Session 10

Date Played: September 1, 2000

Gromdain, 16^th of Vatermont 1,000 A.C.

Chow-Lin memorized: sleep, magic missile, light

Eric memorized: speak with animals (x2), entangle (x2), faerie fire, barkskin, cure light wounds (x2)

The party decided to set out north and map the forest region some more. Their ultimate goal was to contact the elves in the region and see how they fared during the orc attack. Once the party was fully provisioned with food, they met with Maribor and Torino, the two men from Radlebb Keep who would continue to assist them in the orc’s lair. The party set out sometime in the early morning and followed the road about 7 miles before cutting north to the tree line of the Radlebb Wood. Following the tree line, they located a marker ribbon and continued to map along the south edge of the Wood for the rest of the day. Luckily there were no encounters this day.

Tserdain, 17^th of Vatermont 1,000 A.C.

Traveling north into the woods, the party mapped for an entire day before camping. The watch order was: 1) Chow-Lin and Maribor, 2) Markus and Torino, and 3) Eric and his animal friends.

Moldain, 18^th of Vatermont, 1,000 A.C.

During the second watch, early in the morning, Markus and Torino were almost surprised by a large wolf. It was apparently hunting them and kept stalking closer to the camp. When it got into Markus’ field of infravision and he got a good glimpse of the size of it, he told Torino to wake the others. Markus got a good crossbow shot on the wolf before it closed the gap and attacked. The rest of the party was slow to waken, but soon it was Eric and Markus against the giant wolf. Markus was holding his own, but barely. He matched the wolf’s attacks with his own, but the beast was able to take him down with only three sharp blows and bites. Chow-Lin blasted the wolf with a magic missile and Eric and Torino finished it off. In the light of a lantern, Eric examined the wolf and noted that it was still alive. After confirming that it was NOT a lycanthrope, he put the beast out of its misery. However, despite the healing granted him by Eric, Markus was in no shape to fight or do anything else, and probably wouldn’t be for the rest of the week.

The party broke camp that morning, after packing up and re-memorizing spells, and continued to map further to the north. Markus was being helped along by Torino. He had all his gear placed on the mule in order to keep up with the faster moving, healthy party. By late evening the party started entering hilly forestland, just a few miles north of the forest axis. Here they felt as though they were being watched. Eric decided to stop here and make a temporary camp to find out who exactly was doing the watching. Luckily, the party was being spied upon by a group of elves. An elven scout named Falrym spoke with the party and then invited them to Deep Hollow to speak with the Elders.

In Deep Hollow, Markus was taken to see the healer, Elegian, who was a cleric of the elven god Ilsundal. With a night’s rest and some elven healing salve, Markus was good as new. The others spent the night at Falrym’s dwelling, as there are no inns in elven villages.

DUNGEON MASTER'S NOTE: The elves manufactured a version of Keoghtom's Ointment from the sap of their Tree of Life (a D&D reference). These were Calarii elves and thus related to Eric's mother, one of the reasons for their friendliness and swift acceptance. The elves are otherwise skeptical about the others in the party, despite Markus' obviously elven heritage.

Nytdain, 19^th of Vatermont, 1,000 A.C.

The elves took the party to see the village Elders, namely Damryth Treewarden and his two assistants, Valziria and Tambrelar. The party explained its reason for being in the elven portion of the Radlebb Wood and asked how the elves had made out against the orcs. Damryth explained that the orcs were forced back with very few elven casualties, but with serious losses on the orcish side. The war chief of the Zotaz orc clan, Bruzarr, was not slain and managed to pull his troops back.

The party offered up the location of the orc lair to the elves. They seemed very interested, yet cautious. Damryth will bring this news to the other Elders in the neighboring villages. When he returns, he will likely supply the party with some provisions and even some elves to help in their quest.

Session 9

Date Played: August 19, 2000

Tserdain, 24^th of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C. (Camp south of Orc Lair)

After tending wounds as best as they could, the party broke camp quickly at around 11:30 am and put as much distance between themselves and the orc lair as possible. Camping in the forest was very tense that night as the watches were reduced and the wounded were tended. However, the break-neck pace of retreat kept anyone from healing overnight. Luckily the party didn’t encounter any creatures that night.

