Krojun continues inspiring courage (+2) and strikes twice more! for and electrical damage and for and electrical damage.
for additional damage.
Bolstered by Krojun's song, Jessamy messily finishes off the seemingly unstoppable kobold.
"Stupid thing," Jessamy says, kicking the corpse. "We didn't even want to kill it."
She looks around, trying to see what this thing's lair had.
"Maybe this is a good place to stay and rest the rest of the night, then we can see if it'll get us into the fortress?"
Ensu stumbles back out into the open and you can see several nasty wounds on his body.
He weakly says, "Gather around you wounded." When the group is gathered up, he raises his holy symbol and one after another you feel healing energy flow over you.
"Thanks, Ensu. That feels much better!"
There's little among the kobold's lair that appears to be of value or interest but some of the little guard's equipment looks to be enchanted.
Though it's impossible to tell without any sort of sunlight, the party manages to rest through the night without encountering any additional guardians - kobolds or otherwise.
The heroes are less fortunate in the realm of dreams and both Pirknok and Siolad suffer as they try to recover their strength. The elf in particular seems to have earned Mokmurian's wrath.
Pirknok wakes up grumbling, growling and generally in a foul mood. "I'm gonna ring his puny little neck..." he mutters, rolling up his blankets with a deep scowl on his features. "I'll show him the meanin' of 'sleep'... ya just don't DO that! I mean, it's wun thing ta fight somebody fair an' square, but ya just don't go messin' with people's minds in their sleep!"
Siolad is in an even worse mood than Pirknok, if that's possible.
"Especially when doing so interferes with your ability to function. In my case, magic-wise." He grumbles. "He's smart, I'll give him that."
At least my Stoneskin spell is still active. There's THAT if nothing else.
And Siolad's Stoneskin promptly winks out of existence. "Oh... this isn't going to end well."
Jessamy yawns widely as she stretches as she wakes up.
"Well, hopefully he's having nightmares too, 'bout what we're gonna do to him when we find him. You'd think he'd just come fight us or something," she says.
"But if he knows we're coming, maybe we should get moving. Siolad, just stay in the back, I guess, and me an' Pirknok'll protect you."
"This fiends knows we are here? What should we expect from him?"
Ensu pulls a scroll out of his haversack and reads it aloud and then points at Pirknok. Priknok looks less tired.
"Let's go east. It's probably not the right way if that's where the stupid wyvern came from, but we can make sure there's nothing else there."
Ensu reads another scroll and points at Siolad and he looks less fatigued.
"Thanks," says Pirknok after Ensu recites his scroll. A moment later he grins. "It don't make up fer it, but at least now maybe I kin stay awake long enuff ta kill him."
Venturing east down the passage the party quickly comes to a tee. The passage seems to continue much further east but from the south an eye-wateringly foul stench wafts.
"Should we see what's dowd dere?" Jessamy asks, obviously trying very hard not to breathe through her nose.
Pirknok just nods, gritting his teeth.
Krojun tightens his grip on his axe against the foul smell.
Siolad buries his nose in the sleeve of his robes and grumbles.
"Mmmhmm."
As the party gets closer to the source the specifics of the stink become clearer and the area ahead reeks of vinegar, rotting hair, and worse. Soon the heroes come upon a large working space. A single large stone basin sits in the middle of the room, about ten feet square and filled with foul looking fluid upon which float patches of wet fur. Around the basin stand a dozen wooden frames over which leather and hides are stretched. At the far end of the cave, a stinking mound of hides and furs awaits tanning.
Three ogres appear to be hard at work when the party enters. Hearing the sound of intruders they drop what they're holding and turn to attack!
Eyes wide at the sudden attack, Jessamy whips a dagger from its sheath and launches it toward the nearest ogre, burying it up to its hilt in the creature's neck.
Ensu holds his holy symbol and chants a prayer.
The ogre shanked by Jessamy gurgles in pain and rage. He yanks the dagger from his neck and hurls it to the ground before tipping the vat of caustic fluid into the center of the room. The powerful stink filling the air triples in an instant threatening to overwhelm the heroes's sense. The other brutes grab nearby clubs and turn to attack.
Nearly vomiting from the stench, Jessamy inches forward and drives her short sword and the black dagger toward the dragon, but the pain of the last blow throws off her aim.