NEXT: Against the Kobolds! (part 2)
That night was again uneventful and the group slept better knowing that Krase was properly laid to rest (not to mention no longer stinking up the place). But they were all keenly aware that they wouldn't be able to feel they had done Krase justice until his attackers were slain and his belongings returned to his family in Glynden.
They arose and ate a quick, cold breakfast before donning their gear. Rhys cast a round of spells on the group to give them Catlike Grace. Raven handed a pair of scrolls to Speaks that could be used to Cure Moderate Wounds if necessary. They then proceeded back to the smelting works to retrieve the war wagons. To their unpleasant surprise, they found the wagons missing (and so was the third, broken mine cart)!
"Bloody, thievin' Kobolds!" growled Raven. He put on a fair show of anger to help cover his embarrassment at having left the wagons unguarded inside an unlocked building approximately 100 feet from the Kobold's front door. (Biggest laugh of the session by far)
They grumbled as they approached the mine entrance. Suddenly, they spotted movement further up the ridge and saw the forms of a pair of Kobolds flee into the brush.
"Those buggers have an entrance up there somewhere," said Raven.
"Yes, but it could take all day to find it in that dense undergrowth," replied Speaks. "Besides, I think we've wasted enough time already."
Raven cringed again at another mention of his folly with the war wagons. "Right then, let's go!" With that, they entered the mine.
As they went, Rhys loaded his crossbow and then cast a Light spell on the bolt. Instead of heading directly to the intersection, they took the first left passage that they had bypassed before. They soon found that this short hallway led to a largish room with may pegs on the walls. Rhys felt sure that this was the room the miners used to store their equipment but none of that equipment was presently in evidence. They backtracked to the main shaft and proceeded to the intersection.
Raven stepped out into the hallway and immediately a pair of arrows zipped out of the left-hand corridor and clanged off of his armor. They were closely followed by a pair of Magic Missiles which unerringly struck the dwarf. Raven hung his warhammer back on his belt and pulled out his bow as he advanced. Rhys fired his light-bolt down the corridor and it landed amid a group of surprised Kobolds. Speaks stepped out and called forth a Flaming Sphere and sent it rolling into the midst of the Kobolds. With the hallway now well lit, it appeared that this corridor also turned after 70-80 feet and plunged deeper into the ridge.
The Kobold archers fired another pair of arrows, neither of which struck their intended targets. The other two Kobolds dashed around the corner, out of sight.
Rhys reloaded his crossbow and fired his first aimed shot, wounding one of the Kobolds slightly. Speaks directed his ball of fire at the remaining archers who scampered out of the path of the thing, just at the last second. Raven fired his bow as well and struck one of the Kobold archers. His mighty bow dealt the creature a nasty wound. Raven then advanced on the Kobolds.
But his progress was again interrupted as he came abreast with a narrow side passage, a Kobold lying in wait fired a pair of Magic Missiles, wounding the dwarf. The Kobold then scurried further down the side passage into the darkness.
Noting the Kobold in the side passage, Rhys and Speaks hurried past and headed toward the corner where the Kobolds had retreated. Raven knew that he could never catch up with the Kobold ambusher but didn't fancy the idea of having the Kobold come up behind them either. He moved to follow Rhys and Speaks but kept his bow trained on the mouth of the side passage.
As Raven struggled to catch up, Rhys and Speaks pause at the corner long enough for Rhys to reload his crossbow. Then the pair of them rounded the corner and, as expected, came under attack again. A Magic Missile struck Rhys but the arrows fired by the Kobold archers went wide. Speaks rolled the nearby Flaming Sphere further down the hall, providing some much needed illumination. Just at the edge of the light, Rhys could see the Kobolds. He cast a Sleep spell among them and saw them topple over.
Meanwhile, as raven was backing toward Rhys and Speaks' location, another Kobold archer ducked out of the stairway passage on the opposite side of the main intersection and fired at him. The bolt bounced harmlessly off of his armor and he fired back at the creature, missing.
Rhys ran forward to the pile of sleeping Kobolds to find he had caught all four with his spell! He slung his crossbow and unsheathed his rapier for the dirty work. Speaks advanced more cautiously, keeping an eye rearward to make sure Raven needed no help. It appeared that he was doing fine.
