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Drawing his slightly larger blade as he moves up, he tries to finish off the wounded Kobold, but even still surprised, the little bastard manages to sidestep the blow. As he advances, the miners make way for him, seeming to have snapped out of their acceptance of death.
The Kobold with the rapier and more modest armor takes out a potion and drinks it, stepping back a bit to try to get his back to the wall.
ROUND 1
Garret & Nicolae ()
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Kobold Blade 1 ()
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Caith (), Darius (), Kylar (), Roderick ()
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Kobold Sniper 2 (-10) & Kobold Sniper 3 ()
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Caith, Darius, and Roderick all move into the room, with Roderick pulling out his spear and standing behind Nicolae to attack the wounded Kobold, and dropping him in a pool of blood.
Tossing a bit of powder at the ground, suddenly Kylar vanishes for a moment, but from a nearby shadow, soft chanting can be heard as a droplets seem to shoot out, severely burning the nearest Kobold, and leaving him hating life, though only barely still clinging to it.
As he becomes visible once more, the very wounded Kobold turns to fire it's crossbow at Kylar, but it's hardly a lethal blow as it slices into his shoulder and continues flying into the wilderness.
Suddenly, from the pit below, an entire new swarm of Kobolds leaps up, ready for battle. One seems to be another battle leader, likewise wearing a rapier and some half decent armor. He also, moves and drinks a potion. The other four Kobolds instead seem to scatter to reinforce their tribe mates.
Near Nicolae and Roderick, the group of miners seem an opening as one of the more careless Kobolds rushes between them, and swarm it, using their bindings, hands, and feet to beat it to a bloody pulp.
ROUND 2
Garret & Nicolae ()
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Kobold Blade 1 () & Kobold Blade 4 ()
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Caith (), Darius (), Kylar (-2), Roderick ()
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Kobold Sniper 3 (-11), Kobold 5 (), Kobold 6 (),
Kobold 7 (), & Kobold 8 ()
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As the priest of roads moves up, he arms with a javelin and throws it, but with so many friendlies in the area, it was a difficult task, and the javelin hits the far wall without drawing blood.
Nicolae advances to the next Kobold, another archer, and again swings his large sword, hitting it hard and leaving a large gash across it's scaled chest.
The two Kobolds (1&4) with the rapiers, rather than attacking step away and for just a moment, their mouths seem to enlarge, becoming more dragon-like, and the scales around them even turn a deep red color. Smoke begins to seep from between their teeth, and almost together, the two unleash large gouts of flame, catching Darius, Caith, Nicolae, Roderick, and two of the Miners that just happen to be close. In their weakened state, they really have no defense, and both fall to the ground, wreathed in flame, and very close to a very painful death.
ROUND 2
Garret & Nicolae ()
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Kobold Blade 1 () & Kobold Blade 4 ()
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Caith (), Darius (), Kylar (-2), Roderick ()
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Kobold Sniper 3 (-11), Kobold 5 (), Kobold 6 (),
Kobold 7 (-8), & Kobold 8 ()
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Caith, with flames clinging to him, rushes at the Kobold blade, their leader, but can't seem to land a solid blow with his both flaming and spiked body. Darius moves in for a kill, but also leaves himself a bit open to a rapier thrust, but not a very good one, followed by his own attack against a different Kobold. It leaves it's mark, but it's not enough to kill it.
Kylar, on the other side, takes a step back, little too close to the battle for comfort, and again launches a magical stream of enhanced acid, catching his target where it hurts the most, while Roderick hurls his own concoction just behind another group, catching them all as it explodes on impact. It finishes off two of the Kobolds, while leaving another harmed.
Seeing things are beginning to turn to your favor, the miners move in to help out more, managing to kill one of the more injured Kobolds, while helping to distract two others.
One of the Kobolds takes a step back, leveling it's crossbow at Darius, it's closest threat while another fires back at Kylar, it's tormenter with that nasty acid.
Finally, after all of that, yet another Kobold arrives (#9), jumping out of the pit to join the tribe in battle. Unlike the others, this Kobold has no sword nor armor, instead carrying a mage's staff and wearing robes, and leaving you to wonder, just how many more waves of these little bastards expect to join the party. . .
ROUND 3
Garret & Nicolae (-15)
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Kobold Blade 1 (), Kobold Blade 4 (-6), & Kobold 9 ()
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Caith (-11, on fire), Darius (), Kylar (-2), Roderick (-19, on fire)
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Kobold 5 (-7) & Kobold 8 (-7)
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The priest moves up with his Morningstar, but is not able to strike the little creature. Luckily, Nicolae uses the opportunity of it trying to taunt the priest to slide his blade through it's back, the end exiting it's chest midsentence. He slides it out, and allows the body to fall tot he ground, dead.
