28 - 11/5

After trekking through the mountains, the group found the location of the renegade orc stronghold. These orcs had abandoned the Stormcallers, and taken up an alliance with a black dragon. Here was the location of the Eternal Flame of surtur, a valuable artifact of the orcs that was said to repel evil spirits from their village. If the group could acquire it, they believed it would go a long way to securing an alliance with the orcs and put them one step closer to repelling the White Hand Hobgoblins from their lands.   A group of orcs lazily guarded the entrance, and deciding that diplomacy was not worth the effort battle ensued! The orcs were clearly not paying attention and were easily surprised and cut down in the first round. Another guard lay further up the passage near the entrance, and he pulled out a horn and sounded the alarm. From along the passageways arrow slits began to open, and other orcs fired down upon the assailants. Thankfully the orcs were poor marksmen, and few arrows found their mark. Valerie surged forward, and was assaulted by a strange wingless black Guard drake, but none really knew much about the creature. The drake crossed a chasm with a rope bridge, and Nyx saw an opportunity. Using her repulsing shot, she knocked the flightless drake into the chasm and sent it to its death.   Surmising that the Orcs likely had some way of getting to these arrow ports, the group behind looking for hidden entrances, and eventually discovered one that led into a hidden passageway. After continuing along this passage a ways, the group found the second hidden passage into a barracks, and a group of orcs turned around to meet them. In the very first round, Shane sent two well placed arrows at the leader and cut him down in a single volley. The orcs panicked, and Valerie shouted at them to surrender. They dropped their weapons, and did their best to appease the one they called Brightbright.   The orcs didn't provide too much intel, but warned them of a trap, and told them of an ogre that Yarrack kept as a pet. The group entered the ogres room to find his enormous form petting a pair of "doggies" that were clearly Dire Wolves. The ogre shifted, revealing he was chained to the wall, and Valerie saw an opportunity.