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It's a quiet ride to the kobold caverns. As your patrols widen with your territorial expansion, the land around Concord grows quieter. Not a bad thing, as it goes.
The opening to the caverns lies before you, the only noticeable difference is the old Taldan sign has been removed. There isn't a kobold or any other guard in sight...
Vosil absently pats the neck of his horse as he waits for a reply to Edric's call. "They speak Draconic, not Common," he reminds the paladin.
Catching the attention of his team mates, he speaks plainly. "I have a bad feeling about this. I most specifically do not propose to engage the entire clan in combat on their own terrain. If it comes to that, we should withdraw and go talk with our dwarven subjects about pest control."
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Talia clears her throat, and wills her voice to be strong and unshaken.
"We come to discuss the terms of our peoples' treaty."
Gripping Apple's reigns, the Viscountess circles her horse impatiently.
Speaking softly, the Countess continues, nodding to Vosil. "If they attack, we go for the chief. If he's dead, the rest will wilt. If he shows himself a coward and sends his people in waves to their death, then we make an example of a few of his warriors and come back with our army and the Brighthammers."
All is eerily quiet, the only sound is the stamping of the horses and the wind in the grass.
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Vosil is politely pedantic in his tone. Not that anyone but him gives a damn.
Speaking softly, the Countess continues, nodding to Vosil. "If they attack, we go for the chief. If he's dead, the rest will wilt. If he shows himself a coward and sends his people in waves to their death, then we make an example of a few of his warriors and come back with our army and the Brighthammers."
Vosil suppresses a sigh as he considers how to respectfully correct what he perceives as an error. "You have to think as they do, Countess. What you term 'cowardice' they see as cunning, or sneakiness - they are virtues. And they won't attack in waves, they will wait for us in their caves and ambush us, or use traps. You do not see the attack that kills you, in those sorts of fights." He sighs. "Some day, when we have time, I will tell you of my encounters with Chief T'karr and his kobolds."
There is a pause.
"Some time when you're feeling inordinately cheerful and don't want to be, would be my suggestion."
"Maybe call him a coward and weak for not coming out and talking to you. If he doesn't come out what is the plan?"
Gavriil remains quiet through the exchange. He keeps an easy smile on his face, but upon closer inspection one would find his left hand grasping his reigns with white knuckled intensity and his right resting on his pommel.
He didn't like this. Not one bit. His mind was back to the first meeting with danger at Oleg's, where honor was chosen over brains and cost them dearly.
He moves his horse close to Talia's and finally speaks up, "Might I suggest meeting guile with guile. If they believe that those terms are honorable we should play their game. If we get no response we should consider them hostile and deal with them the old fashioned way, but on more favorable ground. I don't like the thought of a drawn out affair, but if we cut them off from the outside world they'll surely die."
"While I have no particular problem with fighting these kobolds it seems considering their silence as hostile is no better than allowing the dwarfs to deal with the problem. Maybe worse since we would actively attack rather just stand a side when someone else does it."
Having faced these things before, Vosil knows exactly what to look for, and where. He nods in satisfaction. "Well, they know we're here - I just saw one of them pop up, report on us, and drop out of sight."
He looks at the others. "Do we wait, or do we advance?"
Talia circles Apple again, fighting off impatience. This time, before Talia's urges her horse forwards, her mother's often-spoke words come to mind. Look before you leap. Think before you act. Rehearse before you say.
The Countess peers into the cave, trying to make out details. What is the direction of the cave. Is there a nadir, a dip, or a bend, a low point?
"Vosil, where was the sentry? If you're correct, and I have every reason to believe you will be, there will likely be a trap between us and it."
Sighing, Talia stays her horse. There was so little adulation in this ruling thing - rather, just a series of headaches.
"You all are wise to council to not to follow their script. Can we make life miserable for them? Smoke them out? Set a marching band up out front of the entrance, playing day and night?"
Pulling a string of wool from her component pouch, Talia flicks it into the air, a twist of her wrist and a syllabent hiss bringing the sound of four yelling men, at the entrance of the cave, one word repeating for almost half a minute.
"கோவர்ட்"
Ok, so that last part wasn't rehearsed. Still, it was progress.
