Arcade’s Journal -- Vaprak the Destroyer

...Tao picked up the trail of some orcs. After following for some time, we came to a spot where the tracks circled a hill. Sensing a good spot for an ambush, we quickly made plans. Tao and DogB slipped around the other side of the hill, while the rest of us raced over the top. On the far side we found two orc guards asleep. One began to awaken and I slew him with a ’Missile, but then the other awoke with a start, blew a blast on his horn, and fled. Tao stopped him cold with her bola, and we braced for an attack, but none materialized.

We circled the hill and doubled back down the trail, finally arriving at the base of a steep hill with a ruined fortress at its crest. Just in case, I brought up Mirror Image. It was lucky that I did, for as we started up the hill a thrown spear passed right through one of them. DogB, seemingly less well trained than his predecessor, sprinted towards the ruins barking threateningly. Nolin, Tao and Tephis all ran in pursuit of the dog, while Cadrienne and I slipped around the side of the building.

DogB ran between two sections of shattered outwall, and there was a thud followed by a great yelp. The three Defenders arrived to find a grinning ogre with a club, standing over the broken corpse of the dog. It raised its club high, and howled: "Fer Vaprak, the Destroyer!"

In a rage, Tao attacked. But her fury was such that she slipped and managed to stab herself with Heartscar! Needless to say, it was not turning out to be Tao’s best day.

She rallied, however, and the three managed to fell the ogre. Upon its forehead we found a curious brand, in the form of a spiked crescent. Clearly, a member of one of the many vicious humanoid cults. I noticed some movement inside the remaining two-story tower at the fortress’s northeast corner, but rather than risk more spears we made for a clearing within the central pile of ruined buildings. There we discovered a stair that led down into a stone room.

As we started downwards, a horrible clawed hand reached out from under the stairs and grabbed Nolin’s leg! Tao severed it with a single stroke, but it continued to hold on. Nolin finally managed to pry it free and fling it down into the room. It quickly scuttled under the stairs. Suspecting a troll, I pulled a flask of oil and prepared a spell. Tao, Nolin and Cadrienne leaped down to engage the creature. I saw the creature’s other claw emerge and Reduced it. Then I hurled the flask under the stair, where it smashed all over the hideous beast. After a brief engagement, and some well aimed blows, we managed to light the oil, sending the troll up in smoke. We assured ourselves that all of its parts were accounted for before continuing on and closing the doors behind us.

In the next room we found a horribly defiled altar, with a fanged crescent hanging above. Cadrienne went to work with Holy Water trying to remove some of the taint, and we began to search the room. We were interrupted suddenly, as the door flew open with a crash. There stood an ogre with a polearm, screaming that we would pay for our blasphemy.

He swung at Tephis and missed badly, embedding the weapon in the wall. Tephis fled towards us. Nolin and I both launched Magic Missiles, but they were absorbed harmlessly by a glowing shield that appeared around the ogre, or rather ogre mage.

The ogre and I cast simultaneously. I managed to shake off his Hold Person, but he was only mildly singed by my Darkening Bolt. Cadrienne, Nolin and Tao charged, as I cast Irritation upon him. He managed to slam Nolin and Tao’s heads together, but unarmed he was no match for the three of them. With a horrid curse he dropped to the ground, and began to emit a choking black vapor that swirled towards the altar.

We moved away quickly, expecting a nasty surprise. The surprise was pleasant, however. The smoke tried to embrace the altar several times, but seemed to be foiled by Cadrienne’s hurried purification efforts. With an awful howl, the smoke was sucked into the ground below the altar and the room began to collapse. We left in a hurry....

...decided to check out the tower. On the doorstep we found some orange-colored fur. There was a brief argument, as I thought the stuff was squirrel fur, while Nolin seemed convinced that it was cockatrice fur. Hmph. We entered the tower and discovered bunks for seven. After a short search, we heard some thumping upstairs, and cautiously ascended.

Tao slammed the door open. In the darkness we saw a pair of huge glowing eyes, and I launched a Color Spray. The wooden light ball revealed a gigantic squirrel, and a stunned but unarmed orc. Tao dispatched the squirrel. When we attempted to question the orc it rushed at me, and accidentally impaled itself on Heartscar.

The room contained a large pile of bones, with squirrel toothmarks. Tephis thought to cut off the thing’s tail and bring it back for Tom-Tom. An excellent idea, I thought....

...after the ground had settled, Nolin went below to search for treasure and found some gold, silver, and electrum. He also found a spider statuette, and obsidian knife, and a ceramic decanter with a foul liquid. There were scrolls as well, which discussed the nature of the cult of Vaprak, a god who wishes to destroy all existence. The squirrel had resulted from a perverted version of Animal Growth. The evil artifacts were given to Cadrienne for disposal at her temple....

...Tao buried her dog, and we headed home. Stopped to pick up the wyvern head and its treasure. Tephis is going to have the head stuffed and mounted for our wall. The Temple of Morphat intends to destroy the artifacts, and paid us a finder’s fee for them. Tom-Tom loves the squirrel tail...!

...Tao tells us that a mass exodus of humanoids from the inland hills has occurred since the destruction of the Temple of Vaprak. She has returned to the wilderness to finish her training....