The Wyverns pay a House Call
by Greywolf-ELMLooking at the two fleeing Orcs, Gaak decides he is quite capable of running them down and proceeds to do so.
Sharraxtharkul yells after the fleeing Orcs. Come back, Come back! Margrax is hungry!
Gaak quickly overtakes the first Orc, partially trampling him. The Fat Lip scout prostrates himself in surrender.
Gaak snarls at the other. Stop, or I Will bite your arm off.
Shar has some advice for the Ogre. Bite him on the head. The brain is sweeter.
No. If I bite him he won't be able to talk!
Both are quickly put to questioning by the warband. They are obviously scared, but more scared of The Master they keep mumbling about.
With Gaak enticing answers, Gorga questions the captured Orcs.
How many warriors are back at the tribe?
None, the kobolds and giants weakened us greatly.
What is Fellixhulkil doing?
Cooking a large pot of magic.
Who rules the Fat Lips?
The master.
Gorga assumed that the two Orc princes are the leaders of the Tribe, until Gorga thinks to ask what the master is.
A Red.
A Red what?
Dragon...
Rhgl whispers messages to Gorga through the power of the earrings. He sends back information on what is in the palisade, some Orcs, a cave, and a huge tree, known as an Ogre Oak.
Hearing about the Red Dragon, Chupa decides that being in the open is not the best place for bite sized kobolds, and mentions to Gorga that they might take shelter at the nearby empty guard tower. There is discussion of leaving, but The Master is awaiting the return of the warband patrol of the area.
Gorga and Shar estimate that they would not make it past the next valley before the dragon could attack them from the air.
Gorga tells Rhgl Let us know when the Dragon comes out.
Rhgl stands staring into space Gorga, a what.... Gorga, a what.... Gorga, a what.... Gorga, a what.... Rhgl then begins to dig a hole.
Gorga understands the feeling the goblin has, and waits for him to quit jabbering before answering. Rhgl, I know I am asking a great deal from you, Rhgl, but can you find out how big that dragon is?
Gorga, Rhgl thinks you have a greater chance to get special favours from a dwarf
The warband hustles down to the opening in the side of the palisade, and look in.
Rhgl climbs the wall, and sneaks quietly and unseen to the rope ladder hanging from the tree and the hut built within its' branches. From the outside, Rhgl sees that the hut is built on a small, rickety platform, held together with a few pieces of rope, and probably a prayer from the Fat Lips shaman. Climbing swiftly and quietly up the rope, Rhgl sneaks into the hut unseen. Looking around Rhgl sees that the hut is filled with skulls, scalps, dried frogs, baubles, jars full of spiders, maggots and other weird objects he would expect to see in a shamans' hut. A moth-eaten rug in the floor has some smoke coming out from under, and Rhgl pulls it back to reveal an opening to the caves below, down through a hollow in the tree. Climbing down, he peaks out from the hole to see Fellixhulkil dancing around casting a spell on a cauldron bubbling over a hot fire. Rhgl can also see the missing orcs, and a large wolf in the room. All bound with either rope or chains. Most are unconscious.
Rhgl decides to take on the shaman himself and tells Gorga using the magic of the earrings. Gorga and the others rush to the tree to prepare to back up the goblin sneak. Rhgl sneaks down out of the chimney-passage and stabs the shaman in the kidney, narrowly missing his spine, as a sudden movement in his dance turned the killing blow into a very painful one instead. Some Orc prisoners stir at the beginnings of a fight and the hope of escaping whatever fate the shaman has bound them for.
The rest of the warband is busy climbing the rope, and beginning the climb down the tunnel to the cave.
Rhgl hits with another dagger strike, as the shaman turns to see what is happening. Fellixhulkil is sorely wounded now and recognises his danger. The shaman steps back to throw a handful of poisonous bugs at the goblin, which Rhgl easily avoids. Running for a shelf near the door, Fellixhulkil calls out for the master. From the wall near the door, the shaman pulls down a shield, and activates a spell rendering himself invisible. With none able to see him, the shaman sneaks out the door. Rhgl rushes for the door, to find he is the target of another handful of bugs which appear seemingly out of the air, as the shaman becomes visible in the hallway. Down the hall Rhgl sees scales in a room beyond the shaman. He slams the door and returns to the room to begin freeing Orcs. Someone has to fight that dragon, and it won't be Rhgl.
