Gathien nods at Kragath's suggestion and says, "I'll get myself into position and wait until you lot get their attention, then." With that, he sneaks back into the woods.
I don't know why they're so intent on the radishes, but it seems to make this a bit easier... Hopefully their focus doesn't change...
Still gripping the crossbow, Rorgrym will move in a straight diagonal line as slowly and quietly as possible. He'll continue on this line until he feels he'll be making too much noise then he'll stop - in his best judgement.
Alright, let's not spook them. Get as close a possible and then let 'em have it.
Jonas leaves Maelstrom behind as he moves up with Kragath and Rorgrym. He grips his sword tightly with both hands and cranes his neck trying to keep Gathien in sight if possible.
As soon as they spotted the kobolds through the undergrowth Peregrine had quickly looped the reins of his horse around a nearby branch, securing it, and then taken up position behind a tree, around which he peered at the little creatures as Gathien did his scouting. Peregrine drew his crossbow and loaded it as he watched and waited. He couldn't help but think that they didn't sound particularly threatening as they happily talked about radishes. He didn't know kobolds liked radishes. With that thought he tried to recall if he did know anything helpful about them.
When the halfling returned and delivered his report Peregrine found himself frowning at the mention of something being off. He didn't like incongruities, it meant he was missing something, and he didn't like to act when he didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. Still it seemed clear what the others wanted to do, there was no sense arguing it given the current situation.
Before they moved out, he leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone. "Take at least one alive, we can get some information about them and this area. There's bound to be more them." Peregrine glanced around at his companions. "The draconic for surrender is ssilathek. They should understand that."
Once everyone was starting to move into position Peregrine began to creep forward. As he moved he kept watching the kobolds carefully, trying to figure out what was off about their behavior based on what he knew about them.
Kobolds are creatures of the dark, found most commonly in enormous underground warrens or the dark corners of the forest where the sun is unable to reach. Due to their physical similarities, kobolds loudly proclaim themselves the scions of dragonkind, destined to rule the earth beneath the wings of their great god-cousins, but most dragons have little use for the obnoxious pests.
While they may speak loudly of divine right and manifest destiny, kobolds are keenly aware of their own weakness. Cowards and schemers, they never fight fair if they can help it, instead setting up ambushes and double-crosses, holing up in their warrens behind countless crude but ingenious traps, or rolling over the enemy in vast, yipping hordes.
Kobold coloration varies even among siblings from the same egg clutch, ranging through the colors of the chromatic dragons, with red being the most common but white, green, blue, and black kobolds not unheard of.
The advance towards the kobolds looks to be going fine... until Ser Jonas trips over a branch. The cacophony alerts all the kobolds as they all turn to the source of the sound, and they all start to bark and yip, an ugly symphony.
"Intruders!" "Protect our spiceberry!" "OUR SPICEBERRY!" "GO AWAY!"
They only seem to be aware of Jonas and Rorgrym's presence...
Rorgrym:
Kragath:
Ingle:
Gathien:
Peregrine:
Jonas:
Average: 12.8
Kobolds:
Average: 13.8
Ingle creeps along as quietly as possible, secretly sure that he will be the one to alert the creatures to their presence. He felt on odd sense of relief that it was instead Ser Jonas that gave them away.
The feeling passed almost immediately as he listened to their shouts. I've no idea what a 'spice berry' is, but they seem intent to protect them. Doing what he can to remain unseen, the alchemist removes the stopper on one of the vials he carries, downing the contents in one quick swallow. As he drinks he watches the group of kobolds, gauging distances and estimating the best placement for the grenade he has at hand. If they would group up.... Probably too much to ask for....
When it is obvious that the group has spotted U's, Kragath charges forth from the underbrush, attacking one of the small creatures.
Trying to free his left foot from a stubborn tree root, Rorgrym suddenly realises that the kobolds are almost on top of them.
By the Nine Hells...
