Act II: The Rise of Kibbo

After five local children go missing, the heroes of Eagle's Landing go searching for them, eventually returning to the abandoned dwarven monastery and the halls below.

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The 7th day of New Autumn, 1288 AYD. (7.NA.1288 AYD)   The group rose from their slumber in The Flaphouse to find that their priestess, Amara Chambert, had left in the middle of the night. They debated what to do and questioned the innkeep on her whereabouts for a bit, when Amara came through the door, her lip bleeding and with a black eye, accompanied by a man named Morgann. She explained that she had been playing cards down at The Obedient Gentleman, which she thought was a gambling hall but learned later also housed a number of ladies of the night, and that some of the thugs from the establishment had tried to beat her up in an alley after she was suspected of cheating at cards and trying to rile up the ladies there. Luckily for her Morgann had stepped in and helped to scare off the thugs. The group knew from their knowledge and wanderings about the town as heroes the previous day that the establishment is run by Saban One-Eye, a brutal half-orc who does not treat his employees well and pays the local lord, Lord Carmen Saclor, handsomely to keep the establishment open.   Morgann introduced himself and they were all chatting when there was a scream that took place outside the inn. Heading outside, they saw three people in loud discussion, Thurn Blystone (The local butcher), Layla Kaybadan (One of the prostitutes at The Obedient Gentleman), and Kitani Miraven (Seamstress), about their missing children. They questioned the parents, but with little information on where the children might be, they elected to inspect the bedroom of one of the children, Melan Blystone, to see if they could find more clues. They didn't find anything out of the ordinary, just a bed that wasn't slept in. They inquired about the children who went missing:  

• Isala Miraven - 12Y - The tomboyish daughter of an elven ranger and a seamstress. Leads the band of children. Picks fights with boys twice her size, wants to be like her dad.
• Colin Kaybadan - 10Y - Colin's mother died in childbirth and his father was killed by a beast in the woods two years ago. Colin is a skilled woodcarver and dreams of working in the cutyards so his sister can stop working in the brothel.
• Melan Blystone - 12Y - The kind hearted but slow thinking son of the local butcher, he is well liked by everyone. He cannot read, is easily confused, and believes almost everything he is told. Well liked by most of the town.
• Carmen Saclor II - 10Y - The son of Lord Saclor, he acts much like his father in public, but in secret he is trying to teach the butcher's boy to read.
• Narth Orivor - 11Y - The son of the town wizard, he is learning magic at home, but doesn't talk about his home life a lot with the other kids.

