Chapter 1: A Darkness Gathering

Turn 23: The Moathouse

With Chatrilon Unosh having effectively invited himself to join the group, Danton asked the man to wait a moment while the party conversed on the other end of the veranda outside the Welcome Wench. The scout made a point of asking Aseneth and Xaod to keep an eye on Chatrilon while he and the others spoke.

“Here we are about to embark on our expedition and 'tis another issue to be managed,” said the Velunese, “Chatrilon Unosh, who wishes to join us at the eleventh hour, for an even share of the loot, no less. I'm certainly not inclined to take along anyone about whom I've not done even a scintilla of investigation. We've already got a mysterious, viper-carrying enchantress and a powerful, ill-mannered lout in our company -- and, no, Nanoc my boy, I'm not referring to you -- and methinks we can ill-afford another hanger-on of unknown qualities.”

Danton looked at the dark-haired man in the leather armor at the other end of the porch and then continued: “Though 'twould be daft to merely brush him off without consideration, given that we can always use aid when venturing into the unknown, 'tis equally foolish to welcome him. We now have with us Aseneth and Xaod, and I trust neither of them. If we permit this Chatrilon into our group, fully half of our team wilt be composed of newcomers whose skills, trustworthiness and designs are at least unknown, if not suspect. If the moathouse is as bad as advertised, 'twould be best not to take our trouble with us when we go. Otherwise, we might find ourselves ranged 'gainst not only the undead ... but our own companions.”

“Yeesh, Danton, you sure are hard on folks,” said Nanoc. “But the ways I sees it, if we take another, that will just diminish our treasure at this point. Heck with me, Tel, and Xaod, well I think we is in pretty good shape. Now if this guy was a healer of some type, well I thinks we should take him. Elsewise I got no argument if you wants ta exclude 'im.”

“Plus,” added Nanoc with a low laugh, “from what ya told me, he don't wanna go to the moathouse. I think maybe he heard the stories of undead an’ is a scared o' the place. Don't need no fraidy cats around! Plus we know ain't much at the temple ‘cause Xaod already been there! Nope the more I talk, the more you make me see your point, Danton. Let's go on wit out 'im.”

“An interesting dilemma,” mused Telemachos. “On the one hand, he does seem to know something about the area and can help us out in that regard. Also, if he's an enemy, he might be good to have under a watchful eye, though Danton is right we may not have many of those to spare with all of these strangers with us. On the other hand, we don't know much about him and besides he's a bit of a braggart who freely dispenses his unsolicited advice.”

“Take him or leave him,” concluded the Furyondian. “I really don't care. I'm here to find information on my uncle and father, not spend days investigating the backgrounds of every person we come across. If he gives us any trouble, Nanoc can make him skitter away in fright, not that I am unwilling or incapable of doing so too, should it come to that.”

“Very well,” said Danton, “we are in agreement. We tell Chatrilon to pound salt, and if he doth not like it, we threaten him with bodily harm, letting Nanoc and Xaod make menacing grunts and glares at such juncture as seems appropriate.”

“Ok, let’s get a goin’—them ghouls ain’t get any undeader with us a sittin’ here,” said Nanoc with obvious impatience.

Their decision made, the trio rejoined the three others at the other end of the veranda.

"I'm sorry, good sir,” said Telemachos, “we have been hired by the lady here and you're not a member of our party. Thanks for your recent words of advice and I'm sure you're a worthy warrior, but we are moving out without you.  Maybe some other time." 

“Indeed,” added Danton, “we appreciate your offer, but regretfully must decline. Our group hath entered into contractual arrangements with various respective parties, not all of whom are present here, but should we later decide to investigate the temple, as you have proposed, we will consider your offer.”

“You’re making a big mistake,” replied Chatrilon, his voice low. “The moathouse is a complete waste of time, and forsaking the services of another strong sword arm is always foolish.”

“Be that as it may,” said Danton, “our decision is made. Now, if you don’t mind, we must be on our way.”

“What about you two?” pressed Chatrilon, looking at Xaod and Aseneth. “You really want to waste your time on the moathouse with these guys rather than go for real loot at the temple?”

