The Siege

4/25/1999

Prelude

Somewhere in the Capital
If Gerbald can keep them tied up long enough, things should go well
I have every faith that Gerbald will destroy them.
We shall see, master
Do not question me!
Of course not my master. It is just that some of your tools...

Summary of the Adventure

The company surveyed the capital from above; there were no signs of any humans and it appeared that orcs had taken the town and were now laying siege to the Baron's keep. Using some of his eldritch talents, Taernac rendered Androth invisible so that he could scout the town more closely.

While the others waited, Androth crept into the city and saw that there first guess had been correct. The orcs were in control of all but the Baron's estate. Androth returned to report his findings. The group determined that the orcs must have some reason for the siege, since the Baron's walls were only a few feet tall and not at all defended. Unsure what to do next, they bade Androth bring word to Pendergrast and see what instructions he might have for them.

Hampered by the very invisibility spell which let him enter the city, Androth was forced to cancel it that he might be taken to see the Baron's most trusted advisor. After some consultation, Pendergrast asked that they mount a coordinated attack on the orcs to drive them off. The lowering of the Baron's pennant served as a signal for the attack.

Androth left the keep via a secret tunnel and found the group. They awaited the signal, then attacked eagerly. The orc sentries were no match for the skills of the company and they quickly dispatched almost a score of them. As the company moved towards town, the Baron's guards mounted a sally against the orcs.

Confused by daylight and confounded by the skill of the company, the human priest who led the orcs commanded that the orcs "Fire the town and flee!". The orcs willingly complied, starting some fires and running south in a rout. Daran aided them in their quest by using illusions to make it appear the fires were much more severe than they were, causing the orcs to leave without finishing their evil deeds.

Harkonen and Calidon spotted what might have been the leader, but Harkonen's keen eyes betrayed the illusion. They destroyed the tents they had thought might belong to the leader, but both proved empty. The leader appeared to have vanished.

While the rest of the company worked to extinguish the fires, Taernac and Andi pursued the orcs for more than an hour until they finally made camp. They watched as the orcs argued about who should lead and what should be done until finally, one of them took charge. They waited a while until most of the orcs slept, then slew the sentries and a few dozen more before the orcs noticed their arrival and forced them out. Hidden in the woods, they killed the one who had been leader with magic, then returned to town to let the guards and the rest of the company know what they'd found.

Meanwhile, the rest of the company had been busy; while they put out the fires, the Baron had been kidnapped, seemingly by the very priest who led the orcs. Aided by some veteran sailors, they pursued the Baron's abductors until the other group tossed some orcs and other chum over the side to summon a fearsome lake monster. While some in the company would have continued their pursuit, the sailors insisted they move to shallower water and so they did.

They were able to track the ship from shore for a while, but the enemy spellcaster turned out to be a little more adept at evasion than they had hoped and they lost him to a combination of fog and perhaps illusion.

Both groups returned to town and began discussing plans to mount an assault on the Spire of Lies to rescue the Baron.

In Character Moment of the Night

(Andi and Taernac have decided to slit the throats of 130 sleeping orcs)
Andi: Be sure to leave one alive for questioning
(Needless to say, Andi is a bit of an optimist)

Player Moment of the Night

No notes provided

Treasure Summary

None

Experience Summary

Player	Adventure	Bonuses, penalties and what not	Total
Andivarai Shea	2,500	Following Orcs +500	14,200
Androth	3,100	Scouting +100; Actively ignorning the "Monster Bait" comment +500 and forcing/encouraging others to do likewise +500	19,050
Arlan the Black	2,000		6,000
Brother Urbane	2,300	Planning +200; "Monster Bait" +100	18,200
Calidon	2,000		14,600
Cedric	4,000	DM's adjustment +2,000	8,300
Daran	2,300	Good illusions +300	16,350
Taernac	Ftr: 1350 M-U: 1450	Invisibility +100; Planning +200; Following Orcs +500	Ftr: 7,700 M-U: 8,750

Variances in experience points are due to good ideas, roleplaying and class abilities.

Gamemaster Comments

Following the Orcs

It was a good idea for at least some members of the party to follow them.

"Monster Bait"

For Urbane it was an effective and appropriate threat; for Androth, it was a chance for him to destroy party unity that he not only passed on but discouraged others from acting on

DM's adjustment

I started Arlan at 4,000 xps; not very fair to Cedric; hence the adjustment. Bailock and Jameson *may* also get adjusted this way

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