Frederick was speaking to Nimozaran the Green about an issue that was troubling the self-styled “High Septarch of Fallcrest.” The kobold brigands along the King’s Road had become brazen, far more so than was usual for their kind. He’d heard that they’d even gone so far as to steal an entire wagon filled with goods bound for Fallcrest. No, something was not right in “Kobold Hall.” He suspected that something more dangerous, more intelligent was guiding the kobolds’ actions…
Varek and Ragnar were speaking with a local armorer, a dwarf by the name of Teldorthan Goldcap. He was bemoaning his fate at the hands of the wretched kobolds who had stolen a wagon that had contained a cured green dragon hide that the dwarf had been planning on turning into a fine suit of scale armor for a wealthy patron. The two adventurers looked at one another, and the canny dwarf warrior asked Master Goldcap how much the return of the hide would be worth…
Seiric was idly eyeing the posted bulletins on the wall of what passed for city hall in Fallcrest. One in particular sparked his interest, signed by the Lord Warden himself. It appeared to be a bounty on kobolds rumored to lair in a ruined mansion complex, which had earned the amusing moniker “Kobold Hall.” Ten gold pieces per kobold slain plus a hundred gold piece bonus for proof of the chieftain’s death was difficult to ignore. He considered this as he made his way to the Blue Moon Alehouse, where he expected he would find his friends…
The dragonborn paladin of the Platinum Dragon (calling Him “Bahamut” was a sign of disrespect, according to the church dogma) and the young dwarf warrior were drinking to celebrate their newfound employment when the tiefling walked in the door. They welcomed him over and told him about the armorer’s little problem. Seiric nodded as he took a seat and then the mug offered by his dwarven companion. He mentioned the bulletin that Lord Warden Markelhay had posted and his friends’ eyes lit up at the thought of all the coin they could get from the same job. Still, they waited for Frederick to join them. They hated to admit it, but the boy’s magic packed a serious punch, and they could probably use his help.
He wasn’t long in coming, either. Frederick sat with his friends, but held his hand up to indicate denial of the offered mug. They excitedly told him about their dual income job, and he listened intently. When they were finished, he soberly voiced Nimozaran’s concern about something other than kobolds lurking within the ruined hall. The bravado in his companions’ voices seemed slightly more forced after that, but at the end of the night, they all agreed that it was a venture worth attempting.
...
The following morning, the four young men set out from Fallcrest and traveled some fifteen miles along the King’s Road and then into the wilderness of the Cloak Wood to find the once-sprawling manor now known as Kobold Hall. Outside the ruins, they found a slightly damaged wagon that had apparently been emptied of any goods it might once have contained. Within, they searched around until Ragnar found a trapdoor at the base of an old guard tower. The four noted the small reptilian tracks that seemed to lead to and away from it and knew they’d discovered the entrance to the kobolds’ lair.
They descended a narrow ladder down some fifteen feet and found themselves on a narrow landing at the head of a short staircase leading farther down. Frederick used a cantrip to illuminate Varek’s shield before the dragonborn and the dwarf led the way down. As they came to the base of the stairs they noticed a long trench whose walls were coated with a glowing green substance. Beyond the trench, a small reptilian humanoid stood in the shadowy chamber, gaping at the adventurers. It carried a sling and quickly reached into a pouch at its belt for a stone. It hissed and shouted, “Intrudersss! Intrudersss!”
Frederick launched an ray of icy energy that the kobold narrowly avoided, before it lobbed a stone at Ragnar. Upon impact the stone broke, and the dwarf winced as his feet were stuck fast to the floor by the goop that had exploded from the projectile. Seiric moved forward, intent upon reaching and dropping the creature, but out of the darkness behind a portcullis that blocked a side hallway, he was struck by the same type of goopy sling stone. His charge interrupted, he whipped out his crossbow and took a shot at a spear-wielding kobold that he could just make out beyond the bars. His shot flew wide. Varek moved forward to the edge of the pit and launched a javelin at the initial kobold they’d seen, but it flew wide of the mark, as well. Ragnar continued to fight with the gooey substance that had stuck him in place.
Three of the spear-wielding kobolds came out soon after. Two engaged and dropped Seiric, while the other traded blows with the paladin. Frederick ended the original kobold, and Ragnar finally broke free and came forward to defend the prone tiefling. He found himself flanked, and shortly thereafter he bled from several wounds. Varek moved over to his fallen ally and called upon the Platinum Dragon to heal the young man’s wounds. He blinked awake for a few moments, before the kobolds took advantage of his prone position and stabbed him once more with a spear, sending him back into oblivion’s black embrace.
The fight progressed apace, and the adventurers were eventually victorious, although it took all of Varek’s knowledge of first aid to revive the tiefling once more. Afterward, the warlord steeled himself and was able to shrug off the worst of his wounds. Ragnar made it a point to loot the slingers’ bodies, taking a single glue shot and almost two score regular sling stones. Some ten minutes later, they were ready to proceed.
They descended another narrow stairway to find a large room ahead containing four stone coffins, all of which showed signs of vandalism and abuse. The long walls of this chamber each had three empty niches. Two more niches along each wall held a statue depicting an armored knight. A raised section of floor with a makeshift altar to Tiamat set atop it rested in the corner on the opposite end of the chamber. Three kobold skirmishers stood near the altar, but the clanking of the dragonborn’s armor alerted them to the intruders and combat was joined once more.
