The Greyhawk Expedition - Death and Dying

Many things happened to and for our adventurers during this gaming session, and indeed, the danger level is rising in the deeps of the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk.  To remind the one reader out there:

Brent: G'leric, a gnome wizard, and G'at the bat

Spencer: Urick, a human paladin, and his mount, Zeeb 

Emily: Ember the Executioner, a human fighter

Elliot: Lance Dallas, an elf druid, and his familiar, Lionel 

Dan: Fayt Vaanil, a elf rogue

Particular thanks to certain OOG folks for particularly clever parts of this game.  You know who you are.

Our valiant party awoke to a new day…in a dreary, lightless, dungeon room containing an upward-ascending elevator.  It was here the party decided to camp for the night after a rather tiring day of fighting, dying, and setting hill giants on fire.

After general inquiries to the paladin about his health after yesterday’s crushing near-death experience (How’s your back, Mr. Squishy?), discussion ensues about today’s course of action.  Reminders abound that two hill giants remain in the main temple room, and thus, G’at is sent out on reconnaissance. He reports back with information that yes, the two giants remain, along with random straw beds, a crevasse that spans the length of the entire room, and a headless statue that spans the width of said crevasse.  There is little enthusiasm for taking the giants on, especially when Lance’s Knowledge: Nature check reminds our players that hill giants are exceptionally skilled at stone-throwing.

Another day, perhaps. 

Eventually, the group decides to take the elevator upstairs to investigate a way out of the castle.  The beefy paladin is unable to find the Strength to turn the hand-crank (still weak from yesterday, maybe), yet the lady fighter jumps on and cranks away with no problem. As it turns out, the elevator lands near the secret door our party came through just after defeating the swordwraiths the day previous. 

No super-duper discoveries here, so the fighter and the rogue head back down to join the rest of the party.  In a moment of slight awkwardness, Fayt then reveals the location of another, secret elevator just beyond the room where the entire party had spent the night in.  The plan now?  Exploration down the new elevator (which DESCENDS…into madness? Probably.). 

Things gets hairy within minutes of the group’s descent to the first ‘vator landing.  There are more crates, boxes, bags in the corner of the small room, and most of the party goes to investigate them.  Fayt meanders about the room, and is promptly attacked by a FLESH GOLEM!  Frankenstein!  It’s ALIIIIIIIIIIVE!

The golem is getting down and dirty as its main goal to pin the rogue down with its huge claw hand whilst stabbing him repeatedly with its sword.  A Grapple check victory for the golem makes this whole scenario very real and scary for Fayt; fortunately, his party hears the ruckus and comes to his aid:

1.     Lance misfires two arrows.

2.     G’leric lands two Scorching Rays.

3.     Fayt takes massive claw-at-throat and swordblade damage.  He hurts. To the point of dead.

4.     Urick whiffs his longsword.

5.     Ember spectacularly separates the golem’s head from its body.

6.     The paladin shouts out “Medic!” upon seeing Fayt’s still form…and then realizes “Wait! I’m the Medic!”  Two healing spells and a Laying on of Hands brings the rogue back to life. 

The fighter checks the golem’s body for a brand or sign of creatorship, and the rogue weakly tells her, “he’s not Abercrombie & Fitch”.  Also, golem earwax is taken for later candle-making…although someone’s gonna have to take ranks in Craft: Earwax Candles.

It’s quiet time now for a nicely-recovering Fayt, and Lionel is assigned to keep watch over the rogue while the rest of the party skips out and runs really fast through the hill giant room to the eastern set of doors, which open into a corridor that contains two more sets of doors that oppose each other.  Cautious as always, the room Searches turn up the following:

1.     0 bad guys

2.     4 rooms, 4 sets of bunk beds, 4 treasure chests

3.     2 pouches containing 200 gp each (prompting the young, worldly paladin to exclaim, “Make it rain!” while doing the appropriate youthful hand gesture)

4.     1 plain-looking stained bag, which the gnome identifies as a Type I Bag of Holding.

5.     2 flasks inside leather pouches.  Both paladin and wizard recognize it as Holy Water.

6.     1 Tanglefoot bag (to Ember)

7.     2 Thunderstones (to Urick and G’leric)

Fayt, feeling much, much better, has departed from Lionel’s watch and comes across the other adventurers in the midst of their plunderings...but just minutes before that, he:

1.     Moves incredibly Silently passing through the hill giant room.

2.     Discovers huge nets cover the crevasse.

3.     Attempts to cross the crevasse by creeping across the headless statue.

4.     The rogue hears a voice in his head say, “Deal my vengeance, reap my rewards”…whilst feeling a burning curiosity to replace the statue’s head.

5.     The hill giants are oblivious to the rogue elf roaming about their domain.  Stupid hill giants.

Fayt rejoins the party, just as they make their way down the hall to the set of double doors.  Below the oddly smiling face of Zagig the Mage are nine metal figurines lined up, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 from left to right.  Below the figures is a strange poem:

A race between the noble dames
is more than just mere games.
They start, of course, from one to nine
But where did they stand at the finishing line?

If this door you wish to pass,
Last is First and First is Last
Secondus and Septimus stumble back one pace
Octus cut in twixt, Quartus speeds up two in the race.
Quintus, obstinate, stands her ground
Tertius reverses, her name well set,
Leaving just one spot for Madame Sextet.

It doesn’t take the party’s smarter, more clever members long to figure out the correct order of the figurines, and the door into the room swings open easily.  Two suits or armor stand on both sides of a fireplace, and a wooden table is strewn with papers in the middle of the room.  Everyone, examining various elements of the room, manage to find themselves facing away from the door they all came through…and it’s poor G’leric that first feels the bite of a blade in his back on a Sneak Attack.  The gnome will spend the next three rounds paralyzed due to some kind of poison on the blade.

As the other players turn and hear the wizard’s gurgled cry for help, a slight, horned figure comes into view.  The creature, a tiefling, has become visible and now appears to be ready for battle.  Ember moves in and deals 10 points of damage, and at that moment the two suits of armor become animated and begin attacking the party as well.  Fayt sprints over to administer a Potion of Lesser Restoration to G’leric, and the gnome is no longer paralyzed.

So, it turns out “Derek” the Tiefling’s game is attacking quick before scurrying around to use the suits of armor in a flanking maneuver.  That, however, only lasts so long, and in a matter of minutes, the evildoer is fleeing for his life out the door.  Fayt gets in one last parting shot just as the tiefling is at the exit, and it’s enough to kill Derek.  Fayt licks the blade once he removes it from the tiefling’s body…ewww.  Must be a rogue thing.

