Order of M.A.C.E.

[spacehulkster]

Time to find a job.

While the three drink the afternoon away, Kara-tor has found a marginally decent inn, for Melvaunt, and prepares to identify a few of the items he has. The afternoon passes by and satisfied with his assessments of the items in question, he wanders back to look for his companions. It doesn’t take long to find them, still at the inn where he left them, drinking!

“Looks like it’s up to me to find some employment!” the Thayan blurts with disgust.

He gets directions, to the Bruil family business office, from the first reasonably clean passerby he sees and heads off at a brisk pace. Upon reaching the merchant family offices, he surveys the neighborhood taking particular note of hiding spots, back windows and guards. Satisfied with his findings, he proceeds to the office and is escorted to a clerk.

“Uhm, how can I help you wizard?” the clerk nervously asks. His office is cluttered with scrolls of paper and files.

Kara-tor picks up on the clerks uneasiness and puts it to his advantage. “I’m here to investigate the problem your company is having with the mines. Please advise your superior that Kara-tor of Thay is here.”

The clerk fidgets, “Uhm, I can help you with that. I’m Mr. Bruil’s mining secretary. I handle all the hirings, pay outs and keep tabs on the mines.”

“Surely you jest! Just look at this office. You can barely move without stepping on parchment. Now really escort me to Mr. Bruil, my companions and I would like to get this matter settled and move on.” Kara-tor’s manner is condescending and arrogant, but it keeps the clerk on edge. Just where Kara-tor wants him.

“I’m sorry sir, Mr. Bruil is quite busy with other matters right now and away from the office. I assure you, I can arrange the contract. You say you came with companions?” the clerk is quite nervous and his hands shake as he grabbs his quill and looks for some clean parchment.

“If I must settle for you then, yes, there are six of us total. We understand the arrangement is for 500 gold. Since we are very capable of handling this matter of clearing mines for you, we request a larger payment upon completion. How would you like proof to be shown?” Kara-tor’s played on the clerk’s fears.

“J-Just how much more were you thinking?”

“500 gold a piece should do.”

The clerk fumbled with the math in his head, “b..but that’s 3000 gold! I don’t think Mr. Bruil would approve of that. In fact, I know he wouldn’t. How about 1000 total?”

Kara’s eyes burned with anger, “You impudent little scribe. Do you know who I am? My services are in high demand and worth much more than that.”

The clerk shrank behind his desk, “Obviously you’re a Red Wizard, and forgive sir, but we don’t know what we are facing there, as other adventurers we’ve hired have not returned and no information is forthcoming. I could go as high as 1800 gold total and you could make arrangements with the foreman once your company arrives there.” He nervously watches the wizard’s eyes and hand gestures for the telltale signs of magic forthcoming.

“It will do for now. I shall consult with my hirelings. I will be back tomorrow for contract, directions and letter of introduction to this foreman. This office is a huge fire hazard. I should take care if I were you.”

The threatening remark does not go unnoticed. The mannerisms of the Red Wizards are known through-out Faerun. The clerk let out a heavy sigh as the wizard left, bringing a wry smile to Kara-tor as he walked away.

 

[spacehulkster]

“What could possibly be taking them so long?” Annalia complained. She was cold and irritated. “They were just supposed to find out if we could get inside. Not spend the night! The morning is almost gone and we can figure they are too.”

Zafnir’s response was hardly sympathetic, “You really expected us to be able to get in a human town?” He sat gnawing on jerky, watching her pace. “Let’s give them till sundown. Then we leave.” The afternoon was going to be long.

Kara-tor roused the Orog and dwarves from their slumber, “Wake up, you half-witted cretin’s. We’ve got work to do. I’m heading over to that office and picking up the papers I asked for. When I get back, I expect you three to be ready to follow me. Am I understood?”

The three nodded groggily, not really paying attention to his tone. They had drunk way too much last night.

By the time Kara-tor got back to them, they were still in their room getting dressed.

