[[start|Back to start page]] [[voyagernotes34|(Previous Session Notes)]] [[voyager|(Back to Voyager page)]] [[voyagernotes36|(Next Session Notes)]] ==== Voyager35 - 25 June 2004 - Orcs in the Hills ==== === Previous calendar: === * Third Age, Year 1108 * 01 July - Flee Myagmarsuren in the middle of the night * 06 July - Pre-dawn battle with Ettins == I. The Ettin's Collar == Around ONE head of the Ettin leader was a magical collar. It consists of a dark metal chain bound tightly by a leather sheath. The metal is a special black iron mined and shaped by the dark elves. It has properties similar to adamantine, but is susceptible to sunlight. If exposed, the magic of the collar will dispel immediately - and the metal itself will corrode and crumble within a few hours. The purpose of the collar was to make the Ettin more susceptible to magical domination. The dark elves presented the collar as a gift and then used enchantment magic to convince the Ettin to gather a small army and march west. This alone would probably not be a problem, but the drow have used this enchantment on a dozen (or more) powerful creatures in the area! When the party reaches the pass over the mountains, they will find a sizeable army amassed - just waiting for further instruction. == II. Travel schedule == As the party left the river valley and proceeded across the high desert, their route grew more difficult - but also a little more direct. The loss in comfort is made up for by the gain in time. The schedule from Voyager #34 has been adapted as follows: 1-7 July : From Myagmarsuren to the tip of the mountain range 8-13 July : to the narrow mountain range running North-South 14-15 July : Search for pass (to the north) 16 July : Cross pass into west 17-19 July : Delve into forest (back south; slow travel) 20 July : First encounter with Elves 21-22 July : Escorted to elven city 23-24 July : Escorted to Sorgol's castle ("Alrik's grave") == III. Encounters on the road == Modified from the list in Voyager #34. The hermit with a bear was removed and replaced by an army! ------------------------------------------------------ 1-7 July : From Myagmarsuren to the tip of the mountain range 6 July 1108 Sunrise 4:52 Sunset 19:08 High: 62 Low: 52 3:46 : (night) Local Tribe/patrol/etc. 10:37 : Gargun (Wandering Band): Working/Looking for Work/etc: Questing/etc. These two encounters were lumped together into the Ettin/Orc combat from Voyager #34. 7 July 1108 Sunrise 4:51 Sunset 19:09 High: 56 Low: 44 None ------------------------------------------------------ 8-13 July : to the narrow mountain range running North-South 8 July 1108 Sunrise 4:50 Sunset 19:10 High: 69 Low: 52 9 July 1108 Sunrise 4:49 Sunset 19:11 High: 64 Low: 55 10 July 1108 Sunrise 4:48 Sunset 19:12 High: 73 Low: 51 None As the party is now out of Bone tribe territory, they will no longer see the smoke signals commonly used for communication. This is a sort of DMZ between Bone tribe and Greenleaf tribe and as such, there will not be any significant encounters. By the 10th of July, though, the party will begin to see the mountain range they are heading for. (It will still be ~50 miles away, but is high enough to be visible). 11 July 1108 Sunrise 4:47 Sunset 19:13 High: 66 Low: 55 20:17 : (night) Local Tribe/patrol/etc. An hour past sunset, an orc group from the Greenleaf tribe will approach the camp. Just like with the Ettins, the first probe will be three orc scouts. Once they gather the desired intelligence (or they are discovered), they will flee and report the party's position. A full assault will then commence. This group is heavily armed (Morningstars and Shortbows) and armored (Scale mail and light shield) and will be led by a 6th level captain. There will also be two 3rd level sergeants and 13 soldiers. What makes this group especially interesting (aside from the powerful leader) is that the three leveled orcs ride horses. Sadly for them, their leader is short on Wisdom and long on confidence. This group should be dead within a minute. Captain: Barbarian/6: CR 6; HD 6d12+12; hp 60; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 40'; AC 16 (+1 Dex, +5 Armor); Attack +11/+6 melee (d8+5), or +7/+2 ranged (d6); SV Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +0; AL CE; Str 21, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 6, Cha 11. Balance +4, Handle Animal +10, Heal +0, Hide +1, Intimidate +3, Jump +13, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +3.5, Listen -2, Move Silently +1, Ride +7, Spellcraft +3, Spot -2, Swim +13; Combat Reflexes, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Run. Sergeants: Barbarian/3: CR 3; HD 3d12; hp 23; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 40'; AC 17 (+2 Dex, +5 Armor); Attack +8 melee (d8+5), or +5 ranged (d6); SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0; AL CE; Str 21, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 8. Climb +9, Craft (?) +3, Hide +2, Listen +6, Move Silently +2, Ride +6, Spot +1, Survival +5, Swim +8; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Track. Soldiers: Standard Orc: CR 1/2; HD 1d8+1; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 30'; AC 15 (+5 Armor); Attack +4 melee (d8+3), or +1 ranged (d6); SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -2; AL CE; Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 6. Listen +1, Spot +1 12 July 1108 Sunrise 4:46 Sunset 19:14 High: 69 Low: 57 None 13 July 1108 Sunrise 4:45 Sunset 19:15 High: 74 Low: 62 5:56 : Local Tribe/patrol/etc. 11:11 : Ursine: Bear: Sleeping/Hibernating/Dormant 15:14 : Human Adventurer: Hunting