Moldain, 25^th of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

Chow-Lin memorized: sleep (x2) and magic missile.

The party made a break for the tree line as early as possible. Slumping Eric over the mule’s neck and going as fast as possible, the party emerged from the forest by late afternoon and then force marched to Radlebb Keep. There they were quickly ushered into the Keep itself and provided with food and healing for the injured. The soldiers reported to their commander and the party met with Rathamandaris Farwanderer, the Druid of the Holy Oak. The druid had received the message and waited with the small owl. He managed to bring Eric back from near death, but Eric needed to rest for at least a week.

DUNGEON MASTER'S NOTE: For the party's mapping experience I granted them 20 xp/hex mapped. They managed to map a total of 60 hexes for a bonus xp award of 1,200 xp. Eric almost died in the orc lair and party morale hit a low point until they managed to escape. I did not pull any punches and relied on the dice for all morale and reaction checks.

26^th of Nuwmont – 15^th of Vatermont 1,000 A.C. (TRAINING)

The party decided to split up temporarily and find what they could in the way of additional training. Their experience had taught them a great deal but they still lacked certain knowledge which may prove essential if they continued as a group of adventurers. Markus departed almost immediately for Luln, the town located about a day’s travel west of Radlebb Keep. The town had been beleaguered by the forces of the Black Eagle Barony, and Markus quickly located a few members of his former Assassin’s Guild for training. He was instructed in the use of various poisons, new weapons, and assassination techniques. He also learned that Sascia of Luln was a very important person in these parts, so much so that Baron Von Hendricks had put a high price on her head. However, Duke Stefan seemed to be looking at gifting her with knighthood. Assassinating a political figure in such favor with the Duke was a tricky situation and so the Assassin’s Guild awaited their big chance. After a period of 11 days, Markus was deemed to have learned all he could and now owes the Guild a sum of 2,250 gp for his training. He purchased some weak poison to practice with on his next adventure. Markus then returned to Radlebb Keep to await news from the others.

While Eric was bed-ridden, Chow-Lin decided to expand upon her spell selection. Taking a trip back to Specularum with a Darokinian merchant caravan after waiting about for a week, she arrived at the Wizard’s Guild only to find that she was very short of funds. In order to make the trip worth her while, she set about asking students if they would like to compare notes and arrange a trade of spells. Several students were interested in her spell selections, but only one had a spell she required (light). Once she copied the spell and the student had copied hers, she met with Portio at the Inn. She arranged to have Portio keep the room open for them at the inn by using an expense account (4.2 gp/week) starting when the current payment is due on the 25^th of Vatermont. Chow-Lin then returned to Radlebb Keep with a group of merchants.

Meanwhile, once Eric regained his health, he began training with Rathamandaris at the Holy Oak north of Radlebb Keep. He learned more of the Radlebb Wood and how to read the large stone calendar at the Holy Oak. He was also quizzed on animals and plants in the region. By the time his training was completed, Eric was a full-fledged Ovate and could cast spells of the second level. However, he owed the Druid a sum of 2,250 gp for his training. Rath covered the expenses but asked that he donate this amount as soon as possible.

Once the party returned to Radlebb Keep and their rooms at the Wolfsnarl Inn, they compared notes and also learned that the Black Eagle Barony had been causing trouble south of the Westron Road and that orc raids had increased along the road to the east. No further assaults had been made upon Radlebb Keep in the time since the adventurers returned from the orc lair. Rathamandaris referred to this period as the “calm before the storm.” The characters knew that they must return to the orc lair and somehow defeat not only the orc chieftain, breaking his power in this region, but also the chieftain’s assistant who the party theorizes is a shape-shifter. In addition, the manpower at the Keep is spread thin so the only soldiers who would return with them to the orc lair are Sub-Commander Maribor and Soldier Torino.

Session 8

Date Played: August 12, 2000

Tserdain, 24^th of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C. (ORC LAIR)

About a half hour after entering the lair of the orcs, the party decided to investigate the areas opening off the central cavern before opening any doors. They headed back to the southern cavern and scouted ahead to the west. There they located a couple of guards on duty, so they backed off and decided to slay the five sleeping orcs in the southern cavern before proceeding. Markus and Eric checked out the closed door in the western wall of the southern cavern but didn’t hear anything from beyond.

