One of you opens the door slowly, peering inside.  The large, square room houses four long wooden tables, each with a bench on either side.  On top of the tables lie a number of wooden bowls and eating utensils.  In the southeast corner of the room, a small stewpot steams over a fireplace carved into the floor.  A pungent odor hangs in the air.

After pushing open the door, Roth takes in the room and the confusion it offers.  "They must have cleared out at the sound of the last trap..."  He looks over his shoulder to the others and notes, "Watch for any more traps they left ... or ambushes."  The librarian takes in the details of the room as he walks to the cauldron to see what's cooking--watching his step as he does so.

Neya's nose wrinkled as she stepped into the room; the stench was even deeper here. Curiously she approached the steaming thing over the fire and poked her snout at it, sniffing the steam.

22:36, Today: Neya rolled 15 using 1d20+5. Scent.

Since everyone else was interested in the cauldron and Stan had no desire to smell the brew, he contented himself with taking in the non-culinary clues in the room. Perhaps someone had left something behind that might give a hint as to the diners' purpose or identity.

The wizard had expected one man to be here, not many and certainly not a meal set out at table. The plot thickened.

"We'd better hurry. Don't let them set up ambush. Kill them before they can bring friends," Ilsa said in response to Roth's words as she walked across the room to the far door with her greatsword out and ready for action. There was urgency in her voice, turned raspy from the illness. Since the others were obsesses by the pot, she opened the door.

Porto walks over to the cauldron. He considers taking a bit, he was never completely full. But on further inspection Porto realized that it was not worth throwing back up. I think we should continue. Porto says weakly

Stan followed a safe distance behind Ilsa. He shared her belief that time was of the essence.

As soon as the group enters the room, the table furthest from the door tips over sending the bowls and eating utensils flying!  As it slams to the ground, the crowns of small reptilian heads can be seen bobbing along the other side, and the sounds of short barks can be heard.  Before anyone can react, a volley of stones rains down on you!

Reflex Saves.  Then roll Initiatives and post actions.
Deadline—Tuesday March 2nd, 2010 @ 12:00 PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:11, Mon 01 Mar 2010.

"Ouch! Son of a wyvern!"

Stan's first instinct was to blow the small reptilian creature away with a magic missile, but academy discipline told him to save the spell until it was truly needed. There were fighters here who could easily dispatch these nuisances.

Still, the wizard was not about to let himself go ambushed and unavenged.

With a sound that only the worst of bards would call a battlecry, Stan leapt at the nearest creature and plunged the wizard's dagger straight into the wood of the intervening table.

15:16, Today: Stan Fetchin rolled 23 using 1d20+5. Initiative.
15:15, Today: Stan Fetchin rolled 14 using 1d20+2. Reflex Save.

15:21, Today: Stan Fetchin rolled 5,4 using d20+1,1d4. Dagger attack.

Neya yelped slightly in surprise when the table suddenly tipped over, the tiny lizard things suddenly rushing forth. With a snarl of anticipation she rushed forward towards the little things, her jaws slashing out to rip the annoying little things apart as she tried to ignore the stones raining down.

Reflex Save 16. Neya attacks the nearest target. (Atk 25, dmg 12, trip 30)

16:32, Today: Neya rolled 25,12,30 using 1d20+10,1d8+9,1d20+10. Atk, Dmg, Trip.
16:27, Today: Neya rolled 12 using 1d20+2. Init.
16:33, Today: Neya rolled 16 using 1d20+5. Reflex. 

"Told you!" Ilsa yelled at her companions when the assault of rocks came. Focusing her attention on their attackers, screaming "Stopityoupatheticmiscreants" with her hoarse voice. With a few large strides and a leap, she was on the little buggers and hacking with her sword.

13:29, Today: Ilsa Redeye rolled 20 using 1d20+3. Reflex Save.
13:30, Today: Ilsa Redeye rolled 9 using 1d20+2. Initiative.
13:36, Today: Ilsa Redeye rolled 25 using 1d20+8. Attack.
13:37, Today: Ilsa Redeye rolled 13 using 2d6+6. Damage.

Yipes! Porto screams as he scurries out of the room. He starts to sing an inspiring tune to aid his friends.

Don't let life get you down
Just get up and leave this town
It will be hard
So keep up your guard
You can turn your life around

16:08, Today: Porto 'Chubbs' Brandybuck rolled 17 using 1d20+7. reflex.
16:08, Today: Porto 'Chubbs' Brandybuck rolled 14 using 1d20+3. init.

Move Action:Run out of room
Standard:Inspire courage

"Son of a kobold!" Roth curses in dwarven as he ducks behind the nearer table to avoid the rain of stone.

