Write up follows:
Avulstein cracked the grimoire and began reading directly from the spellbook – the words turned to fire and ash, coalescing around the wizard as he intoned the spell, the temperature in the room growing warmer, and then with a final flourish, the last word burned away and a 20’ tall curtain of flame sprung up about 10’ from the wizard. It hit the ceiling and then swarmed around the party, encircling them in a column of fire. The flames were colorful and warm on our side- but the opposite side was an inferno as we could hear the superheated air consume the grasses and fungi about.
At one point the column roared to the right as we passed the side passage and we espied a burning kobold with a flatbow on the ground, dead from the inferno as it waved over him. As the minutes passed on and we crossed the entirety of the room, Avulstein let us know the spell was fading and the group shuffled positions as we anticipated facing a number of kobolds.
And we were correct. As the fire fell away we were at the base of the shaft out of the room where three kobolds were here, two with flatbows, one with a spear. From the main room were a half dozen of the Matron Brood guards and one in a purple tabard, as well as two rat dogs, a giant lynx, and a wolverine.
Combat ensued with the group giving and returning fire, Negan and Einar taking one side of the combat while Percy and Hjalgrim were front line on the opposite side. Bolts were fired, spears tossed, Thalin wanted everyone to stay back as he volleyed a sleep spell at the tabard wearing kobold – dropping his animals but not him. Magic missiles shot out and the group held their own pretty well.
By the next round it all fell apart as the enemy kobolds pushed their way into our times and Darius found himself with nowhere to retreat to to sling stones. Shim was caught in melee and the only one of the flatbowers was down, Hjalgrim running into the fight to take the next one – getting shot for his efforts. Sybil was facing an enemy too close and a lucky bullet from Darius while he could still sling took him out. Negan was losing hit points and the enemy Shaman summoned some aid to fight against the group, allowing us to do the same and call our own conjured creature – a battle axe wielding bugbear.
A Dawn spell woke up the animals and the Wolverine charged the group, a rat dog biting and gnawing on the Halfling who was struggling to keep it off of her. Our undead kobold collapsed and a group of 4 more brood mothers finally came into the room from the western side and send more javelins tearing into Negan who was hemorrhaging hit points. Hjalgrim was pretty hurt and the party took down the last of the rear guard, Percy healing the cavalier who ran to help the party on the other side of the fight.
We brought the fight closer to the Shaman (Untar for sure) who was taking shot after shot and Negan picked up one of the kobolds, held him over head, and charged the 4 who were using the furnishings as cover, smashing two of them down and then barreling through the mess to engage them one on one. Avulstein tore into one of the group and Darius was able to sling once again as we poured on the last of our attacks. Untar went down in a spray of smoke and ash – tabard was missing!
And with her death, the last of the kobolds went to run but Negan hacked them to bits. We rested briefly, counted what spells and potions were remaining, and then healed what we could – hoarding our diminishing number of spells with care. Skita was with us as we were once again mostly healed and made our way to the slope up.
There was a chain on the walls with a candle lit about half way up in three places towards the top of the slope, balanced an “O” ring turned sideways. The floor was clean and shiny and the group wanted to avoid walking on it assuming fire.
We then heard Untar above – seemed on her death she “bamfed” up to the next room where she informed us that we needed to leave. We wanted our friends. We were monsters. Not going without our group.
Back and forth we went and then we decided we were going to have to have a calmer rapport with Untar and hopefully the High Shaman. We eventually made a deal where we would go with him to the Keep, leaving Skita and two of ours behind, and arrange a deal with the High Shaman to get our group and go. Not good, not at all – but we know there are other kobold Brood Mothers up there and according to Skita, a big assed Dire Bear – plus how would we navigate the city at night and not get caught?
Einar volunteered to stay behind – best bet since he had died recently and was functioning poorly. Sybil offered to stay with him as the fight took a lot out of her and she was feeling more worn out that expected. The rest of us agreed to go and we entered the upper cavern with care. Lots of fungi here, huge loaves of it. Some drying racks and stretched leather. And to the north the sound of “making love”, kobold style from the amorous caves. There was indeed Untar up here, over a dozen and a half kobolds (only about 5 were brood wardens), and a 10’ tall spiked shoulder bear. Like ridiculous bear.
Untar was happy to see Skita in good shape and we left Einar and Sybil here to rest and with good faith, the druid giving the rod of resurrection to Negan for safe keeping, and the group headed east. It was a walk through the sloped corridor to a set of stairs that took us to the back of a temple to Freya – where tow kobolds and a kobold GHOUL on a FUCKING CHAIN leash were waiting for us! Crap, glad we didn’t have to face that!
We then went through the temple to the main prayer room where there was a saying written in Orcish on the wall over the entrance about “disabling” these wards – with the word “enabling” set off and to the bottom. Avulstein, Thalin, and Shim were able to read it, and when they did, the words shifted a bit and the two words, enable and disables swapped positions – meaning whatever wards were in place were NOW disabled! And the kobolds have no written language and the words were in orcish – so chances are whatever wards were in place were the same ones the kobolds had in place over 123 years ago when this was an orcish city – and we just ended them!
Unsure what we did and wanting to give nothing away, the three magic users clammed up and we followed Untar and the escorts through the city until we arrived at the Central Keep where we were on our way to meet the High Shaman and eventually get our party members back.
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