Deuce Traveler
Adventurer
The trip was uneventful, but difficult, as the party and their gnome companions had to trail blaze across uneven land. The ground began to become hilly after the third day, and a rain came down causing some of the already wet land to become marshy. The group trudged along, completely frustrated by their slow progress, when a piercing scream shattered the stillness.
One of the gnomes on the flanks had a snake-like, gray tendril wrapped around his neck. He gave one more shout, but the tendril yanked him into a pool of dirty water. The liquid writhed unnaturally, and before anyone could react, the gnome's screams and thrashings stopped and his skin began to dissolve to the bone. The liquid pool then moved towards the party.
Tendrils, Pool, Flesh dissolving...
"For the all consuming fires! What's that?!"
Alexander looked around for a fallen branch or a stone, anything which could serve as a weapon; the way in which the gnome's flesh was dissolved didn't suggest that his "fangs" would remain usable after hitting it. He did see some large branches from dead trees that could be ripped off and used as either batons or spears.
Meanwhile, Silas choked down rising nausea as he saw the gnome's flesh stripped from his body. " 'Ware, my friends!" he called out, pointing towards the small pool. Seeing Alexander casting about for a weapon he yelled, "Alexander!" Silas tossed his quarterstaff to the warrior and, keeping well away from the pool, drew a torch from his pack and began to light it. I hope fire is effective against this abomination.
Alexander turned to face the... creature... caustic pond... whatever it was... and when it came near enough, the half orc struck at it.
"Prepare to retreat! I'm not sure if we can harm this!"
(Player's Question to DM: Does the "thing" leave a trail of dissolved stone? grass?...DM's answer: Why yes it does!)
Everyone stoof back as Alexander attacked the creature. He struck true, but his staff dissolved as soon as he made contact, although the force of the blow seemed to have angered it. The creature struck at Alexander with a tendril, but the half-orc nimbly danced aside.
"Let us not bother with this distraction," the nimble elf priest suggested. "Surely we can out pace it?"
Damn it!... Lucky it didn't get my flesh.
Holding the churned piece of wood Alexander started a cautious retreat, trying to evade the creature.
"I don't like leaving it able to make its way into some unsuspecting village but I fear that we have little that we can do against it. Does anyone know what that thing is?" Silas also retreat alongside Alexander, grasping the lit torch as if it were a weapon.
"Run!" Shouted Phly Loughphray. The group of adventurers and gnomes decided this was an excellent idea.
After exhausting themselves, they left the creature behind and out of sight. Thankfully no one got stuck in the mud. It took two more miserable, rainy days for everyone to reach Loughphray Burrows, the underground settlement of the gnomes. The people there seemed happy to see help arrive, although they sometimes threw a wary glance in Rix's direction.
Rix scowled, although he appraised the fortifications with a deprecating eye. Gnomes always lacked something when it came to their defenses. When given wary and unapproving looks, the kobold gave an air of utter disdain and reproach for the gnomes, as if they were below him, passing them by as if they were nonexistant.
The gnomes had dug a series of living areas inside the hills, although barracks and towers were manned outside the settlements. Some of the towers seemed quickly patched up, as if damaged before. Alexander had some trouble fitting into the tunnels, but otherwise managed himself well. After a day of rest, Silas was given a new quarterstaff that a gnome craftsman helped create from the abjurer's specifications.
Indifferent about where his quest has taken him this time, Alexander looked at the patched up towers with a critical eye... Death traps for the defenders. When he was informed that the barracks and living quarters are inside the hills, he struggled to contain a caustic critique: The kobolds could break in wherever they please within the complex through tunneling.
