Through the Looking Glass... Session Three

Date: Friday, September 28, 2001
Players Attending: Dave, Ike (whoo!)
Characters Introduced: none
NPCs Introduced:

• Quinn, unofficial town sage
• Voril, town's blacksmith
• Glendol, local merchant

• Nagrod, orc high chieftain
• Grosh, mighty ogre
• Tavik, evil half-orc cleric and leader of this group

To be written...

Local legend has it...

1. Xiaoyu has disappeared! Much to the party’s dismay, as the new day broke; the feisty sorceress was nowhere to be found. No note, no clues, nothing (at least as far as the party knows)...
2. Yonix has contracted some sort of strange infection that Shandril has been trying to cure. So far, progress is slow and halted, but he seems to be recovering.
3. While Jaroo is out in the marketplace (buying a bullseye lantern from Glendol), he is asked by Shandril to the meeting at Arlen’s house, and also asked to request that other members of the party attend.
4. The party convenes at Arlen’s house, led into the basement where Baran, Shandril and Kath are seated, staring at a map of the region. They are all deep in thought, only commenting as an idea or insight comes to them.
5. Arlen describes the situation in general (from a magistrate’s point of view, no less! yay me for pulling that out of my ass), and Baran discusses the strategies involved behind various approaches to the ruined keep.
6. Kath makes it known that he will be accompanying the party to the Ruined Keep. Baran also mentions that he’s going to send Lauriel to help out, and has requested that Hathol and Jerinor accompany the party.
7. Various discussions between the party and the town council members seated occur. Quinn makes his entrance, the “town sage” of sorts (although he has no official title with the town other than friend). Mentions that the keep was built by a wizard named Eralion, and later mentions that apparently the scribe who has recorded the information made some comments about the possibility a vampire now resides there, possibly Eralion himself.
8. Discussion of this new insight occurs, and Jaroo makes several attempts to leave the table and run away.
9. It is decided (in some part from the prodding from Jaroo ) that the party will provision and rest, and depart in the morning. Jaroo makes a hasty exit, stating that he is off to get supplies, but Kath decides to tag along.
10. Shortly afterwards, Runic makes his exit, bidding farewell to the council and receiving many in return.
11. Jaroo and Kath ask around the marketplace for any silver, but to no avail... they do manage to pick up some flasks for the holy water. Runic buys some supplies as well.
12. While Runic returns to The Drunken Cockatrice, to prepare and get rested, Jaroo and Kath pay a visit to Fairhill’s smithy, Voril. They propose a new idea for a dart that could deliver a payload of liquid through it’s end, and through much hard labour and very late hours, they come up with four silver reservoir darts. Jaroo pays 20 gp, and promises that when he returns, he will help Voril find his daughter.
13. Morning comes and Jaroo is quite nervous about the whole prospect of setting off for a “vampire’s keep”, so Runic does the stoic thing and bolsters Jaroo ’s confidence by regaling him with tales of his own battles. Spirits rise! J
14. The party is about to set off when Jaroo remembers to get some extra stoppers for his silver darts, and Quinn comes running with some new info.
15. Quinn mentions that Eralion was a worshipper of St. Cuthbert, and that the passage also mentioned that his keep was built by demons and held together by magic (hardly comforting). There was something else about “St. Cuthbert”, “Chapel”, “freedom”, and “release” in the passage being described by Quinn, and he hands the players a scroll that he says accompanied the passage, hoping that it will offer them some assistance. Jaroo returns and party sets out for the keep.
16. Lauriel finds the entrance to the trail, and Runic guides them all as best he can, getting a little lost along the way. They emerge at the “back door”, and as luck would have it, Runic spots an orc sentry up in the bell tower.
17. As quietly as possible, Runic and Jaroo set off in opposite directions from the corner of the tower to see what they can see. They reconvene at the trail and decide to try the padlock. They begin to see the sentry guards walking around the keep, so when they have gone, Jaroo manages the lock with the large iron key they took from the body of Kren.
18. Jaroo relocks the door and returns to the party, not confident about entering by himself. The party then plans an ambush of the two guards, making sure to keep them close to the walls in order to keep from view of the sentry in the bell tower.
19. The orcs approach and ambush is sprung! Arrows and bolts from Jaroo and Runic slay their orc, but the arrow from Lauriel doesn’t quite manage to down the creature. Kath and Hathol advance and they creature is slain.
20. Party proceeds quickly and quietly (lucky for the poor rolling of the sentry) to the back door, Jaroo unlocks it and they proceed inside. A disgusting green ooze is seen in the middle of the tower floor, but no one is foolish enough to challenge it.
21. Runic takes the stairs up to the second floor and sees where the sentry is. Jaroo then decides to snipe the sentry out, and to the amazement of all, the orc falls in a heap with a crossbow bolt protruding from his eye!
22. Jaroo makes his way to the tower and discovers the scorpion, which he then proceeds to load. Lauriel and Runic are on the tower when Runic spots the orc on the curtain wall making his rounds.
23. Runic runs to the guardhouse, but then makes his way back as the orc walks along towards him. The orc is ambushed, and unfortunately one of the orcs at the inner courtyard palisade hears and sees what is going on and sounds an alert.
24. Jaroo fires a scorpion bolt and misses, and altogether six orcs storm the Chapel rooftops. Lauriel orders Jerinor to go and help Jaroo , and Hathol and Runic position to start firing arrows at the approaching orcs.
25. Kath initially has some trouble battling the orcs, but regains his battle composure after splitting the skull of one unfortunate orc. Several more scorpion bolts are fired, but none of them are successful.
26. Four more orcs come from the stairwell onto the roof of the Chapel, and Jerinor stands her ground in the tower to protect Jaroo . Many orcs are slain, but more are on the way...
27. Five more orcs proceed from the entrance of the southwest tower and rush the Chapel rooftops, and Tavik, a half-orc priest, emerges from the gloom of the Chapel and welcomes the intruders with a malicious glee.
28. More orcs are slain, and Grosh the Ogre emerges with a bellowing roar from the Southwest tower. Kath renews his battle vigor upon seeing this opponent, and rushes down to meet him.
29. Lauriel manages to get in a hit on Tavik and he prepares some evil spell, but she doesn’t manage to stop the spell from completing. Luckily, the spell seems to have no effect.
30. Kath and Grosh battle it out like the titans and gods did so many years ago (was it really that long ago?), but in the end Kath is struck down.
31. Runic is felled by an orc with a greataxe, and Lauriel also falls in battle.
32. Tavik loses his skull-tipped mace over the edge of the rooftop, and prepares a spell for Jaroo . Hathol is felled by an orc with a greataxe on the stairwell.
33. A particularly tough looking orc (who through many screams reveals himself to be Nagrod) with a double-axe comes from the guardhouse door where Runic fell and proceed to the tower, where Jerinor, with the help of Jaroo , manage to defeat him.
34. Tavik runs down the stairs and heads to the Northeast Tower, picking up his mace as he goes.
35. The two orcs standing at the palisade in the outer courtyard decide to improve their situation by coming to rescue at the end of battle, hoping that they won’t be flogged for leaving their posts.
36. Jaroo and Jerinor, who recede into the tower, dispatch the orcs. After the battle, hearts are heavy as they attempt to bandage their fallen comrades and bring them to the roof of the Chapel.

