El wakes up early and sets to work on a few plans to keep him safe. He goes out and collects branches from a few sparse trees. He stacks it all up in his cart. He then digs a hole just inside the entrance to the kobold warren. A grave. He covers it with his bedroll with the sticks driven through the underside of the bedroll on each corner. The ground is soft, good for digging, and still wet with morning dew.
Make Something
Mechanical Trap = DC 20
Bow and arrow used for trap
Crafting
16(D20)+5(skill)=21
Passed by 1
Moving further down he uses a few sticks and some careful placement to aim the bow straight down the tunnel towards the entrance with the string taut and an arrow loaded. All you have to do is step on a branch and the arrow will fly. The light down here is fading.
El feels comfortable with his work. He heads further into the kobold warren, lighting up a torch, and explores the interior. The air is stagnant down here as a putrid scent mixes with the natural earth. He finds a dining area, bedrooms, a pond in one room, a bathroom, and a few crafting areas. The kobolds were just living here. And they were slaughtered.
The men lay dead in the halls, the women lay dead near the back of the warren, and the infants were dead beyond that. In the far back of the warren, El finds a stone slab over a doorway. El attempts to push the slab aside to no avail.
Stepping back, he looks at the massive piece of stone. It’s too smooth. It would have been raised magically. Although at the top was a small bit of space El could possibly wiggle through. El drops his equipment and attempts to scale the stone slab. From the side, he could put his back to the wall and try to climb using the two opposite walls.
Check
Natural Rock DC = 25
Chimney - 10
Climbing
12(D20)+5(skill)=17
Passed by 2
El reaches the top and pulls himself through the gap between the slab and the top of the cave entrance. He squeezes through and drops down on the other side. El spots a flash of movement and narrowly avoids a spear thrust from a young kobold with purple scales.
“Whoa!! Hold on!” El shouts.
“No, I kill.” The kobold charges once more.
El rolls out of the way and looks around the room. It’s some sort of vault room, but it seems to be mostly cleaned out.
“They took everything, didn’t they?” El says.
“You want something. Have a piece of this!” The kobold stabs out with the spear once more.
El moves under the blow and then tackles the Kobold to the ground. He sits up still keeping a knee on the monstrous being's leg.
“Did they just leave you to die here?” El stares into the kobold’s eyes.
“Yes.” The kobold squirms uncomfortably. “You squishy's left Kib to die. Killed all his kin.”
“Not me. The people who did this to your Warren are hunting me.”
Influence Attitude
Hostile = DC 24
Common enemy -5
Diplomacy
16(D20)+1(skill)=17
Failed by 2
“Lies!” The kobold, Kib, pushes El off of himself and squirms away.
“Wait! I have one of their heads in my possession!” El holds out his hands defensively.
“Show me.” The kobold grabs his spear slowly.
“Alright, I’m going to push you up to the top of the cavern entrance and you can climb out over the stone slab.” El moves slowly towards the entrance with his hands still held out.
“Alright. No funny business.” Kib spits to the side.
El helps Kib up and then follows with a helping hand from Kib. The two walk back through the warren. Kib’s eyes grow dull as he looks from body to body of his fallen kin. He keeps his spear pointed towards El’s back as they walk.
The two come to the cart just inside of the warren, pulled out of the way of the entrance. El pulls his sickle out of the back of the cart with the elf’s head still attached.
“You killed him!” Kib jumps back. “You must be a great fighter!”
“I’m nothing special,” El replies.
“He’s down there!” A voice calls out from the entrance.
“Shit, quick hide in the back of the hall.” El pushes Kib back and points to the bow trap.
Hide
DC Unknown
Versus Passive Perceptions
Stealth
19(D20)+10(skill)=29
Massive Success
“Hey, kid!” Bandlor calls out. “Come on out. The Lord just wants to talk with you.”
“You can tell him to get fucked!” El calls out from behind the cart.
“Send them in.” The lord says from on horseback outside the warren.
“You really came here yourself? Just to see me?” El calls out.
“The Guild of Adventurers has given me the power to declare you a threat to the safety of our entire kingdom. As a commoner it is forbidden to adventure, to slay monsters unless in self defense, or to use an aura while not under Guild jurisdiction. You have been deemed a Rogue System User. You will be executed for these crimes.”
The eight guards rush in feeling confident. Two of them tumble headfirst down the pitfall trap. The first guard dives into the other side of the pit, the second falls straight down twisting his ankle as he lands solidly on both feet, but the first falls down on top of him unconscious.
An arrow flies out from the dark and slams through the helmet of one of the guards. His corpse drops down on top of the other two in the pit.
El pops out of cover firing his crossbow at the next guard. His bolt hits dead mass, causing the guard to stagger backward. El slams back down behind the cart. No return fire comes his way. Did they not bring ranged fighters? Or did he kill their ranged expert already? The Elf must have been it.
A stone flies out of the darkness and hits the wounded guard in the neck. He doubles over trying to gasp for breath.