Gavriil sees the kobold dip back into the cave, but Vosil points it out first. He sighs, but keeps his horse reigned in.
"Well, this is going no where fast. If you remember the raddish patch, they aren't very brave. Maybe some of your stage bravado will will them out. Other than that I say we light a big fire at the mouth of the cave and try to smoke them out."
"It wouldn't be right to smoke them out, if that how we feel we owe the dwarves a huge apology."
Vosil restrains himself from rolling his eyes at Dregan's principled position. "New plan - send Dregan in as a scout."
"This is what we feared, and expected. They don't want to play on our terms," Naralesh sighs. "And we probably do owe the Brighthammers an apology - especially if we hope for them to fight for us."
Gabriel's mouth twists to a frown. "As much as I hate to admit it, Dregan's right. We're starting a witch hunt here all because sneaky kobold are being sneaky. That's like condemning the Brighthammers because they like to drink."
He looks to Dregan, "Forgive me. Fear got the better of me for a moment. Lets not let it happen again."
Gavriil's mouth presses into a thin line.Alright, ya idiot. Time to roll the bones again, He thinks as he urges his horse ahead to the entrance of the cave.
Remembering that the Kobolds don't speak common very well, if at all, he keeps it short. "We come to talk peace between the long legs and the kobold. Bring your Chief so that ours may talk with him."
Talia holds up her finger. "It isn't about fear. Its about respect. Further--" the words die in her throat as Gavriil rides towards the cave.
Balls.
Sighing, she dismounts Apple and ties her to a nearby tree. Time to go in.
And barring any traps or ambushes, the Countess does just that.
A series of large boulders at the entrance of the narrow cave blocks the majority of the light from entering. So as you stand at the mouth of the 5' wide opening, all is dark after the first 5'.
As far as you can tell, the Sootscales have not altered this cave. It remains 5' wide, and if memory serves, it extends 30' into the face of the hill before a side tunnel splits to the right.
Not a sound can be heard save the pounding of your heartbeat in your ears...
Vosil tethers his horse next to the others and pulls his Everburning Torch from his pack.
"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly," is his only remark as he strides forward, holding the light high to penetrate the gloom. Guillaume of Galt always has the right word for the occasion, be it never so gloomy.
Vosil's torch reveals the the 'cave' is empty for 30', with he expected side passage at the end and to the right.
Gavriil follows right on the heels of the paladin, hoping that if something sprung out and attacked them, it would find Edric a much more appealing target.
"Very well," Naralesh sighs. He casts his protective spell as Talia moves forward. "This is unlikely to end happily," he cautions, joining the others.
"If needed, my elemental allies can pass through walls to scout," he advises, "But I can maintain them on this plane for only so long. I will hold them in reserve for now."
Dregan finishes tying off the horses and strings his bow before following the others in, taking up the rear most position.
Striding forward, Edric fails to see the trap before it too late. A pit opens up under his feet, dropping him 20' to a hard stop!
Gavriil steps back as Edric falls, backpedaling to keep from going in after the paladin. He bumps into Talia, causing a chain reaction of everyone stumbling backwards. Unfortunately for Gavriil, that doesn't keep him from falling into the second pit. This is in front of the one Edric fell into , and timed to open just so.
His feet tied up with Talia's, Gav is unable to avoid the full effects of the fall, but he does manage to keep the Countess from tumbling in.
Two kobolds step out from the side passage and heave flasks of oil into each pit, soaking Edric and Gavriil. From around the corner, you can see the flicker of fire.
"Interesting." Vosil looks quizzically towards Kaalib. "I take it those pit traps have been added since your departure? Which means that the Sootscale tribe built more fortifications after their conflict with the mites was finished. Almost like they were preparing for new enemies..."
His enquiring mind snaps back to the present moment.
"Dregan, perhaps you would be good enough to shoot the two oil-bearers if they reappear? Naralesh, if you can summon something to block the path of the others round the corner that would be useful, too. I will go fish out our companions."
Stepping carefully forward, he approaches the first pit and throws down a rope.
"We offered them a chance," Naralesh sighed. "I suppose we were foolish to hope they would take it."
He immediately began his summoning. A chunk of rock from the ceiling dropped down to the floor, growing arms and legs as it turned into the form of GRVMTAR, the earth elemental.
