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The Band of Four (The Village of Oester)

Ed Cha said:
An assistant DM! Where can I get one of those? You're so lucky!

I'm not sure if I'm going to continue including GM Tips at the back of each product. I want to, but I always seem to run out of space. I'm going to try to make the margins and font size a little larger this time to accomodate people who thought the text was too densely packed in for The Hamlet of Thumble.

I like how you've portrayed Cora, but remember she turns out to be quite strong-willed and feisty when she has to and yet deeply tied to the tranquility of the forest culture.

The players better watch out for Raziel. She's got some tricks up her sleeve. They should also remember GMs are encouraged to have NPCs progress in level on subsequent visits in any World of Whitethorn adventure setting.

I really love this Alriand character and Tharhack cracks me up! Great stuff here. It's making me really look forward to re-starting my game in early October. I'll also be running a demo game at Neutral Ground next Wednesday using The Hamlet of Thumble, so that should be fun, too.

I plan on posting the burrow encounter tonight, wait until you see how these guys faired. It was definately a night to remember. The witch will be making a return appearance very soon, as will the "ogre"
 

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The burrow

The party approaches the mound, looking for an entrance, the party spreads out and surrounds the mound from about 20 feet away. No one sees any visible entrance, after shooting down the idea that the entrance is on top, the party decides to get close and search the mound by hand for the entrance. After groping around in twigs, dirt, grass, and leaves, the party still hasn't located the entrance. About to give up Bimbar notices Cora standing in front of the mound just far enough on a curve that he can't see what's in front of her. Getting up to tell her to come over next to him, Bimbar notices a pile of foliage at Cora's feet, but more impressively a small thatch door in front of her. Embarrassed that he had just checked that area but couldn't find anything, Bimbar thanks Cora for her efforts and calls the rest of the party over to his location. Tharhack suggests they knockdown the door and rush in pounding everything in sight. Alriand agrees as probably there was some sort of guard posted behind the door, and for all the noise they were making searching for this entrance someone was bound to hear them. Alriand however feels that instead of rushing in swords drawn blood blazing, she suggests setting the mound on fire and cutting down any survivors that come running out. Rebrey adamantly refuses to do that as the halfling child may be inside. Alriand calls Rebrey on what to her sounded like doubt about whether or not the child is in custody of the kobolds.

As an argument breaks out between Alriand and Rebrey, Tharhack grabs the small door with a hand on each side, and forcibly disengages it from the mound. Alriand and Rebrey halt their disagreement when the small door flies over their heads landing on the ground about ten feet behind them. Bimbar standing in disbelief snaps back to attention once the reality of the door not being there and whatever was on the other side now able to see the party standing outside. Bimbar quickly gathers up Cora, who tried to wander over to see inside the hole, and moves her kicking and screaming off to the right of the hole. Alriand and Rebrey decide against yelling at Tharhack and instead shrug their shoulders and drawn a dagger and a heavy flail respectively. Tharhack peers into the hole and sees that a small corridor leads off into darkness after 30 feet. Looking over at Bimbar, Tharhack flexes long enough to take a crossbow bolt in the thigh from down the corridor. Cora shrieks and Bimbar tells her to hide in the woods and not let herself be seen by anyone until he comes back out of the hole. Bimbar then pivots around the entrance of the hole and charges down the corridor, getting 20 feet in, Bimbar sees three kobolds lined up 20 feet from him. Two kobolds have crossbows and the other has a short spear. Alriand looks at Rebrey and motions him to go first. Rebrey moves up next to Tharhack, and tries to see down to corridor, but only sees the back of Bimbar. Rebrey calls out to Bimbar and asks him what he sees. Alriand moves to behind Tharhack and uses his massive frame as cover while she peeks around his waist down the corridor. Tharhack yanks the bolt out of his thigh, and yells to the kobolds that they are cowards and he will take their puny splinter and ram it down their throats. He then puts on his spiked gauntlets and grasps the bolt in his right hand. He then moves to just inside the door, where he has to crouch, but enough to where his frame blocks almost all of the sunlight so that his darkvision will kick in. One kobold fires off a bolt at Bimbar but they aim too high and it pierces the ceiling of the corridor. The other two kobolds make a lot of high pitched barking noises but don't advance. Bimbar continues charging down the hall and hears Rebrey shout out asking for what he sees. Bimbar gets out "thr....." before he falls through the floor of the corridor and lands chest first onto a wooden spike, impaling himself through his right lung. Rebrey hears Bimbar's voice trail off and the sickening thud of a body. He elects to wait until Tharhack has moved through the hole, instead of trying to trample him. Alriand looks on in shock behind Tharhack as she watches the gnome disappear through the floor. Tharhack shouts in anger at the kobolds and squeezes through the opening and pushes his way hunched over down the corridor to the edge of the pit, kneels and calls out to Bimbar. Rebrey quickly follows Tharhack into the corridor and stops just behind him. Alriand gets out her flint stones and holds them in her left hand, as she steps just inside the threshold.

