Book 1: Act 2 - First Explore of the Greenbelt

[mackaber]

Lem has the script a good look over but can't decipher it. "Hmm looks like an odd writing. Doesn't anyone know any magic with which we can read it?"

[Trogdor]

"Valan has been doing so each evening on our return trip," Cal says to Lem, "though he's been holding off on a report until we got back here. How far have you made it through the book, Valan?" He raises a questioning eyebrow at the priest.

OOC

We forgot about the journal until right now. But Chanur has had Valan working on it since he got it.

[Chanur]

Valen nods at Jhod, He seems more assertive and self assure since Jhod saw him last. "Pray give me a few minutes to discuss this journal then I shall recount the trip and my attempts to bring folk into the fold."

Digging in his things Valen pulls out the book and sets it on the table. He takes a long draft of his beer and continues.

"I have been reading this every night we stopped after I finished cooking my amazingly adequate meals..."Valen clears his throat and goes on. "I believe I have the jist of the journal."

OOC

I am back to posting as normal, trying to catch up on all the threads tonight. I am waiting on Vardaen to tell me about the journal still.

[Vardaen]

OOC

I already sent you the PM with the journal stuff in it, but I can send it again if you don't still have it.

Valen nods to Jhod, he asks for a few minutes before telling the elder priest abou this trip. Producing the book he places it on the table and flips through te first few pages to set it up. He clear's his throat.

[Chanur]

Valen flips through the pages and sits down heavily.

"I discovered a few shocking things over the return trip and the days I spent deciphering this text with the aid of the Elk Father." Valen places his finger on the page and begins to read.

"In fact, Chief Sootscale was not the actual leader of these kobolds. Their true leader is a frighteningly intelligent and manipulative kobold sorcerer named Tartuk who came to the tribe a year ago from the east. Tartuk is a destructive force—a murderer and a maniac who finds a perverse glee in manipulating his kin into self-destructive spirals of fear and madness. He's ruined two kobold tribes already, and hopes to add the Sootscales to his list soon.

Tartuk's appearance is as unusual as his loathing of kobold kind—his scales are a deep purple, unlike any other kobold. In fact, Tartuk was not born a kobold—he was born a gnome. He was killed in a fight against a group of ogres who were tormenting his village, but his accidentally heroic sacrifice was enough to give his village a chance to defeat the ogres. The village, sorrowed by Tartuk's death, unanimously voted to restore him to life—so they decided to use a scroll of reincarnate that had sat in the village treasury for years. In an ironic twist of fate, poor Tartuk came back as a kobold.

Scandalized, the village didn't know how to react. Tartuk did—he hadn't meant to give his life to save the village (he'd actually been trying to surrender to the ogres and offer to help them destroy the village in return for sparing his life, but the ogres crushed him before he got his offer out), and now they'd turned him into one of the most hated of monsters—a kobold! The fact that his new scales were the same deep purple as his hair in his previous life served only to ensure Tartuk's shame. Enraged, he fled into the woods, only to nurse a deep grudge. He found a tribe of kobolds, joined them, used his magic and manipulative lies to rally them, and led his new army in an attack against his old village. The resulting battle was furious, and only Tartuk survived.

That was fine with him.

Since then, the mad kobold has drifted through several River Kingdoms, periodically haunting towns and murdering gnomes he finds and at others insinuating himself into kobold tribes, taking them over from within, and then driving them to extinction by forcing them into wars they can't possibly win. The Sootscales are but Tartuk's latest project. He uses a combination of lies, magic, and his favorite tool—a non-magical statue of a devil—to seize control of a tribe. He's become quite skilled at convincing tribes that the statue is magic and that it will curse the entire tribe if the chieftain doesn't follow its commands— commands, of course, that only Tartuk can hear.

lthough Tartuk is not an actual divine spellcaster, the unusual coloration of his scales and his habit of adding unnecessary hand gestures, chants, and strange spell components to his spellcasting has been more than enough to trick the rest of the kobolds in the tribe. The false shaman further keeps the kobolds in line by weekly sacrifices before the (currently stolen) statue of Old Sharptooth, using Still Spell illusions to enhance hissermons and the sacrifice of “bad kobolds” (chosen by him from any kobold who seems to be about to question his right to rule) with shrieking ghosts and smoky spirits. He even convinced Chief Sootscale that the tribe had been cursed by surreptitiously casting prestidigitation on a dead kobold to make it look like his scales had turned yellow.

As a result of all of this trickery, Tartuk has the Sootscales convinced that, now that they've taken to worshiping Old Sharptooth, their tribe will wither and die out if the statue of the “god” is stolen or lost. He periodically enforces these beliefs by having his “talking bird” Tickbiter deliver ominous messages, creating illusions of eerie omens, or simply by using Bluff to explain everyday bits of luck as signs of Old Sharptooth's pleasure or anger.

Tartuk has things planned out, and the introduction of the you guys throws him for a loop. When Nakpik brings you guys to him with the expectation that Tartuk will want them to go retrieve the stolen statue, the kobold sorcerer plays along (even though he'd been intending to use the stolen statuette to fuel the war with the mites for many more weeks). Soon after the party leaves, he has the other kobolds mutilate poor Nakpik for good luck, then begins brainstorming ideas on how to use you to cause the
kobolds further trouble. He finally decides on a simple plan—if you guys successfully return the statue, he'll order the Sootscale kobolds to attack the you all at once for daring to defile Old Sharptooth with their soft, scaleless fingers. "

Valen clears his throat and takes a swallow of his drink.

"There was scroll of fly in it as well, it appears he planned to use it to fly as high as possible until the spell ran out when he was tired of living. He is one sick little gnome..err kobold. He also seems to be the source of all the kobold troubles for the area."

Valen sighes heavily and looks at his companions.

[Trogdor]

"Interesting," Cal replies. "But no connection with the Stag Lord." He shakes his head. "I'm actually glad to hear that. I was beginning to worry that the Stag Lord was more clever than we expected. Now it merely seems that the Sootscales were plague with a gnome-turned-kobold that was homicidally insane."

[mackaber]

"Was..." Lem corrects as he raises his mug for a toast. "and good riddance!"

[Vardaen]

Jhod shakes his head, "Such a waste of life. Reincarnation is a powerful divine magic that should not be squandered. To think those villagers thought they were saving a hero, when they were in fact creating a villian." The priest sips from his mug, "There is much misunderstanding in the world." He then stands up, "I think I shall retire for the night. Valen tomorrow we shall speak more on what you have learned and we shall pray to Erastil together. Good-night gentlemen." The priest bows and heads off to his bed.

Kesten waves to the priest and then stands up himself. "I think I'm ready to retire as well. I'll need an early start if I'm to get a few of my men on the road with your news to Rostov." He finishes his mug and gives Oleg a hand shake. Then nodding to you all he heads off to the tents that are set up just south of the stables.

That leaves Oleg. Right about that time Colban comes over from the stables, he's wiping his hands on his pants as he does. "Horses are all taken care of sirs." He looks at Oleg, "If there is nothing else I'd like to get some shut eye."

Oleg nods, "Yes yes, by all means Colban, go get some sleep."

The bandit turned endentured servant says his own good nights and then is off to sleep in the stables.

That just leaves you all with Oleg.

[Trogdor]

"Well, it's been a long day for all of us," Cal says to no one in particular. "I'm for some sleep." Then he turns to Oleg. "We can sort out the buying and selling in the morning. For now I have just enough strength to make it to my bunk."

[Phlale]

Arenhal stays long enough to finish his mug, quietly enjoying the evening. He talks to anyone who wants to, but doesn't strike up a conversation.