Ah squabbles for leadership how droll. But this one looks quite martial, he and I could be a force to be reckoned with!
Thunk walks over to Flung and eyes his spear
Thunk think that good spear. Spear and thumper make best thump Thunk think!. He hefts his club and offers his claw to Flung in comradeship
Flung extends his claw in the ritual show of comradeship shared by all kobalds and thanks Thunk for his compliment.
Eyeing Thunk's massive club, Flung nods appreciatively - "Oh, that will do nicely. Heads are going to roll!" he adds while visions of battle glory dance through his head.
Smoog, your gadgets seem to work especially well in the daylight, and automatically transition to a dimmer setting as the harsh sun assaults your low-light vision. More than that, though, you discover that your goggles are showing you the natural magics that permeate the land itself. () Seeming to confirm the pain that Grick the shaman felt when he opened himself to the spirits, you can see that Gorlaug's death and the subsequent volcanic eruption have severely disrupted the local swampland's magical energies. Great rents in the earth are opening deeper in the forest, sending hapless creatures of the forest tumbling into unknown underground abysses. You see it happening as your goggles auto-zoom in the direction of powerful magical energy.
As the earth rumbles beneath all of your feet once again, you can see magical flare-ups like geysers popping up over the swampland. A particularly big one is nearby, just within the treeline...and as your eyes are drawn closer to you, to the base of the mountain, you spy a kobold seeming to be heading toward it!
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These quakes are getting serious! We need to leave NOW!"
It's too far away to make out specific details, but the scale colors match - it's a purple-scaled kobold.
Thunk go!
Thunk claps his new friend on the back and gives the smash pile one more quick smash then heads out the door in the direction he is pointed
"To arms comrades! I will aid the infirmed." Sees said this gesturing toward Pork. "This mountainous terrain takes a sure foot at a walk.
Thunk races out in front of the other kobolds, chasing the stranger down near the treeline.
Everyone going down the path; roll Defy Danger : Dex if you're interested in moving as quickly as possible to catch up with the kobold. Not rolling Defy Danger means moving more slowly but carefully - you'll still get there, but after everybody else.
Failing the Defy Danger roll could mean arriving even later than those who walked more carefully. What do you do?
con
Rather than try to nimbly skip over the rocks Thunk charges down the hill bouncin off rocks like a pinball but still moving
Never have I had such an advantage on Bolgir. If I can't be the one to snuff out his life-flame I WILL be there to see it!
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"Thunk, you big lunk! Watch out for that big chunk (of rock)! Flung exclaims and then winces as the brute bounces off the rocks with a maniacal grin on his face.
"Try to keep up!" Flung yells over his shoulder as he sets out on somewhat oblique path following the barbarian, but managing to nimbly dodge the rocks and other debris from the rumbling mountain.
Grick pulls himself together and scrambles down the path, looking to help any kobolds that stumble.
Seeing Smoog trying to stay on his feet he goes to his aid grabbing his arm to hopefully stop him tumbling down the rocky path.
Sees leads Pork down the mountain, picking out a quick path which she tests herself. Assuming she doesn't break her own neck, she stops on the more difficult hops to brace the unfortunate sod. All the while, she gripes and complains of his weight and general ineptitude as an adventurer, suggesting that he save her the trouble and roll himself into the next floe. If Pork is too hesitant, or decides to take the scenic route, she leaves him behind.
Boo rock! Go way or Thunk stop and thump!
Thunk shouts at each rock as he goes.
The strange-looking foreigner kobold rolls himself into a ball as he bounces down the mountainside, using the unstable, rumbling, and rocky terrain underfoot as ramps that launch him into the air! Thunk skips the last dozen feet or so of the mountain's slope as he soars overhead in an ungainly fashion. Thunk, you made good time, but you landed prone on your face and have to get up, which will delay you long enough for those who fully succeed to catch up with you in the chase.
Flung and Sees-Death make their way down with relative ease, having sure feet and a determination to catch Bolgir with whatever he was doing. They catch up to Thunk as he's climbing to his feet and dusting himself off. When they reach the treeline, they see a strange light shining through the trees, with shadows flickering over it. The kobold has only a few seconds' head start on you in the forest, and having to climb over the roots and wade through the bogs will surely slow him down. Do you chase as fast as you can or try to sneak up on him, trusting him to slow down?
Meanwhile, Smoog is a little too focused on the amazing things his goggles are showing him and not focused enough on where he's putting his feet. He stumbles, nearly pitching headfirst into a crevasse that opens up alongside where he was running down the mountain, but Grick the shaman is there, his drums knocking against his scaly chest as he lurches forward and snags the Artificer-in-training by the tail. Even with his help, you nearly pitch forward, and Grick has to dig his claws in painfully to your tail to get enough purchase on you to haul you back and not lose much time. Take 3 damage from Grick's claws digging into your skin painfully. You two arrive at the bottom of the mountain just after Sees-Death, Flung and Thunk. It's up to them to decide how to proceed, using speed or stealth - privilege of arriving first.
