Kingdom of Arim I (IC)

[Keylac]

The outcome of the small battle had seemed inconclusive; the kobolds had lost a few of their numbers, but still nearly outnumbered the party, who were being slowly worn down. All at once, the odds swung to the parties favor.

Tamni'el's shot missed, but his target hardly noticed, distracted as he was by the paladin in among the slingers.

Uriell had just speared another kobold, the one he had wounded earlier, leaving only one kobold to face himself, Tulkar, and Hu. The kobolds lack of success against Hu alone hardly filled it with great confidence at the thought of fighting all of them alone.

Anthony, possibly irritated at the delay in finishing off his wounded adversary, attacks again. This time he meets with more success, with a solid hit that drops his opponent lifeless to the ground without wasting a single bit of effort.

The battle had just swung decisively to the parties side, when one last shot ended it.

A near perfect shot from Alexis, the arrow seeming to leap from the bow, slammed into the kobold leader in front of Darius, nailing the unfortunate kobold to the tree behind it. It was dead before it knew it, expression still locked in the snarl it had showed to the paladin that had thought to kill it.

The surviving kobolds seem to freeze, all fight gone with the direction of their leader. They hesitate for the barest of moments, then fling their weapons aside and flee, running straight through the party in an effort to pass through to the other side of the woods and the manor beyond.

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Alexis kills the Kobold Leader with an excellent critical hit.

Tamni'el, apparently your arm is killing you, you missed again.

Uriell, you hit and kill your target, Hu misses though.

Anthony finishes off the wounded kobold

Okay, so this is a win for the good guys. Let's see if you can finish off the survivors. Everyone just roll a hit, you don't need to pick a kobold. If you get more then one AoO, go ahead and roll all of them, even if you're using a ranged weapon. If enough of you hit, none get away. If too many hit, then you'll dismember kobolds in unison.

Oh and make sure to check the announcements.

[Comissar]

The Kobold in front of Darius fell to a well placed arrow. Without missing a beat, Darius swung his Halberd up in an arc, just as a Kobold tried to sprint past him. The blow connected with a wet impact accompanied by a grisly crack of bone. The creature died before Darius even completed his swing. As he did so, he noticed the remaining members of the attacking group fleeing the scene.

Without bothering to look at the damage he'd wrought, Darius wiped the axe head clean on the grass as best he could. This task done, he knelt down with his head bowed, holding his Halberd upright in front of him. In this position he muttered, "Krin of the Bells, forgive the killing I have undertaken, know that it was in defense of our own lives and was not a fight we sought. I pray that in your mercy you will see that I may still serve a greater cause in protecting against aggression."

His prayer continued for another few seconds before he stood once more.

[Morbis Meh]

The swift and effective blow gave a rush to Anthony, this is what he lived for! Nothing was more addicting than controlling life and death of others while throwing your own life to the roll of the dies of fate! Not even pausing to breath he dashes forward to hi next quarry, he could smell the stench of fear all over them but it did not stop him. He brings down his mighty axe yet again with expert precision obtained from many battles.

[Electrobolt]

As he saw the arrow soar past the kobold without so much as distracting it, Tamni'el shook his head. But once he saw the remaining kobolds fleeing after their leader had fallen, he gripped his scimitar tight with both hands as he slashed at one of the kobolds that tried to slip by, hitting it with precision.

[Archmage1]

Seeing the kobolds break and run, Alexis takes an additional shot at the fleeing kobolds.
If they run away now, they will probably be back later, either during our exploration of the manor, or when we are leaving. They will probably have gathered reinforcements as well. Better to get them now.

[Holice]

Thankful that at least one of the kobolds attacking Hu was down, Uriell was ready to turn its attention to the other one threatening his companion.

As he readied to attack, he noticed an arrow pierce the leader and kill it with such speed that it froze the snarl on its face. As he glanced to his side, he saw Anthony crush another one, as it dropped lifeless to the ground.

