Thorntangle
First Post
What a burr in the britches those kobolds are. Great update, Rel. I can't wait to see what sick and twisted revenge they have planned for the little critters.
Rel's Faded Glory Campaign (Thank You Old One!)
- Thread starter Rel
- Start date
Speaks With Stone
First Post
Rumors of Speaks Demise . . .
As you can see, I'm not dead yet. (But I've had my backup character planned for nearly 2.5 months now - I felt certain we were going to die fighting the orcs).
The kobolds have just gotten my goat. And as a druid, you can imagine how embarrassing that is.
But we have a secret plan now. No more telling the GM what we plan to do. It seems to give him too much time to allow the kobolds to work up the best counter possible. But its a good plan. We have code words and even a secret handshake.
But seriously, since the kobolds have numbers, levels, home court advantage, better dark senses, size advantage, speed, and now that they have all of our old stuff, I imagine they have a lot more magic weapons to use against us. Based on all of that, we figure we have to rely on good planning. We haven't got any other advantages to speak of.
Here's hoping Speaks makes it through yet another kobold encounter. So far, they have killed Krase. Knocked Rhys out twice and then killed him. Knocked Raven out 3 times. Knocked Scar out once. They've looted our dead comrades twice. And basically have used their rat familiars to stay two steps ahead of us throughout this story line. Ugh. Damn kobolds.
As you can see, I'm not dead yet. (But I've had my backup character planned for nearly 2.5 months now - I felt certain we were going to die fighting the orcs).
The kobolds have just gotten my goat. And as a druid, you can imagine how embarrassing that is.
But we have a secret plan now. No more telling the GM what we plan to do. It seems to give him too much time to allow the kobolds to work up the best counter possible. But its a good plan. We have code words and even a secret handshake.
But seriously, since the kobolds have numbers, levels, home court advantage, better dark senses, size advantage, speed, and now that they have all of our old stuff, I imagine they have a lot more magic weapons to use against us. Based on all of that, we figure we have to rely on good planning. We haven't got any other advantages to speak of.
Here's hoping Speaks makes it through yet another kobold encounter. So far, they have killed Krase. Knocked Rhys out twice and then killed him. Knocked Raven out 3 times. Knocked Scar out once. They've looted our dead comrades twice. And basically have used their rat familiars to stay two steps ahead of us throughout this story line. Ugh. Damn kobolds.
Blood Jester
First Post
I would just like to say:
KILL THE F#<K!~G KOBOLDS ALREADY!!!
I'm rooting for the good guys.
KILL THE F#<K!~G KOBOLDS ALREADY!!!
I'm rooting for the good guys.
The Lone Corndog
First Post
Believe me, Jester, we're trying. Without notable success yet, I'll grant you, but we're trying.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
For those of you not privy to all the inside jokes of my group of friends, The Lone Corndog (or TLC if you want to call him that) is the player of Rhys and now Scar.
We play again tonight and it should be interesting. As Speaks mentioned above, they have a "Master Plan", which they aren't telling me yet. I could easily have extracted the entire plan from Raven's player over the weekend (he didn't know it was a secret from me) but before he could go on at length about it, I stopped him and told him that it was supposed to be Top Secret until game night.
I must secretly be Lawful Good or something.
Stay Tuned...You never know who will die this week...
We play again tonight and it should be interesting. As Speaks mentioned above, they have a "Master Plan", which they aren't telling me yet. I could easily have extracted the entire plan from Raven's player over the weekend (he didn't know it was a secret from me) but before he could go on at length about it, I stopped him and told him that it was supposed to be Top Secret until game night.
I must secretly be Lawful Good or something.
Stay Tuned...You never know who will die this week...
The Lone Corndog
First Post
The secret plan...
To the casual reader, it may appear that Speaks and I may have erred in not telling Raven that the Plan was hush-hush. The casual reader would be incorrect. Those of you who have already passed through the hallowed halls of higher education, or some other similar establishment, may recall those asinine little ice-breaker games some 'genius' in the realm of 'student development' decided would be a Good Thing to inflict on new students (or new members of any similar group).
One such game goes like this: put a group of people in a circle, say twenty folks, and have one person whisper a message to the person next to them. Nothing short and memorable, nothing too long - maybe two or three sentences. Each person in turn whispers the message to the person next to them, til the message works back around to the initial whisperer. Then, the last message is compared to the original. The chances of the message actually being vaguely like the original are roughly the same as seeing flying pigs without outside chemical aid. This is more or less amusing, depending on how low your tolerance for idiocy is, how faithfully the participants try to pass the message along, how often a butterfly flaps its wings over the poppy fields of the Golden Triangle, whatever.
Now, to bring this back to our situation, imagine that Speaks is the originator of the message, that Rel is the ultimate recipient, and Raven is the group of eighteen people in between the two. We haven't figured out why, exactly, but Raven's player has an absolute gift for creative interpretation and recitation of such things. He assures us it is unintentional, but I'm not...totally...convinced. Apparently, our little ploy to feed disinformation to the opposition has not succeeded as well as we'd like. Guess we'll just have to kill 'em the hard way.
To the casual reader, it may appear that Speaks and I may have erred in not telling Raven that the Plan was hush-hush. The casual reader would be incorrect. Those of you who have already passed through the hallowed halls of higher education, or some other similar establishment, may recall those asinine little ice-breaker games some 'genius' in the realm of 'student development' decided would be a Good Thing to inflict on new students (or new members of any similar group).