“Yes,” said Aseneth acidly, without even deigning to look at the man. “Good-bye now.” The woman stepped down from the veranda into the rain, pulled up her hood, and began walking towards the bridge across the river.

Xaod did not even bother to address the man as he followed Aseneth.

“We hath endeavored to be polite in declining your offer of service,” said Danton. “Now, ‘tis plain that you were not ‘offering’ anything but, rather, foisting your presence upon us whether we like it or no—and trying to divide our group in the bargain. We have a response to that in Veluna, but, as it involves a barnyard epithet, I wilt not go there. Instead, I shall choose an expression popular amongst the barrister class of Mitrik: ‘go pound salt.’ And if you cannot figure out what that means, permit me to explain: take your boorish self and remove it from our presence forthwith.”

And with that, Danton followed Aseneth and Xaod, leaving it to Telemachos and Nanoc to deliver the glares that eventually prodded Chatrilon to return inside the Welcome Wench, shaking his head and muttering as he went.

***

With the two great spiders engraved into the huge metal doors in front of him, Mauser had seen enough.

"I do not believe it would be wise for us to continue along this route,” he said, looking Jil and Archangel directly in the eye. “It is apparent that we are heading towards the realm of the Drow and I do not think we will find them hospitable to overworlders, nevermind the fact that we've likely killed a number of their slaves. Unless you three have powers beyond sword and spell, we should turn around and put as much distance between ourselves and this place as possible. I can assure you that I have no powers beyond what Istus bestows upon me and I have no wish to test my mettle against the likes of the dark elves.”

“How do you know the Drow are here, fool?” shot Eiger. “More likely you’re just pissing yourself because we’ve made you go first. If we turn back now, it’s three days or more back to the fork and four to the citadel. Our food is running low and we won’t have torches forever either!”

"We’ve got to get out of here—and fast,” said Mauser. “It’s really that simple—all else, including food and light—is secondary. If you are determined to face the dark elves, I'm afraid we must part company. I'd rather wander aimlessly in the dark alone then be killed or enslaved by the Drow. But above all, I would prefer that we stay together, as there is strength in numbers."

When both Jil and Archangel remained silent, Mauser pressed on with Eiger:

“I also fail to understand your hostile attitude. I’m not looking for a fight and you should not be either. I’ve done nothing but try to aid you. I’ve even agreed to take the point in our explorations despite the fact that it negates my strengths if we were to encounter adversaries. I know trust must be earned, but if we cannot count on one another, there is little chance we’ll make it out of here alive.”

“Well, maybe you won’t be making it out of here alive under any circumstances,” spat Eiger menacingly. He glanced over his shoulder at Jil and Archangel and added, “there’s something not right with him—I’m sure of it. He’s trying to lead us into trouble—just like that other guy did.”

“Stand down, Eiger,” said Jil firmly. “Gregory is right—at least about the Drow. I’ve no wish to confront them, particularly not on their own ground, and everything we’ve seen here practically screams that followers of the Spider Queen are about. We must either seek some other way out through the mines or retrace our steps. Going forward would be suicide.”

Standing next to Jil, Archangel nodded silent assent.

“While the mines might offer a way out,” said Mauser, “they might also lead straight to more Drow. I believe we would be wiser to retrace our steps back to the fork in the path. We could then decide whether to take the other route or return to the kobold citadel and seek a way back up from there. In any case, now that we've caused some losses to the Drow—in the form of their slaves—we will need to keep an eye behind as well as ahead of us.”

***

After taking their leave of the Welcome Wench and the unwelcome Chatrilon Unosh, the party members crossed the river, stopped briefly at the Old Trading Post, where Telemachos purchased a large quantity of honey and berries, and then left town via the road leading east towards the moathouse.

"This new armor is a bit tight and constricting,” grumbled Telemachos after the group had walked the first few minutes out of town, “but I'm sure it will conform to my body soon enough. I have been examining its design and it should offer me significantly more protection. Not that I need it of course."

“Right,” said Nanoc, rolling his eyes. “I just hope it’ll protect ya from goin’ all nutty again if the Frog Man makes a reappearance.”

