Active members of the "Skills dat Killz" adventuring party:
Beena - Elf Ranger
Gigantor - Goliath Rogue
Lucas - Goliath Barbarian
Zah'rie - Human Warlock
Zephel - Shadar-kai Swordmage
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Active Quests:
Main Quest: Siege! Do your part to prepare for the impending siege by completing assignments. Upon assignment completion or changed situations, report back for new assignments.
(*Failed*) Minor Quest: Evacuation! Travel to the Monestary of the Sundered Chain; warn of the impending siege and evacuate the monks and paladins.
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Approaching the monastery's outer gate, the adventurers began to open it. At the precise moment they did so, however, a great explosion sounded from inside the monastery; it seemed to be coming from underneath the surface of the ground itself. Now on alert and moving forward cautiously, they peered through the gate in time to see two orc sentries running back into the monastery's lone domed building. Our adventurers made cautious haste across the courtyard and through the doors.
Through the doors, the room was spacious. Sunlight from the morning spilled through windows high up in the dome. The simple and dwarfish beauty of the shrine to Moradin was despoiled and desecrated by the entrails of dwarfs strewn about the altar in the center of the room; the bodies of dead dwarfs lay in their own blood, presumably where they fell; the air was heavy with the smell of death; the party was too late.
But what of the dwarfs' murderers, the orcs? Closer examination of the altar revealed a trap door hiding a spiral staircase heading downward. Once at the bottom, the adventurers saw at least a dozen orcs being dispatched north, further into the depths of the monestary. One of those dispatchers turned seconds later and noticed the party. Both sides clashed and mid-fight another large explosion sounded, this time one that shook the ground so profoundly that many of the combatants struggled to keep their footing; some were shaken and moved from the very spaces in which they stood.For the most part, our adventurers managed to keep their balance while the orcs and orogs (half orc/half ogre) did not fair so well. Using the seismic events to their advantage, the party decisively defeated the orcs. Pausing momentarily for a short rest and to take in their surroundings, the party realized that this basement floor was actually a dormitory for the monks and paladins of the monastery. While the bodies here had not been so desecrated, some were still in their sleeping robes; at least two were dead in their own beds. The party pushed onward.
The party pushed onward to a point when the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. The path narrowed and descended along a series of landings and switchback staircases. As they neared the bottom of what was about a 200 ft. descent, they noticed the bodies of numerous orcs. It was infered that the large explosion and quake had shaken them right off the switchbacks and onto the jagged rock floor of the unfinished portion of the cavern. Historians would note that Moradin himself exacted some deserving revenge that day upon those orcs.A path led from the bottom of the cavern into a new chamber, this one much better lit than the previous. This cavern was obviously used as a room for crafting the tools and weapons that were used by the the monastery. A modest number of orcs had their backs to the party, their attention focused toward the back of the cavern where a large orog was beating a defenseless dwarf. He was demanding that the dwarf open the tunnel, which could barely be seen on the other side of a large fire burning in the northeast corner of the room.
Having made no attempt at subtlety, the party was almost immediately noticed. The orog commander dropped the dwarf and the entire enemy group threw themselves at our adventurers. The orcs fought with surprising ferocity; their orog commander struck down one of his subordinates who was obstructing the path to the adventurers. Zah'rie, was incapacitated during the fight and nearly all the party members were bloodied. As the fight progressed and as his allies were slain, the orog commander became more and more reckless. He broke away from the party to finish off the dwarf. Eventually though, he too was defeated and the party was allowed a moment to gather themselves.Zah'rie's health was stabilized and Lucas packed him out. The dwarf's lifeless body was packed out by Gigantor and everyone made their way quickly back up to the surface. It was decided that it would be fastest to travel to Bordrin's Watch to resupply, rest, and seek medical assistance for the fallen. Carrying the wounded, reflecting on the fate of the monks and paladins of the Sundered Chain, and the new knowledge that the orcs had a foothold in the tunnels under the mountains made travel to Bordrin's Watch sober and joyless.
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Maybe we should try this out? Ok, maybe not.
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