The party continues to kill the suits of armor, and Fayt loots the tiefling’s body, handing over potential magical items to the wizard.  The party exits through the other door in the room…where a few steps down the way is a dead albino rat with a weird marking around its eye.  Ember chucks a pebble at it, to no avail.  Fayt picks it up and stuffs it his backpack…against the advice of the party, it should be said here.  Talk of dead rats and such reminds the paladin that he’s supposed to be collecting ears for the dwarves, and a tiefling’s ear surely has to count for something.

OOG, Emily is drinking a “Dead Guy” beer by Rogue.  Hahaha.

The corridor continues on, before coming to a stop at a wooden door.  It is unlocked, and upon entering, G’leric (in the lead, which seems unusual, but whatever) sees a half-naked woman atop a bed, in tattered clothing, and she cries out for help from the party.  G’leric wonders briefly about her race, as he really is partial to bedding gnomes.  There’s not time for contemplation though as the huge orc at the table in the room stands and shouts, “Intruders!” Then, he draws out his sword and it, like, starts on fire.  G’leric is rough and ready and rushes further in the room…only to disappear from the other players’ view.  It’s a Pit Trap!  Not only does the gnome take fall damage, but also spike damage (at the bottom of the pit as well).  Fayt, ever the quick-thinker, Disables the Device and, chucks some jerky down to G’leric in the pit.

Ember fails a Will save and spends a turn extremely confused by the woman, who claims that she’s the victim in this whole scenario.  She’s just lucky the woman doesn’t try to make out with her.
And oh yeah, G’leric has not been idle.  He casts Summon Monster, and before long, a giant praying mantis materializes out of nowhere.  Party time.  Before long, though:

1.     Urick is rendered unconscious by the flaming-sword-wielding orc blackguard, who’s obviously fighting to the death.

2.     The woman suddenly sprouts FREAKING WINGS out of her back and flees the room.  Had the paladin been more aware, he could have probably told his friends she was a succubus.

3.     The orc dies.

4.     Ember searches the Orc and finds two Serious Wounds potions and an odd-stick looking thingy (which G’leric identifies a Wand of Cure Light Wounds).

5.     The praying mantis airlifts G’leric out of the pit.

6.     Fayt takes the +1 flaming longsword.  It appears to have Corrupt Weapon cast on it, and that means neither Ember nor Urick can handle the weapon in its current state.

7.     Ember searches the table and finds a very interesting report from one Atolamyr to one “The General”…including information about “more troops”.  There is particular sense of unease as the report mentions recent plundering raids being thwarted by “random adventurers”

8.     The party realizes the report is referring to them.

9.     Fayt suggests tampering with the report to create false information.

10. G’leric suggests just putting “I SEE YOU” on the letter.

11. Neither suggestion is taken.  Ember pockets the letter and the party barricades the door.

It’s nighty-night time for the party as they feel mighty wiped out.  After all, two of the group died today…and that’s enough to exhaust anyone.

While everyone’s resting, Fayt looks through the papers he swiped from the tiefling’s desk.  As it turns out, the tiefling was the resident Quartermaster and the papers contain lists of supplies, goods, and other such mundane details.  Nothing juicy at all…

Upon awakening, the group decides to forge on and push through the room’s other entrance on the north wall.  This large space is filled with shelves and is obviously a main storage space.  Able Carter Coaching Company-marked barrels, crates, boxes fill just about every available space.  There’s a chest there as well, and Fayt (naturally) wants to open it and keep every good thing that might be inside…and the good-aligned fighter and paladin have issues issues with that (after all, they have been hired to return these goods).  G’leric sides with the rogue on this issue, and a fierce battle of Rock Paper Scissors then ensues to determine the winner.

G’leric wins, and mercenary behavior wins the day.  The small chest is plundered and a bottle of brandy is added to the rogue’s inventory.

Beyond another door on the far wall of the storage space is a corridor that contains two cell-like rooms.  One is empty and one holds a young man, wearing a heavy cloak.  He sits, staring off vapidly into space while a skeleton holds a bucket near his head.  The young man does not respond when spoken to, nor does the skeleton move to attack when the rogue picks the cell lock and enters...and when the druid readies his bow, still the skeleton does nothing.  The wizard discerns that it is the cloak that somehow has a hold over the man (a robe of powerlessness, actually).  The robe delivers a -10 to Strength and Intelligence, which explains the young man’s comatose-like state. A Heal check by the paladin is useless, as the magic of the robe is more powerful than any of the party members.  Thus, the young man will need to be taken somewhere for further healing.  Ember attempts to identify the man, to no avail, and she finally resorts to searching through his things…finding holy symbols, scale mail, a light mace, and a signet ring, which Lance the druid determines in the symbol of the Temple of Boccob in Greyhawk.

There are no further exits and now seems like a good time as any to return to Greyhawk, to a.) return goods and b.) return the catatonic cleric to his temple.  Much discussion ensues about how to cart everything upstairs, and eventually, G’leric’s Bag of Holding comes into play, as do the chariots from the War Wagon room.  The young cleric is taken to his appropriate temple, and the priests there are extremely glad to see him again.  But hey, some other quick highlights:

1.     Lance the druid straps the emaciated cleric onto his back…and away he goes!

2.     Urick the Lawful Good feels the dwarven doorwardens should be given something…everyone else disagrees, and finally, the dwarves are immensely satisfied with the necklace of orc ears plus the one tiefling ear.

3.     Dwarves give the party permission to come and go as they please.

4.     Urick is reunited with Zeeb.

5.     Thalivar at the Able Carter Coaching Company is simply thrilled at the return of all the goods and awards the party 1,120 gold pieces, each. Jackpot.

6.     The clerics at the Boccobite temple say the young man had been missing for three weeks and the main cleric, “Roger” informs the party they will be in contact soon.

Back then at the Drunken Dog Inn, the party rests and plans on meeting for mimosas and brunch the next morning.   And before that happens, “wish lists” are made by the players, now that they have coin in their purse and dreams in their heads.  The DM promises to research these wish lists and report back on the likelihood of them, soon.  The rogue, in particular, is looking to unload some expensive loot and regain some his basic wealth back.

As they enjoy their Eggs Benedict the next day, a messenger from the Boccobite temple enters and asks that the party come to the temple as soon as they are finished…the young man they rescued yesterday is feeling better and would like to speak with them.

