Session XXIV

​The orc camp, outside of which our protagonists stand, is anything but quiet. Rummaging, gruff arguing, and general carrying on is heard, even at this extremely early hour. Shadowsilver and Ornogrim scale the wall and that was the last the others hear from them over the next 15 minutes.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, the two of them are taking out javelinists in the archer towers. This involves a few close calls, and athletic ability as they climb across ropes with groups of Orcs below them.

Along their way, they see a few types of creatures of varying might. There are a lot of similar-looking Orcs — which appear to be a pedestrian challenge at best — a few Ogres, one Orog, and one Eye of Gruumsh. However, they did not see what they expected: the War Chief of this camp.

There are a number of shacks scattered around… he must be in one of them or around the grounds somewhere.

They eventually get to the last approachable tower from their height advantage and see two Orcs on patrol. They drop down, sneak behind them, and simultaneously attack. Shadowsilver kills her target without issue. Ornogrim slashes at his target, who then turns around and fights back. Before he falls, he lets out a cry for help.

Someone must have heard that, but how many and which ones?

Ornogrim gives the word to Tinkey to alert the others and to use the entrance that is farthest from the front. At least, that’s what he hopes is interpreted by “Go Left.”

The two of them quickly survey the area, looking for someplace to stash the bodies.

They notice two shacks nearby, both with rooves at the same height as the deck on which they stand: one is well-built; the other a little shoddy.

Shadowsilver whispers to Ornogrim that there’s no easy place to hide the bodies. She suggests they could go back up the tower and leave them or possibly just move on and continue to take out the remaining towers. Ornogrim agrees that clearing the towers is a good idea.

They continue to crouch and sneak along the deck around the arena. They notice a closed portcullis inside the arena as they make way to the other side. Before they start climbing the tower, they see that the Orc above is holding a javelin, looking in the direction from which they came – the direction of the fallen cry. Stealthily, Shadowsilver and Ornogrim climb up the nearby tower, shifting around the side so they can come up behind him. Shadowsilver shanks him before he even knows what hit him. The javelin falls from the Orc’s hand, but Shadowsilver is able to quickly snatch it from the air before it falls below, alerting the nearby Ogre and several Orcs to their location.

At this time, Tinkey lands near Qarzdaq, Qhortho, and Tholannan squawking “GOLEFT, GOLEFT, GOLEFT!”

The group discusses what that might mean and what they should do next. Qhortho describes a plan where he rides in, gets attention, then gets them to follow him to a choke point where Qarzdaq could Fireball them. Tholannan describes that he and Qarzdaq could sneak in along the side that has a few barricades in the path – the “left” entrance from where they are if they face towards the cliff wall. Qarzdaq says he should lead, since he can see well in the dark. They could get near the base of the tower to scope it out.

Tinkey flies high and into the camp.

Qarzdaq suggests that Qhortho leave the horse because it’s not very stealthy. Instead, Qhortho suggests he just wait where he is until they come back with more information.

Tholannan blesses them before they take action and Tinkey takes off in the direction from which he came.

Qarzdaq and Tholannan enter the barricaded passage. Qarzdaq tells Tholannan to hold back a few feet. He then gets to the first barricade and peeks around the corner. Noticing the coast is clear, he motions Tholannan to move up.

Qarzdaq sneaks to the next barricade. Moments later, he hears a couple of Orcs – and they are getting closer. He peeks around the corner again and sees two Orcs walking towards him. He quickly retracts and attempts to paralyze both of them with Hold Person (casting as a Level 3 spell). Both fail and the Orcs know something’s up.

Tholannan, still hearing the Orcs, knows Qarzdaq’s spells did not land. He casts Silence around the area.

Qarzdaq steps out and launches three scorching rays. Two are fired at the Orc on the left and he falls. The third hits the one on the right and he is badly injured.

Tholannan casts Inflict Wounds on the standing Orc. The Orc’s boils form all over his skin that erupt at once in a mixture of blood and water squirting from his body. The Orc falls into this watery bloody mixture, gashes in his skin now visible as Qazrdaq and Tholannan move up to the next barricade.

