GREYHAWK, THE GOLDEN ERA CY963: CHAPTER THREE

Vale Engages The Orc

~ Round 1 for us. ~

"That was a tolerable fight!"

Vale's dwarven sense of exuberance after battle is immediately tempered by concern.

~ Where did the golem go after falling down the hole? And what could possibly be going on that would inspire a red orc to surrender? ~

Approaching the kneeling orc with his axe in his hand, Vale addresses the orc in his native tongue, "Well now , Flower, why would you simply give up? Are you a goblin in disguise? Come now, orc, you'd be better off answering the question. Your demon-bitch lasted what, about 10 seconds? Your golem? Even if he returns, he'll be put down the hole again..."



"...It's daylight still, so no undead to help you. (and getting closer to him to whisper) And we appear to have one of our own anyway...maybe you'd like to become acquainted?" , motioning toward Respen's visage of Margull.



He watches carefully for a reaction, growing impatient that the party has stayed in longer than preferred. Unless the orc responds in a satisfactory fashion, Vale addresses the party in common, "We need to strip him buck-ass naked and leave his stuff. Somebody somewhere is scrying this wee one." Again, watching for any reaction, Vale addresses the orc again in Elvish "Say, orc, where's the spider? I have something for her. "



Vale's comments are designed to elicit reaction, giving away little rationale for how the group entered the area undetected, and mixing half-truths and lies such that if the orc is truly surrendering, he'd find the comments very unsettling and give away that fact. Again, Vale searches for reaction. If the orc reacts, perhaps the surrender is legitimate. If he doesn't, then Vale immediately asks in Orcish and then again in common, watching again for reaction, "Your wee golem is coming back isn't he? You have another entrance?"

Standing still for a moment, I calm myself with a few measured breaths. Securing my greatsword in place, I bring my greatclub to bear - always best to have the right tool for a potential job out and within easy reach.

"I am fluent in Orcish," I reply to Respen. Moving closer, I whisper, "I am now diminished to about two-thirds my propensity for battle today. I feel it's important to warn you. I'm still a force to be reckoned with, but my frenzy has been spent."

Lathir aids Tam-Tam as he needed. He listens to the discourse between Vale and the Orc as he looks about the battle site, finally deciding to interject a thought. He speaks in Dwarven as well.
"The behavior of this captive is far too rational for normal Orcish fodder. A great battle general during the course of a surrender was once noted to have said to his aide. 'I fear that by releasing these foes that I shall soon meet them on the field of battle once more, but such is the nature of a soldier. None the less, it is my desire to release them, as I too am a soldier, not a butcher.'

While I personally have no proclivity to an overly benevolent nature or a malevolent one, I say that we should either release the Orc with his clothing or kill him swiftly. Though I am no soldier, I am no butcher, either. None of us should become the malevolence we are fighting against."

Respen Continues and Vale Eases Up On the Orc

RESPEN:

~ Vale and Dewydd seem to have the orc tongue; perhaps they can make heads or tails of this fellow. ~

Respen collects the wand and ring in the sack as previously stated, and he picks up a short bow and two quivers of arrows. He is a decent bow-smith, but it indeed has been a long time since he has held a bow in his hands. The staff he carries has precluded carrying a bow at the same time, something that has frustrated Respen; it's a small, but strangely abiding comfort adding these mundane items to his gear, even if it's for a short term.

He then examines the runes on the nearest totem, standing away from it so as to not set off any magical alarm or trap. His examination confirm they are a magical perimeter, but he doesn't completely understand them.




VALE:

~ Snarky attitude notwithstanding, the orc may indeed be earnest. ~

Vale sees Respen looking at a totem. Vale can tell straight away what they are, as well as what they mean.



Directed to Respen across the way, but acknowledging the orc in front of him, "It's a cage. Whoever did these runes on these totems were not simply alarming the place; it's a pen, and the demon-bitch and these blokes were the animals. Guard dogs."