1.     The young man, introducing himself as Altamaic, expresses his immense appreciation as being rescued.  He asks that the party recount their adventures for him, which Ember then does.

2.     Altamaic then informs the party of a secret door that leads to a secret elevator (which the party already knows about).  He goes on to tell of being abducted outside the gates of Greyhawk and questioned on levels far below the surface of the Castle Greyhawk’s ruins by a man referred to as “The General”.

3.     He lasts remembers a soft robe and a bony-faced man feeding him a few times a day.

4.     He reiterates his appreciation and gifts the entire party with a metal token…that players can trade in at any time for a 5^th level or lower spell to be cast upon them (a permanent spell).  Huzzah, Boccob!

The good feeling continues outside the temple as the party departs…suddenly all players feel very strong and capable…as if they’ve just leveled up!

Sidebar - The Last Time The Druid Visited Greyhawk

(The young man playing the character of the druid turned 11 years old on Sunday last, and for one of his birthday presents, the DM played out an encounter written just for him.  However, the DM will not take credit for the scenario below...all kudos go to Simon!)


Thirty-some years ago...

Strolling casually down The Processional one fine morning in the fair city of Greyhawk, Lance Dallas, a young elven druid, enjoys the mid-morning sunshine and gentle breeze coming off the river.  He enjoys much less, however, the grimy neglect of the city itself; not to mention the ever-present murmur of people all around him.  He's looking for nothing in particular when he Spots a young, well-dressed woman looking about her frantically, as if she appears to be searching for something...

or someone.

Shortly after he sees her, she spots him and practically sprints over, an enormous smile of relief on her face.  "Thank gods I've found you," she cries desperately.  "You've got to come with me, I really need your help," she pleads.  And while Lance is obviously uncomfortable with the young woman pulling on his arm, he can hardly resist her pleas for help.  With a weak, "Uh...okay?", he allows himself to be herded to a large building, where a banner that reads "Greyhawk Canine Society - Competition TODAY!" hangs above the entrance.

However, that's not the only thing to catch Lance's attention.  The entrance is blocked by a multitude of shaggily-dressed protesters who are carrying placards that say "Four Legs Good" and "Canine Power" and "Down with Dog Exploiters".  As they get closer, Lance's decent Spot check allows him to see that a significant number of the protesters are half-gnolls...grotesque, hyena-looking humanoids.  They shout taunts as the young woman rushes Lance inside, where complete chaos greets the druid.  People are rushing to and fro, and the sound of barking dogs and frazzled owners overwhelm Lance immediately.

The druid quickly realizes he has been plucked off the street to act as the judge for this disorganized pell-mell circus of a competition.  And why?  Did his fine Elven features give him away?  His stained natural hide armor? His crude, natural weapons?  His forest-green garb?  Any and all of those, probably, he mused.  That day would come (not soon enough, in Lance's honest opinion) when he'd get his Large animal companion (he wanted a lion so desperately), and there'd be NO doubt in people's mind that he was indeed a druid.

At any rate, the young woman steers Lance to an empty chair at a table, where a mug of ale and a sandwich await.  Soon after, a pompous-looking slick approaches to shake his hand vigorously.

"Donnywood.  Frank Donnywood.  Show coordinator!  So so so glad to have you here.  We were in a bit of a spot, what with our last judge...but, ah well, never mind that..." the man says.  Lance discerns a little suspicion and unease in the man's voice, but decides against saying anything, much less asking about that last judge.

"Your job is quite simple.  Our six contestants will enter the arena here with their canine, you will examine it, and assign it a score.  The highest score wins, of course."  Here, Frank Donnywood's grin gets a little too big and false-looking.  "This is all a very good-natured, civilized event, you see, and therefore, it's important we demonstrate goodwill and compassionate towards our contestants.  So, no killing, maiming, jinxing, etc. of the participants!"  And with that, he rushes off, clapping his hands together and shouting, "Ten minutes to showtime, people!"

Lance remains at the table, a little agape and taken aback at this sudden turn of the morning's events.  Three people then accost him at his judge's seat in very rapid succession:

1. A pigtailed, wide-eyed little girl named Melissa shyly tells Lance that her mother is very ill and that she hopes to win the competition with her puppy "Colin" because then, she can buy medicine and heal her mom.  Lance smiles uneasily upon the child, who really is just too saccharin to be true, especially after she places a brownie on the table next to his mug of ale, and simpers at Lance before edging away.

2. A well-dressed, extremely self-satisfied man approach the table and introduces himself as Lord Andrew Utgart.  He informs Lance that judging this contest should be very very easy since his dog, Pippin Marmalade Hogswaggle the Ninth won last year, and therefore, is the prime standout to take the crown home again this year.  A few comments about upstanding bloodlines later, he drops a small leather pouch onto the table, and Lance does a well enough Listen check to know he's hearing the sound of coin hit the table.

3.  Shortly after, a pleasant-looking, but dumpily dressed older woman rushes up, glaring in the direction of Lord Andrew.  She hisses that Lord Andrew is a scoundrel, a snob, and an all-around "very terrible" man.  Then, she brightens up and introduces herself as Ducky D'Wynter.  And although she says she's distant nobility, even Lance takes in her shabby appearance with a skeptical eye.  At any rate, she's not so much about winning as she's about keeping Lord Andrew from doing so.  She also drops a little jingly next to Lord Andrew's leather pouch.

Lance may not be the tallest fir in the forest, but even he knows exactly what's going on here.  Bribery!

When the contestants enter, Lance asks them to "Walk", "Shake" and "Speak"...meanwhile rolling a d20 + 8 (Knowledge: Nature) for their "score".  And honest to gods, the following judging highlights presented below are taken word for word from the 16-year-old paladin scribe's notes.

1. Wuffles, Lord Vertunarare...?
2. Weirdo teenager McBaggins with stupid kobold dog
3. Weirdo homeless wizard dude with weirdo zombie dog...Dr. Dreadlocks
4. Lord Andrew McDufus with Pip Pip (who appears to be suffering from a broken leg that is being covered up by a painkiller)
5. Ducky the Wucky with her cute puppy, Pokey Pee, suxs at commands, pees on Lance and sniffs his crotch.
6. Melissa (scribe added words 'drug dealer' in parenthesis here) and "Colin", who has red eyes, flames out of mouth (WTF like dragon!), is actually Hellhound (Lance's Knowledge: Arcana), SCARY

It's the roll of the dice and addition of the scores that finally render The Weirdo Zombie Dog the winner.  Things seem like they're about to get crazy, what with an overemotional, near-suicidal Lord Andrew and vindictive Hellhound on the loose...when the front doors of the hall burst open and the half-gnoll protesters enter the arena, hoisting their placards high into the sky and demanding the contest be shut down IMMEDIATELY.

