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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4517449" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 14 - Kobold Hall (Part 3)A pouch of gold had been left on the altar which the companions shared between them before binding the worst of their hurts and moving on. More stairs descended from the south east corner of the altar chamber and these emerged into a chamber that looked like it had once been a tomb. The kobolds had since transformed it into what the could almost be called a playground. Four stone coffins lay in the centre of the chamber with a sludge-filled pit between them. At the far end of the room was a pair of double doors flanked by two raised platforms, both ten feet above the floor level with two kobolds stood on each platform. Arrayed on the coffins were several animal skulls, all of them arranged in small piles. One kobold held a sludge-drenched stone tied to a long rope that was secured in the ceiling.Lavren was first into the chamber, darting left along the nearest wall and drawing his wand as he went. He cursed the nearest kobold, a sling wielder and then loosed purple rays from his wand at both kobolds on the nearest ledge. One pitched backwards, a hole blasted in its chest while the other, the slinger, fell back wounded. The first dropped the slime covered stone to the platform and the rope fell slack. A kobold hurled a spear from the other ledge and Lavren flailed an arm at it to knock it aside.Behind the elf, Erlmoor charged past Dulvarna and Kel, surveyed the scene for a moment and circled around the coffins to the far wall. He hoped to make it to the doors but doubtless the kobolds would have other ideas. Kel circled the other way, passing Lavren and making straight for the double doors. She reached them before the dragonborn and ducked back out of sight of the ledges while looking down to see whether the doors would be easily opened. She doubted it. If they were secured from the other side, which surely they must be, they would be tough to open as they were sturdily made of thick wood. She heard a skittering from the other side and knew that enemies lurked within. She and Erlmoor would have to attack together. A heartbeat later, Dulvarna reached the doors, also ahead of Erlmoor.“Sounds like more kobolds,” said Kel, nodding her head towards the door.“Then I hope they’ve made their peace with Tiamat,” answered Dulvarna.A sling stone struck Lavren’s shoulder and knocked him back against the wall but then Thira was beside him, loosing a blue bolt from her stave towards the kobold slinger. It struck the kobold and sent it reeling back against the wall at its back. A stone whizzed past from the other ledge and struck the wall beside Lavren with a loud crack. Lavren looked to Thira and winked but as he did so, he saw a look of alarm cross her face. He looked back towards the platform and saw that another kobold had picked up the slime-covered stone and had swung it back on the rope before letting it go. The stone flew down towards Lavren and struck him full in the chest, spinning him away from the wall and pitching him into the pit of slime. The sticky sludge engulfed him and filled his mouth until he pushed himself to his feet and spat it out. He tried to climb out then but found himself held fast in the pit and all but helpless. He tried again with all his might and dragged his limbs free but no sooner had he done so and begun to climb the rough wall than his feet slipped and he tumbled back into the pit once more. As he recovered his balance once more and righted himself, another form that he realised must be Thira pitched over the edge to splash into the sticky slime beside him. With a gasp and a cough, she regained her feet and looked over to him.“Nicely done,” she said.“Likewise,” he answered.Kel smashed into the doors with her armoured shoulder and with a great crack, they fell open, the bar on the other side broken in two. Within, two dragon-like creatures, the size of wolves hissed and spat before leaping at the intruders. One seized the dark elf’s arms as she raised her morning star and dragged her towards it, tearing flesh as it did so. Kel pulled her arms free of the creature’s dagger-sharp teeth but shed blood, skin and flesh as she did so. Dulvarna stepped into the corridor beside the dark elf and slashed her blade at both, drawing blood and forcing them back from the drow. Behind them, a pottery globe of sticky glue landed beside Erlmoor as the dragonborn moved to aid his companions, missing him by no more than a foot. He cursed and looked up at the sling wielder who still stood on the northern platform and wondered if he could yet get to him. A sling stone smashed into the coffin hurled from the other ledge and reminded Erlmoor of his vulnerability. He had to get up onto one of the ledges, he decided then, and started towards the northern one, ducking a hurled spear as he went.Lavren pulled himself free of the slime at last and clambered up the wall to the chamber above. He looked down longingly at Thira, knowing he should have tried to aid her, but knowing also that he could likely do little. She would have to free herself. She would understand he assured himself. He turned towards the nearest ledge as the kobold there picked up the slime covered stone to swing at him once more. Levelling his wand he loosed black, crackling energy at the creature but at the last it ducked and the blast struck the stone behind its head. With a wicked grin, the kobold raised the stone and took aim.Another javelin struck the floor near Erlmoor’s feet but he paid it no mind. He was almost at the foot of the northern ledge now and with a leap, he began to climb. A kobold stabbed at him clumsily with its spear while holding the slime-covered rock with its other arm and its chin. Erlmoor drew his sword, which he had sheathed while he climbed and turned to face the kobolds on the ledge. He roared and panic filled them. There would be no escape.</blockquote>

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