Chapter #41

previous chapter (#40)                                                                  next chapter (#42)




*****
*  The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
*  1992 by Thomas Miller...copying and distribution of these stories
*  is permissible only under the condition that no part of them will
*  be used or sold for profit.  In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
*****

--------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PARTY:

Alindyar, 7th level drow elf mage (N)
Belphanior, 5th/5rd/6th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
Ged, 6th/6th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
Halbarad, 7th level human ranger (NG)
Mongo Thunderhead, 7th level dwarf fighter (CG)
Peldor, 8th level human thief (N)
Peyote, 6th/7th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
Rob, 7th level human priest of Trithereon (LG)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Date:   6/18/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
Time:   shortly after nightfall
Place:  an unmapped hill fort in the western edge of the Pomarj
--------------------------------------------------------------------


                    XLI.  Taking Out the Trash



  The party ran into some more ogres as they advanced into the
bowels of the fortress...



                N              ______
               W+E          __|      |__
                S        __|            |__
   Party  ___         __|                  |__
             |     __|                        |__
             v  __|         Radius of Soot       |
             __|  /              |               /
      ______|:: __|__            v             __|
     |      |::|     |__       ......       __|
     |      |  | Ogre   |__ ..:    . :.. __|
     | Mess    |  Bunks |  |__  , <{" __|
     | Hall |  |        |     |,;>"^~|  <- Rubble
     |      |  |______  |     |  , ^ |
     |  ____|________   |     |      |
     |   Kitchen   __|  |     |      |
     |______      |     |     |      |
            |_____|     |     |      |
                  |     |     |      |
       TOWER -->  |  *  |     |_    _|
                   \___/        |  |    <----  Main Entryway



:  =  Party (facing the ogres coming out of the Mess Hall)
/  =  Door
*  =  Spiral Stairs going up



Belphanior:  (to ogres)  You will all die.
ogres:  Argh!  (they charge the party - there are seven of them)
Mongo:  Argh yourself!  (charges to meet the ogres)
Belphanior:  (casting a Taunt spell)
Halbarad:  Back, foul humanoids!  (charges with Mongo)
Peyote:  (holds back for now)
Ged:  (casting a Heat Metal spell)  Boccob strikes!
Alindyar:  (casting a Summon Swarm spell)  Do not forget about me.
Rob:  (casts a Spiritual Hammer)  Maybe it'll work this time...
Peldor:  (unable to sneak around anyone for a backstab)  Shit.
Belphanior:  (taunting the ogres)  Nyah nyah!  Stupid shitheads!
ogres:  Reargh!  Kill dat elf!  (they try to get to him, but have
  a bit of trouble, as Mongo and Halbarad are in their way)  Argh!
Belphanior:  Ha ha ha!  You stupid shits!
Halbarad:  (chops an ogre twice, but misses with his dagger)
ogre:  egh...(perishes)
Halbarad:  What a nice battle axe this is.
Alindyar:  The swarm cometh...(a swarm of bugs appears amongst the
  main body of the ogre group)
ogres:  Agh!  Dem bugs!  Get offa me!  Aie!
Ged:  May Boccob melt your armor...
ogres:  (three of them)  Huh?  (their armor is slightly warm)
Rob:  (bashes an ogre with his magical force hammer)  Take that,
  you bully!
ogre:  Agh!  (wounded)
ogre:  (chops at Mongo, but his attack bounces off of the dwarf's
  plate mail)  Urg!  Die, dwarf!
Mongo:  (bashes the ogre, twice, crushing it to a miserable pulp)
  Never!  Out of my way, morons, I'm cleaning house!
ogres:  (terrified of the berserk dwarf)  Aie!

