need Szzlax to go, alone, through a land of dreams and shadows, to recover the green seal. In the meantime the rest of you will start laying the foundation of our future Empire. Your green brother will came back to you as soon as his mission will be accomplished. In the meantime, the three of you must focus on the tribe who is looking after the red seal."
"Already we prepare to add the red tribes strength to your empire Mighty One. They speak of a prophet among them. Does he know your true face or he as false as the fey soul we ended?"
"In many centuries I have inspired numerous prophets to move the seals near each others, but the dragon-kin who is looking after the red seal maybe became too fanatic in his mind.
Until the time of your ascension this was all part of mine plan, a fanatic and prophetical Wyvaran whose visions told him of moving a kobold tribe to a new location, bringing the red seal near your location, near the other 4 seals.
Now you will probably have to crush him, to gather the redscales into our future kingdom and free the power of the red seal.
He dreamed only a reflection of mine own divine power, yet he never was chosen to be mine legacy... for now...
Face him and fulfill your destiny!
Or perish fighting him, and he will take your place at mine side...
a dark and evil laugh surrounds you, before you wake up into your lair... all but Szzlax the green barbarian...
"As it should be..." Yighukiskar whispers in acknowledgment of the divine concept of the weak serving the strong.
When the shadow fades and they find themselves back in the lair of the Sootscale Yighukiskar notes Szzlaz absence without surprise. Looking to Ryzztyl he says, "We shall see to our mission while Oozulla finishes her ritual. With that done we will be ready to see to the Redscales."
Yighukiskar and Ryzztyl wait for the next day before venturing out of the lair, giving the spellcasters enough time to aid in the bolts identification a second time.
After the spellcasters have ended using their knowledge (insert here successfully or unsuccessfully); it's near sunset time when Yighukiskar and Ryzztyl venture out of the lair, looking for the Tazlwyrm previously met by team river.
It takes them only 8 hours to approach the ford at it's about one hour after midnight when they arrive in the proper hill.
There you found no sign of the dragon.
Oozulla has a glimpse of something that should be, yet she is not completely sure of it...
Oozulla felt the power of this magic bolts is slipping from her mind, so she decided to call her memories, imagining the dark shadow of Old Sharptooth falling on the nearby wall, feeling his voice somewhere deep inside her head.
Irritated that the Wyrm was turning out to be difficult to locate and secretly feeling a bit foolish for not bringing a tribesman more practiced in tracking, Yighukiskar continued to look about the area, especially near the waters edge.
After tripping over three roots and stubbing a claw one a stone he called to Ryzztyl in irritation, "Have you found any sign?"
Oozulla's mythic power sustain her research making her finally able to identify the 7 bolts as +1 Flaming crossbow bolts.
In the meantime Yighukiskar in all his mighty championship and draconic proud... is barely able to discern his own tracks from the rest of the terrain, but saw no signs of the Tazlwyrm around where he is...
"Nothing yet...," Ryzztyl hisses in frustration. "Perhaps we should move on to our next task..."
Even Ryzztyl is not able to see anything useful for their current task of locating the Tazlwyrm...
Realizing they don't have the skills for a more involved effort Yighuk nods and says, "We should.". Before heading back he leaves a pair of rations at the base of a willow tree near the water and carves the icon of Old Sharptooth and the Sootscale into the trunk.
With that he he is ready to journey back.
Yighukiskar and Ryzztyl start moving back to the lair, while they venture into the hills both of them are able to hear a cavernous screech coming from the next hill...