"I'll see if these know anything but I doubt it" Albus says to the group.
Albus calls out to the scared slaves, "Lowly ones, where is the soft-skin that was here before?"
One of them huddled in the corner says One soft skin with Great King and Wise Shaman! Please no Kill Kill Mighty soft skin! motioning vaguely towards the north.
The glum atmosphere in the cavern does not go unnoticed by Aelerie, who makes no attempt to shelter the children from the consequences of their ill-conceived adventure. Hearing what the slave kobolds have to say about Hollin, she says, "We should hurry. There's no telling for certain whether they'll hold off on beginning the ritual just because they only have one child."
Turning to her earthen guardian, she addresses it in Terran, the harsh language sounding strange in the arcanist's gentle voice.
The elemental nods gravely and disappears into the floor. In just under a minute later if reappears from the floor like a genie made of stone instead of smoke.
Aelerie goes over the three simple Terran words in her head a few times before translating them for the rest of the group. "The earth elemental says there are 'throne and three' in the next room..." She gives Laro a sheepish smile. "I'm afraid my earthen friend here won't be taking over your role as a scout anytime soon."
"The 'three' makes sense. What does he mean by 'throne' though?"
"He's a man of few words. I'd guess that means maybe someone on a throne and three guards. Want me to scout ahead and see what's going on while you follow up?" Laro says as they prepare to move forward.
Albus nods at Laro saying, "That's sounds good, only three in the room? Hmm that seems low, maybe there are guards out of sight in nearby chambers. A Throne implies a King after all, and given what we have heard here, he's having trouble keeping it."
Albus turns to Javell, "Reverend Javell, we've killed many warriors of this tribe. I've trying to figure out if so many have been lost that this tribe is in dire trouble or not. Have an idea."
Using P:Soldier to figure out how much damage has been done to the tribe.
Albus can't tell much more than they've certainly damaged the kobold's ability to protect themselves martially by killing so many of their elite soldiers. There's a huge difference in ability between the redscales and blackscales and their regular soldiers, and an even bigger one between the regular soldiers and the slaves.
Javell seems to find Albus' comment amusing, "Well, I must say I don't think I've ever been called 'Reverend' before. I suspect we'll find in the next room the tribe's leader and his lieutenants, so be ready." he moves around the room, retrieving his things, before signaling that he's ready to continue. He takes up position in the rear, as usual, unless someone else wants to instead.
As Laro creeps forward the exhaustion from the long long day and the remnants of the poison in his system keep him from being as quiet as he otherwise could be.
The northern passage has a sharp turn to the right and then right away veers back to the left blocking the halfling's view ahead. As he comes out of the left passage he finds himself staring at a cavern that is not very large but at the end of it is a massive block of stone that looks Dwarven made. It must have taken a lot of slaves a lot of time to pull it this deep into the caverns.
On top of this stage stands a throne crafted from the corpse of a monstrous centipede. The massive vermin is propped up against the wall on the dais, its legs curling in around any who sit upon it like leveled arm rests. There is some sort of incense burning that pushes back the stink of slurk and kobolds that infests the other parts of this warren.
On both sides of the throne stand two redcales in the finest armor Laro has seen on a kobold yet. They stand to attention facing to each side of the room and completely fail to notice Laro.
The figure sitting on the throne however is staring right at the passage and sees Laro. He is massive for a kobold and well muscled. It is easy to see how he has gained and maintained power over his subjects. At his side is a battle-axe that still looks oversized next to the tall kobold.
He stands up and his golden earrings and lip rings glint in the torchlight as his fine armor creases and flexes. On his head is a burnished bronze crown that shines brighter than even the golden jewerly on the kobold. He raises a hand and seems to cast some spell as he says Come. Come. Fine and Mighty Soft Skins. You come to throne. You kill many. But see no hope here against Mighty King Merlokrep. Come for reward. I will feast you with fine foods before your mighty blood is taken to save TrueScale tribe. Come come.
Seeing that surprise is lost Laro charges the right most kobold.
Javell's advice doesn't go unheeded by Aelerie, who steels herself for the fight of her life. Following the others into the massive cavern that serves as the tribe's throne room, Aelerie first looks for any signs of Hollin before her eyes are inevitably drawn to the figure that sits upon the massive throne. Her eyes narrow shrewdly when she senses him cast magic of his own and her mind works faster than it ever had before as she tries to identify the spell while also trying to puzzle out the reason for the kobold king's prodigious size.
