Tserdain, 24th
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.
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