**Date:** 9/5/20

**PCs:**

Brother Berthold (Cleric L1)
Sporith the Gambler (MU L1)

**Hirelings:**

Pelgos (Sellsword)

**NPCs:**

Rubric, Dwarven beer merchant
Blunt, rowboat ferryman

**LL Notes:**

This was a nostalgic session for me, as I last used this setting
back in 2014 for some of my very first Labyrinth Lord games with my
then new gaming group [1]. Six years later, we're still gaming
together! I had fun leaving hints about the prior adventuring group,
who had saved Larm from Goblins and cleared the undead infestation
out the old temple. One of the old PCs even had a statue
posthumously erected in town (the Elf Melian, who was killed in the
raid on the Goblin camp [2]).

For this I am using Labyrinth Lord Original Edition Characters [3],
with a few house rules [4]. I am also using the trait tables in the
Non-Human Player Codex [5] for any demi-humans, and Zenopus'
one-page backgrounds sheet [6] for the Human players.

**Session Notes:**

Sporith the Mage, gambler and polyglot, came into Larm one fine
spring day on a merchant ship from Dolmvay, intent on adventure and
hoping to procure more spells for his spellbook.

In the Borderlands Tavern, Sporith met Rubric the Dwarven beer
merchant. His beer was terrible, but he seemed to have a good handle
on happenings around the local area. Over drinks, he told Sporith
that in his travels along the upper Dolm River, there had been a
rock slide a few days ago that had exposed a stone door in a cliff
face. This was about two hours north by boat. He had also heard
rumors of flickering light being seen in the old hermit's cave
across the river. The cave had been abandoned since the hermit
Brother Louie's death several years ago.

On the advice of Rubric, Sporith stopped by the temple of Glenys,
the Wise Mother, where he met Brother Berthold. The two agreed to
hire some help and investigate the cave across the river. They found
a willing sellsword named Pelgos in the tavern, and hired him on at
5gp per week. He told them he had previously been a sailor, and had
a spyglass with him, which he said was a gift from his former
captain.

They next enlisted the aid of Blunt at the docks to ferry them
across the Dolm river in his rowboat. He seemed reliable despite his
obvious drinking problem, and Sporith paid him 1gp for the boat ride
across, with another 1gp promised if he waited for them and rowed
them back.

The cave was atop a low, forested hill north of town. They climbed
up it and approached the cave entrance, which was deserted. As they
drew near, however, an Orc who had been hiding above the cave
entrance stood and, with a yell, hurled his spear at Berthold. The
spear missed its mark, and while Berthold jumped behind a nearby
tree, Sporith ushered Pelgos forward, staying behind him as he
engaged the lone Orc. As Pelgos and the Orc fought, two more Orcs
emerged from the cave, and began to climb towards the melee. Sporith
blasted the group with a sleep spell, also affecting Pelgos in the
process. He kicked Pelgos awake and slit the throats of the three
sleeping Orcs. Pelgos, only wearing leather armor and wielding a
hand axe, was able to scavenge a chain shirt and spear from one of
the Orcs.

The cave had clearly been abandoned for some time, with scant
evidence of the Orc's presence apart from a fire ring and some
rotted food. Carefully searching the small cave, they discovered a
silver dagger half-buried in the dirt beneath some brush, and a
clerical scroll in a concealed pit near the back of the cave (they
surmised Bother Louie had hidden it there years ago). The Orcs
themselves had a few dozen silver coins between them.

Next, the party made a loop around the outside of the cave itself,
and discovered a path leading west through the woods. It ended at a
small beach on the river, across from the town Mill, and the party
could see a rowboat on the sand there. Inside it were a coil of
moldy rope and an empty cask of beer, which by its smell was clearly
brewed by the Dwarf Rubric. Was the Dwarf himself in league with the
Orcs? With no answers, they turned to head back to the waiting
Blunt. But on the way back, they had to hide to avoid a group of
five Gnolls, themselves headed to the cave! Sporith could hear the
Gnolls discussing the Thick Skull Orc tribe. They doubled back and
tracked the Gnolls back to a campsite, unfortunately guarded by two
hyenas. Berthold and Pelgos each killed a hyena, and the camp held
no clues as to why the Gnolls were there or why they were interested
in the cave.

They decided to return to town before they were discovered, and so
headed back to the rowboat via a circuitous route. They had to row
themselves across the river, as they found Blunt passed out in his
boat, but at least saved a gold coin in the process.

Now back in town, Sporith and Berthold sought out Commander
McMillan, the leader of the town militia. They told him of the Thick
Skull Orcs, and the Gnolls, and he thanked them and promised to send
a contingent to investigate further tomorrow morning. To show his
gratitude, he told them of a long-standing bounty on Orc and Goblin
heads, which had not been claimed in five or six years, but would be
paid if the party could find the town Mayor, Caius Rusticus. The
commander told them that normally the 25gp bounty was paid upon
presentment of an Orc or Goblin left ear, but he assured them the
Mayor would pay the bounty if they relayed their story and mentioned
the Commander by name.

[1]: https://smolderingwizard.com/tag/larm/
[2]: https://smolderingwizard.com/2014/04/17/the-village-of-larm-goblin-trouble-and-a-fallen-hero/
[3]: gopher://gopher.smolderingwizard.com/0/phlog/2020-09-01-a-quick-look-at-labyrinth-lord-original-edition-characters.md
[4]: gopher://gopher.smolderingwizard.com/0/rpg/player_and_gm_resources/labyrinth_lord_oec_house_rules.txt
[5]: https://smolderingwizard.com/2018/08/01/a-quick-look-at-the-non-human-player-codex/
[6]: http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2014/08/20-backgrounds-for-od.html