Criminals/runaways/game This is the day the party will arrive at the mountain range. The peaks are about 4,000 feet above the valley floor on this side and about 5,000 feet above the elven forests on the other side (making them around 6,000 feet above sea level). The range appears much as the Elkhorn mountains look from I-84 North of Baker City, however, there is no pass visible in either direction and the party has no knowledge of which direction is the correct way to go. The three encounters above are lumped together into the following event: In the pre-dawn, an orc scout trio will find the party. These scouts come from an orc war camp situated about two miles from the party. The orcs are moving north to rendezvous with the invasion group assembling at the pass and could provide useful information to the party if they opt to interrogate any. Their leader is a Hill Giant (with a dark elf collar) who has 8 Ogres as his lieutenants. There are 74 orcs, however 12 of them are not combatants. If able, the scouts will return to their camp and report. However, the leader this time is a tad smarter than the previous leaders - and he will hold off attacking. If the party tries to avoid this group, the mid-day encounter will be with another scouting trio and the afternoon encounter will be with a group sent out to kill the party. This group will consist of 5 Ogres and 38 Orcs, with the remainder staying back at the campsite. However, if the party seeks them out, the mid-day encounter will be with the full camp. 14-15 July : Search for pass 14 July 1108 Sunrise 4:44 Sunset 19:16 High: 74 Low: 58 14:22 : Mutiny/Dissent/Argument/etc. If, by chance, the party took any orc captives from the previous encounter(s), this is when they will attempt escape. If not, then this will be a casual encounter with a group of 30 orc soldiers heading for the rendezvous at the pass. 15 July 1108 Sunrise 4:43 Sunset 19:17 High: 69 Low: 57 None While the party will not find the pass (per se), they will find the camped armies aroud mid-afternoon. If they have done any interrogation, they should know that this is where the pass is. There are five armies assembled so far and they are waiting for seven more to arrive. The Ettins killed in Voyager #34 were one of these armies and the Hill Giant from July 13th is another. Thus, there are still five armies making their way here. The 5 enchanted leaders are as follows: (letters indicate position on map) (T) Troll Hunter (with 2 regular Trolls) (1) Hill Giant (with 1 more Hill Giant) (2) Hill Giant (with 1 more Hill Giant) (F) Fomorian (MMII, p.105) (no lieutenants) (E) Ettin (with 2 Ettins and 2 Brown Bears) Each leader also has around 100 orcs under his command - meaning that there are roughly 500 orcs present here! However, many of these orcs arrived independently and owe their "leader" no allegiance. In addition to the orcs that are already here, the various tribes are amassing their full armies to act as a second wave. The soldiers that wait at the pass entrance are merely shock troops. The dark elf enchantment will carry them deep into the elven woods attacking, killing, and sowing as much chaos as possible. While they are considered completely expendable, the majority of them will remain even if they learn of their fate. A close inspection will reveal that the armies are not well provisioned, however they have enough food to last around a week. They are spending their time training (which results in a few deaths per day) and weaponcrafting (especially fletching). The regular orc soldiers have studded leather, but there are ten who wear chain. (While these are leveled orcs of different ranks, for simplicity sake, assume they are all third level Barbarians): Orc Leaders: CR 3; HD 3d12+6; hp 30; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30'; AC 17 (+5 Chain, +1 Shield, +1 Dex); Attack +7 (Melee, d8+4), Ranged +4 (d6); Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +0 Str 18, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 6. Climb +9, Craft (?) +3, Hide +2, Listen +6, Move Silently +2, Ride +6, Spot +1, Survival +5, Swim +8; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Track. Soldiers: Standard Orc: CR 1/2; HD 1d8+1; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 30'; AC 15 (+5 Armor); Attack +4 melee (d8+3), or +1 ranged (d6); SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -2; AL CE; Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 6. Listen +1, Spot +1 ------------------------------------------------------ 16 July : Cross pass into west 16 July 1108 Sunrise 4:42 Sunset 19:18 High: 67 Low: 57 None At the summit of the pass over the mountains, the party will find a barrier of twisted, thorny vines. The barrier was grown magically and extends from 10 to 15 feet above the trail floor and blocks the pass for nearly 100 feet. This portion of the pass is a high-walled canyon and going around is not practical. The barrier can be hacked or burned through - given time - but it will probably be easier to use magic to fly over or move through somehow... Later in the day, as the path begins consistently heading downhill, the elevation (and Kesi's spyglass) will provide the party with their first glimpse of the western ocean (even though it is over 20 miles away). ------------------------------------------------------ 17-19 July : Delve into forest (slow travel) 17 July 1108 Sunrise 4:42 Sunset 19:18 High: 64 Low: 52 None 18 July 1108 Sunrise 4:41 Sunset 19:19 High: 73 Low: 46 12:56 : Dryad (Forest only) 14:44 : Reptile: Ordinary Snake (poisonous): Sleeping/Hibernating/Dormant 18:07 : Wild/stray Cattle/etc.: Stalking/Hunting or Fleeing Predator The first encounter in the elven forest will be a Dryad! How fitting! The afternoon encounter will be (for the most part) harmless, but even animals in this forest can provide interesting diversions! Finally, the evening encounter will be just bizarre. It will be an elk that will wander directly in as the group is setting up camp. It is not afraid of the party - which hopefully will not be its undoing. 