Badger looks over the cooking knives, hanging meats, and other assorted goods.
'Hmmm. This reminds me of the Gnomish tale of 'Garl and the Three Badgers'. Garl arrives at the Badger home when the Badgers are out for a walk. Of course, I don't think we're dealing with Badgers here.
'I do think that someone has stock piled plenty of food for themselves.
'I might have thought the food was possible payment for the services of the goblins and orcs in the woods. Except the quality is much better by the looks of it then you'd need to bribe those carrion eaters.
'This could have been some of the food supplies of the man Mal spotted and captured along the roadway to town but it is by the looks of it more than what one person could eat without all that hanging meat going sour.
'I think it would also have to be someone that doesn't have a problem eating meat with zombies and a ghoul on the other side of the door. That would generally be some sort of dark priest.
'Possibly a couple of followers, too.
'I mean some of the meat could be for the prisoners that were taken from the town but like the goblins and orcs, why would you feed them good meat when bread and water will suffice? It is cheaper and people without a full belly are more lethargic. Easier to control.
'Oh, well, rambling thoughts for another day.
'The best way to find what's inside a walnut is hit with a hammer. That's what my Gran used to say.
'To the stairs.'
Badger follows Solaria to where TzeTing has her companion and prepares to head up the stairs. He mounts Victor and checks that his dogs Fox and Hunter are ready to follow.
He also looks to see if Mal, Whisper and Kyras are armed and ready to go.
"Yes, if this floor of the temple is explored then let's head down." Kyras follows Badger out to the stairs.
"Yes, if this floor of the temple is explored then let's head down." Kyras follows Badger out to the stairs.
Whisper will grin, drawing her weapons as she is curious as to what's down there. She looks curiously down into the darkness, wondering who is going first.
Drawing his blade Mal says, "I will go first unless someone else can see better than I in dim light or darkness".
Shrugging and shaking his head Kyras gives a non-chalant 'go-ahead' gesture to Mal.
Badger sits ready on Victor. Ready to back up Mal and Whisper as they head down the stairs. He lets the light from the Sunrod give as much light as he can.
Mal looks down the stairwell to make sure as he goes he does not miss anything, though he has little skill in recognizing stonework traps recognition of any other dangers is key.
Perception -
Mal looks down the stairwell to make sure as he goes he does not miss anything, though he has little skill in recognizing stonework traps recognition of any other dangers is key.
Perception - 1d20 +7
You enter a underground area, like the surface above the stone has been worked expertly and there are torches on the sides of the walls. The room has a pile of old rags in the corner. From what you can make out, it appears to be a mess of clothing for small people. There is another wooden double door here and as you get close you can hear some loud voices coming from behind the two doors.
"Hand over the girl. She is to fetch me a pile of gold when I sell her up North to the village of Bloodstone." You can assume this is a human voice.
"I don't care what you want. You brought us the children and that was our part of the deal. We cannot continue with one missing." this voice sounds like a Hobgoblin.
"The Xanther's Guild will pay for a new sacrifice and we can get all the children you want." he sounds like he's getting frustraited.
"No others will do!" you hear the Hobgoblin give a audible growl. "Keep up your contract and we will pay your master handsomely."
"Yes, but I have a noble willing to pay more for this little girl. She's a half-elf, ages slowly so she's exotic and taboo, which is what my other employer requests." there is a sound of gingling coins.
You hear the sounds of various yipping from small lizard creatures and a young girl crying, whimpering as she tried to keep her tears under control.
perception
Listening intently to the muffled voices Kyras recaps what he hears.
"The children are still alive! Sounds like a hobgoblin bying them off a human who wants to keep a half-elven child. I'm also hearing yipping sounds like from a small lizard. What's the Xanther's Guild?"
'Thank Baevran! We've heard of the Xanther's back in town when we questioned the prisoner. They're a bunch of slavers that I think are working for the Zhentarium. The half-elf is likely the daughter of the Lathander priest we met in town. The half-elf that they wanted to sacrifice instead of sell.
'I checked out around the outside of this hill and didn't find another way into this temple. That means the people will need to come out this way. Do we set an ambush here in this room or try to rush through those double doors?
'An ambush here might be safer for most of the children as it might separate the villains from the children. I might also be able to lead them out as I've heard the ghoul's voice. I might be able to make a mimicry of his voice to attract them to come out sooner.
'No guarantees, it is a bit of a tricky bit of magic to do and make it sound right.'
Kyras shrugs, "Whatever you will give us an advantage. I'd like to try a new bomb I've been working on and these sound like the perfect environs for experiments." he says with a grin.
Badger directs his mount Victor over to the corner where the clothes to give them a sniff. It might be useful for his hounds to get the scent of their prey in their noses in case they need to later hunt them down.
Badger directs his mount Victor over to the corner where the clothes to give them a sniff. It might be useful for his hounds to get the scent of their prey in their noses in case they need to later hunt them down.
As you approch the clothing you realise these cloths are not clean. They're marked with blood and these appear to be simple common clothing dumped here unceremoniously in the corner, including undergarments. The dogs look back at you, curious over the scents.
Looking more closely at the clothes, Badger tries to reflect on the vision that he was given of the boy on the altar. He tries to figure out if these clothes were the size for a small human and might have been discarded here after the ceremony in the vision.
Looking more closely at the clothes, Badger tries to reflect on the vision that he was given of the boy on the altar. He tries to figure out if these clothes were the size for a small human and might have been discarded here after the ceremony in the vision.
The last pile at the top you find are familiar. I that vision as you saw things through his eyes these looked like the cloths he was wearing, but they are common clothing for many kids.
"If we are using experimental anything we will want an ambush, throwing weapons near these children would be a mistake".
