Blackwater Keep II
Swimming through the tunnel Copper is the first to be hit by a snare trap: 4 damage. He tries to break free but fails. Toerag draws her kukri and hacks at the snare, cutting Copper loose. Toerag and Rue are then both snared and forced to cut themselves loose before moving on. The team swims on, arriving at the egg chamber and the kobold guardians there soon after.
The Kobold Guardians are surprised to see three kobolds come up out of the water and hesitate to open fire long enough question them. Rue seizes the opportunity to attempt a Diplomacy check but fails to change their attitude. The Kobold Guardians are loyal to Ilthane, merely curious about the Kobolds they're about to kill. They order the team to depart, threatening to attack. The team insist they want the Lizard Folk shaman for questioning and refuse.
1)
Kobold1 fires at Copper: miss
Copper moves forward and attacks Kobold1: miss
Rue moves forward and casts Summon Monster III, summoning a Pseudonatural Bison amidst the kobolds.
Kobold2 fires at Copper: miss
Kobold3 fires at Copper: miss
Toerag moves to engage Kobold2, AOO: miss.
Kobold4 fires at Toerag: miss
Kobold5 fires at Copper: miss
Kobold6 fires at Copper: miss
Kobold7 fires at Copper: hit, 3
Kobold8 fires at Toerag: miss
Hishak cast Chill Metal on all three of the team: all saving throws succeed
2)
Kobold1 attacks Pseudonatural Bison: hit, 2
Copper attacks Kobold1: hit, 6
Rue cast Summon Monster III, summoning another Pseudonatural Bison among the kobold guardians.
Kobold2 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 3
Kobold3 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 3
Toerag attacks Kobold2: hit, critical, 16+2, hit, 1, killing it
Kobold4 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 3
Pseudonatural Bison1 attacks Kobold4: hit, 10
Kobold5 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 3
Kobold6 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 2
Kobold7 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, critical, 4
Kobold8 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 2
Hishka takes no action
3)
Pseudonatural Bison2 attacks Kobold7: hit, 11
Kobold1 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 2
Copper attacks Kobold1: hit, 4
Rue fires at Kobold1: miss
Kobold3 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 3
Toerag attacks Kobold1: hit, 7, miss, killing him
Kobold4 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: miss
Pseudonatural Bison1 attacks Kobold4: hit, 15, killing him
Kobold5 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, 3
Kobold6 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: miss
Kobold7 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: miss
Kobold8 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: hit, 3
Hishka takes no action
4)
Pseudonatural Bison2 attacks Kobold6: hit, 13
Copper steps forward and attacks Kobold3: miss
Rue fires at Kobold3: miss
Kobold3 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: hit, critical, 6
Toerag moves to engage Kobold5, AOO: miss. Attacks: hit, 3, hit, 3
Pseudonatural Bison1 attacks hit, critical, 26, killing him
Kobold5 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: miss
Kobold6 attacks Pseudonatural Bison1: miss
Kobold7 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: miss
Kobold8 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: hit, critical, 6
Hishka sees where this is going and stays out of the fight, preparing to do what he can to prevent the destruction of the eggs (or cast Fog Cloud and escape)
5)
Pseudonatural Bison2 attacks Kobold6: hit, critical, double critical, 33, killing him
Copper moves forward and attacks Kobold7: miss
Rue fires at Kobold5: miss
Toerag attacks Kobold5: hit, 5
Pseudonatural Bison1 attacks Kobold5: hit, 19, killing him
Kobold7 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: hit, critical, 2
Kobold8 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: miss
Hishka waits
6)
Pseudonatural Bison2 attacks Kobold7: miss
Copper attacks Kobold7: miss
Rue fires at Kobold7: miss
Toerag sheaths her blades to draw her bow next turn
Pseudonatural Bison1 moves to engage Kobold7, AOO: hit, critical, double critical, triple critical, 16. Pseudonatural Bison1 is dispelled (dead).
