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Brandark will see that the Half-Orc Gorvi was manning, or should I say Half-Orcing, the portcullis' wench. Brandark defeated Gorvi in a strength contest at the Sandpoint Festival many months ago.
Gorvi will raise the portcullis in time for Brandark to pass. The Half-Orc calls out, "You will be alone out there!"
Bloodtusk will look at Kaos, "Nothing out of the ordinary." When the captain receives payment, "Welcome aboard." Leira will first notice the Keelboat is runner lower in the water. It does not take the Rogue Arcanist long to note three more horses than before. Each of the new horses has Orcish bridles. There are also two new crew members, one is a Half-Orc, the other a female Orc. Bloodtusk is equally interested in Droja. He offers a trade. The Keelboat moves to the south shore and weighs anchor. The ship's crew and everyone sets watches and camps for the night. Day Forty-two
"No towns. Nomadic Tribes. They trade gold ore for steel. I see you have steel. I will trade passage for your Falchions, extra Longbows and arrows," Captain Bloodtusk says in a matter-of-fact manner.
The party begins to trod downstream along the north banks of the River Esk. By late afternoon Captain Bloodtusk's Keelboat can be seen coming down river from behind. Bloodtusk steers the boat towards the river bank and the party. Bloodtusk calls out, "You survived. Are you looking to book passage back towards Trunau?" You will find out that Bloodtusk had been trading further up river.
Bloodtusk ponders the question only briefly, "Hill Giants, Ogres, Ogrekin, and Orcs don't get along well within themselves, so what do you think? But I do not know anything specific."
Captain Bloodtusk will chat with Leira, "Nasty place Redlake Fort is these days. In addition to Orcs, there are vile Ogrekin, Ogres and the worst....Hill Giants. I have done business with them. They are liars and cheats, the lot of them. If you can take 'em out, then that will suit me just fine." Leira will know that Redlake Fort was originally part of Harchist’s Blockade, the second line of strongholds defending Lastwall’s retreating northern border with Belkzen. Redlake Fort (named for a variety of crimson algae that grew within its moat) was abandoned in 4482, when the Blockade fell and a new border, the Hordeline, was established farther south. Twisted Nail Orcs and the Heart Eater Hill Giants now challenge each other for control of this area. But you will also find out from what the party discovered from the raid in Trunau, that the Hill Giant Chieftess Grenseldek was behind the Orc raid, meaning that the Orcs and Hill Giants are working together.
Captain Bloodtusk will look at Leira, "Aye. If you return from the swamps, I will put you to work." After slaying the Hydra, the party will take the time to look for a lair but will not find one. They then moved to catch up with Mordea.
Ghorza and Sharg both gasp when they see their Captain fall. Ghorza was distracted just enough to receive a hew from the seventh Orc. Ghorza hacks back at the green mongrel. Green blood splatters about as Ghorza's handaxe cuts into Orc flesh.
Sharg turns his attention to the eighth Orc. He too fares well against the cur as more green blood falls upon the boat's topside deck.
Bloodtusk becomes stables, though still unconscious.
Ghorza turns his attention to the fifth Orc, hacking into the green meanie with his handaxe.
The Half-Orc fisherman, Sharg, also goes after the fifth Orc.
The fifth Orc dies from the strike. The Coxswain organizes the rowers to go topside.
The Orcs board the ship. The Captain pulls out his Scimitar and goes after the seventh Orc that had just climbed upon Bloodtusk's ship. The eighth Orc, just now aboard the keelboat, takes an opportunity to swing its Falchion at the ship's Captain. He catches the Captain unaware cutting deep into Bloodtusk's back.
Bloodtusk does manage to slice into the seventh Orc's flesh. Grabbing his handaxe, one of Bloodtusk's crew members goes after the sixth Orc that had climbed aboard the keelboat. Khorza buries his handaxe into Orc hide.
The Captain responds to Kaos, "No clue. These creatures are simpletons. I doubt there was any greater scheme than catching prey. We were just food to them." He makes sure that the Merrows are dead. Then looks to his crew, "Get these carcasses off my boat!"
Ghorza continues to move to the action. He pauses briefly at the sight of these two giant creatures one with Ulfgard in its grasp the other grasping Mordea. He moves toward the Captain. Bloodtusk takes a step pulling out his Scimitar. He strikes at the big beast, barely missing his lunge.
Coxswain Halrex and the Rowers reach topside.
Bloodtusk cranks the ballistae around. The Coxswain gathers the rowers to move top side. Ghorza grabs a javelin and heads out of the kitchen.
Raag notices the commotion and storms over, "What is going on here?" When Anga tells Captain Bloodtusk what she saw, Raag turns on Gashnakh.
Gashnakh spills the beans. The Half-Orc was sprinkling the Girallon tranquilizer on the meat. This could have rendered the whole party unconscious or worse. Gashnakh would then go and free his love Melira from the bilge. DC 12 Spellcraft check:
You believe Gashnakh is under a spell.
Raag runs up to assist the stuck left Half-Orc.
Both crewmembers are freed from the goo, but their wounds are plentiful and causes them much distress. Crew (AC14 1,2/15) Raag calls out, "All hands on deck. Coxswain! Stay on guard."
