Stegyre's Burning Plague IC

[Stegyre]

A sickness has come unto the simple mining community of Duvik’s Pass, poisoning their wells and blighting their crops. With the pestilence leaving the strongest men of the town’s guard a few short days away from death, the burden of descending into the mines and purging the wellspring of whatever evil has settled there falls to an intrepid band of adventurers. Can these noble heroes prevail within the depths of Duvik’s Pass, or will they too fall victim to the perils of The Burning Plague?

Mayor Cristofar Senders has moved his sickbed to the small public building constituting the Town Hall of Duvik's Pass. He would be better off at home, but so many are afflicted with this fever that even the sick must be about their business as best they can, under the circumstances.

Standing nearby, though not too close (the Plague is known to be contagious), is a tall, thin woman the locals know well: Arianna Tungstan, the wife of Chief Miner Jacen Tungstan, who with the rest of the miners, has not been heard from in three days.

The Mayor looks over the assembled group. Fancy themselves "adventurers," he thinks. Desperate times; can't be choosy.

"*Cough* You all look well enough, praise Pelor. You know why I've sent for you: the miners have not returned, and now the town's water supply is poisoned with this plague. I don't know if the two calamities are related, but Jacen told us once that they found an underground spring, deep in the mines, the probably feeds the town's water supply. The bottom line is, we need answers, and they're most likely In. That. Mine. Get us our answers, or this town is as good as dead."

"Be sure you take some torches with you. It's dark underground." With that parting comment, he waves you off.
All the locals know the pathway to the mine: north, up the slope of the Serpentcoil Mountain, about two miles out of town. The path is well-marked and (until the past few days) well-travelled.

Make any last good-byes, or final purchases. You may see others in town before you go. Persons of note other than the Mayor and Ms. Tungstan include Stefan Doverspeak, an influential merchant and majority owner of the mine and Father Samual, the town priest and healer, a cleric of Pelor.

[Feathersnow]

Eh, ye hypochondriac half-giants!! My hafling constitution is up to getting down that mine. You people don't even like holes and are too tall for the place, anyway. Silly humans.

Chucklee gets a sling and a bunch of rocks. Knowing humans, they would somehow not have rocks in the middle of a giant cave they dug to get more rocks. Rocks are the second best weapon in world, after pointy sticks, of which he sensible have a quiver full off. But, in the off chance this is really something to worry about, best be prepared.

I tell the neighbor boy, whatever his name is, that he should watch my riding hound if I'm gone long. I'll give him a shiny coin if he does. If my dog is hungry, though, I'll feed him to her.

[Bad Wolf]

Paik looked decidedly unimpressed with the halfling's boasting. "You may be in good health halfling, but this disease has brought the strongest miners of this town to their knees. It's no ordinary sickness. For all we know, it could be a curse." He looked over the rest of the group .

"If anyone has any business to attend to, now seems to be the perfect time. Let's all meet up here in about a half hour, alright? I'm off to see the priest. Perhaps he can shed some light on this sickness." And with those final words, Paik went to see Father Samual.

[Cynthaer]

"Quiet, you! Constitution or nae, the sickness'll take ye all the same. Grabbed a hold of me ma', and she's twice the halfling ye'll ever be!"

A young, dark-skinned halfling stands near the doorway, practically vibrating in indignation. Her voice evokes the image of a fiddle with all of its strings tuned rather too tightly.

Turning on her heel, she storms out the door and follows the dark-haired elf to see the priest. Perhaps now, with the weight of an officially sanctioned task behind her, she would have better luck getting his attention for her ma'.

[Seharvepernfan]

"Well, they're excitable." Ceron absently scratches the back of his head. "What creatures are known to live nearby, Mayor?"

No light sources or money here. Nothing to do, either, so he will wait here regardless.

[evyldead]

Hecarim chuckles, "Just a plague you say? Well let's find out what is causing this instead of assuming some "magical" spring. Hell it could be that this land is plagued, pandemics suck mostly caused by Elves figuring out powerful magic gone wrong."

As he finishes his statement it seems that Hecarim thinks back on why he is the last of his family...

"Anyways, The point is were being asked to find this spring, find the miners, and find out whats really causing this plague. Am I correct? If so we should get started instead of lolly gagging around priests, If it came from the mine what is your priest going to know besides how to treat it. I mean I'm no healer but the best way to stop this random pandemic is to find the source and purify it. That's what I would do and that's what I'm going to do."

Hecarim pulls out a torch and looks for a talented rogue to lead the way and he looks at one Halfling "You there. *looking at Miria* You look like the sneaky kind that likes to check for traps, You lead I'll follow and make sure no creature of whatever is down there gets to you. It seems like the Mayor is in dire need."

Hecarim awaits for his companions show there worth in this mine and how fast they react to such a danger they cannot physically fight. But to Hecarim he is just testing them on how much they can be trusted in time of need and how fast they can be ready at a moments notice such as this.

[Feathersnow]

Chucklee pretends not to notice the rebukes. Whippersnappers and half-giants, the lot of 'em.

Still, the cynical voice of experience says, I'll be glad of them if things go wrong.

[glitterbaby]

A dark-skinned brute of a creature and his equally scraggly companion walk with the group.

Vail keeps himself and Rosie a few extra paces from the sick more than the rest of the group, covering her snout and shooting cautious looks at every nearby sick looking creature. In meeting with the mayor, Vail's words are few. Words only ever complicate matters. At the mention of finally setting out, Vail gives a toothy grin and a nod of approval. He and Rosie seem excited.

[glitterbaby]

Forgot to include this and I'm rolling so I can't put it in an edit, I believe.

Knowledge (Nature): [roll0]

Is this plague anything of which Vail has heard? If so what are the typical causes and solutions thereof?

