Wartsnak Direlord Escapes – Chapter Twenty One
1st Day Of The Deepwinter (January):
A Rest Before Hunting Wartsnak Direlord:
On the body of the Troll that Galan slew Father Tobias finds another ‘Potion of Heroism‘! This is a welcome find indeed. The party uses the short break from combat to speculate on the nature of the Glyphs that already cost Mirafir so dearly. They pose a real threat and are difficult to Detect and Dispel. Worried about the Troll that got away, Frimly sneaks back down the corridor to check the left-hand Exit from the passage to see if it may be lurking there… Frimly vanishes into the darkness into the lair of Wartsnak Direlord.
The party waits with bated breath. Sigune and Father Tobias go back down the passage to the Crossroads Room to examine the Mace belonging to the Black Robed Orc Cleric Sigune delivered the final blow to. The Mace has Runic Symbols on it – in Dwarvish. Father Tobias likes the feel of it. They decide to go down the passage to the Room at the end of the passage where there may be a Door. They want to examine it.
The passage is torch lit, and Father Tobias takes one of the Torches, which he kicks, into the room.
Sigune: “Vee must not get separated from the rest of the party, but let us secure zis section!”
There are 2 Beds in the Room and evil looking items, Religious in their nature and Evil.
Sigune: “Foul Unholy vorks! They must be destroyed.”
Father Tobias: “We will purge this foulness on our way back! Or I will burn in hell!”
Father Tobias Kicks the torch into the Room beyond. More Evil Paraphernalia, Books, Scrolls and other Papers.
Sigune Detect Evil in the Room and detects nothing. Both decide to return to the rest of the party before anything else happens.
Reunited, the party updates each other. Frimly reports on his excursion to the antechambers where he found nothing but Orc rubbish and foul rotting meat. A plan is drawn to attack Wartsnak Direlord, and Frimly and Galan advance down the Passageway to gain an advance foothold in the nearest of the Chambers to the large chamber where they are… The others wait at the end of the corridor for a signal, or an attack, before they advance. They both dissapear Silently and are not spotted.
Then Thora and Sir Ly follow up with Sigune, Father Tobias and Mirafir comprising the final group. Frimly looks around the corner and hears a cry at the back of the room:
Red Robed Cleric: “Doorway!”
Wartsnak Direlord: “GRASHNAR!”
Frimly retreats, but so does Wartsnak Direlord and the Red Robed Cleric. Sir Ly had been kicking the Orcs “Continual Light Gem” down the corridor and now kicked it into the large chamer (Room 134).
SUDDENLY: Wartsnak Direlord and 2 Ogres appear around the corner, Two-Handed Swords at the ready! A ‘Noxious Yellow Cloud’ suddenly envelopes the party! Frimly starts coughing but doesn’t appear to be too badly affected – the same applies to Sigune and Mirafir, but Thora is affected. Sir Ly charges forward and engages the 2 Ogres while Sigune follows swiftly to be by his side. Father Tobias is luckily protected by his “Necklace of Adaptation”!
Sigune: “Side by side again Sir Ly!”
Sir Ly: “As it should be, my lady! For St. Cuthbert!”
Sigune: “For St. Cuthbert!”
Out of the corner of their eyes, the 2 Paladins spot many Orcs racing to join the fray. The Ogres miss the Paladins but Sir Ly strikes back and delivers a vicious blow, as does Sigune with a spectacular hit!
In the next round of attacks, the Paladins miss but one of the Ogres lands a shattering blow on Sigune.
Father Tobias squeezes through the gap into the Room to cast a Spell – ‘Hold Person‘! And succeeds in holding one of the Orcs!
Sigune has her revenge and strikes down the Ogre before her with a lethal blow! The Ogre fighting Sir Ly misses! Thora spectacularly bounces from one bed to another to engage the enemies she loves to hate most: the Orcs. Sigune follows Thora, risking the Unholy powers of the Orc Shaman!
Father Tobias follows up and Frimly and Galan stealthily enter the Room, seeking an opportunity to strike surreptitiously. The large Door suddenly slams shut! The Red Robed Cleric and Wartsnak Direlord are seeking to save their filthy Orc skins! The remaining Orcs are in disarray, unsure wether to drop their Short Bows or engage, some do, some don’t and some arrows are fired but miss.
Galan unleashes an Arrow and hits one of the treacherous Orcs fighting Father Tobias. Tobias also hits. Sigune strikes down her Orc and Thora also demolishes hers with her deadly Battle-Axe.
Galan: “Mirafir, save your powers for the moment! There may be malingerers nearby!”
Mirafir: “You speak wisely, Galan! The Troll, for one!”
An Orc with a Scimitar strikes Father Tobias, lightly injuring him.
Mirafir, taking cover on Galan’s guidance, is suddenly exposed to an Orc Arrow attack with inflicts a crippling injury on him! Blood pours from the wound and he does his best to limp out of Arrow shot.
Sigune has meanwhile hacked down another Orc while the others engage the last remaining Ogres in the room. Sir Ly lands a scything blow on the Ogre he is fighting while Thora killed her Ogre with a second blow. Sigune cuts down her Orc and now the odds are looking bad for the last Orc fighting Father Tobias, and Sigune duly strikes him down. The only Orc now standing is the ‘Held One’, who suddenly is released from the Spell.
We had planed to capture one of the Orcs, but all of us forgot.
The last Ogre still manages to get a heavy blow onto Sir Ly before it is slain. There is only one Orc left and Father Tobias and Sigune engage him.
Mirafir consumes another ‘Potion of Healing’. Sir Ly also takes a ‘Potion of Healing’. Frimly listens at the Door – complete silence from the other side. This “Silence” is so complete it can only be an enchantment. Father Tobias takes down the final Orc – a worthy blow. Thora opens the Door and an inky magical “Darkness” is eerily revealed.
Mirafir moves across the Room to be next to Sir Ly. He feels a mysterious breeze on his neck and twists to face whatever unpleasant surprise awaits. But it is a Secret Door! And appears to have remained Secret for a long time.
Thora, Sir Ly, Sigune and Father Tobias move down the stairs, Father Tobias casting “Detect Magic”:
Father Tobias: “We must be prepared for those accursed Glyphs!”
Frimly, Galan and Mirafir consider whether to pass beyond the Secret Door… Mirafir checks for Tracks and finds regular foot traffic, Orcs, Trolls, Ogres up and down: This is not a dead area – it is active and patrolled.
Frimly and Galan open the Door to the Secret Room (ROOM 135). It is covered with dust and there are many shattered bones scattered across the floor… A trap? Frimly tries to ‘Detect Traps’ but can’t be sure…
Frimly and Galan pick-up the body of a dead Orc and throw it into the centre of the Room.
There is a sudden sound of crashing, grinding stone from the secret room – the ground shakes on its impact. A huge block fell into the room, crushing the corpse of an Orc they threw into the room. There is a narrow gap, 3′ foot or so, around the block. Frimly take the “Potion of Gaseous Form” with him and enters the narrow gap. There is an extremely valuable statuette on the other side of it, which Frimly cannot retrieve due ti it’s weight.
Meanwhile, on the Staircase, the “Darkness” has been dispelled, using one of the Orcs “Continual Light Gems” revealing that the staircase descends into an open area.
The party of Adventurers are, by the will of St. Cuthbert, alive but exhausted. Many of their Magical powers have been expended, and before them lies probably the chiefest of calamities of all…
Where has The Robed Cleric and Wartsnak Direlord gone?
