Troubles in Otari

The next day, you return to the inexplicably conveniently-located dungeon and descend into the lower level. The stairs spiral down deep into the earth before ending in a chamber that looks like it’s been prepared specifically to defend against intruders. On one side of the room, a table has been turned on its side to provide cover, while on the other, crates and barrels have been piled up to create a second barrier.

Two spears come flying out, hitting Mienna in the side. Mienna moves up, and swinging at the Kobolds near a blocked hallway, but is harassed from behind in the back by another kobold. Parul quickly moves up to come behind the battlements. Fritz moves up onto a crate, sweeping down at the kobold in the corner while Ayanda rains lightning on two kobolds.

Fritz groans from a spear, but Parual's wounds are deeper.

Mienna swings, dropping her target in one swing, and spins, driving her hatchet into the kobold behind her. The scout recoils away and strikes at Ayanda. Ayanda returns fire with lightning. Fritz swings, cleaving one kobold in front of Parul, and then spins and rotates the box to kill the kobold threatening Ayanda. The last kobold, directly in front of Fritz, surrenders as he spins the box backward and pointing his sword right at the remaining kobold, who immediately surrenders.

After tying up the remaining kobold and sending them to jail, you continue into a chamber that is mostly in ruins, but it contains a fountain of pristine water with something glittering at the bottom. In the middle of the fountain is a marble statue of a mermaid, her lips pursed as if she were about to whistle or blow a kiss. Each corner of the pool has some sort of mechanism embedded in the stones, but the one in the southwest corner appears to be smashed.

Before anyone can approach the fountain, Fritz identifies several pressure plates hidden beneath the tiles surrounding it. Mienna attempts to disarm them, to little avail, while the rest of the group decides to go for a more direct approach with some percussive maintenance. A very brief time, and several squirts and one flood of water later, sees them all soaking wet around a roughed up pool that is no longer functionally trapped.

With the trap dealt with, Mienna jumps into the pool itself to investigate the shinies there-in.

The shinies are coins. Hooray.

To the right (from where you entered) there's another short corridor and then a metal door, firmly shut and locked.

After Mienna botches a quick patch job on Parul and actually manages to successfully patch herself up a little, the group turns their attention to the big metal door, since they're in the area anyways. Mienna first attempts to pick the lock, but has even less success than she did with the trap, with her pick breaking off in the lock pretty much immediately. Instead, Fritz attempts to bust in with the Adventurer's Lockpick, aka his shoulder. And bounces off. He attempts again and again to break through the door, but it proves more like a wall than a door, and all he manages to do is beat himself nearly unconscious on its cold metal face. Eventually, with him on the verge of knocking himself out, Mienna grabs him by the shoulders and drags him, kicking and scowling at the uncaring inanimate object, away from the door and through the fountain room. "I guess we'll see what's behind the barricade," She mutters, giving Parul a 'help me with this' look.

An annoyed Parul heals Fritz, who then takes out his frustration on the barricade in the other room.

Beyond the barricade, the passageway meanders briefly. The floor descends slightly and soon becomes flooded by a shallow pool of water. The water appears to be flowing out of a passageway to the right, and a shimmering blue light in that direction reflects off of the water there. The main passageway continues to the left, over the slight depression in the floor where the water has pooled. There's an unfamiliar but sickening scent coming from that direction - and you can hear what sounds like a clash of weapons.

The party chooses to investigate the sounds of struggle. There is an overpowering stench in this chamber, like rotten fish mixed with oily sweat. Up ahead, you see a single kobold standing their ground against a handful of other reptilian creatures who are lanky, ugly, and very smelly.

You join the battle and help defeat the xulgaths.

Afterward, as they catch their breath, the kobold says "Thanks. Usually not that many." Then they smile kind of a sad smile. "You here to kill us, huh? I told boss, bad idea, but she not listen."

"We are here to kill an evil dragon, slay those gobolds who resists and jail the others. Or even provide some wiser kobolds with opportunities." Fritz states simply and looks at the shorter fellow. "You don't seem to be resisting. Unless you're an evil dragon."

"Dragon? Huh... Maybe that what boss meant..." The kobold frowns. "Few days ago, she tell me she have 'secret weapon'. Didn't say what. She say just wait a few years and then we destroy Otari. I told her, no good, take too long. Humans will find out, then they come kill us. And now you here."

