Maloy the Kobold CatcherIt was Mid-Summer of 1061 when the dwarf known as
Maloy appeared, asking to speak with the leader of The Mines of Artifice. They claimed to have great skill in trapping and thief-catching, honed for years against the goblin snatcher gangs that regularly harassed the southern colonies, and wished to apply similar techniques against the local population of kobolds.
For is was in these deserted western mountains that the kobolds of this land sought refuge from the great heat waves that plagued the low valleys. Above this lake, air spirits directed great gusts of chill air from the peaktop glaciers, which rolled downhill in billowing gales, cooling all those below.
So
Maloy met with
Iton, Director of Trade, and
Ushrir, the Captain of the mercenary squads.
Logem accompanied Iton as apprentice negotiator.
"So you claim interest in settling here. But why?" inquired Iton.
Maloy grunted. "Kobolds. I heard from a wagon train you had problems. I have solutions."
Ushrir spoke over the other two. "Well . . they have yet to make it inside the keep. . the problem has yet to escalate like you seem to think."
Maloy: "Yes. I would build outside the fortress, a small encampment, maybe with some of your laborers to assist. We would bait and trap the encampment, and wait. See what comes out way."
Iton pulled Ushrir aside. "He fits the bill, but do you think this is worth our time? And what if the Queen somehow finds out we're using funds to supply some paranoid trappers crazy dreams?"
Ushrir shrugged. "It's your call, boss. I think Maloy's not going to hurt anyone."
So Iton returned to the trapper, and shook hands in agreement. They settled on a small outcropping north of the keep, and here Maloy would found a small trapper's hut.
Before leaving, Maloy raised a further point. "I am gonna need something worth coin to bring in the greyskin thiefs. Can you spare me a gem or three?"
Iton locked eyes with Logem, the apprentice. A bit suspicious indeed to be asking for raw wealth so early in the task. . but it would be awkward to refuse considering Maloy had just strolled through a genuine vault full of precious gemstones. So three large gemstones were given to Maloy in a bag to act as ultimate temptation for the local kobolds.
As soon as the hut was complete, goblins appeared, near the eastern lake cliffs. Maloy rushed to the keep and all were thankful for the early scouting.
The goblins had sent a small force only, six crossbow goblins. The 19 guardsman were sent forth to earn their pay, led by
Ushrir, wielding silver hammers (as silver was the only metal available on this map, excluding the demon metal).
But those silver bolts flew true and five dwarves lay dead after the fight. Twice as many were wounded, some with horrible internal injuries from the barbed bolts.
Atir nearly dodged off the cliff and into the lake, but survived by catching hold of a thin ledge judge below the precipice.
fun fact: it takes about two seconds IRL for a tooth to fall all the way to the lake surface, from the tops of the cliffs. Certified tall.
===
Later, in Autumn, the trading caravan was disturbed by a giant wombat. No wood or metal this year, further stalling the progress of the mines and our military.
I'll say it again: there is no metal but silver. We have magma but only the single forge. And a handful of picks, well, we could use twice as many at the moment.
Rovod had one of those possessions:
A brilliant artifact! A true sphere, spiked with bone opal. Now we can kill our enemies with gemstones.
Then, horror . . . not the grey thieves, but the green ones.
Two got away but the third was captured. Maloy brought this bird as proof of success, and with a request for more "bait." Iton granted this, but only allowed for a few small handfuls of semi-precious stones this time. No more large gems would be risked during this operation.
The trapper's hut was expanded. It doesn't look like much if you don't know to recognize the trap-covers that hide the spring mechanisms, but Maloy's house now bristles with mechanized cage traps.
It is 1061, Autumn. Work continues.