rollohi-ch514-script

 Last time on Rollohi, the three-way split of the party slowly and almost reluctantly began to reform and connect itself. This episode will see the party unify, but it will also see one of the more horrifying finds of its exploration of level 2. And after thinking it over, I decided since I am using James D. Kramer's dungeon and I'm enjoying it, I will also use his words to describe what the party finds. But I will give you a warning beforehand, so that you can skip over what is definitely confronting and not PG-rated content. 

Let us travel south to find out how Team South managed to climb through a chamber that is warded with sharp iron spikes. Do they climb through safely? No and they stray into piercer territory. In fact, we can suppose that, given the tempting target that Xantu, Dorgun, Umbert, and Co. had previously presented to the piercers, they had slowly crept over to that side of the chamber. As Team South scramble cautiously through the bones, therefore, four piercers which had moved over, drop. They target Eryn bouncing off her shield, Ingle missing, Jack missing, Rima bouncing off the pavise. The team has to pause to let Eryn and Kylie slam swords onto the critters, which attempt, of course, to slide away into the mess of bone. They are not fast, and so Eryn and Kylie laboriously kill them. And that is the noise that the rearguard of Umbert's party could hear. Do the remaining four piercers up on the roof move? No. Since this is going to take a while, I'm going to give Jack and Hilu a chance to notice lootworthy items. Yes, they both do. Whether or not they can take advantage of that is another question, but they are now aware as a party that if they dig past the disgusting and pitiful remains, there could be some material worth looting. 

Compared to the grind through level 1, so far the party has had relatively little danger. Those who think ahead are beginning to plan a change of equipment, allowing the pavise users to drop the pavise and use spears as reach weapons. That indeed would have been extremely helpful for Eryn during her fight with the Orc captain. However, that is not what is occupying the minds of the majority. Dorgun and now Xantu, Cied, and Pod have been through that very difficult, cramped tunnel to what must be a great orc chieftain's quarters, and have had a quick look at the riches that lie within. As the two parties unite, and word of riches up ahead spreads, the larger southern party filters in, and it too gazes about. And minds are beginning to be bent towards looting and leaving. For Umbert, this is more of a strategic concern, not simple greed. A return trip to somewhere where he can use his writing implements to scribe the new spells that he is beginning to read out of Caxton's spell book - make use of them really requires time and space and safety. Other adventurers may simply be thinking to so anger the orc chieftain that these wretches might belong to, that he pursues them and are thinking where in their back trail might be a good place to ambush. Still others, having seen the great pile of stores on the long bench to the south, are considering how best to either destroy or loot that store. 

Turn twenty. Both parties slowly filter in to the lair, looting the swords and purses the orcs have clambered over, noting that the black mail is equivalent to banded and that same large rich cavern examined. Here's the description. This large chamber is decorated in plush even by most human standards. Cushions of rich velvet, heavy tapestries, dark wood tables and chairs, golden platters upon which apparently the chief takes his meals, a writing table, several golden braziers, and five small wooden chests fill the chamber. The chests are not difficult for Jack to unlock, and they contain a variety of coin. The writing table has scattered about it and the floor around it many parchments. There's a good deal of golden clanking and chiming as the party continues looting: merry-voiced discussion of how soon they should bring in the rear guard to help carry things can be heard. Meanwhile, the search pattern begins to become quite disorganized. 

Turn 22. Beyond, well to the northeast of that sprawl, a pit trap bars the way and a broad passage. It is of course well disguised. Is search protocol still in effect? No, and a random party member will walk down there. It is Dorgun, he seems to be fated. Rolling on the pit trap, for type. Poison-filled bladder. No immediate damage. But when dropped upon, poisoned gas issues out. A save against poison is enforced. Dorgun needs eleven or less. Here's the save. It's a seven. Safe. Even so, damage is still half of 3d6. That's really serious damage, so he is hoping I roll really low. And I do! I roll a total of six. That means three comes off Dorgun. Dorgun was currently slightly damaged, five of six, so that drops to two out of six. He is pulled out, possibly with some laughter, and later, Ingle will heal him up for all lost hit points. 

Once the pit is seen, the searchers can make their way beyond to a semi-private nook, quite a long way back from the main chamber. After the initial shock of finding so much wealth in one place and potential intelligence in all of the papers found, a rudimentary guard is set on what appears to be the only exit. A certain amount of disorder comes into the party, some simply focusing on the goal, others calling for Jack to open a chest perhaps, or suspiciously searching the bed for potential traps or hidden treasure, while others, more sober and more responsible, take up guard positions, or even head back down the narrow passage to keep an ear out for possible intervention, or explore towards that mysterious further nook, we are heading in towards turn 30. 

Here is the description of the nook. And again, I stress this contains confronting content. If you do not care to listen to details of abuse, particularly abuse of helpless women, please skip forward for one minute and twenty seconds after the intermission adbreak. This backroom is layered in lush, thick paddings and is obviously a bed chamber. Within the chamber, held in chains secured to the floor, are seven human females. The females are of foreign complexion, obviously not women from these lands. Their skin is deeply tanned, and one of the women is tall, slender, and black skinned. The women all show signs of having suffered many beatings, rapes, and other violent tortures. Several even show clear signs of having been viciously bitten by cruel humanoid teeth. One shows signs of pregnancy. Scattered among the pillows on the floor can be seen the bones of several more human, probably female, and more than a couple half orc infants or fetuses. The women are near catatonic and none have the ability to speak coherently. Upon examination, it is seen that each has had some kind of operation to their throat. Their voice box has been cut, rendering them mute. The women with what little strength they have remaining cringe and cower at the approach of anyone. If released, they merely lay face down and render themselves prone to their perceived captor. The women will not attempt escape. 