Kobold7 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: miss
Kobold8 attacks Pseudonatural Bison2: miss
Hishka steps back nervously to the border of the eggs
7)
Pseudonatural Bison2 attacks Kobold7: hit, 15, killing it
Copper moves forward and attacks Kobold8: miss
Rue fires at Kobold8: miss
Toerag wield her bow and fires at Kobold8: hit, 8
Kobold8 bugs out, withdrawing south and leaving a path of broken lizard folk eggs in his wake
Hishka tosses his hands out wide in a universal gesture of "please don't kill me", begging the team (in Draconic) not to harm the eggs.
8)
(Rue orders the Pseudonatural Bison to be still, as it intended to chase after the fleeing mutant kobold).
Copper decides to let Rue and Toerag drop the kobold
Rue fires at Kobold8: miss
Toerag fires at Kobold8: miss
Kobold8 flees still farther and the team decides he's gotten too far away for them to hope to catch him.
Immediately the team covers Hishka and insists he disarm. He does so and they set about interrogating him concerning the green worms that burst out of the dead lizard folk warrior in the lair. Hishka is horrified to hear of this and at first does not believe them until Rue shows him the flask they have containing the dead critters.
Soon Hishka spills all he knows: the worm infected clutch of eggs that the tribe suffered, their pact with the black dragon Ilthane (a topic Copper is most interested in) and Hishka's desire only to secure the future of the tribe (especially now that it's lost practically it's entire contingent of experienced warriors). After ruminating on this a bit the team points out the large black egg, which Hishka confirms is Ilthane's. To which the team advises Hishka that he'd best move the survivors of his tribe elsewhere as they intend to take the egg. Unless of course they don't mind facing a pissed off black dragon when she returns to find it gone.
As he hisses his objections the team move on to the three chests on the far side of the room. They moves slowly and carefully, managing not to break any lizard folk eggs getting there, then send Toerag on over to check out the chests. Determining they're safe the team gathers the loot inside then come together to discuss how to get the (relatively) large dragon egg out of the chamber.
Toerag volunteers to swim out the dragon's entrance to check it out and does so easily. Once she's caught her breath and return she informs them that the tunnel runs about 200' underwater before emerging in the marsh. Finally, figuring that carrying it back through the lair would be the easiest way, they use all of their rope fashioning a makeshift sling so that Copper can carry it out on his back. Leaving Hishka behind they move through the tunnel (Copper managing it without drowning, barely) and rejoin the freed human captives...who, they then learn, faced down and defeat four more lizard folk warriors in their absence.
Leading the whole group through the lair and deep into the marsh where they left their mounts, they form up and head out of the swamp as quickly as possible. Moving more swiftly now that they aren't trying to find a specific trail they exit the marsh by morning and arrive at Blackwall Keep before noon.
The Team arrives at Blackwall Keep and finds the reinforcements have arrived. Currently they are busy consulting with the survivors of the prior attack on what to do about the undead creatures in the basement. The Team gets the story on those undead at that time and are surprised to find they were in the basement while they slept that night. Allustan is not with the reinforcements but has sent a message asking the kobolds to escort Marzena to Diamond Lake to see him.
The Kobolds then inform the garrison soldiers that they've assaulted the lizard lair in order to free the captives and essentially wiped out all or most of the tribe's warrior ranks. When the leaders of the garrison soldiers are dubious, Rue makes a Diplomacy check to convince them and succeeds, showing them some of the loot they collected.
The kobold team also show them the black dragon egg and inform them that a black dragon named Ilthane had allied herself with the tribe. Furthermore they display the flask of dead worms (which the soldiers of the keep immediately identify as identical to those oozing from the undead below) and tell them of the lizard warrior who died and then sprouted them. With a couple of clerics readily on hand the team volunteers to go into the basement and slay the undead, if they are given a night to rest and allow Rue to recover her magic beforehand. Having agreed the team then retires to the second floor to rest for the evening.
During the night the Kyuss spawn manage to break through the barricade and grab one of the guards. The soldiers rebuild the barricade all over again while the team sleeps. Now, however, there are four rather than just three Kyuss spawn down there for them to contend with.
The following morning the team gathers at the barricade, making sure the two garrison clerics are nearby should they be needed. Before they begin Rue casts Mage Armor on herself and Copper activates his Draconic Aura, energy shield type. When the soldiers clear the barricade enough for the kobolds to get through Toerag lights a sunrod and tosses it down stairs (for Rue's creatures to see clearly). Rue follows up by immediately summoning a Pseudonatural Bison at the foot of the stairs. The two Kyuss spawn lurking to either side of the stairwell immediately attack it.
