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The Borderland Crusade Ss 13

The Borderlands Crusade Session 13

Real World Date: 03/15/2017

Mystara Date: Yarthmount Mouldain 11, 1000 CY

Party Members:

Huey: Human Ranger Acolyte of Zirchev

Esa Sovalis: Human “Nobleman Adventurer”(Rogue)

Alaric Connagher: Paladin of Halav

Pa Gha: Poteign Minotaur Wizard

                                Bandee: Dwarven Bard of Armstead (Knoshti)

Christine: Human Healer/former Monk of Chardastes

Old Yorrik: captured Orc Sergeant, former Bandit under “the Great Ulfe”

                Mission Title: The Forge of Fury

                Mission instructions: Using the information provided by the Daggers burg goblins, explore a reputed Orc strong hold and exterminate any Orcs, gather as much intelligence as possible. Determine any historical value, of said strong hold.

History:

                After the defeat of the Duergar guards, the party discussed at length which direction they would head to next. While some wished to examine the source of the hammering, the others wanted to make sure that there were no other threats present in the complex they decided to take a quick patrol of the area, eventually discovering a large hall with a massive rug covering up a mound. Esa bravely stepped forward to examine the lump, stepping onto the rug, only to discover it forming a club like appendage which knocked him back few feet! The rug appeared to be a magical construct seemingly brought to life by the spell “Animate Object”. In spite of the hard fought battle, Yorrick charged into combat, roaring as he swung his mighty axe, cleaving the enchanted carpet in two. He eventually admitted that there was yet another faction he had heard rumors of. A Rogue Cleric named Arundil had managed to take over a significant portion of the Foundry portion of Khundrukar, however, he nor Ulf had not had contact with the cleric, and that reportedly he had a female companion with him. It was at this point, the party members thought it was best to search for evidence of Arundil and his female companion.

                Their search yielded some interesting finds, One was a room filled with bones from apparently a slaughter of dwarf soldiers in their bunks. The bones formed into skeletons which were dispatched by a turning from Huey, calling on the power of Zirchev.

                They then encountered a door from which a female voice called out a greeting, asking for help. Suspicious of the seeming coincidence; Alaric attuned his senses and detected a significantly evil aura trapped behind the door. He then determined that the aura belonged to a creature of the lower planes, a demon known as a Succubus! She attempted to persuade the party to at least release her from the room, since she was forbidden by her summoner Arundil from leaving that spot quite some time ago. Idalla (the succubus gave her name at this point) Also indicated that there was a significant amount of historical tomes that she would be more than happy to assiste them with. Wisely, the party declined choosing, instead, to leave the demoness in place.

                They had another discussion eventually deciding to explore the source of the banging which still echoed through the halls. They were eventually led to a door marked “Forge” in Dwarvish, which they promptly burst through surprising a Group of Duergar smiths and their Sorcerous commander!

                The party sprang into action once the smiths and the sorcerer grew in size! A battle of magic erupted between Mighty Pa-gha and the duergar leader, sending arcane energies flying. The Sorcerer unleashed a scintillating spray of color, which the Minotaur countered with his bolts of arcane force. It was Huey and Esa that wound up taking out the sorcerer, while Yorrick and Huey worked together to take down one of the other smiths.

The last Duergar Smith, seeing he was out numbered, and out-classed, turned invisible and attempted to sneak away from the party. He eventually attempted to get away by jumping into the stream used to cool the heated metals and was taken out by Huey and Alaric firing their bows.

With the Duergar finally dealt with, the party resumed their exploration, inadvertently encountering a disembodied spirit. Simultaneously, Huey, Alaric, Christine and Bardee announced the creature to be an Allip! The undead formed when someone commits suicide or dies from an act of sheer stupidity. The creature announced itself to be Arundil. Then proceeded to make several incoherent statements which seemed to have a hypnotic effect on Esa.

HOYL ROYBLAYVEN NO MORE MAKING WITH THE HOITING AND THE MAYVENSHOYL!

                Huey sprang into action, strongly presenting his Holy Symbol to turn the corrupted, undead cleric, a contest of wills ensued, and Huey’s faith in his god overcame the undead, destroying it completely!