Lance, however, could not give two flips about this new, potentially dangerous development.  He's Searching out the crowd for the little pig-tailed girl, Melissa. He seems bent on learning more about her.  Of course, in the throng of teeming people, he doesn't roll high enough to see her, although he spots the Hellhound cornering a protester off to one side.  He runs outside, perhaps with the idea that he'll see her leaving the premises, but that proves fruitless as well.  He's about to head down the street and return to his lodgings when he bumps into Tilly, who sports a black eye and cut across one cheek.  Lance is rather surprised to see her smiling madly, as if she's just had the time of her life.  She tells Lance he did a marvelous job and that the event itself went relatively well, all things considered.  She gives him a quick peck on the cheek (the scribe includes the sidenote of "LOL") and shoves a nice, hefty leather pouch into his hand...payment, she says, for his services today.

Upon inspecting his goods, Lance finds the following:

1. In the pouch from Lord Andrew is 80 copper coins that had been painted gold

2.  Ducky D'Wynter's pouch contains 3 gold pieces, 60 silver pieces, and one pretty blue-green gem that appears to be a basic piece of seaglass.

3. 25 gold pieces are the contents of the third pouch, the one from Tilly.

Lance inspects the brownie and detects some malevolence about it...but whether it's a poison of some sort or just a burnt bottom, he is unable to tell.  The scribe, however, takes some creative liberties with the baked good and proclaims it to be a "pot brownie mixed with ashes of the little girl's ancestors".

And that is perhaps why Lance has not set foot back in the Free City of Greyhawk in many, many years.

The Greyhawk Expedition - The Dungeon Awaits

The DM/scribe spent last week out West visiting relatives, and so yesterday and today was all slapdash, hurly-burly preparation for this afternoon's session.  Our new additions were willing to play again...and oh, was the honeymoon about to be over.
 
Lest you forget...

Brent: G'leric, a gnome wizard, and G'at the bat
Spencer: Urick, a human paladin, and his mount, Zeeb 
Emily: Ember the Executioner, a human fighter
Elliot: Lance Dallas, an elf druid, and his familiar, Lionel 

Dan: Fayt Vaanil, a elf rogue

At the session last, the party had reconvened in the trees to decide upon the next course of action after the dwarven guardhouse escape, and there was much talk of double-crossing the Wartower Wardens so as to avoid the one-quarter fee.  Fayt then does a little Diplomatic handiwork in which Stillguar finally agrees to charge the PCs nothing if they can clear the dungeon levels of any orcs.  Oh...those famous contract agreements...usually the beginning of the end...or something like that.

1. Urick, the paladin, chooses to leave his trusty mount behind for the dungeon crawl, and as everybody knows A Paladin without his mount is like a day without sunshine.  Right?  Hopefully, it's not a sign of bad things to come.

2. The dwarves ask the players to complete inventory cards for their records, and it occurs to some of the players now that these overbearing, do-nothing dwarves could take their rules and regulations and shove them where the the torch don't shine.

3. Grebold leads the crew around the back, where the Tower of War's ruins still present an impressive view in the gray morning. A 10-foot pit has been dug in front of the massive wooden doors (which are carved with designs of chariots, war hounds, etc).  The chasm is unjumpable, and Grebold offers the use of two two-foot-wide wooden planks that function as a bridge of sorts.

4. Upon pulling the planks back across the pit for safekeeping, Ember rolls a poor Strength check and drops one of the planks into the 30-foor deep pit below.  Fortunately, the sound is only wood on dirt, and not wood on water or wood on metal spikes or worse, wood on dangerous creature's teeth.  The plank is left to be dealt with later.

There is much discussion and many things to think about, because now the party has been charged with two tasks: to return stolen goods to the Able Carter Coaching Company and kill orcs.  Sounds like good times ahead.

But first, the huge wooden doors that prevent entry into the ruins.  G'leric notices right off that these doors are not, in fact, Pella doors.  Most of the characters try Strength checks and fail to open the doors, even when they team up together.  G'leric, the tiny fun-sized gnome, gets in on the fun, and strains an arm muscle in the process of trying.  Eventually, the group decides to use the primal strength of Lionel and have him pull the door open with G'leric's Amazingly Heavy Rope.  It works, but Lionel has to roll successful Strength and Balance checks to do so.  No problem for the massive feline.

Upon pulling the creaking doors open and entering the huge chamber, the group sees a two-level room, and some 60 feet away, is a wagon that has begun to roll towards them.  Atop it, a swordwraith rides along with two warhorse skeletons.  Another two swordwraiths on similar mounts begin to ride at them from the lower level.  And the paladin is as happy as a clam in June because - UNDEAD CREATURES!  A paladin lives for turning undead creatures.  However, this young paladin's greenness is evident as he fails his first two turn checks...perhaps he wasted all his energy on shouting cockily, "I got this!" when he figured out there was undead about.

It's apparent that the wagon's driver is intent on trampling the players, and players are intent on getting the hell out of the way and getting into battle positions. And, let the good times roll, shall we?

1. G'leric wastes no time in casting Summon Monster...and the party is totally unfazed as a giant freaking centipede suddenly poofs into the room.

2. In moves that would evoke envy in the Cowardly Lion, Lionel claws and bites at one warhorse skeleton...leaving it in a very wobbly condition.  Make no bones about it.

3. Urick finally gets Turning right, and one rider-horse combo is completely vaporized.

4. The wagon rolls to a stop and the driver attempts to back the wagon up in order to trample...this time, Lance the Druid is caught under the wheels and takes a fair bit of trample damage.

5. The huge centipede misses his Bite attack.

6. Lionel does some more massive bite/claw damage to a horse, and the shifty little gnome wizard edges in with his quarterstaff for a hit at the knees.  Shortly after, the warhorse perishes and G'leric lifts his arms up exultantly in what is to become his signature "kill" move...never mind that he didn't actually deal the kill blow.

7. Ember does what she does best and kills a couple of wraiths who are stupid enough to stand around.  Then, she looks around helplessly, looking for more victims so as not to waste her Great Cleave feat.

8. Urick puts the final wraith out of its misery, but not before Lionel fumbles a Bite check and injures his master, Lance.

