Lem would have reminded Yokini and Zashier to show the gnomes where the horses were, and to be good to Shadow, his pony. He'll spend the time waiting either taking turns watching the kobold like a hawk, or wandering around the tunnels, looking for anything that they missed, any secret passages, dropped items, switchbacks to other areas. 

He's ready to move along through the tunnel to the estate...

(With a short rest, Radduth will use 2 hit dice to heal: 9 + 5 )

Since Raddunth is in the room with the secret door during that short rest, during that hour he will stare at that door... It may look like he is spacing out (which he is), but he is also listening for any noises behind it, or for any indications that it is trapped.  Perception: 21

(EDIT: Apparently, he zoned out completely, and forgot why he was staring at the door.)

Short Rest Die(remaining 2): 19.

If Yokini didn't remind then Zashier is sure to for Lem's sake. Once the duo are back in the deep, if Thistle and the rest hadn't seen to the kobold, then elephantine man binds it in some chain and wraps him up in the trunk at that point. "For what little its worth, I am sorry that it came to all this my rather violently little friend, if you can believe it. I had offered to help some of you find a less vicious dragon god to follow, to little avail. That, and try and talk peaceful 'fore things got, uh, well out of hand, to which I did not quite expect." He says, raising the Kobold so that he was more at head level.

"Now, despite all that's happened, I'd like to give you guys one last proper chance. 'Cause as it was explained to me before, ya'll just wanna be left alone. But, even you gotta understand that kidnapping and steal'n, while probably convenient in some way, is just ain't worth it;dragon god or not. I mean, you certainly wouldn't like it if we took the young'uns of your kind as our own, now would you? Which, if we are to be honest with each other, and I'd very much like to be, the thought did pass through my mind to avoid having to the kill them."

"In fact, we left them alone, didn't we, Zashier?" Lem pipes up.

Zashier looks askance for a good half a minute there before shaking his head. "I would just like to say, not that I do not agree with you, Mr. Lem, that is only true if taken from the perspective that they were left alone before their actions dictated our need to investigate. Speaking of, whatever did you do with the dragon hide?"

While Yokini and Zashier were away, Raddunth spaced out while staring at the secret door. So much so that he almost passed out.

When Zashier returns, he binds the kobold and wraps him in his trunk, bringing him to eye level. As Zashier talks the kobold, he begins to squirm, but is unable to extricate himself from the elephant's trunk. At the mention of you taking his children, his eyes go huge with shock, and you can feel him shaking with anger, but your trunk holds him firmly.

He finally relaxes a bit, and at your question about the dragon hide, he responds: we gave it to Froststorm, though I think the human wanted it for his experiments rather than as a gift to the great dragon.

Lem whispers, “I meant the room with the eggs and the defender back there, who we left alone. We didn’t leave the guards alone. No, that was a slau- a wipe- a vict- a tactical success.” He begins to tremble again and mutter to Moon, turning back to the secret door, eventually calming himself by examining the craftsmanship.

Hit die: 10, and another: 5

After the hour rest, Yokini is ready to go!

"All right then," Thistle says as everyone gathers. "Someone quiet the kobold." She takes the key and examines the secret door for any shenanigans before inserting and turning it.

Check for traps with Perception: 19 (for Investigation subtract <gulp> 6)

Once the Kobold got riled up, Zashier raised a brow in the universal 'See? Not so good a feeling now is it?', before having to glance at the others. "Oh... uh... Just one second, Ms. Thistle. And while that certainly is a truth, Mr. Lem, it's not really what I was referring to or going for, as my main point that this whole business could've been avoided with liberal application of empathy and logic beforehand." He explained, then turned back to the kobold.

"The name is Zashier, by the way, and despite the grim circumstances, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. or Missus....?" He trailed off there, and shook the kobold lightly up and down in encouragement. Regardless of the answer, he says, "Well, my point still stands. And while you're in our company, I want you to mull this over. Has this Dragon -- Frostrom -- done any good for your Clan? Any at all. Set aside what you've been probably been told as a babe, which I know can be difficult, but really sit and think hard on this, my scaley friend. I know there's a spark of rightenous in that little heart of yours. And though you might recieve some anger for a while from the clan, it's up to you to decide whether you're going to be the hero they need, or the villian they think they want."