The party proceeded to the west with Markus and Maribor up front, followed by Eric and Torino (with a torch), and finally Chow-Lin and Sgt. Trevis. Vignola and Marittimo were left to guard the southern tunnel out of the central cavern to make sure that the escape route was not cut off. After locating and killing two orc guards in the pear-shaped mess-hall cavern, the party continued towards some sounds at the southwest tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel they ran into a bunch of kitchen wench orcs whom they attacked. Two were dropped within the first two rounds, and one scampered under a workbench. The next round a huge female orc bearing a bloody apron and a cleaver emerged from a curtained alcove. She went to attack but was slain by a well-placed magic missile from Chow-Lin. Markus and Eric started interrogating the frightened female orc. She knew very little but managed to lead them to the cook’s hidden treasure box and told them that the orc chieftain Lugrek and his “right-hand man” were north of the central cavern. After searching the cook’s room for the key, they opened the lockbox and got some gold and silver for their efforts.

The party then headed to the southern cavern to take care of the captain of the watch. The scullion told them he would be there. The problem was that the door was locked. So after pounding on the door and summoning the orc captain to come out for a “change of watch,” the party quickly slew him at the door. Chow-Lin searched the body finding some coinage and a key for the door but nothing else of value either on him or in the room.

The scullion was gagged and kept with the party until arriving back at the central cavern. There she told the party that slaves and food were both kept to the east and that the chieftain lived to the north. The party argued a while over what to do with the female orc, but in the end they let her leave the lair, promising to kill her if she ever alerted anyone to their presence here.

Not wanting to leave behind any possible trouble areas, the party then ventured back to the large western cavern and the clawed door. The door was barred from the inside so they used the same trick to lure someone into opening the door (Markus and Eric muttered things in orcish…). The trick worked and a lone male orc opened the door, only to be slain by one of Maribor’s axes. The party then gathered up whatever would burn and piled it in the empty tunnel just on the other side of the door and lit the rubbish using lamp oil. The stuff burned readily and soon became smoky. They used the bar to brace the door closed, trapping any orcs within in the smoke. The plan seemed to have worked as there was pounding on the door for a few minutes and then nothing but smoke wafting around the door. Satisfied with their handiwork, the party proceeded back to the central cavern.

Then, Markus and Eric scouted ahead to the north using their infravision. However, they were seen by some orc guards in a rounded cavern. The orcs came forward to investigate before Eric and Markus could move. Markus decided to flee but instead was nailed hard in the back by an orcish spear. Severely wounded, he retreated to the central cavern to warn the others. Eric stood his own for a good round before being struck down by an orcish hand axe. Sgt. Trevis and Torino moved up to join the fray just as Eric fell. Trevis killed off the second spearman orc and Torino eventually bludgeoned and burned the lead orc with the torch he was carrying. They grabbed Eric’s body and his spear and quickly retreated before the other orcs could raise an alarm. Back at the central cavern, the party regrouped and Eric was bandaged as quickly and efficiently as possible. Then the party decided to make a hasty retreat out of the lair to their campsite from last night, 2 miles south of the fallen tree. Marittimo and Vignola carried Eric, while the others scampered away quickly. Trevis and Maribor guarded their exit and watched to make sure they weren’t followed.

The party emerged about two and a half hours after entering the place (roughly 10:00 am) and made it back to the camp by noon time. The soldiers were weary from carrying Eric and the pace of the flight.

Session 7

Date Played: August 5, 2000

Nytdain, 19^th of Nuwmont, 1,000 A.C.

After meeting with the Sergeant, the party left Radlebb Keep at sunrise with horses and a fully armed unit of men. They took the road at first, cutting north to the edge of the forest where they made camp for the evening.

Loshdain, 20^th of Nuwmont, 1,000 A.C.

The day was spent tracking the orcs via the wide swath they cut through the forest. The going was slow as the group did not want to accidentally catch up to the force and alert them that they were being followed. Luckily, the orcs were far enough ahead that this was not a problem. No encounters were had in the forest that day.

