Not the Wednesday Knights (again).
SESSION XXXI.
Satyrday 18th Mork 2000
Inter Mission 2. Return of the Sequel.
Characters present
Zanakand Male Dwarven Fighter lvl 1 (Kev M.)
Lea Female Halfling Thief lvl 1 (Erin)
Greta Goldgarth Female Elf Cleric of Corellan lvl 1 (Wayne)
What with turn 29’s complete failure the players are short of a B team as it were- characters to play when there are not enough people present to play the Wednesday Knights, like tonight, again, for instance. Thus the above characters are rolled into existence.
It’s all mine, all mine.
It all starts in the small mining village of Barrak- Zanakand son of Thorbjorn is beginning to get edgy- the young Dwarf has not seen his father for a week now. Zan’s mother died in childbirth making it just him and his father versus the world- Barrak had also proved to be another wrong turn, a human mining community whose Iron Ore mine has just about played out.
Zan has therefore taken it upon himself to get some assistance- the local militia were sent to the mine four days ago but not a soul has returned- the village has conducted its day-to-day activities in fear ever since. A swift rider has also been sent to Carimor (the next, slightly larger, settlement down the valley) but assistance has not yet arrived. On top of the lost miners and patrolmen, there is a sickness in the village. For the last two weeks members of the community have been falling ill with alarming regularity, mostly the old and the young- but lately the sickness has begun to strike the young, robust and healthy. So far there has only been one death but the illness has not passed, and even some of those cured by the local priests of Corellan have taken sick again. It is as if the sickness is all around the village… in the air.
Zan visits the shrine of Corellan, to tell them his story; there he is introduce to Greta Goldgarth an Elven priest in training and head chorister at the shrine. The two quickly become firm friends- committed to getting to the bottom of this mystery. Last but by no means least Zan recruits Lea a Halfling lass, daughter of Daniel Way the village cobbler- Lea cares little for the mystery, she sees this trip as an opportunity to avoid a life of misery, “crushed underfoot” as she put it, by the family business.
And so the three intrepid wannabe adventurers take what equipment they have and what food they can lay their hands on and in the middle of the night head off to the Mines.
Sunday 19th Mork 2000
The Burning Plague.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, the villagers day of rest- when they are least likely to be missed, the three intrepid explorers arrive at the mine. A brief scout of the area reveals the signs of destruction on a grand scale- a battle has been fought here, and it appears that the humans- the guardsmen and the miners were beaten. The ground is littered with drag marks and blood trails- many of them days (maybe even a week) old.
Greta leads the way into the mine itself- noting as she does the signs of combat within the entrance to the mine- cuts and notches in the pit props, the drag marks lead on.
The central cavern is a mess of overturned mine carts, fallen rocks and the debris caused by the destruction- the only thing of note, the body of a Dwarven miner face down next to an overturned mine cart. Cautiously Greta approaches- from the rear she can see the puncture marks of crossbow bolts, broken off in the wounds. Zan comes to look as Lea rolls the body over, to see if it is Zan’s father (it isn’t)- at the same time a piece of loose rock skitters down from where it was precariously balanced, as it hits the ground there is an almighty explosion. The three cover their ears as the Thunderstone erupts- Lea dives down to the floor and avoids the sonic damage, Zan also withstands the assault it is Greta that is left bleeding at the ears stunned and disorientated, unable to hear anyone or anything.
“Are you alright Greta?”
“What?”
“I said ARE YOU OK?”
“WHAT?”
“ARE YOU OK?”
“WHAT?”
“CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
“WHAT, I CAN’T HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SAYING? WHAT IS HE SAYING?”
Lea looks at Zan and then back to Greta “HE’S ASKING WHETHER YOU CAN HEAR HIM OR NOT.”
“WHAT?”
The conversation continues for some time until mainly by hand signals the group heads further into the mine. From the central chamber there are two passages leading off- one goes to the miners quarters, the other goes into the mine- they chose the latter.
Towards the end of the passage, as it descends to the actual mining chamber, Lea and Zan discover a crudely constructed pit trap, only six or seven feet deep but lined with broken glass and rocks.
