The tundra did not take long to become a bland and boring sight of vacant plains and tall, snow covered pine trees. Sothri had known this for over two years, raiding and pillaging the outlying farms and lone caravans travelling the northern wilds of Damara. But sometime along those years’ adventurers broached the wilds, driven by promises of bounties by the human King of Damara. Many of the wild goblinoid tribes were slain and it became increasingly difficult to live a life of banditry as every caravan was accompanied by armed warriors seeking a fight and the gold from goblin ears and kobold tails. Whether by fate or fortune that was when Sothri first faced off against him. She didn't know at the time but a reoccurring encounter with a dwarven warrior would put her on a path much different from the band of wild kobolds she nested with.

Now almost a year later she sought out revenge, her target the progeny of the one who had enslaved and subsequently killed her tribe many years passed. Sothri was still a young kobold, comparatively speaking; the small and weak race did not typically reach their potential lifespan. But no other kobold had her training or insight, none had ever begun on such a grand adventure as she nor had dedicated themselves to so dangerous a quest. Perhaps none had ever been so scared to be a tiny creature alone in the wilderness where the smallest wolf still considered them prey. Kobolds were communal creatures, safe in their nests and brave in numbers. Sothri had now been alone for a very long time. Perhaps it was time she found a new nest.

The ice blue kobold had slowly and with much difficulty found information on the potential location of her prey. It was difficult for her to get information from the more civilised races and the best she could hope for was a remote clay farmer or woodcutter who would show some sympathy to the kobold and discuss the most recent rumors with her. But she slowly pieced things together and had travelled far from her origin to hunt down her quarry. Before her now stood a small wooden cabin among a thick pine forest. The most recent tip she had received. Two days passed she had the promises from a woodcutter that he knew a friend who knew a friend who had seen a creature like the one she was seeking. The apparent witness appeared to be home, smoke was rising from the chimney and in the evening dusk lantern light could be seen from inside.

First impressions were a tricky business when when you were barely the size of a human step stool. Armed and armoured to a degree few of her kin could ever have dreamed of, she nevertheless felt vulnerable and alone as she crept through the undergrowth towards the large wooded cabin. She had watched from a distance for close to a day, foraging and living off some of the larger shelled insects that hid beneath the sun-warmed rocks in a clearing nearby. The woodcutter appeared to live with a smaller human with a longer headpelt- hair she corrected herself - which made her outnumbered as well as outmassed by each of them. She didn't want them to mob her!

That meant she had to outsmart them.

Three hours later she had a convoluted set of rope traps strewn between four of the closer trees to the house aimed to allow a small creature to safely flee through them while a larger would be snared and hoisted up into the trees by their offending limb. She also had a rough-woven basket filled with snow poised precariously on the edge of their chimney and a loose rope hanging down to one side of the door.

Sothri looked around helplessly for more preparation she could do and then steeled herself to stop delaying. She had to face up to her fears. She had to... speak to them.

Stepping up to the front of the house, she knocked heavily on the wood with three raps of her sword's hilt.

"Hellothehouse!" she cried out in rapid Common. "Imeanyounoharm. Iwishtospeak, tradeinformationforfoodorfavours!"

That might be too much. But she'd gotten used to the idea that if she said nothing, most humans' reaction to a small armed kobold at their door was not the friendliest.

It took Sothri some time to make her preparations, somehow both simple but overcomplicated the traps were set, and the small kobolds confidence boosted by their presence. As frightening as it was Sothri had done this before and with night setting in it would probably be better to do it before it got dark and the occupants assumed there was a night-time raid on their home. Gathering her courage, the small blue creature approached the front of the home and knocked heavily (for a kobold) on the front door.

A moment after she yelled out the door opened; a human woman peeked through from inside the house. She was middle aged, and her short brown hair was greying, as with most who lived in the wilds, she was thin and her face weather-beaten. She gave a quizzical look and turned back into the house. "Snugglebun? There's a kobold at the door. It's talking."

A male voice from further inside spoke up, "A bloody what? Did you say a flamin' kobold? What's it want?"

The woman looked to Sothri and then turned back inside, "It says information, I think. Said it can give food or favors."

There was some shuffling inside and the door opened wider; the man of the house was a thin but muscled, beardless dwarf with long red hair in two braids down his back, he stood about two foot over Sothri. He looked down to the kobold standing in the evening light, "Flamin' hells woman you're right. Thought you'd gone and lost ye marbles."

