Chaper Seven: Erevan and Faral write:
After the inevitable--and typically protracted--debate, we followed the retreating goblins down one of the corridors. We knew the enemy was not far away from the whispers and small noises coming from all around. Around a few corners we came across a door leading into a small store room filled with boxes and barrels, and we resolved to rest there awhile to recover our strength. We blocked the two entrances as best we could, and waited for the onslaught.
As it chanced, we didn't have long to wait.
The goblins attacked each door simultaneously, and we hastily split into two groups--Faral and Ash defending the west entrance, and the rest of us defending the south. Kithri climbed upon a barrel in order to provide cover to both groups, while Skarp Hedin waited ready to provide healing as required.
The battle was short, but seemed to last for hours for those of us caught up in its fury. Wounds were taken on both sides and Skarp Hedin was kept busy healing, first myself, shortly after Tha' and then Faral. Tha', Faral, Ash, and Kithri all killed goblins, but the noise of battle seemed to have addled my aim, and time and again my burst scorched nothing but the walls or ceiling.
Feeling that we had the enemy again on the back foot, Ash and Faral went through the now-deserted southern door in an attempt to come up behind the goblins attacking the western door. Alas, whether by trickery or luck we know not, they soon found themselves discovered and surrounded. Lia rushed to their aid, and I followed, as Faral, sorely wounded, slipped back out of immediate danger to be healed by Skarp Hedin. At last my casting regained its power, and the narrow corridor at the northern entrance caused the fiends to bunch together, allowing me to burn several with magic fire.Caught in this was the goblin chief--Balgron, we later learned--who Kithri managed to disable with a glue-shot. He struggled against the glue for some time, but was unable to join the melee, or to escape the flames.
Eventually the remaining goblins panicked and ran, fleeing back down the stairs, Balgron--who had finally managed to free himself--with with them. Gratefully we made good our promise to rest.
After binding our wounds and cleaning our weapons, we started to explore the surrounding area. One of the main corridors lead to the stout wooden door through which the goblins had escaped. This appeared to be magically locked. Realising that we would probably have to go that way eventually, we turned aside to look elsewhere. To our horror we soon discovered a recently appointed torture chamber full of vile machines and instruments that taste precludes me from describing. Similarly we found kitchens and dining areas that showed the signs of recent use by creatures of foul habit. To spare the feelings of the many horse-lovers who read this journal, I will forebear to name the most common meat hanging in the filthy kitchen. Just past the kitchen we found another magically locked door, and resolved to return when the means of opening it presented itself.
Continuing south we found another door, this one being an egress that we could open. Beyond the door were stairs going downward: Faral and Kithri scouted ahead and found to my horror--and I'm sure the horror of all devout people--a desecrated chapel of Bahamut. Beyond the filth and abomination we discovered yet another magically sealed door--this one with a magic sigil visible in blood above the door-frame. Ash and Skarp Hedin examined the rune and determined that the magic was contained in the sigil, and if the blood was removed, the magic would be broken. As the other stood back I shot a scorching burst at the evil sign, burning off some of the blood, and the clerics declared the spell broken. Tha' opened the door, revealing a small crypt containing a single coffin. Barely was the door open when the coffin burst open and the spectre of Sir Keegan, erstwhile commander of the garrison, rose up demanding to know who disturbed his sleep.
Tha' and Ash explained the situation, but the departed soul was unwilling to trust our pleas that we sought to protect the keep and prevent the portal from opening. Sir Keegan demanded to speak to the Elves, but we likewise failed to gain his trust. Finally Ash made a vow in the name of Bahamut that we would not stop until the evil usurpers were vanquished. Keegan remained unimpressed with us, but eventually he grudgingly agreed to aid us as he could. The magics that bind his soul to this earth provide a corporeal form within the confines of the keep, so we hope he may be of assistance. He did provide one immediate service: naming Kalarel as the evil priest who controls the goblins. We recognised the name from Iron-tooth's letter.
We returned to the original sealed door and resolved to try to burn off the sigil we assumed was on the opposite side. The clerics conferred and suggested that their holy fire might be more effective than my magic flame, and so it proved. With the spell broken, it remained for Tha' to push open the door against the barricade of timber and stone that the goblins had left, revealing a dark staircase, leading to who knew what horrors.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Shadowfell Keep: Chapter One
Chapter Six: Erevan and Lia write:
We rested at the inn for a few hours to recover our health and energy before a servant appeared to invite us to Lord Padraig’s manor house for a conference and late supper. On arrival we met the village diviner, Valthrun the Prescient and Sister Linora, priestess of Avandra, who had been approached by the Lord to investigate the letter we had brought. The mystery deepened when Faral told us that an enchanted sparrow had delivered a message from her kinsman, Peren:
I see darkness spreading from the ruined castle. We gather a war band, but we may arrive too late. Investigate the castle with caution; protect Winterhaven. Peren.
We expressed our desire to agree to Peren’s request, and Lord Padraig agreed, proving us with directions to the Keep, which he explained had been in ruins for generations, having once housed a portal to the Shadowfell. Valthrun explained that the Keep was built over a rift to the Shadowfell centuries ago, and that it was abandoned about a century ago after the commander, Sir Keegan, went mad and killed his family.
We also expressed our suspicions about Douven Staul, at which Lord Padraig looked thoughtful, and Valthrun remarked that he had had many conversations with Staul, and he suspected that Staul had an ancestor who was a member of the last garrison. He examined the magical items we had returned from the lair, while Valthrun checked the mail armour and the belt, and concluded that they did not belong to anyone in the village; they have been in the possession of various goblins over the last fifty years, before which they belonged to a dwarven warrior. Padraig sent a servant to raise the blacksmith, Thair Coalstriker, to fit the armour to Skarp Hedin in preparation for our departure at dawn, as well as opening the armoury to allow the archers to restock their quivers. At last we retired for a few more hours rest before the new day’s adventure.
As promised, we set out at dawn for the one-hour journey to the Keep. After some discussion we decided it was better to approach under cover of the forest, and so we eschewed the roads and set off across the fields towards the light forest that ringed the hill on which the Keep stood. On the way Kithri engaged a farmer in conversation about the ruined castle, but he could tell us nothing that we didn’t already know, and plenty that merely added to our apprehension. Eventually the Keep loomed through the trees: dark and menacing, it stood atop a hill, the top of which was almost devoid of vegetation, as if the evil that lurked there caused all living things to wither and die. We hoped that that was not to be our fate.
The ruined gatehouse looked deserted, but Faral could not shake the feeling that we were being watched, so we decided to assume that the forces of evil were already in occupation. The Keep’s main gate yawned invitingly open, but we were too wary to accept that invitation, and instead found a point where the ruined outer wall dropped to a level that should afford easy climbing. There was still no sign of any living thing, so Kithri and I decided that we could scale the wall, and provide protection as the rest of the party climbed. While the others waited under cover of the trees we crept to the base of the wall. I had no trouble throwing my grappling hook over the wall, but Kithri could not find purchase on the crumbling stone. Eventually Lia crept over and managed to secure the rope to the wall, and the others, save Skarp Hedin, who stayed in the trees to provide protection. By this time I was just breasting the top of the battlement. I peered over the top of the wall, and without warning two crossbow bolts hit me in the shoulder. I barely managed to cling to the rope as Faral started climbing below me and Lia quickly climbed beside me. Gritting my teeth I tried to swing the last few feet to the top of the wall, when another bolt hit me and all went dark. I later learned that Faral had caught me before I fell to the ground, while Skarp Hedin hurriedly cast healing on me. When I regained consciousness I was still grimly clutching the rope: the others helped me to the ground before we all retreated hastily back to the shelter of the woods.
As we fled two goblins appeared atop the wall and started shooting at us, Ash taking a shot in the back. From the relative protection of the woods we fired back and eventually Faral and I managed to each fell one of the assailants, while a third dropped down behind the wall and out of sight. After a hasty conference we decided that this was still our best option for entering the Keep and resolved to try again. This time we sent Tha’ in first, closely followed by Ash. Tha’ mounted the wall without incident and immediately saw three goblins at the base of the wall inside the Keep and training their crossbows on him. Quickly he leapt from the wall towards them and was soon surrounded in melee. Ash leapt to follow as the rest of us quickly climbed the wall. From the top of the wall Lia, Kithri, and I attacked, while Tha’, Ash, and Faral fought hand-to-hand. As the goblin fell others took their places, but soon all were dead or fleeing. Faral pursued and saw one disappear down a hidden trapdoor. I jumped off the wall and stumbled, twisting my ankle slightly, but soon we all gathered near the trapdoor to plan the next move.
We piled rocks on the trapdoor to block it and went to investigate a small shack to the northern end of the courtyard, near a large, open tower. Investigation of the shack showed nothing suspicious: a hunter’s temporary hide that seemed to have been occupied within the last few days. A search of the tower revealed another trapdoor. Realising we had no other option, we quietly opened the door to reveal a short flight of steps. Kithri stealthily crept down and returned to report on a small chamber with three passages leading in different directions. She also warned us that a section of floor in the centre of the room looked suspicious, and that we should avoid it.
Another brief conversation we decided to see if we could trap the goblins we could faintly hear in the distance, and we arranged ourselves around the perimeter of the room. I magically threw my voice to make it seem that a senior goblin was calling from down one of the passages. Unfortunately from the same passageway came the bewildered reply, “But we’re already here!” I tried several other attempts, but the accursed creatures eventually realised that it was a trick. While we waited Kithri investigated the suspicious “floor” in the centre of the room and discovered that it was in fact cunningly painted canvas covering a deep pit from which came the squeaks of furious rats. We were alerted to the sound of two goblins creeping down the stairs from which we had just come.
Fortunately the communication between the goblins was not good, and when the two creatures appeared at the bottom of the steps, they were taken completely by surprise. Skarp and I managed to lay blows on them even as they realised they were not alone. Their cries of surprise however alerted the hitherto hidden goblins in the other passages, and soon there were some eight of the beasts surrounding our position, with a further half-dozen or so, armed with crossbows, lurking further down the passageways.
The battle was intense but short. The narrow passages afforded little protection to the goblins, and forced them to bunch together in a way that made my Scorching Burst spell devastating. Three times I poured down righteous fire on the beasts, catching three, four, or even five of them in the circle of fire. Soon the shrieking brutes were madly slapping at the fire that burned their flesh as they danced amid their fallen companions.
