Tamphalic turns towards common aswell

"Ah and you speak it very well too. Alright, I'll signal my friends to come." Tamphalic says waving towards the portal knowing Nickeline is watching. "Don't worry, like I said, we mean you know harm. Will you show us the way towards the great wyrm? Also, are there any dangers we should look out for on the way there?"

Ruby nods.

"Yes, Ruby can take you to see the Great Wyrm," she says after a moment. "In this place there are always dangerous creatures to be wary of... the kobolds of Clan Steelclaw trap the beasts, for they are an annoyance to the Great and Mighty Cynurrarth, but always more there seem to be."

If the party enters as proposed, with Nickleline strategically hidden near the back of the 'pack,' the kobolds will have disadvantage on their Investigation checks to notice a gnome (GASP!!) among their guests... which translates to a -5 penalty to their Passive Perception. That will not remain the case if something draws attention to her... and with a roll of 10 for that disguise check, any fairly intelligent kobold will probably notice something's up when that happens.

(Regarding lighting, the teleportation circle lit up when it was activated, and a couple of the kobold warriors have torches)

Entering through the portal, Korba immediately takes a deep breath of the fresh underdark air, clearly feeling comfortable in the dar, and as always leaving his dark shaded lenses covering his eyes. Having been told of what happened on this side, he looks to the kobolds and says, "You have found quite an interesting home down here. I look forward to seeing it. What types of beasts have been troubling you?" 

(Deception: 10)

Nickeline, relays Tamphalic's signal to Hildegard and Hewelathan. She will comply with Hewelathan's suggested marching order, waiting for Korba and Hildegard to pass through first. She returns the crystal ball to her box. She also straps her shield to her backpack and covers it with a blanket; she hopes that won't look too weird, but she can't risk letting the kobolds see the holy symbol of a Gnomish god. After muttering a few Dwarvish phrases to get in character, she steps through the portal.

When Nickeline the "dwarf" passes through to the other side, she greets the kobolds with an awkward, "heigh-ho." She tries to be inconspicuous, keeping Perdita between her and the Kobolds whenever possible, and does not speak except when necessary, in an affected, (suspiciously squeaky,) Dwarvish accent.

Hewelathan bids good-bye to Lord Akkron, "Thank you, again.  With any luck, we'll be back in a few days!"  He practically jumps through the portal after Nickeline and nearly stumbles into her as he arrives on the other side.  He says, in Dwarvish, "Oh! I beg the pardon of you and your house!"

Hewelathan then moves to put himself between Nickeline and any kobold that still has a clear view of her.  He asks Tamphalic, "Has Jodie arrived yet?"

Hewelathan scans the area (or as far as his Darkvision and the torches will allow) to see whether he spots any traps or hidden creatures. (Perception 18)

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

 

Hewelathan scans the area (or as far as his Darkvision and the torches will allow) to see whether he spots any traps or hidden creatures. (Perception 11) 

(OOC: Oops.  I forgot that I already rolled for that.)

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

he can look around as soon as he arrives at the other and see whether they're going to face immediate danger.  (Perception 18)

Jodie reveals herself from her hiding location and tries to be as amiable as possible, considering the tension has lifted.

"Hello there Ruby!  I'm Jodie.  Sorry about the mind eater.  At the time, I thought to scare you off to avoid conflict.  But now I think we must see the Great Wyrm.  We understand that title is not earned easily....a hundred years or more lived.  I'd like to hear the tale." 

Persuasion 26

Tamphalic watches the kobold's reactions as the group arrives.

"Well let us see the great wyrm I guess."

As Hewelathan suggests, Hildegard leads the way through the portal, astride Perdita, once the signal is given. As the ruins go dark around her, the flames of the nightmare illuminate a place just as dark as they come out the other side--a silent underground cavern large enough that the flickering of the nightmare's fire does not penetrate the darkness to the walls or ceiling, seeming to flicker emptily into the darkness. But the flames do flicker off of the gathered group of kobolds.

