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The party carried on through the next two days. Had two nights in two more caves. Some more encounters with gnolls and goblins. Grunter put paid to them. The gnolls were carrying a wooden Y stick which was magic (Detect Magic cast on). Party could not work out what it did.
During one of the scout-arounds - Argo and Lon I think - tracks were found. So, suspiciously, a keen watch was kept. Then, the next afternoon, trapsing through a copse, a broken twig was heard behind. Opera, ready for this, cast Entangle spell on the area. A struggling was heard - the vines had captured someone. Someone invisible.
Grunter waded on in and grabbed the figure. It was a woman. She made herself visible. She was an attractive (+1 APP) young wizard called Catherine. She was force-fed one of her own grapes (nullifying her spells). She was wearing a magical necklace and earrings, had a magical dagger, and was carrying a gnoll Y stick.
Opera tried on the necklace and earrings. It was some kind of communication device.
A man's voice on the other end "Who is this?!".
Opera tried talking to him. He made all kinds of threats.
"I'm gonna get you. I know where you are. You are so dead. Blah blah".
Catherine was questioned. The party came to the conclusion that she was under a Geas. She could not lie, but she could not put her "employer", Antonio, in danger. Many seasons ago, she was an adventurer in a party that was all wiped out in these lands. She was captured and forced to become an invisible scout for Antonio. He was not undead, nor a vampire, but other than that she was quite vague. He was building some power base here in these hills, but she was not sure of his strategic intentions. She'd been following the party invisibly since they left the Hick river. She said she found the Y stick on some gnolls.
They dragged her along with them, hobbled and bound. Worried that Catherine's gear could be magically tracked, they stashed the lot.
Grunter told party that they're now passing thru Black Tooth ogre clan territory: "They bad. Enemies. They kill us"
They reached a large deep gorge, with two cables strung across: 500m across, 250m deep.
Grunter went across first saying "Rift Huggers' village [ his village ] over here". The cables were only strong enough to hold Grunter's weight, so he went alone first. As the party was crossing, afterwards, three Black Tooth clan ogres arrived. They were carrying Ogre arbalests. They fired the spears, luckily missing the party. Opera and Bookem cast Light on their eyes and blinded two of them.
Party reached far side and took cover behind a rock. This is where Bookem blundered out and got hit by the arbalest bolt for 13 points which killed him out-right. Two ogres were still blind, and one firing. Stanley scared him off with a psi-scare.
Opera cast the Raise Dead scroll on Bookem.
En route to the ogre village. Grunter saw his life-friend Jack, another ogre, approach party. But Jack was undead; an ogre zombie. Grunter killed him. Jack was part of an ogre party of seven sent out to try to follow the black things. Sent out just before Grunter left for Hickford garrison.
Party reached Ogre village. Spent the night in a hut. They were given half a roast human for tea. Noone was particularly keen to tuck in. However, next morning they all tucked in to a delicious breakfast of "pork" sausages. Also some rotting fruit and veges; Purify Food fixed the rotting.
They were shown the hut where the "black shadows-on-legs" struck all that time ago. Not much info gleaned here, although several Thought Capture spells were cast.
Also down that end of the village, in a big cage, were the last three hapless remnants of a Luln Militia patrol that the ogres had captured: Enrique (half-elf male), and women Nellie and Marge; dinner for the next few days. Enrique was utterly stunning +3 APP, so Randy eyed him up. Nellie was +1 APP and Marge -2 APP. In the luln militia gear there was a magical ring.
Another of the seven ogres attacked the village - also a zombie.
Party & Grunter decided to follow the seven ogres' tracks. They managed to convince Grunter to let the ex-luln militia captives accompany them. The village ogre shaman cast Invisibility on three party members: Opera, Argo and Stanley. This turned out very useful.
The day passed, another(?) undead ogre brought down and they nighted over in a cave.
Invisible Opera heard a footfall at the rear. So she knew they had another invisible tail. Hoping to try the same copse-Entangle trick, they tried to lure the invisible one in too. But it stopped just outside. Opera cast Hear Noise and pinpointed the target quite accurately; accurate enough for an Faerie Fire. It lit up the figure, silhouetted nicely. Arrows were fired by all, and brought the humanoid down. It was another invisible woman wizard. Named Carolyn, she had a strong luln accent (russian) and luln makeup (goth), and was another looker (+1 APP too! [ APP is retro-rolled ] ). She, too, appeared to be under a Geas, any was more bolshie and less helpful than Catherine (who was still a dragged captive). She too had earring & necklace, magical dagger and gnoll Y stick.
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