Faral found herself cornered by three of the foul creatures: there was a cry and a blur of blades and her assailants, now dripping blood, staggered back. Infuriated by pain, they grabbed Faral and with one heave tossed her onto the false canvas floor, which gave way dropping her into the nest of rats. As Faral attempted to jump clear of the biting rodents, the rest of us continued attacking the goblins, who at last started falling back. As the last of the crossbow fighters disappeared into the dark we hurled attacks at the final few wounded spear-carriers as they escaped, until at last we were alone again.
We could still hear the cries of the retreating goblins, but having been severely punished their taunts were few. We knew that soon we would need to follow but caught a few moments rest to settle our wounds and draw breath.
We rested at the inn for a few hours to recover our health and energy before a servant appeared to invite us to Lord Padraig’s manor house for a conference and late supper. On arrival we met the village diviner, Valthrun the Prescient and Sister Linora, priestess of Avandra, who had been approached by the Lord to investigate the letter we had brought. The mystery deepened when Faral told us that an enchanted sparrow had delivered a message from her kinsman, Peren:
I see darkness spreading from the ruined castle. We gather a war band, but we may arrive too late. Investigate the castle with caution; protect Winterhaven. Peren.
We expressed our desire to agree to Peren’s request, and Lord Padraig agreed, proving us with directions to the Keep, which he explained had been in ruins for generations, having once housed a portal to the Shadowfell. Valthrun explained that the Keep was built over a rift to the Shadowfell centuries ago, and that it was abandoned about a century ago after the commander, Sir Keegan, went mad and killed his family.
We also expressed our suspicions about Douven Staul, at which Lord Padraig looked thoughtful, and Valthrun remarked that he had had many conversations with Staul, and he suspected that Staul had an ancestor who was a member of the last garrison. He examined the magical items we had returned from the lair, while Valthrun checked the mail armour and the belt, and concluded that they did not belong to anyone in the village; they have been in the possession of various goblins over the last fifty years, before which they belonged to a dwarven warrior. Padraig sent a servant to raise the blacksmith, Thair Coalstriker, to fit the armour to Skarp Hedin in preparation for our departure at dawn, as well as opening the armoury to allow the archers to restock their quivers. At last we retired for a few more hours rest before the new day’s adventure.
As promised, we set out at dawn for the one-hour journey to the Keep. After some discussion we decided it was better to approach under cover of the forest, and so we eschewed the roads and set off across the fields towards the light forest that ringed the hill on which the Keep stood. On the way Kithri engaged a farmer in conversation about the ruined castle, but he could tell us nothing that we didn’t already know, and plenty that merely added to our apprehension. Eventually the Keep loomed through the trees: dark and menacing, it stood atop a hill, the top of which was almost devoid of vegetation, as if the evil that lurked there caused all living things to wither and die. We hoped that that was not to be our fate.
The ruined gatehouse looked deserted, but Faral could not shake the feeling that we were being watched, so we decided to assume that the forces of evil were already in occupation. The Keep’s main gate yawned invitingly open, but we were too wary to accept that invitation, and instead found a point where the ruined outer wall dropped to a level that should afford easy climbing. There was still no sign of any living thing, so Kithri and I decided that we could scale the wall, and provide protection as the rest of the party climbed. While the others waited under cover of the trees we crept to the base of the wall. I had no trouble throwing my grappling hook over the wall, but Kithri could not find purchase on the crumbling stone. Eventually Lia crept over and managed to secure the rope to the wall, and the others, save Skarp Hedin, who stayed in the trees to provide protection. By this time I was just breasting the top of the battlement. I peered over the top of the wall, and without warning two crossbow bolts hit me in the shoulder. I barely managed to cling to the rope as Faral started climbing below me and Lia quickly climbed beside me. Gritting my teeth I tried to swing the last few feet to the top of the wall, when another bolt hit me and all went dark. I later learned that Faral had caught me before I fell to the ground, while Skarp Hedin hurriedly cast healing on me. When I regained consciousness I was still grimly clutching the rope: the others helped me to the ground before we all retreated hastily back to the shelter of the woods.
As we fled two goblins appeared atop the wall and started shooting at us, Ash taking a shot in the back. From the relative protection of the woods we fired back and eventually Faral and I managed to each fell one of the assailants, while a third dropped down behind the wall and out of sight. After a hasty conference we decided that this was still our best option for entering the Keep and resolved to try again. This time we sent Tha’ in first, closely followed by Ash. Tha’ mounted the wall without incident and immediately saw three goblins at the base of the wall inside the Keep and training their crossbows on him. Quickly he leapt from the wall towards them and was soon surrounded in melee. Ash leapt to follow as the rest of us quickly climbed the wall. From the top of the wall Lia, Kithri, and I attacked, while Tha’, Ash, and Faral fought hand-to-hand. As the goblin fell others took their places, but soon all were dead or fleeing. Faral pursued and saw one disappear down a hidden trapdoor. I jumped off the wall and stumbled, twisting my ankle slightly, but soon we all gathered near the trapdoor to plan the next move.
We piled rocks on the trapdoor to block it and went to investigate a small shack to the northern end of the courtyard, near a large, open tower. Investigation of the shack showed nothing suspicious: a hunter’s temporary hide that seemed to have been occupied within the last few days. A search of the tower revealed another trapdoor. Realising we had no other option, we quietly opened the door to reveal a short flight of steps. Kithri stealthily crept down and returned to report on a small chamber with three passages leading in different directions. She also warned us that a section of floor in the centre of the room looked suspicious, and that we should avoid it.
Another brief conversation we decided to see if we could trap the goblins we could faintly hear in the distance, and we arranged ourselves around the perimeter of the room. I magically threw my voice to make it seem that a senior goblin was calling from down one of the passages. Unfortunately from the same passageway came the bewildered reply, “But we’re already here!” I tried several other attempts, but the accursed creatures eventually realised that it was a trick. While we waited Kithri investigated the suspicious “floor” in the centre of the room and discovered that it was in fact cunningly painted canvas covering a deep pit from which came the squeaks of furious rats. We were alerted to the sound of two goblins creeping down the stairs from which we had just come.
Fortunately the communication between the goblins was not good, and when the two creatures appeared at the bottom of the steps, they were taken completely by surprise. Skarp and I managed to lay blows on them even as they realised they were not alone. Their cries of surprise however alerted the hitherto hidden goblins in the other passages, and soon there were some eight of the beasts surrounding our position, with a further half-dozen or so, armed with crossbows, lurking further down the passageways.
The battle was intense but short. The narrow passages afforded little protection to the goblins, and forced them to bunch together in a way that made my Scorching Burst spell devastating. Three times I poured down righteous fire on the beasts, catching three, four, or even five of them in the circle of fire. Soon the shrieking brutes were madly slapping at the fire that burned their flesh as they danced amid their fallen companions.
Faral found herself cornered by three of the foul creatures: there was a cry and a blur of blades and her assailants, now dripping blood, staggered back. Infuriated by pain, they grabbed Faral and with one heave tossed her onto the false canvas floor, which gave way dropping her into the nest of rats. As Faral attempted to jump clear of the biting rodents, the rest of us continued attacking the goblins, who at last started falling back. As the last of the crossbow fighters disappeared into the dark we hurled attacks at the final few wounded spear-carriers as they escaped, until at last we were alone again.
We could still hear the cries of the retreating goblins, but having been severely punished their taunts were few. We knew that soon we would need to follow but caught a few moments rest to settle our wounds and draw breath.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Road to Winterhaven: Chapter Two
Chapter Five: Erevan writes....
Having rested briefly we continued on our way. Faral recognised from the map that the path to the kobolds’ suspected hideout left the road at the point where we were waylaid—more evidence that our approach was expected. After some time walking quietly through the woods we heard the sound of running water. Faral, Lia, and Kithri crept stealthily ahead through the trees, and reported that the trees thinned out around a small pond at the base of a waterfall. There was also a stone circle of indeterminate purpose near the pond, and although they could not see any enemies, we were sure our approach was being watched.
We all crept up to the edge of the trees and as we watched we saw a dragonshield and two spearfighters step from behind one of the standing stones. Slowly we started moving silently into range, but alas Tha’Maelstra, though mighty in battle, is not made for stealth, and the snapping of a twig immediately alerted the beasts to our presence. Amid a hail of stones and spears, we moved hurriedly into position behind the larger trees and began to fight back. Other kobolds leapt from hiding places and soon we were fighting on several fronts.
Ever valiant, Tha’Maelstra ran to the stones and engaged the vile creatures in hand-to-hand combat, while Lia, Kithri, and myself hurled objects of lethal force from our positions in the trees. Gaining experience in the battling of kobolds, we soon overcame the lesser warriors, while two slingers took heavy damage. As we advanced on the struggling creatures we heard a cry and saw a wounded kobold run through the waterfall and disappear—presumably into the cave beyond. The cry sounded to my ears an inarticulate snarl, but Skarp Hedin, still enjoying the benefits of the ritual he performed earlier that gave him an understanding of draconic, and he later informed us that the cry translated as “Warn Iron-tooth!” Who, or what, this Iron-tooth was we did not know, but felt that we would soon find out—to our peril!
Soon all the kobolds either were dead or had fled, and we regrouped near the ominously glowing circle of stones. Tha’Maelstra may be unable to recall his home or origin, but he soon recognised the purpose of the magic circle, and informed us that it was a circle that improved the accuracy of the attacks of whomever stood within the stones.
We waited and discussed tactics for a while, before accepting that there was nothing for it but for one of us to enter the cave through the waterfall. Brave Tha’Maelstra volunteered for this terrifying task, while the rest of us took up defensive position around the cave mouth. Slowly Tha’ moved through the pounding water, while we waited breathlessly. He disappeared into the water, and after a few moments we were stunned to see him stagger back into the open, roughly pull a javelin from where it was embedded in his armour, and hurl it back through the waterfall. He shouted a warning, and dived back into the waterfall. Faral and Ash immediately followed to support their friend, while the rest of us started moving towards the hidden mouth of the cave.
The scene that greeted them was unexpected: in his original rush Tha’ had taken down a hidden kobold, and had felled another with his hurled javelin. As Faral and Ash appeared in the cave, defenders leapt from their hiding places and entered the fray. A number of minions rounded on Tha’, attacking him with javelins, while slingers started assailing Faral and Ash. By the time I arrived Tha’ was completely surrounded and was taking considerable damage. There was no time to pick off the kobolds one at a time, and I was forced into a terrible decision. Hoping that Tha’ would forgive me, I targeted him directly with a burst of flame. He staggered slightly under the force of the magic blow, but his considerable armour absorbed most of the damage: not so the cursed kobolds, and three of the beasts dropped to the floor immediately. I was relieved when Skarp Hedin rushed in with healing words for Tha’.