“Who the feck’s in here then?”
“Dunno- take it easy though.”
Lea heads off into the main chamber keeping low to the cavern floor, in and out of the shadows, she takes her time, as she has never been in the mine before.
Around about ten minutes later she returns with news- there is another tunnel leading off this chamber that descends further, Zan states that this was a new seam which was discovered six months ago, but is also almost played out. The strange thing however is the ledge over on the far wall- up about thirty feet from the cavern floor, she climbed up the rope as silently as possible and observed a bunch of Kobolds drinking and eating up there. Throughout the entire report Greta stands uncomprehending still deaf from the Thunderstone- Zan meanwhile has to be restrained briefly while Lea points out that rushing the Kobolds is impossible-
“They’re thirty feet up on a stone ledge- how the feck are you going to get to them?”
“I’ll kill them all, just you see.”
Zan huffs and puffs a while but eventually sees the sense in Lea’s words- a plan is hatched.
Lea creeps back into the room, observing the inhabitants of the ledge as she goes and all the time indicating to Zan and Greta when it is safe to move forward. In this manner the three make there way to the centre of the chamber so they can all observe the ledge- they ready missile weapons. Lea then heads off again, shimmies up the rope and checks the ledge again, there seems to be one Kobold leader type and at least half-a-dozen Kobold warriors. She takes a rag out of her pocket that she has previously soaked in lantern oil and begins to smear it on the rope as she scoots down- eventually tying it at the end. Once at the bottom she takes her tinderbox out and on the second attempt ignites the end of the rope- the fire spreads upwards quickly, then a short sprint undercover back to her compatriots.
Approximately thirty seconds pass, the fire has taken hold and is half way up the rope when the first Kobold comes to investigate and calls over his colleagues- the wannabe-Knights fire their missiles, they all miss. On top of the ledge the Kobolds duck for cover and chaos ensues, the only fatality comes when one of the creatures leaning over the edge in a forlorn attempt to extinguish the fire plummets over the side. The remaining Kobolds are soon back with their own missile weapons- a short exchange occurs with no winners or losers.
“It’s not them.”
“What?”
“It’s not them.”
“What are you talking about Zan?”
“They didn’t do this- you said there were only six of them… we need to go on.”
Zan looks down the darkened passage- to the new seam.
“Down there- it’s down there”
Throughout this Greta continues to fire her bow oblivious to the conversation.
Lea nods, nudges Greta and points down the passage. The three stow their weapons and move off at speed.
The passage descends again, a rough-hewn tunnel, into another chamber, nowhere near the size of the last. The three slow to a halt- surrounding them are the rotting remains of miners and guardsmen stacked either side of a cleared pathway puddled with their putrid liquefied remains, Lea is instantly sick. The smell of the chamber is all encompassing- the three tie cloths around their mouths and noses, Zan can feel the sting of his tears- scanning the rotten piles looking for his father. Greta reaches for her holy symbol, fortunate really as several of the piles stir, Zombies are extricating themselves from the morass of bodies, the fighting begins. There are four small Kobold Zombies, who climb off the top of the piles, and four miners and/or guardsmen- one of which is a dwarf.
Many of the creatures are turned instantly by Greta (all of the Kobolds) the others fight desperately- and then Zan finds himself standing in front of the Zombie version of his father, he is paralysed as his father strikes out. Greta pulls him quickly out of the way recognising the situation for what it is- in an instant she begins to batter feck out of the Zombie as Zan stands statue in the centre of the chamber. Soon the fight is over although several of the Zombies have retreated further down the passage that continues to descend further underground.
The non-Knights take stock of the situation- Zan is silent, the tears stream down his face, Greta is still deaf, and Lea is doing her best to keep them together.
“Shall we get on… up ahead… see what’s there?” Lea ventures.
Zan walks forward- descending further, following the seam, his axe in his hands- the others follow solemnly behind- like a funeral march, but who’s funeral?