A body Search turns up a number of longswords, which Urick stacks fastidiously up against the wall near the door.  Fayt appraises the wagon and the eight chariots on the upper level, and it turns out that these here whips would sell for 7,500 and 5,000 gps...respectively.  The rogue, however, is bothered by some little gem of information he feels he ought to remember when it comes to these chariots, but that is just not coming to him right now.  The druid asks for healing and then complains about how few hit points are restored to him by the paladin...talking about biting the hand that heals you, sheesh.

There are two ways to go from this room: out of a door on the west wall, and down the stairs near the upper level of the hall.  The party opts to investigate the door first, which leads outside to the stables.  Several living horses are tied up there, and Lance and Ember Search a pile of wood off to one side.   Blotches of orange and black peek out of the jagged planks and pieces, and it's obvious to the druid (by means of his Track feat) that these coaches met a terrible fate at the hands of pillaging orcs.

Back in the main hall, G'leric realizes the chariots and wagon have a special magic on them...and if they are removed from the ruins, swordwraiths will manifest nightly to hunt down the thieves.  Hm.  Something to think about, for sure...but not now...later.  Fayt suggests leaving the chariots with the dwarves to "get them back", as it were, until the rogue FINALLY remember that little tidbit of information from earlier - the dwarves know about the hunting swordwraiths too.  Dammit.

Everyone would have to be blind not to see the openly muddy bootprints that lead down the stairs.  Orc tracks, of course.  One flight down the footprints abruptly disappear into a wall instead of continuing down the stairs.  Poor Search checks all around turn up nothing, and only when a couple of the party members attempt the check again is a Secret Door revealed....

MORE STAIRS!  Like twelve flights!  Everyone Moves Silently, of course.  The stairs end abruptly onto a slightly-ajar stone door.  When the rogue pushes it open further and peeks around it, he sees a 10' by 10' chamber with nothing but a moldy pile of hay in one corner...and an ungodly smell of filthy, rotting flesh.  Fayt pokes at the haypile and uncovers bones.  Heal checks allows Ember to determine that they are in fact "bones".  A closer look reveals that they are human, elf, and dwarf bones...that they are at least 20 years old...and many of them have been scored by what looks like teeth marks.

Exiting the room leads to a hallway, and players can see four more doors down the length of it. The south end is cluttered with boxes, crates, and barrels of all sizes.  While several of the players mean to check out the contents of the boxes et al, Ember decides to veer off to examine an exit on the left..and good for her as she peeks into a kitchen and sees orcs moving back and forth, preparing a meal for others.  The fighter continues to Move Silently and the kitchen orcs neither see nor hear her.  Meanwhile, Fayt and Urick investigate the other rooms not blocked by boxes, turning up nothing but more moldy hay and bones.  G'leric and Lance are looking at the contents of the various crates, finding things like bags of flour, sugar, etc.  G'leric especially notices the boxes are devoid of dust, meaning they've only just been placed here recently.  Interesting.  Lance wonders if any of the items here are on the Able Carter Coaching Company's "Goods Missing" list...and the DM reminds the party they did not actually return to the ACCC and obtain the supply list from Thalivar.

Craaaap.

Anyway.


Fayt, returning from his room Search, sees an open barrel of ale and plants his face right in it...just in time for Ember's return from her little trip.  She informs the party of what she's seen in the kitchen, and the party acts accordingly.

The paladin pulls out his sword and the wizard pulls out his quarterstaff, resigned to doing his duty, and tells the party "he will take care of it."  Listen checks at the kitchen door reveals sounds of feasting and general merriment, and OOG, Spencer's pot of macaroni and cheese water boils over.  G'leric's exceptional Listen check puts the orc count between three and seven.  The kitchen at present is deserted and a fierce, but quiet, debate rages about how to fight the orcs.  The party enters, except for Lance, who decides to remain outside and morph into an animal - a lion.  Fayt sidles across the room for a slice of roast pork and another dip of ale (there is a hallway that leads to another room - the feasting sounds are definitely from here), and when Urick attempts the exact same thing, a loud roar of "INTRUDERS!" erupts from the adjacent dining area.  It would appear the bad guy's Spot checks outdid the paladin's Hide check.  And here we go...

1. G'leric finishes casting Summon Monster again, and a fiendish dire wolf appears suddenly in the hallway that leads to the feasthall.  Sweet.

2. A huge, hulking, smelly half-ogre captain and four orcs are hostile and have no intention of letting our party go peacefully amid the haste and noise.

3. Urick the Paladin shouts "For Heironeous!" as he enters the fray, and there is some confusion as to whether he meant: "Heinous" or "Uranus" or the fighter's suggestion, "Hermione!"

4. The dire wolf bites at one orc and kills it.

5. The half-ogre captain is practically foaming at the mouth as he hacks away at the fighter (and paladin), and it is realized that Ember and Urick are up against a raging barbarian.

6. "Bring it, ugly" is cried by the paladin in an attempt to divert the blows from the fighter.  If anything, it ticks off the half-ogre more and he slices viciously at the fighter, rendering her unconscious.  On the bright side, though, with the fighter on the floor, the barbarian gets no more concealment from her, which allow the rogue to open fire with his crossbow without penalty.  A noble sacrifice on the part of Ember.

7. Two massive lions (and little G'leric) enter the room to join the fight.  The wizard fires his crossbow and while the lion brothers attack.

8. Using his awesome Smite Evil, the paladin magnificently separates the half-ogre's head from his body and Lays Healing Hands on the fighter.  She is now conscious, but feeling pretty darned shaky.  Soon after, the paladin sets about the task of cutting off the orcs' right ears, as evidence for the dwarves upstairs.  Gross thing, though, he just stuffs them in his backpack, no gauze or Ziploc baggie or anything!

9. G'leric wanders over to the still-prone fighter with a cup of ale, saying, "You look like you could use a drink." Indeed.

10. Searching the bodies turns up some armor, weapons, and various potions (Lesser Restoration and Cure Mod Wounds).  Ember glugs a Cure potion, and begins to feel much better.

Fayt returns quickly to the last two rooms back in the hallway...the ones that had been blocked by stolen goods.  A Search of haypiles there turns up one old silver candelabra, worth 40 gp once it's cleaned up.  He pockets the goods and says nary a word to anyone.

Upon exiting the kitchen, there are two possible courses of action:

1. Begin to clear the wall of rubble to the players' right...which appears to be a caved-in passageway.  The PCs actually begin to do this, and spend two hours making little headway in the debris before stopping.

