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As the orcish words ring out over the path towards the encampment and Xun points skywards toward Bark's cabin, two ravens are see flying overhead. On the ground the female orc replies in her own tongue, "Greetings Xun of the mountain paths, I am Grakcha of the Shattered Fangs. Come share a drink and food with me Xun. And the others, what is their business? Perhaps we can discuss your trade route."
Grakcha relaxes the grip on her weapon, as she looks nervously around at other orcs who gather round her.
Orc tribes respect strength. They are more likely to be influenced if you can best them at something that demonstrates strength. Aside from combat, this could be challenging them to a feat of strength (but you'd have to win it!) or fortitude. Orcs do love their alcohol strong ...
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Elsha smiles warmly in his usual, socially naive way as things seem to untense. He assumes Xun has done his work, but doesn't know how they'll take to a squishy alchemist.
He sits to partake, awaiting further translation from Xun and requests that he tell them "thanks for their hospitality" on his behalf.
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As Elsha's words of thanks fade into the campfire, he hears these words from the orc's mouth, "I hear you, man of big words. Do not think Grakcha speak only Orc tongue. Speak yours." The words are spat out at Elsha, as she looks him up and down. Her guards shuffle uneasily behind her, looking at one another, not comprehending the words.
Brodock perked up, "Drink? I'd share a drink if yer offering." He'd follow and eat and drink whatever was offered. "We be tasked with finding a trade route through here. Was doin pretty good, crossed a river, climbed mountain, met some goats, killed a talkin wolf thing that wanted to eat some halflings and gnomes and it was pointed out that this be your land. That be the case, only right to ask permission."
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Xun looks at the orcs and Grakcha for a moment
And again speaks in Orcish language
"My friends might not be accustomed to Orcish culture, give me a moment to explain them a thing or two."
Turning to his allies
"It is customary to present your strength when dealing with a tribe does not know you. It can be a trial of strength or fortitude. Drinking contest, a fighting challenge, and so on. But be careful their alcohol is powerful."
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Turning to the dwarf, Grakcha listens to his words, showing him great respect that he shows her and her tribe. The understanding of races that have fought against their environments to make lives for themselves.
As the meal and drinks are taken, the orcs are able to relax in the presence of this strange party of travellers. The meat that crackles over the fire is nourishing, tasty but tough. The drink is dark and aromatic, not quite beer, but it goes down well and loosens the tongues of the whole camp.
Grakcha in her deliberations, lets you know that the Shattered Fangs would make an agreement to let the caravans pass, in exchange for the opportunity to trade, even protecting the route as far as they can for a small payment, consider it a small toll.
As the evening wears on, Grakcha tells you the reason for their makeshift camp. The caves she calls home, has been occupied by an Ogre that has taken up residence there. She asks the group to rid the caves of the ogre , as she and her group have been severely weakened in the attack when the angry ogre surprised them. She would lead her tribe back again, but after that they are in no fit state to take the cave back, she asks "Please rid our home and this region of the ogre and the Shattered Fangs would be grateful."It is late in the night, your bellies are full and your heads a little under the effect of the drink. It's been a long day, so you camp down for the night, setting a watch. Despite the watch's best efforts, most of the night the you all sleep a good nights sleep, recovering from the effects of yesterdays events.
As morning wears on and you rise, Grakcha comes to you. "We are on good terms and can conclude out negotiations, if that is agreeable to you. A trade route is in both of our interests. About that other matter, the ogre, I leave that to your good judgement. So?"
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As they near the orc encampment, Pa asks the group "D'ya mind if I hold on to one of thems Elixirs of Life we found? I'm sure Xun here'll keep things from gettin' nasty, but I'd rather be ready than caught with my drawers 'round my ankles. And those seem stronger than the variety I'm used ta."
Pa eats and drinks heartily, engaging in a drinking contest with some of the orcs. Before they go to bed, he drunkenly asks Xun "Hey there~ (hic) Any chance you got one of them thar healin' spells left in ya before I (hic) take myself to go'n sleep this off?"
The next morning, after nursing his hangover a bit, he nods to Grakcha's request to dispatch the ogre, by blade or word.
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Elsha drinks and stutters through the evening. Though his social inhibitions melt away somewhat, he still struggles to carry on coherent conversation.
When the orcs put on their displays of strength, he cleverly puts up one finger as if to say but wait, see what I can do!
He pulls out several of his infused concoctions and lines them up on the table in front of him, explaining their purpose to any orcs that will listen, even for a moment. Very few last for more than one explanation.
Yesh, I believe we have th' right tools to best ur ogre tactics.
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Drunken Xun listens to what Pa is saying
"You want me .... to heal (hic) you with magic. (hic) Sure."
