Let’s open that door- I think we’re as ready as we’ll ever be, and I’d rather fight them coming from one direction than several if they give up on the door and decide to flank us.
Agreed. Then I think we’d better withdraw. Hodwain wanted to go to Minas Tirith anyway, and since we’d already decided not to take on the vampire until we know more about her kind, it’d be better to at least make a start towards the Gondorian outpost before nightfall.
But what if they are flanking us as well as hammering at the door?
Then we should let them in now before their flankers are ready, because if they’re capable of opening the door but are holding off or working slowly to let the flankers get in position, we can take out the main force before the flankers come in. Hodwain, Gwaelur, and Thoroncir should be pretty capable holding the doorway, while Gil-Gandel, Riglo, and Miron cover the rafters and any other flankers. The rest of us can bounce between the main force and flankers, helping whoever needs it.
Bottom line, I’d definitely prefer to act and fight on our own terms, rather than the enemy’s.
If they are not capable of opening the door, then we will be fighting on two fronts unnecessarily. :eek:
Are these orcs really that cunning?
Mulligan reappears up the slide.
Well the King is dead, slain by Elfstan’s mighty hand 
Has anyone listened at the door to work out how many Orcs are there. If there is less than 10, I suggest opening the door and taking them out. I would guess that there are probably 40 Orcs or so roaming the halls from one of the scouting parties. Lets deal with them before the others return.
I would personally like to have freed the animals and be out of here before noon. I want a big a head start as possible before a certain vampire decides to start hunting us down for our actions and to feast on certain party members hearts.
Would one of our Elves please use his excellent hearing to discern how many orcs are on the other side of the door? Then let’s get on with it.
Since he doesn’t presumably have anything better to do, Miron will be happy to carefully listen at the door and attempt to count the orcs.
Miron would guess that there are a dozen or more orcs. He believes he heard one harsh voice barking out orders that included, “get the rest of the maggots and be ready to break in from every side.”
Yikes, that doesn’t sound fun. Miron quickly relays the information to the rest of the group, and recommends a quick thrust into the passage beyond the door. “A dozen shouldn’t pose a threat, and if the others break into the room while we’re in the chamber, we might attempt to bar the doors from the outside and circle around the throne room to outflank the would-be ambushers.”
If the rest of the party wants to take care of the Orcs at the door, I am going to go round and ensure all the other doors are bolted, barred, tied shut, booby trapped etc etc.
Riglo, Hodwain, Thoroncir and Gwaelur stand ready for the doors to be thrown open.
Miron looks to take shots over Gwaelur.
Brin takes the right side flank from close up but with his bow for when the orcs burst in and Elfstan has the left flank with Sting ready. Elfstan is of course looking for backstabbing opportunities.
Mulligan is checking the other doors as Gil-Gandel keys eyeing the rafters and is ready for another door to open.
Ghân prepares to throw off the bars so the orcs will bash the doors open themselves. He then will get back to Deor & Renee in the middle of the room.
Ghân throws off the bars and heads back to the spell casters.
The doors burst open and orcs rush into the deadly edges of the party’s front line fighters.
Gwaelur drops an orc in chain with his axe and injures one in studded leather with his shield. A scimitar was stopped by his armor.
Thoroncir drops one in studded leather as a spear misses him.
Riglo drops two very quickly, battering their blades and spears away.
Hodwain chops down on an orc in studded leather and kills it instantly.
Brin targets one in chain and hits it twice. It was probably already dying from the first arrow.
Miron finishes off the injured on Gwaelur and shoots another in the hall in studded leather. It drops.
Elfstan gets in a quick back stab on another in studded leather and it dies without a sound a Sting makes short work of the orcs internals.
The four front line members surge forth to find only 4 orcs left with 9 dead already.
The door behind the throne bursts open and in come five large orcs. Deor spins and casts sleep on them and 4 of the five drop.
Ghân throws a Summon Insects on the remaining largest orc to distract it from noticing Mulligan who is nearby. This does 2 point of damage per round and is very distracting.
Mulligan hits the distracted orc with a sling bullet for 5 points and the commotion attracts Gil-Gandel who fires into this foe. Gil-Gandel hits twice as it heads for the spell casters. Gil-Gandel did 12 more for 19 total damage. Fang launches himself and gets the orc on an unarmored part of his leg for another 5 points. The orc is dropped to the ground but still alive.