The farthest kobold dashed forward to attack Varek and struck a blow. He was soon after swarmed and slain by the other adventurers. The remaining kobolds moved forward to engage as well, and when the paladin stepped forward to meet them, he triggered a trap that fired a dart from the helmet of the nearby statue. The first couple of these projectiles flew wide, and the kobolds were routed. Additional trigger plates were discovered by Frederick, and though the party was struck many times by the vicious trap, they were eventually able to destroy the statues, thus preventing any further assault. They scooped a sack of gold off the altar, caught their breath and proceeded down another set of stairs.
The next chamber looked like it had once been a tomb, but the kobolds seemed to have transformed it into what might almost be called a playground. Four more stone coffins lay in the center of the room flanking a sludge-filled pit. Arrayed on the coffins were several animal skulls, all of them arranged in small piles. On the opposite end of the room were a pair of wooden double doors. On either side of the double doors was a raised platform, each ten feet above the floor. Two kobolds stood atop each platform, and one of the creatures held a melon-sized, sludge-drenched stone tied to a long rope that was secured to the ceiling.
Frederick dropped a burst of fire upon the nearer kobolds, though his attack only seemed to injure one of the creatures, the one holding the stone-on-a-rope. The kobold on the farther ledge produced a sling and lobbed a sticky stone in the party’s direction, but they all managed to evade it. Varek moved across the chamber laterally, and then he began to move toward the double doors. The one holding the stone threw it hard and beaned the dragonborn in his scaly head, knocking him back a few feet. The projectile swung on its tether and landed in the waiting hands of the slinger there. The kobolds smirked, and the party exchanged irritated glances. Ragnar wasted no time in dashing to the other side of the room and opening the left door. Beyond were a couple of four-legged and powerfully built reptiles. They hissed at him, before four more spear-wielding kobolds moved past them to engage the dwarf and block the paladin’s passage. The drakes then moved forward to bite Ragnar deeply, savaging him with their sharp teeth.
Unfortunately for the new additions, Frederick wasn’t finished yet. He dropped a scorching burst in the area, killing two of the kobolds outright and singeing one of the drakes. Seiric then moved up to assist Ragnar with some healing. At great expense, the dwarf and tiefling managed to slay the creatures, allowing everyone to converge on the remaining slingers. On his way forward, Frederick was struck once by the tether-rock. The kobolds appeared content to toss it back and forth to one another, bouncing it off of the adventurer’s body. Ragnar put an end to this sport, slaying the first, while Varek pursued the remaining foe. It tried to flee, but the dragonborn’s stride was too great, and he put it to the sword, as well.
They gathered more gold and a few gems that were scattered on the northern landing and then decided they would retreat to revitalize themselves before continuing forward. After all, the job description hadn’t said they had to complete it in one go. They camped in the ruins, everyone spending a turn watching for kobolds to emerge from below. The night passed uneventfully.
...
The adventurers returned below the next morning to discover that the kobolds’ bodies had not been moved from where they had left them. Encouraged that their bloody exploits might not yet have been discovered by those farther into the complex, they made their way to the play room and beyond to the next chamber. Directly ahead of them stood a ten foot high wall, which left passages open to both the right and left. The ceiling was some twenty feet overhead. As they entered, the sound of cracking timbers echoed through the hall. The floor shook, dust cascaded down from the ceiling, and something big and heavy began to move about somewhere to their right.
The next thing they saw was a flying drake coming from the left. It hovered in the air as it wounded Ragnar with its sharp teeth. Varek stepped out to engage the winged menace and struck it a solid blow. It nipped at him in return and flew back around the corner. The paladin gave chase, followed shortly by the others. As they rounded the wall, they noticed a ten foot wide groove in the floor near the inner chamber wall. They traded blows with the drake and then dodged aside as a boulder came rolling around from the back of the chamber. In its wake, a pair of kobolds carrying short swords and using what appeared to be a large dragon scale as a shield descended a short stair that led up to another open platform. Atop the platform stood the kobold chieftain, who wore crimson hide armor and a bone mask carved to resemble a dragon’s head. It held a spear in one hand and clutched a staff in the other. Realizing they were staring at their payday, the party redoubled its efforts.
The dragonshield kobold warriors proved even more slippery and difficult to hit than had the other kobolds they’d faced so far. Frederick found himself marked, and quickly retreated behind his allies, taking another sword wound as he left. When the warriors moved forward the kobolds slid out of reach of their weapons. Just when they thought they’d gotten the upper hand, another pair of slingers appeared on the top of the central wall. Ragnar and Seiric found themselves stuck to the floor in the boulder’s path. The tiefling managed to escape, but the dwarf was not so lucky. It smashed him up against the middle wall, though he managed to keep his feet. Growing weary of the fight, Frederick struck out with scorching burst and immediately followed it up with his most powerful spell. The acid arrow struck truly, sizzling both the chieftain wyrmpriest and his dragonshield lackey.
Varek finished the other dragonshield and then surged up the stairs, where his blade was met by the kobold’s shield. He snarled at the creature as it struck at him with its short blade, then dodged the worst of the wyrmpriest’s acidic breath. He responded by breathing lightning over the two kobolds and backing away. The electrical damage paired with the acid from Frederick’s spell finished the dragonshield warrior, leaving the wyrmpriest open to Seiric’s charge. He brought his longsword down and ended the creature’s life. The adventurers turned their attention to the two slingers, who looked at each other then dropped their weapons and raised their hands, begging for mercy in Draconic.
The tiefling scooped up the dragon mask while the others collected ears. Frederick concentrated for a bit and noted aloud that the staff carried by the wyrmpriest was magical. After a few more minutes, he determined it to be a staff of the war mage. After searching the room, they had still not discovered the green dragonhide that Goldcap had sent them after. They tended to their wounds and pondered this mystery…
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