One such game goes like this: put a group of people in a circle, say twenty folks, and have one person whisper a message to the person next to them. Nothing short and memorable, nothing too long - maybe two or three sentences. Each person in turn whispers the message to the person next to them, til the message works back around to the initial whisperer. Then, the last message is compared to the original. The chances of the message actually being vaguely like the original are roughly the same as seeing flying pigs without outside chemical aid. This is more or less amusing, depending on how low your tolerance for idiocy is, how faithfully the participants try to pass the message along, how often a butterfly flaps its wings over the poppy fields of the Golden Triangle, whatever.
Now, to bring this back to our situation, imagine that Speaks is the originator of the message, that Rel is the ultimate recipient, and Raven is the group of eighteen people in between the two. We haven't figured out why, exactly, but Raven's player has an absolute gift for creative interpretation and recitation of such things. He assures us it is unintentional, but I'm not...totally...convinced. Apparently, our little ploy to feed disinformation to the opposition has not succeeded as well as we'd like. Guess we'll just have to kill 'em the hard way.
Tom Cashel
First Post
As a DM, I am impressed by the high Nuisance Index of these kobolds; I'm also impressed by your players' ability to keep secrets from you, and/or at least try to feed you disinformation. One of my players tells me everything they intend to do....keeps me on my toes!
As a reader, I'm waiting to see the little buggers get slaughtered!!! Nice job with the Everflowing Bottle!
Have fun tonight...looking forward to the next installment...
As a reader, I'm waiting to see the little buggers get slaughtered!!! Nice job with the Everflowing Bottle!
Have fun tonight...looking forward to the next installment...
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Well, Tuesday night's session went great. Sadly, Raven's player had to miss the session due to suffering a minor injury at work but he is going to be fine. Thanks to their well conceived plan, there was no real question as to what Raven needed to do, even in the absense of his player.
I've gotten most of the write up done and I should be able to finish it at lunch today. So keep an eye out for it.
I've gotten most of the write up done and I should be able to finish it at lunch today. So keep an eye out for it.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Loading For Bear
(Although I didn't know what was going to happen in the next session, this turned out to be a very apt title.
I plan to go back and edit the previous posts that deal with Scar, but I wanted to note a small change in his character. He was originally designed to fight with a Warhammer and Spiked Gauntlet as his weapon combo. The Lone Corndog then changed him to the Pick and Mace combo that appeared in the previous posts. After last session, TLC wanted to change him back to the original combo. As I allow a one session grace period for the tweaking of new characters, this was fine by me.)
After their initial period of seething died down, the three adventurers gathered in the upper level of the tower and began to devise a plan. They could see that they were going to need to change their tactics if they were to succeed against the Kobolds. They could not afford another failed attempt at the mines.
Their discussion lasted long into the night but when they finally bedded down, they did so with a firm plan and firm resolve (and they were sleeping on a very firm floor).
They awoke and got down to business. Speaks and Scar departed the tower and Raven raised the drawbridge behind them. He would be spending the balance of the day using the last of his ink to scribe a few scrolls to aid them.
Meanwhile, Speaks and Scar made their way to the burned remains of the smelting works. There, they looked down the sump well and discovered that the water level had dropped to about ten feet below the top edge of the well. That meant that the water was soaking into the ground, but slowly. If they entered the mines, they would likely find a good portion of them still flooded. Noting this, they moved up the ridge to the hole where the Everflowing Bottle had been stolen by the Kobolds.
Speaks gathered his flock of birds around him and used his magic to Speak With the Animals. He specifically addressed the raptors among the flock and told them that he was going to set a trap at this hole. He expected that one or more rats were going to try to get in or out of the hole at some point and he wanted the birds to kill and eat any who did. The carnivorous birds among the flock eagerly agreed to this arrangement but did respond that they would take flight if "anything BAD" came out of the hole. They settled in to keep watch for stray rodents and Speaks and Scar continued with their plan for the morning.
With his spell allowing animal speech still active, Speaks called forth one of Nature's Allies in the form of a huge badger. He asked the badger to tunnel into the existing hole and widen it. The badger dutifully began to dig and dirt sprayed out the hole behind him. A few seconds after the creature delved deeper into the hole, Speaks and Scar heard a ruckus and saw some flashes of light come from within the hole. They heard the badger give a growl of rage and then more commotion. A moment later, all was silent within the hole. Speaks nodded at Scar and the pair moved some distance away from the hole.
Speaks handed his holy symbol and his Amulet of Communication to Scar along with the spare Amulet he had been carrying. He had Scar don one of the amulets and explained how they worked. Speaks then focused inwardly and assumed the form of a dog. Scar dutifully put Speaks' amulet and holy symbol back around his canine neck and the pair of them headed up the ridge.
Speaks used the superior scent smelling capabilities of his new form to locate the various tracks of the Kobolds and follow them to their source. This led them over the top of the ridgeline and roughly halfway down the far slope to a previously unknown entrance to the mines. Unlike the other Kobold bolt holes they had found, this one was somewhat larger, being roughly five feet wide and eight feet high. In fact, it looked like it had been enlarged to its current size quite recently as there were small piles of loose earth dumped outside the hole.
