New Campaign: Athelos Darkening

[Bob the Hamster]

Let's camp. I'm exhausted!

[BMR]

Away from the bear and the render, you set up camp. The rest of the night is uneventful and you make a quick dinner before going to sleep.

You wake early the next day and make hastily break your fast before setting out again. Nothing of note occurs during the trek for the rest of the day.

As dusk begins to fall, you approach the underground mountain pass marked on your map. The trees here are sparse, and the entrance to the pass is overgrown with weeds and moss. Here and there are a few skeletons, probably not a good sign for the journey through the caves.

Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (1d20 + Ranks + INT)

• Akbar: 16 + 0 + -1 = 15 Success
  Beardthar: 11 + 0 + 1 = 12 Success
  Peanut: 18 + 2 + 2 = 22 Success
  Spittle: 4 + 0 + 1 = 5 Fail
  Tim-Tim: 14 + 0 + 1 = 15 Success

Your guess is that some of the skeletons are kobold. The others, you're not too sure.

The entrance to the cave is just enough for a fully grown man to enter while stooped over. There isn't enough room for two to walk abreast. Also probably not a good sign.

Knowledge (Architecture and engineering) (1d20 + Ranks + INT)

• Akbar: 18 + 0 + -1 = 17 Fail
  Beardthar: 18 + 0 + 1 + 2 = 21 Success
  Peanut: 13 + 0 + 2 = 15 Fail
  Spittle: 10 + 0 + 1 = 11 Fail
  Tim-Tim: 17 + 0 + 1 = 18 Fail

The cave entrance was larger before. You can tell by the way the rock face looks that it was artificially walled up this way, rather than it being a natural occurrence.

Spot (1d20 + Ranks + WIS)

• Akbar: 17 + 0 + 1 + 1 = 19 Fail
  Beardthar: 17 + 5 + 3 = 25 Success
  Peanut: 16 + 5 + 1 = 22 Success
  Spittle: 12 + 0 + 0 = 12 Fail
  Tim-Tim: 6 + 0 + 3 = 9 Fail

Across the entrance, at perhaps ankle-height, you just barely spot a length of twine stretched taut from one wall to the other. Perhaps a snare, or a trap, no way to know for sure until you investigate further you suppose.

[Spoonweaver]

So, what are we doing with the mule? Should I just tie him up here and hope for the best, or are we dragging him with us?
I'd like to offer more options, but those are the only 2 things I can think of.

[Newbie Newtype]

"Lefs hib hmm" he muffles, still chewing on the extremely dry bread from the ration he didn't quite finish. He gulps, and wipes his mouth, "Is it a bad idea to take him into the cave a bit with us where bears can't see him?"

[Bob the Hamster]

Hold up!

Beardthar has been staring in puzzlement at the cave entrance ever since they got close to it.

There is something that looks like the trigger of a tripwire trap across the entrance.

Beardthar points out the twine <b>[spoiler 3 from BMR's last post]</b> to everybody.

It also looks as if the rocks there and there have been walled up. I don't think that is a natural formation. It almost seems as if the cave entrance used to be larger, but someone walled it to make the smaller entrance and then tried to camouflage it to look as if it was natural.

Very carefully, Beardthar comes a little closer to the entrance, and looks at the stone, and the twine, trying to see if they are part of a recently-set trap, or if they are old work that has been there a long time.

[Spoonweaver]

You think maybe it's a trap that will make the cave fall on us?
In any case, if there's traps I think the idea of bringing the mule in is out the window. I like the thought of bring it in a little bit before leaving him, but with traps right at the entrance I'm not sure that's possible.

[BMR]

Beardthar

Search (1d20 + Ranks + INT)
Beardthar: 17 + 0 + 1 = 18

You search the surrounding area and figure that the twine is definitely attached to something, and it will definitely trigger some sort of trap. What the trap is though, you can't tell. You can however tell, that it was only recently set up, within the past few days or so. You doubt it'll cause the wall to collapse though. More likely, it triggers some sort of projectile. On the other hand, you're not an expert in traps so you're not 100% sure.

Everyone Else

Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (1d20 + Ranks + INT)

• Akbar: 10 + 0 + -1 = 9 Fail
  Beardthar: 7 + 0 + 1 = 8 Fail
  Peanut: 15 + 2 + 2 = 19 Success
  Spittle: 4 + 0 + 1 = 5 Fail
  Tim-Tim: 19 + 0 + 1 = 20 Success

The finding of the trap triggers something in your memory. If the temple was overrun with kobolds, then this place might also be a kobold lair of sorts. You also remember that kobolds, while weak and cowardly, are able to set up rather devious and deadly traps to protect their caves and homes. This is very likely, only the first of many traps you'll encounter.

[Bob the Hamster]

After a closer examination of the wire, Beardthar proclaims:

The tripwire trap was set very recently. I can't tell what it triggers, but I don't think it is related to the wall. The cave entrance walling is older work. Maybe the tripwire triggers and arrow or a dart or somesuch. I'm not sure. Are any of you good at disarming this sort of nonsense?

Having satisfied his curiosity about the tripwire for the moment, Beardthar more carefully studies the rest of the entrance. He is especially interested to see if he can guess the reason why the entrance was modified, and when, and by whom.

[BMR]

Beardthar

Knowledge (Architecture and engineering) (1d20 + Ranks + INT)

Beardthar: 15 + 0 + 1 + 2= 18 Success

Based on the structure of the rocks, you suppose that the old entrance was previously big enough to allow perhaps a small wagon to pass through. The stonework is very crude though, most definitely not up to dwarven standards. You guess that it was walled up this way to make it more difficult for others to get in easily. A fair sign that the kobolds intend this to be a more permanent base for themselves rather than a simple raid.

[Bob the Hamster]

After studying the stonework for awhile, Beardthar proclaims

I have a hunch this was done by the kobolds, probably a good while ago. The stonework is really crude. Miserable by dwarven standards, and even pretty poor by human standards... no offence...

Beardthar glances at Spittle, to see if any slight was taken.

I think and old road must have run right through here, and this tunnel was big enough for a wagon let through, before the Kobolds blocked it up to make a den for themselves.

Beardthar tries to remember as much as he can about Kobolds, since it is likely they might be facing some soon. He (carefully) scrounges around among the bones to see if he can find a Kobold skull to jog his memory with.

[BMR]

Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (1d20 + Ranks + INT)

Beardthar: 17 + 0 + 1 = 18 Success

Kobolds are relatively weak, not much different from goblins in terms of strength. They are, however, far more cunning and clever. You doubt they'll stand and fight you in a fair battle. More likely, they'll try to weaken you from a distance before attempting a mass attack in a classic quantity over quality attack. On the other hand, they're pretty cowardly, put up enough of a good fight and they just might run away.

[Spoonweaver]

Hearing that the tripwire won't destroy the cave's entrance, Tim-Tim retrieves his halberd from the mule and then motions everyone away from the tripwire.

I'll take care of this trap.

Then, before anyone has time to argue, he tosses the large halberd on to the tripwire from a distance of about 8ft, then hops back a little more in case the trap reaches out farther than he assumed.

[BMR]

The halberd lands on the tripwire causing the trap to trigger. A javelin shoots out from inside the cave, narrowly missing Tim-Tim, and then embedding itself in a tree behind your group.

[Spoonweaver]

Heh.. right. I guess it might just shoot right out of the cave.
Well anyways, someone else is disarming the next one.

With that, Tim-Tim begins to try to shove the mule into the cave.

[Newbie Newtype]

After the large projectile darts past everyone, Peanut wipes his forehead with his sleeve and lets out a tired whew, "Hopefully the traps won't disarm us!"