"Greetings to you and to your master," Hildegard says, saluting the kobolds. "My name is Hildegard Deepwater of the Order of the Seven Stars."

Okay... so... Jodie has pretty much convinced Ruby to do whatever you guys want her to lol (within reason). Between Jodie's silver tongue and the terrifying majesty of the nightmare, the little kobolds almost seem to be in awe.

The kobold lead you through the tunnels. As you make your way through the honeycombs of tunnels, you find yourselves forced to bend over, and even crawl at times, to progress. But eventually you enter an absolutely massive chamber, partially flooded, in the middle of which is what looks like a small island. From where you are, you can see the lights of a village:



You are currently at the dock, where a couple of boats are waiting.

"Come, get in the boats!" Ruby says enthusiastically. "It has been long since the Steelclaw have had guests in the village!"

Jodie reherses a tune (15) on the Firestorm lute as they board the boats and make their way across towards the island

When dragons grow old and become quite bold.
They'll tell you long tales, with tails to behold.
One hundred years long, a dragon's not old.
But a Great wrym you are, you great old kobold!

Quote from Mister_Whisker>>

The kobold lead you through the tunnels. As you make your way through the honeycombs of tunnels, you find yourselves forced to bend over, and even crawl at times, to progress.

Hewelathan is glad that Jodie has sweet-talked the kobolds into helping: these narrow and low tunnels would really limit his ability to fight while in most of his Wild Shape forms.   At least until he figures out to how to transform into a giant snake...

(OOC: I assume that during this crawl, I guess we've all must have learned whether Hildegard can dismiss and then re-summon Perdita.)

But eventually you enter an absolutely massive chamber, partially flooded, in the middle of which is what looks like a small island.  

From where you are, you can see the lights of a village:

Hewelathan has experience with ships and seafaring, but he has never seen a subterranean lake.  The sight and the very idea of a lake that never sees the light of day fascinate him.  He asks Rub, "Is crossing the lake the only way to the village?"  (Assuming that she says that it is, he answers, "Smart!  It's like a natural moat for the village.")  He also asks, out of curiosity, "Is the water potable?  That is, is it safe to drink?"

You are currently at the dock, where a couple of boats are waiting.

"Come, get in the boats!" Ruby says enthusiastically. "It has been long since the Steelclaw have had guests in the village!"

Hewelathan looks at the boats to make sure that the kobolds' vessels can carry the "big" folks. Thinking about falling into the water, he asks Ruby, "Does anything live in the lake?  Some sort of fish or...???"   He lays down on the dock to see whether he can see any creatures underwater in the torchlight.  If Ruby said that the water is not potable, he realizes that he doesn't even know whether the water is fresh or salt water.  If Ruby said that the water is safe to drink, he cups some water in his hand so that he find out what it tastes like.

If the kobolds are riding with the party, Hewelathan tries to position himself as they get in the boats so that their "dwarf" is separated from any kobolds in their boat.

Ruby confirms that yes, crossing the lake is the only way to reach the village.

"Yes, the water can be drinked," Ruby says with a smile. "But be wary of the tentacle-things... they can get a bit testy!"

The boats are large enough for medium-sized creatures, though not so large that you could take the entire party across on one boat. It's probably possible to fit two of you onto each of the boats, along with a handful of kobolds to steer the vessel.

Following the kobolds, Hildegard rides, at first. But as the tunnels honeycomb into winding and difficult passages, she dismounts and, turning to Perdita, signs a holy gesture over her. The nightmare's flaming eyes blaze with hatred, but she disappears without a trace, leaving the passageways cold and unlit with only the kobolds' torches for comfort. Hildegard grasps the reliquary she wears around her neck and bows her head, and follows the others, bending and crawling as necessary through the dark tunnelways.