Speaks and Scar backed away from the hole a short distance and then Speaks called forth magic to Loosen the Earth in and around the hole. Chunks of loosened soil fell from the ceiling of the passage for a moment before it gave way entirely and part of the hillside slumped in, sending a dusty cloud out to settle on the ground outside. Scar nodded at his canine companion, clearly impressed.
(Note: Speaks just took the feat from Masters of the Wild that lets you cast spells while Wild Shaped. He made 6th level several sessions ago, but I told him he could forestall assigning his feat until I allowed the classbooks in if he wanted to, so long as it was assigned by the time he made his next level.)
The pair then cast about for any further Kobold trails and they didn't go far before they found another. This one led them to another small hole on the same side of the ridgeline as the larger one they had just collapsed. The smaller hold received the same treatment and was now blocked.
They resumed their search and scoured the ridge for the rest of the morning and found no further exits. Satisfied that they had found all they were going to find, the pair returned to where the raptors had been left on guard against the rodents. Speaks first looked to see if they had had any success. None of the flock looked bloated and sleepy but he couldn't be sure they hadn't caught anything.
Scar led the way down the hillside and back to the collapsed front entrance to the mine. There, Speaks cast his Loosen Earth again on the collapsed area and then cast it again. By the time he was finished, most of the soil was fine, loose sand that sank deeper in to the collapsed passage below. Satisfied with their day's work, Speaks and Scar headed back to the tower and settled in for the evening. On the way, Speaks picked a fresh handful of juniper berries and used his magic to impart them with the power to provide sustenance and a minor bit of healing power.
Raven had successfully scribed a few minor scrolls for them to use the following day. He reported no other intrusions by the Kobolds. With that welcome news, they all enjoyed a filling, but less than totally satisfying dinner of Goodberries and a few sips of scotch.
Morning came and they readied themselves for one last attempt on the mines. Weapons were sharpened and spells were readied as they girded themselves for battle. Speaks used his spells to ward all of them against fire and to protect himself and Scar against lightning. He also provided himself with some extra protection by making his skin as hard as the bark of a tree. They lowered the drawbridge and Speaks and Raven strode confidently toward the collapsed mine entrance. Scar closed the drawbridge behind them and climbed down the outside of the tower. Given how slow Raven walked, Scar caught up quickly with the others.
The climbed a short way up the ridge until they were at the furthest extent of the collapsed hillside. Speaks cast his Speak With Animals spell and began to Summon another dire badger. As he was casting, he glanced further up the ridge and spotted a Kobold retreating uphill. He couldn't alert the others until he finished his incantations. He finished and gave a quick order to the badger to "dig down here", pointing at the loose soil of the collapse. He then swung his arm uphill and said, "Kobold spy! Get him!" This was directed at Scar who took off uphill like a shot.
As Scar ran in that direction, he couldn't see who he was chasing yet. But he knew he was faster than a Kobold and kept running. Just as he crossed the top of the ridgeline, he spotted his quarry running through the bushes down the far side of the ridge. Scar brought his bow up and let fly with an arrow. The arrow shot forth with the amazing speed imparted to it from the powerful bow, which no normal man could draw. It stuck the fleeing Kobold in the back and sent him reeling to the ground unconscious. Scar quickly closed the distance and hefted the bleeding body of the Kobold. He carried the creature back to where the others waited, in the process making certain that the Kobold would remain dead.
In the mean time, the dire badger Speaks had summoned was furiously digging through the soft soil of the collapsed mine shaft and had dug down into the part of the tunnel that was still intact. Speaks' earlier loosening of the soil made this much easier than it would normally have been, but his magic had worked almost too well. The sides of the tunnel were so loose and soft that large chunks of soil were falling down the new hole and piling up at the bottom. Speaks gestured at the dwarf to go down the hole quickly before it collapsed in on itself.
Raven had also been busy while Scar was chasing down the Kobold. He had lit and shuttered his lantern and then cast a Silence spell on one of his arrows. He had stepped a short distance away such that the silence didn't interfere with Speaks' magic. Now he saw the Druid gesturing for him to go down the hole into the mine. He grabbed his lantern and quickly clamored down the steep hole and into the mine shaft below. He could see that the loose soil falling down the hole above was already collecting into a pile on the floor and was accumulating there at an alarming rate.
Speaks could see Scar returning down the hill and yelled for him to hurry. Speaks then closed his eyes and embraced the Wild, transforming himself into the form of a black bear. He made his way down the hole after the dwarf, his claws dislodging tiny avalanches of sandy soil with every step.
Scar wasted no time dawdling at the top of the hole. He climbed down with almost reckless speed, ready to use the dead Kobold to cushion his fall if he slipped. He arrived at the bottom where he found himself atop a mound of loose dirt that rose almost to the ceiling. Scar fell to his belly and scrabbled down off the dirt pile until he stood with his companions at the bottom. It was utterly quiet here but he knew that was because of the dwarf's magic.
Speaks nudged the half-orc forward with his muzzle and they proceeded forward into the darkness. What little light came down the hole they had descended through was fading as more and more loose soil tumbled down to block the hole. Speaks knew that the tunnel would be completely collapsed within just a few minutes. They were about to be effectively trapped inside the mines with the Kobolds.
