The three serpentfolk flee into the dark recesses of the Ziggurat's deeper levels...
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YyyyAAAAARRRRrrgh!! The monster flinches at the sting of Essel's magic missile...
The "kobold" seems unmoved my Mydravos' magical command...
Nay, fool! It isss we are your bettersss! You should flee before usss!!
HIIISSSS!!! The beast flinches and hisses in pain at Sven's bash!
The three "Kobolds" begin to chant before even Mydravos can react, casting spells... I suggessst you sssurrender!
Yesssss! Why don't you sssurender?
That would be besssst!
The Greenscale kobolds begin to scramble toward the stairs leading deeper into the Ziggurat's depths, all except the three odd-sounding kobolds. These stand in the chamber very still, staring at Sven and Mydravos, and hiss: Don't you think it'sss time to drop the charade, "New Massssterssss?"... You know we aren't mere koboldssss... You are wounded and outclassssed... We sssuggessst you flee while you can, and never return, unlesss you would ssssacrifice yourssselvesss to the Black Ssssuzerain!!
[dice=sense motive] 1d20+5 Mydravos scans the room looking at the little cretins with contempt. Something's off about three of the "kobolds"... They seem to have an even more reptilian manner than the otherssss....
Most of the kobolds stare stupidly at Mydravos, but a couple of them smile and say, Yessss, New Massstersss... We ssshhall do asss you ssssay...
What ssshhall we do now, New Massssterssss?
The kobolds return in hours, bearing potions of cure light wounds, 16 total! Hurray! Rejoice, New Masters! We brings many healing juice, and only few snake-men notice us steal them and return to you! Another kobold: Yessss!! Is that good, New Massssterssss??
Impressed by Sven's speech, and intimidated by the fiendish priest of Hades, the kobolds snap to it, scurrying off to "steal healing juice from the snake-men and bring it back to New Masters!"
Black Suzerain lives below... In snake pit! Snake-men are her viziers!
Black Suzerain is sneaky snake! Has magic powers to poison and constrict!
”Anyone in charge of the entire thing? Such as a wyrm or whatnot?”Aye, the Black Suzerain is our mistress! She is cruel and deadly! Her venom is potent, and so be her magicks! The kobolds tell of a leader they are forbidden to speak of: The Black Suzerain, a spirit naga that lairs in the depths...
Frantic to avoid the wrath of the seemingly all-powerful and diabolical priest of Hades, the kobolds scramble to gather up healing salves and apply them to Essel and Easealf, bringing both to consciousness...
The healers among the kobolds quickly stabilize Essel and Easealf. They will live... Must rest now... Will wake up in few days...
The wounded kobolds cower before Mydravos and Sven, surrendering. Please! No kill us! Another: Yeah, we be good now! No more hurts! Another: We serve you! No kill us!
Striding through the momentarily unarmed kobolds (all have thrown their spears), Mydravos reaches the edge of the fire pit at a position far enough from Sven to exclude the dwarf from the radius of his infernal energy burst, but manages to catch all 25 kobolds (minus Victor, of course), in the withering blast of negative energy summoned from the pits of Hades...
All of the kobolds save Victor writhe and scream in the necrotizing energy radiating from the Pawn of Hades!
Sven's strike splits a kobold helm and skull, and the short monster drops!
The twenty-five kobolds attack with alarming synchronicity, all hurling spears on the order of one particularly stocky kobold near the back... Draconic: Ready... aim... THROW!!
The lance of frost skewers the nearest kobold' s shoulder eliciting a yelp of pain! ARFFF!!
One of the kobolds yaps at Victor: HAHAHAHAAA!! SHNABBA GOOCHIE PREEGOR!! SNIZZERRSSLASSSHHHK!!! The other kobolds burst into laughter, and all seem ready to pick up their spears and clubs and attack... Draconic: HAHAHAHAAA!! YOU'RE A STUPID IDIOT, KNUCKLEHEAD!! THOSE ARE JUST INTRUDERS, AND YOU'RE NOT A GOD, POOP-HEAD!!
The Common Chamber is spacious by kobold standards, being some 30 feet square with a 10-foot-high ceiling. Lit by a central fire pit, over which some animals are being roasted on a spit turned by a pair of kobolds, the chamber reeks of foul odors mingled with the smell of cooking meat. Some twenty-five kobolds are currently crowded around the fire pit, drooling over their meal. When "Victor" enters the chamber with an air of arrogance and importance, leading a band of "giants", there is a unanimous gasp of shock and awe, followed by a cacophony of confused yaps and barks... SILENCE!! ATTENTION, GREENSCALES!! roars "Victor" over the din of chaos... ALL GREENSCALES LISTEN NOW!! ... I AM NOW GOD OF KOBOLDS!! THESE ARE MY FRIENDS, WHO GIVE ME GOD-POWER!! ALL MUST NOW BOW DOWN BEFORE GREAT AND TERRIBLE KOBOLD GOD VICTOR!! There is a moment of silence, followed by another cacophony of laughter, booing, hisses, shrieks, etc!
