Oh! Louis whispers, seeing Latovius' attack... takes his que and closes distance even more on the Kolbald guards, with bow in hand. With glee notches an arrow steadies his shot and lets loose two arrows
Louis's crude arrow miraculously flies true and punches through the skull of the other kobold guard, killing it before it could react to Latovius's threat on its life. At the sudden end to the fight the rogue wastes little time with a look over his shoulder to the mouth of the cave first he then immediately gets to work. He sets the dead guard's spears into the ground and begins lashing the corpses to them like some macabre scarecrow.
While the rogue busies himself with his grisly task, Louis cautiously makes his way down the steep side of the hill towards the mouth of the cave. Likewise, Markas after witnessing the fall of the two guards hurries to help the rogue complete his ruse. In no time the group is standing off to the side of the cave entrance and the two kobolds continue to keep watch.
"Praise Petra! Nice work on those Kobolds! Now the hard job. Let's finish the job and investigate the cave! Latovius how would you feel about scouting ahead in the cave?"
The keen eyes of the rogue served the party well once again. The rogue winced at the boisterous praise from Markas, and motioned with his hand that the cleric should lower his voice. "There's plenty of cow tracks and droppings at the mouth of the cave. There must be some lit areas within." Latovius draws a dagger and tests the edge, he promptly replaces it and draws another. "There's also plenty of kobold tracks about, might be quite a few within. Should we look to strike fast and hard before we are overwhelmed?"
NPC has no torch. You can not hold a torch and shield in one arm and attack with another.
Louis slowly draws his sword and takes a moment to admire it, Then whispers Ho ho… My dear comrade Latovius iz correct! We should look to strike fast and hard! And I would ask if you would do me zee favor of letting me go first, I believe thiz iz the perfect setting for zee talents of a longer blade no, ho ho ho Louis looks over to the cave entrance do you think we will need zee torch?
The rays of the rapidly setting sun send enough light through the cave opening to illuminate the cavern that the trio find themselves standing in. There is no welcoming party of kobolds to greet the them as they enter, perhaps there is no one at home? Latovius not taking any chances hides amongst the shadows near the entrance.
Markas has detected a dull constant glow somewhere further back in the cave. There is something casting light back there, but it is too distant and perhaps around too many corners to tell what it might be. His nose also detects the strong odor of cow feces and cows from his right.
Louis hears footfalls and something wooden tamp the floor nearby on his right. His nose also detects the strong odor of cow feces from that direction.
Turning right and rounding the corner, moving quietly along wall to his right expecting to run into castle, but knowing well that kobolds may be nearby Louis is very alert. " Are you here my little friendz" he thinks to himself.
Louis rounds the corner and quickly locates what had caused the noises he had detected. He is the quicker to react to the unexpected encounter and has an immediate advantage over the kobold.
En Garde! Zoot Zoot! With great sword play, Louis brings the attack to the Kolbald!
Louis steps into a strong swing and with the temporary enchantment on his blade he effortlessly cleaves through the smaller foe before it actually realized there was a foe nearby. The fighter's power attack and unorthodox battle cry does not go unnoticed in the cave, as three kobolds get up from where they were laying and watching over the cows with staffs and spears next to them.
Hearing the Frenchman's strange combat chant Markas moves around the corner seeing one Kobold lying beneath the fighter. The Cleric continues moving beyond Louis towards the other Kobolds.
A natural fissure in the ceiling of the room that Louis and Markas have entered allows the setting sunlight to light the room in a dim glow. Markas notes something fixed to the wall casting a strong glow from another room. With little time to think about that he brings his focus back to the 3 kobolds who he now faces.
Two of the kobolds advance on the cleric of Petra and both spear and handaxe fail to slip past the cleric's defenses.
Feeling the strength surge within him after easily blocking the Kobold's attack the Holy Warrior took aim at the Kobold nearest him and swung his mace!
Being as hard pressed as he was Markas is forced to worry about the immediate threats and not what might be going on within this cave complex. He sweeps his mace in a tight arc and the head of the weapon finds his target. Louis heard the crunch of bone breaking from where he stood so strong was the blow by Petra's favored. The kobold's corpse is sent spinning to the ground several feet away from where it had been standing.
Louis sees a third kobold, he closes the distance between him and it, giving wide berth to Markus, who was engaged in melee with a Kolbald of his own.
Ha Ha! Vous n'allez nulle part mon fief petits bovins! Ho ho ho!
As he nears the beastie Louis swings his sword
Louis's advance and attack failed to hit, perhaps it was just the opening the kobold's needed?