Just as it seemed we were gaining the upper hand in the battle, I saw a Wyrmpriest and two slingers creep from the rear of the cave. The Wyrmpriest targeted me with a ball of fire and my world turned black. I later learned that Kithri saved my life by dragging me out of the pond where I had collapsed.
By the time I recovered Ash and Faral were in melee with slingers on all sides, while Kithri, Lia, and Skarp Hedin were taking whatever cover they could find, while shooting at the Wyrmpriest who continued to deal destruction from his hands. At that point I heard a guttural roar which quickly turned into a diabolical chant of a word I had only recently learned:
Iron-tooth and his companions immediately joined the growing melee around Ash and Faral, the remaining skirmishers continued harrying Tha’, while several of the creatures had broken through to where Skarp Hedin, Kithri, Lia, and I battled at the edge of the pond. All the while, the Wyrmpriest loosed his accursed magic indiscriminately.
In spite of taking terrible injuries from the flurried attacks, Skarp Hedin, Kithri, Lia, and I fought on gamely, and eventually we started to thin the numbers of our assailants. Not so our companions though, and to our horror we saw first Ash, and then Faral fall beneath a barrage of blows. Tha’ marched bravely in and wielded his angry sword in defence of the fallen comrades. Skarp Hedin used his magic to revive the two, and we helped then to a place of relative safety—however safe a cavern filled with deadly magic can be.
Slowly we gained the ascendancy. Using mainly ranged attacks we managed to slay most of the slingers and the dragonshields, and then focussed our attacks on the Wyrmpriest. In the confusion and struggle I know not who dealt the fatal blow, but at last the accursed creature fell dead. At that, the attacks from Iron-tooth and the dragonshiels became even more ferocious, and Ash and Faral were again in dire need. Kithri, at that time of need, rose to the challenge and cast a Blinding Barrage which blinded Iron-tooth and one of the dragonshields. They raged in fury but to no avail and succeeded only in swinging wildly with their weapons to no effect. Ash took this opportunity to cast Avenging Flame and engulfed the hideous beasts in holy fire. I feel that at some point I cast Acid Arrow, but the terror and excitement of the battle has pushed most of the details from my mind.
At that the last of the kobolds, save Iron-tooth, dropped their weapons and ran. In vain Iron-tooth called down all sorts of insults and expletives on them. Desperate not to let them escape to bring news to their kind, we redoubled our efforts, and while several of the beasts made it through the exit, most fell in their tracks. One of these was Iron-tooth himself: bristling with arrows, charred from holy fire, and cleaved with sword wounds, the evil goblin gave up his accursed spirit to the place from which it came.
We rested for a time to bind our wounds and recover, before searching the kobolds’ lair. We came across gold and gems, as well as some magical equipment that is listed elsewhere, but the most significant thing we found was a letter, addressed to Iron-tooth, and reading:
Having rested briefly we continued on our way. Faral recognised from the map that the path to the kobolds’ suspected hideout left the road at the point where we were waylaid—more evidence that our approach was expected. After some time walking quietly through the woods we heard the sound of running water. Faral, Lia, and Kithri crept stealthily ahead through the trees, and reported that the trees thinned out around a small pond at the base of a waterfall. There was also a stone circle of indeterminate purpose near the pond, and although they could not see any enemies, we were sure our approach was being watched.
We all crept up to the edge of the trees and as we watched we saw a dragonshield and two spearfighters step from behind one of the standing stones. Slowly we started moving silently into range, but alas Tha’Maelstra, though mighty in battle, is not made for stealth, and the snapping of a twig immediately alerted the beasts to our presence. Amid a hail of stones and spears, we moved hurriedly into position behind the larger trees and began to fight back. Other kobolds leapt from hiding places and soon we were fighting on several fronts.
Ever valiant, Tha’Maelstra ran to the stones and engaged the vile creatures in hand-to-hand combat, while Lia, Kithri, and myself hurled objects of lethal force from our positions in the trees. Gaining experience in the battling of kobolds, we soon overcame the lesser warriors, while two slingers took heavy damage. As we advanced on the struggling creatures we heard a cry and saw a wounded kobold run through the waterfall and disappear—presumably into the cave beyond. The cry sounded to my ears an inarticulate snarl, but Skarp Hedin, still enjoying the benefits of the ritual he performed earlier that gave him an understanding of draconic, and he later informed us that the cry translated as “Warn Iron-tooth!” Who, or what, this Iron-tooth was we did not know, but felt that we would soon find out—to our peril!
Soon all the kobolds either were dead or had fled, and we regrouped near the ominously glowing circle of stones. Tha’Maelstra may be unable to recall his home or origin, but he soon recognised the purpose of the magic circle, and informed us that it was a circle that improved the accuracy of the attacks of whomever stood within the stones.
We waited and discussed tactics for a while, before accepting that there was nothing for it but for one of us to enter the cave through the waterfall. Brave Tha’Maelstra volunteered for this terrifying task, while the rest of us took up defensive position around the cave mouth. Slowly Tha’ moved through the pounding water, while we waited breathlessly. He disappeared into the water, and after a few moments we were stunned to see him stagger back into the open, roughly pull a javelin from where it was embedded in his armour, and hurl it back through the waterfall. He shouted a warning, and dived back into the waterfall. Faral and Ash immediately followed to support their friend, while the rest of us started moving towards the hidden mouth of the cave.
The scene that greeted them was unexpected: in his original rush Tha’ had taken down a hidden kobold, and had felled another with his hurled javelin. As Faral and Ash appeared in the cave, defenders leapt from their hiding places and entered the fray. A number of minions rounded on Tha’, attacking him with javelins, while slingers started assailing Faral and Ash. By the time I arrived Tha’ was completely surrounded and was taking considerable damage. There was no time to pick off the kobolds one at a time, and I was forced into a terrible decision. Hoping that Tha’ would forgive me, I targeted him directly with a burst of flame. He staggered slightly under the force of the magic blow, but his considerable armour absorbed most of the damage: not so the cursed kobolds, and three of the beasts dropped to the floor immediately. I was relieved when Skarp Hedin rushed in with healing words for Tha’.
Just as it seemed we were gaining the upper hand in the battle, I saw a Wyrmpriest and two slingers creep from the rear of the cave. The Wyrmpriest targeted me with a ball of fire and my world turned black. I later learned that Kithri saved my life by dragging me out of the pond where I had collapsed.
By the time I recovered Ash and Faral were in melee with slingers on all sides, while Kithri, Lia, and Skarp Hedin were taking whatever cover they could find, while shooting at the Wyrmpriest who continued to deal destruction from his hands. At that point I heard a guttural roar which quickly turned into a diabolical chant of a word I had only recently learned:
“Iron-tooth! Iron-tooth!”At that moment, from the back of the cave and accompanied by two dragonshields, came a goblin of such malevolence that I momentarily blanched. Larger than the kobolds he evidently ruled, he wore a mismatched collection of armour and carried an evil double-headed axe. His left canine incisor was roughly fashioned from iron—obviously the source of his appellation.
Iron-tooth and his companions immediately joined the growing melee around Ash and Faral, the remaining skirmishers continued harrying Tha’, while several of the creatures had broken through to where Skarp Hedin, Kithri, Lia, and I battled at the edge of the pond. All the while, the Wyrmpriest loosed his accursed magic indiscriminately.
In spite of taking terrible injuries from the flurried attacks, Skarp Hedin, Kithri, Lia, and I fought on gamely, and eventually we started to thin the numbers of our assailants. Not so our companions though, and to our horror we saw first Ash, and then Faral fall beneath a barrage of blows. Tha’ marched bravely in and wielded his angry sword in defence of the fallen comrades. Skarp Hedin used his magic to revive the two, and we helped then to a place of relative safety—however safe a cavern filled with deadly magic can be.
Slowly we gained the ascendancy. Using mainly ranged attacks we managed to slay most of the slingers and the dragonshields, and then focussed our attacks on the Wyrmpriest. In the confusion and struggle I know not who dealt the fatal blow, but at last the accursed creature fell dead. At that, the attacks from Iron-tooth and the dragonshiels became even more ferocious, and Ash and Faral were again in dire need. Kithri, at that time of need, rose to the challenge and cast a Blinding Barrage which blinded Iron-tooth and one of the dragonshields. They raged in fury but to no avail and succeeded only in swinging wildly with their weapons to no effect. Ash took this opportunity to cast Avenging Flame and engulfed the hideous beasts in holy fire. I feel that at some point I cast Acid Arrow, but the terror and excitement of the battle has pushed most of the details from my mind.
At that the last of the kobolds, save Iron-tooth, dropped their weapons and ran. In vain Iron-tooth called down all sorts of insults and expletives on them. Desperate not to let them escape to bring news to their kind, we redoubled our efforts, and while several of the beasts made it through the exit, most fell in their tracks. One of these was Iron-tooth himself: bristling with arrows, charred from holy fire, and cleaved with sword wounds, the evil goblin gave up his accursed spirit to the place from which it came.
We rested for a time to bind our wounds and recover, before searching the kobolds’ lair. We came across gold and gems, as well as some magical equipment that is listed elsewhere, but the most significant thing we found was a letter, addressed to Iron-tooth, and reading:
Iron-toothAs much as we wanted to stay longer and rest, and fearing that we could not all survive another attack, we decided that this news needed to be taken to Lord Padraig forthwith, and so we set out to return to Winterhaven. Fortunately no adventure presented itself on the road, and we were able to give the letter to Lord Padraig before retiring to rest and recover, not knowing what the morrow would bring.
A band of mercenaries has arrived in Winterhaven, seven in number. Though inexperienced, they are bold and capable. They slew the white dragon in the Cloak Wood, so do not underestimate them. In three days, I will have opened the rift, and then none in Winterhaven will be able to stand against us. Destroy this message after you have read it.
Kalarel
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Road to Winterhaven: Chapter One
Chapter Four: Erevan Writes:
As I related previously, the town of Fallcrest was overjoyed at the defeat of the Kobolds and the young dragon which they treated as their god. Their gratitude was expressed by Merrick who presided over a banquet at the Nentir Inn in our honour. There was much carousing, I am informed—not so much given to human society, I retired to my cell at the Shrine of Corellon to meditate, rather than joining the celebration. Not all, it seems, were completely overjoyed by our successes: one Serim Selduzar expressed scepticism about our feats, until a potentially tense situation was defused by a well-spoken nobleman, Douven Staul, who generously provided for a round of drinks.
