Navero 06
From: dparsons@jarthur.claremont.edu (Daniel Parsons) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp Subject: Navero VI Reply-To: dparsons@jarthur.UUCP (Daniel Parsons) Distribution: usa Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA Keywords: Navero, of the Correct and Unalterable Way
NOTE: I finally went out and found out what the name of that damn Cavalier was. Even the player had some trouble remembering: Rourk Ravensbane, a seemingly un-elven sort of name, but he's Drow, which sort of explains it.
The Party Currently:
- Navero, 1st level human cleric
- Dania, 1st level 1/2-wood elf MU
- Rourk Ravensbane, 1st level Drow Cavalier
- Rizudo, 1st level human fighter
- Kortul, 1st level human fighter
We went riding into the marshes, early in the morning; we expected to reach the Orcs cavern by that afternoon. Our trek through the marshes was largely uneventful, except for a bunch of 6-armed squirrel-like monkeys who would stare at us from the trees, and throw things. Rizudo once tried to hit one, but they were impossibly fast. When we neared the cave, we left our horses tethered about 100 yards up the path, and snuck up on foot; within, a number of eyes seemed to peer out, but did not see us.
Rizudo: "Well, kids, what do we do with 'em?"
Rourk: "We can take them now. Pardon me while I prepare myself."
Dania: "What did the caves look like, Kortul?"
Kortul: "Dark, damp. Didn't get far; hit deadfall near entrance, killed 3, Orcs finished rest."
Rourk: "And you ran."
Kortul: *Fumes* "Quiet, munchkin."
Navero: "Maybe if we can get them out of the cave into daylight..."
Rizudo: "Yeah! Good idea! We smoke them out, then kill them as they come running from the cave."
Navero: "Uh..."
Rourk: "A poor strategy. The cave is probably ventilated."
Dania: "Right. They must have another entrance anyway."
Navero: "Uh..."
Rizudo: "Look, these are Orcs, remember? Shit-for-brains? How much of a problem do you think they'll be to fake out?"
Kortul: "Stupid." *Disgusted look at Rizudo*
Navero: "Uh..."
Rizudo: "Are you saying it won't work, o your mightiness?"
Kortul: "Might. Probably not."
Rizudo: "Well then, lets go get a bunch of wood!"
Dania: "Only dead wood, now." (Remember, she is half-wood elf, and feels somewhat protective of trees.)
Rourk: "Dead wood will not make enough smoke. It must be big, green logs."
Dania: "I'd rather you not chop down trees, dear. Besides, you wouldn't want to dishonor your blades with mere wood."
Rourk: "Kortul, I percieve, has a hand axe. And we can use his blade if necessary. One so large and unwieldy is of little use otherwise."
Kortul: Snarls.
And so, we began uprooting saplings and chopping down small trees. Dania ran about for a little bit, pleading or threatening or smacking us with her staff, but the 3 warriors ignored her and soon assembled a pile of green wood. Navero, having no great feelings about trees, tried to comfort Dania with the argument that it seemed necessary, but she ignored him. By now, it was late afternoon. We gathered the wood into a large pile on a hill before the cave mouth; we could feel eyes on us, but we were out of range of any but powerful longbows, which we were sure the Orcs did not possess. We doused it with lantern oil, lit it, and let it get to burning nice and smoky. Then we sent it all rolling downhill into the cave.
We got lucky; most of it went in, but not so far in that we couldn't see it. We sat on the hill; any Orc who appeared to put the fire out was shot. They eventually tried throwing water on from further back in the cave, but this didn't seem to do much good. The wood smoked merrily, but as evening approached, no Orcs came fleeing out. It wasn't working.
Dania: (Much grumbling and swearing) "Murderers."
Rizudo: "Oh, be quiet. You're getting on our nerves. Why don't you go play with yourself or something? Put that staff to good use."
Dania: "Go fuck yourself, asshole. Whatcha gonna do now? Throw in some squirrel-monkeys?"
Rourk: "Perhaps if we offer them a magic-user."
Navero: "No! You can't do that!"
Everyone: Stare at Navero
Navero: "I mean..."
Dania: "The sun is setting, guys. Got any bright ideas what to do?"
No one did. Instead, we sat on the hilltop and argued until our conversation was rudely interrupted by the sound of wings flapping. BIG wings. Big, leathery wings that seemed right overhead. Suddenly, from over the hill that the cave was in, a great shape appeared. It looked like the Wyvern, but it had four legs and was larger, and colored a great oily black. The party scattered. Everyone but Rourk ran to hide in the trees and bushes; he whistled for his dead horse, which did not appear, and then took his stand in the middle of the clearing. The Dragon (for thats what it was this time, boys and girls) did not attack, but merely soared over the clearing, horrible and proud, watching us from above. Rourk was about to call it a coward, when a javelin whizzed past his helmet, and he saw nearly 20 Orcs were charging towards him.
Rourk: "Ah, they are finally coming out. I shall go get my horse." (Runs)
Dania: "Thats my horse!" (Runs after him)
Navero: "Kortul, do you know the Orcish word for 'Stop'?"
Kortul: "Hudsdg. Let's get horses."