"KVRGHT IGNVKT GRTKVM VO," commanded the wizard. Appearing right around the corner from where Naralesh had spotted the fire, it swung its rocky fist at something out of sight of the group.
The Countess reaches into her spell component pouch, and draws forth a pat of butter, rubbing it between her fingers.
Leaping over Gavriil and the first pit, and then Edric and the second pit, Talia waits for a kobold wielding fire to appear from around the corner.
"Climb quickly! They come with fire!"
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Vosil looks on in frank disbelief as Talia gamely skips ahead of everyone - the only reason he doesn't facepalm is because both his hands are holding onto the rope.
For *********** sake wench, what have I you about fighting on the front lines?!
Pointless to say anything, though. Talia is Talia is Talia.
"I think my chance of shooting anything with the elf's pet in the way are remote but I'll try." Dregan readies a shot for any kobold taking an aggressive action.
Talia leaps over the first two pits with grace and aplomb. What she doesn't see is the third pit, dug just to catch those jumping over the first two. Her heels skidding on the dirt and arms flailing, she drops from sight.
The Countess keeps her wits enough to drop into a roll when she hits, mitigating some of the damage.
On the plus side, a high-pitched squeak is quickly cut off with a sickening crunch as GRVMTAR smashes the kobold with the torch. The flame goes out as it hits the floor. There is a scrabble of claws on dirt as something flees deeper into the caverns. The elemental steps out into the passage, looking down curiously at Talia.
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Gavriil keeps his hand on his pommel as they move into the cave. Not far into the cave, though, he sees Edric start to fall into the floor. His feet scrambled to find purchase as his mind screamed out, No! No! Definitely not! He deftly steps back, straight into the others and topples over as Talia impedes his deft moves. He falls flat on his face. "Well, that could have been wor-"
Click!
The ground gives way beneath him and sends him tumbling down. He crashes into the ground, smacking his face off the not-so-soft dirt floor, making blood to start gushing from his nose. He starts to get up just as something else comes flying into the hole to also smash into his face. His nostrils are immediately assaulted by the scent of oil! His temper getting the better of his sense of danger he yells out, "THIS IS A NEW SHIRT YOU SON OF AN OVERGROWN NEWT!!!"
Just as his little outrage finishes, something else smacks him in the back of the head, a length of rope. "Will people please stop throwing things at me!?"
He grabs the rope and starts to climb just as Talia goes bounding over his head.
With much effort with his hands being slippery from blood and oil, Gavriil pulls himself out of the pit.
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Edric, using his starknife as an improvised digging tool, gradually wrestles himself out of the pit, using a variety of words in a number of different languages.
By the time he has got himself out Gavril has swarmed up the rope. Edric looks back "Be careful, there's a pit here!" He calls, getting out a coil of his own rope. "Taalia, give me a moment to get onto the other side then I'll lower the rope."
Naralesh commands his elemental to guard the approaching tunnels in case the kobolds attack once more. "When you have the Countess safe, Edric, I could use Desna's help in restoring my energy."
"This is not good if we push past these it'll be difficult to retreat if we need to, I suggest we pull back and rethink things."
"Agreed. We're not here to root them out of their home field advantage. This was to be a diplomatic mission - and they attacked us. Let's fall back, and then crush them from a position of strength."
Talia sighs. "Very well. We retreat. But, in defference to Kaalib, we do this with as little bloodshed as possible. That may mean not working with the Brighthammers."
A true Varisian can wield sarcasm almost as a weapon; by a tremendous effort of will, Vosil suppresses this part of his heritage. Only the whitening of his knuckles across the handle of his whip betrays the inner struggle.
Aloud, he says only: "Using our own forces against the kobolds would certainly keep their bloodshed to a minimum; I am not sure how much of an army we would have afterwards, however. If we decide an army is the way forward, I think we go to the dwarves. After all, the Brighthammer clan are renowned for their tunnel fighting abilities. If we do this without an army, then we leave our troops out of it too."
Talia is in charge, and Vosil will follow her lead to the death. He will not however stay silent when he perceives the course to be wrong; he learned that lesson well, at the cost of his young ward's life. His knuckles whiten once more, but for a different reason. Never again...