The kobold facing Louis landed a blow on the fighter but his armor protected him from harm. Perhaps the tide was turning in the favor of Melinir's champions?
Louis hears the sound of combat being joined somewhere else within the cave complex. He hoped that Latovius was faring well at the moment but he was hard pressed against his current foe and brought his focus back to his enemy.
Qu'est-ce que c'est?! take this! Ha Ha!
Louis swings his sword yet again
Louis once again lands a single killing blow on the kobold that he faced. The fighter's confidence continued to rise given the ease with which he was dispatching his enemies. Looking up from his fallen foe Louis noticed that another foe had foolishly chosen to enter the room.
The kobold facing Markas yet again finds it impossible to land a telling hit against the larger foe.
Once Markas was certain his enemy moved to the beyond the cleric surveyed the battlefield. To the East Louis with a Kobold lying at his feet, further East was a glowing light, nothing could be seen from the North, another combatant was approaching from the South, but no sign of Latovius. "Louis have you seen Latovius? This was all he could say and do before preparing for the new enemy.
Markas made short work of the last kobold standing in front of him but there was no time to catch his breath as yet another kobold had entered the room. He recalled what Latovius had warned of outside of the cave. There could still be dozens of these humanoid raiders within this hole in the ground. He said a quick prayer to Petra hoping that it wouldn't turn into a tomb for either himself or those he fought alongside. He knew that they were doing his god's will at that moment, protecting the innocent families in the hills and valleys nearby.
Goldfson!! I thought he was with you!! Louis responses to Markas, then to the Kolbald in front of him Ho ho! Don't be shy my little one... Zee party, she iz just begin.
Louis battles with his new opponent
Louis makes short work of the kobold in front of him with a quick upward swing his foe is nearly split in two.
Four more kobolds rushed into the room where Louis and Markas stood their ground among the growing number of dead kobolds. Two kobolds quickly swung their weapons at Louis, one of which narrowly missed Louis's face with a club.
Even while hard pressed by two foes your keen battle senses and eyes notice in the gloom of the doorway something is different about one of the kobolds back there. One has a slightly greenish tint to his skin and compared to his companions appears to be much stronger. Perhaps this was a foe that would offer your skills a challenge?
Your normally keen battle senses have been dulled by the long day and many battles. You sense nothing out of the ordinary.
As the cleric of Petra moved to intercept two the new combatants he strode carefully around the husks of fallen kobolds. While moving he warned, "Be careful Louis and don't trip up on their bodies."
Markas braced himself for the two pronged attack. "Louis there is a glow of light in the area to the west. Perhaps we should fall back to it as we would have a sight advantage."
Hey! Untie me! These damned kobolds were going to eat me!
Markas's swing misses his target, one of the two kobolds that he is fighting has a slightly different skin color almost greenish in hue. Judging by the bulging muscles on the smaller foe, getting hit by the mace it wielded would certainly hurt.
"In Petra's name I smite thee!"
Markas swings awkwardly at the stronger of the two kobold's and loses his grip on the weapon. Markas's foe smiles and cries out something excitedly in it's language at the apparently unarmed cleric, all the while readying its own mace to answer the cleric's swing. The weaker of the kobold duo's short sword smacks loudly into the cave wall next to Markas, a guttural curse escape's the wielder's mouth.
Louis moves to the square north Kolbald 11, yelling back where they had entered Goldfson!! A little help si vous plaît!! then to his foe Now you face zee blade of Louis Mon roi de Dunis! il devrait être rapide Oh Ho Ho!
As Louis switches positions one of the kobolds swings a club that misses the fighter's shoulder. He responds with his odd mixture of chattering and deadly sword play as he cuts down yet another kobold. The kobold that missed him earlier advances on the fighter and swings the club again, this time closer to its target but the same result.
The green tinged kobold swings its own mace with more strength and accuracy then any of it's kin but it fails to connect with the unarmed cleric of Petra. Instead the solid blow bounces off of the cleric's shield. "Kwenda chini kwa safari za binadamu!" The kobold barks out something in it's native tongue, was it a taunt or commands to yet more forces?
Ah Ha! En Garde! Louis brings the attack to the Kolbald K7
Louis once again swings his blade with deadly accuracy and removes the kobold's head an arm in a savage downward swing. He finally manages to look up for a moment as he is not immediately pressed by attackers and sees the green skinned kobold and yet another are pressing the cleric hard and it is all the cleric can do to keep his shield in front of the incoming blows. Louis hears a pair of hawk screeches echo against the walls somewhere behind him in all of the darkness. The cows that were frightened and trying to hide from the fight now make a mad dash towards the cave entrance.
