[001] The Undervaults

[Deleted]

Dram will make a fighting withdrawal toward the stairs, calling for the others to do the same. If the rest of the party drops swords and flees he will attempt to protect their rear flank.

"C'mon you apes!" he taunts, "wanna live forever?" He laughs boisterously as he swings his bloody sword at the next kobold. "Hold ... the ... LINE! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

[verhaden]

Gaspard

Gaspard will attempt to secure a weapon of sorts from one of the fallen kobolds, and make a fighting withdrawal to Dram's position.

[alcyone]

Vangelis will intercede between Gaspard and the horde, protecting him while he grabs a weapon and then retreating toward the entrance.

[Sean Michael Kelly]

Jaras, now seeing the others in a fighting withdrawal, also backs toward the others and the exit. He'll take any swipe he can get, but sees the opportunity to live and fight on another day.

[rleduc]

Meanwhile at the top of the stairs, Malaveque takes a sidelong glance at his boon companion, and then quietly and carefully begins his trip down the stairs, hugging the right wall. He wishes to get a better look surreptitiously before committing himself to the fray.

[Zenopus]

Mot is amazed that he, a humble spellcaster, has killed two foes and avoided being hit. He thinks his luck is about to run out, so he makes for the stairs. Avoiding the underwater crack in the floor, of course.

[doctorx]

"Oh, dear; what a dreary place," observes Ædelwynn the Guileful with a disdainful sniff as he takes in the crumbling, ominous ruin looming out of the dank mists before him; "Certainly not worth skipping breakfast for."

"And all beneath is chaos and swordplay already, I do declare!" he adds with an " I told you so" sort-of-smirk as the sound of the unfolding massacre below reaches his ears; "How terribly unfortunate." (He begins silently re-calculating possible treasure splits in the light of there probably being one or two less companions to divide the booty with).

He watches Malaveque proceeding toward the stairs and considers mentioning the possibility of ambush and archers lurking in the shadows to his unsightly elvish chum, but ultimately decides against it. Why spoil the dear chap's reckless urge to plunge heroically forward? Particularly as by doing so he is most helpfully providing Ædelwynn with plenty of cover...

He bows Malaveque onwards and then falls quietly into step behind him, loosening his dagger in its sheath as he does so...

O.O.C: Do we have enough light to see, ways? If not Ædelwynn will take a moment to light his lantern before he proceeds.

[waysoftheearth]

Aug 24, 2012 13:08:16 GMT -6 doctorx said:

O.O.C: Do we have enough light to see, ways? If not Ædelwynn will take a moment to light his lantern before he proceeds.

Outside, there is still an hour or more of grey daylight, and this penetrates some way down the stair, and inside there is already the orange yellow glow of torchlight outlining a doorway at the bottom of the stair. you can proceed within lighting a lantern...

[waysoftheearth]

The company are shocked as Dishmab and Firas go down, and the fighting sorts attempt to enact a stategic withdrawal, splashing through the mist and cold water toward the stair. Mot the Magicien simply makes a beeline for the safety of the stair, where Tirandir holds an arrow on the string, ready to drop any foe that might think to flee the melee.

But the insidious lizard-men are not running for it; they rather liked the brutal crunching of Dishmab and Firas, and they squwark and snap and beat at the troubled company yet...

Dram takes another one down with his deadly sword, but Javas is too busy dodging trouble to do them any hurt in return. The enemy litterally swarm Mot as he tries to flee the melee, coming at him from every which way, but by some magic the magicien slips past it all unharmed! The rest of them, it seems, turn upon Vangelis, but he solidly fends off their attacks, and cracks one a blow to the noggin in return.

Meanwhile, Gaspard has grabbed a cudgel out of the water, but can't whack anything with it, and Spaz the guard dog tears into the dying kobold at Dram's feet with a growl.

All this while Tirandir looks here and there for a taget, but judiciously holds his fire. Ædelwynn follows Malaveque down the stair, and the pair of them arrive to see all this unfolding; Tirandir almost jumps out of his skin as they arrive behind him!



Mechanics:

6 of the 15 koblods have been slain or incapacitated (along with 2 of the PCs). Though they still outnumber the PCs, victory is not assured. Any of them could recieve a fatal blow at any moment, and thus their courage hangs by a thread...

