"I will need to take the creature back to my laboratory at the precinct." The Doctor concludes after a brief study. "We will collect the animal once we've dealt with that snake and secured the grounds."
Standing up and stretching he looks around. "Let us continue with Agent Morilla's plan and continue to the right."
The doors to the south have been barricaded from the other side. You can hear a few muffled sobs coming from beyond them.
Dani walks with everyone and holds her hands up to halt when she hears sobbing. "Shh. I hear crying." She listens for hte direction and moves to it and tries to figure out what's going on.
The sobs are coming from beyond the barricaded doors. It's likely some survivors have holed themselves up there to protect themselves from the escaped creatures.
"Hello there, we are part of the city watch, it is safe to come out now, we can also provide some medical aid if needed." Dora announces loudly to the door.
Dora's calm and authoritative voice calms the people on the other side of the door, and after a few moments to remove the debris blocking it, they open the door. This small room is stiflingly warm thanks to a large stove in the northeast corner. Double doors leading out to the north and west have been barricaded with heavy pieces of wood stripped from a climbing structure shaped like a jungle tree. To the east, the bars of a large cage with back walls painted to resemble a jungle scene have been rusted through. To the south, several small glass cases contain snakes that hiss and lunge ineffectually at the glass.
Two apprentice zookeepers, Raisa and Telomand, explain that they sought refuge here in Big Berta's empty cage. They brought a half-dozen zoo patron with them. All are terrified of the loose beasts and refuse to leave until all of them have been dealt with.
One man steps out of the crowd when he sees the boy accompanying you. "Jerov! Oh, Jerov! I was so worried!"
"Papa!" Jerov cries, rushing into his father's arms for a tearful reunion. The man holds his boy tightly and sobs with relief.
"Thank you, officers! Thank you so much! My boy means everything to me. Please, take this with my thanks!" He presses his belt pouch with 17 gp into your hands, along with a +1 dagger.
Dora smiles fondly at the reunion playing out in front of her and graciously accepts the gift. "Thank you very much, it is much appreciated. We will make sure this gesture of goodwill is recorded at the station and they certainly will come into good use in the future!" She says, her Taldan formality sneaking through.
"I strongly suggest you all leave this zoo as soon as you have given us a short statement describing the events that you saw."
She turns back towards the others whilst the crowd talk with each other in relief and suggests they take very short statements in twos, as the guidebook suggests in case anyone saw anything suspicious.
"If that's okay of course...? she adds, uncertain.
The zookeepers and guests give their statements about what happened. The zookeepers insist that the blame for the current disaster belongs entirely to their absentee bosses. None of this would have happened if Mr. Knight were still here!
The guests refuse to leave yet. Not while the giant snake Big Berta is still lurking somewhere!
The Doctor takes very concise statements by the simple expedient of walking away if someone starts to ramble.
"Very well," He says once the crowd make their decisions known. "We will track down this snake before evacuating the premises. Tell us about her." He commands the zoo staff. "What kind of snake is it? What climate did it live in? Is there anywhere on the ground it is likely to have gone? Somewhere warm perhaps?"
"Big Berta is a giant jungle viper. She can climb and swim easily. She likely would have sought out prey--gods, the penguins! I'll bet went after the penguins in the pond outside!"
You exit the exhibit hall and find yourselves among several rolling cages. Various creatures fill the carts, many of them howling and agitated behind the bars of their enclosures. A statue of a monkey leans out of one cage, stone arm extended between the bars--likely a victim of the cockatrice Beaktooth.
These carts contain the zoo’s less fantastical creatures, gathered from all across the Inner Sea region. Current residents include raccoons, toucans, a giant porcupine, meerkats, an archaeopteryx, and a “carbuncle” that close inspection reveals is actually an iguana with a fake gem glued to its forehead.
To the north, a large decorative pool lined on the north and west sides by benches serves as the centerpiece of the menagerie’s open-air exhibits. Rocks painted white to resemble icebergs stud the artificial pond, and oversized wooden cutouts depicting smiling penguins wearing top hats have been placed around the pool’s edges. The only actual penguin in the exhibit stands at the peak of the largest painted rock, squawking frantically. The surface of the water is murky with blood and feathers.
