GM Tyranius The Dragon's Demand (Inactive)

Game Master Tyranius

Moving back to the room full of ledge Riggs takes his time and climbs on top of each of them. Peering about he sees that there are very small holes. Too small for him to squeeze into unfortunately.

"I've got a rope. I could lower myself down to the bottom, then attempt to climb up the other side. Anyone else have a rope for the far side of the pit?"

Taking 10 on Climb results in a 17 for me.

"I don't have any extra role. Sorry. If anyone does, that sounds like a clever way for us to get by the pit."

"Unfortunately, I don't have any rope either ..."

Jaren smiles and produces his traveling rope.
When I left for this job, my brother and I had a... conversation about whether or not I should bring rope. I'm glad I did. Here, do your thing, and we'll all be the better for it.

Using the ropes the group takes their time getting through the trapped pit without harm.

On the opposite side sits a mound of what appears to be rotten vegetables, fruit and excrement sitting in a heaped pile in the middle of the room. A bulging leather sack rests atop the mound of garbage.

On the northern wall rests a single forlorn kobold. Her arms, legs and mouth are tightly bound with rope and her body is lashed with iron spikes driven into the cave wall. Seeing you all enter the cavern she quickly begins to wriggle and squirm.

"That leather satchel? Do you think it's a trap? We need to figure out a way to get that little kobold loose. If others did his to her, she has to be okay, I'd bet. "

Jaren pokes the satchel with his spear, and then heads to the tied down kobold.
If you speak common, then I want you to listen carefully. I'm going to release you, so don't make any noise. If you do... well, just don't.

He then unties the bonds, starting with her snout.

Lovec will repeat what Jaren said in Draconic.

"A lot kobolds speak Draconic. They think they're mini dragons, or some such nonsense."

The kobold nods her head as Jaren carefully unties her mouth.

Excitedly she says.

“Hey! You look like you’re changing things ‘round here! I’ve suffered enough at Chief Roaghaz’s stupid whims. I’ll help you!”

Did anything happen when the satchel was jostled?

"Welcome! We are here to run the rest of these kobolds off. Could you tell us why they've been digging into the tower here? They've collapsed a huge part of it," Riggs explains as he helps Jaren untie her.

Nope you basically just poked a bag.

I told em not to get involved with the wizard. Live and let live is my motto! She shakes her body to emphasize the chains. This was my reward. She says with a scowl.

Her eyes brighten and become large. Free me! I help you get to Roaghaz. You help me kill Roaghaz and I take over Blood Vow tribe!

"Will you take the others away? If so, we'll make you a deal."

Riggs looks in the bag with Detect Magic. Perhaps something magical would be sitting in there all for the taking.

Riggs detects multiple magical items from the satchel.

Yes, Yes, I tell them to leave humans alone.

Bump

My bad, somehow I missed your last post.

"Can you get us to Roaghaz? If so, we will kill him. If you could get us there without having to fight the rest of your tribe it would be better, as I can't guarantee we can get through all of them without there being deaths. If you agree, lead on but let us see what's in the bag first. There's no traps in here are there? If there are and you let it get us, then there is no deal. "

Riggs opens up the bag if the kobold doesn't tell him better to inspect the items.

The kobold peers her head around to look at what bag Riggs is speaking of. Her eyes light up. That my bag. My bag! She says smiling.

I said I help you kill Raoghaz. I can try to get you past rest of tribe but they are the ones that do this to me.

Riggs doesn't want to steal the kobold's possessions, if they are to try and have a successful working relationship. "Here, if this is yours, take it. But, like I said, don't double cross us. Try to take us as quietly as possible, and we will try to avoid killing as many as we can."

"We should clear the area to the south-west next. What does our 'friend' say is in that direction?"

Releasing the kobold she takes the pack and quickly begins to take inventory as she throws on leather armor and grabs a spear. Hearing Barral speak about the south-west her ears perk up.

