The cowed kobold seems perfectly willing to talk. "I serve our mighty and powerful chief, Roaghaz. His goal is to bring glory to Aeteperax, our godlike savior." His voice trembles a bit at the name Aeteperax. "The chief is probably down in the Grand Hall." He points a clawed hand toward the hole that is at the far side of the room.
Tettia frowns slightly. After relaying the kobold's answers to her companions, she continues her questions.
"Tell me more about Aeteperax. Have you seen them? What do they look like? What powers do they have?"
"Oh no, I'd never want to see him. He is too terrible and powerful...at least according to the chief." The kobold shivers. "His majesty would blind a lesser being like me! The chief just passes on his orders. 'Dig here!' 'Dig there!' That kind of thing."
Jaidu seems to have been cursed by the other Kobold with hideous laughter.....
Jaidu looks about to make certain everyone is patched up, before readying to continue exploring this level.
You leave the hole for now, making your way through the rest of this level of the kobold lair.
You head back to the main corridor and continue further east. The tunnel curves sharply north and opens into a cramped chamber with a three-foot-high ceiling. Mounds of moldy straw have been stuffed into it from floor to ceiling.
Continuing past the musty cave, you come to a small chamber just before returning to the turtle room; a single small palet heaped with furs sits against the south wall of the cave.
An aged kobold, his green scales dull and his eyes shut tight, lies on the palette. As you enter the cave, the aged kobold’s eyelids flutter open to reveal milky, blind orbs. In a raspy voice, he calls out in Common:
"I can tell by your scent that you are strangers here. If my nose tells the truth, you bring the destruction I foretold. Good... good. I had hoped to see our ruin before journeying to the afterworld, but I will settle for listening to it. Beware the great scaly beast, strangers. He seems to speak reason, but his words are poison. And his bats, the ones he called from the darkness... they are harbingers of lunacy and chaos... Dread Lord Aeteperax will surely be your doom as he has been ours...arg!”
As if this speech was too much, the aged kobold dies in front of your eyes!
Tettia ponders the aged kobold's final words for a moment.
"I'm beginning to think that this 'Lord Aeteperax' will be a challenge to deal with," she says after some thought. "Perhaps we should rest up before descending further into their lair? I mean all I can throw at it would be cantrips and I don't know if that would be suficient.."
"May your journey to the afterworld be free of the chaos you endured in life." Lucius murmurs softly, a customary farewell he learned during his time wandering the lands outside the Verduran Forest.
Standing up, he turns to his companions, his expression grave. "We must heed his warning. This Dread Lord Aeteperax and his bats sound like no minor threat. We've encountered many dangers, but our true challenge seems ahead."
Turning to Tettia, Lucius nods "A wise point, Tettia. We have traveled far this day and accomplished much, but there are still many answers we do not yet have. Is everyone prepared to make camp here or shall we return back to the inn for a bed and warm meal?"
Jaidu walks through the nicely sized tunnel whistling a merry tune.
At the sight of the junk chamber, the bronze-scaled Kobold licks his lips before coming back to reality.
Immediately upon seeing the aged Kobold, Jaidu runs straight at him! Flying across the dirty chamber, vaulting over chamber pots, dashing past pallets and doing a majestic flip over the dying kobold's position to super hero land on the other side!
Clearing his throat, the Cleric bends close to the aged one.
Tell me wear the real hoard is!
Lucius sees that the kobold is distracted, the wizard needs to recover her spells, and Dawn would likely benefit from some downtime.
"Okay. I've decided we're going back to the inn." Lucius declares for the group. "You can get your hoard tomorrow, Jaidu."
Turning towards Dawn and Tettia, he says "Come, let us go get a warm bed for the night."
You make your way out of the kobold lair without incident; once you step outside the caves, it's easy to orient yourselves and make your way over land to Belhaim.
Moments after you sit down to a meal at the inn, a tall, stately woman sweeps through the door and walks right up to your table.
"Ah, there you are. I thought you had died in that damned tower until Hodd told me you were back in town." The woman looks you over. "You look a bit beat up, but you made it out better than some would have. I'm Baronesse Origena Devy, and this town is in my care."
In a no-nonsense voice, she asks, "Who are you? And what have you found out about that tower's collapse? Any sign of that blasted wizard, Hunclay?"
Jaidu kicks the Kobold before huffing and departing with the others back to town.
This conversation is not over.
The bronze-scaled Kobold walks by the others with a grin.
Mouth stuffed with spiced roasted potatoes, the Cleric just looks up at the fancy lady.
Po..ta...toes?
Lucius rises slightly from his seat as a gesture of respect to the Baroness, his demeanor calm and composed despite the sudden entrance. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, ensuring his words carry the weight of their experiences.
"Baroness Origena Devy, it's an honor. My name is Warden Lucius, and these are my companions. We've just returned from investigating the tower and the surrounding areas. Regarding the tower's collapse, it seems there was more at play than mere misfortune."