Having been forewarned, you expect Big Berta to be lurking in the pool. Still, it is quite shocking when the enormous viper suddenly lunges forth to attack!
Dora yells loudly in shock, the snake being everything she feared.
Moving back hastily from the snake, she then fires off two magic missiles.
Dani is overjoyed at the reunion, happy that Jerov's father was still alive. "I love this part of the job." she remarks quietly, leaning against the wall as the two embrace. "Almost makes being shredded by owlbears worth it, doesn't it?"
----
"I never want to go to the zoo ever again." she remarks sourly at the discovery of the large snake.
"I am inclined the agree!" The Doctor says, moving behind the creature before stamping firmly on the creature's tail in an effort to immobilize it somewhat.
As Jack closes with the snake, it uncoils its body and lashes out, sinking its fangs into his side! Edison’s protection keeps the doctor from going down, and he returns the favor to the snake with a stomp on its tail. Dora blasts it with magic missiles, then Edison moves in to punch it in the head, knocking it out!
The Doctor winces, grasps the flesh around where the snake has bitten and squeezes hard. His pale skin goes even whiter and there is a brief flow of blood, mixed with a nasty looking white substance. He squeezes again and this time the blood flows clear.
"Agent Morilla, in my other pocket there is needle and thread. I need it now." He says sharply, seeing Dora's face paling to match his own. "Now sit down and put your head between your knees. Edison, would you mind holding my coat back?"
With quick, precise stitches the Doctor seals the puncture wounds and folds his handkerchief over to act as a dressing. "I believe that concludes the animals?" He says. "Perhaps we can get on with some real policing now?"
Dora does as the Doctor says, trying her best to breathe slowly.
"I am done with this Animal Division" she declares, bringing her head back up from her knees. "Let us all just deal with people from now on."
She glances up at the previously panicking penguin, hoping that it at least is looking less distressed.
"We should probably go back and get the rest of that crowd to leave now and try and figure out what on Golarion has gone on here. Do you feel up to it Doctor?"
"I am quite well, thanks to your assistance Dora." The Doctor replies. "As long as I do not have to pursue a suspect in a foot chase for a day or no issues. Let us recover the visitors and then report in to the Detective."
"Maybe we should be proactive and find out what happened here before reporting in at the station Doctor? I think that he would be impressed if we could tell him something of use."
Dr Jack inclines his head in agreement. "Indeed, demonstrate to Detective Bolera that she is not the only one capable to drawing a conclusion from a scene. Still, civilians first."
You finish your exploration of the menagerie, coming first to Archibald Knight’s personal wagon. The inside of this wagon is a cluttered office, its walls and furniture covered in old bills, annotated maps of nations around the Inner Sea region, and books featuring illustrations of various strange creatures. A narrow foldout bed stands against one wall, while a large wooden desk fills the rest of the space.
The various papers here represent the mundane business matters of running the menagerie, while the books scattered about are (mostly accurate) guides to different animals and magical beasts. The maps are covered with Archibald’s notations showing the menagerie’s past and future venues.
The bottom drawer of the desk houses the menagerie’s treasury. Business has been brisk leading up to the fair, and the leather satchel currently contains 55 gp in copper and silver. Also in the drawer are an owlbear claw talisman, a blowgun with three sleep darts (treat as sleep arrows), and a lesser tanglefoot bag. Underneath all of it is an unsent letter to Archibald’s wife, Larwen Knight, telling her the marriage is over.
The last wagon belongs to the veterinarian. An unusually large set of double doors leads to this wooden wagon. Inside, a low, oversized metal operating table takes up most of the center of the windowless space. Cabinets, assorted surgical implements, and a few high bookshelves with slim leather-bound volumes line three of the walls. A fold-down bunk occupies the west wall over a large trunk. The whole place is spotlessly clean and reeks of strong spirits.
