Kobolds are short, reptilian humanoids with cowardly and sadistic tendencies. A kobold's scaly skin ranges from dark rusty brown to a rusty black color. It has glowing red eyes. Its tail is nonprehensile. Kobolds wear ragged clothing, favoring red and orange. Kobolds usually consume plants or animals but are not averse to eating intelligent beings. They spend most of their time fortifying the land around their lairs with traps and warning devices (such as spiked pits, tripwires attached to crossbows, and other mechanical contraptions).
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Kobolds
Kobolds are short, reptilian humanoids with cowardly and sadistic tendencies. A kobold's scaly skin ranges from dark rusty brown to a rusty black color. It has glowing red eyes. Its tail is nonprehensile. Kobolds wear ragged clothing, favoring red and orange. Kobolds usually consume plants or animals but are not averse to eating intelligent beings. They spend most of their time fortifying the land around their lairs with traps and warning devices (such as spiked pits, tripwires attached to crossbows, and other mechanical contraptions).
Humanoids
A humanoid usually has two arms, two legs, and one head, or a humanlike torso, arms, and a head. Humanoids have few or no supernatural or extraordinary abilities, but most can speak and usually have well-developed societies. They usually are Small or Medium.
Coldeven 2nd, 591 CY
The stone courtyard, surrounded by crumbled masonry, contained a trap and a wooden door leading to a tower. A trapdoor in front of the door hid a pit. A catwalk allowed safe access to the door, for those who knew of the trap.
The trap contained two long-dead and skeletal little humanoids with flat faces and small, sharp fangs; one recently dead little humanoid with a flat face, a broad nose, pointed ears, a wide mouth, and small, sharp fangs with arms hanging down almost to its knees; and one live dire rat. The dire rat climbed out of the pit and attacked the heroes who were reluctant to enter. The rat re-entered the pit when seriously injured by the heroes and the trap was reset less than a minute after it was sprung, locking the rat inside.
Once inside the tower, this circular area was cobbled with cracked granite, upon which sprawled four humanoids like the one in the pit, all apparently slain in combat. One stood with its back against the western wall, the killing spear still skewering it and holding it upright. Two wooden doors led off from this area. Above, a hollow tower of loose masonry reached a few dozen feet, but the intervening floors and stairs were gone, except for a couple of crumpled ledges.
Investigation revealed that the four humanoids bodies had been dead for a few weeks, though rats had gnawed at them. The heroes followed the north door which led them to a hallway with two wooden and one stone door. The stone relief carved door portrayed a dragon like fish swimming in an aquatic setting. The door had a lock.
One of the wooden doors led to a ruined chamber which stood empty of all but a litter of rocky debris. The second wooden door opened to a large and irregularly shaped crumbling chamber decorated with crudely executed symbols and glyphs, scribed in bright green dye. A large pit in the chamber's center showed evidence of a recent bonfire. A metallic cage in the center of the south wall contained a gaping hole and stood empty. A small wooden bench draped with green cloth stood before the cage, and upon it sat several small objects. A bedroll lay near the wooden bench, from which the sound of whimpering was plainly audible.
Arton, who could read Draconic, noted that the symbols on the walls were crude versions of this high language, reading, "Here There Be Dragons". The metallic cage was bent all out of shape, and without repair it could not restrain captives.
The humanoid in the bedroll was the size of a gnome or halfling. It had a scaly hide, a naked tail like that of a rat, and a doglike head with two small horns. Arton recognized it as a kobold; it didn't react to any normal noises. The bench held containers of green dye, a paintbrush, and four small jade figurines of dragons.
Before deciding what to do with the sleeping kobold, Flaxia moved through an opening in the wall to scout the corridor ahead. She entered a hall where deterioration and decay thrived, as everywhere else; however, a double row of relief-carved marble columns marched the length of the wall. The worn carvings depicted entwining dragons. Three kobolds patrolled the area.
When hostilities erupted there, the kobolds had reinforcements from adjoining chambers. The reinforcements took the form of six kobolds which did not arrive all at once.
Arton murdered the sleeping kobold while the rest of the heroes dealt with the attacking humanoids. When he did that, the kobolds from the adjoining area were alerted, and they rushed out to reinforce their allies.
The aggressive heroes brought the united kobold wrath upon themselves, and are currently fighting for their lives.