Thirty seconds later the group enters what looks to be the final chamber. The cavern is around about forty feet wide with a central spur from which water spurts- once again the area is littered with the corpses of miners and guardsmen alike. The water that gushes out of the spur seems to be crystal clear however once it passes through the revolting mess of the corpses it becomes tainted- the source of Barrak's illness is discovered. Zan stands guard as Greta and Lea begin to drag the corpses out of the stream, he begins to notice that the central spur has been carved in many places. Zan takes a few steps forward to read some of the inscriptions, even with his feeble religious/arcane knowledge he realises that they are runes of hatred, fear, disease and loathing the work of some dark god… and then the lights go out.
The maybe-Knights’ torches dim till they illuminate their faces only. Lea turns quickly they are not alone in the cavern…
“Is somebody there?”
In the silence, only the sound of the stream, a hand reaches out to touch Lea- she turns swiftly weapon drawn.
“Boo…”
“Aaaaarrgggghhhh…”
Lea screams and flees back down the passageway towards the Zombie chamber (a Cause Fear spell), Zan moves towards where Lea was and swings his axe a few times- he can see someone in the magical darkness and then suddenly he feels his strength wane (A Doom spell). A huge Half-Orc looms out of the darkness swinging a Heavy Mace that strikes home delivering 9 points of damage. Greta heads towards the ruckus only to see Zan receive a second blow the dwarf is knocked off his feet and unconscious. Not thinking Greta leaps in picks the dwarf up and in one movement is fleeing back the way they came.
It is not until Greta reaches the cavern with the Kobolds on the ledge that she lets up- Lea is also here, embarrassed but unharmed, the three hunker down undercover and talk it out. Greta begins by healing Zan as best she can- however the dwarf is not well, something more than the wound he has received- fortunately Greta’s deafness has about gone so she takes charge of the situation.
“Ahoy… HELLO UP THERE.”
“Wah… wha’ yu wan’?” A Kobold shouts back.
“What is it down there?” Greta points down the passage from which they have just emerged. The Kobold, obviously the leader type, comes to the ledge and looks down on Greta who is standing out in the open unarmed- although Lea lurks nearby.
“We don’t kno’. We fownd dis playce- we thort it woz desur… dez-sit… dezzur… oh emptee. But mad Orc about- kill lotz. We gow soon- you leaf too?”
The Kobold waits for Greta’s reply, she merely nods and then waves farewell- her mind is made up she needs to return to her shrine to seek advice- the creature, the Half-Orc, is too strong for them at the moment- they need Zan up and running at the very least. Furthermore as she looks at her two companions she can see that Zan has the beginning of the wasting illness that has affected much of the village- the head priest will know what to do she figures.
And so only two hours or so after their arrival the three adventurers head back, and are in time for tea. They say nothing to their families about the adventure they have undertaken- they do however call in at the shrine of Corellan to sort out Zan.
Moonday 20th Mork 2000
If anyone can Zan can.
The Priest of Corellan takes one look at Zan and begins a cleansing spell to remove the illness from his body; his wounds are only minor compared to the toxins that course through him. The ceremony lasts an hour however the true results will only reveal themselves over time, it is hoped that his Dwarven constitution will spare him the ravages of the illness. The need for this plague to be thwarted is even more apparent now- Zan has a personal stake in it.
The adventurers head back to their respective homes- although for Zan this is an empty house; he sits and stares at his fathers chair until the fire is low. Lea makes her excuses saying that she has been out in the hills all day, “taking exercise”, her father looks at her unbelievingly but says nothing. Greta stays the night at the shrine- she, like Zan, has no one to look after her.
And so early the next morning, 4.30 AM the group reconvenes- aware that this time they are likely to be in trouble, or at least Lea will be…
“Well you know how the song goes- ‘these boots were made for walking and that’s what they’re gonna’ do…’” She giggles to herself. The journey up the mountain pass to the mine is uneventful- the group get there in good time as the remainder of Barrak begin to rise… and so to the finale.
(P)Orc(ky) Dies.
