Kobold Stronghold Part 2

NAME: Kobold Stronghold Part 2 TYPE: Challenge PREREQUISITE: Kobold Stronghold Part 1 MISSION LEVEL: 5 SLOTS: 6 DESCRIPTION: The party returns to the kobold stronghold to finish what they started after a short respite.  They want to make sure the tunnels are completely cleared.

SETUP: Returning to the site of the Kobold Lair, a group of seasoned adventurers find themselves, once again faced with a choice on how to enter the hidden complex.  The tree, the hole or the trap.

Kellen plans on teleporting down whatever way we enter.

" The hole didn't go too well the last time, on the other hand, how many water monsters can they have... " -  Prytania stopped for a second, weighting the options - " meh, I say we go through what's already known "

If they all lead to the same place, entering the way we know would be the best  Kellen leans over the edge of the hole, inspecting the water below.

     "I agree. At very least we can say there is nothing waiting at the bottom of that lake." Not that I'm a big fan of that water in general. 

Indeed, let us go this way, but tread carefully, Kobold's are tricky and we've given them some time to reset their defenses.

Deciding to enter the way you came in .. make your acrobatics or jump in (same as part 1) .. If you enter the water you need to make a fort save [14] v. filth fever Place your tokens on the map where you land. Plan your exploration route.

Fizziwik begins pulling out some harnesses and several ropes and a pully block.   I thought we might go this way again.  I know we had some trouble last time, hopefully we can avoid it this time.  Kellen, since you can get down pretty easily you go down and take up the guide rope.  Iss, you stand guard here at the top with your bow.  Gerty and I will lower the other's down in the harness while Kellen guides them to the side of the water.  Shouldn't take us long at all to get everyone down, and we have a good shot at doing this without announcing ourselves if we keep our voices down.

Got i t, ill be down faster than you can... At this piont kellen poofs down the hole, landing just at the edge of the water  ...Blink He quickly presses himself against the wall, and ties the rope off to a sturdy-looking stone. (stealth of 29)

Issachar jumps down, landing easily to the left of the pool (Acrobatics 24).   Should we begin where we left off?

     Ren takes just one look at the rope before deciding to jump down. Following Issachar, Ren jumps, targeting the right of the pool. Easily making the jump and landing softly.  Rolls: Acrobatcs - 29

Apparently only Prytania needs the aid.   Fizziwik helps Prytania get down and then rides Gerty into the hole, leaving the ropes in place in case the party needs to use them to get out.

Ah, so this this the direction you'd like head Kellen? Fizziwik asks as he moves Gerty a few feet behind.   I think we're all here, if you want to tread lightly, as you do, then we shall follow a bit behind.

Kellen nods, and then begins moving forward, sticking to cover and close to the walls, and looking for traps as he moves (36 stealth, 27 perception, 36 trap-spotter)

Prytania felt a bit bad, being the only one getting help, but then again, she spent a few days sick because of that water... Better safe than sorry, and this way they may catch the kobolds off guard. She thanks Fizz with her head and gets to solid ground, where the rest of the team is waiting.

SLOT 2 (9-5 EST) late post.   After exploring the next chamber, Kellen detects a trap which would fill the chamber with poison darts if you didn't know where to step as well as a trap that causes poisoned javelins to come up out of the floor.  Walking through this room without knowing where they were would be a death trap.  She knows that if she can disable the traps they will be unable to reset themselves.   NEXT SLOT 3 (anytime after 5pm EST) // You guys can post again .. this was a late post for slot 2.  you can post for slot 3 now 

Watch out for...here, and here.... oh and that tile there,  Says Kellen, outlining them in red chalk, and then attempting to disable the traps (35 DD on the poison darts, and 33 on the javelins)

Well done, but don't let your guard down, these kobolds have already shown themselves to be crafty, with traps inside traps.  

