Messoria Account - The Raid on the Horned Hold
Even as Messoria draws her sword to attack, she recognises one of the agents of her father, Kallain, disguised as a mercenary. The fight breaks out and Hengist, the mercenary warlord, starts shouting advice to us which we take full advantage of – much to the dismay of our opponents.
The remaining orc slave calls for aid and the three orc guards from the gate rush to help him, but it proves insufficient. Wanda is seriously injured, but is healed by Messoria who then charges the leader of the duergar: the formidable Forgemaster Urwall. Meanwhile Steven the dwarf has been slashing at his enemies with sweeping blows of the mighty dwarven waraxe, against which the orcs have no defence.
Aelar and Andraste snipe effectively from outside the melee, but the eladrin is surprised by a duergar scout who is able to turn invisible and attack her. She survives with minor injuries as the duergar is pursued into a dead end room by Hengist and Messoria where its invisibility is of little use.
With our enemies defeated before an alarm could be raised we take a few minutes to speak with Hengist and search the room. Hengist has been unable to explore the whole Hold as mercenaries are not wholly trusted, but he recalls seeing a group of slaves being taken across the bridge into the main hold, a Halfling amongst them. Andraste and Aelar find Urwall’s treasure which includes the Skull Sceptre which we have heard has been sought by Gendar, the drow merchant, even though it is not magical.
Using duergar cloaks as a basic disguise, and pretending to be either mercenaries or prisoners, we cross the bridge to the main Hold. Andraste attempts to pick the lock on the door but it proves resistant to her efforts. Hengist takes a more straightforward approach and is able to lever it open with a crowbar and brute strength.
From the hall beyond we hear the sounds of unsuspecting duergar sleeping or resting. Following the sound of snoring, Andraste sneaks into a room to attempt a coup de grace. However, as well as a sleeping duergar, an only too awake duergar wizard is on the far side of the room and immediately notices her. Before he can act, Messoria calls on Sehanine’s power and the wizard is compelled to walk towards the Paladin who is able to strike him down. Andraste, Frank and Wanda are meanwhile able to kill the other duergar as it awakens.
Still unnoticed we sneak into a guard room where we see a duergar soldier and two arbalest armed constructs built to resemble female minotaurs. The soldier and one of the minotaurs fall to our attacks, but from behind a wall appears another duergar who sees the situation and, running towards a large pair of double doors, raises the alarm.
Messoria charges after him and kills him even as the doors open revealing a huge ogress accompanied by four orc raiders. Steven rushes forwards to reinforce her and between them they are able defeat the hulking ogre. Trapped by Sehanine’s radiance, the orc raiders make futile attempts to attack Messoria with thrown handaxes, but her armour proves more than sufficient. The ogre however is able to land several telling blows on Messoria before she is killed and it is only Hengist’s intervention that saves her.
Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
Session 20 7/10/17 Thunderspire #4
Carouse in tavern, Attack Grimmerzhul trade post, take duergar prisoner, travel to the Horned Hold. Bluff way in, reach the forge and attack...
Messoria Account - The Pursuit of the Duergar
On our return to the Seven Pillared Hall, Andraste speaks with Bennick the Wanderer, a bard who creates a (somewhat exaggerated) song relating our defeat of the hobgoblins in the Chamber of Eyes. He agrees to ask around and see if he can find out anything on the whereabouts of the Duergar camp.
In the tavern we speak with Vadriar the Sage, one of the most well-travelled of the labyrinth’s explorers. Unfortunately he has paid the price for his knowledge as he is haunted by something he has seen deep in the labyrinth. He is able to tell us that the Duergar are based in the Horned Hold, near a subterranean abyss, and that they travel there via a (not very) secret passage in the Grimmerzhul Trading Post.
On the chance we can foment trouble between the drow and the duergar, both of whom are likely involved in slave trading, we visit the drow trader in the Hall, but he seems disinterested by any potential competition. He is willing to sell information but is very mercenary about it.
With no recourse other than to confront the duergar in the trading post head on, we go in. The rest of us distract the two duergar at the counter while Andraste slips in through a side door. She knocks out the first duergar she sees who falls unconscious into his breakfast. Another duergar sees her and a melee ensues.
We are initially concerned that the bronze minotaur guards in the Hall who are tasked with keeping the peace will hear the fight and interfere, but the local indigents are apparently no allies of the duergar and none of them raise the alarm.
Messoria moves up to support Andraste, and between them they defeat the duergar leader, Kedira, while the rest of the party deal with the duergar guards. We take a survivor named Gurzal prisoner, and after some encouragement he agree to lead us to the Horned Hold and get us past the orc guards on gate duty.
Andraste searches the trading post and finds a letter from Murkelmor to Kedira, instructing her to buy provisions to ‘feed the merchandise’ alongside a map of the labyrinth.
Taking only the time to catch our breath we head off to the Horned Hold. Gurzal co-operates and, with Messoria bluffing that we’re bandits in disguise, we get past the orcs at the gate. Messoria releases Gurzal, warning him against crossing us in the future.
Going deeper into the Hold we find ourselves in a large forge with duergar smiths and orc servants. As our bluff wears thin, Messoria draws her sword and attacks.
Messoria Account - The Pursuit of the Duergar
On our return to the Seven Pillared Hall, Andraste speaks with Bennick the Wanderer, a bard who creates a (somewhat exaggerated) song relating our defeat of the hobgoblins in the Chamber of Eyes. He agrees to ask around and see if he can find out anything on the whereabouts of the Duergar camp.
In the tavern we speak with Vadriar the Sage, one of the most well-travelled of the labyrinth’s explorers. Unfortunately he has paid the price for his knowledge as he is haunted by something he has seen deep in the labyrinth. He is able to tell us that the Duergar are based in the Horned Hold, near a subterranean abyss, and that they travel there via a (not very) secret passage in the Grimmerzhul Trading Post.
On the chance we can foment trouble between the drow and the duergar, both of whom are likely involved in slave trading, we visit the drow trader in the Hall, but he seems disinterested by any potential competition. He is willing to sell information but is very mercenary about it.
With no recourse other than to confront the duergar in the trading post head on, we go in. The rest of us distract the two duergar at the counter while Andraste slips in through a side door. She knocks out the first duergar she sees who falls unconscious into his breakfast. Another duergar sees her and a melee ensues.
We are initially concerned that the bronze minotaur guards in the Hall who are tasked with keeping the peace will hear the fight and interfere, but the local indigents are apparently no allies of the duergar and none of them raise the alarm.
Messoria moves up to support Andraste, and between them they defeat the duergar leader, Kedira, while the rest of the party deal with the duergar guards. We take a survivor named Gurzal prisoner, and after some encouragement he agree to lead us to the Horned Hold and get us past the orc guards on gate duty.
Andraste searches the trading post and finds a letter from Murkelmor to Kedira, instructing her to buy provisions to ‘feed the merchandise’ alongside a map of the labyrinth.
Taking only the time to catch our breath we head off to the Horned Hold. Gurzal co-operates and, with Messoria bluffing that we’re bandits in disguise, we get past the orcs at the gate. Messoria releases Gurzal, warning him against crossing us in the future.
Going deeper into the Hold we find ourselves in a large forge with duergar smiths and orc servants. As our bluff wears thin, Messoria draws her sword and attacks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)