The referee fristly determines their loyalty level [3d6=10, so these kobolds have ordinary loyalty and no moral adjustment], and then makes a morale check [2d6=8, an uncertain result, so they will hold their ground... for now].

Initiative is rolled [1d6; dram=5, spaz=1, javas=6, vangelis=2, gaspard will attack last after picking up a weapon, mot=2, kobolds=3].

Dram's attack [1d20=19] damage [1d6=4] slays a kobold.
Javas' attack [1d20=1] misses.

8 kobolds remain in the melee. Mot lost the initiative, so he is an available target. Tirandir withdrew last round, so he is not a target. 8 attacks are therefore targetted against [1=dram, 2=spaz, 3=javas, 4=vangelis, 5=gaspard, 6=mot; 8d6=3, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6, 4]. Javas attracts one attack, Vangelis three, and poor Mot is subjected to four attacks!

Attack rolls versus Javas [1d20=5], Vangelis [3d20=14, 3, 1], Mot [4d20=3, 3, 8, 10].

By some miracle Mot is not hit (1/2 HD monsters requiring a roll of 11+ to hit his AC 9). Javas dodges is way out of trouble, and Vangelis defends himself admirably (1/2 HD monsters needing a roll of 16+ to hit his AC4).

Mot's movement rate (12") is greater than the kobolds' rate (6") so he has broken away from the general melee to relative safety. Talk about running the gauntlet!

Vangelis, spaz and gaspard make their attack rolls [3d20=18, 11, 7].

Vangelis scores a hit. The referee rolls to determine the target's hit points [1d6=4, so the kobold has 2 hit points], and Vangelis rolls for damage [1d6=1] and causes 1 hit point, so the kobold is wounded. Spaz and Gaspard both miss.

[waysoftheearth]

What next, gentlemen?

[mgtremaine]

Tirandir give a startled curse followed by a short laugh when he realizes it's more members of the Grey Hart. Seeing as this need to end before anymore deaths occur Tirandir will make room for those descending, recognizing that both a magi he would point to the kobolds massed with his bow and then YAWN and make sleepy noises. Then he would move quickly to the first location that gives him a clear shot at a kobold. He assumes that after he lets fly he will be engaged so he has an eye on trying to keep a exit strategy in mind.

-Mike

[Deleted]

Dramorian will continue to attack, either melee if a target enters his zone of control or missile fire with a throwing dagger if not. He will continue to protect his withdrawing comrades as he himself also moves toward the stairs.

Spaz darts around his master, nipping a yapping in an attempt to distract anyone attacking Dram.

[alcyone]

Vangelis, foolishly emboldened by his success so far, thrusts with his shield to shove the kobolds back and tries with his mace to end the life of the one he already wounded, watching Dramorian and Spaz to gauge his chances.

[Sean Michael Kelly]

Jaras, continues to back away towards the stairs with his dagger and torch held as menacingly as his rotund figure can muster. He will attack any who venture too close, but has the safety of fresh support on his mind.

[rleduc]

{unsure how target selection works for sleep in the game. If Malaveque can sleep the majority of the kobolds without getting any friendlies, he'll do it (from the memorized spell). Otherwise, he'll double-up next to a fighter and try to support attacks with his staff from the second rank, if possible}

ETA: pursuant to rules clarification, Malaveque stands on the stairs behind any reforming mercenaries and casts sleep upon the kobold farthest from the stairs.

[Zenopus]

Mot thanks the gods for his amazing luck and considers becoming a cleric.

He will cast Charm Person on the closest unwounded Kobold, and then ask the Kobold to please protect him from harm.

[doctorx]

"Are we keeping you up, dear boy?" asks Ædelwynn of Tirandir with an arched eyebrow.

He is content to let Malavque work his magic for now - no sense on expending two enchantments on these ghastly little rat-men. He slides his dagger from its sheath and keeps a watch on the rear, throwing in the occasional encouraging; "Oh, well hit, sir! Bravo!" or "Ha-hah! Didn't like that, did you?" or "Watch out for that one! Whoops - too late!" as the melee unfolds.

[verhaden]

Gaspard

Despite a perfectly reasonable inclination towards self-preservation, Gaspard will attempt assist the fellow cleric Vangelis against the hoard of kobolds, after seeing him swarmed.

