Vernal's jaw drops as Ovid simply vanishes into the shadows.
Ovid slides silently forward and when he returns he can report to the group.
He saw eight kobolds in the cavern. Two guarding near the bottom of the stairs. They are wearing scale armor and have shields and carry shortswords. (Kobold Dragonshields, KD on the map), five of them are mining piles of rocks, and are carrying mining picks. They are the sources of the noise. (Kobold Miners, KM one the map). One kobold seems to be standing near a tunnel in the back of room. He has a sling and a dagger. (Kobold Slinger, KS on map).
If the group chooses to attack they can. If they choose to withdraw, the kobolds don't know they are there and they can leave with no issues. You can set up anywhere from the stairs on back, but anything past row 26 will need a stealth roll to start there without alerting kobolds.
"Kobolds? Ugh, why bother? Revolting little lizards. I suggest we ignore them."
"As long as they don't decide to follow us, sweeting. That might be a little tedious."
I suggest we ignore them."
"I agree."
"Kobolds? Ugh, why bother? Revolting little lizards. I suggest we ignore them."
"Because we haven't had any meat in days and I could use a steak"
"Being not quite dead ruined your taste buds. Kobold is not good eating." The party gourmet gives his opinion. Quietly.
So, are you leaving all those mobile XPs? Or are you ambushing?
"Because we haven't had any meat in days and I could use a steak""Being not quite dead ruined your taste buds. Kobold is not good eating." The party gourmet gives his opinion. Quietly.
Kevaras whispers, "And unless you prefer kobold tartare, open-fire cooking is risky because it attracts predators and other unwelcome… guests."
So, are you leaving all those mobile XPs? Or are you ambushing?
Kevaras doesn't feel that he has anything to prove against the kobolds.
Vernal wonders fleetingly if there is a way to make kobold taste good, but rapidly decides that now is not the time or place.
The group slides away from the kobolds and whatever they are mining for in the caves. Four more days pass as the group travels along the highway.
As you move along the highway on the next day, you turn around a bend and see a fire with a lone drow at it. "Wait!" he calls out. "Don't attack. I have a proposal for you." He holds his hands up to show he is not holding a weapon, though he does have both a dagger and a wand on his belt.
"I like him already. He's so trusting."
"Typical man."
On his guard, Kevaras carefully approaches the unknown drow.
"Who are you? And what is your purpose here?"
"Thank you for not attacking me."
"I have a business proposition for you. My name is Naubos. I had been sent to purchase a scroll for my Master. After I met the merchant and paid him, he had his thugs beat me, left me for dead, and kept the scroll. I have found him once more, in a cave complex not far from here. I lack the strength to defeat the band on my own. If you will assist me, you can have anything they carry, or that is inside the caves, except the scroll."
"Don't you just hate it when underlings turn on you." Vernal empathises.
"A sad story and very freely told, which, forgive me, is a little suspicious in itself. Are you sure you're a drow? I'm certain there's more you could tell me," Vernals voice is purring now.
"I'm sure there is." he replies. "But, you don't need to know more. It's a business arragement is all. Help for me, profit for you, we all win and you get to kill slave races. Dwarves, humans, even a genasi."
"Somehow I think my brother will like that."
"Murder for fun and profit, what could be better?"
"Judging by your accent, you are from Gateway, yes?" inquires Kevaras.
"No." replies Naubos. "It doesn't matter where I'm from. Will you help or not?"
"Sure, we'll get you your scroll."
"It'll make a nice change from our beloved dictating our every move."
Vernal blithely ignores Malize's vicious look.
"Worse things to do with our time than kill a wizard. Just don't try to betray us."
Naubos guides you through some tunnels and you emerge into a small cavern where there is a ruin of an old building, and beyond that a cave entrance.
In the ruins, it's easy to see five humans around a campfire. In addition, there is a dwarf literally strapped to the wall while on guard.
"Drow!" he calls out, and the humans leap to thier feet.
"Those are her thugs." Naubos tells you. "We have to kill them."
_____
36/36 HP; 12/12 surges:
Kevaras signals to Corpus:
Spoiler:
"Look - they've gift-wrapped him for us. How thoughtful."
Pleased at the sight, Vernal's reactions are much quicker than usual.
1d20+6
Init. =
Init. = 1d20+2
D21
D21
Ovid steps into the building almost leisurely. Then, in one quick movement, a small shard of metal is flying across the room and Ovid only smiles.
Ovid tosses a star of metal at the dwarf, but it pings off the wall near the crossbow holding creature. As he starts through the rubble, he can see two more foes - gnomes holding hand crossbows.
Malize moves forward, and then casts a spell to fill the minds of the humans with thier own worst nightmares.
All of the group are hit by the spell and seem distracted by the images that they are seeing inside their own heads.
Vernal surprises himself and probably everyone else by sauntering directly into the middle of the combat.
Santander sends fire into the fray which burns the berserker, and gives some firey love taps to the other enemies nearby, but then the enemy attacks.
The berserker swings his great axe at Vernal.
.
Not only does he miss, but he fails to throw off the mental influnces on him.
The four bandits all swing at Vernal as well, a quartet of maces swinging in at him.
Only one blow lands, but it shakes Vernal up. However, 3 of the bandits fall down.
The two gnomes fire at Ovid, the drow made bolts flying at him. He has cover from one shot.
.
One misses badly, the other just misses, the wall Ovid is near deflecting the attack.
Finally, the dwarf shoots at Santander.
.
The dwarf is a very good shot and his bolt slams into the hobgoblin.
Kevaras aims Darkfire at the Dwarf-in-the-wall then double-moves to L20 via G20.
Darkfire vs Reflex.
He spends an action point to Valorous(ly) Smite H1.
vs AC for damage.
36/36 HP; 12/12 surges: