DM Panic's Scourge of the Slavelords Prologue
Game Master wakedown

Mukluk wonders about the absurdity of humans and laughs.

They are freakin' ridiculous. Their women don't have beards and not one of them can see in the dark. Ridiculous.

Normally I'd hand wave you guys to keep the game moving here, but there's just so many ways to approach what is to come, that the ball's staying in the hands of the players for a while longer.

If this was tabletop, we'd be paused waiting for Petrel to determine if he does more intensive searching on the far side or returns to the group empty-handed.

Since I'm omniscient, I know what the likely outcome of either of those will be, and it would be Petrel returning empty handed, either 2-3PM or much later after more searching at nightfall. So, go ahead and assume Petrel's returned, has found no secret entrances and continue to plot your course of action on how you enter Khundrukar.

"Of course, he didn't answer your question either Doruk."

******************

"Well, no secret entrances by the water and the front door is locked. Proceed with a frontal assault or go around the other way to explore?"

Martigan seems eager to get back into the action, the weeks of travel having dulled his taste for adventure.

To be clear - the front door may or may not be "locked". Petrel only saw a pair of humanoids standing outside of a cave mouth.

The humanoids were full-blooded orcs.

Mukluk considers his options and the abilities of the group.

"Two humanoids, eh? Ugly ones too, eh?" Mukluk rubs his beard.

"Well, if we only had a way to get up there silently...", Mukluk says while looking at Martigan, "...we might be able to jump them before they warn the entire fortress." Mukluk compares Petrel's and Doruk's ability to move silently.

"Yep, silence is the key...if we only had a way to move up silently..."

Mukluk looks like he's trying to think of a way to move silently up the slope...

"It's too bad we don't have a catapult. We could load you up and have you fling magic at them on your way down Mukluk."

Martigan nods at the wisdom of the dwarf.

Truly he is a marvel of his people. Able to cast arcane magic and grow a beard! Brains of a hamster, but that only proves magic that isn't granted by Pelor is for the scatter-brained and hairy.

Mukluk nods at Martigan's wise words.

"Would that I could find a few dozen sturdy dwarven catapults and a few teams of miners, Martigan, but we only have what we have."

Mukluk buckles his buckler.

"I don't think there is a back way in...and if two measly ugly faces are in the doorway to our goal, I suggest we kick them down the mountain, eh? We go frontwise."

Mukluk begins to draw in the dirt.

"Petrel...you're this stone here. Doruk, you're this owl pellet, here. Martigan, you're this coprolite, here. Tiabrar, you're this moldy mushroom...and I'll be this shiny rock." Mukluk points out the various pieces.

"Here's the plan: Petrel...you move up first, quietly and silently because that's what you're good at. We want to try to get you behind them if possible. While you're doing that, Doruk, followed by Tiabrar and Martigan and myself will come up the trail behind you." Mukluk adjusts the pieces accordingly.

"Eventually, they are going to hear us...and that's when we attack. Petrel, I hope you can stop their alarm system before it get's activated if they have one. Use your magic 'sword' if you have to. Then Doruk and the rest will take the fight to them."

Mukluk points to the sun.

"We'll be heading up when the sunlight so the orcs will be at a disadvantage. Thems types don't like sunlight."

Mukluk looks to the group.

"Any questions?"

"Looks like a good plan Mukluk. Any support spells you want cast before the assault?"

Why is he playing with poo? Maybe he thinks he's a baboon? He's hairy enough.

OK, frontal assault - got it.

Sunlight is getting scarce at this time of day (3:30ish), or rather would be after you make the slow hike up at 20ft movement with some attempt at stealth when you get to the open areas where the orc scouts would be able to see you coming from several hundred feet away... so I'm going to assume the plan comes into action tomorrow morning.

~*~

As the group makes camp for their second night at the base of The Stone Tooth (about a hundred yards off the main road) they are careful to make it a cold camp, lest their fire alert the orcs up the mountainside of their presence.

Just as the the first of Oerth's moons really starts to light up the night sky, gruff voices and clanking can be heard advancing up the main road - from the direction you all originally arrived and headed toward the main ascent up to Khundrukar.

"Off thorg, zarg."

"Grim'torg, largrent. Chicken."

"Grog."

"Togg, rart. Ulfe."

Whoever was on first watch easily hears this group as they come into range, and can quickly wake the others.

"I agree, it's a very good plan. I'll try and be quiet if I can, but I'm not very good at it."

Doruk practices moving silently... 1d20 - 7 ⇒ (3) - 7 = -4 ...and has the expected result.

EDIT: Doruk was on first watch. He quickly wakes the others and prepares for battle.

Mukluk rouses from sleep(?).

His first action will be to grab his pick and stand up.

I'll probably get drug into the forest by a dino-lizard. That would suck.