El reloads his crossbow before he kicks the woodblock out from under the cart and climbs onto the back. The cart rolls down the tunnel towards the back wall as he takes aim at another guard trying to pull his wounded friend backward. He fires, but the shot is a grazing one.
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“There’s just one boy! Charge him!” The lord yells.
El hops off the cart and Kib pulls him around the corner between two spears planted into the dirt aiming outward. Kib nods for El to go towards the back of the warren. The kobold slinks into the darkness of a side room.
El turns and runs back behind cover. He reloads his crossbow and aims it down the hall. The guards charge into the dark around the corner. El notes four of them. Those in the pit and the wounded one aren’t present. There's a thud and two painful grunts. One of the spears snaps in half on impact. The spears did their job.
El keeps quiet behind cover as the guards recover. One of them lights a torch.
“Three, two.” A guard says before yanking a spear out of one of his comrades.
El pops around cover aiming at the torchbearer, A perfectly illuminated target. The guard takes a step to the side right as the bolt flies past his head, barely grazing his cheek. One of the other guards yelps as a stone hits him in the back of his head.
The torchbearer charges through the dark towards El. Who manages to reload and get another shot off before the man could get to him. The bolt slams through the man’s cheek and through the back of his mouth. He drops his torch as he clutches at his face. He spins taking a staggering step back towards the tunnel entrance when a rock slams into his face. He falls backward, down for the count.
One of the guards turns and flees as the other drags his partner out. With all eight guards dealt with, the real fight can begin. El and Kib recoup for the fight as those above take their time preparing.
"You're pretty good at staying hidden," El remarks.
"Had plenty experience killing goblin raiders growing up. There are plenty of murderholes around the warren and passageways within." Kib replies.
"So whats the plan?" El looks around the dark hallway.
"I'll guide you to the back, they'll come in with lights, so they will be big targets to shoot. You draw them in. I'll use a side tunnel to get behind them."
"You ready to kill adventurers if it comes to it?"
"None of my people could face the adventurers coming in here. This is the last fight for us."
"It'll be different this time. You've got a ratcatcher on your side. And I'm going to break them."
----------------------------------------
The knight moves down the tunnel, a lantern on his belt, El eyes it, noticing it looks exactly like the one that started the mill fire. The woman adventurer follows after him. Behind them are two guards with torches, then there is Bandlor in handcuffs. Behind him are two wounded guards with spears pointed at him. In the back is the Lord, off horseback, and walking down the tunnel. The lord is flanked by two of the other wounded guards holding torches up.
That's ten people walking down the tunnel towards El. And El can barely make out something in the Lord’s hands between all the figures in front of him. Some sort of crossbow.
Things were stacked against El for sure, but he couldn’t give up.
“Now!” Bandlor yells as he loops his cuff’s chains around a guard's neck.
El fires his crossbow at the knight. His bolt bounces right off his plate armor. Bandlor swings the guard around to face the noble as the lord raises his weapon. It’s a wooden stock like a crossbow, a little longer though, that he presses hard into his chest. The end of the weapon though is a metal barrel with a small hole at the end and a small hole near the stock. The lord presses a hot pricker against the hole near the stock.
BOOM
A concussive blast rings through the cavern. El staggers back confused as Bandlor pushes the guard’s corpse away. The body has a hole that bores straight through his armor. A rock flies through the air and dings against the side of a guard's helmet in the back.
The adventuring knight charges into the darkness towards El, the lantern bouncing on his belt illuminating his way, as the teen comes into the view of the light he rears back. El drops his crossbow, raising his shovel instead.
Two guards charge at Bandlor with their spears trained at him. He steps between them, pushing their spears to the side, and stabbing through the other torchbearer that was in front of him. He slams his elbow down on the spears and knocks them out of the grip of the guards. He follows that up with his last attack, slamming his fist in an uppercut against the more wounded spear bearer. The God easily knocks him unconscious.
The other two torchbearers run up and swing their torches at Bandlor. He dodges backward and slams into the back of the female adventurer.
She spins around, drawing a mace, and calling forth divine energy with a prayer under her breath. Bandlor quickly rolls away as she swings her mace through the air with a crack of energy.
Another rock flies through the air hitting one of the torchbearers.
“Kill them already!”The lord yells as he pours a black powder from a horn into the barrel of his weapon. “Kill the Ratcatchers!”
El charges forward, looking at the armored man before him, quickly devising a plan to beat him. El tackles him to the ground. The man seems to not expect the direct assault. His feet sweep out from under him and El lands on top of the armored man.
The knights sword scatters across the ground to the left. El’s hands quickly slip underneath the flaps that protect the man’s neck. The teen’s fingers wrap around the man’s throat as he slams his weight against the knight.
Bandlor avoids a punch from one guard, stepping into a punch from another guard, causing him to stagger backward. He shoots his hand up catching the hand of the third guard swinging a torch at him. Bandlor slams his foot down on the end of a spear. It flies up into Bandlor’s awaiting free hand.