As he recovers from tripping and hears the kobolds yelling, Jonas rolls his eyes. Well, at least they won't be aiming at the casters
Gathien sneaks carefully around the kobolds, Almost there... and then bites down to prevent himself from cursing when the kobolds all turn to face Jonas. He runs forward, crashing out of the bushes to close the distance with his axe raised. As he gets into position, he reaches into himself and unleashes the fire, feeling it burn away all stray thought and doubt, leaving only his focus.
Kragath and Gathien storms into view; the paladin's great attack scarcely scratches the kobold and its minute size, its resistant scales deflecting the rest of your blow. The kobolds immediately react, however, charging into you all.
Kragath is poked rather nastily in his thigh as two of them surround him; the blood barely trickles. You can hear triumphant yips from some of the kobolds. Five of them swarm Gathien, thrusting violently at him with swords and spears, some of their blows landing true! Yet there's a fraily and wobbliness to their attacks that seem off, even for kobolds...
Two of them charge Jonas, and almost break their spears trying to pierce his heavy armour. The last kobolds sling pellets at Rorgrym - one misses, the other one crashes into the dwarf's forehead...
Gathien enters his ferocious rage and with a fierce swing hacks off one of the kobolds' head...
Kobold attacks
Charge against Kragath: (miss)
Damage:
Attack against Kragath: (hit - crit confirm)
Damage:
Charge against Gathien: (miss)
Damage:
Charge against Gathien: (hit - crit confirm)
Damage:
Charge against Gathien: (hit)
Damage:
Attack against Gathien: (miss)
Damage:
Attack against Gathien: (hit)
Damage:
Charge against Jonas: (miss)
Damage:
Charge against Jonas: (miss)
Damage:
Sling against Rorgrym: (miss)
Damage: 1
Sling against Rorgrym: (hit)
Damage: 1
Crit confirmation against Kragath: (miss)
Crit confirmation against Gathien: (miss)
Kragath tries to dodge the attacks from the shorter creatures, nearly doing so succesfully, having only sustained a minor injury. Kragath glances briefly across the field and sees four more of the kobolds charge off and engage someone behind a tree.
Those must be after Gathien, I must finish these two quickly and go help even the odds over there!
Kragath then adjusts the swing of his blade, attempting to take advantage of the unsteady footing of the little combatant that charged at him carelessly.
Jonas smiles grimly as the kobolds ineffectively charge at him. There's an opening low. He spins his large blade around, bending his knees and sweeping it low, hoping to hit both creatures.
The best way to keep one alive to talk to talk to, is to keep them from fighting in the first place, Peregrine thought. Reaching into one of his pouches he drew out a pinch of sand, which he blew across the radish field with a whisper and a heavy breath.
A dozen different outcomes flashed through Peregrine's mind as he considered his next move. Finding one reasonable assured of success he leaned out from behind the tree and let fly a bolt from his crossbow.
Gathien smiles with grim satisfaction as the kobolds step in around him, That should keep the casters safe.. and then says something in a dark, harsh voice, which he then repeats in common: "Come to me, then, and meet your doom."
Ingle feels the now familiar rush of the extract, his focus upon the battlefield sharpening. Just once I wish they would gather together in a group to discuss their plans, he thought as he moved to find a clear path to strike.
Moving to the south-east as he prepares the bomb, he comes to an open alley in the thicket. Now, aid Jonas or the paladin? Kragath seems to be doing better. I hope. With that, he heaves the small vial down the naturally occurring lane.
Cursing as the rock hits his forehead Rogrym takes aim at one of the kobolds .
"Are these things drunk?"
Rogrym will then drop the crossbow and ready his shield bringing AC back up to 18.
Gathien swiftly bifurcates the next kobold, blood splattering over the nearby patch of radishes. The other kobold is unable to resist Peregrine's spell, collapsing into quiet, yip-like snoring. Kragath is once again unable to pierce the kobold's thick hide; Jonas's swing is too broad and the kobolds dodge with ease, dropping to the ground.
Their screams fill the air as Ingle's bomb melts their skin to the bone, and then the disturbing silence has them all momentarily stunned - both Peregrine and Rorgrym's crossbow bolts hit the frozen kobolds.
They all turn to retaliate; two of them attempt to stab Kragath with their spears! Yet as they wobble, they are unable to hit anything but your armour.