A diary hidden under the clothes in the trunk records her liaisons with Knight in scandalous, clinical detail.
The various cupboards are full of items useful in the care and treating of creatures both magical and mundane. These include five minor healing potions, a wand of command, a dose of salve of antiparalysis, a vial of lesser antidote and another of lesser antiplague, a scroll of charm, and a scroll of speak with animals.
Once the menagerie’s creatures have been subdued or safely contained, the Edgewatch’s work here is done. In gratitude for their help—and in a thinly veiled effort to keep the city from permanently shutting down the menagerie—the employees insist on rewarding the agents with all the various funds and items you found. (As Remy points out, “As long as the show stays open, we’ll earn it back. And besides, this is all Knight’s property—and I don’t see him here objecting, do you?”)
Unfortunately, there are no more clues regarding exactly what happened here. As you head back to the station to report, you notice an additional oddity: the giant machine called Graveraker, which had dominated the skyline not far from the menagerie as recently as an hour ago, seems to be missing. There is a commotion near the machine’s now-empty exhibit, as well as senior agents of the Edgewatch who’ve been assigned to the mystery. Detective Skinny Bolera tips her hat to you. ”We’ve got this one, rookies. Head back to HQ.”
Back at the station, Ollo takes down the your report and commends them for your work at the menagerie. He then cuts you loose for the evening to rest up, with orders to be back at the crack of dawn the next morning for a meeting with the lieutenant.
Dani flips through the diary as they search around. She doesn't object being provided reparations for the duress and damage they endured during the calming of the zoo. "I also expect lifetime admittance as well." she halfheartedly jests, with no real intention of ever returning here again.
As they leave, she mutters under her breath "Rookies. They have no idea what we endured in there!"
With a sigh she says "Anyone hungry?"
Dora raises her eyebrow at Dani's request for lifetime admittance, sincerely hoping she didn't mean it.
"I'm starving" Dora says, emphatically, her eyes lighting up at the suggestion. "I've heard of a place at the docks that apparently has a stew to die for - I never actually got a chance to go myself, but I don't think its too far from here."
-----------------------------
The place Dora suggested is pretty run down, but is humming with dock workers, students and even some young couples - clearly the place people travel to for good hearty food rather than any formality.
Grabbing a crooked table out on the street big enough for all of them, Dora orders a stew, bread and ale for all. "I've been looking forward to this for days, I still haven't quite got used to the food at the barracks yet - a bit different to what I was used to," she says, wistfully.
"So why actually are we all part of the Edgewatch guard then? Jack, you said you were part of a private practise before, what kind of practise was it? I think we were then interrupted before Edison and Dani had a chance to say what you both did?"
Jack goes along with Dora's enthusiasm because, empirically speaking, it has gone pretty well so far. Her choice of eating venue raises his eyebrows quite sharply, as does the odor assaulting his nose. He doesn't quite get a chance to order "Tea, or wine if you have it." before Dora and her enthusiasm has rushed ahead and ordered for all of them, but making the best of a bad situation is a specialty of his. Afterall, being found with Olivia and precisely one piece of clothing between the two of them, but he made it out alive and ended up with a new job at the Edgewatch. Fighting angry beasts... perhaps making the best is not such a talent...
He snaps back into the conversation as Dora poses a question but thankfully his superb memory provides the question with little difficulty. "Medical, my dear Dora. That is where my talents lie, such as they are. But I do share your curiosity about our companions. Dani, what winds of fortune have drawn you here?"
Dani uses a knife to cut off a piece of bread rather than rip it off. She sips her ale sparingly and listens to her companions talk. "Fortunes? That's a strange way to phrase it I would think. I believe misfortunes are how I tend to view it."
She holds up her hand to clarify "No-no. It's not that I am upset of being placed with you, mind you, that's not it at all. I was quite content in my previous assignment. Living in the lap of luxury with Lords and Ladies in the Ivy District, but, erm, things unfortunately became untenable."
