Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 7949722" data-attributes="member: 1210">As the group explores, they find signs of battle: dead orcs and dwarves. Clearly, they had been in conflict.“It must have been recent,” Edward states, “or the orcs- who I think have won- would have disposed of the bodies by now.”And indeed, soon the party finds a room whose door seems blocked from the inside. After some work, they force it open- and find a dormitory with half a dozen grim-faced dwarves, most of them wounded. “What happened here?” Lavendoula asks them.“The orcs came up from inside the dungeon,” a gray-haired dwarf with a bald pate says. “Took us by surprise. I’m not sure how many of our folk are still out there.”“From what we’ve seen, not many,” Praxis says. Danielle elbows him sharply, but the dwarf remains stoic.“Perhaps we can drive them out for you,” Haji offers.“For payment, of course!” Danielle interjects.“Of course,” the dwarf says. “Obviously, you’re adventurers. We normally ask an entrance fee and then a percentage of whatever you find when you leave the dungeon. If you can help us drive off these orcs, as long as we control the entrance, we’ll let you pass for free.” “Both ways,” another dwarf adds.“That’s not necessary,” Haji says, but Danielle speaks over him.“Very much. That’s not very much.”“It can really add up over time. Especially the exit fee. We ask a percentage of what you find, so the bigger your treasure haul, the more you have to pay us.”“And is there a lot of treasure in the dungeon?” Danielle asks.“Oh yes,” says the dwarf, “tons.”***After their next battle, the party manages to take an orc prisoner. Fortunately, Lavendoula can speak Orcish, so the party can interrogate him. The orc proves surprisingly willing to tell all he knows in exchange for his life. “Who is your leader?” demands Lavendoula.“Pa’ash Svenko,” the orc replies. “He’s an orc?” “No. He is… like her.” He gestures at Vee. “A tiefling?” The orc shrugs. “He looks like her.”“Why do you follow him?”“He came, slew our chief and priests. He preached a new god for us to worship. The Iron Butterfly.” The orc frowns. “He said that our old gods were weak.”Lavendoula relates this information to the party, and they puzzle over this ‘Iron Butterfly.’ None of them have heard of it. “A butterfly seems like a weird thing for orcs to follow,” Praxis remarks.“And iron?” Kevan snorts in disdain. “That doesn’t even make sense. Sounds like a bard who makes a thirty minute long song that doesn’t really have any changes in it, except maybe for a solo or two.”Praxis shrugs. “I don’t know, that could be nice. You human-bloods are always in such a hurry.”Lavendoula turns back to the orc and asks, “How many of your folk are there?”“Scores.”“What else is in here?”“Many monsters. We have some terrible-heads with us.”“Terrible-heads?”“Great beasts,” the orc explains, “with terrible heads.”“Terrible how?” Praxis asks after Lavendoula translates.But the orc seems to have a hard time explaining. Ugly? Perhaps with a nasty bite? Scary? Yes, all that. Terrible, he elaborates, “like a skull but with flesh.”***The party makes the orc lead them back to the exit, then let him flee outside. “Maybe we should make a map this time,” Haji says. “You make a map,” Danielle retorts. He executes a short bow. “I have no paper,” he says gravely. Edward begins rummaging in his satchel. “Just a moment. I have some in here.”Haji bows again. “Very well.” The party begins to move again, this time tracking their progress so that they can return from whence they came. After a few minutes, they find their way back to the dwarven dormitory, where they check in with their newfound allies. Then, progressing further, they find a few abandoned chambers, including a forge and a store room full of goods, some of which have been pried open and rummaged through. Not far beyond that, they begin to smell the stink of garbage, and then they enter a large chamber that centers on a large pile of trash. The group can hear rats squeaking in the mess; a mess of orcs mills around drinking and talking loudly, pretending to stand guard.The party attacks.[/b]Next Time:[/b] Our heroes (and these guys are definitely more heroic than those other guys we were following) venture deeper into the dungeon! More poking around!</blockquote>

Verification