Kara was furious, “I left an hour ago and you’re just now getting dressed! You should have been downstairs eating. The morning is gone and we’ve got over a 40 mile trek to make. Next thing you know I’ll be hearing how hungry you all are. Let’s move it!” Kara was day dreaming of Annalia whipping these three oafs’ out of bed.

Pfröte finally perked up by the time they made it to the city gate. He spotted the sergeant of the guard that had given them passage yesterday and dropped his purse twice. “Good day sergeant.” Pfröte put a smile on and waved. The sergeant’s hand quickly went for his belt purse and nodded in relief back at the Azer.

After finding the Dambrathans and filling them in, the group decides to stay hidden until dusk and travel at night.

 

[spacehulkster]

Big Battle update!

It took 4 days, traveling by night, to reach Phlan. They passed by the campfires of other travelers, keeping to themselves. One in a while an offer to warm themselves by the fire was issued, but they kept their faces cloaked and graciously declined, saying they were in a bit of a hurry. The group camped by day, well off of the road. Far enough away to be noticed but not intruded upon.

Phlan was not a big city, by any regards. It also bore the scares of a recent attack. Charred walls, a few burned buildings and the main castle lay in ruins. Only the castle’s three towers remained in tack. The group decides to risk all of them entering the town in daylight. Although the town guard was well prepared, the odd mixture of races in the group and the fact that the Red Wizard spoke to them about the mining contract, aloud them passage into the town.

They found out that Phlan had been attacked a few months ago, during the winter, by a horde of Hobgoblins with gobloid and Ogre allies. Fortunately for the town, the gobloid attack faltered after they ransacked the castle and food stores. The town had work crews busily rebuilding the town walls.

The group slept comfortably that night. They got directions to the Bruil mining camp and that if they hurried, they could catch up with the supply wagons that left yesterday.
The party continued their journey to the Bruils mining camp, staying within sight of the main road but cutting through the woods mostly.

Kara-tor complained several times as the thicket clung to his robes and an occasional limb flew back to smack against him.

"Why don't we simply use the road? A Thayan wizard shouldn't have to subject himself to such mundane methods of travel" intoned Kara-tor.

"I would prefer not to draw attention or be forced to receive a welcoming host of mounted soldiers on patrol" replied Zafnir. He signed his disgust at having to explain the obvious to his half-drow companion, Annalia.

Annalia replied with a sly grin as Rudgar the dwarf bent back another limb and let it fly unerringly at the face of the wizard as he trooped past. Kara-tor raised his hand just to keep the branch from smacking him square in the face and leveled an icy glare at the small dwarf's back. Qwergain and Pfröte seemed not to care one way or another.
In truth, Zafnir could have picked a much easier path through the wilderness, but he was silently enjoying the party's struggle.

He was roused from his contemplation by the sounds of yelling men not far ahead. The others heard as well and began readying their weapons.
Upon closing the distance, the group saw several caravan wagons encircled around a fire. Guards were yelling out commands and pointing off in the distance where mounted goblins could be seen. Their riding wolves howled in eager anticipation of the upcoming raid.

"I sense an opportunity", the words spoke aloud by the Thayan, while Zafnir and Annalia signed a similar sentiment to each other.

"Let's skulk along the wood line while this plays out a bit. We can join the fray once both parties have weakened themselves a bit." Zafnir spoke these words aloud, irritated that he couldn't just make the few simple signs that would convey the same idea to the group.

Rudgar and Pfröte didn't even notice the conversation and they fanned out of the woods to approach the caravan from the opposite side of the raiding the party. Rudgar was whistling something.

Pfröte called out loudly to the caravan, "Hey, watch out behind ya... there's some wicked critters on wolves about."

As if that was his cue, Rudgar launched a spear into the caravan, skewering one of the guards. Rudgar charged towards the caravan as well.

"Oh bloody hell!" spat the wizard. Kara-tor's hands flew up and quickly began moving in rhythm to cast a spell of sleepness over several of the guards.

