Aftermaths

After the snap of the Dragon woman’s neck, in the dim light of half a dozen magical burning torches, the newly revealed sub-cavern falls momentarily silent.

Shocked and impressed by Bastien’s brutality, Volkon, hands held aloft in supplication, lands out of easy reach of the angry and confused Orcs.

Nitendae wisely maintains his perch atop the shaken but still suspended Dragon skull.

There are only about a dozen orcs left behind on this level, as the majority of them chased after the Death-worshippers, Drow and Duergar fleeing down their tunnel. There are a few dozen more orcs above but they seem more concerned with digging the others out, or putting the crippled ones out of their misery.

“How you here?” growls the largest of those remaining.

The young priest Demitasse also raises his hands in capitulation and Sereena, the raven-haired sorceress, stays wrapped tightly in Marlon’s shadow. Marlon, however, keeps his head raised and his meaty fist, tight around the hilt of his magical War hammer.

It is bold Volkon who answers though.

“We were sent to stop the Dark elves.”

The large orc, signals for some of his comrades to destroy the four remaining, tethered Ogre zombies. Chained together as they are and unarmed or armoured, they offer little resistance other than the stench of decay that accompanies every hack and slice.

“That not answer; how you here?!”

The young, flame haired barbarian does his best to explain without giving too much away, much to the amusement of Nitendae above. Compared to elven discourse, it’s like listening to moronic toddlers chattering.

Eventually though, with the benefit of red wine from Issack’s stores, the Orcs accept Volkon’s half story. Nitendae knows though, that it’ll fall to pieces as soon as the Orcan chief: Obdurate hears it.

Acting under the orcs’ squinting eyes, Demitasse heals who he can. Both friend and orc alike. Nitendae, Sereena and Issack (on Cary’s back) carefully examine the bodies and surreptitiously take a few items, while Volkon, Bastien and Marlon offer up weapons and armour.

Soon, a score of orc warriors emerge back from the giant, black as pitch tunnel. It is soon disclosed that the remaining Duergar was easily caught and killed but the evil, Nerull worshipping humans and Drow managed to escape into the depths of Fissa.

Looking about them, Nitendae can see only two ways out. Follow the Drow, down through their tunnel into the Underdark or wait for the Orcs to eventually burrow them out…

Neither option seems appealing…