[waysoftheearth]

The kobolds seems fearless, and the misty melee continues! The lizard-kin press the company right back to the foot of the stair amid the churning mist and slashing water.

jaras slips back behind the bigger men, allowing them more room to fight. Vangelis finishes the creep that he previously injured with a satisfying thump of his mace, and the junkyard mutt Spaz now jumps a kobold and -- getting a fangy hold around it neck -- rides it down into the mist and water and rips its throat out!

Meanwhile Mot works his magic and successfully ensorcells one of the near kobolds, preventing it from attacking, but there are five others who are not restricted, and these stab, smash, jab and thrash upon the company, driving them right back to the foot of the stair. Poor Spaz the guard dog is brained from behind, but the other fighters fend off the attacks resolutely.

And then Malaveque's sleep spell falls, and the melee is immediately ended. All the kobolds, as well as Dramorian, Vangelis, Gaspard and Mot drop soundlessly into the mist...

Only Aedelwynn, Malaveque, Tirandir and Jaras are left standing to observe this bizarre occurence.



Mechanics:

One kobold was slain and another wounded last round, so eight remain. With the arrival of Malaveque and Aedelwynn they no longer outnumber the opposition. The referee decides this is enough to call for a morale check... [2d6=11, a very positive result] the kobolds are fierce and hungry for revenge! They push on aggressively now, emboldened by their earlier success.

Initiative is checked [1d6; malaveque=1, mot=3, jaras=5, dramorian=2(-1), spaz=6, vangelis=6, gaspard=5, kobolds=2].

Jaras wins the initiative, and so safely withdraws from the melee. Vangelis, Gaspard and Spaz pummel the enemy with their attacks [3d20=17, 8, 20].

Vangelis hits for [1d6=3] 3 hit points, slaying the previously injured kobold.
Spaz hits for [1d6=6] 6 hit points, slaying another enemy.
Gaspard misses, requiring a roll of 11+ to hit even AC 9.

Next, Mot works his charm person spell at the nearest Kobold. It makes a saving throw versus spells [1d20=14] but as a 1st level fighter requires a 16+ to save, it fails, and comes completely under Mot's influence.

The 5 remaining kobolds now deliver their attacks against randomised targets among those available:

Aedelwynn, Malaveque, and Tirandir are a few steps up the stair, and Mot and Jaras are behind the defensive line, so all are ineligible. Dramorian, Spaz, Vangelis and Gaspard are in the thick of it.

Targets are determined: [dramorian=1, spaz=2, vangelis=3, gaspard=4, 5d4=2, 2, 3, 4, 1] so two attacks are aimed at the dog, and one each at Dram, Vangelis and Gaspard.

Attack rolls versus Spaz; 2d20=13, 7, Spaz is hit once for [1d6=4] 4 hit points, and Spaz is brained!
Attack roll versus Dram; 1d20=2
Attack roll versus Vangelis; 1d20=5
Attack roll versus Gaspard; 1d20=4

Now Malaveque's sleep spell goes off and affects [3d6=3,5,4] 12 HD worth of subjects. Sleep is indescriminant and so will affect friend and foe alike.

There are 5 active Kobolds, plus 1 unconscious kobold and 1 charmed by Mot. These are 1/2 HD monsters, so each soak 1 HD each from Malaveque's sleep spell.

Dramorian is 1+3 HD, so soaks 2 HD, Vangelis and Gaspard soak 1 HD each, Jaras is next nearest, but he is 1+2 HD so would soak 2 HD and there is only 1 HD worth of sleep left to be allocated so he is unaffected. Mot is the next nearest and is only 1 HD, so he too falls asleep.

Malaveque's spell sends the following into a slumber: 7 Kobolds, Dramorian, Vangelis, Gaspard, and Mot.

Left standing on/around the stair are: Aedelwynn, Malaveque, Tirandir and Jaras.

At the same moment, Dramorian attacks [1d20=3] but he is already falling into a slumber before his blow lands.

[waysoftheearth]

Aedelwynn, Malaveque, Tirandir and Jaras, you are free to act.

The others are asleep in the 2in of water... and the mist is beginning to roll back over them.

[rleduc]

Malaveque sighs at the annoyance and begins to shake his compatriots awake, beginning with the nearest so as to get them to help with the rest. He will have a dagger drawn and will slay kobolds as they happen to be along his path, but he will not divert from waking the others to do so. If he knows which kobold was charmed, he'll let that one live.

