"Most armors that renders one invisible only last for moments, and enhanced stealth only goes so far.  Unless circumstances are already favorable for evading them, this will not be enough to  bypass 10,000 troops."  Not having a proper arcana check is why Rhagar is unaware of a power creep Cloth through Hide armor available as low as level 5 that grants encounter long (or until you attack) invisibility, as well as a stealth buff aura. As an encounter power.

  Also he's taking the '10,000 troops' thing literally, because of course he is.

OOC: Gloaming Armor; Cloth, Leather, or hide.  Moerde... morden.... that guy's Magnificent emporium.  page 15.
LV 5/10/etc/30
Properties: Item bonus to stealth = enhancement bonus.
Utility (Illution): Encounter;Standard.
Effect: You become invisible until you attack, or until the end of the encounter. You can end this as a minor action.
LV 15+: While you are invisible, allies within 5 gain the item bonus to stealth checks.

Fast forwarding a bit, the group finds the excavation site. For convenience, the GM handwaves the perception check this time (it's only a DC 10 anyway).

Sora says, "I hear some movement..."

Ideal adds, "Child-sized, from the sound of it. I can only assume whatever is there is hostile."

Rhagar did so freakishly well, he actually recognizes the sound of clawed feet on the ground and even hears a partial hiss. He can easily make out these are either kobolds, or a DOZEN baby dragons. Oh wait. Baby dragons are quadrupedal. Nope. He totally knows it is kobolds.

Pyrus doesn't let it show he didn't hear or see a thing.

"Good assumption.  I'll do the talking once we know what we're dealing with."

  "Nearly a dozen Kobolds seems to be what you would be dealing with.  Are you certain you can convince them with words alone to make our lives easier?"

Sora says, "Let me try with you, Pyrus. You tend to be short with people and I tend to make people like me. Since I've never dealt with kobolds in a friendly way before, I'm not sure which would be more effective here."

Ideal shrugs and says, "Either way, if we're going to let them know we are here, may as well set an ambush and let them come to us rather than fight on their terms, should this turn into a fight." She glances at Rhagar. "....nice hearing, Rhagar..."

"Good guard bad guard works best when interrogating prisoners, but perhaps it may serve us well here.  I intend to lie to them to get them to tell us what we came to find out.  A precautionary ambush set-up is a shrewd idea.  Me and Sora will converse with them from back here.  You two can be ready to flank them should they charge us."

He goes over his lie with Sora for a bit.  When everyone is ready, Pyrus will address the kobolds.

"Blessings of Tiamat, friend kobolds!"

---

To speed things along, I'll just sumarize Pyrus' intended bluff (24).  He'll be posing as a scary, but favorable cleric of Tiamat and will try and get them to brag about ousting the dwarves.  Did you keep any alive for amusement?  Tiamat will be proud of your conquest!  So forth.  Sora's job will be to avoid any bluffs and stick to true statements that will improve the kobold mood.  "Tiamat is the goddess of taking other people's stuff, you know.  She will approve of your actions.  Pyrus and I are dragonborn, said to be distant relatives of Tiamat."   So forth.

  Oh, so that's where they are going with this?  Okay then.

  "I'm sure you know what happens if you are stupid enough to kill one of Tiamat's blood in your midst.  My associates are hardy enough to survive, but you?  not so much"  Burst 5, that's an 11x11 area, the map isn't even that WIDE.

Not that Rhagar took THAT checkbox, but still.

The kobolds send forward a minion to speak with Pyrus and Sora. He glances nervously at Rhagar, but tries to stay focused. All the tiamat love going on does at least begin to set him at ease and soon, he boasts.

As it turned out, shortly after the soldiers set off, a white dragon wyrmling and her kobold followers struck the building site. The assault against the dwarven enterprise was difficult and costly, but ultimately successful. The majority of the dwarf miners, builders, and guards perished defending their new home. Only a few dwarves were taken prisoner.

Since then, the dragon has holed up in the newly constructed chambers, hoping to recruit more kobolds from a nearby tribe to join her forces. After gathering more cannon fodder, the dragon plans to use Coppernight Hold as a launching point for further attacks.

It is clear the kobolds are convinced the heroes are on their side and soon, they invite the heroes to "come and have council with Myxnthrix. (GM note: The module cares so little about the baby dragon, she didn't even get a name, so I just made a dragonish name for her)

No offense to present company, but white dragons are supposed to be the least clever of all the chromatics, so Pyrus is confident his ruse will hold up even when facing the boss.

"Your invitation is accepted, little one.  I think your master will be pleased indeed with your bringing us to him.  Though etiquette requires that he first be informed and agree to our entering his new lair.  You can mention that because of his recent success I will not charge much for an official blessing should he choose to ask one of me."

  "Are we still leaving receipts for those?  So few seem to want that blessing if it means putting it in writing." Whoa man, I joined the Dragon Cult for spooky robes, attacking random adventurers, and trying to arrange poorly thought our plans with dragons! I didn't want a commitment!

