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Chapter 1: A Darkness Gathering

Turn 25: The Moathouse Ruins

Mauser cast a light-emitting spell on a rock underneath the great arch leading into the huge chamber and then doused his torch, stowing it in his pack once he was certain it would not ignite the other items in it. The magical light penetrated farther into the vast tomb than did the torch and provided a brighter, more steady illumination.

"Be on guard, the dead do not always lie still,” whispered the cleric. “We should make our way towards that purplish light. I’ll leave this rock here so that it does not betray our every movement as we make our way through the crypt.”

“It looks like a fair number of grave robbers have already been through here,” said Jil. “If they were from the surface, that might mean a way out is near.”

“Yeah,” grunted Eiger, “but if any of the tombs are intact, we might yet be able to draw some profit from this disastrous expedition.”

“I’ve no objection to proceeding first through the tomb,” said Mauser, “but if you want to rip open graves and risk the wrath of the dead that lie in them, that is your affair. I will assist if we are attacked, but I’ll not be the one to absorb the anger of every angry spirit, skeleton or ghoul you disturb.”

“Fine!” shot back Eiger. “Then I guess you won’t mind if we take all the loot from the graves either. Now get going!”

***

“Ugh!” groaned Danton. “Mine hands and feet are cold, mine body is lacerated and beaten, and I stinketh like the exposed bowels of some amphibian horror.
The legends claim that wyrms may be spoken to and bartered with. Tommyrot! Such nonsense has no place outside of fairy tales. Either the legends be nothing but frauds, or this doltish wyrm hath never heard the legends and, thus, hath no idea how properly to conduct itself. Either way, 'tis been a difficult morning, and maketh no mistake!”

Pacing about even in his wounded condition, Danton made up a plan as he went along.

”Obviously, the first order of business is stabilizing good Telemachos. Next up, as I see it, is to retrieve mine belongings from the foul moat. Naturally, I am eager to recover lost belongings, but my sense of immediacy stemmeth rather more from necessity: mine gear -- and, in particular, mine healing scrolls -- are now submerged, and any delay might find water seeping past the waxen stoppers and ruining the scrolls forevermore.

We are all in grievous shape, and Telemachos is near to death. Even you, Nanoc my boy, are hardly in top condition. Before we can consider going further into the moathouse, we need healing. Beyond that, methinks we need to reconsider what we're up to here. It may be that we still go forward, but methinks we at least need to reconsider our options and purposes. A return to fair Hommlet may well be in order.”

Suddenly Danton stopped in his tracks as some horrible realization dawned on him, causing his expression to darken rapidly.

“It just occureth to me: mine journal is also in yon moat! What a disaster! Who wilt record our deeds for posterity if not I? Who amongst you are the best swimmers? Nanoc, Xaod or Aseneth? Plainly, our Furyondian friend is in no shape for a swim. But we cannot wait much longer! Once the scrolls are waterlogged in that filthy brine, they shalt be lost. And only divine intervention will suffice to save my journal, alas!”

At this point Danton’s soliloquy degenerated into another tirade against the dragon for its idiotic unwillingness to parley. This might have continued for some time, had not Nanoc intervened:

“Boy Danton, I'm a great swimmer!” said the barbarian. “Why that was one of the first things Justin ever taught me! He said only a fool or a Furyondian would go through life without learnin’ ta swim! I don't think I'd have any problem gettin' that stuff back! Jus' show me where you fell in and I'll give it a whirl! Maybe Xaod and Aseneth can help Tel out while we do that...though his wounds already been bound. Without them healin' scroll ain't too likely that we can do much for 'im.”

“Unless,” continued the half-orc, turning to look at Xaod, who stood quietly nearby. “Unless you can do somethin', Xaod. It seems when we was a fightin' ya touched my arm and somehow some o' my wounds healed? Well if'n you can do that for Tel that's probably help quite a bit.“

“I might be able to do somethin’ for him tomorrow,” replied Xaod, “but I’m tapped out for today. If you want to take a swim, though, I can stay here and keep an eye on the lady and your friend. I’d still suggest we get out of the open though. Maybe we could hide out in that ruined tower over there by the gate. I think we gave that drake enough of a beating that it won’t be back any time soon, but you never know.”

While Xaod and Aseneth carefully moved Telemachos into the ruined tower, Danton and Nanoc made their way back across the drawbridge and around the moathouse, taking the long way around in order to be able to cross the stream that surrounded the keep at one of its shallower points. Because of Danton’s wounds, the pair moved slowly and the Velunese took advantage of the walk to query Nanoc on the battle with the dragon.

“How hath Aseneth and Xaod comported themselves during the fight? And what was that about the man possessing healing powers?”