But the Kobold archer sought to change that. The creature fired another bolt and this one found its way through a crack in the dwarf's armor. Although not a devastating injury, taken with all of the other damage Raven had absorbed, it was starting to take a toll.
Raven returned fire and received a satisfying yelp when his arrow struck the Kobold. Rhys also gained a sense of grim satisfaction as he plunged his rapier into the breast of one of the sleeping Kobolds at his feet. Speaks was no fan of slaying the helpless, but he had resigned himself that it was the only way they would ever be able to deal with the murderous Kobolds. He moved down the corridor and used his long-spear to stab another of the slumbering creatures.
But a short distance away in the darkness, another pair of Kobolds took exception to the treatment of their brothers and fired their bows at Rhys and Speaks. Rhys was struck and lightly wounded.
Meanwhile, the Kobold that had been trading arrows with Raven decided that he was getting the worse end of the deal and retreated back up the stairs out of sight. "Bloody coward!" growled Raven as he limped back to the corner, beyond which Rhys and Speaks were being fired upon by archers in the darkness.
Rhys hastily drew out his crossbow and cast another Light spell on the bolt. Speaks wanted to assure that at least the few they had caught wound up dead and stabbed another one of the sleepers.
The archers fired again but neither arrow could penetrate the considerable defenses the party had erected.
Raven ducked around the corner and saw that neither of the others were in grave danger at the moment. He began casting some healing spells on himself.
Rhys fired his bolt into the darkness and illuminated a pair of Kobolds crouched near a side passage. Speaks finished off the last of the sleeping Kobolds with his spear and glanced backwards to see that Raven had joined them and was waiting back at the corner, presumably to ambush any Kobold that came around it. In fact, Raven was in the process of healing the ample amount of damage he had absorbed so far.
The pair of Kobold archers launched a fresh pair of arrows at Speaks and Rhys. One struck Speaks, causing a flesh wound and sent the Kobold into spasms of laughter. Rhys responded with another Sleep spell that sent one of the Kobolds to the mat, snoozing. Speaks took a moment to heal some of the damage he had taken. Raven was feeling much better now and still hadn't seen any Kobolds come around the corner, although he heard some noises nearby. He cast another spell on himself to Aid him in battle for whenever they showed up.
The Kobold archer that remained awake fired a haphazard shot at Rhys, which came nowhere close. He then kicked his sleeping compatriot who began to stir from his slumber.
Somewhat frustrated that his spell wasn't more effective, Rhys recovered his rapier and headed down the hall toward the Kobolds. It was time to dole out some vengeance.
Speaks began to hear some of the same noises from the main hallway that Raven had heard and moved in that direction to back up the dwarf if necessary. Raven still had no one to smack with his hammer and decided to use some Magic on his Weapon to increase its effectiveness when the Kobolds decided to show themselves.
A moment later, a largish rat appeared around the corner for a moment. That wasn't unusual as they had seen several rats in and around the mines. The fact that this one turned around and scampered away was rather disconcerting. Before Raven had a chance to report this unusual phenomenon to Speaks (the party expert about all things rat-like) the entire corner of the hallway was engulfed in a cluster of sticky webs.
Speaks, who had been hustling up the hallway to stand with Raven skidded to a halt just a few feet from where the webs ended. He had dealt with such things before and knew that if the couldn't burn the webs, it might be a long time before Raven was free from their clutches.
Rhys glanced back and saw the webs blocking the hallway. Turning around, he saw the pair of Kobold archers escape up the side passage near them. He decided to press on, figuring that he couldn't do any good with the web in the way. And if he took this side passage that appeared to lead back to the main hallway, he might just be able to circle behind whoever cast that web and give them a nasty surprise. He hurried after the retreating archers.
Raven was struggling against his sticky bonds when a Kobold stepped within view. Raven figured the nasty creature was about to taunt him or fire off another of those infernal Magic Missiles. In retrospect, either of those outcomes would have been far, far preferable to the Lightening Bolt that flew from the Kobold's hands. Trapped in the webs, Raven took the full brunt of the bolt as his armor conducted the blast of electricity directly to his flesh beneath.