Annalia pulled out her scourge and shoved Qwergain in front of her as she circled to South of the wagons, remaining partially obscured by the edge of the wood.

"You charge ahead without my consent and you'll have much worse to deal with than some measly hobgoblins."

Qwergain merely shrugged and plodded ahead of the priestess. Her threats were very amusing to the Orog. She was only half drow, maybe her offspring would be part Orog as well. Then again, he might be mistaken. Torture may not be a part of drow mating rituals like it is for Orogs.

The first few moments of the battle flew by in a blur as the caravan guards fought off the hobgoblin raiders on one side and launched a volley of arrows at the newcomers to the West. Several guards fell into a deep slumber as the party quickly scrambled over the barricades to fight with blades and axes. Annalia released Qwergain into the fray as well and nodded appreciatively as he cleaved opponent after opponent in twain. She summoned an undead skeleton to rise within the circle and add to the carnage.

Most of the caravan guards dropped quickly from the dual assault, but the hobgoblin raiding party was barely touched. Now that it was in full view, it was apparent that this was a rather large raiding party.

The wolves circled the caravan to the north, sending arrows over the wagons and grazing a few of the party. Zafnir sent his own energy out to the land beneath the wolves and numerous vines sprung forth from the earth to entangle the wolves. Several hobgoblins flew from the saddle as their wolves came to an abrupt stop amongst the twisting vines.
Not all of the raiders were caught in the spell, though, and several bore their mounts down upon the party members who were outside the caravan circle. Rudgar was set upon by two of the creatures, while Pfröte and Annalia were ambushed by several more that managed to turn their mounts aside at the right moment. Having just finished off the caravan guards there, they were quickly put on the defensive as the wolves and hobgoblins pressed the assault.

Qwergain finished off one wolf that had slipped into the caravan circle but then found himself entangled by the same roots that held the wolves. Kara-tor and Zafnir pulled back to the fire pit and began picking off entangled wolves from there. Zafnir with his bow and Kara-tor with his spells.

Pfröte damaged several of the raiders but went down under the brutal assault of the wolves. Annalia herself was severely wounded. On the opposite side of the camp, Rudgar looked to be in equally bad shape.

Zafnir dropped his bow and rushed toward Annalia. He didn't care much for the priestess, but he didn't want to have to answer to her family if she died so early in their journey. After exhausting his spells for the day, Kara-tor gripped his staff tightly and moved to assist Rudgar in his battle.

Qwergain finally broke free of the entangling vines and charged at the raiders with a thunderous roar. The wolves stopped tearing at the downed Azer and leapt at the Orog, who brought his great sword down into the skull of the first wolf. The second wolf seized onto his arm and beginning viciously jerking its head side to side, ripping flesh and tendons in the process. One hobgoblin jumped from his now dead wolf and ran off into the woods.
Nearby, Annalia managed to call upon divine healing as Zafnir distracted the raider and his wolf. Once healed, she moved opposite Zafnir and worked her scourge furiously on the wolf's flank. Not liking the turn of events, the hobgoblin rider kicked his mount into a retreat. This move cost him his life as his mount bolted out from underneath him and made it safely into the woods. Several of the other raiders managed to pull themselves from the tangling vines as well and quickly decided to leave the cursed clearing.

While this was occurring, Rudgar and Kara-tor fought desperately for their lives against two injured raiders. Kara-tor worked his staff better than his training should have allowed and Zafnir's spider wrapped them in sticky webs that interrupted their assault. Rudgar took advantage of the reprieve and quickly quaffed a flask of healing that had been hanging on his belt. With renewed vigor, he closed the distance again and chopped the legs out from under the first wolf. The hobgoblin tumbled from the dead creatures back and was bashed repeatedly by the wizard who was still showing impressive skill with his staff. The remaining raider tried to bolt and was cut down by the small dwarf. With the immediate threat gone, Kara-tor slumped to the ground in exhaustion, his arms aching from the continual swings of his heavy staff.