They then continued forward entering a large throne room containing bones of slaughtered Orcs and dwarves. On the throne sat an Orc corpse with pale leathery skin and Armor. The Corpse then rose as the bones swirled to form two large Skeletons, Yorrick looked in horror as the Pale orc turned to him with a quizzical look. The Orc-White’s Ire, however, was directed at Alaric brandishing the King’s Blight.

                In a strange turn of events, Yorrick and Alaric joined together, and charged into battle together/ Orc and Human united to fight against the undead. Huey, once again, pronounced strong faith to turn the two large skeletons, sending them fleeing as Esa also joined into battle against the Orc-Wight. And the party eventually succeeded in defeating the foul undead abomination.

                It was at this point, the party discussed the possibility of heading to the nearby town of Armstead to rest and gather supplies as they decide what to do with the Dragoness Nightscales and the Troglodytes.

The Borderlands Crusade Session 12

The Borderlands Crusade Session 12

Real World Date: 02/04/2017

Mystara Date: Yarthmount Mouldain 11, 1000 CY

Party Members:

                                Huey: Human Ranger Acolyte of Zirchev

                                Esa Sovalis: Human “Nobleman Adventurer”(Rogue)

                                Alaric Connagher: Paladin of Halav

                                Pa Gha: Poteign Minotaur Wizard

            New Members:

                                                Bandee: Dwarven Bard of High Forge

                                                Christine: Human Healer/former Monk of Chardastes

                                                (Pa Gha was taken over by a new Player)

                                                Old Yorrik: captured Orc Sergeant, former Bandit under “the Great Ulfe”

                Mission Title: The Forge of Fury

                Mission instructions: Using the information provided by the Daggers burg goblins, explore a reputed Orc strong hold and exterminate any Orcs, gather as much intelligence as possible. Determine any historical value, of said strong hold.

History:

Christine and Bandee join the party         

Having secured the cavern, the party had finally convinced the rampaging bear to leave and find his way out. Esa, however decided to examine the nearby chimney where he beheld the shapely figure of a human female descending down a rope from above, followed by the not to appealing figure of a Male dwarf. Alaric quickly used his ability to sense evil, finding that the female had, in fact and aura of good and instructed his companions to put down their weapons once the pair had descended.

                The pair introduced themselves as Bandee, a Dwarven Bard of the town of High Forge, the ancestral home of the dwarves in Traladara, and Christine, a former monk, now healer in the service of Chardastes, Goddess of healing. They had told the party that the two humans they rescued from the Orcs quickly returned home and told the Elders of the Party’s defeat of the Orcs as well as their intent to explore the ancient ruins of Khundrukar.  They also mentioned that the orcs that had left to go hunting had returned and discovered their comrades butchered. Huey, Esa, Alaric, Bandee climbed up the rope, and quickly dispatched most of the orcs, however one escaped. Inspite of Huey’s attempts to catch him, the orc proved to be more fleet of foot than expected and he disappeared into the wilderness heading north.

Once things had calmed down, and he was able to better examine his surroundings, Bandee then quickly began to give a recitation of the History of the complex.
               

The Fate of Fury’s forge:

 In the year 720 CY, much of the late Traladaran kingdom was being laid waste by undead and necromancers during what came to be known as the “Vampire Wars’. The situation was so dire that the Dwarves were forced to defend themselves without the aid of their human and elven allies for a period of over 10 years. During this time a master Smith named Durgeddin established a strong hold within a day’s walk of High Forge, where he had begun forging powerful weapons to fight against the hordes of Orcs and Goblinoids as well as creature of the Underdark. Naming the place “Khundrukar” or “Fury’s Forge”, Durgeddin and his compatriots fought back hard against the Humanoids pushing their advances with brutal efficiency. However, as the battle continued, Durgeddin began to become more Tyranical in his leadership, and started to not only kill warriors, but also unarmed females and young.

             This proved to be an action that not even the foulest orc could tolerate or condone, in the year 727 CY, Khundrukar was invaded by hordes of Orcs and the Dwarves within butchered down to the last warrior. Since then the place has been considered cursed, and left alone for 223 years.

