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Heorn's words move the Dryad to react once more, and without resorting to direct violence again, she whispers more words and a few small lights suddenly appear in front of the red eyed Kobold causing him to be confused momentarily.
However, he immediately shakes it off and the kobold pair continue playing a dancing game. They take another step back arming their crossbows, firing it down towards Kahwen. However, one of them trips on a exposed root causing both shots to fumble!
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The bomb falls a little short of hitting the kobold but the splash from the explosion injures the kobold severly to a point he succumbs to his injury. Taking advantage of the distraction from the blast, Sangkip follows through with a deadly precise slash that cuts down the remaining Kobold.
With the threat ended, the fey creature approaches you and begins to speak in the common tongue. [n]"Good day, I am Enzial. I apologize for my behaviour, but you must understand, we are not creatures of war. I am in gratitude of your assistance, you see, we are at a sensitive situation. The white dragons from the mountains have hatched a new clutch of wyrmlings. This has spurred the kobolds who serve these dragons to hunt a staggering number of local animals for meat. This has caused a great deal of hurt to our white forest. What brings you creatures to the forest?"[/b]
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After combat ends Malvic kneels down whispering a short incantation in a foreign tongue. In the moments of silence following the chant the blood from his wounds begins to curdle and crawl across his body. It begins to glow a supernatural violet color as his wounds close.
"Foul creatures." he growls before standing up to rejoin the group.
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Shyly Lolly adds to what Sangkip has said,
Well see Ms. Enzial, we are from the Pathfinder Society and we are looking for the liar of an old white dragon near here, we seek to find what happened to a great warrior of legend. We know we are near since all these kobolds are around. She stares down at her toes as she speaks.
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The dryad calmly engages in the conversation, first to address Sangkip in her native language, "Rut Uga Mai, buto yuppidy ya."
Then she turns to the larger group."I know nothing of a great warrior legend, but know of the white whelming and his kobold allies who have plagued our lands and where they could be found. And I assure you that he is no liar. Although if you plan to fight the dragon you may want to might speak with Vallahk and Quiselle, the protectors of the forest. Although they are difficult to convince of anything, if you were persuade the two to aid your cause, the pair could provide considerable assistance. If not, I would still be able to help point you in the direction of the wrymling." Enzial suggests.
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"But...but...a dragon!" Kahwen says, clearly excited at the prospect of fighting such a mighty creature and getting to it as quickly as possible.
Still, he knows they can be incredibly dangerous so getting some assistance is clearly the responsible thing to do.
"Ok...let's go talk to the Fey, first," he says, bowing to the consensus.
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"You may be surprised vanara. Very well, I'll lead you to the fey court." The dryad responds
Then, Enzial leads you into a nearby cluster of birch trees so dense that it seems not even a sparrow could fly between them. As she approaches, the trees seem to leap aside, clearing a short path. Traveling this path causes the scenery to blur, as though each step were carrying you several miles at a time. After walking what feels like a few dozen feet, you arrive in a clearing surrounded by a living palisade of birch trees. At the center stands a lopsided oak tree with green leaves, and two regal fey sit atop the roots while holding court before several dozen other First World beings like dryads, pixies, satyrs, and awakened animals.
As you approach, you come into view of what you presume to be the fey king, a creature with birdlike wings covered with pine needles instead of feathers extend from the back of this regal, elf-like humanoid. Alongside him, the fey queen, a dryad, but resembling an ancient oak who’s branches twist and bend. This elf-like woman wears a dress of pine needles and crown of geraniums. They are locked in debate, they are discussing the “dragon problem” and seem to be considering all-out war. But there is clear concern about the safety of those under their protection and if they lose and upset the dragons, that no one will remain to protect the forest. The king seems to advocating for eradicating the threat, while the queen wants a gentler approach that still deals with the problem.
"Well Enzial you've brought us guests!" The king says in a friendly tone that doesn't seem to match his somewhat intimidating presence. " Welcome friends of Enzial, I am Vallahk and this is my queen Quiselle. Now who are you and why have you come to my court?"
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Before approaching the Queen, Ridley will drink his cognatogen and an extract of Investigative Mind and heightened awareness.
Ridley will deliver a lecture on the proper population management, as it relates to the dragon problem, complete with sources recited from memory, available at the Grand Lodge library in Absalom if anyone should wish to fact check him.
My good Queen, I hear that you have quite the problem with dragons over hunting. When dealing with an excess of predators, historically it has been shown that selective culling of the females of the population serves to do an excellent job of reducing the overall breeding stock. In addition to the obvious benefits of reducing the population currently actively hunting, it also serves to increase inter-species competition within the species. The males within the population will begin fighting and killing each other, as well as there being a smaller breeding population reducing the rate at which new dragons reproduce.
