Act 1 / Interlude 3 - Second Report to the Baroness (July 9, 2014)

As the party left the vicinity of the Blood Vow lair, they soon found the prisoners they had liberated earlier in the day -- Bophre Malak, and Carlo and Sela Bellathi -- emerging from hiding in the foliage on the north side of the overgrown road. The trio were tired, weak, ragged and had bruises on their faces and arms, but seemed to otherwise have been relatively unharmed; they expressed gratitude once more to their liberators, and were in good spirits given the imminence of their return to civilization and safety. Bophre, a young lady in her late teens, did most of the speaking on behalf of the group, and exhibited the most obvious resilience among the three.

Bophre Malak

The party and former captives stopped by Devy Manor on their way back into town in order to report to the Baroness. Lady Devy could not hide the discomfort of having blood- and mud-stained folk (and a fox) once again standing in her immaculate sitting room, but nonetheless instructed that the chamberlain provide refreshments to her guests. She was relieved that Bophre Malak and the two strangers had been rescued and that the party had neutralized the Blood Vow kobolds, but she was worried that a dozen or so of the kobolds had been spared and allowed to remain in the old quarry rather than being exterminated or driven off. 

Ultimately, she accepted the party’s assessment that the kobolds had been commanded against their better judgement by their chief, Roaghaz, and a newly arrived spiritual leader, to collaborate with the wizard Hunclay to engineer the collapse of the Witch Tower, and that Hunclay’s death was the result of a calculation error by kobold miners; the party believed that the kobolds had not intended to kill the wizard, and that they posed no threat to Belhaim. Indeed, one of the kobolds, Nighttail, was kept prisoner by Chief Roaghaz for voicing her opposition to his plans to work with the wizard and to bring about the collapse. Once the party released her, she helped them navigate the kobold warrens safely, and fought valiantly against the new cleric and Chief Roaghaz. Nighttail was now leader of the Blood Vow and promised that the tribe would once again be good neighbours, and the party deemed that it would be appropriate to allow the kobolds to redeem themselves... after all, was it not true that the town had known of their presence for years, yet never before had the draconic tribe behaved in a menacing manner? Upon further reflection, the Lady Devy agreed that the wizard ultimately was responsible for his own fate, and that it also was consistent with Abadaran teachings to resort to violence and extermination of potentially hostile neighbours as a last resort. Perhaps the kobolds did deserve another chance... yet she also made it clear that if the kobolds did not keep their promise, the consequences would be on the party’s collective heads. 

Lady Devy agreed that the companions had successfully completed this second commission, and commanded that they be paid the promised fee: a total of a dozen gleaming amethysts (worth 100 g.p. each). Arnholde made sure to remind them that Taxfest was just around the corner -- in just five days -- and that an Imperial Tax Collector would be coming to town.

The Lady was disappointed that the party had learned nothing about the fate of the Kells (the village’s absentee druidic guardian and his wife), but she and her son Arnholde went pale when the heroes relayed what the elderly Blood Vow cleric, Jakkol, had said to them before he died, concerning a “dread lord Aeteperax” and the bats he calls from the darkness as harbingers of chaos and lunacy, and how they would be “your doom as they have been ours.” They showed her the green and black dragon scales they had retrieved from one of Chief Roaghaz’s treasure chests; the black ones seemed a lot more faded and fragile.

“It... cannot be,” whispered Lady Devy. “You may not know this, but... Belhaim was founded more than a thousand years ago by Lady Tula Belhaim, a great hero and one of the Slayers of Nazili; the Slayers killed a black dragon by the name of Aeteperax in the nearby swampland, still known today as the Dragonfen. As a matter of fact, the old quarry sits at the edge of the Dragonfen. The Emperor had awarded Lady Tula the title of Baroness and the stewardship of the Verduran Fork region for her great deeds. Her legions of admirers followed and soon the town you now see was established, at the foot of the hill upon which she and her husband, Arturic Canteclure, one of her fellow Slayers, eventually built their castle... and which many centuries later was inherited by distant relations of Arturic’s. To my knowledge, there have been no dragons in the Dragonfen for more than a thousand years... at the very least, none that have made their presence known in a definitive or threatening way... Some villagers believe that dragons have always lived and continue to live in the Dragonfen, but there have been no confirmed sightings or any other concrete proof to support those claims...”

With renewed confidence, she added: “But who knows... perhaps the kobold chief simply invoked the name of the ancient dragon to instill fear and obedience in his tribe...” When the party affirmed that neither Nighttail nor any other kobolds admitted to having seen this Lord Aetperax, the Baroness’ became even more reassured.

Arnholde interjected that, “Bassy would probably remember a lot more of the details regarding local history since the time Lady Belhaim was granted her fiefdom.” With a laugh, he declared that Bassy “looks like a child, but she’s the oldest person in town. She even claims that her grandmother was a friend of Lady Belhaim.” Pointing at Shalora, Jiri and Akiro, Arnholde snidely remarked that “the three of you are bound to get along... she’s a Shelynite. And who knows, perhaps Jacoba Kivris at the Record Hall may have some documents pertaining to that historical period...”

Both Arnholde and his mother seemed to think that the notion that this new Lord Aeteperax would call on bats as harbingers of lunacy and choas sounded preposterous. They suggested that perhaps the kobolds themselves had succumbed to lunacy, perhaps by ingesting too many of the hallucinogenic mushrooms found in the woods?

“Either way then,” continued Lady Devy, “matters regarding this new ‘Lord Aeteperax’, whoever he is, if he exists at all, can wait. Assuming he does exist, he has made no threats or demands of Belhaim, and, Abadar willing, perhaps he got whatever it was he wanted from the wizard Hunclay and will not bother the village... let us not poke a sleeping dragon’s snout. And I kindly request that you refrain from mentioning this Lord Aeteperax to anyone else -- there is no need to cause an unnecessary panic among the villagers.” She asked that that the companions swear an oath to not suggest in conversations with the locals that someone claiming to be Lord Aeteperax was active in the region, save perhaps Bassy, if they questioned her.

“Perhaps we will find some answers in the wizard’s estate,” added the Baroness. “I dispatched a raven to Hunclay’s cousin in Yanmass yesterday afternoon -- if I have not received a response from her within a week’s time, then we may need to enter the wizard’s estate without her  express written consent. I will call on Jacoba Kivris at the Record Hall to provide me with a detailed account of my rights and obligations regarding the Hunclay estate under Imperial law, and in particular references to time frames and exceptional circumstances that I may not be aware of... this is the first time I have ever had to deal with this kind of... incident.”