The group went down to the river and questioned more children, where they learned that the missing children had got to the old halfway house that had burned down a month ago, which was rumored to be haunted by the spirits of the dead orphans. The group made their way toward the forest and to the halfway house where they found the burned down house, as well as a secret trapdoor that led to the basement where they found what they presumed to be the proprietor of the house with her neck ripped out. They also found chains and whips on the wall and evidence of some sort of torture. Looking around the ruins, they found burnt casks that smelled of oil and determined that someone had deliberately burned the house down. They also found a girl named Java, that approached them from the woods who claimed to be from the orphanage, and she explained that the woman from the orphanage would beat them and that she survived the fire. The girl was clearly hungry and traumatized, and they took her back to town, Theo interrogating her about how her parents died (killed by a big evil monster that Java wasn't able to identify), leaving her in the care of the innkeep.   Making their way back to the dwarven monastery, they found the ground level much as they had left it. Making their way down the stairs, they found a pair of kobold miners being watched over by four kobold warriors, mining a broken obelisk of obsidian. They dispatched with the warriors and one of the kobold slaves, but the other, named Kibbo, was from death by the party. Kibbo told them that the Chief had run into some bad luck lately, and that he was told that by sacrificing the children, it would turn everything around. Bob offered Kibbo the chance to prove himself, which he readily accepted, taking the armor and weapons from one of the other kobolds and joining the party. The group went further down the hallway to the north, running into a misty room with shocker lizards. The martial prowess of the party overwhelmed the lizards.   After dispatching the shocker lizards, the group made their way forward, finding an arched chamber with rows of statues, the eastern row depicting fearsome dwarven warriors in plate armor with warhammers, to the west, two rows of obese, pig nosed dwarven brutes with spears, and a kobold corpse impaled on one of the spears. Theo found a trap in the room via a pressure plate (after being told of it's presence by Kibbo), but in his attempt to disarm the trap, he triggered it, causing the room to turn 90 degrees and throw him onto the spears. While pulling himself off the spear wielding statues, the hammer wielding statues fell from what was now the ceiling, suspended from pulleys, and attacked Theo, smashing into him with the warhammer. The room then righted itself. Thankfully, Theo was able to disable the trap the second time and they could move into the room. The party was able to determine that the statues were of the style of the devotees of Rastek Spiritmelter, an evil dwarven deity of endless toil and suffering. The next room contained two special obsidian walls with the names of dead dwarven heroes. Next to one of these names was a hidden switch that activated a set of concealed sliding doors to the north.   Heading through the doors, they found a very strange room with a trumpet in the middle and odd holes on the wall. This room contained an evil allip, which proved to be a struggle for the party as their nonmagical weapons were unable to harm the foul spirit. Thankfully, Theo's dagger, Old Stabby, was magical, and with it they were able to slay the wretch before it drove them mad, like itself. The group was able to determine, looking at the holes in the walls, that they were built to listen in on different rooms in the structure. Listening at the first hole, they heard only the sacred sobbing of a child. The second hole, they heard the sounds of fighting and the voice of a young girl. At the third hole, they heard a kobold mystic named Kerrdremak, who was complaining about the chieftains sacrifice plan and wasn't quite sure if it would actually work. Bob inspired Kibbo to give a rallying speech with a magical spell to magnify his voice:   "My kobold brothers! It is time for us to throw off the chains of oppression, throw off the chains of the evil chief! We must rise up, throw away the sacrifice, throw away our evil ways, and kill our masters! Throw down your chains and kill the guards, for our new masters, and me, Chief Kibbo, have come!"   The group listened at the holes and they found the sounds of kobold on kobold violence. Heading further into the complex, they found the abattoir room, with a strange anvil with a mechanical arm and a maul attached to it, and a dwarf skeleton. Theo was able to determine that the mechanical device on the anvil was used to smash the dwarf's skull in. Investigating the room, they found a obsidian tablet reading: "Our people have lost their way. They flee the shelter of your great forges. Our fires dim, my master. We have failed you. No use to you here, I now come to you. I shall join you in the Black Forge, whether to serve at your anvil or stoke its flames with my soul." They also found a magical gauntlet and magical slippers on the dwarf, but were unable to determine their magical use.   Through the next door they found a hallway, and heading north they found a room with kobolds arguing and the kobold in charge having killed one of his underlings. They recognized this kobold as Kerrdremak, and sent in Kibbo, who convinced them to abandon the chief and follow his rule instead. Kerredremak agreed, probably because they would all have died otherwise. Heading down the next hallway with their growing kobold forces in tow, they found the mess hall, where kobolds were fighting a young girl and a halfling. Kibbo demanded they stop, and one of the kobolds refused, which resulted in him being mercilessly killed by the other kobolds. The halfing introduced himself as Edgrin Galesong, a member of an adventuring party that tried to explore the ruins. His comrades were killed, and he had resigned himself to his fate, but when the children were brought in, he decided to fight back to try and free them. The young girl was Isala Miraven and she asked them about if they had found any of the other children. They debated what to do next, and the kobolds went south to try and recruit more kobolds, while the group went north. Through the northern door, they found the ossuary, filled with dwarven skeletons in alcoves. The group was careful not to disturb the skeletons and Isala was able to retrieve the sobbing boy they heard earlier, Narth Orivor, the son of the town wizard.   Making their way back toward the mess hall, they heard the screams of the kobolds retreating as a large gelatinous cube chased them down the hallway. Though it proved tough and nearly engulfed Alan, the group was able to dispatch the foul creature. Inside was a suit of mithral full plate and a glowing axe with the name "Glintaxe" inscribed on it. The axe was clearly magical, and reminded the heroes of the ballad of Glintaxe:   The kobolds explained that there were no more kobolds to the south and recommended they try to go further into the complex toward the deeper levels. The group made their way to the abattoir where they were beset by ghouls. Despite the cowardice of their rogue, the group was able to defeat the creatures.   Making their way into the next room, they found a rudimentary manual elevator system that led into the caverns below, but the kobolds warned them that it was deceptive and could not take much weight. Exploring the cavern beyond, the group ran into a hellhound, and then a terrifying creature called a Forge Spurned, an undead dwarf covered in heavy steel chains and wielding an adamantine warhammer. They knew that they typically sought to forge souls into their chain to escape their tormented existence, and that the chains were a deadly weapon all on their own. Through their martial prowess and the heroism of Alan, they were able to defeat the creatures. Chained to the anvil, they found Lord Saclor's son, who did not seem particularly grateful for his rescue. Knowing that the only way to free the souls imprisoned in the chain was to break the chain, they had Kibbo gather up the kobolds, and he freed their dead brethren by furiously smashing the chain to bits with the warhammer.   The group explored the rest of the upper level, but found no more children. Making their way into the lower level, they began to explore the caverns, where they were attacked by more kobolds riding skulks. Alan and Kibbo defeated an evil Kobold overseerer, freeing another pair of kobolds to Kibbos new rule, as well as killing a fleeing gargoyle.   Exploring further into the caves, the party met with more kobold resistance. They also met the kobold broodmother, and decided not to slay her and the little kobold children. They eventually found their way into the final chamber, where Kibbo's kobolds and the rest of the kobolds clashed, while the party did combat with the evil Kobold King and his wicked Shaman, as well as the royal guard. This battle proved tough, but in the end the heroes were victorious, putting the magical crown on Kibbo's head and they were able to free the last child from the sacrificial altar.