Kobold Den of the Snake

It was the morning of Okeanostag and Dryali, Kalleth, Tahu, and Tuala filed into Arnari's office in search of lucrative occupation.  Arnari was going through papers as they entered, and paused, considering them.  "I have a couple of missions which will be good for you guys to take," she started…

• The Children of Āhua in Mantzur were now getting attacked by mean dryads.
• Taleisin of Orderly Stones monastery wants those kobolds cleared out.
• Kaiea, Mayor of Cliffshadow, has gathered the resources to fund a mission to find and wipe out the grblin camp by Marshfork.

Kalleth was very enthusiastic about going after the kobolds, and actually everyone else was ok with that; Dryali was thinking he could ditch his goggles for a while; and Snake == bad.

They took some time to prepare for this adventure.  Dryali picked up a couple flasks of oil, a climber's kit, and took the time to infuse a wand of secrets instead of enhanced defence on his shield.

Tuala led the party back to the short triangular entrance into the hillside, with Dryali helpfully pointing out any turns he might have forgotten (aka casting guidance).  By the time they arrived, it was late afternoon.

Dryali:  do we camp and wait, or what
Tuala:  kobolds are nocturnal, you know
Tahu:  if we camp outside, we should be much further away

There were giant weasel tracks, and Tuala could not un-see his imagination of kobolds riding giant weasels around. 

Impatient Dryali snuck in!  The entrance height doesn't bother him!  There were two giant weasels in there, with tack and harness behind!  They were on the other side of a stream that had a little bridge across it, and of course they immediately saw Dryali <narrator voice: because Shari rolled better than usual for his stealth, and got a 2>

Dryali ran back out, yelling, "There are giant weasels chasing meeee!" interrupting Tahu who was telling the others, "Why do I have a feeling Dryali is going to run back out."  Dryali cut to his left (which was east) and pulled out his hand crossbow, to shoot the first weasel that came out.

He didn't have to wait long, it came out and he shot it, then Tahu casually walked up to it and killed it.  Kalleth pulled the dead weasel out of the way as the other one emerged and failed to bite through his armour.  Dryali hit the second weasel with a perfect shot, and Tuala parted its fur with a firebolt.  Then Tahu killed that one too.

Tahu suggested removing the dead weasels from the entrance, so Kalleth put them across the stream.  Dryali, meanwhile, went back to where he had been and pushed the goggles up off his eyes.  As he took stock of the cave, Kalleth and the others came up behind him.

There was tack across the room, but the "bridge" Dryali'd seen was really a latrine for kobolds.  The stream was crossed by stepping-stones to the left… it was narrow enough that medium-sized people like the Freelancers could cross, but kobolds needed stepping-stones.  Behind those was a tunnel entrance.

Kalleth pointed out the latrine to the others as Dryali went to the tunnel entrance for a look.  "There's some torch light.  I could sneak over there and have a look," he said quietly.  Tahu's face said it all, but he still questioned out loud the wisdom of Dryali trying to stealth.

Dryali shrugged.  "There's torch light, should be fine for you to go," he told Tahu.

Tahu made it about 15 feet through the reverse-S shaped tunnel before the Blleaannnnggggggh! rang out for all to hear.

Dryali readied himself to cast grease, as Tahu returned and announced "I was unsuccessful."  When nothing appeared, Dryali moved forward, and dismantled the mechanical alarm Tahu set off.  While he did so, he heard much squeaking of rats.

Returning to the others, he relayed this observation, and they came up with a plan; put oil on the rats, and Tuala would use firebolt on it.  They proceeded down the tunnel: Tahu, Kalleth, Dryali, Tuala.  Tahu and Tuala were slightly stooped from the low overhead.

Tahu found caltrops hidden in the dirt!  Dryali thought in future, bring a magnet.  Tahu trod carefully and warned the others, who also did.

They emerged into a larger cave, in which there was a raised mosaic effigy of the Snake on the opposite wall.  In the center of the near end of the cave, to their right, was an obvious pit trap full of squeaking rats.  The cave had an exit at the far right end (to the Snake's left).

The room was otherwise empty; the Snake was flanked by two torches in wall sconces, clearly well maintained, at kobold-appropriate height.  Coins and gems were arrayed below it as if in offering.

