Koldur cleans his weapon and checks the bodies of the slain kobolds.
The chief allows Oscar to go investigate as much as he wants, even offers Mikmek or another kobold to guide him if he wants. The kobolds go in and collect meats and vegetables, others collect wood and begin to start up a bon fire and several cooking fires. They sing and dance, they are overjoyed at the luck of your group stumbling upon them.
Does Reafan return on his own when the spell wears off, or does Xara need to go looking for him?
Reafan returns a few rounds after combat is over.
Sliding up to his old friend, Koldur manages to bring out an old pipe and chomps down on it though it's empty.
"What's troubles you old friend? A battle has being won here and celebrations are in order."
Oscar goes into the kobold lair with Mikmek. As the chief, his kobolds and the rest of you stand around outside. The kobolds singing stops after a few minutes and a group heads off towards the East. The chief comes up to your group with the half dozen other kobolds. "We sent them to hunt for the coming celebration tonight. Come in and rest yourselves. Zelvik take the dwarf to Tartuk's room and let him take what he wants for their group."
One of the kobolds comes up to Koldur and points at him and then herself, she begins walking down one of the tunnels on the side of the main path. Soon enough the kobolds come to their main room and the kobolds begin to collect food, and items from the room. Oscar soon comes to the main room with Mikmek and sits down with Xara and Sable.
"I understand old friend, I'll bring out the ale for you and test it myself." THe old dwarf winks as he ambles off.
Following the koblold, Koldur picks up once he hears there's spoils of the battle to be had. Wondering if he should have called upon Xara of Oscar, nevertheless the dwarf follows.
Zelvik is a quiet kobold and she leads Koldur along the way showing where not to step with hand signals. Though she walks over the spots herself and nothing happens.
Koldur do you follow her directions and jump when told?
After a few minutes she leads you to a decent room sized cavern. The walls of this cavern are decorated by a rickety wooden frame formed from clean-cut branches lashed together with gut and twine. Banners cut from two-foot-wide strips of old blankets and horsehides hang from floor to ceiling, covering much of the walls. The sloppily painted banners bear dozens of primitive icons and mystic symbols. A large cauldron filled with bubbling red liquid boils in the center of the room.
Off to the side there is a mound consisting of a huge amount of worthless shiny objects, such as quartz and mica crystals, bits of metal, broken weapons and armor, and other garbage. In addition, the pile contains 7,420 cp, 2,132 sp, 302 gp, a masterwork light metal shield, seven +1 flaming crossbow bolts, a pair of boots of elvenkind, and a soiled leather bag.
Inside the bag are the treasures stolen from the mites. The leather bag contains 321 sp, 249 gp, 13 pp, a plain brass wedding ring set with a single
pearl, worth 120 gp, and a pouch containing a single dose of dust of illusion.
Koldur follows the silent kobold directions as best as he can. Once he reaches the room, he pickes out he coins, shield, bolts, boots and bag.
Bringing out the journal, Koldur tucks it securely into his belt and makes sure to keep the other items in his bag for his companions to look through later.
Searching the room.
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Sable offers the items he took of the purple kobold to Xara, "You can detect magic right? What should we keep?"
wand of magic missile (CL 3rd, 28 charges), masterwork small cold iron sickle, bracers of armor +1, a spell component pouch, a small obsidian dagger, a necklace of small creatures bones, skulls and gold, 7 gold and tooth earings, and an iron anklet
Taking a 20 is fine Koldur it will just take some time which you have. You find everything that was listed already.
The kobolds offer each of you bowls of different drinks while you wait, also bringing out trays of dates, onions, and fruit.
Once Koldur is back the hunting party arrives shortly after and the cooking of whatever they found begins outside. The kobolds continue to sing, dance and entertain themselves and their honored guests. You are each given an option to stay inside and enjoy the heat of the fires or go out and enjoy the cook.
Either way the night continues with much noise, movement and food. After the main meal is served up the kobolds try to get each of you to join in the dancing. Sable keeps his blade in his lap and kindly says, "No Thank you."
Koldur lays claim only to the anklet and declines the offers to dance. Getting himself ample supplies of frink, the old dwarf ambles outside. Prefering that to the rather cramped outdoors.
The celebration is grand. You are all well fed and most of you fall asleep slightly if not completely drunk with the kobolds.
The next morning breakfast consists of what was not eaten last night and the group is fully rested and ready to go by noon.
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He does seem to relax a bit through the celebration. Even going as far as putting his weapons away. Though he is vigilant through the night and rests once Oscar wakes up.
He speaks with the chief and several other kobolds about the area and suggestions on where to continue to search.
Mounted on his horse and ready to go, finally some good rest the aches look like they are almost fully gone. "So any specific direction or location you want to explore?" He asks the group with a smile.
Xara gives Reafan a good rub down when he returns and makes sure he gets a good portion of the hunt before it is ruined by cooking.
During the festivities, Xara is very polite, makes joyful conversation, and does some needlepoint by the light of her daylight SLA. She doesn't participate in the drinking or the dancing, though by her face, she doesn't appear to judge those who do.
The next morning, she awakens quite refreshed, and ready to depart.
"The wide open yonder, Soren," she replies as she climbs up onto Reafan's back.
"The better to ration out out supplies and augment with what we can get, old friend." THe dwarf more than eagar to set forth without a horse under him to starve off the ineveitable.
With the great winged raven leading the group she finds something out of the ordinary before anyone else.
