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Post by Game Master on Jul 15, 2007 2:15:46 GMT -5
"Gaul still meet with Snotgob?"
"Thats right greenie. Join the bad guys an learn all you can." Reeks assured him.
The group seemed happy with this arangement so FireBug and the rest with the exception of Gaul headed to Halfhelm's Smithey.
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Post by sfliegel on Jul 15, 2007 16:48:28 GMT -5
"You know FB, we ran into this problem before with the mine. How will we be able to see anything in the tunnel? It's made by dwarves for dwarves." Kursaville asked while trying not to sound too concerned.
"He has a point lad. I'll be the only one who will be alright without a torch." Reeks puffed his chest out a little at this tought.
"If we hurry we should be able to catch Jhessil before he closes for the night. We can get a few torches before we go to see Halfhelm, but we really must hurry." Firebug suddenly felt that the torches weren't really neccessary, well for him anyway, but he didn't want to say anything. An open light in an unknown hostile area just sounded like a bad idea to him.
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Post by Game Master on Jul 16, 2007 2:45:50 GMT -5
FireBug shook his head in disbelief as the group left Jhessils. He had only gone in for a couple torches he thought to himself for the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes. Jhessil wasn't about to let them go that easily. The hobbit merchant showed his true skill in the art of sales as he zeroed in on the groups easiest mark. Siff. The northern beauty just couldn't resist shopping. She also showed a fondness for hobbits that the wily old Merchant used to his advantage. First he preached how a lantern was far superior to a mere torch. In a desperate attempt to get out of the shop quickly, Firebug offered to buy the cheapest one he had. And Jhessil had almost a dozen perfectly adequate lanterns for the job. However, Jhessil only had ONE Lantern in stock that burned twice as long as the average six hour lantern and it was of course made of far more superior materials and crafted by dwarfs. The last comment made Reeks swell with pride and completely under-minded him as an Allie in FireBugs great escape attempt. Firmly putting his foot down about not buying the ridiculously overpriced lantern, Siff pouted, stuck up her nose and bought it herself for 25 gold crowns. Jhessil wasn't finished sheering this lovely sheep yet however. He proceeded to sell the priestess 4 pints of lantern oil. A new pair of fine hard leather boots for the rugged out doors, a leather thong to attach her lantern to her belt, a cleaning kit for her new boots and a flower for her hair. All said and done the Priestess of the North gave Jhessil 68 gold Crowns. "Well at least I didn't have to pay for it." Lord Kursaville commented. He was just as flabergasted as Firebug over the whole thing.
Fully equiped to take on the smugglers den the group marched double time to Halfhelms. The sight when they arrived was a little shocking. There were at least a half dozen well armed and armored dwarfs standing around talking to eachother outside the smithy. They eyed the party a bit suspiciously but lost interest soon enough. It probably helped that Reeks was leading the way.
Once inside it didn't take long to track down Halfhelm and get him to escort them to the kitchen. Once there they had some privacy.
"What can I do for you lad?" The smith asked the mystic.
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Post by sfliegel on Jul 16, 2007 19:45:10 GMT -5
Firebug kept his voice low, "Master Halfhelm, we were hoping to explore that tunnel you discovered, but what is going on with your guards outside?"
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Post by Game Master on Jul 17, 2007 1:46:55 GMT -5
"Oh, them. They marched into town not an hour ago. They are on loan from my wifes cousin, twice removed. He's a Jarl (general in dwarven) in a small dwarfen outpost up in the mountains. He's allowing me to barrow two squads of his Iron Guard to help defend my mining operation." Halfhelm explained easily.
"Why do you need the added protection?" Lord Kursaville asked, curious.
"Well because of the open claims on mining for gold that the Baron approved. If people get it into their heads that there is gold to be found in my hills then I'm gonna have humans crawling all over the place. Those fine soldiers outside will ensure they don't snoop around whats mine." Halfhelm was clearly upset over the Barons ruling but he did have a point. People would explore his mines in a heart beat if they thought they could get away with it. The dwarf looked back to FireBug. "So you figure my apprentice is using this tunnel for some kind of smuggling operation do you?"
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Post by sfliegel on Jul 17, 2007 15:17:06 GMT -5
Firebug suddenly felt a weird knot in his stomach that he hadn't felt before. He could only smile weakly at Halfhelm. Firebug liked Halfhelm, he was a good man, uh dwarf, and suddenly everything thing he has bult is now in danger. First his employees have been taking advantage of him and have been stealing from him. Now his own town has betrayed him over gold. A gold rush would threaten to disrupt his iron mining and might even destroy the mine all together. Firebug, felt sorry for Halfhelm. If one of his men would be found to be connected to weapon smuggling, his smithy shoppe could also be in trouble. "Master Halfhelm, that is precisely what we want to find out. Would you be available to join us? Given the circumstances, I believe you would have the most to gain by getting the to bottom of this smuggling. Afterall, if your apprentice is involved, could you use really use the extra pressure that could bring? Come with us, in the defense of your anvil, join us, and defend your honor."
