Day 27: Nightscale, a Black in the Depths

The worst imaginable tragedy has befallen us – we have lost two of our number. Our gnome friend, Fripwort, and the charming Aranthis have fallen to the horror of a dragon – Nightscale. We found the young black at the bottom of the pit where we defeated the dark dwarves.  We had made our way down into it by means of a chain link ladder that was fastened to its rim. At the bottom we found a cavernous lake, with slight access to ledges and beaches. The black toyed with us, rising from the dark depths to assail us with its acidic breath. Each time it breached the surface, I loosed my arrows. Driven by rage, the creature even confronted us on the beach and we fought swords against claws. But we could not slay the beast and it retreated to the depths.

That’s when we saw its hoard. Coins sparkling, jewels shining, and untold magics piled all in a heap – but isolated on a small island some thirty feet from the nearest shore. Failing to find a safe means to access the treasure, I was ready to walk away from the riches. But the others would have none of it and flung themselves into the water in a mad rush to gain such wealth. Frip was the first to go – swallowed in a great gulp by the lurking black. The others gained the island and threw what they could across the waters to my waiting grasp. Then the mad rush to regain the shore was on, and Aranthis was suddenly gone as well. Though the lying wyrm tried to entice us with promises of the safe return of our comrades, we knew them dead and made our mournful retreat.

Day 26: Vicious Furnishings

As we uncover room after room in this wonderland, I begin to question my senses. I hesitate to write of it, for it sounds like the ravings of a madman. We’ve been attacked by… a table, a combat dummy, and I personally was almost suffocated by a constricting rug. The shock of the attacks is only exceeded by the humiliation of being overcome by common household furnishings. Luckily we have all survived.

A host of undead has assaulted us – one so fearsome it froze me in my tracks. Rooms, filled with bleached bones, have risen up to assail us. We’ve even uncovered the remains of some of those who have adventured here before us. Though we have uncovered a few prizes – there seems to be little here of any worth.

< later >

Either we have performed a noble deed or unleashed a great evil. We came upon a sealed library and found that it held what appeared to be a human female. She wove a tale describing how she was entrapped in this room by powerful magic after her party had been killed by some of the undead that we encountered. Her story seems valid, since we had found the remains of just such a party in the location that she described. Apparently a simple command “You are free” was sufficient to release her and she has disappeared – perhaps to take vengeance on the mage who doomed her.

Day 25: Forge of Fury

We came across a locked and ironbound door with a deviously difficult lock. I was just barely able to open it. Upon entering we were greeted with the far-off ringing of hammer on anvils and found ourselves in a circular room with three statues of dwarven warriors and two doors. I was able to quickly find and disable triggers in the two doors that would have released the mechanical center statue. Yet the doors led only to blank stone walls.

A second check of the room uncovered a secret door (ah, those cunning dirt dwellers!) which led to another door protected by a magical alarm. Past this door we were greeted with threats and warnings. Though we tried to negotiate with our unseen adversaries and went to extraordinary lengths to maintain peace, we would not be bullied into leaving and finally came to blows. We were attacked by three strange dark dwarves. They were unusually thin and blank-eyed. They were much larger than dwarves have a right to be, but upon their deaths they shrank to normal size. Searching their bodies, we recovered a large shield, a battle axe, chain mail, a chain shirt, and a vial of pink liquid – no doubt the potion that was responsible for their extraordinary size.

We found ourselves in a large throne room, and still the constant ringing of hammers. The sound led to a forge with yet more of the dark dwarves. Upon seeing us they downed some potions and literally disappeared. We explored the forge and found that the only other exit led to a huge pit. It was here that our quarry improvised an ambush – to no avail. Though the battle was hard fought, we wiped out the three dark dwarves and continued our explorations. We came upon another room, I assume manned by the two leaders of the dwarves and vanquished them as well. Strange, but aside from the throne room and forge, the rest of this area seems thick with dust and unexplored. We rest here tonight.

Day 24: Deeper and Deeper

We have explored miles and miles of this cavern and found many things strange to the eyes of one raised in the forests and then the streets. We have defeated one troglodyte and one has escaped. And we have defeated a large bear that they loosed upon us. We’ve come across unused storerooms, stone bridges, magnificent waterfalls, and flooded rooms. Rooms filled with colored molds and corpses. We defeated a slick gray liquid that attacked as if it had intelligence and ate through the metal of our weapons. We’ve even recovered a magic bastard sword.

But the strangest encounter was also the most frightening – for I foresaw the death of our entire band. Upon entering a cavern split by a rushing stream, we found what, for all the world, appeared to be a living stalagmite – known to us now as a roper. Ji’Etah carelessly approached it and was quickly entangled by tendrils that suddenly sprang from its gaping maw. I loosed arrow after arrow at its single yellow eye, all bouncing harmlessly away. Though we hurled spells, steel, and insults, all went for no effect. In a final plea for mercy, Aranthis was able to woo the surprisingly intelligent creature with promises of servitude. It appears to be interested in little else than satiating its ravenous appetite. She was able to pacify it and secure my companions release with a meal – the bear’s corpse.

Day 23: Greek Fire

Another devilish trap protecting nothing! This one released great gouts of greek fire. Frip, Grog, and I all succumbed to this one and had to make hasty use of the nearby well to quench ourselves – but my last attempt has disarmed it. The trap was spent by that point, but that is a little secret that the others need not know. Within this room is a crude stairway retreating into an unworked rift in the floor – and adjoining this room is another barracks filled with recently used bedding. More exploring and more battles lie ahead.

