"I think we should do both." Ro'gram replies to Pavo. "We go cautiously, but not without some purpose. That way we don't rush into traps and ambushes, but also avoid taking too long."
Approaching the lair...
"Too quiet."
"Agreed." Ro'gram says, drawing both his Kukri. "Let me take point."
Leng stays close behind Ro'gram, ready with his reach weapon if an ambush should strike.
Maellyra helps bring up the rear, the dagger in her hand occasionally catching what little light there is to be found with night having fallen. "Can your kind see well in the dark?" she asks Spitter, her tone more than just conversational. "And what of their scales? Do they offer any protection against the elements? Or fire?"
Spitter nods and continues quietly, gripping his small staff in both hands.
"Yes and sometimes. Our scales...it is generally believed...are remnants of ancient dragons that 'created' our kind. Because of this, as a blue-scale, I have an affinity and minor resistance to electricity. Therefore the green-scales could easily have some sort of resistance to acid-like effects."
"That is very useful," Maellyra says gratefully. She makes a note to stick to using alchemist's fire in case Spitter is right about the possibility of the greenscales being resistant to acid. Naturally, the witch wonders if such a resistance might be conferred to another by making a sort of leather armor from a kobold's scales, but her musings are purely academic, of course. Still, she decides against asking for Spitter's opinion on the viability of her theory and chooses instead to remain quiet as they draw closer to the kobold lair.
Bringing up the rear of the pack, Pavo carried his trident in one hand and his shield in the other. His eyes scanned the surrounding area as his ears listened for the sounds of the world, or lack thereof.
I wonder why no guards... he thought to himself.
The guards, though expected, had expertly camoflauged themselves, and as soon as the group is within range, they strike at the point-man!
Scowling at the slingers, Spitter steps up behind Ro'gram and casts a magic to protect the group.
"Enough of that!"
There are some general shrieks of alarm as the magical fog billows out from Spitter.
Leng rushes into the fog until he either stumbles out of it or winds up adjacent to an enemy kobold at which points he deploys his patented kobold noogie.
Using the mist to his advantage, Pavo crept forward, dashing behind the rocks and using them for cover. He closed the gap between the other kobolds, protected from their sight.
Ro'gram moves forward cautiously, on guard for any attack through the mist. His nose sniffs the air, alert for the scent of kobolds he could strike at.
Leng moves swiftly and quietly through the mist. Near the entrance to the southern cave he nearly collides with one of the tribe's guards. He strikes out and grabs a tight hold on one of the two kobolds.
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Hands outstretched, Maellyra blunders forward until she finds a sizeable boulder. Putting her back to it, the witch keeps her dagger at the ready while she waits for the mists to dissipate.
Ro'gram steps forward, nearly tripping over the guard in front of him. His reflexes are sharper than the small dragon-man's and the kukri deals a serious wounding to the kobold, who drops to the ground unconscious and dying.
The kobold in Leng's grasp struggles to get away from the blonde human, but to no avail.
The other two by the northern cave entrance chitter in panic.
Leng squeezes and, though he's not familiar with kobold anatomy, he does his closest approximation of a sleeper hold.
Spitter asks Gozreh to guide his new friend.
The kobold wrestling with Leng starts trying to "tap out" on his arm and Leng feels him growing weak.
Using the fog as cover, Pavo slowly crept forward. Each step was deliberate as he picked his way through the rubble around the cave, looking for another way in.
From his position passing the northern-most cave, Pavo is able to see a little ways in. The tunnel is not built for tall folk, and a bed of hay is scattered around a turn to the north within.
He spots two kobolds trying to hide just around the corner of the tunnel. They do not seem to have spoted Pavo through the residual mists.
Maellyra continues to hold her position until one of the others taking point gives the word to advance.
Yes! Take care.
Ro'gram will walk carefully forward, ready to attack any kobold he comes across.
Ro'gram pushes through the mist and hunches over in the short-ceilinged tunnel. He finds visibility is no better in the darkness of the cave, and can only see a short distance. A patch of straw lays scattered along the cave floor in front of him.
The kobold in Leng's grasp struggles, but fails to struggle free.
Pavo can hear hushed whispering followed by a series of high-pitched squeaks.
Leng finishes squeezing the kobold that he holds into unconsciousness.
...but instead he just releases the kobold and lets it stab him to death, because apparently he is completely incompetent.
The kobold goes limp, collapsing to the ground with a thump.
Stalking forward ever so slowly, Pavo crept up to where the straw lay on the floor. Dropping down to one knee to examine it more closely, he wondered aloud "now why cover the floor of a cave with straw?"
Since it sounds like the others have things under control, Spitter decides to remove the no-longer-needed mist.
"Let us continue."
He then moves to follow behind Leng.
Spitter's cloud loses form, slowly turning into a small, dark thunderhead before dissipating in the night air. Everyone can see the dying and unconscious kobolds clearly at the southern cave entrance.
As Pavo drops to examine the straw, he can see a kobold hiding just around the corner, standing at what appears in the dark to be an intersection. The kobold's sling is in motion, ready to loose a bullet at Pavo.
Not having the benefit of being able to see in the dark, Maellyra attempts to rob the kobolds of their advantage by summoning a ghostly light to illuminate their way. With a gesture, the light-bearing phantom moves ahead of Ro'gram, unhindered by the cramped confines of the cave.
The glowing spirit-like form floats silently past Ro'gram, showing a narrow corridor that continues for about forty feet before splitting at a fork.
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The kobold near Pavo snaps off a quick shot that smacks into Pavo's stomach, giving him a nasty bruise, but doing little serious damage. The kobold then immediately falls back into the western tunnel.
Pavo can hear the squeaking sound intensify.
Leng advances cautiously and says, "Gotta make sure they aren't leading us into a trap!" He keeps an eye out while he spins up his chain in case he gets within striking distance of a kobold.
Snickering, Spitter replies as he touches Leng on his back gently so as not to startle him.
"You should always assume a kobold is leading you into a trap!"
Spitter casts Guidance on Leng.
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Ro'gram and Leng gingerly poke about the straw scattered on the floor. Neither finds anything dangerous or threatening.
Ro'gram advances close to the fork in the tunnel. At the edge of Maellyra's ghostly lantern bearer's glow he sees more straw at the south-eastern passage.