The next morning as arranged, we all met in the marketplace to plan our next adventure. We agreed to consult with Lord Markelhay’s steward, and I accompanied Skarp Hedin, Kithri, and Ash Lichbane—who was unaccountably out of sorts, and kept complaining of a headache—to the castle. The steward, Tobias, informed us of a delivery of goods going to Winterhaven in the mountains to the north, and offered us a modest remuneration should we agree to protect the wagon. After some debate within the party we finally agreed and joined the wagon at the city gate. We would be accompanied for part of the way by our old friend Merrick, who with some of his soldiers was taking a cart back to Kobold Hall in order to retrieve the carcass of the dragon.
We set out at around noon, having met our new acquaintance from the previous night, Douven Staul, at luncheon. As it transpired, he was also taking the road to Winterhaven, and we agreed to travel together—a sensible precaution given the current danger on these wild roads. Staul’s personal bodyguard, Quinn, rode with us on his piebald horse, Merrick rode his accustomed white charger, and his men walked at the rear. The rest of us arranged ourselves in a defensive fashion around the goods wagon.
At the turn-off to Kobold Hall Faral’s sharp eyes noticed several Kobolds slinking through the trees in the direction of the hall. We called a halt to the convoy and reported what we had seen to Merrick. After arranging with Staul to wait while we checked out the hall, we made our way through those familiar corridors, following the sounds of the scurrying creatures. At last, on entering a large chamber I caught sight of our quarry and raised my arm to strike. But something in the insolent creature’s manner made me pause: “Why have you returned to taunt us?” it hissed, “Did you not give us leave to go?” There followed a lengthy debate, which I shall not rehearse here, but in the end the Kobolds, demoralised by the death of their god, were banished and we blocked the entrance to their secret tunnel.
We returned to Staul and Quinn and continued on our way.
Now, we were expecting trouble and had all taken defensive positions around the wagons, yet save for bright-eyed Faral, we were all surprised when a hail of sling bullets showered us, and a number of Kobold slingers leapt up from behind the cover of bushes and rocks beside the road. Whether it was that we were wrong-footed by surprise, or that the gods did not fight on our side, we fought badly, frequently missing our targets or failing to inflict much damage. As more of the foul beasts leapt from their hiding places, Faral and Ash found themselves flanked and taking heavy damage. Kithri took some heavy blows, and kept Skarp Haden busy dealing his healing powers. From my vantage point at the driver’s seat of the lead wagon I took my share of wounds, and almost lost all hope when I saw Ash fall to the ground amid a hail of savage blows.
At last, some of our attacks started biting, and Tha'Maelstra, if I remember correctly, finally felled one of the dragonshields. He and Skarp Hadin came to Ash’s aid, and the cleric was eventually able to move back to shelter. Faral likewise moved back to the shelter of the wagon, while the rest of us continued—with limited effect—to attack our Kobold assailants. Even Quinn from the advantage of horseback was having difficulty in striking the cunning and nimble creatures.
Finally we managed to kill the two dragonshields, and the slingers and minions started running away. Some of our ranged attacks started finding effect, and Kithri, Quinn and I took down minions. We returned to the wagon to tend to our wounds and take sustenance, and to rethink our strategy. As night was approaching we decided to continue on to Winterhaven.
We arrived near midnight and Jacob, the driver, soon roused the nightwatchman who led us to the local inn. Douven Staul kindly covered our lodging tariffs, and we had an overdue and hearty meal before retiring for the night. It must be said that not all of our party are entirely trusting of Douven Staul, and there certainly seems to be a mystery about him. I however, take his friendship on trust, and will accept his word until I have reason to disbelieve it.
The next morning, while Faral and Lia scanned the marketplace for information about the local Kobold infestation, Ash, Skarp Hedin and I went to the manor house to pay our respects to Lord Padraig. Having a day to spare before Jacob was ready to return to Fallcrest, we offered to scout the surrounding area to see if we could determine the cause of the increased Kobold activity in the region. We were offered ten gold pieces each, and Lord Padraig agreed to match Lord Markelhay’s bounty on Kobolds. Faral and Lia had spoken to an Elven hunter named Ninaran, who although not particularly forthcoming, eventually agreed to provide a map to the Kobolds' lair.
We travelled back along the main road for maybe an hour, when—just as we were approaching the point where the map said we should turn off into the woods—a sudden shout revealed that Faral and Lia were under attack! To our horror Lia collapsed to the ground, mortally wounded, and while Skarp Hedin restored Lia, the rest of us ran to the defence of the cousins. There were a number of minions hiding behind shrubs and rocks, and accursed slingers in the distance. We were horrified to also find a Wyrmpriest: a particularly vile class of Kobold that we had encountered before.
Whether it was that we were the better rested, or that the gods fought alongside us, I do not know, but this time our shots were true and our blows decisive. We quickly killed two dragonshields, and the Wyrmpriest, bowing under a hail of blows, also submitted to our attack. The slingers and minions—shocked at the ferocity of the attack—turned and fled. Keen that the miserable creatures did not raise an alarm, we pursued, and soon all Kobolds lay dead among the trees.
Before continuing on our way, we took the sensible decision to stop briefly to rest and tend our wounds.
As I related previously, the town of Fallcrest was overjoyed at the defeat of the Kobolds and the young dragon which they treated as their god. Their gratitude was expressed by Merrick who presided over a banquet at the Nentir Inn in our honour. There was much carousing, I am informed—not so much given to human society, I retired to my cell at the Shrine of Corellon to meditate, rather than joining the celebration. Not all, it seems, were completely overjoyed by our successes: one Serim Selduzar expressed scepticism about our feats, until a potentially tense situation was defused by a well-spoken nobleman, Douven Staul, who generously provided for a round of drinks.
The next morning as arranged, we all met in the marketplace to plan our next adventure. We agreed to consult with Lord Markelhay’s steward, and I accompanied Skarp Hedin, Kithri, and Ash Lichbane—who was unaccountably out of sorts, and kept complaining of a headache—to the castle. The steward, Tobias, informed us of a delivery of goods going to Winterhaven in the mountains to the north, and offered us a modest remuneration should we agree to protect the wagon. After some debate within the party we finally agreed and joined the wagon at the city gate. We would be accompanied for part of the way by our old friend Merrick, who with some of his soldiers was taking a cart back to Kobold Hall in order to retrieve the carcass of the dragon.
We set out at around noon, having met our new acquaintance from the previous night, Douven Staul, at luncheon. As it transpired, he was also taking the road to Winterhaven, and we agreed to travel together—a sensible precaution given the current danger on these wild roads. Staul’s personal bodyguard, Quinn, rode with us on his piebald horse, Merrick rode his accustomed white charger, and his men walked at the rear. The rest of us arranged ourselves in a defensive fashion around the goods wagon.
At the turn-off to Kobold Hall Faral’s sharp eyes noticed several Kobolds slinking through the trees in the direction of the hall. We called a halt to the convoy and reported what we had seen to Merrick. After arranging with Staul to wait while we checked out the hall, we made our way through those familiar corridors, following the sounds of the scurrying creatures. At last, on entering a large chamber I caught sight of our quarry and raised my arm to strike. But something in the insolent creature’s manner made me pause: “Why have you returned to taunt us?” it hissed, “Did you not give us leave to go?” There followed a lengthy debate, which I shall not rehearse here, but in the end the Kobolds, demoralised by the death of their god, were banished and we blocked the entrance to their secret tunnel.
We returned to Staul and Quinn and continued on our way.
Now, we were expecting trouble and had all taken defensive positions around the wagons, yet save for bright-eyed Faral, we were all surprised when a hail of sling bullets showered us, and a number of Kobold slingers leapt up from behind the cover of bushes and rocks beside the road. Whether it was that we were wrong-footed by surprise, or that the gods did not fight on our side, we fought badly, frequently missing our targets or failing to inflict much damage. As more of the foul beasts leapt from their hiding places, Faral and Ash found themselves flanked and taking heavy damage. Kithri took some heavy blows, and kept Skarp Haden busy dealing his healing powers. From my vantage point at the driver’s seat of the lead wagon I took my share of wounds, and almost lost all hope when I saw Ash fall to the ground amid a hail of savage blows.
At last, some of our attacks started biting, and Tha'Maelstra, if I remember correctly, finally felled one of the dragonshields. He and Skarp Hadin came to Ash’s aid, and the cleric was eventually able to move back to shelter. Faral likewise moved back to the shelter of the wagon, while the rest of us continued—with limited effect—to attack our Kobold assailants. Even Quinn from the advantage of horseback was having difficulty in striking the cunning and nimble creatures.
Finally we managed to kill the two dragonshields, and the slingers and minions started running away. Some of our ranged attacks started finding effect, and Kithri, Quinn and I took down minions. We returned to the wagon to tend to our wounds and take sustenance, and to rethink our strategy. As night was approaching we decided to continue on to Winterhaven.
We arrived near midnight and Jacob, the driver, soon roused the nightwatchman who led us to the local inn. Douven Staul kindly covered our lodging tariffs, and we had an overdue and hearty meal before retiring for the night. It must be said that not all of our party are entirely trusting of Douven Staul, and there certainly seems to be a mystery about him. I however, take his friendship on trust, and will accept his word until I have reason to disbelieve it.
The next morning, while Faral and Lia scanned the marketplace for information about the local Kobold infestation, Ash, Skarp Hedin and I went to the manor house to pay our respects to Lord Padraig. Having a day to spare before Jacob was ready to return to Fallcrest, we offered to scout the surrounding area to see if we could determine the cause of the increased Kobold activity in the region. We were offered ten gold pieces each, and Lord Padraig agreed to match Lord Markelhay’s bounty on Kobolds. Faral and Lia had spoken to an Elven hunter named Ninaran, who although not particularly forthcoming, eventually agreed to provide a map to the Kobolds' lair.
We travelled back along the main road for maybe an hour, when—just as we were approaching the point where the map said we should turn off into the woods—a sudden shout revealed that Faral and Lia were under attack! To our horror Lia collapsed to the ground, mortally wounded, and while Skarp Hedin restored Lia, the rest of us ran to the defence of the cousins. There were a number of minions hiding behind shrubs and rocks, and accursed slingers in the distance. We were horrified to also find a Wyrmpriest: a particularly vile class of Kobold that we had encountered before.