Mydravos stops and looks at the door, “Where does this secret way lead to Victor? Surely it is worth showing.” "Victor" pauses... Huh? Oh, secret door leads to secret way with spyholes, to spy on silly intruders on stairs... Me show you! Come! "Victor" returns to the secret door, which appears as little more than a few discolored stones in the wall on the left-hand side of the stairwell, and presses a combination of the discolored stones. The secret door, a five-foot-square portal cunningly disguised as stone wall, slides aside, revealing a dark tunnel only five-feet-wide-by-five-feet-high; a kobolds tunnel, to be sure... Tiny beams of torchlight can be seen pouring into the tunnel from spyholes where the tunnel runs upward and adjacent to the stairwell the party has been descending. The secret tunnel runs adjacent to the stairs all the way up to another secret door in the top tier of the Ziggurat, previously unnoticed by the adventurers. So, this is how the kobolds spied on the explorers as they made their way down the gauntlet of traps... See? says "Victor", Now! We go tell other Greenscales that ME, VICTOR, AM NEW GOD OF KOBOLDS! HEHEHEE!!
"Victor the kobolds god" leads the party down the stairs, pointing out a secret door on the left-hand wall before flapping on down the stairs toward the flickering reddish glow of firelight coming from below... Oh! There secret way... Come! We go to Common Chamber, tell other Greenscales Victor now their new GOD!!
Victor seems eager to assume godhood. He beckons to the big folk who've promised this reward, and flaps off down the stair deeper into the Ziggurat, humming a growly, primitive kobold chant about bashing in gnome skulls with big hammers as he goes. Victor take big bosses to common chamber, where all kobolds feast, dance and sing! RUM NUM DE DUMMMM... CHUM GRUM DE DUMMMM!!! BASH THE GNOME IN STOOPID SKULL WITH HAMMER OF THE GODS!! RUM DUM DE GRUMMM!! RUM BUMB DE GUMMM!!
A third set of googly reptilian eyes emerge from the gloom to watch the two kobolds batter each other into submission for a few seconds. When both combatants are staggering and about to fall out, the third opportunist kobold leaps out of the darkness and, cleanving both heads off with a battleaxe that seems oversized for the wielder, declares himself the Victor! Me VICTOR!! ME BECOME KOBOLD GOD!!
Meanwhile, the two kobolds square off against each other, and begin to poke each other with their small spears, snarling and yapping like feral dogs... feral little dogs...
Another of the kobolds hisses and kicks the first who spoke of the Black Suzerain... Hsnokka jo no blanga Black Suzerain! Draconic: We aren't to speak of the Black Suzerain, dummy!
”Anyone in charge of the entire thing? Such as a wyrm or whatnot?” Aye, the Black Suzerain is our mistress! She is cruel and deadly! Her venom is potent, and so be her magicks!
“What else is down here? If you help us you will be rewarded.” Serpents and serpentfolk dwell in deeper levels of Ziggurat...
I speaks the Commons! squeals one of the kobolds.
[dice=diplomacy] 1d20+7 The kobolds are certainly tending to acquiesce to Mydravos... Out of the darkness step a trio of green scaled kobolds, clutching small spears in their claws... They tremble and bow before you...
"I don't enjoy being laughed at, I say we show them what happens when they laugh at us." he says with a much angrier tone than usual. Uh-oh! The scribble scrabble and pitter patter of clawed little feet receding deeper echoes from the darkness below...
From further down the leftbound flight of stairs can be heard a reptilian snickering...
Frightened by the size of the Champions of the Gods, the Greenscale kobolds give the party a wide berth in the Courtyard, shaking spears again only once the distance made the explorers look tiny again...
The six Greenscale kobolds decide to make a "tactical withdraw"...
Apparently, the kobolds DO think it scary, for they visible quake in their scaly armor, growling and yammering hysterically at one another... Blix noogs!? Blix noogs!? Draconic: What do!? What do!?
As the kobolds draw nearer, perspective reveals the adventurers true size in comparison, and like pygmies that realize distance has tricked them into charging giants, they begin to slow their trot until they stop about sixty feet away, and oggle the party with some trembling and trepidation... Gleep zoom glack!! Zip zip ZOOOOM!!! Draconic: Wait a second!! These guys are HUGE!!!
The kobolds advance cautiously, shaking their little spears at the adventurers...
Six scaly green pygmies with dog-shaped heads, clad in piecemeal armor and bearing bronze spears, appear on the horizon.
A pack of Greenscale kobolds are out looking for prey. There are six of them, green scaley dog-headed pygmies armored in hide and bits of bronze and other metals, armed with little green spears! |