Kriv?s strike lands, delivering a considerable wound. His flame breath however, appears to have no effect upon the Kobold?s skin or armour.
The Dragonshield Kobold, bleeding but still with considerable fight left in him, advances towards Boindal. Kriv?s blade finds a weakness in the creatures defences as it moves, slashing at scaled flesh.
The Kobold, breathing heavily and covered in his own blood lashes out at Boindal. The blade is placed skilfully, but clashes against flesh made iron, hardly affecting the Dwarf.
The injured Slinger loads a special round taken from a pouch upon his belt, takes aim and hurls the shot at Furgin. Despite Furgin's best efforts to take cover, the shot hit him upon the right shoulder, exploding in a burst of fire, burning the Halfling. As the Ranger checks to see the damage done by the shot, he realises the hot powder is burning his flesh beneath the colour of his armour.
Nice blow from Kriv. Creature has resist 5 fire. The Kobold then shifts as a minor and Kriv scores an even better blow (rolled your Tratnyr as I was in a hurry, couldn?t be bothered to check Kopesh damage;10 damage to the Kobold.)
The Kobold lands an average blow, but Boindal?s iron skin reduces it to 2 damage.
Dragonshield is now bloodied.
Slinger hits with a special fire shot. Furgin is taking ongoing 2 fire, save ends.
Furgins turn!
Baldur?s actions won?t occur until the right point in the initiative, obviously. : )
Furgin rubs ineffectually at his shoulder, trying to soothe the burning sensation caused by the kobold slinger's nasty projectile. As he ignores the pain, Furgin calls out to the flagging kobold.6
"You kobolds are causing me so much grief today! Just die already!" The halfling kneels, quickly drawing an arrow he steadies his breathing before notching and slowly draws the bowstring to his cheek. Furgin holds his breath and waits patiently for the perfect shot. Carefully pinpointing the kobold in his sights, Furgin lets the arrow loose.
I take 2 damage at the beginning of my turn. Now on 8! (Eek!)
Hunter's Quarry on the ol' slinger.
Careful Shot on the slinger: Attack: d20+10 = 25. Damage: d8+1 = 6. Extra damage: d6 = 6. Final damage: 12.
I'm actually going to stay put for now. Allow the other guys to clean up lol.
Saving throw: d20 = 20. <<<< No Joke. That's pretty awesome. = D
Some very good throws there! Makes a change, eh Vince?
The moment the arrow leaves his bow, Furgin feels his shoulder cool, the burning sensation subsiding. The damage, however, has been done and Furgin feels himself physically drained. Not sure if I'm cut out for this, he thinks wryly, standing up wearily.
As we haven't discussed this yet, I'll just go ahead and tell you what I picked up (as long as it's ok with you guys.)
Being a ranger, I'm pretty much entitled to the great bow and arrows. I might not use the bow because I may roleplay that it's too big for Furgin, but that is an issue I will address when we get to an inn/safe area. The gold we can decide how to split as we see fit although because Boindal and Furgin played no part in the bandit encounter, I'm happy to allow the other two to split it between them. Up to you guys.
So yeah...We need to keep on top of who picks up what loot.
I guess I should also determine how many arrows I've got on my person too huh?
Boindal laughs at the words of the Kobold as his blade glances off his arm, "Ha! A Kobold besting a Dwarf!?! That'll be the day!" As quickly as he was struck, Boindal strikes back in kind, using his psionic focus to bend time to his will and strike quicker than would normally be possible. Before the Kobold can celebrate landing a hit, Boindal's Dwarven hammer strikes out at the creature, fast as lightning.
Before my turn I am going to use my Immediate Reaction (well not so immediate in this instance lol) to use Persistent Harrier, I won't need to teleport as he is right next to me, but I am pretty certain this is the first time this encounter that this particular Kobold has tried to hit me. d20+8 = 27 vs AC, and 12 damage. Judging from the amount of hits the other Dragonshield took before it died I assume that is enough to kill it?
With the last Dragonshield dealt with Boindal turns to find the last enemy, and finish him. "Now it's yer turn ya sneaky little dragon whelpling!" Boindal charges over to the Kobold but before he strikes he lashes out with his psionic powers, challenging the Kobold to face him with honour. As the Kobold stares at him, perplexed at what just happened, Boindal swings his hammer while at the same time projecting the image of a striking serpent into his enemies mind.
