"He must have some frightening magic. Also, according to the chieftain, he is the cause of their curse. I've never heard of a purple kobold; usually they come in the colors of the dragons."
Adam is thoughtful for a moment.
"Since he doesn't expect us to be hostile, I don't think, I could sing a song for him to attract his attention while everyone else gets into position."
Katya's back remains straight and her eyes alert as she speaks with the man, though a slight awkwardness sits on her features as the mix of her earliest upbringing and later years of malcontent show through equally.
"I don't know about that," Simn pointed out, "I mean, it's not as if anybody's told him we're coming. As unexpected intruders, I think he'll see us as hostile almost by definition. I'd kind of like to talk to him before we start with the enchantment or fighting. Not that I expect him to be able to defend his actions, but you never know what we might learn."
"I agree. I'd at least like to try to talk to him first." Gripping her sword tightly, she adds, "But we'll be ready if it doesn't go that way."
Marching order is:
Bea
Adam
Havrin
Retsiji
Simn
Jameth
Willem
Jacyn
You make your way down the tunnel. Up ahead you see that the tunnel widens into a chamber; from the light there are apparently torches in the chamber, though you can't see any directly. As the party reaches the chamber, we go to melee time.
Tartuk:
Kobolds:
Ex-bandits:
Bea:
Adam:
Havrin:
Retsiji:
Simn:
Jacyn:
Round 1:
Initiative order:
Kobolds/Adam
Bea
Havrin
Jacyn
Simn
Jameth/Willem
Tartuk
Retsiji
Here's a MAP. Each square on the map is 2.5 feet. What you (Bea and Adam, mostly) see as you approach the chamber: There is a rickety wooden frame against the walls, supporting a number of hangings. They're made from what look like old blankets and horsehides, and are decorated with various mystical symbols drawn with a precision out of place with the rest of what you've seen in the kobold lair. A large cauldron filled with bubbling red liquid sits in the center of the chamber; the fire under it is what's casting the light you saw from down the tunnel. There are two black-scaled kobolds barring your way, spears out and ready. Behind them, next to the cauldron, is a purple kobold festooned with a variety of primitive fetishes and talismans. At the top of the round, one of the two kobolds says in Common: "Stop! Or face wrath of mighty Tartuk Shaman!"
Adam, you're up.
Bea steps up to the black-scaled kobolds and calls out, "Tartuk, we come in the name of Chief Sootscales. We wish to speak with you." She fixes a piercing gaze on the purple kobold, studying him and trying hard to determine any malice.
Taking a somewhat nonchalant stance as he looks over the two black kobolds.
"No need to get testy friends. We have dealings with Tartuk. Do you know that the chieftain has some words for him? I don't think he likes him very much. I've written a song about the thing, and I wonder if he'd care to listen to it?"
As he speaks, Adam grabs up his lute, and tunes the strings as he waits for the kobolds to respond.
"Or, we can do this the old-fashioned way."
He begins to sing, but instead of delving into a satire, it comes out as words of arcane magic. He casts unwitting ally on the second kobold blocking the doorway. The first kobold now counts as being flanked.
Round One:
Arrow nocked to bow, Havrin tries to peer past his companions and the kobold guards to get a clear view of the chamber beyond.
Jacyn waits patiently, sword in hand, for the possible battle to ensue, ready to move forward if the opportunity presents itself.
Round 1 (cont'd)
The two Sootscale kobolds glance quickly at each other, then back to the party. They're not making any hostile moves right now, but are alert for any on your part.
Havrin, you can lean around over Adam and barely get to where you can draw a bead on Tartuk, ready to fire if he starts to cast a spell. Simn holds action, waiting for something to happen, as do Jameth and Willem (not that the latter two are close enough to do anything).
At his action, Tartuk moves west, around the back of the cauldron and out of sight of the party. At the same time, one of the hangings on the wall frame starts to move to one side, pushed out of the way by a kobold spear.
Reactions from people holding action?
Still, Katya greets each of the men with a nod and a "Good morning gentlemen."
When Kesten leans down to share his warning with her, Katya shares a short grin and whispers, "So, I am less frightening than the mighty Kesten Garess?"
Round One (cont'd)
Leaning over and around Adam, Havrin attempts to draw a bead on Tartuk. As the purple kobold begins to move out of sight of the party, Havrin looses his arrow at the fleeing shaman.
After Havrin fires his shot, Adam will release his rapier with blinking speed and attack one of the kobolds he can reach, preferably the one who is flanked by his partner.
plus +2 if flat-footed (?), plus +2 for flanking comrade(?). Although I think that spell wears out after my action.