He stood in the doorway, appearing a little confused as to what to do next. "Ah. Can we 'elp ye?"

Sothri had learnt she had to smack doors with the hilt of her blade out here, otherwise the light rapping from her hand-claws was too easily mistaken for a wild cat or a wolf trying to get in. But now she looked up at the couple with confusion, turning from one to the other and back to the first. She'd heard the words, and tried to put them together into a picture that made sense.

She didn't judge.

"...SnugglebunandWoman, pleasedtomeetyou," she said in short bursts of nervous chatter as she watched the tall folk. What was that sound? She looked left, then back again. Just the wind on leaves. Probably. Best be quick. "IamSothri. OldJemmysaidyousawsomething, upinthehills? Small, white, wings? Saidyoutoldinthetavern? Pleasetotellwhatyousawandwhere?"

The shorter woman had a deep voice, and she'd wondered briefly... but her hair was long and fiery, and she remembered what Berdren had told her. All male dwarves wore beards, and any female dwarf who respected herself as well. Did that apply to Snugglebun? Maybe things were different living among humans.

This was still a dangerous situation, but the tallfolk didn't seem about to attack her. She hadn't been exactly pointing her sword at them, but she lowered it now and just kept it casually by her side as she glanced nervously around the clearing again.

11:06, Today: Sothri Brightblade rolled 15 using 1d20+4.  Persuasion (Just a harmless kobold ladies).

From the doorway Sothri could see inside the cabin. It looked to be a small two room building; across from the door a fire in a hearth was burning strong, the heat from the fire was enough to feel from the door and it was warm and inviting. A pot of something was cooking over the fire, from the smell it was a mixed stew of meat and vegetables. A table was near the fireplace with two long bench seats on opposite sides. The floor was dirt but had pelt scraps thrown down to create a somewhat cleaner floor.

The dwarf man looked up to the woman, "Did it just call me Snugglebun?"

The woman was clearly holding back a laugh, "What a polite little thing."

The dwarf also stuck his head out of the door at the rustle of leaves. He looked between the noise and Sothri suspiciously. He listened to the small kobold speak with another confused look on his face, he was possibly not understanding Sothri's rapid speech.

He looked to the woman who spoke first, "It knows Jemmy, it just said his name! It wants to know about that... thing in the sky." The woman was just as reluctant as Sothri to give voice to the creature lest the mere mention of it could bring it's wrath.

The dwarf gave a final look between the two and walked back inside, "A bloody kobold as a guest." He shook his head, "Fine! Get it inside and close the flamin' door."

The woman waved Sothri in, "Come on little one. We will talk." She frowned slightly, thinking, "Umm. Youlikevenison? Wehavecookedmeat. Comejoinandwetalk." She did her best to mirror Sothri's rapid, staggered way of speech.

Sothri hesitated in the doorway at first. She wanted to come inside, it felt like warm and welcome. It smelled like Burrow. But she didn't know these ladies, not really, and the rich tasty smell from the fire could also be the smell of Trap. In the end it was the friendlier Woman's effort at speaking like she did that won her over, and she awkwardly reached around to sheathe her rapier over her back before pattering lightly inside to allow them to close the door.

Their cabin was warm and cozy. It was safe-walled and homely, and Sothri smiled appreciatively - an awkward gesture, more eyes than snout. "Thankyouhosts, venisontastymeat. Ihumblyaccept," she chattered quickly. When either of them sat, she clambered up onto the bench seat on the opposite side and sank onto her haunches. It couldn't hurt to reassure them further. In their den she would be even more nervous than she was now. "Meanyounoharm," she insisted again. "Willrepayforguestright, repayforyourhelp." Then she fell silent.

She'd exhausted her social energy for the moment and simply took turns staring at each of them for a good ten seconds each before flicking to the other.

Despite living rough she seemed to be a neat semblance of a kobold. She didn't reek of the outdoors and had washed regularly in the brook before huddling her shivering form in her blanket until her blood warmed.

The dwarven man sat at the table on the bench near the fire. He watched the small kobold carefully as she sat across from him. As Sothri smiled the man moved to reach to his belt but it was only for a fraction of a second before she spoke. The man nodded, looking to the meal on the fire he gave Sothri a side eye, "Aye. Venison's good." It seemed the man was not over his suspicions and he looked towards the door before turning back to the small blue creature across the table.