Doruk is able to wake everyone. The humanoids making the noise seem unaware of your group.

At the point where Doruk overheard them, they passed by your camp site a few hundred yards off the main road.

The "returning patrol" has begun the long hike up the path to Khundrukar.

I'm guessing most of you didn't sleep in your armor, so everyone besides Doruk is likely not wearing any.

I should have gotten an Orc Patrol disguise!

Petrel will grab the Sword of Kas and his other knife, then sneak someplace he can get eyes on the orcs. And away from Doruk's clanking.

Stealth 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Camping on the doorstep of an occupied fortress, Tiabrar would have kept the light armor on since it causes no penalties.

Tiabrar grabs his bow and waits quietly for the patrol to pass.

Martigan readies his shield but doesn't bother with his armor.

Petrel quietly makes his way through the trees and underbrush at this elevation and gets a good look at the returning patrol. The patrol consists of five humanoids, with roughly the same build as the pair he spotted earlier on the ledge outside the cave.

They are continuing to chat fairly loudly in their guttural tongue - seemingly unconcerned that anyone would be this deep in the Wild Coast eavesdropping on their conversations.

Martigan, Tiabrar, Doruk and Mukluk ready themselves. One of the dogs barks in excitement at seeing everyone up and alert at this time of night. In response, the pregnant cat emits a piercing mew.

The orc troupe pauses momentarily as they grunt something to one another.

The patrol is now about 600 feet away from your camp. I have Petrel positioned maybe 100ft away from their position.

Mukluk readies a few potent arcane magics in his mind, waiting to see what the humanoids do.

In his mind, Mukluk weighs the merits of letting them pass or attacking them now.

Against: they might alert the entire fortress now, at night.
For: We could totally take them.
Against: They are 600 ft. away...that's a lot of running in no shoes.
For: They are in a dwarf home...the need to die.
Against: I can kill them tomorrow.
For: Petrel is probably already there...he might need help. Nah...he's got it solo, probably.
Against: I'm naked, save for this pick and my spell pouch.
For: I'm nake, save for this pick and my spell pouch...but think of the tales they would tell: "Mukluk the naked dwarf who assaulted the Tooth armed only with his pick and his mind."
Against: It's late and I'm tired.

Mukluk waits.

I wonder if orcs have pet cats and dogs. Or if there is some orcy thing that they call a cat but is really like, a warthog.

The orcs grunt something to one another and look as if they are going to continue their trek up the mountain, obviously feeling like a barking and mewing isn't worth delaying their climb.

Need a final decision if you're letting them return to the dwarf strongold, or you want to pursue them. While they are ahead of you guys, they are trudging slowly, and it just takes a couple Run actions for you guys to catch up and ambush them.

Mukluk sees the cowards run away from the cats and lets them go.

Mukluk returns to sleep after thanking Doruk for his alert watch.

He's good. A true professional.

Tiabrar draws his bow and takes aim. He watches the orcs go by and sighs.

A fiery cat swarm would have taken care of them in no time.
Female voice: If they get in, you'll just have to kill them tomorrow and it will be that much harder.

Tiabrar draws his bow again and takes aim.

Female voice: You'll drop two of them before they even get to you.

If I wait until later today, surely we will need to blow things up.

Female voice: You could blow them up now. It might even get the orcs to come out of the safety of their fortress. You'd be doing the party a favor. It needs a real leader.

Tiabrar fires.
Darkwood Longbow +7
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
1d8 ⇒ 4

How close does Tiabrar want to get before he fires?

Keep in mind it's dark and the orcs are returning without light using their darkvision, so you'll have a low-light penalty. Then let me know how close Tiabrar would like to get before firing, so I can factor in your range increments.

Petrel is ~100ft away in the undergrowth whenever Tiabrar chooses to fire.

For the others - if Tiabrar chooses to get into closer range, you all notice see him quietly leave camp.

I was reading "a couple Run actions for you guys to catch up and ambush them" as close by. I was picturing Tiabrar about 50-100' farther back from Petrel. So max distance would be about 200'. This is what you get with late night postings. :)

1d100 ⇒ 33 - Beats 20% concealment if that's what you were asking.

On seeing Tiabrar slip out of camp with his bow drawn, Doruk prepares for battle, but waits until the first orc goes down and the rush begins.

I don't want to spook them with the noise of my armor until the trap is sprung!

Doruk leans in on the balls of his feat eager for the battle after so many days of plodding through the countryside, beautiful though it was. Battle is why Doruk came with these people, not marching.

He grips his guisarme and waits.

At hearing the bowstring twang, Mukluk will look around for the yahoo who fired, not surprised to see the pointy ears grinning happily.

I hope he hit.