Whether it was that we were the better rested, or that the gods fought alongside us, I do not know, but this time our shots were true and our blows decisive. We quickly killed two dragonshields, and the Wyrmpriest, bowing under a hail of blows, also submitted to our attack. The slingers and minions—shocked at the ferocity of the attack—turned and fled. Keen that the miserable creatures did not raise an alarm, we pursued, and soon all Kobolds lay dead among the trees.
Before continuing on our way, we took the sensible decision to stop briefly to rest and tend our wounds.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Kobold Hall: Chapter Three
Chapter Three: Erevan writes
As Tha’Maelstra so ably described, we managed to clear the chamber with difficulty—helped of course by the accursed creatures fleeing deeper into the dungeon whenever they were slightly injured. We rested briefly and tended our wounds, while discussing tactics. It was eventually agreed that Kithri would creep into the next chamber and see what horrors awaited us there.
She soon returned and described a large chamber with a high central platform and another platform to our right, but she could not see any enemies in the semi-darkness. We crept forward, but knew that we had little chance of surprising our foes. As we gathered in the doorway of the chamber we realised that two kobolds were creeping along the wall towards our position. Almost before we could react they jumped into the doorway, engaging Tha’Maelstra and Ash Lichbane in melee. At the same time, with a screech and a rushing of black leather wings, a drake swooped out of the darkness and clawed savagely at Ash—fortunately missing—before alighting on the central platform, readying its next attack.
While Tha’ and Ash battled the kobolds, and those of us with ranged weapons concentrated on the drake, two more of the filthy creatures appeared atop the platform and started raining sling bolts on us, but slipped down behind the wall before we could retaliate. Tha’ and Ash managed to kill one of the beasts, but the other started retreating. The two heroes followed, moving out into the chamber, keeping to the shadows near the wall while the rest of the party maintained defensive positions in the mouth of the tunnel. While Faral and I focussed our attacks on the drake, Kithri and Lia waited for the accursed slingers to reappear, which they soon did, and were surprised to find themselves targeted with arrows and sling bullets. They ducked out of sight again, but not before one of them had shot Ash with a globe of some sticky substance which oozed down his legs and glued him firmly to the stone floor! The next minute there was a loud crash and a grinding, rumbling noise from the large platform to our right, and a huge boulder crashed to the floor and started accelerating around a hitherto unnoticed channel that ran around the room. To our horror, we realised that if the boulder continued around the room it would ultimately travel past our position, and Ash was immobilised directly in its path!
While Ash struggled to free himself from the glue, and Faral and I continued to attack the drake, scoring occasional hits as it swooped around the room, an evil Wyrmpriest leap atop the central platform and started raining down devastating magic upon us. For a time the air was thick with arrows, bullets, javelins, and occasional bolts of magic fire. Tha’ managed to help Ash to free himself from the glue, but moments later he was hit a second time, and again fixed to the floor. Once again Tha’ wrenched him from the spot and dragged him away from the path of the boulder, which had now disappeared behind the central platform, on its inexorable journey around the room. Six minion kobolds—presumably the ones who had released the boulder—swarmed down from the right-hand platform and surged towards us, surrounding Ash. They viciously stabbed at him with their javelins, before scurrying away into the gloom. Corellon has blessed me with a keen eyesight, and I could see the hideous beasts huddled in the gloom as they regrouped for another assault, and I cast a scorching burst of flame towards them, and three of them were instantly engulfed in righteous fire, falling to the ground, dead. At once the accursed Wyrmpriest hurled an evil fireball at me, and everything went dark for a few moments. Dazed and close to death, I barely held my ground until Skarp Hedin, with a few words to his god, blessed me with healing and strength.
The next few moments are a blur as I put my wounds out of my mind and returned to the fray. Lia managed to bring down one of the slingers, and Faral mortally wounded the drake, which crashed to central platform in a tangle of broken wings. Freed of the clutch of minions, Ash charged off in pursuit of the remaining kobolds, and then, calamity! As the boulder crashed around the corner and rumbled past our position, Tha’ was struck by a cunning glue-shot from the remaining slinger, and trapped in the path of the boulder, now only seconds away! Struggle as he might, he could not free himself from the sticky substance, and the boulder struck him on the side, crushing him against the wall. As the huge rock passed Tha’ slumped to the floor. Fortunately, the mighty warrior is made of stern stuff (and who knows what else?), and he soon regained his feet and continued attempting to struggle free of the glue.
Momentarily, the tide of the battle seems to turn in our favour, and with some accurate aiming of ranged shots, we had the kobolds fleeing. Kithri pursued one to the left, while Ash ran to the right, where there appeared a small group of the accursed beasts. Several hits on the Wyrmpriest made him scream in rage, but apparently brought him no nearer to death. We were relieved to see the boulder roll to a stop, but our rejoicing turned to despair when we realised that it was rolling back the way it had come, with Tha’ still glued in its path. Twice more the huge stone crushed him against the wall before it finally rolled to a halt. Tha’ was badly injured, but still conscious, and—oh, bitter irony!—finally managed to pull himself clear of the sticky substance. With a few words from Skarp Hedin, he was ready again to join battle.
With our end of the chamber free for once, I sprang from the shelter of the passageway and ran to the now-deserted platform at the end of the room. The filthy Wyrmpriest, now raging and cowering in the shelter of the central platform, was out of my line of sight, but I knew where he was, and continued to rain righteous flame on his evil head.
All of a sudden, a scream alerted us to Kithri’s peril as three kobolds surrounded her, knocking her unconscious. Again it was valiant Skarp Hedin who intervened, restoring her health, as she staggered her way back to the group. In the confusion, we noticed that Faral had been badly wounded, and urged her to move back away from danger, until we had secured the room. Skarp Hedin called Ash back to the group—in a red haze of rage he was pursuing the fleeing kobolds—while the melee fighters dispatched two of the creatures who had so injured Kithri.
The third kobold, injured and terrified, threw down its weapon and begged for mercy. After binding and questioning it, we sent the miserable beast to the surface with Merreck’s man, Hal, who had followed us to see if we were safe. Kithri climbed the central platform to investigate a whimpering from within, and to see if the Wyrmpriest was still alive. It seems that the evil chieftain has escaped through a hidden trapdoor, leaving a terrified acolyte to ponder why his chief and his god had abandoned them. Kithri put the doleful creature out of its misery—much to the disapproval of the clerics in the party.
We retired to the relative safety of the platform to rest and tend our wounds, while we pondered the words of the prisoner. It seems that the tribe were in the thrall of some great beast that the prisoner referred to as “the great white god”, Szartharrax. We speculated that this may be the rumoured dragon that we had been fearing.
After gathering our strength, we approached the passage on the far side of the chamber. The passage appeared to end after a short distance, but Kithri and Skarp Hedin soon discovered the secret door and had it open. Between them Kithri and Faral reconnoitred down the darkened passage, until it was too dark for even the elf to see. Recovering her sunrod, Kithri provided the illumination while Faral scanned the room. It was a large, rough cavern, unexpectedly cold, and with a large frozen pond at the centre. From a darkened rear of the cavern came the sound of some large beast breathing. Kithri attempted to creep further into the cavern, but alas, coming around a large pillar she was startled by our old adversary the Wyrmpriest and two dragonshields. Having the advantage, they immediately attacked, sorely injuring Kithri. I ran in, attempting to help, but the sight of the three grinning kobolds, and the sinister breathing of the hidden beast caused me to panic and mumble my incantation: instead of searing our foes with flame a mere whiff of smoke marked the site of my spell.
As the others started moving into the room, there was a fierce roar and the ground trembled, as the hitherto unseen beast lumbered towards us. Easily four times the size of Tha’Maelstra, Szartharrax might have been but a young dragon, but he was terrifying in his evil and malevolence. Lunging out of the shadows, Szartharrax landed on the ice in front of us, and opened its enormous mouth to roar its challenge. All cowered before its might, except valiant Skarp Hedin. Then I saw a thing that I believe I shall never see again in all my years.
The brave dwarf stepped forward to the immense creature and raising his hand he rebuked the monster with holy words from his god. To our utter amazement the dragon reared in fright, its fearsome claws scrabbling for purchase on the frozen surface, and its evil eyes wide in fright, and it turned and scurried back into the darkness of its lair! Skarp Hedin held his pose, head bowed in thanks to his mighty god, oblivious of the cries of joy and relief from the rest of the party. I remember thinking that whatever should befall us before the end of this day, I was glad I had survived to witness that marvellous feat.
Buoyed by the respite from the terror of the beast—no matter how long it should last—we turned with renewed vigour to the hapless kobolds who still stood in shock at the sight of their god being authoritatively dismissed by a dwarf! Under a hail of arrows and blasts of magic the injured Wyrmpriest soon fell, and the two dragonshields fled across the ice in panic.
As we feared, the respite from the dragon was short-lived, and in a howl of rage it returned to the fray. Joining its servants on the ice it opened its hideous mouth and breathed forth a powerful blast of cold and ice. Almost all of us—I believe Tha’ was just out of range—were brought to our knees in pain and shock. Through the pain and fear wracking my body I saw most of my comrades drop their weapons in terror and huddle on the ground to await the end. Gritting my teeth through the energy-sapping force of the attack, I could see that Tha’ was unaffected, and although badly hurt, Kithri was bravely standing, prepared to defend. As most of my friends were unable to fight, I stepped up, and—conscious of my earlier failure—carefully rehearsed the words of my incantation (in fact I murmured the words to myself twice) before flinging out my wand-hand and shouting the words of the spell. Green acid fire leapt from my wand and covered the flanks of the dragon and the fleeing kobolds. All three screamed in terror and pain as the corrosive substance smoked and crackled on their skins. Emboldened by their terror I again stepped forward and in a single stroke cast fire on the writhing creatures. Kithri joined in with a series of well-aimed bullets, while forces I fail to fully understand—presumably cast by Skarp Hedin—tore into the struggling foes. The kobolds fell dead and dragon, still writhing to rid himself of the burning liquid, let loose another attack but this time it harmlessly missed it targets.
Shaking themselves out of their terror-induced stupor, the rest of the party assailed the beast with cunning shots, peppering its still-burning hide with arrows and bullets, and befuddling its senses with arcane powers. Skarp Hedin, in between aiming devastating blows at the dragon muttered words of healing on the still dazed party. Kithri, her brows knit in concentration, fitted numerous bullets to her sling and let fly at the beast, peppering its face and temporarily blinding it with its own blood.