The party then conferred with themselves comparing their findings with the information provided by Bandee, They agreed to allow Christine to treat their injuries, and shared their findings with the duo, including the procurement of Alaric’s new Bastard Sword “The King’s Blight”.

                Bandee examined the masterwork implements of the sword that detailed that the sword had originally belonged to Durgeddin’s half-brother, Huldur.

             Huldur’s Canticle:

Huldur was unacknowledged by Durgeddin’s father, however, Durgeddin would occasionally look after him, eventually helping Huldur become a paladin of the Dwarven Deity: Kagyar, and gifting Huldur with the weapon. In gratitude, Huldur pledged his life in unending service to both his god and his king. Huldur would eventually become an outstanding champion of justice and dedication up until his death.

                Once Bardee had finished his tale, the party then moved, returning to the cavern where they first encountered the Troglodytes finding yet another primitive door composed of Sticks and (hopefully) Mud. They then opened it, entering another corridor leading to a massive cavern, reeking of foul smelling musk. The chamber was so large that not even Bandee’s dwarven eyes could penetrate it’s darkness. However, the party could hear loud, panic stricken hisses outside of their torches. The Dwarven bard was able to decipher the hisses as the Draconic language, where the Troglodytes were expressing worry about the protection of their hatchlings.

                Alaric quickly spoke up, indicating that he would not participate in the slaughter of females and young, and the party quickly came to a consensus, agreeing with the Paladin. Bandee then conveyed that that the party had no interest in harming the troglodyte young, provided that the Troglodytes answered questions for the party. Their leader, Kaarghaaz, which appeared to be a sorcerer, stepped into view and Hissed angrily, that he would agree to the terms.

 

 

They were glad to hear the Orcs were dispatched; apparently the Orcs and the Duergar were steadily encroaching on the Troglodyte’s territory

They did offer the location of the Duergar Stronghold which would be EAST of the party’s current location.

The Dragon that was mentioned by Old Yorrik is revered by the Troglodytes, and refered to as the “Beautiful One”, because she would often leave food for the troglodytes in an attempt to gain their cooperation. Kaarghaaz then said that While a Dragon she was most likely a Juvenile Black Dragon, and that they would be most appreciative if the party would not kill her. Bardee agreed, provided that She did not attack the party.

With the negotiations concluded, the party left the Troglodytes to their fate, finally making their way to the chamber indicated by Kaarghaaz. The path was impeded by a massive Iron door, sealed by a massive mechanical lock. Esa stepped forward, decidedly taking a significant amount of time. The “Gentleman Adventurer” patiently approached each stage of the lock occasionally startled by a loud CLICKING noise whenever he would activate the tumbler. Eventually, his patience was rewarded with the door opening with a loud WHOOSH, leading to a long staircase. Esa and Huey moved forward with the party in tow, they inadvertently triggered a Magic Mouth Spell shouting in Dwarvish: “INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS! TAKE UP YOUR ARMS!” The phrase was repeated twice, in spite of Esa’s attempts to silence the spell.

                The party readied themselves as they finally entered into an Octagonal Chamber, with three statues, two holding an axe and Shield, with on in the middle wielding two axes. Between the dwarves there were doors with red paneling. As Esa searched the room, he discovered a secret door to the east, and opened it. Huey and Alaric, decided to be helpful and open the other two doors, Alaric barely avoided being cut into pieces by two of the statues, causing Esa and Pa-Gha to laugh at the paladin’s attempt at trap finding. Bandee laughed as well, bragging about the stalwart craftsmanship of dwarven traps as the party entered the secret door.

It was at this point that Yorrick requested that the party allow him the right to defend himself as an Orc warrior, that since they were entering the Duergar’s complex, they needed all the arms they could. Christine BALKED at the idea, revealing a somewhat obvious contempt for Orcs. Huey, Alaric and Esa, however, agreed, returning Yorrick’s hand axe. He nodded gratefully, promising them that he would wait until it was no longer practical to remain with them before acting against the party.