"I also want to try to track that pet bear of Uncle Jaroo’s,” said Telemachos, ignoring the jibe. “It is one of the important pieces to the puzzle.  Apparently it left right around the time of his declining state and padded over in the direction of the temple. Of course, it has been a while and it may be difficult to track, but I must try." 

“An here I jus’ thought ya wanted fresh berries fer lunch!” said Nanoc. “Say, Aseneth,” continued the half-orc, switching gears, “If ya need me ta carry your pack I’d be happy to. Heck I ain’t hardly got anything ta carry.”

“That would be…very helping,” said the woman. “Thank you.” She shifted the pack off her shoulders, rummaged through it for a moment before removing a much smaller pouch, which she hung over one shoulder with a strap before handing the larger pack to Nanoc. Although the pack had clearly been weighing down the woman significantly, Nanoc found the additional weight to be negligible when he affixed her pack to his own with some of his rope.

“I trust not this Unosh fellow,” said Danton as the group continued walking through the rain. “He plainly knows what we are about and where the moathouse is, and there’s no hiding it. If he proveth to be a persistent bugger, I think we ought regard him as an enemy. For instance, if our paths cross in the immediate vicinity of the moathouse or in the moathouse itself, I think we should act first—and violently—and then ask questions later. He hath been told straightaway that we neither want nor will accept his services. If he appear later unbidden, I would regard that as enemy action.”

“That is being good idea,” agreed Aseneth, now able to walk considerably faster than before.

“Fine by me,” said Xaod. “There was something about him I just didn’t like.”

“Say, Xaod,” blurted out Nanoc with a smirk, “did Tel here tell ya about this contest we have goin’ on? I’ve been kickin’ his butt at it fer so long that he prob’ly didn’t, but it’s like this: we keep track o’ how many goblins, critters an’ the like that each of us takes out, an’ I’m thinking that maybe you could provide me some real competition for the first time…”

***

Although the dead goblins had not carried food of any kind, leading Mauser and the others to conclude that the creatures must have had a camp or other resting place somewhere else in the mines where food was stored, the gray dwarves had carried supplies. Each of the six had two canteens of water, along with a small supply of stale bread, some unknown, foul-smelling dried meat, and assorted roots. None of this was particularly palatable, but it seemed edible and would extend the group’s food and water supplies for several days.

After looting the dwarves and quickly exiting the mines, the next three days were largely uneventful. Mauser and the others made their way back through the long series of caverns and tunnels as quickly as they could, always looking and listening over their shoulders for any sign of pursuit. As they traveled, Mauser used his spells to gradually heal all of his wounds and those of the others.

Trying to ignore the continuing overt hostility of Eiger, Mauser did his best to engage Jil and Archangel in conversation while traveling. He suggested to the latter that it might be a good idea to coordinate their daily spell selection so as to utilize their abilities to maximum effect. Archangel claimed to worship someone he called the ‘Witch Goddess’, but he would say no more. While he was prepared to listen to anything Mauser said about Istus, he proved tight-lipped regarding his own religious views and powers.

Jil was only marginally more talkative. When Mauser expanded on his fabricated biography as Gregory Hucrele in an effort to get Jil to talk about herself, she revealed little more than the fact that she originally hailed from the great city of Dyvers on the Nyr Dyv and had worked as a mercenary for her entire adult life.

Mauser also judged (sense motive: 8+6=14) that Eiger, Archangel and Jil had known each other for quite some time. Now that he was traveling with them for days on end, it was obvious to the cleric that Jil and Archangel were more than merely mercenary associates and their easy rapport with Eiger made it clear that they trusted him in a way that they never would Mauser. Mauser got the impression that Dhavuk and the White Spider had been more recent acquaintances, and that their demise in the Sunless Citadel was not particularly lamented by the trio of survivors.