The party received a briefing from Harindan Loughphray, the clan leader of the hills. "Thank you for coming, adventurers. I've been told about your talents from Phly. Recently we've suffered badly from several attacks from goblins and kobolds. The kobold attacks have been the toughest, and we've suffered some horrible damage to our defenses. I doubt we can take another one or two assaults. I am hoping that we can go on the offensive using you as our shock troops. The two threats are coming from the Hound Totem clan of goblins southeast of here, and the kobold tribes to the southwest. The goblins have a population of a few hundred people, but we recently discovered the headquarters of their shaman who is uniting them. He has done so by finding a valuable totem staff, which is an important symbol of clan leadership and an item from the Hound Totem clan's mythology. Kill the shaman, or steal his totem staff, and the goblins will fall into chaos. Or we hope, anyway. We will pay 100gp to each of you if you present us with either the shaman's head or his totem staff. Also, the goblins have been getting new equipment lately. Find out who their supplier is and bring back proof, and we'll throw in an extra 50gp each."
"The kobolds are a greater mystery to us. We have always fought with the Lizard Scale, Hill Delver, and Two Horned tribes. Now a fourth tribe has appeared and quickly dominated the other three. This group is called the Dragon Eye tribe, and has somehow dominated its neighbors to the point that they are willing to conduct suicidal attacks against us. We know we have wiped out a huge number of Lizard Scale, Hill Delver, and Two Horned kobolds, but they keep coming and we are nearly exhausted. Kobolds are not insane, so we do not understand why they would be willing to kill themselves in futile mass assaults in order to destroy us. Find out what is going and try to break the control of the Dragon Eye tribe. We do not know their base of operations, but we know they are somewhere to the southwest. The kobolds still number close to a thousand, while we are down to a population of six hundred. Stop these kobold attacks and be rewarded with 200gp each."
"So gentlemen. Where will you go first?"
Rix thought of what he knew about the various kobold tribes. He knew that the kobolds met in the abandoned town were refugees from the Lizard Scale tribe, although they fled the area due to an attack of goblins. They did not mention other kobolds, and the rogue did not ask for more information before he left them. The Lizard Scale tribe was the stronger of the tribes in this area, followed by the Hill Delver tribe and the Two Horned tribe. Rix had never heard of the Dragon Eye tribe before, so they were probably from somewhere further west and beyond the hills.
After the day of rest, during the briefing by Harindan Loughphray, Rix listened at the tales of the goblin tribes creating problems for the gnomes. Better than for the kobolds. Although the information that the various kobold tribes were being forced under the heel of this Dragon Eye tribe caused him to listen more closely. It was rare for his kin to hurl themselves without avail at gnomes. They preferred ambush and hit-and-run tactics to destroy the morale of their enemies. Although, now that he thought about it, this endless assault method had a sort of demoralizing effect nonetheless.
"Have you been expanding your paltry little hill into the lands of the goblins or my kin? That would certainly invite enmity from both, particularly goblins, they are brutish territorial creatures without a sense of proper community."
The gnome leader ignored his tone and answered, "There are always skirmishes between the kobolds, goblins, and us. Occasionally it breaks out into a larger conflict, but this is different somehow. The kobolds and goblins became united at about the same time and avoided attacks against each other, concentrating solely on us. It is very unusual for kobolds and goblins to avoid combat against one another, but perhaps they've reached an agreement of sorts."
Shaman's head... Totem staff... Dragon Eye chieftan's head...
"So... should we cut the goblin's head before they rise? Or should we stop the flow of kobold attacks before they wipe out the community?" Alexander asksed the clan leader. Kobolds and goblins won't remain united for long, if the kobolds are weakened, the goblins migh jump at their throat... Once the strongest wolf is wounded, the others will prey on him, growing reckless in their attack. "Kobolds should be our priority."
"By the way... just in case: we are not cannon fodder"
Silas gathered the party in the corner of the meeting room and conferred with his companions. "It seems to me that with more solid information concerning the goblins we should begin there, even though the kobolds seem the greater threat. I hesitate to go stumbling about the woods and hills where the kobolds are known to roam with little information to direct our steps to the lair of the Dragon Eye tribe. Though if the gnomes cannot survive another wave of attacks from the kobolds..." With a shrug Silas trailed off as he realized he was beginning to argue for both sides. "What say you, Rix?"