The God of War slams the but of the spear against one guard's head as he spins the spear upwards. He brings the shaft down on a second guard knocking them out. Before slamming the spearhead into the torchbearer, killing him.
El keeps pressing his hands against the knight's throat as the knight slaps at his sides and tries to break El’s grip. El slams the knight down again as his knuckles go white from gripping so hard. The knight slams his gauntlets on the inside of El's elbows. The fieldhand's elbows bend but he doesn't let go.
The cleric charges Bandlor while he has his back turned and swings her mace down at him. When a rock slams into her nose and she staggers backward.
Bandlor charges the lord as he aims the barrel of his weapon at the God. Bandlor slams the barrel up under the Lord’s chin, slides around behind the Lord, and reaches his arms around the Lord to hold him in a bear hug. A bear hug where the barrel of a rifle is pressed to the Lord’s chin.
“Don’t make a move. Or I activate your noble’s magic stick.” Bandlor pulls the Lord away from the Cleric.
“He doesn’t even know how it works.” The Lord says through gritted teeth as he’s being crushed in a hug. “Save me.”
The knight manages to push off the ground before El slams him down again and continues squeezing the life out of him. He’s getting weaker, desperate, spasming for breath. His gauntlets reach up and grab at El's face. The metal fingers squeezing into El's eyes.
The female adventurer looks back at her companion before looking back to the Lord.
“Save me!” The Lord calls out.
“I can’t.” The cleric turns and runs to help the knight in the next room.
“See, you’re all alone. I wasn’t gonna kill you.” Bandlor smiles.
BOOM
Kib pulls the hot poker away from the rifle looking pleased with himself. Bandlor staggers backward holding his ears. The lord's body slumps over, the front of his head completely missing.
El presses his nails into the skin of the knight, as the last bit of struggle leaves him. El lets go as the knight's arms fall limp to his sides. The teen boy stands, grabbing his shovel, as he faces the cleric. Blood runs from the corner of his eyesockets down his face.
“What did you do?” She says with a panicked tone.
“Killed a monster.” El says calmly as his arms tremble.
The teen lunges forward swinging the shovel towards the Cleric’s neck.
Standard Action
Shovel
DC= 14
Attack Roll
14(D20)+2(Skill)=16
5 Damage
The blow collides, the cleric grits her teeth, golden energy flows from her holy symbol to her mace. Golden energy radiates from El as his muscles are filled with more energy.
Using Hero Points
Extra Action
Current Hero Points: Two
Standard Action
Shovel
DC= 14
Attack Roll
20(D20)+2(Skill)=22
5 Damage = 10 Critical Damage
As she goes to swing her mace, El quickly pulls the head of his shovel back and then slams it forward through her throat. She gasps and sputters as blood spills out onto the shovel. El places a boot on her abdomen and pushes her backward. Her body crashes to the ground.
“Alright kid. We are finishing your training, I’m selling all this loot in the next town over, and you are going to lay low. I’ll figure out the whole lord issue myself.” Bandlor says.
“Yeah, sure,” El says. He looks down at the two adventurers he killed.
“Kid. You did well. They were into some dark shit you don’t want to know about.” Bandlor walks over and grabs El. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Alright. But Kib is coming with,” El replies.
“The kobold child?” Bandlor looks back at the Purple Kobold who is currently reloading the rifle with some difficulty.
“Yeah, I’m responsible for him.” El looks back at the stone slab covering the last doorway.
“Okay. Sure thing kid.” The God of War sighs.
“Thanks, Ban!” El hugs him.
“Hey, hey, off!” Bandlor pushes El to the side.
He walks to the slab in the back as El takes the Knight's lantern and attaches it to his own belt. Bandlor grabs the large slab of stone and moves it to the side with ease. El walks up behind him and the room glitters with metal sheen. Through the walls are veins of silver.
“Huh. Maybe your kobold friend could be of some help.” Bandlor scratches his chin.
“You think we could mine this?” El asks.
“Let's strike a deal with the local smith to buy Silver from Arkin. Arkin can be Kib’s contact. I sense good and understanding from that man. Kib and I will clean up the Warren. You go tell Arkin everything that happened. Keep it between you two.” Bandlor nods to El.
El loads his stuff up in the cart. He leaves his sickle and the elves' things. He doesn’t take anything but the lantern.
Gained EXP
El
4600/7500
3800/2 EXP
Kib
1400/3000
He heads to the farm where he tells Arkin everything. Arkin agrees to keep El’s secret as well as help Kib. Arkin and El settle on a raise to his rent to pay for Kib’s food and supplies so that the kobold never goes hungry. El’s rent is now sixty silver a month, still easily doable for the teen.
El goes to bed in his barn. Feeling uneasy seeing how the bottom level was cleaned. The farm is covering for him. They could all go down for what El did. El curls up in his bed thinking of the cleric’s face when she saw her friend dead. The teen still felt the bruises along his sides where the knight struggled and fought back.
He falls asleep feeling troubled.
Long Rest
Heal 1 x Level
12/14 Health