Kairon moves into the room quickly, freeing the rope from its stay on his pack as he does so. He passes it to Illiam and says You can do it, or I can -- dunno why Goruck's takin' his sweet time gettin' here.
Dolok steps into the hallway and will just do his best to keep an eye out for any danger approaching.
But his 'flamy' hair keeps getting in his way.
Stepping in, Goruck ducks his head in a small bow. "My apologies, I simply did not trust my ability to quietly move."
Aiding Illiam with the restraints, the half orc glances about to see if any kobolds were missing their ally.
Perhaps due to his own mask, or maybe a bad experience, Goruck works a loop of rope to function as a gag for the kobold. "The power to speak is the greatest of all, yet oft the most overlooked."
The kobold who calls himself Gurtlekrep wakes up shortly after being restrained and gagged. His eyes open wide as he looks around at the circle of adventurers surrounding him. A small gurgle escapes his gagged mouth, then his eyes roll up into his head, and he passes out from the emotional overexertion. Everyone stands around staring at the tied, gagged, unconscious kobold. A few of the more empathetic members of the party feel a great swell of pity for the poor little dragon-kin.
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Seeing that the kobold's incapacitation will continue a bit longer, Illiam takes the opportunity to gingerly step over him, being careful not to make a sound that might wake him, and checks the adjacent room to make sure there are no nasty surprises waiting there (using his skeleton key to unlock the door, if necessary).
The door to the adjacent chamber is open, and Illiam finds a very rustic bedroom. Two beds, both that appear to have been slept in recently, are the only furniture, but looking under the beds reveals a small chest. Illiam easily picks the lock on the chest and opens it to find a well crafted set of stonemason's tools, about 62 gold pieces worth of assorted coinage, mostly silver and copper, and one decent sized, and seemingly flawless ruby. Something about the cut of the ruby niggles Illiam's memory; he's definitely seen that exact shape before, but where...
After spinning the ruby around in his dexterous fingers for a bit, Illiam suddenly remembers that the anvil shrine in the fore of the old monastery's chapel had cutouts of this exact shape. Hmmmm interesting.
Chillel waits quietly, poised for action should a threat arise.
Unless a party member calls for him or there is some commotion to attract his attention, Dolok will just continue keeping watch in the hallway.
Dolok begins to wonder if maybe he should have his hair trimmed back some?
Unaffected by the kobold's plight, the half orc removes his bulk from the room to allow Illiam and Chillel's keen eyes an opportunity to search the room. Seeing Dolok down the hall, Goruck starts sweeping the area for anything they might have missed.
The only thing that glows with the tinge of magic is the ruby that Illiam just picked out of the small treasure chest, the aura is faint, but still there.
We got no time to lose, people -- if this one can tell us where to find the kids, we need to know it. Wake him up again, and somebody talk nice to him. I'll pass a bit of Sarenrae's grace to one of you to help, but I'm not likely to be able to speak clear enough to him . . . .
After calling upon the Dawnflower's power for himself and an ally, Kairon settles down on one of the beds and prepares to sharpen his scimitar's edge. He positions himself to have clear line of sight to the kobold while he works.
The aura of the ruby is from the conjuration school of magic, but Illiam realizes that the ruby itself isn't magical, rather it is a necessary item for triggering the completion of a spell somewhere else. His most likely guess is that placing the ruby into one of the open slots in the anvil in the chapel releases some form of conjuration magic, probably healing magic.
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Returning to the others, Illiam holds up the ruby and says Found this. It's from the anvil in the other room. Best I can tell, it looks like it will release some sort of healing magic if we put it back. He's also got a good-looking set of masonry tools, if anyone's interested.
Illiam then searches what the kobold has on him, removing any weapons he may be carrying and looking for concealed blades and anything else interesting he may be carrying.
Illiam is very pleased he took the time to search the unconscious kobold, because in addition to the shortsword sheathed at his side, the industrious halfling found four hidden daggers in various compartments of his leather armor, a potion that looks very much like a healing potion of some kind, and a masterwork set of thieves' tools also hidden in a "secret" compartment of the kobold's leather armor.
No reason to wait. Let's do it.
A sneaky foe is a dangerous foe. A blow seen can be deflected or absorbed, but a surprise assault often cripples. Nodding his agreement, the massive half orc returns to the room he previously was in. Trusting those versed in the art of oration, he does his best to provide a menacing air and observe the behavior of their captive once he is awoken.
Dolok, having no idea what is going on in the room, turns and whispers loudly down the hall towards them, "What's going on you all? What are you doing?"
He will also try to pull the hair away from his eyes and keep an eye out for any approaching danger.
After shocking Gurtlekrep awake with a jolt of canteen water, the group found him to be extremely cooperative, if a bit hesitant. Part of the skulky kobold's hesitation centers around the threats of death from three separate, but in his mind equally frightening and powerful members of the his tribe, the Truescale tribe. First of the prominent characters that threaten his life if he disobeys is their king, Merlokrep, first of his name, all-mighty dragon king. Second in line would be his mate Vreggma, who, from what the group could gather actually wears "the crown" in their relationship. Third on the list of those who can cause imminent death is Jekkajak, the tribe's absent-minded shaman. It was the words of this Jekkajak that caused the kobolds to go seeking, what he refers to as "pink-skin" sacrifices to appease their god and stave off a prophecy of their destruction. Thankfully Gurtlekrep was privy to some information that assuaged at least some of the group's fears. The sacrifice of the children is not set to take place until Jekkajak can research and remember the proper method to kill them, the method that will appease their god, and leave them clear of their prophecy of destruction. Gurtlekrep apparently feared immediate death at the hands of the "war-men" and lady standing around him, more than the threat of death from the triumvirate of Truescale power. He even willingly described in detail where the hidden entrance to the kobold's warren is, secreted among the rubble on the ancient monastery's northeast side, adjacent to the dwarves' old prison. Gurtlekrep freely offered all this information in exchange for two promises. Promise the first, don't kill him. Promise the second, kill Merlokrep, Vreggma, and Jekkajak, all those that would kill him if they found out he betrayed them. So, Gurtlekrep, the surface scout, turned out to be a rather intelligent kobold after all...