Now my turn hehe. Move action to put me diagonally south of the Kobold. Minor action to use Battlemind's Demand and mark the Kobold. Then Standard action to swing with a Vicious Cobra Strike (which I just realized marks them anyway! oh well, the minor one I don't have to keep attacking to keep the mark on.) d20+8 = 19! and I was doing so well lol. Well if it hits it will do 16 psychic damage. I hope it hits, that's max damage! lol and that's my turn done.
Boindal, breathing heavy from exertion, stands over the body of the last Kobold. The creature is dead, killed by the final blows of the Dwarf's hammer.
I will update fully, including loot, experience and moving on to the town in the morning. Busy final weeks of uni are busy. : (
Feel free to role play out your character's reactions to the combat, short resting (spending healing surges) etc, in the meantime.
Was my final shot against the slinger not enough to kill him then? Boindal got the finishing blow? That saddens me. I'll post some roleplay material (and likely spend a healing surge tomorrow).
With the last Kobold lying dead on the ground, Boindal sheaths his hammer and shield. After tending to the minor wounds that he has sustained, Boindal begins the meditation techniques taught to him by his master psionic teacher, rebuilding his psionic defences and refreshing his mind so that he is ready should any more assailants be lurking near by.
Utilizing a short rest to spend a healing surge and regain my power points
Once Boindal is finished with his meditations, he turns to his new found companions, "Well I be thinkin we should search these Kobolds, might be that they have something which will gives us a clue as to where they came from, or what they be lookin for."
Furgin takes the time to catch his breath and try to regain some of his expended energy. He prods the wound in his side and finds that despite the initial pain, the spear didn't actually pierce too deep. Satisfied that his wounds aren't fatal, Furgin walks towards the dead slinger, addressing Boindal on his way.
"I lay claim to whatever ammunition this damnable creature was using." He pulls a small sling from somewhere inside his breeches, rubbing the shoulder that had been hit moments before. "Could be useful when wielded by someone with a better eye." He laughs hard at his own joke.
Crouching to examine the kobold's corpse, Furgin calls to Kriv and Baldur. "You both can handle yourselves fiercely, that's for certain!" He pauses, eyes drawn to the cart. Hearing the faint groans of the injured man, Furgin is quickly reminded of the group's urgency to get him to a healer. "What about your friend? Is he ok? I have a little skill in healing if you'd like me to take a look?"
Gonna use a healing surge. Instead of roleplaying that his wounds begin to heal, I've gone down a different: simply that he's checked his wounds and, upon seeing that they're not fatal, feels "healtier".
An update is coming, don't worry this isn't abandonment. Just a heavy work load at Uni, I am sure you guys can relate. Feel free to... y'know... role play and interact with each other. There seems to be a severe lack of this.
"They mentioned someone named Derindahl in our shared native tongue. By the sounds of it, he's the one pulling their strings. Something gives me the feeling that there is more to this than just some Kobolds hoping to ambush some unwary travelers. Perhaps the priestess will know of this Derindahl. We shouldn't dawdle here long. A short rest to recoup but then we must be off. We need to get John to town, I think he requires healing magics, but if you think you can help without threatening his condition it's up to him. I do not have command over his life." Kriv leans up against one of the trees to address his wound. It didn't look serious. he applied some pressure and the bleeding stopped. He'd be fine to go on soon. Dragonborn were made of hearty stuff.
"Thank you for noticing my prowess little one, but you surprised me yourself. One does not often think of Halflings as capable warriors, yet you felled many with your bow. I'm quite impressed. You certainly gave those Kobolds quite a beating as well, Dwarf. Quite the ability you have there, turning your flesh to the like of metal like that."
"Aye, tis a gift and a curse. Is me mental prowess that gives me my power, but it is also what makes me shunned in certain circles, especially amongst the dwarves, as they tend to shy away from anything more magical than their runes. That be one of the reasons I left my home, to travel the world and hopefully encounter people who did not find me as such an oddity." As Boindal tells of his home, he is reminded of the pressures he used to face due to his birth name and a desire is rekindled in his heart to make his people proud, "Perhaps with this group of adventurers I have found kindred spirits, and it may be that with them I shall live up to my namesake."
Boindal regards the Dragonborne and Human in turn, "You two seem to be knowing yer way around a fight as well, and I have to say I've never met a Bard who could handle himself in a fight like you can song master."
Furgin nods appreciatively at the compliment afforded by Kriv. After such a long time away from people other than traders, it was a good feeling to hear the pleasantries exchanged. "I think finding out more about this 'Dering-doo' character is a good idea," he says to the group.