Before taking their leave, the party reconfirmed their availability to investigate the Hunclay Manor at the appointed time, and also recommended the release of Sesserak from the village gaol; they would escort her back to the Blood Vow lair on the morrow. 

“Thank you again for your services,” stated the Lady. “I hope you will enjoy some well earned rest over the next few days... Tomorrow is Fireday, market day in the village. You may see a greater than usual number of folk about town, including many gnomish loggers down from the Wispil area, as well as some woodsmen and folk travelling the river. I will send word when we will be ready to discuss the matter of the Hunclay manor further... In the meantime, I request that you avoid venturing too far into  Dragonfen... I do not want to draw the attention or ire of this new Lord Aeteperax if we can avoid it...”

Arnholde (unable to conceal his interest in Shalora), would lead the party on a tour of Belhaim the next morning and introduce them to some of the residents and key business owners...

    

Act 1 / Episode 4 - The Blood Vow Lair, Part 2 (May 4, 2014)

After confirming that her prehistoric companion, Hak, had not been harmed while held in captivity, Nighttail led the party along a winding, narrow passage that ended in a cave upon the floor of which was a thick layer of straw. As Nighttail had informed her liberators that Chief Roaghaz’s chamber was “two more down,” she elected to leave Hak behind as the beast would not be able to negotiate the descent shafts. 

Nighttail halted Akiro before he could round a bend in the north end of the cave, hissing that a trap had been set at the narrow bend. The kobold helped Jiri spot and disarm a tripwire connected to a series of spring-loaded darts concealed under the straw. Beyond the trap and around the bend, the group found a 5-foot diameter hole, in which a thick, knotted rope descended into darkness.

Unsure what awaited them below, Akiro dropped his magically luminescent hat down the shaft. It hit the ground approximately 20’ down; some of the companions heard something yip and skitter away. Nighttail was unimpressed. She refused Jiri and Iacobus’s urgings that she lead the way down, countering that she was not as strong as the bigfoots and beard, and that she must ensure her survival if she was to take control of the tribe and ensure that peaceful co-existence with the bigfoot town is restored. Chief Roaghaz’s servants would undoubtedly have orders to put her to death if they saw her free and aiding the bigfoots. She could serve the heroes best by advising them from behind.  

In the end, Akiro clambered down the rope and reached the bottom of the shaft safely. The ovoid chamber into which he had stepped was devoid of features, save for a pair of murky pools and a single exit tunnel cluttered with rubble. Once everyone had made it down the rope, Nighttail explained that the pools were “snacking pools” in which the Blood Vow bred frogs for food. She added that in the next chamber, they would find a much larger pool in which lurked “big cranky biting turtles”... the bigfoots, beard, and ears and arrows should avoid stepping or falling into the water. 

Jiri took the lead here, trusting that his sharper dark vision would reveal threats before any of his companions might spot them. As he cautiously made his way through the rubble to the end of the curving tunnel, he just barely heard something shift ever so quietly beyond his sight and the end of the passage. He could see a large pool of dark water in the middle of a large, but low-ceilinged cavern. A kobold on the far side slung a bullet at the dwarf, while two others stepped forward and attempted to trip him into the pool using their miniature guisarmes. Jiri attempted to strike back at one of his assailants with his glaive, but missed. He took a step back into the passage to avoid being flanked or tripped into the pool.

When the whole party emerged from the tunnel a few moments later, they saw two kobolds (one with glaive, the other with sling), fleeing down a passage almost directly opposite the companions, across the pool, while a third guisarme-wielder ran west into another side passage. The heroes also noticed a third passage across the pool heading south east; Nighttail explained that that was the armoury. The party chose to inspect the armoury before going down one of the other passages, just in case more kobolds might be hiding therein, or that they might find some items of use. A quick inspection of the armoury revealed a dozen spears, more than a hundred sling bullets, four slings, three suits of leather armour, three wooden shields, two bows, all sized for kobolds, as well a human-sized iron longsword. The chamber also contained dozens of small picks, spades, iron spikes, hammers and other tools, and some coils of rope, chains, and manacles with keys. The companions determined that there was little of use to them among the assorted items and took nothing.

As Jiri peered into the tunnel down which the slinger and one of the guisarme wielders had fled, he noticed a single small pallet heaped with fur sitting along the south wall of the cave. As he and the others approached, they found an aged kobold, his green scales dull and his eyes shut tight, lying on the palette. “This be Jakkol, him be great priest of our tribe before Churgri come,” murmured Nighttail.

The aged kobold’s eyes fluttered open to reveal milky, blind orbs. In a raspy voice, he declared the following, in the Common tongue:

“I can tell by your scent that you are strangers here. If my nose tells the truth, you bring the destruction I foretold. Good... good. I had hoped to see our ruin before journeying to the afterworld, but I will settle for listening to it. Beware of the great scaly beast, strangers. He seems to speak reason, but his words are poison. And his bats, the ones he calls from the darkness... they are harbingers of lunacy and chaos... Dread Lord Aeteperax will surely be your doom as he has been ours.”

As if the act of speaking was too much, after delivering that cryptic and ominous message, the aged kobold died. After a moment’s hesitation, Jiri began to search Jakkol and the pallet. He found only a small and fragile phylactery carved from petrified bone and inscribed with a band of runes clutched by the dead kobold’s claws. Jiri and Iacobus both confirmed that the item was magical, but neither were able to identify its properties at the moment. Nighttail argued that Jakkol was a holy priest of the Blood Vow, and as the tribe’s imminent new leader, the phylactery should be hers... but Jiri disagreed and held on to the item, leaving Nighttail feeling even more sour toward the stupid beard.

Jakkol's phylactery

Nighttail informed the companions that both this tunnel, as well as the one down which the lone guisarme-wielder had fled, ultimately led to the same place: a big chamber that would lead to the “third down” and Chief Roaghaz’s hall. The current passage, however, would first lead them past a “cruel rat nest,” where rats even more vicious than those kept higher up in the complex. The group decided to follow the passage that the lone guisarme-wielder had taken. 

After marching for what seemed like a long distance down that passage, the heroes came to a wide bend. Three dire rats charged them from out of the darkness ahead, but the wider space granted Akiro, Jiri and Iacobus more space to maneuver effectively for defence and counter-attack purposes, while Shalora provided them with spiritual guidance. At the edge of the circle of light cast by Akiro’s illumined hat, the heroes saw a pair of kobolds run into yet another tunnel. Once the dire rats had been slaughtered, the party prepared to follow the sneaky kobolds down this latest corridor. Nighttail warned them that it was likely that a larger defensive force had been gathered here to ambush them along a narrow walkway 10‘ above the ground... but this was the only way to gain access to the lower level of the complex.