"This doesn't need to end in a slaughter," Ayanda states. "Your current leader is going too far. "We'll at least have to capture him, but we don't really care about wiping all of you out. Our only concern is keeping Otari safe."

The kobold nods and says "Wait here, then. I try talk to others. Maybe they listen."

You insist on going with them. They don't look too happy about it, but they don't try to stop you. They lead you to a wall made of tightly-packed rocks. Their fingertips explore the wall for a moment, and then a click is heard as they trigger an almost-invisible switch and send the 'wall' tumbling down through a trapdoor. With that, you enter into a small burrow with straw mats. This must be the kobolds' warren...

One wary kobold stands at the narrow entryway of this room, sword in hand as they stare at you and your kobold companion. "Explain. Now."

"We want to have peace talks with your leader, before this all comes to blows. Fighting and war between peoples isn't very productive. It tends to result in a lot of unnecessary death," Ayanda states.

"They help me kill stinkmen," adds the kobold who is accompanying you. "They good folk."

"...Wait here," growls the other kobold. "I talk to boss."

After a few minutes, they return with another kobold whose body is decorated with a variety of skulls and teeth.

"I Zolgran, leader of kobolds. You say you want peace?" She laughs. "Our land stolen from us. Your city built on it. No 'peace' unless your people leave."

"And is it impossible for you to live together with them? I understand that it can create a sore spot that they took your land from you initially, but this town has been here quite a while too," Ayanda states. "People have been born here. Killing them for living here is just as bad as them removing you in the first place. They didn't kick you out. I can't say there's a perfect solution to crimes against your people in the past, but making peace with the town now could allow everyone to live here and doesn't result in the death of anyone. Attacking the town wouldn't just hurt them, plenty of you would die as well."

"No! We no live with humans!" hisses Zolgran. But you can tell the other kobolds are beginning to break ranks.

"Please, boss. Is good offer."

"Tired of living down here. Always hungry..."

"I not allow it!" Zolgran glares at you ... but then she seems to relent, seeming aware that this situation doesn't favor her. "...We settle this with fight. You four fight me and baby dragon Nitarrug. Deal?"

"Alright, fine," Ayanda replies after looking at the general mood of her allies. "We will fight you."

Zolgran nods and leads you through her throne room and to a cavern full of towering yellow mushrooms, some reaching over ten feet in height. They seem to emit a pale light, giving the entire chamber an eerie glow. Resting against one of the mushrooms is a bright-green dragon, not much larger than yourselves.

"We kill you," Zolgran cackles. "Then Nitarrug eat you, and no one find your bodies. H'razit!" With that, the dragon leaps to its feet, ready to attack!

Fritz and Parul immediately run in and attack the Kobold chief. She steps back and casts a spell at Fritz that fills him with sheer terror. Ayanda sighs and casts a set of magic missiles that fly straight into Zolgran and send her sprawling to the floor. Nitarrug hesitates not sure what to do. Ayanda attempts to convince to stand down, but he refuses and soon begins fighting the others. A brawl begins with the group trying to beat down the baby dragon while Ayanda fires more magic missiles into the fray. Finally a set of missiles from Ayanda strike true and Nitarrug collapses to the floor of the cave.

Mienna heals the worst of the dragon's wounds, ensuring its survival as well as Zolgran's. The other kobolds - who'd crowded in to watch the fight - can only wonder what will happen now.

"Zolgran never accept peace," says one. "Probably make you kill her."

"But we want peace," says another. "Maybe we build village near Otari. That okay?"

"I mean, we'll have to speak with the leadership of Otari but I see no reason why not. Build a village near the town, move into town, whatever works best for everyone. I don't think it's really all that necessary for people to keep themselves separate. Even if we're not all the same, we can all get along," Ayanda states.

"Maybe bit of both. We help with dragon, too."

And so you haul Zolgran and the dragon back to Otari. As predicted, Zolgran is unwilling to compromise and pretty much demands to be executed. As for the dragon, some are understandably uneasy about the idea of keeping it around, but Morlibint, Wrin, and a few others decide they will take it upon themselves to raise the creature, with the kobolds' help.