"Silas has it correct, the goblins are what we know about. If we can cut off the head of the goblin tribes, they will collapse upon themselves. Then, I can meet with the kobolds and we'll see where that goes." Rix glared at the gnome, the disdain for him and his kin easily apparent.
"I guess we shouldn't let a minor threat grow..." Alexander didn't look happy at the turn of events, fighting two fronts isn't something he was used to.
He turned to the gnome, "Can the community stand another kobold attack while we are working on the goblin tribes?"
"We can try and probably have a better chance," was the answer. "The kobolds have been attempting assaults on our outer defenses ever since we've flooded some of their tunnels they had been digging in order to get to us. Ironically, they've had more success this way after we drowned out many of their diggers. On the other hand, we lost so many of our own men after the kobolds collapsed a tunnel on us trying to do the same that defense is just about all we can handle right now."
I'm not sure to like it but... The one last resource would be collapsing all the tunnels to the surface until the threat is gone, making breath-grates at hidden locations at the surface.
Alexander thought quietly, pondering upon who knew what... waiting for someone to propose a better (and not that risky) alternative...
Once the prey refuges in its hole, the only exit are the wolf's jaws...
"It seems we are mostly in agreement then." Silas glanced over at the two elves to see if they had anything to add. "And rested. Are we ready to set out?"
The party was in agreement and headed off, successfully following the map given to them by the gnomes. It took two uneventful days of following a small creek in the hills before a valley opened up below, showing a large wooden stockade, which was the headquarters of the goblin shaman. The stockade had nine different buildings, and a two-level wooden structure standing in the center. It was still a quarter of a mile away from the party's position, and the party members could see humanoid activity on the 15-foot walls watching for signs of approaching danger. There also did not appear to be any vegetation around the walls that they might use for cover. It would be difficult to find a way inside without the adventurers being caught.
The stockade looked well built, and the keener eyes had doubts that it was goblin in origin, but this was still the place indicated by the gnome map.
One of the gnomes on the flanks had a snake-like, gray tendril wrapped around his neck. He gave one more shout, but the tendril yanked him into a pool of dirty water. The liquid writhed unnaturally, and before anyone could react, the gnome's screams and thrashings stopped and his skin began to dissolve to the bone. The liquid pool then moved towards the party.
Tendrils, Pool, Flesh dissolving...
"For the all consuming fires! What's that?!"
Alexander looked around for a fallen branch or a stone, anything which could serve as a weapon; the way in which the gnome's flesh was dissolved didn't suggest that his "fangs" would remain usable after hitting it. He did see some large branches from dead trees that could be ripped off and used as either batons or spears.
Meanwhile, Silas choked down rising nausea as he saw the gnome's flesh stripped from his body. " 'Ware, my friends!" he called out, pointing towards the small pool. Seeing Alexander casting about for a weapon he yelled, "Alexander!" Silas tossed his quarterstaff to the warrior and, keeping well away from the pool, drew a torch from his pack and began to light it. I hope fire is effective against this abomination.
Alexander turned to face the... creature... caustic pond... whatever it was... and when it came near enough, the half orc struck at it.
"Prepare to retreat! I'm not sure if we can harm this!"
(Player's Question to DM: Does the "thing" leave a trail of dissolved stone? grass?...DM's answer: Why yes it does!)

Everyone stoof back as Alexander attacked the creature. He struck true, but his staff dissolved as soon as he made contact, although the force of the blow seemed to have angered it. The creature struck at Alexander with a tendril, but the half-orc nimbly danced aside.
"Let us not bother with this distraction," the nimble elf priest suggested. "Surely we can out pace it?"
Damn it!... Lucky it didn't get my flesh.
Holding the churned piece of wood Alexander started a cautious retreat, trying to evade the creature.
