The ore from the Iron Island looks like it is brought to the mainland through an abandoned castle overlooking the coast. On the assumption that the operation will be guarded, we try to sneak around to scout the location, rather than stomping in blindly. The walls of the castle are not entirely intact, which allows […]
Fighting our way through the orc fortress leads us to the commander, Krag. Almost, anyway. A narrow corridor ends with a 10' wall leading up to ledge where the corridor continues. The wall would be easy to climb with the ladder in place, but only if the ladder stayed in place. One of Krag's lieutenants […]
Needing to recover from several encounters forces our retreat from the orc fortress. We don't think they'd leave us to sleep peacefully only to get up and fight them refreshed. We exit the fortress, head a bit further up the valley, and find somewhere safe to rest. Maybe this will confuse the orcs too, as […]
Getting in to the orc fortress in the canyon, thanks to finding a hidden lever that opens a door in the rock face, only leads to more problems. To get to the door we had to pass arrow slits where orcs waited to fire opportunistically at us. Even orcs aren't so stupid for us to […]
At the end of the canyon is the orcs' fortress, seemingly built in to the walls of the canyon itself. We spot some tracks that the orcs have left, but they seem to lead directly in to a stone wall. Getting closer to the wall where the tracks disappear doesn't offer any clues as to […]
'Lord help you if you ever come across a smart enemy.' 'Well, you play all the NPCs, so we're probably okay.'
Defeating the guards leaves us looting the battlefield. 'Is there any loot?' 'Chain shirts, spears, a heavy crossbow. And their 15 horses, of course.' 'I'll put them in my backpack.' '...what are you putting in your backpack?' 'The horses.' 'I'm not going to allow that, because, first, you're not very strong, and second, you would […]
Some guards are left behind with the horses about half-way along a canyon, and our attempt to convince them we are on their side fail. Weapons are drawn. One of the guards throws a spear towards Pasha, our wizard. 'Or his owl familiar.' 'Okay, on a 20 he hits the owl.' The D20 rolls a […]
Winning the initiative against the barbarian gives us an advantage. Who'd've thought? A quick charm spell, aided by a forced failed saving throw, makes him think I'm his buddy, and we convince him to withdraw to another room, isolating us from his two-headed hound. Another spell, this time a suggestion from Pasha, gets the barbarian's […]
As often happens when an encounter is imminent, a map is drawn on our battlemat. As often happens when a map is drawn on our battlemat, the drawing skills of the GM are criticised. 'Why isn't the path straight?' 'Artistic licence.' 'Maybe we should adapt our plan. We could go up and say that we […]