Monster Hill (Inactive)

Game Master lordzack

The horses don't seem to be moving. You can detect no other potential threats.

Zaggle waves to the two people that dashed away.

"Why are you guys running? They're just horses!"

After a few seconds Onnam takes a few steps back and peers into the left passage.

"Mmmm now that's strange. Are we being tricked? Anyway, let's move on. I'm curious to what kind of horse sounds like a horse approaching but doesn't approach. Oh and Zaggle, you're right. I'm not afraid of the horses, I'm more worried about any possible riders. "

He didn't say approaching horses; he said as we approach, we hear horses.

Well, it doesn't sound like there are any riders. There may very well be none left.

"Ooh, horses you say." You see Alexander adjust his glasses, "Perhaps we could, uh..., borrow them for the time being. It's much easier for me to ride than to walk."

Creeping up behind the rest, "After you then."

hooray, we have a direction, lets go.

head down the left passage till i find horses

You follow the sound of the horses down the left passage which opens into a cavern chamber. You can see six horses tied to stakes driven into the cavern wall. Nearby there is a pool of water. On the other side of the room, to you're left there is a spartan living area, with a bedroll, lamp, chair and chest. Sitting on the chair is a scrawny-looking orc, watching the horses. He is dressed as a peasant, unarmored and unarmed except for a simple club. He notices you as you enter and stands up, his club at the ready.

"Adventurers! What do you want with Gark?" he says in common.

Onnam is secretly surprised by the presence of Gark the orc but he tries not to show it. At least he hasn't charged us. Yet.

"Hello there Gark. There's nothing we want with you actually, although I wouldn't mind knowing what you're doing here. Are those your horses or are you just keeping an eye on them?"

Scorn keeps an eye on the surrounding as the others talk.

Perception

1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Alexander nods in agreement to Onnam's statement, then looks nervously back at Gark.

Lan continues to stick to the shadows.

"I watch over these horses for my masters."

Scorn doesn't see anything unusual... at first. But then she sees a wisp of some kind of whitish energy coming from the pool.

"Something seems to be happening at the pool." Scorn whispers to the others

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Your masters? And who would they be?

Roakrak keeps his eyes toward the pool, looking for this "something."

Roakrak catches a glimpse of the energy, just before it dissipates. No more energy can be seen.

"Thieves and outlaws" says Gark.

"Thieves and outlaws? They're probably desecrating the cave as we speak!"

Zaggle whispers to the group in an urgent tone.

"We have to get past this lackey and stop them!"

"Agreed"

Ranorel Moves to the front of the group

"Gark, i currently have no problem with you, however i plan to kill your masters. Knowing that, do we have a problem?"

Ready Earthbreaker for combat

Gark cautiously looks around and then says, "Kill them, then I will be free. Follow the passage until you get to a room with a chest. Ignore the chest, it is empty and placed on a pit trap. Go to the right, they lair there."

MM

Alexander looks at Gark in surprise, "You mean you're alright with this?" He blinks nervously, and glances at Zendra who seems to be in a staring contest with the horses.

The thief eyes the orc cautiously for a long moment, before considering to test his 'information'. "Let's find that chest and see just how trapped it is!", Lan mused to himself before following the rest of the group, cloaked in the shadows of the passageways.

Gark seems to be sincere to Scorn. Everyone can detect bitterness and anger in his voice.

"I hate my masters. They have enslaved me! I have tried to escape, but they have tracked me down, beaten me and brought me back every time! If I could, I would kill them myself!"

Simple enough to me. Let's get going, then.

Ranorel sings a little tune as he leaves the chamber
"I'm gonna kill some bandits!"

"Oh boy aren't we a feisty bunch" Onnam says with a touch of honest surprise before turning back to Gark the Horsewatcher.

"Gark, thank you for you information. Would you care to join us on a later, more fortunate, moment?"

Nodding to the enslaved orc, Onnam is about to get moving when he recalls hearing some of the groupmembers talking about the pool.

"Gark, before we move on, I have one more question: is there anything special about that pool?"

"Perhaps, if you defeat the bandits. But I will expect wages. I have tolerated enough dishonor." he says to Onnam, then he continues in response to Onnam's second query, "Sometimes faeries come to this pool. It used to be their home, I have learned when they have spoken to me, which is not often. They said they were driven away when the corruption from beneath the earth was revealed. Sometimes they have used they're powers of healing on me when the bandits have hurt me."

"Corruption from beneath the earth, you say? That sounds worrysome. The way to the afterlife is found beneath the earth, we cannot have that road jeopardized by any kind of corruption."

"Healing the earth here should be our number one priority!"

Gark turns to Zaggle'Bo, "You are an orc, like I. What clan do you come from?"

Feel free to make something up. To head off any confusion, remember in this campaign "goblin" and "orc" are pretty much synonymous.

"I am from the DirtDigger Clan! We live far from here, but I have come to help rid this earth of corruption. Do you worship the earth like I do?"

"If we did not propitiate the spirits of the earth, how could we grow food for our tribe? The ThunderPeak clan is wise in the way of the spirits. Our special patrons are the spirits of the air, however."

"Will you be traveling with us into the depths?"

Alexander listens to conversation and while listening goes back to taking notes in his journal.

Not sure how many stealth checks I would need to sneak up on the bandits, so here's a few for when we get to it.
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

"Perhaps later"

You follow the directions the orc gave you. After passing a passage leading to the right you enter a square room, perhaps 20 feet wide. Indeed, as the orc told you, there is a chest in this room. There are two doors on either side of the room. according to the orc, the bandits are in the room to the right.

Lan immediately creeps up near the chest, trying to percieve any traps ladden upon the floor or chest itself. "Can't rightly pass this up, now can we!", Lan thought to himself.

Special Abilities: Trap spotter

Perception check 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

What in Hades' name is Lan trying to pull? In a very soft voice Onnam tries to talk Lan out of poking the chest.

"Lan, why don't you wait with trying to set off any alarms? I'm sure your skills are good but let's not take too much risks right away shall we? There's no need to hurry our final trip to Hades, yet."

Onnam carefully walks to the door on the right. He tries to listen for the presence of the bandits Gark mentioned.

"Get away from there!"

Zaggle whispers as he tries to pull Lan away.

Drag: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Well it was worth a try ;)

Come on now. Gark just told us it was trapped. Do you really want to risk it?

He hisses in a low tone. "It never hurts to confirm someone's story! Especially when treasure is involved."

There is indeed a pit trap. However, checks for trap spotter are supposed to be made by the DM. So keep that in mind for future reference.

The rogue mutters to himself as he notices the trap as informed. "Seems the orc was telling the truth. I suspose we can always come back to this once we've dealt with them..."

With that, Lan clearly marked the trap for the others, then joins with them, leaving the trap and it's chest for later.

Roger that!

Alright. now that we've got that out of the way, let's get going. I'd assume to the right.

"Absolutly."
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19 to listen at the door, maybe get a guess at how many bandits are on the other side.

Zaggle, with Bardiche at the ready when the go ahead is given.

Ranorel can hear several voices in the room, engaging in banter and laughing. He thinks there are perhaps four bandits, the same as the amount of horses that were under Gark's care.

Drawing his twin daggers, Lan waits for one of the armored blokes to move.

If you're going to enter, I'll need you to roll for initiative.