Mukluk will prepare for combat and move behind a tree.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 Stealth

Since Petrel wanted to get away from the clanking around camp and generally prefers flanks, he would not be directly in line between orcs, elf and camp. There would actually be a triangle formed from the points of where Petrel went, where the orcs moved down the road, and where Tiabrar shoots his arrow from camp.

Glad I will not be in the way when those orcs run down our current elf.

Rinalda was right to send me along. This group would have destroyed the fortress trying to get in. Now they'll come out of the hill like ants that we can step on. That or a swarm of bees. That would be bad. But they're not bees.

Tiabrar shudders as he imagines a swarm of flying orcs with stingers coming out of their butts.

Doruk grips his guisarme and waits some more trying to ignore the thought of orc butts in his head.

Tiabrar's arrow arcs through the moonlight before finally landing in the back of an orc with a splort sound.

The orc squeals like an angry pig and immediately begins looking around, pointing to the northern shrubs and shouting at his companions, all of which had no weapons drawn.

In the surprise Round, Tiabrar hits O1 for -4HP, while everyone else "gets in position" or readies their weapons.

You guys all beat the orcs in initiative in a proper round 1.

Round 1 --
19 Petrel
18 Tiabrar
13 Mukluk
11 Martigan
10 Doruk
5 Orcs

Battle Map

Note on the battle map, the distances are mostly "abstracted", but I don't see a problem with this - go ahead and pretend these are actual distances. Consider all the green squares to be "rough terrain" besides the game trail that Petrel and Tiabrar followed in pursuit of the bad guys. Don't forget to scroll down in Google Docs to find Martigan, Mukluk or Doruk.

Round 1, Initiative 10, Location U63 -> S60

When he hears the orc bellow he matches it with a battle cry of his own and waves his guisarme in the air threateningly.

"Aaarrggh! Come here piggies and wallow in the mud!"

Need to keep them focused on me and not our archer and/or hidden fank.

Doruk also steps up a little to meet them and spikes his guisarme in the ground to his immediate right.

Round 1, Init 18

Tiabrar draws an arrow and fires again. Hmmm. I wish they'd come closer already.

Female voice: Don't worry. They will. Just keep shoooting.
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
1d8 ⇒ 1

Round 1, Init 13

Mukluk will pick up his buckler and 5' step to U63.

He will bang his pick on this buckler, repeatedly.

"Here, piggy, piggy, piggy!"

Wouldn't it be cool if there was a spell that sounded like a Dragon's Roar that could be heard for miles? I would totally love to have that!

Round 1 Init 11

"Doruk, may you be strong like bull."

Strong like bull, smart like plow. Good lad though.

Bull's Strength on Doruk.

Round 1 --
19 Petrel : TBD
18 Tiabrar : Fires another arrow, misses
13 Mukluk : Bangs on his buckler
11 Martigan : Casts Bull's Strength on Doruk
10 Doruk : Moves into trees
5 Orcs : Draw falchions, disperse, hunting for their attackers

Round 2 --
19 Petrel
18 Tiabrar
13 Mukluk
11 Martigan
10 Doruk
5 Orcs

Tiabar's hears no confirmation of injury from his second arrow, but he does hear the rustling of the forest as the defenders charge through the undergrowth in random directions.

Don't forget, except for Mukluk (darkvision), you are all fighting in moonlight, so there's concealment penalties.

Map Linked Again

Round 2, Init 18

Tiabrar fires at an Orc (O2).

Still too far away.

"Hey pig heads!

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21 - No penalties included
1d8 ⇒ 1
1d100 ⇒ 95 - Necessary unti 40' with low light?

Round 1.

Petrel will try to see (from his concealed position) if these are the fabled pig faced orcs or if they only squeal like pigs.

Round 2, Init 13

Mukluk delays until Doruk moves.

No way I'm getting in front of that glaive!

Round 2, Initiative 10, Location S60

Doruk tries his hand at a few shots with the bow while he waits for them to close in. He targets O2.

Long Bow attack 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 doing 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 damage with a 20% miss chance 1d100 ⇒ 83.

Watching the arrow fly to the right he thinks how easy the elf makes it look.

I'll stick to my melee attacks. ...much more reliable. Still, I should be well rounded. I'll try again.

I waited for that?! *sigh* Dreaming of Dragon Roar.

He makes Aralynn look like a good archer.

Round 2, Init 10-

Mukluk continues to make noise.