She takes another sip of ale and leans back in her chair "I was undercover in the Ivy District on a large scale operation to bring down a rampant corruption racket of some of the noble families. I was picked up by a Lord for his personal entertainment." she motions to her violin before you can draw any other conclusions to her statement. "Over the ensuing months, I was able to draw closer to the roots of the operation and I was exceedingly close in closing the case until things went sideways."
She traces her right index finger down the still fresh scar on the right side of her otherwise beautiful face. The wound traces from under her right eye all the way back to her ear. "You see, once you have been marked it becomes quite tedious to stay inconspicuous."
She sighs and takes a LARGE sip of ale, trying to wash it all away.
"Really?" The Doctor says, looking interested. "A corruption racket among the noble families? One hears about such things, but never about them being proved. Are you able to tell us anything else? The case sounds fascinating." His eyes never even flicker towards her scar, he seems far to interested in the story.
"Fascinating indeed." she agrees, nodding. "Prostitution. Narcotics. Corruption. What lays under the hood of otherwise seemingly extravagant and morally correct politicians is anything but."
Another sip of ale and she reveals "I was recruit fresh for the job by the Lotus Guard and never spent any real time with them before being placed and made aware to be "discovered."
She sighs, leaning back in her chair "You know after playing the part for so long, I was actually beginning to enjoy the attention. It's hard to not get lost in the fantasy life."
"You two seem to have accomplished a lot before coming here. I can see why they put you both on the new division to help support the festival." Dora says with a slight frown on her face looking off into the distance, clearly thinking something through.
She turns back to the rest of the group and her face now shows a slight smile, not as true as her usual smile that you have come to know for the last couple of days.
"So, what do you think happened to Graveraker then? Sounds pretty mysterious, I can't believe something like that could be stolen by just about anybody - it is massive."
"Don't sell yourself short Dora." The Doctor says kindly. "You have been instrumental to Animal Division's success so far. I don't think we could have dealt with the zoo without your magics. The Watch is lucky to have you."
He nods and then accepts the change of topic. "Well someone with sufficient arrogance could likely have just moved it and people would have assumed it was part of the festival. The question is who, and how."
Dani's half-lost in memories of her previous job when Jack mentions Animal Division. She chokes on her sip of ale and points to the doctor, "Don't. Don't you dare call us that. I do not want those others calling us that."
Turning to Dora and looking between the others, she says "We make a good team, the four of us."
"What about the missing wizard? Do you think there's more to that? We had quite a few interesting run-ins so far. I can't wait to see what fun lay ahead." she says with a smirk.
"Yes, I suppose we have been a good team so far - we have supported each other well when the time was needed." Dora says, her smile widening at Jack's encouragement and Dani's optimism.
"Well, we're in Absalom so anything could happen here. If we were to be cynical, the missing wizard might have just wanted to ditch his apprentice but couldn't and it was the easiest, but most cruel, way." She uses the bread to scrape the remnants of the thick stew from her bowl and sits back looking satisfied.
"It could be something more though - maybe he got on the wrong side of an underground criminal gang or owed some debts he never paid back? Perhaps he was kidnapped by some nefarious aristocrat to help him with a plan or even.....maybe he has something to do with the disappearance of Graveraker." she says, clearly enjoying the chance to discuss a more interesting theory.
"The question is, will we get to continue investigating the disappearance or is it simply going to be swept away given how busy everything is right now?"
Dani's half-lost in memories of her previous job when Jack mentions Animal Division. She chokes on her sip of ale and points to the doctor, "Don't. Don't you dare call us that. I do not want those others calling us that."
"My apologies," The Doctor replies gravely, lifting his mug. "Animal Division is no more. My word upon it." He ponders the question about the wizard and smiles at Dora's theory.
"We lack any evidence to disprove the theory." He admits, "However not every possibility is of equal likelihood. I would not care to place money on any outcome at the moment, but it would certainly be interesting to speak to him."
Despite the group's meeting running late into the night the Doctor persistently shows no sign of fatigue, indeed he seems almost invigorated the later the night wears on.