Two of the kobolds hiss to one another before they thrust at Gathien. They both land blows, and while dulled blood is still drawn.
The last two kobolds load their slings and scream at Ingle! Their pellets hit you in the hand and head - a momentary ache. Then blood starts to trickle down Ingle's face...
Seeing the kobolds melt to Ingle's bomb Rogrym looks across to the other side of the battlefield.
"Gathien's too far away and Kragath seems held up..."
Gathien snarls at his remaining foes as their weak blows strike him, the fire within him burning away the pain before it reaches him - the blood on their weapons the only signs that they've been striking him at all. He taunts them again, strange syllables pouring out of his mouth before the words form, "First there were 5..now there are 2. Soon, none....", he swings his axe into the kobold on his right all the while staring into the eyes of the one on the left.
Kragath runs his attention to the kobold that seems to be trying to move past him. "Oh no you don't!" He swings at the little warrior, attempting to put an end to his flanking maneuver.
Ingle, delighted at the effect of his first effort, feels the sting of the two bullets, mixed with the quickly receding rush of his extract. The blood trickling down his face fails at this point to garner his attention. "Bloody little hooligans," he calls out, shaking the sting from his hand, as he moves to find a clearer shot.
Drawing another of the small vials from his belt, he pushes the stopper in further, breaking the glass membrane inside, and allowing the catalysts to mix. "Bombs away," he calls out in Draconic as he tosses the grenade.
Peregrine almost felt sorry for the little creatures as he watched them get mowed down one by one. Part of him wanted to offer them the chance to surrender, but he knew it was not logical. Peregrine could practically hear his uncle's voice whispering in his ear that prisoners would be nothing but a burden in their current situation, and none could be allowed to leave alive lest they alert the rest of their kind.
Coldly resolved, Peregrine slipped out from behind his cover to get a better shot at one of the ones not locked into melee combat. Raising his crossbow he took careful aim and released the catch.
Jonas can't help but step back as the kobolds in front of him burst into flames. The poor little bastards. He looks up and sees Ingle unleash another fiery hell and Peregrin's bolt fly true. Seeing Kragath still engaged with one of the creatures, Jonas moves towards Gathien in case he needs support. I thought I saw him surrounded by a gaggle of them at one point.
Kragath, Ingle and Peregrine all dispatch a kobold each with ease. The remaining three kobolds who are awake both enter a panick, their yip-like snarls incoherent. The one between Kragath and Rorgrym lashes in desperation at the paladin, somehow managing to draw blood!
Gathien nimbly dodges one of the kobold's strike, only to get stabbed in the shoulder by the other one!
With furious vengeance, he dispatches of the kobold who drew his blood, an arm and part of its head now littering the surroundings...
Peregrine took a few steps closer the kobold fighting Gathien, drawing a small tuft of unspun wool from one of his pouches as he did. With a word that seemed to twist in on itself and a quick flick of his fingers the wool vanished in a blue spark and the air around the creature seemed to waver for a brief instant.
It's attention diverted, Rogrym thrusts at the kobold that just struck Kragath.
Gathien pauses, cocks his head and smiles at the last kobold before him, his mouth making strange noises before settling in on words, "Oh, are you still here?", he asks, raising his axe once again, "I'd best do something about that.".
Before the kobold even begins to fall, Gathien begins to run over toward the remaining kobold standing.
Kragath takes a swing at the fiend that wounded him. Unable to connect, he prepares his sheild to prepare for it's next strike.
After seeing the pile of bodies surrounding Gaithien, Jonas turns and attacks the last standing kobold.
The desperation in the kobold's eyes is immense as it somehow dodges both Kragath and Rorgrym's assaults - though he lets out a loud, final yelp as Jonas cuts him down. Peregrine's spell puts the kobold in a daze, and in a single sweep Gathien ends his misery.
There is only one kobold remaining, sleeping soundly amidst the corpses of his fallen friends...
Sounds, smells and focus fade away as Gathien releases his inner fire, finding instead weariness, random thoughts, and pain.
