Chp. 5: WTF?!

[OGRE MAGE]

Lead the way Wulfie! We'll be right behind you!

[Grognardsw]

With the captive she-orc in the lead, the adventurers continue west in marching order. The rough-hewn corridor is dank and eerie shadows flicker from the party's torch.



Twenty feet down there is a ragged curtain to the left south wall. Ten feet beyond a passage splits north sloping up.

The corridor continues west - there is a door to the south wall and further down about 40' the hallway opens into a chamber, the details of which cannot be seen from your current position.

Map

[AleBelly]

"Ask her what's behind the curtain" demands Wulfhart in a whisper.

[MrHemlocks]

Albertus goes over to the she beast. With the flail held in one hand and easily seen by the orc he slaps her across the face with the other."If you wish to live tell me the truth. What is behind the curtain; where does this door lead to and what is down the north passage...right before the door?" Swinging the flail back and forth he continues. "If you even make one mistake in failing to tell me the truth it is over for you."

[Zhym]

"Please!" pleads Boddin. "She may be an orc and our prisoner, but she is still a sentient creature! Have some compassion!"

He wonders again what type of people he has fallen in with.

[Grognardsw]

Albertus the cleric has seen his god, felt the winds of a heavenly realm, experienced profound purity of heart. Now, back in this material world, he sometimes thinks he is mired in the sewer of humankind. They stink of soul and body. Weak spirited, small minded, selfish mankind.

Should he be so critical he wonders? Remember the goodness of St. Cuthbert. What would he do? What is Albertus' mission having been returned to life?

Feel free to explore this personality sub-plot. Not many people go through resurrection. XP bomus potential. All players can get XP bonus for character development and posting frequency.

The she-orc looks on in terror at the holy inquisitor. "Behind curtain is trash pit and the eater. North passage to our sleep rooms. South door storage. West room council chamber. Will you let me go now?"

Eledhon the druid steps forward. "You will not slay her Albertus."

[MrHemlocks]

"Boddin,"Albertus snaps back with a harsh tone, "compassion you say, save it for all the dead humans and demi-humans these orcs tortured and killed and where about to eat! Please, your liberal do good ideas hold no value here! Let me guess you have no objection in letting this beast go to breed more orcs and cause more destruction."

Kicking the walls of the tunnel, Albertus shakes his head in disbelief.

[Zhym]

"I have no personal knowledge," answers Boddin, "—but then neither do you—but I do sincerely doubt this female ever killed anyone. Judging by those we slaughtered, the orcs seem the types to keep their women as slaves and breeders, not companions in battle. Will you torture her because of the crimes of others? Must the slaves of evildoers be held to pay for the crimes of their masters? Are we torturers now, too? If she has done evil—which again, I must say I doubt—then punish her and be done with it. But to use her for information while threatening her with pain and mutilation—that, sir, is evil, no matter what god you claim to serve."

[AleBelly]

"Burt!" bellows Wulfhart. "You will not touch her. She is a prisoner who is providing us information. As our hobbit friend says, these females were just trying to survive. I 'll give no quarter to make orcs, but this female has no control over her own fate. Leave her be!" Wulfhart moves his hand to the hilt of his sword, implying he will strike at whomever else attacks their remaining prisoner.

He looks at the female orc. "We're not letting you go yet, lass."

[jakegreenxxxx44]

prays to her god for peace and calm amongst us. we all must keep level heads if we are to get thru these caves she says. we are stronger as one and together compared to individuals and divided.

[doughx99]

Niles moves in between Albertus and Wulfhart

gentleman please let's move on,we will hold the Orc prisoner until can be sure she can't alert anyone or thing,then keep our word and let her live.

[MrHemlocks]

Stepping back from the group, Albertus takes out a leather bound book and starts reading from it."For the wages of sin is death; but the gift is eternal life. Woe unto you, hypocrites! For you which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

Closing the book and securing it back within his backpack, Albertus smiles."Lets's go. We have plenty of evil to be cleansed from these caves and those responsibly for the chaos within these lands.."

