Orc Leader Wartsnak Direlord – Chapter Twenty
1st Day Of The Deepwinter (January)
Who Is The Orc Leader:
Orcs and worse from all sides and where is the Orc Leader. The valiant party is stretched across at least three fronts with the potential for more enemies to arrive at any moment. Sensing the gravity of the situation, Sir Ly consumes his long-treasured ‘Potion of Heroism’ and annihilates an Orc just as he appears around the corner, much to its short-lived surprise. As more appear in its stead, this new group of Orcs are armored in well-kept Scale Mail and accompanied by a Troll for good measure but still no Orc Leader (Room 134).
Thora kills another of the Orcs, it’s foul-smelling blood spraying into her finely plaited beard. At the other intersection (Room 140), Father Tobias and Galan meet the charge of the other group of Orcs cutting down 2 of them without ceremony. Frimly and Mirafir cannot be seen in the Crossroads Room where they may or may not be. Rightly fearing the worst, Sigune sinks a third of her “Potion of Extra Healing” and charges forward screaming.
Sigune: “FOR ST. CUTHBERT! Ver iz your Orc Leader?”
To draw the attention of the Orcs and their Black Hooded Spell-Caster on the third front away from Frimly, who is pinned down thanks to the Illumination of the ‘Continual Light Gem’ (Room 148).
Thora and Sir Ly take out 2 more of the Orcs with Sir Ly’s fine Sword play hypnotising his opponents before hacking them down. Thora’s low center of gravity, stout heart and sheer force of will seem like mechanical butchery compared to the Paladin’s dance of death as her gleaming Helm and Armour, beard and boots receive several severed arteries full of Orc blood!
Meanwhile, 2 Orc Archers unleash Arrows at Sigune who charges into them (Room 151), with both Arrows narrowly missing her and sticking into the table Frimly hides behind. Sir Ly battles the remaining Orc. Galan slays another of the Orcs swarming down the passage, but still no sign of the Orc Leader, while Sir Ly’s Orc slips before he is slain. Sigune strikes an Orc, injuring him. Thora and Sir Ly see the Troll retreat, trotting off back down the corridor Eastwards.
The Black Robed Orc Cleric casts a Spell on Sigune but she resists its power. “Silence” has been cast where Father Tobias and Galan are by the Goblin Cleric in the Western Corridor, giving the frenzy and madness of close combat a surreal absurdity. Sigune strikes down the Orc she injured. The three closest to her still standing attack. Sir Ly joins her and the 2 Paladins stand valiantly together:
Sigune: “Good to have you by mein side again”
Sigune: Sir Ly! Are you already finished around zee other end?”
Sir Ly: “Not quite, my Lady! The troll ran away!”
Father Tobias crushes the skull of another Orc who may now have some difficulty completing the next cryptic crossword in the Uruk Times.
Sir Ly misses but Sigune kills another of the Orcs… The Black Robed Cleric closes in with his Mace raised, and the Orc moves aside. Sigune screams at him:
Sigune: “Your faith has deserted you unholy fool!”
Sir Ly: “Die! Fiend!”
The Black Robed Orc Cleric swings his Mace at Sigune but misses.
Mirafir, “Invisible”, runs down the passage to join Thora, she almost strikes him upon hearing his footsteps, which her keen Dwarf hearing senses despite him just emerging from complete silence, without him wearing any Armour and with the clamour of battle all around through the blood-smeared thickness of her mighty Helm. Meanwhile Sigune smites the Black Robed Orc Cleric, a glancing blow which reveals his ugly Orc face leering from beneath his headdress.
On the second front, Galan leaps silently and Acrobatically over the Orc bodies to get to the other Goblin Spell Caster who had run down the corridor towards the Orcs Secret Entrance. The Secret Door is a jar and there is no sign of the Goblin Cleric (Room 139).
An “Invisible” Troll – which Thora heard but couldn’t see, despite its huge size and heavy foul-smelling breath – suddenly attacks Thora, luckily missing with 3 mighty swings of it’s large Club!
Father Tobias takes out a Flask of Oil to burn the Regenerating dead Troll that was previously hit by the ‘Fireball’, and lies regenerating on the dungeon floor like an organic time bomb.
Sir Ly (in Elvish): “Slay the priest, my lady! I shall slay the archer!”
The Black Robed Orc Cleric hits Sigune, a crushing blow with his Mace, but she strikes back with a furious slash!
