The story continues:
In the Kobold Barracks.
Searching for supplies. A days worth of food is scrounged up. Makeshift torches made, water skins refilled back in the underground lake. One mushroom cap boat burns the other missing.
One path remains; the unexplored cave. Marching order is established, those with armor in front, Alton in the middle, Mannon keeping watch in back. Ahead the cave curves into darkness, slopes upward. Also ahead echoing down the walls, the sound of marching, soldiers approach. Krius senses evil on the move, alerts his companions.
Battle stances are set. Axe, sword, and hammer hefted. Alton prepares his crossbow, Mannon already on the move throws a blast of warlock energy at the front rank of kobold swordsmen. The blast goes wide, misses the target.
Kobolds in draconic armor with jagged swords, heavy decorative shields form a front line of defense. A second formation of guards moves in protecting the flanks. A third unit of crossbowmen move in, form a tight unit behind the front lines, they unleash a volley of crossbow bolts at the heroes.
Unwilling to be a target Krius charges the front ranks. He is quickly followed by warblade and cleric. The enemy is engaged, hand to hand battle begins.
Heavy combat in the front lines, but one kobold swordsman flanks the fighting, goes after Alton to end his crossbow sniper fire. Murderous glee in his eyes he stabs at the halfling. Alton sidesteps, draws magic power from the shadow world. A simple touch. His foe drops to the ground, unconscious, lost in nightmares.
The line of Kobolds hold. Behind, crossbowmen reload, prepare to fire another point blank volley into Krius, Rhin, and Prophit. Reacting quickly Mannon pulls an alchemical device from his belt, ignites it, throws it into their midst. Smoke billows forth, kobold snipers are thrown into confusion, flee the stinking cloud.
The fighting on in the front line is fierce. Rhin fells an opponent in front of him, another tenacious foe moves in, taking its place. Krius, and Prophit exchange blows with the enemy making no forward progress.
Before the crossbowmen can regroup Krius pushes his way into the kobold line, attempts to engage the snipers. He shoves a kobold in front of him to the ground, moves deeper into the cave. A second line of crossbowmen emerge from the dark corridor ahead waiting in ambush, a volley of bolts is launched. Three shots impact shield and armor. One bolt bypasses defenses, impacts, leaves a deep bloody wound. Undaunted he carries forward, takes down one of the smoke confused kobolds, then turns attention to the new group of snipers.
Meanwhile, another kobold warrior sneaks around the front line of combat to attack the shadowcaster. Shadow magic exhausted, Alton draws a curved sickle, tries to trip the villain. In the struggle he loses his weapon, is forced to back off.
Back in the front ranks. Mannon tumbles past opponents, sows confusion to kobolds around him. Rhin and Prophit use the distraction to launch powerful attacks at their enemies. More go down, they break the front lines. Kobold snipers drop their ranged weapons, pull out shields and swords, engage in hand to hand.
As the first group of kobold crossbowmen join in melee Prophit calls on his god Thormyr and blesses his fellow companions asking that their weapons strike true. He then turns to assist the unarmored shadowcaster fighting for his life out of the main fray of battle.
Back in the darker depths of the cave Krius charges the second kobold sniper group. Unleashing holy smite he nearly splits one in half. Ignoring the demise of their fallen comrade, the other three step back to fire a volley of deadly bolts. Krius' god Justica is with him, bolts shatter around his head on the cave wall behind him. Forced out of their ranged attack by Krius' charge the kobolds drop crossbows to draw swords and shields.
More adversaries fall to the combination of Mannon's stealthy blade and Rhin's mighty axe. Together they push the fight further into the cave. Mannon executes a throw, sends a kobold to the ground, it scrambles to rise only to meet death from Rhin's axe.
Krius in a three verses one battle is nearly surrounded. He smashes a foes shield in half and steps back, the enemies move in, jagged swords stabbing. Rhin sees Krius' need for assistance, charges, smashes a kobold with the power of a boulder. It slams into the cave wall, crushed, unmoving.
In the back Prophit corners Altons attacker. Hammer raises high, then crushing. The small lizard-man falls. The cleric turns to see where he is needed next.
Mannon, Prophit, and Alton, all converge on Rhin and Krius fighting the remaining guards. Krius pierces one with a well timed sword cut, Rhin rushes forward, another charge, he sends the last snarling kobold flying through the air crushed, it lands broken and still.
The bloodlust of battle still coursing through him, Alton steps back to the original kobold he sent to the nightmare realm, sickle in hand he sends it there forever.
Heavy breathing, a narrow victory, the battle with the elite guard is finished. Bodies are examined, more horrid deformities, jutting teeth, draconic scales, some with tentacles for limbs, and each one wearing the now too familiar three clawed pendant.
The group takes a moment to rest, recollect items dropped during battle, care for wounds and recover breath, but with dwindling supplies and the way they came in now an inaccessible exit the only path that remains is forward into the dark. The group reestablishes their usual marching formation and begins a trek down the long tunnel.
Hundreds of yards into the darkness the natural cave changes, narrows, become black, smooth, unnatural, and unholy.
No choice but forward they continue into deeper darkness...
The characters present:
* Alton (Aaron), halfling shadowcaster
* Mannon (Dave), halfling swordsage/warlock
* Prophit (Jeff), human cleric
* Squire Krius (Matt), human paladin
* Rhin No-Clan (Jim), dwarf warblade
Rumors gathered (this session):
* Kobolds fought very organized and fanatically down to the last "man"
* Kobolds spoke in a strange droning draconic, dificult for Prophit (who speaks draconic) to make out.
* Kobolds continue to be even more deformed and mutated as further progress into the cave system is made.
Treasure found (this session):
* 16 gold claw pendants
Foes/traps/tricks overcome (this session):
* 16 highly trained, well equipped kobold guards
Experience gained (this session):
360 each player
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