Expanding the Kingdom
Having delivered the workers to the site of the new city, the party continued exploring the perimeter of their new lands. They traveled south around the shore of the Tuskwater Lake where it was fed by the Gudrun River.
Flying overhead, Stormbolt noted a path through a patch of stinging nettles, but Lucee and Froing followed Oostend and K’rek through them to their discomfort. They followed the path to the shore of the lake, where the kobolds started fishing.
Turtle Soup
Stormbolt went for a swim and something approached him under the water. He took a look under the water and discovered a large snapping turtle coming his way. Lucee noted the disturbance in the water. K’rek retrieved his crossbow. The other kobolds tried to help Stormbolt, but the water was too deep. Froing prepared a spell. Oostend had not noticed. The turtle snapped at Stormbolt, but missed.
Stormbolt clawed and gored the turtle. Lucee scanned the area for more turtles. K’rek readied to shoot if a target appeared. The other kobolds shouted encouragement at the dragon. Froing watched the shoreline for possible threats. Oostend cast Elemental Sample for air and advanced toward the melee. The turtle bit Stormbolt
Stormbolt gored the turtle again. Lucee and the kobolds waited for a target. Froing moved into position to cast. Oostend bit the turtle. The turtle attacked Stormbolt again, but missed.
Stormbolt clawed the turtle twice and killed it. He and Oostend hauled it to shore, where he removed the meat from the shell, and then flew back to the work site to give it to the workers. He returned to the party a few hours later. They had mapped the area and made camp when he arrived. The night passed without incident.
In the morning, they returned to the work site and spent a day overseeing the workers.
Into the Woods
The next day, they traveled into the forest to explore that area when they discovered someone cursing ahead of them. Stormbolt flew over the trees and discovered the bank of the Skunk River. He noted a horse drawn wagon mired in the river with a band of gnomes fretting on the shore.
Lucee, Froing and Oostend approached. The lead gnome was injured. The others were slightly worse for wear, but not as bad as the leader. When they saw the kobolds, the gnomes panicked. Lucee stalled their attack. Froing offered to heal them. The gnomes were more concerned with their wagon.
Stormbolt dove under the water to attempt to push the wagon from behind. When the dragon started down the river, the kobolds followed on the shore. When the gnomes saw them, they drew their weapons. Seeing the armed gnomes, the kobolds drew weapons as well.
Froing attempted to calm the situation by mentioning the dragon coming to help. This panicked the rest of the gnomes. Stormbolt attempted to push the wagon, but it was stuck. The ponies were alarmed by the presence of the dragon. Lucee convinced the gnomes to lower their weapons.
K’rek joined the other kobolds to avoid causing problems. Froing waded into the river and started handing the contents to the gnomes on shore. K’rek uncovered signs of other kobolds and realized that they were probably from his tribe.
Stormbolt managed to free the wagon from the muck, but it fell over and the contents floated away down the river. The horses then pulled the wagon, on its side out of the water. Stormbolt swam upstream and climbed out of the water out of sight of the gnomes. Oostend attempted to salvage the heavier things that had sunk to the bottom.
Lucee calmed the gnomes. They were happy to have gotten the horses back, but were upset about the damage to the wagon and looked at the party with suspicion. Lucee identified the party as the new authority in the area and offered to have the workers at the build site look at their wagon. Froing healed the gnomes.
Gnome Exploration
The lead gnome identified himself as Jubilost Narthropple, an explorer and mapmaker. Froing suggested trading information for their resources. Narthropple offered his maps for 1000 gp each. Stormbolt and Froing wanted to buy the maps, which covered the region south of the lake, as well as the forest they were looking to explore, but the others did not want to spend the money.
They offered the services of the fort, but the gnomes declined as well, stating that it would easier for them to fix the wagon themselves where they were. Stormbolt caught an elk for the gnomes to eat.
Narthropple offered to give directions for various landmarks, but the party declined and continued on their way.