Wealsun 23: The next day around noon, at the special request of the innkeeper, Taizu and Tarva are performing when, in the middle of one of their songs, someone in the house calls out loudly, “Does anyone know anything about stirges?”  A female voice; when Tarva spots the speaker she sees a perhaps more than half drunk elven outdoors type; perhaps a ranger, sitting with several other people.  How rude, Tarva thinks.  But when their set is over Taizu drags her towards their table, saying to her, “that’s the group.”

 Taizu Trel'lyn Treesong [Nancy Green] and Tarva Streamside [Frank Coleman] introduced themselves, and found that the group consisted of:
     Zelda [TJ], a tall human male sorcerer;   
     Artin [Chris], a female dwarf (Tarva thought she must be a fighter);   
     Lothar [Rich Miller], a male dwarf fighter; 
    Carrica [Matt Green], a female elven ranger (and indeed half-drunk and the one who had interrupted; Tarva carefully does not make any comments about rude behavior);
    and Ahb [Bee Webster], a female gnome who is a cleric of Pelor (Tarva is delighted to see this).

 As usual, Tarva lets Taizu take the lead in talking to a potential source of information.  This is, or should be, a bit different, as most times they would be talking to locals, about strange events that the locals might have seen or heard about; but this is another set of travelers, and if it sounds like what they’ve seen is worth investigating, it would probably be best for Tarva and Taizu to join with the group.  From the questions he is asking, it’s obvious to Tarva that Taizu’s earlier inquiries have already given him a fair amount of information about the group – in particular he is asking them about their rather high death rate: two original members of the group are no longer alive.  It seems to Tarva that Taizu is torn, undecided: he clearly thinks this group’s ruins are worth investigating, but wants to make sure that the two of them don’t end up being ballista fodder [that’s like cannon fodder in a pre-gunpowder age].  His questions don’t sit well with the leader, Ahb, who declines to go into more details about their task with anyone who isn’t part of their group.  Ahb is not rejecting us out of hand, because our talents and abilities would augment and be useful additions to the rest of the group’s.  But eventually the impasse, between no information without commitment in one direction, and no commitment without information in the other, frustrates her and she leaves. 

 Zelda decides that the group, and therefore himself, is more likely to succeed and survive if it contains additional (useful) members, and these two certainly appear useful.  He therefore plays moderator and talks Taizu and Tarva into being willing to join, then talks Ahb and (easily) the rest of the group into accepting them.  It turns out that he and Artin had only joined with the group the day before: Ahb, Carrica, and Lothar are the – remaining – original members.

 Once Tarva and Taizu are committed, Ahb brings them up to speed.  A dwarven bladesmith named Durggedin The Black worked out of a stronghold about three days journey away near a rocky hill named Stone Tooth.  The stronghold was sacked by orcs, who have been raiding caravans which pass near it; lately their depravations have extended to near Blasingdell.   Baron Althon has hired Ahb’s group to retrieve weapons made by Durggedin and lost when the orcs overran the stronghold.  He will pay the group 500gp above market value for each blade.  In its previous excursions, the group has found two ways into the stronghold.  The first was a dismantled front gate, the second a kitchen chimney large enough for scaling with help from a rope.  The group rescued some horses, found tons of trade goods (presumably raided from caravans), and killed many orcs, plus an ogre and its wolves.

Watch order:
W1: Zelda, Carrica
W2: Tarva, Taizu, Lothar
W3: Artin, Ahb

 Wealsun 24: day passes, night passes.

Wealsun 25: day passes, 3^rd watch:

1: Something throws a javelin into Artin’s back for 4, Artin yells..

2: Lothar and Taizu wake up; Artin rushes 30’, sees 5’ tall shapes; tosses back the javelin which hit her, but misses;   Ahb takes a small rock and runs 40’ to Artin.

3: Something hits Artin with javelins for 7 and 3, hits Ahb with javelin for 6; Lothar is up and runs 15’ past Artin, sees five of ‘them’; Taizu is up and moves to behind Ahb; Artin moves 15’ beyond Lothar, yells, “orcs!” throws javelin back, kills one; Ahb casts light on rock, throws to the feet of orcs.

4: An orc hits Artin with a javelin for 8, three other orcs charge at her; Tarva shoots bow and misses; Zelda casts Dancing Lights spell; Lothar runs up to an orc, hits and kills it; Taizu shoots bow and kills an orc; Artin hits and kills one of the orcs on her; Ahb Heals Artin for 14.

5: One remaining orc runs away.

coins:  9sp & 3gp;  9sp & 3gp;  18sp & 6gp.
four great axes: which we bury.
nine javelins: break off and take the heads.
Ahb Heals Artin for 8, back to fully healthy; Ahb Heals herself.

