RC No. America: Puzzle Trap and Orc Ambush

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Following the interrogation of their prisoners, Knomal, Gaspar, and Nimbul decided to investigate the last building while Robidolian & Iris watched the prisoners. Nimbul discovered a magical trap on the door, but was unable to deactivate it, and was further unable to discern what it would do. Not wanting to risk possible death, Knomal, Gaspar & Iris returned to the city to meet with the halfling leaving Nimbul and Robidolian to continue watching the prisoners.

Arriving at the gates of the city, they proceeded toward the inn mentioned by the halfling, The Firestar Chariot. They learned from the bartender that the halfling had left the inn about an hour before they arrived. Knomal decided that they should return to the mercenary stronghold, the halfling was probably headed there.

While waiting for Knomal, Gaspar, and Iris to return from the city, Nimbul decided to search around the stronghold while Robidolian guarded the prisoners. To Nimbul’s surprise, he was clubbed on the back of the head, and rendered unconscious. Robidolian felt the point of a dagger blade in his back accompanied by a voice instructing him to enter the closet or he would be dead. Robidolian complied and was locked inside the closet.

Knomal, Gaspar, and Iris entered the stronghold to discover the prisoners gone. Hearing banging from inside the barracks, Knomal rushed in to discover Robidolian locked inside the closet. Noticing that Nimbul was also missing, they proceeded to search the area for any signs of their comrade. Knomal found the thief locked inside a chest, still unconscious. Believing the now escaped mercenaries to have traveled into the pass to meet with the rest of the band, the party decided to follow. After heading into the pass for several hours, they were still unable to notice any signs of their quarry.

At this point, they decided to return to the stronghold. Knomal tried again to pick the lock on the last door, but was unable to do so. Gaspar then pulled out his portable battering ram and turned the door into kindling wood. They quickly discovered another door. This one made of Iron, and set with block-like buttons. Each button has a letter or space inscribed into it, forming a message that read:

_A_Great_Treasure_
_Lies_Here_Under__
_____A_Curse_____
_And_Only_Those__
_May_Enter_Who__
_Provide_The_Cure_

When Knomal pushed the first button, He was almost struck by an arc of electricity. Not wanting to mess around with this trap, they decided to return to the city so Gaspar could make arrangements to have some Plate Armor he found fitted to him. Along the way, they were attacked by a large roaming Spider. Knomal immediately struck the creature with his dagger, causing some major damage, but the creature managed to bite him before succumbing to Gaspar’s Great Axe. Arriving in the city, Gaspar made his way toward the area of Sword Gate, the section of the city where the best smiths are located. Entering the shop called The Tin Can Soldier, Gaspar was met by a gray bearded dwarf. The smith took some measurements, and informed Gaspar that the work would be complete in a few hours. The next few hours were spent tavern-hopping and trouble making during which time, Knomal conned a dwarf out of 5 gold, Nimbul picked a few pockets gaining 30 gold, and they all picked a fight with an ugly human whom they knocked out and left for dead in the gutter. The final half hour of waiting was spent in a bar frequented by some prostitutes that tried to get them to purchase some services. Upon returning to the Shop, Gaspar paid the smith the 20 gold for the work he did, and sold his old armor for 130 gold.

With Robidolian and Iris again rested with their spells replenished, they returned to the stronghold to make one more attempt at the mysterious door with the strange inscription and buttons. Robidolian pushed a few of the buttons, taking some damage from the electrical shocks, then gave up on the door. Knomal ascended one of the towers, and noticed a column of smoke rising up from a location about 20 miles to the south west. It was decided to head in that direction to find out what was going on. Robidolian returned to the city to fetch Nimbul, and they were off. They traveled for several hours, and when darkness fell, they decided to continue on. Knomal heard the sound of trees falling ahead, and stopped the wagon. He then moved on ahead to investigate. Robidolian turned the wagon around, and was heading back, when those in the wagon came upon a tree blocking the road that they had just used. An Ogre and 4 Orcs popped up from behind their cover, and attacked those in the wagon. The Ogre Threw a spear at Gaspar, but the weapon merely deflected off his new armor. Gaspar then attacked with his great axe, striking the ogre with a severe blow causing the Ogre to cry out in pain, calling the name of Gingardo.