With that, he takes out and cuts off a length of rope to gag the kobold before following a person behind Thistle with his glowing axe in hand.

Zashier, the kobold is a bit sullen at the experience he has just suffered. As you shake him up and down, a strange golden wand falls out of his robes to the ground (since no one checked him for anything). Zashier as you continue to talk to him, he softens a bit, responding "My name is Onzeepzeg, and no, Froststorm has not done any specific good for my clan, but he is a dragon! He is the embodiement of the greatest power! If you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the greatest power in the universe was in your midst, wouldnt you do anything in your power to be with it, to spend time with it, to sacrifice for it, yes even to take in order to give a gift....so that in some small way, this powerful creature could understand that you know how great it is! I know you will not understand this, but my people do not take and kill for ourselves, we take so that we may give, so that we may honor, so that we may worship the great dragons!

Assuming you continue your conversation as you travel, I will move the story along, feel free to interject more conversation.

Thistle examines the door, especially the area that Yokini shows her where the rock is loose, but is not suspicious of any traps here. She inserts the key, turns it (bracing herself for the worst) but nothing happens. The secret rock door pushes in, and stretching out before you is a pitch black tunnel. As Thistle enters it, Zashier following with his glowing axe, the passage is lit enough to walk. The rest of the party follows behind as you walk through the tunnel.

At this point, you have no idea how far you have traveled underground. From the manor above, you took several flights of stairs, a few cutbacks here an there, some time to dismantle traps, long hallways, large rooms, and now this tunnel. The time is hard to tell, but since Yokini did help the prisoners get out to the horse and donkey, she is able to tell you that is night. Wherever you are headed, it is both dark as night outside and in this hallway in which you find yourselves.

You walk and walk, Thistle keeeping an eye out for traps - nothing out of the ordinary.

You continue your journey down the tunnel, probably asking the kobold how much further. He always says "A bit further" and you continue to walk.

Much time has passed, probably a few hours at least, and you see up ahead the end of the tunnel...rough stairs leading up to what must be a trapdoor from the other side....

If Zashier noticed the wand fall, it fails to even register on his face. Now that the elephantine man had gotten the kobold to open up, he either forgets to or delays on binding him up as the group went along, seeming genuinely invested in hearing the kobold out. So during the long journey forward he continues on with the talk; quietly at first, out of concern for immediate dangers, and then more openly without a thought.

"Can't say i'd go so far as sacrifice for it, if'n I were to be honest, which I most certainly am. At least not in a way in which it puts others in harm. And something so powerful don't need me to tell them what they know they are. Any that do, well, they ain't the sorta power you want around you personally for very long. Because they've already shown they care more about themselves, then about those around, or as the case usually is, beneath them, for lack of better words." He expresses with a troubled look about his face.

"As far as this whole being in the presence of something powerful, and wanting to stay by it? Hmm...I guess the closest thing I'd have to that is Pelor's light." He admits, though at a look of confusion from the Kobold he adds, "The Big, yellow circle in the sky. That thing. While it's out, it usually feels pretty nice to be out in its light. Not to mention that without it, it'd be hard to survive, as you know. Hard to grow the right crop, to see things, generally makes people more honest and friendly, and sometimes it keeps the bad things away. In return, though its never been demanded or asked, we offer some of the fruits of our labor and our sincerest thanks for the kindness bestowed upon us." A small smile creeps in his voice towards the end.

"As is the only fair thing to do, when given a gift. And there are a lot different great powers like that out there, and down here, and... everywhere. So far, this Frostrom doesn't seem like so great a power in comparison. Yea, it's big and strong or I'm sure it will be someday if given the chance. But... so what? Does it inspire you to become strong yourselves in following its example? Has it protected you and yours in some way without being told? Been generous in some way without being asked or demanded? Are you really honoring it by capturing and bullying someone weaker than yourself? Or just doing its dirty work." Zashier said, before catching himself and taking a moment to breathe. "... It's just... So far, all I've seen is that it's made it so that your people become attracted to the idea of doing things that just isn't healthy for you and yours. Is that really okay for you all?"