Led by Akiro, who vaulted under sling fire over the two guisarme-wielding kobolds that had taken defensive positions at the half-way point of the walkway as their brethren lobbed their bullets from behind the cover of a low curtain of rock, the heroes rapidly defeated their opponents. Nine kobolds initially defended the chamber, but once the first five had been slain and Nighttail stepped forward and declared in Draconic that the remainder would be spared if they surrendered, those still standing dropped their weapons, allowed themselves to be bound, and were lowered into the pits that yawned beneath the walkway. Another circular hole opened in the ground of this chamber, again with a knotted rope tied to a spike descending into darkness. The way to the “third down.”

Adopting the same strategy as before, Akiro dropped his luminescent hat into the hole. This time, the companions heard no reaction from below. Nighttail did not know if anything awaited the companions in the chamber below; the Blood Vow shrine and Chief Roaghaz’s hall were still further in the complex. Iacobus tried to convince Nighttail to descend first, so that she could show her courage as new leader, to no avail. Akiro ended up going first, and as he emerged from the shaft, he found himself completely unable to move and flanked by two silent skeletons. The undead slashed at him with dull scimitars, and from above, Jiri saw the Tian warrior fall beneath the blades, his blood spilling onto the ground.

Jiri heroically leaped down the shaft, landing with his legs spread apart in a defensive position directly overtop the prone Akiro. As the dwarf fended off the attacks of the skeletons, Shalora channelled healing energy to her beleaguered friends below, and Akiro’s mind gradually overcame the spell that had been cast on him, a red-scaled kobold wearing a rusty-brown cloak over chainmail and wielding a wooden staff carved with runes and capped with a crimson sphere etched with symbols conjured a glowing dagger that flew at Jiri. The spiritual weapon failed to harm the dwarf, shielded as he was by the power of love, but the infuriated red-scale closed in for melee.

Churgri the red-scale

As Akiro got up, he demolished one of the skeletons with his glaive, while Jiri stepped away from the bottom of the shaft. The red-scale unleashed a wave of dark energy that burned Akiro and Jiri. Then Nighttail emerged from the shaft, followed by Iacobus. The red-scale suffered a wound and stepped out of the melee while the companions fought the second skeleton. Shalora took the opportunity to channel Shelyn’s healing energies, which washed over her companions below. As the second skeleton crumbled, Nighttail charged Churgri the red-scale and drove her spear through her foe’s gut, slaying the priestess.

Jiri and Iacobus cast spells to detect magical energies in the area, and found four items radiating magic on Churgri: three stone flasks wrapped with a twisted cord and stoppered with a simple wood cork hung from a leather thong wrapped around her waist, the contents of which smelled and tasted slightly pepperminty, as well as the now blood-stained, scaled crimson cloak the cleric had worn over her hooded black robe and armour. Additionally, the heroes also found a spell component pouch and gold symbol of some unfamiliar horned entity among the cleric’s possessions. Churgri’s ornate quarterstaff did not radiate magic. An argument broke out once again between Nighttail and the companions regarding the distribution of the slain kobold’s valuables. In the end, three of the companions each claimed a potion, which Iacobus deemed were healing potions (cure light wounds); Nighttail retained Churgri’s enchanted cloak, which, according to the Taldan’s assessment, would enhance in very limited fashion the wearer’s resistance against enemy spells and harm caused by poison, environmental effects, and other such things (cloak of resistance +1). After some hesitation, Nighttail also decided to don Churgri’s chainmail. 

Potion of healing (cure light wounds) x3 

taken by the heroes from Churgri

 the red-scale's corpse

The party then advanced into a chamber so large that Akiro’s hat barely illuminated its total area. The ceiling was higher here, about 12 feet high, and aside from a passage leading out of the opposite, north end of the chamber, its only prominent feature was a malevolent-looking horned idol carved from stone and positioned in the centre of the cave. Curiosity got the better of Jiri and Iacobus, who searched for secret compartments both within and beneath the idol. They found none, and their spells revealed neither any magic or evil radiating from anywhere in the chamber, aside from what the party and Nighttail herself carried (including the twin “lucky sticks” tucked in her belt). Nighttail was clearly irritated by the party’s investigation of the idol, which she claimed represented an entity named “Duke Vapula.” Churgri reportedly spent most of her time in this chamber, and soon, the party would face Chief Roaghaz and his guards in the grand hall.

But first, as the companions advanced into the north passage, they came upon a wooden barrier blocking the entrance to another cave branching off from the main tunnel, beyond which stood a green-scale. The sentry did not behave in a threatening manner, but stood with spear in hand and without fear, rasping something in Draconic as the party approached. Nighttail informed the party that the sentry and the others in the chamber beyond guarded the “Cave of the Future”--where eggs and hatchlings were   watched--and would not interfere with the party’s assault on Chief Roaghaz. These guardians would only fight if the party attempted to harm their young and unborn. 

The next and final chamber would be Chief Roaghaz’s hall, but at the last bend in the tunnel before the hall, Nighttail identified the most devastating trap in the entire kobold lair--a thin layer of oil coated the walls, floor and ceiling of this passage, and anyone who walked in risked tripping over a number of well-hidden trip lines that would cause a dozen vials hidden in the ceiling to smash on the floor, ignite the oil and turn the entire passage into a fiery tube. With their guide’s help, Jiri and Iacobus carefully deactivated the trap; Iacobus even collected some of the vials from their niches in the ceiling. Based on Nighttail’s description of the effects, the magus believed the dangerous substance in the vials was alchemist’s fire.

Beyond another bend in the tunnel, the party came to a short flight of rough-hewn steps that opened into a large but low-ceilinged cave, the floor strewn with fresh straw. The bones of many different creatures, animal and humanoid both, hung from the walls. Two boulders bisected the cave. At last, they had reached Chief Roaghaz’s hall.  

A green-scaled kobold clad in a purple cloak with elongated sleeves and trimmed with crimson tooth-like patterns stood before the boulders and puffed out his chest. A dagger and a pair of scroll tubes hung from his bandoleer. The belligerent kobold addressed the party imperiously in the Common tongue:

“You think you can trespass in the lair of the Blood Vow Tribe with impunity? I am Roaghaz, and I serve the great Lord Aeteperax! He rewards his supplicants for ferocity and faithfulness. We shall add your bones to those hanging on these walls, and our great lord shall sup on your flesh!”

Before the party members could advance, Roaghaz pointed a wooden wand at them and uttered an arcane incantation. A huge web shot out of the wand, coating half the hall and reaching far into the entrance passage, trapping all of the companions and Nighttail, who stood at the edge of the web near Akiro. 