Tahu, wondering if the torch was some sort of mechanism, removed one of the torches.  Nothing happened, but the eyes were crafted so that they seemed to track movement.  Tuala removed the other.  Still nothing.

The party looked at each other.  Kalleth wanted to smash the entire thing.  Dryali was none too happy to face the Snake.  Tahu thought it should get pushed into the pit with the rats, but despite how it looked, the effigy was still part of the wall.  With the unknown in front of them, they thought perhaps the noise and time to do this could wait.

Dryali pulled out his wand of secrets, and fired it.   The exit to the right was trapped!  Dryali examined it, there was a pressure plate that would bring a boulder down!   He pulled out his tools and dismantled the trap.  Kalleth looked for tracks, but found none on the dirt floor.  <narrator's voice:  because Matt N rolled a 1>

The tunnel turned right, and they moved forward, and set off another trap!  Tahu took the brunt of the damage, but Tuala was the only Freelancer left unscathed.

Beyond, the tunnel turned sharply left.  Dryali peered around the corner to find a swarm of centipedes, and the tunnel turning left again, to almost double back.  Tahu and Kalleth came up behind him.  He took out some oil, and used it and held Tahu's torch with mage hand to set the swarm on fire.  Unfortunately that did not completely kill them!  Dryali tried to skewer some of them with his rapier; fat lot of good that did.  Tahu slashed those left alive with his short swords.

They looked down the tunnel, and as it veered left again, a skunk was in a cage.  Tahu tossed the skunk some food, to distract or soothe it, and saw past it, a green slime on the ceiling.  Tuala said he could prestidigitate the slime.

Dryali handed the torch in his mage hand back to Tahu, so he could use it to block the skunk, or at least keep the cage shut.

• Tahu stealthed past the skunk ✓
• Tuala stealthed past the skunk, but it still reacted.  The mage hand blocked most of the spray
• Kalleth stealthed past the skunk ✓
• Dryali failed to stealth past the skunk <narrator voice: because Shari rolled a 1> but the mage hand still blocked most of the spray

The tunnel turned sharply right, then left again, and Dryali triggered his wand of secrets.  A combination trap was in front of them: a pit trap spanned the width of the tunnel; it could be easily jumped, but beyond was a glue trap.

Here Tuala and Dryali worked together; Tuala used prestidigitation to soil the glue trap, and Dryali used mage hand to spread it around and neutralize the glue.

Dryali jumped over, then went ahead to where the tunnel veered sharply left.  There was light ahead, it seemed to open up to a cave.  He peered around the corner.

The cave was full of kobolds waiting for them, weapons drawn.

The cave was split by another stream, fairly deep, with a deeper pool to the left; the kobolds were on the other side of it.  An embankment somewhat protected them, and towards the pool, near a kobold with a red shield, was the plank used to cross; pulled back.

There were 13 kobolds in all; apart from the red shield, who was clearly the leader, there were 3 with backpacks and 9 other warriors.  One of the backpackers wore tiny antlers; another had horns on.  A supply of kobold-sized spears were ready to use, in the ground next to the leader.

Kalleth entered the cave, sized up the situation, and chucked his boomerang at the leader, completely missing him.  He cast compel duel on the backpacker kobold with the antlers, drawing his attack.  Tahu strolled up to the edge of the stream and chucked a pair of daggars at the warriors across from him, killing one and injuring another.  Tuala entered the cave and also sized up the situation, then cast sleep on the kobold warriors, causing 5 of them to pass out.  Dryali quickly assembled a force ballista, which he had fire at the backpacker with horns.

The kobold leader threw a spear at Kalleth, missing; the second spear he threw found its mark.  The compelled backpacker threw a jar at Kalleth, which hit the ground next to him and broke, causing a swarm of centipedes to emerge and attack Kalleth, who was suddenly quite grateful for his splint armour.  The other two backpackers threw vials of acid at both Kalleth and Tahu, but missed.  The rest of the kobolds who weren't asleep dedicated themselves to rousing their compatriots.

Kalleth struck the antlered backpacker with his spear, injuring him, then moved across the room, away from the centipedes, which bit him.  Tahu pulled out his light crossbow and killed another kobold warrior, then dodged.  Tuala again cast sleep on the kobolds, and 6 passed out, including two of the backpackers.  Tuala backed down the hallway.

