Fingers: The Kobold Tower: Part II - 13 June 2021

[Marullus]

Idriss and Ablesforth take time to study and meditate on the magical nature of their worlds while the others pack up camp. The persistent rain of your journey has cleared, leaving a clear, sunny day ahead. An hour back across the fields and you're all back at the tower once more, observing from the grasses 200' out.

There are two small shed-like buildings built against the sides of the tower. There is a long mortared-stone outbuilding about 40 yards from the tower on the west side, most of its roof caved in, likely once a human-style horse barn. On the north side of the clearing are a mound of well-preserved logs under a collapsed pavilion next to what was once a stone sawmill.

The tower itself looks again as it did yesterday afternoon, door closed and smoking chimney, though there is no activity in the yard. The dead Kobold bodies are all removed, though the bloodstains on the dry grass show where they laid.

What did you do with the Kobold prisoner?

Date: 8:00am, 14 June 2021
Light: Sun
Distance travelled: None today
Weather: Dry, mostly sunny, 53 F
Injuries: Neegan (minor injury)

[Rusty Tincanne]

I've a mind to have a look-see at that old sawmill and that lumber. Ancient logs, they are. They'd build a fine home somewhere.

As long as he thinks that outbuilding is far enough out of bow range and the others are with him, Able will carefully head that way.

[Alethan]

Rhybek

Rhybek agrees to accompany the clergyman to the mill, also interested in examining the mill.

"Keep an eye on the captive," he says to the others, leaving the kobold with them.

[Marullus]

Rhybek and Neegan finish their watches and help pack up camp. As they prepare to set out for the day, Rhybek admonishes others to remain and watch the still-sleeping Kobold. it is Able who notices what the others missed... the kobold's scrawny body is pale and unmoving, curled up on itself. It isn't sleeping, it is dead. Tipping it back, he notices the gash across its throat that allowed its blood to pool on the ground beneath.

Date: 8:10am, 14 June 2021
Light: Sun
Distance travelled: None today
Weather: Dry, mostly sunny, 53 F
Injuries: Neegan (minor injury)

Rhybek INT check [1d20] = 13
Neegan INT check [1d20] = 14
Able INT check [1d20] = 3

[Dram]

Neegan- Packs up the his gear. Sees Able checking out the kobold. Dead is he? His wounds were bad.
He starts heading towards the Mill.

[Alethan]

Rhybek

Frowning, Rhybek examines the ground, looking for signs of tracks. He examines the blood to see if it has already congealed or if it is more fresh.

Then he glances at Dram with a questioning look. "He weren't wounded, mate. At least not before last night. This one was the dog that was passed out drunk."

[Zhym]

"It didn't pass out drunk," says Fingers. "It tripped while attacking and hit its head on a rock." That's the one we left alive, right?

"One less thing to worry about," he says with a shrug. "I'll hang back and provide cover while you check the mill. If any kobolds poke their head out of the tower, I'll get 'em." He holds up Silmaril for emphasis.

[Marullus]

Same one, both are right. We said the one that was stumbly-drunk when you arrived is the one that tripped and knocked himself out when it was time to attack.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Was there a shift in the timeline? Marullus posted we were all back at the compound at 8am, then, 10 min later we were back at our camp finding the prisoner murdered.

Does the wound look clean like a knife or more ragged like a claw?

Able inspects the wound and shakes his head. Throat is slit. Nasty business. He looks the party over in judgement, coming to no conclusion. Unless it was one of you, our camp was snuck into. Maybe that bird-squirrel? Able looks for take, not expecting to see any since it isn't the sort of thing he normally does.

At any rate, what's done is done. He'd have killed us if he'd gotten loose. Let's storm the castle.

[Marullus]

Just assume you handled the Kobold before going to the tower. I tried to jump ahead, but then it complicated with splitting the group and such, so I revealed the death.

[Rusty Tincanne]

it would likely have become apparent when we tried to get him to lead us down to the tower.

Could be tell if the cut was jagged or clean?

[Marullus]

A clean cut, not a jagged sawing or a tooth-and-clae mess.

Anything further with the Kobold or does everyone move forward together to the tower? Actions?

[Zhym]

Fingers is good to go.

[Alethan]

Rhybek

Shrugging at the loss of the kobold, Rhybek indicates his readiness to go examine the old mill.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Ablesforth rises. Though he is disturbed that one of the group might be a cold-blooded killer, he feels safe enough in their company because they had looked over him in the past. Nothin' to be done for it now, I s'pose. Back to the tower?

