Session 16: Journey to the Cliff of Eyes Report

General Summary

The orc ambush had passed and our heroes were wondering about the surviving orc’s words: "Rosethorn works for a more evil power." What could this mean? Well, no matter, the heroes made their way into the forest, following a trail they assumed would lead to the orc caves. After some steps, however, the party realised that this trail was made by something bigger than an orc, a giant, perhaps. A light rain began to fall.   After a few hours the trail left the forest and the heroes looked upon a scree slope leading to dark cavern entrance. Mi'tsuru'gi stealthily approached and to his surprise he saw a badly injured orc shackled by his neck to the cave wall entrance. A well placed arrow by the elf killed the orc, already near death it seemed.    The party approached the dark and foul-smelling cave. A strange covering of Patchwall (autumn) leaves covered the cave entrance, a curioua sight in the month of Readying (late Winter). This had the party’s attention, and well it did, as Daktarin Stren spotted a bear-trap barely hidden in the leaves. Something inside did not like visitors.   The cave branched right, to a dirty ‘kitchen’, and left which led, behind a stinking curtain of hides, to an Ettin’s lair. The two-headed beast did not notice the intruders and they retreated to set a trap at the cave entrance. The heroes called out to the giant-kind and Trebblex (at least one head bellowed this name) came charging to the front of his cave. He was caught in the bear trap, but not restrained, and a battle of blows and arrows ensued. Between swings of his club, Trebblex bellowed at himself and howled about battling duergar. The Ettin was brought low by the heroes, and for their pains they found a worn crystal wolf figurine, coin, opals, and jeweled tiara.   It seems these caves were not the orc lair. As the party scanned the foothills leading into the mountainous The Barrier Peaks, Brimble Knackles scratched his long nose and, squinting, spoke about the Cliff of Eyes. This was a place where gnome troops engaged in a counter-offensive against Kettish fighters in the war (and defeated them). Brim thought he could see this Cliff of Eyes to the north, about three hours walk. This would be a good place to lair, so the party headed out as the rain came harder.   About halfway to the Cliff the party approached a swale at the tree line. A skeleton was partly visible within the depression, seemingly eroded from the ground in the rain. Inspecting this poor soul, the heroes found the bones of a gnome, likely a war casualty. Beside his rusted sword, a rotting leather pouch held an ear trumpet, a few silver stag coins of Bissel, and a bone tube concealing both a parchment with only one legible word: Beltreed (a name perhaps), and a key with a duck image and ‘2’ graven on its fob. Thornward has an Inn named the Dawdling Duck and this seems to be a room key.   Puzzling over these things, the party was suddenly snapped back to the rain and the swale as four vegepygmys creeping up the slope screamed and attacked! The leafy creatures not much troubled the heroes and were quickly killed. The party had never seen such strange beasts before. The Barrier Peaks have many secrets.   Surveying the way forward, Brimble estimated another hour of walking would bring them to the Cliff of Eyes and, possibly, th orc lair. Indeed, after an hours uphill walk, the heroes approach a small ampitheatere shaped vale with a series of open cave faces, one of which had a trail to its mouth, created by the recent tramping of many booted feet.   Mitsu approached first, entered the cave and slipped down a short passage only to be confronted with a wall of skulls set in niches at a T-intersection. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the skulls move. Within moments orcs came running from Mitsu’s left and right as Qira came barreling down the corridor. Arrow shots and sword parrys filled the corridors and the heroes retreated to the entrance hoping to gain some advantage of position. Multiple orcs now filled the passages and a war of taunting and feinting resumed. Eventually the orcs, pressed on by the command of their leader, spilled out of the cave and took the battle outside. When these orcs were slain the company once again moved in, trying to follow the orc chief’s path, but first encountered his warrior guard. Their greatswords brought Dak to near death. He hovered on the precipice for the last few seconds of the fight, but eventually regained himself. The party then passed a Great Room with a fire, guard posts, and a room of orc females and cubs that had been carved from the mountain, and they found the chief on the threshold of his stony chamber were the final fight took place, and where they wrought his ruin.

Rewards Granted

Ettin x 1: 1100
Vegepygmy x 4: 200
Orcs x many & some quite tough: 1700
  750 xp per PC     Treasure from the Ettin: 52 gp, 96 sp, and 121 cp, along with 14 opals worth 10 gp each, and a jeweled tiara worth 75 gp.
  Treasure from the Gnome skeleton: 9 sp.
  Treasure from the Orc lair: ??