The bolt missed Speaks by just a couple of feet. The Druid frowned at this misuse of one of Nature's forces in such an unnatural way. He also frowned because he thought it pretty likely that Raven was about to die.
But Raven still had some fight left in him. The Lightening Bolt had burned a path through the Web in a direct line to the Kobold that had fired it and Raven charged forward with his warhammer poised to deal out some dwarven justice. But as he stepped forward around the corner, he saw a small crowd of Kobolds ready and waiting. More Magic Missiles flew from their hands, undoing most of the healing that Raven had done over the last minute. Despite the pain, he continued forward and brought his hammer down on the shoulder of the Kobold. The creature yelped with pain but did not fall to the blow.
Rhys meanwhile continued to run up the narrow side passage with his rapier ready for any Kobolds he encountered. Ahead, an arrow sailed out of the darkness and struck him but he continued to press forward until he saw his attacker. As he watched, the bowman stepped out of his line of sight into what Rhys was certain was the main corridor they had been following. He could see movement beyond the mouth of the passage that likely meant more Kobolds.
Raven saw another pair of Kobolds launch Magic Missiles at him and the pair of bolts slammed into him, taking him to the edge of consciousness. The Kobold facing the dwarf carefully backed away into the throng of other Kobolds for protection from the warrior of Moradin.
Seeing his predicament but unable to cross through the flaming Web, Speaks helped the dwarf in the only way he knew how. He Summoned an Ally for the dwarf. A huge badger appeared where the Kobold had stood only seconds before and immediately surged forward to attack the nearest Kobold, shredding the creature in seconds.
Raven glanced up to notice that the Kobolds were turning their attention to the side passage ahead and saw Rhys appear in the opening. He longed to stay and battle the Kobolds with the young Sorcerer, but knew that the next attack that struck him would be his death. He had no choice but to withdraw around the corner and try to heal himself.
The Kobold who had fired the Lightning Bolt was now facing the giant badger that had just ripped apart one of the other Kobolds. She raised her hands up and another Lightning Bolt arced into the chest of the dire animal. The look of bloodlust in the creature's eyes was enough to terrify any Kobold but a moment later, a Magic Missile struck the badger and it sank to the ground unconscious.
Rhys emerged from the side passage to find himself flanked by a pair of Kobolds with short swords. They slashed at him but missed by the narrowest of margins. As if Rhys didn't have enough problems, a Kobold opposite him fired a Magic Missile from nearly point blank range further wounding the young Sorcerer. Rhys noted that the Kobolds were in perfect formation for one of his favorite tricks. With his free hand, he pulled a wand from his belt and bellowed, "Asharak!" Flame poured from the wand engulfing all the Kobolds around him. The one who had hurled the Missile fell to the ground unconscious while those flanking him howled in pain and patted out the flames that licked at the leathers they wore.
Speaks was close enough to the corner to see the flash of fire and guessed that Rhys had gotten around behind them and was using his wand of Burning Hands against the Kobolds. Figuring that Rhys could use a little help, Speaks called forth another Ally, this time a giant weasel. As he did so, Raven limped over with a dazed look on his face (he had 0 hp at this time) and took the bag of Goodberries that Speaks had prepared.
Out in the hallway, one of the Kobolds made some arcane gestures and spoke a few words of Draconic and a Web appeared in the hallway, catching the dire weasel within its sticky strands. The weasel managed to remain free of most of the webs and began to carefully slink through the individual strands, seeking a way free to attack its prey.
Rhys meanwhile cast a Sleep spell among the Kobolds clustered in the hallway. The Kobolds flanking him attacked when he was distracted by the casting of his spell but Rhys deftly avoided their blows. Unfortunately, the distraction of their attacks must have taken a toll on the spell's efficacy as only a single Kobold fell to the floor asleep.
Speaks was once again cut off from the combat by a Web but he knew that Rhys was now in there alone. He yelled to Raven, "We've got to get to Rhys!" He then turned and ran down the hall to the side passage that Rhys had taken earlier.
Raven began to swallow fistfuls of Goodberries to heal himself. They also left his stomach feeling full almost to the point of discomfort. He began to limp down the hallway after Speaks, moving even slower than usual.