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Post by Game Master on Jul 18, 2007 0:27:55 GMT -5
"Halfhelm swelled with pride as dwarfs tend to do when they are confronted with the need to look...dwarvish in front of others.
"Aye lad. Ill not have my name tarnished by this mess. I'll join you. In fact I'll do one better." The old smith left the room and soon returned with the nine dwarven soldiers from outside.
"Right. FireBug, let me introduce you to my contingent of the 3rd Iron Guard Jaegers. Three of them are already headed to the mine but that still leaves me nine capable fighters." Halfhelm turned to face his troops. "Hauptmann (Captain in dwarven) Silvermail."
One of the dwarfs stepped forward. He had a reddish white beard braided into three thick complex braids capped at the end with brass beads.
"Hauptmann, we are headed underground to apprehend or kill an unknown number of people presumed to be involved with the illegal smuggling of my weapons. There are 14 of us so I want you to leave two Jaegers here to protect our rear. They are to let no one in the kitchen, not even one of my employees until our return. Likewise anyone other then those who are in this room are to be allowed out of the secret passage I am about to show you. Is that clear?" Halfhelm's demeanor seemed to change in front of the Jaegers. FireBug guessed that Halfhelm wasn't always a smith.
"Perfectly sir!" Silvermail barked, crisp and loud.
"All right FireBug. This is your shindig. Twelve people is a good omen. We'll follow your lead."
The well armored dwarven soldiers unclasped small, round, iron shields and hand axes. Their mail gleamed in the hearths firelight.
They stood in two, tight rows of three, with Silvermail up front and center brandishing a heavy crossbow. He carried no shield but instead wore two axes, one looped to his belt on each hip.
"You just got to love that lad." Halfhelm commented to Firebug with an ear splitting grin.
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Post by Game Master on Jul 20, 2007 1:40:24 GMT -5
Rudgarr Halfhelm wasted no time in setting up the hook an chain to hoist the stone slab away from the stairway.
Hauptmann Silvermail descended first followed by the Jaegers. FireBug and the rest followed closely. The stone stairs bottomed out a good thirty feet below the street level. Considering the stairs hadn't made any turns, FireBug knew he was facing South. Surprisingly the tunnel opened up into a high ceilinged square room. Firebug secretly closed his eyes and thought about night-vision. When he opened them again there was just enough light coming from the kitchen filtering down for his mentally enhanced eyes to illuminate every corner of the large room. It was just mind over matter really he thought with a smile. The walls were smooth and at perfect right angles. No shoddy, quick excavating took place here. This took time and care to construct. The immediate area was littered with piles of straw and empty crates of various sizes. The chamber had no noticeable doors and A vast tunnel lead further south into darkness. FireBug was expecting narrow, crude tunnels just large enough for the smugglers to complete their work without being hampered. However, the opening of the tunnel before him clearly had a 18 foot ceiling and was wide enough to walk 4 abreast.
And that is exactly what the group did. "Alright boys. Formation Theiu on the double." Silvermail barked. 4 of the Jaegers marched to the tunnel entrance and stood in a line, side by side. They formed a walking wall of iron and steel. The 2 remaining guardsmen took up positions five feet behind them off th either flank. Hauptmann Silvermail took a position between the two with crossbow at the ready. Over his shoulder he commanded, "If the rest of you will form up any way you like behind us well make sure no harm comes to you from this direction. Do try and stay out of the way."
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Post by sfliegel on Jul 20, 2007 9:42:13 GMT -5
Firebug moved quickly along side of Halfhelm who was a little surprised how a human could move so easy in such low light, "Master Halfhelm a quick question. Don't you think this is a little..., large for just some dwarven smugglers? We have eye witness accounts of ogres and even trolls being involved in smuggling. Could these tunnels have been build with them in mind to allow them ease of movement?"
Halfhelm up at the ceiling again and seemed to swallow hard, "yes lad, this tunnel would be large enough. Guess it's a good thing these lads showed up when they did."
Reeks and Halfhelm moved up behind Silvermail, then Siff (readying her new lantern), and Kursaville and Firebug brought up the rear. Firebug felt a little bit better having a strong sword at his side and with his new vision he could keep an eye out for anyone trying to approach from the rear.
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Post by Game Master on Jul 23, 2007 3:39:19 GMT -5
The dwarfs marched forward. The group had gone maybe 50 feet before they heard noises so the Jaegers came to an abrupt stop.
It wasn't long before guttural voices could be heard. There was no doubt that it was Goblinook being used. Silvermail aimed his crossbow down the tunnel and everyone else tensed up. The creatures had not heard the adventurers over their own loud talking. Suddenly there were eight orcs before the group all arguing with one another. One and then another and then the rest seemed to notice the grim wall of dwarfs and all at once the talking stopped and the orcs looked upon the group dumbfounded. Seconds past without so much as a finger twitching between the two groups. Finally the moment was broken. Silvermail released his quarrel taking the lead orc between the eyes. The remaining seven brandished wickedly long swords and attacked the dwarven wall.