Meanwhile, Knomal came upon a small band of Orcs, moving a tree into the road. They were taking direction from a Quasit. Knomal fired an arrow at the small demon, but missed. The Quasit was about to cast a spell toward Knomal, when the cry of “Gingardo” could be heard by all in the area. At this, the Quasit sped off to the north where the Ogre and Orcs were in the process of ambushing the others. The Orcs followed their leader, and Knomal did too.

Iris cast a Sleep spell, rendering the Orcs near her asleep, and Gaspar finished off the Ogre with another blow from his great axe. Following the Orcs from his area, Knomal began to take them out one at a time. Meanwhile, the Quasit arrived near the wagon, and used its fear ability to drive Gaspar and Iris away. It was then beginning to focus its attention on Robidolian when Nimbul scored a critical backstab on the creature with the sword “The Assassin’s Talon, killing the creature. The remaining Orcs were no match for the party. They decided to keep three as captives for questioning. Knomal found an amulet among the remains of the Quasit, and Iris determined it to be a Spell Transportation/Storing device of some kind.

In the morning, Robidolian questioned one of the creatures while Gaspar and Knomal tortured the other two. This along with Robidolian’s Zone of Truth spell, caused the Orc to cooperate more than normal. From the Orc Captive, they learned that the leader of the Orcs was a wizard named Gingardo, who resided in the Underdark. They had burned and raided a village nearby, taking the survivors as slaves. The Quasit was given to the wizard by Lloth, the Drow Spider Demon Queen.

Each party member receives 600 experience. Gaspar and Knomal receive an additional 200 each.


[This message has been edited by Baldak Oakfist (edited July 24, 2002).]

 

Long after the battle, Knomal wipes his face of orc blood, explaining in loud and profane terms his hatred for the kind of orc. He proceeds to restoring his equipment to a presenntable form. He first took off his chain shirt of elven make, shaking it in the air to empty it of pieces of dust and caked blood. In several minutes, the rogue presents himself in a fine view again.

Not losing a minute of time, Knomal speaks:

"Here. All the orcs are dead, but one ran away. That's bad. Orcs are dimwits, but they got mind enough to report to their superiors. And in our situation, the damned superiors are drow? I hate the black scum. But to give the worms some credit, they have guts 'nuff to fight well enough to skewer halflings and else with no effort. And, you know what, we'll go there and show them how to nose around from their underground waste pits. Who's not with me on it?!"

 

"Knomal, are you saying you want to go after the drow? Because if you are, then I'm with you. I'm getting tired of killing helpless orcs, maybe the drow will provide more fun."

 

"Yes! Go after the drow! We'll have a lot of fun there afore we get noticed. And then we can always have Sundabar help us... Hah. Drow menace! That will make even the dumbest army in Toril stand on guard. Hah!"

Knomal spoke, as he took one of the orcish swords and started flailing it around, as if trying to smash off invisible heads. As he finished speaking, he stuck the sword in the ground, spat on his hand and wiped if off his cloak.

 

"You know, we're going to need proof to get Sundabar to help us. Your tales of an Orcish army may have been believed but a tale of a Drow menace may not be believed. I think we should go attack now and get some proof... such as a couple dozen drow bodies," Gaspar replies with a savage grin.

 

"Couple dozens? Haha! A single drow is a tale to tell for years in those places. An alive drow would be perfectly fine for us, but you know, we better silence it so it can't tell what's really happening."
Knomal makes a fiendish grin, looking around for Nimbul.

 

"I don't mind going after the drow, but we should first do what we set out to do in the first place: Check the burnt town. There might be some good clues in that town they raided, and we'll be following maybe a more specific direction. As for taking a couple dozen... Forget it. Knomal is right; one drow or two are good enough for proof. If Sundabar still needs reproofing with more drows, at least we know exactly where to kill them from."

 

Robidolian shakes his head at his companions' bravado. "Take on a Drow army with a high level wizard to boot..." he mutters. "Just like these two to actually try it, too." Robidolian contemplates the carnage his party is likely to take if these foolhardy adventurers actually try to find the underdark. "Perhaps," he thinks, "I should not have translated the orc's information quite so acurately..."

 

Knomal, listening intently to what is happening around, stares in confusion at Robidolian.
"High level wizard? What kind of wizard be that? The one living on top of a tower? That' high enough. *laughs* L'stn, what's the point of being high up if the drow are down?" Knomal turns to acknowledge Iris' suggestion despite it's obviousness.
"Yes, we will go to the village as soon as you all are ready. Hurry up, there may be more orcscum coming this way, and they will surely *grins widely* slow us down!"