Thoughts from the party...

Runic's View

As light and consciencousness fade, I find myself on a journey. Even as I curse the filthy orc that stands in front of me, I feel myself rising up from my body. Soon I am hovering above myself, looking down. I realize that this must be death. For even though my trusty axe Anklebiter is still beside me, it looks faint and faded. When I swing it at the orc who spits on my body and runs away, back to join the battle, it passes right though him. Must be death indeed.

As I will myself through the doorway and into the room of the keep, the battlescene unfolds before me. But even as I look, my vision becomes blurred. Companions everywhere, losing, missing easy marks, not dodging quite as fast as they should. Kath, falling with a loud bellow. Jaroo, trying frantically to man the tower. And that damn motherless son-of-an Ogre.

Without even knowing why, the scene shifts. Now I see our party before they came. I see myself giving Jaroo a hearty slap on the back as I recount tales before the battle. I see long treks through unfamiliar forest before ever even arriving at Fairhill. I see myself tracking through the wilderness. Giants. Always Giants. I see my mentor, the great Flint Fireforge hunting down Giants of his own.

Change again. A bright, white flash. Then I watch solemnly as Flint falls in slow motion. Struck down by the Giant leader. Back during our battle. Flint's head snaps back. Blood splats slowly on the ground. The massive club continues it's path. I see myself kneeling over his deceased body, even though that never happend. I see myself running away.