Looking back towards the kobold, apparently it was well aware of its allies dropping dead as well, and it begin to make a run for the forest on the other side of the building.

Twisting in an unnatural way, Uriell desperately tries to spear it before it can get away, but with the awkwardness of the situation and the speed of the kobold, his chances did not look good.

Meanwhile, Hu, still filled with anger in his eyes, that he has not ripped the kobold apart, makes a last ditch effort to try and grab the kobold as it flees, but simply snaps his jaws shut, missing the kobold.

Looking down at Hu, Uriell pets him, "It's ok boy, at least they didn't get us this day."

[AvocadoAvenger]

Fleeing Tulkar thought So we have won again. He knew that it was no thanks to Darius and Anthony, but hated that. They were soldiers, but they were very effective in that fight which made him angry in a way. If soldiers hadn't had as much power on the day his mother was murdered, he could have driven them back. But he was strong too now, and he wanted above all else at this point to prove to them that he could be just as strong of a warrior.

With that sentiment in head, he attacks at the kobolds again.

[Keylac]

As the kobolds flee through the forest, heading towards the manor, the party attempts to cut them down as their backs are turned. Darius, Anthony, and Tamni'el all kill one, dismembering them with well-placed blows. Kobold body parts and organs make sodden thumps as they hit the ground.

The final kobold, the one that had survived everything Uriell, Hu, and Tulkar could throw at it, demonstrates it's skill once again. It manages to parry Uriell's spear thrust, dodge Hu's snapping dodge, and roll away from Tulkar's axe swing. Up and running, it scrambles through the grass, getting ten feet away when it's intercepted by Tulkar's throwing axe, severing it's spine and bringing it to the ground.

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Heh. There were 4 running Kobolds, and 4 of you hit.

Anthony killed a kobold

Darius dismembers a kobold

Tamni'el kills a kobold

Alexis misses

Holice and Hu miss

Tulkar leaves an axe buried in the back of a kobold

Okay then, I'll speed this next part up, since I'm sure you're going to search the bodies soon. Here's the loot list:

10 Small sized Short Spears
9 Small sized Slings
1 Small sized Light Crossbow
85 Sling Stones
18 Bolts

Each of the kobolds also has at least one small money pouch on them, but none of them contain coin. Instead, they're filled with bits of shiny metal and stones, all worthless.

The kobold with the crossbow is wearing a belt with some crude draconic stamped into it. For those that read Draconic, it says "Me Sharpbite, Leader of Hunters, Servant of Gyrax, Tyrant of the Clawed Fist"

There ya go, just make sure that someone searches the bodies, and then go ahead and decide what to do next/do it.

Oh yes, and minor update on the Cast section, for Alexis.

[Archmage1]

Alexis looks at the dead kobolds, and pinches her nose.
"I had better search the bodies, see if they have anything interesting.(One search later) Does anyone need a ranged weapon? The crossbow that the leader had, while small, is in working order, and there is a fair amount of ammo. You could fire off a shot right before going into combat, which could be helpful. Uriell, there is plenty of sling stones for you, if you need more. Unfortuantly, they don't appear to have anything of value. This may be a good thing, however, as they may not have broken into the vault. Apparently the leader was called Sharpbite, and was a leader of hunters and a servant of Gyrax, who is apparently called a Tyrant of the Clawed Fist. Looks like there are a lot more of these kobolds nearby."

Looks like this is going to be harder than I thought it would be. At least the others seem to be decent in a fight, although Tamni'el is not much of an archer. Perhaps his injury is a problem for him. The dog was a good distraction as well.

Looking at the others, Alexis sees that none of them are hurt too badly. She also moves away from the bodies, and stops pinching her nose.

"If we are able, we should probably head inside the manor. They are probably lairing there, so expect to see more of them. I will try to scout ahead when we get there, I should be able to avoid notice, and find any traps that may be armed. We may end up needing reinforcements to do this if there is a horde of the lizards here."

After saying her piece, she washes off her hands, trying to get rid of the smell.