The trap contained two long-dead and skeletal little humanoids with flat faces and small, sharp fangs; one recently dead little humanoid with a flat face, a broad nose, pointed ears, a wide mouth, and small, sharp fangs with arms hanging down almost to its knees; and one live dire rat. The dire rat climbed out of the pit and attacked the heroes who were reluctant to enter. The rat re-entered the pit when seriously injured by the heroes and the trap was reset less than a minute after it was sprung, locking the rat inside.
Once inside the tower, this circular area was cobbled with cracked granite, upon which sprawled four humanoids like the one in the pit, all apparently slain in combat. One stood with its back against the western wall, the killing spear still skewering it and holding it upright. Two wooden doors led off from this area. Above, a hollow tower of loose masonry reached a few dozen feet, but the intervening floors and stairs were gone, except for a couple of crumpled ledges.
Investigation revealed that the four humanoids bodies had been dead for a few weeks, though rats had gnawed at them. The heroes followed the north door which led them to a hallway with two wooden and one stone door. The stone relief carved door portrayed a dragon like fish swimming in an aquatic setting. The door had a lock.
One of the wooden doors led to a ruined chamber which stood empty of all but a litter of rocky debris. The second wooden door opened to a large and irregularly shaped crumbling chamber decorated with crudely executed symbols and glyphs, scribed in bright green dye. A large pit in the chamber's center showed evidence of a recent bonfire. A metallic cage in the center of the south wall contained a gaping hole and stood empty. A small wooden bench draped with green cloth stood before the cage, and upon it sat several small objects. A bedroll lay near the wooden bench, from which the sound of whimpering was plainly audible.
Arton, who could read Draconic, noted that the symbols on the walls were crude versions of this high language, reading, "Here There Be Dragons". The metallic cage was bent all out of shape, and without repair it could not restrain captives.
The humanoid in the bedroll was the size of a gnome or halfling. It had a scaly hide, a naked tail like that of a rat, and a doglike head with two small horns. Arton recognized it as a kobold; it didn't react to any normal noises. The bench held containers of green dye, a paintbrush, and four small jade figurines of dragons.Before deciding what to do with the sleeping kobold, Flaxia moved through an opening in the wall to scout the corridor ahead. She entered a hall where deterioration and decay thrived, as everywhere else; however, a double row of relief-carved marble columns marched the length of the wall. The worn carvings depicted entwining dragons. Three kobolds patrolled the area.
When hostilities erupted there, the kobolds had reinforcements from adjoining chambers. The reinforcements took the form of six kobolds which did not arrive all at once.
Arton murdered the sleeping kobold while the rest of the heroes dealt with the attacking humanoids. When he did that, the kobolds from the adjoining area were alerted, and they rushed out to reinforce their allies.
The aggressive heroes brought the united kobold wrath upon themselves, and are currently fighting for their lives.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Dire Rats
Dire rats are omnivorous scavengers, but will attack to defend their nests and territories. Dire rats can grow to be up to 4 feet long and weigh over 50 pounds. Dire rat packs attack fearlessly, biting and chewing with their sharp incisors.
Dire Animals
Dire animals are larger, meaner versions of ordinary animals. Each kind tends to have a feral, prehistoric, or even demonic appearance.
Animals
An animal is a living, nonhuman creature, usually a vertebrate with no magical abilities and no capacity for language or culture. They have low-light vision. Animals eat, sleep, and breathe.
Coldeven 2nd, 591 CY
The heroes were ready to leave Oakhurst. The Old Road wound through rocky downs, near stands of old-growth oak, and past two abandoned farmshacks. The lonely road was empty of all travelers except for the heroes.
After a couple of hours of walking the Old Road passed to the east of a narrow ravine. At the road's closest approach to the cleft, several broken pillars jutted from the cleft where the ravine widened and opened into something more akin to a deep, but narrow, canyon. Two of the pillars stood straight, but most of them leaned against the sloped earth. Others were broken, and several had apparently fallen into the darkness shrouded depths. A few similar pillars were visible on the other side of the ravine.
The ravine ran for several miles in either direction. At the point where it most closely intersected the Old Road, it widened.
The heroes investigated the area and discovered that the pillars were generally worn and broken, and graffiti in Goblin covered most of them. Arton recognized the inscriptions as warnings and threats against potential trespassers.
