>>1029137
Names. Have we thought of names yet? If its a boy, we can name his Aragon. If its a girl, we can name her Eredesh.

What are we going to spend our 1 coin on? Will we need to save up muny to send our baby to kobold college when theyre old enough?

Gosh we should show our parents the baby. Theyre grandparents!

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)15:35 No. 1029203 ID: eedbeb
File 164988935045.png - (132.35KB , 1000x1100 , u32.png )

You drop your meat and hurry to where the egg is resting in the soft furs. Sure enough there's a long crack in its side, exposing a skin-like membrane, and you can hear more peeping from the tiny kobold trying to get out of the damp sack.

Weasel grabs your hands and you both crouch over the egg as the hatchling slowly breaks through the shell and tears away the membrane using her hard baby beak. You catch a glimpse of curved horn nubs, which means you have a daughter!

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)15:35 No. 1029204 ID: eedbeb
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It's agony to wait, but it's important for the child to use her own strength to emerge.

>Name
You and Weasel decided ahead of time to call your first child Worm. A good hearty name and a very tasty snack as well, especially when you find a bunch near a wet rotten log.

Worm slides out of her egg and squirms around on a rabbit pelt, scales wet from the leftover egg fluid. Her eyes are closed and she nestles into the soft white fur. After the hatchling rests for a few minutes, you pick her up and hold her to your chest.

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)15:36 No. 1029205 ID: eedbeb
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Your heart has been working overtime the past two days, and you wonder if Worm can hear it hammering as you hold her. Weasel fetches some broth and soft bits of stewed fat, and Worm lifts her head and peeps with excitement. A few spoonful’s of food later and Worm curls up in your arms and goes to sleep.

A perfect child! An immaculate baby! You're bursting with pride. Worm has such delicate claws, each crafted in the image of the great dragon. Her scales are a beautiful red with flecks of dark blue.

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)15:36 No. 1029206 ID: eedbeb
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You feel a tremendous urge to protect your child. How will you resolve the current situation?

-Interrogate the thief and talk to Gregory the loud human
-Ask the dragon for help
-Use your gold coin to purchase and move to a new cave

Interrogate the thief for more information about who sent him on his mission, and talk to Gregory. You were on good terms with him last you checked, so he may share some of your outrage over what's happened.

>>1029206
-Interrogate the thief and talk to Gregory the loud human

>>1029207
>>1029206
+1 to Himitsu, he's got the right idea. Has someone been filling the mountain kobold's head with nonsense?

Dragon is sleepy. Go talk to Greg.

See Greg

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)19:10 No. 1029231 ID: eedbeb
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>Get to the bottom of this
You aren’t going to run and you aren’t going to bother the dragon, she needs her beauty sleep to maintain her supreme figure. Talking to the thief and your human acquaintance Gregory will hopefully resolve the problem.

The rest of the evening goes by normally, except that you and Weasel are very distracted by baby Worm. You make sure she’s comfortable in the nest before you fall asleep.

The next morning you bid Weasel farewell, grab your spear, and trek through the tunnels to your parents’ cave.

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)19:10 No. 1029232 ID: eedbeb
File 164990223091.png - (229.68KB , 1000x1100 , u37.png )

To your shock, you see your father having breakfast and chatting with the thief, whose hands are free.

“Hello Germ, this lad Bark here is an interesting fellow, he explained to me that he robbed you for love. He’s quite educated, says he’s trying to learn a bit of magic.”

That wretched thief! He struck at your father’s weakest point, his empty nest syndrome!

>>1029232
Tell your father that’s not the story the thief told you when you confronted him earlier. So that means that the thief is lying and changing his story to try and make your father take pity on him.

>>1029232
The thief is a liar. He told me a completely different story about him stealing the coin gifted to us by the dragon so he can give it back to the humans in the hopes they would let him live with him, the blasphemer! Daring to insult the great dragon in any capacity! Regardless of his intentions, he stole from our home, stealing our life savings, and endangered Worm our newly hatched baby girl.
Tell the thief to get on the ground or we'll run him through with the spear. We don't want to kill him if we don't have to, but he better get his story straight before we feed him to our gnoll neighbors.