Chief Roaghaz

Roaghaz was furious that Nighttail the Glib, as he called her, had led the invaders against the Blood Vow and had now led them to his hall, and ordered his guards--who emerged from cover behind the boulders--to slay the traitorous rat. As the companions struggled to free themselves of the webs, Nighttail successfully blocked most of the guards‘ spear thrusts, while Roaghaz croaked another incantation that unleashed three bolts of magical energy that struck Akiro full in the chest before retreating behind the boulders. Iacobus was tempted to throw alchemist’s fire at the kobold chieftain, but feared that it would ignite the web and burn all those trapped within. 

Akiro was the first to free himself from the web. By the time he had done so, Roaghaz had conjured a double of himself. Given the close quarters, Akiro attacked the sorcerer with his katana instead of his glaive, and his swing promptly dispelled the illusory double. Roaghaz retaliated by blasting Akiro once again with another three magical bolts that nearly killed the mute warrior. The four guards remained focused on slaying Nighttail, but she and Jiri brought their opponents down one by one. Shalora and Iacobus emerged from the web, the elf rushing to Akiro’s aid, pulling his head back to empty a healing potion down his throat. Roaghaz now found himself with nowhere to run and no one left to fight at his side, and casting spells was now just too risky. As the pair of humans tried to flank him, the kobold’s fangs suddenly grew longer and he attempted to bite Akiro, unsuccessfully. As the last guard fell, Nighttail, who had sustained only a few light wounds, joined the fray against the chieftain who continued to rage about her treachery. Although he clearly could not defeat his foes, Chief Roaghaz fought to the death and cursed Nighttail as he perished.

Nighttail was elated by the victory, and the heroes praised her for her bravery in battle... and were secretly surprised by her skill and endurance, and glad they did not have to face her as an enemy. In the western section of the cave beyond the boulders, the companions found a large, soft pallet and two locked chests. They found a pair of keys on Roaghaz, and Jiri and Iacobus determined that in addition to the two scrolls and  the wand in the sorcerer’s possession, his cloak was also enchanted. A quick assessment by Iacobus revealed that a spell named glitterdust was inscribed on both scrolls. As he touched the sorcerer’s cloak, made of coarse animal-hair and dyed purple, and concentrated for a moment, he determined that the cloak’s magic had enabled Roaghaz’s fangs to grow (cloak of fangs). 

2 scrolls, each with the spell Glitterdust,

 claimed by Iacobus

One of the keys opened both chests, within which they found 1,895 gold coins in one chest, and six large green scales and an even larger black one in the second chest. “Dragon scales,” confirmed Nighttail.

Despite Nighttail’s protests that she should keep most of the treasure and magic items as they had belonged to the Blood Vow tribe, the companions insisted that they be shared evenly five ways, as “friends” would do... especially since they argued that most of the kobold treasure had likely been obtained by stealing from humans and other folk. Given the circumstances, Nighttail knew she had no choice but to agree to the terms. Iacobus claimed the two scrolls. Nighttail wanted to keep both Churgri and Roaghaz’s cloaks, but Jiri forced her to choose one or the other. After much thought, she gave Churgri’s cloak to Jiri and wrapped Roaghaz’s cloak around her shoulders. Churgri’s cloak smelled of kobold and blood, and was comically short and narrow when worn by the broad-shouldered dwarf... whether or not the red-scaled cloak enhanced or detracted from the dwarf’s beauty and style is a matter that remains open for debate. 

Churgri the red-scale's cloak of resistance (+1), 

passed down reluctantly by Nighttail to Jiri… 

would the small, scaled cloak enhance or detract

 from the dwarf's "beauty and style"?

The heroes reminded Nighttail once again that she had promised that the Blood Vow must be good neighbours, and they also suggested that a contract should be drafted setting out the terms of the peace. Nighttail agreed, but insisted that the heroes accompany her through the complex on their way out, so that they could announce to all survivors that she had been proclaimed the new chief of the Blood Vow and that they better listen to her or else there would be consequences. The companions did as she requested.

At last, the heroes regained the surface, glad to smell the fresh air and to see the light of the evening sun reflecting on the waters of the flooded quarry. Sparkles was still tethered, unharmed, where Shalora had left her, but Bophre Malak and the other liberated prisoners were nowhere to be seen...

Act 1 / Episode 3 - The Blood Vow Lair, Part 1 (April 13, 2014)

Beyond the turnoff for the Hunclay Manor and the ruins of the Witch Tower, the Old Quarry Road was in very poor shape and had evidently not seen any traffic in many years. All that remained of the road was a muddy track now overgrown with beech, holly, thickets of deciduous shrubs, and low hanging branches of oak and blackwood. Fortunately, the site of the flooded quarry was barely a half mile or so from the eastern edge of Belhaim, and easy to find; the party made good time and reached their destination around mid-afternoon. Jiri kept an eye out for tracks in the mud, but initially noticed nothing but the spoor of deer, boar, bear, rabbit and rodents; only when they neared the quarry did he notice clawed, reptilian tracks that likely belonged to kobolds.

The flooded quarry itself was a crater fourty feet deep and perhaps a few hundred feet across, most of it now filled with a murky lake surrounded by a narrow pebble beach. The limestone quarry was surrounded by thick brush and some rocky hills. The companions found a steep path leading down to the east end of the lake, and carefully made their way down to the pebble beach. From there, Jiri saw depressions in the stones, suggesting that whatever had made the tracks had made its way south, where boulders lay scattered between the face of a rocky cliff and the lake. 

The party had initially decided that their preference would be to pursue a diplomatic approach with the kobolds, thinking that notwithstanding the collapse of the tower and their dealings with and allegedly accidental slaying of Hunclay, there was no proof that they had abducted villagers or otherwise constituted a menace to Belhaim. Jiri cautiously scouted ahead south along the eastern wall of the quarry. As he neared the boulders, he was pelted by sling stones hurled by green-sclaed kobolds hidden behind the rocks, with remarkably good aim. Another leapt atop the boulder behind which the dwarf had taken cover and jabbed at him with a spear. At that moment, Akiro and Iacobus broke from cover and rushed to the aid of their companion, while Shalora rode her horse down the steep path to the beach with Mischief close behind, healing potion hanging from his newly designed special collar.

Three kobolds kept lobbing stones at the heroes while the fourth struck with his spear, mounting a surprisingly effective defence against the companions. Shalora channeled her spiritual energies to establish a link with Akiro and Jiri, via which she could transfer some of their wounds to herself, and heal the frontline warriors. Jiri eventually dazed one of the kobolds with his own divine magic, while Akiro slew one with his glaive; Shalora charged in on horseback and cast another spell that put the remaining reptile men to sleep. Deeming it to great a risk to leave the kobolds alive at their back, Iacobus proceeded to coup de grace the three sleeping kobolds. 