The woman was more friendly, she stirred the stew and picked up three wooden bowls and spoons before ladling each one full of the stew. She returned to the table and placed a bowl in front of Sothri before sitting next to the dwarf and placing the two bowls in front of them. The stew looked good; thick brown gravy with juniper berries, potatoes and carrot and generous servings of venison. The woman blew on a spoonful to cool it down as she questioned Sothri. "You don't need to pay Sothri. You said you know Jemmy. He said to come here?"

The man beside her grunted as he spooned the stew into his mouth. "It wants to know about the frost-cursed thing ye saw above the mountain."

The woman swallowed a spoonful, "Oh yes. Of course." She put her spoon down. "I saw it over the mountains to the south, only once mind you and about three months ago. I haven't see it since." She looked up to Sothri, "That is all I'm afraid. Not much of a story."

"KnowJemmy," she agreed briefly. "Savefromwolf, trap. Saidheardtalefromyou, indrinkingplace."

Any more immediate conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the rich-smelling stew. Sothri lifted the spoon a little awkwardly between her talons but with enough expertise that she'd clearly done this before. She took a ginger sip, then put the spoon back down as she breathed cool air quickly over her burnt tongue.

And then the taller woman was telling her what she'd come so far to hear, and she settled back on her haunches as she crouched on the bench. Watching her from one eye and then the other as she thought about what she'd said and then translated her thoughts into Common once again.

"Thankyoumostkind," she chattered. "Canyoutellwhereoversouthpeaks? NearDarmshallorbygreatwaterfall? Nearorfar?" It might take some back and forth, but she was trying to understand the landmarks near where TallWoman had seen the frost-cursed thing fly.

After a while she tested another sample of the stew after blowing over it, a whistling sound through her teeth. Still too hot. Tasty though.

The dwarf man looked a bit concerned as Sothri fed herself with the spoon. He had stopped eating altogether by the time the kobold took her second mouthful. It seemed he was fascinated, or disgusted, by how she was eating the stew. Not that it was any different from the dwarf shoving the food in his mouth, except for the long snout of course. The woman nudged him, and he stopped staring, slowly eating from his bowl with very deliberate mouthfuls of stew which he chewed slowly with his mouth closed.

The woman continued the discussion, "Oh, far. Maybe two days walk." She pondered for a moment, "You know there is a Druidic Grove in that direction. I've never been that far up the mountain, but Druids used to come by and trade for tools and trinkets, they never wanted to travel to the towns so often came to us. Hmm. Haven't seen one for many months now." Taking a mouthful she pointed the empty spoon at Sothri, "That's where I'd look. Pretty much straight south from here, high in the mountains."

"Yup. See the Druids." The man said and looked to the woman. They shared a brief look between them, and he gave a nod.

The woman looked to Sothri, "Eat what you can. We'll stoke the fire and you can stay in here for the night."

Another friend of a friend with a tip from a rumor. The hunt was not easy.

"Thankyoumostkind," Sothri said again, bobbing her head. "Iwillsleepbythefireandleavewiththestars." It could be brutally cold travelling at night, even swimming in thick cold weather clothing as she was. Plus that would let her climb onto the roof and dismantle the trap designed to dump a double-armful of snow onto the woodcutters' fire before the sun grew too bright. If she worked quickly she could dismantle the rope trap between the trees as well and leave the ladies of the house a parting gift, none the wiser.

"Thenhuntthedruids," she added belatedly.

In the end she waited until the stew was lukewarm before she ate; a more comfortable temperature for her, and one at which she devoured the delicious seasoned meat-stuff. She'd kept one eye on Snugglebun before even after she accepted that she probably wasn't going to attack her and she did her best to mimic the more normal-sized woman's eating habits; pouring the stew onto her tongue, then removing the spoon and closing her lips before chewing and swallowing.

The night passed restlessly for the small kobold. Although she was warmer than she'd been for a bit and kept instinctively stretching out against the flameheat, the fire would crackle or pop and the light-sleeping reptile would snap awake, tense and volatile. Then calm down and sleep until the next sound. Still when she woke she felt properly warm for the first time in a week, and thanked both women profusely over her morning meal. When she left, she disabled both traps before either could inconvenience her hosts.

