As the echo dies down, you barely hear the vague sound of silent footsteps. But you also see the shadow of a spear carrying reptile approaching the bend in the tunnel, coming to investigate.
What do you do?
Hanzo faded into the shadows, behind the nearest obstruction to the shadow - prepared to step in behind it, flanking, and strike.
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot to hide behind, so he presses against the wall and hopes for the best.
Joriannika winced at the inevitability of violence, but she wasn't about to call down a flock of kobolds on them if she could avoid it. She moved to the side, out of direct view of the tunnel, and kept an eye on their flank with her crossbow ready.
Thomas presses against the wall to not be immediately seen and holds his sword high.
The masked elf does his best to stay unnoticed.
The shadow's owner comes into view, as it rounds the corner and meets Thomas' blade ! He doesn't quite slice this one's head off, but comes close.
As the creature collapses and tumbles down the stairs, a cacophony of new sounds erupts from beyond the corridor. A mixture of reptilian shouts and human screams.
Bold may act.
Everyone // ??
Global Condition: -2 on Attack Rolls (Inside Lair) |Global Condition:
Thomas HP: 12/17 AC: 16/12/14 Status:
Guruthos HP: 14/14 (1nl) AC: 15/13/12 Status:
Joriannika HP: 10/12 AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Hanzo HP: 14/18 AC: 17/13/14 Status:NPCS:
Purple HP: -9 AC: 22 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
??
??
Thomas hears the cries and charges in. He shouts something not understandable to anyone.
Thomas charges in, going straight for the first kobold he sees. As he rushes by, the two he had neglected thrust their spears at him!
One misses him completely but the other makes contact, dealing 2 points of damage!
Though that wasn't enough to stop Thomas, who sliced right into his target, leaving the reptile crumpled in a heap on the ground.
Bold may act:
Hanzo, Joriannika, Guruthos // Kobolds
Global Condition: -2 on Attack Rolls (Inside Lair) |Global Condition:
Thomas HP: 10/17 AC: 16/12/14 Status:
Guruthos HP: 14/14 (1nl) AC: 15/13/12 Status:
Joriannika HP: 10/12 AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Hanzo HP: 14/18 AC: 17/13/14 Status:NPCS:
Purple HP: -9 AC: 22 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
Blue HP:-10 AC: 20 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
Red: HP: AC:
Green: HP: AC:
Guruthos curses the foolish human under his breath,and dashes forward. On reaching the top of the stairs (30' movement), he sees Thomas surrounded, points at the first kobold he sees (green) and growls "Shh!"
Hanzo, surprised by Thomas' sudden attack, blinked for a moment, letting Guruthos get ahead of him. But his reflexes were good, and he quickly recovered, dashing after the two.
With the blue and green kobold being dealt with, he launched himself at the red one, slashing with his new dagger.
Wary of anyone coming up behind them, but not willing to be left in the dark, Joriannika kept an eye on their rear with her crossbow ready as she followed the men.
"Don't worry, we're here to save you!" she called in a stage whisper to the humans she had heard.
The green kobold leans its head as it stares at the elf quizzically.
Hanzo joins the fray but is unable hit his target.
Joriannika's words are drowned in the screaming of the prisoners and the echoes of combat.
Kobolds' turn
Green tires of the momentary amusement of the ugly mask-wearer trying to shush it and thrusts its spear at him, hoping to shush him instead.
But the screaming humans are very distracting. Green's eyes dart back and forth, keeping an eye on both the mask-wearer and the gritty human scum with knives.
Red goes after the knife-wielder, stabbing with his spear
Red stabs Hanzo in the gut, dealing 4pts of damage.
The two downed kobolds continue to bleed out.
All may act!
Global Condition: -2 on Attack Rolls (Inside Lair) |Global Condition:
Thomas HP: 10/17 AC: 16/12/14 Status:
Guruthos HP: 14/14 (1nl) AC: 15/13/12 Status:
Joriannika HP: 10/12 AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Hanzo HP: 10/18 AC: 17/13/14 Status:NPCS:
Purple HP: -10 AC: 22 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
Blue HP:-11 AC: 20 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
Red: HP: AC:
Green: HP: AC:
Thomas sees Hanzo' blood and gets very angry.
