Mandraiv moves over and grabs Oso, trying to pull him back up to the top of the tower.
Slipping through the hole in the wall, Artius heads roughly towards the entrance to the keep. As he runs into combat with the kobolds he slashes at two with each of his swords.
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"Rope, rope! When does Oso need rope. He climb like baby and get help for being a fool. Thanks Mandraiv!"
NOW Oso is angry he climbs down as fast as he can, using the rope of Mandraiv if its anywhere close but mostly trusting to his rage to shrug off any more slings and arrows.
Then he moves towards the kobolds pulling out his shield. "Now I come to tickle your livers, Ha!"
Aredhel's face goes grim as one of the kobold's races into the keep screeching at the top of its voice. So much for a stealthy approach. She follows Artius' wake, swinging her greatsword in a wide sweep as she closes with the kobolds.
In draconic, she yells, "Death has come to you, worms! You will die in the light of the sun!"
Imsh strikes at the closest kobold to him with his flail.
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Mandraiv pulls up the rope from the outside of the keep, easily dropping it down the other side.
Oso climbs down and closes the distance with the dagger-wielding kobolds.
Artius cuts down two of the kobolds wielding daggers without breaking a sweat on his way to the ones holding the slings nearest the door.
Aredhel quickly moves up behind him, cutting down another one with her enormous blade. Only a single dagger-wielding kobold now remains to face the combined might of Oso, Artius, and Aredhel.
The sole remaining kobold facing the fighters decides that valor is overrated and that he hasn't seen his mother in a long time. He breaks off and heads past the sling-wielders into the keep. ()
The sling-wielders seem to be made of sterner stuff, especially when a dark cloud momentarily passes over the sun, clearing their vision considerably.
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Landing as the sling stone bounces off his chest, Oso is molten angry with how he has bungled this attack. He charges at the nearest kobold roaring in Garundi.
The sword comes round like guillotine...
Imsh wades into the sling-wielding kobolds and smashes his flail into their ranks.
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The sling stone cracks against Aredhel's knee, causing her to stumble as she moves into the group of sling throwers. Almost she loses her balance, but instead she turns her stumble into a spin, bringing her blade hissing around toward the closest enemy.
Oso takes out the nearest slinger with a short thrust of his longsword. Imsh steps up next to him and smashes the next one, although the kobold ducks back at the last minute and only receives a fraction of the blow's full force. His luck quickly comes to an end as the elf moves up next to him and strikes him down, nearly decapitating the kobold in the process.
Mandraiv casts an Eldritch Blast at one of the slingers.
Mandraiv's magical bolt catches the kobold full in the face, instantly dropping him.
Distracted by his pursuit of the fleeing kobolds, Artius curses as two sling stones slam into his torso. Pausing momentarily, holding his side painfully, Artius leaves the fleeing kobold and wheels around to advance on those with slings.
Artius cuts down another of the sling-wielding kobolds with ease. This seems to be the tipping point for the two remaining creatures, who throw down their slings and daggers and grovel on the ground, shouting "Mercy, mercy!" in heavily accented Common.
Leaving the interrogation of the kobolds to the others, Artius heads over to the doorway to the keep, taking up a position out of sight of the doorway and keeping his weapons drawn.
Mandraiv thinks, "Climbing up here was one thing. Climbing down may be another. I don't want to leave the rope here because we might need it again."
Mandraiv unties the rope from the wall and let's it fall into the courtyard. Then he carefully searches the tower to see if he can access any stairs going down.
Artius takes a quick peek into the keep itself as he passes near the rotten doors of the front gate. Inside he spies a rectangular room littered with debris and trash but no obvious features or enemies.
Mandraiv thinks, "Climbing up here was one thing. Climbing down may be another. I don't want to leave the rope here because we might need it again."
Mandraiv unties the rope from the wall and let's it fall into the courtyard. Then he carefully searches the tower to see if he can access any stairs going down.
Mandraiv accesses the tower from the rubble-strewn top of the wall. Inside he finds that the middle is an empty shell with no staircase. At the bottom is a large pile of debris and trash that it seems the kobolds have been collecting for a while; the top is open to the sky.
Mandraiv curses under his breath. Then he casts Armor of Agathys on himself and climbs down the outside of the tower wall facing the courtyard.
Having safely climbed down the tower wall Mandraiv gathers up his rope and joins the others near the door to the castle. He says, "Let's see what these little pests will tell us."
Mandraiv turns his attention to the kobolds and says, "If you want mercy and not a painful death, tell us how many more of you there are inside and where we can find the wizard."
Aredhel, however, looms behind Mandraiv, and backs his words with a threat of her own in Draconic.
"Tell us of your master, and what you do here, little worms, or it we will do what we did to your friends. To you. Slowly."
The little kobolds squeal, begging for mercy when Aredhel addresses them in their native tongue. "Please do not hurt us any more. Big Chief Kirrok will surely flay us alive if we speak of him poorly!"
The creatures seem truly terrified with the bodies of their slain tribe mates around them while squinting into the debilitating sunlight.