[Deleted]

Dram, "Zzzzzzzz"

[Sean Michael Kelly]

Jaras helps to arouse his fellow adventurers and add a little light to the area with his torch. His dagger is sheathed, but his eyes alert to any unsettling of Kobold slumber.

[mgtremaine]

Tirandir would quickly and as quiet as possible draw his dagger and move to kill the the sleeping kobolds. He takes care to drive the dagger into their exposed throats while trying to place a cloak other handy piece of clothing, from on of the fallen, over their faces to muffle any noise that might escape as this is done.

Dirty work but it must be done....


OOC: I would NOT kill the kobold that was charmed. That is I saw Mot cast a spell and a Kobold become none aggressive, so I would know something was up. If in doubt I would make sure that Mot is awake before I start killing any kobold near where that Kobold was. But really since I didn't fall asleep I assume I know which is which.



-Mike

[waysoftheearth]

The chamber is now illuminated by two only two torches; one held aloft by the Halfling Jaras, and the one burning steadily from one of the numerous wall brackets across the room.

It is fortunate that Vangelis placed his torch in the wall bracket for had it dropped into the water when he fell asleep, it would have been quashed -- as was the torch of Firas extinguished when he fell into the mist and shallow water.

Despite the illumination, the wakeful company members still have some difficulty finding their companions, for the mist soon covers them like a blanket, and they can only be sought by the sounds of their breathing.

Moreover, this makes it doubly tricky to identify the kobold that Mot charmed. Even Mot himself is not absolutely certain which of the seven sleeping kobolds is "his man", but he makes his best guess and asserts that "this" particular kobold should be spared.

Tirandir moves about the misty chamber, using cloak and dagger to silently murder the other six sleeping kobolds. Within ten minutes the killing is efficiently done.


[Referee rolls for the appearance of wandering monsters... 1d6=?]

Everybody (bar one sleeping kobold) is roused.

What now?

[mgtremaine]

Tirandir would finish up the dirty work then sigh and give a short scoffing noise. He would pause and give a listen to the corridors then look around for Firas and Mab. When he finds each of them he would pick them up and moving to the stairs, sitting each upright to the left and right of the stairs and place a kobold club in each hand like some set of strange guardians... In the process Firas's shortsword would be inspected and eventually strapped on. All this assume there are no interruptions. The other items of interesting on our dead comrades would be placed in front of the bodies, the scroll would be handed to Mot. The spellbook of Firas, Triandir would hold in his hand for several moments as if trying to comes to terms with something, something that seems to make him feel uneasy. He would nod his head a few times before sliding it into his backpack.

Once all that is done he would leave the dead to their rest, but would point at them and then up the stairs to the others. Then with bow in hand he would return to the look down the corridor from whence came the kobolds......

[OOC: I assume other things are going on also but that is my line reasoning for now.... Curious to see what the fountain is ]

-Mike

EDITED - To highlight what was done with 3 of the items....

[Deleted]

One of Dram's companions indicates the fallen Spaz. "What of him?"

Dram shrugs, "He's just an old mutt. Leave him lay." But the soldier's gaze lingers a bit too long on the remains of his faithful canine friend. He turns away just a little too slow, his shoulders droop a bit too much. In the end, however, the veteran of many battles squares his shoulders, lifts his chin, and readies his sword. "We should retreat and regroup ... tend to our wounds."

[waysoftheearth]

The two fallen have a number of possessions that the neutral and chaotic types wouldn't look past "borrowing". Of course, the lawful types would like to see such goods returned to the rightful heirs.

Mab's dwarf-sized coat of mail could serve someone yet... and Firas has a valuable spell book and a scroll...

[waysoftheearth]

Returning to the Hart's encampment is not especially desirable. Who knows what inconvenient duty you might be assigned? Or whether the entire operation will break camp and march off to some distant siege or battle?

No, returning almost certainly end any opportunity to loot these ruins...

Resting up here for a night would likely mean your patrol would be declared "overdue". You probably wouldn't be noted as "missing" until the following day.

[mgtremaine]

OOC: Remember from the Backstory -- "The company know they are expected back in camp by tomorrow evening, and will be officially missed if they don't show by sundown the following day. That gives them this night to make their exploration, and perhaps the following day at the outside, if they don't want their absence to be noticed."

So it's pretty much go out in a blaze of glory or go home failures. The wounded need to bind up and at least rest a bit while those who can search the room and pull out the dead, etc.... Then it's time to head deeper into the unknown

-Mike