Orc Lair Found – Chapter Sixteen
29th Day Of The Drawning Down (December)
Looking For The Orc Lair:
The Adventurers had seached some of Runedardath but they now need to find the Orc Lair. Back in (Room 10) Galan realises that the Scale Mail Armour worn by one of Kelthas the Dread’s men would probably fit Sigune.
Also, Galan finds a pouch that has “Continual Darkness” cast on the inside so that the “Continual Light Gem” can be hidden when not in use! A handy addition to our portfolio of Magical Tools.
We go back down to the Fountain area and then back past the Dwarven Guard using the Password of the day (Barley Ale). Back in Korin’s Room the Illusionist, Morri, examines Karri’s artifacts. The Ring is Magical. A rapport is struck up between Mirafir and Morri, so much so that Morri is happy to give Mirafir the traditional Runedardath Under Mount Illefarn version of his name, Mirri. They agree to share Spell Books and Mirri and Morri really do start to get on like a Karri on fire.
Morri shares with Mirafir The Following Spells:
- Alter self
- Blindness
- Blur
- Deafness
- Hypnotic pattern
- Improved phantasmal force
- Leomund’s trap
- Misdirection
30th Day Of The Drawning Down (December)
Resting Before Finding The Orc Lair:
Mirafir does Identify and discovers that Karri’s ring is a “Ring of Feather Fall”. It is still to be decided who will be best suited to use it.
31st Day Of The Drawning Down (December)
Looking For The Orc Lair:
The Following day, back in Korin’s room, we fill him in on what we have seen and where we have been. They are happy to support another scouting expedition. King Korin Ironaxe shows us the ‘Dust of Disappearance’, which they had captured from Kelthas’ men over the years but not found the right time to use it, and we put 2 and 2 together to realise that Kelthas’ followers possibly thought that this is what we had… He gives us 3 doses of the Dust!
Mirafir casting ‘Invisibility’ on himself and Galan and Frimly in their ‘Cloaks of Elevenkind’ head off to the Dwarven hidden scoutting Room, Level 2.
We decide to begin in (Room 79).
A shiver runs down Mirafir’s spine as he remembers being dumped in this Room and left to the mercy of the fates by the cruel and sadistic Kelthas the Dread. He can still hear the maniacal laughter echoing from the walls and his heart sinks as he sees the pit he fell down on his first attempt to escape to safety. But the memory of the laughter recedes, and begins to form into a hardened resolve to bring an end to this Evil Necromancer: Kelthas considered him as good as dead when he was released without power, equipment or strength as a pitiful Orc into the Labyrinth. Yet much has changed in the short span of time since his capture and release, he has regained his powers, some of his items and has even struck a blow against the Necromancer faction by (albeit fortuitously) slaying his chief tormentor Karri. The loss of the 2 Halflings, 4 Men and 2 Dwarves will also have hit the Necromancer hard. The power of the Necromancer faction may still be great, but a turning point has been reached and there are many cards still yet to be played before this game is ended. Only one thing is certain: Deep beneath the madness, hatred and greed that rages through the mind of Kelthas the Dread a nagging droning voice can now be heard. The voice of doubt.
Frimly checks the 3 Rooms along the north side of (Room 79). All three of them are bedrooms (Rooms 80-82).
They may have been used as a rubbish dump by the Dwarves but not for a long time. A Secret Door in the South of the Room goes to the Dwarf Room leading to (Room 59) and the Secret Exit used by them.
Frimly opens the Door and we follow him through the Secret Door after he makes a scraping noise as he goes through. In (Room 61) there are webs covering the room???
Further down there are 2 Dwarves and a Gnome in (Room 61) guarding a shaft that leads down to (Room 25) Level 4. We go back to (Room 79).
Frimly surgests a code now that we can’t see each other:
- 1 tap for North
- 2 for East
- 3 for South
- 4 for West.
Frimly taps once and Galan and Mirafir follow. Slap bang into an Orc patrol (2 Orcs and 2 Goblins)…
They head North then East around the corner, oblivious to our existence. The smell of their sweat is heavy in the air. This passage leads to a large Goblin Garrison, we assume. Further North the passage ends in another passage running East to West with many Doors along its Northern edge. (Room 84 to 88) – empty chambers, neither the Dwarves nor the Orcs and Goblins wanted to be cornered here.
The same Orc and Goblin Patrol group circles again past us, where could the Orc Lair be?
Galan: “It’s taken them 10 minuets to come full circle”
We are no doubt difficult to detect, however not impossible, but there is a sense that routine has got the better of caution amongst the Orc and Goblin Faction. We follow along the passage towards the Garrison. On the Left to the North there is a small-elongated (Room 78).
It is 60′ feet to the end of the corridor and many silhouettes can be seen further down. Frimly looks into a Room and sees a Dead Body. Initially a forge but now everything smashed by the Orcs and Goblins.
Frimly comes back from a little excursion on his own and the Orc and Goblin Patrol reappears on its circuit. Galan has been keeping count and predicts that the Patrol will return again in 10 rounds. We head out South and realise that we have already been here when we came up the other way from (Room 71) the Wizard locked Door smashed in by Thora.
The Orc Lair feels close.
Frimly goes East to look at (Room 75) marked on the Map by King Korin Ironaxe.
The Door is open and 2 Orcs are in there. They are praying.
