Meanwhile..

[Kythin Steelfang]

The curved sword slick with the blood of a purple wyrm was drawn from the selfsame beast it had been used to kill. A stained rag found use in cleansing the dragon's blood from the scimitar while the dragonslayer sets his steel-hued gaze to the infestation of small, repitilian humanoids that had served as slaves to the juvenile dragon dead at his feet. He turned his back to the Kobolds without another thought, in order to secure a familiar ring from the hoard of the bested Deep Dragon. It had been a good while since it had been in his possession, the familiarity sets his expression to a pleased grin. As he slid the Ring of the Armsman onto a finger the kobolds earned his notice once more as they shuffled fearfully about.. their chief and a sorcerer having long since bowed down like they once did to their draconic master.


" lleisgar vur ocuir batobot.. jekip authot mojka mrith. "
( Rise and see to it that mess is done away with.)


A jerk of his head made to indicate the dead wyrm while the man put the reacquired ring to use at last. A suit of blue-black platemail surronding the formerly unarmored 'human' male in the plates of astral driftmetal.. a Shield sporting the heraldy of the captured Sun at his back.. a cloak of displacer beast fur beneath it.. the weight of the a sword at his belt found him tossing the commandeered scimitar to join the fallen wyrm's hoard.


" clawtongue, mrith ve. wer ssifisv di wux.. tir lae wux geou, drong lae wux tir ti morshin ve."
( Clawtongue, with me. The rest of you.. do as you will, long as you do not cross me. )


With that warning given.. the passing of time.

[Kythin Steelfang]

Clawtongue's tribe of kobolds had grown bold indeed with the lead of the human that had killed off the purple wyrm that had enslaved them prior to his arrival. The tribe of only seven capable warriors and only two capable of manifesting arcane talents inherent to the draconic lineage that touched each and every one of them. The presence of the human Knight had other effects on them as well.. as if touched by something powerful within their new Master. Whereas they had sported a purple hue to their small, scaley frames under the wyrm.. now those same scales displayed a snowy white. A similiar effect had seemingly affected the Boss.. skin and hair alike had lose its former coloration.. earning instead the countence of whiteness.. save for those eyes.. that had taken on a frosty blue.

Under their new leadership.. the tribe began excursion further and further away from their cavern home. Traveling as far as the Firthwood forest and its ruins.. , the Basilisk Slopes, and the village of Longbottom. Though it is only the latter that experiences any visitation by the White-haired Human in black armor.

Truly he could not help but to be pleased with the progress of the village.. burned to a ruin during the Triple Eclipse.. yet here they were.. settling it again.. rebuilding what had been. The results of strife proven not to deter those determined not to give in a die.

On the outskirts of the village the Knight met with Clawtongue once more.. giving orders once more. The kobold Chieftan listened intently of course.

" Gather the tribe and split them.. ready a scouting party to secure a base near the Basilisk Slopes. The rest will join me at the Firthwood. "

He knew enough.. there existed portals in those woods.. and they would make good use of them. Whether the natives liked it or not.

[Ellywick Fizzlespark]

The base of the Basilisk Slopes was home to a great many things and the appearance of the scaled humanoids moving through their territory had the guard of one mostly hidden gnome burrow following behind stealthily.  One gnome using magic to help keep them hidden as they watched the kobolds move.  The wards of the nearby burrow were keeping it hidden for the most part it seemed but as they saw what seemed to be the four setting up a camp waiting for more, the group became fearful.  A message was sent back to town to get orders.   

Two kobolds were away from the others to scout out the location a little better.  It was these two that two separate groups attacked.  The first one injured one of the gnomes which had the others retaliate.  His body thrown into a fallen log to be found by wildlife while the other was drug to an underground hole for questioning on how many they were and why were they there.  A pair of sentries left near the base camp to watch and report anything that became amiss.  If these dumb things thought they were going to find their secret within the Slopes they would soon find that it would be the last secret they ever tried to find.

