4e [Eberron] BnP Keep on the Shadowfell (Yea, though I walk through the valley of th)

[Graf]

Updated to add Zaram, who was a bit further back and thus missed the initial action.

OOC

I will try desperately to keep my post lengths under control for this game.

We're starting in media res I'll fill in more of the back story in future posts.

Among the bustle of metropolises like Sharn it's easy to forget just how uninhabited most of Khorvaire is. The Orien trade road to the small town that is your destination is well kept, but after almost four days of walking without seeing another soul you're reminded that no matter where men draw lines on maps most of the continent is a vast untamed wilderness.

As the road takes a bend you see fresh footprints made by small clawed feet. A band of small rust-colored reptilian creatures boils out from either side of the road with a chorus of high pitched shrieks and charges you. One particularly enthusiastic one charges Adain, seeing him an easy target, but Brock cuts it down with a practiced chop of his warhammer.

That one blow brings the front rank reptilian charge up short as nervous chattering starts up among the would be-ambushers.
Snarling a pair of tough looking Kobolds push through their ranks and advance on the party.
The "front" rank hang back and throw javelins ineffectually.

The tough-looking Kobolds, each carrying a shield made from a single dragon scale, prove more effective, slashing Brock with quick blows.

Brock narrowly ducks as a clay pot almost hits his face, shattering at Torn's feat to disgorge some sort of caustic flaming goo. In the back rank a kobold hisses and begins reload its sling.

Combat

Brocks attack was an AoO triggered by it moving past him to attack Adain (I think you get get those even when you have combat advantage from not having gone yet?)

Fight 1|Round 1 Initiative:
20 Kobolds - throw javelins -- the rolls on Brock and Adain should have been at +2 since they had combat advantage; (torn too but Brock gives him cover)
19 Kobold Dragonshields -- Hit Brock for 9 damage
19 Kobold Slinger -- Missed Brock with it's firepot by 1. AC 18
14 Zaram Init roll.
13 Torn
02 Brock hp 24/33
01 Adain

Thanks to Fiery Dragon

For providing awesome counters that happen to work very well with this adventure.

[stonegod]

Adain scowls at the vermin, and holding forth his symbol high, calls forth the Flame to punish the interlopers!

OOC: Lance of Faith at nearest kobold. Ref 22, 4hp and Brock gains a +2 vs. that creature for the next attack.

[Walking Dad]

Tyron moves beside the way, trying to get on the kobolds flank.

ooc: moves to m9 (activating his concealment)

[Graf]

OOC updated map to current positions (as of init count) 14 (after Tyron but before Zaram -- Sorry I kept getting Tyron's name wrong.)

[EvolutionKB]

Zaram moves next to Brock, right in front of the red scaled creatures. He swings his blade in a arc, the prescence of the other creature making the strike more desperate. Then, he raises the visor of his helmet with a loud clang, and a blast of fire erupts from his mouth engulfing the four creatures in front of him.

occ

If I don't get a chance to update my post later, go ahead and roll for me. Dragon breath on the four kobolds near me(3x3 blast, +4 vs reflex 1d6+1 damage) and Valiant strike against the kobold in front. +9 1d8+4.no dice, 12 to hit, 12 damage Breath weapon attack1: 20 Breath weapon attacks against kobold 2, 3, and 4: 20, 10, 9 breath weapon damage: 4

[kinem]

Brock waits a moment to see what Adain does, knowing that the priest's blessing could be helpful, then attacks the same kobold Adain had, and quickly reverses his motion as his warhammer rebounds off the creature, striking the adjacent kobold.

ooc

Brock delays until Adain acts.

passing attack (encounter) (with bonus from Adain) +23 vs AC, 8 damage; if that hits +22 vs. AC, 11 damage vs. 2nd kobold

"Bandits, if you want to live, surrender now!" Brock calls out.

[Graf]

Zaram moves forward to engage the Kobold, but it slips away from him frustrating his attempt to bring his longsword to bear upon it..

OOC

explanation of what just happened.
Technically he still has a standard action, but I don't think there's much he can do with it so we'll say he just sits tight.

The Kobold's sneer is cut off by a gout of flame directly in the face (CRIT!); unfortunately the kobolds seem resistant to flame, only one, in second rank falls.

[Graf]

Adain's blast of silver fire and Brock's powerful blows take their toll on the Kobold front line.

Originally Posted by kinem

"Bandits, if you want to live, surrender now!" Brock calls out.

The Kobolds seem to share a worried look, but hold firm.

Round 2

The Kobolds swarm forward to attack, they strike with surprising precision taking advantage their fellows threatening blades to find openings. One crawls through the underbrush to get at Adain.