18:41, Today: Roth Daos rolled 6 using 1d20+3. Initiative.
18:40, Today: Roth Daos rolled 24 using 1d20+6. Reflex Save. (/w Evasion)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:40, Tue 02 Mar 2010.

Stan appears to take the worst of the stony barrage.  Despite this, he reacts quickly and rushes forward into battle.  Standing on the other side of the over-turned table, he sees four small humanoid reptilian creatures, of the like he’d seen living among the other mixed races of Redding.  He’s seen these creatures before, and he knew they have a terrible reputation for deception, trickery, and evil: Kobolds.  He attempts to stab one with his long dagger, but fighting over the wooden barrier proves to be too much for the young wizard.

Porto’s first instincts are to run.  But he quickly remembers that he must support his companions.  As he keeps as far away from their assailants as possible, he begins to sing an inspiring song.

Neya rushes just behind the sprinting wizard into the fray and leaps over the table-barrier.  In a morbid display of raw power and ferocity, the large wolf literally tears one of the hapless creatures apart as she attempts to trip it up.

Ilsa likewise charges in!  She too delivers a terribly devastating blow to the first kobold she encounters.  With a mighty cleave, the barbarian cleaves her victim nearly in two—and also severs the kobold standing to the right of her target.  Following Neya’s grizzly display, Ilsa effectively slays two kobolds with one fell swoop of her heavy great sword!

Roth ducks under the nearest table and avoids the hail of stones.  He quickly brings his crossbow to bear and fires, sniping the top of the only reptilian head left alive.  His bolt skims the top of the table and draws a deep red line across his target’s bald head.  The brilliantly aimed shot draws forth a pain filled bark from its recipient.

Seeing it companions so easily slaughtered, and just having been shot itself, the kobold falls to the floor and weeps, begging for mercy.

Ilsa laughed at the cowering kobold and might have crushed its head with her boot had she not started coughing. Several moments later, her chest and throat still full of phlegm, she cursed at their prisoner in orcish. "You are a pathetic creature. Your blood is unfit to soil the bottom of my boots." She wiped off her sword and asked the others in common, "Anyone speak puny rat dog lizard person? I guard the door." She walked across the room to the far door and leaned against it, using the moment of rest to catch her breath and clear her sinuses.

Neya slowly padded forward towards the tiny lizard thing, blood still dripping from her jaws. She leaned forward slightly, staring directly into the thing's eyes. It was submitting.

Well, that was alright then. Satisfied that it wouldn't try anything she fell back to sit beside Ilsa near the door, suddenly sneezing violently and sending a spray of blood and mucus against the wall. She whimpered slightly from it, but seemed well enuogh to shoot a death glare at the lizard thing.

Roth straightens up and sets his crossbow down on the table which he had taken cover behind.  Eased to see Ilsa spare the last, surrendering kobold, the young elf crosses the room and squats near the thing, trying in varying tongues to speak with the bloodied reptile, "Common? Dwarven? Gnomish?"

Stan stayed out of Neya's way as she tore into the kobolds. The sight was disturbing to the young student, who still wasn't used to killing. He had no time to reflect, however. Ilsa's blade arced over the wizard's head and he ducked just in time to avoid being in two places at once. The next moment Stan's heart skipped a beat when he saw Roth level a crossbow in the wizard's direction. Although the whole affair took less than 10 seconds, Stan was quite shaken up by the violence and, above all, his own ineffectuality in either stopping or contributing to it.

He sat down a fair distance from the Kobold and tried not to look at all the blood on his tan adventurer's pants. He was already weakened and sleep-deprived, but now he felt emotionally wrecked as well. The wizard pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head in his crossed arms - the perfect image of a scared or perhaps exhausted little boy.

Stan listened to see what the Kobold had to say, or even if anyone could understand it. Usually such creatures spoke at least some common, but Stan was quickly learning his assumptions were often moot.

Porto walks in and picks up right after Roth finished. Halfling, elven, orc Porto says gesturing to Ilsa

“Meza no want die!” it cries out in broken Common at the party just before breaking into a rough coughing/barking fit.  “Meza no more hunt humans—meza promise,” it says between hoarse barks.  It is obvious, like everything else in this town, it is infected.  “Will maka nice zurs, maka nice...”

What were you doing here? Porto asks friendly to make him feel easy

16:14, Today: Porto 'Chubbs' Brandybuck rolled 24 using 1d20+12. diplomacy.

“Ee take shiny rhock,” the kobold replies to Porto, and even offering the halfling what must be a kobold-smile.  “Others no like 'is place.  Say it cursed,” the little creature says before falling into another coughing fit.

Why do you want the shiny rock?

“Ee sell eit course!” the kobold answers, as if the answer was obvious enough.  “Maka nice? Eh, eh?”

So your just a bunch of miners? Porto asks