Well, it looked as if they weren't going to be talking. Simn waited for somebody to clear some room before contributing. It was a regrettable fact that there just wasn't a great deal of room to manoeuvre in these tunnels. By design, not doubt.
"What's going on?!" Jacyn keeps an eye out in the tunnels, but stays where he is for now.
End of Round 1:
Havrin, you're not taking a penalty for close quarters here, but because Tartuk doesn't have to move very far to get out of your line of sight a -2 penalty in this case is still appropriate. You still hit him.
The two kobolds take their held actions and attack Bea, since she's right in front of them. Both miss.
Retsiji takes no action.
The only thing I see happening before going on to Round 2 is Bea--what you did was a move action, so you can still attack one of the kobolds. Everyone else has either acted or can't get to where things are happening.
Unless you want to do or say anything to change it, the first day is uneventful. Tomas and Stefan give Peter grief about being hung over--at least, you think that's what they're doing, as they tend to talk in Hallit among themselves until Garess curtly tells them to use Common. Peter laughs at this--"That's right, Stefan needs the practice!...ow." He rubs his forehead again. His Common is still accented, but not as thickly as Stefan's and Tomas'. At some point during the morning, Peter trots down to a nearby creek and cuts a willow branch. He spends the next half-hour or so peeling strips of bark from it and chewing them; between that and drinking lots of water, by the time you stop for lunch he's looking much more human.
There are plenty of other travelers out on the road, and you pass through or next to at least three villages before evening. Fortunately, you're about ready to stop for the night when you come upon a large farmstead. Garess dismounts and walks up to one of the workers coming in from the fields. The two chat a moment, some coin changes hands, and the worker goes in while Garess comes back to you and the boys. "They'll put us up for the night and feed us." He glares at Peter and goes on, "Campaign rules apply here...got it?" Peter nods unhappily in reply. "Water only, Captain."
Your feet are, indeed, blistered, but the salve the cobbler gave you helps. On seeing you, the farm wife insists that you spend the night in the house (with three of her daughters, but you can't have everything) instead of out in the hayloft with Garess and his men. The dinner they serve all of you erases any hard feelings the men might have had.
The next morning they feed you a large breakfast, which makes up for being awakened sometime before dawn when the daughters get up to do chores, and you're back on the road.
Round 2
Bea makes an unpleasant face and looks a little green for a moment before the purple kobold disappears. "I don't like this guy, he's trouble!" Dodging the guards' attacks, Bea swings back with her greatsword.
Round 2:
Bea misses, but despite the close quarters Adam scores a hit on one of the kobolds. They attempt to return the favor, and one hits Adam solidly.
Next up: Havrin.
Round 2 (cont'd):
Adam
Bea
Jacyn
Simn
Jameth/Willem
Tartuk/Havrin/Kobolds
Retsiji
Adam and Bea both acted; neither Jacyn, Simn, Jameth, nor Willem are close enough to attack, so Havrin is still up. Jameth and Willem won't do anything; Jacyn and Simn have the option of acting. The kobold will do damage simultaneously with Havrin's shot.
At his action, from out of sight Bea and Adam can hear Tartuk whispering a spell. As he finishes, the chamber is filled with a susurrus of whispers similar to the spellcasting, but seeming to come from all directions as it echoes back and forth.
Round Two:
Unable to see the spellcasting shaman, Havrin turns his attention toward the kobold spearmen guarding the entrance. The stoic ranger calmly fits another arrow to his bow, pauses for a split-second to line up a clear shot between Adam and Bea, and then fires at the guard on the right.
Havrin's arrow sails wide of the mark, but doesn't hit Bea or Adam. As described above, the first kobold tags Adam.
Retsiji doesn't really have anything to do at this point, so he casts resistance on Havrin.
Onward!
Round 3:
Adam
Bea
Jacyn
Simn
Jameth/Willem
Tartuk/Havrin/Kobolds
Retsiji
"Will someone tell me what in the hells is going on in there? Is he tryin to fight?"
"I don't know--Havrin's shooting at something, I just heard Adam moan like he'd been hit, and Bea said that Tartuk was trouble. I think there's a couple more kobolds in the way. Oh, and it sounds like he's done some kind of magic up there...it's hard to hear what's going on over the noise."
Round 3
"Hold on, I'll clear a path!" Bea charges forward, throwing herself at the closest kobold in an attempt to make some room for the rest of the party.
