Chapter 08: Covert Ops: Sniper

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Session Number: 8
Date: Sunday 15th February 2015
Venue: Densial's
PCs & Players:

Balassar Brb1 (Tammi absent) (kills: none)
Besheeba Wlk1 (Alain) (kills: 1 human, 4 kobolds)
Connor Brd1 (Yeran) (kills: 1 kobold)
Johnny Rog2 (Craig) (kills: 2 humans, 2 kobolds)
Nicolai Clr1 (Fergus - remote) (kills: 1 human, 2 kobolds)
Oskar Mnk1 (Ash) (kills: 2 kobolds)

XP Awarded: 175

Craigo's birthday! Thanks to the Strickland/Dumont/Edmonds collaboration for the lovely passionfruit cheesecake. Mmmmmmmm…

Connor turns up in the tunnel. "There's a dragon back there," he whispers.

"Why do you think we're down 'ere?" Johnny replies.

"We can't do anything about this dragon, but we can possibly help the people in the church," says Nicolai.

Johnny unlocks the gate and the party exit the tunnel. "Wait 'ere," Johnny says. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Wait," says Besheeba. She whispers an incantation and motions Johnny to crouch down, her thumbs outstretched. "I will be with you," is all she says.

"I'm not going to hell for this, am I?"

"No."

Will you be in my 'ed, 'earing my thoughts?"

"No."

"Thank the stars for that!" He allows Besheeba to touch his eyes, who finishes muttering strange words, then sits down awkwardly.

The party retrace their steps back to the woods to the west of the church, Johnny scouting ahead. There are the sounds of battle to the north; their path occasionally shows them a view of the keep. Around it swoops a dragon.

They arrive undetected near the church. Beyond its stone wall, a large group of kobolds are using a thick tree branch as an improvised ram, battering at the main door. Two humans stand nearby with torches.

"Ranged weapons?" whispers Nicolai.

Something to the south catches Johnny's eye. "Wait a minute," he says. "More to the south. They're carrying stuff, maybe sticks 'n' straw, to the back of the building."

"Can we get closer?" Nicolai asks.

"Stay 'ere," says Johnny. He scouts to the southeast, staying within the trees. The group to the church's south is piling straw and twigs against the building's wall. He heads back. "There're another eight or nine at the southern entrance. Two humans, the rest kobolds. They're stacking up stuff to burn down the church, I expect. Those guys inside ain't got much time. I say we take 'em with bows, take 'em while we can. Get their attention."

"My spell will not give away our position like bows might," says Nicolai.

"Your flaming column of fiery doom?"

"Yes."

"Will that light whatever they're carrying on fire?" asks Oskar.

"There is that…" says Johnny.

"A giant column of fire in the sky also lets other people in the village know we're here," adds Connor. "That could mean more reinforcements."

"Maybe I can talk to them and convince them to report to the keep for an assault," thinks Besheeba. She thinks on this. "But I can only tell one at a time, and I need to get very close."

"Then we just take 'em out," says Johnny. "As quick as we can."

"Target the humans first," suggests Nicolai.

"I have no ranged weapons," Oskar says. Besheeba hands the dwarf her crossbow and quarrels.

"Alright," says Johnny. "We go three-two on the humans, and we all loose at the same time. That just leaves us with half a dozen kobolds. Easy."

Johnny leads the group closer and they take positions near the treeline. Bows are drawn, spells are prepared, and just as they are about to let fly, another group of opponents walks around the southeast corner of the church, leaping and whirling and singing a chant in an unknown language… A mob of fifteen kobolds, humans and dragonlike lizards the size of large dogs.

"Down, boys!" hisses Johnny. Everyone hides. The group walks slowly around the church and heads north past its west wall, eventually disappearing around the northwest corner.

"We need to act now," Johnny whispers. "I think they're singing 'cause they're excited. I think they're gonna keep circling, waiting for the place to go up in flames."

The party agree. As one, they unleash a salvo of physical, arcane and divine violence:

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TOR1
Snipe Attack 1:
Nearest human survives: Connor (AC9 misses), Nicolai (Sacred Flame hits for some damage)
Farthest human dies: Johnny (shortbow AClow, luck point, AC20 hits for 10 damage), Besheeba (Eldritch Blast AC16 hits for 9 damage), Oskar (AC12 misses)

TOR2
The enemy mill about, crying out and trying to work out what has happened. "Shoot until they go down!" Johnny whispers.
Snipe Attack 2:
Nearest human dies: Nicolai (Sacred Flame hits for 5 damage), Johnny (shortbow AC21 hits for 13 damage)
Kobold: Oskar (crossbow AC9 misses)
Kobold dies: Besheeba (Eldritch Blast AC19 hits for 5 damage)
Kobold: Connor (ACmiss)

The remaining kobolds break into two separate groups. "Keep taking 'em, boys!" whispers Johnny.