Surprise:
Spawn3 moves to engage PBison1 and attacks: miss
Spawn4 moves to engage PBison1 and attacks: hit, 8-5DR=3. Spawn4 takes 4 acid damage
1)
Rue casts Summon Monster III, summoning another Pseudonatural Bison behind Spawn4.
Toerag, at the top of the stairs, is unable to get a line on of sight on a target to fire at it.
Spawn1 moves out of hiding in the nearby soldier's quarters and engages PBison1, AOO: hit, 13. It attacks PBison1: 8-5DR=3. Spawn1 takes 4 acid damage.
PBison1 attacks Spawn4: hit, 14
Copper moves to the foot of the stairs, Spawn3's AOO: miss, Spawn4's AOO: miss. He attacks Spawn4: hit, 9
Spawn2 move to the door of the northeast soldier's quarters and attacks PBison1: hit, 7-5DR=2. Spawn2 takes 4 acid damage.
Spawn3 attempts to grapple Copper, AOO: hit, critical, 18. Touch attack hits, Spawn3 wins the grapple check: 5 non-lethal + worm (Spawn3 takes 4 acid damage). Spawn3 moves into Copper's space to maintain grapple. Copper doesn't spot the worm that's been transferred to him.
PBison2 attacks Spawn1: hit, 14, destroying it.
2)
Rue casts Magic Missile at Spawn3: 4, 5, 2
Toerag performs a spring attack on Spawn3: hit 9, destroying it
PBison1 attacks Spawn4: hit, 12, destroying it
Copper moves down between the two Pseudonatural Bison and attacks Spawn2: hit, critical, 10
Spawn2 heals 5 points. It attacks PBison1: miss
Spawn3's worm enters Copper, doing 1 damage. Copper's Draconic Aura deals it 4 acid damage, killing it.
PBison2 can't reach the Kyuss spawn with everyone in the way, so it just bellows and stamps.
3)
Rue moves down the stairs next to Copper but still can't get a good line of sight on the undead creature.
Toerag moves downstairs and darts around the back hallway, hoping to get a shot at the creature before Rue's Bison kill it.
PBison1 attacks Spawn2: hit, 15
Copper attacks Spawn2: hit, 5, destroying it.
The team then examines the remains, notes the worms and shows them to the two clerics present. They then gather Marzena, their gear, their loot and the dogs/carts and head back to Diamond Lake. Arriving at Allustan's house they present Marzena who informs Allustan of all that's occurred and confirms that the strange green worms are appearing all over the Cairn Hills.
They discuss the matter for a time, then Allustan informs the group that he has a friend in Free City named Eligos who knows a great deal about strange and unusual monsters. He has no doubt that he'll be able to provide some insights into the present situation. Trusting that the kobolds are invested enough in the matter already, he asks them to seek out this sage. When they agree (especially at Copper's prompting) he helps them to organize the various bits of evidence they've gathered so far into a coherent whole, then provides them his home for the night to rest.
***
Copper takes another level of Dragon Shaman
Rue takes another level of Alienist
Toerag takes another level of Rogue
***
The following morning the team loads up their gear and head for Free City.
[Allustan, inspecting the black dragon egg, is the one to discover it's full of green worms. He attempted to study them but ends up "hatching" the egg, releasing them and they all soon die.]
- Home
- Leave us a note!
- Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
- Star Trek (Decipher)
- Our Atomic Highway Campaigns
- Our D&D Campaigns
- Our Cortex: BSG Campaigns
- Our Cortex: Serenity Campaigns
- Cortex: Supernatural campaigns
- Our Cortex: Homebrews
- Our D20 Modern Campaigns
- Atomic Highway resources
- D&D Resources
- Cortex: BSG Resources
- Cortex: Serenity Resources
- Cortex: Supernatural Resources
- Cortex: Homebrew Resources
- Cortex: Homebrew Campaigns and Settings
- Cortex Adventures
- Miscellaneous