                The door led to another massive well carved chamber of exceptional stone work, which was happily defaced by Orcish graffiti two centuries ago. I will forgo the details of the graffiti by simply adding that Orcs have some rather strange ideas about dwarven sexual practices. As the party entered, they were greeted by a female voice saying that the party should leave now, and that this would be their final warning. Huey and the others attempted to banter with the voice, while they attempted to circumvent the Duergar’s innate power of invisibility. Alaric handily sidestepped a dagger wielded by a female Duergar, apparently attempting to use a Sneak attack. Yorrick, was brutally attacked by two males wielding battle axes, yet he still remained on his feet, a testament to Orcish fortitude. The party sprang into action, quickly killing the female, and one of the males, the remaining Duergar, grew to twice his size, attempting to once again take Yorrick down, the old Orc responded to a miss which prompted him to use a prodigious amount of profanity. Bandee and Esa finally killed the duergar, clearing the chamber. The Party then quickly moved to the next entrance, hearing the loud banging of a hammer against an anvil, which seemed to resound throughout the entire complex.

                                The door was opened, and the party was quickly attacked by two enlarged duergar males, Huey, Alaric, Esa, and Yorrick charged into the fray while Bandee began singing a song to inspire competence in his comrades! Pa-Gha also began chanting spells against the enlarged female Duergar wielding a gigantic two handed sword. Once the two guards were dispatched, the female charged, attempting to cleave the party members, Yorrick finally succeeded in an attack, along with Esa and Huey taking down the ranking officer. Christine helped to heal the injuries, but refused to treat Yorricks injuries, Huey offered one of his own curative potions to the Orc, showing respect for the Orc’s capacity as a warrior. The party worked to gather their wits, turning to find the source of the pounding clang of metal…

The Borderlands Crusade session 11

The Borderlands Crusade

Session: 11

Real World Date: 02/04/2017

Mystara Date: Yarthmount Mouldain 11, 1000 CY

Party Members:

                                Huey: Human Ranger Acolyte of Zirchev

                                Esa Sovalis: Human “Nobleman Adventurer”(Rogue)

                                Alaric Connagher: Paladin of Halav

                                Pa Gha: Poteign Minotaur Wizard

                Mission Title: The Forge of Fury

                Mission instructions: Using the information provided by the Daggers burg goblins, explore a reputed Orc strong hold and exterminate any Orcs, gather as much intelligence as possible. Determine any historical value, of said strong hold.

Retracing their steps:

            The party finally having cleared the room, decided to once again look into the rooms they failed to explore earlier, they first found Old Yorrick’s Barracks which was guarded by a trapped statue of a bellowing dwarf warrior. Yorrick informed the party that he lost two men to that trap before finally learning to navigate the pressure plate. Esa decided to disable the trap once and for all, eventually turning off the mechanism which would spray poison gas from the dwarf’s mouth. They then proceeded to loot the barracks. They then resumed exploring the tunnels until they found a cave containing two dwarf corpses covered with deadly yellow mold. A volatile life form that would quickly snuff out the strongest adventurer with its deadly spores.

An abundance of caution:

            Esa and Huey used their keen eyes, noticing that one of the corpses was dressed in the finery of a member of the aristocracy. His armor had once been a sight to behold, were it not ruined by the toxic mold. However, he held aloft a Bastard sword in his hands, as if he were daring anyone to brave the mold to come take it from him.

            In a fit of insane bravery, Esa decided to attempt to navigate the mold CAREFULLY, trodding at almost a snail’s pace. Upon reaching the corpse holding the Masterwork Bastard sword, he gently pried it from the dwarf’s death grip, as if the legendary dwarven stubbornness eventually yielded to Esa’s highly skilled fingers. After finally releasing the sword, the hand was gently laid on his chest as the wiley nobleman made his way through the mold infested room. Even Old Yorrick nodded in grudging respect for the apparent dandy’s ability to navigate the incredibly dangerous predicament.

            Huey then quickly asked his deity about the nature of the blade, learning that it was indeed enchanted, however, he was also given a name: “The King’s Blight.” The sword itself was fashioned with the sigil carved into the cross piece of the blade, a fine work of dwarven craftsmanship which seemed to gravitate towards Esa and Alaric, both of whom were of aristocratic blood. The group decided to give the sword to Alaric, which later proved to be a very wise decision.