He urges Pa to at least sit-down, as Xun is humming a tone his eyes begin to shine as a mist gathers around him. He touches Pa who at that moment hears the terrible moans and shrieking screams of the wounded.
"Sit still. Bad loas have answered. It happens from time to time."
Xun changes tune a bit and the screams go away. At first, Pa feels nothing, but soon body and soul feel healed and strengthened.
"Can you tell us something about the Ogre? Did it show some resistance or weaknesses?"
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The orcs describe the ogre as very big, very strong and very smelly (even by orc standards).
You recall a story where J'han a sorcerer was able to talk with Angrst the Ogre, such that the ogre let him pass across Angrst's bridge to continue his journey onwards to Tian. From: The Exploits of J'han crossing the Crown Volume 1.
The orcs wish you well and wave as you leave their encampment, presenting you with 2 vials of a ruby-red liquid (minor healing potion), a dusty, beaten up leather bag filled with some sticky residue (lesser tanglefoot bag) and a stone pendant shaped like an angel (crying angel pendant). With the route explained in detail by the orcs, you make good progress eventually reaching a point where there seems to be a well travelled path, that leads into another, a sure sign you are getting closer. With the day soon turning to dusk, you reach a cave entrance.
Outside the entrance you see a scene of revulsion, as several goats and a wild horse's carcass a strewn across the ground, half eaten and now covered by swarms of black flies. The flies move and crawl across the blackened rotting meat and fill the air with their buzzing sounds. A stench of death and rot fill the air as you breath. You step away and turn your heads to take the last breath of clean air, before you start to venture forward, almost gagging at the foul smell.
The 15ft high dark entrance in the mountainside, is like an open mouth inviting you in, though the invite is probably not one you would normally wish to take, given the stench and the dead rotting carcasses. Looking inside the cave, you notice that a fungus is growing in patches, it seems to be giving off a little light, such that if this continues through the cave's caverns, there would be some illumination.
These are your default modes, let me know if you want to change.
Brodock: Investigate
Elsha: Avoid Notice
Pa: Search
Xun Scout
Once in a location, specify any exploration mode you want to use in ooc tags, in case I misunderstand your narrative. Make the rolls as per the exploration mode, unless they are to be rolled in secret, by the GM.
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Before they go any further, Xun takes out a small figurine of dog and puts it on the ground. He speaks something were silently and various ghost emerges from the ground and flies towards the small figure. After couple of seconds, a mist gather and instead of a figure in front of them stands dangerously looking dog. His eyes are green and his ribs can be seen, his whole statue translucent.
"This is Onyx, he will scout in front of us."
"I know some folklore stories about Ogres taking fees for using bridges. Anyone knows anything about those beasts?"
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As Pa, Xun and the Onyx dog enter the entrance of the cave, the smell in this low‑ceilinged chamber is nearly suffocating. The stench of rotten meat wafts in from
outside, and the smell of excrement comes in through the tunnel to the north. Shelves and racks that once held equipment now lie smashed on the ground. Other tunnels exit to the west and south.
It appears the ogre has made a mess of the entranceway to the cave complex.
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The corridors all seem to twist and turn before rising up, the corridors and cavern are lit by the patches of fungus. The onyx dog with nose to the air, tries to use it's scent (30ft imprecise) but is overpowered by the stench of the place. The scent gets stronger as you move to the east, beetles scuttle around and the dog continues forward.
Perception +6; low-light vision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +4, Stealth +5, Survival +4
Str +1, Dex +2, Con +2, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha -1AC 15; Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +4
HP 8Speed 30 feet
Melee Single Action Jaws +6 [+1/-4], Damage 1d4+1 piercingPack Attack The dog’s Strikes deal 1d4 extra damage to creatures within the reach of at least two of the dog’s allies.
"Let's do this smart and back eachother up," Brodock says. He pulls out his shield before hand to be more prepared.
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Peering into the cavern, the smell is atrocious although the onyx dog sniffs at several piles or organic matter, wagging it's onyx tail. You see leftover crates and bales, perhaps this room was once a storeroom. Beetles scuttle about not bothering with the dog or the group massing at the entrance corridor. There is an exit to the north.
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You move into the room, the smell from the excrement that litters parts of the room is vile. It would seem that the cavern has since been used as a latrine and the organic matter is producing the stench. You make a quick search as you watch the beetles munching into the piles of rot, happily ignoring you.
You are sickened 1, for a period of time.
Sickened
You feel ill. Sickened always includes a value. You take a status penalty equal to this value on all your checks and DCs. You can’t willingly ingest anything—including elixirs and potions—while sickened.
You can spend a single action retching in an attempt to recover, which lets you immediately attempt a Fortitude save against the DC of the effect that made you sickened. On a success, you reduce your sickened value by 1 (or by 2 on a critical success).
