GURPS: The Queen in waiting

For the erudite, another installment of the brave achievements of Sir Joshua Hiffin.

 The weapons of Azog in hand, our intrepid party now ventured forth to find their target.  We learned from Brother Piroutte that the King Harold's Queen was being held in their summer estate at Castle Keep in the South East.
Sir Hiffin planned to move his forces by river down to Minch where they would outflank the besiegers of Derog and then travel south to Castle Keep.

As they passed the hills north of Castle Keep a force of orcs was spotted atop a nearby knoll controlling the road.

The Frisian king Oswall put his men in battle line and went up the hill to meet them.

Mugabe picked off many of their archers and the crossbows did the rest.

Out of missile troops, the orcs charged down the hill at the Frisians.

The newly equipped Frisians had the better end of the combat and turned the orcs back, running down those that fled.  140 casualties to 5.

The Orc screening force eliminated, the army then set up siege outside the Castle Keep.  While the orcs were distracted by this, Hiffin and his party entered the castle via a shaped portal made by Goldfinger the earth elemental.

Sadly, King Harold's royal guard had all been slain and given a new guard duty as undead minions.

Putting them to death a second time, Sir Hiffin and company moved deeper into the castle...

...where they found a grotesque display of torture in the main hall.

Rushing in to save the tortured priest, Father Wolfgang raised his holy lantern, bathing the undead in it's light (that is holy...).

Two of the skeleton warriors fled, but the others closed in for combat, including the now dead form of Sir Brendan, a grand knight of the Keep.

As several of our heroes engaged Sir unBrendan, the captured priest ran up behind Sir Hiffin and...

...revealed his true colors,  our old nemesis the Arch Cabalist!  The cowardly undead creature attacked Hiffin from behind, but the blow glanced off Hiffin's shield.

"You should have chosen a weaker victim!"  Shouts Sir Hiffin, shaking off the foul beasts spells.  He tips the brazier over in an attempt to burn it, but it leaps out of the way.

Knowing that the Cabalist's Tome is part of its powers, Hiffin snatches it out of his hands.

The Frisian King and Father Wolfgang finally dispatch Sir unBrendan...

...and join the final assault on the Arch Cabalist, while Hiffin spirits its powerful book away.

The bridge to the Keep itself is finally reached.

"Water bad!"   Goldfinger will not cross the moat.  He stays behind.

Entering the Keep, Sir Hiffin hears the cries of distress of ladies above, he heads up to save the Queen, when suddenly he hears Mugabe cry out an alarm behind him.

"Very bad thing, my Lord Hiffin!"

The six armed Gorgon slithers out of a concealed passage.

The group engages the demon.  Two blades pierce King Oswall's breastplate, putting him on the edge of death.  All our attacks are deftly parried by the wicked thing's swords.

Finally Sir Hiffin lands a cut on it's nubile belly and Father Wolfgang uses the Lord's Flash to disorient it.  It backs into a corner but a combination of blows cuts it down.

Upstairs,the Queen is rescued along with her ladies in waiting.  Fortunately the have refreshments ready!

The group heads out,  the confrontation with the army from the Red Pit still ahead of them.

GURPs: The Armory of Azog, Part 2

Another illuminated installment of the adventures of  Templar Grand Knight Sir Hiffin.

When we last left our humble narrator, he and his group were descending even further into the orc stronghold on an ancient dwarvish elevator that was gaining speed rapidly, as the brake mechanisms failed.  With the blessings of Arken, Father Wolfgang was able to levitate everyone in the group before the final impact at the bottom of the shaft.
Alas, there was no respite at the bottom, for the orcs inhabited these areas as well and they came pouring in like mad dogs to do harm to yours truly.

There are 5 ways to go.  The west is filled with oncoming orcs.  Sir Hiffin sends King Oswald, Sir Moore and Father Wolfgang to stop them.  He sends Mugabe to check the north passage while he checks the south.

The south is a dead end, a small room with orcs.

Father Wolfgang uses his holy light to blind the orcs while Sir Moore and the King lay into them with blades.

Mugabe peeks beyond the door to find a large chamber filled with orcs and a giant troll.  He attempts to brace the door with his engineering skill.

It does not hold as the orcs break through.   "Oh, No!  Many bad things coming!"  He cries in alarm.

"Mugabe's flank has collapsed.  They're coming in behind us!  Fall back to the Southeast!"  commands Sir Hiffin.

Father Oswald has found a blocked passage to the southeast.  "If the orcs are afraid of something down here, it may be an ally.  Move the barricade Mugabe!"

Sir Hiffin inspires Mugabe to faster action while fending off an ogre.

"Yes Sir!"  Mugabe works up a sweat pushing the stone table away.

Sir Moore and King Oswald attempt a fighting retreat but one of the cowardly orcs strikes the King in the ankle, crippling his foot.

The war trolls giant club sweeps around the room, promising instant death to whatever it connects with.

In a brave move, Sir Moore grabs the King and supporting him, they both run for the southeast passage, narrowly ducking a sweep from the troll's weapon.  The indiscriminate sweeping of the troll's attacks slows the orcs, who are not eager to get in way.

The passage is open.  Father Oswald begins the descent down a cavernous passage.

Things look desperate.  Encumbered by the King's injured ankle, it doesn't look like they will outrun the troll.

The troll closes in for the kill.

Suddenly brave Father Wolfgang rushes in, distracting the troll from the King and Sir Moore.  He dodges to attacks that smash the floor and wall to bits.

Meanwhile, Mugabe has lined an arrow up on the troll and fires into its eye.  The troll stops its reckless advance.  Covering its face with an arm, it makes blind swipes at the hallway.  The group bravely runs away down the passage.

They find themselves lower in the complex and encounter some orc scouts and some dead dwarves.  They also meet a helpful surface orc named Ding that tells them of the dwarven kingdom nearby and its guardians.

The first guardian is an earth elemental named Goldfinger.  He is bribed with the gift of an earth stuffed orc.

The second guardian is a golem.  He eventually lets 1 unarmed party member pass to parley with the dwarves.

Father Oswald stands at the drawbridge and talks with the dwarves.

They come out and meet the group.

After our intentions are determined to be honorable, Sir Hiffin and party are allowed to meet the King.  They agree to help us reach the Inner Armory of Azog in return for a share of its treasures.  The dragon that guards it, however, is up to us.

The Inner Armory is guarded by Grund, 2nd generation Black 100, keeper of the Red Pits. (a mere 2400 points)   Sneaking passed is unlikely, fighting is suicide...
"What are we to do?" asks the party.

"Make a deal!" says Sir Hiffin.  Indeed the Grund is bound to the area and desires freedom.  Using his charm, Sir Hiffin negotiates the dragon's release and exit without killing them on the way out.  This is agreeable to all, and the dragon is unlocked from its magical collar and goes smashing its way out of the complex, taking some orc lives on the way.  Sir Hiffin gives the dragon a copy of his book as the first tribute to his dragon horde.   Grund is last seen flying west, perhaps Sir Hiffin implied these were lush lands for a dragon to explore (Sorry Philipe)

Finally the armory is unlocked!

"What a lot of junk!"
to be continued....