Still a bit out of breath, Sees had to grasp at words quickly to formulate a proper chant. "Fearless Flung! With your deft use of a second stick, surely you'll pin down that spineless prick. Do it fast, make it quick, lest your cowardice make me sick." More of a children's rhyme, really, but it would have to do. She didn't think Flung had enough appreciation of the arts and court manner to criticize anyway.
Not a surprise that Thunk gets up and charges after his foe
con or maybe dex or str at only +1
Thunk tears off after the kobold trying to be on top of him before he has a chance to prepare
Flung pauses for a moment at the strange light shining through the trees, but figures he should follow after Thunk as he charges onward.
As Flung heads for the treeline, he belatedly realizes that See's is chanting something. Weird, he thinks to himself and realizes he is starting to feel rather energized. Ah... this must be the battle song the war masters spoke of!
Trailing behind, Flung does his best to keep up with Thunk while also keeping an eye out for nasty surprises.
Just as Smoog catches up to the rest of the group, the warriors sprint on ahead. Out of breath and tail still stinging from the fresh wound, Smoog stumbles on after them, loosening his pickaxes in case, ... well in case he needs them.
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Smoog has never actually fought another sentient being. He thinks he could do it; sink his picks into flesh instead of stone; but until that egg hatches he might have a queasy stomach.
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As Grick follows the others, he pulls the skull of Azder the channeler from his belt and whispers to it, time of vengeance is at hand oh mighty spirit of Azder...
Grick continues after the others, feeling the power of Azder ready itself for release if the moment is right.
Smoog: Nothing really new to roll perception for; you all can see the glowing light shining through the trees - and the kobold Bolgir charging straight toward it. Plus, your Perception mod is +1, not +2.
Thunk, you barrel past the trees, knocking bits of bark loose in your reckless haste. Thankfully, your tough scales prevent the hard bark from digging into flesh, so you take no damage. Flung, Sees, Grick and Smoog can easily follow the trail of torn-up foliage to follow Thunk, and Fsst and Pork are close behind.
The barbarian reaches the clearing, and beholds a sight that he has never before seen. Before your very eyes is a geyser of magic on the visible spectrum of light, where normally even powerful magic can only be seen by those who are attuned. Bolgir is standing before the geyser, staring up at it in awe.
He turns, seeing you emerge from the treeline, and scowls. Scooping his claw into a bag, he casts a big handful of kobold bones to the ground, and a brace of skeletal kobolds rise from their captivity through magic. Automatically your battle-hardened instincts count them up - 8 skeletal kobolds, splitting up into two battle-groups of 4. So they know how to work together. Great.
Necromancy was a forbidden practice for all but the highest of Gorlaug's priests, by the way, as it was a form of magic the dragon held most dear. Bolgir was not a high priest...
"You are too late to stop me, whoever you are!" he shouts at Thunk, turning his attention back to the geyser of magical energy. Stepping toward it, he opens his arms wide as the skeletal kobolds raise their weapons and advance on you...
For a moment, Sees and Bolgir's eyes meet over the great distance the way they had in the palace halls. The skeletons pulling themselves out of the ground were the stuff of particularly bad nightmares, or the kind of stories Scoops heard as a child. The kind of stories that were meant to curb ambitions in a young welp without the pedigree to succeed in the high court. Scoops had never believed in those stories.
Hoping to startle the traitor with her frank and defiant composure, Sees barked in a voice forged to carry. "Whom do you serve?" This time he would answer. This time it would be different. She was not the scared girl she had been. She hoped she wasn't praying.
Pork grunts in annoyance as Sees begins to lead him down the mountain. Seeing the difficulty of the path, he snorts in derision.
I'm not made for this kinda thing. I think I'll see you lot at the bottom! He exclaims.
Trusting that the warriors can quickly dispatch the skeletons, Smoog readies his magno-gadget for a shot at Bolgir. Hopefully part or parts of him or on him will be affected by the attraction of the small shield-shaped device and keep him from fleeing. Maneuvering for a clear shot he waits for his opportunity...
Skeleton kobolds, those are abominations. No bones about it, they are meant for one thing only, DESTRUCTION!
THUNK THUMP!
Thunk charges the closest of the skeletons and attempts to utterly destroy it
damage
While pursuing one of your appetites if you would roll for a move, instead of rolling 2d6 you roll 1d6+1d8. If the d6 is the higher die of the pair, the GM will also introduce a complication or danger that comes about due to your heedless pursuits.