Satisfied with his examination of the dead slinger's possessions, the halfling makes his way towards the injured man in the cart. Before he reaches his destination however, Furgin stops, Boindal's words sparking feelings of guilt within him. 'Shunned', like me... Furgin clenches his fists tight, forcing the sadness away from him. I must be strong in order to redeem myself. The words, however, seem empty. Furgin was scared at the prospect of this quest, but he knew that if he didn't at least try then he would never be accepted by his community - his family - ever again. His life would remain incomplete.
Furgin turns to face the dwarf. "I have also been shunned by my people. Although it was my own mistake that caused them to turn their backs...I'm here to rebuild my - but most importantly their - lives..." He trails off awkwardly, kicking at a few drifting leaves. Sighing, he walks over to the cart and pulls himself onto the back in order to examine the injured man's wounds and dressings.
"How are you holding up, sir?"
I dunno if there's any point checking the man over again but I guess it couldn't hurt. I'd like to do a healing check to see if he's still ok/if there's anything further I can do for him.
I'd also like to do a nature check to see if there's any plants (or if Furgin knows of any) in the surrounding area that could help the man...
Heal check: d20+7 = 23
Nature check: d20+7 = 22
Use that however way you wish...Or don't, just thought I'd add a little skill checking into my roleplay lol.
Baldur wipes the blood from his sword with a piece of rust-brown cloth before sheathing it.
"Where I hail from, you learn to fight or you find yourself under a giant's club. And I am no mere bard any more than you a mere dwarf; I am a Skald. I do not sing, but form fornyrðislag, or 'past-words-made' in the common tongue. These ancient verses lend me the strength of the heroes of old. Come friends, let us make haste to Winterhaven. My mug and parched throat both demand ale after this victory."
Make sure you list in an OOC spoiler what items you want/would like to take and make a note of them. Obviously hording everything and selling it is an impractical option that only happens in video games. Don?t forget, if you do decide to horde and sell, you will need to find a trader who wants some of this crap, such as damaged Kobold leathers soaked in blood; not an easy task my friends.
I would also suggest you decide amongst yourselves how you want to deal with gold. Pick one player to pool the party?s resources into a ?kitty?, or do you want to carry whatever you find yourself? Either way, keep track of these details. Including the gold from Bandit Bridge and the stuff below, the party gold is 190 at present, with Baldur finding a little more which he can decide whether or not to add.
The party begins to loot the Kobold corpses. Furgin routes through the pouches of the Kobold Slinger?s leather ammo harness, finding some unusual ceramic orbs. They appear to be special types of ammunition.
Sling
Bullets x 20
Glue shot x 3: Basic ranged attack against one target. Hit: Normal damage, the target is immobilised, save ends.
Fire shot x 2: Basic ranged attack against one target. Hit: All damage dealt is fire damage, target takes ongoing 2 fire damage save ends.
Searching the Shaman?s bloody corpse Baldur finds 50 gold pieces, a small red a amethyst, a vial of bright blue glowing liquid, and a piece of rolled parchment. On closer inspection, the liquid appears to be a common health potion. Casting his trained eye over the scroll, Baldur reads the complex instructions which although written in common, make use of such a complex arcane lexicon it would appear gibberish to those not versed in the arcane arts. Reading it he smiles to himself as he recognises a name passed down through the ages by scholar, wizard and bard, Melf?s Acid Arrow.
Scroll of Melf?s Acid Arrow (consumable): Prerequisite: Trained in Arcana. Standard action: Make an Arcana check, TN 15 Success: Make an attack, Inteligence + 5 vs Reflex, 2d4 damage and the target takes ongoing 4 acid, save ends. Failure: nothing. Either way, the scroll is destroyed upon use.
Lesser Potion of Healing (consumable): Minor Action. Drink this potion, spend a healing surge. Instead of the hit points you would normally regain, you regain 10 hit points.
I rolled arcana checks, which you passed easily enough.
Spear x 3
Javelin x 5
Heavy Shield x 2
Assorted kobold armour, leather and iron, damaged.
Short swords x 3
150 gold pieces
Total of 212xp each for the encounter leaves the current party totals at:
Kriv: 452xp
Baldur:332xp
Furgin:327xp
Boindal: 362xp
I shall be giving more and more bonus experience for good role play and use of abilities, skill and general inventiveness, which I shall tally up behind the scenes and let you guys know whenever you want to ask.
