From my professional journal during the Keep on the Shadowfell missions, entry two, part one:

An opportunity to scout the local keep did not readily present itself, given the lower priority, nor did I have a chance to question Krova about the mystical circle from yesterday. All things considered, I now wonder if it is important enough to bring up at all. But I get ahead of myself, I suppose.

We decided the first order of business was to gather assistance for our missions. Plural. Because, of course, we cannot see to the rib until we have seen to Ironteeth. We are told that there is a new mage in town apprenticing to Valthren, and that there might also be assistance found within the Halfling encampment outside of town. Given Zar'za has an arguably better rapport with Valthren, perhaps, we decided she would be the one to visit him to find out more about the mage. Given the Halfling was rumored to be a Ranger it seemed I might be the best one to talk to him.

Neither went as planned.

Zar'za returned in a foul mood, but with Lars Solsted the Human Wizard in tow, I am told. When I later met up with him his robes were damp and smelled of lye, and there seemed to be a bit of a story in there somewhere concerning Valthren's laundry being tossed in the mud. While I am all for clear communication, I am not entirely sure that is the safest method of informing the mage you are apprenticed to that you quit.

The laundry escapade was playing out while I was entangled with a Halfling Elder named Tonberry, who seriously needed to be stabbed. Maybe not anywhere vital, but definitely somewhere he would remember for a while. Halflings are notoriously trying even in the best of times, but one has to wonder how the little bastard was able to walk, what with his enormous balls getting in the way. He actually wanted us to pay to have one of his Rangers accompany us, even though we had a common enemy! I found myself suddenly rooting for the Kobolds, until I remembered the trouble they were causing the rest of us.

So Tonberry the Elder was so annoying I decided I had better go get Krova, as much for his ability to heal the little runt as for his diplomatic skills. The healing might have been necessary in case I 'missed' while stabbing Tonberry 'a little'.

On returning to the inn to retrieve Krova I found that Zar'za had returned with Lars, and that he wanted a shot at convincing the Halfling to quit being such a pain in the ass. He returned after a brief time had passed, alone.

We decided it might be time for all of us to head over to Mr. Rat Bastards and see if we couldn't convince him to just cough up support for his wellbeing and ours, and let us get on with it already. He apparently worships some deity that is profoundly against getting anything done, and we were stuck negotiating yet again.

Krova made a good argument that we were being asked to pay for merchandise we hadn't yet had the benefit of appraising. I suspect Tonberry knew well how this was going to end because he put up a good fight over it, but ended up agreeing that a contest was a fair way to test his Rangers skill. That didn't stop the little runt from trying to fix the match, though, and offered an inferior bow. When I declined that, he wanted to rent one to me, so we finally made a side wager wherein I would pay a piece of gold for use of the bow if I lost. So I began the contest with not one but two wagers, one to reduce the price of his Ranger, and one to borrow a bow to do it with.

Let me just say that after I showed that the 'Ranger' was worth less than a pack mule we somehow still ended up paying 20 pieces of gold up front, with 10 due later, or 20 pieces to be payed if our mule comes back dead. And I didn't get to stab Elder Greedy even a little.

Not long after that we set out for the Kobold cave, Lodi Fairfield the pack mule in tow. When we got close to the cave we decided it was time for Lodi to start earning his pay, and he and I scouted out ahead. They were obviously expecting us because they set up a few traps, one which I disarmed and another that Lodi bravely pointed out by falling into it and getting himself impaled. I rather like the little bugger.

Once we were sure the way ahead was clear we brought the rest of the group up to the waterfall, but we spotted some strange patches of ground that my senses immediately warned me of hidden enemies. I told my companions to wait quietly while Lodi and I snuck up and silently dealt with the hidden threat, so we would not lose the element of surprise. Unfortunately Tieflings are apparently not known for their patience, and she merrily stomped through the underbrush like a bull elk in rut, alerting everything within 70 leagues of our presence. I barely had time to shove my sword into the face of the nearest Kobold before the creatures were upon us. I later found out that the impetus for ignoring my tactical counsel was instigated by Krova, the self-appointed stealthy scale-clad Paladin.

With all hope of a surprise attack gone, we slowly advanced just into the cave to take a stand. We fought long and hard, using every ability at our disposal, and again everyone accounted well for themselves. Lars showed he did indeed know a few useful tricks, while the ever faithful Krova kept the brunt of the attack off of us. Zar'za was not shy about winning friends and influencing people either, putting a firey mark on Ironteeth itself. Granted, she did do her obligatory face plant soon after, but Krova was kind enough to lay hands on her.

Lodi proved that Kobolds were much easier to hit than stationary targets, perhaps due to the incentive one gains when the target attacks back. He made a point of the fact that his attacks were much more damaging than mine once I lost combat advantage, perhaps in answer to my initial comment that I was somewhat at a loss as to why he was worth 30 pieces of gold when I was clearly more effective, but I let the body of Ironteeth sliding off of my sword speak for itself.

The battle was fierce, but when the dust settled Zar'za had Dwarven Chain and a set of Iron Teeth. It turns out that Ironteeth was a Dolgaunt, according to Krova. All I know is that it was a tough adversary, but we were victorious just the same.

All in all the battle consisted of a number of skirmishers, a priest, a pair of defenders, a number of Kobolds of lesser skill, and Ironteeth.

In addition to the Dwarven Mail we found a scroll with the following written on it:

My spy in Winterhaven suggests we keep an eye out for visitors to the area. It probably does not matter; in just a few more days, I'll completely open the rift. Then Winterhaven's people will serve as food for all those Lord Orcus sends to do my bidding.
- K

I cannot yet guess who K is, but I have suspicions about Delphina Moongem the Elven flower girl being the spy. We have been warned that there is something odd about her, and I have felt it too. Unfortunately she has easily evaded both attempts to follow her, once when I failed to trail her unnoticed, and once when Lodi did. Spotting a Halfling Ranger takes some skill, but spotting an Elven Rogue is very suspicious indeed. But perhaps I was just clumbsy, I will take extra care next time. Still, how Lodi managed to be seen in the dead of night escapes me, as much as does the reason for Delphina being out that late.