They moved silently into the darkness. For Scar, this was the first time seeing the inside of these mines but his companions had drawn a rough diagram of the entrance area and they quickly arrived at the intersection he expected. After pausing briefly to look for signs of Kobolds, they moved straight through the intersection and down the main shaft. They had all agreed to this previously and there was no need for the debate made impossible by the Silence spell.
They pressed forward and after travelling some 150 feet, they came to water. They had know this to be a possibility and were prepared to delve into its depths if necessary. Raven tossed his arrow of Silence back up the way they had come and they could now hear each other. They quickly decided to search the dry portion of the mines before going into the water. Raven retrieved his arrow and they moved back up the main shaft to the intersection.
As they prepared to turn left around the corner, Scar nearly bumped into a cluster of Kobolds that were heading from that direction. Neither group was exactly surprised to see the other, but apparently, neither knew that the other was right around the corner, either.
Scar was the first to react and he stepped forward to the first Kobold and brought his hammer down in a two fisted grip. The result was that the Kobold literally exploded in a spray of gore (crit for over 30 points of damage).
The Kobold's compatriots, while disconcerted by this to say the least, still reacted to the threat in a way that did not entail running away screaming. The two closest to Scar dropped the short bows they were carrying and drew their short swords as they advanced to attack. One of the pair dealt Scar a tiny cut that seemed a pitiful revenge for the utter dismemberment he had just delivered to their fellow.
Another of the group fired his bow at Raven but the shot bounced harmlessly off the dwarf's plate mail. From his vantage, Scar could see several more Kobolds come down a set of stairs and move to hold the passage against the party.
Raven stepped fully out into the intersection and fired his Arrow of Silence at the closest Kobold who was a scant 15 feet away. The arrow struck home but failed to wound the Kobold mortally.
Speaks With Stone had been following the others using the scenting abilities of his bear form (not too difficult a task as neither Scar nor Raven were too vigilant about bathing). He could tell that they had moved beyond his reach now and furthermore could smell the reptilian stink of Kobold in the air. Raven's Silence arrow kept the area utterly quiet but Speaks felt sure the battle had been joined. He momentarily pawed the ground searching for a small stone to cast a Light spell on but found none (he recalled that just a couple days ago, he had fire-hosed this section of corridor clean with the Everflowing Bottle). Instead, he cast the spell on his Amulet of Communication around his neck. Light flooded the intersection revealing a cluster of Kobolds locked in battle with Scar.
As Speaks watched, a fearsome foursome of Magic Missiles pounded the half-orc. Scar was fully within the cross passage and his darkvision gave him a view of the group of Kobolds who had launched the bolts. He could even tell that two of them had let fly with but a single bolt while the third, and closest, of them had fired two. He had been told by the dwarf that the Silence spell would prevent the Kobolds from doing their magic, but apparently those further up the hall were too far away to be impacted by the silent area.
Scar still had several Kobolds clustered around him so he reacted to the Magic Missiles in the only way he could: By visiting harm on those around him. He released his hammer with his left hand and swung it with his right at the closest Kobold but the nimble creature was able to avoid the blow. But he didn't avoid the left jab delivered by Scar's spiked-gauntlet-covered fist. The Kobold reeled with the force of the blow. He was still in the fight, but barely.
Clearly, the muscle-bound half-orc was the big threat and a third Kobold crowded in to attack him. It happened that this one was the one with Raven's arrow of Silence protruding from him. As he advanced, the silence washed over Raven and Speaks. The Kobold failed to damage Scar however. The other pair had slightly more luck and one of them dealt a minor wound to the half-orc using his short sword. Meanwhile, the Kobold with the short bow fired another shot at Raven and this one found a hole in the dwarf's armor. The shot stung, but Raven had plenty of fight left in him.
In fact, he longed to wade in and attack, but the hallway was so clustered with Kobolds and Scar (swinging that big hammer around and punching with the other hand) that he felt he would do more harm than good in trying to enter the melee. Besides, he had specific orders: Keep Scar alive and fighting. Unfortunately, ensconced in the Silence as he was, Raven could cast none of his magic. He drew another arrow and sent it flying into the Kobold who was firing back at him. Best to give him something to thing about lest he turn his attentions on Scar.
Speaks could now see what was happening, but was powerless to do much about it. Scar and the Kobolds were fighting in a fairly narrow area. Speaks was unsure as to whether his bulky form would fit into the battle. Besides, he had a specific plan in mind and entering the melee would only prolong the time until he could implement it. He held his place and waited.
From where Scar could see, another Kobold came out of the stairway and into the passage. It moved away from him and stopped some 20 feet away, turned and then turned and cast a Web into the intersection. Speaks and Raven were both captured within the sticky strands and stuck. Scar managed to avoid the worst of the webs but was now firmly on the side of the webs with the Kobolds and separated from his companions. As if things were not bad enough, four more Magic Missiles flew from the Kobolds gathered further back in the passageway and struck him. He knew that he was in big trouble if he didn't get some help soon.
But since he was free, and there were Kobolds within reach, he decided to pass the time until help arrived with some more killing. He brought his hammer down but missed again. His spiked gauntlet struck true once more however and the Kobold he had previously struck fell to the ground.
The remaining Kobolds reacted to the new situation by backing away from the edge of the web where the half-orc could still strike at them (Scar was in the outermost hex of the area affected by the Web). They recovered their missile weapons and prepared to strike again.
