Journal Entry 14

Journal – Session 14

Having joined the last remaining defenders of Draig Durrok, a besieged dwarven fortress – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Luke, a cloaked half-elf Wizard of mysterious origins and arcane might; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his axe – the heroes were determined to break the siege and rout the attacking forces led by the orc chieftain Gorshak.

The morning began with the party keeping a keen eye on Gorshak’s army. Much to their surprise, the orcs did not seem to be preparing for another assault; instead, it seemed as though the orcs were content to remain in their camp and wait for their fearless leader’s orders. Meanwhile, given this respite, the dwarven defenders worked tirelessly to reinforce the main gates and walls of the Watch. Several dwarves had constructed a row of crossbows mounted to a moveable stand. This ingenious device could unleash a flurry of bolts at one time, so it was placed slightly behind the main gates on the chance that those iron-banded portals were compromised. The second day of the siege ended without the feared orcish onslaught.

During the second watch of the night, the party was awakened by a massive fireball that erupted from the midst of the orc encampment to their right. While the party scrambled to the top of the walls to view the carnage, they heard rakish laughter coming from beside them. They turned to see the familiar face of The Fish, laughing so hard he was nearly doubled over. It took the Rogue a few minutes to calm down to the point that he could explain himself. “Stupid goblins,” he sneered. He claimed to have snuck into the orc camp disguised as an orc, and was able to convince a few of the goblins to make a hearty stew using rabbits he provided, as well as “special” ingredients he gave them. He said that the vial he gave to the unwitting goblins had contained two substances provided to him by Neltharian. The Fish stated that the Wizard had told him that if the substances were combined and heated, they would produce a dramatic explosion. As it turned out, Neltharian was absolutely right. The Fish also indicated that Neltharian had heard of the dwarves’ plight; the council had therefore sent him to assist with ending the siege.

He also bore a message from Neltharian for the party: the Wizard believed that he had finally discovered that the third piece of the staff; it was reputed to lie somewhere in the vicinity of the Glimmering Peaks. Neltharian advised them that after the siege of Draig Durrok was broken, the party should go to the Fen of Forgotten Souls, retrieve the first part of the staff and return to Folkestone. The party indicated that such a plan was agreeable, and that they would return to Folkestone following the completion of the quest for the first piece of the staff: the heroes weren’t sure how to find the first piece of the staff, but they vowed to find it if it was there. The Fish told the party that he would stay and assist the dwarves in defending their fortress, but that he could not accompany them to the Fen, as he had “additional business” to attend to. He estimated that his little bit of sabotage probably killed 100 orc drudges – “Not a bad start,” he said. The rest of the night passed uneventfully.

The third day started similar to the last, as the orcs remained in their camps. From the walls, it appeared as though Gorshak had called his most trusted warriors and/or clan chieftains to a meeting that lasted several hours. Waiting and scheming does not usually run in orcish blood, and the seemingly endless pause in the siege made the dwarves a bit nervous. However, hope began to build that the reinforcements from Draig Drammen might actually arrive in time to join the defense. The heroes and their dwarven allies reasoned that if they were to attack the rear of the right camp, there was a chance that launching such an assault could rout the orcs quickly. The sun went down, blood red against the mountains, and the party decided to send Syxia out in an attempt to poison the boars that served as the mounts for a band of orc warriors. Drawing a lethal vial of deadly poison from its hiding place between her breasts and flashing her gleaming white fangs in a smile, the stealthy Rogue disappeared into the gathering dusk. The Fish also went out – by himself – for reconnaissance and various mischief-making feints. The left flank of the orc battle encampment was extremely well-guarded, and Syxia was unable to penetrate their defenses and get to the boars. At least The Fish’s venture appeared more successful, as he claimed to have killed 10 more orcs, and also learned that Gorshak’s reinforcements and the “powerful weapons that would destroy the gates” were to arrive the following afternoon. The Fish has overheard Gorshak declare that after his troops destroyed the walls, they would be bent on pushing the dwarves out of the Watch, before proceeding directly to Draig Durrok, laying waste to everyone and everything in their path. This was most unwelcome news to the heroes and dwarves alike. Fearing he would be discovered, the Fish had fled before he could learn the nature of the weapons Gorshak so eagerly awaited. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, but few of the defenders were able to sleep.