The kobolds, delighted that the pit worked, take another shot at Tharhack. This time their bolt hits Tharhack in the right shoulder, eliciting another shout from the 1/2 orc. Rebrey drops his heavy flail, and pulls out a crossbow himself. However he must wait for Tharhack to move before he can get a clear enough shot. Alriand advances another five feet and is now behind Rebrey. Tharhack drops a bottle of liquid on the ground next to him, he then tells Rebrey to attend to Bimbar until Tharhack can get there. Tharhack then pulls the bolt out of his shoulder, holds it in his other hand, takes a step, plants his foot against the side of the pit, and launches himself at the kobolds. Tharhack easily clears the fifteen foot distance and lands in front of the kobold with the spear. The kobold was so startled however that he missed a feeble attempt to stab Tharhack. The kobold to Tharhack's left, drops his crossbow and turns to run, However Tharhack manages to skewer the kobold's head to the wall with the bolt in his left hand. The other kobold with a crossbow fries at Rebrey but misses badly, sailing the bolt down the corridor behind Rebrey. The spear wielding kobold then takes a wild stab at Tharhack but misses him. Rebrey looks down the pit at the back of Bimbar, then looks at his crossbow. He decides to drop the crossbow and scoop up the bottle then jump feet first down the pit, a little to the right of where Bimbar is. Alriand takes another five feet, and chucks a dagger at the kobold with the crossbow, hitting it in the forearm. Tharhack then takes the other bolt filled fist, and permanently pins the crossbow kobolds left arm to his ribcage, ending it's life.

The last kobold begins to shout as he turns to run, only to catch a spiked gauntlet to the head. The kobold falls lifeless as Tharhack pounds the dirt floor with both fists. Rebrey remarkably makes it safely to the floor of the pit, and hears Bimbar's fluid filled breathing becoming shallower as he tries to remove Bimbar from the spike. He manages to get Bimbar off the wooden spike, and onto the ground. Turning him over Rebrey unstops the bottle with his teeth and shoves the bottle's opening into Bimbar's mouth.
 