Back at the mine the Kobolds have departed- the rest of the miners quarters are checked and are found to be deserted. The main cavern is empty, the three head down to the last cavern in which the Mad Orc was encountered. This time he is not alone- the cavern is instantly plunged into darkness when the could-be-Knights are heard- Greta counters with a light spell or two. However the Mad Orc is not alone, a huge wolf rushes from the darkness straight at Zen- the creature is hit by an arrow or two from Lea, who stays back and peppers the various melees as and when the opportunity arises. Zan for his part, with a Bless from Greta, makes short work of the Fiendish Wolf. During this time Greta wards off a Hold Person spell from the Mad Orc and then holds her own in a stand up fight, although she does little damage to the creature.
The Mad Orc is soon fighting off Zan and Greta with Lea trying to get a shot in (without success), eventually the creature flees to the back of the chamber, reduced to half its hit points. There the creature swigs Potions of Healing and then Invisibility- Lea follows the creature into the shadows, relying on her listen skill to find the Orc out.
Greta and Zan head for the entrance to the cavern and block the exit- slashing at the air in front of them, the Orc looks for another way out while Lea climbs the central spur, hunkers down and waits.
Time passes… slowly, until…
The Mad Orc, still invisible, can take it no more and charges at Zan and Greta in a last ditch effort to escape- miraculously Zan connects with the creature as it approaches, it roars and slashes back becoming visible. Lea’s bowstring twangs and her arrow thuds into the creatures back (a sneak attack), and in the same round the bleeding Orc is cut down by Greta- it lies dead on the floor of the cavern.
The group circles the dead creature and takes a good look- a six and a half foot tall Orc with crazy hair and eyes, lacerated, bruised and battered- much of it looks self inflicted. It’s face and body a mess of sickening sores and wounds mixed in with crude tattoos.
Zan shoves a lit torch in the creature’s sackcloth robes- the corpse is soon ablaze.
They stay until the body has more or less burnt away and then clear the area as best they can before returning to the village to tell their tale.
And with that session 31 expires.
The above was snatched from “The Burning Plague” a simple adventure available for free from the constantly changing Wizards of the Coast- go to there site www.wizards.com (I think). You’ll need to fiddle about a bit and get to the role-playing game D&D section and then look for the free adventures- there’s loads of them.
Next week… Back to the main screen.
SESSION XXXI.
Satyrday 18th Mork 2000
Inter Mission 2. Return of the Sequel.
Characters present
Zanakand Male Dwarven Fighter lvl 1 (Kev M.)
Lea Female Halfling Thief lvl 1 (Erin)
Greta Goldgarth Female Elf Cleric of Corellan lvl 1 (Wayne)
What with turn 29’s complete failure the players are short of a B team as it were- characters to play when there are not enough people present to play the Wednesday Knights, like tonight, again, for instance. Thus the above characters are rolled into existence.
It’s all mine, all mine.
It all starts in the small mining village of Barrak- Zanakand son of Thorbjorn is beginning to get edgy- the young Dwarf has not seen his father for a week now. Zan’s mother died in childbirth making it just him and his father versus the world- Barrak had also proved to be another wrong turn, a human mining community whose Iron Ore mine has just about played out.
Zan has therefore taken it upon himself to get some assistance- the local militia were sent to the mine four days ago but not a soul has returned- the village has conducted its day-to-day activities in fear ever since. A swift rider has also been sent to Carimor (the next, slightly larger, settlement down the valley) but assistance has not yet arrived. On top of the lost miners and patrolmen, there is a sickness in the village. For the last two weeks members of the community have been falling ill with alarming regularity, mostly the old and the young- but lately the sickness has begun to strike the young, robust and healthy. So far there has only been one death but the illness has not passed, and even some of those cured by the local priests of Corellan have taken sick again. It is as if the sickness is all around the village… in the air.
Zan visits the shrine of Corellan, to tell them his story; there he is introduce to Greta Goldgarth an Elven priest in training and head chorister at the shrine. The two quickly become firm friends- committed to getting to the bottom of this mystery. Last but by no means least Zan recruits Lea a Halfling lass, daughter of Daniel Way the village cobbler- Lea cares little for the mystery, she sees this trip as an opportunity to avoid a life of misery, “crushed underfoot” as she put it, by the family business.