An old lightning-struck oak tree stands atop a low hill at this spot—the only tree in a 2-mile radius, in fact. Approached from the north, the tree looks eerily like a claw reaching for the clouds. Skulls have been spiked to the tree and several decaying heads are spiked there as well.
In a hollow amid the tree’s roots on the north side, that a section of earth there has been disturbed.
Then the crossing, then the mine if they can see it.
Xara circles over the struck oak tree, signaling the others that there's something of interest there, and she waits for them to arrive before landing a safe distance away.
The group goes over to the old lightning-struck oak tree. Once they are within 30 feet of it the earth looks like it is rippling like a minor earthquake is starting to happen. What do you do?
Xara pulls Reafan back up into the air, aborting the landing, as the ground becomes visibly unstable. Is the tree itself large enough to support Reafan's weight?
The tree might be able to support the birds weight, how heavy is it? In your mind likely a 50/50 chance, plus the tree does not look that healthy if not almost dead.
Koldur hangs on for dear life as his horse bolts and juggles him like a wet sack of potatos. It takes several minute to calm down both horse and dwarf as the dwarf peppers the air with dwarvish, elven and other curses picked up over the years before his mount calms down enough to be guided.
"Mr. Koldur!!" Xara calls out, shock ringing through her voice, at the display of foul language as she circles the tree on Reafan.
Oscar was the farthest from the tree and his horse just moves a bit back. He offers to holds the mounts if Koldur and Sable want to go investigate. He does not detect any evil.
It may take a few minutes but the horse mounted group comes back together and Oscar offers to hold the horses as the others investigate.
"If i dont get back onto that dratted horse anytime soon, I'll be happier and so would that horse!" he grumbles.
Sliding out his axes, the dwarf steps down and takes up position opposite the elf, his axes ready to explode into action.
"Let's see what's shaking that tree so much now shall we?" he banters, the prospect of yet another battle exciting him.
Xara circles overhead, ready to offer aid from above.
As the duo get closer to the tree the ground begins to quake. Small rifts begin to open up around the tree and the loose ground or rocks begin to bounce.
Koldur hands swipes once and twin axes appear into his hands as he adopts his own comabt position alongside Sable, his axes readied with one raised and the other lower to parry or attack as need be.
Sable does not see much as he focuses on the rifts. The rifts continue to grow then once they get to Koldur and Sable he center of the 9 rifts around the tree get larger and a skeleton climbs out of each one. Each of the skeletons have decaying or rusting armor that looks like it might still give protection as each of them bear weapons, hatchets, swords, and a few clubs.
Round 1
17 Koldur
15 Xara
13 Sable
8 skeletons
With a flick of the reins, Xara directs Reafan to dive at one of the skeletons.
For her own action, she attempts to cast a spell.
Success!!
A 10-foot square area of grease appears underneath the largest number of skeletons she can catch. Reflex DC 16.
With Sable taking the left, Koldur glides towards the right and slashes out with his own waraxe, Moon's edge singing through the air.
Round 1
Oscar Will dismount and move 20 ft forward drawing his weapon out in the mean time.
Skeleton warrior, and quite a few of them also. And they came for that tree???? what is wrong with nature in these parts ?
Round 1
The skeletons charge forward swarming around all three of you. Koldur takes a nasty cut to his arm from an aged longsword, the flesh that it cuts seems to rot instantly, damage. Sable takes a similar cut on his leg and the smell of the rotting flesh is horrible, damage. Raefean also takes a cut from the horrible skeletons' blade unless it can be negated, damage.
Fort Save DC 12 or be nauseated, from the pain, the smell, or both, for 1 round. Meaning no action for round 2 if you fail.
Round 2
17 Koldur
15 Xara
13 Sable
9 Oscar
8 skeletons
Xara uses a SLA to summon a celestial eagle to the opposite side of the orange skeleton. Xara tells it to attack the one Reafan wounded earlier.
Reafan attacks the injured skeleton, switching to the uninjured flanked skeleton if the other goes down mid-attack routine.
Round 2
Oscar will attack the Clostest skelleton to him.
but the weapon misses widely his target.
Stop moving you undead defiler so that i can send you back in pieces to the one who brought you back
Round 2
Koldur misses as the skeletons dodge his attacks. Raefan does hit the skeleton with all his attacks, but with its resistance to everything but bludgeoning damage minimal damage is done. The celestial eagle does better damage with its smite evil searing through the armor and breaking bones. Oscar charges forward and misses, but he is in melee now. Sable and Oscar must be distracted... from the smell of death.
The undead seem to know how to work together and begin to flank each of you. Raefan only gets hit once taking 7 damage, Koldur gets hit twice taking a total of 17 damage dropping from the blows, Sable gets critically hit and takes 27 damage as he gets downed. They both lie bleeding on the ground with horrible wounds on their bodies.
Koldur's attacks
Round 3
17 Koldur -6/21
15 Xara
- Raefan...
13 Sable -15/22 Down
9 Oscar
8 skeletons
orange skeleton, CR 2, AC 16, 16/23
Round 2
Holding his weapon with one hand the paladin I will prevent them from dying if i Can. By Abaddar Sable you are not Done on the Earth ! I Order you to STAY living
Oscar will move and use his action to on Sable
The celestial eagle continues attacking the orange skeleton, 5-foot flapping to attack the green one if the orange skeleton goes down during the routine.
Reafan lashes out himself at the green skeleton, if it's still up (otherwise, the blue one).
Meanwhile, Xara summons a second celestial eagle someplace that gets it a flank, protecting one of the downed allies (maybe overtop of Sable and attacking purple).
The eagle lands on Sable and bites at the skeleton.