He pauses for a moment, considering how much to reveal about their encounter in the kobold lair and the words of the aged kobold. "We encountered several kobolds who were involved in the tower's downfall, manipulated by someone—or something—called Dread Lord Aeteperax. From what we've gathered, this entity might have a larger role in the events surrounding the tower."
Anticipating confusion, he pauses, motioning to Jaidu "I should add Jaidu is not one of the perpetrators, but a valuable ally."
Lucius looks to his companions, giving them an opportunity to add any details he might have missed, before turning his attention back to the Baroness. "As for the wizard Hunclay, we found no direct evidence of his involvement in our journey, but the influence of this Aeteperax and his minions seems pervasive. It might be worth investigating further."
Jaidu smiles proudly up at the fancy lady at Lucius'words (mouth busy still with delicious spicy potatoes).
Tettia checks the notes she's taken against Lucius' account of their adventures. She observes some ... gaps ... in his relating of the events to the Baroness, biting her lip to avoid verbally correcting him. Once he's finished she looks around at the others and then back at the woman standing over their table.
Without saying anything else she returns her notes to her bag.
"Well...that's certainly an interesting tale. I assumed that blasted spellcaster went around my explicit orders and collapsed the tower. He's not answering his door, you know." The baroness rubs her temples in irritation. "Are you willing to continue the investigation? I'm willing to pay. We can't just have kobold cultists running around under the town."
"And, if you can find Hunclay, I'd appreciate it. I like to keep an eye on wizards. Most of them are as dangerous as a toddler with a vorpal battle axe."
Lucius catches Tettia's eye, giving her a subtle shake of his head, a silent message to keep her thoughts to herself for the moment, especially considering the Baroness's less-than-flattering comparison of wizards. He then turns his attention back to the Baroness, his expression serious and thoughtful.
"Baroness, we understand the gravity of the situation and the potential threat posed not just by the kobolds but by any force that seeks to destabilize Belhaim," Lucius responds with measured respect. "We are prepared to continue the investigation, ensuring the safety of the town and uncovering the truth behind the tower's collapse, as well as the whereabouts of Hunclay."
Jaidu looking up at the fancy lady nods his affirmation of Lucius' explanation of events.
The Kobold shoves more spicy potatoes into his mouth.
"Very well, please report to me when you have discovered anything of note." The baroness starts to step away, then turns halfway 'round, "And for Cayden's sake, someone get that lizard a drink."
She shakes her head at Jaidu and makes her way out the door.
Jaidu does indeed appear to be perspiring a bit...bit he just can't stop his mouth from accepting his spoons offerings of delicious spicy potatoes.
...so...gooood...soooo...spicy....
Lucius clears his throat and slides his chair backward, which grates loudly on the wood floor. "Right then. Off to bed, then. An early day ahead of us, folks. Let's meet here again at sun-up, gets some food in our bellies and revisit our previous path with newfound purpose backed by the Baroness."
After a quiet night of rest in the inn, you make your way back to the kobold's lair. There are few changes in the tunnel, though you notice that the body of the dying oracle has been cast onto the refuse pile near where you freed Nighttail.
The final tunnel on the second level of the lair room is locked with a wooden gate that easily yields to efforts to unlock it.
A large number of weapons have been stashed in neatly ordered stacks and piles in this dry cave. The tribe’s armory consists of weapons and armor, including 12 spears, 120 sling bullets, 4 slings, 3 suits of leather armor, 3 wooden shields, 2 bows, and a low-grade cold iron longsword.
The following morning, the bronze-scaled Kobold appears ready and eager to continue to explore the happenings and what not of the Wizard's Tower and the kobolds.
I bet their hoard is big!
Blue eyes staring daggers at the pile of weaponry, the Cleric spits.
S++%!
The dark rings under Tettia's eyes reflect the late hours she'd spent updating her prodigious notes and sketches from the previous day while the memories were still fresh.
"Well, at least those are weapons that they're not using against us, right?" she says with a half-hearted smile at the well-stocked armory.
"Down we go?"
Gathering anything that looks useful, and making a note of the items for later, you head back to the hole that drops down deeper into the kobold lair.
You drop into a small, cramped cavern. To the north, there are two tunnel and the sound of chanting in the distance.
Investigating, you find yourselves at the edge of a room with 12-foot-high ceilings. A crude idol stands in the middle of the cave, decorated with grisly strips of dried viscera.
A robed kobold kneels before the statue, surrounded by several skeletons. He doesn't appear to have noticed you yet.
Tettia gazes at the statue for a moment, frowning. Something nags at the back of her mind from her various religious studies courses. Infernal maybe? Nothing specific comes to mind, though, and she shakes her head.
Her first instinct is to bash the kobold in the head with a telekinetically flung rock before he notices them, but her face reddens in embarrassment at such a ruthless thought.