Soladain, 21^st of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

The trail seemed to be cutting north through the woods. The party decided to follow the trail but not remain on it in case scouts were checking back along the route they had come. The party caught up to the main force of orcs by midday, but stayed away from the area so as not to sound an alarm.

While making camp, a couple of frightened quails alerted the party that they were in possible danger. Eric approached the quails and tried to speak with them to find what frightened them from their hiding place. Before he could get very far into a conversation with the frightened birds, he was yanked down by Kindra Brightmeadow, an elven scout he had met previously in the campaign against the horse bandits. She told him that she and Perimor were keeping an eye on the orcs, but that they had to get back to the elven villages and warn them of the attack. Kindra mentioned that a smaller orc force was heading west and suggested that the party head after them.

Lunadain, 22^nd  of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

During the morning hours, the party headed off after the smaller orc group heading west. The path was harder to locate as the orcs weren’t leaving very obvious tracks. The orc group headed into the old heart of the forest where the trees were thickest. The party was obviously confused and exasperated at this point, being unsure of their direction and unable to locate concrete evidence of the orcs’ passage.

By late afternoon they came upon the orc camp in a crescent-shaped clearing. Orcish day-guards were on duty so the party kept its distance. Eric and Markus crept up for a closer look and spied that the group had a couple of human slaves (an old man and a young girl). The orcish force numbered about a dozen and a half warriors. After creeping back to the others, the party camped about a half mile from the clearing. Eric then befriended a small horned owl in the forest in the hopes to use the bird as an aerial scout.

Gromdain, 23^rd  of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

The party started to track the orcs shortly after sunrise, following them first to the southwest and then northwest towards the hills. A heavily trampled area of forest near the edge of the woods seemed to be the location of the orcish lair. A large uprooted tree was discovered in a clearing, and orcish voices were heard from within. The party retreated to camp about 2 miles south of the entrance and started to plan what to do next. There was some dissension among the ranks about what they were here to accomplish, but Sergeant Trevis assured them that his troops were ready to attack the orcs if need be.

Tserdain, 24^th of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

At dawn, Eric decided to send word to the Druid at the Holy Oak via his friend the owl. The owl was willing to deliver the message and flew off with the message tied to his leg. Gathering up their courage, the party descended into the orcish lair

Once they descended the earthen ramp under the tree roots, Eric and Markus noticed three orc guards eating something by the remains of a campfire. Catching them off guard with their bullseye lantern and Chow-Lin’s sleep spell, the orcs were quickly killed off. The party cautiously checked out the cave and then noticed the other passages. Markus and Eric tried to scout ahead to the south and found a chamber filled with sleeping orcs. Backing out of the cave they decided to try to the west instead. Unfortunately, this cave was occupied by alert guards who demanded that they identify themselves. When they didn’t, and the party backed out of the cave speaking taunts, the guards walked out to see who it was. The party then ambushed them in their first major orc battle. During the attack, one of the party’s soldiers was severely injured by a spear. Before they lost the element of surprise, Markus and Eric invaded the open cave just off the western one and slew four more orcs in their sleep.

Cast of Characters

Sergeant Trevis (officer from Radlebb Keep who accompanied the party on its mission).

Sub-Commander Maribor (loyal officer of Radlebb Keep and second in command on this mission).

Soldiers Torino, Vignola, and Marittimo (garrison guards from Radlebb Keep).

Kindra Brightmeadow: elven scout keeping an eye on the orcish forces in the woods.

Session 6

Date Played: July 22, 2000

Soladain, 14^th of Nuwmont, 1,000 A.C.

Breakfast at the Wolfsnarl Inn consisted of eggs and roasted pork. Eric memorized speak with animals, animal friendship, and entangle (x2). Chow-Lin memorized sleep and magic missile (x2). After breakfast, the party explored a little of the small village around Radlebb Keep. Markus went to the Keep itself to inquire about weapons and armor. He spoke to Ulrik, the Keep’s Master Armorer, and eventually bought a buckler. Eric left the inn early and went to the Farmer’s Market to get some additional food supplies for the mapping expedition. He bought a wheel of cheese. On the way back he noticed that the stone mason was a druidic follower and went to speak with him. Boris the stone mason was somewhat deaf (from striking stone all day), but was able to relate that the druid of the area could be found at the Holy Oak just 3 miles due north of the Keep. Chow-Lin later visited the Farmer’s Market as well and bought some beeswax candles. She met Eric on the way back to the Inn.