Further along East and to the South is (Room 69). There has been a cave in along one side of the Room.
Mirafir: “Frimly what did you see?” (in room 76)
Frimly: “As I walked down the corridor which opens into a large room 60’x70′ couple of ogres, 20+ Goblins and on the far side there is a staircase going up. I counted more than 40 beds. Lots of Goblins too.”
So this is the Orc Lair and Goblin Territory and it might extend up into another area on LEVEL ONE…
The Rooms running North to South, which we did not look at last time are not the Orc Lair, were as follows:
(Room 74) Is an empty Dwarven Prayer Room.
(Room 73) Is an empty storerooms used by the Orcs and Goblins.
(Room 70) On the East side an empty workshop, nothing in it at all.
(Room 72) Makeshift wooden fencing and shackles? A prison?
At the corner the circuit patrol reappears. We wait for them to pass and then go to look at (Room 74). There are a number of Dwarven words on the wall. Religious? Educational?
We decide to try and get across the garrison chamber. Mirafir casts “Spider Climb” on us all and we are able to traverse the ceiling and reach the stairs going up to LEVEL ONE… Some Goblins are further up, guarding the stairs. The Spell is about to run out and we pass the patrol, descending safely. There are more at the top in (Room 149) 2 eating and 1 resting or asleep. The passageway turns sharply Eastwards.
Goblin One: “Better being up ‘ere than down there with those two fighting Paladins, don’t like the sound of them.”
Goblin Two: “Old on: You smell that? What’s that? I don’t like the smell o’ that!”
Mirafir moves into the entrance to the (Room 149) in the hope that they pass.
Goblin One: “You’re just jumpy, Hooknob. Probly just shat yer pants again like when you thought you saw an Elf outside the Orc Lair.”
They continue their watch, exchanging insults.
The Goblins change watch, the 2 that were releaved head Eastwards towards (Room 148) and we are able to carry on, following Frimly’s signal to proceed..Tap…Tap.
Another Room ahead is full of Orcs, 1 of them guarding the entrance (Room 148). This must be the Orc Lair.
It’s a deadlock. Can’t go forward and can’t go back. We decide to take decisive action. Galan and Frimly take on the 2 Orcs (plus one sleeping) in (Room 149).
They strike but Frimly fails to kill his Orc, Galan slays his quietly. One Orc is left standing, another unbelievably continues sleeping. Galan Backsweeps with his Short Sword and finishes off the Orc. The sleeping Orc takes forever to dispatch with our adventures missing again. The bloody corpses are laid to rest in the beds in the Room.
We all sprinkle on the ‘Dust of Disappearance’. Mirafir then casts ‘Unseen Servant’ and sends it into the room and gets it to shake the leg of a sleeping Orc in (Room 148).
Orc Sleeping: “Oi! Stop it!”
Orc Card Playing: “What? The filthy stench of your own farts woke you up again Snirtblorg?”
The ‘Unseen Servant’ does it again, and Galan and Frimly take their queue to run past and out of the Southern Exit from the Chamber. Mirafir sends the servant to knock on a Door with a grill in it through which an Orc is looking. The Orcs are in complete chaos. They withdraw from the chamber and head towards where Galan can smell Fresh Air.
An Orc appears from further down the passageway to the East (Room 149), putting on thier Weapons and Armour more appear, lots of them (Room 140). They are in a state of alarm:
“INTRUDERS! ENEMIES! ELF AND DWARF SCUM! FIND ‘EM AND KILL ‘EM! GUT ‘EM AND COOK ‘EM UP IN POT AND EAT ‘EM!”
Frimly finds a Secret Door at the end of the passageway, but Mirafir makes a noise as he passes the Guard Post. Galan fires an Arrow and Mirafir stabs the nearest Orc, another arrow finishes the job, narrowly missing Mirafir in the chaos of their ‘Invisibility’.
Orc: “They’re down here!”
Calls an Orc or Goblin. Frimly opens the Secret Door and the sun beams in. Below is The Laughing Hollow. Mirafir turns as Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Ogres and more suddenly appear. They charge down the passage at exactly the same moment as Mirafir attempts to cast the “Web” Spell, disrupting it as they barge past him.
The creatures all spill out into the Daylight and Galan runs away:
Galan: “This is for another day!”
Frimly fires an Arrow at an Ogre, hits it. Fleeing the creatures both Frimly and Mirafir leap off the cliff and use their respective ‘Rings of Feather Fall’. Cursing the Orcs, Goblins, Ogres and Trolls, they re-enter Runedardath Under Mount Illefarn via the Dwarven Entrance.
We now know that there are three more Trolls and one of them is the one that Galan’s asked Mirafir to Scry on.
A Hornet’s Nest has been stirred up, but the scouting party has gained valuable information on the lair of Wartsnak Direlord. Can the Wartsnak faction and Kelthas The Dreads faction be somehow goaded into fighting each other? Mayhap there is an increasing danger that the Orcs and Goblins and the Necromancer faction may join forces, then even the most power-hungry rulers may see the benefit of a temporary alliance when faced with a great threat.
Or should the Adventurers with the help of the Dwarves attempt a first strike? King Korin Ironaxe seems happy to let the Adventurers do the dirty work, providing material aid but reluctant to engage in direct confrontation with the other factions. Training is almost completed, strength has been regained and knowledge has been gleaned from the ruins of once great Illefarn: The time for action is at hand.