At this point Tha’ rushed forward and past the monster, landing a telling blow on its flank, and—as intended—drawing the creature away from the rest of the party. In a flash we had the beast surrounded and victory seemed ours, when in its final throes, Szartharrax lunged forward and captured Tha’ in its mighty jaws. To our horror, Tha’ went limp and slumped into unconsciousness. Skarp Hedin sent mighty acts of healing upon our fallen comrade, while the rest of us hewed at the beast in our various ways. And then Lia, fitting two arrows to her bow and muttering words of grace, shot the infernal beast through the eye, and with no further sound, it crashed to the floor, dead.
There was naught else to do but search the accursed chamber for treasure (with some success) and then wend our weary way back to Lord Markelhay to report on the adventure. We took the ears of the kobolds we had killed as evidence, along with the head of the dragon, which Tha’s—now thankfully restored—had removed. We also bore tokens of the brave adventurers who preceded us, and whose fate we might have shared had it not been for the courage and determination of those mighty warriors. I entered this world somewhat puzzled by the behaviour of its inhabitants, and unsure of many of their motives, but I am proud to call these people my friends (even the mysterious Tha’Maelstra) and if they will let me, I offer them my sword and my powers, for as long as they see fit.
After receiving our payment, we each returned to our various lodgings, with a promise to meet at the Nantir Inn tap room at noon in two days time.
As Tha’Maelstra so ably described, we managed to clear the chamber with difficulty—helped of course by the accursed creatures fleeing deeper into the dungeon whenever they were slightly injured. We rested briefly and tended our wounds, while discussing tactics. It was eventually agreed that Kithri would creep into the next chamber and see what horrors awaited us there.
She soon returned and described a large chamber with a high central platform and another platform to our right, but she could not see any enemies in the semi-darkness. We crept forward, but knew that we had little chance of surprising our foes. As we gathered in the doorway of the chamber we realised that two kobolds were creeping along the wall towards our position. Almost before we could react they jumped into the doorway, engaging Tha’Maelstra and Ash Lichbane in melee. At the same time, with a screech and a rushing of black leather wings, a drake swooped out of the darkness and clawed savagely at Ash—fortunately missing—before alighting on the central platform, readying its next attack.
While Tha’ and Ash battled the kobolds, and those of us with ranged weapons concentrated on the drake, two more of the filthy creatures appeared atop the platform and started raining sling bolts on us, but slipped down behind the wall before we could retaliate. Tha’ and Ash managed to kill one of the beasts, but the other started retreating. The two heroes followed, moving out into the chamber, keeping to the shadows near the wall while the rest of the party maintained defensive positions in the mouth of the tunnel. While Faral and I focussed our attacks on the drake, Kithri and Lia waited for the accursed slingers to reappear, which they soon did, and were surprised to find themselves targeted with arrows and sling bullets. They ducked out of sight again, but not before one of them had shot Ash with a globe of some sticky substance which oozed down his legs and glued him firmly to the stone floor! The next minute there was a loud crash and a grinding, rumbling noise from the large platform to our right, and a huge boulder crashed to the floor and started accelerating around a hitherto unnoticed channel that ran around the room. To our horror, we realised that if the boulder continued around the room it would ultimately travel past our position, and Ash was immobilised directly in its path!
While Ash struggled to free himself from the glue, and Faral and I continued to attack the drake, scoring occasional hits as it swooped around the room, an evil Wyrmpriest leap atop the central platform and started raining down devastating magic upon us. For a time the air was thick with arrows, bullets, javelins, and occasional bolts of magic fire. Tha’ managed to help Ash to free himself from the glue, but moments later he was hit a second time, and again fixed to the floor. Once again Tha’ wrenched him from the spot and dragged him away from the path of the boulder, which had now disappeared behind the central platform, on its inexorable journey around the room. Six minion kobolds—presumably the ones who had released the boulder—swarmed down from the right-hand platform and surged towards us, surrounding Ash. They viciously stabbed at him with their javelins, before scurrying away into the gloom. Corellon has blessed me with a keen eyesight, and I could see the hideous beasts huddled in the gloom as they regrouped for another assault, and I cast a scorching burst of flame towards them, and three of them were instantly engulfed in righteous fire, falling to the ground, dead. At once the accursed Wyrmpriest hurled an evil fireball at me, and everything went dark for a few moments. Dazed and close to death, I barely held my ground until Skarp Hedin, with a few words to his god, blessed me with healing and strength.
The next few moments are a blur as I put my wounds out of my mind and returned to the fray. Lia managed to bring down one of the slingers, and Faral mortally wounded the drake, which crashed to central platform in a tangle of broken wings. Freed of the clutch of minions, Ash charged off in pursuit of the remaining kobolds, and then, calamity! As the boulder crashed around the corner and rumbled past our position, Tha’ was struck by a cunning glue-shot from the remaining slinger, and trapped in the path of the boulder, now only seconds away! Struggle as he might, he could not free himself from the sticky substance, and the boulder struck him on the side, crushing him against the wall. As the huge rock passed Tha’ slumped to the floor. Fortunately, the mighty warrior is made of stern stuff (and who knows what else?), and he soon regained his feet and continued attempting to struggle free of the glue.
Momentarily, the tide of the battle seems to turn in our favour, and with some accurate aiming of ranged shots, we had the kobolds fleeing. Kithri pursued one to the left, while Ash ran to the right, where there appeared a small group of the accursed beasts. Several hits on the Wyrmpriest made him scream in rage, but apparently brought him no nearer to death. We were relieved to see the boulder roll to a stop, but our rejoicing turned to despair when we realised that it was rolling back the way it had come, with Tha’ still glued in its path. Twice more the huge stone crushed him against the wall before it finally rolled to a halt. Tha’ was badly injured, but still conscious, and—oh, bitter irony!—finally managed to pull himself clear of the sticky substance. With a few words from Skarp Hedin, he was ready again to join battle.
With our end of the chamber free for once, I sprang from the shelter of the passageway and ran to the now-deserted platform at the end of the room. The filthy Wyrmpriest, now raging and cowering in the shelter of the central platform, was out of my line of sight, but I knew where he was, and continued to rain righteous flame on his evil head.
All of a sudden, a scream alerted us to Kithri’s peril as three kobolds surrounded her, knocking her unconscious. Again it was valiant Skarp Hedin who intervened, restoring her health, as she staggered her way back to the group. In the confusion, we noticed that Faral had been badly wounded, and urged her to move back away from danger, until we had secured the room. Skarp Hedin called Ash back to the group—in a red haze of rage he was pursuing the fleeing kobolds—while the melee fighters dispatched two of the creatures who had so injured Kithri.
The third kobold, injured and terrified, threw down its weapon and begged for mercy. After binding and questioning it, we sent the miserable beast to the surface with Merreck’s man, Hal, who had followed us to see if we were safe. Kithri climbed the central platform to investigate a whimpering from within, and to see if the Wyrmpriest was still alive. It seems that the evil chieftain has escaped through a hidden trapdoor, leaving a terrified acolyte to ponder why his chief and his god had abandoned them. Kithri put the doleful creature out of its misery—much to the disapproval of the clerics in the party.
We retired to the relative safety of the platform to rest and tend our wounds, while we pondered the words of the prisoner. It seems that the tribe were in the thrall of some great beast that the prisoner referred to as “the great white god”, Szartharrax. We speculated that this may be the rumoured dragon that we had been fearing.
After gathering our strength, we approached the passage on the far side of the chamber. The passage appeared to end after a short distance, but Kithri and Skarp Hedin soon discovered the secret door and had it open. Between them Kithri and Faral reconnoitred down the darkened passage, until it was too dark for even the elf to see. Recovering her sunrod, Kithri provided the illumination while Faral scanned the room. It was a large, rough cavern, unexpectedly cold, and with a large frozen pond at the centre. From a darkened rear of the cavern came the sound of some large beast breathing. Kithri attempted to creep further into the cavern, but alas, coming around a large pillar she was startled by our old adversary the Wyrmpriest and two dragonshields. Having the advantage, they immediately attacked, sorely injuring Kithri. I ran in, attempting to help, but the sight of the three grinning kobolds, and the sinister breathing of the hidden beast caused me to panic and mumble my incantation: instead of searing our foes with flame a mere whiff of smoke marked the site of my spell.
As the others started moving into the room, there was a fierce roar and the ground trembled, as the hitherto unseen beast lumbered towards us. Easily four times the size of Tha’Maelstra, Szartharrax might have been but a young dragon, but he was terrifying in his evil and malevolence. Lunging out of the shadows, Szartharrax landed on the ice in front of us, and opened its enormous mouth to roar its challenge. All cowered before its might, except valiant Skarp Hedin. Then I saw a thing that I believe I shall never see again in all my years.
The brave dwarf stepped forward to the immense creature and raising his hand he rebuked the monster with holy words from his god. To our utter amazement the dragon reared in fright, its fearsome claws scrabbling for purchase on the frozen surface, and its evil eyes wide in fright, and it turned and scurried back into the darkness of its lair! Skarp Hedin held his pose, head bowed in thanks to his mighty god, oblivious of the cries of joy and relief from the rest of the party. I remember thinking that whatever should befall us before the end of this day, I was glad I had survived to witness that marvellous feat.
Buoyed by the respite from the terror of the beast—no matter how long it should last—we turned with renewed vigour to the hapless kobolds who still stood in shock at the sight of their god being authoritatively dismissed by a dwarf! Under a hail of arrows and blasts of magic the injured Wyrmpriest soon fell, and the two dragonshields fled across the ice in panic.
As we feared, the respite from the dragon was short-lived, and in a howl of rage it returned to the fray. Joining its servants on the ice it opened its hideous mouth and breathed forth a powerful blast of cold and ice. Almost all of us—I believe Tha’ was just out of range—were brought to our knees in pain and shock. Through the pain and fear wracking my body I saw most of my comrades drop their weapons in terror and huddle on the ground to await the end. Gritting my teeth through the energy-sapping force of the attack, I could see that Tha’ was unaffected, and although badly hurt, Kithri was bravely standing, prepared to defend. As most of my friends were unable to fight, I stepped up, and—conscious of my earlier failure—carefully rehearsed the words of my incantation (in fact I murmured the words to myself twice) before flinging out my wand-hand and shouting the words of the spell. Green acid fire leapt from my wand and covered the flanks of the dragon and the fleeing kobolds. All three screamed in terror and pain as the corrosive substance smoked and crackled on their skins. Emboldened by their terror I again stepped forward and in a single stroke cast fire on the writhing creatures. Kithri joined in with a series of well-aimed bullets, while forces I fail to fully understand—presumably cast by Skarp Hedin—tore into the struggling foes. The kobolds fell dead and dragon, still writhing to rid himself of the burning liquid, let loose another attack but this time it harmlessly missed it targets.