[Stegyre]

"Well, they're excitable." Ceron absently scratches the back of his head. "What creatures are known to live nearby, Mayor?"
"Why, we've had no troubles at all for . . . at least a good decade, I think," the Mayor answers. "That's the last I can recall any battles with the monstrous folk. Some of your lot, I think they were," he nods at the imposing figure of Vail, "but more savage. Other than that, we've found nothing in the surrounding woods but common animals, Praise be."
Vail knows what is common knowledge of the Plague: Its symptoms include fever, searing muscular pains, clenching of the throat and possible choking, fatigue and potentially death. It seems to have about a 24-hour incubation period and is passed by contact. Repeated exposure increases the risk of infection. It is not quite like any disease Vail has otherwise heard of.
Father Samual

The Church of Pelor is just on the other side of the square from the town hall. Though it, too, shares the town's humble beginnings, it has been expanding, thanks to the new-found wealth of the mine and the consequent influx of new residents, at least some of whom seem happy to give the gods their due.

Father Samual, a middle-aged half-elf, greets you as you enter. He looks tired. His role as healer has been consuming far more of his time over the last few months than priest, as he travels from house to house, trying to keep the sick from getting worse, trying to comfort those who have lost loved ones, trying to oversee the disposal of the bodies to stay the spread of the Plague. These days, these are thankless tasks, as he is clearly over-taxed and over-matched.

"Are you the ones answering the Mayor's call? I'll tell you what I know," he volunteers. "The Plague started about four months ago. The miners were first. One day, five or six at once woke with blistering sores and complaining of thirst. I thought it might be limited to the mine, but within the week, the livestock sickened: the same sort of sores. Townsfolk, those with no contact with the miners, began coming down with the same illness. It even affected the crops.

"We figured out it was the water. The town and surrounding farms all draw water from the same source: the creek that comes out of the mountain below the mine. It has always been fresh and clear, and the miners are careful to dump their slag well away to keep it that way. But it's poisoned now, and we've found no way to clear the taint. Boiling does not kill it.

"By the blessing of Pelor, I am able to cleanse almost a Butt of water a day, which is saved for the children. I can strengthen maybe one or two of the sickest to forestall the ravages of the disease, but my usual curative spells are useless"
He uses his full daily allotment of 0-level spells to Purify Food and Water. More often than not, he ends up using his 1st-level slots for that, as well.

The Plague causes ability damage, not HP damage, so he is able to help one or two people by casting Lesser Restoration.
"We are losing this fight." He looks more than a little hopeless.
Any specific questions or comments, feel free.

[Cynthaer]

Miria fidgets in place. Father Samual's seeming powerlessness isn't unexpected, but it is still discouraging.

"My ma'...she came sick weeks ago. Is...is she going to..."

The tears in her eyes finish the question for her.

[Stegyre]

The priest lays a comforting hand on the young halfling woman's head and says, "I do not believe this Plague is natural. That means I cannot readily heal it. But that strength may also be its weakness: if you can find the source, and purge it, the Plague should lift, for everyone. Go with the Grace of Pelor, child."

A sudden thought occurring to him, he goes to a nearby shelf and removes several bottles. Wrapping them in cloth for protection, he puts them into a bag and hands it to you. "These won't stop the plague, but they may heal you from any other . . . trials you encounter."
8 doses of Cure Light Wounds, CL 3 (heals 1d8+3). Lacking a cleric, you may need them.

[Cynthaer]

Miria nods weakly and takes the bag.

"I...thank ye, priest. I'll tear that curse out with me bare hands if I hafta. I swear it!"

She straightens up and composes herself, standing taller than before.

Leaving room here for others to speak with Samual, but I'm ready to leave.

[Bad Wolf]

Paik looked away awkwardly. He had always been a bit uncomfortable around people crying. When he heard Father Samual's words, his interest was piqued.

"So you believe someone, or something magical is behind the poisoning of the water? Any ideas what kind of thing might be able to cause this?" Paik raised a curious eyebrow at the appearance of the small bag, but didn't comment on it.

[Stegyre]

Father Samual shakes his head. "No. It came without antecedents. We have been at peace, no troubles, for many years now. Perhaps some envy our new-found prosperity, but I do not know of anyone who profits from this Plague."

[Bad Wolf]

"Hmm." Paik was vexed at the lack of infomation, but did his best to remain respectful to the priest.

"Well, thank you for your help." He turned to Miria, who seemed to have stopped crying. "Let's get back to the Town Hall, the others should be done by now." Paik started to walk back.

[Feathersnow]

Chucklee knew much of this, for all he feigns nonchalance. However, driven by pride and a desire for attention, as much as true curiosity, he asks Father Samual a question.

Padre, if I might ask, if we know this malady comes from the water, and not mine run-off, why would we not attempt to follow the stream to its source? Surely, the miners came down with the illness first because their health was compromised, or because they drank more water to make up for the sweat the shed in their labor.

[Stegyre]

Father Samual answers, "We know where the stream arises. It starts in a spring from the Serpentcoil Mountain, down-slope a ways from the mine. From here to there, we have found nothing amiss. The contamination is coming before it emerges from the mountain.

"But you raise an important point, about the miners: at the mine, they had their own source of water, underground. If they had first caught the Plague from the town's water, townsfolk would have gotten sick at the same time as the miners, but the miners were first.

"That's why we think the two water supplies are connected, and that the contamination began in the mine, or at least, the source in the mine is closer to the problem."
If people don't have more questions, I'm going to move you to the mine entrance by Monday, if not sooner.

That should be the extent of any railroading, I hope.

[glitterbaby]

Vail and Rosie patiently await the party at the specified rendezvous location. Vail makes an effort to keep himself and Rosie out of contact with any of the afflicted.

[Stegyre]

The group meets back together at the head of the pathway to the mine. There is no fanfare, no well-wishers to see them off. The rest of the town is quiet, as most people stay in doors, whether nursing those with the Plague or seeking to sequester themselves from infection.

The walk to the mine is uneventful. The path is easy at first but gradually rises as it climbs the southern face of the mountain. Then you are there.