"I don't like leaving it able to make its way into some unsuspecting village but I fear that we have little that we can do against it. Does anyone know what that thing is?" Silas also retreat alongside Alexander, grasping the lit torch as if it were a weapon.
"Run!" Shouted Phly Loughphray. The group of adventurers and gnomes decided this was an excellent idea.
After exhausting themselves, they left the creature behind and out of sight. Thankfully no one got stuck in the mud. It took two more miserable, rainy days for everyone to reach Loughphray Burrows, the underground settlement of the gnomes. The people there seemed happy to see help arrive, although they sometimes threw a wary glance in Rix's direction.
Rix scowled, although he appraised the fortifications with a deprecating eye. Gnomes always lacked something when it came to their defenses. When given wary and unapproving looks, the kobold gave an air of utter disdain and reproach for the gnomes, as if they were below him, passing them by as if they were nonexistant.
The gnomes had dug a series of living areas inside the hills, although barracks and towers were manned outside the settlements. Some of the towers seemed quickly patched up, as if damaged before. Alexander had some trouble fitting into the tunnels, but otherwise managed himself well. After a day of rest, Silas was given a new quarterstaff that a gnome craftsman helped create from the abjurer's specifications.
Indifferent about where his quest has taken him this time, Alexander looked at the patched up towers with a critical eye... Death traps for the defenders. When he was informed that the barracks and living quarters are inside the hills, he struggled to contain a caustic critique: The kobolds could break in wherever they please within the complex through tunneling.
The party received a briefing from Harindan Loughphray, the clan leader of the hills. "Thank you for coming, adventurers. I've been told about your talents from Phly. Recently we've suffered badly from several attacks from goblins and kobolds. The kobold attacks have been the toughest, and we've suffered some horrible damage to our defenses. I doubt we can take another one or two assaults. I am hoping that we can go on the offensive using you as our shock troops. The two threats are coming from the Hound Totem clan of goblins southeast of here, and the kobold tribes to the southwest. The goblins have a population of a few hundred people, but we recently discovered the headquarters of their shaman who is uniting them. He has done so by finding a valuable totem staff, which is an important symbol of clan leadership and an item from the Hound Totem clan's mythology. Kill the shaman, or steal his totem staff, and the goblins will fall into chaos. Or we hope, anyway. We will pay 100gp to each of you if you present us with either the shaman's head or his totem staff. Also, the goblins have been getting new equipment lately. Find out who their supplier is and bring back proof, and we'll throw in an extra 50gp each."
"The kobolds are a greater mystery to us. We have always fought with the Lizard Scale, Hill Delver, and Two Horned tribes. Now a fourth tribe has appeared and quickly dominated the other three. This group is called the Dragon Eye tribe, and has somehow dominated its neighbors to the point that they are willing to conduct suicidal attacks against us. We know we have wiped out a huge number of Lizard Scale, Hill Delver, and Two Horned kobolds, but they keep coming and we are nearly exhausted. Kobolds are not insane, so we do not understand why they would be willing to kill themselves in futile mass assaults in order to destroy us. Find out what is going and try to break the control of the Dragon Eye tribe. We do not know their base of operations, but we know they are somewhere to the southwest. The kobolds still number close to a thousand, while we are down to a population of six hundred. Stop these kobold attacks and be rewarded with 200gp each."
"So gentlemen. Where will you go first?"
Rix thought of what he knew about the various kobold tribes. He knew that the kobolds met in the abandoned town were refugees from the Lizard Scale tribe, although they fled the area due to an attack of goblins. They did not mention other kobolds, and the rogue did not ask for more information before he left them. The Lizard Scale tribe was the stronger of the tribes in this area, followed by the Hill Delver tribe and the Two Horned tribe. Rix had never heard of the Dragon Eye tribe before, so they were probably from somewhere further west and beyond the hills.
