Kobolds and Thieves
Structure
Exposition
After freeing the temple and helping the Wood-Elves they now had an ally in case things went wrong while confronting the kobolds. When morning came the group departed from Wildhorn and continued their journey towards Mirefield. At their arrival they saw the Vanguard there in great distress since the Timeas secretly left for the kobold village that night.
Rising Action
The group left Mirefield as soon as possible to try to limit the damage Timeas would cause. When they arrived they saw that the Mirefield’s leader was already inside the village so they decided to sneak in. Luckily for them there was a small stream coming from the east side of the hill on which the kobold village was situated.Hesione helped them get inside with her magic but stayed behind together with her men in case an all out attack would be necessary.
The adventurers managed to reach the cave entrance without being noticed but it seemed they were not the first to arrive there. Everywhere they looked they could see bodies of Kobolds and Dwarves. When they investigated the Dwarves closely they noticed they all had the same black outfit, faces covered with a scarf and a small insignia of a fang. Further into the cavern they could hear voices which on closer inspection came from a group of four Dwarves dressed in black. They were loading a large egg onto a portable stretcher together with other valuables. Trying to negotiate with the Dwarves did not help. Although they did not attack outright, the group’s unwillingness to leave the alone caused them to resort to violence.
During the fight the adventures could hear a lot of noise coming from the kobold village above as if a huge panic took hold of the kobolds. Not much later a kobold came down from the small nearby waterfall claiming that he was done. Seeing the fight that was going on he quickly revealed himself to be a Doppelganger.
In the end only one of the dwarves was left for questioning. The terrified dwarf revealed he was a member of an organization called the Black Fang situated mainly in Ironpeak. They had been trying to cause as much disruption in the region as possible. Their latest plan was to set the kobolds and humans against each other. The killed doppelganger took the form of Timeas to kill the leader of the kobolds which would cause certain retaliation from their part. It seemed that their plan worked since the kobolds were preparing to leave the village in south western direction taking their mounts and weapons with them. The group left the cavern but not before taking the egg and the other kobold loot with them. It seemed the treasures were left by some dragonborn a long time ago since there were only skeletons left. Once they rejoined with the Vanguard they decided their best cause of action would be to evacuate Mirefield.
Evacuation of Mirefield
The adventurers went to Mirefield to evacuate it and luckily found out that none of the kobolds had gone there yet. Getting everyone to leave the village was for most people an easy task given the coming threat but some villagers were harder to convince than others. After some attempts these stubborn inhabitants were convinced to leave as well. The evacuation caravan to Averton took many hours to reach the town but managed to reach it in time before any kobolds were seen. When the group arrived in Averton they noticed the presence of several Wood Elf archers from Wildhorn who came to join the defense. At noon the next day the kobolds arrived in full force likely reinforced by kobolds from their other mine. All diplomacy had failed and a battle would ensue.Averton’s Battle
13th of Irami’el 1245 AE The first wave of the attack consisted of two large groups of kobolds and giant lizards that attacked the walls around the gate. With the use of ropes tied to the lizards many Kobolds managed to get atop the wall but the defenders could keep their ground. It did not take long before a second wave arrived this time from the cliffs. Several kobolds and lizards had scaled the cliffs while the kobolds at the walls were creating a diversion. They were quickly dealt with but a missed fireball from Finrod Ingoldo caused one of the guards to fall down the cliff. Once the battle was settled a horn sounded for the second time with the sound coming from the gate. The gatehouse itself was almost completely destroyed. Several giant bats had dropped stones on the gatehouse from great altitude. Most of the people defending the gate couldn’t get away in time since the bats were difficult to notice in the night sky. Hesione Valrin and her archers managed to kill most of the bats and force their retreat but the damage to the gatehouse was done. With no one on the walls with a good line of sight on the gate, the Kobolds managed to reach the gate. A big ogre kept smashing on the gate until it eventually broke. Luckily the adventurers had devised a plan. They created a fog around the gate which helped to hide the traps they had placed beyond the gate. The ogre want prone once it fell in a spiked pit with one foot . The kobold sorcerer that accompanied him was not so easily fooled and quickly signaled out the adventurers. Several other kobolds ran inside once the gate was opened but luckily many of them fell in the pits and those that did come through were quickly driven back by the Vanguard. The fight went on for some time but the group managed to keep their ground. During the battle the new kobold leader appeared, a large menacing looking kobold. In his enraged state he managed to incapacitate Dimble Cloak but eventually he fell as well. With his death the few remaining kobolds ran away. The victory was however costly with the loss of more than hundred defenders of whom most perished at the walls and gate.Resolution
Wine tasting
14th of Irami’el 1245 AE After the battle the adventurers were invited to meet with the count of Averton together with Hesione Valrin. Once they were cleaned up they went to the castle gates where the count’s chamberlain was waiting for them. Umeko started acting very aggresive towards him and she was forced to be left outside and even tied down because of her violent nature. The count Doran Teresis himself was a pleasant man and offered them one of his finest wines, a Varenan wine from the year 1230 AE which was greatly appreciated by Luanda Keenkeeper who did know her share of wine from her years in Pavanor. After enjoying some smalltalk and wine they told him of their discoveries. The count and Hesione had an idea where to look next, the Dwarven city of Ironpeak. Although they did not know about the Shadow Fangs, the existence of another criminal faction there was publicily known called the Crystal Vipers. After the exchange of information he asked them if they could look into it while the Vanguard secured the region and gave them a reward for their help in defending the town. Once they were outside however they noticed that the chamberlain had a forked tongue. Further inquiries into this matter were met with threats. Afterwards Hesione Valrin asked about if they learned anything new. When the group told her about the chamberlain she said she would look into it. The threat of the Shadow Fangs still had to beresolved. After a good nights rest the group departed to Ironpeak.
Parent Plot
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