A cool breeze drifts down from the mountain's peak as you stand at the only entrance to the mine. Around you, the ground is littered with picks and shovels. A single darkened shaft leads into the depths of the mine ahead. The dirt path beneath the wooden supports is covered with rocks, a few of which gleam with the hint of valuable ore. No light comes from the tunnel. Burnt-out torches, too, are strewn across the floor, their brackets torn from the shaft walls.


As a rule, I will make the "reactive Spot checks" for the party. These are "Every time you have a chance to spot something in a reactive manner you can make a Spot check without using an action. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/spot.htm)" This is to speed up play, so we are not waiting for six different schedules to permit six different people to post six different rolls.

You may always follow up with your own "active Spot check," (which requires a move action if in combat).

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6] (Hah! I did not forget the AC. I note that Ceron does not yet have a familiar, probably due to lacking the 100gp for summoning?

(Reserved for edit: will add additional info depending upon spot results.)

Rosie alerts at one of the wooden supports. Vail, with his keen senses, notes it too: patches of dried blood, on the supports and here and there on the floor. It might look like dried paint or a dirty water stain to others, but the wolf's and half-orc druid's senses know otherwise.

Ceron, though not usually known for alertness, sees something else: many of the mine supports are chipped and torn. Not the result of deliberate chopping, but of the random cuts and chops of . . . perhaps a battle? Other than the discarded tools, however, there does not appear to be more evidence of what happened here.

The entrance tunnel is 15' wide and 10' high, heading north, into darkness. It is straight, without branching corridors even further than Vail can see with his 60' darkvision. It slopes downward gradually.

I suggest you come up with a default marching order. You may also want to light one of your torches or do something else for light. Lighting matters.

[Cynthaer]

Holding a torch above her head, Miria picks over the scattered tools.

"Odd, yeah? Breakin' things and tossin' em around like that? What's the point?"


Search - [roll0]

Just poking around. Miria's mostly curious about the broken torch brackets.

[glitterbaby]

"Take a look there, blood on the tools," Vail points out quietly. He was never one for words yet he felt the group should know, as none of them had seemed to notice.

(I'm on my phone now so sorry about the formatting, I'll fix it when I get home)

[Seharvepernfan]

Ceron produces his crossbow and points out his observations to the others. "Does anyone have a lantern?"

[Feathersnow]

Not It!! Chucklee yells, as though this were a game.

While you might not want listen to a crazy old man, I recommend that the trained snoop search ahead, and you half-giants follow her, with me and the man with the crossbow take rear

I editted Chucklee's age so he is 37, instead of 17, which seemed not to fit with the party conceptually. Even so, he is still clearly not old, for all he plays at being a crotchety old man. He is actually a bored, somewhat young man who took a joke WAY to far.

[Bad Wolf]

"The one time I forget to bring a torch..." Not for the first time, Paik cursed the fact that he couldn't mimic the keen eyesight of the elves.

He looked over at the human wizard. "Wizard, can you detect anything magical iin this place?"




Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20+3

Spellcraft: 1d20+3

[Cynthaer]

"Didn't think ye'd need light in a mine?"

Suddenly an unlit torch is waving in front of Paik's face. The halfling at waist level winks at him.

"That's my favorite torch, so don't lose it."

Fortunately, I brought two.

[evyldead]

Hecarim reaches in his pack and pulls out a torch and lights it. "Here, Someone hold this preferably the rogue so I can take lead in case anything comes for an attack."

Hecarim proceeds to weild his guisarme as the torch is handed over to the one looking for traps (Whoever that may be I forget). "Shall we enter?"

[Seharvepernfan]

"I would rather save my spells for when they are needed; I have only a few." The young mage says while moving to stand behind one of the group's hulks, crossbow ready in hand.


How about this for a formation?

front
Hecarim, space, Vail
Ceron, space, miria (for searching)
Paik, space, Chucklee
back

We'll leave the middle space open, any of our marksmen can move over to shoot if it becomes important.

Agreed? If so, let's go.

[Bad Wolf]

Paik blinked in surprise. "Oh, um, thanks." He took the torch from her, wondering how someone could have a favourite torch. Paik held his to Miria's to light it.

" Well, let's get going now." If everyone stood around talking about the tools all day, they'd never get around to anytthing. Paik started walking deeper into the mine.

[Stegyre]

The torch flames flicker and jump, casting their light over the walls of the passageway. With Hecarim and Vail leading the way, the party enters the tunnel, descending into the mine.

You see no further signs of battle on the way, but you notice more of the torch brackets, all of them torn down from the walls. Whoever -- or whatever -- was here apparently didn't want the place to be lit.

After 120' feet, the tunnel opens into a small, roughly rectangular chamber (about 25'x25'). Scattered chunks of silver ore surround an overturned pair of wooden carts. The lower half of what appears to be a human body juts out from beneath one of the carts. It shows no signs of movement. Dried blood is smeared across the northern wall in several places.

Passageways lead west and east. Looking up the west passage, you can see that it ends in a closed wooden door. (Those with darkvision or low light vision can see the door clearly; for the rest, it is somewhat dim, in the penumbra of the torchlight. Looking east, the passage descends deeper into the mine, as far as you can see.
What will you do?

In case it is not obvious, Paik's K(A) and Spellcraft checks did not reveal anything new. Don't feel too bad: there was nothing else to discover at that point.

Progress Report: You are now in Area 2, of 7. (The entrance was Area 1.)

[Cynthaer]

At the sight of the immobile body, Miria's adrenaline spikes. By accident or by violence, someone had been rendered dead or unconscious. And if there was a chance they could be saved...

Breaking from the group's formation, Miria dashes to the overturned carts.

"Oy! You alright there?"

Torch still in hand, she braces one shoulder on the vehicle and shoves with all her might.

STR check - [roll0]

Just a formality, really; I don't expect to accomplish anything here.

