Soot's Journal: Fake Kobolds, Real Ghosts

20th of Hammer, 1512 DR
 
After some questioning, we learn that Trex was human in a past life. He apparently was decapitated by a Yeti while climbing Kelvin's Cairn. He was trying to document all the flora and fauna of Icewind Dale. We chat with him for a while and learn that he indeed wants to make an alliance with the humans, and that he is looking to recover his human form.
 
We make our way out of the tunnel and use Cinder to teleport out of the hole. Trex tries to escape, but I quickly recover him and we all get to the top level and start walking to the exit. As we begin to leave, I tie my rope around the hands of the kobold to ensure he cannot easily escape.
 
We call over our Axebeaks, and we send Trex on board with Electra. We begin to make our way back to the Termalaine to deliver the kobold to the Speaker of the town.
 
We meet with the Speaker in the dead of night and start the diplomacy. I inform him of the Grell in the tunnels and he is shocked. As proof, I give him the tongue of the Grell which I was holding onto. Speaker Masthew and Trex talk for a while and finally come to a conclusion in their deal. As I am starting to remove the kobold's bindings, Electra tries to steal his bag. However he does notice, and manages to wrestle it back. After diffusing the situation, I get my brand new Greathammer! It is beautiful, and as I spin it in my hands, embers begin to flick off the hammer head.
 
As Masthew provides the remainder of the fifty shiny piece reward, Madu learns that the Speaker only knew that killing Auril would end the cold. Madu gets furious and rushes out, and we finish collecting the reward and leave.
 
As we are walking out, Luna freaks out and mimes to look through the window! She claimed that Speak Masthew and Trex body-swapped! We rushed back in and find that the kobold is dazed on the ground and Masthew is looking very cocky. I started to question him about things that only he should know... He was able to answer all of my questions unfortunately. However, then Madu called him Trex and told him that if he could answer his questions that he would leave. Speaker Masthew looked at us and said: "Trex? I am Janth Alowar."
 
In fury, I rushed forwards drawing my Greathammer and began to attack Speaker Masthew. Electra immediately calls out to me to wait, but I was unsure of whether or not to attack. I had a moment of serious internal strife, as I really wanted to smash him with my new hammer. Electra questions him and learns that Janth is a spirit possessing the Speaker, and then Luna uses her magic to paralyze him!
 
Madu and I take advantage of the situation, and bind his arms and legs. Then we grapple him and start to question him again as the paralysis ends. After some rough deduction, we learn that he is possessing Speaker Masthew and that Janth's spirit is tied to the bag Electra tried to steal previously. We get ahold of it and learn that if we destroy the bag, we destroy Janth.
 
I cast produce flame and hold it under the bag. In a fit of rage, I look at Janth dead in the eyes and tell him, that just like his restrictive and cocky questioning, he has three chances to convince me not to kill him. I enlarge the flame and give him a chance to speak. However, his answers did not impress Electra, and she drops the bag into my fiery hand. Honestly, this was the coolest thing she has ever done! Janth screamed out in agony as I began to burn his spirit, and he looked to us with his cocky expression, saying "Bring it on."
 
Everyone piled onto Janth to ensure that he could not do anything to stop us, and I leaned over and told Electra that I needed to leave the room with the bag because Janth's spirit can change bodies whenever he has line of sight. She told me she would keep him from breaking free, and I ran just out of the room, waiting and burning the bag. I got outside the building, and I dropped a torch to the ground to that I could create a prolonged burn while also using my new hammer to smash the bag...
 
~ Soot Isbjorn