>>1029232
Relate to your father the story that the thief told you.

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)20:40 No. 1029246 ID: eedbeb
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You’re a little more in control after a full night’s sleep but you still screech with rage at Bark’s bold lies. The thief stands and tries to get away from you, but doesn’t get very far before tripping. You see that his ankles are still tied and jab your spear into his chest.

tippler 2022/04/13(Wed)20:40 No. 1029247 ID: eedbeb
File 164990764996.png - (213.39KB , 1000x1100 , u39.png )

“Tell the truth right now or I’ll run you through!” you growl.

Bark stutters a bit with fear, but manages to explain. He fell in love with a human woman and wanted to join the town, but the leaders said no. One of them, an old woman shaman, was interested in his plight and told him about Germ’s cave, saying there was something there that belonged to the humans. As you expected, the shaman didn’t specify the coin.

Wait, our shaman guest ratted us out? That bitch, what the hell?

Gregory, plz explain what the dealio is.

>>1029247
The shaman only told him something belonged to the humans.

Ask him if the shaman specified what he needed to get? Because there are 2 things that belonged to humans in our cave: the coin and the skull.

Facepalm.
"UGH. The Mayor of the town gave me that thing. THE. MAYOR. Do you understand? It legally belongs to me! And I need it for my daughter's education!
So that mother-of-a-crusader really was a rotten hag after all... Don't trust the shaman. She knew the mayor is my friend, I bet she wanted us to kill each other."

I wonder if Gregory gave us the wrong skull?
Anyway, why don't we give him the skull, then go with him and watch at a distance to find out what happens when he hands it over.

>>1029247
This is getting stranger. If he truly loves the human lady, then we'll consider this. Go ask the old lady to come visit us and we'll talk things out.
And key work, "belonged", it's our now, and they gave it to us willingly. The only lady probably couldn't tell kobolds apart and assumed the one with the skull would be us, and she probably assumed we would help you.

Oh if he's really telling the truth, then he can talk our ear off about the lady. What does she look like? What does he like about her? etc.

If you really want to stick it to that Shaman, you could ask Gregory why Bark wasn't allowed into town, and try to help smooth things over and get him in with the humans. The Shaman was either trying to get him into trouble with his fellow 'bolds or using him as a lackey, so either way giving him what he wants would be a giant middle finger to her.

Plus, then he becomes the humans' problem.

>>1029266
But we need the gold to help support our family! We can’t just give him what he wants!

its a good thing we have wings with how often we keep flying off the handle

from the explanation the thief gave, he wasn't even told to go steal anything. i doubt the humans would leave out what the item was if they really wanted this kobold to steal it. sounds like this guy is just lonely and desperate and did something stupid.

clam down and go talk with the humans and figure out what they think belongs to them.

also side quest suggestion because it would be a nice gift for your daughter -- get her a first hatchday gift. something to commemerate her hatching. maybe some glue and paints for the egg shell to make it look fancy.

>>1029267
compromise: adopt the thief. big brother time. now its both his gold and yours

>>1029251
>Because there are 2 things that belonged to humans in our cave: the coin and the skull.
False. The coin is our by right of dragon donation, and the skull was gifted to us.

>>1029257
I can see that happening. He could had accidentally given us the wrong skull. Actually, he did mentioned the skull belonged to his neighbor’s daughter little Yori. It's hard to mix up a child sized skull.

>>1029266
>>1029269
Problem is: the coin is also Weasel's. We'd need her permission, not that we want to or should give away the coin. We can be nice to Bark if he's just being an idiot, but he's going to need to earn his own coinage. Plus I'm still suspicious of the humans and their worship of that necromancer.

Hmm, I think I know why they sent him here. The first thread we went into town and did a good job guarding a shop, so the humans know we can be trusted. They sent this dumbass to us because we would in theory be a good influence on him.

>>1029270
>False. The coin is our by right of dragon donation, and the skull was gifted to us.
No, what I said is true because I used the past tense “belonged”, meaning that they used to belong to the humans, but now they belong to us.

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)15:45 No. 1029286 ID: eedbeb
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This Bark fellow has a severe case of idiot disease, but it sounds like he was motivated by good intentions and just needs a proper role model. You keep your spear tip jabbing into his chest while you think.