And so the three intrepid wannabe adventurers take what equipment they have and what food they can lay their hands on and in the middle of the night head off to the Mines.
Sunday 19th Mork 2000
The Burning Plague.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, the villagers day of rest- when they are least likely to be missed, the three intrepid explorers arrive at the mine. A brief scout of the area reveals the signs of destruction on a grand scale- a battle has been fought here, and it appears that the humans- the guardsmen and the miners were beaten. The ground is littered with drag marks and blood trails- many of them days (maybe even a week) old.
Greta leads the way into the mine itself- noting as she does the signs of combat within the entrance to the mine- cuts and notches in the pit props, the drag marks lead on.
The central cavern is a mess of overturned mine carts, fallen rocks and the debris caused by the destruction- the only thing of note, the body of a Dwarven miner face down next to an overturned mine cart. Cautiously Greta approaches- from the rear she can see the puncture marks of crossbow bolts, broken off in the wounds. Zan comes to look as Lea rolls the body over, to see if it is Zan’s father (it isn’t)- at the same time a piece of loose rock skitters down from where it was precariously balanced, as it hits the ground there is an almighty explosion. The three cover their ears as the Thunderstone erupts- Lea dives down to the floor and avoids the sonic damage, Zan also withstands the assault it is Greta that is left bleeding at the ears stunned and disorientated, unable to hear anyone or anything.
“Are you alright Greta?”
“What?”
“I said ARE YOU OK?”
“WHAT?”
“ARE YOU OK?”
“WHAT?”
“CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
“WHAT, I CAN’T HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SAYING? WHAT IS HE SAYING?”
Lea looks at Zan and then back to Greta “HE’S ASKING WHETHER YOU CAN HEAR HIM OR NOT.”
“WHAT?”
The conversation continues for some time until mainly by hand signals the group heads further into the mine. From the central chamber there are two passages leading off- one goes to the miners quarters, the other goes into the mine- they chose the latter.
Towards the end of the passage, as it descends to the actual mining chamber, Lea and Zan discover a crudely constructed pit trap, only six or seven feet deep but lined with broken glass and rocks.
“Who the feck’s in here then?”
“Dunno- take it easy though.”
Lea heads off into the main chamber keeping low to the cavern floor, in and out of the shadows, she takes her time, as she has never been in the mine before.
Around about ten minutes later she returns with news- there is another tunnel leading off this chamber that descends further, Zan states that this was a new seam which was discovered six months ago, but is also almost played out. The strange thing however is the ledge over on the far wall- up about thirty feet from the cavern floor, she climbed up the rope as silently as possible and observed a bunch of Kobolds drinking and eating up there. Throughout the entire report Greta stands uncomprehending still deaf from the Thunderstone- Zan meanwhile has to be restrained briefly while Lea points out that rushing the Kobolds is impossible-
“They’re thirty feet up on a stone ledge- how the feck are you going to get to them?”
“I’ll kill them all, just you see.”
Zan huffs and puffs a while but eventually sees the sense in Lea’s words- a plan is hatched.
Lea creeps back into the room, observing the inhabitants of the ledge as she goes and all the time indicating to Zan and Greta when it is safe to move forward. In this manner the three make there way to the centre of the chamber so they can all observe the ledge- they ready missile weapons. Lea then heads off again, shimmies up the rope and checks the ledge again, there seems to be one Kobold leader type and at least half-a-dozen Kobold warriors. She takes a rag out of her pocket that she has previously soaked in lantern oil and begins to smear it on the rope as she scoots down- eventually tying it at the end. Once at the bottom she takes her tinderbox out and on the second attempt ignites the end of the rope- the fire spreads upwards quickly, then a short sprint undercover back to her compatriots.
Approximately thirty seconds pass, the fire has taken hold and is half way up the rope when the first Kobold comes to investigate and calls over his colleagues- the wannabe-Knights fire their missiles, they all miss. On top of the ledge the Kobolds duck for cover and chaos ensues, the only fatality comes when one of the creatures leaning over the edge in a forlorn attempt to extinguish the fire plummets over the side. The remaining Kobolds are soon back with their own missile weapons- a short exchange occurs with no winners or losers.