Against a pair of poorly coordinated attacks, one at his head and the other at his feet, the cleric manages to avoid both blows. Following the wild swings Markas is able to pick up the mace that he had dropped moments ago. As soon as he rights himself after retrieving the weapon another pair of attacks from the kobolds reach out for him but they have the same result as earlier. The smaller foes are just too short of limb and too scared of the big man's strength to chance getting close enough to hit him.
My dear friend I know you have this well in hand but we must hurry, if we are to find Goldfson! Louis says to the big holy man, And turns his attention to the strange green kobold, K 10 Ah Ha!
With renewed purpose after hearing Louis speak of the Latovius the holy warrior of Petra steadied himself and bore down with his mace!
Louis's recent successes do not continue as he misses with his swing at the green skinned kobold. At least his fortunes were not as poor as Markas's. The cleric swings again wildly and loses his grip on his weapon sending it flying behind his opponent's to crash into the stone wall of the cave.
The green skinned kobold's smiles at the cleric's misfortune and again barked something in it's native tongue. Markas notes that the kobold had several broken and jagged looking teeth on the right side of it's mouth. He wisely decides that being bitten by this kobold would be painful.
The other kobold senses something is off and turns from Markas at the last moment to dodge a flash of silver aimed at it's neck. "S~%!!" Markas heard Latovious curse from around the corner, the cleric might have to speak with the rogue about Petra's teachings should they survive.
If you turn your back on me you will regret it swine! Ho ho ho!
Louis drives his sword through the chest of the green skinned kobold, the enchantment on his blade allows it to carve its way out of the dead creatures side before the body falls dead to the cave floor.
The kobold focuses its fury at the rogue that tried to sneak attack it and swings crazily at the lightly armored thief. The kobold is unaware that its green skinned partner is no longer among the living leaving itself open to the cleric and fighter at its back. The crazy swings of the kobold's short sword throw Latovious out of his rhythm and his return attack fails to find its target.
The little one shows little respect to Petra's shepherd thought Markas
Patience is one of the first virtues Markas was taught and perhaps he finally heeded it as the cleric balled up his fist and struck at the kobold!
To K9 It iz a sad thing to find out your all alone in zee world no? But at least you can take pride in knowing that a good death iz it'z own reward.
Markas's swing does not connect with its target.
Louis moves two squares east, one square south of Kolbald 9
En Garde! si vous plaît!! Hee hee
With yet another chance to fell the loan kobold Markas lines up his shot and...
Both blows from Louis and Markas fail to find the wildly swinging kobold. Even surrounded the kobold tries to wildly swing its shortsword at Latovius, it too fails to find a victim. Latovius steps behind the wild swing and drives his dagger deep between the kobold's ribs bearing it to the ground where the body shudders a few times and then lies still.
"There's 4 dead in an adjoining sleeping chamber, that is all I've had time to explore before I had to come back and save your sorry asses." The thief rose to his feet and cleaned off his blade. He seemed inpatient, as if he expected more battle.
The Cleric seemed to let Latovius' comments go by without concern while bending over and retrieving his mace.
Not a good showing for a servant of Petra, showed up by a drunken thief thought Markas.
"Latovius from where you came are there more areas to search?" Markas paused and continued. "Perhaps it would be wise to finish your search together before continuing South and possibly encountering more of these beasts from all sides."
Latovius relays what he has seen of the cave complex while Louis and Markas catch their breath. There are many more areas that the party have not been it would seem.
"From what you have said it appears as though there are many paths to the South but only one to the North. Let's head to the North passage and investigate it fully before heading to the South passages." With that Markas started moving toward the Northern unexplored passage.
The trio attempt to quietly make their way towards the north most room. Passing one of the light sources on the cave walls a stone seems to glow with an internal light. It is affixed to the wall with clay and feces at about as high as a kobold could reach. From their position no one hears any other noises within the cave. It has fallen deathly silent.
Praise Petra even the thief followed thought Markas.
Talking quietly, "I'm going to go into the North room."
Markas enters the northern room and notes an area of darkness through which he can not see in the far corner of the room. Along the rough stone southern wall of the room are three empty crudely built tables and shelves. The dimly glowing rock affixed to the entrance of the room casts a glow that reflects upon some shiny objects scattered upon the floor near those shelves. The room appears to be unoccupied as far as Markas is able to tell.
While Markas is busy investigating the room Louis watches as Latovius silently approaches the wall with a dagger drawn. The thief begins chipping away at the kobold mortar around the glowing stone. 'Will the thief's actions cause us to be cast into darkness? Even dim light is better then nothing!' Louis thinks to himself while observing.