If you don't think that applies then here is my second d6
Bolgir's eyes lock with Sees'. "Ah, Scoops! Glad you weren't killed by the adventurers!" the rogue kobold necromancer laughs. "You of all kobolds should know, I've only ever served myself!" Sure enough, you have memories of this purple-scaled wretch that prove his deficit of loyalty. He turns his attention back to the geyser as he walks slightly inside the radius of the magical spray. Where the magic washes over him, Bolgir's scales begin rippling and shifting color...and he begins to growl in seeming pain.
Smoog, meanwhile, darts around the outer edge of the clearing, keeping close to the trees and keeping his head down. He goes unnoticed by anybody in the battle, for now - kobolds are good at that. You've got a clear shot, Smoog.
Thunk charges in, bringing his dragonbone club down on the first kobold skeleton he sees in a brutal overhead swing. His wild lust for combat drives the horde of undead back for a moment, his wide swings causing them to back up a few steps. The bone-club impacts on one of the skeletons' bucklers, the force of it knocking the skeleton to his knees, but it isn't enough to dispatch your target entirely.
Immediately afterward the 3 other skeletons fighting alongside Thunk's skeleton opponent surround Thunk. Like living kobolds, these skeletons employ swarming and cooperative tactics. To escape the box of warriors, or to take any action, will require a Defy Danger roll first. Unless you choose to disregard the danger and continue attacking anyway, in which case that's a Hack and Slash roll, but you're fighting while surrounded.
The other 4 kobold skeletons ignore Thunk and advance menacingly on the rest of you. What do you all do?
Smoog's hands tremble as he lifts the small circular metal disk to chest level aiming at Bolgir. Arms extended forward and grasping the handle on the backside in both hands, Smoog pushes the button he earlier determined caused things to be pulled toward him. Slowly a hum and slight vibration began emanating from the device. Then suddenly...
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Rage and indignation boiled in Sees' chest. This fool dared to touch the fates of Gods under no banner but his own? "It's Sees-Death now, Bolgir, and when I see yours you will have only yourself to blame for the torment Gorlaug will visit upon you. The only thing separating these minions from us is that they have had practice dying."
Exchanging Gorlaug's horn for a handful of bullets, Sees begins pelting the skeletons around Thunk with her slingshot looking to crush skulls with the weighty stones.
Thunk immediately goes into a combat spin, his club lashing all about, seeking to drive the foes back ever so slightly to give him the space to attack.
for
Thunk lets his spin increase in speed and then holds his club out in an effort to thump the kobolds surrounding him all at the same time.
Fssst watches the combat silently from the treeline. Power from the magical font washes over the scene, and the clatter of skeletons is matched by hisses and bellows of these Kobold Survivors. The warriors will deal with the Skeletons. Doing so is not the duty that belongs to Fssst. Fssst is here to punish those who would overreach. He is here, in this moment, to see Bolgir burn, if he is unworthy.
The necromancer is in pain, drinking of a power beyond him. Fssst stalks out of the tree line towards Bolgir, doing his best to avoid the occupied skeletons. If Bolgir wishes to feed on the magic, let him. Fssst prepares to shove him into the core of the magical font, to be consumed by the power.
Sees tries to pick and choose her targets to aid in Thunk's attacks. The focus of doing so, as well as the fit of rage that has overtaken her make her vulnerable to the bedlam around her.
A bolt of lightning shoots out of the skull towards the traitor Bolgir as Grick calls upon the spirit of the kobold channeler.
Mud seems to suddenly cover Pork, slowly covering his body and obscuring him from view as his wide mass seems to grow taller. After a few brief moments the Mud all slides to the rocky ground. Where before a fat Kobold once stood now stands a Giant Vampire bat...with a small pair of tusks!
Pork leaps into the air, taking to the air and soaring above the combat that begins below him.
Necromancy?! What is next? This fool has much to answer for...
He watches as Bolgir steps within the Radius of the Magical font and divebombs at him, aiming to push him AWAY from it.
No telling what those magical energies are doing to him, and I need answers!
Flung grimaces as Thunk charges into the mass of skeletons, and grins at the amount of destruction the big lunk was inflicting on the skeletons. well, that's one way to do it he thinks to himself for just a moment, before realizing that the other skeletons' attention were focused on the rest of the party.
Taking stock of the situation, Flung noticed that Smoog's attention was focused on some sort of device, rather than the advancing skeletons. Hoping that whatever that thing that Smoog was pointing towards the vile Bolgir would actually do something, Flung took position near Smoog with spear and shield ready to defend his friend.