"A generous offer, but I'm afraid we will have to decline. Now, where is—Laro?!" Aelerie's bewildered cry comes as she watches the halfling sneak rush headlong into the fray and too close to the King whose full abilities are still a worrying mystery to her. Quickly, she turns to address the earth elemental at her side in its rough language, "Go! Help him!"
With a few words of arcane power, Aelerie infuses a pinch of powdered mica with a portion of her own innate energy before tossing it at King Merlokrep and his guard.
Albus is considering the possibilities of a diplomatic response when Laro goes charging in. Aelerie surprisingly declines the offer and attacks as well. Albus shrugs and charges towards the king trying to land a blow, if a guard blocks the path he'll switch to him instead.
Albus is charging unless something stops him or the way is not open. Lose the charge bonus if not an available option.
To hit target. Critical on a 20. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless.Charge
Damage Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
To confirm a critical if rolled. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless. Charge.
Damage from critical X3, Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
The royalty of the Truescale tribe has not gotten to where he is by being a fool or incompetent. He recognizes Laro's intent and snarls at his warriors to attack.
Fools! You reject Great King fine offer? Kill Kill! Their blood will bathe King Crown. Make Tribe Great!
The warriors spring into action. The first charges Laro. The other moves to hem the halfling in to attack.
The first charge goes very wild and misses even the flat footed halfling. The second Kobold's attack is far more deliberate and wounds Laro deeply, the by now familiar sting of poison weakens Laro also.
The mighty kobold king strides forward off his crawling throne and onto the edge of the dias. He waves his hand imperiously and two bolts of force that Aelerie has no trouble identifying as magic missile shoots forth to strike Laro.
Unable to charge in as he wished, Laro is still able to move in just a bit before attacking. His attack bites through the kobold's defenses and draws blood.
The opening is just enough space for Albus to move up and attack the other kobold. His mighty axe fells his kobold in one swoop.
Aelerie moves to the turn of the passage to look at the carnage in the cavern beyond. Her spell shoots forth.
The king screams in rage as the sparkles from the human witch invading his throne room get into his eyes. Kill Kill KILL! he screams. The remaining kobold warrior is able to grit his teeth and ignore the sparkles.
The earth elemental looms up behind the Kobold Laro has attacked as it comes up out of an earth glide. It's fists morph into rigid stone clubs as it swings at the kobold.
The kobold dies before it even knows that something is behind him.
Javell runs to the front, slightly amused at how competent they had all become.
Virdel tries to squeeze his way through to see what's happening.
Leave Blood Rite! The King of the Kobolds screams in the direction of the passageway heading east out of the Thone Room Come, Come, Protect Great King and Kill Soft Skins
Having said this the King stumbles forward towards where he had seen the axe wielding human and brings his own axe down on the ranger.
But his swing goes wide.
Out of the passage three more kobolds appear, with the same markings as the king's guard that were just felled. Only the lead kobold is able to get to the party and even that one is only able to get to the small earth elemental that is Aelerie's champion.
Just like it's liege, it misses its attack as well.
The earth elemental calmly turns to attack the one that attempted to harm it.
The elemental's fist lands true but it's not enough to put down the elite warrior.
Laro is able to shrug off the poison coursing through him. It doesn't make him weaker but the damage it's done remains.
Laro 18 damage 2 Dex Damage
Kobold on Earth elemental 13 damage
Laro steps over to the king and attacks him with both weapons striking at him in his less defensible state. "Help me surround him and finish him off!"
Her attention drawn by the pitter-patter of scaled feet approaching from the east, Aelerie tries to forestall the arrival of the reinforcements by greasing the entrance to the throne room. A sliver of butter melts in her warm hand and, pointing her slick fingers at the doorway, she conjures a patch of grease to coat the floor with three little words. "Liukas koska märkä." Slippery when wet.
Despite not being able to see the King is still able to shurg off the halfling rogue's attacks.
He screams in rage I rip your heart heart out while it still beats!
Aelerie's grease spell is too slow to get the kobold who is attacking the elemental. The other two have to slip and slide.