“Xaod was great!” replied Nanoc. “He was right there in th’ thick of it with me an’ Tel. He took a poundin’ jus’ like we did, but he kept right on fightin. An’ he healed me with jus’ a touch at one point! Aseneth did her part too. She was shootin’ spells the whole time. Don’t know right what they did, but I sure saw a lot o’ magic stuff hittin’ that dragon an’ he didn’t seem ta like it much! He dumped a whole loada water on ‘er ta try ta make her stop!”

“Hmm,” mused the Velunese. “Perhaps my earlier caution with that pair hath been unwarranted, but it clearly was proven sound with the vile Chatrilon. It hath been a pleasure to stab mine blade in his back, let me tell you. But these healing powers of Xaod do make me wonder…clearly the man is no cleric and what with his drinking and lounging about in places of ill repute he doth hardly seem a holy man of any sort, but perhaps we have misjudged the book by its cover, as they say in Mitrik. Master Visser would be disappointed in me indeed if that turns out to be the case.”

“I don’t know ‘bout any o’ that Visser or book business,” said Nanoc, “but maybe yer right ‘bout reconsiderin’ our plans. If we can't get Tel up and on his feet in a decent way...and you ain't looking so hot yourself...we may hafta head back to town. They had that potion o' extra heailing at that shop. Maybe we can pool our money and get that one. Or maybe we can make a donation at one o' the local temples an gets 'em ta heals up a little.”

”One thing’s fer sure,” continued the barbarian as the duo finally neared the spot where Danton believed he had shed his pack during his waterborne trip around the keep, “we know there's action ta be had here. Well with a Blue Dragon here an what not, no doubt we is gonna find some treasure here. I hate ta leave even for a day, but if'n we all get kilt won't do us much good. Maybe we can convince one o' those priests ta send some one wit us for a fair cut o' the treasure. We could really use a healer. Oh well let me get out o' my armor, and then I'll be ready to go a swimmin'. Maybe you should tie a rope on me in case some big ol' frog thinks I'm lunch while I is in there.”

With that, Nanoc slipped off his pack and armor and stripped down to his breeches. He then secured a long length of rope around his waist, asked Danton to identify once again the spot where he thought he had abandoned his pack, and then leapt into the stream.

***

As he made his way into the great chamber, Mauser could see that the sarcophagi were arranged in rough rows spaced evenly across the width of the cavern. The first row contained four tombs, the second three, the third four, and beyond these three rows stood the largest tomb of all, the one with the runes and the purple light. Most of the tombs closest at hand looked as though they had already been plundered, with ornaments or gemstones long since chiseled from the stone and their tops pried open.

When he reached the first row of tombs, Mauser continued right past them until Eiger and Jil called for him to stop while they examined it.

“That one has certainly already been robbed,” said Mauser. “Just look that the broken and chipped areas all around the top. You are wasting your time.”

The woman and the half-orc ignored him and proceeded to lift the heavy stone lid of the sarcophagus up and then throw it aside. When they did so, the result was almost exactly like what Mauser had previously experienced with the tomb in the Sunless Citadel: something nasty leapt up and out of the tomb and sprang to the attack.

The skeleton of some huge horned creature at least eight feet tall burst from the tomb and knocked Jil off her feet with one long swipe of one of its skeletal fists. As she went flying, the thing spun towards Eiger, who backed away and drew his sword.

[Initiative: Mauser: 20, Skeleton: 17]

Sighing and shaking his head, Mauser withdrew his symbol of Boccob, but carefully kept it out of view of his preoccupied associates. He then held it forth and called on the Lord of Magic to drive off the huge skeleton (Turn Undead: 16). Unfortunately, despite the power of Boccob that Mauser felt flowing through him, the huge skeleton was able to resist the turning attempt. Mauser’s challenge did stun it briefly, long enough for Jil to regain her feet and for Eiger to strike the thing a solid blow with his blade, but then the skeleton shrugged off the effects of Mauser’s magic and went after Eiger with a vengeance.

With few other magical options at his disposal that would be likely to have any effect on undead, Mauser reluctantly hefted his mace and joined the others in surrounding and pummeling the undead creature (attack: 20+3=23; critical hit: 6 damage). While the blades of Jil, Eiger, and Archangel tended to slip between the bones of the skeleton with limited effect, Mauser’s bashing attack was much more effective. Fortunately for the cleric, the creature was not intelligent enough to realize this, and it continued to pound on and attempt to gore Eiger and Jil with its horns rather than turning on him.

As the slugfest continued, Mauser hit the skeleton twice more (attack: 13+3=16; 4 damage; attack: 10+3=13; hit; 8 damage) before Eiger, who had taken several hard hits, finally managed to cleave its skeletal head from its shoulders. The huge body then collapsed to the ground.

When the fight ended, Mauser walked up to the sarcophagus the skeleton had vacated and looked inside, finding nothing but dust and dirt.

