Participants: Vhel, Cornix, Jean, Alunoa
Location(s): north of First Landing
The visual, in-character report for this quest can be found here: Vhel's report.
Short summary:
This quest was an attempt to investigate and resolve the Kobold raids occurring to the explorers heading north of First Landing. The party discovered some of the instigators of these raids, slaying all of the encountered troublemakers but one, who was captured. This leader, Tarka, was interrogated via various means, resulting in some valuable first information about these lands and the native Kobolds. However, he escaped captivity the following night. The party mapped out this area along the way.
Full report:
Vhel’s writing remains as tight, cramped, and legible as ever.
This report regards our efforts to investigate and resolve the Kobold raids occurring to explorers heading north of First Landing. While the majority of the instigators of these particular raids have perished, one lived and escaped captivity. See the report in full for details.
Just like in Vhel's first report, a note written by another hand follows. Elegant and complex letters that belong in an ancient, dusty scroll, or a long-forgotten grimoire, and yet, they retain a particular primal and wild quality. Mine name is Cornix, and some knoweth me as the Beaker. I am but a student of the Mysteries of the Art, and a humble follower of the Grey Lady. Within this manuscript, I wilt once again provide supplemental insight. I hopeth that thou findeth this work satisfactory, O Reader. |
The weather to the north was calm and inoffensive, if perhaps mildly warmer than expected. Myself, Lord Berée, Cornix, and a knight going by Alunoa accompanied me in this effort. We began to travel to where the lost caravan ought to have been. I had noticed a lack of flora and fauna to start out, but likely because of our use of the land’s resources. Later on, the endemic life consisted of burrowing animals and small vegetation, bushes, an odd flower…
Pictures of some of the flowers of note Vhel found are sketches here, with little notes about their anatomy written in Ysoki.
Next to them, a couple of drawings made by Cornix, depicting some herbs that he spotted. He believes that they could have alchemical and healing properties, and includes some of his musings below. His writing is more elaborate and larger than Vhel's. Some of it is readable by those uninitiated in the Art; the remaining majority is veiled in metaphors and obscure codes. ... resembling the ⚙Sunne in its brightest Splendour. Sufficient grinding and mixing with 🜓Pulvis cinnabaris (or indeed a similar Alchymical substance) might bring forth the ripe and glorious Matrimony of… |
The site of the attack was a caravan with slain horses, the supplies already long ransacked. The driver was long dead as well, clearly by means of multiple shots from a crossbow. Alunoa noticed a false floor, and found a bag in it with a gnarled hand, which I later determined with Jean’s assistance to be a Hand of the Magi. Making camp Jean created fortifications, much more impressive than that I would ever expect from him, and Cornix produced an incredible meal from some recipe that he was reluctant to share the details of.
Another short note from Cornix, followed by a remarkably faithful drawing of the Hand. Secrets remaineth potent only if they endureth as secrets. |
The night passed without incident, and after taking notes about the accident site, we decided to attempt to recon the area for more information. We figured that making a map would serve some function, and would not be too difficult to accomplish while we were out there. Appended to the end of this report is a copy of said map, which I made.
The next day, as we traveled, we were annoyingly ambushed. I took a bolt to the side, my armor doing little to soften the blow. Four Kobolds from a very long distance sniping at us. They were small enough to make use of bushes and trees as proper cover, and our group had a woeful lack of ranged weapons to aid us.
To note, Kobolds are fairly crafty when it comes to taking fights. They will avoid fights that don’t favor them, preferring stealth and ambush tactics. Poisons if they have them (they did here, but failed to use them), traps, darkness, cover, anything to get them an edge.
The description of the poison is included on a separate note, and it identifies the liquid as Lethargy Poison. ... ☪Potio Potio lethaegiae, commonly used in hit-and-run tactics by Drow, Kobolds, and oth'rs who wanteth their victims alive, but incapacitated. The ambushers usually retreateth until the Poison setteth in, and the victim falleth unconscious. Further exposure to this treacherous tincture doth not require... |
They can be ruthless, and underestimating their abilities can prove deadly. Consider, at least, packing long range weaponry, especially when Kobolds are trying to strike you at near a hundred paces with their weapons.
In any case, we were underprepared, and this prompted a very long and exhausting battle. We had little interest in letting the Kobolds engage us with hit and run tactics, so we took the fight to them. After making use of some alchemical tinctures to harden myself from further shots, I began to approach and find good opportunities to strike back. My bow has half their range, so my chances were scarce, but I managed the odd strike.
They, naturally, skirmished us, striking at us, and running while reloading, keeping as much distance and getting as many free hits against us as they could manage. It was incredibly effective, and tired us out greatly by the time we were in range to properly engage. Alunoa took an incredible beating along with her shield, Jean burned through his reserve of power, Cornix was throwing many bombs.
| Alas, they did not prove to be that effective. Thicker vegetation and constant mobility of the Kobolds greatly affected my ability to hit them properly. |
When we got into melee, they drew their shortswords and swarmed Alunoa. While our almost complete understanding of Draconic between us meant we understood their tactics, they remained just as brutally effective, exploiting any weakness or gap in the knight’s defenses to apply crippling blows. It took everything to keep her alive.
We managed, though, slaying two of the Kobolds, which prompted the other two to run. I have experience with running battles in the desert plains, so I chased, Cornix took some alchemical aid and joined me.
The description of this aid is included on the margin, still in Cornix' writing, but notably smaller. ... features becometh thin and angular. The 🜔Body groweth ever swifter and nimbler like ☿Quicksilver, but also suffereth a distinct kind of fragility... |
I eventually managed to tag one of them enough to bring them down, the remaining one then surrendered.
