Nebulous
Legend
Nebulous's Keep on the Shadowfell
Adventure #3: Ambush on the Old Road
PART THREE
Soon afterward, over the din of water, he hears scratchy voices united in riotous song. He sees movement through the branches and a then a number of kobolds foraging in the creek and along the banks. A suspicious blue glow emanates from a circle of stones where a red-skinned kobold sits cross-legged, a shortsword across his lap [and NOT taking a dump, as many suspected]. Ash counts at least twelve foes, and he returns to tell the others.
This could be trouble. They realize that getting surrounded by these buggers might be deadly, so they discuss several different tactics that will give them maximum advantage of surprise and terrain. Plus, there could easily be more enemies out of sight elsewhere, but the shadows around the waterfall are too stark to discern much detail without getting closer. But getting closer means risks getting seen.
Eventually, they creep as a group along the east side of the deluge, keeping far out of sight, and maneuver toward the top of the falls. Numerous rocks allow passage to the opposite side, and they don’t see any sign of foes stationed here. It is roughly 80 feet to the floor of the shallow valley, far enough for ranged attacks to reach. Ash the Rogue and Erevan the Wizard volunteer to stay up top and begin raining hell down them. Brandis the Warlord, Helga the Fighter, and Irann the Warlock will return to where they first arrived and flank the enemy with a ground assault, attempting to sow confusion among the kobolds
The wizard and rogue realize that it won’t be hard for the enemies to chase them to the top, which will take about 5 rounds to complete. Ash anchors a rope to a tree at the top, ready to rappel down quickly if the battle turns sour. He notches an arrow in his longbow and peers over the edge. A few more kobolds have appeared, and then he sees one saunter out from behind the waterfall! Sure enough, there must be a hidden lair within.
The ground force waits until the ranged attacks begin. Ash spies a kobold carrying several spears that it could possibly hurl to their location, so that’s his prime target. The rogue’s first arrow pierces the monster’s calf, pinning it to the ground. It shrieks in agony. A magic missile explodes to the ground beside it with a white flash. Draconic heads spin all directions, and at least one of them spots Ash and Erevan above the falls. They begin moving that direction. Ash fires again, skewering the other calf, and then a magic missile connects solidly with the kobold’s eyeball, killing it.
One batch of kobolds surges toward the left side of the falls, scrambling up the banks and soon they’re thoroughly obscured by vegetation. Ash and Erevan don’t have line of sight to them at all. To their dismay, one of the kobolds runs BACK inside the cave entrance behind the waterfall, probably to warn his friends. Five others rush toward the dragonshield soldier inside the ring of glowing blue stones and set up a protective perimeter.
Helga, Irann and Brandis clamber through the underbrush and try to dart across the creek to the cover of trees beyond, but Helga stumbles to one knee while halfway and is spotted. Hissing, a kobold in the circle points at her and the whole group begins pouring out of the circle toward them! Cursing, Helga picks herself up and joins her companions. The dragonshield weaves through the trees, a red blur of snarling anger, with its chattering allies nipping at its heels.
Ash and Erevan have very few visible targets now. Ash melts into the woods like a living shadow and waits for the kobolds to reach him, confident that he can at least outrun them. Ereven jogs the opposite direction, readying an area attack at the top of the falls as soon as the enemy is within 10 squares.
Back in the woods, Helga’s axe clangs against the soldier’s dragonscale shield. They exchange blows, smaller minions swarming around the others. Helga lands a jarring blow against the soldier’s shoulder. Brandis thrusts his blade between cracks in the armor, and then helps Helga follow up with a lethal blow, slaying the dragonshield quickly in a geyser of dark blood. Helga cleaves two more foes, Irann devastates another with eldritch magic, and the remaining minion runs screaming for his life back to the waterfall den.
They regroup and skirt along the treeline, finally ducking back once they’re closer to the cave entrance behind the waterfall. Brandis tries unsuccessfully to hide several times, resulting in several funny moments where his ass is probably sticking out from behind a tree while they loudly discuss what they should do next. Lucky for them, no kobolds were around to notice.
Above the waterfall, the group of minions reaches Ash’s hidden location…and fails to perceive him. He lets them all pass except for the last, and then lunges at its back with his dagger! And misses horribly. The dagger sinks into a tree, but the determined kobolds don’t even notice their attacker. They keep trudging up the slope while Ash struggles to yank his blade out.
The enemies reach the top and hop across the rocks…right into Erevan’s field of fire. Another icy patina blooms between their feet, slicking the rocks, crawling up the legs of two foes, slaying them instantly and jetting their bodies off the side of the cliff. Ash runs and LEAPS across the water, burning an Action Points as he lands at their backs and plants his dagger hilt-deep. The kobold collapses, shrieking, and is swept off the falls. Erevan follows up with a burst of fiery magic, and the last two kobolds fall screaming off the side, smoke wafting from their charred bodies, and joins the corpses bobbing below.
Breathing heavily, Ash and Erevan survey the battleground from their vantage point. They see no enemies, just muddied red water following the current. Their allies are hidden in the trees below, although Erevan spots the glint of Brandis’s halberd through the foliage.
Just about then, they hear a trumpet blaring behind the plume of water, followed by an angry war-cry if they ever heard one.
The group takes a minute (or five) to catch their breath and contemplate the next stage of their plan.
Somewhere in the cave below waits Irontooth and his rapacious friends, and surprise is no longer an option.