Standing next to the ravine the heroes immediately noted a sturdy knotted rope tied to one of the leaning pillars. The rope hung down into the darkness below. Judging by its good condition, the rope couldn't have been tied there long. The heroes could also see older and weathered hand- and footholds carved into the cliff face.
The heroes easily climbed down the knotted rope, using the wall to brace themselves. Arathorn first hit the ledge.
A sandy ledge overlooked a subterranean gulf of darkness to the west. The ledge was wide but rough. Sand, rocky debris, and the bones of small animals covered it. A roughly hewn stairwell zigged and zagged down the side of the ledge, descending into darkness.
The heroes could not see the far wall of the chasm, nor the bottom of the subterranean vault. Three dire rats were hidden amid the debris and attacked Arathorn. Dire rats look like more feral, 3-foot-long versions of normal rats.
The stairs were not particularly well made. Flaxia revealed footprints not made by the heroes heading down the stairs. Three switchbacks were on the stairs, each of which opened into a small landing. The second landing allowed Aranthor a view of the area below with his low-light vision.
At the edge of sight, a fortress top emerged from the darkness. The subterranean citadel, though impressive, seemed long forgotten, if the lightless windows, cracked crenellations, and leaning towers were any indication. All was quiet, though a cold breeze blew up from below, bringing with it the scent of dust and a faint trace of rot.
The narrow stairs empty into a small courtyard, apparently the top of what was once a crenellated battlement. The buried citadel has sunk so far into the earth that the battlement is now level with the cavern floor. The floor stretches away to the north and south, and it is apparently composed of a layer of treacherous, crumbled masonry, which reaches to an unknown depth. To the west looms the surviving structure of what must be the Sunless Citadel. A tower stands on the left side of the courtyard. The stone courtyard, surrounded by crumbled masonry, contains a wooden door.
After a couple of hours of walking the Old Road passed to the east of a narrow ravine. At the road's closest approach to the cleft, several broken pillars jutted from the cleft where the ravine widened and opened into something more akin to a deep, but narrow, canyon. Two of the pillars stood straight, but most of them leaned against the sloped earth. Others were broken, and several had apparently fallen into the darkness shrouded depths. A few similar pillars were visible on the other side of the ravine.The ravine ran for several miles in either direction. At the point where it most closely intersected the Old Road, it widened.
The heroes investigated the area and discovered that the pillars were generally worn and broken, and graffiti in Goblin covered most of them. Arton recognized the inscriptions as warnings and threats against potential trespassers.
Standing next to the ravine the heroes immediately noted a sturdy knotted rope tied to one of the leaning pillars. The rope hung down into the darkness below. Judging by its good condition, the rope couldn't have been tied there long. The heroes could also see older and weathered hand- and footholds carved into the cliff face.
The heroes easily climbed down the knotted rope, using the wall to brace themselves. Arathorn first hit the ledge.
A sandy ledge overlooked a subterranean gulf of darkness to the west. The ledge was wide but rough. Sand, rocky debris, and the bones of small animals covered it. A roughly hewn stairwell zigged and zagged down the side of the ledge, descending into darkness.
The heroes could not see the far wall of the chasm, nor the bottom of the subterranean vault. Three dire rats were hidden amid the debris and attacked Arathorn. Dire rats look like more feral, 3-foot-long versions of normal rats.The stairs were not particularly well made. Flaxia revealed footprints not made by the heroes heading down the stairs. Three switchbacks were on the stairs, each of which opened into a small landing. The second landing allowed Aranthor a view of the area below with his low-light vision.
At the edge of sight, a fortress top emerged from the darkness. The subterranean citadel, though impressive, seemed long forgotten, if the lightless windows, cracked crenellations, and leaning towers were any indication. All was quiet, though a cold breeze blew up from below, bringing with it the scent of dust and a faint trace of rot.
The narrow stairs empty into a small courtyard, apparently the top of what was once a crenellated battlement. The buried citadel has sunk so far into the earth that the battlement is now level with the cavern floor. The floor stretches away to the north and south, and it is apparently composed of a layer of treacherous, crumbled masonry, which reaches to an unknown depth. To the west looms the surviving structure of what must be the Sunless Citadel. A tower stands on the left side of the courtyard. The stone courtyard, surrounded by crumbled masonry, contains a wooden door.
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