The Descent:

            After Much discussion, the party finally agreed to descend the stairwell with Old Yorrick in tow. Esa decided to entertain a significant degree of caution by slowly checking each step in the stair well to determine if they were trapped. The nearly incessant buzzing below only seemed to grow louder until finally four tiny insect like creatures erupted from down below displaying some rather aggressive intent. Huey, at first, seemed to smile with delight referring to them as “Fire Friends” a species of intelligent lightning bugs that often assist travelers through the forest.

            Pa-Gha, however, was not so easily amused when he recognized the creatures as Stirges, blood sucking creatures known to bleed even the stoutest Dwarf dry in moments. Old Yorrick seemed rather entertained by Huey’s display of ignorance towards creatures of the underdark while Esa, Pa-Gha, and Alaric quickly dispatched them with ranged weapons and spells. Once the creatures were shown their way to the afterlife, the party resumed its descent, eventually making their way deeper into the earth, even having to cross a rather energetic stream of water while navigating a thin ledge of rock. They finally enter a chamber where they discovered the Stirge’s nest along with the corpse of a dwarf.

Oo Oo that Smell:

            Huey and Esa continue their careful exploration eventually finding the rivulet from earlier dividing the large cavern. They eventually follow it to a pool of water, in front of a cave sealed with mud, dried wood and Dung. They were approaching the structure when they detected a magnificently foul musky odor. The party braced themselves using their stamina to not recoil retching from the structure, when Huey decided to break it down. Once the cave was opened, the stalwart forester was missed by a thick javelin, hurled by the source of the aromatic emanations. Two humanoid reptiles which he promptly identified as Troglodytes.

            Esa decided to demonstrate his nearly insane level of bravery by tumbling in between the two Troglodytes, attempting to battle. Huey and Alaric plodded forward in the ankle deep water savaging one of the foul smelling reptilians while Pa Gha Assisted Esa with Magic Missiles in defeating the other. Old Yorrick seems to be entertained by the actions of the party. But proved to be rather annoyed when the troglodytes were finally killed.

            Once their combat proved successful the party noticed that the room itself was filled with gore and dismembered body parts as they realized they had stumbled into the Troglodyte’s winter stores which led to two other doors sealed in the fashion earlier mentioned. Not wanting to encounter more Troglodytes, the party decided to return to their previous cave

Into the glittering dark:

            After returning to the cave, they found yet another passage way, leading to a gigantic platform containing several sarcophagi. Most had been empty with only three which had bodies. It was most unfortunate that no one in the group was able to read the dwarven runes etched into the stone. The group strangely decided to open the closed sarcophagi, eventually stumbling upon yet another member of dwarven nobility. They took a golden ring, a pouch of gold. They then opened the others discovering a Masterwork War hammer.

            After desecrating the tombs, they discovered a stair well, leading down to a deeper level of the cavern. They carefully made their way down to see the gigantic cave, only to turn to see two strange creatures, bearing a resemblance to snake like creatures with squid like tentacles and razor sharp beaks similar to a parrot.

            Pa-Gha recognized them as Gricks, voracious underdark predators. The party quickly joined the battle however the Gricks proved to be dangerous and harsh creatures. However, the Party was able to finally defeat the Gircks with some quick planning. Pa-Gha did mention, however, that these particular gricks must not have been Mature, given that he recalls them having Skin that required Magical weapons or spells to pierce. The party would have to bear that in mind should they encounter Gricks once again.

The Bear’s Revenge:

            Proceeding further, they find yet another cave, where two Troglodytes were tormenting a caged bear, in an effort to tame it. Incensed by the cruelty, Alaric drew the Ancient Bastard sword and attacked, sinking his blade deep while Esa and Huey attacked the other troglodyte who was attempting to open the cage to let the bear attack the party. Although the troglodyte opened the door, The bear decided to Savagely Maul it’s tormentor just as Alaric cut his opponent down with a solid slash which cut the Troglodyte in two!

            Huey attempted to convince the bear to leave, but it was not quite done with its revenge. The party decided it would be wiser to leave the creature be as they resume their mission.

