Scene: Caverns Beneath the Steading

    The party rests in the grotto by the underground river and they heal themselves. This only takes a few hours using Mog’s ring of regeneration. The party sets a watch and the others attempt to sleep a little there in the chilly cave, wearing their armor with weapons ready at hand. Mog sits meditating, occasionally muttering, as he attempts to regain some of his lost spells.
    After everyone is healed, Fonkin Hoddypeak, the elf who recently joined the party, says, "It is nearly dawn outside." The adventurers rouse themselves and prepare to continue the adventure. They have no healing potions left, and all Bruce’s healing muffins are gone. Mog has regained a few spells, his healing spells among them.
    Bronk Beareye finishes honing the blade of his halberd with a whetstone he stole from the bugbear armory. He puts it away and stands in the dimness of the single burning torch and hoists his pack. Bruce stands too, and the two move toward the southern end of the cave, which disappears into darkness. Blade, Ghotu, Fonkin, Mog, and the engineer finish gathering their things and follow.

    [A- Everyone please post to tell me where you want to be in marching order (front, middle, or back) and what weapons/torches/shield/whatever you have in your hands. Mog carries one torch and his rod. Torches can be carried with a shield but not into battle if you want the shield bonus.]

    Bruce says, "I think the giant slaying sword should be used more prominently." Blade carries the weapon still, having used it during the terrible battle with the hill giants. His own sword, a luck blade, had been enchanted by its last wish so that any giant who looked upon it would experience his worst nightmare. But Blade does not know if the sword will remain that way, since wishes are tricky magic at best. He does not rely on it.
    Bruce continues whispering in the darkness: "Also, remember that dark wine we found? I didn’t think giants ever fermented alcohol. They have stills, but in all my travels as a merchant I have never heard of giants fermenting wine or mead, nor have I ever seen such traded. Only liquor or grog are of giant make, or so is commonly thought among traders of the stuff. That dark wine we found could not have been giant make." [This is the result of your successful lore role.]
    "Maybe the giants don’t sell their wine," says the engineer. "Or maybe they stole it from humans."
    "I’ve never tasted any wine like that," says Ghotu. The others agree, even Bronk admits the wine was as powerful as his Rasheman firewater.
    The party follows the underground stream south through the cavern, which is decorated with many stalactites and stalagmites. The gentle sound of the stream is heard to their right as they advance, and their torches cast dancing shadows on the uneven cave walls as they walk.
    "Maybe there is no way out of this place," says Fonkin. The elf seems uncomfortable being underground.
    Mog grunts, and croaks in his raspy voice, "There are orcs down here somewhere, we only need find them. These caverns most likely connect to the steading."
    The party notices strewn about the floor are bones of animals, some of them large enough to be human, along with other refuse. To their left, the torch light fades into blackness without finding the extent of the cavern. Quiet sounds are now heard besides the trickle of the stream, some kind of movement off in the dark. They pass a pair of carrion crawlers, each easily twelve feet in length, apparently fighting or mating, it is impossible to tell. The adventurers pass the animals, a writhing tangle of squishing tentacles and abdomens.

    [B- Insert any other conversation you want in the cave, or comments.]

    After walking for a short while, the company comes to the end of the grotto’s southern end. They begin to follow the wall eastward, losing hope of finding another way out and fearing to return the way they had come or to follow the unknown stream. Then they spot a sinkhole low on the south wall, which appears to level off after only a short drop. It appears to be a passage heading further south.
    After stepping down into the sinkhole, they are forced to stoop as they enter the passage. At times they are able to walk nearly upright, other times they crouch, and once they are forced to slither on their bellies through the mud, dragging their packs behind them the ceiling is so low.
    When they emerge from the small passage, they see a much larger chamber extending still further south, which they follow. "We’re never getting out of here," says the engineer plaintively.
    "Take heart," says Fonkin. "You yourself saw these warriors slay many giants. You are safe, for now."
    "There are creatures more fell than giants in the underground," mutters the engineer. Those who hear him get a strange feeling that he has some specific knowledge he is not sharing.
    Ahead, the company hears a commotion. Cries and sounds of battle are heard, as well as distinctly non-human growls. The sounds come from ahead, in the darkness. The party steps up their pace, and it is not long before they come upon the scene of a battle. Several orcs, armed with weapons from the bugbear store, attack a large crocodile looking beast. The monster they attack is like a long legged and bloated crocodile, as large as a pony with a massive maw of carnivore's teeth. Also attacking the beast are troglodytes who carry crude stone axes. The melee is going badly for the two legged combatants.
    To their surprise, the company members see a human female fighting with the orcs. She carries a short bow and wears a soiled and worn dress. She sees the party as they exit the passage.

    [C- What do you do? The orcs are about to lose this fight. You can join the fray, by charging in or by shooting missile weapons if you have them in hand. There are 8 orcs and 4 troglodytes. Two additional orcs are dead, and one trog. If you want to roll, please send enough to hit rolls for two combat rounds. Bows fire twice per round. X-bows once per round. Javelins go once per round. Melee is 3 attacks per 2 rounds for fighters.]
    [Updated Character Sheets are online, inlcuding Bibi and Bronk. If anyone sees any errors, please tell me and I'll fix'em. Anne, Bibi's spells are on her character sheet. You can tell what most of them do by their name, but if you have any questions, just email me. You don't have an old AD&D players handbook, do you? It has the spells in it.]