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Excitement buzzes in the air throughout the Hookclaw warren. Kobolds drop their work and peer out from the tunnels to watch as you pass. You have been chosen for a most important mission. Tunnelmaster Miknik is anticipating your arrival. As you enter the chamber, the tunnelmaster gives a cue to the nearby workers, who pry away wooden boards and chunks of stone from the narrow mouth of a tunnel. The workers who dug this passage sealed it up as soon as they saw what was on the other side. It has remained closed—waiting for you—until now.
From where you stand, you can see rich fabric on hangers, exquisite vases, and wooden crates with unknown prizes inside. Just a fraction of this wealth could enable the Hookclaws to live in more comfort than they have in generations. But Hookclaws are smart, and they know when things are too good to be true.
That’s where you come in.
“Secure the chamber!” Tunnelmaster Miknik barks. Once you ensure the treasure trove is safe, the Hookclaws can claim its valuables. “Standard Hookclaw hazard pay! First pick of anything you find, up to what you can carry! Be careful!”
Grimnir polishes her scales excitedly.
"What great feats will we do this day! My first step upon the road to becoming a true dragon!"
Izni chuckles dryly.
"I think that day might be quite far off, dearie, but it is good to have goals!"
Quizrel grins.
"As long as their is plenty of shiny stuff, I don't care what we find!"
Rhin strokes his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, I will write the epic song detailing our exploits!"
"Simeek will smash anything nasty that gets in our way! Put that in your song!"
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The familiar smell of earth and musty neglect wafts across your nostrils as you scuttle through the dirt tunnel and into the chamber. From here, you can see past the curtains of rich fabric and giant wooden crates into the rest of the room. Stacks of books and other luxury items are haphazardly crammed onto massive wooden shelves, preserved from mold despite their clear abandonment. Immense piles of furniture, rich with intricate carvings and plush cushions, have been jammed up against the walls. Chests with glittering locks lie on the floor, coated with dust. A pile of casks, sacks, and barrels forms a looming barricade across the western end of the room, which blocks the rest of the chamber from view.
Before you have a chance to explore, however, a quartet of kobold-sized beetles come out from under the rugs, their rear ends flashing with bright light!
Quizrel (-)
Beetles (-, -, -, -)
Izni (-)
Rhin (-)
Grimnir (-)
Simeek (-)
Quizrel eagerly rushes forward, and starts smacking beetles with her meat tenderiser!
Izni sighs.
"Honestly. You can't go five seconds without having the absolute crap beaten out of you!"
Despite her grumbling, she still attempts to heal Quizrel.
She then directs Precious to attack.
"Precious, I choose you!"
With a yowl, the cat charges forward, and takes a bite.
Rhin belts out a Courageous Anthem, then lobs a piece of junk at one of the beetles.
Grimnir fires an Acid Splash, careful to miss her allies.
She then casts Shield.
Simeek charges forward, and starts swinging with his halberd.
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Izni heals most of Quizrel's wounds, then Precious tears the entrails out of one of the beetles.
Rhin's thrown junk misses, but they still belt out a catchy tune.
Grimnir's ball of acid misses.
Simeek, however, has more luck - one beetle is turned into red mist, and the other is split in two!
Everyone in the party notes that stacked wall of books, barrels, sacks of salt and sugar, crates of preserves, casks of wine, and jugs of molasses blocks the kobolds from traveling to the west.
Eager to redeem herself, Quizrel attempts to excavate a path.
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Quizrel, with remarkably little effort, not only stabilises the wall of junk into a sturdy barricade, but puts in a gate, as well!
This plain hallway is relatively clear of junk, allowing further passage into the back reaches of the tomb. Two rooms lie to the west, their doors wedged open with swells of fungus and huge clusters of mushrooms.
As the party moves to explore, one of the mushrooms suddenly morphs into a fanged humanoid form, and moves to attack!
Simeek (-)
Rhin (-)
Fungus (-)
Izni (-)
Quizrel (-4)
Grimnir (-)
Simeek charges forward, and takes a powerful swing!
Rhin belts out a Courageous Anthem, then lobs a piece of junk at the animated fungus.
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Simeek's blow hits, but it catches strangely, not doing as much damage as he had hoped it would.
Rhin's thrown junk, on the other hand, proves just as effective.
The animated mushroom chitters angrily, and attempts to punch Simeek...
...managing a single hit.
Simeek (-7)
Rhin (-)
Fungus (-16)
Izni (-)
Quizrel (-4)
Grimnir (-)
Izni fires a Ray of Frost...
...then directs Precious to attack.
"Precious, I choose you!"
Quizrel moves around for a flank, and takes a swing.
Grimnir fires a glob of acid...
...then casts Shield.
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Izni's frost ray goes wide, but Precious manages to bite a chunk out of the mushroom.
Quizrel then squashes it flat.
Simeek (-7)
Quizrel (-4)
This cluttered chamber contains a towering table covered in crafter’s tools and surrounded by bundled supplies.
This icebox still contains the lingering chill from the magic that once kept the chamber cold, as well as a few slowly melting blocks of ice. It is clear at some point in the past the magic failed, however, leaving behind clusters of fungus and a rusted, holey casserole pan.
Simeek drinks his Minor Healing Potion.
Izni eagerly points out the *good* mushrooms.
"Mmm! Those would be delicious, if cooked properly!"
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This gigantic hallway opens into another chamber to the east. Crates and furniture are stacked against the walls, atop which sit dusty games and an old, ugly duck toy. An enormous taxidermic alligator is crammed beneath a gaming table.