Shaking themselves out of their terror-induced stupor, the rest of the party assailed the beast with cunning shots, peppering its still-burning hide with arrows and bullets, and befuddling its senses with arcane powers. Skarp Hedin, in between aiming devastating blows at the dragon muttered words of healing on the still dazed party. Kithri, her brows knit in concentration, fitted numerous bullets to her sling and let fly at the beast, peppering its face and temporarily blinding it with its own blood.
At this point Tha’ rushed forward and past the monster, landing a telling blow on its flank, and—as intended—drawing the creature away from the rest of the party. In a flash we had the beast surrounded and victory seemed ours, when in its final throes, Szartharrax lunged forward and captured Tha’ in its mighty jaws. To our horror, Tha’ went limp and slumped into unconsciousness. Skarp Hedin sent mighty acts of healing upon our fallen comrade, while the rest of us hewed at the beast in our various ways. And then Lia, fitting two arrows to her bow and muttering words of grace, shot the infernal beast through the eye, and with no further sound, it crashed to the floor, dead.
There was naught else to do but search the accursed chamber for treasure (with some success) and then wend our weary way back to Lord Markelhay to report on the adventure. We took the ears of the kobolds we had killed as evidence, along with the head of the dragon, which Tha’s—now thankfully restored—had removed. We also bore tokens of the brave adventurers who preceded us, and whose fate we might have shared had it not been for the courage and determination of those mighty warriors. I entered this world somewhat puzzled by the behaviour of its inhabitants, and unsure of many of their motives, but I am proud to call these people my friends (even the mysterious Tha’Maelstra) and if they will let me, I offer them my sword and my powers, for as long as they see fit.
After receiving our payment, we each returned to our various lodgings, with a promise to meet at the Nantir Inn tap room at noon in two days time.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Kobold Hall: Chapter Two
Chapter Two: Tha'Maelstra writes
As Erevan has already written, we departed Fallcrest as a group and set out to investigate the strange happenings at Kobold Hall. We knew the Kobolds had been playing havoc recently and a few days ago 7 adventurers, ominously similar in description to our own party, entered Kobold Hall and were never seen or heard of again.
At the point at which the last journal reached, we were preparing to enter a narrow hallway where a Kobold had just vanished. Erevan put himself forward and headed down the passageway alone, discovered some stairs leading down to another chamber, and then came back to report. The stealthier members of the party then proceeded down to the next chamber, after that the heavier members, myself included, followed in.
The room had four large sarcophagi in the center, an altar in the far left corner (from entry point of view) and in the walls on either side were gaps for suits of armour. The suits were quickly identified as traps, and Kithri disarmed one before it could do any damage. While in this room we did engage Kobolds in battle, but being the dishonorable pests they are, they fled. This gave us a moment peace to identify a disturbing decorative piece, or pieces, the Kobolds had added themselves. Only two suits of armour actually remained in the room, in the other positions we discovered corpses, each desecrated in an unholy manner, all decapitated. We had found, so it appeared, the remains of the lost group. The one remaining suit was still intact though, so I took it upon myself to locate any triggers in the room that could set the trap off, and then smashed the suit to disfunctionality. In the process, we fell again under attack by Kobolds, who once again fled before we had a chance to do any real damage.
When they left I went to the doorway and peered though to try and see where they could have gone. Beyond the doorway was dark and I saw nothing so stepped back to a safer distance- right next to what I realized to my horror was a dismantled Warforged. The body had been desecrated in the same manner as the other corpses, but this one of of extra concern to me, I myself being of warforged construct. Having no memory of my own past at all, I could for all I knew be looking at my now dead brother. Ash Lichbane, one of the clerics, approached the altar and kicked it over, ending temporarily its blasphemous significance, and also taking a bag of coins which had been offered by the Kobolds.
We had no time to rest though, as from beyond the dark doorway, the wicked tongue of the Kobold began jeering and making taunts up to us. The noise from outside was too much to rest and so we formed battle formation and entered the next room.
This room also contained four sarcophagi, though between them was a glowing pit filled with some foul liquid similar to that of the first room. At the end of the room was a platform and some doors; on the platform were some Kobolds taking shelter from behind a barrier. The ranged fighters took cover behind sarcophagi and began attacking unsuccessfully, their shots hitting the barrier rather than the enemy. I ran into the room and began charging for the doors, but when I was only halfway there the Kobolds threw down a rock on a rope that aside from inflicting great damage, knocked me into the pit where I became stuck. The party struggled on and Skarp Hedin, another of the clerics, came to heal me. Lia, one of the rangers shot at the rope which the Kobolds had used to knock me into the pit, and did some damage but not enough to prevent Skarp Hedin from also being knocked in.
I lifted Skarp Hedin out of the pit, but remained stuck myself. Luck was turning however as finally we were starting to have success in striking the Kobolds from afar. So naturally they fled. The party began queuing at the door, Kobolds identifying themselves as being behind it by firing arrows inaccurately through a tiny hole within the structure. Kithri used a grappling hook to allow me access easily out of the pit and the whole party was ready again.
Everyone at the ready, I charged at the doors and smashed them down mid-stride, copping a sharp stick in the chest which did a deal of damage but did not slow me down as I reached the hiding Kobolds and released a furious blow onto one. Fighting erupted and the rest of the party tried to get through. Unfortunately due to the crude method with which I removed the doors, debris was still in the way and ranged fighters were unable to get a shot in. One Kobold fled back to the platform though, where Erevan was able to release a magical ranged attack upon it. In the fighting, a Kobold released a glue shot which stuck me to the floor, but I was able to liquefy the door remains from my spot and allow all my allies passage through… where we met an all to familiar situation of fleeing Kobolds.
It seemed our endeavors would for the time go unrewarded but for one Kobold which was lagging behind the rest in the retreat. Faral moved herself to a strategic position and as the Kobold ran past, she skillfully drew her long-sword and slashed it with great force. The next moment was of surprising delight. It may have been from natural skill, the enemy’s shock or simply divine intervention, but completely against ordinary expectations, Faral drew her short-sword in the same moment and with lightning reflexes managed a second blow at the Kobold, putting it to the end of its miserable existence.
An ear was cut from the Kobold’s head as proof of its death, and I was assisted from my semi-paralyzed state.
Things had not gone so well for us, but our ability to plan strategy was growing immensely, as was our ability to operate as a group with each member finding their own place and working well in that position.
Some questions plague me now, what lies in the remaining chambers, where do the Kobolds retreat to, is there in fact a dragon within the dungeon as we have speculated, what further traps may we stumble into, and most heavily on my heart what was the story behind the party whom we found in the room with the altar?
Onward in honor!
As Erevan has already written, we departed Fallcrest as a group and set out to investigate the strange happenings at Kobold Hall. We knew the Kobolds had been playing havoc recently and a few days ago 7 adventurers, ominously similar in description to our own party, entered Kobold Hall and were never seen or heard of again.
At the point at which the last journal reached, we were preparing to enter a narrow hallway where a Kobold had just vanished. Erevan put himself forward and headed down the passageway alone, discovered some stairs leading down to another chamber, and then came back to report. The stealthier members of the party then proceeded down to the next chamber, after that the heavier members, myself included, followed in.
The room had four large sarcophagi in the center, an altar in the far left corner (from entry point of view) and in the walls on either side were gaps for suits of armour. The suits were quickly identified as traps, and Kithri disarmed one before it could do any damage. While in this room we did engage Kobolds in battle, but being the dishonorable pests they are, they fled. This gave us a moment peace to identify a disturbing decorative piece, or pieces, the Kobolds had added themselves. Only two suits of armour actually remained in the room, in the other positions we discovered corpses, each desecrated in an unholy manner, all decapitated. We had found, so it appeared, the remains of the lost group. The one remaining suit was still intact though, so I took it upon myself to locate any triggers in the room that could set the trap off, and then smashed the suit to disfunctionality. In the process, we fell again under attack by Kobolds, who once again fled before we had a chance to do any real damage.
When they left I went to the doorway and peered though to try and see where they could have gone. Beyond the doorway was dark and I saw nothing so stepped back to a safer distance- right next to what I realized to my horror was a dismantled Warforged. The body had been desecrated in the same manner as the other corpses, but this one of of extra concern to me, I myself being of warforged construct. Having no memory of my own past at all, I could for all I knew be looking at my now dead brother. Ash Lichbane, one of the clerics, approached the altar and kicked it over, ending temporarily its blasphemous significance, and also taking a bag of coins which had been offered by the Kobolds.
We had no time to rest though, as from beyond the dark doorway, the wicked tongue of the Kobold began jeering and making taunts up to us. The noise from outside was too much to rest and so we formed battle formation and entered the next room.
This room also contained four sarcophagi, though between them was a glowing pit filled with some foul liquid similar to that of the first room. At the end of the room was a platform and some doors; on the platform were some Kobolds taking shelter from behind a barrier. The ranged fighters took cover behind sarcophagi and began attacking unsuccessfully, their shots hitting the barrier rather than the enemy. I ran into the room and began charging for the doors, but when I was only halfway there the Kobolds threw down a rock on a rope that aside from inflicting great damage, knocked me into the pit where I became stuck. The party struggled on and Skarp Hedin, another of the clerics, came to heal me. Lia, one of the rangers shot at the rope which the Kobolds had used to knock me into the pit, and did some damage but not enough to prevent Skarp Hedin from also being knocked in.
I lifted Skarp Hedin out of the pit, but remained stuck myself. Luck was turning however as finally we were starting to have success in striking the Kobolds from afar. So naturally they fled. The party began queuing at the door, Kobolds identifying themselves as being behind it by firing arrows inaccurately through a tiny hole within the structure. Kithri used a grappling hook to allow me access easily out of the pit and the whole party was ready again.
Everyone at the ready, I charged at the doors and smashed them down mid-stride, copping a sharp stick in the chest which did a deal of damage but did not slow me down as I reached the hiding Kobolds and released a furious blow onto one. Fighting erupted and the rest of the party tried to get through. Unfortunately due to the crude method with which I removed the doors, debris was still in the way and ranged fighters were unable to get a shot in. One Kobold fled back to the platform though, where Erevan was able to release a magical ranged attack upon it. In the fighting, a Kobold released a glue shot which stuck me to the floor, but I was able to liquefy the door remains from my spot and allow all my allies passage through… where we met an all to familiar situation of fleeing Kobolds.
