(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Wending up the sloping passage that spirals like a corkscrew, your footsteps are carefully to avoid disturbing rocks dislodged by kobold mining. Lumrolur brings your party to a halt at the entrance to another small chamber from which a pair of irritated high-pitched kobold voices echo.

Zeth recognizes the Draconic language... towards the end of their conversation there's the sound of faint mechanical squeaking down the eastern passage.

Spoiler: Draconic

@Necropolitan
"You've got fat fingers, that's why the squeaker got away!"
"Oooh, Kichee no can concentrate with an empty stomach..."
"Shut trap, Kichee, keep looking! Squeaker is close, I can feel it."
"It got away, Mix. It got away, and now we goes hungry again."
"Shh! Shh! Mix hear a something..."
"Miiiiix, that's just the bucket up whatsit, not squeakers."
"Shh! Shh! Mix is listening... drats... justa bucket lifts-it. Hate it when you're right."

GM: Kobold Perception check: 1D20+2 = [9]+2 = 11 The kobolds have not noticed your party.

 

[Neurotic]

Lumrolur steps forward with his crossbow trained on the kobolds. Specifically back one, just in case it tries to run.
"Quiet! Come here!"
He motions with his arm toward himself, stepping aside as soon as the back kobold comes forward.

Spoiler: Actions

Move: 1 square down
Action: ready to shoot kobold further away
Move: down-left ("SW") next to the wall once the back-kobold comes into the room

 

[Quickleaf]

Lumrolur steps forward with his crossbow trained on the kobolds. Specifically back one, just in case it tries to run.
"Quiet! Come here!"
He motions with his arm toward himself, stepping aside as soon as the back kobold comes forward.

Spoiler: Actions

Move: 1 square down
Action: ready to shoot kobold further away
Move: down-left ("SW") next to the wall once the back-kobold comes into the room

GM: kobolds dc 10 wisdom morale save: 1D20-2 = [10]-2 = 8 failed

Squeaking in alarm, the kobolds hold their hands up and meekly come over towards you, afraid to make eye contact, but clearly bewildered about who you are and where you've come from. Around the corner of the darkened eastern passage, you can hear the pitter patter of a rodent running away. One of the kobolds makes a dejected sigh, then holds its hands up higher.

 

[Aethmud]

Jack flutters in behind Lumrolur, giving the kobolds an encouraging smile, and then reaches for his pouch of silver, which he subtly shakes, letting the coins clink. With a friendly and mischievous tone, he whispers to them as though he's a familiar conspirator, “Well now, little friends, no need to look so glum! How would you two like a chance to earn yourselves a bit of shiny silver?"

Jack counts out silver pieces slowly as he continues, "Five pieces for each of you, that's ten total, if you can share something useful with us right now. When we return in a day or two, I’ll give you another twenty each, as long as you lend us a hand in the meantime. We'd like your help keeping an eye on some… let’s say, less savory characters around here.”

He glances at Zeth and Lumrolur, nodding in their direction. “My friends here might have a few questions, if you don't speak common well enough to answer me. Names like Sephak or Torg ring any bells? Or perhaps you've heard of Wahorna and her band of Wintry Weirdos?”

Jack leans in, lowering his voice as if sharing a juicy secret. “All we need is a little intel, and maybe a favor or two while we’re away. You see, Wahorna and her pals need some close watching, and you two look clever enough for the job. How about it? A pouchful of silver and some fun sneaking about. That's better than chasing mice, don’t you think? I'll even throw in two days worth of trail rations for you, though I don't know if you'd like the taste of my food!”

 

[Quickleaf]

Jack flutters in behind Lumrolur, giving the kobolds an encouraging smile, and then reaches for his pouch of silver, which he subtly shakes, letting the coins clink. With a friendly and mischievous tone, he whispers to them as though he's a familiar conspirator, “Well now, little friends, no need to look so glum! How would you two like a chance to earn yourselves a bit of shiny silver?"

Jack counts out silver pieces slowly as he continues, "Five pieces for each of you, that's ten total, if you can share something useful with us right now. When we return in a day or two, I’ll give you another twenty each, as long as you lend us a hand in the meantime. We'd like your help keeping an eye on some… let’s say, less savory characters around here.”

He glances at Zeth and Lumrolur, nodding in their direction. “My friends here might have a few questions, if you don't speak common well enough to answer me. Names like Sephak or Torg ring any bells? Or perhaps you've heard of Wahorna and her band of Wintry Weirdos?”