The kobold heads off.

Sora looks at Pyrus and says in a quiet tone, "If we are able to see Myxnthrix, we could kill her and the entire encampment will scatter. Oh sure, one or two will be furious and fight us to the death, but we will have saved a lot of effort. But there is a chance we may be too outnumbered to risk it. I will stay mostly quiet when we face the dragon."

Ideal stays put, though, not wanting to risk a kobold spotting her.

(Just letting some RP happen between the time the messenger heads off and the time you get invited to come in)

Pyrus addresses the group.

"We should bring the Tiefling with us."

  "That would be Ideal"  The player could not help themselves, we are so sorry.

  "If such actions are taken, then hopefully it is not between the dragon and priest."  Even if they were close enough to hit eachother with their breath attacks, cold resistance.

Sora says, "Funny, Rhagar. But while it would be Ideal, how are we going to explain it just changed to one more person?"

"The scale-less one is intimidated by kobolds and was hiding," Pyrus explains, "I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that."

  "If you think you can make that believable, it could work."

Soon, he comes with the wyrmpriest (who seems annoyed with Pyrus) and pretty much a whole mess of kobolds.

"Where's your holy symbol, priest?" the wyrmpriest asks in an almost demanding tone.

Sora wisely chooses to leave the bluffing to Pyrus.

Pyrus doesn't conveniently have a symbol of Tiamat among his belongings.  Nor can he think of a good excuse for why a priest of Tiamat wouldn't have one.  So he simply approaches while reaching into a pouch.

"In here."

FWOOM!  He breathes fire on the lot of them!

Sora suddenly appears next to the wyrmpriest, having moved so fast, it only took her the time the wyrmpriest glanced at Pyrus' money bag for Sora to get to him!

The moment Pyrus belts out fire on the kobolds, Sora fires ice shards out her mouth, piercing the kobolds! Between the two of them, four kobolds go down and two get seriously wounded, one of which is the priest!

Rhagar meanwhile may not be causing as widespread harm with his own breath (Hey, SOMEONE has to stand outside of the Priests's own spitting distance... aside from Ideal), but still causes a notable difference as a dagger flies through the air and into the back of the protesting Priest's throat, silencing them in a swift and permanent...  Okay, after some long moments of bloody gurgling then permanent, fashion.

Ideal gasps and rushes in, charging the nearest kobold, but in a fluke of fate, trips over a rock on her second to last step, causing her swing to go wide and only hit air.

The screams attract the attention of the other kobolds who were hanging back and they get into position! One slinger rushes enough to even run via keyword run (in order to make it all the way up the STAAAAIRS) and still manages to hit Sora with a gluepot, sticking her to the ground!

The slinger right in front of the group, however, fails to hit anyone as he throws a pot uselessly past Pyrus.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:40, Sat 02 May 2015.

Rhagar moves up a bit, and finally lets loose with his own breath attack, severely wounding the two closest enemies if not the already close to death Dragonshield.  He follows up with a strong rapier thrust that enters the forehead and exits the neck of the closest Dragonshield, at least keeping up his one non minion enemy per turn streak going.

OOC: Slinger... A? B? really need to mark these things <.<  I have declared him slinger A. 4 HP left.
Dragonshield 1, Dead.

Ideal makes up for her initial miss by stabbing the nearby dragonshield through the heart and kicking him off her sword.

A minion steps up to swing at Rhagar and misses.

Sora steps forward and roars, causing the minion to drop unconscious and the slinger to cringe!

But another minion rounds the corner and charges Sora, making her look down at him and narrow her eyes with a draconic growl.

Pyrus steps forward and shouts, "Cower!"

The kobolds shriek.  Two of them soil themselves!  Pyrus follows up with another dragon breath, taking out the minion that attacked Sora!

A couple minions charge Sora and Rhagar! The one charging Sora misses, but the one charging Rhagar hits! ...if only a flesh wound.

The slinger steps back and slings a pot at Pyrus, hitting him hard! "Live by fire! DIE by fire! AAAHAHAHAHAHA!" the kobold yells maniacally as Pyrus is now on fire.

  Rhagar's fine print restrained wings lift him over the Minions in front of him before they can react, and he comes to a stop by the farthest and unharmed slinger.  A slash of the blade followed up by a sweeping trip with his tail and kick to the back of their head results in a half dead Kobold now within Pyrus BBQ distance instead of outside of it.

Theme power: LOL fly shift my speed.
Attack, vs will stabby encounter hits slinger, slides, and deals 14 total DMG.
Slinger HP: 10 left.

Ideal slaps Pyrus on the back and he suddenly feels no pain! "We've got them right where we want them!" Ideal yells. She then heads over to Sora's side and slays another kobold!

Sora stomps the kobold in front of her, crushing him under her foot. She then steps forward and stabs the slinger, leaving only one left. "SURRENDER AND LIVE!"

Is it because she fully expected him to not surrender that he does? Well... he does.

(Encounter over)