And thanks to that the adventurers intervened before those orcs patrolling near their village could find it and lay wasted. For the other retainers and the adventurers too, it's a further underlining of how vicious and repulsive a foe the orcs are. 

It's Jack who gives voice to one strand of the thoughts present. "If what I've seen on that southern bench was supplies from those uh employers, the Chaos Dwarfs, don't you know? I can only say that they need to be resisted with every fibre of our being." 

"I agree, Jack, Umbert chimes in. I should imagine, as we look amongst all those papers, they'd be good intel as to what the Chaos Dwarves want the orcs to be doing. If they haven't already done it," he adds, thinking of the abortive attacks beaten back by the folk along the road. 

There is some discussion. "Can we quietly leave?" Ingle asks probingly. "Or are we so close to the leadership?" - Here he glances at Umbert -  "It's worth leaving the women here and pressing on. If we press on, then by the look of it, Eryn, of course myself. And Kylie," - Kylie nods - "will need healing." 

Jack has some thoughts about that large southern store. "Perhaps we need to use our retainers to shift baggage out." 

But they're going to have a vote. Although, as it turns out, the vote is very one-sided. Eryn's statement is such that "evacuate the women, also any loot that's portable. With what is in the boss's chamber, all hands will be needed, but there won't be any spare porters to carry out the supplies, even though they might be important strategically." 

Ingle agrees with Eryn, and so does Jack, though regretfully, because those war supplies are important. Umbert, fingering the vial that he received from Ingle, says, "We must be close. Let me use the ESP portion." 

Cied looks oddly at Umbert, but notes the value of what's been found and agrees with Eryn, which is slightly surprising, but she is very greedy, and so immediate loot is her priority at this stage. Pod rapidly agrees with his missus. Getting out seems like a really good plan. Xantu agrees with Cied and Eryn for the two different reasons that they are thinking of. 

The party now has to turn its attention to how best to evacuate more or less helpless women. But before we go there, it's timely to do some healing and leveling up. This episode is a level up for a number of the level-ones. You may have been wondering why they haven't been regularly updated, but there was quite a gap caused by the separation of the rearguard at the Buccaneers Earthen Fort north of the lake, and the majority of the retainers who helped defend the village. Elion took part in the defence against the ogres, but then he and Kylie were separated from the party in order to fetch that rump. And for Dorgun, who was gravely injured during the first essay into level 1, there was a further long break. 

That's probably an inadequate explanation, but here are the level twos who have just moved to that particularly perilous point of experience. 

Elion. He rolls six, and he has a plus one con bonus for a total of seven hit points. 

TruBrag, Nice! Rolls 14. He has a plus one from Con for a total of 15. 

Yeno Dravish, the smelly one. Oh dear. He rolls five. So sticking to Cursed by the Gods rules, his total hit points have dropped from six to five. 

Jelu Varneth, who I usually just call Jelu, the tidy one. Thirteen, no con mod, so thirteen. 

Mesk Orlutan. Becoming a bit of a leader, he smirks nervously, but he's beginning to lose that habit. 14 No Con mod, so 14. 

The ex-ditch digger, Ophi Drastil 8 has a con mod of plus one for a total of nine. 

Vanu Tershal, who I'm afraid I mispronounce constantly as Vanu. Oof five. He does have a con mod of plus one, so that's a total of six. 

Karo Jelmuth or as I usually pronounce them, Karo, thirteen. No con mod, so thirteen. 

And finally the swaggering Maro Jenthos seven. With a minus one on con for a total of six. 

And now the only retainers that are still level one are the halflings, far less experienced than the human retainers: Gage and Bramley, or Bram. And Russet, who has become a spy, and Billy Udderbind, who has become a spy. Aside that is from Dorgun, who, having been recuperating in the Halfling Village for a number of days, if not weeks, is still not quite level 2. 

And now, because the retainers have been sucking away all their experience, it's time for our heroes to massacre the retainers and harvest their XP. No no, seriously, it's time for the rest of the party to look to Ingle to heal everyone who needs healing before they progress any further. 

I have previously noted that when they do catch up, Ingle makes a really good roll to heal Dorgun, so Dorgun is now on full hit points. As the fight turned out, that very first quite severe wound on Xantu was actually the only one he took. But here is healing. Max of seven, he is fully healed. Eryn was slightly injured, she is much more tired than injured. Here is healing for her. Total of four. And Kylie was injured during the very first fight, but only very slightly. Just as a matter of precaution, here is healing for her. Another four. Now it's a matter of one sturdy retainer per woman, more or less carrying them on their back. There is one major hurdle to supervene, and Eryn volunteers to be the one to solve it. She walks back to the chamber and comes back wiping her blade and nods. The pregnant woman has been given a mercy killing. That is six retainers, each occupied by one woman. With that, stowage of heavy armor plus weapon plus pavise requires seven retainers. The pavise is forming handy sledges. That leaves bear three non-halflings, and so Rima, Mesk, and Elion are left on the same duties as before, but given lighter loot to carry. 

With a slight sneer of doubt on his face, Jack uses his nice fancy dagger that he's acquired this trip to gouge into one of the gold plates. His face changes. This is solid gold. The plates are piled up, ready to go. Those, the gold braziers and five chests of loot, plus any spare parchments or scrolls, are all able to be carried back out by the party and the half links. And the great company leaves.