***

Although the road east from Hommlet was deserted and had obviously seen little use in many years, it was easy to follow and the party made rapid progress as the rainy morning passed by. The edge of the Gnarley Forest was visible in the distance and grew closer hour by hour. There were more and more thickets of trees interspersed with the grassy fields alongside the road as well. Danton kept a wary eye over his shoulder throughout the morning (spot: 16+3=19), but saw no sign that Chatrilon Unosh, or anyone else for that matter, was following the party. Despite the inclement weather, the party saw that the region was thick with wildlife, from deer, badgers and squirrels to birds of all kinds. There were even some kind of buzzing insects that slipped under Telemachos’ heavy armor to bite and sting. But there were no people, at least not until a lone man appeared on the road ahead and waved to the party members as they approached. Danton, Nanoc, Xaod and Telemachos gazed warily about the surrounding countryside and the road behind them for any sign of ambush, but saw nothing.

“Well, don’t see too many folks on this road!” called out the man when he was still twenty feet away, “specially in such weather.”

Judging by his facial features, the man standing in front of the party was clearly of part-elven heritage, and he appeared to be very old, with bushy, unkempt white hair and beard. His clothes looked as though they had been worn and slept in for a long time, and he carried only a small leather pack and a wooden staff. The pelts of a variety of animals overflowed from the pack.

“I’m Delian Thornbrush, but ev’rybody in Hommlet calls me ‘ol Del’,” said the man, extending his hand towards Xaod, who stood at the front of the group.

“I’ve heard of you at Terrigans,” said the big man, “they say you’re a crazy old trapper who lives in the woods.”

“Don’t know ‘bout the crazy part, but the rest is true,” said Del with a smile as he moved to introduce himself to each of the others in turn.

After everyone in the group had given their names, Del asked:

“So where ya all headed? Ain’t many folks goin’ inta the forest these days an’ that’s all there really is along this road.”

“Actually we’re going to the old moathouse ta whack some ghouls!” blurted Nanoc excitedly, drawing a loud sigh from Danton.

“Whoa!” said Del. “There’s a dragon in there! Don’t wanna be goin’ there!”

“What?” spluttered Danton. “A dragon? No one in Hommlet said anything about that!”

“That’s cause he just arrived!” said Del. “I saw him there not three days ago—he’s a blue—still kinda young, but more than old enough ta be dangerous, that’s fer sure!”

“Awright!” exulted Nanoc, pounding his fist through the air. “A real dragon! Not jus’ some poor little lost baby like Calcryx! I almost felt bad poundin’ on him, but this sounds like th’ real deal!”

“What else might you have to relate regarding this dragon and the moathouse?” pressed Danton.

“I think he done taken up residence in the ruins,” replied Del, “but that ain’t all goin’ on ‘round there. I seen some folks been pokin’ in and outta that old place. Looked like holy men ta me, ‘cept they kept some strange company.”

“What do you mean?” asked Telemachos.

“They were with gnolls,” said Del. “You fellers know what those are right? Hyena-men? Always been lots o’ those in this area, but these were more like people than most I ever seen—wearing nice clothes and carryin’ quality weapons an’ armor. Pretty weird. But, ya know, even before the dragon an’ all these strange newcomers, I still wouldn’t go in that place—it’s haunted.”

“You mean the ghouls?” asked Nanoc.

“Don’t know what no ‘gool’ is, but I seen weird stuff ‘round there fer years—like dead people still walking around.”

“And these men, what were they doing?” interjected Aseneth. “They trying take things from ruins?”

“I dunno,” replied Del, “but there was quite a few of ‘em, so I guess it’s possible they wanted ta cart off stuff. Don’t right know what there’d be ta take tho.”

“Just how many were there?” asked Danton. “And just how big is this dragon?”

“I saw mebee…a couple dozen?” said Del, almost as if asking himself a rhetorical question. “An’ the dragon? Why, plenty big! Big enough ta eat a feller lackin’ the sense ta keep his distance, that’s fer sure!”

“We must go!” pronounced Aseneth. “I am not wanting these men stealing all while we stand talking in rain.”

“Wait!” hissed Danton. “I would know more of what we are to face.”

“That’s ‘bout all I really know,” said Del apologetically. “Normally I’d love ta chat, but I gotta get inta Hommlet an’ sell these here pelts at th’ Trading Post ‘fore it closes fer the day. But you mind ol’ Del’s words—you’ll stick clear o’ the moathouse if ya know what’s good for ya!”

