A little before sunset you hear a sound like someone is driving a nail into a wall or door. Three taps. Boss enters the tavern and grabs a brass spittoon sitting next to the door before joining you at the table. One by one he takes heavy pouches of coins out of his jacket and tosses each of you one. "Mr. Aman sez ye's welcome to take a hitch on the Jurin Kreed if'n you gotta go to Almas. It be leavin daybreak, day after t'morrey. He ain't goin with yuh this time. Yuh done well. Keep it up." He spits into the spittoon and stands. He looks at Ranok and smiles. He reaches into his jacket and takes out a parchment. "I's postin these all 'round town." He leaves the tavern, laughing the entire time.
The parchment reads "Re-wards 2 gold each. 2 kobolds last seen in Darkmoon Wood. Names of Kib and Eadoo. See Boss Teedum."
"Sweet dreams." Boss heads back to the campfire.
Boss raises his voice to address all of you. "Ye all had a hard one today. I's kinda proud of yeh. Me and the boys is takin our own watches like last time. Youze welcome tah get yer beauty rest. Ain't nuthin sneakin up on yuh with us around."
Boss looks pleased that Niu took his offering and actually tried it. "Well that ain't gonna be happnin. I couldn't believe my ears when I wuz told not to harm yuh. Seems Mr. Kreed is showin his thanks fer savin' his boy. He's been watching this group mighty close since then cause they done good things for the folks. Yeh might just fit in here if'n yuh keep it up and lives through it. Whatcha think of the chew? You like it?"
"Only round heres as far as I knows. Nah, its just tastes good to me. Niu, are yuh gonna be surprised when I kills yuh in yer sleep tonight? Me an the boys finish you all off for the re-ward in yer weakened states? That gonna surprise yuh?"
Boss walks over to Niu's tent with a lit torch in his hand. He presses it into the ground. He sits down and offers Niu some of his blood-bark chew. "Not bad stuff. Can't find it nowhere else. Here, have some. Don't be swallerin now. Just spit, don't swaller."
"Steve, start us a fire and burn that thing. Bill, Eddie! Help them womenfolk set up theys mo-bile lodge."
Boss yells "I ain't tellin Mr. Kreed we let two of 'em go! And maybe ye ain't gettin no re-ward fer not doin yer job."
Boss takes the hammer and stows it away. "Yep."
Once you are outside, boss walks over to Ranok. He looks at the kobolds and back at Ranok before spitting some chaw right beside Ranok's boot. He leans into the orc's face, almost touching it. "We's almost done with the kobold problem. I know yeez got some hankerin for 'em. Go on ahead, I'll do what gotta be done an catch up to yeh." He remains nose to nose with Ranok, waiting for his response.
"You did. Greg is safe in the next room with Steve. This one gets burned. He ain't comin back again. Steve! , grab that thing. We's gonna burn it whens we make camp."
"I wuz gonna splatter yer brains all over that wall, yeh dead lizard."
"Youse right as usual, Niu. Prolly not a great idea. Ain't much left of 'im anyways. He can barely stand."
Leaning on the far wall, boss nonchalantly says "If yuh hit 'im and back up, 'e'll 'ave tah leave the corner."
"Dang it. I like the fake and grab. Right up my alley. Guess that's out of the question now. Orcs..." Boss hangs back and spits some chaw on the floor.
"Yer right. Any way to keep him from it?"
With the wraith disposed of, Boss enters the room. He looks each of you over carefully with concerned and calculating expressions. "Those things did a number on ye. But, ye still look pretty dangerous to me. Maybe the worst is over now. We won't know 'til we push on."
"That would leave no one to here to protect you, dwarf. Cirthana... Hahahaha. I'll pray fer ya too."
"Okay, Eddie. Head outside and send Steve in here to take your place."
"Ain't no reason to quit now. There can't be much more left in this mound anyways. It is just a mound. Let's get movin on."
Boss looks Eddie over and hands him a vial.
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Boss unleashes a flurry of fists on the wight beside him
unarmed strike v AC15: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
unarmed strike v AC15: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
unarmed strike v AC15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
unarmed strike v AC15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
He takes a 5 foot step back.
