Part One: The End of the Road

[Griffith]

The heroes are standing in the shadows of the hallway. If they go out into the torchlight, they will be revealed to the archers hidden in the darkness on the otherside of the cavern.

Boo, staying in the shadows, peeks around the corner. He can see there are two other passageways just past the torches, one on the left and one on the right (but from where he stands he can not see the doors in those passageways).

Brother Huxley ducks back into the hallway and casts Heal Light Wounds on himself.

Coat of Nine-Hides tosses the crude spear at the two Kobolds and stabs one in the neck. It topples off the bridge, dead.

Carouge fires her crossbow, Evariste his sling; they both miss.

Tun begins lashing limp Kobold bodies to his shield.

There is one Kobold left guarding the bridge. He looks a bit nervous.

Coat of Nine-Hides Attack 11 [1d20] = 17 Hit
Spear [1d6] = 5
Carouge attack 14 [1d20] = 7 Miss
Evariste attack 14 [1d20+3] = 7+3 = 10 Miss

Brother Huxley Cure Light Wounds [1d6+1] = 2+1 = 3
Huxley now has 8 hp.

If Tun lashes the bodies of the Kobolds to the sides of his shield, this will provide a +1 bonus to AC for two people, one person on Tun's left and another on Tun's right. (Basically adding the kobolds to his shield increases the size of his shield so that the people beside Tun get the benefit of having a shield). Everyone else could crowd behind the three in the lead and be totally shielded from the arrow attacks. But they wouldn't be able to attack unless they exposed themselves. Plus if Tun and the others try to cross the bridge this way, the farther they get across the bridge the more the people behind Tun will become exposed to arrow fire.

[Pulpatoon]

Coat of Nine-Hides lobs the second kobold spear at the remaining guard.

To Boo: "You speak their language? Now that we've shown we have teeth, perhaps this would be a good time to tell them we're not here for them. If they let us pass, we'll leave them be. Something like that."

[Griffith]

Coat of Nine-Hides lobs the spear. The jittery Kobold dodges it.

Coat of Nine-Hides Attack 11 [1d20] = 3 Miss

[MajorRoy]

Carouge and Évariste continue to pelt the kobold with quarrels and stones until it is either dead, they run out of ammo, or it charges, in which case they change to melee weapons. They will hold ground unless the rest of the party decides to retreat, in which case they will follow.

[ybn1197]

Brother Huxley will move along the wall to the right side and stand in that alcove. While there, he will attempt to see across the bridge towards where the arrows came from.

[Pulpatoon]

Coat-of-Nine-Hides tenses, debating whether to throw her last spear, or to charge the bridge. She knows neither is a good choice, but she's never been good at resisting her impulses.

Suddenly, she remembers that the party has a back door available to them—and wouldn't it be sweet to catch these kobolds unaware? With this thought, she relaxes and waits to see how those with ranged weapons fair.

[Griffith]

Evariste fires his sling twice. The first stone catches the Kobold in the eye. The monster drops his spear and, despite shouting from the unseen archers, begins a stumbling retreat across the bridge. Evariste's second stone hits the Kobold in the back of the head, it too topples off the bridge into the chasm below. Carouge fires her crossbow twice and misses both times.

Carouge attack 14 [1d20] = 11 Miss
Evariste attack 14 [1d20+3] = 15+3 = 18 Hit
Sling Stone damage [1d4] = 1
Carouge attack 14 [1d20] = 10 Miss
Evariste attack 14 [1d20+3] = 14+3 = 17 Hit
Sling Stone damage [1d4] = 3

Brother Huxley moves out of the safety of the shadows, but the archers are distracted by Evsariste and Carouge attacking their comrade at the bridge. Huxley moves quickly along the wall --passing the torch in its sconce-- and enters the eastern alcove. There he discovers a closed door. He looks north across the bridge trying to spot the archers, but still cannot see them.

[ybn1197]

Brother Huxley quietly opens the door and peers inside.

[coil23]

Boo asks, should I tell them who we are after? Just saying 'we don't want you' after killing some may not be persuasive.

[Pulpatoon]

Coat of Nine-Hides, having adopted a feline insouciance now that she remembers the second entry, casually responds, "Might as well. If they are allied with Nigh, they will hardly be able to act more aggressively towards us. And they may have formed a grudge of their own against the man."

Brother Dumphey quietly frets about what happened to Brother The-Other-Cleric.

