Buddy the 2^nd-level human monk (KIA) — Hugo

Lola the 2nd-level human cleric of Ashanna (500 EXP) — Amy

Cecil Rumbottom the 2nd-level gnome rogue (500 EXP) -- Dawn

Long the 2^nd-level elf monk (500 EXP) -- Paul

The Adventure:

Such is the fame of the curry of the Hollow Leg that a total stranger gives Chef Lister a bronze sculpture as a gift!

Determined to finish off the first level of the dungeon, our intrepid party descends once more into the deep. They go back to the locked door with the magic mouth on it. More experienced now, Cecil is able to open the lock. The door opens. They find a long corridor with several openings on the left side. These openings lead into a maze of corridors. On three different places next to these entrances to the maze are written warnings, in blood, urging the party not to go in. With the magic mouth, that's four different warnings not to enter. Of course, our brave heroes enter!

Following one corridor, Long finds a secret door. The door opens onto a parallel branch of the maze; the party continues on their regular course. A few steps later, Lola and Long fall into a pit. That signals 3 orcs to attack them, slipping into their corridor from other secret doors. Two are on one side, one on another. Buddy and Long are able to wipe them out without much trouble.

Regrouping, the party continues to the end of the corridor. They find a large room where all the maze branches end, and four more orcs waiting. Long charges into their midst, and is set upon by all four greataxe-swinging, elf-hating, blood-lusting orcs. They all miss. Cecil wanders into a corner to investigate a metallic glow he sees--it's a crimson metal pedestal. Lola and Buddy go to help Long, figuring Long won't last, er, long. Cecil touches the pedestal, which begins to glow. Another orc materializes next to Cecil! Lola rushes over to help the gnome after the new orc lashes him with his greataxe. Buddy and Long finish off the original four; Lola smashes the new one in the skull as Cecil retreats to safety in a pile of corpses. There he finds yet another warning.

At last the five orcs are dead, and the party is nearly unscathed. Then they decide to play with the pedestal.

Lola pokes the pedestal. It intones in Draconic (which only Long understands), "Now begins the next phase of the test." An ogre appears. Long charges the ogre, despite the ogre's huge greataxe. The ogre hits the mark, smashing Long into bloody unconsciousness. Cecil and Lola flank the ogre; Buddy drinks a healing potion and closes warily. No one can hit the damn thing. Both Lola and Cecil take heavy blows from the ogre, but keep going. There is nowhere to run at this point. The ogre smashes Buddy, and he goes down. Cecil scores a couple of small hits. Sensing many days of feasting, the ogre starts pounding with his fists, and pummels Lola and Cecil into unconsciousness.

Long, Cecil and Lola awake in the common room of the Hollow Leg tavern three days later. Bartholemew tells them that the other group of adventurers (who had tried to buy the entire dungeon a few weeks back) had brought them out after defeating the ogre. These other adventurers were not interesting at all in looting the party, seeming more interested in something else. Something which Bartholemew wasn't sure of. There is no sign of Buddy at all.

(DM's Note: The PCs suffered some of the best, and worst, luck you can imagine, in a very short time. The four orcs should have taken Long apart after his first charge, but all four of them missed every single attack they made in that combat. Then the dice turned hideously cold when the ogre appeared. Lady Luck turned into a real bitch, except for Long, who made his stabilization roll after getting knocked out. Poor Buddy wasn't nearly as lucky. If either monk had landed a single blow on the ogre, the tide would have turned completely. Gah.)