I am becoming some sort of brazen thug! What would Toddy think of me?
She waits for one of the others to take a much more civilized action.
Jaidu approaches the Idol. His ravenous blue eyes bright with greed.
The Rogue snatches it and runs!
Lucius is weighing his options as he surveys the room. He looks to his companions to give some insight as to what is going on here. He does not expect the kobold to give away their position by shouting and robbing them.
The warden is awestruck and freezes for a moment, eyes going wide. He looks to Jaidu and asks "What-are-we-doing!?" before backpedaling a few steps, opening his kinetic gate though he doesn't know if it's for offensive or defensive purposes.
The worshiping kobold whirls on Jaidu, shouting, "Blasphemy!"
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Jaidu
Lucius
Kobold
Skeleton
Rising Dawn
Tettia
Skeleton
The Cleric of Gozreh laughs at the puny Necromancer!
Please tell me that your undergarments are made of chainmail?
The Kobold then Strides back behind Rising Dawn.
I believe he impeached upon your virtue.
While whirling elements together around him and fusing it into a dangerous chunk of stone, Lucius adds "I do not think that is a wise move! Dawn's virtues are unquestionable!"
He pivots and spins, throwing two blasts of hardened earth towards the enemy.
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Jaidu's jolting javelin misses the kobold, but one of Lucius's rock strikes connects.
"You dare challenge the Lord of the Mines?" the kobold shouts? He conjures a magical stone and hurls it at Jaidu, the steps up behind the statue and takes cover.
for
Meanwhile, one of the skeletons strides up and attacks Lucius, landing one hit.
for
for
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Jaidu (-5)
Lucius (-6)
Kobold
Red Skeleton
Rising Dawn
Tettia
Blue Skeleton
Knowing the skeleton will be resistant to her axe's edge, Dawn instead bashes her shield at the undead that is attacking Lucius. She then raises her shield to ward off blows.
Still trying to decide if petty theft falls under the heading of 'civilized action', Tettia can't deny that skeletons with sharp, rending claws are, in fact, a direct threat and so she responds in kind.
Rising Dawn wisely bashes the skeleton with her shield; its bones crack, but it holds together. Tettia's thrown object flies wide of the animated dead.
The other skeleton advances on the heretical Jaidu and swipes at him with its claws! He pays dearly for his blasphemy.
for
for
~+~Combat Round 2~+~
Jaidu (-14)
Lucius (-6)
Kobold
Red Skeleton (-5)
Rising Dawn
Tettia
Blue Skeleton
Jaidu not enjoying all this attention, begins reciting the limerick to a quite helpful spell.
F&~+! Take me away! S$!%
The non-professional poet produces Helpful Steps directly in front of Rising Dawn's position!
The grinning Kobold then Strides 25' up the steps!
"Hang in there!" Lucius shouts helpfully as he whirls and twirls more stones around toward the enemies.
◈◈
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Lucius just barely misses the skeletons!
"You die now, human!" the kobold shouts as he starts to intone a spell and ducks back behind the statue.
The mindless skeleton slashes away at Lucius, landing one solid hit.
for
for
for
~+~Combat Round 2~+~
Jaidu (-14)
Lucius (-11)
Kobold
Red Skeleton (-5)
Rising Dawn
Tettia
Blue Skeleton
Another thrown rock.
Seeing Jaidu in bad shape, Dawn switches targets to the skeleton attacking him. She smashes it to pieces before swinging on her original foe and raising her shield again.
Rising Dawn crushes one of the skeletons and badly injures the other. It's barely holding together.
~+~Combat Round 3~+~
Jaidu (-14)
Lucius (Will Save, -11)
Kobold
Red Skeleton (-8)
Rising Dawn
Tettia
Blue Skeleton
Lucius is overcome with fear, trying his best to hold his ground and not turn to run away. He barely holds on and flings two volleys of hardened earth at the skelly!
◈◈
◈
Jaidu smirks at the stupid Kobold!
The Rogue then attempts to Hide on the staircase....
With a cry of rage and desperation, the cleric pulls a pickaxe, ready for any attacks. He calls on the power of his god and strange energies seem to flow around him.
~+~Combat Round 3~+~
Jaidu (-14)
Lucius (-11)
Kobold (-2)
Red Skeleton
Rising Dawn
Tettia
Blue Skeleton
~+~Combat Round 4~+~
Jaidu (-14)
Lucius (-11)
Tettia rolls her eyes and magically propels another loose stone at the kobold priest.
Stupid quick reflexes!
Jaidu smirks at the stupid Kobold!
The Rogue then attempts to Hide on the staircase....
Lucius barely manages to avoid the bane affecting his allies. He then observes Jaidu running hide? I wonder if he's injured?
"Ok, gang. Let's end this!" he shouts and throws two more decently sized hunks of hardened earth at the priest.
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