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Tharhack takes a look past the kobold's position, and spies circular 20 x 20 chamber. There is a long plank on the floor and another corridor leaving the room off to the north. Tharhack grabs the plank and pulls it back to the pit. Alriand gathers up Rebrey's flail and crossbow, and reaches the edge of the pit. Peering down she sees Rebrey holding Bimbar in the middle of a tangle of wooden spikes and tree roots. Alriand asks Rebrey if Bimbar is going to be all right, Rebrey doesn't answer, he just looks up at Alriand. Tharhack returns with the plank and places it over the pit. He swings his legs over the edge of the pit and kicks away any spikes his feet come into contact with. Satisfied that the area immediately below him is clear, Tharhack jumps down to the floor of the pit and safely makes his way over to Bimbar. Checking Bimbar over he tells Rebrey the potion staved off his demise, and now the power of Kord will save his life. Placing his hands over the wound on Bimbar's chest, Tharhack recites a prayer that will heal some of Bimbar's wound. A soft blue light appears in the palms of Tharhack's hands as the cure light wounds spell does it's work. Bimbar's breathing becomes instantly stronger and he even opens his eyes. Trying to sit up but only wincing in pain instead, Bimbar thanks Tharhack. Rebrey helps Bimbar to sit up, and then to stand. Tharhack helps lift Bimbar up to Alriand who is standing on the plank, then helps Rebrey up to the plank. Rebrey and Alriand then help Tharhack up to the plank and then the party regroups on the entrance side of the pit.
Tharhack asks if they're heading back to town now, or pressing on. Alriand wants to return to the Hamlet and leave this deathtrap. Rebrey points out that if they leave now, when they return the defense will be ready and ten times worse than this. Plus this leaves the Hamlet open to retaliatory strikes if they leave with only three guards down. Bimbar agrees and asks Tharhack how much healing he has left, to which Tharhack replies "enough to take care of both of us." Bimbar sides with Rebrey and asks that once he and Tharhack are healed that they press on and take out the kobolds while they have the chance. Tharhack immediately goes to work on Bimbar, and then finishes up with himself. Alriand makes her way across the pit in a huff and tells the men she'll go look for any more pits up ahead before someone else falls into one.
The men then traverse the pit and come into the circular room, Rebrey and Tharhack move to guard the North exit from this room, while Alriand and Bimbar search the room. Finding only crossbows, bolts, slings, and a small pile of smooth stones, Bimbar and Alriand gather up the equipment and dump it all in the pit. They then return to the room, and Alriand heads up the North corridor very slowly checking the ground, walls, and ceiling for anything amiss.
 

Ed Cha

Community Supporter
Har har har! They always FALL for that trap!

That half-orc Tharhack is pretty bold though jumping over to get into the midst of the kobolds! Usually, after one person falls into the trap, everyone just tries to get that person out and get the heck out of there.
 

Ed Cha said:
Har har har! They always FALL for that trap!

That half-orc Tharhack is pretty bold though jumping over to get into the midst of the kobolds! Usually, after one person falls into the trap, everyone just tries to get that person out and get the heck out of there.

Well, his player plays Tharhack as a zealous member of Kord's order, firmly beliving that might makes right. In my homebrew I allow the players to use intimidate checks based on strength, so his flexing actually serves a purpose other than showing off.
 

Ed Cha

Community Supporter
Hairy Minotaur said:
Well, his player plays Tharhack as a zealous member of Kord's order, firmly beliving that might makes right. In my homebrew I allow the players to use intimidate checks based on strength, so his flexing actually serves a purpose other than showing off.

That's a good idea that I may apply to my game, too, but what about the charismatic rogue or wizard that wants to Intimidate a monster to back down?
 

Ed Cha said:
That's a good idea that I may apply to my game, too, but what about the charismatic rogue or wizard that wants to Intimidate a monster to back down?

I still allow the CHA based intimidate. My players can chose either way they want, but must stay with that method.
 

With Alriand scouting about ten feet in front of the party, the group moves along a corridor that curves to the right about 45 degrees. Alriand stops the party as she rounds the bend enough to where a squareish room comes into view, pressing her back to the dirt wall of the corridor, Alriand slowly approaches the room. Reaching about five feet from the entrance to the room, she sticks her neck out enough to try to see as much of the room as she can without letting her back leave the wall. With her elven eyes she can see that the room is devoid of any kobolds, or any other beasts for that matter, and she can see an exit to the North and one to the East. She motions for the rest of the party to move up. Bimbar, Tharhack, then Rebrey holding a torch and bring up the rear. Alriand enters the room and notices another exit, this one to the West. With three exits to chose from, Alriand communicates with Bimbar via hand signals. Asking Bimbar which passage they should try first, Alriand explains that from her vantage point she can surmise that the North corridor appears to dead-end in rubble, the East passage ends in a door, and she cannot see into the West passage. Bimbar advises her to move up to the West passage and take a peek down there while he and Tharhack move into the room, and Rebrey waits just beyond the threshold. Alriand checks out the West passage using one eye to peer around the corner and into the darkness. She sees what appear to be two dog shaped creatures at the far end of the passage, about 25 feet down. She relays this info to Bimbar who has Tharhack make his way to the East exit, and has Rebrey come up to the West exit.