This had an unexpected consequence however. As the Kobold with the Silence arrow still stuck in him withdrew, Speaks and Raven could hear again and would be able to cast spells. Unfortunately, Speaks could no longer see any of the Kobolds who were concealed around the corner and obscured by the strands of web that filled the passage around him.
The group was prepared for this eventuality however and Raven reacted as he was supposed to. He released his bow and opened the shuttered lantern hanging from his belt. He used the flame inside to set fire to the webs around him. The webs began to burn readily enough and thanks to the spell cast earlier by Speaks, Raven was largely immune to the heat of the fire.
The Kobolds seemed to be regrouping for a moment but Scar was peppered with Magic Missiles once again. He could also see a Kobold who seemed to be trying to convey a message to some of the others. In the magical silence, he couldn't hear what was said but he knew it couldn't be good.
Scar needed to close with the Kobolds again but was unable to bull his way through the webs between the annoying creatures and himself. He growled in frustration.
The Kobolds fired a few arrows at him but they missed, thanks in part to the cover afforded by the webs. Some of the Kobolds closest to him seemed to be trying to clear a path through their group to allow something to pass.
Speaks used the strength afforded by his ursine form to rip through some of the webs that surrounded him into the area of flaming webs around Raven. Raven drew out the greataxe that he kept strapped to his back and moved forward through the flames, waiting for the front of the web to burn through allowing him access to the Kobolds.
Scar knew that one more cluster of those Magic Missiles would likely finish him off. He strained against the webs again, but this time he managed to plow through them back to around the corner and out of harm's way.
As the fire burned ever closer to the edge of the web closest to the Kobolds, Speaks could finally see through the sticky strands and into the corridor beyond. He called forth the power of nature and howled to the stones of the passage. The Earth began to Loosen and a second later, a long section of the passageway above the Kobolds collapsed, burying most of them.
As the fire burned through the last of the webs, they could see that only two Kobolds remained on their side of the collapse. Scar had managed to heal himself somewhat by quaffing a potion and eating a handful of Speaks' Goodberries and he charged through the last of the flaming webs to attack the remaining Kobolds. Raven also stepped up to the fore and made ready to do battle.
The Kobolds took a moment to react at this shocking turn of events. The tables had turned on them with brutal rapidity but they kept their wits and counter attacked. Scar wounded one of them with his warhammer and one of them returned the favor, nicking the half orc.
Raven waded in on his side and swung his greataxe but missed the surefooted Kobold. Speaks was again crowded out of the melee and took up a rear-guard position. He knew all too well that the slippery Kobolds had riddled the mines with small side tunnels. Just because one approach to the party was blocked didn't mean that the Kobolds wouldn't show up elsewhere in just moments.
Scar made a clumsy set of attacks that both missed. One of the Kobolds reacted by tumbling past the half-orc and dealing a nasty wound that nearly hamstrung the powerful warrior. The other failed to get past Scar's guard.
Scar pivoted quickly and dealt two telling blows to the Kobold Rogue behind him and put the creature down. Raven stepped in and swung at the other one but his attack missed again.
A few more blows were exchanged but the end result was inevitable: Outnumbered two to one and with the bear blocking his only line of retreat, the Kobold fell to the powerful blows of the half-orc and the dwarf.
The pair of warriors stood panting in the silent corridor for a few seconds when suddenly they could hear again. The Silence spell had finally ended. Raven immediately set about healing Scar while Speaks began digging at the collapsed area. The edge of that staircase was only about five feet from where the collapse ended and they felt sure they had found the pathway to the main lair of the Kobolds.
NEXT: The End? Or a New Beginning?
(Although I didn't know what was going to happen in the next session, this turned out to be a very apt title.
I plan to go back and edit the previous posts that deal with Scar, but I wanted to note a small change in his character. He was originally designed to fight with a Warhammer and Spiked Gauntlet as his weapon combo. The Lone Corndog then changed him to the Pick and Mace combo that appeared in the previous posts. After last session, TLC wanted to change him back to the original combo. As I allow a one session grace period for the tweaking of new characters, this was fine by me.)
After their initial period of seething died down, the three adventurers gathered in the upper level of the tower and began to devise a plan. They could see that they were going to need to change their tactics if they were to succeed against the Kobolds. They could not afford another failed attempt at the mines.
Their discussion lasted long into the night but when they finally bedded down, they did so with a firm plan and firm resolve (and they were sleeping on a very firm floor).
They awoke and got down to business. Speaks and Scar departed the tower and Raven raised the drawbridge behind them. He would be spending the balance of the day using the last of his ink to scribe a few scrolls to aid them.
Meanwhile, Speaks and Scar made their way to the burned remains of the smelting works. There, they looked down the sump well and discovered that the water level had dropped to about ten feet below the top edge of the well. That meant that the water was soaking into the ground, but slowly. If they entered the mines, they would likely find a good portion of them still flooded. Noting this, they moved up the ridge to the hole where the Everflowing Bottle had been stolen by the Kobolds.
Speaks gathered his flock of birds around him and used his magic to Speak With the Animals. He specifically addressed the raptors among the flock and told them that he was going to set a trap at this hole. He expected that one or more rats were going to try to get in or out of the hole at some point and he wanted the birds to kill and eat any who did. The carnivorous birds among the flock eagerly agreed to this arrangement but did respond that they would take flight if "anything BAD" came out of the hole. They settled in to keep watch for stray rodents and Speaks and Scar continued with their plan for the morning.