Zafnir rushed over to the downed Azer and channelled in just enough healing power to stop the flow of blood. He surveyed the battlefield to see if any others needed healing before using his remaining spell to bring consciousness back to the Azer. If the battle would have lasted a few moments longer, it would have been pointless. Qwergain had finished his foe and was being attended to by the priestess. Rudgar and Kara-tor stumbled over from the opposite side of the caravan, each showing numerous cuts and bites and a few arrows protruding from various spots.

"Ahhhh that was enough to get the blood pumpin" touted the dwarf.

The others looked at him with unveiled anger.

"Just need to pick the bits of skull off me Urgosh ‘ere and fetch me spear from the groin o' that helpless guard. Besides, looks like we're in the caravan business now."

"Nothing but blankets and supplies" said the Thayan wizard. "Aside from that, the markings on the wagon indicate they are owned by the Bruil's trading company."

"Qwergain smash stupid wagons" roared the Orog. Evidently he didn't much like blankets and foodstuff.

"Well we need to cover up our transgression in any case,” Zafnir explained. “We can deliver the goods to the mining camp as heroes and tell the tale of how we came across the unfortunate caravan just as the raiders were picking through the remains. We should be sure to use the hobgoblins weapons on the corpses to further remove ourselves from implication. Afterwards, we can bury or burn the bodies in a 'proper' funeral. Skip the readings of the rites, obviously, but just make it look proper."

Kara-tor arched his eyebrow. "I doubt that will work. Such sloppy cover-ups would never fool anyone in Thay."

"Yes, but this is not Thay and it is not the Underdark. Hopefully the surfacers of this region are naive to the ways of treachery." Inside, Zafnir was reminiscing of home and the ambushes he had been a part of with his brothers and father.

"And perhaps the arctic dwarves are naive to the ways of torture, Rudgar. If you imperil us again like that, you will suddenly become enlightened" the priestess stated matter of factly.

"It's good to keep your bitch on a leash" bellowed the dwarf as he pulled his riding dog closer. His double meaning was not lost on his dark-skinned companions though.

"Would you two quit bickering" interrupted Kara-tor. "We should leave this area before the raiders realize we were nearly defeated and send in reinforcements."

Pfrote sat quietly, his brief visit with mortality weighing heavily on his mind.

 

[spacehulkster]

The Hero's arrive

They catch sight of the mining camp a day and a half later. The camp is disorganized and in a shambles.
As they get closer, they notice the signs of battle. A row of corpses are lined up in front of what might be a temple, a priest giving last rights, with coffins piled hastily nearby. Miners and camp followers stop and look in awe at the strange caravan heading down what serves as the main street for the camp. They pull up the wagons next to the temple.

“Heh priest!” yells out the wizard. “What happened here?”

The priest looks up and slowly answers while looking down the line of wagons and their drivers, “A raid, ahh…yesterday. Hobgoblins, lead by a bugbear. These six poor souls were returning from foraging for game, when the goblins hit us. Cornelius was able to quickly organize a defense before they overran us. Where might you, ah….be from?”

He eyes the drivers nervously. Obviously a wizard, one flame headed dwarf, wearing a peculiar wooden breastplate, another shorter dwarf and a large dog, a wagon with two dark elves and a large hooded figure driving the last wagon. A crowd starts to form behind the priest, dwarves and humans alike holding small weapons nervously.

“We’re here to…” Zafnir begins, but is interrupted by Kara-tor. Zafnir is quite irritated.

“Huhuhm. Let me handle this Zafnir. Can’t you see these peasants are upset and unsure by your presence?” He turns back to the priest. “Who is this Cornelius and who is in charge here?”

“Cornelius Ironbeard, he’s in charge of the mining operation here. He, well we all work for the Bruil’s. He spends most of his time in the mines, but he has an office, next to the big tent down a ways,” answers the priest. He points at the drow, and continues, “May I ask why they are here?”

The priest gets a hard glare from Annalia. Zafnir steadies her in sign. “Remember, their different here and we’re the outsiders”

“Just one fireball spell, Loviatar. That’s all I ask,” she hisses under her breath.