[Kythin Steelfang]

Kobolds were far more capable when in their element.. at a distance with many a trap between them and intruders in their warrens. Out and about on the surface where the hated gnomes could be run into? The scouts stood no chance despite being enboldened by the leadership of the human. Not trained to resist unpleasant interrogation tactics.. the scout would give up what he knew.. which was precious little of any real use. Save that a human had freed them from their enslavement by a deep dragon.. and now led them to do .. something.. a something that required the portals within the Firthwoods and the capture of one of the beasts of the Slopes from which they earned their name.

The three kobolds that had joined the human rejoined their fellows not long after the Firthwood portals had been secured through .. peaceful intimidation of the half-elven locals. With these returning kobolds came the human knight responsible for drawing them out of their warrens. The two that had remained to set up their base near the Slopes let them in on the news of their scouts being a good many hours late for their rendevous to exchange information on the area.

" Fallen victim to the beasts of the slopes.. or some other menace.. "

He spoke in the tongue of dragons.. his musings shared aloud with the kobolds. Rather than waste more of his meager forces.. other plans were made involving the kobolds.

" Return to Firthwood to aid the half-elves there in keeping anyone not of their kind or ours from making use of them. Clawtongue, with me. "

Once the other kobolds seperated to make the trek to the Firthwood..


" Well lets see if it indeed the local beasts that are responsible for your missing kin. Lets play to your strengths.. keep out of sight and put that bow of yours only when I give the signal. If anything would cause you to make use of your weapons.. retreat or stand down.. if they are sentient .. and draw attention to yourself. "


Simple things to say the least.. whether or not Clawtongue was quick enough to shout a warning before something took him for a pest.. was an entirely different matter.



Never-the-less.. the human and the kobold made tracks.. to follow those of the scouts' own. One of them at least possessed little in regards to concern for the situation.. many things could take down a kobold.. a significant few could deal a mortal blow to him.

[Ellywick Fizzlespark]

As soon as the other kobolds had joined back with the two being watched one of the two sentries left to let the others know that there was activity at the camp. Separating and making use of magic to never step ont the forest floor, they both flew back to confines of the magical wards that kept their burrow safe. 

The ones that had been interrogating the remaining kobold were in conference with the local Mayor to make a decision of what to do. On one hand letting them do what they were for while on the other they could assist them in finding a basilisk and offer fast passage far away from the Slopes and the secret that every gnome in that burrow kept dear. Finally it was decided that it might be best to offer assistance just to get the nasty creatures and their tall one away from the settlement. 

Making a wide arc away from the wards to come around where they had found one of the scouts, five gnomes dispersed with their illusions for now. One was an elder with gnarled fingers grasping at a cane while the other four held a long pole to which the remaining living scout was currently bound. Each one dressed in a way to help them blend save for the dark red hat that the elder was wearing. It was upon seeing another that the whole group paused and the elder's hands immediately rose up as if he was preparing to unleash an invocation. 

"Stop where you are or be turned to stone for our garden!"

[Kythin Steelfang]

True as it was that an oppurtunity had been seen in the kobolds meteing out their existence above the dragon's hoard that contained what he was the rightful owner of.. he lacked the need to keep them alive. They should have been little more than cannon fodder for the resurrection of his conquest. Instead the majority had been sent back.. without their chieftan. The lost of their leadership would force them to do or die. The best means of strengthened the least of the dragon-touched races.

Such did not factor in to his immediate concerns.. his progress taken note of the gnome sounded out the warning to stop. The human smiled despite the threat carried with the words.


" Oh? "


A gauntled bearing hand rose to swipe digits over the breastplate that sent the driftmetal plates receding,, till they restored the brooch that was its resting state. Along with the simplicty of that action was his eyes closing.. if indeed they controlled one of the basalisks of the slopes.. it wouldn't do to risk himself to a fate even one such as himself could not resist.


" Are we to parley then? "


This human knew few gnomes.. could count the precious few on one hand. The one that came to mind could indeed be quite the problem for him. Though how likely was it for the pink haired lass to be among these specimens of the Forgotten Folk. They were not the sort of people that had need of his methods to strengthen the lot of them through strife. 

" Perhaps a secret will pay for the life of my scout, the only one remaining among the living I wager? Regrettable. " 

His smile receded as quickly as it had come earning the scowl that some at least among the people of Sarkotos and Dunsany would remember all too well. 