Beyond the boulders, a low, narrow tunnel in the cliff wall--less than 5' high and less than that in width--disappeared into darkness. The companions found a second tunnel entrance a little bit further south, also sheltered by boulders, and heard footsteps scurrying away down that latter tunnel. Other hidden sentries had fled to sound the alarm.

Shalora tied her horse to one of the smaller boulders, and the party decided to proceed down the second tunnel, with Akiro in the lead. Iacobus cast a light spell upon his hat, turning the Tian warrior into a walking lantern. The companions had to crouch to advance in the narrow, twisting tunnels. Akiro soon became a target for more kobold sling stones. Within moments, the hail of stones ceased and Akiro found himself being mauled by five slavering, dog-sized rats that charged at him out of the darkness. The Tian warrior struggled in the tight confines of the tunnel, and the dire rats squirmed past his defences, biting through his armour time after time. Jiri and Iacobus took turns trying to aid Akiro, either by attempting to shoot arrows or striking with their blades past him, mostly in vain. Yet, miraculously, Akiro found some of his wounds closing as he fended off the monstrous rats, while in back, Jiri and Iacobus noticed wounds like stigmata opening on Shalora even though she had not been struck. With great determination, Akiro eventually killed off all the vicious rodents. Mischief regularly exited the tunnel to act as rear guard and to ensure that no kobolds were emerging from the other tunnel to harm Shalora's new mount.

A short distance further down the tunnel, the party followed a fork that led into a higher ceilinged chamber. Straw was strewn across the floor of this large cave, and its ceiling vaulted to a height reaching fifteen feet in some areas. Three ledges, eight feet off the ground, looked out over the main cavern. A five-foot wide, twenty-foot-deep trench ran north to south through the western half of the cavern, with just one five-foot bridge of natural stone allowing passage from one side to the other. As Akiro and Jiri cautiously made their way across the natural bridge, they noticed eight kobolds rising up from the three high ledges around the cave, who immediately rained sling stones down on the heroes once again. Jiri took the most hits, followed by Akiro. The battle lasted some time. Jiri targeted the dragon-men with his short bow, while Akiro cleaved at some of his foes from below with his glaive. 

Iacobus invoked a spell that enabled him to vanish, and then conjured a shimmering rainbow of colours that he aimed at the two kobolds on the ledge nearest him. The spell had absolutely no effect on them; they merely looked on with momentary admiration, and were more shocked to witness the Taldan reappear abruptly out of nowhere. Shalora supported her companions with blessings that boosted their morale and guided their attacks, and also healed them at a distance as they suffered more and more wounds.

While Iacobus was preoccupied with the pair of kobolds above him, another two of the dragon-men charged out of another passage to the north and nearly succeeded in shoving him into one of the trenches. The Taldan dropped his falcata, which clanged at the bottom of the trench as he grasped at the ledge and held on for dear life. Jiri and Shalora kept the two new assailants occupied as Iacobus pulled himself back up from the trench. Iacobus then slit the throat of one of the kobolds with a dagger as the pair again tried to bullrush him into the trench, and hit the other with a ray of frost before plunging his blade into its eye and killing it. Once Akiro successfully climbed onto the farthest ledge and sliced the last of the three kobolds thereon in half at the waist, the final defender on the ledge above Iacobus surrendered. He unfurled a rope ladder and clambered down, as the party bade him do. The companions gathered the rope ladders found on each ledge, and tied up and lowered the sole survivor into one of the trenches after they forced him to retrieve Iacobus's falcata.

Concerned with the wounds that had been inflicted on Shalora both during and outside of combat, Akiro lay his hands gently on the elf's injuries. His eyes widened in surprise as he found them partially closing at his touch -- a power he had never previously manifested. 

After exploring a few more chambers and passages of limited interest (one that had been a dire rat pen, the other containing a well), the party came upon one torchlit cave where four kobolds held three manacled human prisoners shackled to walls, with spears at their throats. The area was obviously used for labour-intensive tasks, such as making rope from vines, drying meat, and tanning hides, but the living and working conditions were squalid at best. The humans--two women and a man--were bruised, dirty and underfed, and clearly fearful that the kobolds would kill them if the party approached. Jiri uttered a prayer that dazed the lead kobold, while Akiro's cold stare and bloody glaive, intimidated the other three into dropping their spears without harming the captives; clearly no reinforcements were on their way to support the jailers. The party released the captives using a key found on one of the jailers, and chained the four kobolds to the wall by their feet. 

One of the captives was Bophre Malak, daughter of Isadorer Malak, who had gone missing from Belhaim three months ago. To the party's dismay, the other two captives were not the Kells who also had been unexpectedly absent from the village for several months now. This other couple were Carlo and his wife Sela Bellathi, peddlers of religious charms, who declared that they had been captured a few days before Bophre Malak while traveling east on the Verduran Highway. Bophre had not seen the Kells during all her time in captivity, and was alarmed to learn that they two had gone missing--she said that both were well liked in Belhaim. After some discussion, the party decided that they could not spare time to escort the captives back to town, for that would give their foes the opportunity to regroup and reinforce, and to prepare for the return of the "bigfoots", "beards", and "ears and arrows." They escorted the three liberated humans out of the kobold lair, and gave them the option to either head back to town on their own if they were comfortable doing that, since Bophre knew the way, or to await the companions' return with Shalora's horse… hopefully within the next few hours.

   

As the party resumed their exploration of the lair, Akiro fell afoul a trap, and fell twenty feet into a concealed pit, with loose rocks tumbling down on him from above. The Tian warrior somehow escaped serious injury, and was hauled out by his companions.

A short way beyond the pit, the party came upon a baffling sight: a mound of what appeared to be rotten vegetables, fruit, and excrement sat heaped in the middle of the room, covering a spear and leather sack. The companions suspected another trap, but then noticed a single forlorn kobold sitting in the middle alcove in the northern part of the cave, its arms, legs and snout tightly bound with rope and its body lashed to iron spikes driven into the cave wall. They found it odd to find a kobold tied in this manner within a kobold lair, but looking again at the nearby mound of refuse atop the spear and leather sack, Jiri deduced that this kobold may in fact have been shamed and ostracized by the tribe. The rope was removed from its snout, and the party questioned the creature as they inspected the contents of the sack: they found what the kobold would refer to as its "two lucky sticks," bundled leather armour, 30 silver coins, and a topaz gem that Mischief promptly claimed as his own.