Oh.... Yes, Yes. Lets head that way first. My friend Hak is in there. He will help us. She runs in the direction. Hurry. Hurry. SHe says waving her arms in the south west direction.

Two stout wooden gates block your path through the tunnel.

"Any ideas on how to open these gates? Is there key around here?"

Lovec looks to the kobold for answers.

I can't remember if we have found any key rings or not. If we have, Riggs will toss the keys to the little kobold and let her open the door.

You have found 1 keyring. But it has not come into play yet.

Lovec sees that the gates are just latched with thin strips of leather.

The female kobold hops forward. Let me go first. You scare Hak with you fatty smooth faces.

Nighttail, the female kobold, unlatches the first gate and the group sees that there are rotting half-eating deer carcasses lying all about. Nighttail bounds forward and begins to unlatch the second gate.

Riggs follows behind, hoping there was no trickery coming from the creature.

Jaren stays close to Nighttail, and asks her a few questions.
So, what happened with the wizard? You said you warned them against something?

Told them not to mess with the wizard. Nighttail finishes untying the thatch and opens the final gate. Bounding towards you at a high rate of speed is a bipedal dinosaur with mouth full of sharp teeth and short powerful arms that end in sharp claws.

Nighttail opens her arms wide. HAK! The dinosaur begins to rub up against Nighttail and soon the rest of you all as it sees that you mean Nighttail no harm.

The kobold happily hops onto the back of the dinosaur and begins to ride Hak around. I am ready now.

After you. I will let you know what I can. Nighttail says pointing to the east.

Heading east further into the tunnel Nighttail warns you of a trap ahead. Dropping a rock onto a plate a poisonous dart fires out from the wall and clatters to the floor.

A thick layer of straw covers the floor in this cave. The cave's northern end hooks around a corner to the east, and is out of sight from the south. A hole lies in the center with a knotted rope leading down into darkness.

"Which way, Nighttale? Where does the rope lead? And what's further in this cave? Tell us what you remember."

Head down. It leads into our lair. Nighttail says with a smile.

Sense Motive 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

The mage didn't like the smile on the kobolds face, but he didn't know what else to do. "Jasmine, Barral, what do you two think about this?"

Jaren peers down into the hole.
Well, it is a nest of kobolds. Of course we'd have to go deeper.

He sighs, and looks at everyone else, trying to see if they have the same bad feeling he does.
Waiting for those sense motive rolls from the more wisdom inclined!

"Not much else to it, is there? Down we go."

Turning to the kobold, Lovec says: "Keep anyone else from sneaking up behind us. Or if you can't stop them, at least yell and warn us they're coming."

Lovec will then grab the rope and start climbing downwards.

Climb: Take 10 for a 17.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 << Spectacular]
"Makes sense to me."

The group feels as if it s a great idea to descend into the dark hole under the suggestion of the kobold.

Lovec takes the lead as Nighttail leaps down with Hak. As Lovec descends with light in hand he sees two shallow, murky pools that sit in the north and south end of the ovoid cavern. Each of the murky pools is filled with sickly tadpoles.

As soon as Lovec descends the rope a single kobold, that was previously lounging near the southern pool stands up and runs out of the chamber screaming.

Riggs informs the others what the kobold yelled, even though he had no idea of what it meant. He continued to climb down the rope.

Jaren sighs.
Well... That can't be good. Nighttail, what does that mean. Did you just lead us into a trap?

"Yea ... I'd say we will be having company soon. Might as well all be in the same place when it happens."
Barral will follow Lovec down the rope ...

The tunnel that the lone kobold clamored through seems to be cluttered with rubble. Treat as difficult terrain.

"Snappers, eh? Wonder what those are? Everyone, get ready for company."

Lovec will start off down the tunnel once the rest of the group has joined him in the lower cavern.

Jasmine follows closely, looking deeper into the darkness to scout spot anything unexpected.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

Trip vs Lovec CMD 17: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19
Trip vs Lovec CMD 17: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (5) - 1 = 4

As Lovec traverses the rubble he feels a hooked blade wrap around his foot and knock him to the ground wracking his limbs on loose stone as he tumbles forward.