She'd just finished unstringing the rope from her impromptu snow basket on the roof when she saw a hare moving through the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing, and she quickly strung her bow and fired a shaft that pinned it to the earth.

When the couple left their hut later that morning (Sothri still in the firm belief that they were both women), they would find a nice plump hare on a basket filled with snow hanging from their lintel, around eye height. For one of them.

Sothri was already away, making for the grove two days south. Hunting druids.

10:37, Today: Sothri Brightblade rolled 14 using 1d20+5.  Longbow shot.

The remaining stew was eaten cold the next morning, a lean meal due to the addition of their kobold guest. Still it was satisfying and a better start to the morning than most. The weather outside had improved, snow had stopped falling and while the sky was cloudy there was not yet any rain; a good time to travel. The woman and the dwarf bid Sothri farewell and wished her good fortune on her journey. While the woman remained inside the dwarf stood at the door and watched Sothri with a frown as she removed her traps around the home and nearby trees. He eventually shook his head and went back inside, closing the door behind him. Sothri's gift of a hare would be found by them later in the day when she was well departed from the cabin.

It was two days journey, true as the woman said. Fortunately, things went well for the small reptile and with the exception of hiding from a dire wolf for a good part of the evening Sothri believed she made good time and was well into the mountains at the end of the first day. The second day was more difficult for the small kobold, climbing craggy mountain peaks and traversing precarious edges. Eventually, however, she saw a sprouting green tree which drew her attention. It was almost a vertical climb up to the tree but Sothri made it, exhausted after the vigorous climb. While she was not the strongest kobold around her martial training provided some benefit to the climb up to the tree.

Around midday Sothri arrived at the tree, it sat above cave with a wide ached entrance. Stepping inside Sothri found a circular chamber, clearly cut from the mountain and not naturally forming. The chamber was 30ft wide with a 20ft wide pool of water in the center, in the middle of this pool a column of stone with a rounded top raised slightly above the waterline. Green vines and foliage hung from the domed ceiling alongside stalactite icicles which were slowly melting. Above the pool the ceiling rose to 20ft high with six holes in a tight circle about half a foot wide and a foot apart. The floor was carved from the stone; a 5ft walkway around the edge of the room, circling the pool. The dome ceiling had collapsed slightly in places, leaving rubble, rocks and debris piled up in places along the edge of the room

Opposite the cave entrance was a large stone door in the wall. 20ft tall it broke the perfect dome of the room, over the top of the door were words in a language unfamiliar to Sothri. Etched on the door were a series of dots connected by lines.

The dire wolf had caught her scent, Sothri thought. At least that was her fear and her explanation for why the great lupine had kept hunting her as she moved from tree to tree. In the end it gave up when the rain had settled her scent, and it was a cold and unhappy kobold who made her way into a cave to huddle over a small fire through the night.

Every muscle ached when she finished her climb, and she sat in the mouth of the cave for a good twenty minutes as she drank from her skin and gnawed on a length of dried meat. Maybe best not to wonder too long about what kind of meat, but Sothri wasn't picky. Looking over the chamber, she found her gaze drawn between the written door and the ceiling and the stone column in the middle of the room.

She went up to the edge of the water and peered deep into the pool, trying to get a sense of what if anything was inside it - but decided not to risk it for now. Instead she went to the rubble and started moving one stone at a time, tipping them into the water. If it wasn't too deep, maybe she could make a causeway across to the central pillar thing. Maybe she would get a better view of the holes at the ceiling if she could climb it?

10:02, Today: Sothri Brightblade rolled 15 using 1d20+4.  Perception.

Peering down into the water it was dark but from the light outside the chamber and Sothri's superior vision she could see the bottom, in silouette, about 20 foot below. It was going to take much more than the rubble in the chamber to create a bridge of any sort to reach the center column. The stone column in the center of the room was domed and only about two foot wide, that left about 9ft of bridge needing to be made in order to reach it perhaps a bit less if Sothri decided to risk a jump.

Another issue for the small kobold was that any rubble worth throwing into the pool was far too heavy. Perhaps it was the recent climb or just the basic weight of the stone but try as Sothri might she could not manage to toss any stones larger than a kobold head into the water. Still, she tried and had her back against one of the larger stones in the room in an teempt to push it into the pool when a large shadow covered the entrance.

Please continue in the PROLOGUE - Sothri & Thakk thread.