The Borderlands Crusade Session 10

The Borderlands Crusade

Session: 10

Real World Date: 01/14/2017

Mystara Date: Yarthmount Mouldain 11, 1000 CY

Party Members:

Huey: Human Ranger Acolyte of Zirchev

Esa Sovalis: Human “Nobleman Adventurer”(Rogue)

Alaric Connagher: Paladin of Halav

Pa Gha: Poteign Minotaur Wizard

Kushna Partavali: Priestess of the Church of Karameikos

Mission Title: The Forge of Fury

Mission instructions: Using the information provided by the Daggers burg goblins, explore a reputed Orc strong hold and exterminate any Orcs, gather as much intelligence as possible. Determine any historical value, of said strong hold.

Contents

The Approach: 1

Rope Bridge over the Abyss. 1

Rescue in the Underworld. 2

When Stealth fails. 2

Battle with Bardug: 3

 

 

The Approach:

The Party completed the 3 hour trip from Threshold and approached within a distance of 2 miles of the Mountain structure. The party noticed that the trail went upwards in a Zigzag pattern. Up the side of the mountain. There was also a plume of black smoke trailing upwards from a chimney of some sort leading them to question if the mountain was volcanic, Pa-gha assured them that the smoke was more from a cooking fire, than a volcanic one, His words were proven correct when the smoke eventually subsided.

Huey continued his investigation, as they travelled up the trail spotting the footprints of at least four humanoid figures that eventually left the trail and left into the forest. His attempts to follow the trail left by the footprints proved to be a distraction and the party resumed their travel only to discover a large stone marker off to the side. The Marker appeared to have some runic type writing that no one in the party was able to read. The runic letters appeared to be crossed over with what was (hopefully) red pain with words that Alaric translated as “Belongs to Great Ulfe, Now!” in Orcish.

Huey and Esa finally navigated their way to the edge of the clearing leading to the Entrance of the fortress. They eventually realized based on the massive stone doorway, that it was not a Human base as the goblins reported, but an ancient dwarven strong hold. They noticed that the door which originally had a carving of a Dwarven king was defaced with some rather unflattering graffiti and artwork. There were four orcs guarding the entrance; two engaged in a conversation while the other two were relieving themselves at the sides of the entrance. The party approached and quickly used arrows and magic missiles to dispatch them quickly. After wards, they attempted to move the massive stone doors but were unsuccessful, even with Mighty Pa-Gha’s massive strength. After another few moments attempting to locate a means of opening the doors, they were finally able to locate a lever which allowed them access to the stronghold.

Rope Bridge over the Abyss:

The Door opened wide to a large chamber which was seemingly cut in half by a deep chasm whose end was obscured by shadows, crossing it was a frayed rope bridge that required great skill to navigate. Esa, crossed it first, demonstrating an obscene amount of grace and agility which made it deceptively easy. Huey and then Alaric also crossed, albeit with a bit less grace. Both Pa-gha and Kushna were left behind, they were negotiating as to who should cross first, Both came to the conclusion that since the Minotaur was the largest, he should go last since if he breaks the rope, the other would be left stranded. Kushna then moved forward carefully only to be knocked off the bridge when she missed a step. She gave a feeble yelp just as she disappeared into the Chasm. Although the apparent death of the Acolyte came as a shock, Pa-gha composed himself and decided to navigate the rope bridge very slowly. His massive hooves were carefully placed until he finally made it across. The party took a few moments to pray for Kushna’s soul before turning to see two Orc guards that stumbled onto the group. The party moved quickly, dispatching the two guards before they could sound the alert.

 

Rescue in the Underworld:

Huey and Esa continue to take the lead, entering a massive cavern which once was a beautifully hewn common area, Decay and the Orcs had turned this place into a make shift camp. They eventually stumbled on a primitive cage where they found two humans who were captured during one of the Orc’s raids on the surrounding country side. Named Garadil and Cortana, they were grateful to be liberated and were more than happy to provide their rescuers with some information.