My thoughts return to the keep. No. Can't die. Must fight. My friends need help. A dwarf never abandons his post. There are still orcs to kill. Let me go back.

But this afterlife has other plans. Things fade to black. Silence. Then, faintly, I begin to hear the reassuring sound of a hammer ringing on metal. A forge. A great forge. The sound becomes louder. My vision blossoms with the cherry-rose colour of heated metal as I see before me the back of a Dwarf. He is busily shaping the haft of steel in front of him. But slowly. Methodically. Never making a mistake, his blows are of one who has done this all their life, and more.

I can see the steel was cracked in places. Broken. But the smith's arms of smooth, pure muscle strike down with such force as to heal them. Sparks fly. Counting strokes, the smith douses the metal in cool water and steam clouds his face. Then he returns it once again to the forge to bring back heat.

Somehow, I know that steel is me. My soul. For this is no ordinary dwarf upon which I look. This is Reorx, the giver of life. As his work is done, I can feel my body becoming stronger. For I have not failed even in death. I have merely been delayed.

As my sight shifts for the last time, I can see Jaroo and Jerinor tending my body. The battle is won, though they are the only survivors. And I thank them, though they do not know it yet. I let myself drift up above the tower. I will keep watch while they sleep, and wake them if any orcs should return.

As night falls, I hear again the comforting ring of hammer on metal, and a voice as deep as the caverns of the Earth echo inside my head: "Runic Aleskull of the Stonesplitter clan. Return to your dwarfen vessel. Aid your companions. For many important lessons await you yet."

It is too bad that in the morning, I will not remember.

Jaroo's View

Pure Horror.

It permeates every moment that I stay. Every shadow is my fear. Every movement and breath an effort. My chest feels as though it has been shrunk and then squeezed by one of Voral's tools. It must be several hours left until sunrise... I shall never make it. Some creature will return, tearing through poor Jerrinor and then it's teeth and claws will find me... at the very least I will no longer feel fear.

Jerrinor... she fought so incredibly hard to protect me, and she did admirably, the poor thing... I will never be able to repay the favor; I am insignificant in a straight fight, I have no opinion that would matter and I am paralyzed now in likely the safest place I could be in this stinking keep.

How did I get here?... It amazes me... fate is fickle and dangerous, and I tempted it to take me away from my comfort and the life I know, and it did so... I suppose I can blame no one but a lazy gnome who is too scared to fight, too scared to run.

Movement below! And then I sigh audibly, my shaking hands falling slowly from the side of this giant crossbow. It was but another small grouping of grass being blown slightly by the light gusts we get in the courtyard here. And besides, Jerrinor would have see it too, and would have alerted me, for all the good it would do.

How did I get here?

I was barely able to hold my hands steady to shoot the orcs that we first surprised outside, and the stress of the shot on the previous live-in in this tower left me beyond just shaken... how I managed it is a mystery for the god's to unravel.

Where are my gods? Do they know me? Do they know I exist? Where was Kord when Kath fell to that horribly terrifying creature out there? Why did Freya not protect the others? Does she not find them worthy?

Thinking of Freya causes me to think of that sword, Jerrinor likely has it now) and in turn I think of Runic... who now lays below somewhere among the bodies of his allies, possibly dead, possibly alive... how would I know? It's just another thing I don't understand. Does he even have a chance? Do any of us?

How did I get here? There were likely several score better than me at everything I do back in Fairhill? How in the world Sempkin? How did you get your lazy self into this?

How are you going to get out? How are your friends going to?

We aren't.

I'm not.

I'm dead.

My small hands clutch at my weapons, all about my body. I find the silvered dart I had loosed at that orcish spellcaster, and without thinking fill and cork it.

I'm dead.

I pull out my whetstone, and I begin, to my initial chagrine, to noisily clean the burrs and nicks off my short sword. (there are few) I finish soon afterwards, inspecting my weapon.

I don't care about the noise it makes because I am already dead.

If I'm already dead I have nothing to lose. If I have nothing to lose than I have nothing to fear. If I have nothing to fear than I am a hero.

Death isn't half as scary once you've decided on it... I'm a dead hero.

That thought brings a wry grin to Jaroo Sempkin Laseten's face, and for just a second, he doesn't feel so scared and worried.

The smile passes, but even though, Jaroo relives recent stories told by dwarf friend, recent feelings of happiness, and continues with a renewed sense his watch.