“It’s not them.”
“What?”
“It’s not them.”
“What are you talking about Zan?”
“They didn’t do this- you said there were only six of them… we need to go on.”
Zan looks down the darkened passage- to the new seam.
“Down there- it’s down there”
Throughout this Greta continues to fire her bow oblivious to the conversation.
Lea nods, nudges Greta and points down the passage. The three stow their weapons and move off at speed.
The passage descends again, a rough-hewn tunnel, into another chamber, nowhere near the size of the last. The three slow to a halt- surrounding them are the rotting remains of miners and guardsmen stacked either side of a cleared pathway puddled with their putrid liquefied remains, Lea is instantly sick. The smell of the chamber is all encompassing- the three tie cloths around their mouths and noses, Zan can feel the sting of his tears- scanning the rotten piles looking for his father. Greta reaches for her holy symbol, fortunate really as several of the piles stir, Zombies are extricating themselves from the morass of bodies, the fighting begins. There are four small Kobold Zombies, who climb off the top of the piles, and four miners and/or guardsmen- one of which is a dwarf.
Many of the creatures are turned instantly by Greta (all of the Kobolds) the others fight desperately- and then Zan finds himself standing in front of the Zombie version of his father, he is paralysed as his father strikes out. Greta pulls him quickly out of the way recognising the situation for what it is- in an instant she begins to batter feck out of the Zombie as Zan stands statue in the centre of the chamber. Soon the fight is over although several of the Zombies have retreated further down the passage that continues to descend further underground.
The non-Knights take stock of the situation- Zan is silent, the tears stream down his face, Greta is still deaf, and Lea is doing her best to keep them together.
“Shall we get on… up ahead… see what’s there?” Lea ventures.
Zan walks forward- descending further, following the seam, his axe in his hands- the others follow solemnly behind- like a funeral march, but who’s funeral?
Thirty seconds later the group enters what looks to be the final chamber. The cavern is around about forty feet wide with a central spur from which water spurts- once again the area is littered with the corpses of miners and guardsmen alike. The water that gushes out of the spur seems to be crystal clear however once it passes through the revolting mess of the corpses it becomes tainted- the source of Barrak's illness is discovered. Zan stands guard as Greta and Lea begin to drag the corpses out of the stream, he begins to notice that the central spur has been carved in many places. Zan takes a few steps forward to read some of the inscriptions, even with his feeble religious/arcane knowledge he realises that they are runes of hatred, fear, disease and loathing the work of some dark god… and then the lights go out.
The maybe-Knights’ torches dim till they illuminate their faces only. Lea turns quickly they are not alone in the cavern…
“Is somebody there?”
In the silence, only the sound of the stream, a hand reaches out to touch Lea- she turns swiftly weapon drawn.
“Boo…”
“Aaaaarrgggghhhh…”
Lea screams and flees back down the passageway towards the Zombie chamber (a Cause Fear spell), Zan moves towards where Lea was and swings his axe a few times- he can see someone in the magical darkness and then suddenly he feels his strength wane (A Doom spell). A huge Half-Orc looms out of the darkness swinging a Heavy Mace that strikes home delivering 9 points of damage. Greta heads towards the ruckus only to see Zan receive a second blow the dwarf is knocked off his feet and unconscious. Not thinking Greta leaps in picks the dwarf up and in one movement is fleeing back the way they came.
It is not until Greta reaches the cavern with the Kobolds on the ledge that she lets up- Lea is also here, embarrassed but unharmed, the three hunker down undercover and talk it out. Greta begins by healing Zan as best she can- however the dwarf is not well, something more than the wound he has received- fortunately Greta’s deafness has about gone so she takes charge of the situation.
“Ahoy… HELLO UP THERE.”
“Wah… wha’ yu wan’?” A Kobold shouts back.
“What is it down there?” Greta points down the passage from which they have just emerged. The Kobold, obviously the leader type, comes to the ledge and looks down on Greta who is standing out in the open unarmed- although Lea lurks nearby.
“We don’t kno’. We fownd dis playce- we thort it woz desur… dez-sit… dezzur… oh emptee. But mad Orc about- kill lotz. We gow soon- you leaf too?”
