"What do you think we should do?" Philip asked.
"I can cast suggestion," Valeria mentioned, "but they need to understand me."
"I'm just throwing it out there," Vernim said. "I'm not patronizing, but we could flip a coin and leave our fate in Tymora's hands."
"And what are the choices?" Brother Martin asked.
"We could put the egg with one of the bound kobolds," Vernim offered, "and have the other kobolds take us to—"
"They won't agree to that," Valeria interrupted. "They already said that."
"They won't," Lawrence confirmed. "They're not going to show us anything unless we let one of them leave with the egg."
"And giving them an egg is not an option," Valeria stated.
"I think you're probably right," Vernim agreed, "they seem to be responding to us," referring to the kobold reacting to their conversation.
"Hey, guys," Vernim whispered, "The kobolds are awake."
They looked around and saw that the other three kobolds were awake and watching them.
"If they speak Common, then they know what we're saying," Lawrence warned.
"Yeah," Vernim concurred, "Their eyes are moving back and forth as we speak."
"I can try casting charm person," Lawrence suggested, "Valeria, do you want me to try that?"
They agreed, and Lawrence cast charm person on the kobold.
"What are you trying to do to me?" it asked.
"Can you show me how to open the door?" Lawrence asked.
"If you give us the egg," it replied.
"We can give you the egg after," Lawrence countered. "You know you can trust me."
"You stole the egg from us," it accused.
"I think it failed," Lawrence revealed to the group. "There's no way he's charmed."
"I can try casting charm person again," Lawrence proposed, "maybe on a different one, or maybe on the same, but it would definitely be more likely for suggestion to succeed, as long as they speak Common."
"They might speak Common," Valeria replied. "We just don't know until I cast it, and I don't want to waste a spell."
"I have a proposal," Vernim offered, "If suggestion doesn't work then let's go home, and that's it. It's the last thing we do. But if suggestion does work then we go to the necromancer's and duel it out."
"I don't know if we should go to the necromancer's today," Valeria recommended, "even if we learn how to today."
"Valeria, I could teach you what to say in Draconic," Lawrence offered, "so you could cast suggestion."
"Philip, can you go back in through the secret door," Valeria requested, "and see if there are markings on the wall?"
Valeria cast light on a red candle and gave it to Philip. Philip took it and went through the secret door, and returned a minute later.
"It looks like there are diagonal markings on the walls," Philip called back. "On both sides. It looked familiar. Should I make a marking on the wall so if we ever come back here we'll know?"
When they agreed, Yanliz gave Philip his shortsword and the halfling used it to make an "X" on the right side of the corridor right outside the secret door.
Lawrence tried his best to teach Valeria how to say 'teach us how to open the secret door' in Draconic, but she was having a hard time getting it right, and he was not confident it would work.
Eventually, too frustrated trying to learn Draconic, Valeria gave up and, whistling a tune on her flute, cast suggestion in Common. "Teach us how to open the secret door."
Pointing at Brother Martin, it replied in Common, "Use the key. Ooops!"
It fell backward, as all the other kobolds started floundering around in frustration.
Brother Martin realized they must be referring to their double-bladed handaxe he was holding.
They closed the secret door, and it practically disappeared into the wall behind the fireplace.
As soon as he placed the handaxe in front of the door, it opened, just slightly.
Brother Martin gave the Handaxe to Valeria.
"We should make sure this works on all the secret doors," Valeria proposed.
"We can still help you," the kobold yipped in Common. "We can show you how to get around."
"Unfortunately, we cannot give you the egg," Valeria replied, "because we're under an obligation not to release this threat that could harm many people in the future."
"We should go to the other caves and see what the secret doors lead to," Brother Martin suggested.
Yanliz and Prynhawn quickly agreed.
Jess untied the kobolds.
"Can we leave?" one asked. "Is there any way you'll give us the egg?"
"No," they all agreed.
Dejected, the kobolds departed through the portal.
They closed the door and went back to the red glowing hallway, and headed toward the exit.
At the exit, they saw the stone-like creature they had fought was still there, and they carried it into the woods, leaving it behind the cave entrance.
They went to the bandit cave and returned to the room where they found the bandits playing cards.
They waved the handaxe over the hidden portal on the floor, and it immediately opened.
They lifted the door up and Prynhawn peered below.
"I think this is the place where we rested," Prynhawn said.
They closed the door and left the bandit cave.
They entered the labyrinth from the entrance and followed the left wall, passing left turns and merges until they reached a dead-end.
They saw an "X" scratched into the wall.
Valeria waved the handaxe over the hidden portal in the wall next to the marking, and it cracked open.
They closed the door, and the crack disappeared into the wall.
They reversed course, passing a skeleton in a dead-end, but found no hidden door there. Continuing, they soon found the exit and were back in the valley.
They decided to return to the keep.
On the way back, Brother Martin and Yanliz debated the virtues of light and dark.
Brother Martin and Vernim offered to provide sermons if they spent the next day in the keep.
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