Khûm – Chapter 16

“Spring of 68, Second Age. Snowperch.
Traps. Can’t say they’ve a good track record with the company. Most of the time that the Menagerie’s discovered a trap, it’s after we’ve stepped into its jaws. Some of that could be on account of our traitorous intelligencer, some of that could be bad luck but I don’t think those two’ll account for all of it. Nah, sometimes I think we walk obvious traps because we’re too blind or too brash to know better.
Sure, we always fight our way out but I can’t reckon it’d hurts us much to look before we leap.
This time, though, the sandal’s on the other sole. This time, it’s us laying a trap for that dragon. All we can do is hope that she’s as blind or as brash as we usually are. Though, from all I know about dragons, they don’t get to be that old acting as stupid as we’re fond of actin’.”
 – Beholder's Log, Hemson 56 68 2A

Umber plummeted into the pit-trap, leaving his three allies alone to battle the kobold ambushers. While the distant war-whooping never materialized, they were fired on from three directions in the surrounding forest. For their small stature, the hidden pine-devils proved quite capable foes. All three mercenaries leapt up into the branches to chase them but, by the end of the battle, none of the kobold were defeated and, thanks to their spider venom, only Remorhaz remained standing among the mercenaries.
Dragging his poisoned comrades into the pit-trap, Remorhaz rested and recuperated while the kobolds scampered away. Once both Griffon and Mouse slept off the poison, they resolved to hunt the kobolds down. With his enhanced slayer senses, Griffon caught a whiff of kobold blood and was able to track them through the trees. Mouse, meanwhile, was fascinated by this – a community of kobolds, living together, on their own.
The pine-devil's trail leads to a roost an hour deeper into the forest. Laying an ambush of their own, the mercenaries leap into action. Remorhaz works quickly to dispatch a kobold and hurl them to the ground. Wielding his flaming sword, Griffon takes the fight directly to the kobolds while Mouse scampers about in the snow, shouting their true name – 'Kuatsada" – to distract the pine-devils. Before the fight can turn against them, the mercenaries fled with their captive – and the unconscious Remorhaz, felled by a poisoned arrow.
It was a long walk back to the Iron Word camp at the base of the Roofbeams. Asking for medical assistance, they're led into the infirmary tent and there cross paths with Brother Sorav but Goatherd prevented them from harming him. Instead, they secure the kobold to a stretcher and, when the creature came around, it screamed and thrashed and snapped like a wild animal.

Campaign: The Menagerie
Game Date: Hemson 56, 68 2A
Starting Point: Firewood
Characters Present:

• Griffon
• Mouse
• Remorhaz