--
With the sun setting the air is cooler now. The SnakeWood, though still visible from the road begins to break up as the adventurers journey on. Small farms are sparsely dotted about these clearings, the road straightening out as it reaches Winterhaven.
After a few hours travel the party finally finds the settlement. Wooden ramparts rise to protect a large town that glows with activity against the darkening sky, Winterhaven stands before them. On the far side of the town stands a lone stone tower, rising high above the rest of the settlement. The road approaching the entrance to the town is flanked by thick woodland as the Snakewood closes in again around the town, the farms now a few mile down the road.
Approaching the large, sealed wooden gates of Winterhaven, the group are met by two friendly members of the town militia; young men, ill equipped, their armour comprised of simple leathers, neglected and in need of repair.
?Evening lads!? calls the taller of the two, pausing a moment to look Kriv up and down.
?Ain?t seen a Dragonborn in these parts for a couple of months,? the other states rubbing his chin. He whistles, ?Ain?t you a biggun?, eh?? looking the knight's armour up and down impressed.
The taller guard knocks his colleague on the arm, playfully, but with purpose, before turning to adress the group, ?Ignore him, we haven't had many visitors as of late, what brings you to Winterhaven? Are ye Merchants??
Upon the tops of the ramparts Furgin spots two more guards, with bows in hand. They appear to ignore the group, their eyes fixed upon the road and surrounding woodland.
Baldur leans over the side of the cart as it reaches the guards. "Hail to thee. Merchants we are not, but we carry precious cargo. We have a man on board with dire injuries. He is in need of healing and we lack the means to aid him ourselves. Please, good sir, direct us to the nearest lækni - healing house or temple. There is no time to waste!"
I got me some crazy sling ammo! I'll take the ammo but leave the sling.
Once Baldur has finished speaking, Furgin points up at the archers and addresses the taller guard. "You get many problems this deep in the woods? We came across some kobolds earlier. Seems like this place would be a target for raiding parties..."
Not really anything worth taking for me, and I don't mind how everyone else wants to split the gold, either a party pool or split as we get is fine by me.
"Aye, my little friend here has a point. We've come across two groups of Kobolds already, and one of those groups was quite large. Seems to me they may be amassing for some reason in particular. Once we get this man to a healer if there be anything we can do to help just let us know. I can't speak for the rest of our party, but I am sure my other companions would be glad to lend assistance." Boindal lets his hand fall back to his belt where he still has the small wooden chest tucked away. Once we're out of earshot from any spying ears I'll show this to the rest of the group, could give us an indication of what those Kobolds be doin.
Kriv chuckles slightly at the guard's remark and lets his fellow adventurers finish speaking, "Speaking of assistance, perhaps you could help us with something. You see, this man's wife was kidnapped. We have reason to believe she was taken up this way and that the kidnapper is supposed to be meeting some Irontooth and Derindahl characters. Either of those names familiar to you two?"
I don't bother with any of the items. I'm for a split share of gold.
A hooded figure stands within a darkened hall, at his feet arcane runes glow red, wisps of curling black smoke surround the man. Extending his hand over the central rune, he runs the blade of a sacrificial knife over his palm.
?Untaradu al th?alahad? the figure utters as his blood spills upon the desecrated floor boards.
?Derindahl...? the man whispers, the pool of blood recoiling as if afraid of the name. Swirling, the viscous liquid begins to take the shape of a head, that of a Dragonborn. The eyes of the head open and stare directly up at the creature that had conjured it into being.
?Why have you disturbed my meditation, elf?? the Dragonborn hisses, disdain staining his voice.
?My lord, Derindahl, may I speak??
The image stares for a moment, before replying, ?What is it??
?A wizard sir. A mage. He?s been asking around town about unusual goings on. When I probed him further with questions, he revealed that he knew about the Rod of Ruin, he knew it had been stolen.?
?Interesting...? Derindahl replies, ?We can?t take any chances.?
?What shall I do my lord??
?It was only a matter of time before some pathetic adventurer was sent in by the temple, the druids or one of the mage?s guilds, but of course, I have planned for such a problem. If you fail me in this task, I will rend you in two with my bare hands, understand??
The hooded man swallows hard, ?Of course, my lord.?
Derindahl snarls, ?Right. Listen closely...?
--
Back at the gates of Winterhaven:
The shorter of the two guards cautiously comes round to check on the injured man.