The Kobold waits for Greta’s reply, she merely nods and then waves farewell- her mind is made up she needs to return to her shrine to seek advice- the creature, the Half-Orc, is too strong for them at the moment- they need Zan up and running at the very least. Furthermore as she looks at her two companions she can see that Zan has the beginning of the wasting illness that has affected much of the village- the head priest will know what to do she figures.
And so only two hours or so after their arrival the three adventurers head back, and are in time for tea. They say nothing to their families about the adventure they have undertaken- they do however call in at the shrine of Corellan to sort out Zan.
Moonday 20th Mork 2000
If anyone can Zan can.
The Priest of Corellan takes one look at Zan and begins a cleansing spell to remove the illness from his body; his wounds are only minor compared to the toxins that course through him. The ceremony lasts an hour however the true results will only reveal themselves over time, it is hoped that his Dwarven constitution will spare him the ravages of the illness. The need for this plague to be thwarted is even more apparent now- Zan has a personal stake in it.
The adventurers head back to their respective homes- although for Zan this is an empty house; he sits and stares at his fathers chair until the fire is low. Lea makes her excuses saying that she has been out in the hills all day, “taking exercise”, her father looks at her unbelievingly but says nothing. Greta stays the night at the shrine- she, like Zan, has no one to look after her.
And so early the next morning, 4.30 AM the group reconvenes- aware that this time they are likely to be in trouble, or at least Lea will be…
“Well you know how the song goes- ‘these boots were made for walking and that’s what they’re gonna’ do…’” She giggles to herself. The journey up the mountain pass to the mine is uneventful- the group get there in good time as the remainder of Barrak begin to rise… and so to the finale.
(P)Orc(ky) Dies.
Back at the mine the Kobolds have departed- the rest of the miners quarters are checked and are found to be deserted. The main cavern is empty, the three head down to the last cavern in which the Mad Orc was encountered. This time he is not alone- the cavern is instantly plunged into darkness when the could-be-Knights are heard- Greta counters with a light spell or two. However the Mad Orc is not alone, a huge wolf rushes from the darkness straight at Zen- the creature is hit by an arrow or two from Lea, who stays back and peppers the various melees as and when the opportunity arises. Zan for his part, with a Bless from Greta, makes short work of the Fiendish Wolf. During this time Greta wards off a Hold Person spell from the Mad Orc and then holds her own in a stand up fight, although she does little damage to the creature.
The Mad Orc is soon fighting off Zan and Greta with Lea trying to get a shot in (without success), eventually the creature flees to the back of the chamber, reduced to half its hit points. There the creature swigs Potions of Healing and then Invisibility- Lea follows the creature into the shadows, relying on her listen skill to find the Orc out.
Greta and Zan head for the entrance to the cavern and block the exit- slashing at the air in front of them, the Orc looks for another way out while Lea climbs the central spur, hunkers down and waits.
Time passes… slowly, until…
The Mad Orc, still invisible, can take it no more and charges at Zan and Greta in a last ditch effort to escape- miraculously Zan connects with the creature as it approaches, it roars and slashes back becoming visible. Lea’s bowstring twangs and her arrow thuds into the creatures back (a sneak attack), and in the same round the bleeding Orc is cut down by Greta- it lies dead on the floor of the cavern.
The group circles the dead creature and takes a good look- a six and a half foot tall Orc with crazy hair and eyes, lacerated, bruised and battered- much of it looks self inflicted. It’s face and body a mess of sickening sores and wounds mixed in with crude tattoos.
Zan shoves a lit torch in the creature’s sackcloth robes- the corpse is soon ablaze.
They stay until the body has more or less burnt away and then clear the area as best they can before returning to the village to tell their tale.
And with that session 31 expires.
The above was snatched from “The Burning Plague” a simple adventure available for free from the constantly changing Wizards of the Coast- go to there site www.wizards.com (I think). You’ll need to fiddle about a bit and get to the role-playing game D&D section and then look for the free adventures- there’s loads of them.
Next week… Back to the main screen.