Edison remains the strong, silent type throughout dinner. Perhaps he will open up more in the future...
When you report for duty at Edgewatch Headquarters the next morning, Sergeant Ollo ushers you immediately into Lavarsus’s office, where the lieutenant leans against his desk with arms crossed, sizing you up. After a moment he grunts and holds up a report.
“Well, Ollo’s report says you didn’t screw up the menagerie call too badly. But don’t let it go to your heads—we’ve got bigger problems than a couple of escaped pets. While you were busy playing ‘catch the cockatrice,’ somebody stole one of the exhibits—some device called Graveraker. Broad daylight, thousands of pounds of magical excavator, and it’s just gone—right under our noses.” He shakes his head in disgust. “I’ve got my best people—no, not you—pulling double shifts until we figure out who took it and how in the hells they pulled it off. But until then, someone else is going to have to shovel all of this.” He waves the report in his hand at the stacks of similar papers on his desk.
“It says here,” he continues, ”you reported some missing persons—a wandering wizard and some randy zookeepers. Well, half the reports on my desk are about the same thing. Now, I can’t have my top detectives chasing down every runt who didn’t hold mommy’s hand at the fair. So instead I’m putting you on it. Track down these strays and see if there’s more here than just a bunch of drunks and runaways. And for Abadar’s sake, don’t mess it up, or I’ll have you investigating the latrines in the holding cells till they shine like the First Vault. Clear?”
Lavarsus doesn’t have much information on the missing persons—there doesn’t seem to be an obvious link between the more than 20 different cases, other than the fact that all went missing in the last month, and all were visitors to the city rather than residents.
”You should start with the Dragonfly Pagoda. A whole crew of the workers there—five specialist stonemasons from Minkai—went missing at the same time two nights ago, and in addition to them being the most egregious of the disappearances, the pagoda’s architects have enough influence to get my superiors breathing down my neck and giving me heartburn! Start your investigation there and question the remaining workers to see if you can learn anything. Dismissed!”
Archibald Knight and Minera Frum: A halfling menagerie owner and his human veterinarian employee.
Dragonfly Masons: Minkaian stonemasons working on the Dragonfly Pagoda—humans named Roji Aozo, Asao Iruya, Nakura To, Shuno Danoma, and Takeko Lon.
Elama Mohaso: A dwarven scholar from Rahadoum who came to the city to study at the Forae Logos.
Kemeneles: A human wizard originally from Taldor who trained at the Arcanamirium decades ago.
Lyrma Swampwalker: A gnome ranger from Vidrian who came to Absalom to see the fair.
The Sachta Family: A family of Jalmeri tourists consisting of mother and father Vindi and Sudhar and their 8-year-old twins Bashar and Nita.
Setting off to the Dragonfly Pagoda, Dora mulls a few ideas over in her head.
"So maybe my idea about the missing wizard..." Dora runs her finger down the list of missing persons trying to find his name. "Kemeneles, being linked to the Graveraker doesn't look so plausible in the fresh light of day!" She laughs at her own silliness from last night.
"So we are going to be asking about Roji Aozo, Asao Iruya, Nakura To, Shuno Danoma, and Takeko Lon. It does seem strange that some specialist workers would just go missing like this, I'm presuming they would be being paid fairly well," she muses.
Arriving at the Pagoda, Dora asks for a meeting with the lead manager of the project, or failing that, the person who hired the Minkaian stonemasons.
Situated near the heart of the Precipice Quarter, the Dragonfly Pagoda is sure to be one of the highlights of the Radiant Festival—if its builders can ever get it finished.
Sent from Minkai to introduce the common people of the Inner Sea region to the majestic culture of the Empire of Dawn, the delegation in charge of constructing the temple includes some of the finest architects to ever serve the Jade Throne, yet the project has seen innumerable construction delays. At the time of the fair’s opening, only the first floor of the theoretically seven-story tower has been completed. Crews have been working around the clock under grueling conditions, and more than one fight has broken out between local laborers and their Minkaian counterparts.