With his spell allowing animal speech still active, Speaks called forth one of Nature's Allies in the form of a huge badger. He asked the badger to tunnel into the existing hole and widen it. The badger dutifully began to dig and dirt sprayed out the hole behind him. A few seconds after the creature delved deeper into the hole, Speaks and Scar heard a ruckus and saw some flashes of light come from within the hole. They heard the badger give a growl of rage and then more commotion. A moment later, all was silent within the hole. Speaks nodded at Scar and the pair moved some distance away from the hole.
Speaks handed his holy symbol and his Amulet of Communication to Scar along with the spare Amulet he had been carrying. He had Scar don one of the amulets and explained how they worked. Speaks then focused inwardly and assumed the form of a dog. Scar dutifully put Speaks' amulet and holy symbol back around his canine neck and the pair of them headed up the ridge.
Speaks used the superior scent smelling capabilities of his new form to locate the various tracks of the Kobolds and follow them to their source. This led them over the top of the ridgeline and roughly halfway down the far slope to a previously unknown entrance to the mines. Unlike the other Kobold bolt holes they had found, this one was somewhat larger, being roughly five feet wide and eight feet high. In fact, it looked like it had been enlarged to its current size quite recently as there were small piles of loose earth dumped outside the hole.
Speaks and Scar backed away from the hole a short distance and then Speaks called forth magic to Loosen the Earth in and around the hole. Chunks of loosened soil fell from the ceiling of the passage for a moment before it gave way entirely and part of the hillside slumped in, sending a dusty cloud out to settle on the ground outside. Scar nodded at his canine companion, clearly impressed.
(Note: Speaks just took the feat from Masters of the Wild that lets you cast spells while Wild Shaped. He made 6th level several sessions ago, but I told him he could forestall assigning his feat until I allowed the classbooks in if he wanted to, so long as it was assigned by the time he made his next level.)
The pair then cast about for any further Kobold trails and they didn't go far before they found another. This one led them to another small hole on the same side of the ridgeline as the larger one they had just collapsed. The smaller hold received the same treatment and was now blocked.
They resumed their search and scoured the ridge for the rest of the morning and found no further exits. Satisfied that they had found all they were going to find, the pair returned to where the raptors had been left on guard against the rodents. Speaks first looked to see if they had had any success. None of the flock looked bloated and sleepy but he couldn't be sure they hadn't caught anything.
Scar led the way down the hillside and back to the collapsed front entrance to the mine. There, Speaks cast his Loosen Earth again on the collapsed area and then cast it again. By the time he was finished, most of the soil was fine, loose sand that sank deeper in to the collapsed passage below. Satisfied with their day's work, Speaks and Scar headed back to the tower and settled in for the evening. On the way, Speaks picked a fresh handful of juniper berries and used his magic to impart them with the power to provide sustenance and a minor bit of healing power.
Raven had successfully scribed a few minor scrolls for them to use the following day. He reported no other intrusions by the Kobolds. With that welcome news, they all enjoyed a filling, but less than totally satisfying dinner of Goodberries and a few sips of scotch.
Morning came and they readied themselves for one last attempt on the mines. Weapons were sharpened and spells were readied as they girded themselves for battle. Speaks used his spells to ward all of them against fire and to protect himself and Scar against lightning. He also provided himself with some extra protection by making his skin as hard as the bark of a tree. They lowered the drawbridge and Speaks and Raven strode confidently toward the collapsed mine entrance. Scar closed the drawbridge behind them and climbed down the outside of the tower. Given how slow Raven walked, Scar caught up quickly with the others.
The climbed a short way up the ridge until they were at the furthest extent of the collapsed hillside. Speaks cast his Speak With Animals spell and began to Summon another dire badger. As he was casting, he glanced further up the ridge and spotted a Kobold retreating uphill. He couldn't alert the others until he finished his incantations. He finished and gave a quick order to the badger to "dig down here", pointing at the loose soil of the collapse. He then swung his arm uphill and said, "Kobold spy! Get him!" This was directed at Scar who took off uphill like a shot.
As Scar ran in that direction, he couldn't see who he was chasing yet. But he knew he was faster than a Kobold and kept running. Just as he crossed the top of the ridgeline, he spotted his quarry running through the bushes down the far side of the ridge. Scar brought his bow up and let fly with an arrow. The arrow shot forth with the amazing speed imparted to it from the powerful bow, which no normal man could draw. It stuck the fleeing Kobold in the back and sent him reeling to the ground unconscious. Scar quickly closed the distance and hefted the bleeding body of the Kobold. He carried the creature back to where the others waited, in the process making certain that the Kobold would remain dead.
In the mean time, the dire badger Speaks had summoned was furiously digging through the soft soil of the collapsed mine shaft and had dug down into the part of the tunnel that was still intact. Speaks' earlier loosening of the soil made this much easier than it would normally have been, but his magic had worked almost too well. The sides of the tunnel were so loose and soft that large chunks of soil were falling down the new hole and piling up at the bottom. Speaks gestured at the dwarf to go down the hole quickly before it collapsed in on itself.