***

Three days after fleeing from the mines, Mauser, Jil and company arrived back in the great mile-long cavern with the vast pool of water. They took the opportunity to refill their canteens, after which Mauser purified all of the water, and then quickly moved onward. On what they judged to be the following day, the group finally arrived at the spot where the path forked, where a decision had to be made on returning to the Sunless Citadel or plunging once more into the unknown. By this time there had still been no sign of pursuit from the mines, and the group dared to hope that it had managed to escape the attention of the dark elves.

Although Mauser was uncertain whether to return to the citadel or test another unknown route, Jil, Eiger, and Archangel all favored the untested path, insisting they had thoroughly explored the lower level of the citadel and had found no route to the surface other than the one the kobolds had blocked. The group thus turned to what Mauser had originally judged must be the south or the east. In order to conserve torches, Mauser and Archangel were now using as many spells as they could to provide light and, when using mundane light sources, the group never lit more than one torch at a time, making much of their journey a dim one across treacherous, uneven ground.

A day and a half after passing the fork, Mauser and the others came to a deep gorge at least a hundred feet wide that blocked the way ahead for as far as any of the party’s feeble light sources could allow them to see in either direction. However, at some point in the past, someone had carved crude stairs into the sides of the canyon and it could be traversed by following the stairs down nearly two hundred feet, crossing a stone bridge across a swift-running stream of foul-smelling water, and then ascending a similar set of stone stairs on the far side.

Thereafter, two more days passed as the group trudged through a seemingly endless series of caverns, tunnels and shafts. At some times, Mauser believed the group was heading gradually upward, but at other times he was not at all certain of this. Food, light, and water were running low and Eiger’s mood grew more foul and hostile towards Mauser with every hour that passed. The party passed numerous side tunnels now, but without any map or sense of direction, had no way of knowing which, if any, might lead to the surface. Without anything else to go on, the group continued to follow the main passage to wherever it might lead.

***

An hour after the party finally stopped for a late lunch, the road separated, with one branch leading north through the edge of the Gnarley Forest to Nulb and the ruined Temple of Elemental Evil, and the other continuing east towards the moathouse. Not long after the roads separated, with the party continuing to the east, both Danton and Telemachos observed one noticeable change in the party’s surroundings (Danton spot: 10+3=13, Nanoc wilderness lore: 6+3=9, Telemachos spot: 18+1=19).

While the landscape remained a familiar mix of open fields and clusters of trees, deer were no longer seen amidst the trees and birds could no longer be seen in the sky or heard amidst the foliage. In fact, the entire landscape grew strangely quiet and seemed almost totally bereft of animal life. Only the insects that had plagued Telemachos all day remained. This unnatural silence and absence of animal life continued throughout the last five miles the party walked before the ruined moathouse came into sight.

The structure was constructed on a small plot of land that sat amidst a tributary of the Imeryds Run that had clearly been channeled and cut so as surround the small keep with water. Standing on a low hill a hundred yards to the west of the structure, the party members were able to look down into the ruined and abandoned place.

Looking at the ruined keep and the surrounding countryside, Telemachos snorted. “It must have been a complete idiot who built this place,” he said. “No wonder the armies of Furyondy and Veluna had such an easy time leveling the place!”

“I’m not sure I follow you,” said Danton, still gazing down into the structure.

“First of all,” said Telemachos, “anyone with a little sense would have put his keep on this hill where we are standing, not down there. All an enemy has to do is roll his artillery or his observers onto this hill and then he can look down into the keep and start lobbing fire right into it! Sheer stupidity! And if that were not enough, I’ll bet it didn’t take long for the river water to start working its way into the foundations of the place and undermining them from below. A moat is nice, but channeling a river to flow all around your castle is foolishness of the worst kind, particularly in an area like this where the ground is so soft.”

“Hmm,” mused Danton, “it doth indeed appear that Furyondian and Velunese fire hath reduced the place to ruins. But ‘tis the absence of animal life in the vicinity that doth give me pause. While I know not how much credence to accord Del’s tales of dragons and gnolls, birds and animals often have more sense than foolish, greedy adventurers and the fact that all have decamped to fairer fields would suggest that something is amiss here.”