Halbarad:  (chops and stabs an ogre, wounding it grievously)  It
  pays not to be evil, foul ones!
ogre:  Ugh...(drops, clutching his gutted chest)
Belphanior:  (continuing to taunt the ogres as he moves toward
  the main battle)  Idiotic jerks!  Your mothers were halflings!
ogres:  Argh!  Kill that there elf!
Ged:  (casting a Light spell)
Peldor:  (still unable to do anything)  Hey, I wonder if there's
  any treasure around here?
Alindyar:  (pulls out his wand and blasts three ogres with magic
  missiles)  Have some sorcery, my friends.
ogres:  (three that were hit, anyway)  Hey!  That stung!
Mongo:  Ha!  (bashes another ogre, wounding it)  Move it!
ogre:  (hits Mongo, injuring him slightly)  Har!  I'll smash ya
  to bits!
Mongo:  No way!  (clunks the ogre again, felling it)  How many
  will it take to challenge the mighty Mongo?!?
Peyote:  Hey, dude, nice splatter effect.
ogre:  (slashes at Halbarad, nicking him)  Damn!
ogre:  (two of the three affected by Ged's Heat Metal spell -
  the third is dead now)  Agh!  The burning!
Ged:  Ah, I see that you now appreciate Boccob's blessed heat!
  May you be blessed by Boccob's light as well!
ogre:  (a different one)  Huh?  AAAA!  (the light spell is fixed
  on his eyes, and he runs into a wall and then another ogre)
  AAA!
Ged:  Heh heh.  Stupid humanoids.
Belphanior:  (trying to push his way past Halbarad and get an
  attack in)
Halbarad:  Watch it, there.  I'm busy here!
Belphanior:  Well, ex-CUSE me!
Halbarad:  Sure.  (continues meleeing with some ogre)
ogres:  (still being stung by Alindyar's swarm)  Aie!
Rob:  (bashes Halbarad's opponent with his spiritual hammer,
  wounding it)  Clear the way!  We have princesses to rescue!
Peyote:  Gee, this is no fun.  (looking over his character sheet)
  The Trip spell?  What's this for?
Rob:  Hey, I bet I know...

Halbarad:  (chops and stabs his ogre, finishing the job that Rob
  started last round)  Fall, miscreants!
ogre:  (drops)

  ...and so on, and so forth...within another minute, all of the
ogres were dead and the party remained only minimally wounded.
They advanced into a mess hall, and a kitchen was visible through
a doorway.

Peldor:  I'll scope the place.  (begins searching)

  They all checked both rooms, finding a lot of dirty cookware and
food items.  Peldor found a few small gems and decided to give them
all to the party when he realized that Ged was standing behind him.
Heading back out into the hallway, they went south and then east,
and entered a barracks.  This room had bunks for eight ogres, and
a lot of dirt and grime.  Notable loot included a gnawed bone tied
to a topaz (who could know the strange ways of ogres?) and a sack
of nearly three hundred gold coins and nine corals.

Peldor:  Somebody was paying these ogres well.
Belphanior:  Well, let's find whoever it is, and get rid of them.
Peldor:  These corals are nearly worthless.
Ged:  Well, we may use them someday, so shut up.
Peldor:  ...of course, let me be the first to point out that even
  the smallest gems have their uses.
Peyote:  Way to go, dude.
Rob:  We could always donate them to some good temple somewhere.

  To the south was a staircase going up about fifty feet to a
viewing/guard level.  It seemed that the ogres had come down
from here and joined those from the mess hall and barracks to
try and repel the party.

Belphanior:  That means there are more from the OTHER side of
  this place, the second guard tower and such.
Halbarad:  We ought to go and check that area out then, before
  they trap us here.
Belphanior:  Let me stand at the front of the party.  That way
  I can cast a spell at any large group we find.
Mongo:  Bah!  Who needs magic spells?!
Halbarad:  The idea is feasible...
Ged:  (to Mongo)  It's a good idea, really.  Let him try it.
  Besides, you can be there, ready to fight if need be.
Mongo:  Yeah.  Okay, let's go.
Alindyar:  (to Belphanior)  What spell shall you ready?
Belphanior:  The colorful spray...that's a good one.
Alindyar:  Indeed.  I shall prepare mine as well, just in case
  you are unable to stop our foes.
Belphanior:  Sure.  Just stay behind me, though.  At least I can
  defend myself if worse comes to worst.
Alindyar:  Surely.  (they both prepare their spells)

  Thus it was that the party went back into the star-shaped room
and approached its eastern exit...