[Holice]

After listening to Alexis's recap of the loot on the bodies, Uriell strides over to the sling stones she mentioned.

Picking up a stone, he feels the edges, not too smooth, and checks the weight versus a smith made sling bullet.

Clearly inferior to the city goods, but lightweight and could be useful if I ever ran out of proper shot, he ponders to himself, and then proceeds to fill a pocket in his pack with the stones.

Wiping the blood off his spear, he looks over at Hu, who it seems is trying to take a kobold foot as a trophy. "Hu!", Uriell says firmly, "Get that nasty thing out of your mouth." As the dog returns to his side, Uriell grabs some jerky and tosses it to Hu. He then thoroughly checks the dog to make sure he is uninjured.

Satisfied with the condition of himself and his dog, he turns back to the rest of the group.

"I agree, let's continue on with our mission at hand. Best case scenario is that the kobolds are lairing somewhere nearby but not in the home. Worst case," he pauses, "well let's just keep our weapons at the ready."

[Morbis Meh]

After felling yet another lizard pest, Anthony begins to whistle a merry tune then proceeds to wipe of his axe with a scrap of fabric that he took off of his foe. He casually looks at his wound and notices that it was healing nicely Another minute or two of fighting will clear that right up! Too bad it wasn't much of a challenge but oh well great way to start the day! Those around him will notice that Anthony now is very chipper and a has a bit of a spring in his step.

"Now that was entertaining, though they didn't put up much of a fight and fled like squealing pigs. Well shall we continue on and see what else this little gem of a hovel has in store for us?" He walks over casually to the kobold with the axe sticking out of it's back, it was whimpering in pain, something no creature deserves. With one smooth fluid motion he breaks the poor things neck like a chicken bone and takes out the axe from its back. He strolled merrily back towards the angry looking kids whilst inspecting the axe "Weight is a little off but at least your throw compensated for the lack of craftsmanship. A bit of advice kid, throwing a weapon is a great way to end up dead, real warriors don't toss away their livelihood away without thought." He tosses it gingerly towards Tulkar and turns away without another word.

He walks away from the obviously perturbed boy humming away with the occasional snippet of lyrics escaping.

[AvocadoAvenger]

"Real warriors don't toss away their livelihood away without thought." As if he meant to say that Tulkar was not a real warrior. That made him angry enough to follow Anthony in order to get a comeback in, even though he knew it was wiser not to. Real warriors?!" he objects. Tulkar pauses for a good long minute trying to think of something to say to the crusader. He couldn't well say that Anthony wasn't a good warrior, he had fought well and killed more Kobolds than anyone. "I can use two axes at once." he finally said, creating a lame insult. "and I'm a hell of a lot faster than you, old man" he added. That one was supposed to be a bit more hard-hitting, but Anthony could probably take it better than Tulkar had taken his insults so far.

[Morbis Meh]

Anthony stops and turns around "Bwahahahahaha, that's what happens after a few campaigns my boy, your joints get rusty but they get rustier still when you sit around training mouthy little brats. As for the two axes, that is a matter of preference, from what I see you are having trouble making contact because your mind is split between two weapons. The soul of his warrior is his weapon, when it is split he is unfocused, undisciplined. You need to use them as one and not as separate entities, maybe with time you will learn to master your Kampfgeist and rejoin with your soul; however, before you can do that you need to get over your past, I have seen tempers like yours and it will destroy you unless you can come to terms with it."

A hint of a smile traces along his lips and he turns back around and continues walking. "I may be growing older but I've seen a great deal and learned a lot from battle, stick around and I will show you to use that axe properly. If you would be a warrior then you first must learn not to swing it like you're chopping wood."

[Electrobolt]

Tamni'el followed the group silently, deciding it would be best not to get involved in an argument. He felt that if he were to try and say something, more arguments might arise instead. That, and he couldn't really say anything at the moment.