19 July 1108 Sunrise 4:40 Sunset 19:20 High: 66 Low: 61 None The elves will become aware of the party on this day and will begin shadowing them to discern whether they are a threat. Unless the party takes extreme precautions, the elves presense will not be noticed. There are only two of them, but they have magical means to send information back home, so the entire forest will be aware of the party from this point on! In addition, there will be additional unusual animal encounters, but none worth detailing. ------------------------------------------------------ 20 July : First encounter with Elves 20 July 1108 Sunrise 4:39 Sunset 19:21 High: 66 Low: 56 None A total of 18 elves will appear from the forest around the party as they establish camp in the evening. Unless provoked, the elves will not be a threat. However, they will *insist* on escorting the party from this point on. ------------------------------------------------------ 21-22 July : Escorted to elven city 21 July 1108 Sunrise 4:39 Sunset 19:21 High: 66 Low: 52 18:00 : Lame Horse or Equipment Loss/failure 19:40 : (night) Local Tribe/patrol/etc. The lame horse should provide no real challenge - as Roderick can correct even serious injuries. The evening encounter will be additional elves joining the escort group. The new elves are there either because they consider the party unfriendly or because they are curious. Which one depends on the party's actions... 22 July 1108 Sunrise 4:38 Sunset 19:22 High: 67 Low: 52 None Arrival at the great elven "city". Picture Galadriel's tree houses... Depending on the party's behaviour, the elves will either treat them to a feast in their honor - or hold them essentially captive until the morning. In either event, they will be expected to leave the forests as soon as practical. Escorts will be provided to take them to "Alrik's grave". They will be told that the "guests" residing there will be able to direct the party down to Farflen. ------------------------------------------------------ 23-24 July : Escorted to Sorgol's castle ("Alrik's grave") 23 July 1108 Sunrise 4:37 Sunset 19:23 High: 72 Low: 56 10:33 : Local Tribe/patrol/etc. 24 July 1108 Sunrise 4:37 Sunset 19:23 High: 70 Low: 64 None And here's a quote that is completely unrelated to anything: "I pray the shining beacon of your intellect leads the unwashed semiliterates of /. into the gas chambers of enlightenment." -- http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=112389&cid=9532947 Bigby's Spells for this adventure: Level : 0 1 2 3 4 5 ------------------- Close = 45' (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Wizard/9 : 4 4 4 3 2 1 Medium = 190' (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) INT 17 : - 1 1 1 - - School : 1 1 1 1 1 1 Total : 5 6 6 5 3 2 Spells known: 0 (All cantrips) 2 Blindness/Deafness 4 Charm Monster 2 Daze Monster 4 Confusion 1 Cause Fear 2 Hideous Laughter 4 Crushing Despair 1 Charm Person 2 Levitate 4 Geas, Lesser 1 Expeditious Retreat 2 See Invisibility 1 Feather Fall 2 Touch of Idiocy 5 Dominate Person 1 Floating Disk 1 Hypnotism 3 Deep Slumber 1 Identify 3 Heroism 1 Mage Armor 3 Hold Person 1 Magic Missile 3 Suggestion 1 Sleep Spells for the Orc territory: 0 Detect Magic [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 0 Detect Magic [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 0 Light [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 0 Prestidigitation [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 0 Daze [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 1 Feather Fall [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 1 Sleep [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 1 Sleep [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 1 Magic Missile [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 1 Tenser's Floating Disk [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 1 Charm Person [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 2 Levitate [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 2 See Invisibility [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 2 Mage Armor (Extended) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 2 Magic Missile (Silent) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 2 Sleep (Silent) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 2 Daze Monster [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 3 Hold Person [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 3 Suggestion [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 3 Magic Missile (Silent/Still) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 3 Sleep (Silent/Still) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 3 Deep Slumber [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4 Charm Monster [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4 Confusion [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4 Crushing Despair [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 5 Deep Slumber (Silent/Still) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 5 Dominate Person [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] \\ [[voyager|Back to Voyager page]]