When you approach the pagoda, you find the site in more chaos than ever. No one appears to be working—instead, a crowd of laborers and dignitaries shout at each other a stone’s throw from the temple’s front doors. You quickly find yourselves speaking to Ama Uomi, the delegation’s chief architect and head of construction.
"Thank you for coming, officers," she says, slightly abashed. "In our rush to complete the temple, we made some... unconventional hiring choices. Knowing kobolds’ talent for construction and ability to see in the dark, the forepersons recruited a gang of kobolds called the Stonescales from Absalom’s Undercity, putting them to work with several Minkaians on the night shift.
"Unfortunately for the project, the Stonescales were even less willing than their day-shift counterparts to put up with overworking and mistreatment. They’ve kidnapped the non-kobold members of the night shift and barricaded themselves inside the half-completed temple, refusing to leave or release their prisoners until their demands are met. Exactly what their demands are is unclear, as each kobold shouting them out the doors adds their own spin to the negotiations, including increasingly unreasonable demands ranging from ownership of the pagoda after the fair to a seat for kobolds on Absalom’s Grand Council.
"We need your help to rescue our imprisoned workers from the kobolds!"
"Of course we can help Ms Uomi, we will negotiate with the kobolds on your behalf. Before we begin, is there anything we could use to reason with them - perhaps a promise of better working conditions?"
When the Head Architect has given them all the information they need, Dora talks to her colleagues privately. "So, has anyone ever handled any hostage negotiations before?"
"I am not certain. The kobolds can't even seem to agree among themselves what it is they want. But feel free to promise them whatever it takes to release our workers safely! We can work out the details once they no longer are holding any hostages," Ama says.
Ama can provide a useful blueprint of the structure (though she notes that the kobolds have likely set up any number of traps not accounted for on the map). While she recognizes that the safety of her workers should come first, Ama asks you to avoid smashing up the place if possible, and she also warns you of the building’s extremely flammable nature. “You Absalomians are accustomed to brick and mortar, so I’ll offer this advice: fire and Minkaian architecture don’t exactly mix.” To further incentivize you to be careful with the construction, Ama tells you that you can requisition any loose valuables you find in the pagoda, including the discretionary cash located in the desk drawer in the pagoda’s administration room. "We’ll probably have to start the remaining construction from scratch anyway," she laments.
The Doctor nods his head. "A most unusual situation." He refrains from any further commentary while the Head Builder is around.
"So, shall we walk up to the door and knock?" He asks, hefting the rather beautiful new sword cane that the grateful blacksmith crafted for him and that he found when he arrived at the precinct that morning.
"Dora, Dani. I leave this to you. A peaceful resolution would be best for everyone!"
"If we want to show good faith, I think you would be correct Doctor, but it does depend on where they are holding the hostages."
Dora walks up to the front door of the Pagoda with Dani and knocks loudly. Hoping that her interest in reading crime fiction will help with this situation.
"We are the Agents of Edgewatch working, a division of the city guard. We are here to negotiate a peaceful release of the hostages. Before we begin any negotiations, please confirm that everyone is safe and healthy with no need of medical attention."Dora says, drawing on the example of the one fiction book she has read involving hostages in the past.
"I am a Doctor, not a member of the Guard." Jack adds, "I am here to offer medical help to anyone that needs it, if you will allow me to enter."
A chaotic maze of lumber and tools surrounds the completed bottom floor of the temple, which is elevated about 10 feet from the earth via a grid of wooden support beams and thick pillars, giving the impression, from a distance, of a massive dragonfly hovering above the ground. The temple’s primary entrance is at the tip of the building’s “tail” (the mutinying kobolds destroyed the stairway to the building’s rear exit). Colorful, massive dragonfly wings made from glass and paper rise gracefully upward on tall support pillars and serve as beautiful ceilings for the building’s annex rooms.
The majority of the temple is made from specially reinforced wooden beams. Exterior walls are made of strong wooden lattices that provide the support and allow light in from outside. Interior walls, as well as the pagoda’s sliding doors and windows, are made of much thinner lattices combined with paper.