Guruthos growls through his mask, and assesses the situation. He steps back, grumbles an arcane word, and flings his hand toward his attacker (green).
Hanzo gritted his teeth, grunting as the kobold's spear hit home thanks to his distraction by the other one behind him. But he was used to close-quarters combat, and stepped around the green kobold to flank it, instead!
Joriannika winced at the noise they were all making, but raised her own voice too. "We're here to save you! Can you walk?"
Thomas swings at Red but isn't quick enough, his blade clanging into the large rock pillar in the room.
Guruthos flings a hand towards Green, and, much to its surprise, is immediately affected.
Hanzo moves around, slashing at Green. His first misses but the normal dagger connects, if only a little, dealing 3 pts of damage.
Kobolds' turn
Red switches targets, retaliating against the wild one, Thomas
Red finds his mark, cutting into Thomas' waist, dealing 3pts of damage. It then takes the opportunity to step down between the invaders and a slave.
Global Condition: -2 on Attack Rolls (Inside Lair) |Global Condition:
Thomas HP: 7/17 AC: 16/12/14 Status:
Guruthos HP: 14/14 (1nl) AC: 15/13/12 Status:
Joriannika HP: 10/12 AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Hanzo HP: 10/18 AC: 17/13/14 Status:NPCS:
Purple HP: -11 AC: 22 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
Blue HP:-12 AC: 20 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
Red: HP: AC:
Green: HP: -3 AC: 17
Being hurt by two kobolds now, Thomas can't hold Bellmanok back any longer. He releases a demonic scream and his eyes start glowing bright.
Thomas shouts at the slave: "از دست رفته، شما احمق هستید به ایمنی !"
Hanzo should have been startled by Thomas' wild scream, but the pain from his wounds narrowed his focus to the kobold he was circling. He struck again!
His improved concentration paid off! He slashed the green kobold's guts and throat, spilling blood.
What was that?! Was that Thomas?!
Unable to control her curiosity any longer, Joriannika moved up through the tunnel to see what was going on... and saw the green kobold fall. Making a snap decision, she rushed in to find the first of the slaves, and set them free!
As she passed Thomas, she saw his eyes glowing, but she was moving too quickly to stop, and didn't want to distract him, even if he didn't know his eyes were on fire. Besides, he looked awfully angry!
But boy, did she have some questions for later!
Thomas' eyes glow bright and hot, and it bellows something at the slave behind the reddish kobold. The slave cowers and rocks as heaving sobs sweep over his body. Is Thomas about to kill this man?
No! He swings wildly at the reptile, barely making contact, but hitting something crucial and dealing 12pts of damage. The creature collapses with a cry of agony!
Hanzo swings around to the other side of Green to show this snake with legs how dangerous he is. He slices and dices! Stabs and...stabs! He pierces its scaly hide, dealing 11pts of damage! Green cumples into a heap on the ground.
Joriannika finally enters into the chamber, as the last kobold falls. What she sees horrifies her. A few torches wedged into niches in this cave's rocky walls burn fitfully. This area is obviously used for labor-intensive tasks such as making rope from vines, drying meat, and
tanning hides, but the working conditions are squalid at best. She goes straight to a woman huddled on the floor and weeping. She is shackled via chains and manacles driven into the rock with iron spikes. Other than filthy and giving off a rather pungent odor, she looks relatively healthy.
Combat over
Global Condition: -2 on Attack Rolls (Inside Lair) |Global Condition:
Thomas HP: 7/17 AC: 16/12/14 Status:
Guruthos HP: 14/14 (1nl) AC: 15/13/12 Status:
Joriannika HP: 10/12 AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Hanzo HP: 10/18 AC: 17/13/14 Status:NPCS:
Purple HP: -12 AC: 22 Status: unconscious, bleeding outBlue HP:-12 AC: 20 Status: unconscious
Red: HP:-13 AC: 15 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
Green: HP: -13 AC: 16 Status: unconscious, bleeding out
The masked elf leaves calming the prisoners to the humans. Instead, he moves one-by-one to each of the kobolds, makes the Spiral of Pharasma over the body's chest, then ends their life.