"Tell me about this woman you like." you say, as a test.

Bark launches into a lyrical description of some raven haired beauty who treated him with a cold glass of beer after he helped her in her mother's garden. It doesn't sound like she's related to Gregory or the shaman, thank the dragon, you don't think you could handle more complications.

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)15:46 No. 1029287 ID: eedbeb
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"So you're familiar with the town, right? Do you know where I could find the shaman? I think she might have been talking about a different item than the coin." you say.

You explain the situation with Yori the skull and how it was a gift from a well-meaning but dense man named Gregory.

"That's probably what she wanted! Necromas skulls are a useful component of many spells." he says.

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)15:46 No. 1029288 ID: eedbeb
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You instruct your father to keep Bark here while you make the return trip to your cave to grab the skull and update Weasel. Once you return, you tie Bark's hands and untie his feet, then set him in the direction of the town.

It's the same bustle and chaos that you remember from last fall. You spot the candle shop where you earned a silver piece and stand tall under the gaze of the passerby. Bark takes you to a wood building with a bone motif and the guard fetches the shaman.

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)15:46 No. 1029289 ID: eedbeb
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The old woman is surprised to see you, and takes your curt explanation without complaint.

"You're right, I was hoping for Bark here to get me the skull. Gregory was a fool to give it to you, after absorbing the life energy from a new tree it has the potential to form an apparition. Also, it has better use for spell-casting than as a kobold cave ornament."

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)15:46 No. 1029290 ID: eedbeb
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Final Choice
-Hand over the skull and ask not to be bothered by humans ever again
-Hand over the skull and ask for Bark to be accepted in town
-Screw the shaman! She should have just asked for the skull back normally. Keep Yori.

Keep skull, befriend apparition

>>1029290
Hand over the skull and ask for Bark to be accepted in town

You don’t want the skull to turn into an apparition in your home! That would put your wife and child in danger! And getting Bark accepted in town will get him to stop pestering you.

hand over the skull and ask for Bark to be accepted,

>>1029290
-Hand over the skull and ask for Bark to be accepted in town
They want the thief, they get the thief.

Also complain to Gregory.

You've lost the necromas spirit, old crone! The only thing you're getting is coal.

Hand over the skull and ask for Bark to be accepted in town, but not before chastising him on how this experience should serve as a lesson that stealing is wrong.

>>1029290
Give them the skull! We don’t want that near our family! And have the humans take Bark so he can stop bothering you!

adopt bark dammit
also dont give back the skull regifting is rude

Hand over the skull and ask for Bark to be accepted in town

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)19:22 No. 1029311 ID: eedbeb
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While it’s tempting to keep the skull and adopt Bark, your cave is too small for two more permanent guests. You have to prioritize Weasel and Worm over ghosts and weirdos!

“I’ll give you the skull on one condition, let Bark stay with you and help him adjust to human life.” you say.

“Certainly.”

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)19:22 No. 1029312 ID: eedbeb
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You hand over the skull to the shaman and undo Bark’s restraints.

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson on stealing.” you tell him sternly. “I don’t ever want to catch you sneaking into my cave again or I won’t be as merciful.”

Bark nods eagerly and scampers to the shaman’s side, peeking out at you from around the hem of her cloak.

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)19:23 No. 1029313 ID: eedbeb
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Job complete, you promptly turn on your heel and march back out of town. It occurs to you that while Bark will heed your warning, the shaman could always send some other hapless creature your way. You resolve to hide the gold coin somewhere less obvious than the chest when you get home.

On the way back to your side of the mountain, you stop by Rhortra’s house to share gossip and get a fresh bunch of dandelion greens as a gift.

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)19:23 No. 1029314 ID: eedbeb
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You arrive home to find Worm peeping in the furs while Weasel bustles around the cave. She immediately hands child duty off to you and goes out for some fresh air.

There are still plenty of chores to do, but you take a moment to admire Worm, proud of your actions to keep her safe.

tippler 2022/04/14(Thu)19:23 No. 1029315 ID: eedbeb
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Thanks for reading.

>>1029315
Thanks for being here