[Feathersnow]

If we are worried about an ambush, we should check the doors least likely to lead where we are going first. Otherwise we head straight in. This isn't very helpful unless we know what we're looking for.

Either way, if we open that door, all of us that can strike from range should be ready to toss a volley at anything there. If all the miners are accounted for, then we can assume everything here is out to eat our blood.

Chucklee likes sounding clever and in charge. Mostly because he rarely gets away with it this long.

[Seharvepernfan]

"Let's go see what's through there,", Ceron whispers while pointing towards the door, "and please, let's try to be quiet!"

[Stegyre]

In her haste, Miria fails to notice that there is more to the cart than first meets the eye. Specifically, a very thin line, tied to the cart and leading to the ceiling. It is tight enough that even Miria's otherwise-ineffective jiggling of the cart is able to dislodge the small stone at the other end.

It falls down, onto the cart . . .
BANG!

Thunderstone (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#thunderstone). Miria needs to make a DC 15 fort save, or she's deafened for an hour. Because she rushed forward, the rest of you are still outside of the blast radius, so it's undeniably loud, but no other saves are required.
The loud report echoes down the passageways. If anything else is in this mine, you get the distinct impression that now he/she/it/they know you are here.

[Feathersnow]

{Halfling profanities!!} I'm not sure that is still necessary...

Uh. Oh. Chucklee is at a loss for what to do, and this is no time to pretend otherwise.

[Cynthaer]

[roll0]

Miria falls on her ass, cursing herself. Of course it was a trap. That's the whole point of traps, isn't it? You dangle something just tempting enough to make someone drop their guard and get careless. And Miria had happily obliged.

It wasn't even loud, really, so much as a physical blow to the head. Still reeling, and unable to hear anything over the ringing in her ears, she jumps to her feet and watches both the nearby passages and her companions' faces for any sign of further danger.

[Seharvepernfan]

Ceron covers his face in his hand and looks down for a moment, then composes himself and lays down in the corridor with his upper body just around the corner, training his crossbow on the door.

prone plus cover, expecting some friendly folks from the door

[Feathersnow]

Chucklee checks his quiver of Javelins and his pouch of sling bullets. He readies one of the throwing spears for any hostile force drawn to alarum.

[Stegyre]

As the echo fades away, no one else hears any more than the temporarily-deaf Miria.

The door to the east remains closed. Nothing seems to be approaching from the western passage.

Here you all stand, with a half-disclosed body under an overturned minecart, and several chunks of ore and other detritus all around.

[glitterbaby]

"I expect company."
Vail motions to Rosie and the two of them move to flank the western corridor. Vail holds the massive tree branch aloft, ready to bring it crashing down on any newcomers foolish enough to walk through the pathway.

Readied Action: Vail attacks the first creature to walk through the western passageway that isn't a member of the party. If Rosie is allowed, she does the same. (I don't know why she wouldn't be allowed but then again I don't know why she would be, so I'll leave that up to people who are not me to decide.)

Hide checks. His modifier isn't great but hey, it's dark, he isn't the one with the light, and he's around a corner. Maybe he'll get lucky.
Vail: [roll0]
Rosie: [roll1]

[Feathersnow]

I follow suit. I like giving advice, but the crazy half-giant actually knows what to do.

I hide. This might not matter, as I intend to impale whatever comes through that door that didn't come down here with me.
hide [roll0]

I ready a Javelin Throw (if it comes within a range increment of 30 feet) [roll1]
Roll damages [roll2]

[Cynthaer]

Seeing the others move to cover both approaches, Miria gently sets her torch on the ground and draws her bow. Crouching against the cart, she watches the western corridor for visual signs of whatever the rest of them have heard incoming.

[Bad Wolf]

Paik, ignoring the fact that everything in the mine was probably on their way here, tried lifting the cart. The trap was already triggered, so they might as well see who was underneath.

[roll0]

[Stegyre]

While the rest of the party guards the entryways to the chamber, Paik puts his shoulder to the cart and pushes until, finally, he is able to topple it off the body.

I'm just letting him take 20, as there is not another trap – not here at least :smallwink: – and nothing is coming down the corridors to eat you, yet.

Paik, a relative newcomer to Duvik's Pass, does not recognize the body, but those of you have lived here longer do. It is Jacen Tungstan. His death was obviously violent. His chest and neck are pierced with multiple puncture wounds.

It is Chucklee's sharp eyes that discern more.
The wounds were caused by crossbow bolts, small ones (as in, the type a Small creature would wield).

You notice something more, as well: the telltale lesions of the Plague, though Jacen appears to have died long enough ago that the body is not contagious.

You will have a sad report to convey to Arriana, Jacen's now-widow.

Other than that, your surroundings remain quiet.

[Bad Wolf]

"Huh. No one I know, but it must be one of the miners."

Paik looked up nervous, about the continued silence. Up close, it was quite obvious he didn't die of the plague. And whatever had killed him, seemed to be keeping its distance. Perhaps it was scared off by a group of adventurers?

He looked over at the closed door. Hmm...

Standing to the side should something come barelling out of there, Paik reached out and opened the door, ready to strike.

[Cynthaer]

Miria swore silently. Well, probably silently. It was hard for her to tell at the moment.

She recognized the Chief Miner from a few of the times she'd brought food to her mother at the mine. If there had been any doubt that someone actively malicious was at the heart of this, there wasn't any more.

Seeing Paik leave the body, she shifted once again to put the cart between her and the door, and waited to see what he would reveal.

Hide check if needed: [roll0]

[Stegyre]

The door opens easily. It was not locked, and it received regular use when the miners were still alive.

In fact, it still does get some use–

The door opens upon a large, square room (about 40'x50', WxN), with four long wooden tables, each originally with a bench on either side. On top of the tables lie a number of wooden bowls and eating utensils. In the southeast corner of the room, a small stewpot steams over a fireplace carved into the floor. A pungent odor hangs in the air. Clearly, this was the mess hall.