Gathien's mind starts taking in the details of the dismembered corpses he left in his wake. I must admit, that surprises even me. Remembering a kobold falling that he did not hit, Gathien turns to walks over to it, stage-whispering to his companions, "I'll bind the sleeper in a moment.. I just need to catch my breath.".
When he arrives, he kicks the kobold's weapon away and begins to dig the rope out of his pack.
Kragath walks over to the sleeping Kobold amidst the pile of bodies amidst Gathien's wake of destruction, keeping the tip of his blade pointed at the lone survivor of the halfling's wrath. He looks at Gathien, "Impressive work," he whispers, then looking to the rest of the group he continues, "everyone, well done. These creatures may be small, but in such number could have easily dispatched a lesser group not trained for this sort of thing."
"Impressive work," he whispers, then looking to the rest of the group he continues, "everyone, well done. These creatures may be small, but in such number could have easily dispatched a lesser group not trained for this sort of thing."
"Indeed," Rorgrym states, "though did anyone else find their behaviour odd? It was like fighting...I don't know," Rogrym prods one of the corpses with his trident, "a bunch of desperate drunks."
Rorgrym goes back to retrieve his crossbow and when he returns, "I suppose there could be a kobold den near here but something just seems off and I don't know what." He turns to the wizard, "Peregrine, what do you think?"
Ingle lets out a long sigh, seeing the last kobold fall. "Well, that was most exciting." And the paladin is still conscious. That's encouraging, he added to himself.
He moves among the brush, examining the burn patterns from his incendiaries, still intent on finding a way to control the splash. The more they encountered enemies, the more aware he became of the need to direct the damage only where he needed it. "I'm certain there is a way," he muttered, staring at the blackened grass. "A little back spin on the throw perhaps? A snap of the wrist, as they say. Hmmm...."
Experimenting with several odd looking wrist movements, he goes to join the others. Only as the cleric channels his deity's power does the half-elf even become aware that his head was bleeding. But it's Rorgrym's mention of drunkenness that really draws his attention.
"It would certainly be too much to ask that kobold's enjoyed a spot of brandy now and then, I suppose," he said, stooping to inspect the possessions of the nearest creatures.
Jonas nods as the group gathers after the fight and everyone agrees that it went well. "Gathien certainly handled himself particularly well that time."
Jonas frowns at Rorgrym's assertion that something seems "off". He looks around at the radish patch that the kobold's were gathered in. "What were they yelling when we came up? Could anyone understand them?
"What were they yelling when we came up? Could anyone understand them?
Ingle looks up only long enough to say, "They were going on about 'spiceberries', from which I now gather they meant radishes. They seemed quite protective of them, considering they didn't even get the name correct." With that he returns to searching the area for a dropped bottle of brandy.
"I don't understand their jabber," Rorgrym looks over at the vegetable patch, "but I've never heard of kobolds defending a radish patch before. But their movements were all wrong...like they were drunk, or puppets on strings, or something. I don't know how to explain it any better."
Rorgrym will move a little closer to the patch and see if anything about it strikes him as unusual. He will cast guidance on himself for an additional +1 before he does so.
Peregrine went to help Gathien bind and gag the one remaining kobold as quickly as possible. When that was done he took a closer look at the creatures, taking his time and looking for anything that he might consider out of the ordinary.
"Perhaps they simply were not the warriors of their kind, and based on what they said, they seemed quite excited about the prospect of food in the form of these radishes, and they were intent on protecting them as well. Consider the possibility that what we've done here is the equivalent of ambushing a group of malnourished peasants." Peregrine nodded toward the bound kobold. "Maybe we'll know more once I've questioned that one over there."
It becomes rather obvious after Gathien's handiwork what was off about them: you find the bifurcated kobold, and inside a plethora of half-digested radishes - no doubt they had eaten way, way too much...
There's nothing unusual about the radishes, though they seem to be a little spicier than normal. Possibly because they're wild radishes.
After Gathien has tied up the last kobold, there is a confused yelp as it finally wakes up. It again starts to yelp and hiss incoherently, trying to get up on its feet. Its wobbling body keels over several times, though the spectacle never quite ends...