Elfstan is running to help the spell casters.
The four orcs in the hall are quickly dispatched, but a ballista bolt come racing at Hodwain from down the hall and hits him for 16 points.
Shouting Elendil!, his longsword at the ready, Thoroncir will charge down the hall in the direction from which the ballista bolt came.
Hodwain who took long enough to break off the shaft, follows Thoroncir.
Riglo instead holds the hallway heading back to the main gate, shaking his head for the rashness of youth. “Beware intersections you fools!”
Thoroncir heeds Riglo’s shouted advice and will glance around any corners he comes to, dealing with any foes he finds there, but otherwise pressing his attack on the orc (?) with the ballista.
The Orcs behind the throne hit by sleep are going to find it permanent.
I wish I had time to tie them up but we don’t and we cannot afford for them to wake up and hit us from behind.
Miron will move to Riglo’s position, ready to go and assist Thoroncir at need but hesitant to run into an unknown number of enemies without better information.
Ghân will quickly assess whether 3 more rounds of Summon Insects will finish off the large distracted orc.
If it won’t, he encourages Fang to keep biting (assuming the spell prevents the orc from hitting anything).
If it will, he joins Riglo, ready to head back to the main gate.
He (and Fang) are not going to go charging into any ambushes…
Ghân determines that between the spell, Mulligan and Gil-Gandel that the orc will probably never get back up and can bring Fang with him into the Main Hall. So Riglo has Miron and Ghân for support.
Gwaelur follows the running pair at a fast march, but much less recklessly. He is hoping to ambush a few ambushers or provide a rear defense.
Brin takes a look around the King’s Hall and sees everything under control and follows Gwaelur about 20’ behind. He is especially paranoid about doors and passages.
Mulligan is ensuring the four sleeping orcs do not rise ever again.
Gil-Gandel puts another arrow into the downed orc and sees it expire. He keeps eyeing the rafters and the other doors and moves the spell casters to the main door for their own protection.
Elfstan joins Riglo but is mainly keeping an eye on the King’s Hall and where Thoroncir and Hodwain ran off to.
Thoroncir makes it near the ballista, 3 armored orcs come out to greet him as a few others frantically try to reload their huge weapon.
Thoroncir swings at the nearest with his cry of Elendil! He hits the orc for a grievous wound causing critical damage. The orc drops!
One orc swings on Thoroncir and does 3 points but Hodwain arrives before the other can swing. He takes a great stroke and cleaves into the orc killing it and pushes through to the ballista.
Thoroncir swings on the other orc and misses and the orc also misses.
Hodwain chops down hard on the ballista and hears a satisfactory crunching noise. Three unarmored orcs attack him with ballista bolts (Like short spears or javelins). One gets a lucky hit but Hodwain sweeps his sword around and kills one of his foes.
At this point 4 orcs come streaming out of a passage to get Thoroncir from behind and they instead find Gwaelur all too close. He strikes one orc with axe and shield and drops it. Brin fires two arrows into a second one and is satisfied to see it drop. One orc goes for Thoroncir and one attacks Gwaelur. This orc misses.
Down the hall near the King’s Hall, 20 orcs come charging out heading for Riglo. Ghân calls for Deor who steps out and begins a sleep.
Miron begins firing on the less armored foes. He rapidly drops three as they approach. Deor’s sleep spell puts an outstanding 13 down. Elfstan hides Sting under his cloak and works his way along the shadows near the walls. Riglo chooses the largest Orc and runs him through and then slashes to the left and kills another orc in chain mail. A third just misses with its spear and Riglo sword makes short work of him. The remaining one blanches at this massacre and turns to run as **Sting ** penetrates his lower back and all turns to black for him.
The King’s hall is quiet as Mulligan finishes up the sleeping orcs.
One group down, one group of 40 Orcs still around out there somewhere. I have a feeling that when they return they will leave just as quickly.
Let’s free the animals and get out of here quickly before we get intercepted again.
I suggest some people waking up one of the sleeping Orcs to find out what the important message was while I take the remainder to the animals to free them.