Most of that, however, you will not notice until later.

What you notice first, upon opening the door, is that the furthest table – in the northwest corner – has been tipped over to make a hasty barricade. Small heads and weapons extend over the top and around the sides, and with a gutteral cry, a volley of crossbow bolts are unleashed at the party!

Initiative:
[roll0]

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

The table is giving your opponents 1/2 cover (+4 AC). From your starting distance, they are also in dim illumination for anyone without LLV or DV.

EDIT: Looks like they're not getting much of a jump on you! Paik, because you have the higher modifier, you will act with those who get to go before the monsters.

The remaining tables disrupt any straight line, so you cannot charge, but anyone with 30' move can certainly reach their opponents for melee. Those with 20' move will be able to only if (a) they have a reach weapon, or (b) they were in the front rank, with Paik, when he opened the door.

[glitterbaby]

Vail throws a grunt towards Rosie before charging into the fray. He brings his club crashing down on the skull of the nearest creature.

Vail's grunt is a time-tested signal to follow him into the fight.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Potential Critical Confirmation: [roll2]

[Seharvepernfan]

Ceron stands up and dashes to the wall beside the door, standing flat against it, ready to pop in later and add his crossbow to the fray.

[glitterbaby]

Rosie sprints into the room mere moments after her friend. She finds the nearest conscious enemy and bites away.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Trip Attempt (if hits bite): [roll2]
Hypothetical Critical Confirmation: [roll3]

[glitterbaby]

Handle Animal: [roll0]

[Bad Wolf]

"Woah!" Paik barely got a glance before crossbow bolts came flying out, but what he did manage to see made him curious. Unfortunately, Vail and his beast had already charged in there.

"VAIL, GET BACK IN HERE!" He summoned a swarm of spiders as close as possible to the monsters to keep them occupied, doing his best to position them away from either Vail or his animal.

"Everyone else don't charge in there, trust me."

Just so you don't have to dig up a copy of Complete Arcane, the only difference between the Invocation and the spell is that the invocation has a duration of concentration instead of concentration+2 rounds.

[Stegyre]

That scream you make, when you notice a spider crawling on you? Magnify it, for when you and four friends notice a horde of spiders, coming out of the walls, the floor, dropping from the ceiling onto you . . . .

Vail's blow shakes the table, but neither he nor Rosie manage to connect with your opponents. Vail does get a good look at what happens next, however. There are five small shapes behind the table, all armed with crossbows, but before they can use them, they and the entire space on the other side of the table are covered in black spiders, and in seconds, they (your opponents) are screaming, first with outrage, then fear, then pain.

Three of them are simply overwhelmed, their bodies soon twitching under the swarm. The remaining two flee up a short hallway to the north. (It is only 20' long, ending, Vail can see, in another closed door.) When they reach the door, they turn to loose their bolts at Vail, the only viable target.
Each of them, you can probably readily identify them as kobolds, takes a move action to go to the end of the north hall, then a standard action to fire.

The cover they start with prevents Vail or Rosie from getting an AoO. When they fire, however, Vail now enjoys cover:

[roll0] [roll1]
[roll2] [roll3]

You could pursue them, but right now, they're on the other side of a spider swarm.
In their panic, both shots go wide.

[evyldead]

Hecarim goes in to try and break the table.

[roll0]

*on my phone right now more will be coming later*

[Feathersnow]

Chucklee knows what needs to be done. It is the day he has prepared for all his life. Throwing things at other, less pleasant things that can move until they stop moving. Once the Half-giant's attempt to end their cover is done, hopefully successfully, Chucklee tosses the first of his javelins at the sniveling lizard that is farthest from the charging colossus, and, if Hecarim failed to break or up-end the table, has the least cover.

To hit [roll0]
Damage [if applicable] [roll1]
Bonuses included for point blank shot feat.

[Cynthaer]

Miria squinted into the darkness. She could barely make out a swarm of something-or-other collapsing on their would-be ambushers. Shooting now would be little more than a waste of arrows.

Slinging her bow back over her shoulder, she picked up her torch and ducked through the doorway.

Move action to take torch, Move action to move 20' or so forward. Into the room if there's any cover she can reach, or to the side of the door otherwise.

[Seharvepernfan]

Not a second after the torch is thrown through the door, Ceron leans over from the wall, aiming his crossbow into the room, searching for a clear target.

Shoots any clear target available (one with no cover or concealment), or a readied action to do so as soon as one becomes available.

Crossbow: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
if crit:
Crossbow: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
bolts are cold iron

[Bad Wolf]

Paik mentally dismissed the swarm. Hopefully, at least one of the three would be clinging to life. He ran up and took cover behind one of the other tables, firing off an Eldritch Blast at one of the kobolds still standing.

[roll0]

[glitterbaby]

Vail turns and raises an eyebrow, obviously confused as to why he would be being scolded from simply being the first of the group to engage the enemy. He and Rosie then turn to pursue the kobolds down the corridor.

If they have a charging lane, both would take it although I believe Vail has no chance of one.

Vail
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
IfCritTo-Hit: [roll2]
IfCritDamage: [roll3]

Rosie
Attack: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
IfCritTo-Hit: [roll6]
IfCritDamage: [roll7]
IfHitTrip: [roll8]

[Stegyre]

The two injured kobolds, with their backs to the door, are now in melee with the Half-orc and his wolf. Dropping their crossbows, they ready shortspears and jab as best they can.
FWIW, all of your attacks went wide.

Each kobold uses its move action to ready shortspear, then standard action attack:

[roll0] [roll1]
[roll2] [roll3]

. . . and they missed, too.

[Feathersnow]

Well, Chucklee has more pointy sticks where those came from.

He takes a move to draw and a standard to throw another pointy rod of stabbing death!!

1d20+5 to hit the Kobold furthest from the action.

[roll0] damage to the scrawny, scaly brute.

