21. Kitchen

A foul and repulsing smell fills the narrow hallway that leads to this area. The door is left slightly ajar. As you open it, you reveal a small kitchen. Facing you is a small oven as well as an uneven counter. At the center of the room a small table is covered with pots, plates, and suspicious meat cuts on a cutting board. The dubious smell becomes even stronger as you enter the room. Something truly disgusting appears to be cooking. This area is the kitchen. The barklings are too lazy to cook and have captured two kobolds, Krix and Blid, to be their cooks. If the kobolds are still in the kitchen when the PCs first walk into it, also read the text below. It takes you a moment to notice, but cowering behind the middle table are two kobolds, visibly terrorized to see you. They are both shackled and each holds a small rolling pin, an ineffective weapon, but a weapon nonetheless... Unfortunately for the barklings, the kobolds are not very good cooks and they will usually cook whatever prey the barklings find in the hills surrounding the cave. Roll on the table below to see what the kobolds will be cooking when the PCs first walk into the kitchen. 1d6 What’s Cooking? Lizard and cobweb stew A loaf of dirt bread covered with grated fungus and bits of fried snails Rust monster bisque Giant centipede skewers Roasted stirges seasoned with dubious spices Sautéed leeches and snakes, cooked in a mushroom sauce Facing the oven, a large wooden cupboard stands against the wall. Opening it, the PCs will find mugs, plates, and utensils. There are also three bottles of wine (2 gp each), a bottle of brandy (10 gp), and a magnum-sized bottle of sparkling white wine (10 gp). Finally, the PCs will also find a cookie jar in the cupboard. It contains eight poisonous cookies. If someone eats one of the poisonous cookies, a save vs. Death Ray or Poison will be required to avoid taking 2d8 points of damage 3d6 minutes after eating it. The kobolds have written the word "Poison" in their own script on the jar. The cookies were cooked with a poison Naerie was able to steal from Nova’s belongings while cleaning her retreat (see room 23). She plotted with the kobolds to poison the barklings in order to escape. However she needs to steal more poison to cook another batch for their plan to work. If the kobolds are asked about Naerie Drekh, they will tell the PCs she often helps them in the kitchen but is mostly used by the barklings as a waitress and a cleaner. Last they saw her, she came to grab some mugs to bring into the banquet hall (see area 22), 1d4 turns ago. Should the PCs decide to hide here and wait for her, she will be back in 2d4 turns to get the food the kobolds are cooking. 2 Kobolds: AC 11, HD ½ (1d4 hit points), #At 1 small rolling pin, Dam 1d2, Mv 30' (15' while shackled), Sv NM, ML 6, XP 10 ea. HP GM Note: The kobolds will be shackled, giving them a -2 penalty to all their attack and damage rolls if they must fight. There is a small chimney above the oven. It is small enough for a halfling or a dwarf to squeeze into it, but on the other side a 20-foot fall down a cliff awaits the player. It is almost impossible to notice from outside.