Silver Hollow Adventures - Session 3, "Copperknight Hold"

Straight from the pages of Dungeon Delve, this 3-encounter level 1 delve should be fun. Players Nick's master swordsman Human Fighter "Al", from far-away lands to the east. Lisa's killer-peacock Elf Druid "Alyx". Linda's hammer-swinging Dwarf Cleric "Rohese". Tyler's ladies-man Tiefling Monk "MoMo". Adam's fiery Human Dragon-Sorcerer "Blas-Tor". Summary After Al was propositioned by an uncomfortably young woman in the streets of Silver Hollow, the group learns that a very young dragon has moved into the abandoned mines to the north. Convinced that it demands virgin sacrifices, the female population of Silver Hollow is eager to remove themselves from consideration. Worse, company ranger Claw (Cathe's character) has been kidnapped by local shopkeepers and set up on the mountain as an offering (hear her protests in the background that her character is not a virgin!). The party heads out to the north looking for their lost friend. The dragon's kobold followers are hiding behind an old wooden fence above a collapsed mine entrance. Despite several failed athletics checks to climb the fence or boulders, the party eventually assaults the reptilious little buggers, flattening minion after minion. The kobold slingers toss pots of glue in a mad attempt to slow down the attackers, but end up only delaying the inevitable. In a feat of comic ineptitude, one of the slingers tries to escape into the hole down the rope ladder, but fails the DC 5 athletics check to do so. A 20-foot fall and 2d10 falling damage later, and there is a wet splat at the bottom of the hole. Hearing the death of his cohort, the last slinger makes a break for it and survives the opportunity attacks of MoMo the monk and Rohese the cleric, only to also fail the DC 5 athletics check and pancake at the bottom of the hole. Warned by the falling bodies of their fellows, the kobolds in the dark down below plan an ambush. However, they are none too stealthy about it and are spotted by the perceptive duid Alyx. The fighter decides to turn the tables on the tricksy kobolds and bull-rushes the unstable statue that they plan to push on him. The statue (a humanoid figure with a mining helmet and pick, in a very "Triumph of the Victorious Worker" red-pride sort of way) topples back and traps one of the kobold Dragonshields. Despite the best efforts of the rest of the kobolds, they are overwhelmed. Desperate, the wyrmpriest pulls cords attached to the walls and the tattered tapestries fall on all those in the hallway, leaving some blinded and immobilized as they are covered by the thick cloth. Still, he is cut down as he is shouting a warning to the next room behind him. The party bursts into the next room after a short breather and finds it full of seemlingly identical miniony-kobolds. They also hear ominuous movement in the dark beyond the reach of the fighter's sunrod and a draconic voice hissing, "Let's show these humanoids how we deal with intruders into our new lair!" The minions are quickly cleared and two stabby non-minion kobolds are revealed to have been hiding amongst the weaker ones. Massive damage is unloaded on the wyrmling; it misses all with its breath attack and gets one good rip into the fighter before being destroyed. Enraged by the death of their master, the kobolds flank first the cleric and then the druid, inflicting massive damage and dropping the druid. Still, it's a losing battle, and the druid is quickly healed and the last of kobolds dispatched. The party unties their friend and scoops up the dragon's hoard. Dailies spent and healing surges nearly gone, they cautiously open the door and enter the mining tunnels proper. Red eyes glare from the dark depths, and a creaking voice echoes, "Out, slavers." The party decides that they have accomplished enough for the moment and head back to their office above Karl's Exotic Meat Procurement shop. Thoughts The fights went quickly and were exciting and dynamic. The story was silly (and the hook straight out of Jack Chalker's River of the Dancing Gods, though that dragon ended up actually had a phobia of young maidens...) and the enemies dangerous but surmountable. The players move to 2nd level for next session; I plan on working in the appropriate level Delve as one of the three adventures that we are doing for each level in the campaign, and custom writing the other 2.