Tickleberry
First Post
After saving Briniford, whether they liked being saved or not, we decided to go back to Hartsford. Setting up camp one night, I noticed that the "natural impression" the fire was in was anything but. It was a giant's footprint. Naturally, I point this out to the rest of the party, and start looking around for what made it. I notice off in the distance a great glowing shape. I nominate the most capable to investigate: the dwarven maid we picked up.
I have a personal policy to let the tougher individuals scout; they have a better chance of surviving any encounter long enough for the rest of us to show up in time to save them. Ten minutes after she left, we started after her.
When we arrived on the scene, things looked bad. She looked like she was about to be crushed under an oversized shoe, and then it looked like it was trying to grab her. I was about to cut loose an arrow at it when I finally made out what she was saying.
"Iff'n ye be wantin' me t' help ye, yer gonna hafta hold still, ye big galoot." The big galoot in question was rather mismade; it looked like an oversized, underfed clown.
Billen, being so helpful, said "Oh, you want it free? How about this?" He cuts it free, and the thing nearly falls on him. I knocked him out of the way (of course I make sure I'm out of the way, too). A stinking cloud envelopes us, along with a curious popping type sound. We see that the arms and legs are wooden, but there is definitely something moving, struggling, in the center of the mass.
I clamber up there, and start trying to cut it free. Glim, the gnome cleric, tries a command to make it calm down. It doesn't work, but it sure got still when I pointed out that I might cut it if it didn't. There were four scars on its head, it had a clown nose, but under all that, it was the BARD!
I might have hugged him too hard, if his blue face was any indication, and it took me a minute after that to notice the gag. Okay, I was over excited, but where else besides a ballad does a friend come back from the dead?
Once I let him tell his story, this is what we found out: The illithid was only partially successful in planeshifting the bard out of there; he landed in a cloud giants' nursery. They put him to work as a plaything. A band of adventurers freed him, and he wound up here with his oversized stilt shoe stuck. Now, he was back with us. Did I mention I was glad to see him? (No, not THAT kind of glad!)
We stopped at a little village along the way. Billen, always open to an opportunity, looked at the postings on the Tavern door. He had to ask the perennial old man about one of them. "Why are you offering a gold a head on kobolds?"
"N'un believe me, but, a few days ago, I seen kobolds fallin' outta that cloud over thar. Nun of'em were hurt by it neither. N'un but me seen it, but they all seen that thar cloud hain't moved an inch since it got thar. Now, a day 'er so af'en I seen them kobolds fall, the Barnes, and their barn, disappeart.
N'nen, two of 'em walked inta town, purty as you pleased, n' tried t' set th' gen'ral store on fire. Purty surprised, too, when we kilt 'em. Hollered somthin' sounded like 'Kalamazoo'." He waved over toward the village gate. "Their heads 're over thar."
"If we undertake such a job, we'll need more than a gold a head." Billen always did try for more than the going rate.
"Ye'll haveta ask Mayor Folmar 'bout that."
"Where might I find him?" The old man waved toward the mayor's place.
Billen, with his usual panache, got us a twelve hundred fifty advance, with seven hundred fifty to be paid upon completion. Mayor Emory Folmar (player's note: Montgomery Al injoke) was a politician, and as such, gave Billen plenty of ammunition to use in monetary negotiations. I could learn a lot from him. With the consideration of ten percent of any loot, and the fact we would indubitably help his reputation in time for re-election, we got a very good deal. Now to kill kobolds.
We literally found nothing at the Barnes' place. The house and barn were completely gone. There were no animals, and there were no tracks. However, we did find a pile of dirt at the nearby creek. Dirt like you'd find digging a well. There were wood chips we could see, and who knows what else. We found the barn and house. Probably found what had happen to the Barnes family. The lack of tracks were soon explained: they were being wiped away. We found part of a track that had been swept. It belonged to a kobold. We decided to come back at night, and try to find the kobolds it belonged to.
This time, they make me scout. Well, I have plenty of cover, and it is dark. I am the quietest of the bunch, and hopefully no one will ever know I'm here. At the edge of the corn, I see three parties of kobolds. Each party has a giant weasel, and about ten kobolds apiece.
Using the corn for cover, we managed to wipe out two parties before they even knew we were there. Two almost got away. One I caught with an arrow, and Billen had his dog fetch the other. The lieutenants almost give you a fight, and a weasel bite hurts! Celwyn actually had the presence of mind to save one for questioning.
The other party had headed for town. We head for town as fast as we can. They aren't there. We find out what other farms are on the way to town, backtracking each one toward the Barnes' place. Nothing at the Hughes', or Waltons' place. We find the Ingals waiting for us with crossbows. They kindly point the way the survivors went.
It's in the woods, and there's some light to check for traps by, and I narrowly miss a snare. That's when I start using a long stick, and find a kobold with a crossbow. I jump out of the way, and find a nearby tree to climb. What we have found are two fortified wooden pillboxes full of crossbow toting kobolds.
The dwarf jumps on top of one, and starts hacking her way in. Celwyn sets a flare off in one. Fire seems to be a good idea, since there isn't much to aim for through arrow slits. I light a fire arrow, and send it into the pillbox not being redesigned by a dwarf. I hear Celwyn cackle with glee. Then I see both boxes erupt with light. I do it again. He does his spell again. About this time, the dwarf gets through the top of hers. She descends to do some hacking of her own on kobolds. The other pillbox is blown open. Kobolds spill out for Billen, Glim, and Larry to play with. Suddenly, I see a party with two weasels descend on the fighters. The two weasels and the kobold leader aim for Billen. They miss him, and I explode one weasels head. Even with the influx, we are soon done.
The dwarf discovers tunnels in the pillbox, and enters following a kobold. The kobold turns and fires, and it does little damage to her. She kills it in one stroke. She journeys a little farther, and finds a trap the hard way. Thats when she decides to burn the tunnels clear. She empties about ten flasks of oil into the tunnel as she backs out. A kobold, uttering a shrill "kalamazoo!" lights off the oil before she completely clears. Half her hair and beard are gone. Glim heals her.
One breaks and runs for the hill. I stop him easily with an arrow. Once all targets are down, we go inspect the hill. There are nothing but traps on it. According to the dwarf, they have extensive tunnels, and the only entrance is through the pillboxes. Oh, joy.
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