03 - 1/12 : Grovel, Cower and Beg

In-game date: 1st of Oeros, 3518   After recuperating in the ruins of a crumbled, underground tower, the group ventured forth to explore the remainder of the ancient underground fortress. Ahead the party found three doors, the first went to a storeroom with some trade goods in it. While not useful now, they would go a long ways to surviving the winter for the criminal elements of the city.   The second door led to a small room with a large glass tank inside, which contained a foggy liquid. Raeziel spotted something shiny on the bottom and couldn't let the opportunity for treasure go to waste. She popped the top, but a mischievous pair of mephits leapt out and attacked! The steam and ice mephits didn't prove to be that difficult of a foe, but in their death throes they exploded, dealing a lot of damage to the group. The insides of the tank smelt strongly of vinegar, but did not dissuade the treasure-loving duergar from getting her prize. She dove to the bottom and came up with some shiny gems. Glint of the Stars kindly used prestidigitation to cleanse the awful vinegar taste off Raeziel, and the group continued on.  

Meepo the Meek

After checking out the side rooms the party entered one with a large fire roaring in the center, and a broken cage in the corner. The group snuck up on a loan kobold who was moping in a tent. Raeziel tried to incapacitate her, but she narrowly avoided the garrote and slipped free. With her cornered, Meepo cowered, begged and even groveled for the party not to kill her. She lamented her being outcast by her tribe, that no one liked her any more because she lost their dragon. The group was interested in seeing what more lie within this mysterious underground citadel, and told meepo that perhaps they could help, and to take them to whoever was in charge. She guided the group to their leader Yusdrayl, who lambasted the kobold as useless. Glint of the Stars also took to insulting the poor kobold, which pleased Ydrayel enough to talk.   The kobold leader was forthcoming with information as long as he felt in charge, and revealed some things to the group. Their tribe had been united for some time and was split between his kobolds, notably purple, and the frost kobolds. His kobolds had recently lost their dragon, and he blamed the goblins for this treachery. Some of the frost kobolds broke off under the leadership of Niblu and Snun, who claimed to have their own dragon egg! He said there could be no such thing, they had but one dragon and they were liars!   The party agreed to "help" Yusdrayl in some way, and left to check out the Frost Kobolds.  

Children of the Dragon

Meepo escorted the group to the domain of the frost kobolds, and meekly stepped aside as Carmen entered. Two guards tried to stop her, but Carmen lowered her mask to reveal a skull! The kobolds were frightened and cowered in the corner, and the group made their way past others who were too intimidated to stop them. The group approached the leaders, Snun and Niblu, who demanded in squeaky voices to know why the party had trespassed on their domain. The kobolds said that without the dragon they were now in charge, as they had their own dragon egg that would surely soon hatch! With little else to gain from them other than a kobold turf war, the party drew their weapons.   A few kobolds joined the fray from the egg room, but in a coordinated series of strikes the kobold leader Niblu was struck down. Snun rejoiced, now HE was the kobold leader! This was short lived, however, as Carmen obliterated him with a blast of necrotic divine energy.   With the kobold leaders defeated the remainder did not wish to challenge the party. The group looted their room, and investigated the gigantic mysterious egg they had. It was relatively warm, and fairly large, but even Pascal was not quite sure of what it was. The kobolds claimed it was a dragon, so the party decided to take it.   On the way back, a mysterious room was spotted that the kobolds had been unable to enter. Some words written in draconic said to rebuke the dead, and as a hunch Pascal cast turn undead on it. The door gave way to a strange room within. Raeziel investigated first, and found an altar. Thinking quickly she swapped the treasure with an equal sized rock... but as she was walking away, the altar erupted in blue flames and the dead began to rise from the tombs. Raeziel slipped out the door just in time before it sealed her within. Undisturbed by that experience, the party continued back to the other kobolds.  

Return to Laws End

After telling Yusdrayl that the leaders were disposed, the group wished to rest and issue a report, and began the trek back to Laws End. On the way, the group stropped briefly in the entry tower and much to their surprise, the egg began to hatch!   Rather than the draconic form they expected, a feathery creature began to poke its head from the shell. It was a gigantic Ostrich!   Pascal decided that having a giant ostrich as a pet sounded fun, so they decided to keep it. The rest were insure about the strange creature, but were fine with it tagging along. Finally the group arrived back at Laws End and approached Greazly to tell him what they had found.   Greazly found it very interesting that this all lie beneath their feet yet they had never known about it. He offered a deal. He would provide some supplies, and in return for selling all of the goods they might find, he wished a 50% cut. Raeziel thought these numbers sounded reasonable, and did not feel like further negotiating it would gain much. He wished to go immediately, as surely other interested parties would find out about it and he wanted to get first dibs on any treasure.   Before leaving, Carmen had some questions for Greazly concerning the events of her past life, things that she was unaware of regarding her death and what led up to it. Carmen asked the crime lord if he knew of one known as Carmen Malvaluna. He got a bit flustered, and claimed that yes he did know that person. He had lost a fair bit to her and her vile ways, and wanted nothing to do with her and was glass she was dead. Then asked since she was *also* Carmen, they weren't related were they?   Carmen pressed for more information, and he decided that if the group accomplished these tasks for him, he would divulge it. Deciding that was fair trade, Carmen rejoined the others and they got some much needed rest at the inn.