One falls, the other does not.
Virdel mutters a few choice words of his own, focusing on one of the still healthy new guardsmen. "Stay where you are!"
Virdel's spell causes the upright kobold to freeze in place.
Albus makes a five foot step if enough to get in melee range of the king and clear the passageway otherwise he moves into such range. Then he tries to take out the king as swiftly as possible with a mighty swing.
To hit target. Critical on a 20. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless.
Damage Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
To confirm a critical if rolled. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless.
Damage from critical X3, Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
Javell calls upon the luck of the stars as he sends a dagger flying towards the king.
The group crowds into the room and Aelrie and Virdel are able to use their mystical energies to freeze the newcomers in place.
Javell and Albus both miss in their attempts to get through the King's formidable defenses. He glares at Albus with his one good eye balefully.
The kobold stabs out at the elemental and manages to get through its stony defenses. He does little more than chip a little off of it though.
The King on the other hand is not only able to get through Albus' defenses but his axe also does an absolutely massive amount of damage to the young human ranger. A large gash appears on Albus' abdomen and a very large quantity of blood gushes out. It feels to him that the axe actually seems to take malicious delight in hurting him as much as possible..
The prone kobold stands up and very carefully scrabbles out of the area of Grease
The held kobold tries to break free of Virdel's magical hold but is unable to.
Laro 18 damage 2 Dex Damage
Albus 23 damage
Kobold on Earth elemental 13 damage
Albus staggers from the King's massive blow, as searing pain explodes along his abdomen. Albus grits and seeing the power behind the kings blow realizes that he cannot defend against it adequately. He stumbles a five foot step to flank the king and tries his powerful overhead blow.
To hit target. Critical on a 20. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless.
Damage Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
To confirm a critical if rolled. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless.
Damage from critical X3, Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
Albus's response from his own axe is just barely able to get through the many layers of the sorcerer King's defense. He draws blood as well, but the King is far less injured than Albus himself is.
Javell, seeing Albus' best attack barely break the king's defenses, calls upon the power of Desna, summoning a mote of starlight in his hand, and sends it across the room, where it blasts into a blinding star.
Even then, he still casts his mind to a defensive prayer he had recently learned, and with a quick mantra, his skin shimmers and hardens, creating an impenetrable armor against attack.
The King is just able to shield his one good eye from the burst of brilliant light. He screams though as the Song of The Spheres judges him to be evil and the light sears at his scales.
Flanking with Albus Laro tries to take the king down.
Aelerie gapes at the massive amount of damage that the kobold king is able to inflict on Albus, instantly and dreadfully reminded of the fate that nearly befell the woodsman during their last visit to the monastery. It seems a more grievous wound than the king should be able to inflict, even considering the strength bolstering spell she witnessed him cast beforehand. Rather than waste time testing the theory that springs to mind, Aelerie points her still slick fingers at King Merlokrep—or, more specifically, at his axe, conjuring more grease to coat the handle of it. Drop the axe! Drop the axe! Drop the axe!
Seeing her earthen guardian also receive a small, chipping wound, she urges it to retaliate in Terran. "Keep fighting!"
Hemmed in by Laro and Albus and burned by the holy light brought into being by the Javell, Great King Merlokep is completely unprepared for Aelerie's magical coating of Grease on his prized axe. One of the great treasures of the TrueScales slips from his grasp and clatters to the floor.
The earth elemental repeats the motions of its first successful attack and gets exactly the same result.
The consequence is different though as the dark scaled kobold is battered beyond recognition and slumps to the ground, dead.
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"Master Albus, no!" Virdel scurries to aid his woodsy friend.
As if perfectly timed Virdel is able to squeeze past the unarmed king who is unable to retaliate against him and lays his hand to staunch some of the bleeding that was inflicted on Albus.
The kobold which managed to creep out of the Grease attacks the opponent closest to it, which is the earth elemental. While the one in the grease tries again to move.
Both are unsuccessful
Hemmed in, the King has no option but to try to retrieve the axe as it snarls defiance....
Laro 18 damage 2 Dex Damage
Albus 13 damage
Kobold on Earth elemental DEAD
Second Kobold on Earth Elemental
Kobold Held in Grease HELD
King 24 damage currently trying to pick up a greased weapon.