Vale addresses orc more directly now, with mild antipathy, but with considerably more respect, "Your kind isn't easily waylaid. What on earth happened? Did ashes over there get to you, or was there more at play? This place is supposed to be teeming with undead, a giant spider, the clay giant down there, and a host of other nasties. "


RESPEN:

~ Vale, be QUIET! ~

Respen does not care for Vale's conversation with the orc. Given the seven (7) or eight (8) he has encountered have all been combatants and nasty creatures anyway, Respen doesn't care for them.
He'd be more inclined to show the orc the business end of the well. But he holds his tongue, contemplating Vale's explanation of the totems. Wizards, at least those he had encountered or learned about from reading, frequently alarmed areas. It replaced the need for guards, and if done properly, it could be relied on as a first line of defense. In this case, the revelation that it was as much to keep these orcs and succubus in as others out was significant.



"What is down that hole?"

He walks again toward it.

"I'd really like to find out. Do you all think we are in a position to do that? Unless the big one comes again, or we have tipped off the absentee wizard who created this cage, we appear to have a couple of hours before we should contemplate checking out of here. "

Lathir, still poking around and examining things, comments to Respen.
"Whoever made this area is far beyond our skill. The undead should be particularly attuned to night. I am at a loss as to how to proceed or if we even should. I have no desire to rabbit down that well."

Tam-Tam, after thanking Lathir again, easily climbs the well since it is not a wall (much more difficult to do). He peers, with an ever so slight lean, into the hole.

If all he sees is darkness (what he expects to see since the golem has made no noise in awhile, now), Tam-Tam will pull his silk rope out of his pack and says:


"Anyone got a grappling hook? If not, we could tie an end of this to one of those nearby trees. If it's a typical well, I should be down, give a quick look, and be back in less than 20 minutes."

He looks around at his new found compatriots, "Pardon the pun, but --- "Well?", he eagerly looks to Respen, Vale and Lathir who seem to be the closest, at the moment.

Respen Replies to Tam-Tam

Waynan said:

Tam-Tam, after thanking Lathir again, easily climbs the well since it is not a wall (much more difficult to do). He peers, with an ever so slight lean, into the hole.
If all he sees is darkness (what he expects to see since the golem has made no noise in awhile, now), Tam-Tam will pull his silk rope out of his pack and says:
"Anyone got a grappling hook? If not, we could tie an end of this to one of those nearby trees. If it's a typical well, I should be down, give a quick look, and be back in less than 20 minutes."
He looks around at his new found compatriots, "Pardon the pun, but --- "Well?", he eagerly looks to Respen, Vale and Lathir who seem to be the closest, at the moment.

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~ Impetuous hobbit! I like him! ~

Respen laughs and walks near the edge of the well, and he speak quietly to the Halfling. "Wait a moment, my new friend. Let's settle the orc's fate before we rush to our own." Respen winks. " Besides, I think our woodland friend has a point. What awaits us down there isn't for the faint of heart. Our dwarven companion's cousin nearly met his end here once, and others did meet their end. Whatever is down there, it isn't good. "

Respen listens down the well to detect sounds, grunts, groans, or gasps; sounds of undead or souls not happy to be alive, and he peers into the murky darkness.

Respen speaks quietly again, "After we decide what to do with the orc, I have an idea. Clearly, you appear able to climb down the well. Before you do so, I can illuminate the well from where the sun currently ends down to the bottom and back again several times. If it appears safe, we have the means to climb down for a look. Or perhaps the others can offer an alternative. There is still the rest of the village ruins. Do you know anything of it? It's to our south just a bit. "

Respen speaks quietly again, "After we decide what to do with the orc, I have an idea. Clearly, you appear able to climb down the well. Before you do so, I can illuminate the well from where the sun currently ends down to the bottom and back again several times. If it appears safe, we have the means to climb down for a look. Or perhaps the others can offer an alternative. There is still the rest of the village ruins. Do you know anything of it? It's to our south just a bit. "

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Tam-Tam replies:

"I had just started having a look at them when I saw the movement over here. So, no, I really don't know much about the ruins...yet."

"I fear we are overlooking something vital... He," I state, gesturing to Tam Tam, "was inside the alarm. Chances are,
he has already tripped it unknowingly when he first entered the area."

Turning to face the red orc, I continue, "As far as what to do concerning the surrendered individual, I am a warrior - not a butcher. The tone of one's skin does not dictate the state of one's heart and honor."

"I am decent at climbing."

Diarmadhim said:

"I fear we are overlooking something vital... He was inside the alarm. Chances are, he has already tripped it unknowingly when he first entered the area."

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Lathir, who always seems overly cautious, replies.
"I am in agreement with Dewydd."