The Kobold in the Cellar

     This is the first installment in a series of adventures specifically written by Chrissy for the purpose of playing with children. Min maxers are not welcome here.

     The Kobold in the Cellar is perfect for first level characters.

     Start with this music

     The story takes place in the Red Dragon Inn, a small place in a little village called Willow Creek. The village has many houses, a few businesses, and a small creek that flows all year long.

     The characters are in the tavern doing their thing, when they hear word that the innkeeper has some work for them.

     But the innkeeper isn't behind the bar, instead his wife Becky is there, an overweight and overworked woman with long hair pulled into a bun.

      Sitting at the bar is a young man named Leif. He's unshaven and unkempt, and drinking the cheapest beer dregs the Inn has to offer. Leif hears things at the bar and is a good source of rumors. He will accompany the characters if they need some help, is a level 1 fighter that wields a dagger and a shortsword. He wears no armor, as he lost some of it gambling and sold the rest for beer money.

      Becky shouts rudely for her husband when the characters ask her about the work that needs to be done, and Mr. Henderson appears from the kitchen. He is a very large man wearing a big greasy apron, which he dries his hands on. He tells the characters that he has a theft problem in the cellar of the inn,  and he thinks it might be rats. He wants the characters to go take care of them, and will pay a reward.

     The cellar of the Inn is a large rectangular room. On the left are bags and bags of flour, dried fruit and vegetables,  and beyond that a large rack spanning the wall of wine and mead of different ages. On the right are boxes in disarray, and beyond that many barrels of beer. 

     As the characters round the corner they are attacked by three kobolds.

      After the battle, spot check (8), if successful there is a tunnel behind the far side of the wine rack where the kobolds came in.

     The characters tell Mr. Henderson what they found. In return, he pays them three silver for each kobold killed. If Leif is with the party, Leif takes 4 silver from the loot and heads to the bar.

     The next day, the town magistrate finds the party. His name is Oglethorpe, and you get the impression that he is not just an elected official, but rather, a resident who genuinely cares about the community. He tells the party that later on the evening Mr. Henderson discovered that the inn's savings box had been stolen,  presumably by the kobolds, and could the characters find it? Oglethorpe says that Mr. Henderson has offered a magic item as a reward, and that the town will give them a place to live if the characters can take care of the kobold threat permanently.

     The adventurers set out to find the kobold nest, following a trail of destruction through the tunnel under the inn. After an hour of travel, some of which was crawling throigg the tunnel, they come upon a narrow entrance to a cave. The sounds of kobold activity can be heard echoing from within.

     Play this music 

     The Nest: As the adventurers enter the cave, they find themselves in a large chamber filled with kobolds. The creatures are armed and dangerous, and they immediately attack the intruders. The adventurers must fight their way through the kobold forces, facing traps and obstacles along the way.

 

    The Boss Battle: 

Play this music 

     At the back of the chamber, the adventurers face off against the kobold leader, a cunning and powerful foe. The battle is intense, but the adventurers ultimately emerge victorious. With the kobold leader defeated, the rest of the nest scatters, and the adventurers are free to search the cave for any valuable treasures.

     The Reward The adventurers return to Willow Creek and present their victory to the village elder. He thanks them for their bravery and offers them the promised reward. The village is now at peace, and the adventurers have made a name for themselves as the heroes of Willow Creek.

      From here, there are some additional rumors about a wizard in a tower who has been performing experiments on young people that he charms to his tower.

     Only to find out that he was trying to create a slave to pilot a spelljammer he acquired.