Kara-tor answers, “They are none of your business priest. Now disperse these miners before one of them gets a wagon over their carcass. We’re here to see this Ironbeard, now bury those corpses before they stink up this slum.”

With that, the wizard yells out and slaps the reins on the horses. The others follow, as the crowd scatters from the oncoming wagons. A few hundred yards up Kara-tor spots the large tent and a small wooden building next to it with a sign with the Bruil’s insignia on it.

Kara-tor jumps off his wagon and motions to Rudgar, “Rudgar, let’s meet this Ironbeard and find out where we can get rid of these wagons.”

The two enter the office as if they own it; look down at the dwarf behind a desk.

“We’re looking for the foreman, an Ironbeard fellow, we’re from the home office,” Kara-tor bellows out.

The dwarf looks up, “I’m Penbeard, his scribe. Cornelius is making a routine checkup down in the mines right now. He should be back within two hours. Can I help you?” He offers his hand to both, but only Rudgar shakes his hand.

Looking down at the dwarf’s offered hand in disgust, Kara-tor responds, “We should talk with him as soon as he returns. We have a few wagon loads of supplies from the company. Have your people come take them away for us. Is there any place where we can freshen up, eat and a place to bed for our stay?”

“Aye, there is. We have a spare storage shed that we hardly use and usually clean out for Lord Bruil’s supervisors. I’ll send a crew over to clean it out,” the clerk answers.

 

[spacehulkster]

“Make them stop starring at us!” Annalia cried out to Zafnir, who promptly held up his hands and shrugged. The miners watched the party, in particular the Crinti woman and drow, as they ate.

“Settle down lass. They ain’t ever seen drow above ground ‘afor. They’s fascinated with ya. Maybe you can attract some converts or make some money doing tricks with yer whip?” Rudgar laughed at his own comment.

“I don’t know why I put up with you. You’re impudent, sleazy and… and short!” she retorted to the dwarf.

“Aye, and don’t forget cuddly!” Pfröte chimed in.

“Umph!” she turned a disgusting glare at the azer, who smiled and winked.

“Easy azer,” warned Zafnir, “her temper could get a few miners killed. Then we would be out of a job.”

The tensions were high the rest of the afternoon. Miners and camp followers lingered around the party, making them feel uneasy. Every once in a while Kara-tor would play tricks on them, with his magic, just to keep them on their toes. Pfröte and Rudgar got inquisitive and took a sight seeing trip throughout the camp.
Zafnir and Qwergain paid little heed to the camp inhabitants and Zafnir’s pet spider kept most onlookers away.

About an hour from dusk, a rustic looking dwarf, with a red-graying beard, covered in dust, came up to the few party members that were present, “You all must be the sweepers, here to get rid of what’s been killing my miners? Gather yourselves and I’ll meet with you in one hour at the office.”

Later at the mining office…..

The party files into Cornelius’s office, who eyes them suspiciously. Two dwarf’s guard the doorway.

“Well, I’ve seen the letter from Mr. Bruil’s office,” he looks each member up and down, “which one of you got the recommendation?” His eyes transfix upon the dwarf and the red wizard.

Kara-tor steps forward, “I was able to procure the arrangement. I am Kara-tor of Th..”

“Yeah, yeah I know wheres you are from,” the foreman interrupts. “I figured it had to be one of you two,” he says pointing at Kara-tor and Rudgar. “Me name is Cornelius Ironbeard, I run this outfit for the Bruils. It’s not easy and there’s a plenty to do. I can’t be bothered with clearing out a mine shaft and make the shipment quota. So that’s why you’re here. We’ve lost 4 miners and another 2 are injured, plus we got hobgoblins raiding us sporadically. We’ll show you in the morning, to the area in question. Get a good nights sleep, I’ll roust ya’s in the morning. And just so we’re clear, I’m not to happy to see a couple of drow and an orog here. But I’m willing to give you’s a break. I’ll be keeping an eye on you’s though.”