" I am Sir Kythin Steelfang, the Black Knight of Dunsany and I have awfully little reason to bother Fizzlespark's people. "


A poor use of dropping the surname that they possessed precious little chance of knowing. Still he would not bring war on the gnomes without them attacking him first. While the assualt of his kobold minions could certainly  have been seen as such an act.. much greater things were needing his attention. Like his ship. 

[Ellywick Fizzlespark]

The grouping of the small gnomes watched as the man had his armor removed into a trinket and soon the old man's hands were coming back down as he took the hobbling steps back towards the knight. Taking in the features of the man as he turned to wave at the kobold which had the four that were with him placing the bound creature down onto the ground. Despite the ease that the older male was expressing the others were on guard still. Their hands stayed where they could be seen however while they moved to stand in an arc behind their elder.

"We can parley."

A brief nod of the older man's head was given and he was going to say more when the man's experession changed. While the younger males became uneasy with the situation, the elder seemed to just smile a little wider up until the name of Fizzlespark was mentioned. That made his cheek tick before he turned to one of the males and decided to speak in his native language not thinking that man might know. A quick conversation of their speedy speech following before the man would turn back.

"Is this one of the ones your cousin brought through here the other night then?"

"No, there was a tall white haired male but he looked more pirate than knight.
"Yeah, this wasn't one of them."
"Then he's guessing that we're related."
"Probably assumes all gnomes know each other. She's gotten a name for herself and they do say she's from the woodlands."

That caused the old man to slice his hand through the air. "Don't be petty. Just keep a watch on the woods for any of his scaly friends."

A grin came back towards his face as he turned towards Kythin. His language switching back to the Common Tongue. "I've heard of the Black Knight and I know the name Fizzlespark as many people have in the world. We have a group that is in the woods and we were just protecting ourselves when one of the scouts attacked and wounded one of our own. The other was brought for questioning and he tells my guard that you are looking for a creature from the Slopes and passage through portal stones. I would like to offer you as much assistance as I can for the removal of such creatures as your... scout out of my territory. How can Mayor Dewshine aid your quest, sir?"

[Kythin Steelfang]

The scowl eased its way to becoming a more neutral expression with the agreement to parley.. not that it was all that necessary. No true need to return the remaining scout to his tribe. It would go a small way towards keeping the kobolds under his sway without relying on intimidation to keep them in line. When the gnomes set to conversing among themselves, he let one stark white brow rise at the sounds. The dragon's knowledge of gnomen flooded his mind and the words become more and more clear til the talk of others like himself having been brought through recently. They did not realize that he understood gnomen.. that much came into clarity quickly enough.


He remained silent despite his eavesdropping on the evident conversation ended by the Elder's hand-chop through the air. The offer made by this Mayor earned his attention much more than the presumptive talk.


" Your methods would be much more reliable than relying on kobolds. "


Long as he had certainity that such did not involve any clockwork machinery! Kythin did not care to be blown up for his troubles. Much as he might enjoy the antics of Ellywick .. it would be a hard-sell indeed to step anywhere close to gnomish technologies.


" I agree to your terms, assuming you will allow my associate to retrieve his kinsman.. and the body of the other. "

" Clawtongue, come introduce yourself.. and keep the bow on your back. "


And.. surprisingly enough the Kobold Chieftan did fit the bow in place over the quiver at his back before making his way over to the knight. He stopped at the point Kythin had before looking to the gnomes that were much more his height.


" Want kin back. "

" Yes, I suspected as much Clawtongue. Assuming the Mayor here will let you pass.. I want you to take your kinsman back to the Firthwood. Gather your tribe and make for home. I'll be along .. after. "


Or rather ... eventually.

He set his attention back to the gnomes and their Elder, Mayor Dewshine.


" I am after a thief and the airship commandeered from its dock in Shallot, dubbed the airship Dominus."


His purpose for seeking a portal out of Kyngfled told.. he set his frosty blues on the other gnomes with Mayor Dewshine. 


" You were correct. I was guessing. " 

[Ellywick Fizzlespark]

The old man watched as the kobold came out and he could feel the tension of the others and hissed a command to one of the younger ones. The young man moved over to where they had the bound kobold and undid it warily and jumped back. They hadn't actually hurt the kobold but there had been a serious mindfuck to make him think they were going to do far worse than they had.

