Ready to go.
The sounds of panicked evacuation is still present, though it seems to be tapering off.
MW breast plate – from a dwarf
MW Waraxe
1 Potion of Beast Shape 2
1 Potions of Magic Weapon
1 Potion of Remove Fear
1 Potion of Detect Evil
1 Potion of Deathwatch
1 Potion of Detect Undead
1 Scroll of Gaseous Form (Bard/Wizard 3)
Looks like this is what's left over... Drakr is happy to carry everything that no one wants. drarves can carry more than a mule you know.
[occ]Conner is ready and two scrolls won't slow him. I'm guessing Drakr and Jobo will split the heavy gear between them.[/ooc]
Following the pointman Drakr.
After all the gear has been split up Drakr looks at Jobo " You rested enough yet? Let's get going these caves arent gonna clear themselves out! " Then with his axe at the ready he moves around the corner.
St
Se
In .
You are ready to roll some heads from their shoulders. You have a new stash of gear and feel ready and more capable then ever. Perhaps you have the trick of taking on these kobolds.
The sounds from around the corner have changed. It is no longer the panicked evacuation it was, though some of that is still present. What you hear primarily is an ordered, perhaps even military-level of organisation. Groups of kobolds are working together at a common goal.
Moving towards the next corridor you hear the sudden scratching of clawed feet running, just beyond the corner - a kobold running away just now.
Perc:
" lot of hubbub about something over there lets go break it up! "
PER "Look out for traps and malicious kobold trickery.
"Just sounds like noise to me."
Right behind Drakr!! I don't think he will waste potions on kobolds.
Drakr boldly strides around the corner, shield held high, his axe held back behind him ready to swing at any enemies.
Conner walks in behind the others, offering to be rearguard if Lorelei doesn't want to risk standing in the back.
Lorelei will accept Conner's offer to be rearguard and will be next to last in the marching order.
Turning the corner, you can see a kobold running 30' away. It glances over its shoulder and, seeing you, almost stumbles. It drops something from its hand, a small plate perhaps, and it smashes into dozens of small, shiny pieces.
10' ahead of him a team of 4 kobolds work at a toothed wheel, half of which protrudes from the wall. Another 2 are pulling down at something from the ceiling with sticks which have a metal hook on the end.
Grobnar
Drakr
Jobo
Lorelei
Conner
Drakr charges the Kobold 30ft away. " Graaaaarrrr " he yells as he runs down the hall, swinging his axe in a wide arc.
Conner hears the plate fall from his place at the back of the line. It's loudness let's him know something is wrong.
"That noise was a signal! There's some ambush up ahead." he yells.
Drakr chases down the kobold and puts an axe where the right hemisphere of its brain wanted to be. It spasms violent, running left as bright red blood spurted from the large gash in its cranium. Eventually the body fell in a convulsing heap.
The plate that it dropped is shiny, reflective, and seems to have been square in shape and primarily glass.
Ahead, 40' from the corner, one of the kobold working the gear wheel yells "Got it ! " in Draconic. Suddenly a porticulus drops from the ceiling, leaving the two with sticks separated from their allies. The four who are working the wheel, continue to wind it upwards, and soon one of them places an iron bar between the wall and the bottom tooth. They carefully let go of the wheel and the tension within it holds the bar in place and prevents the wheel from turning.
The two nearest kobolds see the greatly feared sight of Adventurers storming their home. These two look to their brothers and yap and bark and whine with hands outstretched through the thick iron bars of the porticulus. The other four turn to flee.
There are two doors left open in this corridor. Glancing in you see both have shelves on all the walls and a table, perhaps it is a counter. There are some empty boxes around, and a sense of some shop or something that has been cleared out in a hurry.
Order
Drakr. <=====
Jobo
Grobnar
Lorelei
Conner
Kobolds
Perception
Kn Dungeoneering
Kn Engineering
Perception 1d20+3
Kn Dungeoneering 1d20+5
Kn Engineering 1d20+5
Drakr looks at the two Kobolds desperate to get to the comparitivr safety of the other side of the portcullis. " Hmph " Only monsters would leave their companions to die. the thought obviously sickens him as does his own role in the process and his face screws up in disgust, looking if possible even uglier. " Fight or die lizards, fight or die "
He moves up to the right hand Kobold figuring that Jobo will charge the other one.
Jobo charges and misses.
Lorelei moves up (staying behind Jobo) and attempts to shoot one of the fleeing kobolds through the porticulus.
The Druid moves up behind Lorelei and looks around.