Jean expressed desire to take a captive, so I obliged him and bound the surviving Kobold before taking him back to the group.
On the Kobold’s personages were their weapons, some trinkets worth money…
A kaleidoscope of items is listed on a narrow, but amusingly long strip of paper appended to the main document. ... 30) boot laces, three pairs, each one fourteen inches long, hemp; 31) an ivory earring in the shape of a spiral; 32) belt, three times, unidentified leather; 33) belt buckles, two per belt, ♀Copper and Bronze... |
…and flasks of lethargic poison, a potent and rather rare toxin that will eventually put most to sleep, allowing for capture or execution after.
Another surprisingly tiny note by Cornix, on the margin. Refer to the exhaustive description provided earlier. |
I managed to reverse-engineer the recipe, and I am happy to share with anyone who feels the need for such tactics.
Our captive, who later revealed their name, or what they would have us call them, as ‘Tarka’, was very uncooperative.
Jean began conversations while Cornix rendered medical aid to Alunoa. The Kobold admitted to being responsible for raiding the caravan. The reason they gave for doing so was that the caravan was “trespassing.” Tarka referred to this place as ‘the Holy Land’, which is forbidden to the ‘Unscaled’. Being scaled, here, is a trait someone is born with. They referred to the leader of their tribe as ‘Father’, while themself and others as ‘Sons’. The religious trappings are not lost on me, but these don’t seem entirely unusual terms for Kobolds to use. The lands are called ‘Holy’ because they are free from ‘The Taint of the Unscaled’, which once present, cannot be cleansed. They see themselves as preserving the Holy Land, not cleansing it. Tarka was insistent on not betraying the secrets of their kind.
Jean responded by making use of his magics to delve into Tarka’s mind, causing great pain and dragging the secrets from their skull. It was a rather… horrific sight, I must admit. If effective. Jean learned that the Kobold's village was west of here, between two mountains. They have fortifications, a wooden gate he said. If the village has a name, I know it not yet, so I’ve left it unmarked on the map for now. Please update us if you learn of its name.
We argued about what to do. Jean wanted to just release the Kobold entirely with a message, Alunoa somewhat agreed. I advocated for bringing it back as a live captive, for the function of negotiation, and because… I felt that letting a Kobold whose mind we just sucked and who knows that we know where its Holy Lands are might be something that provokes aggression, not quells it. Given it escaped us later, that is likely to be the case. Do expect them to be much more cautious and potentially aggressive, now.
I asked Jean to help me hold the Kobold down so I could heal them. He… ignored me, inexplicably, multiple times, and just… taunted the Kobold. I am not sure what fel mood took that man, but it was as frustrating as it was unhelpful. I acquired Cornix’ help in the endeavor instead. They seemed to think that I wished to poison them, shouting some dying prayer to Father demanding he split the sky and strike me with lightning, or some such. I imagine their tribe’s leader, accordingly, knows magic himself.
Tarka was confused. They said that dying for Father was the greatest honor possible, and that he will protect them all as needed, and fight with them in “the coming war”. Ominous to be sure. They referred to Father as powerful, someone that made them all, and refused to elaborate further. Alunoa negotiated an agreement that Tarka would take us to their village if we freed them. I noticed readily that Tarka was jumpy and tense, ready to do something the first chance they got, but we did little about it it seems.
We traveled west, and made camp. We took watches as normal, and...
That night, I wast meaning to take the later shift, since I possesseth the fortunate advantage of Darkvision. However, I wast woken up early by Jean, who said that he hath heard some odd sounds coming from the bushes. I could not spot anything, so he went there to investigate, while I peer'd into the truly abysmal blackness on the oth'r side of our ragtag camp. This wast where mine awareness betray'd myself, and with myself it betray'd the entire group, since the Kobold seemingly vanished from right under mine beak, and into the shadows that stretch'd beyond even mine gaze. I taketh full responsibility for this utterly unfortunate event - with the Kobold gone, our chances of any kind of diplomacy groweth slimmer than the waning crescent ☽Moon. |
I myself was not woken until this had all transpired. I was rather panicked upon learning our captive had fled us, and attempted to find tracks to follow them immediately, but I failed in my rush to move along quickly. Alunoa found some, upon later examination, but we decided it was too late to try tracking them. We resigned ourselves to our beds once more. In the morning, we had decided to finish our recon of the area, and return while I made a map. Our water was running rather low, and while I had reserved more than enough to share for the day, we had to scavenge and forage for the next couple of days to subsist.
A helpful bundle of hints and advice is included, describing useful herbs found in the area. In stark contrast to the earlier musings about alchemical purposes of vegetation, this note is far more digestible. ... doth not, under any circumstances, touch the root without gloves or a piece of cloth; thou mayest do so only after cooking it for a quarter of an 🝮hour, when it becometh safe for consumption, and indeed quite flavourful and nutritious, proving to be well worth the invested effort… |
We had managed to find a few things of note. To the north yet further, a mountain. The east, a coastal plain, a source of water to be sure but if it is sweetwater or saltwater, I know not. Of course, to the west, was the Kobold Village made mention of, tucked away between two mountain peaks. Please see the map included for details of our findings. If there are any questions or concerns that you may have, please feel free to bring them up to me or Cornix the first chance you get. We are happy, as always, to aid in any way we can.
- Vhel & Cornix the Beaker
As promised, a well-made map of the northern area is included. Notes are around it in Ysoki along with labels in Common. A note in Common is made about learning if the water to the north east is drinkable or not. At the end is the same tiny scrawling in Ysoki, translating to any speakers of it to “Good fortunes to you and your family.”, if the reader knows the language.