5:40 AM, Icemonth the 19th. The group wanted to enter the kobold lair. Fjord shared with the party to the best of his recollection the size and placement of the caves. We looked it over and even if the kobolds were sleeping, approach would be difficult at best. We narrowed it down to just Gun, Fjord, and Nevah to sneak in, with the rest of the party to follow on and when they had been told the coast was clear.
The three, Halfling, gnome, and half-ogre snuck down the 40 feet of cave passage to the first main cave. There were kobolds to the left and right, half a dozen each. They were resting on small nests of dragged together cloth and other scraps. Across the way was a 13th kobold, in a chair, but after observing it for a bit, Gun was sure it was asleep. They pointed and signed which way to go first and working left to right, coup de graced each kobold one at a time, knife to the throat, ear, eye, muffling their grunts as each expired. It took time but when done, Gun snuck to the last sleeping one and killed him off.
We could see the 60’ deep pit here with the boulders and eye hooks in place that were part of the trap to catch the group earlier. Gun looked in the next room. There was a pair of passages on the east side heading south, and a larger chamber to the west where we could see some sleeping kobolds. And 2 large boars. Awake. Watching us. AND there was another kobold on the south end of the chamber also in a chair supposedly to keep watch but asleep as well.
We went back and talked, inspiring the rest of the party to close. We had the idea to use Atlas’ sleep spell to put a larger number of them asleep. So he had to move up. And we knew that missile fire was going to count. Somewhere in here we assumed Yandr was still at, and if Fjord was correct, was still chained up on some level. There was another guard on the other side of the room, also seemingly asleep.
Gun tried to enter, moving quietly, but the boars were getting excited at his presence so he turned and returned to the group. They got a plan together and at 6:25, they launched it. Arrows and bolts flew, followed by a sleep spell which took out some of the kobolds, but even Atlas knew it was an underpowered spell. A stab to a sleeping kobold took care of the guard and Cara joined the Halfling near the front line.
This noise did wake up Yandr. The paladin pulled the slack towards the boar we was chained to, and as soon as he could, he jumped up and launched himself at its back, knees pressed tight. It squealed and immediately took off, dragging the other kobold still chained to the paladin. We filled the air with arrows and bolts, while the few that were slept were wakened by other kobolds near them. Battle lines were swelling. A kobold guard tried to slow the pig but was yanked off his feet, while the other one smashed into the wall.
Yandr tried to angle his boar to breeze by the Halfling and pick up Gun, but they failed to connect and he rode past down the corridor. One of the kobolds badly wounded was heading for the wall to blow the signal horn. Cara sent Ply the giant rat to intercept. And then Atlas had a great idea, “Sorry, Cara!” and fired another sleep spell off, hitting the rat.
“Hey!”
This allowed the spell to go around the corner and encompass the guard trying to blow the alarm, sleep him and a few others. Yandr had wheeled the boar and was riding north back up the hall. He came to Gun, pulled the Halfling aboard the charging boar, and the animal trampled the nearest kobolds to death.
A mop up followed and then healing was dispensed. Yandr and Fjord went through the items still here. All magic items have been taken, but normal equipment was still here or on the kobolds in the area. The boar that Yandr rode he spent extra time with, rubbing and talking nicely to it. “This one is mine,” he said, looking down. “Mine.”
Cara meanwhile had cast animal friendship on one of them, hoping that well meaning intentions and a herd mentality would have the other 2 follow along. Total count so far? 20 kobolds and 2 guards. Yandr estimated the entire kobold enclave to be over 50. The rest were with the chief, probably west of here.
We cleared the room and by quarter to 8, had dropped every kobold body down the 60’ pit, leaving only blood stains about. 2 passages south, the both went to the same place, splitting up and joining together. Eventually the passages split again at the bottom of a 50’ cliff. The other passage had the same. Fjord took out the grapple hook, we tied rope to it, and then took a few turns hurling it up and dodging the falling thing before it stuck at the top.
The half-ogre climbed up, eventually rolling to the top of the cliff. There was an alcove here, 2 stools, and a rolled up rope ladder. He could faintly hear voices echoing down the long hall past here, kobold and distant. He whispered loud down to the party, dropped the rope ladder down, and checked the hall, seeing it joined with the other cliff. 2 stools here but no ladder. He ran back and slid down the rope to the bottom as the kobolds were coming close. They waved and shook the rope until the grapple let go. Then the party ran back north while the kobolds were complaining about “Where’s the ladder” according to Nevah who spoke their language.
We went back to the area by the beach and figured we’d go around this way. It was after 9 by this time so we were on alert. We followed the passage, passing the area that had been seeded with hot coals yesterday. We did find a side passage that we entered and explored. Dried fish, nets, a place for the kobolds to prepare food. We took some barrels of it, the nets, and went back to the beach, hiding everything in the alcove there for now.
We then went back and continued down the passage. We could hear some echoes, and maybe some water sounds? Glow was up ahead. Eventually we could see the passage had widened to easily 35’, but there was a 20+’ chasm there, filled with lava. 3 bridges of stone crossed over the gap. Each bridge had a couple of kobolds there, 2 of them with warning horns. The light from the lava was spoiling their infravision.
We did not want to risk a fight there so it was a sleep spell sort of plan again. We wanted to hit the middle group and hope the spell was strong enough to hit both sides especially the horn wielders. So we drew weapons, a bless spell fired off, we got ready, and at the extreme limit of the spell range, Atlas fired off a sleep spell – dropping just 2 kobolds.
Wtf?
Coming out from UNDER the bridges, basking in the heat from the magma, were 2 lava lizards! (1 had been put to sleep). The hissed at us, the kobolds drew up ready for the fight, and we took in the area before committing ourselves to charging. Icemonth 19th, 10:10 AM.
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