Ludi Blog

There were now 4 of the Wedding Crashers on the roof peering over into the crowded courtyard below ... a couple of over-turned tables gave cover to some orcs with crossbows, a small cart carried a weird looking contraption with barrels at one end and a metal tube at the other. There were a dozen or so orcs and a 1/2 orc in a robe ready and waiting for the group.

Grogg and Womac moved out of the inner garden into the corridor towards the courtyard and a couple of the orcs moved to attack them, then with crossbow bolts and arrows filling the area like a kicked hornets nest, the battle began in earnest. The 1/2 orc in the robe cast a spell and ran for the double doors exiting the courtyard as quick as he could as the area began to fill with the sounds of battle.

Ril, Edge and Caled were carefully picking off targets from the roof when Edge twigged what the barrels on the back of the cart were for - "Alana - Can you burn the back of that cart?" shouting over the noise of battle, "I can burn anything for you sweetie." she smiled. Then Caled and Edge slid down the roof and landed lightly in the courtyard before moving around to get to their flanking positions.

Alana cast and a small burning ball appeared under the cart which moved towards the barrels at the back echoing her hand movements and quickly the wood started to smoulder. Then a number of things happened in quick succession in seeming slow motion.

The double doors burst off of their hinges.

A large and very angry looking troll stepped through the hole into the courtyard with a triumphant cry of rage.

The barrels on the back of the cart exploded. 

The troll only appeared to become more angry with flames dancing across his skin and both Edge and Caled flattened themselves against the walls in an attempt to become invisible to trolls!

However, this isn't Grogg's way and finally seeing an opponent he could test himself against, charged across the dusty and body part strewn open ground. Grogg struck and the troll missed a counter - then Grogg missed seemingly paralysed and this time the troll didn't. It picked Grogg off of the courtyard and threw him into the striding Womack whilst behind the troll a cleric and 3 very heavily armed humanoids emerged. Things appeared quickly to have taken a turn for the worst.

Edge was out of sight but Caled and Womack decided fighting a 9 foot raging ball of sinew was not a good idea and pulled back inside the corridor under the cover of the spells and crossbow attacks from above of both Ril and Alana.

Meanwhile Edge created a magical web to hold the opposition and Ril cast a darkness over the troll to confuse it but they knew it wouldn't hold the troll for long - so Edge crept across the double door entry and silently moved up on  the cleric from behind. He struck a mighty blow to the back of the woman but she was not brought down and as he attacked he was also the target of a spell from inside the corridor on his own back!

The cleric spun on her heel reeling from the savage blow from Edge's two handed sword but she laughed and struck with her own long spear which hit. Whilst the damage from the blow wasn't life threatening - the magic from the spear was causing a magical darkness to fall across his eyes rendering him blind!

As he scrabbled out of the way and up a wall onto the roof Caled stepped out of the shadows into the light - gently released his breath and loosed a devastating shot at the back of the cleric! Her laughing instantly turned to gurgling as the arrow entered just below her helm at the back of her head and exited out of the front! She looked confused for a second then slumped forward into the dust, dead!

The troll had disappeared with the death of the cleric and last of the orc guards saw this as an opportunity for a career change suddenly losing all interest in the battle and gaining a lot of interest in exiting stage right.

As Grogg, Womac and Caled set about searching the courtyard and corridors around it, Ril and Alana on the roof moved towards Edge noticing another figure moving around him too. The figure was dishevelled and definitely looked dead and then she realised why it looked so familiar as it sniffed at Edge's ear.

"Andreais! No!" she shouted - Edge clenched. Then the figure hissed and ran off over the roof.

After a few minutes the darkness drew back from Edge and his sight started to return then the party gathered around and moved through the double set of doors leading deeper into the temple and after the wizard that had been shooting at the them. Moving past a trapped gargoyle towards another set of double doors which opened into a large temple area.

The temple had a huge statue of a one-eyed Orc on a dias brandishing a huge spear, a large altar, rough pews and a huddle of slaves chained against one wall and a second single door exit from the room.

"Did a wizard come through here a little while ago?" asked Womac

"There's no wizards in here!" stammered one of the slaves, his eyes swivelling this way and that.

"That's not what I asked ..." Womac started to reply then in a flash of inspiration used his ability to detect magical objects within the group of slaves. There in the centre of the group huddled an invisible humanoid, seen only by magical detection.

Realising he had been rumbled, the wizard stood and pointed a small device at the Crashers and they were engulfed in flames.

This only proved to enrage Grogg even more than he already was and the mad dwarf charged into the group hacking and slashing at the wizard, killing him and a number of slaves. Pandemonium ensued.