Shadowsilver and Ornogrim look around the camp from this Tower, paying special attention to where they expect their three comrades to enter.

They can’t see very far, but they can still see the Orog in front of the arena and notice that a couple of Orcs are walking past the Ogre near the gallows. It looks like they are headed for the area where they killed the two Orcs on the deck.

They climb down the tower and sneak around the outer wall of the camp to climb up the next tower.

Once near the top, Shadowsilver quickly dispatches the Orc javelinier. Ornogrim gets to the top and both of them crouch to not be seen by the Orc at the next tower.

The Orc at the tower across the wooden rope bridge is looking away, towards the horizon outside the camp. 
Occasionally, he glances to the group of Orcs around the nearby campfire when they get a little louder every now and then. The next time the Orc looks towards the horizon, they proceed across the bridge.
About halfway across, the bridge creaks as the rope stretches. They stop all movement and slightly crouch. The Orc doesn’t seem to notice and they continue.
Just as they get within range, Shadowsilver slashes at the Orc, almost taking him down with a single strike. She follows up with another slash and he crumbles.

They look over at the next tower and see another Orc in a tower.

Qarzdaq and Tholannan move into the Silenced region and sends a Message to Qhortho, “the coast is clear.” About 20 seconds later, Qhortho, atop his Warhorse, slowly walks up and into the region with his friends.

Qarzdaq starts towards the tower and sees three Orcs and an Ogre standing around a campfire. He Messages Tholannan about the situation and asks if he should Fireball them.

Tholannan attempts to tell Qhortho, which he realizes is pointless once he realizes he can’t hear his own voice. He then uses hand signals in the form of an explosion. Qhortho gives the thumbs up. Tholannan responds to Qarzdaq, “yes.” The two of them then sneak up to Qarzdaq. Tholannan prepares to Silence the campfire area as soon as he sees the fireball hit.

Qarzdaq looks up the tower nearby and sees the edge of a spear lying slightly off the edge of the tower’s upper platform, and concludes that Shadowsilver and Ornogrim probably killed the Orc that was in the tower. However, he’s not anywhere near certain of that conclusion. He second guesses his Fireball decision and decides that since no alarm has been raised yet, it may be better to hold off a little longer.

Instead, he sneaks up to the base of the tower, watching the Orcs around the bright fire arguing amongst themselves. Feeling extremely exposed only feet from the group, he falls back behind the last barrier to where Tholannan and Qhortho are hiding.

They discuss their options. One of them is to use the Bog of Eternal Stench, but they decide against that and Qarzdaq regrets ever buying that blasted potion…

They decide to hold for another cue from the stealthy duo.

Shadowsilver and Ornogrim start across the rope connected to the next tower without being noticed. As they cross the rope, they pause as two Orcs pass beneath them on a patrol route headed out of camp. As they reach the ground’s crest at the exit, they turn around and head for the nearest campfire. They do not appear alarmed.

Shadowsilver and Ornogrim finish crossing the rope and shimmy around the backside of the tower and shank this Orc as well. Only one more tower left to finish their goal of disabling all of the towers.

They descend the tower and cross the small chasm in the rock. They peer down the crevasse as closely as possible, but it is way too dark to see the bottom. They continue to the final tower and slay the Orc where he stands.

Now that there is no chance to be seen by other towers, Ornogrim signals to Tinkey by waving his arms. Tinkey gets the hint and lands in the tower. Ornogrim instructs Tinkey to tell the others to “Stay Put,” and Tinkey takes to the sky again.

Shadowsilver and Ornogrim climb down the tower to look more closely at the nearby shack and beacon. 
Ornogrim focuses very hard on finding a crack in the back of the shoddy shack. He happens to find one and peers through, but it’s just too dark to see anything more than a shadowy figure.
Shadowsilver investigates the beacon bell and is able to determine the clapper is attached by some means other than a rope, but cannot tell exactly how – or how it could be disabled.

Ornogrim and Shadowsilver decide, simultaneously, to switch positions. Shadowsilver is able to see three Orogs inside the shack and Ornogrim determines that the clapper can be removed by pulling a small pin, which allows a longer rod to be removed, on which the clapper is attached.

