The Maztica Campaign: Never so Bold, as a Kobold Cold...

"Now We've Got Them!"

(What Has Gone Before)

Continuing their plunge into the depths of Athkatlos' storm sewer, João the Ranger and Esparelda the cranky Gnome have found a secret door...

"Right where I said it would be!" said Esparelda, eyeing João for confirmation.

The Ranger grinned, then pointed. "Is that a lever?"

Nestled against the wall, opposite the door, was a yard-long lever, mounted onto a honking great gear, half-set in the floor. Painted in faded white letters on the stone wall, above the lever, was the legend "Storm Gate Lever 2".

"So, there's another lever and gate somewhere..." said Esparelda.

"Or, possibly, the first lever broke, and this is a replacement." Said João Afonso, dryly.

The pair pulled at the lever, and were rewarded with the a rumble and metallic scraping sound from the main passageway. When they looked around the corner, the left-hand water-gate had opened.

"Presto!" said Esparelda, then motioned for quiet and cocked her head. The sound of scampering feet and muttered hissing issued forth from the newly opened doors. The Gnome peered down the passageway, looking for heat signatures.

Faint grey silhouettes, under a yard high, could be made out, against the darker background. "Kobolds..." said Esparelda with audible disgust. "Four of them."

The Kobolds approached the door with a hopping, bounding gait. Balancing his spear in his right hand, João Afonso drew it back above his shoulder and let it fly at the lead kobold. The throw was surprisingly accurate - it caught the hapless kobold square in the face and penetrated out the back of its head.

"Garl's GONADS!" exclaimed Esparelda. "Bulls eye!"

The lead kobold died noisily. The other three shrieked, then ran away howling, down the passageway.

(DM's Notes: Once again, Derek rolled a 20, with maximum damage. The surviving kobolds' morale collapsed like a cheap lawn chair...)

As the barks and yapping receded down the passage, Esperelda laughed. "They're calling you 'Far Slayer' - you certainly impressed them."

"It was a good cast..." agreed João Afonso, retrieving his spear with a little difficulty and giving it a quick wipe-down.

The sound of a gong carried up the passage, from the direction in which the kobolds had fled. They were massing for another attack.

João Afonso was peering down the tunnel. "They've stopped running."

The kobold-rout had been stemmed by a sub-leader. Esperelda could hear the Kobolds down the passage, there was a lot of them. They were whipping themselves up, chanting "Kill the smelly Human" and "Fat, dirty, Gnome thief!" they bayed.

"Bunch of mongrels..." she muttered as she handed an oil flask to João Afonso.

The kobold pack was advancing up the passageway, somewhat more cautiously than before. Esperalda could hear the leader, in the back, egging them on. They advanced in a semi-crouch, shields raised to better cover their heads and upper torsos.

The Kobolds Advance a Second Time

"Now We've Got Them!"

Esparelda held the lantern, while João Afonso used its flame to light the tallow-soaked rag that wrapped the neck of the ceramic flask. The Kobolds were getting nearer.

"Kill the white-skins! Kill the surface-runners!" they chanted.

"And kill that fat, dirty Gnome in the back!" yelled the leader.

"Motherless scum..." hissed Esparelda. "Let 'em have it, João!"

João Afonso threw the flaming flask of oil, more with a side-arc curve than an overhead shot. It flew over the head of the lead kobold, shattered on the stone wall, and sprayed the following ranks like fiery judgement.

"AAaaaiiiieeee!" Shrieked the middle three kobolds, as the blazing splash struck the leader full in the face.

"Blind!" it screeched, clawing at its eyes. Turning, the leader ran into the wall, then fell backwards and disappeared into the grey-water.

"Smells Like Burnt Dog Hair"

The surviving Kobolds had quite enough. "No more burning!"

João Afonso raised his arm, as if to throw again. "Do you yield?" He was answered by the clatter of weapons and shields being thrown to the pave-stones.

Ranger and Gnome advanced to secure their prisoners.

"They're kind of pathetic..." said João Afonso. "We shouldn't just kill them..."

"Vermin!" said Esperalda. "They deserved to burn..." 

Post Game Thoughts

The kobolds each had 2 hit points - it was just easier to track. This made the splash damage of the flaming oil more effective. Once again, hot dice from Derek helped make the difference, and taking out the leader is a great way to shatter a kobold's morale.

When the PCs decided to use flaming oil, I had some trouble finding the mechanic. The ranges and saving throw were easy enough to locate, but the Throw procedure wasn't anywhere I could find it. Eventually, I settled on the Chaosium percentile skill check.

Kobold Cam

Heritage Goblins were used as stand-ins for the Kobolds, though I do have some Heritage Kobolds somewhere, in their wee shorts and vests, they look like bell-hops. Some packs of Reaper Bones Plastics (Ewww, filthy Humans) arrived today, so I'll have proper Kobolds painted up for our next session.

It was interesting seeing how João Afonso/Derek played his character's Chaotic Good alignment, vs Esparelda/Megan's Chaotic Neutral. Derek had asked whether his character should be concerned with Esparelda's alignment. I answered that, broadly, both characters agree on the principles of individual liberty and personal responsibility - the Gnome just has a tendency to do what is "expedient".

"So, you'd better keep an eye on her..." I said.

He agreed...

To be continued...