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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6085118" data-attributes="member: 20323">Just ran our latest session, and it was a lot of fun! Two players couldn't make it, so I had the remaining five do a rescue mission...[sblock=Session #7]Session #7  A rescue mission, a captive kobold, and an unusually punishing trapFebruary 09, 2013 00:41Wiping kobold blood from their blades and examining the vast chamber, the party realized Zolar and Miri were missing. It seemed they had been abducted by kobolds! Pressing deeper into the chambers of the old Bell-Chasm District, the PCs found signs of the ancient conflict between dwarves and kobolds. Just when Tristan, astride his trusty worg Vitejie, spotted banners marked with a dual red dragon(s), one of the corpses which the PCs recovered last session began emitting dark sweet-smelling smoke tat attracted the giant bats. Kirito moved swiftly to extinguish the smoke and was soon swooped by several bats, one of which carried him across the cavern. Raphael, on the other hand, moved as far from the smoking corpse as he could get, running into another kobold ambush (surprise, surprise). As the party clashed with Crusher’s second wave of minions, Kirito was dropped into close combat with Crusher and several minions…too bad for Crusher as Kirito became a whirlwind of death. Likewise, when Tristan was surrounded, he laid waste to scores of kobolds, and Lily eliminated a half-dozen kobolds with a casual wave of her (icy) hand. As Raphael hunted down fleeing kobolds, he triggered a net trap…but undaunted cut himself free, enduring the seventy foot fall.Kirito and Tristan took down Crusher, chief of clan Humanbane, but spared his life as they pumped him for information. It was hard to tell which hurt Crusher most: getting pummeled, losing most of his minions, or Kirito not recognizing his “legendary” name. Ardell learned that the founder of his order had journeyed into the Mountain and killed scores of kobolds, ultimately going on to die facing the dragon Infyrana. Crusher turned over his magic treasure to the PCs, who saw through his pitifully opaque attempts to lead them into traps or turn them against each other, and explained that Clan Blood had abducted Zolar & Miri. It was clear Crusher had no love of clan Blood’s sorcerous chief Galatak, and he agreed to disarm the trap leading down into the Temple so the PCs could assault clan Blood.Descending stairs lined with banners of intertwined red dragons (or possibly a two-headed red dragon), the PCs followed Crusher down stairs, skipping stairs in a pattern of 2, then 3, 2, 3, and so on. As they passed statues of dwarven ancestors, the PCs watched Crusher carefully as he stuffed rags in the mouths of dwarven oil spigots hidden inbetween the statues. At the bottom of the stairs, Lily noted that one of the banners was woven with an onyx for a dragon eye – an onyx that was actually a scrying focus (which the PCs had Crusher cut down). For a brief moment in her mind’s eye Lily was face-to-face with a dark red scaled dragon of great age, and could feel the dragon watching.Coming to thick wooden double doors, the party had Crusher check for traps then open the door…unfortunately Crusher did not detect the falling stone block trap which “crushed” him. The irony proved Raphael’s segue to intimidate the kobolds within the Temple, and while chief Galatak shared a laugh, he soon ordered the PCs killed. The room was shaped like an ellipse with four ramps leading to the base of an altar approachable only by steep stairs, and lying by the altar were two bodies wrapped in canvas. Carved into the altar was a statue of the kobold demi-god Kurtulmak, and a malign energy filled the temple. It began with what seemed like a normal fight, however soon the PCs realized that the idol was absorbing their heroic potential (i.e. their encounter and daily powers) to empower its own nefarious fire magic. Strangely, chief Galatak ordered two kobolds to “get Crusher” before engaging the PCs. Right when it seemed like they had Galatak, he teleported away and the surviving kobolds fled the temple as stone doors slid into place. A single slanted hole had been bored thru each door so that the kobolds utside could pour oil in. This was soon followed by the activated idol igniting the oil, creating a smoky grease fire – a fire which was fueled by the wicked magic of Kurtulmak. (and drained a ton of healing surges from the party thru smoke inhalation and dark magic)Kirito escaped the temple with his chime of opening, but the stone door shut behind him so the rest of his companions had to find a way out while Kirito squared off with kobolds (with help from the trusty worg Vitejie). Raphael rescued Zolar & Miri, carrying them to safety and reviving the drugged Zolar to secure the mage’s help in battering down the northern stone wall. Ardell began battering down the stone door with Raphael, but later helped Tristan in destroying the idol of Kurtulmak. Tristan and Lily put their minds together to solve the codex puzzle which held within it the ability to end the magic fueling the fire…despite a setback they found the proper combination thru a mix of skill & luck. This allowed Lily to blast a path of cold thru the fire to the northern stone door, and allowed Tristan & Ardell to take down the idol. At last the party broke thru the stone door… only to find that the stone block which had “killed” Crusher was hollow! Apparently, Crusher either had escaped or been taken captive by clan Blood!Raphael ended the session with the right spirit: “I’m going to kill that kobold chief!!”[/sblock]</blockquote>

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