Combat

Brocks attack was an AoO triggered by it moving past him to attack Adain (I think you get get those even when you have combat advantage from not having gone yet?)

Fight 1|Round 1 Initiative:
20 Kobolds - One hit on Brock for 4 damage. The "flanker" misses Adain.
19 Kobold Dragonshields -- KD2 tries to shift to J14 but Brock POUNDS IT and cancels it's attempt to shift. Brock deflects their feeble attacks, Zaram's mark burns the cowardly KD1 with divine power for refusing his challenge.
After that Kobolds adjacent to Brock don't shift anymore.
19 Kobold Slinger -- Launches Gluepot at Zaram. MISS
15 Iridian Init
15 Tyron
14 Zaram Init roll.
01 Adain
00 [delayed to go after Adain last round] Brock hp 20/33


KD1 is bloodied and Marked by Zaram.
KD2 is bloodied and Marked by Brock.

[Erekose13]

Iridian moves quickly forward and steps back behind Adain after firing at the nearest Kobold.

ooc

Move straight forward 6. Nimble Strike +6vs.AC 1d10+4dmg to Kobold4. Then step diagonal 1 square behind Adain.

As far as I can tell as long as the target does not have cover from my ally I can fire into melee without penalty. Is that correct?

Are you wanting us to roll?

[stonegod]

Adain calls "For the Flame!", and bring his mace down heavily toward the kobold, hoping to bolster Brock's spirits.

OOC: Healing Strike: AC 16, 17 radiant damage If Adain hits, Brock can spend a healing surge.

[Graf]

Iridian joins the fray, dropping the the kobold in front of Adain with a deft shot.

Adain

The Kobold in front of you is dead. You'll need a new action. My current understanding is that you could shift forward and attack the Dragonshield without triggering Dragonshield Tactics.
I have a post out now trying to clarify.

But, to be honest... you've got a 16 toward an AC 18... if you want to attack the Kobold DS using the roll 13 against some -other- defense -might- be a better idea.

[EvolutionKB]

"Fight me, coward!" Zaram roars, as he steps closer to the hurt kobold holding the dragonscale shield. He swings his longsword, which becomes a blazing blade of holy light.

ooc

Mark dragonshield2(-2 attacks, and takes 6 damage if attacking someone other than Zaram). Shift to J15. It shouldn't be able to shift away to avoid the attack because an ally is in one square, and what I presume is difficult terrain in in another square(which it can't normally shift into). Attack w/radiant smite(encounter @ +9(including bonus for quick posting)and 2d8+4 damage. 26 to hit for 14 damage(radiant)

[Walking Dad]

ooc: Are this bushes/trees difficult terrain? Can I use powers through it?

[Graf]

Cover Foliage and otherwise

Per KotS:
Foliage
Difficult Terrain (count as +1 movement per square you go through); can't shift into or out of (as EvKB pointed out in his post above -- though you technically can, you just need to be able to shift 2 squares, which is a rogue power I think).
ALSO
"Lightly obscured". Count as "normal cover" for "those attacking from or into the area".
Doesn't say anything about firing "through" multiple hexes of the stuff.
Don't know if that means it's impossible, or superior cover, or what....

The map seems to suggest that attacking from behind a boulder grants cover to the person behind the boulder but not the person being attacked from behind the boulder.
Nothing really about foliage giving anyone that sort of option; I assume that once you're stuck in the bushes you're stuck in the bushes and it's as much of a pain in the *** for you as for the person you're attacking.

[Walking Dad]

Tyron moves to his target and unleashes a blast of blinding light. But to little effect...

ooc

Moves to s13, curses the nearest kobold and attacks him with an Eyebite. The Movement activates concealment (Shadow Walk), too.

Eyebite (Hit vs will, damage, curse) (1d20+5=8, 1d6+4=7, 1d6=4) Ok, that was bad

Perhaps I should use an AP?

[stonegod]

OOC: Lance of faith at most harmed kobold in melee, +2 to Brock again.

[Graf]

Tyron slips from the behind the underbrush, the kobold slinger swallows nervously as it hears the sound of far of hunting horns; a blast of light brings it's attention to the blurred figure of the warlock.

Then the warlock stands up straighter, and with a casual gesture reduces the Kobold to a howling shuddering heap.
Pleased with the sacrifice the Laughing Man moves the land around Tyron to a better position.

Dark Dreams

Since you mentioned it I just spent an action point and had Tyron drop Curse of Dark Dream -> dead slinger. Tyron shifts to R11 per fey pact.

Zaram drops a Dragonshield with a confident blow.
Adain calls down another blast of holy fire, this time on KD1. The reeling kobold is felled an instant later by Brock, who cleaves through it's head and embeds his warhammer in it's neighbor for good measure.

