I am making this entry while sitting in the (presumed) tower of the Witch Lord!... Having rested the night in the Orc Encampment, our part set forth to find the tower of the Witch Lord. We had been given instructions by the slaves we had freed, and after half a day’s travel, we arrived at the top of a ridge that overlooked a valley containing a stone tower surrounded by stone huts. While we were keeping a low profile, and discussing what our next move would be, our new companion (Korin) decided to head off by himself to the tower. The Trap decided to go along. (I am starting to think I may have discovered something about halflings.... rather than having a hive mind as some insect or rats seem to, where more individuals = higher intelligence, I think halflings have quite the opposite —- the more halfings you have, the lower their intelligence gets.... thereby leaving us with nothing but half-wit halfings! —- I will certainly have to observe them further to see if this is true... but I digress.) In any case, Ghelt could not let them go off on their own, so she followed at a safe distance, leaving Drusilia, me, and The Mule behind. Suspecting that something important (or at least funny) might happen, we tied off The Mule to a nearby boulder, and settled in to watch the show. We didn’t have long to wait. Korin and Trap checked three of the Fifty or so huts that surrounded the tower. Finding them empty, the promptly forgot about the other 47 and proceeded to try and get into the tower. The doors were shut and barred from the inside, so the halfings decided that using a cro-bar as a grappling hook was the wisest choice. They managed to throw it towards the top of the tower twice. The first time, the cro-bar landed with a thud! on Trap’s head. (I laughed so hard, I nearly lost my shoe! ) The second time it came crashing down on the stone stairs. It made a noise loud enough to wake the dead! No sooner had I thought this than the dead did in fact start appearing! Dead Orcs that is! Fun is fun, but now Drusilia and I had to rush to our companions aid. With Drusilia’s ability to turn back the evil zombies, we were able to hold our own for a while. Many a zombie fell to Ghelt’s axe as well, but eventually we realized that we needed a way to escape... there were just too many of them! Heading for the tower, I pulled out one of the potions I had made back in Smallville. Drinking it down, I grabbed the rope the dimwits halflings had left lay, and spider climbed up the side of the tower. I tied the rope off, and soon everyone had climbed up to safety, leaving the zombies below. Entering the tower, we found several empty rooms, which Trap eagerly began to search. This was apparently too dull for Korin and Ghelt, as the two of them took off down a staircase together! Soon the sounds of a scuffle could be heard below, and Drusilia and I ran to assist. (see a pattern here?) Trap had apparently had enough of these antics, because he just continued searching alone. Strange fellow. At the bottom of the staircase, we found yet more Orc zombies fighting our companions. Luckily Drusilia was able to once more call upon the power of her God, and we dispatched them quickly. It is as we are resting after the combat, that I am writing this entry. Although, as I wrote above, we presume this is the Witch Lord’s tower, we have not seen hide nor hair of him yet, and that makes me a little nervous. Uh-oh.. I better wrap this up. It looks like Korin and Ghelt are ready to wander off again... Until the next entry — ~=Fafnir Flamebrewer=~ Planting 25, 592CY Posted by Dave on February 15, 2003, 01:15 | Fafnir’s Journal