The chief uses the PC as a tool to regain the power he cannot take by himself (he's also affraid of Taruk).
So, my party found first the kobolds in the radish patch. The kobolds were intoxicated by the moonradish and felt strong enough to attack them. Instead of beating them to dead, my PC party saved the life of two of them (that I turned to be Mikmek and Napkip) and send them to their chief as envoys announcing the comming of the PCs.
Later, they agreed with chief Soothscale to finish the "blue menace" of the mites and "signed paper" with the kobolds. The agreement (negotiated through several uses of Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motives from the two parties) was:
1-the kobolds will get their own "kingdom" free of "big people" where they rule as they wish. As the game has evolved, the kobolds has looted several innocent people that has crossed their land.
2- The kobold "kingdom" were their lair and surroundings (in game therms, the hex where is located the lair). The chief Soothscale has tried opportunistically to take more land from the neighbouring hexes, wich has obligated the PCs to intervene again.
3- The kobolds has "free passage" to the radish hex to gather the plants they are fond of.
4- They will mine the silver of their mine and trade some silver for other stuff to the PC. In game therms, the party can use the hex "mine bonus" if they can build a road to the lair.
5- The kobbolds agree not to attack "big people" outside their kingdom and the big people cannot attack kobolds unpunished in the PC kingdom. Of course, there is allways debate of what "big people" means... Do the term includes childs? Or halflings, gnomes and the like?
The kobolds are always fitting the words of the agreement, but trying to bend the spirit of the agreement in his benefit. They are trying to puss the boundaries of the agreement further in their benefit, creating very interesting role-playing situations.
Also, I played Mikmek and Napkip very nice and lovely (like helpful tiny pets that want to be heroes) and they are the lieutenants of Chief Soothscale, so my party seems them like an annoyance of little kids that must be edducated.
We're finishing Rivers Run Red and they are forging a great alliance based in understanding and commercial relationship enough strong to allow my players the use of a Huge Army of Kobolds when the War of the River Kings erupts.