Ill continue, wait here until i give you a signal to follow, or you hear combat.  Kellen continues the same pattern of sneaking and perceiving ((stealth 29, 31 perception, and 39 trap-spotter))

Issachar draws an arrow and nocks it as he waits.   I am ready to be done with these foul beasts, he growls.   There are more important threat to our safety I need to deal with, but these pests keep distracting me.

Kellen discovers another pair of traps .. These seem a little more advanced and a little more concealed but she is on the lookout and spots them fairly easily.  The pair of traps is A swinging axe trap and a jabbing spear trap.   A ladder leads up into a shaft.

Kellen stops and spends time disarming the traps (34 one the floor and 20 on the wall). Outlining them in red, he looks up the ladder's shaft.

While disabling the trap on the wall, Kellen hears a snapping sound and knows she just cut the wrong string.  A giant axe swings towards her quickly causing her to instinctively roll out of the way.    Roll a defensive roll to beat an 19 to avoid 12 damage from a giant swinging axe.   Making a Defence Check: Defense Value (take your AC and subtract 10 ex. 18 AC would be an 8) Kobold attack score is 19. (11 + 8) Defence Check = Roll a D20 and add your Defense Value to the roll and compare to the Kobold attack score If your roll is equal to or greater than the attack score it misses you .. if it is less than the attack score it scores a hit.

Kellen dodges the large blade as it swings past (Defense of 21), and allows it to settle as he looks around for a kobold reaction.(24 perception)

Kellen decides to, after not hearing anything for a while, give the trap another crack. Spending another minute on it, hes pretty sure he got it (DD of 24). He swings up from the side of the ladder, and climbs up quietly (stealth 43).

     Ren follow's along, no to close behind the rogue. Traps and such weren't really his thing. Taking occational looks back since he was at the rear of the group. 

I will be posting soon .. sorry for the delay in posting .. i lost internet yesterday due to storms.  I have it back now!  Catching up and posting soon.

Kellen appears inside what seems to be a hollowed out tree, however it has been rigged to be sealed shut from the outside.

oh ok.... Kellen climbs back down, and continues down the hallway stealthfully (37 stealth, 31 defense v.s the trap)

Fizziwik continues to follow at a reasonable distance.

Issachar, growing bored waiting for Kellen to disable the traps, starts playing mumblety peg with his pocket knife.

Prytania's hand is already itching, this place seems to help her channeling of negative energy... (" Wait, one, two, three... Oh, I didn't... ") Cursing her lack of preparation, she signals Ren to wait for her, climbs the stairs, and casts a spell up there, just so the prayer doesn't reverb in the caverns. She then gets back down, and follows the group, looking much more confident. (OOC: Casts eagle's splendor on herself)

Kellen explores the rest of the passageway revealing no more traps and exits into a larger L shaped chamber.  peering around the corner she can see a hug throne constructed out of small metal objects glued together.  (I moved Kellen to this spot on the map)

Kellen will Motion the others forward, and then move across the hallway, and go into one of the side passages, approaching the throne room.  ((35 perception on the throne room))

Fizziwik will ride into the middle of the chamber and get a good look at the throne. (Perception 13))

Ren continues to follow the group from the back, behind Prytania. He thought it strange when Prytania climbed up and down a latter, casting some spell at the top, but elected not to dwell on it.  He entered the main hall, taking a good look at his surcounding as well as the throne. This is place isn't too bad at all.... 

Issachar moves into the throne room at Kellen's wave.  He stops, intrigued by the odd throne.  He gives it a thorough inspection (Perception 36), marveling a bit at the cunning that created it.

The throne is constructed out of the same strange metallic cylinders you have been founding in excavation sites all around.  It is composed of hundreds, if not thousands of them.   When Kirby steps up to investigate the throne, it leaps forward at him .. (Granted you noticed something odd about the throne and you were cautious so I'm giving you the opportunity to react before it actually hits you) knowledge dungeoneering (14) to identify the throne as a mimic/construct of some variety although this one seems rather large in size.  

