(You know the drill. Every group gets the same mission.)

You are all allowed the rest of the day off. You had the chance to explore the city a little bit and buy some odds and ends. The dwarven blacksmith might be glad to see others of his ilk, since the current dwarven population of Phlan counts exactly three - "An' he ain't on good terms with dem two bitches."

(Make any simple weapon and armor purchases you want - all costs are standard as listed in the PHB)

The night offers some restful sleep in the communal barracks (or elsewhere in the city if you prefer). The poisonous river and high wall form enough of a barrier that monster incursions are a rarity. However, Boros is not taking his duty lightly, and there are plenty of patrols around.

Your day's work is already planned in advance for you. Boros opens a partial map of the slum area. It's a parchment crawling with additions, corrections and smudges from food. The slums seem a mess of collapsed houses and blocked streets. The dragonflight left the entire area in ruins, and it will take considerable time to clear the area once you make it safe. Boros jabs his finger at a particular spot and mutters something about scouts spotting the centre of kobold activity there. After you take care of that and prove your worth, you'll be free to pick your next assignment. He spits on the floor and grumbles that you seem like you could handle this.


Each square is about 250 meters.
+ marks cleared area ("Good work, team!")
- marks mapped but not cleared area ("Might still be some beasties there.")
? marks unmapped area ("Will get to that later.")
The spot Boros indicates is in C2.

The trip to the target area is uneventful. The guards, of course, don't leave the wall or escort you out into the slums. Orders, they say. But you get the impression Boros simply doesn't want to lose his soldiers.

Navigating through the narrow passageways and collapsed houses takes almost half an hour. You get the distinct impression of being watched, but can't quite spy anyone following your movement. The center of kobold activity Boros wants taken out turns out to be a largish, still standing two-storey house with a collapsed roof. It's built of thick stone blocks, and looks more like a fortification than a townhouse. A thin wisp of smoke rises from the place, and even from afar you can smell some sort of stew.



shaded = wall
shaded "+" = barred window
shaded "-" = open window
"I" = door (action or reaction to open or close)
. = rubble (difficult terrain)

A single kobold guard paces around the house, muttering about how hungry it is and how unfair life is and how he needs to find a new band to hang on to.

(You can start anywhere on map edge. If you need to run away, you can do so from a map edge as well. The kobold guard hasn't spotted you yet. He has AC12 and HP5 and is armed with a rusty blade and a sling.)

"You think we could sneak up and take 'im quietly" whispered Sharlee, eager to get into action with something that seems vulnerable to her flail.


OOC: if we start around Q16 we could have a quick start on this.  (Assuming by 'map edge'  the GM means any of the 4 edges.)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:53, Thu 22 Oct 2015.

Caine shakes his head, walks over to the Kobold, and beats it bloody.


OOC: Now let's see if the die roller agrees.
Start: Q18, to P18, O18, N18, and ending at M18

10:28, Today: Caine rolled 7 using 1d10.  hit location.
10:28, Today: Caine rolled 7 using 1d6+2.  shortsword.
10:27, Today: Caine rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  unarmed.
10:27, Today: Caine rolled 19 using 1d20+4.  shortsword.

7 points to it's chest

SHarlee was completely flummoxed when Caine just walked forward and smacked the kobold guard.

"We need to plan" she whispered between gritted teeth before joining her companion in whaling on the kobold.

At least that was the plan!  In fact she rushed her blow and missed completely.

"See!  Plans!" She whispered once again.


22:44, Today: Sharlee rolled 10 using 1d20+4.  Attack with flail.

Caine looks puzzled, "The plan was to take it out before it could react,right? I did. Sneaking around would have just taken more time, and warn it we were coming. Talking about it a mere 20' away would have alerted it and warned it we were coming. Stepping forward and taking it out before it noticed we were here was your goal. I fulfilled your goal." Caine shrugs, "So what's the problem?"

Faire yawned a bit as she waltzed her way with the rest of the group towards the destination. If the group had figured anything out about the stuck up wizard by now, it was that she was most certainly NOT a morning person. Still, she had perked up a bit by the time she saw the kobold sentry. She narrowed her eyes and began to whisper to the rest of her companions...only to drop her jaw as they simply rushed forward and gutted the poor creature. "I....that is..." She began before simply looking down for a moment and grumbling to herself. How had she gotten herself into this anyway? With a group of unprofessional savages? Her teacher back at the academy would be so disappointed in her right now...She gave a heavy sigh and decided to focus on her own protection for the moment. She closed her eyes and began the ritual chant, touching each part of her body with her staff. When she finished the last syllable, the air around the woman shifted and stirred a bit, armor of phantasmal force protecting her. She whispered angrily for another moment. "Don't you people know anything of stealth? Or preparation perhaps?" She rested her palm on her face. "Oh forget it... just do us all a favor and try to find them..."

OOC: Casted Mage Armor: AC becomes 13 + dex = 15
This message was last edited by the player at 03:52, Fri 23 Oct 2015.