The force ballista fired on the uninjured backpacker, injuring him.  Dryali cast grease under the kobold leader, causing him to fall down, and incidentally leaving the kobold's side of the stream, with the plank, greased.

The kobolds still sleeping from Tuala's initial cast woke up, and used slings to shoot Kalleth and Tahu.  They missed Kalleth, but hammered Tahu, ouch.  The leader stood up despite the grease, and put the plank; then he and another warrior crossed the stream.  The leader tried and failed to stick Tahu with a spear; but the warrior who crossed with him stuck a daggar into Dryali.  The backpacker kobolds threw more jars of centipedes, a swarm attacked Tahu and missed, but the other swarm bit Kalleth this time.

Kalleth used searing smite at this new swarm of centipedes, lighting them on fire and keeping them that way.  Tahu pulled out a sword and slashed at the centipedes attacking him, then dodged again.  From his hiding place in the tunnel, Tuala sent a firebolt past the kobold who'd stabbed Dryali.

Dryali moved the force ballista to get a better shot, and the kobold leader struck it with his spear.  The force ballista killed the backpacker it had attacked before.  Then Dryali laid down the booms with thunderwave, killing the kobold attacking him, injuring the leader and knocking him back across the stream, shattering the plank, killing the centipedes, and injuring Tahu.  The kobold warrior and the centipedes died.  The leader, in the grease again, fell down.

The noise woke up all the sleeping kobolds.  They stood up, and shot at Tahu and Kalleth with their slings, but completely missed.  The antlered backpacker threw acid at Kalleth and missed.  The backpacker with horns threw a clay pot at Tahu and missed; it broke on the bank of the stream, loosing a green slime into the water.  The kobold leader jumped across the water, and tried to stab Tahu with his spear!  He missed of course, because Tahu.

The centipedes on Kalleth burned to a cinder, as he hucked a spear at the antler-wearing backpacker, killing him.  Tahi slashed the kobold leader with one of his short swords, and Tuala shot a firebolt at him as well; Dryali shot him with his hand crossbow.  The force ballista shot at the backpacker wearing horns, killing him.

The 6 remaining kobold warriors used their slings to shoot at Kalleth and Tahu again; two hit Kalleth, who was beginning to feel it, but the rest missed.  The leader tried to stab Kalleth with his spear without throwing it, but Kalleth's armour deflected that too.

Kalleth grabbed another stray spear and threw it at another kobold warrior, impaling him.  Then he decided to jump across the stream, perhaps not accounting for the embankment on the other side; he crashed into it waist first, and slid into the water, which was deeper than Kalleth is tall.   Clearly disgusted, he moved towards the pool, which wasn't as deep, and in which he could jump a little to catch his breath.

Tahu killed the kobold leader, and apparently decided Kalleth's idea was good; he also tried to jump across the stream, hit the embankment and slid into the water.  Since Wind sagani can hold their breath indefinitely he was merely inconvenienced, and moved to the pool and clambered out.

Tuala used another firebolt to kill the kobold warrior closest to the embankment.  Dryali, seeing how unhappy Kalleth was, used his Earring of Āhua to heal the worst of his injuries.  The force ballista killed another kobold warrior.

The three remaining kobold warriors, perhaps a little desperate now, wielded their slings again, at whom, who knows, because they all missed.  Kalleth climbed out of the water and killed one with his boomerang.  Tahu jumped across the stream, taking care to account for the embankment, but was unable to attack successfully afterwards.  Perhaps he was chilled by the cold water.

Dryali and Tuala stayed where they were, but missed entirely, with firebolt, hand crossbow, force ballista. 

The kobolds, having Tahu nearby, gave up on their slings and stabbed him with their daggars, ouch.  Kalleth slew another one with his boomerang, and Tahu bonked the last one in the skull with the pommel of his short sword.

The cave became eerily quiet with the sudden cessation of battle.

Dryali started checking the kobold leader for any sign of special dispensation.  He had a strange necklace, but nothing else out of the ordinary.

There was a box in the bottom of the pool; Tahu dived in and grabbed it, to discover a small, ironbound chest.

Kalleth tried to figure out the space they were in.  He found bedrolls and sleeping nooks, so this was where they were living.  The others realized the only kobolds they'd encountered were defending; Tuala joined Kalleth and they looked for hidden passages.