2. Follow the uncluttered hallway to the left, which turns a corner some 25 feet hence.

After #1 proves to be fruitless, the PCs move on to #2.  Fayt's Spidey Trap-Sense is tingling but an inadequate Search check turns up nothing.  Only when Fayt steps closer to the doors just around the corner and hears the ominous tell-tale 'click', does he realizes what's going on.  A slab of stone slides down to take the place of the exit and the wall on the far side (some 10 feet away) begins to slide towards them.  A Spellcraft check (a quick one, really) on the part of the wizard reveals that while the trap is mechanical, there is an element of magic that seals the doors in front of them once the trap is set off.

The rogue is under a slight amount of duress now as he must Disable the Device before he and his party are crushed between a heavy stone slab and heavy, magic-sealed, wooden doors.  Space is becoming very limited and claustrophobia is about to set in when Fayt manages to stop the device and open the doors in front of them.  Another corridor is in front of our group, and there is a small stream of stagnant water along the length of it.  At the western end, the corridor appears to abruptly come to a halt, and it is the rogue who finds a secret door there that leads into an elevator room.  The hand-cranked ascending elevator is in good working order, while the descending elevator shaft is choked with rubble and debris, making it useless.  Boxes, crates, and other packages litter this room, and upon opening them, the players find small goods: shields, daggers, light weapons, basic rations, etc.  Some of the boxes are branded with the letters 'ACCC' on their sides, and isn't that swell?


Moving back out of the elevator and into the water-filled corridor, the party moves east, towards another set of double wooden doors.  G'leric is the only one who rolls a decent Listen check, and he opts to sneak through the unlocked doors and peek his head around the corner to survey the scene.  A huge room, some 65-feet long, contains at least two orcs and one hill giant (that the gnome can see in his haste).  After a quick discussion about a plan of action, G'leric creeps back to the room and lobs a Fireball at the hill giant he can see.  The smell of singed giant hair and flesh soon fills the air, and while the giant is not dead by a long shot, he is incredibly ticked off.  He sends two orc henchman off in search of the party, which is exactly what our players wanted.  The party hustles back to the elevator room to await the orcs to burst in and meet their makers, as it were.  Except...

1. The paladin's Listen check tells him the orcs have taken the other route, instead of directly coming to them.  They are on the way back towards the kitchen area.  So, hastily, Urick exits the room in hot pursuit to lure the orcs back.  And, while the paladin is quick, orcs are quicker, and it is in the feasthall where Urick finally catches up.  He yells at them and takes off, and of course, without delay, the hunter becomes the hunted.

If you're reading this carefully, you'll understand why this is about to become a big problem for the paladin.

1. The Compacting Trap from earlier has reset...just in time to be re-set off by the paladin.
2. His Disable Device ranks are practically nonexistent.
3. He bangs furiously on the doors in the hopes his party will hear him.
4. Hermione is definitely on Urick's side - Fayt hears the noise and comes running.
5. At least a half-dozen failed Disable Device rolls on the part of the rogue enable him to hear the agonizing screams of Urick as he takes 34 points of squish damage.  He does finally get the door open and the paladin practically collapses into his arms.
6. A frenzied rush back to the elevator room allows all the players to move into position for attack, and they will all get one attack of opportunity since they'll be surprising the orcs.
7. The orcs meet their death at the hands of G'leric and his Scorching Rays.
8. In a scenario that makes one STH and say, "well, isn't that ironic?", suggestions of "lay hands on yourself" to the weakened paladin prove to be fruitless; Urick realizes he only gets to lay on hands ONCE a day.
9. Instead, he is given a Cure potion and feels marginally better.

The rogue volunteers to venture out and lure the other two orcs into the room, and when they finally arrive, our brave adventurers are simply on fire with their Attack rolls.  Ember and Fayt score Criticals while G'leric gets the kills with well-placed Magic Missiles.

The entire party moves back to the elevator room and several minutes pass while the group debates on the next course of action.  It's apparent the group could really do with some rest and hit point restoration, and that is exactly what happens next.  With someone stationed on watch, the group hunkers down in the elevator room for a bit of sleep.  Fayt the rogue elf takes first sleep, and when he's done with his four hours, Lance Dallas crashes out...and Fayt the Rogue decides to investigate a secret door the party found earlier in the searches, but were unable to open.

And that is how the sun goes down on the second full day of the Greyhawk adventures.  Two jobs, two hill giants, and one secret is what awaits our valiant party tomorrow!

The Greyhawk Expedition – Dinner and the Tower

    This particular gaming session brought a couple of observers…friends of the DM: Emily and her BF, Dan.  Both have relatively little D&D experience, but oh boy, are they about to be thrown into the thick of things…

And why not, really?

   Taking over the playing of Krispy the Fighter is Emily, and Dan decided to take the Player’s Handbook and make himself a new character. And just like that, we were off.

To remind the readers, here’s our party as it stands:

Brent: G'leric, a gnome wizard, and his familiar, G'at the bat
Spencer: Eric, a human paladin, and his mount, Zeeb
Kirby Emily: Krispy, a human fighter
Elliot: Lance Dallas, an elf druid, and his familiar, Lionel 

Dan: A to-be-introduced-later Elven character

     When last we knew, the party was at the Able Carter Coaching Company, where Thalivar had just offered a hefty reward for the return of any missing/stolen goods.  The late afternoon sun was burning down brightly as the group stood outside the ACCC office, discussing their next move.  Two options were available:
      Head on straight to the castle ruins outside the city of Greyhawk, as all signs seemed to point to there as the place to start.  OR head back to the Drunken Dog Inn for dinner with Ricard Damaris, the proprietor.  While the group is pondering this, the fighter simply appears out of nowhere right beside them (much in the manner of Harry Potter or similar).  The party exchanges mildly surprised greetings with Krispy, but are otherwise non-affected by the sudden appearance.

     In the end, the group opts for dinner, and the DM exercises her power of Time Fast Forwarding, and it is immediately eight pm.  The atmosphere of the pub/inn is much more lively and animated.  Shouts of ‘Ho, there!’ carry across the room as Ricard spots the party and gestures them over to sit at the six-top where he presides.  Lance does an incredible Spot check on the evening barmaid and realizes she’s an elf, like him.  Urik’s horrible Spot check enables the paladin to do nothing but look at the elf’s breasts…but being a paladin, he feels guilty and looks away immediately.

