The Maztica Campaign: Where in the World is Ferdinando Poe?

 (What has Gone Before)

The kobold leader lay dead at the feet of João Afonso de Villalobos, while his guards had felt the keen point and heavy flange of Man-at-Arms Diego Garzia and Acolyte Osondria D'Esserain. Several deceased kobolds bore the marks of having been shivved by a Gnomish blade - the work of Esparelda de Ragosa (almost certainly an alias), but while the Adventuring Party could congratulate their own force of arms, their hired crossbowman, Ferdinando Poe, was missing.

Indeed, from the complete lack of quarrels (aka bolts) in evidence, it looked as though Bowman Poe had never engaged the enemy. A quick search out in the corridor had yielded up Ferdinand's discarded crossbow.

"I'll wager he ran away." said Esparelda, a touch scornfully. "Cowardly humans..." 

"We should search for him..." said João Afonso. Diego nodded in agreement.

"We haven't found the cause of the clog..." Esparelda huffed. "Clog first, coward second!"

Osondria nodded in agreement. "Poe could be anywhere between here and the stairs, or even above in the streets. We can search for him on the way out..."

"Pity" said Esparelda. "We're going to need help with these coins..."

The party had discovered the kobold leader's hoard - pots and pots, chests and sacks of coins...

"...all lömmebittzen." said Esparelda. "Spare change! These idiots must have cornered the market on every bit of lost pocket-change in the city. Losers..."  She kicked half-heartedly at a dead kobold, but without enthusiasm.

"Oh well..." said Osondria. "Not all that's not gold does glitter..."

"Especially down here!" said Esparelda, gesturing at the hoard. "There must be thousands of copper pieces here. It's going to take at least a day to haul this up street-side."

"There's some silver pieces, too..." said João Afonso, helpfully. Esparelda shot him a look.

Osondria stooped and leaned against a chest - the chest shifted, as did the flagstone on which it rested.

"Well, well..." said Osondria. "What have we here?  João, could you help with this?"

Once João Afonso and Diego had muscled the heavy chest out of the way, the flagstone was easy enough to lift. Using broken kobold weapons as crude levers, the slab was raised up, until Osondria was able to reach beneath and retrieve a modest leather bag. The contents rattled.

"Great..." said Diego, with resignation. "They were gamers..."

"I don't think so..." said Osondria. "Esparelda, hold out your hands."

Into the Gnome's cupped hands, Osondria poured the contents of the bag. 

"Well, all right!" said the suddenly-less-cranky Gnome. Cascaded into her oddly large, Gnomish hands was a glittering pile of about three-score gems; large, small, and in between.

"This is what adventuring is all about!" said João Afonso, with satisfaction.

Their celebration was interrupted by a whispering noise from the corridor. Quickly returning the gems to the bag, Esparelda stowed them in her pack. 

Venturing out into the corridor, the party heard the noise again, a great rustling of many feet, and what sounded like wheels...

"...squeaking." said Esparelda. "Rats!"

Gazing down the corridor, they could see a solitary kobold, wearing an ornamental cloak, who gestured towards the top of the great, oozing pile.

A great, soggy pile; an accretion of bits of wood, twisted vegetation, slimy weeds, bits of once-colourful cloth, all mushed together in a seeping, tangled knot, atop of which squatted a crude, vaguely reptilian icon.

"Behold, Great Qürtalmak!" declared the Kobold Priest, in the common tongue. "Now, Die!"

Rushing at the Adventurers was a moderate horde of foot-long rats, on both sides of the walkway.

"João Afonso, I think we could do with some more of your oil!" said the Gnome.

...To Be Continued...