When you finally get to the kobold who tumbled down the stairs, after you end its life, you find a key.
The masked elf gathers the corpses together and leaves them in the work room (with the intent of returning at a later time to give them proper burial), and relieves the corps at the bottom of the stairs of its only worthwhile possession. Returning to the party, he holds out the key.
Hanzo staggered over to sit on a rock by the wall, breathing hard. "Good job, Guru. I'll just... I'll just rest here a minute."
Joriannika had tears in her eyes for the condition of the poor slaves - or at least, the conditions they'd been living in. Turning to Thomas, she gasped - she really had seen fire in his eyes!
"Thomas! Thomas, are... are you all right?" she asked, holding a hand up to prevent Guru from approaching. Thomas' face was so twisted with rage!
*insertevillaughter* yes. Yeees. Let me freeee. Do you feel the power? The power of anger and revenge. He hurt us and he got it back tenfold. Because of ME! You're weak!
What did you do with me? What happened? Get away. Leave me alone!
Thomas felt tired. The mental stress opposing the daemon weighed heavy on him. He sat down leaning against the cave wall. Only now did he recognize the wounds. And he heard Joriannika.
"Jori! Yes, I'm alright. I, I don't know what happened..." And that was partly the truth.
He looked around. "How are the prisoners?"
Joriannika studied Thomas' face. The fury she had seen there had faded, and now he just looked tired... but she wouldn't forget the flames she had seen in his eyes.
Questions for another time, not in front of the poor slaves, she decided. "If you're sure you're..." She saw his wounds close, and nodded to herself. "Uh... these people seem healthy enough, though they're traumatized. Miss? Please, miss. We're here to set you free!"
She accepted the key from Guruthos with a smile of thanks, but her smile faded as she regarded the poor woman. What had life among the kobolds been like? Slaves. The idea hadn't really sunk in before. Joriannika found herself less and less sympathetic to the kobolds.
"Let's get all of you out of here," she told the slaves, attempting to use the key to unlock their shackles.
Hanzo popped the cork on his potion and downed it, looking much better after he'd taken it.
He got up and thought about kicking one of the dead kobolds, but a glance at Guruthos made him change his mind. He didn't like the kobolds, but there was no reason to antagonize the elf.
Guruthos hands the key to Jori and finishes stacking the kobold bodies, ignoring the terrified humans. He casts a sideways glance at the oracle. He has seen that kind of fury before, and he wanted no part of it.
Once his task with the corpses is complete, he moves to the tunnel leading out of the room, pausing for a brief moment to make sure Hanzo sees him, then moves down the stairs to check the room below (B3) to ensure that the combat did not draw more unwanted attention.
The key Guruthos handed to Joriannika fits all the prisoners' manacles perfectly. Whenever you approach they involuntarily shudder or twitch momentarily. The young woman in the northern part of the room merely sits there once unchained. The other two are weakly holding a conversation.
"Sela? Sela are you there? Please say you're there..."
"Carlo..."
"Sela! Oh praise God!"
Once free, the man stumbles to the source of the other voice, his wife. They hug and kiss and cry. The man turns to Joriannika and addresses her.
"Thank you - oh thank you for saving us! ...You are here to rescue us...yes?"
"Yes," Joriannika repeated patiently. "We're here to get you out. You're free! Are there more of you in here somewhere?"
Hanzo decided that the others had things in hand in the slave chamber, and followed Guruthos out to watch for trouble.
Thomas had gathered himself and was putting on his usual friendly and charming smile.
The man's wife, Sela, replies to Joriannika
"I dunno... they we been here a couple months and we ain't seen anyone else, least I haven't. Carlo?"
"'Cept her. 'Course she was already here when they dragged here from the road."
Carlo nods in the direction of the one still huddled on the floor.
"Said her name was Bophre, I think. She ain't spoke for a week though."
Thomas hands them his waterskin and some of his rations. "Couple months? Wow. Did they take care of you? What did they feed you?"
"We was allowed to draw water from the well, and they gave us frogs...raw frogs..." Carlo shutters at the memory. "All in all, it seemed like they wanted us healthy, strong...but not too strong, if you understand my meaning."
