Rage covers the kobold’s eyes as she charges towards the party. Or, she appeared to be starting to charge, at least. Once the party rushes into the clearing, she backs off from the tunnel opening. Foreshadowing…
Krask is able to see a small, translucent, orange bead half-buried in the rocks at the tunnel’s entrance. He can’t figure out what it might mean, but when he notices a matching bead in the kobold’s off-hand, the gears in his head start to turn. Kobolds are known for their elaborate and often dysfunctional traps. Is this a trap?
Yes. Yes it is.
The kobold, named Enga, hurls the bead towards the hidden ones. This triggers a huge explosion of fire that is amplified by the constrained cave walls. Luckily, the trap wasn’t as effective as Enga had hoped, and the party swarms around her to prevent a potential escape.
To help the party accomplish this, Fyn casts a slow spell, taking away her full-round actions. Now that Richard is back in the mix, the party easily overpowers the kobold and ties her up for questioning.
As it turns out, Enga isn’t a true member of the Dust Diggers clan. In fact, she doesn’t seem to have any definitive identity; she is a conglomeration of many clans. Tattoos from these clans cover her body:
- A stylized hammer for the Redmaul clan
- An intricate lightning bolt for the Stormhides
- Mountainous stone motif, the mark of the Rockbone clan
- A hazy cloud around her navel, symbolizing the Greyguts
This makes Krask more angry than anything, and the rest of the party isn’t impressed with her lack of loyalty. What could Mokmurian possibly see in her?
One of Mokmurian’s Agents?
According to Enga, Mokmurian’s giants had captured her but she attacked Mokmurian when the giants brought her before their leader. Mokmurian saw this tenacity as a great display of strength and offered her the opportunity to stand guard in these caverns. Her loyalty seems to come from promises of wealth as opposed to deep roots to the giant culture.
Unfortunately, the party’s interrogation is cut short by the approach of several giants coming to check up on the kobold. Despite Fyn’s confusion spell, the giants are forced to attack the heroes.
The giants hit HARD, but not often enough to cause serious wounds to anybody but Fobias. Again, the party’s focus is to prevent a widespread alarm from being raised, and they are able to prevent the giants from doing exactly that.
In the end, the party decides to let Enga live. She doesn’t have a true dog in this fight against the forces of evil, and is clearly more of a mercenary than a follower. But the party is in the thick of giant territory now, something they are reminded of as a sound reverberates through the tunnels.
Ting. Ting. Ting.
What sorts of giant forces occupy these earthen halls? Will Enga double-cross the party? Is Lyrego anything other than a punching bag filled with alliteration?