The kobold said her name was Nighttail, and that she had been bound and punished by Chief Roaghaz because she had repeatedly voiced her objection to the tribe working with the wizard to engineer the collapse of the tower. She said that the Blood Vow had never been in conflict with the local bigfoots before, that her philosophy was "live and let live," and that she thought that collapsing the tower was a bad idea and would anger the bigfoots. Nighttail stated that she had come to realize that the Blood Vow were a bunch of spineless cowards who just did whatever Chief Roaghaz told them to to do, and she had suffered enough at Chief Roaghaz's whims; if the party released her, she would aid them. She knew the way through the lair, and could point out the locations of traps. She informed the group that a red-scaled priest from the Hangtooth tribe had recently arrived as an envoy to the Blood Vow; and if the party killed Chief Roaghaz, Nighttail would be willing to assume leadership of the Blood Vow and promised that they would never bother the bigfoots again. The companions deemed this a reasonable proposal, set her free, and allowed her to reclaim her gear--all save the topaz that Mischief now hoarded jealously, growling at the kobold's approach. 

But before they ventured further into the lair, which Nighttail said went "two more down," she wanted to check that her "friend" was alright. The heroes became curious and suspicious… who was this friend? Was it another kobold? 

No, she replied. 

Was it a friend like Mischief? 

Yes, yes.

The party instructed that Nighttail lead the way. She took them down a nearby passage, through stout wooden gates and into a larger, higher-ceiling chamber where dozens of well-chewed deer bones littered the ground. In that chamber, the heroes were shocked to find a bipedal reptile as tall as Iacobus gnawing at a bone with its razor-filled maw. Getting it in here through the narrow tunnels would have been a tight squeeze.

The beast snorted and advanced, lowering its head for Nighttail to pet it.

"This my friend, Hak…"

Act 1 / Interlude 2 -- Around Town (April 13, 2014)

Most of their resources spent, the companions decided that they should spend at least the rest of the day resting and conducting errands around town before dealing with the Blood Vow kobolds. Based on what they had learned thus far from Sesserak as well Lady Devy and Arnholde Devy, the Sheylinites in the party in particular were not convinced that the kobolds were the looming menace that the locals now believed they were.

Akiro and Shalora (and Mischief) went straight to the Inn of the Wise Piper to relax, and with her newfound wealth, Shalora wasted no time upgrading to one of the inn's more luxurious rooms. Jiri decided that he would spend more time interrogating Sesserak at the jail, while Iacobus went about town searching for alchemical, magical and other items that could help him accelerate his recovery from the centipede poison that still affected him, and that might also be of use to the party when they confronted the Blood Vow in their lair.

Despite his best efforts, Jiri gleaned only a little more knowledge from his interrogation of the kobold, for assessing a lizard-like creature's facial expressions, or lack thereof, and tone of voice were a challenge indeed. The dwarf learned that:

. Chief Roaghaz supposedly was the most powerful sorcerer in the world;

. the tribe numbered "a hundred hundred warriors -- too many for bigfoots, ears and arrows, and stupid beards to defeat;"

. the narrow tunnels and many traps would give the bigfoots and stupid beards a hard time, and she would not reveal their locations;

. the "back" door that the stupid beard kept asking about was also a "front" door;

. "now that tower is broken, Blood Vow would cause no more trouble for bigfoot town;"

Sesserak asked that the bigfoots release her. She promised that she would leave and go far far away, would not cause problems for bigfoots, and would not go back to the Blood Vow tribe because Chief Roaghaz would kill her for her failure and for causing problems with bigfoots. For those same reasons, Sesserak would refuse to guide the party to the Blood Vow lair or to act as a peace broker, even though Jiri suggested that a parlay with Chief Roaghaz might save the lives of many Blood Vow. If she was going to die, then she would prefer to die at the hands of the bigfoots than at the hands of Chief Roaghaz, who would declare her a traitor regardless of parlay attempts. Still, despite the death sentence, Sesserak would not betray her people. "Me no traitor to the Blood Vow tribe," she said. "If bigfoots and beards and ears and arrows want kill Sesserak too, then you do it… Blood Vow are blood of the dragon, not scared of death… Will go to meet mighty Dahak, creator of dragons… and maybe Duke Vapula…"

That was all Jiri managed to learn from the stubborn kobold. Her fate would depend on the outcome of the companions' upcoming encounter with the Blood Vow tribe. Jiri did convince a hesitant Deputy Mulle to sell him a pair of manacles.

Meanwhile, Iacobus wandered Belhaim's muddy streets and briefly visited a number of merchants (all of whom had already heard rumours about his involvement in the exploration of the collapsed Witch Tower) and shops, including:

. Xemne of Demgazi at Xemne's Tonics, the apothecary located across the green from the Inn of the Wise Piper -- Iacobus was less than pleased with the selection of alchemical goods and their costs, lack of potions, and with what he perceived as Xemne's overly flighty personality and indifference to his needs -- but what more could a dedicated Abadaran expect of an obvious Shelynite with Qadiran blood?;

. Caspar Tymek's General Store -- the man was friendly enough, but all he had in his shop were mundane goods -- no magic or alchemical items;

. Phedra Delbin at Delbin's Devices -- the town tinker, Phedra was a timid woman who clearly wanted to be helpful to Iacobus, but was uncertain what exactly Iacobus was looking for -- she made animal traps, locks, manacles for the garrison, and other such items, and even admitted to having an enchanted frost blade that she would be willing to sell for no less than what she estimated was a market value around 8,000 gold pieces or for an equivalent credit note from Lady Devy. Iacobus himself was not certain what he was looking for in the tinker's shop, but he tried to convince Phedra to lend him the frost weapon, as he would be using it for the purposes of protecting Belhaim from the kobold menace, but though she wanted to aid the young man, she was reluctant to let a stranger borrow such a rare and valuable weapon;

. and Banker Eupaphenia Targas at the House of Abadar (without a doubt one of the most impressive and elaborate buildings in the village, with its rich decorations and high, thick, stained-glass windows). Banker Targas was clad in fine golden robes, and was evidently very busy filling out documents from behind a counter in a wing of the temple near the entrance. Banker Targas knew who Iacobus was and acknowledged the value of the service he had rendered to the community (while barely sparing a glance at him), and she urged him to be quick about his business. When Iacobus explained the nature of his affliction, Banker Targas indicated that the House currently had three scrolls with the power of restoration available for sale (700 gold coins each), a wand that could cure significant (moderate) wounds with 39 charges (3,510 gold coins), and a potion that could cure some of his (light) wounds. At 50 gold, the latter was the only item in his price range, and the good Banker agreed to sell it to him at the reduced price of 45 gold since Iacobus was a member of the faith; and though Iacobus tried, Banker Targas would be bargained no lower. Iacobus bought the potion. The Banker did inform him that she would pray that night for Abadar to grant her the power to lessen Iacobus's affliction, and that she could cast that blessing on him if he returned the next morning. She also reminded him of the House's vault service, should he and his companions need to place large sums of money in safekeeping. 