Screaming in battle-fury after she launched her rocks at the skeletons, Sees-Death leaps into the fray alongside Thunk, aiding him by pulling one of the skeletal kobolds off-balance at a crucial moment. Thunk's spinning draco-bone club impacts on the skull of the kobold skeleton Sees-Death assaulted, and force of the blow sends the kobold's skull flying off his neckbone like a tee-ball goes flying off of a tee. The headless skeleton fights on, the necromantic energy swirling in its chest cavity like a foul cloud that is gradually escaping. It's been injured by the bard's volley and by the barbarian's club - it's got to be almost "dead."
However, as every serious martial artist would know, whirlwind attacks are very dangerous to attempt. They are purely offensive moves, allowing little room for defensive maneuvering. In Thunk's lust for glory, he doesn't care, but it does cost him...the combination of a glancing blow from the skeletons off his temple and the spinning of his own attack leaves him dizzy and confused. As a complication, Thunk, you're very dizzy at the moment, take -1 Forward to Hack and Slash or Defy Danger.
There's not much time to recover your balance, because the 4 kobolds you're fighting are dogpiling you viciously! You knocked them away long enough with your initial Defy Danger roll to allow you to Hack and Slash unmolested, but they close in again and savagely bite at your scales! The one whose head has been knocked off reaches behind it and grabs at Sees-Death, grappling her. What do you two do?
Meanwhile, Smoog is fiddling with his strange Dwarf apparatus, trying to get it to work properly, when it suddenly lights up! The magnetic energy of the Array Emitter gathers with the force of a warmaul smashing into your forearm, before erupting out of its firing mechanism, consuming a Charge, and slamming invisibly into the Necromancer, Bolgir.
At least, it seems to slam into him. You know your aim was perfect...but somehow the magnetic energy bends and twists in midair and redirects squarely into the geyser of magic, missing Bolgir completely. The geyser, in response, flares and sprays ever more energy into the daytime sky. Over the roar of the geyser's blast, you can hear Bolgir. He's screaming now - in pain or in ecstasy, you can't tell which.
The same result happens when Grick launches a bolt of spiritual lightning from his totem. The shaman's aim is true, but the energy of the spirits is drowned out by the raw magical power in the geyser here. The magical attack fizzles when it's yanked from its original path into the geyser, much the frustration of Grick!
The sudden magical attacks of the kobold seem to make the geyser unstable! Instead of a constant, steady stream of magic like before, it's flaring wildly, spraying magic in all directions like a cut garden hose.
Into this crazed melee does Fsst the Immolator charge from the side. Fsst, I need a Defy Danger roll for you to perform your action as written; when you try to charge the necromancer, two of the kobolds break away from the second group of 4 and move to try to block you. You can blast them away with your magic, try to avoid them by Defying Danger and focus on Bolgir, or you can ignore them and hope for the best by not rolling Defy Danger and attacking Bolgir directly. What do you do?
Pork, when you shapeshift, you get access to special "Monster Moves" that your animal form can perform by spending 1 Hold. You can also make attack/defy danger/other rolls without spending a hold, by putting yourself at the same risk for failure as the others.
The Monster Moves you gain as a vampire bat are:
Drain Victim's Blood - Spend 1 Hold to deal your Class Damage to a target and heal for half of the damage done.
Escape an Attack through Flight - Spend 1 Hold to completely avoid an attack that targets you by flying elusively
Fly-by Harass Attack - Spend 1 Hold to deal your Class Damage to a target and escape retaliation
However, this time you rolled a simple Hack and Slash and succeeded! You don't need to worry about the skeleton kobolds as a flier, as only one of them is wielding a bow and arrow. You divebomb Bolgir and distract him, slashing at his face and flapping your wings over his ears! You're now in melee range of Bolgir and you've got his attention by dealing some damage to him physically. He engages you, swinging his claws in a sharp upward uppercut to eviscerate you from below! What do you do?
Fssst hunches his shoulders against the flailing skeletons and weathers the blows as he moves past them. Bolgir WILL be judged!
The Immolator's determination serves him well. Squinting his eyes and covering his face, the kobold is only exposing scales and armor to his enemy. It doesn't protect as well as chainmail, but a kobold's natural defenses will do in a pinch. You endure some pain, but it is nothing next to bringing Bolgir to his doom. Take 1d6 damage from a sideswipe that the kobold skeleton slaps you with. His bony claws are quite pointy and hurty!
Still, you're able to get past the defender and body-slam Bolgir! The necromancer is distracted by Pork in vampire bat form flapping away at his face, so he's an easy mark. Since you're attempting to shove him into the geyser, give me a Strength roll. Pork, better prepare to get clear if Bolgir is going to fall into the geyser, he might try to take you with him and WHO KNOWS what would happen then?
"Flung, I think we need to attack him physically, that geyser seems to protect him from other things. Let's charge him and stick him full of holes!"
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