“Nothing,” he said. “Absolutely nothing. If we are to whittle away our strength fighting undead, perhaps we might want to concentrate on those tombs not already plundered, hmm?”

Eiger shot the cleric a foul look, but Jil said, “We might as well at least start with the undisturbed tombs.”

***

Once underwater, Nanoc found that he could see quite well, what with the rays of sun piercing the cloud cover overhead and his own sharp vision. It turned out that the moat was only twenty feet deep and the same current that had nearly drowned Danton hardly even slowed Nanoc at all (Swim 13+11=24). Without the burden of any equipment or heavy clothing, the half-orc found that he could maneuver easily, even against the current.

However, moving about in the moat was one thing, finding Danton’s pack was another. During his initial dives, Nanoc saw no sign of the missing equipment (search: 12+0=12) and, given the relatively smooth riverbottom, he judged that the pack could easily have been pushed well downstream after Danton dropped it. Nanoc surfaced several times for air, each time moving downstream and urging Danton to follow with the other end of the rope. In the end, it took nearly an hour (search: 11, 9, 20) of moving up and down the streambed, but Nanoc finally spotted some large object wedged behind a huge rock some thirty feet past the spot where the two parts of the stream came back together after rounding the keep. When he drew close, he recognized the object as Danton’s pack, pulled it free, and swam to the surface.

After crawling out onto the bank with the pack held in his right arm, Nanoc stood up, held the pack high and said: “Oh boy Danton…here it is. Gee I sure hope all them scroll seals held up and they is still dry. I bet you can just let your journal air dry and it’ll be as good as new, eh?”

“Let me see! Let me see!” shouted Danton as he rushed up to the spot where Nanoc had come ashore. The Velunese opened the waterlogged pack and began removing item after item from it. Most of the items were soaked, but could easily be dried and salvaged, including Danton’s daggers, his crossbow, bedroll and the like. He was also greatly relieved when he opened the wax-sealed tube that held his scrolls and maps and discovered that the seals had held and protected the delicate contents.

Much of his rations were ruined by the water, but some items could be salvaged there too, particularly the dried meats and fruits. The magical torch he had recovered from the Sunless Citadel seemed entirely unaffected by the water. But the one item that concerned Danton most was in bad shape: His journal had been thoroughly soaked. The pages were intact but would now tear at even the slightest touch and it appeared that the ink had run and blurred throughout the tome.

“Looks ta me like ya got lucky,” said Nanoc. “Almost everythin’ made it ok. Too bad about yer book, but I’m sure ya can buy another in Hommlet.”

Danton cursed. “You simply don’t understand, Nanoc. For me, ‘tis of rather less consequence that those healing scrolls were found ... particularly since mine cherished belongings hath been waterlogged and obliviated. Howsoever can anything found in yon cesspool make up for mine loss? This ‘book’ is my life—the record of all that hath transpired since I was unjustly forced out of Veluna. It also contained letters from Vanessa—letters that are now ruined. Nothing can make up for such a loss—nothing. ”

“Aw, don’t take it so hard,” said Nanoc. “C’mon, put that stuff back in the pack an’ then I’ll carry it back to the moathouse for ya. Mebee Aseneth can give ya a new book or help ya dry out this one. I also been thinkin’ ‘bout something else while I was watchin’ ya go through all that stuff an if I remembers right didn't you take them there two scrolls Mauser couldn't identify? If they ain't ruined maybe Aseneth could look at 'em...maybe we could get decent money for 'em and buy that there healin' potion they got at the potion store? I got some marble statues might be worth somethin'...you got anything else you could sell?”

“What ‘bout that torch that is always lit?” continued Nanoc. “Well we could sell that—I mean heck the lantern was good enough...plus I'm sure we could get lots of torches...and maybe even Aseneth could make some kinda light? I mean if we gots ta go back to town let's really use it and make us ready for what's in this place. Plus maybe I can talk ta one o' the priests with ya...I means if we give 'em an equal share, and we done already got rid o' the dragon maybe we can gets one to come along.”

“Nanoc, aside from my most precious belongings -- most of which are completely destroyed and valuable only to me, at any rate -- you are welcome to sell whatever you wish for whatever value they may bring in the marketplaces of Hommlet. But such plans mean little now. All that I have is ruined. Drat this moathouse and all who live within! Right now, I'd like nothing more than to run through a damned gnoll ... or any other useful target of mine furiousness. Beyond that, there is a bottle -- or two or three ... or ten -- of Velunese vintage that I'd like to quaff. I don't give a damn about any of this! Let us revive Telemachos and fetch mine stuff and then get the Nine Hells out of here.”

By the time the pair finally returned to the courtyard of the moathouse, it was mid-morning and the temperature had risen quite a bit, even though the sky remained overcast. Nanoc and Danton found Aseneth and Xaod standing outside the ruined northwest tower, while Telemachos lay unconscious within on his bedroll.