Iacobus had other schemes in mind that he tried to put into effect before returning to the inn. Knowing that there were still thousands of copper coins in the Canteclure treasury beneath the Witch Tower that his companions did not care to retrieve, Iacobus decided that it might be worth his while to hire some local layour to retrieve the last of the treasure while he and the party dealt with the Blood Vow kobolds tomorrow… and by creating this temporary business opportunity, he would be contributing to employment and economic growth in the village, and thereby acting in accordance with the values of Abadar. He encountered a young man on the street and tried to persuade him to enlist a few friends to go recover the last of the treasure from the ruins of the Witch Tower -- Iacobus offered him 10 gold coins, close to a year's wages for the lad's father, for a day's work hauling up copper coins. The young man was torn -- on the one hand, his family could definitely use the money, on the other hand, he was quite worried about going down into the ruins without powerful adventurers like Iacobus to keep him safe. After a lot of hemming and hawing, which annoyed Iacobus to no end, the young man agreed to go talk to some friends about Iacobus's proposition, and that they would report back to him at the Inn of the Wise Piper if they were interested. Iacobus suspected that if the lad's lack of ambition was any indication, then he was probably a Shelynite.

The group all gathered at the Inn for supper, where Iacobus reported on his general disappointment with the townsfolk he had encountered -- for the most part, he deemed them either lazy, unhelpful, none too bright, and even "not much to look at" (this last remark aimed at Phedra Delbin and Xemne of Demgazi); Jiri shared what little more he had learned from Sesserak; and Shalora was able to provide Iacobus with some treatment to mitigate the effects of the centipede poison. The party also asked Talia Orem what she had heard about the disappearances of the Kells and Bophre Malak; she essentially confirmed what Arnholde Devy had told them. She knew of no one else who had gone missing recently. Talia also added that although she never wished ill on anyone, in some ways, she was comforted that the wizard Hunclay was dead. While the wizard did very little business in town personally, he always spooked her. Talia heard that he worshipped devils and collected evil books.

That evening, a man nervously intruded on the party, desperate to ask Shalora a question. It was the man whose face Silas Gribb had "stolen" the day before -- he introduced himself as Marvon Pascis. Marvon and his wife worried that Silas's magic had cursed Marvon, and he wanted to know if that were the case, and if there were anything Shalora could do to help him. Iacobus could not believe just how stupid the man could be. Shalora assured Marvon that no harm would come to him as a result of the spell, and she even used some of her own magic to boost his morale. The man left the inn thankful and reassured.

The next morning, Iacobus was annoyed to find that only now did Shalora and Jiri decide to visit the local temple of Sheylin -- the Shrine of the Seven Roses. The magus thought the group was going to head to the Blood Vow lair first thing in the morning, and ended up grumbling about poor work ethic and (lack of) punctuality among Shelynites.

Shalora and Jiri got a very warm reception from Nilos Genser, local priest of Shelyn, who was playing his lute and singing songs of love and peace with a half dozen youthful followers in a garden behind a simple cottage decorated with flower pots and numerous whimsical and beautifully carved wooden sculptures. The man hugged Shalora and Jiri, and was especially surprised and pleased to meet a dwarven follower of the Eternal Rose -- a first for him; but his eyes really lit up at the sight of the tall and beautiful elf. Nilos hoped that the party would be able to find a peaceful solution to the kobold situation -- the village had never had problems with their draconic neighbours until now. After a while, the conversation turned to ways in which the Shrine of the Seven Roses might be of assistance, and Nilos was willing to sell the adventurers a potion of healing (cure light wounds) for 40 gold coins -- something they normally keep for followers in need. Shalora gratefully acknowledged Nilos's generosity and was happy that some of her recently earned money would go to the Shrine. Nilos also indicated that the Shrine had additional items which they were not in a position to part with at the moment, including a deep red sphere ioun stone and wand of lesser restoration with 43 charges, among other things left unnamed. 

After the visit to the Shrine, Shalora and Jiri stopped by Sensina Hides, a leatherworker's shop, where the elf made an unusual request: could they fashion a neck harness for a fox that could hold a potion flask, by early afternoon? The friendly shop owner, Theon Sensina, was up to the challenge, and delivered the goods in a timely manner. Theon held the view that the kobolds had always been trouble, and that they had become worse of late. He was certain that they were preparing for war. 

Iacobus seethed inwardly when, hours later, Shalora and Jiri finally returned to the inn, and the Taldan learned that Shalora had gotten a better deal on her potion of healing at the Shrine of the Seven Roses than he got at the House of Abadar.    

The party also paid a visit to Isadorer Malak, at the Malak dairy farm across the river from the inn, to see if she had any more information to share about the disappearance of her daughter, Bophre. Isadorer was a kind but evidently heartbroken woman. The Malaks had seven children, and Bophre was their eldest. Isadorer confirmed what Arnholde Devy had previously told the party -- that Bophre was a lively young girl who liked to go on walks in the woods or along the river bank. And then one day three months ago, she never returned from one of her walks, and though folks searched for her, no trace of her was ever found. Isadorer still believed in her heart that her daughter was still alive, and her family was willing to give their life savings of 200 gold coins for her safe return.

It was early afternoon, and still the party was not ready. Just as they were preparing to hit the road, Shalora decided to visit the Dodgion Livery behind the Inn, where she purchased a combat-trained light riding horse. Akiro could not contain his excitement when he saw the animals at the livery, and on the spur of the moment also bought a pony, which he brought back to the Inn's stable.

By mid-afternoon, the party was finally ready to make the short half mile journey up the overgrown quarry road to the Blood Vow lair...

Act 1 / Interlude 1 - First Report to the Baroness / A New Mission (April 13, 2014)

The companions were pleased to exit the sinister ruins of the ruined tower with their loot and kobold captive in tow. One of the deputies remained at the scene of the collapse, the man named Hodd, who was keeping an eye on the small gathering of villagers who remained in the area. The companions were greeted by the gawkers with a mix of relief, excitement, and fear at the sight of the kobold.

Scanning the area after clambering down to the foot of the tower, the companions noticed that whereas the hills and valley around Belhaim were green  and forested, the hilltop around the late wizard Hunclay's manor (#28 on the map) had been clear cut -- all that were left in the vicinity was an unwelcoming waste of low stumps. The adventurers recalled that the Lady Devy had informed them that the wizard had wanted the tower demolished because it obscured his view of the sky -- did he have the trees cut down for the same reason? The manor itself looked odd, crowned as it was by a large dome. 

