C1 S11 - Cobras and Carlsby

This session played June 26, 2025.

King’s Gate E12 - City Watch Outpost - Day 6 AM

Guard: Wake up. Time to go.

@ Party all stands up and makes ready.

Guard: Not you lot! Just her. [Indicates Brolga] You’re coming with us. One of our patrols never returned, so you’re going to show us where he is. The rest of you will stay here until we return.

@ Ryarn moves to object.

@ Brolga raises a hand to calm her.

Brolga: It’s fine, I’m the better tracker among us anyway. We can let these folks do their jobs.

Guard: Mighty kind of you. Now, move!

Brolga has been disarmed. She will join a party of three City Watch (stat block for GUARD) while everyone else is stuck in a cell at the Outpost.

I’ll say the Watch party is less likely to run into trouble within the city walls, so we travel easily on horseback (Brolga sharing with one of the Watch) out into the swamplands.

Overland C10 Swamp (UNSAFE) - Day 6 AM - Partly Cloudy

@ Brolga attempts to find the body.

d: 1d20: 7 + 1 (WIS) = 8 vs DC 9 → Fail!

→→ The Watchmen disapprove.

? Random encounter check

d: 1d6: 6 → Clear

@ Brolga tries again.

d: 1d20: 19 + 1 = 20 vs DC 9 → Success!

Finally, Brolga notices a familiar tree trunk and leads the party over.

? Is the body still as it was yesterday?

d: 1d20: 15 → Yes, but

→→ …we are not the only party to discover the body.

A group of 1d4 Cobras are advancing on the body.

Number d: 1d4: 3

Distance d: 1d6: 1 → Close

Activity d: 2d6: 8 → Building/Nesting

→→ These snakes are nesting nearby.

Reaction: d: 2d6: 3 + 0 (CHA) = 3 → Hostile

→→ The snakes see us and don’t approve of us approaching their nest—nor their meal.

Combat initiative

Guards d: 1d20: 1 + 0 (DEX) = 1

Cobras d: 1d20: 14 + 2 (DEX) = 16

→→ Cobras go first.

Cobras Rd 1

Cobra A attacks Guard A.

d: 1d20: 16 + 2 = 18 vs AC 15 → Hit

→→ Guard A takes 1 DMG + Poison. Guard A DC 18 CON check.

d: 1d20: 9 + 0 (CON) vs DC 18 → Fail

→→ Guard A HP reduced to 0; death timer set to 1 round!

Cobra B attacks Guard B.

d: 1d20: 8 + 2 = 10 vs AC 15 → Miss

Cobra C attacks Guard C.

d: 1d20: 8 + 2 = 10 vs AC 15 → Miss

PCs Rd 1

Guard A dead next round.

Guard B throws his spear to Brolga. (Multitasking)

Guard B attacks Cobra A.

d: 1d20: 17 + 1 = 18 vs AC 12 → Hit

→→ Cobra A takes damage.

d: 1d8: 2

Guard C moves to Guard A and attempts to stabilize him.

d: 1d20: 14 + 0 (INT) = 14 vs DC 15 → Fail

Brolga attacks Cobra A.

d: 1d20: 15 + 1 (Mighty) + 1 = 17 vs AC 12 → Hit

→→ Cobra A takes damage.

d: 1d6: 5 + 1 (Mighty) = 6

→→ Cobra A is dead!

Cobras Rd 2

Cobra B attacks Brolga.

d: 1d20: 15 + 2 = 17 → Hit

→→ Brolga takes 1 DMG + Poison. Brolga DC 18 CON check.

d: 1d20: 16 vs DC 18 → Fail

→→ Brolga HP reduced to 0; death timer set to 1 round!

Cobra C attacks Guard B.

d: 1d20: 14 + 2 = 16 vs AC 15 → Hit

→→ Guard B HP reduced to 0; death timer set to 1 round!

PCs Rd 2

Guard A has died.

Guard B dead next round.

Guard C attacks Cobra B.

d: 1d20: 15 + 1 = 16 vs AC 12 → Hit

→→ Cobra B takes damage.

d: 1d8: 5

→→ Cobra B is dead!

Brolga dead next round.

Cobras Rd 3

Cobra C makes a morale check.

d: 1d20: 10 + 0 (WIS) = 10 vs DC 15 → Fail

→→ Cobra C flees!

End of combat.

? Is there loot?

d: 1d6 (50/50): 6 → Yes!

Tbl: Shadowdark Treasure 1-3

d: 1d100: 63 → Spidersilk Cloak (25gp)

With the danger past, Guard C is able to stabilize Guard B and BRolga, and painstakingly loads the bodies (including the Watchman Una murdered) onto the horses. This task takes the remainder of the day.

King’s Gate Watch Outpost - Day 6 PM

The Watch’s healers are able to restore Brolga and the other stabilized guard. The other party members are released and meet her in the small mess hall.

@ Brolga solemnly returns the borrowed spear to Guard B.

Brolga: I am sorry we could not save your comrade.

Guard B: Thank you. A pointless tragedy. I fear the Watch has become too cynical as we navigate these troubled times in our city. Our healers have examined the body of our man who you found in the swamp, and there is no doubt in their minds that his murderer was a sorcerer of truly uncommon power. And considering also, that the only ambush we encountered were those damnable cobras, we can only assume that you spoke truly when you came to us yesterday. Apologies are entirely insufficient, but you have ours all the same. Please, accept the spidersilk cloak worn by my fallen comrade. He had no family nor heirs.

@ Brolga accepts the spidersilk cloak.

We are given back our equipment and freed.

@ Party heads to the Crimson Dragon to unwind.

@ Ryarn meets Carlsby at the bar. House Ales all around.

Ryarn: Carlsby, we are in search of the King of this land, but notice no castle or keep in the city.

Carlsby: Keep your voice down! [Lower] The King’s men make up the majority of my clientele. They’re decent enough but you don’t want to catch their attention if you can help it.

Ryarn: A tyrant then? A pretender?

Carlsby: A pirate. Actually the fifth of his name, and not a true King, but enough of one that his forebears gave this city its name. His band controls the mouth of this river to the north and east. The influence of his flotilla in the bay is enough to control trade and travel throughout the region, but the stobbornness of our people stops the King short of any actual governance.

Denton: Then why call him King? And why call this place King’s Gate?

Carlsby: The truth lies between a joke and capitulation. I wouldn’t point out the former to the King or his loyalists, though. But, why seek the King?

Daeniel: We believe he’s about to receive stolen goods that we have promised to retrieve.

Carlsby: Better you than me. A tithe or protection payment I assume. In any case, I’d advise against pirating from a pirate!

Ryarn: Nothing for it, I’m afraid. How far is it to the mouth of the river?

Carlsby: A day’s ride, give or take—you’ll have to navigate some difficult passes through the mountains. Much faster by boat if you’ve got one.

Brolga: Alas.