Once back, Nanoc withdrew his last healing potion from his pack and approached Telemachos.

“Well, let’s dump this thing down Tel’s throat and see what a happens.” With that, Nanoc handed the vial to Aseneth, and then crouched down next to the comatose Furyondian. He grabbed Telemachos’ head and tilted it back and then opened the man’s mouth with his other hand.

“Okay, Aseneth, he’s ready for it. Take that there potion and pour it in.”

The woman unstoppered the vial and then poured the bluish liquid within down Telemachos’ throat. At first nothing happened, but after two or three minutes, Telemachos coughed and spluttered and then his eyes opened. (Telemachos raised to 0 hit points)

“Wha? What just hit me?” he asked weakly. “Things are a little…blurry at the moment.”

“There was a dragon,” said Nanoc, “an’ it chewed you up right good.”

Telemachos smiled fainly. “Actually, it’s kind of coming back to me, Nanoc. I have a kill for this adventure and you don’t thus far.”

“Oh, boy, the comedian’s back,” grunted the barbarian. “Maybe I should’a saved that potion fer somebody else.”

“But seriously, my friends,” said Telemachos, “thank you for healing me. Say, why do you all look as though you’ve been soaked? It isn’t raining again is it?”

Danton tried to shush Nanoc, but without success.

“Danton jumped inta the moat ta get away from the dragon!” said the half-orc. “Then I jumped in later ta get all his stuff he lost during his swim. An’ the dragon somehow, uh, dumped a bunch of water on Aseneth, er sumpin’ like that anyway.”

“Say,” said Nanoc, “did anybody check ta see what that there awful Chat-rilon guy had on him while we was gone?”

When Aseneth and Xaod shook their heads, Nanoc approached the body of the dead man. He immediately noticed that the studded leather armor the man wore was of extremely high quality, at least as well made as Nanoc’s own upgraded protective equipment. The man had also carried a finely made rapier, a small shield, a shortbow and arrows, a book, what looked to Nanoc like a potion, a scroll, and a thin wooden stick nearly eight inches long. His pack also contained a variety of foods and outdoor equipment.

“There’s some funky stuff here,” said Nanoc. “I think there might even be another healing potion!”

“Let me see!” said Aseneth, approaching and taking the more unusual items from Nanoc one at a time. “This---is spellbook. This man maybe knowing some magic. I will take. This—is wand. We could maybe be using. I will take.” She unrolled the scroll and quickly perused it. “This is magic spell. It is making it so we are not knowing is this man good or is he being evil. I will take.” Next the woman unstoppered the vial Nanoc had found and sniffed it. “You are right, Nanoc. This is for healing. We should give to Tel-ma-kos. Other things are weapons, you can have.”

While Aseneth administered the second healing potion to Telemachos (gain 12 hit points), Danton approached the body of Chatrilon Unosh and subjected it to a search of his own. However, other than confirming Nanoc’s observations regarding the quality of the man’s weapons and armor, Danton learned nothing. There was nothing on Chatrilon Unosh that indicated why he had stalked and attacked the party.

“Say, Aseneth,” said Nanoc, while Danton was still searching the body, “Danton has some scrolls none o’ us can read, but we thought you might be able to. You mind takin’ a look at them? If we knows what they is maybe we can sell them in town and get some more healin’ stuff. We also got this torch that stays lit all the time and some other small things we might be able ta sell. I think we needs ta get healed up stocked up and get back out here as soon as we can. Ain’t that right Xaod…may not o’ been much at that there temple…but we is sure gonna find some stuff at this moathouse!”

“I will look at scrolls,” said Aseneth, “but going back to town—this is foolish. We are knowing there are others wanting to take what is here. If we leave they could be taking all before we can come back. We can wait and rest here if we must, but should not be leaving. This would being very foolish.”

“There are, or at least were, indeed others here,” said Danton. “I hath spied at least two more corpses inside the main hall of yon edifice. But whether there are more of them or not, we are in no shape for a dungeon delve. We must return to Hommlet and regroup.”

“More bodies?” asked Nanoc. “Oh no, I sure hope none of ‘em is that little girl’s daddy! Ya gotta show me where they is, Danton! If one is that poor Spugnoir fella, why we just gotta take ‘is body back for a proper burial!”

Sighing audibly, Danton handed his two unknown scrolls over to Aseneth for examination and then he led Nanoc into the dark entrance to the great hall. As far as he could tell, nothing had changed in the interior since his rapid flight from the dragon some two hours earlier (spot: 6+4=10). The two bodies were still where they had been earlier.

The first corpse, the partially-eaten one in the ochre robes at the center of the hall, wore chainmail under the robes and had a finely made heavy mace lying atop it. Nearby were an unwrapped scroll with blood spattered on it, a lilac colored stone mask, and a handful of Verbobonc coins scattered about (24 gold). Around the neck of the dead man dangled a black iron triangle with an upside down yellow ‘Y’ inscribed within.