TOR3
(Initiative: Johnny 18, Besheeba 18, Nicolai 16, Connor 15, Oskar 14)
Johnny shoots an arrow at a kobold: AC12 hits for 11 damage, killing it. Besheeba looses another Eldritch Blast at the farthest kobold: AC24 hits for 7 damage, killing it and throwing it back onto its scaly snout. Nicolai Sacred Flame: 7 damage on a kobold, killing it. Connor fires an arrow: AC7 misses. Oskar fires at the closest kobold: AC23 hits for 5 damage, killing it.

The remaining kobold disappears around one corner of the church. "I think we need to bug out," whispers Nicolai. "Or at least move from where we are. Head back to the gate, wait ten minutes then return."

"Do the people in the church have that much time?" asks Oskar.

"They may not," Johnny says. "Let's just move southeast and hide. If they come around in small enough groups, we pick 'em off like we have been."

Johnny leads the group to the southeast, following the treeline. They travel about fifty feet to a point southeast of the church when they see another mixed group of enemies: a human and seven kobolds, looking around. "Let's attack!" Nicolai says.

TOR1
Snipe Attack 3:
Human dies: Johnny (AC17 hits for some damage), Nicolai, Besheeba (AC12 hits for 4 damage)
Kobold: Oskar (AC6 misses)
Kobold: Connor (ACmiss)

TOR2
(Initiative: Johnny 19, Oskar 17, Nicolai 14, Connor 13, Besheeba 12)
Johnny shoots an arrow: ACnat1 misses. Oskar crossbow AC23 hits for 9 damage, killing it. Nicolai Sacred Flames a kobold, it burns for 1 damage and it survives. Connor shoots: AC11 misses. Besheeba Eldritch Blast: AC24 hits the closest kobold for 7 damage, killing it. The kobolds split up and go separate ways.

TOR3
Johnny fires an arrow at a kobold: AC17 hits for 12 damage, killing it. He then cunningly hides and moves to a different location. Oskar shoots a kobold: ACmiss. Nicolai casts Sacred Flame on a kobold: 7 damage and it dies. Connor shoots a kobold at 70 feet: AC23 hits for 6 damage, it dies. Besheeba Eldritch Blasts a kobold to the north: AC19 hits for 5 damage, killing it. She then moves towards Johnny. The remaining kobold runs away.

Johnny suggests that they all move again, heading west beyond where they launched their first volley. "They've just been sending small groups," Nicolai says. "We haven't seen any of those doglike things. They may be trying to encircle."

As Johnny leads the others through the woods to the west, he spots other kobolds. He points them out to the others. He directs everyone deeper into the woods, then follows the trees to the northwest. Fifty feet around he edges to the treeline and looks out. He sees two humans on the west side of the church, lit by the torches they are holding. He tells the others. "Is that normal that they would just be standing there?" says Besheeba. She edges forward and surveys the scene with darkvision. Her eyes pick out more than Johnny's; besides the humans she spies two kobolds between the church and the fence, three more kobolds standing flat against the church walls, and movement just the other side of the church fence walls - two of the doglike lizards. The humans wear leather armour and bear weapons. Besheeba describes to Johnny what she sees. The others gather around. Discussion follows as to how to proceed: illusions and false sounds? Take out the kobolds, or the dogs? Move south for a better view? Avoid the enemy and try to get the people out? Nicolai is worried about being flanked and suggests that Johnny scout on the other side of the woods. Johnny does so and sees no one. He returns to the others. The kobolds and dogs have moved about; those with darkvision spy kobolds stationed at each of the church's southern corners. The dogs are patrolling the west fenceline.

"I say we hit 'em and go," says Johnny. "Don't hit again and again, we hit and move." The others agree. Johnny leads them a way to the south, then they line up for the shot.

Snipe Attack 4:
North Human dies: Johnny (shortbow AC14 hits for 9 damage), Besheeba (Eldritch Blast AC8 misses)
South Human survives: Connor (shortbow AC14 hits for 7 damage), Oskar (crossbow AC7 misses), Nicolai (Sacred Flame does 2 damage)

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