Firebug was mesmerized by the efficiency of the Jaegers. He thought about casting a spell but was unsure he could cast fire effectively over the rank of dwarfs before him. The dwarfs advanced in unison with Silvermail commanding every move.
"PUSH, THRUST, SLASH! PUSH, THRUST, SLASH! PUSH, THRUST SLASH!"
With every Push the Jaegers took a step forward and bashed shields into the enemy. With every Thrust an orc or two was wounded. With every Slash another orc fell. After 30 seconds or so of this the cadence changed.
CHOP, PUSH, STAB! CHOP, PUSH, STAB! CHOP, PUSH, STAB!
Every time the orcs figured out the pattern of the assault it would change. Dead and wounded orcs alike were trampled underfoot to be dispatched by the two flanking Jaegers behind the main line. Twice a Jaeger was wounded forcing them to fall back. His place was immediately taken by one of the reserves. Siff became invaluable at this point as she would run forward and heal the damage done by the orc blades. Halfhelm and Reeks attempted to help dispatch the wounded orcs but found that there was very little to do. Before Firebug realized it the battle was over and the eight orcs lay dead at the groups feet.
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Post by sfliegel on Jul 24, 2007 7:03:16 GMT -5
Siff, Kursaville and Firebug exchanged glances, none of them had ever seen the efficiency that the dwarves had just displayed. The coordination, the force, and the speed were just amazing. Reeks looked proud but otherwise unimpressed, obviously he had been exposed to this level of discipline before.
Without another word, the dwarves took up their positions and were moving again. Halfhelm motioned to the humans to come along. They wasted no time, this was no place to find yourself alone.
With his improved eyes, Firebug scanned the tunnel, first looked ahead then behind. He smiled at himself as he thought about how long he had actually been able to do this. It's really handy. There were occasional sounds that were normal for dark creepy tunnels so Firebug would look around and check the ceiling. There could be water overhead for all he knew.
They moved along slow enough to maintain a comfortable silence so as not to draw extra attention to the group.
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Post by Game Master on Jul 25, 2007 1:41:27 GMT -5
The group continued on for another twenty feet before they were forced to halt again. The tunnel had a branch off heading roughly west according to the dwarfs. They seemed unable to get lost down here which was comforting to the humans.
Reeks scratched his beard and looked at Firebug and Halfhelm. "I say we split up. We can cover more ground and well...I don't like finishing off your boys left overs if you get my meaning." This last bit he directed to the Smith and his cohort of troops.
"Hmmm. Well if you can't have twelve...." Halfhelm phrased this as if it was an adage or something.
"...Then two sets of six will do." Reeks finished the verse and all the dwarfs gave a low chuckle. Firebug learned to give up trying to understand dwarf humor long ago.
"What say you then FB?" Kursaville added to make sure everyone knew that Firebug was in charge and would make all decisions.
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Post by sfliegel on Jul 25, 2007 9:05:41 GMT -5
"Well I bow to the experience of those before me, " Firebug began, "I am no warrior, I have but my instinct and what I have studied from books. Captain Silvermail, I trust whomever should travel with you will have little to fear under your leadership. I would suggest spliting your troops so both groups will be equally protected. So your group should have 4 of your soldiers, plus yourself for a group of 5. Our group should take the rest. We have 3 humans who must stay together and huddle around Siff's lantern, so with Reeks and Halfhelm's swords, we need the 2 remaining soldiers for their vision, their amor, and their swords. Again, I am but an armchair general, what say you?" Firebug bowed his head humbly.
"I must also ask, Reeks, which tunnel leads toward the cave you had found?" glancing to Reeks. "I would believe that our group should head that way while the other group take the other path."
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Post by Game Master on Jul 27, 2007 2:57:33 GMT -5
Silvermail scratched his beard as all dwarfs are known to do when mulling something over that doesn't sit quite right. "Well...I'd rather go in two groups of six for luck reasons but, I can't fault your logic, human. I can live with those orders." Silver turned to instruct his Jaegers.
"I must also ask, Reeks, which tunnel leads toward the cave you had found?" glancing to Reeks. "I would believe that our group should head that way while the other group take the other path."
"The main path we started on is heading roughly toward the castle. If it begins to head more westerly its our best bet. That new passage is headed dead west. Its too early in my opinion to lead to the cave unless it makes another drastic turn south later. Its really to early to tell but I'd stake money on the road south." The whole time Reeks was giving FB an explanation he kept casually tapping his temple with his index finger and giving FireBug an urgent look.
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Post by sfliegel on Jul 27, 2007 9:31:14 GMT -5
Firebug quickly opened his mind, "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"
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