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Illiam asks about the layout and dangers of the lower level. To encourage honesty, Illiam will write down an account of Gurtlekrep helping them, in Draconic, and keep it on his person, so that if they are defeated, the others will know that Gurtlekrep helped them, so that he will have a vested interest in them succeeding.
Illiam asks about the layout and dangers of the lower level. To encourage honesty, Illiam will write down an account of Gurtlekrep helping them, in Draconic, and keep it on his person, so that if they are defeated, the others will know that Gurtlekrep helped them, so that he will have a vested interest in them succeeding.
Standing with his blade resting on his shoulder, Goruck frowns beneath his mask. Perhaps I should give thanks the creatures lacked the clarity of memory. Irori only gives advice, not intervention after all. Upon hearing the terms, the half orc gives the kobold an unblinking stare, his eyes as cold and emotionless as the stone upon his tusks. "If these words are dipped in subterfuge and born of lies," the swordsman gestures with his blade, small fist sized clumps of earth trailing the weapon, "know nothing shall stop me. If you speak true, rest assured they shall perish."
Sheathing his blade, the half orc turns to Illiam. "Do you suppose that skeleton we found was a scout, caught in a situation beyond it's skill?"
Following Goruck's intimidation, and Illiam's devious plan to keep a record of Gurtlekrep's help written in draconic on his person, the group's bound prisoner wracks his brain for every conceivable piece of useful information, then relates the following.
There are two levels below. The first level, closest to the surface, is the basement of the monastery, and still holds some of the dwarven secrets. The kobolds, generally, avoid this level unless sent there on some specific task, which does happen at Vreggma’s request, on occasion. The reason this level is avoided is that it is inhabited by various monsters that the kobold’s know better than to fight, a grick, some giant lizards, "flappy-winged devils," but the most feared of all is Glintaxe’ ghost. A fearsome spectral dwarf who floats through the hallways melting anything and everything that dares to get close to him. He’s recognizable immediately because of the sound of sizzling stone that surrounds him, and the glow of his magic axe which precedes him.
The kobolds have figured out the safest way to get to the lower levels is to take the western hallway, that is immediately adjoined to the obelisk chamber at the base of the stairs. The hallway runs north and south almost the entire length of the cellar, running right through the dwarves’ old dining hall, and then turning back east just before the entrance to the dwarves’ ancient tomb. They then follow the hall all the way to its conclusion at the double-door entrance to the “prayer-place.” Going from there north leads right to an old elevator shaft and the caves to the lower levels.
The caves and caverns of the lower level are dominated by the Truescale kobolds. Housing their hatchery, the kennel for their Slurk mounts, living quarters, training quarters, and the king’s throne room. Though, Gurtlekrep warns, there have also been occasional monsters showing up in their dominion, apparently having wandered up from secret entrances that lead deep within the mountain...
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Illiam doesn't entirely trust the kobold's words. If it's true that there are dangers below unrelated to the kobolds, which they try to avoid, it could be in his interest to send them through the most dangerous of them, hoping it will stop the group before they reach his kin, leaving their bodies where the note would not be found.
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Mae hyn yn y ffordd y byddech chi'n mynd? Efallai dylem anfon i chi ymlaen llaw, yn dal clymu swyno'n, i gwrdd ag unrhyw beryglon yn gyntaf.
Illiam also tries to think of what kind of ghost would melt things in proximity to it.
That Illiam is distrustful of a skulking rogue kobold is understandable, but so far as he can tell, Gurtlekrep is telling the truth. At Illiam's suggestion that Gurtlekrep go with them, tied up, he hesitates a moment, but then shrugs his shoulders and says, "Os ydych chi eisiau, iawn. Big rhyfel-ddynion yn cadw Gurtlekrep ddiogel, yn gwybod."
Thinking hard, and having a fairly decent knowledge of various specters and ghosts, Illiam can't come up with any type of spectral undead that has the power to melt corporeal objects in it's proximity... Is it a unique kind of undead, somehow spawned by Droskar to protect his ancient hall? Or, perhaps it isn't really any kind of undead after all. Might be the only way to find out is to get in close enough proximity to see Glintaxe for himself.
Pondering over the information given, Goruck begins to consider plan to ensure his friends survive. If this 'ghost' truly melts stone, perhaps my recent connection to the stone can give us an early warning. It doesn't seem like an apparition, and the masters always said to know thy enemy. Though flappy wing devil is undefined, perhaps ensuring the magic oil is at the ready for a counter. Adjusting his gear to ensure he can access his equipment at any moment, the massive half orc rolls his shoulders, the loud pop muffled by his armor. "Has the cunning you wield so expertly given us any plans?"