Zafnir could sense Annalia restraining herself. She had moved forward to speak, but stopped and bit her lip.

Qwergain was unmoved by the dwarfs comments. Threats didn’t faze him. “Qwergain find lost miners, then stop raids and help dwarf with quota.”

Cornelius eyed him meticulously, “That’s ok, you ugly dark orc, just keep out of me way. You do your job, I’ll do mine.”

Qwergain nodded in agreement, but muttered something under his breath. The group left the room and headed to their allocated quarters.

“Penbeard!” yelled Cornelius, “Post a guard on our guest.” Penbeard nodded, and then turned to leave.
“Uhh Penbeard, better make that two!”

 

[pogre]

Holy Cow! An update and an invitation from SpaceHulkster all in the same day!

That calls for a BUMP!

 

[spacehulkster]

“We should head down into the caves as soon as we are rested.” Kara-tor neatly laid out his sleeping mat, knocked some lose pebbles from the stone bunk and laid down with a typical disgusted look. “If the strange barking reported by the miners is indeed kobolds, then this should be a long irritating day ahead of us. Their barking is bad enough when they are alive and their death rattles are enough to drive a paladin to drink.”

“Don’t forget about the smell of burnt fur.” added Pfröte, quite amused with himself.

The others just nodded their agreement and set up their bunks as well. Pfröte and Rudgar both laid flat on the stone bunks using only their packs to provide a pillow of sorts.

The group awoke 8 hours later and found a dwarven miner capable of directing them to the location of interest. Not long after searching the area, they located an offshoot tunnel that didn’t seem to bear the same care in construction as the dwarven tunnels.

Sensing that this was a logical place to search, half the group headed down the tunnel. Annalia and Pfröte remained outside the tunnel to keep an eye on the area. Zafnir’s pet spider paralleled them down the tunnel, clinging to the ceiling above.

Gutteral sounds with an occasional outburst of barking came from a side tunnel up ahead. Kara-tor and Zafnir peered into the room to find a group of kobolds playing dice bones up against the back wall. They strode in confidently and Kara-tor addressed the pitiful creatures.

“BOW BEFORE THE MIGHTY RED WIZARD, KARA-TOR!” spat the wizard with his hand outstretched, finger pointing toward the floor. The drow walked in next to him, slender fingers tapping gently on his sword hilt.

Sensing the confidence behind the wizards voice and visibly awed by the strange pair, the kobolds jaws dropped. Several of them followed this by promptly prostrating themselves on the ground as they snapped out of their shock.

Rudgar entered the room next whistling some tune and launched his spear into the chest of a kobold. The other kobolds all squeaked and grabbed for their weapons while the party hastily pulled out their weapons. Qwergain barreled into the room next and smashed another kobold before it could get it’s weapons to bear. The fight lasted only a few moments as the kobolds were all cut down.

“I do believe that little dwarf has a touch of Lolth herself in him” Zafnir said outloud, looking over at the wizard.

“Well, why else would he be traveling with a motley group such as ours? It does make it difficult to ask them any questions when they are all dead though.”

"Though he shares her chaotic nature, I fear he lacks her more subtle sophistication" followed the drow. "Perhaps she has sent him to our side to mock me. Ahhhhhh, regardless, we shall need to be on our toes with this one around."

Rudgar finished whatever it was he was whistling and then seemed to notice the other three looking at him. "Aye?"

There was nothing of interest on the kobolds in this area, but there were now two paths leading onward from here. One led out from the “sentry” room and another continued along the original path.

Zafnir directed his spider to web off the original path, so they could continue without fear of getting flanked from behind.

“Qwergain no like spider webs across path. Qwergain get stuck.”

“Yes Qwergain, just don’t go down that path unless we have cleared it and you won’t get stuck this time. That way you only need to worry about bashing things in front of us.” With that, Zafnir patted the large orog on the shoulder and pointed down the side path. “You can bash anything ahead of us there.”