[Cynthaer]

As the kobolds finally stopped moving, Miria seized the opportunity to get a clearer view of them. Weaving between tables, she pitched her torch over the barricade, hoping to allow her allies to finally land some proper blows.

Move Action to advance 20', Standard Action to pitch Miria's torch somewhere within 20' of both kobolds.

Not sure what roll, if any, is required to throw an object at a space on the ground, but if needed:

[roll0]

[Seharvepernfan]

Ceron reloads his crossbow and turns around, keeping an eye on the tunnel behind the group.

Readying an action to shoot anything hostile-looking that tries to come up behind us.

[evyldead]

When and if it gets to my turn Hecarim will go in and try to hit the baddies.
Moves in closer to the baddies and takes a swing at the one that looks like he's almost dead (if any).
Attack- [roll0]
Damage- [roll1]
All from 10 ft. away

[Stegyre]

A few seconds more, and it is all over. Miria brings her torch close enough for the fighters to clearly see the two remaining kobolds. Chucklee's javelin sceweres one, while Hecarim's poleweapon does for the other.
63 XP, each, if I've correctly applied the DMG instructions.
Searching the bodies – "because that's what adventurers do" – (and stepping on the occasional stray spider) you find that each carried a few coins. One of them, probably the leader, has something a little extra in his pouch: a small iron key and a beautiful oval amethyst.
55 gp, iron key, amethyst


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
Rosie doesn't get one in this particular case, for reasons.

EDIT: It is Vail who notices there are decidedly more bowls of stew than there were kobolds, almost twice as many. (And now you know why Rosie didn't get a roll.)
Having time to look over the room more clearly, you see a stewpot simmering over charcoal in the southeast corner, and several bowls of stew (some of them overturned) that the kobolds were most likely eating before they doubtless heard the thunderstone.

The only obvious exits are the passage to the east (where you came in), or the short corridor north, where you slew the last two kobolds before a wooden door. The door is locked, though there is a key hole.

[evyldead]

After Hecarim examines the room he looks at the paths they have. "We should probably check the locked room, It may have more creatures of sorts in there but it is locked and maybe only one room and possible treasure. My vote is for this here locked door. I can stand in front with a table incase anything tries to shoots at us for a shield of sorts as someone opens the door."
Hecarim thinks for a moment and realizes "If that door is locked then there is probably just the captains room seeing as the other way is nothing but tunnels. And we made quiet the ruckus, so there's probably more on their way up right now. So we can put a table in front of that door just in case this is indeed just a room and the table will give us time to re-evaluate our next plan. Either way we should see if there is any maps of the tunnels lying around."

Hecarim starts pulling the tables in front of both doors starting with the one we came in from. Then grabs a bowl of stew and sees if it is worth eating.
[roll0]

Hecarim takes some stew and see's if it is good and walks with the group.

[glitterbaby]

"Has anyone else noticed that there should be more of these creatures than the ones that have been slain? I get the feeling they're heading for reinforcements."

Vail doesn't pay much mind to Hecarim's plan. He hasn't seemed to care much at all about specific plans thus far, in fact.

[Feathersnow]

I think it is foolish to leave unknowns behind us. Not if we are fighting anything smart enough to lay an ambush and present in numbers.

I think we should see what is behind the door.

And take whatever there is that has resale value, Chucklee carefully avoids saying.

[Bad Wolf]

"Is it just me, or did it feel like they were defending this door? They weren't really trying to flee...I say we open the door. If its what I think it is, we should be fine." Paik picked up the key and unlocked the door, ready to attack.

[Cynthaer]

Miria shook her head. The ringing in her ears had started to give her a headache.

After the group had finished picking over the bodies, she saw the others beginning to posture around the door that the kobolds had attempted to reach. Clearing her throat at what she estimated to be a moderate-yet-attention-grabbing volume, she held up one finger.

"Wait a tick."

She grabbed the fallen torch and moved to inspect the door.

Basic trapfinding check.

[roll0]
After the debacle outside, Miria wasn't about to let any more oh-so-clever traps catch her off guard. Once she was quite certain the door was safe, she set her torch down just to the side, drew her bow, and moved back to a safe distance.

[Stegyre]

Hecarim's investigation of the stew is -- eventful. Your best guess is that it is a concoction of rotting vegetables and rat meat. You cannot identify all the ingredients, and you're not sure you would want to. The smell is positively foul.
Let me know if anyone actually wants to taste the stuff.

The iron key you found on the kobolds fits the lock, and the door opens easily enough.

Beyond, you see a long, narrow room lined with shelves on either side. The shelves, themselves, appear to be loaded with foodstuffs and supplies: a larder. Heavy burlap sacks are piled atop one another in the corners of the chamber. A few have been torn open, leaving spills of oats and flour along the floor. Several barrels stand in a cluster near the far (northern) wall, though in the torchlight, that is only visible to those with darkvision or low-light vision.
Bear with me: I'm going to try to expand my abilities by posting a small map image, but I've never been too adept at this. Anyone who wants to give advice, feel free to put in in the OOC or PM me. Meanwhile, watch this space for an actual map!

Well, I would like to do better for you, but for now, here's link to the map: Area 4 Map (https://www.dropbox.com/sc/ogz2yno08kwx8te/AACK6AQZT6X8VMQczKvIBHu0a).

[Bad Wolf]

"Huh. Well that's embarassing. I thought it would be a Kobold nursery or something."

He turned to the others.

"So, shall we check out the mine shaft?"

[Feathersnow]

Just as well. I'd rather not kill hatchlings, even if it is for the best. Let us get on with this.

Chucklee is abruptly less jovial, and moves to recover his javelins.

[Cynthaer]

Miria raised an eyebrow. Were the kobolds really just retreating to their pantry?

Picking her torch back up, she ducked inside to take a closer look at the shelves and corners before the group moved on.

[roll0]

[glitterbaby]

Vail bends down to one knee, instructing Rosie to stay put while he investigates the new room with Miria. He takes a quick look around before searching over every inch of the room quite meticulously.