Jacyn stays his ground, continually looking ahead and then back into the tunnels, trying to find a way to be of some help.
Simn decided to lend what aid he could from his current position, calling on Irori to guide his comrades' blades.
Round 3:
If Adam's action doesn't affect what Bea did, this is what happens. Bea tries to shove Kobold #1 out of the way and slips on an unexpected patch of wet stone; the kobold is also completely unable to hit her as she recovers her footing.
OTOH, if Adam is able to take one of the pair down before Bea acts I'll give Bea a chance to change her action.
Round 3 Bleeding profusely from the injury, Adam does what he can to stop the flow of blood and withdraws from the kobold. He will attempt to change places with someone a little more combat oriented. If he still has time, he'll begin singing satire. (If not, make it for Round 4).
His lute, fortunately not damaged by the kobold's attack, is prime for plucking as they say.
"The dragonkin lay ready,
their spears were sharp and steady.
But though blood spilled,
twas not as billed,
and their aim was not so steady."
Sorry that I'm metagaming a bit here but doesn't a kokbold warrior have a CMD of 10? Of course, they may have other class levels or something, but normally even an 11 would've got me past him (overrun only needs to beat cmd to move past - a +5 also knocks them prone).
Bea is correct, and I fluffed the combat maneuver resolution. Instead, Bea rushes the kobold on her left. The kobold elects to get out of her way, taking a stab at her as she goes by and missing. Bea makes it around the corner, but Tartuk is nowhere to be seen. One of the hangings is moving slightly, though, and the whispering sound still fills the room.
Adam steps back and begins his satire.
Here's the UPDATED MAP.
Havrin is up, simultaneous with the kobolds and Tartuk. In the interest of party member preservation, I am obliged to point out that there is now no longer anyone between the two kobolds and your wounded bard. Just sayin'.
Jacyn moves up, shuffling past his allies to step between the kobold guards and the wounded Adam. He swings at one and connects.
Round 3:
Based on the marching order going in, Jacyn (Jc on the map) wouldn't be able to make it to the kobolds. There's been a lot of you not doing much back there, though, and given Jacyn's interest in what's happening I'm OK with his having switched places with Jameth or Willem sometime last round. The kobold on the right (K2) is the one that Adam has already injured.
Advancing past Retsiji and Havrin, Jacyn plunges his sword through the kobold's abdomen. It goes down in a spray of black blood. The other kobold, seeing this, throws down his spear. "I surrender! Tartuk made us fight you!"
Round 3
Adam ends his satire, but he urges the others to catch up with Tartuk.
Later that day, when she is invited into the house by the farm wife, she thanks the woman graciously and settles down in the room with the youngest of the daughters after supper. Settling her pack down near the edge of the bed she would be using, Katya doesn't even think about it as she pulls off her robe for the night showing a tightly woven ribbon of cotton lining wrapped around her torso. The cotton leaves her upper shoulders bare showing the deep scarring of the expanded symbol of Nethy's destructive side across her back.
Hearing a gasp from behind her she turns quickly and sees the young girl standing wide eyed with mouth hanging open. A quick look of irritation passes over her face as she pulls back up her robe and turns away from the girl. "What? Never seen scars before girl?"
Her voice holding a reserved tone as she pulls out her spellbook and flips it open carefully to the pages on her cantrips, waiting to see if the girl will get over her shock and answer back.
Round 3:
With the second kobold's surrender, no visible foes remain in the chamber. The echoing whispers still continue, though.
Jameth and Willem remain at the back of the party, alert for anything coming up from behind, and guarding Simn. Retsiji moves into the chamber past Jacyn and the kobold and casts detect magic.
After Havrin acts, it'll be on to Round 4.
Round Three:
Seeing Jacyn cut down one of the guards and the other surrender, Havrin pushes his way into the shaman's chamber with an arrow nocked to his bow. The ranger peers about quickly but carefully, trying to find any signs of where the shaman may have disappeared to.
Havrin scans the room carefully, but doesn't see any sign of the wayward shaman. There's a heap of shiny stuff in the eastern alcove of the chamber; looks like some coins in with shiny rocks and other bright things. The incessant whispering noise makes it hard to pick out any sounds.
Havrin moves over toward the eastern alcove, still warily scanning the chamber for any sign of the shaman.
Jacyn motions for Willem and Jameth to secure the surrendered kobold guard and turns to Bea, since she was the first into the room, "Where did he go? Are we going to chase after him?"