Chapter 4 - Beat to Quarters

[monstermike]

Dwarla gathers up her healer's kit and heads briskly out the door. Several minutes later, she returns with Kweiraye and the five craftsmen in tow. "The ore-carts are running again," she says. While Ozenda releases the newcomer's neck-rings, she continues "And some of the goblin guards have returned to their quarters. We're not all by ourselves on this level any more. We'll have to move with caution or be prepared to fight."

You now have 50 armed dwarves.

Game time 4/4 19:40

Please post your next move by noon Wednesday, May 18.

[monstermike]

Meanwhile...

The search party led by captain Skullsplitter heads down into the mines. The Goblin Overlord's orders were clear. Perform a detailed search of the mines level by level starting at the bottom level and working up. The squad of twelve or guards behind him marches down the decline shaft in pairs between the rows of moving ore-carts with grim scowls on their tusked faces and swords held ready.

They arrive at the coal-mining level. A skeleton crew of goblin guards has their hands full dealing with the dwarves. Though they are mining again, their spirits are high and the level of pranking and horseplay is way beyond what they've ever seen before.

Skullsplitter stations two guards at the intersection to keep anyone from slipping past and splits the remainder of his squad into two groups of five. Each group searches one of the main hallways and adjoined mining tunnels.

The guards in the north hall search carefully, but find nothing out of place, missing the cache of captured weapons from the goblin guards buried under a pile of loose rock. In the south hall, the squad finds Medwort sitting on an overturned wheelbarrow in tunnel five while his companions do the digging. "Why you sit, Slave?" Medwort indicates the injuries from his earlier beating. "Too smashed up ta work today. So I been supervisin' these young'uns."

As they talk, there are muffled yelps and thumps from under the wheelbarrow. "What under there?" One of the orc guards gives Medwort a powerful backhand blow that knocks him off the wheelbarrow and flips it over. Skizzerf and the goblin commander lie there, bound and gagged. "What this?"

The uruk guard lifts the two goblins up and quickly cuts their bonds. "Take us to Hrruuukkk Ptui, fool. There is a powerful party of armed invaders in the mines!" the goblin commander says.

The dwarves look very worried as the orc guard walks the two goblin guards to Skullsplitter.

[Hrruuukkk Ptui ordered the search at 19:20. I'm assuming 10 minutes to get the squad organized and deliver orders, 10 minutes to make it down to the coal-pits, and 10 minutes to search to this point. So this actually doesn't happen until 19:50]

Game time 4/4 19:50

[ProfGremlin]

"Ok, so we need to move. Now." Bitsa says in reply to Dwarla's news. "Tenkar, I would suggest splitting our forces. Say, forty of your stalwart kinsman to go with us into the mines and ten, including Kweiraye, go talk to to the dragon with Owynn and Pan. Kweiraye, the dragon is a friend of your father's. I'm hoping your being there will generate some goodwill. Those of us going into the mines could pretend that we've been sent down to help get production back on schedule, in case any guards ask." The half-pint housebreaker is spinning out a plan on the fly, completely aware that no plan survives, intact, past the first movement. "I'm small enough that I'll probably go unnoticed amongst you lot," he nods at the dwarves, "Tenkar I'd like to keep you with us in the mines, perhaps Father Grizzle would consent to be your lieutenant with Owynn and Pan? I think diplomacy would be useful here and grey-beards tend to have cooler heads," Bitsa suggests this with a wink to Father Grizzle.

Bitsa looks over at Herman and then the rest of the group, "If anyone wants out, now's the time to speak up. There's the escape tunnel down in tunnel four of the coal pits. There's a cache of weapons near there and ropes on the path to help your escape. None of you have collars now, you could escape and be on your way to freedom before the moon rose. After what you've endured here, no one would blame you. Herman, this is more than your parents agreed to, if you want out, now's your chance."

Ozenda addresses the dwarven herbalist, "Dwarla, would you, perchance, be able to obtain an old cloak and helm, perhaps masked, that would fit me? It will not be much of a disguise but it is the best we can hope for under the circumstances."

[tenkar]

Aight! You 'erd the Lad! We gots work to do's and 'eads to smash! Er, quiet like for now..." Tenkar catches himself as he finds himself gettting caught up in the moment.

A bit less boisterously" "You ten... y'all be da' escort to da' dragon. Da' rest of ya, we'z gonna be 'untin in da mines... mercy or no, dat's on you'se... me? i'm dun out at da' moment."

To himself: "Me da' neva were much on tactics teachin', jus' fightin'. Guess is high times to learn dem now."

[monstermike]

The dwarves give a hushed cheer. It's clear that none of them want to take the easy way out at this point. Herman steps forward to Bitsa and says, "I'm still in, sir. I've made it this far, so I might as well go all the way. I'll go with Owynn and Pan to visit the dragon if that's okay with you."

Dwarla digs an old cloak out of a pile of clothes on the floor and hands it to Ozenda. There is no helm, but she manages to find an old hunting cap with a low bill and earflaps that partly conceals Ozenda's features.

Father Grizzle counts off nine more dwarves including Kweiraye and the craftsmen to go with Owynn, Pan, and Herman to seek the dragon.

Tenkar rallies the remaining forty dwarves into another group with Bitsa and Ozenda to prepare to descend back into the hated mines. Soon all are ready.

After a bit of discussion, it is agreed that the smaller party will slip out first. They have a short way to go to the dragon's room - just straight south along the west end of the loop - and it seems like they would stand a better chance of not attracting any attention. A few minutes after they leave, Tenkar, Bitsa, and the forty Titans leave the dwarves' quarters heading east along the main north hall to return to the mines.

Game time 4/4 19:50

I'm going to end the BEAT TO QUARTERS thread here and continue in two new threads.

FIGHT FOR FREEDOM will be the thread Bitsa, Ozenda, and Tenkar are following as they head back down to the mines.

DEALING WITH DRAGONS is for the exploits of Owynn, Pan, and Herman until they reunite with the FREEDOM group or with 'Nasan.

I'll do a little starter post in each thread picking up the action from this point.