The fourth morning also started uneventfully, but there was much excitement in and around the orc encampments. Shortly after noon, a great guttural cry arose from the black throats of the gathered orc-host, and their war drums began to beat an ominous rhythm. It quickly became clear to the defenders that this day would see blood; their hopes of reinforcement were dashed. While they were trying to get a glimpse of what new horror Gorshak was going to unleash upon them, they saw the encampment to the right begin to withdraw, as the left side of the encampment begin to line up and march to the right. The orcs sent a wave of the lowest level of their drudge minions and some unlucky goblins to make an assault on the walls, but it was evident that this was merely meant to keep the dwarves busy. After the majority of the orcs had shifted to the right, the party was finally able to see what was headed their way. They could make out the shapes of two massive cave trolls being led by 10 orcs using chains to control the great brutes; this grisly entourage was led by an orcish Blood Shaman.

The party quickly realized that the cave trolls, with their massive, powerful fists and near-magical ability to ignore most damage, would be able to easily wrest the gates from the Watch - or merely hammer the walls to rubble. They therefore acted decisively: the Fish was left to guard the Watch while the party snuck out the back exit and put themselves between the trolls and the Watch. They alone had the power to confront this menace, and they were not about to shy away from the confrontation. The situation also presented them with another possibility – if they were to defeat the trolls, they would have a clear path to Gorshak. This was the first time this opportunity had presented itself and they quickly recognized that killing the orc leader would probably mean a quick end to the siege. First, of course, they would have to deal with the trolls.

Barrack knew that the secret to dispatching the trolls would be to continually hit them with fire and acid damage, which would keep them from regenerating. Luke knew that his flaming sphere would come in handy here, much like Syxia’s flaming dagger and the Dragonborn’s breath weapons, whether Marik’s acid or Ur-Kadar’s flame. As combat ensued, the drudges proved no match for the heroes, and they quickly perished beneath the attacks of various party members. The Blood Shaman stayed back, and wisely used the trolls to keep the party away from him. The trolls presented a new challenge, as the party had not faced them before and their tactics were unknown to the adventurers. Of course, it did not take the intelligence of a Wizard to realize that they should stay out of the way of the pounding fists that were the size of boulders. Barrack and Ur-Kadar put themselves in harm’s way, as usual. One of the trolls responded by grabbing Barrack and launched him into the rock wall many feet away. The other monstrosity grabbed Ur-Kadar, who was unable to escape its grasp. The beast then used the dragonborn as an improvised weapon and swung him wildly like a club. The troll managed to connect with Syxia, slamming the hulking Paladin into the slight Rogue, damaging both and dazing Ur-Kadar. However, the party would not yield and began to work as a team. Luke seared the putrid flesh of the trolls with his conjured flaming sphere and scorching bursts; Syxia’s wicked flaming knife flashed, biting deep and sending arcs of black troll-blood high into the air; Marik blasted away with his witchfire and followed up with a rain of eldritch blasts; and Jaeran used divine power to command his enemies around the battlefield. While the defenders soaked up blows that were healed by Pelor’s disciple, the tide turned and the heroes won out with a coordinated effort. They were then presented with two options.

They could retreat to the Watch and draw the siege out, or attempt to rush Gorshak and end the affair then and there. As they looked back to the orc army, they could see that they were enraged and would likely charge the party. To have any chance, they would need the dwarves to sally forth from the Watch and intercept the orcs, in order to give them enough time to deal with the orc leader. Just then, they saw the gates of Draig Durrok lower and Thurr, adorned in his battle armor, charged forth with the remainder of his forces. The Fish then led the dwarves out of The Watch and into a line in an effort to hold back the orcs. The party then realized that they had but one choice: to face Gorshak.