Laro is unprepared for the King to try and retreive his axe and takes a quick swing which misses him.
Albus sees Virdel quickly jump to his side and call on his mysterious patron. As the healing wave passes over him, he sees the opening the king provides as he tries to grab back his axe.
To hit target. Critical on a 20. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless.
Damage Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
To confirm a critical if rolled. Weapon Attunement +1 Hit and Damage., Power Attack -2 Hit +3 Damage, Bless.
Damage from critical X3, Weapon Attunement, Power Attack
But still somewhat reeling from the earlier attack Ablus' blow is less than precise, coming close with the result of ...
Neither Albus or Laro are able to take advantage of The King's moment of distraction. The King hismelf isn't able to get a handle on the slippery slime coating his weapon either and so snarls and casts a spell at Albus.
The shock of the axe wound and blood loss is enough to weaken Albus' mental fortitude enough that the Sorcerer King's spell causes him to faint and topple over.
Unfortunately for the King, Albus falls on top of the King's axe.
The earth elemental attacks the Kobold that had tried to hit him. But misses
Laro 18 damage 2 Dex Damage
Albus 13 damage not moving
Kobold on Earth elemental DEAD
Second Kobold on Earth Elemental unharmed
Kobold Held in Grease HELD unharmed
King 24 damage
Javell continues his chant, focusing on his connection to Desna as he calls upon her blessings. His starknife begins to glow even more strongly, infused with the power of the heavens, as he pours everything he can into it and calls upon Desna's protection, to the point he's all but untouchable.
Aelerie tries to deduce the arcane pattern left behind by King Merlokrep's latest spell as she watches, dismayed, as Albus suddenly falls. Calling upon her own arcane might, the arcanist claps her hands together, causing three circles of violet runes to shimmer and burn in midair. Thrusting her hand forward, the runes coalesce into three bolts of magical energy that fly forth to strike the King with the sound of shattering glass.
Noticing her elemental guardian swing ineffectually at the standing kobold, Aelerie points to the one held spellbound by Virdel. "Kill that one first," she instructs in Terran. She had no idea how much longer Virdel's enchantment would last, but the arcanist has a mind to increase their odds of survival before it did wear off.
Aeleire, you can tell that Albus was affected by a sleep spell.
Her magic is as strong as her sense of magic and the King screams in pain as three bolts of energy strike him hard. He's still standing however.
Albus laying down is still nearly as tall as Virdel standing erect. The halfling slaps him across the face repeatedly. "Wake up! We still need your greataxe." When he sees the woodsman rousing, he scurries back away from danger.
Virdel was able to wake Albus up. Albus finds himself lying face down while an enraged Kobold screams above him.
Laro takes a couple swings at the King trying to give Albus some cover. "This is no time for sleeping on the job Albus!" Laro says with a grin on his face.
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Albus snaps awake as Virdel slaps at him. He feels the metal of the King's axe dig painfully under him hoping that the feeling that the axe is gleefully doing so is but a fancy born of pain. As Albus rises, griping his axe, he doesn't attack the king but sweeps the King's axe well behind himself.
Not sure of this action, attack vs inanimate object maybe? Apply whatever mod to pushing King's axe out of his reach needed, good or bad.
The King snarls at Albus as he scrabbles in an undignified manner trying to keep the burly human from sliding his prized possession out of reach.
With very few options, but even less of a desire to surrender to the hated invaders he casts the same spell that worked last time at Albus. But it doesn't work this time and he gets attacked for his troubles in any case.
Meanwhile on the other side the paralzyed kobold tries to break free once again and is finally able to break free of Virdel's suffocating magic.
The kobold locked in combat with the earth elemental tries to hit it but fails.
The earth elemental, at Aelerie's command, glides away from the kobold. As it drops into the ground the kobold gets another swing at it but this is barely less of a failure than the first swing.
The kobold, who can move now, but is still in the grease yelps in surprise as the elemental appears out of the floor next to him and swings hurting the kobold badly with even a glancing blow off the top of the Kobold's head.
Laro 18 damage 2 Dex Damage
Albus 13 damage UP again!
Kobold on Earth elemental DEAD
Second Kobold on Earth Elemental unharmed
Kobold in Grease 13 damage no longer Held
King 35 damage