While at the Keep, Markus decided to do some snooping and found that the Captain of the Keep was named Capt. Fabius. Eric later met with Markus at the Keep and they did some more investigation, speaking to one of the Keep’s scouts, Sir Gregori Szardos. He was gruff and rather irritable, but he had just returned from a foray into the forest. He warned them to stay away from Koriszegy Keep and watch for werewolves, especially for the next few nights (the full moon). The party then spent the rest of the day traveling north to visit the druid (who was not at home) and then northeast into the forest. They were not comfortable about the mapping procedure but camped in the woods nonetheless, hoping to locate a landmark of some kind the next day.

Lunadain, 15^th of Nuwmont, 1,000 A.C.

The party set out to continue mapping the wilderness. However, they realized that once they left the edge of the forest they could not properly judge the direction in which they were heading due to a lack of landmarks. In order to reposition themselves on the map, they managed to locate the Westron Road just south of the Radlebb Wood. The party camped by the edge of the woods that night without any encounters.

Gromdain, 16^th of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

Thinking of a new system to keep track of their current position, the party headed back to the Keep for supplies. At the mercantile they located two spools of ribbon, one red and one white, to mark trees and keep from getting lost. (ribbon costs 1 sp/spool). More food was purchased for the mule and the party, and then they headed out to map. A more efficient system of marking their progress may have been discovered, using a code of color and ink spots on the ribbon to locate corner points of a grid.

By evening they bedded down along the southern edge of the Wood. During the first watch, Chow-Lin heard a crashing noise in the woods north of their position. She alerted her fellows and they remained watchful for a few turns. Eric noted bats flying above them, swarming in the winter sky. He realized that the bats should not be out this far into winter; they should be in their caves hibernating. Nothing else occured that night so the party resumed its normal watch procedure.

Tserdain, 17^th of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

The entire day was spent mapping, leading the party deeper into the woods north of the road. They stopped at dusk and set up camp for the night. The moon was beginning to wane and they felt a bit safer about werewolves in the night. The watches passed uneventfully.

Moldain, 18^th of Nuwmont 1,000 A.C.

Just as the party was breaking camp for the morning, they heard loud noises in the forest to the southwest. A huge war band of orcs led by some powerful looking leaders and a shaman was marching through the party’s camp. The adventurers wisely headed off south and hid in the evergreen brush, disguising themselves and their mule with their blankets. Luckily, the party was not noticed and the orcs marched on by, making camp about a half mile further northeast. The party, frightened by their close call, decided to head back to Radlebb Keep to warn them of the danger.

They arrived back quickly, only to find that the orcs had already been to the Keep and apparently assaulted it during the night. The party begged an audience with the Captain, but understandably he was busy at the time. Instead they spoke with Sergeant Trevis, the commander with whom they traveled to the Keep a few days ago. He was ready to organize his unit and head out after the orcs with the party on horseback. They figured that they could keep up with, and maybe catch up to, the orc force in the forest. Half the force would then return the horses to the Keep and Sergeant Trevis, his sub-commander, and three of the soldiers would accompany the party after the orcs.

Cast of Characters

Mortimer the Innkeep, owner of the Wolfsnarl Inn; a greasy looking chap with the twinkle of greed in his eyes.

Ulrik the Armorer: Master Armorer of Radlebb Keep, curt but helpful.

Boris the Mason: slightly deaf stone mason and druidic follower.

Captain Fabius: Heads the Armed Division of Radlebb Keep.

Sir Gregori Szardos: seasoned scout for Radlebb Keep.

Sergeant Trevis (officer from Radlebb Keep who will accompany the party on its mission)

Sub-Commander Maribor (loyal officer of Radlebb Keep and second in command on this mission)

Soldiers Torino, Vignola, and Marittimo (garrison guards from Radlebb Keep)