One of the weaker Kobolds tries to stab it's spear into Darius while the newly arrived caster tries to move past Nicolae for an optimal position, taking a solid hit, but managing to get there still alive in order to unleash a crackling Lightningbolt. One that kills a few of the miners outright as well as some of it's fellow Kobolds.
ROUND 3
Garret & Nicolae (-15)
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Kobold 9 (-9)
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Caith (-12), Darius (), Kylar (-2), Roderick (-20)
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Kobold 5 (-7) & Kobold 8 (-7)
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Afew of the party members go down as well, but both Darius's lucky strike and Kylar's magical dart drop two more of the wounded Kobolds, leaving just the Kobold mage, who alone, can not offer any significant resistance.
Surrounded and by far out matched, the final Kobold goes down in a shower of blood. Cold, reptilian blood. All around you, and from deep within the pit you can hear the hoots and growls of more Kobolds. Perhaps hundreds of them. Your battle has drawn a lot of attention, and the minors begin begging you to get them out of here. With very little time, you quickly search the ruined temple, though you do not find the corpse of the missing Venture-Captain amongst the pile of corpses in the pit, you do find at least a clue that he was here.
You are able to grab a small satchel bearing the Glyph of the Open Road from amongst the pile of corpses in the pit. Within it is a field notebook as well as a few vials and trinkets. Again, the minors, their despair growing along with the calls of the Kobold warparties coming closer force you to flee.
The trek back is perilous. More than once you are forced to flee as quickly as you can as groups of Kobolds spot you and begin to charge, but even while shepherding the minors, you are able to escape, though only barely. More than once you are forced to stand and fight, and your resources are quickly drained. Without rest, low on food, and with barely any time to even patch yourself up, you nearly don't make it. But finally, running on fumes, you reach Fort Bandu.
It's people remember you, though this time, seeing you return with so many of the prisoners they thought lost, they don't look on you with hatred and mistrust as they did the first time, but rather respect and admiration. No one says it aloud, but you know that many of them now question their original views on the Pathfinder Society, and while it might not be enough to change their minds fully, you have at least planted the seed that might one day grow.
Praetor Sylien greets you himself, nodding his head. "Well met, Pathfinders. You have struck a mighty blow against the Kobolds, one they will not soon forget. I'd say that should be enough to right Sharrowsmith's folly." He offers you sanctuary for a few days to rest and resupply, and honestly seems saddened to hear that the Venture-Captain has passed. Staying in Fort Bandu for a few days gives you time to read Sharrowsmith's final journal, indicating he had explored part of Ashkurhall before implying he traveled to the Mwangi Expanse to find the Krihirik.
Sylien is amenable to helping the you further, and he recognizes that the Krihirik are a tribe of grippli that live in the Kaava Lands just northwest of the Bandu Hills. He further shares that a member of the tribe visits several times a year to barter for good and gems, who left only a yesterday morning.
What’s more, Amersanus Valacosti abruptly wrapped up his business at the fort and departed in the same direction only a few hours later. "If you are to find the Krihirik and recover the relic with the power to neutralize the Golden Guardian, especially if you want to get there ahead of the Aspis Consortium, I suggest you make haste for the Kaava Lands!"
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The journey from Fort Bandu to the Kaava Lands is oppressively hot, but it gets easier as the days go on and the terrain transitions from rugged foothills to open grasslands before giving way to dense jungle.
Following the directions from Fort Bandu’s garrison captain, it is not difficult to find Krihirik village, which lies approximately ten miles inside the jungle’s border, . . . and twenty feet off the ground. Narrow rope bridges connect a few dozen tree-dwellings overhead, forming a small but secure community. Bright-skinned, bulging-eyed gripplis go about their daily business nearby. Crates and sacks of trade goods litter the jungle floor, and several gripplis busily inspect a bundle of swords, throwing down their spears and nets in favor of freshly forged steel.
A blue-and-brown-skinned grippli in practical traveling clothes bounds forward and holds out his webbed hands in welcome. “More visitors come to trade with the Krihirik? You are most welcome here, though I fear we have little to offer at this time. Or perhaps there’s some other reason you came all this way?”
