26th of Thoth - Mage's Eve

The day after our night of blood and orcs in the fields -

Boink wakes up and remembers something he overheard, that entire army when north, leaving the city undefended. And Trax & Trog dreamed of nightmarish dark shapes whizzing by. Orcs, we presume.

It's a wretched cold, rainy day, the kind where you feel the chill bite your bones.

After we get up - and the rest of them made me get up, I was set to sleep till noon - we head down to the breakfast crowd in the pub. Trax spots a gnome and perhaps feeling that that's as close to one of her own kind as she's going to get, makes her way to him. We join the gnome (and others) at the eating board.

The gnome's definitely one of the friendlier people we've met, seems thrilled to see Trax (imagine) - a merchant type.

Boink immediately asks about the army that's decamped - apparently says the gnome, the humans are massing to the North, along the border, City States of Rosalani.

Gnome offers us a caravary guard job, points out that we the other caravan is VERY bad news. Balking?

Boing asks if the humans at the border are going to help progect against the orcs but gnome - Sulfar - just laughs. And talks about Theodor, who's a merchant anda slaver. Apparently made a super deal recently on mithril, bought up all the steel to be had hereabouts. He's cornering the mithril market too. Who's he selling all this too, we wonder.

An elf - Skysh - at the other end of the table says that there are flaming brand orcs all the way down in Dolf, where he's from. He ask us hopefully if we can send a mental message to his wife, but alas, my ESP rating is so low that it gives me a headache to even try - while Stib's no better, I believe.

He shrugs, then shows us a mithril-edged dagger.

Eventually our conversation with the gnome and elf dry up, and we do what we spend so much time doing: tryiing to figure out what to do.

Boink wants to heald into the palace and look for the dungeons. His idea: spread disinformation about Theodor that he's arming the orcs. Why, we ask? His eyes gleam with crazed anticipation.

In the end we decide to case Theodor's house - a little evidence first.

Stib then tells us that he's seen an orc making notes on the street. (Amazing, an orc that writes!)

The ranger Trax and thief Stib track the Orc, while we wait at the other end of the alley, out of sight, but ready. The plan is: Stib sleep spells the orc, and then we haul him back.

All jittery, Boink draws his sword while we wait,. though there's some people around, while the rest of us run down the other alley to Trax, Stib and the orc. The orc wakes up, but is already tied and gagged. For good measure, Trax smashes him on the head again with the flat of her axe. Wonders, he's knocked out cold.

The orc wears red clothing (odd color for him to wear), and among other things, has a roll of parchment with a map of the city - with notches indicateting where the gates are, and possibly the number of gods.

Egads - an orc with enough motor coordination and with to make marks on paper.

Before going into a really lowclass inn to rent a room, we untie the orc, cover him with his cloak, and prop him up as though he's a drunk companion.

We have a bit of debate as to who questions the orc - Krog wants to do it alone, but - well, truth is, leaving an orc and a half-orc alone, is this really a good idea? We all crowd into the room.

In the room, once the Orc comes to, Krog puts a dagger to his throat, while I use up a detect magic spell. The orc's name - how lovely - is Bloodflow. Wishful thinking on his part.

Krog stabs the orc's hand (I'm a little shocked, but it works!). Krog then says - "What happens to an orc with one eye?" - Info about where the orc came into the city and at what time, burbles forth. He came 3 days ago, been sleeping in alleys.

So, here's a snippet of the interrogation:

Trax asks: What are you doing here?
Orc: Investigating city.
Trax: for what?
Orc: For my clan.
Trax: Why?
Orc: Goods for family.
Trax: What goods?
Orc: Weapons
Trax: Yeah, you got pretty crappy weapons.

Along the way the orcs been raiding villages, and apparently there's about 500 of them. The master of the clan is Torak Tree-Eye.

Then leave the orc locked in the room for a moment to decide upon his fate. Some suggest killing him, I suggest letting him go to see whither he goes. This then is what we do; Trix and Stib track him.

They return and tell us: the orc left by the east gate, talked to one of the guards (there's just something about those guards…).

Then we all take off, meet at Theodor's warehouse to case it.

Boink recognizes one of the elf females from Balcan's household. She seems to recognize Krog (how can anyone miss him?? But Stib decides to go in through a window at the back of the warehouse and eavesdrop.

Long story short: Stib steals 5 rods of mithril, and we escape with it!! (& what Stib discovers: Theodor purchased the female slave for 100,000 gp - an enormous price for a slave. Men are very strange aren't they? Theodor has purchased literally tons of steel and mithril, sold some to the imperial palace)

Boink tries to sell a rod of mithril to Balcan the merchant (the rest of us don't full heartedly support this move) - but is thrown out of Balcan's house; Balcan does do him the favour of not calling the guards.

Trax, perhaps with vague memories of old banking experiences, opens and account and we deposit the mithril. We feel thrilled by our new wealth: although we realize that there may be some trouble cashing it in, given that Theodor has just about the only mithril in town.

When we finally return to our rooms, Boink finds a letter on his pillow that reads: "For whom it may concern, you are bing watched,, do not tell the authorities. Any attempt to disrupt the operation will be met with the strongest reprisal." Some vocabulary. We're too pooped to care and go to bed.

Next morning is Mage's Day. The trumpets sound, let the games begin. It's still raining. We head for the Eastern gate - and just then a ragged elf runs in, crying that a HUGE orc army is a day away, 100,000 of 'em. Boink, Trax and I follow ragged eld fo make sure that guards take in the elf….

Caught in a city about to beleagured by bloodthirsty primitives - this is NOT what I've envisioned for my illustrious career…