Kingmaker in the Forgotten Realms [IC thread]

[Saintheart]

High Noon, The Sootscale Caverns, the Stolen Lands
Twenty-second of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

Complication Dice 5 of 6

The kobolds didn’t seem to hear Akara’s question and didn’t wait around for a reply. On Ruk’s words, the chieftain gave an ear-piercing shriek and ran from the room, the band of kobolds behind him. The Company hurriedly came jogging in their wake.

The journey didn’t take long. A couple of dark tunnels and they emerged into another large cavern. The walls were decorated by a rickety wooden frame formed from clean-cut branches lashed together with gut and twine. Banners cut from two-foot-wide strips of old blankets and horsehides hung from floor to ceiling, covering much of the walls. The sloppily painted banners bore dozens of primitive icons and mystic symbols. A large cauldron filled with bubbling red liquid boiled in the centre of the room.

And behind it, skittering backward as the band of angry kobolds came storming in, was Tartuk. The seeming-shaman of the Sootscale tribe was dressed in a similar-looking feathered headdress to that of the chieftain, but his scales were a glittering purple that Ruk had never seen on a kobold before, not in all his travels – and indeed for any of the Company who’d run into them before, the colouration was very unusual. He had pouches dangling from his belt, though, and a sickle at his side – and there was no doubting the look of fierce, hostile intelligence shining from his yellow eyes.

Despite the sudden roll of noise that thundered into the room, and even backing up somewhat, Tartuk did not seem to be overly frightened.

Which was when they all heard it, in their heads.
For what reason have you brought discord to my chamber, chieftain?
It was a voice like silk. No – like fingernails on silk. Like the noise of an axe in an abbatoir.
Even the chief seemed to take a half-step back at the sudden sound. But the chieftain’s blood was up and he raised his bone club, screeching in Draconic: “Because your death comes howling for you, usurping scum!”

And so it began.

Spoiler: Tactical Map

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Spoiler: Tactical Notes

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Notice the map is scaled up a bit, i.e. one square on the ground is 10 feet. But follow the grid references as usual and it should be fine.

Anyway, straight into a fight here, no surprise round. And as said, we’re trying group initiative this time, which falls out as follows on my rolls:

Dergosh acts first.
Tartuk the shaman acts second.
Korlann, Akara, Three, Kuros, Ruk all act third.
The chieftain of the Sootscale and his kobolds act last.

Yes, Tartuk just used telepathy on everyone in the room.

As a reminder for how group initiative works: no need to post in order, you just post when it's your turn. In this case, there's a 48 hour time limit for Dergosh to act. If nothing by then, he flips down to the rest of the party by default and Tartuk gets his turn.

Then, once Tartuk (me) has posted an update, rest of party has 48 hours to post actions or be caught standing.

Lastly, for Akara and Three: there’s something not right here on either spellcaster’s experience. Three’s files, and Akara’s memories, are indicating a large disconnect between how Tartuk is presenting himself right now and what traditionally are the accoutrements of a divine spellcaster.