                N              ______
               W+E          __|      |__
                S        __|            |__
                      __|                  |__
                   __|                        |__    ____
                __|         Radius of Soot       |__|    |______
             __|  /              |               /  | CQ |      |
      ______|   __|__            v             __|  |____\      |
     |      |  |     |__       ......       __|   ____   | More |
     |      |  | Ogre   |__ ..:    . :.. __|   __|    |    Ogre |
     | Mess    |  Bunks |  |__  , <{" __|   __|       |  | Bunks|
     | Hall |  |        |     |,;>"^~|  |  | More Ogre|  |______|
     |      |  |______  |     |  , ^ |  |      Bunks  |  |      |
     |  ____|________   |     |      |  |  |__________|  |Empty |
     |   Kitchen   __|  |     |      |  |   __ __________  Ogre |
     |______      |     |     |      |  |     |          | Bunks|
            |_____|     |     |      |  |     |          |______|
                  |     |     |      |  |     |
       TOWER -->  |  *  |     |_    _|  |  *  |
                   \___/        |  |     \___/
                                      <----  Main Entryway



  As the group marched toward the door, it flew open, and a number
of ogres charged forth in full battle gear.

ogre chief:  (behind the main pack)  Kill them all!!
ogres:  Yah!  (they charge recklessly)
Belphanior:  surprise!  (casts a color spray, downing three ogres)
ogres:  (the three - they fall unconscious)  ...
Alindyar:  There are yet more.  (casts his spell as well, dropping
  five more ogres)
Belphanior:  Fuck.  I'll be damned if you didn't outdo me.
Alindyar:  No matter.
ogres:  (out of nine plus the chief, only one plus the chief remain)
ogre chief:  Argh!  Flee!  Flee!
Mongo:  (hurls his hammer, beaning the chief in the back of the head)
  Where the hell do you think YOU'RE going?!?
Ged:  (casts command)  STOP!
ogre:  (halts)
ogre chief:  ARGH!  What have you done to my troops?!?!
Belphanior:  (charging the chief)  Same thing that we're going to do
  to YOU!
chief:  (backs through the doorway)  Never!  (throws a dagger at the
  elf, hitting him in the shoulder)
Belphanior:  AGH!  That hurt, you fucker!
chief:  (hefts a giant axe; he is in the doorway so that only one
  party member may attack him at a time)  Die, elven scum!

Belphanior:  (slashes the chief, wounding him)
chief:  (chops at Belphanior, but misses)
others:  (somewhat behind Belphanior)
Peldor:  (slicing the other ogres' throats and taking their pouches)

Belphanior:  (misses the chief)
Mongo:  (throws his hammer around Belphanior's head, downing the ogre
  chief)
Belphanior:  Thanks a lot, pal.  I almost had him there.
Mongo:  You're wasting time.  We've got work to do - no time for you
  to play around here!
Ged:  Let's search this place and find whoever's in charge.
Belphanior:  And kill them.
Peldor:  (appears, with a bloody sword and a handful of moneypouches)
  Here you go, guys.
Ged:  Uh-oh.  What's he up to this time?

  They searched the rooms, finding a few hundred more coins of gold
and a large, gem-encrusted amulet.  Mongo pointed out that the ogre
chief's dagger was very nice, and put it into the party's loot sack.
There was another tower on this side of the place, also now empty.
The chief's quarters (locked, but not for long, thanks to Peldor)
contained over three thousand gold coins in a big sack, and some gems
as well.  On one wall was a large iron key, which Mongo grabbed.
Peldor and Ged searched the entire quarters for secret doors, but
found none.

Belphanior:  (looking at the big map)  I want to go back to the big
  star-room and look there.
Rob:  Why?
Peldor:  I think he thinks there's a secret door somewhere in there.
Belphanior:  It seems to be likely, given the architecture of the
  room.
Peyote:  Cool.  Let's have a look.  (they go)

  Sure enough, there was one, at the northern wall of the big room.
The elf rotated the wall ninety degrees and exposed a short corridor
leading to a locked iron door.  The chief's key opened it nicely,
courtesy of Mongo, and the party took a moment to rest before going
around a U-shaped bit of passage and down some stairs.  Rob cast a
Continual Light spell on his weapon and covered the mace with a
thick blanket for now - Mongo and Belphanior wanted to use infra-
vision for as long as possible.





next time:  The dungeons of the mad wizard

ANONYMOUS FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
***********************************************************************
NOTES:  An episode a day keeps everyone happy!
***********************************************************************

previous chapter (#40)                                                                  next chapter (#42)