Our second session of Keep on the Shadowfell saw some minor reshuffling within the party as Arak of the Shadows faded away into the night, to be replaced by Greth (githzerai ranger/seeker hybrid). A new player also joined us, bringing a deva avenger named Caliban to the party. The more the merrier, I always say.
After defeating the second kobold ambush, the heroes rested and healed up at a nearby farmstead. Word of the group’s mission spread through the area like wildfire and before long, visitors from other farms arrived to talk with the adventurers. All of the farmers in the area were afraid that the increasingly destructive kobold attacks would disrupt the upcoming harvest, so the party received many helpful tips concerning the location of the hidden kobold lair.
Outside the Kobold Lair
Following up on one especially promising clue, the heroes found themselves moving through a glade of trees bordering a shallow river. Sardalf and Caliban stealthily led the way as the roaring of a waterfall somewhere ahead helped to mask the sound of their movement. The rogue and avenger froze in their tracks as several kobolds became visible through the trees. Some of the savage creatures were fishing in the stream while another sharpened his weapon near a sacred circle where magic runes glowed on the ground. Caliban recognized the spot as an old druid circle.
As the rogue and avenger manuevered closer to the kobolds, one of the creatures spotted them and sounded the alarm. Suddenly hearing a growing tumult, the rest of the heroes quickly moved up to support Caliban and Sardalf. As battle was joined in the area around the druid circle, Sardalf split the party by crossing over to the other side of the river. As several kobolds on that side of the battlefield moved to attack the reckless rogue, Greth and Tosdar also crossed over the river to try and support him.
I guess no one read my last post, huh?
Anywaaay…
Back at the druid circle, Caliban, Harold, Korlon, and Tar were locked in combat with a particularly feisty kobold warden. While they were trying to take him down, a slinger also appeared, taking up position beside the cliffside waterfall and pelting the heroes from afar. Choosing the biggest target in sight, the slinger took aim at the minotaur and hit Harold with a stinkpot, which ticked him off quite a bit. A moment later, the minotaur became even more irritated as he was struck with a firepot and burst into flame (again!).
The kobolds outside the lair put up a stiff fight, but as the tide of battle began to turn in the heroes’ favor, Tar heard one of the wardens shout, “Fall back to the cave!” (in draconic) and the remaining reptilian savages began to retreat. The adventurers closely pursued the fleeing kobolds, cutting several down. They also saw that a couple of the varmints escaped by running through cleverly camouflaged holes in the cliffside. While investigating these cave entrances, the heroes also discovered a large opening behind the waterfall.
After taking a short rest to bandage their wounds (helped by the healing properties found inside the druid circle) and ready themselves for the fight inside the kobold lair, the adventurers boldly advanced through the waterfall entrance in line abreast.
Inside the Kobold Lair
Upon entering the cave, the party heard scurrying and urgent whispers echoing throughout the torchlit lair. As the adventurers moved forward cautiously, the kobolds stayed out of sight, hidden away in the shadows. When the heroes had advanced a little way into the cave , the kobolds came swarming out of their hiding places, attacking the party from every side. Sardalf was immediately wounded very badly. As the rogue attempted to fall back, the rest of the party closed with a vicious dragonshield who was making a nuisance of himself. Tosdar finally took out the ’shield, but then he and Sardalf triggered a hidden pit trap. Luckily, both of them managed to avoid falling into the trap.
As kobold tunnelers and pikers continued to assault the party, a shifty slinger popped out of a small opening in the cave wall and took aim at Harold. The kobold’s shot missed, but the minotaur— still annoyed at being hit by the stink- and firepots during the fight outside the lair— charged the slinger and cut it down. Harold had no sooner dropped the slinger than a burly, battle-scarred goblin appeared on the heroes’ flank. Kobolds scurried out of the goblin’s way, as if afraid to get too close. A great tattoo depicting a skeletal ram’s head marked the monster’s face. He wore a wolf fur cloak and a chain shirt, and he wielded a battleaxe in both hands. As it charged Greth, the goblin whooped with laughter and roared (in surprisingly good common), “You will all be a blood sacrifice to Orcus!”
Irontooth turned out to be quite the trash-talker. Sure, he could talk the talk, but could he walk the walk?Well, he did smack the adventurers around pretty good with those two battleaxes. And the goblin’s kobold allies, especially an unpleasant wyrmpriest and a fanatical warden, kept flanking the adventurers when they tried to close with Irontooth. After the goblin went into some sort of blood crazed frenzy, Caliban was unconscious and dying, and Harold and Tosdar were one hit way from joining him. With things looking pretty grim for the good guys, Harold used Comeback Strike (2d12+5) to put the vicious brute on the ground. As Irontooth lay there, though, he was still kind of twitching and slobbering a bit, so Harold growled, “Someone needs to coup de grace his butt.” Tar was up next and without further ado, the tiefling took care of business, cleanly separating Irontooth’s head from his shoulders.
Upon Irontooth’s gruesome demise, most of the kobolds took off, escaping into small tunnels that were scattered around the cavern. The fanatical warden, however, stood his ground, raving about Orcus and declaring that if the adventurers killed him, Kalarel would see he was raised and then they’d be sorry. The adventurers captured the lunatic and attempted to interrogate him. He told them, “Kalarel will open the rift and a flood of undead will destroy all who oppose Orcus. Whaah, ha, ha, ha!” The deranged kobold kept going on about Orcus this and Kalarel that, getting more and more worked up… so eventually his head also somehow got separated from his body.
While collecting kobold heads (for the bounty) and searching the cave for loot, the heroes discussed the matter and agreed that with Irontooth dead-dead, the kobold tribe had suffered a crushing defeat and/or been freed from a hated overseer. Either way, the adventurers decided that they could return to town and tell Lord Padraig that the creatures no longer posed a threat to Winterhaven.
So to sum up, the battle at the kobold lair ended with the score being…
Our heroes: 1
Orcus-worshiping, trash-talking, snaggle-toothed goblins: 0
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