 

"Slow us down? Orcs? I can't see any amout of Orcs slowing us down THAT much." Gaspar replies. "And are you sure only one or two drow will do?"

 

"I am absolutely sure that we need to keep our drow to minimum... Fetch them a bunch, and the whole city will hide behind 'eir walls praying to 'eir gods to protect 'em from some drow invasion or such. We don't want that, do we?"

 

"One or two drow?" Robidolian asks. "I'm in for that. Drow are lower than the dirt. I'll help with that! What about the village were you saying? I can't immagine us being any help four days later but I'm all for looking for survivors who escaped the slave traders. Besides, they can confirm if any drow were present with the orcs and ogres!" Now these two are finally talking a little bit of sense thinks Robidolian.

 

After completing a sweep of the area for anything else, the party moved on to the location where they had spotted the smoke. They arrived in a small farming village as the night approached. All of the structures in the main portion of the village had been burned. Gaspar searched around inside the debris for any clues while Knomal noticed a small shack up on the hillside. The shack was still intact. They followed the winding path up the hillside to the shack, and found a old blind man, Gunther, sitting at a table. He offered to allow the party to stay the night. During the conversation, he informed them that the village was destroyed by a small force of Ogres, Orcs, and one more humanoid speaking a language he did not recognize.

Thinking that the raiding party may return, the group decided to move away from the village and bed down for the night. Robidolian urged the group to allow him some time to prepare some scrolls, so they remained in camp for three days. Before moving on, Robidolian cast an Augury, which gave him the distinct message that their current path would lead to bad events. They decided to move east then south instead.

After a day of travel, they made camp. Knomal and Nimbul scouted out the area around the campsite, and could find no traces of any life in the area, not even the normal small woodland varieties. During the last watch, Gaspar noticed several shadowy figures off to the east of the camp, and not wanting to waste any time, awoke the entire party. A quick check determined the creatures to be undead, but they seemed to be confined in an area 100 feet by 100 feet. Despite their confinement, Robidolian, after determining the creatures to be wights, decided it would be best to destroy these undead creatures. He led off the attack by summoning his positive energy into a greater turning attack, and destroyed all but two of the creatures. Gaspar cut one down quickly, but the last one managed to strike Robidolian, dealing some minor physical damage, but also draining his force by one negative level.

After the nest day passed with no improvement in Robidolian’s condition, the party traveled to Jalanthar so he could obtain the services of a healer that could use a Restoration in order to restore his lost level. There was one such cleric staying at the local inn.

Each party member receives 800 Experience for the wights.

 

"Well since you seem all better now Robidolian I guess I'll head back out to where we camped yesterday and acquire that chain. Anyone else want to come?"

 

Knomal jumps sharply at Gaspar's suggestion
"Listen, we better have Robidolian rest here for awhile. Let's go get that chain an' fetch it here. We'll be better off without forcing Rob here to drag with us."

It is evident that Knomal wishes to leave Jalanthar for some reason...

 

Gaspar glances up at Knomal and says as he climbs onto the wagon, "Knomal, I don't think I've ever seen you so eager to be on the move when leaving a city, are you feeling okay?"

 

Knomal jumps up on the wagon and takes hold of his bow.
"I don't like this place... It lacks conveniences, privacy and it's got a population of folks driven by some odd desire to live in those ruins and sacrifice personal comfort to help the dimwits who would need a guide to go through these orc-infested lands... A truly strange mob."

Knomal falls silent, and remains so on the road to the spot with the chain. As the wagon reaches the place, he jumps off.

"Gaspar, think you can take out those pitons it's held with in one piece? Pitons are damn useful things, I tell you."

 

Gaspar gets down and looks at the pitons. "Knomal, I'll try though I didn't bring anything to pry them out with. Any suggestions?"

 

"Anything?..."
Knomal stares at Gaspar just as he was looking at a headless person who still makes pieces of judgement.
"What about that huge thing you got in your right hand? It suren won't break if you get a couple of pitons outta' a rock with it."

 

"My axe?? This is a fine instrument of death! You don't use it to pry out pitons! Why don't you use your knife or something?"