Raven had also been busy while Scar was chasing down the Kobold. He had lit and shuttered his lantern and then cast a Silence spell on one of his arrows. He had stepped a short distance away such that the silence didn't interfere with Speaks' magic. Now he saw the Druid gesturing for him to go down the hole into the mine. He grabbed his lantern and quickly clamored down the steep hole and into the mine shaft below. He could see that the loose soil falling down the hole above was already collecting into a pile on the floor and was accumulating there at an alarming rate.
Speaks could see Scar returning down the hill and yelled for him to hurry. Speaks then closed his eyes and embraced the Wild, transforming himself into the form of a black bear. He made his way down the hole after the dwarf, his claws dislodging tiny avalanches of sandy soil with every step.
Scar wasted no time dawdling at the top of the hole. He climbed down with almost reckless speed, ready to use the dead Kobold to cushion his fall if he slipped. He arrived at the bottom where he found himself atop a mound of loose dirt that rose almost to the ceiling. Scar fell to his belly and scrabbled down off the dirt pile until he stood with his companions at the bottom. It was utterly quiet here but he knew that was because of the dwarf's magic.
Speaks nudged the half-orc forward with his muzzle and they proceeded forward into the darkness. What little light came down the hole they had descended through was fading as more and more loose soil tumbled down to block the hole. Speaks knew that the tunnel would be completely collapsed within just a few minutes. They were about to be effectively trapped inside the mines with the Kobolds.
They moved silently into the darkness. For Scar, this was the first time seeing the inside of these mines but his companions had drawn a rough diagram of the entrance area and they quickly arrived at the intersection he expected. After pausing briefly to look for signs of Kobolds, they moved straight through the intersection and down the main shaft. They had all agreed to this previously and there was no need for the debate made impossible by the Silence spell.
They pressed forward and after travelling some 150 feet, they came to water. They had know this to be a possibility and were prepared to delve into its depths if necessary. Raven tossed his arrow of Silence back up the way they had come and they could now hear each other. They quickly decided to search the dry portion of the mines before going into the water. Raven retrieved his arrow and they moved back up the main shaft to the intersection.
As they prepared to turn left around the corner, Scar nearly bumped into a cluster of Kobolds that were heading from that direction. Neither group was exactly surprised to see the other, but apparently, neither knew that the other was right around the corner, either.
Scar was the first to react and he stepped forward to the first Kobold and brought his hammer down in a two fisted grip. The result was that the Kobold literally exploded in a spray of gore (crit for over 30 points of damage).
The Kobold's compatriots, while disconcerted by this to say the least, still reacted to the threat in a way that did not entail running away screaming. The two closest to Scar dropped the short bows they were carrying and drew their short swords as they advanced to attack. One of the pair dealt Scar a tiny cut that seemed a pitiful revenge for the utter dismemberment he had just delivered to their fellow.
Another of the group fired his bow at Raven but the shot bounced harmlessly off the dwarf's plate mail. From his vantage, Scar could see several more Kobolds come down a set of stairs and move to hold the passage against the party.
Raven stepped fully out into the intersection and fired his Arrow of Silence at the closest Kobold who was a scant 15 feet away. The arrow struck home but failed to wound the Kobold mortally.
Speaks With Stone had been following the others using the scenting abilities of his bear form (not too difficult a task as neither Scar nor Raven were too vigilant about bathing). He could tell that they had moved beyond his reach now and furthermore could smell the reptilian stink of Kobold in the air. Raven's Silence arrow kept the area utterly quiet but Speaks felt sure the battle had been joined. He momentarily pawed the ground searching for a small stone to cast a Light spell on but found none (he recalled that just a couple days ago, he had fire-hosed this section of corridor clean with the Everflowing Bottle). Instead, he cast the spell on his Amulet of Communication around his neck. Light flooded the intersection revealing a cluster of Kobolds locked in battle with Scar.
As Speaks watched, a fearsome foursome of Magic Missiles pounded the half-orc. Scar was fully within the cross passage and his darkvision gave him a view of the group of Kobolds who had launched the bolts. He could even tell that two of them had let fly with but a single bolt while the third, and closest, of them had fired two. He had been told by the dwarf that the Silence spell would prevent the Kobolds from doing their magic, but apparently those further up the hall were too far away to be impacted by the silent area.
Scar still had several Kobolds clustered around him so he reacted to the Magic Missiles in the only way he could: By visiting harm on those around him. He released his hammer with his left hand and swung it with his right at the closest Kobold but the nimble creature was able to avoid the blow. But he didn't avoid the left jab delivered by Scar's spiked-gauntlet-covered fist. The Kobold reeled with the force of the blow. He was still in the fight, but barely.
Clearly, the muscle-bound half-orc was the big threat and a third Kobold crowded in to attack him. It happened that this one was the one with Raven's arrow of Silence protruding from him. As he advanced, the silence washed over Raven and Speaks. The Kobold failed to damage Scar however. The other pair had slightly more luck and one of them dealt a minor wound to the half-orc using his short sword. Meanwhile, the Kobold with the short bow fired another shot at Raven and this one found a hole in the dwarf's armor. The shot stung, but Raven had plenty of fight left in him.
In fact, he longed to wade in and attack, but the hallway was so clustered with Kobolds and Scar (swinging that big hammer around and punching with the other hand) that he felt he would do more harm than good in trying to enter the melee. Besides, he had specific orders: Keep Scar alive and fighting. Unfortunately, ensconced in the Silence as he was, Raven could cast none of his magic. He drew another arrow and sent it flying into the Kobold who was firing back at him. Best to give him something to thing about lest he turn his attentions on Scar.
