Gygax and Greyhawk Session #35 - Hired Help

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 5)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 4)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 5/ Thief 5) w/ trained bear Wotjek & henchman Caron (Half Elf  MU1)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 4) w/ henchman Koreyth the Master (Human Fighter 1) 

Date/Time

Harvester 24 morning to Brewfest-Godsday

Before leaving Nevond Nevnend, the parry decide to hire a few guards to keep an eye on their backs while on adventure. They also opt to recruit some henchman to help flesh our their ranks when partaking in said adventures.  The party as a whole takes on four heavy footmen and purchase a wagon and pair of draft horses (for the piles of treasure, of course). These footmen are tasked with guarding the wagon and any camp the party may set up in the wilderness. For their pay [5gp/month each] they will do no adventuring or otherwise get involved in anything but defense.  For assistance in the dungeons, Goro hires a short, stocky and strong fighter by the name of 'Koreyth the Master' and Skeef takes on 'Caron', a half elf magic user. Each are offered 200gp up front payment and a promise of a 1/2 share of non-magical treasure. Goro, leaning on his naturally suspicious orc-ish heritage, secretly casts know alignment on their new hires. Koreyth is a respectable chaotic good, but Caron is a worrying neutral evil. All agree the magic user needs watching. 

With a now expanded expeditionary force, the party strikes east towards the ruined castle. The five days of travel are uneventful except for a persistent drizzle over the last few days, and they arrive unmolested at their destination. After a nights rest in a grove of trees a respectable distance from the castle, they leave the guards and wagon behind and head towards the ruins. Skeef and Ranzel, invisible thanks to Solcha's elvish sorcery, take the lead some hundred yards ahead of the rest of the party.  They enter then ruins without any challenge, and the invisible pair head for a small postern door just inside the main gate. This leads into a gently sloping corridor with a wet floor. They disturb a rat who is lurking inside a pair of boots next to a door leading off the corridor; said rat disappears into a whole in the wall as they press on. When the postern door closes, they are plunged into darkness, so Skeef must lead the ranger by the hand. They explore a little further, noting several other passages and making their way to the area behind the main doors into the keep, which they'd noted as securely barred from the courtyard. Stairs were found going down, and a further passage leading north flanked by strange two-headed statues was noted. There was also a portcullis that showed sign of having been manually wrenched apart by something of great strength. 

The unseen duo retreat to meet the main body, and then all return to the corridor. As they do, a snarling troll covered in flecks of copper paint comes around the corner. After a half hearted attempt at parley, swords are drawn and battle begins. The troll is dispatched with little trouble, but the party is too slow in dealing with it's regenerating parts. The troll springs back to life and strikes down Koreyth before the party can once more 'slay' it. This time they chop it out into the courtyard and set the remains alight. 

Koreyth is thankfully still alive, but will need time to recover from his wounds. The party brings the henchman back to the guards and the camp, and then head back ounce more to the ruins. 

GAINS

None

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 troll

LOSSES

Koreyth [unconscious]