While we are not here specifically to deal with the dragon problem, what we are proposing for our own ends is very much the type of thing that I believe will alleviate your problems. We wish to invade the dragons lair to get to an old holy site. Dragons of this sort are territorial, and will surely attack us when we enter their lairs, resulting in a culling of the herd, as it were.
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Malvic approaches the King ready to express the dangers of enemies being on ones doorstep.
"We have come to your court because a white dragon and it's foul Kobold followers are ready to defile your forests. They will spread like a plague. This deserves a swift and severe punishment. Lend us your strength and let us serve as your blades." he says with a passion that shows some first hand experience with not handling a threat before it is too late.
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Lolly steps forward bolder than usual, Oh Mighty King, I am Lolly. We must band together and destroy this threat. Evil is everywhere, and with evil destruction, a dragon in it's liar alone is a problem enough; but this land is clearly overrun by kobolds, minions that only care for destruction. Maybe the effect of there presence will not be felt immediately, but the longer they fester the more the forest will suffer. The kobolds will hunt and cut the trees for their traps, the dragons will hunt and bring destruction to the forest as well.
She pauses to take a breath, We must strike together and now, while we have our combined forces and while they don't expect us to come and we must wipe them out from this place and save this beautiful land.
Turning her attention to the queen, Oh most Beautiful and Fearsome Majesty Queen, I am Lolly. I understand your trepidation, losing would cause the fall of the forest to happen twice as fast as doing nothing. But there is little to fear, Pathfinders are renown throughout the Inner Sea and beyond for our prowess in the healing arts. Every Pathfinder from the highest to the lowest will most likely be found with power wands with healing properties. Many clerics and paladins with divine healing are here now. Not to mention druids from many orders, friends of the fey and the forest with skill in healing the forest itself. How can such a well equip force be stopped. Oh Queen join this fight. Lolly bows to both before retreating back to Sir Trystas's side.
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Addressing Quiselle, Heron begins with a plea seeking to showcase what his group is here for.
"My thanks to both of you for agreeing to meet us. We are representatives of the pathfinder society, allied to the Twinhorn Tribe and seeking the resting place of the dwarven hero Ivora. We mean no disturbance to your realm but perhaps we can be of benefit to each other...such as aiding in removing the threat of these dragons."
Turning to Vallakh he says,
"My King, our interests here coincide. The Twinhorns and the Pathfinders make for powerful allies in the actions against these enemies of yours. In its time the Society has confronted and defeated many powerful enemies. I myself have travelled far and wide in this world, ventured into the Worldwound and the frontiers of Varisia! Work with us now and together we must surely prevail!"
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Without wasting time, you immediately plead to both the King and Queen of the fey with convincing arguments from all sides. They listen intently to every word and ponder deeply at the situation at hand.
"Your confidence is admirable!" Vallahk speaks with great respect, "As allies I have no doubt our combined strength would be enough to vanquish all threats! If only our people had that your confidence!"
Quiselle, a bit more reserved, also responds in favour to the conversation, "You speak of nature and the possible repercussion this threat could cause to our ecosystem. And similarly like our King, although he is too proud to admit, we worry of the losses we could possibly incur from an all out war. Bloodshed destroys life which we aim to protect."
The fey royalty continue to discuss among themselves but is abrupted by another Fey dryad that looks similar to Enzial, "Excuse me..." She interupts before continuing the conversation in Sylvan.
"Pengasuh saya, penembak-jalanan mempunyai tentera yang besar! Kami mempunyai kelebihan jika kita menyerang sekarang."
" My liege, the pathfinders have a huge army! We are at an advantage if we strike now."
The two monarchs whisper among themselves as they decide what to do. After a short moment, Quiselle turns to give a sly smile and says, “Your proposal intrigues us. We shall consider giving you our blessing when your need is greatest.” She then waves her hand, causing a rush of oak leaves to fall from the tree and whirl around everywhere. When the leaves clear, you find yourselves back along the frozen lake’s bank.
Picking off where you left off, you follow some very obvious Kobold tracks, the forest path leads northeast, where dense evergreens give way to steep, rocky foothills. Several intersecting trails lead up to the cave system’s main entrance partway up the Tusk Mountains. Almost as if nature deemed it, a few bushes lean to the side revealing another pair of kobold tracks leading towards the back of the mountain.
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I used an extract of investigative mind, which lets me roll twice on Knowledge Checks and take the best result.
As for preparations, Ridley will brew up another cognatogen and prepare an extract of darkvision. He will drink the cognatogen, darkvision extract, and heightened awareness extract when we get to the cave.