You send the onyx dog forward, as Pa and Brodock lead the group through a twisting corridor...
Pa and Brodock look into the cavern that appears to have been used as a makeshift bedchamber. Beds have been pulled from elsewhere in the cave and pushed together to form one large misshapen sleeping place. The beds have collapsed and now lean haphazardly against each other. The blankets and pillows are filthy, and flies buzz about. Rats and beetles scamper across the chamber looking for food, whilst spiders are busy creating traps for the flies. None of these creatures seem to notice the onyx dog as it entered, or you as you stand at the entrance. Tunnels exit to the east and west, the eastern tunnel, soon ends in a dead end.
Brodock AC 18 HPs 20/20 W 18
Elsha AC 17 HPs 17/17 W 14
Pa AC 18 HPs 20/20 W 15
Xun AC 18 HPs 16/16 W 16
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As they draw close to the source of the stench, Elsha gags again and comes nearest ever to wretching. To the other party members he looks a little green. Just after seemingly gaining his composure, it hits him again and he gives up to just unload on the floor nearby.
Ug. Strangely I feel better. There, I've left a new smell. Maybe it will come to meet us.
He looks around again.
Unsure if that's what we really want...
He goes to follow Pa to the West.
"This smells worse than the run off from a bat cave..." Brodock mutters as he moves with the others through the cave. He grips his shield tightly expecting some pile of filth to move and it be the Ogre attacking them.
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As Elsha wretches from the smell, the violent movement of his body causes his vials, potions and other alchemical equipment to bang together, the sounds of which echo through the caverns. Whilst the onyx dog bounds ahead into the bedroom chamber, barks at a rat there. You all wait a second, for the noise to subside, then you hear a heavy footstep echo through the chambers towards you and a deep angry voice shouts out "Эй, что это? Кто мешает моему ужину!" from out of the western corridor. The sound of metal scraping and being dragged along the stone floor follows. At this noise the rats and beetles all scurry away.
"Hey, what's that? Who's disturbing my dinner?"
Brodock AC 18 HPs 20/20 W 18
Elsha AC 17 HPs 17/17 W 14
Pa AC 18 HPs 20/20 W 15 Active Condition: Sickened
Xun AC 18 HPs 16/16 W 16 Active Condition: Sickened
Brodock Initiative(Perception)
Elsha Initiative(Stealth)
Pa Initiative(Perception)
Xun Initiative(Perception)
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Hearing the presumed Ogre questioning them in some strange tongue, and seeing his companions ready themselves for a fight, Pa will stay up in front of the western corridor, ready to intercept the ogre as it comes into the chamber.
He takes a deep couple of breaths to steel himself and says "You got this, jus' need to make sure to not take a smack to the head and you'll prolly be fine.." There's a certain amount of fear in his voice, as it seems like he's not actually faced something quite as big as an ogre before.
Brodock will pull out his club and cast SHILLELAGH!
action 1 draw club
action 2 and 3 cast Shillelagh
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As the compatriots ready for the battle ahead, around the corner of the corridor into the cavern, a large 10 feet tall and densely muscled, fat, ugly, foul smelling and well armed ogre. In one hand he has the half eaten leg of an orc warrior, the ogre continues to bite into his dinner slavering as he does, spittle drips down his chin, falling to the floor. Behind him, being dragged along the floor, in his other hand he pulls an ugly hooked weapon in his other hand.
His attention is taken by the yapping dog and the chanting from Brodock as he enter the cavern, until a flask of burning fire whizzes past his head and lands behind him, it's contents exploding harmlessly on the granite walls. He looks up seeing Elsha and smiles, shouting a few uncouth words in his own language and throwing the half-eaten, half-rotted leg at the alchemist. Elsha is hit flat in the face as his head and shoulders are covered in gore and spit. The onyx dog attacks, trying to bite the ogre as he throws his food, it's jaws clamp on to the ogre's leg, but don't pierce it's tough skin.
At that moment, Pa's carefully laid trap springs into action, Pa emerges from the shadows behind the ogre, striking at it's legs to incapacitate the creature. The strike slashing deep into the ogre's flesh.
Brodock AC 18 HPs 20/20
Elsha AC 17 HPs 0/17 -
Onyx dog AC 15 HPs 5/5
Pa AC 18 HPs 20/20 Active Condition: Sickened
Xun AC 18 HPs 16/16 Active Condition: Sickened
Ogre 10
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Xun begins to drum which fills the whole chamber with the music. You feel inspired to great deads, that could start with killing the Ogre.
After reaching out for his music to aid his allies he calls out for loas. The corridor that he stands infills with a translucent light in which, if one looks, can see animal spirits and spirits of the dead.
He keeps on playing a slightly different rhythm that mixes with the ongoing one. He directs the spirits to heal his wounds