The weasel continued to pick its way through the webs in an effort to sink its teeth into some of the Kobolds who were beginning to look worried. The Kobold who seemed to be in charge looked back and forth between the approaching weasel and Rhys a couple of times. Then her gaze settled on Rhys and from her hands flew another Lightening Bolt. The bolt rammed into Rhys and sent the Kobolds around him scattering. Rhys' body convulsed from the blast and toppled to the ground in a heap as his faithful familiar, Tavis leapt clear of his falling body.
Speaks heard the sound of the bolt and saw the flash reflected in the mouth of the tunnel ahead. He continued to hurry to aid Rhys, hoping that it wouldn't be too late. He also heard panicked Kobold voices crying out. The echoes of the mines made it hard to tell what they were saying but it seemed to be something about "retreating" and "killer weasel".
Raven lumbered down the hall in pursuit of Speaks, continuing to cram fist after fist of Goodberries into his gullet.
Tavis crouched defensively overtop of the smoking ruin of Rhys' body, powerless to stop his lifeblood from spilling onto the cold stone of the mine's floor. In the hallway beyond, she saw the Kobolds quickly grab their fallen and retreat back toward the intersection as the dire weasel slipped through the last strands of the Web.
As Speaks ran up the narrow passage in the direction that Rhys had gone, he spotted a crumpled body laying on the floor ahead, lit by a torch. Atop the body was Tavis and he knew it must be Rhys. As he plunged down the passage toward his fallen friend, another Web swallowed the hallway and portion of the side passage in which Rhys' body lay bleeding. Speaks skidded to a halt just short of the webs desperately trying to get a look at Rhys between the thick strands. He called out to Raven to hurry up.
Raven broke into a full run, which wasn't terribly fast, and called ahead, "I'm coming!"
Tavis had escaped being stuck in the Web that held her master's body tight but still couldn't do anything to help him. She cried out desperately over the link they shared hoping to establish some contact but got back nothing. Then, just as she was about to give into despair, Rhys drew a ragged breath.
Speaks called out to Tavis to come to him and the brave little weasel began to duck between the webs seeking a way to the Druid. Just then, Raven came clanking up the passage. Speaks turned to him and asked for one of the Goodberries. Raven handed over the whole bag and then began to bash his way through the webs toward Rhys. The stout dwarf strained against the sticky mess and smashed about with his warhammer, slowly breaking one strand after another.
Speaks meanwhile gave a pair of the Goodberries to Tavis and sent her following the broken strands left in the wake of the dwarf. Finally, Raven made his way to Rhys' side and cast one of his minor healing spells on the limp form of the Sorcerer. He turned back to Speaks and said, "The boy lives. But barely."
Raven laboriously dragged Rhys from the web and lay his unconscious form at the feet of Speaks. The Druid quickly went to work with one of their healing wands and coaxed the brash young Sorcerer back to consciousness. Seeing that Rhys would be alright, Speaks and Raven both breathed a sigh of relief.
Raven sank to one knee, gasping for breath and said, "Well, what now?"
Rhys gave a wan smile and replied, "We press on of course."
NEXT: Against the Kobolds (Part 3: Do they stay or do they go?)
(GM Note: Rhys stabilized on his own at -8 hp. If he hadn't, he would have died. The only way that was even possible was because he used one of his "fate chips" to re-roll one of the Lightning Bolt damage dice, changing the total damage he took down by a total of one point, if I recall correctly. That of course bought him one extra round to roll to stabilize. Nobody was close enough to get to him in time except for Speaks and he would have had to make some phenomenal rolls to break through the webs well enough to get to Rhys' side.
The Kobolds didn't stop to finish off Rhys because even one more round of delay and the dire weasel would have been upon them. If the weasel got in close, they couldn't use the web to stop it and it would have likely killed several of them. Besides, Rhys looked nearly dead already and the web cast as they retreated would virtually assure that nobody could get to him in time to save him. Which turned out to be true.)
Then i will give you some feedback, which I am sure will be positive. 
of the gnolls, lol just wonderin cause as a player xp is always a good thing. Anyways just wanted to say great story hour and let Speaks know that his character rocks (his usage of entangle and spike growth combined with flaming sphere was ingenious) Also could you give a run down of the players current level and roster, just curious.
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