<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/99/de/80/99de80dd4fb18a5a2b5229f5fe73ae72.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Part 1: Journey to the Crypt (An Orc Ambush Cont'd Round 4/Round 5)</strong></span><br/><br/><strong>GM Push!</strong><br/><br/>The wizard Holgast, the resident sage of Kassen, stared at Iona from behind his invisibility spell.  The fight was over, he knew, though the orcs he had conjured had given a good fight.  But his last illusion could scarcely stand now without being run through.  It was fun while it lasted, he thought.<br/><br/><em>I congratulate you,</em>Holgast telepathically communicated to Iona.<em>Your grease spell was practical, prudent, and powerful.</em>Though Holgast was happy to speak to Iona in this way, he didn't reveal himself to her, though he was scarcely ten feet away from her.<em>I always said a good grease spell should be in every caster's arsenal.  You single-handedly changed the outcome of the battle.</em><br/><br/>Though Holgast lived in his tower at the edge of Kassen, he was somewhat infamous in-town for his manner of being, so it didn't take long for Iona to know that Holgast was the one speaking.<br/><br/><em>Apologies for the illusion,</em>he said.<em>The mayor hired me to make the adventure worthwhile.  I hope you enjoyed yourselves!  But I must go now.  Do come visit me at my tower once your adventure is through.  Good luck!</em>And with that, his presence was no more.<br/><br/>With that, the bodies of the orcs--even the sole prone survivor--disintegrated into rising ashes that neither burned nor smoked.  Ballantha, who had taken a huge blow during combat, was now restored both in flesh and in cloth.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Anyone that took damage in this battle is now at full HP.</span><br/><br/><strong>Reactions</strong><br/><br/>I will give you three days to come up with reactions or to perform any necessary actions at the completion of combat.  Please don't forget to pick up after yourselves.  Not only will you need your personal effects, like all the weapons that were dropped as free actions, later, but littering is in poor form!<br/><br/><strong>XP Form</strong><br/><br/>Congratulations on the completion of your first battle.  Most of my games don't get this far!  Here is your XP for "First Battle."  1,200xp!  So everyone gets 200xp.  Storyline rewards:  thanks for posting so dilligently, everyone.  I will grant an additional 50xp for promptness.  Ixy, please note that Iona should visit Hogarth at the end of the adventure.