Ornogrim dismantles the clapper assembly and puts the parts in his backpack.

They quickly re-scale the rocky wall, traverse the plateau then scale down the rock to end up outside the camp.

​Meanwhile, Tinkey lands near her allies and squawks, “StayPut, StayPut.” They abide.

Ornogrim and Shadowsilver, knowing the towers are out of commission, sneakily cross the nearby entrance to the camp to arrive at the entrance closest to the first towers they scaled, ensuring they remain outside the 60-foot range of the Orcish dark vision.

Knowing there is a patrol at that entrance, they wait until the Orcs’ about-face after reaching the edge of the entrance. Shadowsilver runs up and slashes at the one on the left. As he falls, she follows up with her dragon-faced dagger towards the Orc on her right. She misses, but Ornogrim runs up and slices through the Orc with Critical Superiority. Neither Orc is able to scream before they fall.

Each of them drag an Orc body following the wall until they arrive at Qhortho’s horse just standing there. Knowing this must be where they initially scaled the rocky wall, they decide this is relatively safe so they plan to leave the bodies there. Before they search for their companions, they decide it would be best to prop them up on top of each other like they are “hugging.”

The remainder of the group hears some giggling and decide it must be Shadowsilver and Ornogrim, so they come back out of the camp to meet up. As they get closer, the familiar veil of shadows appears to obscure them from their surroundings as Ornogrim’s Pass Without Trace shrouds them.

​Shadowsilver tells them they were able to kill 17 Orcs and the towers are no longer a threat. Qarzdaq tells them they were able to kill 2 at the barricaded entrance so that pathway is clear. Ornogrim shows the clapper from one of the beacons.

So far this session, each member has earned 180XP.

Shadowsilver describes the Orogs he saw in one of the shacks.

                SHADOW:            I’m not sure if we can actually beat them… at least not on the ground. I think we should fight them from their own towers. That way, we also have the ability to escape if things get too crazy.

                QARZDAQ:          We’re already near a tower right around the corner. Do you think it makes sense to throw one of your cards at the campfire?

                SHADOW:            However we do it, we want them at a bottleneck.

They discuss a few different plans. One of which involves Qhortho riding through the camp naked. A more serious one is to throw a card from the Deck of Illusions in the middle of the camp, then fireball the group of Orcs. They discuss the lay of the land in great depth to figure out the best way forward.

Finally, the decision is made and they break. The rest of the group scales the wall by the horse and dead Orcs to take the higher ground while Shadowsilver sneaks to the second plateau they reached with three towers. The group crouches and waits until the Illusion is thrown down into the middle of camp. 

After what feels like 10 minutes, but realistically was probably closer to 2-3, shit gets real.

Shadowsilver reads a scroll of Haste and then randomly draws a card from her Deck of Illusions. She thinks about attaching the card to an arrow, but is concerned that it is the act of throwing the card that activates it. If she attaches it to an arrow, it may be similar to just placing it on the ground without the intent to trigger it. She decides not to chance it and throws it into the camp 30 feet in front of the rocky cliff.

A Medusa appears where the card lands. Shadowsilver quickly commands it to move more into the center of

The nearby Orcs and Ogres begin yelling and causing a commotion. Orcs and Eyes of Gruumsh pour out of the closest Shacks. Everyone in the party readies themselves to strike at the moment they see Qarzdaq’s Fireball.

The two Eyes of Gruumsh that exited shacks both cast spells with no visible effect. All of the closest Orcs and Ogres run towards the Medusa.

A well-placed Fireball kills all 11 of the ordinary Orcs and ignites the two nearby shacks. Immediately, arrows fly through the air towards the creatures left standing. The only ones left standing after the barrage are the Ogres and one Eye of Gruumsh.

This provides 310 XP for each party member.

A cry to “sound the beacon!” is heard from the ground. Moments later, a loud bell rings. It is clear that everyone in the camp must have heard this when Orcs, Orogs, and Eyes of Gruumsh pour out of shacks around camp. One of the Orogs attempts to ring a deactivated beacon. He looks at the ground, expecting to see a fallen clapper on the ground. Not seeing it, the realization that this must be an organized infiltration washes over him and he becomes extremely aggressive, racing after his fellow Orogs down the deck stairs.