I vote Sangkip and Kahwen take the lead, searching for traps. Ridley will hang out in the back, but come to the front to provide an assist on disabling any traps we find. I have a +11, so enough to auto-aid.
I vote we go in the back entrance - we're less likely to meet stiff resistance there. More likely we'll run into traps, which I think we are quite well equipped to handle. Kobolds are well known for their love of traps, so everyone stay vigilant.
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By the time Kahwen is ready to demonstrate his own sneaky abilities, the Fey nobles are already convinced and have shunted them off on their path.
He nods at the spoken and unspoken suggestions, drawing his elven curve blade and taking the lead as they approach the back entrance.
His bright, golden eyes scan the ground, trees, and everything else closely, looking for the traps that kobolds are so famous for. He moves slowly, though, both to have a better chance of finding traps and to move quietly and out of sight.
He waves the rest of the group back, if they get too close and threaten to make too much noise.
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Reaching the trail is no easy task, eventually you realise that the it requires you to climb a couple hundred feet higher up a rocky path into the mountain where winds blow at devilishly cold temperatures. Fortunately, you were a little bit more prepared as the Twinhorns provided you cold weather gear for the mission at hand.
Sir Trystas looks odd wearing the fears, hard to know if the cold would effect a phantom.
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A few brave Pathfinders who lead the climb decides to brave the cold with whatever they have.
The trail lead into a hole in the side of the hill, an intrinsic cramp tunnel system with widths of about 5-10 feet. It is dark and damp inside, that those without darkvision are practically blind.
What becomes obvious to Sangkip and Kahwen is that the area is heavily trapped, and also has a couple of secret concealed passages that nicely fit small creatures. Medium sized creatures need to squeeze but most likely won't have much of a problem getting through the tunnels.
Interestingly enough, the tunnels bear numerous carved petroglyphs and stylized murals, depicting significant scenes in the kobolds’ history and distant mythology. Among these are images of a humanoid with hair on her head, a blade in one hand, and patterns that suggest armor covering her body.
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Being from the tropical area around the Shackles, Kahwen does not like the cold. Give him unceasing rain, any day, but ice and snow? No thank you. Even the furs the Twinhorns gave him don't fight enough to the cold for his taste.
He is shivering and obviously miserable by the time they get into the caverns. It takes him about half a moment to know that he'd rather squeeze through some secret passages that his opponents won't expect him to know about, let alone use rather than try to catch and disarm every trap the kobolds might have set.
He opens one up and gestures, giving his party a significant look before slipping into it. Unless someone stops him to protest, he'll continue.
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A sudden gust of wind rushes through the area, riming the trees and rocks with frost that resembles faces of the region’s fey monarchs. “Your Society has requested our aid, and we have agreed to support your endeavors. Carry our token, call upon us in your time of need, and ensure the dragons prey upon this region no more.” With that, the icy faces melt away, and each of you find a tiny crown of pine needles nearby.
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It would seem that the Fey have listened to your words as you feel the Fey's presence around you as they cast some sort of Fey blessing upon you to aid you in your conquest.
As a free action on its turn, a creature can use its benefit to gain either damage reduction equal to half the table’s APL (minimum 1) or cold resistance equal to the table’s APL until the end of that encounter. Each PC and companion creature can select a different benefit.
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The group moves through the passages to keep their journey as clean as they possibly can. After realising about the hidden passages, it doesn't take much to find a few more crudely made secret paths for you to explore in what seems to be a vast system of tunnels. Eventually, as Kahwen emerges from one, he notices two Kobolds sitting around, resting, if you will. They pay no attention to the Tengu that has just slipped out.
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Lolly taps herself with her healing wand hoping it will make her feel better.
Lolly then turns Sir Trystas incorporeal, so he'll have an easier time passing through the small tunnel. Then hids herself in the shadows, ready to follow the others as they sneak in.
She has her wayfinder in hand ready to shine light, if she needs it to see.
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The kobolds continue to mount a frustrating defense, luring Pathfinders into cramped and trap-filled tunnels and unleashing captive monsters on unsuspecting agents. Even so, the kobolds are losing ground with each battle. As another skirmish echoes from elsewhere in the caverns, a tremendous roar reverberates through the cave complex, rattling stalactites and causing snowdrifts to slide down the outside slopes. As the sound dissipates, the voice of a massive creature booms from deep within the kobolds’ warren.
The kobolds kowtow to the booming voice, scramble to their feet, and begin retreating deeper into the caves. For once they aren’t covering their tracks, so the way to the dragon’s lair is clear.