 Wealsun 26: we get to the Stone Tooth about noon.  Reach the previous expedition’s outside camp.  The ones who were here before recall that they had found, from the inside, a secret door to the outside; somewhere near the main entrance.  Plan to try and find it again, minimize our going in and out a known entrance.  When we get near the stronghold, there is no sign of (e.g., cooking) smoke (which was quite evident last time).  Carrica looks at tracks, sees animals but no orcs within the last week.  Narrow cleft in hillside, 30’x30’, with murder holes along the side walls, ending in 10’ wide steps going up 10’ to double doors of carved stone: 8’ wide by 10’ high.  We open the doors and go into a room 30’ wide for the first 40’ and then tapering.  There are torches in wall sockets, but they are out.  There is a big opening in the floor 10’ in and one rope going across the opening into the darkness.  Those who have been there before remember it to be left to the secret door, right to the murder holes.  Tarva hands lamp to Lothar, who goes left to the secret door.  Taizu goes along to have Lothar show Taizu exactly where the door is.  Taizu figures out how the door works.  It opens into a 5’ corridor, then into a room with 3 murder holes, then continues into a 10’ room with no apparent opening.  Lothar can open (having been shown how to last time) a hidden door to a 5’ passageway, which in turns opens into a 30’x50’ bunk room.  Nobody in it, looks deserted for some time.  We stash the horses there.  Through the door into next room which has a statue, at sight of which those there previously recall that there is a floor trigger nearby.  Taizu searches for and finds the trigger, marks an outline in chalk of where it is.  There is a corridor off this which leads past a staging area for captured goods, plus it seems to have a well. 

Lothar, next to Taizu, sees movement down the passageway.  Lothar tells the party, Taizu asks Tarva for the bullseye lantern.

1: Lothar, 15’ forward, sees 10’ passage continue for 10’, then split into two 5’ passages.  Left passage has some hominoids; left has one orc with javelins;  Taizu gets longbow ready.

2: two javelins miss Lothar; Lothar charges the left orc, hits; Taizu reserves, waiting for light; Ahb moves to beside Taizu, tosses light stone; Taizu sees orc, shoots with longbow, kills;  Zelda moves to right, shoots crossbow at orc, hits;  Tarva gets bullseye lantern lit.

3: orc on Lothar hits fellow orc on head, kills; orc hits Zelda for 6 with javelin; Lothar misses; Artin moves to beside Taizu; Taizu shoots longbow, misses; Ahb pulls second little rock out of pouch, casts Light on it, moves forward and tosses rock;  Zelda casts Sleep, affects four orcs; Tarva moves to branch, puts down lantern, shoots longbow, misses;    Carrica moves past branch and all the way past the slept orcs.

4: orcs on Lothar hit for 11; orc on Carrica hits for 8; Lothar swings, kills; Artin kills first slept orc; Taizu kills orc on Lothar; Ahb Heals Zelda for 2; Tarva misses; Carrica hits, kills.

 Kill last slept orc.

 8 great axes, 14 unbroken javelins, 2 broken javelins, scalemail, large shield, one hand axe.

Stash weapons at edge of corridor; take rocks with light spells.

 Come to octagonal area roughly 20’x20; one corridor goes to double doors, leads into front chamber (with chasm).  A different corridor leads to door with orcish wording, “Here be bad things.”  From last time, an orc evil temple should be on the other side of that door.  We don’t open that door.  Go to different corridor and down it to a kitchen. Taizu is shown where a rope should be stashed slightly up a chimney.  Taizu climbs the chimney to verify that the rope is still there.  Kitchen has fire pit in center, junk randomly scattered about.  Everyone spends a few minutes to check out the cabinets, which are still, as last time, empty.  Check out other corridor: 30’x30’ stinky room full of three dead orc bodies.   We spend a few minutes tossing the orc bodies from our latest fight in with these, then return to the bunk room (with horses) for the night.  Ahb heals Zelda fully, heals Carrica fully.

 Wealsun 27:  Past the room that had been an orcish evil temple is the room where the group previously encountered stirges.  Planning, Ahb will cast sanctuary on herself, wander through the large room placing light-cast rocks so we can all see all of it, then retreat to the group.  Carrica, Taizu, and Tarva will wrap arrows with oil-soaked cloths, light them at an open lantern just before shooting.

Taizu checks for traps on door to evil temple, doesn’t sense any.  Open door.  Temple stuff still looks like it did after group killed orcs in it last time.  Taizu finds how to open secret door to next room: 15’x30’ hall with temple supplies.  One door, on which Taizu detects no traps.  Open it into largish room with center opening in floor.  Ahb places five light-cast stones: one near door (center of that wall), two along walls along each side of the floor opening [and none on the far side of the opening].  Carrica, then Tarva hear a buzzing sound, and Ahb hurries back to group.

 1: Tarva dips cloth, lights, reserves for target; Taizu dips clots, lights, reserves for target; Ahb runs through doorway and out of room; Zelda readies a sleep spell; four winged shapes rise out of the floor opening; Tarva misses; Taizu hits for 4; Zelda Sleeps two of the stirges, one falls to the floor, the other into the floor opening;   Carrica misses.