Spot Check: [roll0]

Using the Aid-Another action to try and give Miria a +2 on her search check.
Search: [roll1]

[Bad Wolf]

Paik started searching with the others. There had to be something else here...

I'm gonna say he takes twenty on this, so he has a result of 21.

[Stegyre]

All was quiet as you looked in from the doorway, but when some of you start to make a more thorough exploration, the kobolds hiding behind the barrels at the far end conclude they cannot hope to be passed by.

Three of them loose a volley of crossbow bolts at the intruders, while the fourth pulls on a rip cord -- once you would have advanced deeper into the room, you would have easily spotted the trap: several sacks of flour, secured to the ceiling about 15' to 20' into the room. The rip cord pulls a razor wire around the sacks, slicing them open, and dumping the contents into the southern 40' of the room.

Because of the distance and lighting, only Vail has the chance to spot them before the attack. Paik might hear them in time to react during the surprise round, though it will be hard from so far away. (Miria is still deaf.)
Vail spot check: [roll0] vs. kobold hide [roll1]
Paik listen check: [roll2] vs. kobold quiet [roll3]

(Note: I'm not bothering with range modifiers as an initial matter; I'll look them up if it seems they might make a difference, based on the rolls.)

Anyone who meets or beats the respective kobold roll, gets to act in the surprise round. Just in case:
Vail init: [roll4]
Paik init: [roll5]
Kobold init: [roll6]

EDIT: Paik hears them in time to react in the surprise round, but not until after they have fired.

Kobold attacks are randomly distributed among the three of you in the room: 1=Vail, 2=Miria, 3=Paik:
target [roll7] to hit[roll8] damage [roll9]
target [roll10] to hit[roll11] damage [roll12]
target [roll13] to hit[roll14] damage [roll15]

EDIT: shots at Paik go wide, but looks like Vail (edit: Miria :smallredface:)takes a small wound.

Rosie gets her own "spot check," but this is not for the kobolds and is actually based on her scent ability, and Vail has another, related spot check for the same thing:
Rosie scent [roll16]
Vail spot [roll17]

EDIT: Nothing to see here . . .

Note: I just had to redo all the rolls in this post, due to the mistake of posting in another thread and then trying to do this post less than 30 seconds later. The modifiers I've applied from memory, since I already closed out of the character sheets. To the extent things are close, I will double check them, and for the record, the modifier difference in Vail's first and second spot checks is not an error.:smallwink:

EDIT: due to the cloud of flour, anyone in the southern 40' of the room has a 20% miss chance against other targets. You can of course avoid this by moving out of the flour cloud.

Thanks to the barrels, the kobolds again have cover, giving them +4 AC, etc.

[Feathersnow]

{More cursing in Halfling!!} You know what I said about not wanting to murder your children, well, I'm still going to do it!!

[roll0]

[Bad Wolf]

Paik did his best not to smack Chucklee in the face. That was not going to help. He held his hands up.

"Wait, hold on! We do not desire any more blood being shed today. Put down your weapons, and I can promise you my companions will not harm you. I just want to talk." He turned slightly to speak to the others.

"We won't find out what's causing the plague by slaughtering everything we come across, so put down your weapons everyone."

If I can roll one here, here it is
1d20+3

[glitterbaby]

Vail falls back out of the room, taking cover behind the wall. He then murmurs a few ancient syllables, imbuing his club with energy. He then prepares himself to pounce the moment Paik's feeble words fail him.

Casting Shillelagh on the club, probably should have done that last time.

[Stegyre]

There is a brief pause. Those with sharp ears might hear the gutteral whisperings of the draconic tongue, common to the kobolds but, regrettably, foreign to all of you.

This is quickly followed with four crossbow bolts.
Only Paik and Miria are in the room, but Paik has made himself a bit of a target (and even if the kobolds didn't understand him, they don't at all like what they think he must have said, so 1-2 = Paik, 3 = Miria:
target [roll0] to hit [roll1] damage [roll2]
target [roll3] to hit [roll4] damage [roll5]
target [roll6] to hit [roll7] damage [roll8]

Party's turn to act, start of Round 2, more or less.

Edit: aaaand it looks like (a) Paik's luck continues to hold; (b) as does Miria's (but of the bad variety); and (c) I cannot count to four :smallredface: Check the OOC thread for the last shot.

[Feathersnow]

Like most things, crossbows are just a degenerate form of throwing!
Chucklee has no idea where that came from, and is increasingly dubious why he thought coming here was a good idea. Well, he's committed now. Time to throw one of those Javelins!

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Cynthaer]

More traps, because it wasn't enough to be deaf. Oh no. Miria needed to be blind, too. Even better, why not use her as a storage space for kobold arrows?

Drawing on the few fully-functioning senses she had left at her disposal, Miria staggered back from the cloud of flour and pulled her bow..

Dropping torch in the middle of the flour, then Move action to get back outside the doorway. Another Move to draw her shortbow.

[glitterbaby]

Vail, once again, grunts at Rosie before charging headfirst into the room to defend his allies. Vail brings the humming hunk of wood crashing down on his opponents skulls.

Vail - If CanAttackBaddie Then AttackBaddie
Else MoveNearEnoughBaddieToAttackNextTurnButAlsoUseSome thingAsCover

Handle Animal:
Attack: [roll1]
Hypothetical Damage: [roll2]
Hypothetical Critical Confirmation: [roll3]
Hypothetical Damage: [roll4]


Rosie - If HandleAnimalCheckSucceeds Then AttackBaddie
Else DoNothing

Attack: [roll[1d20+3
Hypothetical Damage: [roll5]
Hypothetical Critical Confirmation: [roll6]
Hypothetical Critical Damage: [roll7]
Hypothetical Trip Attempt: [roll8]

[Bad Wolf]

Paik sighed. Once again, trying to be the pacifist didn't work. No matter. He fired off an Eldritch Blast at the closest kobold, then moved to get out of the way of the others.