Issachar is startled as the throne leaps at him, but is able to step back, draw his sword and make two awkward slashes, connecting on the first.   Holy smokes!  This thing is alive! //ooc two attacks, 23/13 for 12-5+7 damage

Slot 2: Kellen, seeing Issachar's plight, attacks immediately, sending a ghostly image to slash huge pieces out of the creature. Moving up, he calls for others to surround the creature. OOC: Kellen spends a Ki point to extend the reach of his swift claws ability, and attacking it twice (20 and 18 AC) for 41 total damage (after hardness).  He moves up using acrobatics to avoid an AOO, if it has reach (37 acrobatics). good luck everyhon! If it swings on me i use a dodge abiltiy to make myself incorporeal (50% damage from magic weapons, none from non-magical) with a 39 stealth v.s perception.

The throne room snapped somehow, trying to attack Issachar - "Holy smokes! This thing is alive! " - " What the... the throne? " - Shaking the initial confusion, Prytania unsheathed her sword as she charged the... Throne. Her sword had a sinister glow on it, as she swung it into the armrest, she didn't manage to channel properly into it... It's still a fairly new trick she learned, but it had some impact nonetheless. OOC: Attack roll 18, for 8-5 + [7, negative energy if applicable; Wis DC 18, I rolled a 3 for him. Don't know his will save, but I doubt it's that high]

Slot 2: Anticipating danger, Fizziwik has Gerty leap into a charge at the throne, hitting a solid blow with his lance. ((OOC: Attack roll 22: Damage 48-5=43 ))

Slot 2:     What in the world! Having never encountered a creature quite like that Ren was taken aback for a moment. Quickly recovering he Ren forward, a small distance behind to strike, however by the time he arrived at the throne it seemed that Fizziwik had already dealt the killing blow. Huh, the people on this island never seem to stop their good showings. Ren shealths his blade and continues to follow. At this rate I could have just stayed home. 

Although the negative energy seems to have little effect against the creature which is half abberration and half construct, the damage of the others is overwhelming and it doesn't even have a chance to react.  It breaks into pieces which can be harvested for the strange cylinders.  There are 3 different types of cylinders here made of 3 different metals.  Knowledges that deal with geology/stones or abilities would be sufficient to identify the materials here.  

OOC: Kellen got a 16 dungeoneering, not sure if it helps. IC: Well that was....strange. These objects are familiar to me, i have collected a few in my travels with those two. He gestures to Issachar and Prytania

" Same here, but beats me if I know what they are, or how to use them... " - Prytania shrugged, not even knowing what they are, much less how to start using them - " You seem to enjoy tinkering with these things tho, I'm sure you'll find out what are they for after we clear the tunnels... "

I've seen several.  I've been saving them, hoping to find a use for them.

After determining the rest of the cave is cleared.  The party grabs all the cylinders they want and head back to the surface.  They take time to seal the entrances so that nothing else will move into the cave and mark the location on a map so they can easily find it again.  Whatever remaining Kobolds were here have moved on or run away.  You do, however, find tucked in a cave a small cache of gear and although the gear is not worth much you find a tube with rolled up scrolls.  Several scrolls are magical and one scroll depicts plans for some giant machine.  These seem to be incomplete sketches of a larger design.  Through studying the information you determine the kobolds are planning something else and there may be a larger force at work somewhere because this location is not a factory of any kind.   Rewards:  3 MP, 30 Goods (random kobold junk) You each take 82 grey green cylinders and has etchings of a star, 26 silver green and has etchings of a planet, 8 black green and has etchings of a strange ship Of the items found in the complete search of the cavern you discover some scrolls CHOICE A:  Scroll of Make Whole x 4, Scroll of Shrink Item x 2 CHOICE B:  Scroll of Fabricate x 2 CHOICE C:  Scroll of Animate Objects x 1

Iss takes choice B

Fizzy takes choice B