The two stuck crewmembers continue to struggle in the goo. The captain seeing the Alpha fall and the other one fly off, rushes to aid his crewmen.
Captain Bloodtusk manages to dodge the spittle only getting a little of the caustic substance on him. The other two Half-Orc crewmembers did not fare as well, as both took the brunt of the caustic spittle and are stuck in place. The rudder is fouled up in the goo. Thankfully, the boat is anchored and not going anywhere. The ballista is fouled up too. It will need to be thoroughly cleaned before it can be used again. The Captain runs down toward his cabin. "Free yourselves you dogs, or you will die where you stand," Raag barks back at his stuck Half-Orc crew knowing if they don't free themselves from the caustic goo they will likely die.
Raag Bloodtusk was not sitting idle during any of this. He was readying the ballista with two other members of his Half-orc crew. Not wanting to risk hitting Kaos with an attack on the Alpha Drake, the Half-Orc captains sees the approaching fourth Drake and fires one of the ballista's big spears. "Worg worms! Someday I will need to learn to fire this thing," Raag curses as the big spear misses the fourth Drake.
Raag calls out, "Faster on those oars." A muffled, Aye, aye Captain, can be barely heard from the Coxswain.
The fisherman Half-Orc gleefully gets a blow in against the second River Drake with his hand axe.
Raag continues to steer the boat. He yells out at the Half-Orc fisherman, "Fight that thing or die!"
Fearing his Captain even more than the River Drake, the Half-Orc fisherman finds the courage to pull out his handaxe and attack the River Drake. But the pain of his wounds proved too much to make an effective strike.
Captain Bloodtusk grunts as he sees one of his horses being carried off, "We need that horse. Coxswain, full on with the oars". Raag yells out. The big Drake flies off on the port side of the vessel toward a hilly cave along the shore. Raag Bloodtusk steers the starboard rudder sending the keelboat in the direction of the big Drake. The fisherman makes a full retreat away from the side of the boat toward his Captain. The Half-Orcs on the oars and the Coxswain stays on task. The Half-Orc cook peeks out of the kitchen.
Captain Bloodtusk notices one of the Drakes, "River Drakes!" Raag rings a bell near the rudder controls.
Captain Bloodtusk grunts, "You could strip her and lock her in the bilge. I would still keep a guard on her.
Captain Raag looks over the Intruder, "Does anyone have an idea why she was sabotaging my ship? If not, I say throw her overboard the next time we past a nest of crocodiles."
"Hurry you pigs!", the Half-Orc screams as he is hit by a Magic Missile. He then shakes off the pain and calmily looks at Mordea, "I saw you last in Freetown. I thought you were dead," the Half-Orc says pulling out a Greataxe. He is way off balance with the well-crafted heavy blade hitting nothing but air.
The HO moves pulling out a short spear . He is yelling and screaming in Orcish:
Get out here and attack you sons of pigs. When he gets a clear view of one of the party members, he lets it fly.
The Half-Orc heads out the back door. GM Screen: HO to T22qD
Gorvi notices the Elf Woman's comments in a tongue he has not heard in a long time. He is also not used to being cheered on particularly from one so beautiful. You see Gorvi has developed a bad reputation around town for harassing the ladies. Sheriff Hemlock has had to lock him up a couple of times for taking his flirtatious ways too far. Most of the women around town have learned to avoid him, with the exception of some at the Pixie's Kitten, who see him as a good paying customer. To Gorvi this is just the way you approach the opposite sex. He has to think about the words for a moment. "Симпатичная дама, приезжайте моей Шак сегодня вечером. Я хотел бы показать вам, что я могу это сделать," Gorvi's smile though oafish has an almost innocent quality. Orcish: Pretty lady, come to my shack tonight. I will show you what I can do.
Brandark, after loosing to the half orc, and wandering around, wanders back to Gorvi in time to see him lose to Lyr. "Mind if I give it a another go?" "No Dwarf can lift more than Gorvi," the Half-Orc boasts. He motions to Brandark to try again.
Just beyond the square, and on the street to the east the half-orc has attracted a crowd. The well-worn stones have slots that allow them to fit together. A total of ten stones, five a piece sit in bright red wheelbarrows. A pair of shabbily dressed young teens attend each wheelbarrow. A Dwarf (Brandark) lifts seven stones over his head, but does not match the eight stones of the Half-Orc. "Not bad for a little person," the half-orc nods. A Human Female gives the well-worn stones a try. She lifts six, then seven, then eight and with almost all her effort nine stones. The half-orc struggles and fails to lift the nine stones. "Gorvi impressed! You are stronger than the puny males in this town. Me like you," the overly fat, heavily tattooed half-orc gives Lyr a big toothy grin. Large blobs of drool drips off his tusk. "Maybe you come to my shack later and we have some fun," Gorvi gives Lyr a pat on the behind. One of the teens standing near, seeing an apparent shock on Lyr's face says, "Just ignore him. He harasses all the women in this town." The half-orc grunts back toward the teen, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a well polished round stone, its a many layered agate. He hands the agate to Lyr. "You first to beat Gorvi this day. Take this," the half-orc manages a smile that is comical. You realize that though brutish, this half-orc is mostly harmless. |