Jonas walks over to the struggling kobold and thoughtfully watches him struggle for a few moments. He listen's to Rorgrym and Peregrine's speculations before turning to Ingle, "Well Master Farwen, if you speak their language, then I guess it is up to you to ask him the questions. I don't know much about these creatures, but hopefully seening what happened to it's companions will loosen it's tongue a bit."
Kragath also frowns at the mention that something was off about the kobolds. "I am not so certain, Ser Fetch, that these were not the warriors of their kind. They were all armed and proficient in the use of their weapons. I do not know much about Kobold society, however."
As the captured kobold wakes up, Kragath will stay near the wobbly creature, and make sure that it never quite gets to it's feet well enough so that it could try to make a run for it. When Jonas mentions that Ingle can speak their language, he expectantly looks to the alchemist.
Gathien nods at the compliments from Kragath and Jonas, So that's what it feels like to be respected for your prowess...
He nods at Kragath's statement, "Indeed, they were more than competent enough to strike past my armour. Fortunately, there was little force to those blows."
He looks at Peregrine quizzically, "The radishes? Truly?". He then pulls one of them from the ground, and takes a closer look, sniffing at it.
Survival -> and/or Perception ->
"Truly." Peregrine drew his dagger and used it to lift back the hanging skin and innards of a kobold that had been cut in two. "Look at this, completely gorged on radishes. Far, far more than they should have eaten. I don't know if it is that they were starving, or kobold's have an unusual weakness for radishes, or if there is something about these radishes in particular, but I imagine it was a contributing factor in someway to their performance."
Wiping the blade of his dagger on a couple leaves Peregrine slid it back into it's sheath as he stood, turning toward the bound kobold. As he walked toward the creature the language they had been using earlier rolled off of his tongue, at once both sibilant and guttural.
"Calm yourself. I have questions, and you are going to answer them because you want to live. Cooperate and I will not allow them to harm you. I am going to cast a spell on you, it will do you no harm, for a short time it will ease what fear you may have of me and allow me to trust you a little more. You will allow it take hold of you. If you resist I will know, and you will be without my protection. If you understand and accept nod your head."
Peregrine crouched down next to the creature as he finished speaking. Expectantly he watched it, waiting for some response, as he did so he addressed the others without looking away from the kobold. "Do you have any particular questions for it?"
"No, no, no! You killed my friends for our spiceberry! I won't say anything to evil pinkskins! Evil!"
All of the kobold's fear seems to have vanished. It hisses defiantly.
Peregrine rolled his eyes and sighed. "Understandably he is a little upset we killed his friends, he doesn't want to talk." Turning back to the kobold Peregrine launched off in Draconic again.
"I don't give a damn about your spiceberry, you can have it all for all I care, the whole patch. I am the only reason you are alive right now, so consider that before you refuse to listen. If you do not cooperate you will die for certain. You do understand that? And I may yet take what I want from you regardless, just as I made you sleep against your will, I swear it by the Red Dragons of Rogarvia. So what will it be?"
"Oh, and I give you all the spiceberry here, it would be a shame if you didn't get to live to enjoy it."
Peregrine glanced back at the others. "If he doesn't cooperate I will try to charm him anyway, though it will make it more difficult. If that doesn't work, then you'll have to try more conventional methods, or take him with us and let me try again tomorrow, if you think it worth it."
She snarls, spitting at Peregrine with hisses.
"No, no, no! I will not speak to evil pinkskins! Evil! I wants to die rather than help evil pinkskins! You do not deserve anything!"
"Very well."
Peregrine turned to his companions. "Whatever you do, don't threaten it, if it works you'll foul the magic." Turning back to the kobold he felt the ring beneath his glove, he drew a glyph in the air and could feel it grow warm, and then softly he spoke a word at once strange and alluring and the ring grew hot. There was no visible flash or bang, but a palpable tension hung in the air around the kobold and diviner for a brief moment.
Its snarling never relents - the kobold remains unaffected by your spell...
Peregrine looked at Jonas and Kragath and shook his head. "It didn't work. What do you want to do? We can't just let it go."