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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Morrow" data-source="post: 600951" data-attributes="member: 301">Against the Elves – PrologueSome time later Thar and Rhuun came to a broad pool of water, blocking the tunnel. They knew that the pool blocked the entrance to a system of caves which had until recently been the home of a tribe of goblins. Shortly before the people of Blarkarg came to the area the tribe had been attacked by slavers. The entire goblin tribe was killed or taken prisoner . The cave system would have made a perfect home for the people of Blarkarg, but they feared that the slavers would return.The pool was too deep to safely wade across and was a perfect place for an ambush. In fact, Thar and Rhuun could see bits of flesh and bone strewn around the area and floating in the pool. Several months ago, Thar’s former companion, Hedkarakk, had run afoul of a group of ogre barbarians in this very spot. Unfortunately, to Thar’s way of thinking, his companions had been able to retrieve enough of Hedkarakk’s body to have the arrogant orc returned from the dead. However, Atarax reported that the orc had since met his final end.The pair also found fresh spoor. Rhuun examined it carefully, stroking her prized throwing axe as she thought. Rhuun claimed that the fine weapon was dwarven make, but no one could explain how it might have gotten into the hands of the drow who she stole it from. Rhuun always wore the axe tucked prominently in her belt. "Ogres." She reported, "they’ve been here within the last day."Thar was prepared to circumvent the pool. He cast spells turning both Rhuun and himself invisible. Then he cast a spell on Rhuun that made her able to walk on the air. Rhuun was very strong for a goblin, and was able to heft Thar onto her shoulders. She then walked, as if on stairs, up into the empty air, and then across the cavern, well above the pool. Thar regretted the undignified manner that he was forced to travel, but reflected that at least no one could see his unfortunate position. The two entered the cavern system formerly occupied by the goblin tribe. Rhuun still carried Thar on her shoulders, walking on air near the cavern ceiling. They explored the caves, wondering if it would be a safe place to camp for the night. Thar briefly considered animating some of the bodies left behind by the drow slavers, but decided that stealth, rather than numbers, would be the safer course on their journey to Freetown.Soon the pair heard the sounds of voices talking in what sounded like the dialect of the giants. The two silently followed the voices and soon found themselves hanging in the air above a pair of ogres who seemed to have made themselves at home in the goblin caves. Thar, wishing to avoid conflict, tugged on Rhuun’s invisible sleeve. Rhuun, not knowing how to interpret this gesture began walking down toward the floor. Thar, aghast, stopped pulling on her sleeve. They couldn’t see each other, of course, and talking was dangerous so near the ogres. Rhuun, not knowing what Thar wanted, simply waited.Thar finally, impatient, hissed. "Get us out of here!" One of the ogres immediately looked up and spoke. Thar did not speak Giant, but knew, that they had been heard. Rhuun continued to move quietly out of the cave. She must have made some small noise, because the ogres jumped to their feet and began moving toward the mouth of the cave. Rhuun took to her heels and, still carrying Thar across her shoulders, ran from the former goblin caves, soon leaving the ogres, who could not see what they were chasing, far behind.A couple hours later the pair found a small cave to make camp. They ate, then Thar stood watch while Rhuun got a couple hours sleep, all she needed. Then Thar slept the rest of the night, with Rhuun watching over him.The next days travel was entirely uneventful, and that night when it was Rhuun’s turn to stand watch she requested that Thar cast the air walk spell on her again so that she could practice the tricky business of walking on air. As Thar fell asleep Rhuun was walking up invisible stairs in the air over his head.The next day Rhuun and Thar reached the first of two bugbear ‘toll booths’ on the way to Freetown and Gulg. The bugbears in the region had discovered that if they set up camp on a main thoroughfare through the Underdark, others would pay them to pass. This pastime, which promised substantial rewards for very little work, appealed to the bugbears.Thar and Rhuun used their combination of invisibility and airwalk to avoid the bugbears. They discovered the bugbear camp in disarray. Several of the large, hairy humanoids were repairing a crude portcullis which normally blocked the way, and another was cowering in a corner, shuddering in fear. Listening to the bugbears talk, Thar and Rhuun discovered that a small band of drow had come this way. One of the band had killed many bugbears with fiery magic, and another had ripped the portcullis from its place with his bare hands.Rhuun carried Thar over the heads of the bugbears, past the broken portcullis, and down the tunnel.At the end of a long day, Thar and Rhuun once more camped safely, and after they had slept continued on their way.Some time later the pair heard orcish voices coming toward them. Again they turned invisible and walked through the air over the head of their enemies. Thar, who spoke orcish, could understand the orcs complaining about the heavy tolls they had been forced to pay the bugbears outside of Gulg.[Game Note: At this point Forrester started grumbling about the characters avoiding all the fights. We tried to explained that as goblins we weren’t inclined to fight larger, more numerous foes, but he would hear none of it. So as soon as the invisibility spells and airwalk wore off, we heard voices up ahead...]</blockquote>

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