Beautifully carved marble steps lead up ten feet to a simple arbor made of dark wood, which marks the temple’s entrance. Two red wooden posts rise up on either side of the base of the stairs and connect by an elaborate crosspiece to create the impression of a gateway. While the work crews reported that there were kobolds just inside the arbor earlier, shouting and driving everyone back with thrown rocks and brandished crossbows, the area’s been quiet since you arrived.
Beyond the entrance, the air in this pavilion is significantly warmer, the heat radiating pleasantly up from the tile floor. Large semicircular basins protrude from the thick wooden walls to the north and south, their warm water constantly draining away and replenished by burbling, dragon-headed fountains mounted on the walls above them. To the east and west, lattice balustrades of fine darkwood demarcate the edges of the pavilion, with a walkway continuing the structure to the east.
A single kobold warrior stands guard on the opposite side of the pavilion. She perks up as Dora calls out. "You are here to negotiate? Excellent! I am Doopa! You wait here, and I will fetch Battle Leader Rekarek! She will say if you and doctor can come in! You wait here, yes?"
"Yes, we will not enter whilst we wait" Dora confirms.
Dani agrees there is more to these mission persons and Dora's theory from last night now appears ever more relevant. Nudging the sorceress, she says with a wink "Dora, you're shaping up to be one helluva detective!"
When the negotiations begin, she lets Jack get the process started with his medical line. She leans in and whispers to him "Nice work."
Once the warrior returns with Battle Leader Rekarek, she tries to greet him and calm him "Greetings, Battle Leader Rekarek. We would like to work with you on releasing these hostages you have taken. What is it you would require to make that happen, peacefully?"
Soon, Battle Leader Rekarek arrives, accompanied by six other kobolds. The stern kobold regards you with narrowed eyes as Dani makes friendly overtures to her. Despite her attempt to make an impression, Rekarek growls with anger. ”A likely story! You are not agents of Edgewatch. You are impostors! You will pay for trying to trick us. Attack!”
The kobolds raise their weapons!
Before you can react, you are assaulted by a barrage of sling bullets and crossbow bolts!
Dora, taken aback at the turn of events, moves to the edge of the courtyard and begins to cast, doing her best not to cause any harm to the kobolds.
"We are not here to harm you!"
"Fools." The Doctor declares, striding forward as he formulates a plan.
The plan involves clobbering a kobold over the head!
As Jack moves forward to attack the kobolds, he feels a pressure plate sink beneath his feet. The dragon-headed fountains suddenly spray boiling water through the space between them!
Luckily, the dhampir dodges the worst of the water. He moves and clobbers a kobold, dropping it to the floor!
Dani begins to inspire courage and bashes another kobold on the head with a projectile, knocking it out as well.
Edison lays hands on himself and moves in to attack, but he fails to hit.
Battle Leader Rekarek squeaks and shakes as Dora's fear spell leaves her frightened.
The kobold warriors switch to their spears and jab at Jack and Edison. One lands a hit on the champion. The second line of kobolds fires their crossbows, reloads, and fires again! Jack and Edison are both hit once. Rekarek hurls two sling bullets that come up short due to her fear.
Dora pulls out her new wand and points it at the frightened Battle Leader shouting "Run away battle leader!"
The Doctor steps into the second row and continues clobbering!
Rekarek resists Dora's command with an effort of will.
Jack steps up to attack one of the crossbow-wielders in the second rank. Dani assists with a projectile, and that kobold goes down.
Edison flails wildly, unable to hit any kobolds! Growling in frustration, he raises his shield.
"Clear some space!" Rekarek barks, still a bit shaken. The warriors step around Jack and Edison, stabbing with their spears. Neither one hits. The other scout reloads, fires at Jack, and reloads again.
Rekarek switches to her greatpick as she moves in on Jack! Her pick stabs into his chest, and the doctor goes down! Edison tries to punish the kobold leader for the attack, but can't seem to hit!