His wife chimes in, "They like their productive slaves," she spits the sentence out as if the words taste like bile in her mouth.
Guruthos makes his way down the stone steps to the room below. He quietly creeps toward the eastern corridor and listens.
The married couple stands and thanks everyone present for rescuing them.
"Unfortunately everything we had was taken when we were taken prisoner. We only have our gratitude to offer you as thanks."
"That's awful!" Joriannika exclaimed when they told her about the frogs. When they told her they had nothing material to offer the party, she shook her head. "We didn't come here to strip you of your last possessions. We're happy to help you be free. If you wait outside the tunnels, we'll take you back to town. Otherwise, I'll tell you where to find it."
"Take this money, and get yourselves something to eat and some rest at the Wise Piper. Talia will take good care of you." She pressed ten gold coins into their hands.
"We'll deal with the kobolds," she told them, eyes flashing with ire.
Hanzo kept pace with Guruthos, hiding where he could.
Thomas shows the people out of the cave, becuase he was the only real light source after all. Outside he repeats that they could wait here, or try to find their way back to the town.
Then he rejoins the group, trying to find Hanzo and Guruthos.
Guruthos stifles a sigh as he hears the human rogue stumbling in the dark behind him. He holds out a hand, halting Hanzo's progress, and slowly moves toward the eastern corridor and checks for potential traps.
The married couple help the younger girl, who has remained silent. They inform you that they'll take her back home before they continue on their way.
In response to Jori, Carlo says, "Oh, Talia! What a warm spirit she was. We sold her a necklace, I think. Or a pendant. I'm not sure."
In response to Carlo, Sela says nothing but sighs and shakes her head.
In response to Jori, Sela says, "Thank you all so much! We'll see to it Bophre gets home. I'm sure someone will recognize her. I believe she once mentioned her family owns one of the farms. And we'll tell of your deeds to the city! Thank you all so much again! Good luck on your quest. And farewell!"
With that, Carlo and Sela Bellathi lead Bophre Malak back towards Belhaim.
The party reconvenes at the eastern corridor. Guruthos slowly stalks ahead, looking for traps, finding none.
Around the corner, Guruthos sees the layout of the next room. Straw is strewn across the floor of this large cave. The ceiling vaults to a height of twelve feet. Three ledges, eight feet off the ground, look out over the main cavern. A five-foot-wide, twenty-foot-deep trench runs north to south through the western half of the cavern, with just one five-foot wide bridge of natural stone allowing passage from one side to the other. In the not-quite-center is a large bonfire, which lights up most of the space. The edges of the room are in dim light.
Joriannika helped the weak and silent younger girl out of the caves while Thomas helped the married couple. Happy that they were finally free, she waved to them before going with Thomas back to where Hanzo was waiting.
"I've been naive," she admitted quietly as Guruthos scouted ahead, her bubbly nature repressed for a moment. "Those kobolds must be horrible people, to have treated people that way. Slaves! I didn't really realize what that meant for the people they took. We have to make sure they don't do it again. And we will. We'll spread freedom any way we can!" She smiled with determination, raising a clenched fist. "If they won't see reason, we'll just have to move them by force."
"You were great in there, Thomas, but... did you know your eyes glow when you're mad?" she asked carefully, putting a hand on Thomas' arm. "And that language you speak... it's not like anything I've ever heard before." She gazed at him questioningly.
"It was intense," Hanzo agreed, arms folded as he sulked about Guruthos leaving him behind. "I've heard the saying, "if looks could kill," but... you can't kill them just by looking at them, right? With your magic eyes." He paused to consider. "Though, that would be pretty cool. But then I guess you wouldn't need that weapon."
Guruthos stands at the mouth of the cavern, scanning the room for any signs of life; first to the three ledges, then to the trench, and finally about the rest of the room looking for possible traps or ambush points.
He leans his head toward the black bird on his shoulder, points at her, forks his fingers toward his eyes, then points at each of the ledges and the trench. The bird nods and flies upwards to a vantage point to view all of the ledges and the trench.
As he waits, he keeps his bow and arrow ready.