Lem's eyes dart for the path of the wand and tries to catch it before it falls, audibly cursing his won foolishness of not searching the kobold. "What's this? What does it do? Where'd you get it?"

He spends the remainder of the time waiting for the group examining the wand, and then once they're off, he'll divide his attention between the shape and direction of the stonework, and the design of the wand. (He's trying to identify the wand ritually, and to get a sense of where this tunnel goes, who built it, how long ago, and if as he suspects it goes back to town.

History: 13

The kobold hearing Lem notices the dwarf has his wand, and becomes agitated: Its nothing, a trinket, not worth your time and not worthy to give to Froststorm...or the human. Its nothing.

As the party travels on, Lem you know the kobold is lying, and you know that this wand is magical, but its unlike any wand you have ever seen before. It is gold, with little arms going off in multiple direction with colored balls on it. It almost looks like a childs toy, if not for the fact that it is emanating magical forces. (see Discord for picture of wand)

Lem, as you examine the walls, you get the feeling that this tunnel has been here as long as the house you were just in - for some reason the Kamroth family needed a way to secretly travel from their estate in the city to the this manor out in the middle of nowhere, probably for their rituals they practiced in the dungeons you just left.

The kobold continues in conversation with Zashier: You speak with a mixture of understanding and lack of understanding. Something with so much power, like your Sun, doesnt need to or ask to be worshipped, but you worship it because there is this aching inside of you that knows it deserves your worship! It inspires us that, though we are small and weak, we can be stronger, and with such a powerful ally, we may one day benefit from his friendship and loyalty...if only that human wouldnt keep him chained up. Armos does not understand the dragonfolk. He just wants power. I think he both respects and fears the dragon, but he doesnt understand the worship that Froststorm deserves! We are not bullys, we are loyal servants - there is a difference! Or perhaps you are not smart enough to understand what true worship and devotion looks like?

Lem pulls Zashier and any others who are interested aside while someone else volunteers to guard the kobold.

“We can’t just have our new friend along with us unguarded during this next... phase. We have to constrain him. I was also thinking that maybe we try at first to focus on Kamroth, and freeing Yokini’s family. Maybe we don’t have to fight the dragon right away. Maybe we free it, and it might turn on Kamroth. Maybe our new friend here would be supportive of that, at least for now. Thoughts? I could make one of you invisible, maybe Thistle? Would give a better chance at freeing the gnomes, and making a quick decision of whether or not to unchain the dragonling, and for the first shot at Kamroth to hit hard. Kamroth, given all we have learned, doesn’t seem like he should survive this, right?”

After speaking, Lem’s eyes dart around the tunnels, the trapdoor, the kobold, and never to the faces of his friends. He also tries again to get a feel for this wand. He’d seen wands used before, but only by the privileged officers in the mage cadre. He’d barely held one himself.

Lem, through your ritual casting of identify you learn that you have found:

Thistle has kept quiet during the long walk, focusing on the tunnel ahead. But she has been listening. As the group gathers once the trapdoor is in sight, she spares a moment to assess the kobold once again. "You kept the wand from your masters, didn't you. They won't be pleased. If I know men, and I do, this Amros doesn't feel anything towards the dragon that you do, kobold. He expects to tame it, or control it. And just as you are, I expect he is mistaken about his relationship with it. This may be a hatchling, or a wyrmling, but it won't always be."

She looks to the others. "Lem is right, if we can avoid fighting the dragon, even if it is small, that would be best. Kobold, what is through this trap door? Guards? More doors? Give us the layout."

The kobold responds to Thistle: Through this door is a large chamber. Its where the dragon and his hoarde are, and Armos is sometimes there as well. At this moment, I do not know what lies beyond this door...(and he looks both apprehensive and excited)