“Wizards don’t usually wear heavy armor like that, do they Danton?” asked Nanoc as he scooped up the various items, including the chainmail, and wiped off the blood as best he could.

“No,” said Danton, looking down at the badly mauled face of the dead man, who appeared to have been of middling years. “I do not believe that this was Spugnoir—not if he truly was or is a wizard as we were told.”

The other corpse, near one of the walls, was that of a woman, and it was in somewhat better shape. While it appeared to have been badly mauled by the claws and teeth of some great beast, no doubt the dragon, it had not been eaten. The dead woman wore fine studded leather armor that had been dyed black, carried a longsword, a shortbow, a handful of coins (13 gold) and three small jade gems. Around her neck also dangled the same iron triangle with the upside down yellow ‘Y’ that the dead man had worn. Nanoc again looted everything that was salvageable and the pair rejoined the others in the courtyard.

“Hath either of you ever seen yon symbol before?” asked Danton, holding up the two necklaces for Aseneth and Xaod to observe. Both shook their heads in response.

“You know,” called out Telemachos from where he now sat with his back against the tower wall, “I'm still not feeling that great, but I have to tell you, I think returning to Hommlet is a bad idea.  We've made our decision to come forward and enter into this battle without a healer with significant powers. But we cannot march back and forth to town each evening after we’ve received a couple of flesh wounds.  Nor do we have the money to purchase additional scrolls. Mostly, we do not have the inclination to invite more unknown people along with us. I say we rest up and get healed up as much as possible, even if it takes a day or two and press forward.  We can do useful things in the meantime such as scout out the Temple or try to find this bear.  We must press on!  I have fought many battles with men wounded and dying, many barely able to lift their sword or bear their armor.  Battles are never fought under ideal conditions, but they must be fought nonetheless.  That is not an old saying in Furyondy, I just made it up, but it is true."

“He is right,” said Aseneth emphatically. “We cannot be going back now.”

Danton looked as if he were about to protest, but Telemachos motioned him closer. When the Velunese leaned over, Telemachos whispered:

"My friend . . . we cannot go back.  What if they lose their courage and decide not to return? We must stay and find the cure for my uncle. I cannot, will not go back at this point. We can't let the situation here change while we're gone and face the unexpected when we return. Whatever you decide to do, I'm staying. But I’d prefer some company.”

“Mebee we could at least check out the ruins topside?” suggested Nanoc. “That’s prob’ly fairly safe an’ we might find somethin’ useful too.”

While Danton brooded on the matter, Nanoc showed all of the items he had taken from the two bodies inside the hall to Aseneth and the woman rummaged through them. She again showed no interest in the weapons or armor, but recognized the spell on the scroll as cure light wounds and said that she had also perused the two arcane scrolls shown her by Danton and identified them as pyrotechnics and melf’s acid arrow.

“Say, Aseneth,” whispered Nanoc, after the woman had explained to him what the various items were, “do ya think ya could do anythin’ ta help Danton with this book he keeps? It kinda got wrecked by the water an’ he’s all bent outta shape ‘bout it. I think he had some letters from his girlfriend back in Veluna in it too.”

“There is spell,” said the woman. “How do you call it when person fixing…fixing clothes?”

“Fixing clothes?” asked Nanoc, perplexed. “Like a tailor? You mean mending stuff? What does that have to do with a wet book?”

“That is word—mending,” said Aseneth. “There is mending spell. It can fix book, but I am not having it ready now. Tomorrow I can fix. Maybe this making Danton feeling better so we can stay here, yes?”

“That’s great news!” shouted Nanoc. “Hey, Danton, Aseneth can fix yer book tomorrow! It’ll be good as new!”

Suddenly the half-orc had a thought and lowered his voice. He looked at Aseneth again. “Er…it will be good as new, right?”

“I will do what I can,” she said. “By the way, when we were fighting dragon, you were very…impressive, you and this Xaod—not like Furyondy-man who is always talking about his mother. Where I come from, man who can fight and keep fighting when difficult is much value.”

The woman paused and gave the half-orc an appraising look that made him squirm.

“I must ask,” she said, “how many years are you having?”

“I’m fifteen…er…I’m old enough!” the barbarian replied, thinking of the more clever answer just a fraction of a second too late to avoid saying the truthful one first.

Aseneth frowned, shook her head, and muttered something to herself in her own language before turning and stalking off to demand Danton show her the ‘book’ she was to repair.

***

Because the other two graves in the first row both showed obvious signs of having been disturbed in the past, the party moved on to the second row some forty feet beyond the first set. Here the light from Mauser’s magical rock left under the archway was noticeably more dim, but this was compensated for somewhat by the closer proximity to the purple light given off by the larger tomb at the far end of the chamber.