"This tunnel runs west to east. We got tunnels north and south of here. Yuh go east, youse puttin who knows what behind you. Nobody leaves enemies at their backs with enemies out front. Youse on yer own now."
"Keep them wheels turnin', boy."
The two move up to your rear.
"No worries. Wes here ta protek ye."
"No, Eddie. But I didn't believe in ghosts until a few minutes ago. Let's go."
"Bill, Steve, stay here. Make sure no harm comes to the horses, that testy woman, or the cat. If the lizards try to escape, shoot to kill. Eddie, you are with me. Looks tight in there but they might need backup." He lights a torch.
"I was just wondering the same thing, Miss Witherspoon. Don't make no sense. How did they even find this place?"
"I was missin two womens and two mens. Now I's missin just two mens."
The boys help the women break down the pavilion. As you move forward on the trail and into Cold Marrow, Boss and his men take up the rear.
"Bill, you can take the first watch with the dwarf. We will keep to our own watch routine as usual. The others can do what they will. Steve, Eddie. Help those women with that huge thing they drug out here."
"Wild animals are afraid of fire and will keep their distance. It lights up our area as well. If you prefer darkness, orc, there will be a plenty of it for you to choose from."
After an hour and a half of following the tracks through the woods, you come upon a glade. Eddie talks boss into stopping here for the night. "Gather up some firewood and get us a fire going, boys."
MAP
" That Depnaakra said more of Cold Marrow than I have ever heard. If he can be trusted. He said something like...Merlokrep is in an ancient burial mound...Azlanti was it? Deprnaakra was afraid to tread there. Says Azlanti had powers unknown to us today. I reckon we should be extra careful when we get there. If kobolds can survive it, surely we can. Boys, see if you can pick up that trail."
Boss actually gives Ziera's plan a moment of thought. "Nope, we's got live ones out there. Best we follow that trail. If they double back, they double back. I ain't about to sit around now. Cold Marrow is three hours west. We can make camp an hour short of that. Pack em up boys, lets get moving."
"I wants the rest of my peoples and to rid the woods of this threat. I'll be with you till that is done."
Boss walks over to the group as he puts the papers back in his pack. "We's missin four. Those blood thirsty atrocities killed all but Thelgrin and four others." He looks up at the plume of smoke the burning buildings have produced. "I reckon we done give our position away to everyone within eyesight. We done traveled six hours today. I gots a couple more left in me. You ready to follow that trail west?"
Boss packs up his things and slowly heads your way.
Seeing the huge web in play, boss sits down and leans back on a tree. He takes the personnel papers out of his pack and begins going over them.
Boss moves closer to the cloud and into the woods.
Boss spits out his blood-bark chew and promptly replaces it with a new wad. "Never cared much for magic. Still don't." He paces back and forth keeping his spot
Boss moves up to the edge of the cloud hoping one will try to pass his way.
Boss moves closer to the action and stops beside Eadoo. He looks at Ranok and back at Eadoo. He tells Eadoo "My first time to shoot a crossbow was a hit. I'll do better next time on the damage it does."
Boss fires at Eadoo.
light crossbow v AC14 (ff): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20 (19/20 x 2)
damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2
Boss moves over to Niu with his newly acquired crossbow (Bill's) in hand. "Finally, a kobold worth killin."
"I think we got us another invisible one settin off more log traps. You gonna throw some pixie dust at 'em, Niu?"
will v DC15: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Boss is dazed. The creature is unable to act normally. A dazed creature can take no actions, but has no penalty to AC. A dazed condition typically lasts 1 round.
Boss drinks a potion and holds his ground.
"West....that's Cold Marrow. Accursed place it is. Nothing lives there. Not even a field mouse. Some old, old civilization is supposed to have thrived there once. Don't recall who or what. Nobody goes there now. Ain't no reason to. Surely they ain't goin there. My guess is they got a trail back to Doskar's Crucible where they came from in the first place. I reckon theys gonna turn back to the south and head there."
Boss exits the office and moves west. He stares in that direction.
Boss and his men exit the barracks. Flame and smoke are rising from the pyre. Eddie is now holding the torch. Boss carries a crossbow and quiver. Boss heads to the front office. Bill and Steve move behind the mess hall. Eddie enters the mess hall.
Boss exits the pyre with a lit torch in hand. He enters the barracks.
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