'Kyras, those yips sound like the talk of kobolds. The whole blasted race sounds like a barn filled with whelping mothers. It is no wonder we found a trap on the food locker. I sometimes think they'd install traps on their britches if'n they weren't afraid they might forget how to disable the things and end up burning off something important.
'I would suggest casting a speed enhancement charm on you, Mal, and on TzeTing. That way, if you need to rush to any areas beyond the doors in a hurry, well, you'll have the speed that you need to do it. It won't last long, maybe a minute, but it should be plenty to make sure that you can get to whomever are the children's jailers.
'I think I'll try making a phantom of light at the top of the stairs and then try making some sort of call to the people beyond the doors. Hopefully, the light and shadow will call their attention to the top of the steps giving Whisper a chance to put a solid knife or bolt into one of them. I'll have the heavy loaded and cocked. Kyras, I'm sure you are more then knowledgeable in your arts.
'I'd suggest that we set up to the right of the doors here where the pile of clothes are located. Mal and if Solaria permits TzeTing could stand ready to try and cut the group off from fleeing back through the doors towards the children.
'I'll try and call them out with a bit of sound trickery.
'I'm thinking of saying something like, "Move your blasted corpses out here. We've got visitors."
'Any suggestions or improvements? Or are we good to roll?'
Solaria turns to Badger, "Yes that fine for TzeTing isn't it my little one?" TzeTing nods in agreement. Solaria continues, "I only have one spell left, so if you want I can make a small piece of ground more difficult to stand up on, then I will just shoot some bolts and hope to hit. If that fits with your plans."
'Hmm? Yes, yes.' Is all that can be drawn from Kyras as he furiously rumages through his robe.
Whisper will ready her weapons and position herself near the group. She smirks as she waits for what the plan of action is going to be.
"I am ready", Mal mouths and nods to Badger.
'Solaria, if you can hold off on placing that spell, it might be best. We might need to rapidly move through the area that you placed it or we might find that our intended prey didn't fall into the net.
'Either way, if you can use your bolts to you see an opportunity for maximum effectiveness. Well, I'm sure you'll know what looks best to you.
'Since everyone seems ready, let's do this.'
Badger draws upon his gnomish heritage to first make a flickering form of light and shadow at the top of the stairs and then makes a shouting voice like the ghoul priest that they had just fought yelling outside of the double doors.
'Move your lazy blasted corpses out here. We've got visitors.'
Badger, riding Victor, then prepares to fire his crossbow hoping he gets to skewer a goblin or a kobold.
Solaria has her crossbow ready and trained.
Holding the bomb ready to throw, Kyras stares intently at the door waiting for reactions.
Badger turns and winks at his companions as he whispers, 'Knock knock.'
Whisper hunkers down with hand crossbow ready and loaded, rapier in her other hand. She sticks to the shadows and stays as quiet as possible.
:
:
Silence decends in the room and the doors begin to open. The Kobolds exit tentively, looking up the stairs. They didn't seem focused at all on the group and for now you see two exiting the doorway. They don't appear to notice you and you hear a loud barking from inside and a snarl. the small lizard creatures yip and sniff the air, knowing intruders were nearby.
From her position in the shadows, Whisper fires a shot at the kobold nearest her.
:
ranged touch
dmg 5 splash, ref DC 15.
For his surprise action, Mal steps out from behind the door and attacks one of the kobolds assuming one of them is still standing.
Melee Attack -
Melee Damage -
Solaria aims and fires her crossbow at the kobolds.
Ranged Light Crossbow attack
Damage
The serpentine creature moves out from out of the darkness, biting the nearest kobold.
Bite attack
Damage
Solaria Initiative
TzeTing Initiative
initiative
Initiative -
Order:
Kyras
Solaria
Badger
Malstei
Whisper
The Order here just as a reminder:
Kyras
Kobolds
Rogue
Solaria
Badger
Gnoll
Hobgoblin
Malstei
Whisper
Order:
Kyras
Solaria
Badger
Malstei
Whisper
And TzeTing after Badger...
And I'm OK with the map
Gritting his teeth in frustration as his bomb goes wide, Kyras pulls his crossbow and loads it as the quarters are too tight for another bomb.
Badger expects to see two dead kobolds but a few seconds later he sees that they seem to be the luckiest two kobolds on the face of Faerun. He drops his now unloaded crossbow preparing his light mace and shield for melee.
'I think there is a gnoll back there among the prisoners.'
Badger then says a couple of growls and barks as he urges Victor and his hounds to the attack.
Badger expects to see two dead kobolds but a few seconds later he sees that they seem to be the luckiest two kobolds on the face of Faerun. He drops his now unloaded crossbow preparing his light mace and shield for melee.
'I think there is a gnoll back there among the prisoners.'
Badger then says a couple of growls and barks as he urges Victor and his hounds to the attack.
1d20+8
1d20+3
1d20+3
1d6+3
1d20+4
1d4+11d20+2
1d4+1
The Kobolds attempt to attack Malastie, but they all miss. The spears are handled clumbsily, clearly surprised from the attack and their moral goes even lower when one of the Kobolds it taken down by the dog opposite from Mal.
The human in the room that Mal can see is standing next to a Hobgoblin, both appear to be reaching for their ranged weapons and backing off and the Gnoll visably drools at the sight of blood and hefts it's nasty looking spear, ready to approch.
Solaria loads her crossbow, picking up her flowing robes, moves quickly and silently behind TzeTing. She whispers in his ear, [b]"Go TzeTing strike those beyond."[b]
TzeTing moves in his slithery way towards the enemy preparing for battle in the other room, his skin and plumage taking of a fiery sheen..
Bite
Damage