When they emerge into the underground chamber, the twinkling of lights scattered like stars across the vast expanse of the great lake, Hildegard stands for a moment in wonder. "Truly your village is beautiful," she says to Ruby. "Now, don't be alarmed, for I will bring Perdita back now..." And, cracking the spurs on her boots together, the sudden glow of flames bathes the kobolds and the party, and the black-as-night fiend wreathed in flames stands there once again, its baleful eyes staring. Gently, Hildegard approaches Perdita and lays a hand on the Divine-wrought bridle. "Lead the way," she says to the others, "I will ride beside the boats across the water," and she pulls herself up into the saddle.

As they travel, Korba asks one of their guides, "Have you got a map of the Underdark and the location of this place? I'd love to know where we are and more of the history."

Quote from Mister_Whisker>>

"Yes, the water can be drinked," Ruby says with a smile. "But be wary of the tentacle-things... they can get a bit testy!"

Having spent time at sea and in port cities, Hewelathan asks, "Tentacle-things?  Do you mean like an octopus?  Or something larger and more deadly?"  He looks into the dark waters of the lake ahead and wonders what types of creatures would thrive here in the dark waters, far from the sun and bathed in the energies of the Underdark.  In case Ruby doesn't know what an octopus is, he says, "I mean, how safe is it to swim across the lake?"

The boats are large enough for medium-sized creatures, though not so large that you could take the entire party across on one boat. It's probably possible to fit two of you onto each of the boats, along with a handful of kobolds to steer the vessel.

Since Hildegard can ride Perdita across (flying), Hewelathan could Wild Shape into a cat our lizard or something else small enough to fit in the boats with everyone else.  Otherwise, it sounds like they'll have to take 2 trips.  Hewelathan isn't sure whether it's worth the "resource" cost to shift into a lizard just for the boat ride, but he also doesn't think that it's a good idea to split up the group if they can avoid it.

"Ummm... Ruby thinks maybe don't try to swim," the little kobold says, glancing nervously at the water. "Tentacle things are big and scary... Ruby does not want to know much more about them..."

Nickeline maneuvers through the tunnels with ease, following behind Hewelathan. It reminds her of being back home, a little bit. 'These tunnels could use some safety improvements, though,' she thinks as she ducks under a low-hanging section of the tunnel's roof.

When they reach the dock, Nickeline looks out over the water. The excitement she feels due to her disguise's apparent effectiveness is dampened by the dread of being surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of kobolds when they reach the village. Nickeline suspects she could probably squeeze into a boat with two other party members. Squeezing, however, wouldn't seem very dwarf-like, so she continues to make herself as wide as possible as she boards one of the boats. To appear heavier, she practically jumps onto the boat, making it rock in place.

Her jaw drops when she sees Perdita take off over the lake. Watching them fly, Nickeline has no words, except perhaps 'amazing,' and she barely listens to the discussion of the "tentacle things" living in the water.

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

"Ummm... Ruby thinks maybe don't try to swim," the little kobold says, glancing nervously at the water. "Tentacle things are big and scary... Ruby does not want to know much more about them..."

Hewelathan says, "Oh!  Hm...OK.  Well, don't be startled, but I will attempt to transform into something small enough that we can all go across in one trip.  That way, we won't force you to make two trips."  He asks Korba, "Can you make sure that I make it across?  I don't think that I'll be able to swim very well in this form."   Perhaps inspired by the subterranean environment, he uses Wild Shape to change into the form of a badger.  Then he shuffles over to Korba's feet to be lifted into a boat.

(OOC: Let's avoid the water just in case those "big and scary" "tentacle things" are actually aboleth.)

Jodie leans in to Ruby, "Say, I hope we make a good impression with the Great Wyrm.  What might put them in a welcoming mood?  Praise, some gold, or perhaps entertainment?  Sometimes a good laugh can relax the sternest folk.  I trust we can reach a mutually beneficial terms.  We would welcome a guide through your territory, so we can leave it unpertubed..  Perhaps you'd accompany us, with the Great Wyrm's permission."