“Aw, Danton, yer getting all worked up over nothing,” said Nanoc. “Maybe there is a dragon an’ maybe there ain’t, but we sure ain’t gonna find out standing here.”

Danton ignored the half-orc and stared hard into the courtyard of the ruined keep in the distance, trying to discern any clue that might reveal who or what could be hiding amidst the rubble (spot: 1+3=4), but he saw nothing more than wrecked towers, walls and stones.

“I propose we camp here atop this hill,” said Danton finally, “’tis an ideal observation post. Xaod, Aseneth, and Telemachos, you three can mind the camp, recording any and all activity you might spot in any direction, whilst Nanoc and I make a slow, wide, full circle around the moathouse. We shall move in a stealthy and methodical manner, looking for tracks, signs of activity, animals’ presence, secret entrances into the moathouse, rubble indicating that an adjacent structure might have once existed nearby, traps, campfire, and any other likely indicia that would give us insight on the area and its possible inhabitants or interlopers.”

“Jeez, Danton, that’ll take forever!” complained Nanoc. “An’ it’s gonna be dark in a few hours!”

“By Olidammara’s beard, Nanoc,” hissed the Velunese, “I cannot understand how ‘tis that you have lived so long, given your recklessness. Prithee, listen to me! By all accounts, this moathouse is inhabited by undead, dragons, and more, and all know that such creatures are typically on the move under the cloak of darkness. We’d be fools not to survey the place with the daylight that remains, then hold up here and see what goes bump in the night, if you’ll excuse the obvious pun. Waiting and watching one night isn’t going to hurt anyone—and it may actually save some lives, mine not least.”

“Oh c’mon, Danton!” said the half-orc loudly. “You can only sit in the shadows and hike ‘round the place so long. I ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Lets get goin’ in!”

“I am thinking Dan-ton is being correct,” said Aseneth. “I am feeling tired after long walk and need resting before going in. We are not seeing others taking what we are looking for, but from here can see if they are trying leave.”

Nanoc looked at the woman and then back at Danton and his whole demeanor changed. “Well, maybe campin’ out here under the stars wouldn’t be so bad, uh, even if it is all cloudy and rainin.”

Telemachos shrugged. “Fine by me if we stay here overnight. I’d like to see if I can draw my uncle’s bear to us and give some more thought to the military aspects of our situation: Where would potential enemies be hiding? What positions would place us in a position of danger? How could we be trapped somewhere? What positions are defensible?”

“I don’t mind keeping an eye on the road,” said Xaod. “And I can take a watch.”

“And while the three of us are here, Aseneth,” added Telemachos, “perhaps you could tell me more about your examination of my uncle. What do you think really happened to him? We never did really get to talk about that at length. Was it really sudden dementia or could there have been some sort of magic involved?”

“I am tired,” repeated the woman, “but after I rest for bit, yes, we can be talking more.”

“Well,” said Danton, slipping out of his pack, “now that that’s settled, it’s time for you and I to be on our way, Nanoc. Reconnaissance awaits. Keep your eyes open and you just might learn something.”

***

Having walked in near darkness for so many days, Mauser failed to realize that his surroundings had finally changed until a shout from Jil brought him up short and caused him to stop so quickly he nearly stumbled.

“I said, look up!” repeated Jil. “Just what is that?”

Glancing up and holding the torch he was carrying, one of his last, high, Mauser saw that a great archway, rather than yet another uneven cavern roof, arced gracefully over his head. The arch had clearly been made by humanoid hands and reached a height of nearly twenty feet. Beyond it was a vast open space with a vaulted roof that extended farther than the light of Mauser’s torch could carry.

Scattered about, seemingly haphazardly, in the vast chamber beyond the archway were innumerable stone sarcophagi. Some, it appeared, had long since been wrenched open or otherwise shattered, while others, it seemed, remained remarkably intact. Off in the distance was a particularly vast tomb that gave off a faint purplish light. There appeared to be runes of some sort on it, but they were too small to be read from such a distance.