Dryali moved on to check the backpackers for what other shenanigans they had.  He found 3 vials alchemist fire, 1 vial acid, 1 basket with centipedes, and 2 pendants of the Snake.

Tahu emerged from the pool with the small chest, which was locked.  Dryali inspected it, then unlocked it.  It was full of coins and gems, and also had 2 potions.

While Dryali and Tahu were assessing the chest's contents, Kalleth discovered a hidden passage, kobold-sized, and surmised all the non combatants had already escaped, leaving the fighters behind to defend.  Tuala, meanwhile, found a hidden nook with five eggs.  Big eggs, way too big for kobold eggs.

The chest had:

• 8 50 gp gems:
  • Bloodstone 
  • Chalcedony
  • 2 Citrine
  • Jasper
  • Onyx
  • Sardonyx
  • Zircon
• 900cp
• 600sp
• 60gp
• A potion that looked like a fog cloud
• A dark purple potion with a pink cloud in the center

Dryali said, "I don't know about these potions… I lack identify."  Tahu offered to drink one and find out, to which Dryali said "No!  Then you might waste it!"  He put everything back in the chest, including the potions.  "Will identify later."

They got up and looked at Tuala's find.  "These are owl gryphon eggs!" Dryali exclaimed.  Everyone stood there wondering why kobolds had such a treasure, <narrator's voice: and here the GM explained that we would know Tahia, the gryphon stable keeper at Freelancer's Guild, who would know what to do with these, and further advised that everyone wrap these eggs carefully> and Kalleth wondered out loud, "Why kobolds have gryphon eggs?"

They all carefully packed the eggs in the backpacks, padding them with great care.  Dryali took the strange necklace from the kobold leader and put it in the chest with the potions and coins.  After a pause to consider the lone surviving kobold, they decided to return with him as a prisoner to Orderly Stones Monastery.

Then they made their way back out.  They were careful jumping the pit trap; would not want to break those eggs!  After they passed the skunk in the cage, Dryali used mage hand to let it out.

They reached the shrine to the Snake and paused to regard it.  A lot of coin was scattered on the altar at its base, and perhaps some gems.  Dryali inspected it.  The altar was a trap itself!  A pressure plate there was designed so that the Snake's fangs would shoot at someone.  Dryali held up his shield, and then slammed his fist on the pressure plate.  The fangs shot into his shield!

The others removed the coin –1000cp, 500sp – and 6 gems worth 10gp each: hematite, 3 tiger eyes, turquoise, and malachite.  The chest was somehow able to hold it all.  Then they regarded the effigy.

"We should smash it."  "Snake is bad news!"  Kalleth was also sure smashing it would stop the evil novae that occasionally manifested in the constellation.   They smashed it, and headed out.

Exiting the cave, they headed east to Orderly Stones Monastery, and arrived just after full dark.

Upon arrival at the monastery, Taleisin was happy to hear their news, and take custody of the surly captured kobold.  He started doling out the fee of 100gp each.  The Freelancers asked him if he was sure; they hadn't wanted to commit genocide, and did not seek out the escaped non-combatants.  Taleisin waived that away; it was nobody's goal to wipe out kobolds entirely, just reduce the threat to travellers.

Given the hour, the Freelancers were invited to stay at the monastery until the next morning, which they happily accepted.

The next morning, Dryali prepared identify as part of his arsenal of spells, and proceeded to spend his next hour or so morning casting it on their mystery items.

• A potion that looked like a fog cloud:  Potion of Gaseous Form.
• A dark purple potion with a pink cloud in the center:  Potion of Mind Reading.
• The necklace from the slain kobold leader:  Periapt of Health.
• The 2 Snake pendants from the kobold backpackers:  not magic.

While he was doing that, Tuala sought out an acolyte of Tikanga, to find out if the novae in the Snake constellation had any rhyme or reason to their occurrence.  The acolyte said no, they had studied it for ages, and the occurrences seemed truly random, against all known order in the universe.  <narrator voice:  presumably Kalleth sought out adherents of Toka but this is not written down.>

Tahu and Dryali found Taleisin and showed him the Snake pendants.  "These were on two of the kobolds.  They have no magic, but we do not want them," Dryali told the monk.  Taleisin took the amulets gravely.  "We know what to do with these," he assured them.

• Tuala → lvl3!