Round 1 --
19 Petrel : Waits

Round 2 --
19 Petrel : Waits?
18 Tiabrar : Fires at O2, hits for -1HP
13 Mukluk : Bangs shield
11 Martigan : TBD
10 Doruk : Fires arrow at a nearby tree
5 Orc1 (-4HP): Continues to head toward Tiabrar
5 Orc2 (-1HP): Continues to head toward Tiabrar
5 Orc3 : Continues for game trail
5 Orc4 : Continues for game trail
5 "R": Continues to head toward Tiabrar

Round 3 --
19 Petrel
18 Tiabrar
13 Mukluk
11 Martigan
10 Doruk
5 Orcs

The orcs continue plunging into the woods while Tiabrar manages to land another arrow successfully. These appear to be particularly intelligent orcs as they make a ridiculous amount of noise as they crash their way towards the game trail, hollering in their blunt language.

Feel free to post 1-2 rounds of actions if you mostly plan to stay where you are.

Round 3 & 4 Init 18

Tiabrar takes a couple more shots at O2 before he will switch to his bombs. This assumes the Orcs don't get within 20' before Round 4 starts.

Just a little bit closer.

You guys are as slow as you are ugly!

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18 - Round 3
1d100 ⇒ 54
1d8 ⇒ 5
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 - Round 4
1d100 ⇒ 95
1d8 ⇒ 8

EDIT: Tiabrar will stow his bow after the second shot.

Round 3, Initiative 10, Location S60 -> T59

That damn elf is going to make me run all the way up there isn't he.

Doruk shoots one more time at O2 before dropping his bow, gathering his shield and guisarme and taking a 5' step onto the path.

Long Bow attack 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 doing 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 damage with a 20% miss chance 1d100 ⇒ 99.

"Come on Mukluk, Tiabrar is going to be surrounded in a moment, he's not moving!"

Round 2 and 3

Martigan will begin closing the distance to Tiabrar as best he can, sensing an eminent delfing in the party future otherwise.

Round 2 --
19 Petrel : TBD?

Round 3 --
19 Petrel : TBD?
18 Tiabrar : Hits O2 again for -5HP (despite -4 for soft cover!)
13 Mukluk : TBD?
11 Martigan : Moves along the game trail 40ft
10 Doruk : Hits O2 for -1HP (despite -4 for soft cover!)

5 Orc1 (-4HP): Continues to head toward Tiabrar
5 Orc2 (-12HP): Staggers toward Tiabrar
5 Orc3 : Reaches game trail, snarls at Petrel
5 Orc4 : Reaches game trail
5 "R": Continues to head toward Tiabrar and sounds of shield banging

O3 P: 1d20 ⇒ 20
P S: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

The orcs continue lumbering through the woods towards the group. One slows down, three arrows sticking out from his body at various angles, while a pair reach the game trail. One looks around, spots Petrel and begins to advance towards the thief, brandishing his falchion with a wicked look in his eyes.

"Gan'tog!" it shouts at him.

Map Linked Again

Round 4 --
19 Petrel : TBD
18 Tiabrar : Misses with arrow
13 Mukluk : TBD
11 Martigan : TBD
10 Doruk : TBD

Round 3

Mukluk double moves to T56.

We should let the orcs have the elf.

Round 4

Double move to T48.

But where are we going to find a new elf out here?

Round 4, Initiative 10, Location T59 -> T51

Doruk hustles to join the others, double moving to T51.

Petrel will pounce upon the orc now that he has been spotted.

Charge Single +1 dagger no-sneak 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 271d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Will need to save up for the Agile enchant, if Petrel lives that long. Finesse is a trap without it.

I'll assume Martigan is just moving in Round 4, and Petrel's attack was his Round 4 action (and he simply continued to wait in Rounds 1,2,3) unless otherwise informed by this evening.

Petrel was hiding until then. I mean "getting into strike position", yeah that sounds better.

Round 4 --
19 Petrel : Attacks and hits O3 for -2HP
18 Tiabrar : Misses with arrow
13 Mukluk : Moves to T,56
11 Martigan : DM fiat moves to T,47
10 Doruk : Moves to T,51

5 Orc1 (-4HP): Reaches Tiabrar
5 Orc2 (-12HP): Staggers toward Tiabrar
5 Orc3 (-2HP): Attacks Petrel
5 Orc4 : Heads towards Tiabar
5 "R": Continues to head toward Tiabrar and sounds of shield banging

The orcs finally break onto the game trail. The first one snarls something in surprise to his companions as Petrel buries his knife into it's gut. Petrel can almost feel his knife giddy with glee as it tastes blood for the first time in ages. The orc shouts back at the thief, who casually ducks under a falchion swing with way too much elbow put into it.

As another orc breaks the underbrush next to Tiabrar, it snarls at him as it attempts a fancy flourish with it's falchion (yet it doesn't attack yet).

The other orcs continue their march, with another two reaching the trail.

O3 v P: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 for 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 4) + 4 = 10

Round 5 --
19 Petrel :
18 Tiabrar :
13 Mukluk :
11 Martigan :
10 Doruk :

Map's updated! Have at it...