[Marullus]

There are two small shed-like buildings built against the sides of the tower. There is a long mortared-stone outbuilding about 40 yards from the tower on the west side, most of its roof caved in, likely once a human-style horse barn. On the north side of the clearing are a mound of well-preserved logs under a collapsed pavilion next to what was once a stone sawmill.

Returning to the tower, your group decides to investigate the pavilion and stone sawmill on the north side of the tower and facing the forest. Circling cautiously around the tower well out of bowshot, you come counterclockwise around to look on the decrepit ruins from the east. There was once a large pavilion roof supported by thick wooden pillars; it is about 100 feet long going east-west and then fifty feet across. Massive tree trunks, long ago aged and dried into an almost rock-like consistency, are mounded underneath to a height above your heads, perhaps about nine feet. A worn footpath approaches from the tower and splits about 30 feet before the outbuildings, one side going to the millhouse and the other entering under the pavilion on the east end of the south face where a gap in the logs allows access to the middle of the space. The dirt pathway can be seen emerging from the west end of the pavilion and continuing northward towards the forest before fading out in the underbrush. Most of the pavilion roof above sags and in some places has collapsed.

The sawmill - roughly ten feet east of the pavilion, is a squat stone-and-mortar construction about 40 feet square. The roof has caved in onto the second story floor but the walls are still fairly solid. A gaping doorway on the south side of the structure allows access, the door that once hung there long hauled away. There is an open window on the north face, broken stones where shutter brackets once were attached.

There is no activity at the tower this morning, save the notable absence of the dead kobold's bodies, and all lies still by the sawmill as well.

Date: 8:00am, 14 June 2021
Light: Sun
Distance travelled: None today
Weather: Dry, mostly sunny, 53 F
Injuries: Neegan (minor injury)

[Alethan]

Rhybek Baerdrum

"A well-worn footpath indicates current use," Rhybek says quietly to the rest of the group. "Let's check it out."

He continues to circle around until he is northwest of the pavilion, then takes that path to the log structure, crossbow out and loaded.

[Dram]

Neegan follows Rybeck. Keeps eye out tem litle buggerz coulds be hidun any where.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Also being cautious, Able follows the group at a 10 foot distance. I don't like how quiet their being. Don't feel right. Lets look for traps as we go.

[Marullus]

Marching Order:
Rhybek --> Craige the Mule --> Neegan --> Ablesforth --> Fingers --> Sprinkes the Dog --> Idriss

Rhybek leads the column around to the north, at the forest's edge, until northwest of the pavilion, then back down the footpath towards the structure. He leads his mule, followed by Neegan and Ablesforth, the latter sagely advising that they be wary of traps. Fingers and Idriss bring up the rear, Fingers covering them all with his longbow.

Approaching the structure with all caution and checking for kobold deceits, their patience is rewarded. Rhybek is able to pick out three cleverly-constructed deadfalls into pits, each covered with live sod worn as part of the pathway, which surely would have led to the death of him or his mule had he been less astute. Leading the group around the pits, each in turn, you all reach the interior of the pavilion structure. The narrow path runs between two massive stacks of logs, each stack running east-west in parallel with the building and standing at least nine feet high. Light is blocked except where it streams in through collapsed segments of the roofing. The pathway through the building is cluttered with detritus, narrowing and widening from 10-15 feet at various points as it runs the 100 feet to the far end.

You're about a third of the way in, all party members safely past the traps at the pavilion's edge, when you see something flit across the path ahead of you. You halt, becoming wary, and something furry brushes your boot. You see a massive thing, almost like a rat of giant size but with a ruffled frill on its neck like a lizard and the scaled and patterned tail of a snake swishing behind it. It hisses, then squeals, eliciting a chorus of squeals from the surrounding wood piles. Over a dozen giant lizard-rodents join the din.

Actions and initiative!

Date: 8:30am, 14 June 2021
Light: Sun
Distance travelled: 1-2 miles
Weather: Dry, mostly sunny, 53 F
Injuries: Neegan (minor injury)

Trap Detection [1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 5 [1d6] = 6 [1d6] = 1 [1d6] = 6 [1d6] = 5
Trap Detection [1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 1 [1d6] = 4 [1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 6 [1d6] = 6
Trap Detection [1d6] = 1 [1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 5 [1d6] = 5 [1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 1