The side path led out into a large common area with 8 kobolds and 4 goblins seated around three large tables. Piles of refuse sat in the corner, adding an unpleasant odor to the air.
Making a clicking noise to signal his spider, Zafnir charged ahead and sliced across the ribcage of a seated kobold. It slumped to the floor with a half-eaten rodent leg still clutched in its hand.

The spider dropped down from the ceiling and shot a web out to engulf a nearby goblin. Rudgar moved into the North end of the room to engage some kobolds there and Qwergain focused on the closest target, a kobold standing out near the opening. Behind the Orog, Kara-tor leveled and fired a crossbow at a goblin not far from Zafnir.

The goblins and kobolds each dropped their food and grabbed a nearby weapon. Several of them began flipping over tables, while the other half surged forward to surround the intruders. One attempted to get past Qwergain and assault the wizard, but the mighty orog’s weapon snapped back in time to crush it’s skull before he got there.

The drow and his spider worked as a team to dispatch several of the goblins and kobolds there while the wizard flung a spell to daze several hiding behind a table. The orog and arctic dwarf also brought down several more, each of their hits snapping deep into bone and tendon.

One of the tables erupted in flame as a lit oil flask hit it. Kara-tor then switched back to his crossbow and fired a shot into the burning body of a goblin that had managed to survive the flames.

Two kobolds fled the battle and each went out a different exit, undoubtedly to warn others of the arrival. The reinforcements did not arrive in time to save the remaining kobolds, though, and they quickly fell under the onslaught.

 

[spacehulkster]

“We best prepare quickly. Reinforcements will probably be here soon” spoke Zafnir.

“Indeed, the drow is correct. Rudgar, take those two torches from the sconces and stand between those two entrances.” Kara-tor then pulled two more flasks from his pack and smashed one in front of each entrance.

“And I thought the Azer would be the one burnin up all the fur today,” huffed Rudgar. “I got’s just the whistle for..”

“NO! No whistling this time dwarf.” interrupted the wizard. “Just stand there and wait quietly for them to enter before you drop the torches. Qwergain, you’ll know what to do when.”

“Qwergain SMASH!” bellowed the Orog, leaving no room for argument. Despite his outwardly ignorant persona, Zafnir suspected the brute was much more intelligent than he let on.

It didn’t take much longer for the reinforcements to arrive, their yipping sounds warning the party to their imminent arrival. Roughly 10 kobolds burst through the entrance and then were immediately immersed in flame as Rudgar dropped the torch on queue. Rudgar then pulled out his urgosh and bashed away at those that had not fallen to the flame. Kara-tor and Zafnir fired bolts and arrows past the flaming area, picking off the kobolds that had not made it into the room yet.

Qwergain heard more noises coming from another side passage and ran over to guard that area. Eight more goblins and an orc tried to enter the cavern from this passage and they were once again met with flaming oil. Rudgar continued battling the remaining kobolds from the Northern passage, while the rest of the group turned their attention to this new threat.
Sensing that Lolth was pleased with the bloodshed he was causing, Zafnir sent several more goblins to their death. He focused mostly on those still in pain from their burns. The wizard hurled several invisible waves of force into the goblins, wounding several and also throwing them into others. Saving some of his power for later, he raised his crossbow once again and continued to rain crossbow bolts into the congested passageway.

Qwergain, swatted several more goblins aside and then charged at the orc leader in a ferocious rage. The orc raised his sword to deflect the downward chop of the orog’s sword, but he underestimated the strength of the blow. Both blades sank into its skull and the orc slammed down hard to its knees and then fell lifelessly to the floor.

The will of the goblins vanished along with the death of their leader and they bolted away from the melee. The group showed no sympathy though and every last one of them was cut down before they made it to freedom. The battle was won, but the group had suffered some injuries as a result. Zafnir received a nasty cut along one forearm and Qwergain was stabbed several times by rusty, goblin spear points. Rudgar quaffed a healing potion and Zafnir called upon the powers of the wild to close the wounds on himself and then on Qwergain.