     Ricard recounts for his friend, a man sitting next to him, in a great, booming voice, the events of the attack that morning and of his noble rescue by the players.  Then, he asks to know more of the characters themselves; Urik states he is here to see Riggby’s body in its funeral state, Lance is here to study animals (Ah! exclaims Ricard, then I will take you someday to see Lord Henway’s menagerie…quite the collection of exotic animals he has!) and Krispy informs Ricard she was hired by the paladin’s parents to protect him on his travels.

     The barmaids bring food and drink (prompting the players OOG to retrieve their own victuals and libation in the form of meat and cheese and crackers and some home-garden salsa).

     The Lord’s Table conversation turns to the other man sitting at the Lord’s Table.  He states that his name is Elten and that he is a City Watch Agent.  This piques G’leric’s interest and he attempts a Bluff, stating that he too is a City Watch official.  When it’s obvious that Elten’s not buying it, the gnome gets goofy and laughs it off…which impels Krispy to declare the wizard’s had too much to drink.  The DM has the fighter roll a Bluff check for fun, and Elten is far far far too clever to fall for Krispy’s lies.

      Eventually, most of the party notices four figures enter the bar, and all are wearing rough brown robes, like those of an ascetic monk order.  They move from patron to patron, speaking to each (or trying to) and gesticulating wildly at times.  It seems they have some kind of urgent message, but it also seems like most of the patrons are rather uninterested. G’leric casts Message, which allows him to speak telepathically with a target for 10 minutes per level (nearly an hour and a half in this case).  However, he has to point at the target whilst he speaks, which just slightly ruins the effect.  The wizard, so as not to make it too obvious, sends the cryptic message of “I see you.”  All four robed figures hear the message and look around for the source, but to no avail as the wizard lowers his hand and resumes looking casual.  The paladin does a Detect Evil and senses no evil intent among the group of men.  Krispy decides it’s time for another pint of ale and meanders over to the bar…very close to the group of brown-robed crazies.  A good Listen check allows Krispy to hear snippets of talk like, We are the clerics of St. Cuthbert, the eyes of the Evil One are upon the city of Greyhawk, prepare for the reckoning…

      Krispy makes her way back to the table and shares the Armageddon talk with the rest of the group, asking if anyone knows about a St. Cuthbert.  Urik (after a decent Knowledge: Religion check) explains St. Cuthbert is a god of revenge and retribution, and while he’s LAWFUL neutral alignment, most of his followers are good since usually evildoers are the ones who break laws.  However, even the good ones can go overboard…

     Like Krispy the fighter, who decides inviting the religious nuts over for a drink would be a good idea.  The barmaid is prevailed upon for more chairs, and Ricard takes a moment from his conversation with Elten to watch the new development at his table.

     Lance is prevailed upon to provide more information about Krispy’s eavesdroppings about “The Evil One”, and he recalls the local lore of Greyhawk and an evil demigod named Iuz (the paladin nods his head as Lance tells it, he recalls the stories as well) who was imprisoned by Riggby the cleric many years ago.  And now that Riggby has passed on, the time is ripe for Iuz to seek revenge upon the cleric and the city he held dear.  The brown-robed clerics approach the party and say many of the same things Lance has said, albeit in a lot more raspy, agitated, and cuckoo tones of voice.  They advise (rather loudly at this point) that Greyhawkians should abandon the city if they treasure their lives.  And just as it seems that the you-know-what is about to get real, Ricard bounds over and shoos the clerics down from the table and out the door.  He returns, smiling and laughing, claiming those rascals come in about once a week, preaching the same message of revenge.  The party lets the incident go…for now.

     Not long after this, a Spot check by the party denotes about a half-dozen young people have come in the door.  They retrieve pints from the bar and sit at a nearby table, glugging the ale immediately in one go.  Not that this is terribly out of place at The Drunken Dog Inn, but these kids seem awfully young…prompting Lance the elf to reflect that “I’m like their grandparent.” The kids are already on their second tankard and appear to be drinking it nearly as fast, and the party discusses for a moment what they should do…if anything.  The Drunken Dog Inn crowd is not what one would call an academic, studious bunch; it’s entirely possible things could get out of hand.  But, eventually, the party decides they are not being paid to babysit and head upstairs to their rooms for the night.

******************** THE NIGHT PASSES UNEVENTFULLY *************************

     The next morning, the party arrives down at the inn for breakfast (eggs and biscuits and gravy, it would seem), and in an instance of a late-night identity crisis, Krispy declares she will now be known as Ember the Executioner.  OOG, Emily likens her sudden change to what Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner is experiencing in today’s world.

 
     The party sits down to eat in the near-empty sitting area.  There is only one other patron in the Drunken Dog Inn, a slight-of-build yet striking elf is seated at another table…and he is watching the party with interest.  G’leric, the ever-friendly gnome, says, “I see you”…to which the elf responds cheerily with, “I see you too!”  He asks to join the party at their dining table and proceeds to tell them a sorrowful tale about a group of students who met a tragic end last night in this very barroom.  As it goes, according to the elf, the students had been drinking and aggravating the patrons, to which point the main young aggressor found a knife shoved in his back.  A moment of silence ensues as the party mulls this over, no doubt considering what they might have done to prevent it (or not).

     The dark-haired elf is not one to dwell on sadness, because he moves on quickly, asking, “So, what’s up right now?” (Make no mistake, this elf may be 234 years old, but he still knows the lingo of the young people)  The elf goes on to tell the party he is a trader, recently being the victim of an ambush and subsequent theft, and G’leric conducts a Sense Motive check.  For all practical purposes, the elf appears to be telling the truth, but G’leric is going to play that information close to the vest for now.  

     The general idea of the morning is to visit the Castle ruins and attempt to track down the goods of the Able Carter Coaching Company.  The elf, perhaps feeling like this party’s a little short on manners, finally introduces himself as Fayt.  The other characters greet him, and because that’s how the dice roll, the orc-hewing, tough-as-hell female fighter finds herself a little on the smitten side with this newest party addition. Oooh la la.

     Elves know their stuff when it comes to adventuring, obviously, because Fayt is the one who suggests shopping for adventuring supplies.  G’leric is in desperate need of rope, and so the group trudges on down to the Petit Bazaar to find some.  Sometimes the universe has a funny little sense of humor as G’leric purchases rope that is actually too heavy for his little gnome self to carry and thus, passes the new purchase to the meaty paladin for safekeeping.