[OGRE MAGE]

Fingal

You tells em Bert!
Now, you know I don't go fer none a that religious hogwash, but I admire your tenacity fer sure.

I don't give 2 squats about the life of one ugly orc but, I ain't about ta get in no fight umungst ourselves over the thing either. We got bigger problems to figure out with that Mentzer guy if'n we ever make it back there again. We don't need to split the party over what we do with one dang orc.

[AleBelly]

Stepping back from the group, Albertus takes out a leather bound book and starts reading from it."For the wages of sin is death; but the gift is eternal life. Woe unto you, hypocrites! For you which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

Closing the book and securing it back within his backpack, Albertus smiles."Lets's go. We have plenty of evil to be cleansed from these caves and those responsibly for the chaos within these lands.."

Burt's speech leaves Wulfhart bewildered, but he does understand the "Let's go." "The council chamber sounds interesting. I don't find too much interesting about a trash pit and whatever creature would eat things that these filthy orcs deem waste."

Wulfhart turns to the orc, and speaks to her even though he knows she won't understand. "You're not going anywhere just yet, missy."

[Grognardsw]

After tense words on morals, the adventurers move west to the orc council room. It is a 40'x40' circular chamber, the ceiling 20' high. A pit yawns open in the middle of the room, its bottom 20' down. There may be a passageway at the bottom; it's hard to tell with the shadows of torch light.

Long benches occupy the south half of the room. In the north half a primitive wood table and chairs. Empty cups and plates with a few scraps of food are on the table. The north wall area has been smoothed over, and upon it are rough chalked maps showing the region and its landmarks: the Keep, road, abandoned watchtower, swamp, and a few trails. There are "X" marks at points along the road and trails.

There is writing in both orc and common. This writing seems too neat to have been written by a orc. Among the notations: Along the road - "Ambush One - spice and salt." Further west: "Ambush Two - grains and feed." At the watch tower: "Drop off." On the trail between tower and caves: "Arm traps." To the left side of the map are hash marks - two groups of five and a set if three.

[AleBelly]

Wulfhart pulls a torch from his pack, lights it from one of the others' in the party, and drops it down the pit, holding the female orc right beside him. He will hesitate if she protests.

torch deducted from inventory

[Hotgoblin]

Groyn

Groyn walks up to the cave wall and checks out the maps. He doesn't think much of the work done within these vast caves, nothing comes close to Clan Battle-Ax, his home.

[MrHemlocks]

As the Party moves forward, Albertus stands to one side of the curtain. With torch in hand he opens the curtain, at the east end, and peeks in while still remaining behind the wall.

[Grognardsw]

Closing the book and securing it back within his backpack, Albertus smiles."Lets's go. We have plenty of evil to be cleansed from these caves and those responsibly for the chaos within these lands.."

"The simple priest is ripening into a violent zealot!" exclaims Vorkath Tsaridian, slapping Albertus on the shoulder. "You should have been a paladin!"

Albertus looks coldly at Vorkath as the group moves west. The cleric pauses at the ragged curtain covering entrance to the trash room, according to the despicable she-orc. Albertus peeks in. There is a 10'x10' space largely occupied by a pit. It is full of refuse and vile water. A tentacle floats about the top and weaves a bit. The cleric moves on.

~~~

Inside the orc counsel chamber, Wulfhart the northern fighter tosses a torch down the yawning hole in the middle of the room. The pit is about 30' and yes, the barbarian can make out a passageway at the bottom in the south wall. He also makes out bones down there.

Groyn the dwarf has been noting the stonework in the caves thus far. His finely honed stone sense tells him these caves were initially natural structures and roughly hewed out afterwards by unskilled hands. Certainly not dwarf or gnome, derro or drow; probably a monster race or maybe even human.

Groyn studies the chalked wall map. There is planning and intelligence behind this writing. The dwarf wonders if the orcs are capable of such alone.

[AleBelly]

"Let's go north" suggests Wulfhart. "There's a 30' drop down that pit, with bones. I don't want to be the first one down there. I'd reconsider if our orc friend here knows anything, but something tells me cooks aren't allowed in here."