Perception
Drakr surges forward and kills the cowering kobold. Blood spurts over the dwarf and the kobolds.
Jobo charges in to finish off the other one, but forgets about the ceiling height as he goes for an overhead blow.
Lorelei glides a bolt between the thick iron bars of the portcullis into the left shoulder of one of the four fleeing kobolds. He stumbles forward, pulls a dagger from his belt, waves it above his head and yells in their yap-like language. It flops to the ground, remaining deathly still.
Grobnar keeps pace with Lorelei.
Conner keeps an eye out for danger. All is quiet and still behind you, and ahead the kobolds flee.
There is one kobold beside Drakr, which is also just in front of Jobo, curled up in the foetal position, shivering in fear and mewing almost like a cat.
The other kobolds continue running, and are soon out of sight.
*******
Barring the way is the iron portcullis. The toothed wheel set into the wall is only 6' from the bars of the portcullis, and the iron bar is still in place checking it's movement.
Strong-men typically like to show off by bending the bars of such a portcullis - at a DC 25 Strength check. This would enable one Medium character to spend a full-round action to squeeze though with a DC 10 Escape Artist check (ACP applies), and hence only one Medium character per round. Small characters can slip through as a move action, counting the portcullis as Difficult Terrain.
Less showy and dramatic, one could attempt to lift the portcullis. This also requires a DC 25 Strength check.
Both of these option could be aided by a maximum of 2 others, one either side of the Strong-man.
*******
That kobold that Lorelei shot is faking it. He landed so that he didn't hit his head, and he is curled up on the ground so that you cannot tell if he is breathing.
Order
Drakr. <=====
Jobo
Grobnar
Lorelei
Conner
Kobolds
Sense Motive:
Grimacing Drakr Attempts to give the cowering Kobold at his feet a quick clean death by decapitation.
Coup de grace: Auto hit and crit? Dmg:
Then he drops his axe and shield. "I'll help you with the bars Jobo."
Assist Jobo:
Jobo will remove the iron bar from the toothed wheel with a quick flip of his ranseur and then he will lift up the portcullis.
STR=
Sense motive
Jobo will remove the iron bar from the toothed wheel with a quick flip of his ranseur
With the bar removed the toothed wheel rapidly rotates, and mass of hairy, crawly, Arachnids drops like a black waterfall from a concealed hatch in the ceiling. They land on Drakr and Jobo and cover a 10' square your side of the portcullis.
Surprise Round to the spiders.
Attack, auto damage. to Jobo and Drakr.
Plus Poison: Fort save DC 11 or take Str damage.
" Ugh, spiders! "
At the sight of the writhing mass of eight-legged little creepy crawlies, Lorelei lets out a very undignified shriek of:
On her turn she will attempt to cast Burning Hands at the mass of spiders. She will try not to hit anyone else if possible, if not she'll try to hit as few people as possible and apologize profusely afterwards.
Fort
INIT
"I found a trap the hard way. I don't think I can step on them all."
Jobo can only think of smashing the spiders to help Lorelei. If repeatedly diving on top of them will kill them faster than stomps and sweeps of his polearm, that is what he will do.
[hp=40/46 - Rage 4/10]
If the swarm remains on his turn, the Druid with cast produce flame and attack the swarm.
On his turn if there is still spiders left Drakr draws his morningstar and smashes at the spiders on the floor.
"Git Off!"
Initiative
Spiders 21
Jobo 19
Lorelei 9
Conner 8
Drakr 3
Grobnar - delay.
Round 1
The spiders crawl all over Drakr and Jobo, up the legs, into their tunics, in their beard and hair. They slash at the spiders a little and quickly realise the futility of it.
Lorelei hesitates a second to weigh up the pros and cons... And casts Burning Hands onto the Spider Swarm (which is particularly effective) and flaming Jobo and Drakr too.
Conner also knows the effect that fire has on these spiders, and casts Produce Flame, lobbing a ball of flame at the crawling mass. And still they persist.
Drakr finds that his Morningstar splatters a few of the spiders, it is just a drop in the ocean, and does next to nothing to the swarm.
Grobnar waits back with a look of I'm, like, so not going anywhere near those spiders.
There is a sound of marching coming from the darkness ahead toward you.
The portcullis still stands in the way.
*********
Round 2 begins
Initiative
Spiders 21
Jobo 19
Sounds of marching 13
Lorelei 9
Conner 8
Drakr 3
Grobnar - delay.
The spiders continue to bite at Drakr and Jobo, their legs and mandibles all over the body now, scalp, neck, chest, legs, even in their boots.
[Ooc]Round 2 Spider's damage