Once that was done, Dewshine grinned to the man and then let out a chuckle when he let in on the fact that he had heard what they were saying. 

"It was a good guess. She is from Kyngfeld afterall but her village is closer to the Walk." 

The information was dropped in keeping with the ruse that most of them held close. Then he started to play with his beard a little as he gained more information.

"Then let us help you in retrieving this beast quickly so that you can handle this slight." 

He didn't care what the Black Knight did as long as it was far away from the Slopes.

"I send these four with you. They are capable of many things as you would suspect. I am in touch with them but these old bones are not for seeking out the nests of basilisks. If you need a quick portal after you have the beast then I will be near to handle." 

One of his hand slipped into his robe and then he passed a bag to the one he had spoken to about being cousins with Ellywick. The bag was taken and put around his neck so that it would rest there. Inside was a fresh supply of supplies for the mission they were about to embark on. 

The gnomes would do much to deal with the male and get him away from their home as fast as possible. Of course. Elly needed to be contacted to mention that the Knight had been in the territory.. but only to make sure that there wasn't more to be worried about. Ellywick could at least confirm she had no beef with Mr. Personality. Though she told them to remain vigilant as always. The same warning she would give for the Black Night as she would the Northman or even the Baker Smith. No matter how close she was.. Dewshine came first.

[Kythin Steelfang]

A little trauma would either bend or break the kobold scout.. only time could tell which of those it would be. He stood by while Clawtongue retrieved his kinsman and make quick work of following orders. It removed the kobolds hastily from the presence of the Knight and Gnomes alike. How the tribe might react to one of their being taken away from them by the actions of gnomes near the Slopes? Would they seek retribution? Chances were, yes.. they would.


Once Clawtongue and the scout were out of earshot, the Knight set his attention back to the gnomes, especially the Mayor as he offered more help than had been expected out of a race known for avoiding trouble. While he did not presume these specimens of the Forgotten Folk incapable of handling Basilisks.. it seemed a poor judgement to send them to potentially become many a statue for his sake.


" While I am grateful for the aid its clear your intent is to be rid of me as soon as possible. An understandable sentiment.. no one likes dangerous beasts this close to their homes. "


He did not suspect that there might be something larger than a small village of gnomes nearby. It explained why a small group of them would be out dealing with the likes of a kobold sighting in such numbers against the likes of a pair of scouts. An overwhelming amount of force for ill-trained adversaries.


" Still.. you have my thanks, Mayor. "


He suspected that at some point this Elderly gnome would call on him for a favor with something like this rendered aid hanging over his head. Kythin decided against rejecting the aid of the four. It would be far more beneficial to play the part of the guardian, considering how likely it was these four gnomes knew far more than he about the beasts of the slopes. If and when such had passed and Kythin had his prize.. well.. it was a matter of trusting the gnomes to port him off to a safe locale.. rather to into the middle of a hostile situation. Gnomes were many things.. and mischievious was damn well one of them.

[Kythin Steelfang]

The passing of several days had provided a number of useful gifts to the Black Knight. The magical guise of a Vishkanya male, dark haired with a scaley green hue to his skin made for a decant contrast from the reality that lay beneath the woven illusions of Ellywick Fizzlespark. His idle hours were spent in the common room of the Obsidian Heart Inne, amongst the adventurers that could provide the rumors of airship and the like that might set him on his way to reclaiming what was his from this.. 'Art'. Another shot of the vile green brandy known as Viper's Kiss drowned the thoughts with the familiar sizzling, burn of something so much akin to acid poured down to join the rest of the bottle's former contents that settled into his guts. 


All things would settle into place soon enough. what was in question.. was if Miss Fizzlespark would provide a location for his feet to carry him. He would have his airship back.. whether he could take his vengeance of the thief or not. 