Dania easily outdistanced the heavily armored Cavalier; she reached her horse and rode off. Navero was the second to reach the horses, and went riding off after Dania, not wishing to see her get hurt. The Cavalier took Kortuls horse; Kortul remained on foot, and Rizudo hid in a tree.
At this point, things became somewhat chaotic, with four separate units of party running around, and so I will try to take things on an individual basis.
Rizudo: Hid in the tree for most of the battle. Only the fact that all the other party members were making so much noise kept him from being found. After it was over he claimed to have killed 6 Orcs.
Kortul: Picked off a few with his bow from the bushes, then crept about in the darkness, using his two-handed sword to kill more. I use the term 'crept' lightly; sneaking in banded mail is no mean feat, especially around creatures with infravision. He was on foot and alone, and so presented the ideal target for the Orcs; nonetheless, he was able to move fast enough not to be overborne, and dispatched 8 Orcs while taking no damage himself. Eventually, they ran away and left him alone. (I was playing both Kortul and Navero. I was rolling extremely well for Kortul, which may surprise you when you see how Navero did.)
Rourk: Got onto Kortul's big horse with some difficulty, and charged down the paths of the swamp, using his lance to great effect, until he found an individual whom he considered to be the Chief. This worthy he dismounted and challenged to personal combat. That worthy looked at him like he was some sort of joke, and whistled at the sky. Nothing happened for a moment, and so Rourk charged to do battle. "GLORY AND DEATH! GLORY AND DEATH!" Then, he heard wings again. Realizing at once that here was a foe far more worthy of him, he turned to face the beast, realizing that only his valour could defeat it. The Dragons attack was not fussy or frilly; it simply landed on him, grinding him into the mud. The Orc chief patted its nose and told it it was a good boy, which Rourk found quite surprising.
Rourk: "The Orc Chief said WHAT? And it didn't kill him?! Must be a very young, stupid Dragon. Are both my arms pinned?"
Game Master: No, one is free.
Rourk: "I stab the Dragon and tell it to get off of me."
Would you believe he got a critical hit? And that his next stab was also a critical? He didn't kill it, though. Bleeding, it flew away into the swamp, blubbering and calling for it's mother. The Orc Chief took one look at this and ran off, leaving our hero flushed with pride, beaming to himself. Damn, I'm good.
Dania and Navero: Dania went riding into the woods, looking for a place where she could be of some use. Navero went riding off after her, to protect her. They crossed over a run with 3 Orcs in it; Dania rode down one, but the others stayed up and took swings at Navero. Navero did 'command - stop' on one, using the new word he had just learned, and the other fortunately missed. They rode into the trees, when suddenly another group of 3 Orcs jumped up in front of them, frightening the horses and bringing them to a halt. Navero realized he would have to fight. They were charging up with swords in their hands and blood in their eyes, and he had to protect his friend.
Navero swung his mace at an Orc trying to grab his reins. Critical Fumble - he brained his horse. "oops" he thought as he landed face-first in the mud. Dania smacked one with her staff, but another stabbed her for 1 hit point. Yelling, Navero charged through to her defense, determined to carry the day despite adversity. Critical Fumble - he brained her horse. The Orcs started laughing. Dania ran away, with Navero right behind her. The Orcs started to chase them, so Dania turned and magic missiled one in the face. Navero hit a tree. The remaining two somehow missed. After quite a few rounds of this, both orcs somehow lay dead. I believe that Navero actually hit his target once during the encounter, and did something like one hit point of damage. After it was done, they both stood for a moment to collect themselves, Navero staring at the ground, and Dania staring at Navero. Then, she began to speak.
Dania: "YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!! What the fuck do <censored> you think you were doing?!?! You <censored> asshole, I ought break your <censored> stupid head off! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY GODDAMN LIFE!!! I hate your ancestors, your teachers, everything, you <censored> <censored> sorry excuse <censored> little <censored> moronic... LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, I don't ever want to see you again in my entire goddammed life, you <censored> <censored> <really censored>! Just keep the fuck away from me! go somewhere else! leave, you <censored> moron!! TRY to <censored> describe your <censored>, complete, and utter STUPIDITY!! You incompetent! You idiot! You clumsy... IDIOT! Arghhh....! I hate you!! I hate the sight of you! STAY THE <censored> FUCK AWAY FROM ME AND NEVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?!?!?"
Navero stood in numb silence. Mud crept up around his shoes. His mace hung loosely from one hand. Tears streaked down his face.
Navero: "But.... but you're the only friend I have."
She stared at him. Her whole body was clenched like a fist, knuckles white on her staff. What could she say? She stared and stared and stared. She wanted to kill him. He honestly deserved it. He was... He did...
Dania: "Oh, shit. Come on Nav, lets go get the Orcs, OK?"
She walked off into the forest, confused and angry and depressed all at the same time, pointedly ignoring the dead horses. Navero, utterly confused but somehow kind of happy, followed after.
And so, our heroes routed the band of Orcs. Those who survived, including the chief, fled into the marshes, and were not seen again. All that was left now was the cave.
Dan Parsons
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"It's ok. Forget it. I know you didn't. It's ok."