Of the four central tombs, it was clear that someone had broken into two, while the other pair appeared intact. One of the two intact sarcophagi had an inscription, written in Oeridian, stating that it contained the remains of the familiars belonging to the wizards of a place called Ashwand House. The inscription listed a total of eight familiars and the dates they died—all approximately four hundred and fifty years previously.

“I’d not bother tearing open that one,” said Mauser, “no doubt for the same reason that the previous robbers left it alone. Who would bury riches with a bunch of dead animals?”

But Eiger and Jil would have none of it. They insisted on prying the tomb open, only to find the bones and ashes of the long-dead arcane companions listed on the outside.

The other intact grave in the central row had runes carved on it in a flowing script. The language was one that Mauser could not read, but when Archangel examined them he said they read, “Alioth the Magical.”

Growing weary of the tiresome ritual and the recklessness of Jil and Eiger, Mauser stood well back while the pair pried their way into this latest sarcophagus. This time when the duo lifted the top free, there was a sudden explosion of fire that caused the pair to scream and drop the lid before rolling on the ground to douse their burning hair and clothes. Watching them burn brought back unpleasant memories of Mauser’s encounters with the fire worm and Yusdrayl’s fireball.

After Archangel applied healing magic to both Jil and Eiger, the duo began poking through the contents of the sarcophagus. Mauser saw them remove what looked like a large pearl, a large number of gold and silver coins, and some ancient tome. All of these items disappeared into Jil’s pack before Mauser could get a good look at any of them.

If Jil and Eiger had learned anything from the firetrap, it did not show in their behavior. When the group came to the third and final row of sarcophagi, they behaved exactly as they had with the previous ones. Two of the tombs had clearly been looted previously, but Jil and Eiger went straight to the third one, which had the words “Brey Viltiers” engraved on it in Oeridian. Jil and Eiger smashed the hinges that held this grave firmly closed and then threw the top aside. They again withdrew considerable coinage, along with a handful of jewels and several large bottles filled with some unknown liquid.

To Mauser’s amazement, Eiger immediately withdrew a cork from one of the bottles, sniffed it, and then took a drink. The half-orc swished the liquid around in his mouth for several moments and then spat it out.

“Wine! But long since gone foul!” he said. “Too bad. After a week down here, I could really use a drink.”

***

With five healing scrolls now in the party’s possession, Danton decided to attempt to use three of them, one on himself, one on Nanoc, and one on Telemachos. Aseneth was uninjured, while Xaod insisted his wounds were inconsequential. The scrolls were intended for use only by clerics, but having watched Mauser in action and having studied the scrolls carefully for days, Danton believed it was at least theoretically possible that he could emulate the actions of a holy man in reading the scrolls. He unrolled three of them, set them side by side, and then raised and read one after the other (use magic device: 17+5=22). Although reading the words of power and achieving the proper speed, cadence and intonation was one of the most challenging things he had ever done, Danton somehow managed to get it right. All three of the scrolls worked as intended, restoring strength and vigor to him (+5 HP), Nanoc (+7 HP), and Telemachos (+8 HP).

While the prospect of having his journal restored had improved Danton’s mood considerably, he remained concerned by the prospect of delving into the moathouse without additional healing resources available. However, confronted by the insistence of Telemachos and Aseneth on staying, the indifference of Xaod, and the waffling of Nanoc, who now seemed inexplicably more inclined not to return to Hommlet, Danton agreed to a search of the above ground ruins of the keep. However, he insisted on revisiting a possible return to Hommlet before the group delved into any underground areas it might find.

And so it was that in the late morning, the whole group finally entered the great hall of the ruined moathouse, with Nanoc and Xaod in the lead, followed closely by Danton. Aseneth trailed farther behind and Telemachos brought up the rear.

Because so little light pierced through the holes in the ruined ceiling and rafters, Danton withdrew his magical torch and commanded it to burn once again. The familiar green fire sprang to life and cast eerie shadows along the walls. The blue light from Aseneth’s staff mixed with the green from the torch to produce a bizarre mix of colors, light and shadow wherever the party went. Aside from the two bodies and the rubble that cluttered much of the hall, several exits from the area were visible, including doors and hallways on the north and west walls and a door in the southeast corner.

Nanoc led the party to the southeast corner first. The door leading into this chamber had once been barred, but now it was battered and broken, and the half-orc easily shoved the remnants aside. Beyond was a chamber twenty by thirty feet with a stone floor. Tattered and torn ebon-colored hangings covered the walls, while the floor was littered with the debris of smashed furniture. A broken shield, a weapon haft, and a skull or two lay amid the wreckage. The southwest corner of the room had collapsed, but heavy stone pieces had been repositioned to block easy passage into or out of the keep via this route. Danton subjected the ruined chamber to a careful examination (search: 1+9=10), but found nothing.