Gorga is the first to join Rhgl in the small cave, and immediately helps the goblin to free the captive orcs. One Orc in particular immediately asks for a weapon, so that he may fight alongside the warband.
Guru fights with you. Who are you?
Gorga looks at the Orc and decides that he might be worth having in a fight.
I am Gorga; we are The Wyverns warband of the Vile Runes.
Gorga what should we do?
We wait for reinforcements. At these words, Chupa leaps down out of the chimney-tunnel with a yip.
Guru looks at Gorga with doubt on his face.
Gorga shakes his head and explains to the Orc No, he is not the reinforcements!
The rest of the warband piles out of the tunnel, with Gaak still following behind. He was the slowest, due to having to squeeze down through the tunnel.
Gorga's attention is soon drawn to the most magnificent creature he has ever seen. A Worg is lying here to be ensorcelled by this shaman. There hasn't been one in Blood Orc lands, since King Thar came to power, and forced out the goblin horde. Gorga releases the chains on this great beast, while whispering to her.
A warrior should not die in chains.
Hearing Gaak grunt and squeeze his way down the tunnel, Gorga calls for some preliminary action against the dragon. Gorga, Hobna, and Guru prepare arrows, while Rhgl flings open the door. They are met with the head of a dragon, breathing fire down the hallway at them. Rhgl and Gorga are badly injured by the flames. Gaak finally makes it down out of the chimney and activates a magic tattoo on his arm for resistance to fire.
Guru decides to charge down the hall to attack the dragon Orc to Dragon, and gets bit for his trouble. Making an about face the Orc runs back to the warband with a huge bite wound for his trouble.
Gorga says to him with sarcasm dripping from the words So, is it dead yet?
Fellixhulkil can be heard casting some spells in the room beyond the dragon. The dragon moves away from the door to await the Orcs next move.
Sharraxtharkul pulls something from his sack and throws it into the room beyond. A sound of crushing stone is the result deafening the dragon. The Master moves around after the debilitating attack, blocking entrance to the hall again, and breaths fire in return. Sharraxtharkul is the only one singed, managing to just clear the fringes of the blast.
Gorga calls upon Guru and Gaak to bull rush the dragon. We must bring the fight to him or we will be cooked in here. Guru and Gaak charge down the hallway, and against all odds, manage to push the young dragon back enough to allow the warband to rush into the room swarming around the dragon. The Master gives ground, but not without biting Gaak, and raking Guru with his claws. Frustrated with the lack of hearing, the dragon roars at the indignity of fighting personally with Orcs and goblins.
Fellixhulkil casts a spell, directing the affect at the warband leader. Gorga can feel a presence attempt to take control of his mind, and the oily feel of the Fat Lips shaman is left in his head as he shakes off the affects. Gorga shouts out to him, Betrayer, I will have your head!
Sharraxtharkul summons a black bear. The creature goes against all instinct and submits to the will of his summoner and attacks the dragon's flank. Gaak brings his shiny new Greataxe to the battle opening a large gash in the dragon's hide. Hobna is ineffectual with arrows from his short bow but keeps trying to hit from the opening to the hall.
The Fat Lips shaman is not without tricks and shakes his gri-gri in Gaak's direction commanding him to Drop his weapon. Unable to resist the compelling spell, Gaak looks in horror as his own hands release his newfound weapon.
He yells out in anger I will kill you twice!
The dragon lashed out, injuring the bear, Gaak, and Guru, but he is unable to kill anything. Seeing the folly of staying to fight these powerful Orcs who have injured him near to death, The Master turns to flee the battle through the main doors to his chamber.
Sharraxtharkul commands his summoned bear to attack Fellixhulkil, and is rewarded with the sight of a vicious mauling. When the goblin hits the floor, Shar begins to cackle and dance with glee. Most of the Orcs are able to hit the dragon as he flees, injuring him further. Gaak and Gorga chase off after the dragon, and Chupa runs down the hall, intending to climb back up the tree to see if he can get a last shot at the dragon before he flies away. Rhgl skulks into the room, and spies a treasure trove.
Next Up: Wyverns 1: Dragon 0