At the mention of the curious orb of dwarven make, Gwellik perks up with interest and insists that you come with him to see the Krihirik elders. He sends several gripplis to lower a tall ladder from the trees to the jungle floor. The gripplis themselves simply climb or jump into the trees. Rickety rope bridges connect half a dozen grippli tree houses to one another, though to the north, many more appear overgrown and abandoned. One dwelling is larger than the others, hangs over a small pond. Inside, three gripplis with mottled gray-brown skin pass a finely crafted short sword back and forth with admiration. Gwellik announces the PCs to the grippli elders, and introduces them to the PCs: Mother Bogwynne, the lorekeeper and chief elder; Finyik, the hunt- master; and Diblop, the chief brew-mistress and miracle worker.
After Gwellik introduces the elders of the tribe, he asks you to introduce yourselves as well.
Following introductions, Mother Bogwynne speaks.Mother Bogwynne, the largest of the gripplis, slowly gets to her feet and hands the sword to the trader. “Thank you Gwellik. You have done well in our time of need, bringing both weapons and travelers from afar to lend aid to the Krihirik.”
She pauses and looks over her guests in the meetinghouse. “So, you seek a weapon to fight against the guardian of the Bandu Hills? Word of our tribe’s secret seems to have reached many ears of late. The Krihirik have such an object, but it is a treasured possession, entrusted to us long ago—one we could not surrender lightly. However...” She looks to Finyik, the hunt-master, whose old bones creak as he gets to his feet to speak.
“We are fewer in number with each season, for we are hemmed in by enemies on all sides. Those who would seek our remaining weapon would do well to bring us one in return, and this is the same opportunity we gave to those who came before you. Travel to Deepblood Ridge, where two beasts of the Kaava Lands reign, and bring back one or more of their eggs. These we can nurture as our own, far from the hungry talons of the lizardfolk who fear the beasts and would eat their young. Do this while surviving the dangers of our forest home, and you shall have our gratitude and our respect.”
Finyik sits down, and Diblop, by far the oldest and grayest of the three, speaks. “The great scaled ones are mighty creatures, the king and queen of the Kaava Lands’ many beasts. But the lizardfolk, may curses haunt their breed to the ends of the jungle, chased them off, leaving the nest vulnerable. Now is the time to strike! Those who can defy the lizardfolk and aid us now will be most fit to wield the weapon the dwarves gave us so long ago and end the vile guardian’s threat once and for all.”
Finyik then turns to you, letting it all sink in for a few moments, then comments, "I'm certain you may have questions, yes?"
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“Your kind calls them dinosaurs. They are the mightiest creatures for miles in any direction, dangerous and untamable. The lizardfolk must have suffered great losses in chasing them off.”
"As for the others, they have provided us with weapons with which to fight, and likewise seem interested in the weapon. We offered them the same bargain."
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“If you prove yourselves worthy, we will tell you of its story and how to use it.” The gripplis are reticent to share anything further about the weapon, for in their dire straits, it is one of the few bargaining chips they have.
They do however, show you the rough size of the eggs, which is similar to the size of a (US) football, as well as give you some general directions. Kylar, being from around these parts a bit, also knows a few things to help out.
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Deepblood Ravine was once the home of a large tribe of lizardfolk, but the arrival of carnivorous dinosaurs in the ravine drove them out. Ever since, the lizardfolk have aggressively expanded their territory in every other direction.
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The lizardfolk of the Kaava Lands are generally more open than others of their kind when dealing with non-lizardfolk. Nonetheless, they are highly unpredictable, proud, and violent—a combination that has resulted in a many deadly encounters over the years. The lizardfolk of Deepblood Ravine, in particular, are aggressively pragmatic survivors. Their conquest of the Krihirik village is inevitable unless the gripplis can secure some advantage.
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Based on the Krihirik gripplis’ descriptions, a human with terrible scars on his arms leads the explorers. He carries numerous daggers, seems to know his way around the jungle, and wore a strange metal badge with a snake insignia. His colleagues sometimes referred to him by the nickname "Fiveknives".
About four miles from the Krihirik village, the terrain suddenly drops off into a deep ravine. The far side of the ravine is sixty feet away, and its craggy faces descend one hundred feet to the ravine floor below. The gap in the jungle allows a glimpse of the sky above, but the trees grow to the very edge of the ravine, and their dense canopy still blocks out much of the light. Several of the trees have massive, shaggy barked trunks sporting countless twisting limbs. The trees’ strong roots grow deep into the earth and some even dangle over the side of the ravine.
the climb down itself is just short of 100ft, and rather uneventful besides the long climb.