Day 22: Loose Ends

Predictably, the stray wolf returned in the night with four more orcs. Will these battles never end! Being unrested and without magical support, we barely survived this battle. I pray the remainder of the night will leave us undisturbed.

<later>

Our explorations have taken us deeper into the stronghold. The walls are losing their well-worked quality and blending with the bare cavern walls. We have found a murky well, a putrid kitchen, and a storeroom. Behind a stack of crates Grog uncovered a metal grate leading into a larger room. The grate was stuffed with packing and cloth – someone went to a lot of effort to seal this chamber. But why?

Some answers come sooner rather than later – upon entering the room we were attacked by large flesh-eating mosquitoes. Aranthis calls them stirges. They are monstrously difficult to see and impossible to hit until they are upon you. They seem to sap the very strength out of you when they attack. Thank goodness for the revitalizing talents of Brannick and Fripwort. We have not defeated them, but perhaps they are full.

Day 21: The Troves of Durgeddin

Fripwort, our newfound gnomish companion, is quite the accomplished druid. And the dwarven stronghold is not just some fanciful myth concocted to save his hide – he does indeed know its location and is leading us there. His companion, a rather intelligent badger, has scouted ahead and located the entrance. It is guarded by “pig-noses”, who we take to be orcs. We will try to gain entry this afternoon.

<later>

My muscles and lungs burn with the effort of battle after battle, foe after foe. Gaining entry didn’t go quite as planned – the orcs at the entrance went down easily enough, but further in we were ambushed by another set of guards shooting arrows through murder holes. Brannick and Grog were able to seal the holes (using dead orcs, no less) and I was able to dislodge the crossbar on the other side of the locked doors with a swipe of my rapier.

We then came upon a rope bridge spanning a chasm and were set upon by another pair of guards from across the bridge. Thanks to Ji’Etah, Fripwort’s druidic blindness spell, and a hail of arrows, they also fell.

The rest of us began to cross the unstable bridge – and that’s when everything went south. Four guards suddenly appeared through hidden doors and ganged up on Grog, waiting alone to cross. In our mad scramble to come to his aid, Ji’Etah fell from the bridge. In a last ditch grab he managed to catch a rope and, hanging perilously over the chasm, avoided a fall. Though it was sorely fought, the guards were finally vanquished.

Further exploration led to a barracks where we defeated four more orcs and their leader. From their bodies we secured a masterwork axe, three throwing axes, and a metal shield.

Just outside the barracks I fell to a devilish poison gas trap triggered by a pressure plate surrounding a statue of a dwarf. The trap appears to protect nothing but an open hallway. I disarmed it to allow safe passage.

Our last battle was fought against a monstrous ogre and two ravenous wolves. Fripwort was able to calm one of the wolves, while the other has run off. Despite my weariness, my heart is lifted – the ogre was protecting a trove of treasure that includes more gold than we can carry and the finest rapier my eyes have beheld. My generous companions insisted that it was well suited for my use. We’ve retreated to the barracks to regain our strength.

Day 19: Brains Over Brawn

Today I pen our strangest victory yet. Facing superior odds in the stone fortress, we set forth with a plan “so crazy that it just might work!” Ji’Etah, disguised as a wounded guard, stumbled into the ogre’s meeting room, just as they were forcing a gnome to reveal the location of a dwarven stronghold – a stronghold reputed to be a treasure trove of fine weaponry. Yelling “an attack!” he collapsed before them. The humans quickly ordered the ogres outside to investigate, where those of us who were hidden in the mess hall followed them – and promptly locked them out of their own fortress. We returned to save the gnome. Unfortunately one of the humans escaped and began to alert the remaining forces in the fortress – including one “big boss man,” who I can only presume is a giant. We beat a hasty retreat and, running right by the confused ogres who were still outside looking for an attack, escaped into the woods!

Day 19: A Stone Fortress

Our search of the woods around Erorpe’s house turned up a hidden marker pointing off into the distance. Having no other options, we followed it until we came upon this large, and well-defended, hill. Near the top a 20’ high doorway is carved into the face of the hill. A solid wooden door bars the way, and it is surrounded by huge stone boulders both above and below. We have scouted around and found that a contingent of five guards patrols the area just outside the entrance. We are unwilling to storm an entrenched enemy and are hatching a plan to overtake the fortress discretely. Perhaps we will find a use for this invisibility potion and Ji E’tah’s headband of disguise.

< later >

I have just enough time to pen a few words… We have gained the fortress door thanks to Ji E’tah, disguised as Criley, and a few doses of my invisibility potion. We overcame the five guards at the door before they had any chance to raise an alarm. However, a massive barred door has confounded us. Grognard drank his potion (that said, he’ll drink just about anything) and it was amazing to see his body fade into a thin ethereal mist. It has been about 10 minutes since he, or it, slid through the door and still we wait. Hold – I have heard a muffled blow from just inside the door!

< later >

The fighting has been difficult and we are facing worse odds as we penetrate the fortress. Grog was able to dispatch a sleeping guard and open the door for us – but we soon realized why the door was built so large – ogres. We have surprised and killed three of the giants in a remote mess hall, but must now face at least four more and two humans if we wish to continue our press to find Morga. Here is as much of the fortress as I have learned. Here’s to adventure and hoping I live to sketch more!