Of more immediate concern, however, are the three taxidermized dogs that round the corner, and immediately attempt to attack!
Rhin (-)
Izni (-)
Dogs (-, -, -)
Quizrel (-4)
Simeek (-1)
Grimnir (-)
Izni fires a Ray of Frost...
...then directs Precious to attack.
"Precious, I choose you!"
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Rhin's thrown junk cracks some bones.
Izni's frost ray then finishes it off in spectacular fashion.
Precious bites one of the dogs, but although a devastating blow, it is not as effective as expected.
The remaining dogs dog-pile Precious...
...but the nimble cat manages to dodge all of their attacks!
Rhin (-)
Izni (-)
Dogs (-11, -)
Quizrel (-4)
Simeek (-1)
Grimnir (-)
Quizrel moves around to a flank...
Simeek charges forward to a flank, and takes a powerful swing!
Pleased with how effective it was, Rhin belts out a Courageous Anthem, then fires a piece of junk at the closest dog!
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Quizrel crushes the already-injured dog.
Simeek delivers a powerful blow to the remaining dog, which is not as effective as he would have hoped.
Grimnir fires a glob of weak acid, which works as expected.
Rhin then finishes the final dog off with a skull-crushing blow from a paperweight!
Quizrel (-4)
Simeek (-1)
This room holds luxurious furniture, including a child-sized bed with forgotten children’s toys piled upon it.
A kobold-sized porcelain doll, clad in a fraying dress, creakily turns to face you, its eyes glowing with purple with madness.
"Play with me!"
At that, a rocking horse likewise animates with a strangled neigh, and moves to attack.
Izni (-)
Rhin (-)
Camilla (-)
Quizrel (-4)
Grimnir (-)
Princess Sunset (-)
Simeek (-1)
Izni fires a Ray of Frost at the crazy-eyes-doll...
...then directs Precious to attack.
"Precious, I choose you!"
Rhin belts out a Courageous Anthem, then fires a piece of junk at at the doll!
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Rhin throws a hunk of debris which cracks the doll's shell a little.
Izni then hits it with a blast of cold, which causes it to crack further.
Precious bites the doll, but her teeth do almost no damage.
Camilla screeches, then channels a Harm into Precious...
...then punches the cat.
Izni (-)
Precious (-12 or -6) **Will save**
Rhin (-)
Camilla (-16)
Quizrel (-4)
Grimnir (-)
Princess Sunset (-)
Simeek (-1)
Quizrel moves around for a flank on the doll...
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Quizrel's first strike shatters the doll into thousands of fragments!
Grimnir's blob of acid misses the rocking horse.
It responds by charging Quizrel...
...the first attack proves to be a feint, and the second leaves the poor rogue seeing stars!
Izni (-)
Precious (-12 or -6) **Will save**
Rhin (-)
Quizrel (-13)
Grimnir (-)
Princess Sunset (-)
Simeek (-1)
Izni shrieks in panic when Precious goes down.
"No!!! Precious!!!"
She immediately casts Heal Animal on her companion.
Precious, still slightly injured, stands up and moves to threaten the rocking horse.
Rhin belts out a Courageous Anthem, then fires a piece of junk at at the rocking horse!
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Simeek delivers a powerful blow, shattering the rocking horse's strong exterior.
Izni heals her companion.
Rhin then tosses a piece of junk that finishes the job, smashing the rocking horse into kindling.
With Camilla and the other threats in the basement gone, the Hookclaws can move in and start claiming treasures for the clan. Yet the passage to the north of Camilla’s lair presents a new challenge and a continuation to the Hookclaws’ explorations — stairs leading upward into the unknown!
Izni breathes a sigh of relief, now that Precious is safe.
"Yes, Precious. You did well."
She then turns to the others.
"Let's have Mushroom Surprise to celebrate!"
Simeek nods.
"A hearty meal sounds good to me!"
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Though the Hookclaws have always been cautious by nature, success can be a heady drug. With the spoils of their explorations providing a life of comfort beyond what any kobold has previously imagined, the stairway upward has begun to emit a siren call, with promises of further treasures just beyond the doorway.
The room leading out of the basement is a cozy living space covered in pleasant amenities such as comforting furniture, crochet doilies, and little fluffy sheep dolls and filled with the tempting aroma of tea and cookies. The chamber is currently occupied by the sole resident of the house, a tiny dark-skinned old woman with white curls pulled back in a bun.
As you approach, she turns and smiles.
“Well, hello there! Have you come to pay Granny a visit on her birthday? It does get lonely here with all my own kids moved out.” The old woman toddles into her kitchen to retrieve a large jar, opening it to reveal fresh-smelling cinnamon cookies. “Don’t be shy, or I’ll have to eat them all myself! Eat myself sick.”
“Actually, would you kids like to do Granny a favor? I’ll give you all some shiny coins if you do!” The woman smiles beatifically. “A little birdy told me my neighbor Jerren is out at the Grand Bazaar today and won’t be back until tonight. Go into his garden two houses down and get my hedge trimmer back for me, will you? I lent it to him six months ago and he still hasn’t given it back. The nerve of that man. As if he hasn’t got a whole shed full of his own magic tools to use! Just be sure to watch out for the lawn crawfish, dears. I’ve heard they’ve gotten a bit persnickety.”
Rhin raises a cautious hand, even as he chews on a cookie.
"Who is Jeren?"
Simeek, more interested in the device, nonetheless chows-down on fistfuls of cookies!
"What does this 'hedge trimmer' look like?"
Izni's ears perk up a bit at the mention of an unfamiliar creature.
"What are 'lawn crayfish'?"