"..and where is the wizard? Tell me so I can see my friend Bargle. It was fun to play with you and I love his games. But now is time to stop killing little kobolds." adds Oso as he comes down from his red mountain of rage, making sure they see the blood splattered sword. His wounds are mostly superficial cuts and bruises over glistening muscle.
Out of sight, the smiling barbarian gives the rest a slow wink.
Imsh moves forward, cleaning his weapon. He stands beside the elfess, lending some of his savage appearance to her threats.
The kobold turns to Oso who is addressing him. "The wizard-man? He only talk to chief. He who put chief in charge. Maybe that make him the super-chief? We don't know much about him. He keeps to himself in the below-below and sends for Chief Kirrok every once in a while."
Aredhel slides a cloth along the length of her blade, cleaning it of the kobold blood, and then turns to the others.
"So much for the element of surprise. Kirrok and Bargle will know we're coming. Let's tie this kobold up and press what little advantage we have left."
She then glowers at the kobold once more, and in Draconic, "Are there any other entrances to the below-below from out here? Or out there?" She waves at the world beyond the fort's walls.
The kobolds shakes his head. "This is the only way in, masters! Don't tell the chief I squealed, don't tell him!"
Mandraiv decides to try a different tack. He says, "Our business here is with the wizard. We really don't care about your tribe. Now don't get me wrong, we can and will kill all of them if we have to in order to get to the wizard. But it would be much easier on everybody if we didn't have to. Can you show us a way to get to the wizard that will avoid your tribe? In the long run you and your tribe will come out ahead. For one very important thing, you will be alive. For another, with no wizard, you will all be free to live as you see fit."
"If you do not guide us to the below below then I would hate to be the one who watches everyone else in his tribe cut down and slaughtered. Show us and I promise to give you a share of the wizard's treasure and you will become big and strong in your tribe with our help. Maybe next chief?"
But even this afraid kobold can see through these words so Oso shrugs and moves away with his dignity almost intact.
The kobold shakes his head violently. "I don't know where the wizard-man is. He is in the below-below. We do not go down there on pain of pain. Just keep going down stairs. You will find him there eventually."
He then looks expectantly at Mandraiv and Aredhel. "Can I go now? Kezzik told you everything he knows."
"Looks like we're going to have to do the frontal assault approach."
Aredhel removes her helm briefly to wipe the sweat from her brow, and quickly replaces it. She turns to sight at the entrance to the fort, and then shakes her head.
"With a little luck, Kirrok won't tell Bargle that we're attacking. If we move fast, we might be able to take them before they mount much more of a defense."
She then looks at Kezzik. "Let's tie him up securely in the tower, and be gone."
Artius nods his agreement with Aredhel, although remains by the doorway to the keep - alert for any sounds of reinforcements.
Mandraiv ties the kobold up as securely as he can. Then Mandraiv drags it over to the tower and leaves it there. Returning to the group he says, "So it looks like a blitz on in. I'll take point."
Mandraiv heads on in to the tower, but slowly enough that he can be stealthy and check for traps.
Oso follows, his sword held low and shield up, giving Mandraiv a twenty foot scouting gap.
Aredhel waits for Artius to proceed, and then follows behind, greatblade resting on her shoulder as she allows her eyes to adjust easily to the gloom within. She gives the others just enough space so that her own heavy tread won't give away their position.
Coming up behind the rest, Imsh keeps a watch on their rear.
Mandraiv carefully opens the rotting front doors of the fortress and steps inside. The rectangular room inside is 20' by 15' with open doorways to the left and right and a single, closed door ahead. There are no sources of light, and no sounds can immediately be heard. The ceiling is approximately 10' in height.
Stone and wood debris is scattered about the floor of the room, with a few well-worn paths cleared through it.
Mandraiv approaches the door, listens at it and checks for traps.
Mandraiv examines the patterns left by the foot traffic through this room and decides that most of the tracks lead through the door ahead of him. After inspecting the door, he determines that it is not trapped and is not locked either.
Mandraiv very carefully opens the door a crack. He uses a small mirror from his thieves' tool kit to try to check out the area beyond the door.
Oso murmurs to the rest, "Mandraiv good at this. Very good as scout."
Aredhel nods her head in silent agreement, still warily casting glances behind them and to the sides. It feels good to be back in formation with the team, to have Mandraiv and Artius up ahead, to have Imsh's massive presence behind her, and Oso as lithe and limber as a panther by her side, ready to respond to an eventuality with lightning speed.
She shifts her blade to her other shoulder, opening and closing her fingers in a fan so as to not clench the hilt to tightly, and waits, listening, ready, as much as anybody can be, for anything.
Moving his mirror around, Mandraiv spies into the next room. It seems to be a hallway, similarly covered in trash as the last room. Empty of all larger objects, the room has an exit to the left and right and another door straight ahead.
The warlock tries to read the tracks through the debris on the floor, and decides that most of the traffic leads through the doorway he is standing in through the exit on the left.