[Completed] Orrin's Tale - Finger of Doom/April 27, 1 VC

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin shows Fangir the knife strapped to his body.

"Nothing but this glorified steak knife I managed to steal from the jailers. Why?"

[Keehnelf]

"If there's trouble ahead, I wanted to know how safe--or how helpful--you would be. Now I know." He sighs again. "If there are foes, grab the first weapon and shield you can when one falls." He unstraps the axe from his back and signals the undead to advance.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin's face hardens with determination, as he unsheathes the makeshift dagger and advances with Fangir and his host. He is not sure what they will face, but he is thankful for Fangir's words of advice. As soon as he sees the opportunity to better equip himself, he will do so.

[Keehnelf]

The group moves on down the hall, the undead leading the way. Suddenly, there is a heavy thunk and metallic rasping sound, and Orrin is surprised to see a row of long metal spikes drive suddenly up from the floor ahead, under the feet of the first rank of ghoulish escorts. The one on the left is skewered completely, the spike driving up into its gaunt skull from below. The one on the right fares little better, pierced through the torso and unable to move. It claws wildly at the metal, seeking escape in a blind animal way, panting heavily but not crying out in pain, until Fangir steps forward and lifts the creature free. Before the spike trap can reset, he motions for the remaining party members to step past, offering a curt benediction for his lost companion on the way.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin steps gingerly around the spikes with the rest of the group, and as they move forward again he takes more care to scan the walls and floor of the corridor for irregularities that may signal further traps.

[Keehnelf]

The group passes along the hall past a door that shimmers with energy, a solid gold keyhole sitting prominently in the center. It both matches and is uncannily different than the door in the halls far above, waiting for a proper key in silent majesty. Fangir watches the door as they pass, and lays a hand upon his chest, but does not stop.

Finally, the passage turns a corner and reveals flickering torchlight and the sounds of battle ahead. The group moves forward another twenty feet or so and comes out on one side of a room roughly twenty-five feet square with a pitched battle taking place in it. Another passage leads out the opposite wall, and another in the middle of the right-hand wall. Near that entrance, two goblins are struggling in vain against a wolf and several of Orrin's erstwhile companions: the elves Rhodri and Numen, and the halfling Kennit bearing a torch. A wolf seems to have joined them, and there are a pair of goblin corpses and a pair of dead wolves on the floor already. Horrifying bestial sounds echo from the halls beyond, a sign of further battle among unknown forces.

Action and Initiative!

[Zorroroaster]

Is there a goblin weapon on the floor handy?

Orrin breathes in sharply when he sees his fellows in the room and his heart goes out to them. He had never wished their company to part in acrimony as it did, and he seizes the opportunity to make things right. He whispers to Fangir softly. "These are allies of mine, good people."

Picking up whatever weapon and/or shield he can from a dead goblin, he leaps into the fray past the others, striking viciously at the remaining foes.

Shouting a warcry at full voice, he calls to them.

"Back to your greasy little burrows, foul wretches! These are, and ALWAYS SHALL BE, my friends. You'll have to go through me!"

Initiative: [1d6] = 6

Attack! [1d20+1] = 1+1 = 2

Pretty bold entrance for a dwarf in his underpants...who just rolled a critical fail. Let's just say he's got balls.

[Keehnelf]

The only goblin weapons are a spear and a short sword right in the middle of the melee.

[Zorroroaster]

Steak knife it is, then.

Oh, and my head is kind of reeling right now with all of this. (They have 3 of the rings! And here I am walking in with the rightful Thane...and a gang of undead. In my ginch!)

[Keehnelf]

Yeah, hold on to your trousers just a bit longer...

[Zorroroaster]

[Keehnelf]

I have a most excellent update, but need to get to an appointment soon. I'll post it in a couple of hours!

[Zorroroaster]

So excited.

[Keehnelf]

Orrin is a bit startled as he screws up his courage to advance after leaning in to speak to Fangir.

In that moment, a few things happen: the goblins attack the wolf, one continuing to stab it in the shoulder. The adventurers counterattack, Numen's evil sword laying low one of the attackers and the halfling's clumsy attack causing his torch to fall on the floor and sputter out, plunging the chamber into darkness. At that moment, Orrin steps forward and cries aloud in defense of his allies, stumbling as his eyes adjust again to the dark. The blade of his knife plunges into back of the ghoul that had been impaled earlier. The damage is enough to finish it off and it falls to the ground.

As Orrin recovers his balance, he sees a massive form bound out of the passage behind the melee, black against the stone in Orrin's dark vision, its red-rimmed eyes two pools of intense heat over slavering jaws: the black wolf. Fangir sees the apparition as well, and cries aloud: "You! The Black Beast! Foul murderer and villain!"

Action and initiative!

[Zorroroaster]

Ok, that's awesome. I'm going to have to ponder this for a bit.

[Keehnelf]

Yeah, I'm interested to see what happens

[Zorroroaster]

Considering Numen is allied with the wolf, right?

[Keehnelf]

You know, I have no idea how true that is

[Zorroroaster]

So much for omniscience.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin is nearly completely overwhelmed. In the space of what seem like moments, he has met the lost Thane of the Firedeep clan, been reunited with old comrades seemingly by chance, and is now confronted by an unspeakable evil. His jaw works as he tries to make sense of what he's seeing.

Unfortunately, his hesitation means he's slow to act.

Initiative: [1d6] = 2

Finding himself in the middle of the melee, Orrin will reach down and retrieve a spear dropped by one of the goblins.

He looks to his old friends and shouts. "There's no time to explain, this is the King under the mountain, returned. He must be protected! To me! Help me flank the beast, it can't attack us all at once!"

Orrin will circle around from the door, moving along the wall to the opening opposite to where he initially entered. He will not attack this round, but get himself into a better position. He feels this is Fangir's battle to engage, and although Orrin is decidedly on Fangir's side, he doesn't want to err by making a false first move.