His forces were overwhelming. On the near side, the mighty orc leader had his shaman, an acolyte, two dire boar riders, two savage ogres, two hippogriffs, an orc bloodrager, three of his best and most fierce warriors and a handful of lesser troops. Overconfident, he held an ogre, a boar rider and the bloodrager in reserve while signaling the others to advance and destroy the party. While the first wave hit hard, the party was ready for them. Barrack held the point with his rain of steel even as his attacks missed more than usual. Ur-Kadar advanced, as if to challenge the entire group. Jaeran did what he could to both damage the enemy and heal the party. Luke’s stinking cloud of noxious and poisonous vapors was effectively placed at the front lines, but his attention was suddenly turned when two hippogriffs swooped down upon him. He and Marik were forced to deal with the new threat from the skies as Syxia dashed back and forth from the front to the rear lines. Jaeran’s consecrated ground created a zone of healing for them and punishment for their foes. As with most big battles, Syxia was able to land several critical blows that inflicted significant damage on her opponents. After the party withstood the first wave and gained the upper hand, Gorshak realized his critical mistake and chose to attack.
By that time, he no longer had overwhelming odds. Ur-Kadar finished off the ogre he was fighting and then turned his attention to the acolyte, who died quickly. He was then free to concentrate on the bloodrager. Gorshak moved swiftly and positioned himself between Barrack and Syxia. Luke, despite being grievously wounded, finally finished off the hippogriff and then turned his attention to slaying the shaman. The boar rider attacked Jaeran, but was unable to force him outside his sanctified zone. Slowly, but surely, Gorshak’s forces were laid low, such that only Gorshak and the bloodrager remained. With the party’s last resources, they concentrated on ending the fight and the mighty Gorshak was no more. Ur-Kadar then quickly finished the stunned orc bloodrager. Sensing the urgency, the party quickly separated Gorshak’s head from his bloodied body and held it high for the orc army to see. The party let out a mighty roar and then rushed to the dwarven lines while brandishing the head of their fallen foe. Quickly panic spread through the orc army and it began to quickly fragment. The dwarves pressed the assault and drove the orc hordes back (and sometimes off the cliff). The battle was won as the last of the remaining orcs fled, with in-fighting among what was left of their ranks ensuing. Gorshak’s mighty axe, bloodcut hide armor and elven cloak, were claimed by Ur-Kadar, Marik and Syxia, respectively. Although none could be certain, the elven cloak had most likely belonged to Luthien. The orc shaman’s spiderkissed dagger was taken by Syxia while his stoneskin cloth armor and potion of vitality were awarded to Luke.

The party found the crumpled body of Thurr Gargengrim lying beside many dead orcs; the dwarven lord was bloodied, but still alive. An additionally 42 dwarven soldiers lost their lives on that most grim of days, but the siege was lifted and their enemies fled before them. Thurr needed help to return to Draig Durrok, but he would survive his wounds. He thanked the party for their help and asked that they meet with him on the following day in his throne room for proper acknowledgement. The remainder of the dwarven soldiers sought healing, provided by the clerics of Moradin and/or a large stein of ale, and began the process of burning the orc bodies and burying their fallen. The heroes scoured the battlefield and found a suit of magical leather armor, cleaned and donned by the she-devil, and a magical throwing hammer that was given to Barrack. The party then retreated to the halls of Draig Durrok, where they were able to rest peacefully for an entire night for the first time in many moons.

In the halls of the dwarf thane, the party was introduced as heroes to a host of thankful dwarves. Thurr wanted to personally extend his thanks, and told the heroes that their names would be written into the tomes of dwarven history and would not be forgotten. In addition, they would each be welcome here any time and could seek refuge within these walls whenever, and for as long as, they needed a place to stay. It was with great pride that Thurr hobbled forward. He explained that he and his people were all greatly indebted to the party, and that he considered it as an honor and a privilege to bestow some of his possessions on the party as a show of his deep appreciation. He began by awarding Barrack his Gauntlets of the Ram and his own stout warhammer. He presented his magical plate mail of fire resistance to Ur-Kadar. Finally, he presented the party with one of the prized possessions of the dwarven fortress, a large mithral shield. Thurr explained that this was brought from Draig Kharzak when that fortress fell to darkness. He explained that the dwarves were able to save the shield, but failed to secure a fragment of a magical staff that had abided in their possession for many lifetimes of men. The dwarves believed that this fragment was the reason the grey dwarves known as duergar agreed to help the orcs; the dwarves also believed that the duergar had retreated with the item into the lightless depths of the Underdark. After several questions from the party, Thurr explained that these two items were not necessarily connected: they were merely found by the dwarves in different locations many years apart and the dwarves have held them for over 500 years. With that, Thurr bid the heroes farewell, and they were led out of the great stone hall by Torin. Torin asked where they were headed next. Barrack stated that they would be headed to the Fens, but hinted that they may be interested in exploring Draig Kharzak in the near future. Torin says he would be happy to lead them there whenever they wanted to go. He also offered his advice on the best route into the Fens. With that, the party prepared for their next quest and made their way out of Draig Durrok.