[AvocadoAvenger]

Tulkar's temper had calmed slightly. He wanted to be angrier than he was, but it was hard when Anthony just laughed, agreed with him, and tried to coach him. Besides, he was right about needing to come to terms with his past. "So maybe I've been a little off this fight," Tulkar replied "But I assure you, it's nothing that can't be explained by a little bad luck. There are benefits from a second axe, like having another attack, and throwing it at range." Tulkar was speaking calmly with his thoughts together, which surprised even himself at this point. "But i'm pretty sure you made up that Kampfgeist thing." That sounded more foolish, and like Tulkar to say in that instance.

[Comissar]

"A little bad luck is the difference between life and death, you'd do well to make your own luck."

Darius had a faint smile on his face, amused by the exchange.

"So long as we keep our wits about us, we shouldn't encounter anything we can't handle. I agree that we should head into the manor, I say we take it slow and don't take risks. Best try to avoid another ambush."

[Morbis Meh]

Anthony laughs heartily "Indeed young Templar, any fool that tries to rely on luck in Battle is bound to fall, a man looks at fate and laughs in its face. Kampfgeist is a man's fighting spirit boy, without it even the strongest of men are helpless, you would do well not to scorn the teachings of my master for his words were wise even if I am not. I already told you there is nothing wrong with fighting with two weapons it just requires more focus and discipline to properly master. Now unless you want to continue this exchange and notify every living thing withing a two mile radius then may I suggest we drop this conversation until a more appropriate time."

[Archmage1]

Hopefully the disagreement between Tulkar and Anthony does not become much worse. Both are prideful, and arrogant, and they could easily decide to prove that each is better than the other, with disastrous consequences. Probably not yet, however, as they have bigger concerns.

"All right then, I could take the lead, and scout ahead. Hopefully, I could avoid being seen, while seeing whether or not there are more enemies here. I would also try to keep an eye out for traps, but no guarantees that I would find them. If I am discovered, I will run back to the group. However, as a group, that would slow us down considerably. Alternatively, we could do it the hard way, and just walk in."

[Holice]

Nodding at Alexis, "That sound's sufficient. You take the lead to the front of the home, and wave us in when its clear. We can watch your back from here and have ranged weapons at the ready. When we get to the building thou, it could prove disastrous if you went in alone with no backup, so at that point, how 'bout we just give you 10 feet or so to check for traps?"

Looking at the rest of the group, "Close enough to be helpful but far enough to not stumble on any traps," and for some reason he lingers his stare at Anthony when he says that last part.

"Plus, Hu has gotten a fresh scent of these kobolds and he should be able to pick up on their stench if we get too close."

[AvocadoAvenger]

"Fine," Tulkar snarls at Anthony. "I just said I never heard of it is all" he says under his breath, still sulking.

"If you think you can handle scouting, then I have no objection." Tulkar replies to Alexis. If she died because she was too far ahead, or not sneaky enough, or activating a trap that would have otherwise damaged him, it was no skin off his nose. It would kind of be a shame if the pretty girl died though he thinks, shallowly. Girls always seem to die quicker. I guess that's why they don't put them in the army. Uriell's idea relieved him in a way. "If I were you," he advised, "I wouldn't go too far ahead." His voice was still grumpy from earlier, but far from hostile at her.

[Keylac]

As you continue moving through the woods, you finally break through the trees, into the courtyard of the manor house. From the looks of it, the estate has obviously seen better days. The courtyard itself is in ruins, garden beds either overgrown or dead, cobblestones cracked. The manor isn't in any better repair; the entire west wing of the house seems to have collapsed in on itself. In the center of the front, double doors admit entry into the manor.

Hu, trotting next to Uriell, sniffing for kobolds, growls at the manor. It's obvious that the smell he was tracking is strongest in that direction.

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Allright, so I'm lacking the map I made for this place, as I didn't bring it. I still have the descriptions of the rooms, etc. but not specific sizes and distances. Don't expect a lot of exact numbers until I get back home.

Also, it occured to me that I didn't give a very good explanation of what the Map To The Vault showed. Specifically, it's a rough sketch of what appears to be the cellar of the manor, with a marker showing a secret door that's supposed to lead to the vault. I'll get you guys an image of it when I get home.