Returning to the great hall, the party searched the west wing of the keep next. There was a small, empty, half-collapsed room that opened onto the hall, but finding nothing there save a ruined stairwell that had once led up to the second level, the group headed down the central hall of the west wing. There were two doors on the north side and one on the south and then the hall opened up into a larger room at its far end.

The first room on the north wall contained rat droppings, half of a shattered wooden table, and an empty wooden wall case. Danton (search: 1+9=10) found nothing more. The second room on the north wall held a bed that had been hacked to pieces, with a large dead rat festering amid the wreckage. A ripped bit of ochre-colored cloth hung from a nail in the doorway. Danton (search: 15+9=24) found nothing here either.

A few bats fluttered about in the room on the south wall when the party entered, before settling once more in the rafters above. The room was filled with wreckage, and the southeast corner had collapsed. Bits of furniture remained and tattered remnants of tapestry still clung to the walls. It appeared that there was nothing else to be found (Danton search: 16+9=25).

The room at the end of the hall was among the largest the party had yet seen, stretching twenty feet from east to west and nearly forty from north to south. The southeast corner had collapsed entirely. It was now nothing more than a pile of rubble with an opening to the outside—directly out into the moat, judging by the sound of running water. The room was damp and otherwise completely empty.

While the others waited, Danton began another search. He moved along the walls of the relatively intact parts of the room and towards the wrecked area where water from the moat seeped in on the floor (spot: 8+4=12). As he moved closer to the corner and stepped into water for the first time, Danton saw a sudden flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. However, moving with almost preternatural speed, the scout instinctively leapt out of the way as it seemed that some of the water rose up and attempted to slam into him.

“Barbarians and Paladins to the fore!” he screamed, withdrawing his rapier and backing away from the five-foot long watery shape that coiled up like a snake. “Some beastie hath crawled in from the river!”

[Initiative: Danton: 3, Nanoc: 12, Telemachos: 24, Xaod: 8, Aseneth: 20, Thing: 1]

Although the creature possessed obvious camouflage abilities, once it lost the element of surprise, it was slow to react, giving Nanoc, Telemachos, and Xaod the opportunity to tear into it with their blades. Telemachos (attack: 15+9=24; hit; 13 damage) slashed Shatterspike clean through the thing with a sideways motion, while Nanoc (attack: 14+9=23; hit; 14) clove the creature in two with a two handed downward slash of his greataxe. By the time Xaod began slashing at it, the thing had been cut to pieces that slipped back into the surrounding water and quickly dissipated, leaving only a foul, dark ooze in the puddles on the floor.

“Vile, simply vile,” spat Danton. “Perhaps you might stand a bit closer in the future as I carry out mine searches, eh Nanoc?”

“Sure, Danton,” said the half-orc, looking at Aseneth rather than at the scout, “I ain’t afraid o’ nothing an’ I’m ready ta protect anyone who needs it.” Then, shaking his head as if to clear it, he looked at Telemachos. “That one’s mine, by the way.”

With nothing else to be found in the chamber (Danton search: 4+9=13), the party exited the wrecked west wing of the moathouse and proceeded to search the north wing. Almost immediately, the group found something of note.

Through an open doorway on the north wall of the great hall, there was a small chamber where a few empty shelves still clung to one wall. Of greater interest, a set of stone stairs descended into a darkened area beneath the moathouse. Danton scowled upon seeing this, and motioned for the group to return to the great hall.

“Let us finish our search of the ground floor before making any rash decisions, hmm?” he said.

When no one protested, Nanoc and Xaod led the way down the hall into the north wing. This time there were two doorways on the west wall, one on the east, and a larger doorway at the north end of the hall. The first room on the west side was quite small and appeared to have once been some sort of trophy room, as a few mangy pelts, the stuffed heads of a boar and bear, and some broken antlers were strewn amid the wreckage of wooden furniture. Otherwise the room was empty (Danton search: 13+9=22).

The second room to the west was even smaller, and contained only blackened, charred bits of wood and stone, suggesting a fire long ago. (Danton search: 4+9=13)

The chamber on the east side of the hall was larger, and had obviously been a kitchen. A wooden worktable still stood in the room, and a few wooden cupboards hung on the walls. A shattered cask lay near the blackened stones of a fireplace and a rusted cleaver lay on the floor. Otherwise the twenty-foot by twenty-foot kitchen was empty (Danton search: 13+9=22).

Finally, what had once been wooden double doors led into a chamber that had completely collapsed. If there was anything underneath, it was now smashed and well buried. Only a few rafters remained overhead and daylight shone down on the wreckage. It was nearing midday and it appeared that the party had searched all that remained of the above ground portions of the moathouse.