[roll0]

[Seharvepernfan]

Like a baker's ghost, Ceron dashes through the cloud of flour and dives to the floor near the kobolds, then weaves a simple spell while lying on his front. From his hands, a blinding flash of rainbow light explodes towards the kobolds.

Move to within 15ft of as many kobolds as possible, drop prone, and cast color spray. Prone grants +4 AC vs ranged weapons, unless the enemy is adjacent.

DC is 14

[Stegyre]

Vail, Rosie, and -- perhaps to the surprise of others -- the mage Ceron charge into the room to attack the kobolds. Vail and Rosie make it all the way to the barrel barricades, where Vail promptly pulverizes one of the ambushers.

A shot of eldritch energy from Paik goes a little wide, but the kobold dodging it is hit full in the face by a coruscating cascade of colour washes from Ceron, and it promptly collapses. The two remaining kobolds, however, are unaffected. They switch to their short spears and stab back at Vail and Rosie.
Move actions to ready spears; standard attacks:
Against Vail: To hit [roll0] damage [roll1]
Against Rosie: To hit [roll2] damage [roll3]

[glitterbaby]

Vail almost laughs. As if these puny creatures thought their twigs could scratch him or Rosie. Vail swiftly sends a blow to the kobolds head in an attempt to make the world a more intelligent place. Rosie follows suit.


Vail

Attack: [roll0]
Hypothetical Damage: [roll1]
Hypothetical Critical Confirmation: [roll2]
Hypothetical Critical Damage: [roll3]


Rosie

Attack: [roll4]
Hypothetical Damage: [roll5]
Hypothetical Critical Confirmation: [roll6]
Hypothetical Critical Damage: [roll7]
If-Hit Trip Attempt: [roll8]

[Feathersnow]

Chucklee's bravado is starting to wear thin. He can barely see, and he's reasonably sure the primitive traps have kept the creatures safe.

Oh, well. A Halfling warrior dies with missiles in the air on in bed at home, and no third choice.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Seharvepernfan]

Ceron hops to his feet, flour clouding up around him, and fires his crossbow at the nearest kobold, then promptly drops back to the ground.


Move action to stand, standard to fire, free to drop.

Light Crossbow: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Cynthaer]

If ye' cannae shoot 'em, join 'em.

Miria was a passable archer, but she wasn't entirely confident in her ability to thread an arrow through a cloud of dust, past her burlier companions, and over a collection of barrels to hit an enemy barely as tall as her.

Drawing her blade, she ducked back into the room.

Free action to store bow, Move action to draw shortsword, Move action to advance 20' into the room.

[Bad Wolf]

Annoyed that he always seemed to be missing, Paik contemplated just dropping a swarm of spiders on the kobolds and be done with this battle. But as his allies were too close, he fired off another eldritch blast.

[roll0]

[Stegyre]

Vail's tree branch crashes into the top of one of the barrels, as his kobold target ducks down. Rosie, nipping and lunging as she can, still fails to get her jaws into either of the attackers.

Meanwhile, both Chucklee's javelins, Ceron's bolt, and the eldritch fury of Paik's blast fly wide of the mark.

Hecarim rushes into the room and uses the length of his guisarme to reach past Rosie and Vail to stab at one of the koblods.
move action to enter the room, standard attack: [roll0], damage . . . is irrelevant: this thing does 2d4+6, which is more than enough to splat any kobold if hit. "Don't get in the way of Hecarim's guisarme": words to live by.

Edit: Oh, Hecarim, a 1?
Meanwhile, Miria, too, has advanced in the room, but cannot get near enough to attack the kobolds, so she does not even try, constituting herself as the party's rearguard, for the moment.

That turns out to be a good thing . . .

As the flour dust starts to settle, for as the kobolds again jab their short spears at Vail and Rosie, a lithe shape slithers out from where it has been observing the party from the pile of sacks in the southwest corner: a dire weasel moves to attack. Unable to reach the (delightfully vulnerable) prone Ceron, due to Miria's guard, it attacks her, instead.

Miss chance for those in the southern end of the room has now fallen to 10%.

Kobold attacks, targeted at Vail (1) or Rosie (2):
target: [roll1] to hit [roll2], damage [roll3]
target: [roll4] to hit [roll5], damage [roll6]

Edit: I'm ruling that both Vail and Rosie enjoy at least some of the same cover as the kobolds. This makes no difference for Vail this time, with his 16 AC, but it does mean that the jab at Rosie hits the barrel instead of her.

Dire Weasel attack vs. Miria: to hit [roll7], damage [roll8] -- nasty piece of work, that. It's decidedly more dangerous than the kobolds.

Edit: Oh, my: I think Miria's down, though not so far negative that the others cannot save her after dispatching the threats. See miss chance roll in OOC thread. Go, go, Miria!

Go, go, adventurers!

[Cynthaer]

Miria almost didn't see the massive beast come up behind her; only pure luck and slowly dissipating cloud kept it from sinking its teeth into her neck. With a cry, she reflexively hacked at it with her blade before scampering back towards her allies.

Standard Action:

[roll=Damage (yeah right)]1d4

Misc Action: 5-foot step away from the weasel and towards everybody else.

[Feathersnow]

Gah! I was sick of fighting craven newts anyway!


[roll0]
damage [roll1]

[glitterbaby]

Heh. How foolish of this particular weasel to not remain hidden. Not much of a hunt when your quarry points itself out but it matters not, it's hide will warm my neck by night's end.

Vail promptly lunges for the animal while Rosie continues battling the kobold.

If CanCharge then Charge
Else MoveAndAttack

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Hypothetical Critical Confirmation: [roll2]
Hypothetical Critical Damage: [roll3]


Rosie

Attack: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
Hypothetical Critical Confirmation: [roll6]
Hypothetical Critical Damage: [roll7]
Hypothetical Trip Attempt: [roll8]