The Troll, now Visible, unleashes its wrath against Galan and they appear to know one another. Galan hits the Troll cause more deep words, while the Troll returns the favour wounding Galan in return. Thora decides to parry, expecting the Troll to attack her.
Thora: “This is not the same Troll that we first saw and ran back down the corridor.”
Thora hits the Troll, inflicting a massive injury on it, cutting across its belly. The Troll still manages to get an attack in, inflicting an injury on her. Meanwhile the Black Robed Cleric swings his Mace again at Sigune, inflicting a minor injury. Sir Ly strikes, a huge injury! And Sigune finishes him off!
Meanwhile, the burning Troll rises, Regenerating enough strength to stand. Father Tobias finishes it before it can attack. Father Tobias spotted, and retrieved, something that roll out of the Troll Pouch before he kills it.
Meanwhile Thora and Galan butcher the other Troll, with Galan frenziedly slicing the creature – his hatred and fury unleashed.
Still No Orc Leader:
Mirafir and Frimly sneak down the passageway to reconnoiter the corridor beyond leading to the Large chamber (Room 134).
Frimly takes a quick look in the 2 Rooms North (Room 138 & 137) and one to the South (Room 136) of the corridor.
To the North, 2 small Rooms are essentially empty, although they are strewn with disgusting Orcish debris.
To the South, a single Large Room. The Trolls live here and there is an over powering smell of rotting meat in the Northeast corner.
As Mirafir, moving as quietly as possible, passes a section of wall suddenly he sees a ‘Glyph of Warding’ Illuminate and has the agility to nearly avoid it’s effect. A ‘Bolt of Lightning’ flashes out of the wall and hits Mirafir making him instantly and painfully Visible.
Mirafir Thinks: “How many of these ‘Glyph of Warding’ are there in this underground city and what sets them off?”
A preferred target of Archers and Spell-Casters alike, he is keenly aware of his vulnerability and drained Spell Powers and returns quickly to the rest of the party for protection. Meanwhile, Frimly continues to look into the Large Chamber at the end of the passage (Room 134).
Following some ‘Healing’ amongst the party including Galan and Thora, Frimly returns and informs the party that there are several Ogres and leading members of the Orc Hierarchy in Runedardath Under Mount Illefarn there, plus a Red Robed Cleric and who we now think to be the Orc Leader, Wartsnak Direlord.
What to do now?
Frimly describes the Room as about 60’ foot long and 40′ foot wide. Lots of cots and beds. 4 Ogres, Wartsnak Direlord and his Red Robed Cleric are there plus Orc Archers. In the North Wall a heavily reinforced, Iron Banded Door (Room 135).
Use the last Gem on the ‘Necklace of Fireballs’ on them? Or save it for Kelthas The Dread? Dead Trolls still need to be burnt, which Sir Ly does.
But have we burned all the Trolls we have faced so far in Runedardath Under Mount Illefarn?
Meanwhile, the Orc Archers have moved towards the corridor and spot Frimly.
Frimly: “Movement!”
Frimly takes the “Necklace of Missiles” from Mirafir with its last remaining 6x d6 ‘Fireball’. He then throws the ‘Continual Light Gem’ down the passage to give the Archers in the party a good view.
Galan and Sir Ly all step out to fire Arrows. Sir Ly hits one, Galan another. The return fire is ineffective before Sir Ly and Galan unleash another volley, scoring more hits! Wartsnak Direlord is barking orders in the background. It sounds like the Orcs are ready to make a stand against the party. Frimly gets a stone with ‘Silence’ cast on it, and will throw it at Wartsnak Direlord and his allies, at which point the party will attack.
Frimly sneaks down the passageway, the Orcs start shouting and swinging their Axes. Frimly gets into the Main Chamber and the ‘Silence’ accompanying him causes an uproar amongst them. The Paladins, fearing a standoff, charge down the passageway and are followed by the others.
A large swarthy Evil looking Orc suddenly appears at the entrance to the Room, in Plate Mail and holding a Large Battle Axes. Wartsnak Direlord then flashes his ‘Ring’ shouting.
Wartsnak Direlord: “GRASHNAR!”
And casts something towards the heroic Adventurers!
Is this the END? Will Wartsnak Direlord have the last laugh over the exploits of the heroic Adventurers as their valiant deeds are swallowed in the darkness of Runedardath Under Mount Illefarn? And what fell enchantment is issuing from the Orc’s flashing Magical Ring?