     Zeeb and Lionel do the lion’s (and the zebra’s) share of grunt work as they ferry their party of adventurers to the fabled ruins of Castle Greyhawk, some hour or so north of the city.  The party is keen to point out Zagig’s bridge, the place of Ricard’s rescue just 24 hours previous.  A gray fog has settled in around the party as they traverse the path, and within minutes the crumbly ruins of what once might have been a great tower looms up in the near distance.  Lance seems to recall from some deep reserve of old Greyhawk lore that there may have once been three towers here, despite the presence of only one tower at present.  The wizard and paladin cast various Detect spells, and while there is no sense of immediate evil, both Urik and G’leric are unsettled by the stillness and dense fogginess of the environs.  Ember, always the fighter, has her greatsword at the ready.

     If the party is paying any kind of attention to the new guy, they’ll realize that the elf indeed has a pretty particular set of skills…in the area of ROGUE.  Fayt branches off to the right and keeps near the trees that skirt the ruins while the rest of the group continues along carefully into the clearing.  Fayt eventually rejoins the party, informing the group that it is ominously quiet, enough to alarm the rogue elf into pulling out his bow and arrow.  Lance the druid announces that he remembers that once upon a time, three great towers stood here: a Tower of Magic, a Tower of War, and the Tower of Zagig.  However, the Tower of War is all that remains…or that can be seen at any rate.  G’leric sends G’at out on a recon mission, and the bat returns to confirm the druid’s story – there are three sets of ruins, but G’at was unable to see more than shadowy outlines through the mist.  The druid also notices wagon wheel tracks leading up to the Tower of War (the only visible tower).

  
     Move Silently checks by the party determine that only the rogue and the druid are careful and quiet enough to advance closer to the tower for a closer look…everyone agrees the poor MS check by the fighter is a good enough reason to leave her behind for now.  Lance and Fayt creep close and notice a squat blockhouse positioned in front of the tower ruins…it’s obvious that the blockhouse is nicer and newer than the ruins…signs that the structure was built long after the tower.  Both characters see a lone dwarf standing the door as a sentryman, but to their delight, he has not noticed them, even though they are within one hundred feet.  Lance decides to return to the party and bring them around through the trees. Fayt hears the post dwarf whistling and opts to stride up, confidently, to the guardhouse door, to engage the dwarf in an interlude that looks a little like this:

F: Good day!

D: Well met, are you looking for entry into the Tower of War?

F: I am an explorer.

D: Ah, well! Then you come to the right place.  The Tower here is only the beginning of innumerable treasure to be found within in the depths of the dungeons here. 

F: Can I take a look around?

D: We are the Wardens of the Wartower, and none shall pass without our permission.  Come with me and I will take you to see our Guild Head, Stillguar.

The dwarf still maintains a sense of civility, and Fayt follows the dwarf inside the blockhouse. 

Meanwhile…

     The rest of the party approaches the ruins, and G’leric speaks with G’at, who informs his human that Fayt has gone inside with a dwarf.  Ember and G’leric listen at the door, rolling well enough Listen checks to hear the low tones of dwarves talking in relatively calm, friendly terms, but not well enough to discern the topics of conversation.  The blockhouse wall is roughly seventy-five feet long, and Ember can see windows at various intervals.  The party decide to move quietly down to one of the windows, some fifty feet down the way, and trying peeking in.

     Fayt, seated on a stool in the guardhouse common room, awaits the arrival of Stillguar.  A few other dwarves and other various humanoids are seated at tables in this room, smoking pipes, drinking out of a tankard, playing cards - the atmosphere is jovial.  Fayt has no problem with a Listen check, but he does not discern any piece of information of value.  It’s clear that while the dwarves here are friendly, they certainly aren’t free with their topics of conversation.   The dwarf who brought Fayt in has now disappeared into one of two doors on the southeast side of the room.

     It is widely know that wizards have a special, “favored” spell, and it seems that G’leric’s is Invisibility Sphere.  Casting it on the whole party, the group moves down the blockhouse wall to a window fifty down from them.  This is super-effective as it allows the party to peer into the windows and get a handle on the situation without alerting the dwarves to their presence.  The window provided a look into a room that resembles a dining area, complete with tables and chairs and cupboards around the walls.  G’leric volunteers to go through the open window and check out the scene further.

     The gnome gets a few feet through the large room and is beginning to sneak down a corridor when he passes gas.  There are several doors leading to small room all along the corridor, and when none of these doors open in alarm of the noise, G’leric breathes a sigh of relief (though he does not inhale right at this moment) and continues to a closed door at the end of the corridor. A solid Listen check indicates that there are humanoids in the room beyond, but their sounds of those of joviality, etc. Very carefully, he opens the door into the large common area beyond.

     Fayt has been sitting quietly on his guest stool, just as instructed, when he notices the one of the two doors open slightly before shutting quietly.  The dwarves in the room do not notice this, and the elf surmises someone has either entered or exited the room, unseen.  But before he can ruminate too much longer on this, the other door opens a rough-looking dwarf enters with the dwarf who brought Fayt in.

S: Grebold here says you wish to enter the Tower?

F: Yes.

S: We will allow you passage, but you will bring me a quarter of whatever you bring back with you to the surface.

     Fayt, in typical cagey rogue fashion, does not answer yes or no, but instead informs one of the card-playing dwarves, “Hey, he’s got an ace there,” on his way out the door.  G’leric realizes he’s in a bit of a sticky situation now, and carefully makes his way back through the door he came in. 

But, he's not careful enough.  A decent enough Spot check by the card-playing dwarves allows them to see a door randomly open...and then randomly shut.  And there's nobody there to do either of those things.  Thus, the investigation is on.  Fortunately, G'leric realizes this, and casts Ghost Sound, summoning the loud roar of a lion to distract/throw off his pursuers.  But what he wasn’t quite prepared for was the druid’s familiar, Lionel, who answers the Ghost Sound with a mighty roar of his own.  Things seems like they could fall quite apart here, but G’leric hustles back to the window he came through and hisses to Urik to throw the rope to him.  Excellent teamwork abounds as the party outside makes short work of hoisting the gnome back through the window. 

The gnome instructs the party to hustle back out to the treeline for cover.  Once everyone is safe and sound, G’leric informs the group that Fayt is also okay…as just said person is seen moving back towards them.  The rogue informs the party of the Wartower Wardens’ terms, and not one of the characters seem daunted about having to hand over a quarter share of treasure to a group of card-playing, ale-guzzling, lazy dwarves.

     And with that, the party appears to be on the edge of a night of danger and daring! Until next time!