The final kobold lets out a gleep!, shifts out of combat and makes a break for it. The cunning creature is appears certain to get away (or at least lead the party on a merry chase)... when the concealed Tyron steps from behind a boulder and fillets it with a casual dagger strike.

End Fight 1

XP: 475
Treasure: 34sp and a bunch of poorly made small-sized weapons/shields/armor of shoddy quality.

Zaram

Some of the markings on the kobold shields remind you of something, you just can't remember what.

[EvolutionKB]

"Damn wannabe's," the blackscale says and he again shuts the visor on his helmet with a loud clang. After scrounging up the goods, Zaram thinks to himself:

ooc

How far are we from the nearest town? Are the shoddy weapons/armor worth carrying? I'm guessing probably not.

"Split the coin evenly, whatever is left goes to party funds for healing and supplies. Sound good?" Zaram says, his voice sounding metallic and hollow from the inner workings of his helmet.

[Graf]

Your Quest

Dourven ir'Staul is a unique figure who made an impression on all of your lives.

A human of noble blood he married Khorvar commoner, and gave birth to two daughters in their comfortable tower on Clifftop (a somewhat scandalous location for a noble, however minor, to have a primary home). A gifted if eccentric historian and excavator of ancient ruins who loves to run counter to conventional wisdom he is most famous for contemptuous essays on the importance of Xen'drik (which has been the rage in academic circles in Breland and throughout Khorvaire for the better part of a century). He has developed a cult following from his sporadic lectures at Morgrave University in Sharn and is known as a passionate, almost obsessive traveler.

So it was not unusual for him to have left Sharn three months ago seeking a draconic tomb supposedly located somewhere near the small wilderness town that is your destiation. What is unusual is for ir'Staul to have gone for long without contact. He frequently sends amusing missives from Orien waystations or Sivis outposts during his travels; however his wife Lissa has had no contact and grown very concerned.

ir'Staul has gone without contact before, (most recently when he was kidnapped by druidic extremists during an excursion to the Black Caps) but never without being in some sort of trouble.

After you've finished with the kobolds you continue to travel the rest of the day. Despite concerns you may have about brigands operating so freely on a Orien Trade Route you arrive at your destination without further incident.

The small walled town rises up in front of you in the evening gloom.

The guards, two weary looking human men, inspect your documents and have a quiet conversation.

Iridian and anyone else with a passive perception of 15 or greater

With your keen senses you pick out the conversation.

Never seen onena those before.
Says here, Blackscale Lizardfolk.
Looks kinda, lizard-like don't he.
Well, that's why the call 'em lizardfolk I recon. Says here, he's from Q'barra.
Yeah. I mean... What I mean is...
Yeah?
Ah'm jus saying with the kobolds 'n all....
That look like a kobold to you?
Naw. But maybe they work together.
'cause you work together with goblins cause you look alike.
I don't look like no goblin.
You like a goblin the way he looks like a kobold.
I'm just saying that...
Look, you wanna ask him he works with kobolds, you go right ahead.
I'm just saying...
So he's come all the way over here, with the rest of that lot, but he really works with the kobolds?
I was jus' saying....
An' before he come over here, he decided to go ta Sharn, an' get traveling papers.
OK. OK. Why you always got to be like this...

The Town Map. Locations are marked with italics (#)

As evening falls, you're allowed into the town. The guards close the gates behind you for the night.

The Town OOC

I love me some roleplaying but I said Beer 'n Pretzles and I aim to deliver, so I'll try to keep the pace up and things light.

To that end when I introduce NPCs I'll give you their names, and give you a simple overview of the town you can pick up from looking around or asking just about anyone.

The guards direct you to Wrafton's Inn (2). You're welcomed into the inn by it's proprietor Salvana Wrafton. Like most inn's in small towns the building seems to function as a common gathering area of the townsfolk.
There are several farmers playing a game of dice in a corner; an old farmer, Eilian, is talking with a serving woman; an unfriendly looking shifter hunter, Ninaran, nurses her beer in a corner.

The town is ruled by Lord Padraig, who served with some distinction during the Last War. He lives in the Manor House (14) inside the inner walls.

Valthrun's Tower (6), at five stories high, is the highest building in town.

Normal sorts of buildings for a town of this sort abide, including: a stables (4), smithy (5), general store (7), warriors guild (8), housing for people who don't own homes of their own (9), temple of the host (10), etc.

[EvolutionKB]

Zaram follows the others through town, trying not to attract too much notice. Once at the inn, and they purchase rooms for the night, Zaram instructs Adain to find the location of the tomb. He then goes to his room and stays there for the remainder of the night.

ooc

Beer and pretzels? I've got several Sam Adams in me right now...If we wish to RP the time before Zaram goes to his room, go ahead.