?Oh dear, Aron, call for aid,? he calls to his colleague, ?this man has taken quite a nasty wound.?
The other guard bangs firmly upon the gate three times with his shield, ?Fetch Rond, we these men have wounded.?
One of the archers atop the ramparts respond to Furgin and Boindal?s questions, ?Kobolds have become a bloody nuisance if you ask me, but you had better talk to Lord Padraig, he has been looking for a solution to these foul creature for a while.? The archer laughs loudly, pointing to the party and calls to his fellow guardsmen below ?Maybe we just found one.?
Suddenly the huge wooden doors pull inwards, and from within Winterhaven three more guards emerge, two carrying a stretcher, a third with what the group easily recognise as a symbol of Avandra sewn into a tabard draped over his chainmail.
The healer looks to Kriv and Baldur, ?My name is Rond, I am captain of the guard, but I am also one of the town?s resident priests of Avandra. I will take this man to the Barracks if that is ok with you, and see to his wounds there. You are more than welcome to accompany me if you so desire.? He points and nods to the stretcher men, who move over and begin to move John onto it.
Rond listens to Kriv?s questions before turning to his allies as if to ask if they had heard such names. After a moment filled with quizzical looks and shrugs, he turns back to Kriv, ?You might be better off asking around town. That said, the market is packing up for the night, and most people are either at home or at Wrafton?s Inn.? He smiles as if suddenly remember something, ?To be honest, if you want to find out about something in the area, the Inn ain?t a bad place to go asking, eh??
At this point I will assume the party all heads to the Inn. Of course, if people want to go to the barracks, or have a look around town for anything of note/suspicion, feel free to role play it that way, just post as if you didn?t got to the Inn.
Winterhaven
The guards direct the party through the gate and across the market square. Rond informs them that he will send for Ernest Padraig, and hopefully he will come down to the tavern to meet you all. ?He frequently drinks with his people. Lord Padraig is the most down to earth noble I have ever had the fortune of knowing? he says, reassuringly. ?Unfortunately, with the recent birth of his fifth child, he may be spending time with family. If he doesn?t meet with you tonight, he will in the morning, I am sure. You seem to have had a busy day, and if saving a man?s life isn?t reason enough to toast to good fortune and Avandra, I don?t know what it.?
Even from the outside Wrafton?s Inn looks comforting; the eight south facing windows glow warmly and the buzz of conversation and music drifts from the open doorway. Upon entering the party are hit by the stuffy yet familiar aroma of mead, roasted boar and open fire. A thin layer of smoke rests above the heads of the patrons, blanketing the eight foot tall ceiling. A large, busy bar sits directly across from the door the adventurers entered through while a other patrons crowd around a roasting pit in the furthest north eastern corner of the room. The place is crowded, but Furgin points out a brooding Elven hunter hauled up in his own corner across the room. The landlady, presumably a Miss or Mrs Wafton, stands at the bar, filling a tankard with some manner of strong ale. Groups of farmers are dotted around the room, drinking, discussing, some even arguing, but nothing serious. A group of older farmers stand around a young bard to the left of the Inn?s entrance, singing drunken songs praising past heroes, as well as occasionally praising Pelor and Avandra for the great harvest this year.
A few patrons on the far right of the room are attempting to get an old man down from a table. Mrs Wafton shouts over the noise, ?Get down Marcus, you stupid old fart, you are gonna hurt yourself!? to which a cheer erupts from around the room.
?I?ll get down when I am dead, and not before!? the old man calls back, his speech slurred, half the contents of his tankard spilling over another patron. The majority of the crowded room go back to ignoring the old man has he begins to dance, girating and thrusting his hips.
Ok ladys and gents, get your role play on. Feel free to make up non-essential characters and events. Anything you think important, leave me to reply to. Obvious sign posting using distinct characterisation such as the Inn keeper and drunk old man should provide good enough info on who I want to play with for plot/quest/lolz.
Wrafton?s Inn:
Pieter sits at a table surrounded by his fellow scribes and Valathrun. After a long day of asking about town, and coming to very little leads on the Cult of Orcus doubts have filled the young mages mind; did his order merely send him here as a fool?s errand?
Looking up from his drink he sees a Dwarf, Dragonborn, Halfling and Human walk in to the tavern. It is evident from their gear and general composure that these men are no merchants. Suddenly a glimmer of hope; are these men capable of helping Pieter with his mission?
I want to see some interaction between players too by the way. Have fun with it.
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