Lovec Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Lovec easily catches himself before he rolls down into the water.

Moving behind Lovec Jasmine sees that a pair of kobolds wielding guisarmes were waiting on the opposite sides waiting to trip anyone entering the room but it was already too late to warn Lovec.

Looking further into the vast cavern Jasmine sees that a large pool of water rests in the middle of the large but low ceilinged cavern. Residing in the pool of water are three large cranky snapping turtles.

Round 1
Jasmine (15/17; 1 NL)
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Kobold
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Round 1
Riggs (16/17)
Jaren (11/15; 1 NL; Filth Fever 3 day)
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Snapping Turtle
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Round 1
Lovec (17/20; 1 NL; Filth Fever 1 day)
Barral (19/21; 1 NL)

If I have the space to enlarge, I'll do so, but its a little unclear atm. Regardless, I moved myself a little closer to the enemy.

Jasmine slips past Lovec, and slams her blade into an arc at the nearest kobold, aiming to free a path with one swing.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Damage: 3d6 + 4 ⇒ (2, 6, 4) + 4 = 16

Wow that damage is scary, if that was used against me, I'd almost drop to 0.

You will be 75% in a 5 foot deep pool of water so you will be in difficult terrain. Not that it will matter much.

Jasmine moves into the room and grows to twice her size as she slips into the deep pool of water, though it doesn't see to phase her at all as she cleaves the nearest kobold in two.

The remaining kobold screams as it drops it's guirsame down on the rubble and starts to run away. Spinning Jasmine makes quick work of the fleeing kobold as the turtles swim lazily in the waters below.

Combat Over

There are three tunnels leaving this chamber. One to the west, one to the east and one south. The tunnel leading east is blocked by a large locked wooden gate.

"Wow ... ah ... that was impressive?"

"Nice job, Jasmine! I'd run if I were that other kobold, too! Anyone have a preference as to which tunnel to follow? How about we go south first, and see where that leads us?"

"Thank you for backing me up. Hopefully the one who fled will tell all his buddies about you, and they will just flee. We can only hope."

Turning to Riggs: "One hole is as good as another. South it is." Lovec will head off down the southern tunnel.

A single small pallet heaped with furs sits against the south wall of this cave. Am aged kobold with scales dulled and his eyes shut lies on the pallet.

As Riggs enters the cave the kobolds eyes flitter open to reveal milky, blind orbs. In a raspy voice he calls out in common.

I can tell by your scent that you are strangers here. If my nose tells the truth, you bring the destruction foretold. Good.....Good. I had hoped to see our ruin before journeying to the afterworld but I will settle for listening to it. Beware the great scaly beast strangers. He seems to speak reason but his words are poison. And his bats, the ones he called from the darkness..... They are harbingers of lunacy and chaos.... Dread Lord Aeteperax will surely be your doom as he has been ours.

The kobolds breaths become labored to the point that they stop entirely as the kobold's body lies still. It seems to have strained itself too much delivering this cryptic and ominous message. The kobold clutches a Phylactery of Faithfulness in it's hands.

Jaren looks to Nighttail with a confused look on his face.
What was... that... about? Destruction? Aeteperax? Bats? I feel we've stepped into something a little... bigger than our original mission.

He goes to inspect the dead kobold, and holds up the phylactery.
I've seen one of these before. A Phylactery of Faithfulness. Helps keep you in good standing with a deity, if you worship one. I don't need it. Anyone else?

"I'm not particularly sure it would work for me", Jasmine remarks, a trifle sadly.

"not really my speed either," Riggs adds. He also turns to look at their kobold 'guide' wondering, like Jaren, exactly what all was going on with this scaly tribe.

"I would be happy with it."
Barral takes the Phylactery of Faithfulness ... and puts it on.

"So ... a great scaly beast and bats. I guess we have our target now."