After the day of rest, during the briefing by Harindan Loughphray, Rix listened at the tales of the goblin tribes creating problems for the gnomes. Better than for the kobolds. Although the information that the various kobold tribes were being forced under the heel of this Dragon Eye tribe caused him to listen more closely. It was rare for his kin to hurl themselves without avail at gnomes. They preferred ambush and hit-and-run tactics to destroy the morale of their enemies. Although, now that he thought about it, this endless assault method had a sort of demoralizing effect nonetheless.
"Have you been expanding your paltry little hill into the lands of the goblins or my kin? That would certainly invite enmity from both, particularly goblins, they are brutish territorial creatures without a sense of proper community."
The gnome leader ignored his tone and answered, "There are always skirmishes between the kobolds, goblins, and us. Occasionally it breaks out into a larger conflict, but this is different somehow. The kobolds and goblins became united at about the same time and avoided attacks against each other, concentrating solely on us. It is very unusual for kobolds and goblins to avoid combat against one another, but perhaps they've reached an agreement of sorts."
Shaman's head... Totem staff... Dragon Eye chieftan's head...
"So... should we cut the goblin's head before they rise? Or should we stop the flow of kobold attacks before they wipe out the community?" Alexander asksed the clan leader. Kobolds and goblins won't remain united for long, if the kobolds are weakened, the goblins migh jump at their throat... Once the strongest wolf is wounded, the others will prey on him, growing reckless in their attack. "Kobolds should be our priority."
"By the way... just in case: we are not cannon fodder"
Silas gathered the party in the corner of the meeting room and conferred with his companions. "It seems to me that with more solid information concerning the goblins we should begin there, even though the kobolds seem the greater threat. I hesitate to go stumbling about the woods and hills where the kobolds are known to roam with little information to direct our steps to the lair of the Dragon Eye tribe. Though if the gnomes cannot survive another wave of attacks from the kobolds..." With a shrug Silas trailed off as he realized he was beginning to argue for both sides. "What say you, Rix?"
"Silas has it correct, the goblins are what we know about. If we can cut off the head of the goblin tribes, they will collapse upon themselves. Then, I can meet with the kobolds and we'll see where that goes." Rix glared at the gnome, the disdain for him and his kin easily apparent.
"I guess we shouldn't let a minor threat grow..." Alexander didn't look happy at the turn of events, fighting two fronts isn't something he was used to.
He turned to the gnome, "Can the community stand another kobold attack while we are working on the goblin tribes?"
"We can try and probably have a better chance," was the answer. "The kobolds have been attempting assaults on our outer defenses ever since we've flooded some of their tunnels they had been digging in order to get to us. Ironically, they've had more success this way after we drowned out many of their diggers. On the other hand, we lost so many of our own men after the kobolds collapsed a tunnel on us trying to do the same that defense is just about all we can handle right now."
I'm not sure to like it but... The one last resource would be collapsing all the tunnels to the surface until the threat is gone, making breath-grates at hidden locations at the surface.
Alexander thought quietly, pondering upon who knew what... waiting for someone to propose a better (and not that risky) alternative...
Once the prey refuges in its hole, the only exit are the wolf's jaws...
"It seems we are mostly in agreement then." Silas glanced over at the two elves to see if they had anything to add. "And rested. Are we ready to set out?"
The party was in agreement and headed off, successfully following the map given to them by the gnomes. It took two uneventful days of following a small creek in the hills before a valley opened up below, showing a large wooden stockade, which was the headquarters of the goblin shaman. The stockade had nine different buildings, and a two-level wooden structure standing in the center. It was still a quarter of a mile away from the party's position, and the party members could see humanoid activity on the 15-foot walls watching for signs of approaching danger. There also did not appear to be any vegetation around the walls that they might use for cover. It would be difficult to find a way inside without the adventurers being caught.
The stockade looked well built, and the keener eyes had doubts that it was goblin in origin, but this was still the place indicated by the gnome map.