• There are at least 20 Orcs in the raiding party, Led by a rather unpleasant Ogre named “The Great Ulfe”. His lieutenants consisted of a female orc shaman named “Burdug” and an older Orc named “Old Yarrick”. This is especially troubling since Orcs don’t have much of a life expectancy, there for it is believed that Old Yarrick was fairly competent and intelligent.
• The prisoners had overheard the Orcs talk about the trouble they had been having with some “Strange Dwarves” that live in the lower levels of the caves. They mentioned something to the effect that the Orcs almost had a very grudging respect for these dwarves.

Huey had discussed with the pair the possibility of joining the party, however, they indicated that they were farmers, and not well trained warriors. They were going to slip out of the strong hold and return to their village.

 

When Stealth fails:

With the prisoners freed, Huey and Esa resumed their exploration taking the northern exit of the cavern leading to a row of doors. One of which being a massive steel door. Pa-Gha and Alaric kept a distance allowing them to observe their party members while not interfering with their stealthier compatriots, however, Once Huey and Esa approached the massive door, a loud series of barks were heard behind it. The door was flung open revealing a large Ogre siccing his two pet wolves at the party!

Alaric fired his bow, while Esa and Huey made quick work of one wolf, Pa-Gha quickly uttered arcane incantations creating five illusionary doubles almost filling the hallway with gigantic Minotaurs!

The Ogre was enraged seeing one of his pet wolves butchered by the party, charged into battle wielding a massive Axe, bellowing for Old Yorrick to bring the orcs into battle. Not waiting for the Orcs to join the battle, Esa tumbled into position to flank the Ogre with Huey and Alaric, the three of them using flashing blades, the Ogre, however delivered two withering attacks, the first on Alaric and the second on Esa. Pa-Gha release magic missiles killing the first to orcs to arrive in the scene

Two more Orcs then came on the scene followed by a middle aged Orc Veteran leading from behind. The two younger orcs attacked Esa, one of them landing a lucky strike on the nimble nobleman. Esa, however, responded by landing a brutal killing stroke into the Ogre’s ribcage, as Huey and Alaric killed the remaining wolf. Pa-Gha and Huey then dispatched the orc warriors. The veteran (Old Yorrick) immediately lifted his hands in surrender!

As the party began questioning the grizzled orc, four more orcs attempted to attack Pa-Gha from behind, “Killing” one of his illusionary duplicates. The party acted quickly killing the newer orcs, before tying Old Yorrick up and began questioning him.

Answers:

• The orcs had been living in the ancient strong hold recently, having dug their way past the defenses.
• There are currently TWO hunting parties of four Orcs each who could return at any moment.
• The “Strange Dwarves” appear to be a strange subrace of dwarves who call themselves the “Duergar”. And that they demonstrated some magical powers like growth and invisibility. Another aspect setting them apart is that they are clean shaven of any hair. A behavior that would be considered shameful to the mountain and Hill variety. Pa-Gha then mentioned that the Duergar mainly dwell in the underdark, with a ruthless militaristic society.
• There is another member of the orc tribe, a Shamaness named Bardug, with “Great Magical powers”.

Battle with Bardug:

After securing Old Yorrick in the cell used to hold the human prisoners, the party moved quickly following the directions Yorrick gave, opening the door quickly, they finally faced the Shameness and her two guards, prepared to meet them.        Esa was first struck with a sudden fear as he beheld the hideous visage of the female orc. Pa-Gha retaliated with a magic missile, while Huey and Alaric unleash arrows on the guards. They continued the battle resisting a sleep spell cast by Bardug. Pa-Gha responded with another Magic Missile killing the Shamaness while Esa finally resisted the Magical fear places upon him and attacked the remaining orc guard. They continued examining the area discovering a large chamber with a gigantic stairwell. They prepared themselves when they heard the ominous buzzing of insect wings.

Woman arrested for stinking up bathroom and closing down restaurant

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Reworking a few things

The story for Akumahime is kind of falling flat for me, partly because I made things way too complicated, and also I am really starting to dislike Texas. That said, I don’t really want to deal with a culture that pretty much is desperate to secede from my country. That And I really haven’t done a good job bringing that flavor across in the pages.

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Akumahime: Princess of the West | Page 103

Akumahime: Princess of the West | Page 103.