Upon seeing the light of Rebrey's torch and hearing the light jingling sound of his chain shirt, the two dogs race down the corridor towards the party barking the whole way. Rebrey pivots, and drops the torch, to meet the charge of the first dog who while passing Alriand's hidden position takes a dagger jab to it's side opening up a nice sized wound on it's right flank. The dog yelps out in surprise and pain, and turns it's head back to see what caused the pain, just as Rebrey's heavy flail hits home breaking the dog's neck. The dog's lifeless body lands at Bimbar's feet, who steps over it's body and in front of Rebrey as the next dog appears out of the passage way. This one however stops at Alriand instead of going on to Bimbar. Tharhack moves to the North side of the East passageway standing half in the room and half in the corridor, keeping one eye on the battle and one on the door at the end of the East corridor. Alriand jabs at the new dog and misses wildly. Rebrey then moves up behind the dog so that it is flanked by Alriand and himself, the dog snaps at Rebrey as he moves past it, but it's mouth only takes in a bite of air. Rebrey tries his luck again, but swings over the dogs head. Bimbar then moves up and takes a swing at the dog, he also misses the dog, however he overswings his warhammer and ends up slamming it into his own left knee, crushing the joint causing Bimbar to fall to the floor screaming in agony. The dog liking a prone body to hit, clamps down on Bimbar's right ankle drawing blood from under his boots. Alriand slashes out with her dagger again, this time slicing the animal across the back causing it to let go of Bimbar. Rebrey tries again and with the animal flanked, he slams the head of the flail into the left side of the dog breaking some ribs, momentarily stunning it as the wind is knocked out of the dog. Alas it still does not fall, Bimbar unable to stand, sits up and takes a swipe at the dog from a sitting position but his feeble swing missed it's mark. The dog takes another snap at the downed gnome, this time latching on to Bimbar's left foot, and shaking the leg from side to side, wrenching the shattered knee in the process. Tharhack motions for the party to keep it down as he can hear noises coming down the corridor from beyond the door. Alriand stabs again at the dog, and cuts a deep gash along it's neck, the dog lets go of Bimbar and turns to Alriand. Collapsing at her feet bleeding and breathing hard, Alriand gives it a couple kicks to the head. She then assists Rebrey in getting Bimbar moved against the South wall of the room, so he can be propped up in a sitting position. Tharhack asks for Rebrey to relieve him from guarding the East passage, so that he can check out Bimbar. After swapping positions with Rebrey, Tharhack tells Bimbar his knee is shattered and both of his ankles are pretty messed up as well. He tells Bimbar that he won't be able to heal him up all the way, and the best he could probably do now would leave Bimbar with a bad limp, until tomorrow. Bimbar tells him not to do that, as that would use up all their healing, and someone's life may be in danger later on and there won't be any healing left. Bimbar asks Alriand to check the way they came to make sure no kobolds have entered the burrow behind them, and they'll have to exit the burrow, make camp, heal up, and try again tomorrow morning.

Alriand races off back down the corridor they entered this room from. Meanwhile Rebrey voices his displeasure with this new plan, as his main concern is making sure the halfling infant is not in the clutches of these kobolds. Tharhack sides with Rebrey, explaining that all they've done is kill a couple of guards and two pets, and that the current show of force by the party will leave the kobolds optimistic about their chances with the party. He advises they press on, or at least get as far into the mound as is needed to show the kobolds that messing with them or the Hamlet will result in the death of the whole clan. Bimbar mulls this over as Alriand comes back with a sullen look on her face.

"the entrance....... it's on fire"

"what! You've sealed our fate, you stupid elf!" shouts Rebrey

"what? You think I did this? You hairless ape, if I wanted you dead, I'd have gutted you while you slept."

"I saw you with your flint stones, plus you wanted to burn the thing down earlier." Rebrey says as he starts walking toward Alriand.

"Enough!" Shouts Bimbar. "Our path has been decided, Tharhack make me limp, and lets pray there's another way out of here."
 


pogre said:
Still reading HM - a lot of good gaming cooking in Champaign County eh?

And from the thread on the main discussion list about the guy visiting central illinois, it looks like there are quite a few people in this county who are gaming. Did you ever shop at Bear Productions before they closed? Man I miss that store. Greatest selection of minitures and games that I've ever seen.
 

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