"The problem," quietly snarls Tarkun as he comes face to face with Caine, "is that I am sick and tired of your kind committing incessant genocide against my kin. Did you not think for one second that perhaps I could have reasoned with this thing? Just because you believe them to be mindless savages does not mean that is the case. They're poor. They're hungry. They're seeking their own place. Do you think it's not possible that given the right motivation they could possibly work for this city? No, of course not. So now, whatever advantage we could have had is gone. Utterly gone. From now on think with your head, not your sword, or these kobolds won't be the only dragonkin you make an enemy of.

"Now, how shall we continue?"

Caine nods, "Quite a bit actually. This wasn't the proper time for it. Sometimes the direct route is faster and quieter...although if we're going to keep talking about it until we alert something, we might as well have tried to sneak up on the guy that was right in front of us and let him notice us and give an alarm."



"They're also the folks that attack us yesterday and nearly killed me. They didn't this time. Have you considered that you might not know the entire situation yourself? And have you missed the part where there is a bounty on them? Or, more precisely, on the land they are currently inhabiting...by force. A bounty we are expected to collect? Killing them is what we were hired to do."

"I will not kill if I can help it," Tarkun replies angrily. "Especially if they are of my blood. I do not care if there is a bounty or not. Are you so small minded that the prospect of money throws out all reason? Can you not see the potential to better this city by utilizing these kobolds instead of rampant, racist genocide? It's all a moot point now thanks to your ignorant actions. There's no use arguing this further. You might as well finish what you started."

In reply to Tarkun (msg # 9):

Finn looks straight at Tarkun, "I was hired with the expectation I would do a particular job. I'm honest, so I intend to. you were hired for the same job. Now, are you going to keep telling me how you're not going to do what you are paid for, while we wait for YOUR people to hear you and come and kill us, or are we going back to work as we agreed to do in town? And try to remember how many of MY people YOUR people killed taking over the town in the first place, if those are the terms you want to think in. Your people have set the rules, quit complaining that I'm following them and try less hard to raise an alarm, if you please."

Finn heads for the door at K14. should be straight north, I think.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Fri 23 Oct 2015.

Faire sighed a little bit and pushed the glasses further on her face as she saw the little discussion and the dragonborn’s prattling about killing the kobold. She shrugged a little bit in annoyance. ”I believe that you have a bit of a misunderstanding about kobolds. There are very few concepts of loyalty to dragons..and they tend not to get along with humans.” She narrowed her eyes at the warrior. ”Or Dragonborn for that matter. As far as I can tell there are very few bonds between draconic creatures.” She said in a rather blase, academic fashion. There was a hint of suspicion in her tone. ”I am all for handling problems nonviolently of course, but something tells me that the kobolds would simply attack when we try.” She shrugged. ”The rest will likely attack us...are you sure that you can fight them?”

In reply to Caine (msg # 10):

Caine will try and listen at the door, assuming the debate to the south isn't too loud.

OOC:
+2 perception. I'm not sure if you'd prefer to roll this sort of thing or have me do so.

Tarkun curses is Draconic as Caine walks away. He then turns his attention to Faire.

"Do not presume to tell me about my family or those I may share a distant relation," he says quietly, the anger gone from is voice. "I am not nor will I be defined by the actions of a few. I am a scion of the great Dragon Riders and I will bring honor to my clan again."

He reaches into his ornate robe to pull out his brass dragonhead wand.

"If it's violence they want, it's violence they shall get," he resigns to himself, preparing to once again slaughter those that could have served him in rebuilding the city.

"Tiamat, forgive me."

Moving from M18 (where I presume I moved to talk with Caine) to M14,  making sure to crouch under the open window

As they walked forward, Faire groaned a bit, staring at the man a little suspiciously. Why on earth would he take a job to go fight off the invaders if he was going to call killing them genocide? She was also worried that he knew very little about the world. Perhaps he was sheltered? The Kobolds weren't true dragonkin as far as she understood.They very rarely even had dragon blood in them. It was something that scholars argued about for sure, but still. She took a deep sigh and spoke up. "Why'd you take this job if you consider fighting invaders off to be genocide again?" She wanted to watch the man a bit. He could prove to be a liability, especially since he mentioned being willing to fight the rest of them to protect the kobolds.

Sharlee turned round quickly, finger to her lips.

"Hush!  We are trying to be sneaky here!"

Stealthily she moved towards the further away window and settled down to listen.


OOC: Move to L12 and try to listen at the window.
Perception +3

shaded = wall
shaded "+" = barred window
shaded "-" = open window
"I" = door (action or reaction to open or close)
"X" = barred door
. = rubble (difficult terrain)
k = starved kobold sentry (AC12 HP5)

C=Caine S=Sharlee T=Tarkun F=Faire

Sharlee sneaks to the northern window, while the two mages take up a somewhat defensive position. Caine ends up at the door, listening intently.

For a moment, they hear nothing. Then someone trips over something inside, and apparently breaks some earthenware pot.

"Shhh! Be quiet! I'm trying to listen at the door!"

"Do you hear anything?"

"No, not yet!"

"You stupid gits, you're making too much noise!"

"We aren't!"

"Yes you are!"

Then there's the sound of a ladle smacking a scaly head. A loud, decidedly non-koboldish female voice barks something; there is much skittering and koboldish yipping; and a second later the windows of the house are slammed shut, and the wooden door barred from the inside.