***

With all of the other sarcophagi apparently having been previously looted, Mauser and his associates now came to the huge tomb with the purple light. In contrast with the sarcophagi, this was an actual crypt nearly thirty feet to a side, with a single large, closed door on the front. It appeared well built and unspoiled by age or intruders. In addition to giving off the purple light, the walls were carved with images showing nobles of many species kneeling to a woman wearing a crown of falcons. The words “Queen Peregrine the Sly” were carved into the stone in Oeridian.

Behind the huge tomb, the chamber finally came to an end with another archway. Beyond the arch, another tunnel or hallway disappeared into darkness.

“Perhaps we should study this one more closely,” began Mauser when the group had made a full circuit around the tomb of the queen, but Jil and Eiger would have none of it. The pair made straight for the door on the front of the tomb and began discussing ways to bash through it.

“Truly, I am amazed that they have lived this long,” muttered Mauser to himself. “And Danton called me reckless!”

Jil and Eiger first tried to force the door using their combined strength, to no effect. They then had Archangel cast some sort of spell on the portal, which also failed. Finally, they recovered the stone lid from the tomb of Brey Viltiers and used it against the door of the queen’s tomb like a battering ram. The first time they smashed stone against stone, the noise echoed through the entire cavern.

Suddenly other noises, the movement of more stone on stone, could be heard from several places in the vast, funereal chamber. Mauser watched in dismay as virtually all of the graves that the party had not previously examined closely opened up and all manner of undead creatures emerged. A zombie-like undead warrior in full plate mail leapt from one sarcophagus, a huge undead ogre crawled out of another, and a pair of skeletal figures with glowing red eyes climbed out of a third. The four undead turned as one and marched towards the party.

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 26:

Please send postings for Turn 26 by the end of Friday, September 29th.

Keep in mind that for the bulk of the party the date is now 11 Lipanj (“Wealsun”), but for Mauser it is still 8 Lipanj.

hItems gained this turn: Carried by Nanoc: 37 gold, 2 extra suits of masterwork studded leather armor, rapier, buckler, 1 heavy mace, lilac-colored stone mask, longsword, shortbow, 1 suit of chainmail (badly damaged), masterwork composite shortbow, 3 jade gems; Carried by Danton: two iron triangle necklaces with upside down ‘Y’ inside; Carried by Aseneth: spellbook, wand, scroll

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed this turn: Nanoc’s healing potion, Chatrilon Unosh’s healing potion, three cure light scrolls, half of Danton’s rations were ruined

FOES DEFEATED:

This Chapter:

Entire Campaign:

Current Status of the Party:

Nanoc

Equipment: great axe, short bow, silver-plated short sword, masterwork studded leather armor, 72 arrows, 2 quivers, backpack, waterskin, 17 days trail rations, bedroll, 2 sacks, 2 flint & steel, bearskin, tent, 50’ rope, 1 sap, 2 small marble statues, 2 extra suits of masterwork studded leather armor, rapier, buckler, 1 heavy mace, lilac-colored stone mask, longsword, shortbow, 1 suit of chainmail (badly damaged), masterwork composite shortbow, 3 jade gems

Gold: 57

Silver: 220

Mauser

AC: 18

Hit points: 31/31
New XP: 200
XP total: 3890
XP needed: 6,000

Spells Available:

0 Level (4): Create Water, Purify Food and Water, Light
1^st Level (4* one of these four spells must be a domain spell): Summon Monster I, Cause Fear X2, Change Self
2^nd Level (3*one must be a domain spell): Hold Person, Sound Burst, Invisibility

Turn Undead uses left today: 2

Equipment: heavy mace, light crossbow, scalemail, 36 crossbow bolts, small wooden shield, backpack, pouch belt, 50’ silk rope, 2 torches, waterskin, flint & steel, 2 holy water flasks, peasant outfit, bedroll, entertainer’s outfit, cleric’s vestment, healer’s kit, 5 days rations, four jade dragon figurines, ½ potion of cure light wounds, 1 sap, 1 unknown potion, scrolls of slow poison, command, cure light wounds, inflict light wounds, unknown tome, morningstar +1, magical orb from the Sunless Citadel

Gold: 10

Silver: 220

Danton

AC: 15 (16 vs. one opponent)
Hit points: 7/14
New XP: 270
XP total: 4740
XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: rapier, 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 13 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, waterskin, 10 days trail rations, hooded lantern, notebook, pen, ink, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, scrolls with pyrotechnics and melf’s acid arrow, 2 scrolls of cure light wounds, waterlogged journal, two iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside

Gold: 0

Silver: 0

Telemachos

AC: 18
Hit points: 20/32
New XP: 270
XP total: 4740
XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: splint mail, short sword, 2 daggers, longbow, quiver and 36 arrows, large wooden shield, backpack, large sack, flint and steel, 20 days rations, waterskin, bedroll, tent, 1 sap, Shatterspike (Longsword +1 with special properties), honey and berries

Gold: 65

Silver: 210