Across the road, to the south, the heroes spotted a small house and cemetery at the foot of another hill, and beyond that an estate that was larger even than the wizard Hunclay's. Deputy Hodd indicated that the estate on the nearby hilltop overlooking the village to the west was Devy Manor, and that the party should head there without delay to give the baroness their report.

 Devy Manor's extensive, well-manicured grounds and large stables clearly reflected the wealth and status of its resident family. The manor itself appeared to be centuries old, but some of the exterior masonry was starting to show signs of decay. A trio of heavily armoured guards escorted the party into the manor's reception chamber, watching the kobold captive especially warily; the companions found Lady Devy and her son, Arnholde, awaiting them in the opulent chamber with marbled floors, luxurious carpets, chairs and divans, ornate oak tables, and portraits and historical artifacts displayed on the wood-panneled walls and pedestals around the room.

Lady Devy seemed horrified that the bloodied, grimy party had brought a kobold into her beautiful manor, and she looked non too pleased that a fox was in her reception chamber, as well, but she said nothing and simply asked whether or not the companions had accomplished their mission and what else they might have to report. She was cold and formal, but respectful to the party.

The party informed the baroness of the following:

. the kobolds had indeed engineered the collapse of the tower, but in the process they accidentally killed the wizard Hunclay (whose dead body was found half-buried under rubble), as well as some of their own;

. the captive, Sesserak, claimed that the kobolds were acting under the instructions of the wizard, who had made an arrangement with the clan's chief, Roaghaz. Sesserak knew that the wizard hated the tower and wanted it destroyed, but did not know why.

Lady Devy was not surprised to learn that the wizard Hunclay had been found under the tower and that he had been involved in the structure's collapse.

She then explained that the Canteclures who had ruled the environs of Belhaim two centuries ago had an evil reputation, and the tower was all that remained of Castle Tula -- the stronghold of the Canteclures -- after the Grand Prince's forces laid siege to it and razed it. She did not know why the tower had been left standing by the Grand Prince's forces. Because of the Canteclure's vile history, superstitious locals came to believe that the tower was cursed and took to calling it the Witch Tower, and all feared and stayed away from it, save her late husband and Balthus Hunclay, who wanted it torn down. Lady Devy wondered whether the party had found any basis for the superstitions, and whether they found any signs of supernatural evil or witchery. The companions confirmed that they had encountered guardians and unclean spirits in the ruins, and described the steel juggernaut that protected the access to the Canteclure treasury. They explained that the construct's only purpose was to guard the treasury, and that they had banished other spirits that haunted the dungeon; they omitted any mention of the raven devil "Zorg" (believing that he was bound to his chamber), but tried to reassure the baroness that nothing under the tower posed a threat to the village unless something else came up through the kobold tunnels. Lady Devy did not seem entirely convinced, but she was surprised and impressed that the companions had found the Canteclure treasury -- evidently, the Grand Prince's forces had not discovered that secret part of the complex. True to her word, whatever the party found therein would be theirs to keep.

Arnholde wondered if, given that the kobolds had delved deeper into the town and even killed a citizen -- even one as unpopular as Hunclay -- might they not have played a part in the disappearances of other locals over the past three months? Hunclay explained that the town's druid, Azmur Kell, and his wife Rima, were supposed to be back from their ranging in the eastern woods two months ago. Locals thought that the two may have decided to extend their ranging, which would not be unusual… but two months without word of them seemed rather long and out of character.

And just last week, Arnholde had heard that Isadorer Malak had increased the reward for her missing daughter Bophre, who has been missing for three months. Poor Isadorer clearly still had hope that her daughter was still alive, even after all this time. The girl was known to take walks in the woods and along the river, and a search party had found no trace of her disappearance. Some wondered whether she had not slipped into the river and been swept away and drowned. 

Lady Devy admitted that they had known for years that a tribe of kobolds had taken residence in the old flooded quarry, not even a mile east of town along the now unused road that goes past Hunclay's manor and the Witch Tower. The kobolds kept to themselves, did not enter the village, and caused no problems, so the people of Belhaim just let them be. "Indeed, as our Banker at the House of Abadar, Eupaphenia Targas, counselled, Abadar teaches the values of understanding and peaceful coexistence," said Lady Devy. "But it seems that times have changed, and if I am not mistaken, Abadar also teaches that civilization and justice require the elimination of monsters that threaten society. I believe these kobolds have crossed the line."

Lady Devy was glad that she had judged the abilities of the companions well, and agreed that they had fulfilled the terms of their original mission. At the lady's command, her guards brought out four small sacks each containing 125 gold coins, one for each member of the party. She then inquired as to whether the party would be inclined to accept another assignment -- to neutralize the Blood Vow kobold tribe that Sesserak had admitted lived in the nearby flooded quarry. The party accepted to look into the program, and the baroness committed to giving the companions a total of a dozen amethysts-- each valued at 100 gold coins--if they neutralized the kobolds at their earliest convenience.

Before the companions took their leave, Lady Devy asked whether they had found anything on the wizard Hunclay's body. They replied that the found two keys, one of which they presumed would be to the wizard's manor. The baroness asked if they would give her the keys, which the party did. Lady Devy explained that she knew only of one relative that Hunclay had in northern Taldor -- a cousin who lives in Yanmass. As per imperial law, the baroness was obligated to inform Hunclay's next of kin of his passing and to seek instructions from them before anyone could attempt to enter his estate. She agreed that it likely would be dangerous to enter the Hunclay manor, and that she would consult the party about next steps once she had received instructions from Hunclay's cousin. She would send a raven to Yanmass without delay.

In the meantime, the most urgent matter for the people of Belhaim remained the destructive and untrustworthy kobolds that threatened the village.

Arnholde Devy also inquired as to whether the companions had found any items of historical significance. The party mentioned the Canteclure crest that they had left in the dungeon in order to guarantee safe passage passed the metal guardian by the treasury. Arnholde indicated that he would be prepared to pay the party if they retrieved the crest after the kobolds had been dealt with.

Jiri initiated a polite discussion with Arnholde regarding the merits of beauty over, or in relation to, commerce and development, but was unsuccessful in swaying the man's Abadaran perspective. The discussion ended in a stalemate. Lady Devy gently encouraged the party to pay a visit to Eupaphenia Targas at the House of Abadar.

Arnholde agreed, unenthusiastically, to guide the party and introduce the party around town in the coming days. And in the meantime, Sesserak would be held in the town jail, in the garrison across from the Inn of the Wise Piper...