Speaks could now see what was happening, but was powerless to do much about it. Scar and the Kobolds were fighting in a fairly narrow area. Speaks was unsure as to whether his bulky form would fit into the battle. Besides, he had a specific plan in mind and entering the melee would only prolong the time until he could implement it. He held his place and waited.
From where Scar could see, another Kobold came out of the stairway and into the passage. It moved away from him and stopped some 20 feet away, turned and then turned and cast a Web into the intersection. Speaks and Raven were both captured within the sticky strands and stuck. Scar managed to avoid the worst of the webs but was now firmly on the side of the webs with the Kobolds and separated from his companions. As if things were not bad enough, four more Magic Missiles flew from the Kobolds gathered further back in the passageway and struck him. He knew that he was in big trouble if he didn't get some help soon.
But since he was free, and there were Kobolds within reach, he decided to pass the time until help arrived with some more killing. He brought his hammer down but missed again. His spiked gauntlet struck true once more however and the Kobold he had previously struck fell to the ground.
The remaining Kobolds reacted to the new situation by backing away from the edge of the web where the half-orc could still strike at them (Scar was in the outermost hex of the area affected by the Web). They recovered their missile weapons and prepared to strike again.
This had an unexpected consequence however. As the Kobold with the Silence arrow still stuck in him withdrew, Speaks and Raven could hear again and would be able to cast spells. Unfortunately, Speaks could no longer see any of the Kobolds who were concealed around the corner and obscured by the strands of web that filled the passage around him.
The group was prepared for this eventuality however and Raven reacted as he was supposed to. He released his bow and opened the shuttered lantern hanging from his belt. He used the flame inside to set fire to the webs around him. The webs began to burn readily enough and thanks to the spell cast earlier by Speaks, Raven was largely immune to the heat of the fire.
The Kobolds seemed to be regrouping for a moment but Scar was peppered with Magic Missiles once again. He could also see a Kobold who seemed to be trying to convey a message to some of the others. In the magical silence, he couldn't hear what was said but he knew it couldn't be good.
Scar needed to close with the Kobolds again but was unable to bull his way through the webs between the annoying creatures and himself. He growled in frustration.
The Kobolds fired a few arrows at him but they missed, thanks in part to the cover afforded by the webs. Some of the Kobolds closest to him seemed to be trying to clear a path through their group to allow something to pass.
Speaks used the strength afforded by his ursine form to rip through some of the webs that surrounded him into the area of flaming webs around Raven. Raven drew out the greataxe that he kept strapped to his back and moved forward through the flames, waiting for the front of the web to burn through allowing him access to the Kobolds.
Scar knew that one more cluster of those Magic Missiles would likely finish him off. He strained against the webs again, but this time he managed to plow through them back to around the corner and out of harm's way.
As the fire burned ever closer to the edge of the web closest to the Kobolds, Speaks could finally see through the sticky strands and into the corridor beyond. He called forth the power of nature and howled to the stones of the passage. The Earth began to Loosen and a second later, a long section of the passageway above the Kobolds collapsed, burying most of them.
As the fire burned through the last of the webs, they could see that only two Kobolds remained on their side of the collapse. Scar had managed to heal himself somewhat by quaffing a potion and eating a handful of Speaks' Goodberries and he charged through the last of the flaming webs to attack the remaining Kobolds. Raven also stepped up to the fore and made ready to do battle.
The Kobolds took a moment to react at this shocking turn of events. The tables had turned on them with brutal rapidity but they kept their wits and counter attacked. Scar wounded one of them with his warhammer and one of them returned the favor, nicking the half orc.
Raven waded in on his side and swung his greataxe but missed the surefooted Kobold. Speaks was again crowded out of the melee and took up a rear-guard position. He knew all too well that the slippery Kobolds had riddled the mines with small side tunnels. Just because one approach to the party was blocked didn't mean that the Kobolds wouldn't show up elsewhere in just moments.
Scar made a clumsy set of attacks that both missed. One of the Kobolds reacted by tumbling past the half-orc and dealing a nasty wound that nearly hamstrung the powerful warrior. The other failed to get past Scar's guard.
Scar pivoted quickly and dealt two telling blows to the Kobold Rogue behind him and put the creature down. Raven stepped in and swung at the other one but his attack missed again.
A few more blows were exchanged but the end result was inevitable: Outnumbered two to one and with the bear blocking his only line of retreat, the Kobold fell to the powerful blows of the half-orc and the dwarf.
The pair of warriors stood panting in the silent corridor for a few seconds when suddenly they could hear again. The Silence spell had finally ended. Raven immediately set about healing Scar while Speaks began digging at the collapsed area. The edge of that staircase was only about five feet from where the collapse ended and they felt sure they had found the pathway to the main lair of the Kobolds.
NEXT: The End? Or a New Beginning?
Lazybones
Adventurer
Great update, Rel! The ebb and flow of the battle really kept me on the edge of my seat (I was half-expecting another total disaster for the party at a few places).
Having only three PCs really changes the balance of things, I think... the loss of even one in a pitched battle can mark a sudden calamity for the group.
Looking forward to the conclusion!
LB
Having only three PCs really changes the balance of things, I think... the loss of even one in a pitched battle can mark a sudden calamity for the group.
Looking forward to the conclusion!
LB
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