I might have mentioned it earlier but I write my adventures in advance and when it comes time to play, I do my best to stay with my initial thoughts and plans in stead of endlessly tweaking my own work. This sometimes means I've either overestimated or underestimated the party's ability.
It also means I can't take into account unforeseen circumstances.
When the boar attacked, as soon as it hit half hit points it was going to release a high pitched pressure-wave scream and blast everyone in the kitchen out of the ceiling and on to the meadow above, caving in some portions of the cave and trapping the shaman and some 20+ K'Morat still down here. The giant might or might not have been here waiting.
Of course, a well placed critical by or raging barbarian, followed by some serious devastating attacks catapulted the mutated boar past half hit point and swiftly into "dead". Making my notes for the remaining 7 or so encounter areas suspect to change.
Write up follows:
We dispensed with some healing and discussed our options. The feeling was to continue this way and press the kobolds we meet along the way. Faintly we could hear some noise at the end of the corridor but nothing definitive. So after healing was done, Connal took the lead and we followed the monastic down the passage. As he arrived at the stairs, the saw from around the corner a cauldron pot tipping over. Dancing back he ran back the way we came as the steps and floor before it were covered in steaming hot oil and water mix. The kobolds then dumped the cauldron down the steps and made to run past, but Darius was waiting and slung a stone unerringly, cracking one of the kobolds in the face, the stone blinding him and slamming him back to the wall where he fell over and moaned; dying.
We waited for the floor to clear while two other kobolds ran off to the south and then Avilstein sent Centius forward to get the dead kobold. He tromped up the stairs, got a handle on the kobold and was hit with two javelins before turning back around, then hit with two honey buckets loaded with crap, and finally heading back to the wolverine with his prize in tow.
We went back to the storage/midden area and the rest of the group wandered around the corner as Avulstein stripped the flesh from the dead kobolds, showering the place with gore (and further skuzzing up Centius). From there it was a ritual of necromantic powers as he knit negative energy into the kobold’s bones and it eventually stood up, ready to follow commands and obey.
We went back down the passage, bypassed the cauldron, climbed the now cooler stairs, checked both directions, and then went right, following the narrow corridor as it turned to the left eventually, the scent of old beer growing stronger. The passage opened to a sizable chamber that the K’Morat had prepared. There were mounded chairs, benches, stools, desks in a 4’ tall wall, 30’ curved and wide, interspersed with slabs of slate of overlain with curtains and rugs – providing fantastic cover for the kobolds who might have stayed here – but there were none now.
Just inside the entrance were two curtains, each soaked with oil, on an ill fitting rod, and tied to a cord that ran across the ceiling and on the other side of the barricade. Trap – fire trap – but no one was here to man or arm it. We took the curtains off and cut the cord and then entered the room, doing the same to the similar set up on the northern entrance/exit from here.
There was a south exit from here and Connal and Darius checked out the other side of the barricade. A footlocker with a half dozen rawhide sandals were found with assorted other bric a brac, most likely for the kobolds to navigate the broken glass strewn floor. The sandals were cut at the toe thong, making them useless, and some of the oil soaked curtains were laid about the floor on the other side of the barrier. From there we travelled south, Avulstein’s kobold skeleton leading the way.
The passage led to the left and then a set of steps down, which we followed slowly. The room grew shallower to 4’ in height. There was a mess about the chamber and three honey buckets here. To the east it led back to the pit and eventually the sloping passage, to the west – someplace else in the compound. We had the undead move the honey buckets to the pit and then we drew up lines and went west. The corridor turned once briefly and the smell of gravy was growing.
Eventually it was some sort of kitchen/dining area. The K’Morat had set up two long trestle tables on their sides and were hiding behind it. A single kobold was standing off to the left a bit, motioning for the group to step forward. We yelled at the kobolds who threatened us back according to Avulstein. We sent the kobold skeleton forward where it was hit by a few skewers, a bowl of hot gravy, and even a cleaver before falling over, and while they were distracted, we cast a sleep spell into the room to put the kobolds to sleep.
But there were 2 barrels just on the inside wall that as soon as the spell passed between them, burst and showered the area with Avulstein’s sleep spell – dropping three of the party members to sleep. At this point the remaining 2 party members kicked into high gear and prodded, kicked, and woke up our party as javelins rained about their sleeping forms.
Scrabbling to our feet we charged into the room, bringing the fight to the K’Morat. More dishes and bowls were hurls at the group, Connal ran into the breach to hit them around the barricades while Barb and Centius held the front. The half-orc barbarian was hit in the throat by a well placed shot, choking and gasping while the group fought back.
From the dark corridor we had heard the snorting and squealing of a pig that burst into the room, tusks flailing and head lowered. Bullets and javelins were tossed, spears presented. The mutated boar slammed into Centius, overrunning him to drive Negan back into the narrow hallway. Magic missiles flew and the boar was squealing deeply. As it grew angrier, pressure waves were driving off of it, pushing the group back half a step.
Barb, already pretty hurt, let her inner barbarian loose and raged, charging the boar where she shoved almost 4’ of her 5’ spear into the boar’s side and down the length of its spine. It thrashed and howled and shuddered as we ripped into it. Avulstein let his inner wolverine loose and actually ripped its hind leg free.
The boar dropped to the ground, fountaining blood everywhere and died. The surrounding K’Morat immediately fled, running into the dark where we took down a few and the rest escaped. We doled out healing, blocked up the two corridors out with the 2 tables and even Negan dragged the boar in front of one of the tables to further block the passages free.
We then went off to the west where we were confronted by the shaman, 5 of his honor guard, 2 other K’Morat warriors, and some angry words in kobold. Avulstein did his best to translate but it seemed they were stalling, so Negan and Darius looked behind and yes – there were another half dozen and then some K’Morat coming down to box us in.
Fight time. Connal charged into the mess, Darius lit a Molotov and hurled it into the narrow hall to block it up from others who were trying to come. Negan was lying about, Barb ran into the fight, Avulstein and Centius joining in. The monk weaved between 3 of the kobolds getting within inches of the shaman and disrupting his spell. He took a blow to the throat and shattered his shield barely in time. The melee was swift and deadly. Darius and Negan easily held their own while hit points whittled away. An evil eye sent Connal running for his life, barely stopped by Negan in time. Darius slung a horseshoe at the shaman who had been protected by Protection from Normal Missiles spell - but the sling that had slung the projectile was magical - and imbued magic on each of its slung itmes - hence the spell did NOT hold and his was surprisingly struck in the face, spitting out teeth. Eventually it was the death of the Shaman that caused the entire complex to drop 20 degrees and the nearby K’Morat to stop, howl out in fury, and then turned their frantic assault on taking us out.
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