[coil23]

Boo calls out in kobold from his hiding place around the corner: We want out of here as much as you want us out. We're here for Nigh. Point us the way toward him and then leave us alone and we'll be done the sooner. It's that or we keep whittling down your numbers. You already played your ambush. You're running out of cards. We'll split his treasure with you or we can finish you off and keep everything. What say you?

To the others Boo pantomimes splashing a flask of oil up and to the side along the walls just out side the doorway and lighting it. He shrugs.

[Pulpatoon]

With some coaching from Coat of Nine-Hides, Brother Dumphey digs through his backpack. He pulls out torches and a tinderbox, which he presents triumphantly to Nine-Hides. She puts the torches back in the poor monk's pack and pats him gently on the head.

[Griffith]

After Boo calls out to the Kobolds there are a few moments of silence followed by the sound of a door opening and closing, and then again a door opens and closes. A Kobold calls back, Our leader, the awful and conniving King Yrzik, desires a parley. Grab one of those torches there on the wall and all of you come across the bridge!

Brother Huxley opens the door. There is a dark passageway beyond the door, but without a light source he can not discern any details.

[Pulpatoon]

Coat of Nine-Hides, once Boo has translated: "That'd make an easy job of our capture, wouldn't it? Shall we suggest their half-a-copper king come parley on the bridge?"

[ybn1197]

Brother Huxley crawls back around the cave wall to where the remainder of the group is located. "I have found another door and beyond that lies a hallway," he reports proudly. I didn't want to alert the kobolds to my discovery so I didn't light a touch to blaze the way but there is another option for us."

[coil23]

Calling back, you just mentioned conniving and then ask us to give up all safety while relinquishing none of your own. Have the king meet me alone on the bridge in darkness. I pledge his safety as long as there is no treachery on the part of the kobolds.

Whispering quietly to the others, I can light a torch if they betray us and then let the crossbows sing. Otherwise, I may be able to strike a bargain. What say you?

[Griffith]

While the heroes are conferring, the kobolds respond to Boos counteroffer. Again there is the sound of a door opening and closing, a few minutes of silence, and then a door opens and closes again. A different Kobold voice calls out from the darkness, Listen here! I am Blackblood, the King's Adviser. You treasure-seekers have invaded our home and drew first blood! You have killed a number of our tribe! How dare you ask our king to step down from his throne and come to you! We say NO! Cheers from a number of unseen Kobolds. Blackblood continues, But... It is not the first time that we have struck bargains with the likes of you, doomed fools lusting after the unclaimed treasures of the mines. Derisive laughter from the kobolds. King Yrzik has instructed me to parley on his behalf. On the otherside of the bridge a torch is lit revealing a company of kobolds. Come to the bridge and will will discuss terms regarding your safe passage through our territory.

There are six armed with bows, they have short swords at their sides, and wear armor made of animal hide.

There are six armed with spears, their hide-armor is better made, crude hide-helmets cover their heads, and they wear shiny glass jewelry. One of them carries the torch.

The last kobold is covered from head to foot in some kind of black paint or tar, he wears only a tattered, crimson loincloth, and carries a wood staff with rusty spikes protruding from one end.

The six kobolds with spears (and a torch) surround the black-painted kobold and approach the bridge. They stop just before the bridge on the otherside and await a response from the heroes. The six with bows remain where they are, bows armed and ready.

13 kobolds altogether. I will give you guys an updated map later today or tonight.

[Pulpatoon]

Coat of Nine-Hides to Boo: "Well played, and not half brave to offer to go out alone. But I'll join you. This lot will respect you more if you have some muscle at your elbow. Perhaps one of our Holy Men would provide a blessing before we head out?"

Knowing how badly Brother Dumphey is likely to flub a blessing, she looks to the returned Brother Huxley.

[Griffith]

K = Blackblood and six kobold guards with spears
x = kobold with bow
A = adventurers
B = what Brother Huxley saw

North of the Kobolds are a set of double doors.

[ybn1197]

Coat of Nine-Hides to Boo: "Well played, and not half brave to offer to go out alone. But I'll join you. This lot will respect you more if you have some muscle at your elbow. Perhaps one of our Holy Men would provide a blessing before we head out?"

Knowing how badly Brother Dumphey is likely to flub a blessing, she looks to the returned Brother Huxley.

"I must apologize," Brother Huxley says. "I prepared for the eventual ministrations of first aid."