One of the Orcs on the central plateau rings the beacon just outside his shack. The roaring of Orcs are heard around the entire camp. Two other Orcs from the same shack hurry down the ladder to the ground.

A frenzy ensues over the next 30 seconds or so, bringing down another Eye of Gruumsh and an Ogre who was rushing to climb a ladder to the foursome on the western plateau. This earns each member another 180 XP.

In the meantime, an Eye of Gruumsh takes cover by the central plateau ladder and three Orogs ascend the ladder near Shadowsilver. She continues to bombard the camp from her perch in the tower.

With the Orogs making progress up the ladder towards Shadowsilver, she Hastily descends from the tower to prevent being trapped atop, given that someone cut the rope to the central plateau.

The Orogs near Shadowsilver launch javelins and one of them hits, bringing her Haste to an end.

A call is heard from within the camp in Orcish: “GET BACK!!!” Not all of the Assembly understands the Orc language and Ornogrim expects this.

                ORNO:                  THEY’RE FALLING BACK!! THEY’RE RETREATING!!

An arrow slams an Orog running towards Shadowsilver and though he falls mid-stride, his momentum allows his corpse to continue another 10 feet. Shadowsilver acknowledges Ornogrim’s shout and heads for the edge of the plateau.

Another Ogre and 4 Orcs fall in the process, yielding 170XP for each Assembly-person.

The Assembly as a whole decides to press the attack. Qarzdaq climbs down the tower to the ground. Qhortho dashes across the plateau to scale down the wall to mount his horse, then rides into battle. Tholannan dashes down the nearby ladder, then releases his grip and falls to the ground in a crouch, taking slight damage in the process, but ready to run after the retreating enemies. Shadowsilver climbs down the rocky wall to the ground, leaving the two Orogs on the plateau.

The group learns a lot about Strength and Dexterity during the course of the next 5 minutes.

Strength is physical, brute strength; Dexterity is pure deftness of movement. Athletics is the ability to control Strength in a more acute manner in order to perform certain maneuvers; Acrobatics is the ability to control Dexterity to perform certain maneuvers. The two are not interchangeable, but some maneuvers require both Athletics and Dexterity. If a maneuver would require fine control of might, it would require Athletics; if a maneuver requires finessed movement, it requires Acrobatics. Scaling a wall is more about Strength and would fall under Athletics; walking a tightrope or jumping onto a platform is more about Dexterity and would fall under Acrobatics.​

The party congregates outside the camp and makes their way around to the eastern-most entrance. Shadowsilver scales the wall to get eyes on the group of Orcs. The rest of the group follows. They plan to have Qarzdaq launch a Fireball and then all attack immediately afterwards.

The fireball explodes in the middle of the Orc horde and kills 7 Orcs and badly hurt an Orog. This earns another 140XP per person.

Qhortho shoots his arrow – or so he tries. He lets go of the bow instead of the string and it smacks him in the face and falls to the ground. Irritated that he has been taking the “cheap way” in battle this entire time, he decides he’s had enough of ranged attacks. He leaves the bow where it falls and runs back to climb off the plateau and take his horse into close combat.

Shadowsilver tags the hurt Orog with a scorpion-dipped arrow, but he remains a threat. Tholannan spawns a spiritual weapon in the form of a mace next to the beast then begins climbing down the nearby ladder. Shadowsilver skips over the chasm in the rock to work on a better angle near the disabled beacon.

The Orog chucks a javelin at Tholannan as he descends the ladder but it thankfully only slams against the rocky cliff. Tholannan releases the ladder and drops to the ground, remaining in a precariously crouched position. The Orog charges at him and slashes with his great axe, making direct contact and almost knocking Tholannan over by the sheer weight of the weapon. Though it looks dire for Tholannan, his blood boils — he is ready to fight with the strength of the Mother Rhoyne on his side. Just as he clambers to his feet to stand against this beast, a well-placed arrow by none other than Shadowsilver takes him down. She points at him then raises her index finger indicating that he owes her one. He nods quickly then runs into battle. This earns them 90XP each.