Lastly, anyone with Knowledge Architecture and Engineering can tell that the ground floor is made from stone, and looks sturdy. The upper floors are wood and look very unstable.

P.S. I cackled at the thought of Anthony mentoring Tulkar. Loved the rest of the talk.

[Archmage1]

Well, we are here. Time to find the cellar. Hopefully we can avoid notice... *Looks at Darius, and winces at the noise* Maybe not. Well, maybe there is another way in. If not, well, maybe we can come up with a way to sneak in.

"Well, looks like those doors are a way in, but we may want a less obvious route in. There are sure to be kobolds on the other side of that door, and the fight would be easier if we can flank them. Tamni'el, can you scout the left half of the house for entrances? I will cover the right. With luck, there will be another way in. If not, I can open the doors at a range, and hopefully lure out unsuspecting kobolds. Any other ideas?"

[Morbis Meh]

Anthony looks at the woman "Well you sneaky types can go off and hide along the sides, I will be the bait for a trap if there are kobolds and I will take the templar and the kid with me since they're about as silent as I am. Just give us a signal if you spot any traps.

[Electrobolt]

After hearing Alexis' plans, Tamni'el nodded. "I will do just that," he responded. With that, he then went off as he tried to find an entrance on the left side of the building.

[Archmage1]

Seeing Tamni'el moving off to check his side, Alexis goes to check the other side. Before she leaves however, she talks to the group.
"Tamni'el and I are going to go and look for another entrance. Please stay here, and don't go for the main door."

[Holice]

Clearly agitated by the new residents of the manor, Hu's growl is deep and guttural.

"Easy boy," Uriell says calmly, "you'll get your chance." And with that Hu's body seemed to relax, despite the snarl remaining on his face.

Nodding at the searchers, "Sounds good to me, I'll stay back here with these others." He then looks at the eagerness on Anthony's face for battle and adds, "But please be quick about it."

[Morbis Meh]

Why on earth does everyone keep starring at me? Do I have something on my face? I could have sworn I shaved today, maybe I missed a spot, yeah that's probably it. Next time I will have to use something better than a rusty dagger...

He was obviously displeased with the current plan and it's lack of action, he grew uneasy when he was standing around like this but he made the best of it. Leaning on his large axe he settles for checking out the elven ladies rump, though there was not much there to look at, it was much better than the other views in the area. He hoped the kid would take him up on his offer, with the right training he could make a decent warrior but first he would have to learn to channel his anger into something more productive... maybe flower arranging?

[Comissar]

Darius chuckles to himself at Anthony's plan. "I didn't quite mean we should step into traps they may have set you know," he shakes his head a little at the boldness of the plan, "But you're right, of the lot of us we'll be best suited to handling any close fighting. I'd prefer not to make a habit of it though."

Stepping forwards with his Halberd at the ready, he prepares to move ahead try and draw out anybody who may be trying to catch them unawares.

[Keylac]

With the rest of the party watching, Tamni'el and Alexis move off, each checking the windows to one side of the front doors. None of these windows have any glass left in them, but some are closed tightly, with badly warped shutters. The rooms you can see all appear to be abandoned, stripped of anything of use or value. There does appear to be a decent amount of light filtering in through the holes in the ceiling - you suspect that even if you were in a room without windows, you'd still have some light to see by.

Neither of you spot any signs of kobolds through the windows, though there's several you could climb into if you wanted. The easiest would be the ones near the East corner - they're larger than all the others, probably to admit extra light. The shelves that still line the walls and rotten papers scattered over the floor suggest this was a library, so the extra light makes sense.

Having scouted the front, you must now decide if you want to swing around the sides and continue checking, though this will take you out of sight of your comrades.

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Hmm. Nothing really to report here. Just lemme know what you're doing next.

[Archmage1]

After scouting out the front, Alexis continues towards the sides, intent on finishing scouting her half.