Chapter One - Part One: Greenest In Flames

Linan takes one final breath and lays motionless on the hard stones, her family weeping just beyond reach.

The 5 remaining kobolds wobble on the spot for a second before they all collapse, snoring loudly. "This way, I know how to save your friends but we must hurry." Cuth looks heartbroken but determined to try and help you all, just as you tried to help his wife.

Kirsk groggily gets up to the surprise of Zachary, you were sure that he was down for good. A determined Cuth quickly directs traffic, "before they wake up, you half-orc, you take this one," Cuth points to Octavia, "you young man, you help me with the other one. Kids, stick close to me and keep an eye out. We need to get to our shop".

The kids (a boy and a girl, both somewhere between 8 and 12) nod, tears still streaming down their faces. They creep along the wall with you guys in tow and the boy (looks to be the older one) peeks behind a corner. His head quickly snaps back and he presses up against the wall looking scared. A few seconds later he peeks out again and this time he motions for you to follow. He takes his sister's hand and they both sprint over to a building on the opposite side of the road, Kirsk following quickly after with Octavia on your shoulder, Cuth and Zachary in the rear, awkwardly shuffling along with Kel held between them.

You get into the building. The door has been knocked half off of its hinges and the interior of what looks like an apothecary store has been ransacked. Cuth motions for you all to hide and be quiet and as you do you hear a group of groggy, angry kobolds run past the store. After a moment or two, Cuth tells you to wait here and he hobbles into a back room in the store. He comes back holding a potion caddy. He hands Kirsk a potion filled with a red liquid, "Drink up, luckily I had some hidden away". He then forces potions down the throats of both Kel and Octavia who instantly coughs themselves back to consciousness. You all sit and catch your breath for a second, but Cuth quickly starts speaking with urgency in his voice.

"This is our...my apothecary...but we must go at once, we're not safe here. The only place we're safe would be the keep. It's not that far from here, but with so many of these...these...bandits on the loose, I need you to help us." He looks pleadingly at you all.

Cuth nods at your commiserations and holds out a hand. "Don’t apologise, you tried to come to her aid when many wouldn’t have dared to. You almost paid the ultimate price for it. You did not ki...kill Linan, those...monsters did." Tears silently stream down his face, how he maintains his composure is beyond you. "We need to get to the keep now, before these raiders have it surrounded. Here, take these, just in case." He hands you all a potion of healing.You all exit the apothecary and silently make your way down the streets toward the keep. The chain mail on Octavia and Kirsk does make more noise than you’d hope, but the general noise from the dragon above and the skirmishes around town seem to mostly drown it out. You turn a corner and to your relief you can see the gate to the keep and a clear path! Now you just need to make a ru- "Therrrrre they are!, a voice croaks in common just before you were about to clear the last building before the keep, and five familiar looking kobolds step out from the corner. Two of them looking are looking pretty hurt, but they all still manage to smile, or at least look like what you’d think a smiling kobold would look like. "This time you won’t get away!". The normally craven kobolds look confident as they ready their daggers.