Turn 87 -- Negotiations...

Druckner feels a cold rage when he sees the kin prisoner. He remembers Tethyamar and the numerous mourning dwarven families caused by the orcs and orogs. Knowing that he hasn't the strength to raise his axe and enter into melee combat with the vile orcs, he stays under cover behind the stalactite with his crossbow pointed at the leader, Ogurkek.

Mumbling under his breath, Garth says, "Back me up on this guys and play along."

Throwing down his mace and shield in a brusque and defiant manner, Garth takes a step and a half towards the orc chieftain and with a sneer, bellows loudly, as loudly now as he is quiet the rest of the time, "Ogurkek is like a woman. No! Ogurkek worse than woman. Ogurkek hide behind sick dwarf like baby behind mommy."

"Ogurkek make me sick. Ogurkek coward!" Garth spits to emphasize his contempt and continues, "Best fighter Garundzer can not take our littlest man. Garundzer afraid too!" Garth punctuates this last with a thump on his chest.

In unison, Ogurkek and Garundzer snarl at Garth. Garundzer raises his large spear and takes a step toward Garth but he is quickly silenced and stilled by words from Ogurkek.

Turning to face the remaining orcs, Garth barks, "Your leader afraid! Your leader beaten!!! Your champion weak! Surrender and we let you live!!"

Turning to face Ogurkek, Garth screams, "I said SURRENDER!!" Releasing the energy needed for his spell, Garth prays that the spell and command word will have the desired effect on Ogurkek, if not, he will indeed be in dire straits from the strain of continued casting. Looking upon the twisted face of Ogurkek, Garth can momentarily see the confusion and the submission in the eyes of the beast. The blade of the axe dips momentarily and Garth's hopes soar, only to come crashing down as he sees Ogurkek shake his head and the blade of the axe raise and push the head of the dwarf back further. The exhaustion of the casting and the disappointment of its failure wash over Garth all at once. All of Garth's faith and will are required for him to remain standing.

Fighting back the bile in his throat and the invisible hammer of pain beating on the anvil of his brain, Garth takes a deep breath and addresses Ogurkek once again, "What, Ogurkek too scared to surrender? Ok, we make bargain. Garundzer beat our little man, we surrender. Little man beat Garundzer, you surrender. Deal?" In the shadows behind Ogurkek, Ras almost faints as he initially believes Garth to be speaking of him fighting Garundzer. However, seeing Garth point to the dark figure of Kersath as he issues the challenge of the party, he relaxes and maintains his silent watch.

At the sight of the bound, youthful dwarf, Gnore's eyes flare with barely controlled fury. Gnore gnashes his teeth in rage and grips his bastard sword tight, his hands seem on the verge of fracture. He barely hears Garth's words but, by some oddly bestowed miracle, manages to keep his intense anger in check allowing the dwarven priest to sow his ruse.

"Allow me this battle, that is all I ask..."Gnore whispers to no one in particular and expects no one to take notice.

Ortho, standing next to Gnore, hears and responds, "Aye, and ye'll 'ave me fer comp'ny as well. But let us give Garth his chance. 'One false move and the dwarf gets it!', wal at this point, Ah'd say 'One false move an he gets the dwarves!' Be ready brother, if Garth fails or Ogurkek falls there will be combat. First priority is ta save the lad. We go to him and protect him at all costs. Right?"

Gnore glares at the orcs and nods his head once, slowly. "Aye, one the kin is safe, this filth bleeds."

While Garth is performing his dramatic performance, Dain speaks to Talimar in Elven as quietly as possible, "Talimar, remember that color spray spell I cast in the first battle in this cavern? I be thinking it would make enough confusion for the dwarf to get free if it were to be cast at the correct moment. This is just a suggestion, but I think that if you were to cast it on the orc holding the dwarf, it would give us the possibility for a rescue. Although it is quite possible that the dwarf will become confused as well, I'm sure he could be snatched away in the heat of battle. If you can confuse the orcs, I'm sure Kersath can rend that orog limb from limb with his heightened strength. That would leave everyone else to rescue the prisoner and dispatch the confused orcs. Do you have the strength?"

Talimar remains quiet and simply nods to the question and comments from Dain. He keeps his bow and arrow leveled on the angered form of the leader Ogurkek. Thinking over the words from Dain, he decides to wait to see what the next course of action will be.

Kersath sheaths his swords with one fluid move, ready to draw them out in a second if need be. He straightens up, all the while keeping one eye on the orog to avoid nasty tricks, and faces the orc's leader, "You too afraid to fight alone? I think you are. You have no courage! You coward!"

Garundzer growls at the issue of the challenge and appears quite eager to take up arms with Kersath again. Ogurkek has other ideas however as he silences the large beast. "You no power to bargain. You surrender now or I kill dwarf." A thin line of blood forms on the neck of the dwarf as the axe blade slices it. "Drop your weapons now!" shouts Ogurkek at the companions.

Randor listens as the orc makes his second request to surrender. He then looks at the reactions of the fire-blooded dwarves. Thinking for a second Randor raises his right arm out to the side and drops his hammer, being very obvious that he is doing this (even though he has dropped it where it can be picked up at a moment's notice). Then, trying not to be noticed, he grabs his holy symbol and a piece of iron from a pouch and quietly begins to chant; ready to release his spell as soon as it is needed. He then walks over to the side of a stalagtite where he can collapse if necessary and still have cover.

"Now rest of you drop weapons," answers Ogurkek as he notices Randor dropping his warhammer and Garth's previous dropping of his mace and shield.

"DROP weapons NOW!" yells Ogurkek one last time. Garundzer punctuates his leader's command with a snarl and shake of his spear. The other orcs around Ogurkek have their weapons drawn and ready.