While the others are in combat, Qhortho is stampeding his warhorse through the central entrance to catch them from behind.

A loud roar comes from the direction of the arena. Ornogrim’s stomach sinks. He recognizes the distinct sound as the battle cry of an Orc War Chief.

The rest of the group looks at each other in dismay, which dissolves into determination to destroy that asshole. They all rush forward to confront the remains of this so-called horde that is still tucked away inside the camp.

An Orog appears from around the corner of the central plateau and rushes at Shadowsilver with a ferocity driven by the battle cry of his chief. He lands both swipes with his great axe, though Shadowsilver’s Uncanny swiftness allows her to mitigate some of the impact. She disengages the Orog and climbs the central plateau then tags him with a scorpion-dipped arrow.

Three Eyes of Gruumsh emerge from the central camp. All three of them attempt to make different party members fall, but they all fail.

Ornogrim rushes at one of them with his dual blades but doesn’t to inflict enough damage to take him down.

Tholannan runs at the closest one to him. Enroute, he quickly becomes surrounded by a swarm of Orcs and is beaten unconscious.

Qhortho gallops towards the Ogres and one of them slams his horse with his great club, which takes the horse down with a single strike. This is all completely unexpected by Qhortho and he is thrown off the horse, the momentum waning as the friction between his face and the hard ground brings him to a stop. The second Ogre attacks him when he’s down. A third Ogre, previously unknown appears from the arena and attacks Qhortho.

Surrounded by Ogres, his face bloody, and his fallen horse within sight, Qhortho becomes angered and infuriated and enters a Rage. He slashes at the closest Ogre with his arakh, spilling blood and grinning about it.

Qhortho’s horse miraculously regains consciousness and clambers to his feet and runs west, away from the battle as quickly as possible.

Qarzdaq sees his fallen friend as an opportunity; he quickly places a fireball 23 feet above the ground as to avoid Tholannan’s body while incinerating the Orcs around him and taking out an Eye of Gruumsh and badly wounding the nearby Orog in the process. This earns the Assembly members 230XP each.

The Orog runs towards Qarzdaq.

The War Chief climbs the wall of the central plateau in pursuit of Shadowsilver.

Shadowsilver reads a Scroll of Haste then climbs off the plateau and runs towards Tholannan. She administers her 500gp healing potion to her dying ally. He blinks his eyes in confusion.

After finding his bearings he yells, “You fool!! I was with her at last!! My love, I had forgotten her for so long… send me back please!”

                SHADOW:            Whatever. That’s two now.

As she holds up two fingers in front of his face.

​An Eye of Gruumsh casts a Spiritual Weapon in the form of a spear near Ornogrim then attacks with a real spear. Both attacks narrowly miss.

The other Eye of Gruumsh casts a Spiritual Weapon in the form of a spear near Tholannan then rushes to attack with a real spear. As if blessed by the Mother Rhoyne herself, both of these attacks miss.

An Ogre attempts to slam Qhortho with a great club, which Qhortho narrowly ducks. This catches the Ogre off-guard and the club slips out of his hand slamming against the wall of the central plateau.

The other two Ogres attack Qhortho, but only one is able to hit him. Qhortho takes the hit and laughs in his grotesque face.

Realizing going back to his love is not really the right thing to do with his friends in trouble, Tholannan gets to his feet, disengages the Eye of Gruumsh, and gets 15 feet of distance between himself and the spellcaster. This puts Shadowsilver in between him and the Eye of Gruumsh, so he casts Healing Word on Shadowsilver to help her out.

Ornogrim attacks the Eye of Gruumsh next to him and kills him.

Qarzdaq releases a trio of Scorching Rays. One kills the Orog charging at him, the second two nail the Eye of Gruumsh near Shadowsilver and Tholannan, but he remains standing.

​These last two kills earn the party 180XP each, bringing the total this session to 1,480XP each, and the grand total to 22,440 on this Day 252.​