Mauser shook his head, trying to dislodge the cobwebs from his mind and decide what to do next before Eiger and the others decided for him.

***

Before leaving the hilltop, Danton worked out a series of bird whistles and animal calls with Nanoc and the others, which the barbarian could make heard at great distances and use to warn those who remained on the hill of danger or call for assistance. With these arrangements made, Danton and Nanoc slipped back down the western side of the hill and then began making their way around the moathouse.

Danton wanted to keep his and Nanoc’s presence hidden from anyone present in the moathouse, while observing as much about the structure and its surroundings as possible. Unfortunately, the geography of the region made accomplishing both tasks at once difficult. Although there were trees immediately to the east of the moathouse, the keep was surrounded by open land for a distance of a mile or more in all other directions. Danton (hide: 7+5=12, spot: 10+3=13) and Nanoc (hide: 8+3=11, spot: 12+1=13) did their best to remain out of sight, but there was no way to know how successful they had been and they were periodically forced to move over open ground in order to draw close enough to the wrecked structure to discern any useful information.

From what the pair could see, it was obvious that the moathouse had been utterly ruined in some great battle long ago. It appeared to once have had a second level made mostly of wood, but artillery fire or some other great agent of destruction had collapsed the second level upon the first. All four of the towers in the keep’s corners were ruined, and a great hole had been punched in its northern wall. The condition of the keep’s first level interior was impossible to determine from outside. Utter silence, save for the buzzing of insects, followed Nanoc and Danton wherever they went.

At the front of the keep, Nanoc and Danton saw that the path led up to a rotten, slightly bowed drawbridge that crossed the water. Interestingly, four obviously new planks lay atop the rotted wood below. Beyond the drawbridge were two gates leading into the moathouse. One stood open, while the other lay on the ground.

Later, while the duo was making its way through the trees to the east of the keep, after fording one of the wider, shallower tributaries of the Imeryds Run, Nanoc struck upon the idea of climbing one of the larger trees in order to be able to look down into the keep from a vantage point much closer than the hill. With all of his heavy gear left behind on the hilltop, the barbarian ascended the large evergreen with ease (climb: 17+8=25) and then gazed through the other nearby trees and down into the courtyard of the keep (spot: 19+1=20).

One sight immediately caught Nanoc’s attention. The wide courtyard was paved with cobblestones, although weeds and plants had grown amongst them over the years and rubble from the collapsed northern wall and the ruined upper level also littered the open space. However, all of this detritus could not obscure the fact that a long brown smear spread across the middle of the courtyard, up the stairs leading to the manor itself and into the open doorway at the top of the stairs. Nanoc also thought he might have seen a faint glint of metal in the courtyard, near where the stain began, when a solitary ray of faint sunlight pierced the cloud cover overhead.

Back on the hilltop, Telemachos sat with Xaod as the pair surveyed the surrounding countryside in all directions. Aseneth dozed under a tarp she had removed from her pack and set up to keep the rain off her while she slept. Wherever Telemachos looked (spot: 10+1=11), nothing moved, save for the occasional glimpse of Nanoc and Danton as they darted or crept across open ground. The sun was setting in the west and the rain still showed no sign of letting up.

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 24:

Please send postings for Turn 24 by the end of Friday, September 15th.

Keep in mind that for the bulk of the party the date is now 10 Lipanj (“Wealsun”), but for Mauser it is still 8 Lipanj.

Items gained this turn: honey and berries purchased by Telemachos

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed this turn: more of Mauser’s food and torches

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, 46 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 potions of cure light wounds

Gold: 20

Silver: 220

Mauser

AC: 18
Hit points: 31/31
New XP: 0
XP total: 3690
XP needed: 6,000

Spells Available:

0 Level (4): Create Water, Purify Food and Water, Light X2
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

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: 14/14
New XP: 0
XP total: 3390
XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: rapier, 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 13 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, waterskin, 19 days trail rations, hooded lantern, notebook, pen, ink, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, 2 unknown arcane scrolls, 4 scrolls of cure light wounds

Gold: 0

Silver: 220

Telemachos

AC: 18
Hit points: 32/32
New XP: 0
XP total: 3390
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