Jack leans in, lowering his voice as if sharing a juicy secret. “All we need is a little intel, and maybe a favor or two while we’re away. You see, Wahorna and her pals need some close watching, and you two look clever enough for the job. How about it? A pouchful of silver and some fun sneaking about. That's better than chasing mice, don’t you think? I'll even throw in two days worth of trail rations for you, though I don't know if you'd like the taste of my food!”

The kobold wearing fake wings (the same one whom Lumrolur managed to expel the ghost from) pivots his head to the side to study Jack. He doesn't respond right away at the sight of the silver, though his jaw twitches side-to-side, letting the fairy finish his elaborate request.

"Trex knows. But Trex want more than silver for spoons. Trex wants Wahorna gone." He adjusts the canvas and leather wings – apparently made from scavenged bits of a canoe – and inches toward Jack, lowering his voice as well. Trex speaks broken common, but it's enough to be understood. "Wahorna up-up in mines with her not-so-priests. They keep control of kobolds, work bad magic on Trex, make us dig gems but we no get keep gems."

A crocodile smile spreads across Trex's scarred features, "You make Wahorna and her not-so-priests go... away. Trex tell you all about Wahorna and also Torg's caravan. Isa deal? Shake on tail?"

 

[Aethmud]

Jack leans in close to Trex, his grin widening as he considers the kobold’s request. "Ah, now we’re talking! Keeping your own gemstones, a far shinier prospect than this handful of silver junk, that's certain." He clinks the coins one last time for effect, but then gives a casual shrug, as if they’re nothing compared to the riches Trex could have with Wahorna and her cultists out of the way.

"Tell you what, Trex. We can make a little… arrangement, shall we say?" Jack’s voice dips to a hoarse whisper, his eyes twinkling. "We’re on our way to handle a certain unsavory fellow by the name of Sephak, who might be sniffing around Torg’s caravan. So, you give us the skinny on Torg’s setup—where they camp, who guards them, any sneaky ways in or out—and we’ll have ourselves a friendly chat with Sephak first. After that, we’ll be back in a day or two, fresh as daisies, to work together with you on giving Wahorna’s band of Wintry Weirdos ye olde heave-ho."

As Jack speaks, he watches Trex's face closely. "She’s got a bit of a knack for bad magic, as you put it. Exactly what kind of nastiness, ice magic? Curses? Conjuring up the creepy-crawlies? Let's have the full picture, and we’ll be that much better prepared to give her a one-way ticket out of your mines."

He pauses, glancing at the other kobold, then back to Trex. "How many not-so-priests are we talking about here? And, let’s say… hypothetically…" he punctuates this point with a mirror image of Trex's alligator grin, "if a big ol’ fight for freedom were to go down, about how many kobolds you reckon might be willing to rally to your side? Because, you know, numbers make the difference!"

"Oh, and speaking of plans, you kobolds ever get creative with traps? You seem the resourceful type. With a couple days to prepare, you could put your skills and creativity to the test. Y'know, make it a little harder on Wahorna and her Wintry Wierdos, when push comes to shove."

With a glint in his eye, Jack offers his pinkie. "Here's how we fairies make a deal—a pinkie promise. Stronger than any old parchment contract legalese. Or," he adds with a playful wink, "if it absolutely must be tails, I suppose I could… show you my true form." Jack wiggles his fingers in the air and shakes his hips as he squats down a bit, casting a minor illusion. With a flourish, his legs appear to shrink and turn scaly, as Jack sprouts an illusory kobold tail that wags just a little too cheerfully. He struts about, proudly displaying his "kobold form" with a mock-serious expression. "What'll it be, Trex, the pinkie promise or the tail shake? Maybe both? Careful, now, don’t yank mine off or I’ll be stuck like this!"

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Spoiler: Map

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"What'll it be, Trex, the pinkie promise or the tail shake? Maybe both? Careful, now, don’t yank mine off or I’ll be stuck like this!"

You speak to Trex, though there are also 3 more kobolds with you – one that was with Trex, and the two that Lumrolur beckoned over with their hands up.

Weighing Jack's words, Trex nods slowly, his head lowered in a disconcertingly conspiratorial way that causes his shoulder to hunch and fake-wings to push together. "Isa arrangement! Pinkie...promise..." A bit confused by your magical illusion, he wraps the tip of his tail to shake Jack's wee pinky finger.

"Torrga gathers caravan north or south edge town... depends wishaway she travel," Trex explains, glancing back to the other three kobolds who all nervously agree. "Hmm...one, two, three, four..." Trex counts all his fingers including thumb, "she has four guards with bows and spears. One is orc-blood. At night, they drink lots at tavern by the lake. Oh, they have buncha yip-yaps... you call 'dogs'... and yip-yaps are kept in the south part... in... ah... yip-yap house?" He squeaks, uncertain of the correct term for a kennels.