It seemed our endeavors would for the time go unrewarded but for one Kobold which was lagging behind the rest in the retreat. Faral moved herself to a strategic position and as the Kobold ran past, she skillfully drew her long-sword and slashed it with great force. The next moment was of surprising delight. It may have been from natural skill, the enemy’s shock or simply divine intervention, but completely against ordinary expectations, Faral drew her short-sword in the same moment and with lightning reflexes managed a second blow at the Kobold, putting it to the end of its miserable existence.
An ear was cut from the Kobold’s head as proof of its death, and I was assisted from my semi-paralyzed state.
Things had not gone so well for us, but our ability to plan strategy was growing immensely, as was our ability to operate as a group with each member finding their own place and working well in that position.
Some questions plague me now, what lies in the remaining chambers, where do the Kobolds retreat to, is there in fact a dragon within the dungeon as we have speculated, what further traps may we stumble into, and most heavily on my heart what was the story behind the party whom we found in the room with the altar?
Onward in honor!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Kobold Hall: Chapter One
Chapter One: Erevan Writes
While exercising my daily devotions at the shrine of Corellon, I was approached by my friend Ressilmae Starlight who asked me to accompany him to the Keep in order to meet with one Lannar Thistleton. It seems that he was organising a party of adventurers on behalf of Lord Markelhay to investigate some recent activity at an old ruin now known as Kobold Hall. Some days before, a small group of acolites of Pelor went to investigate the hall, but have not returned. Our mission, it seems, is partly rescue, partly investigation, and I suspect is connected with some political manoeuvres by Thistleton: a pastime that this world seems to invest much effort into, but which I fail to understand. The activities of Kobolds interest me even less, but Ressilmae was insistent, so I went along with him.
Ressilmae and I were shown into a room in Lord Markelhay’s keep, which was where I first met the rest of the party. My companions proved to be a strange and motley group. Elven ranger Faral and her mixed blood cousin Lia of the Woodsinger clan, are near-kin whom I have observed before. They are brave and trustworthy colleagues who in time I hope to number among my friends. With them was a spirited Halfling named Kithri, who I could not quite read, and seems to be motivated by more than just money. There is no doubting her bravery however. I have much admiration for the Human cleric, Ash Lichbane, whose veins burn with righteous anger against evil in all its forms. Over the years I have had little to do with Dwarves, so the cleric Skarp Hedin remains a mystery to me, and it is only the endorsement of Ressilmae that allows me to associate with this individual. I trust however that the unbreakable bond afforded brother-in-arms might eventually allay my fears. The final companion was a strange being whose like I have never seen before. He was shaped like a man and all clad in plate amour which he never removes, even in the safety of the keep. A great fighter, it seems, and yet my senses were confused, for I felt great and arcane magics surrounding him. I trust this mystery will soon be solved. Even his name is strange, calling himself Tha’Maelstra.
Lord Markelhay explained that a power seemingly greater than that normally associated with Kobolds had moved into the area and along with learning the fate of the previous adventurers, we are to investigate this matter. I find myself bemused by this world’s fascination with these petty sites of conflict, but Kobolds are a symptom of the greater evil that afflicts the world, and I will gladly do my part in helping to extinguish it. Lord Markelhay sent along Captain Merrick and five of his trusty men, although I still do not understand whether they are to guide us, protect us, or to ensure that we perform our promised task. Again the inherent mistrust in this world confuses me.
Lord Markelhay provided us and his men with horses, as befitted our abilities and stature, and Captain Merrick led us out towards the gods-forsaken hall.
As we approached the hall my keen-eyed kindred and the plucky Halfling crept ahead to spy the land. Faral noticed that the road was indeed watched and she and Lia crept stealthily forward. With a skill honed by years of practise and a certain Elven grace, Faral fitted two arrows and dispatched both sentries with a single shot! I was tempted to compose a lai then and there, but more pressing matters needed attention, and we crept forward.
Keeping close to the edge of the trees that lined one side of the roadway we moved forward, and soon spied another pair of watchers near the ruined building. This time however we were unable to make good a surprise attack, and we were soon spotted by the foul beings. Faral fired another valiant shot which wounded both the Kobolds, but the range was too great, and casting stealth aside, we charged at the enemies, hoping to prevent them from raising the alarm. Alas, despite a cunning shot from Lia which dispatched one of the brood, the other fled. Hoping to catch the beast before he reported our presence we threw caution to the wind and pursued our prey. Thanks be to Corellon for Lia’s sharp eyes, or likely we would all have been taken by the infernal traps and devices of these godless beasts. Tha’Maelstra only just avoided falling into a great pit hidden in the long grass, and Faral missed being felled by a swinging log only by dint of her superb reflexes. In the confusion, we barely noticed a third Kobold watching us from a hidden trapdoor. Kithri, the Halfling, wounded the creature with an accurate blow from her sling, but it dropped out of sight and fled, no doubt to tell its accursed brethren of our presence. In mad pursuit of the other Kobold we fired shots to no avail—I cast a fireball, but succeeded only in setting fire to a harmless bush.
Soon the rush of blood subsided and we saw our foolishness. We regrouped near the trapdoor, which proved to be the only entrance to what remained of the once-great building.
Brave Kithri was the first to enter, moving as silently as an elf, and came back to report a large underground chamber, empty but for a deep pit of some sort of fluorescent—and no doubt evil—substance. Ensuring that the chamber was empty and that no traps had been set for travellers, we proceeded to examine a passageway leading off into the gloom, protected by a portcullis. Kithri managed to open the grill and investigation determined that there were Kobolds present and aware of our arrival. After a short discussion of tactics, we determined to lay an ambush in order to fight the evil creatures on our own terms, rather than risk a skirmish in those narrow passages where they would doubtless have the advantage.
While exercising my daily devotions at the shrine of Corellon, I was approached by my friend Ressilmae Starlight who asked me to accompany him to the Keep in order to meet with one Lannar Thistleton. It seems that he was organising a party of adventurers on behalf of Lord Markelhay to investigate some recent activity at an old ruin now known as Kobold Hall. Some days before, a small group of acolites of Pelor went to investigate the hall, but have not returned. Our mission, it seems, is partly rescue, partly investigation, and I suspect is connected with some political manoeuvres by Thistleton: a pastime that this world seems to invest much effort into, but which I fail to understand. The activities of Kobolds interest me even less, but Ressilmae was insistent, so I went along with him.
Ressilmae and I were shown into a room in Lord Markelhay’s keep, which was where I first met the rest of the party. My companions proved to be a strange and motley group. Elven ranger Faral and her mixed blood cousin Lia of the Woodsinger clan, are near-kin whom I have observed before. They are brave and trustworthy colleagues who in time I hope to number among my friends. With them was a spirited Halfling named Kithri, who I could not quite read, and seems to be motivated by more than just money. There is no doubting her bravery however. I have much admiration for the Human cleric, Ash Lichbane, whose veins burn with righteous anger against evil in all its forms. Over the years I have had little to do with Dwarves, so the cleric Skarp Hedin remains a mystery to me, and it is only the endorsement of Ressilmae that allows me to associate with this individual. I trust however that the unbreakable bond afforded brother-in-arms might eventually allay my fears. The final companion was a strange being whose like I have never seen before. He was shaped like a man and all clad in plate amour which he never removes, even in the safety of the keep. A great fighter, it seems, and yet my senses were confused, for I felt great and arcane magics surrounding him. I trust this mystery will soon be solved. Even his name is strange, calling himself Tha’Maelstra.
Lord Markelhay explained that a power seemingly greater than that normally associated with Kobolds had moved into the area and along with learning the fate of the previous adventurers, we are to investigate this matter. I find myself bemused by this world’s fascination with these petty sites of conflict, but Kobolds are a symptom of the greater evil that afflicts the world, and I will gladly do my part in helping to extinguish it. Lord Markelhay sent along Captain Merrick and five of his trusty men, although I still do not understand whether they are to guide us, protect us, or to ensure that we perform our promised task. Again the inherent mistrust in this world confuses me.
Lord Markelhay provided us and his men with horses, as befitted our abilities and stature, and Captain Merrick led us out towards the gods-forsaken hall.
As we approached the hall my keen-eyed kindred and the plucky Halfling crept ahead to spy the land. Faral noticed that the road was indeed watched and she and Lia crept stealthily forward. With a skill honed by years of practise and a certain Elven grace, Faral fitted two arrows and dispatched both sentries with a single shot! I was tempted to compose a lai then and there, but more pressing matters needed attention, and we crept forward.
Keeping close to the edge of the trees that lined one side of the roadway we moved forward, and soon spied another pair of watchers near the ruined building. This time however we were unable to make good a surprise attack, and we were soon spotted by the foul beings. Faral fired another valiant shot which wounded both the Kobolds, but the range was too great, and casting stealth aside, we charged at the enemies, hoping to prevent them from raising the alarm. Alas, despite a cunning shot from Lia which dispatched one of the brood, the other fled. Hoping to catch the beast before he reported our presence we threw caution to the wind and pursued our prey. Thanks be to Corellon for Lia’s sharp eyes, or likely we would all have been taken by the infernal traps and devices of these godless beasts. Tha’Maelstra only just avoided falling into a great pit hidden in the long grass, and Faral missed being felled by a swinging log only by dint of her superb reflexes. In the confusion, we barely noticed a third Kobold watching us from a hidden trapdoor. Kithri, the Halfling, wounded the creature with an accurate blow from her sling, but it dropped out of sight and fled, no doubt to tell its accursed brethren of our presence. In mad pursuit of the other Kobold we fired shots to no avail—I cast a fireball, but succeeded only in setting fire to a harmless bush.
Soon the rush of blood subsided and we saw our foolishness. We regrouped near the trapdoor, which proved to be the only entrance to what remained of the once-great building.
Brave Kithri was the first to enter, moving as silently as an elf, and came back to report a large underground chamber, empty but for a deep pit of some sort of fluorescent—and no doubt evil—substance. Ensuring that the chamber was empty and that no traps had been set for travellers, we proceeded to examine a passageway leading off into the gloom, protected by a portcullis. Kithri managed to open the grill and investigation determined that there were Kobolds present and aware of our arrival. After a short discussion of tactics, we determined to lay an ambush in order to fight the evil creatures on our own terms, rather than risk a skirmish in those narrow passages where they would doubtless have the advantage.
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