The fight is about to get ugly.
Adventure #3: Ambush on the Old Road
PART THREE
Soon afterward, over the din of water, he hears scratchy voices united in riotous song. He sees movement through the branches and a then a number of kobolds foraging in the creek and along the banks. A suspicious blue glow emanates from a circle of stones where a red-skinned kobold sits cross-legged, a shortsword across his lap [and NOT taking a dump, as many suspected]. Ash counts at least twelve foes, and he returns to tell the others.
This could be trouble. They realize that getting surrounded by these buggers might be deadly, so they discuss several different tactics that will give them maximum advantage of surprise and terrain. Plus, there could easily be more enemies out of sight elsewhere, but the shadows around the waterfall are too stark to discern much detail without getting closer. But getting closer means risks getting seen.
Eventually, they creep as a group along the east side of the deluge, keeping far out of sight, and maneuver toward the top of the falls. Numerous rocks allow passage to the opposite side, and they don’t see any sign of foes stationed here. It is roughly 80 feet to the floor of the shallow valley, far enough for ranged attacks to reach. Ash the Rogue and Erevan the Wizard volunteer to stay up top and begin raining hell down them. Brandis the Warlord, Helga the Fighter, and Irann the Warlock will return to where they first arrived and flank the enemy with a ground assault, attempting to sow confusion among the kobolds
The wizard and rogue realize that it won’t be hard for the enemies to chase them to the top, which will take about 5 rounds to complete. Ash anchors a rope to a tree at the top, ready to rappel down quickly if the battle turns sour. He notches an arrow in his longbow and peers over the edge. A few more kobolds have appeared, and then he sees one saunter out from behind the waterfall! Sure enough, there must be a hidden lair within.
The ground force waits until the ranged attacks begin. Ash spies a kobold carrying several spears that it could possibly hurl to their location, so that’s his prime target. The rogue’s first arrow pierces the monster’s calf, pinning it to the ground. It shrieks in agony. A magic missile explodes to the ground beside it with a white flash. Draconic heads spin all directions, and at least one of them spots Ash and Erevan above the falls. They begin moving that direction. Ash fires again, skewering the other calf, and then a magic missile connects solidly with the kobold’s eyeball, killing it.
One batch of kobolds surges toward the left side of the falls, scrambling up the banks and soon they’re thoroughly obscured by vegetation. Ash and Erevan don’t have line of sight to them at all. To their dismay, one of the kobolds runs BACK inside the cave entrance behind the waterfall, probably to warn his friends. Five others rush toward the dragonshield soldier inside the ring of glowing blue stones and set up a protective perimeter.
Helga, Irann and Brandis clamber through the underbrush and try to dart across the creek to the cover of trees beyond, but Helga stumbles to one knee while halfway and is spotted. Hissing, a kobold in the circle points at her and the whole group begins pouring out of the circle toward them! Cursing, Helga picks herself up and joins her companions. The dragonshield weaves through the trees, a red blur of snarling anger, with its chattering allies nipping at its heels.
Ash and Erevan have very few visible targets now. Ash melts into the woods like a living shadow and waits for the kobolds to reach him, confident that he can at least outrun them. Ereven jogs the opposite direction, readying an area attack at the top of the falls as soon as the enemy is within 10 squares.
Back in the woods, Helga’s axe clangs against the soldier’s dragonscale shield. They exchange blows, smaller minions swarming around the others. Helga lands a jarring blow against the soldier’s shoulder. Brandis thrusts his blade between cracks in the armor, and then helps Helga follow up with a lethal blow, slaying the dragonshield quickly in a geyser of dark blood. Helga cleaves two more foes, Irann devastates another with eldritch magic, and the remaining minion runs screaming for his life back to the waterfall den.
They regroup and skirt along the treeline, finally ducking back once they’re closer to the cave entrance behind the waterfall. Brandis tries unsuccessfully to hide several times, resulting in several funny moments where his ass is probably sticking out from behind a tree while they loudly discuss what they should do next. Lucky for them, no kobolds were around to notice.
Above the waterfall, the group of minions reaches Ash’s hidden location…and fails to perceive him. He lets them all pass except for the last, and then lunges at its back with his dagger! And misses horribly. The dagger sinks into a tree, but the determined kobolds don’t even notice their attacker. They keep trudging up the slope while Ash struggles to yank his blade out.
The enemies reach the top and hop across the rocks…right into Erevan’s field of fire. Another icy patina blooms between their feet, slicking the rocks, crawling up the legs of two foes, slaying them instantly and jetting their bodies off the side of the cliff. Ash runs and LEAPS across the water, burning an Action Points as he lands at their backs and plants his dagger hilt-deep. The kobold collapses, shrieking, and is swept off the falls. Erevan follows up with a burst of fiery magic, and the last two kobolds fall screaming off the side, smoke wafting from their charred bodies, and joins the corpses bobbing below.
Breathing heavily, Ash and Erevan survey the battleground from their vantage point. They see no enemies, just muddied red water following the current. Their allies are hidden in the trees below, although Erevan spots the glint of Brandis’s halberd through the foliage.
Just about then, they hear a trumpet blaring behind the plume of water, followed by an angry war-cry if they ever heard one.
The group takes a minute (or five) to catch their breath and contemplate the next stage of their plan.
Somewhere in the cave below waits Irontooth and his rapacious friends, and surprise is no longer an option.
The fight is about to get ugly.