Next, he changes to talk about Wahorna, and his already scheming nature seems to magnify by an order of cruelty. "Wahorna knows rituals, trap ice spirits inside objects or people... like ghost in Trex. She can make black ice... cover the skin... so cannot hurts Wahorna or her not-priests with slings. Once tried. Kobold died." He pauses as if he's finished, then continues with a snaggle-toothed snarl, "Mostly, she heap tough and hassa biiig sword two-Trex-long! But you pretty tough too..." Counting on his hands, this time using both of them, Trex concludes, "Five not-priests. When Wahorna goes to town, one maybe two not-priests go with her."

When the topic of recruiting kobolds to fight comes up, Trex emphatically shakes his head. "No no. Only seven...ah...six kobolds left," he quickly corrects himself with a forced smile at the rest of the party after Lumrolur bolted a kobold who was tossed down and fed to the ice toads. "We used to be...ah...ten and four. Wahorna killed some. Others disappear in mines. Kobolds not fight Wahorna, no matter what." However, at the mention of traps, he gets a glint in his dog-like reptilian eyes, "Kobolds can sabotage bucket lifts..." he gestures further down passage toward the faint mechanical squeaking sound, "...also can collapse wood bridges... but you, flying tricksy, need trick not-priests onto them."

 

[Aethmud]

Jack clasps Trex’s tail-tip in his pinky with a conspiratorial grin, shaking it with eager sincerity. "Done deal, my scaly friend! You and I, we are henceforth and forevermore brothers in the fine art of sabotage. Why, if I had a shiny rock for every time I've tricked someone into a trap, I’d be drowning in gems! But enough about my past. Let’s get to planning."

He leans in, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret so juicy it could be spread on toast. "Picture this, Trex: when we return, first we signal you and go sneak over to our places hiding near the bridge. Then, you and your kobold stalwarts lure one or two of those frosty-faced cultists into the bucket lift. Maybe tell them they need to come help with a mine cave-in. Just a nice casual ride down at first, a little bumpy, nothing suspicious... until, WHOOSH! Down they go, faster than a fairy fleeing a cat! That’ll be our signal. We're hiding near the bridge and, when that lift crashes, that’s when we swoop in and attack!"

Jack's grin widens as he continues, "Then, mid-battle, we’ll drive another one of those not-so-priests onto your wobbly ol’ bridge. And just when they think they’ve got the high ground, BAM you boys pull the pin, and down goes another Wintry Weirdo. Better yet if we can get Wahorna herself onto the bridge trap!"

He chuckles, flicking a stray spark of magic from his fingers. "Don’t you worry, Trex. Once we’re through with Wahorna and her not-priests, they won’t be hassling you or any of your mates again. You’ll have your gem mines all to yourselves. You can dig, you can stash, you can build a crown out of jewels if it strikes your fancy."

Jack tilts his head, reminiscing for a moment. "You know, this whole plan reminds me of a time back in the Feywild. You see, I was being chased by a cranky nymph with a bouquet of talking flowers.There was this rickety old bridge over a stream, looked solid enough, till you set foot on it. She chased me over the bridge, but she tripped, and the flowers screamed in terror as they all tumbled into the river! I can still hear those tiny voices crying out, ‘Help! We’re wilting!’" Jack laughs, wiping a tear from his eye. "Moral of the story: sometimes, a good plan just needs the right bridge and the wrong person on it."

He looks around to the other three kobolds, "What do you say, are the rest of you ready to give Wahorna and her Wintry Wierdos some payback, and claim your gem mines for yourselves?"

 

[Quickleaf]

"Issa plan!" agrees Trex enthusiastically.

The other three kobolds appear much more nervous, as if the cultists of Auril have truly cowed them into submission, but Jack's description of claiming Termalaine's gem mine for themselves sparks vigorous whispers. Eventually they slowly nod in agreement, looking back and forth between each other to make sure none are having second thoughts.

 

[happylace]

Alma makes a mental note that this group is very well suited to manipulating creatures into doing their bidding for them.

"It's a deal, then," she agrees. "First, we need to make it to the exit unaccosted. It would be best if we can avoid Wahorna knowing about us, to give an extra element of surprise when we return. And to avoid her becoming suspicious of you, as well. As experts of this particular mine, if you have any suggestions it would be much appreciated."