[Ellywick Fizzlespark]

Art had been called out to participate in a little fun in the form of an endurance match with a few others. Andraste and Behr joined by Celeste and Wolfgang and they had been so close to taking down the sky captain. Though close only counts in games, Elly had enjoyed watching and then other people all disappeared to go their separate ways even though she'd been interested in perhaps doing something 'fun.' Though before the man left she had propositioned Art about a possible job. A job that was sure to be made a real thing eventually. It was all the Bastard's fault in giving her the idea to use the Dominus to reach Xiang-Fei. Of course the true purpose had been to give a certain male information he sought that might keep his hindparts away from the villages. While she was sure Kythin wasn't really a threat anymore, it was the people that might track Kythin after hearing of his location that she was worried about. The sooner the man was gone from the area, the less she had to worry about.

Moving over towards the Vishkanya male that she had associated herself with randomly, the pink-haired gnome climbed up into the seat beside him with a grin.

"So I hear Zyon is a great place to see from up above this time of year..."

[Kythin Steelfang]

Anyone with a grasp on both the Black Knight himself and the reputation that had been cultivated understood the danger his presence brought with it.. even if his intentions towards you and your kind might be one of non-aggression.

The Vishkanya in question lifted his head towards the familiar voice of the gnome, Ellywick. He considered the Forgotten Lady and the words spoken.. alas not before opening his mouth.

" What are you going on ab... Ah. "

Clarity brought silence.. was his Airship and the Thief in Zyon then? A good start none-the-less.

" You think? Planning a trip or were you thinking a mischievous getaway? Stow away on a ship.. that could fun. "

[Ellywick Fizzlespark]

Ellywick just grinned for a moment as her hand lifted up to signal that she wanted an ale. Waiting for it to come to her as the other man figured out what she had said and why she had particularly meant to say such a thing. A small sip taken of the hearty beverage as he seemed to come up to her wavelength. Though his exact response got a quick shake of her head a few times.

"Oh no. I plan to ask this sky captain person that I know to do some business with me. Probably going to start as a quick passage up to a floating continent but then he'll have to bring me back. I do enjoy the land beneath my feet more than a deck but that's because I've spent 160 years not running around on ships going here and there."

She eyed the man beside her for a moment as she settled wondering how he felt about the idea knowing only a smidge of his true plans. Though all she did was have information, it's not like she had thrown a net on the guy and drug him into the Inne!

[Kythin Steelfang]

Ellywick's travel plans did not sound as if they would interfere with his own plans. The only question was.. tag along with the gnome or wait till the ship made its return? Well the only logical course of action to insure knowing where the vessel would land..

" Knowing you I will be missing something exciting if I failed to go along for the ride. More the merrier as they say, right, Ellywick? "

He could postpone carrying out his plans in full till the gnome was a reasonable distance away. It just wouldn't do to get carried away with pre-meditated murder when some adventurer could throw a wrench into the cogs. Something gnomes were especially adept at..

" Is it a date then? Shall we say.. rendezvous in Zyon within the .. I'll just join you. I always get lost when I step foot in the cities there.. "

[Ellywick Fizzlespark]

The gnome grasped at her ale like she always did, practically embracing the alcohol so that she could get some without spilling a drop. To give herself credit, she didn't choke on it either as the Black Knight decided to say it was a date and he was going with her. Though it was a little rougher going down than usual and she came up with a small cough before turning to him.

"Don't you trust me?"

Oh how her lashes batted at that one before she let out a small cackle and moved to take another sip of her ale. Thinking over if she should tell him to get lost or go along with his plan. Guess it depended on how much of a good boy that he could be, didn't it?

"I need to set up the travel time with him so just come by my shop tomorrow for the final information. Or you can just plan your ambush before my ship and I find someone else to take me to make my trade agreements. I just need to know if I should show up or not. I will not actually lift a finger to assist you in your chosen action against the individual. I'm sure you understand. I prefer to do most of my dirty work from the shadows."

[Kythin Steelfang]

" As much as you trust me. "

A slow, sly grin inched rather creepily into place with that awfully simple statement. The Vishkanya lifted his mug of Viper's Kiss to down what remained of the Maddish Brandy.

" I will play your game, Ellywick. Make your bargains for travel with your Captain pal. I will stand back and behave for a time in your shadow. I have much to occupy myself with in the meantime, much to catch up on, I trust you understand? "

It would not do to upset his gnomish benefactor until his plans had come to fruition. Until he and the Captain were face to face, with the showdown underway.. there would be no need to remove any of the pawns from the board. 

" How about another ale? "