On how the five half-orc brothers got themselves into a bend...
Musical Theme: The Great Wizard Severad
Tonight was supposed to have been your greatest thieving achievement...
Somehow, your foster father Grukyt had managed to get his filthy hands on a map to the citadel of the wizard Severad. Intent on relieving the wizard of his wealth Grukyt led you all to Severad's abode where you shinned over the walls with ease. Before anyone could say "grishnakh", you were deep inside and well on the way to becoming very rich.
Then...things started to go wrong. The strange twisty, misty corridors, the voices that spoke from the walls, the horrible laughter that pursued you as you ran stumbling blindly in the darkness that even your orcish infravision could not pierce...
Just when you though you could take no more, the wizard himself appeared. Grukyt charged forward and you, like idiots, followed. Severad raised his arm. Streaks of light shot towards Grukyt. Vainly, he tried to dodge but the spell hit him, his eyes rolled back and with a gasp of agony he slumped to the floor, dead!
With your foster father gone there was only one thing to do. You threw your weapons on the floor and grovelled at Severad's feet. Shamelessly you begged forgiveness for your incursion and blamed it all on Grutyk, who had led you all unwittingly astray. But Severad was not impressed. Removing a wand from his sleeve he waved it in the air, there was a flash of light and you were all blinded...
As your vision cleared you realized something was very, very wrong. You were in an iron cage, swaying violently. As you were buffeted from side to side, you saw with horror that the cage was being carried by a gigantic hand. The cage stopped with a thump and a huge face peered at you. It was the voice of the wizard and voice boomed...
"Well my friends, you have arrived at a propitious time. I have a small task for you. Yesterday, my former apprentice lost something of great value to me. Alas, he is no longer here, so you shall take his place. Down in my laboratory drain you will find a crystal lens. This you will retrieve for me. You have been reduced to a height of 2 inches. Only I can restore you to normal size and this I will do only when you return the lens."
Without waiting for a reply he picked up the cage and lowered you into a gigantic white room. He opened the door and shook you out. His huge finger pointed to a 10-foot diameter hole in the floor. In his other hand he held a piece of rope which he dangled down the hole. Your fear of being crushed convinced you to follow the wizard's command and descend the rope.
Your journey down the plug hole and round the bend had begun...