Hammerfall #3

[GM Mad]

Hammerfall #3

Fort Fletcher:

Daraden Stormbeard and his wolfin companion Darkfang have arrived at Fort Fletcher. The gates are opened and they are let inside. Lieutenant Wyndham greets them.

"Fine to meet you," Daraden replies shaking the offered hand firmly. "Lady Aria you say? Well that's a grand thing then."

“Yes, Lady Aria Stonehand is in command of the dwarven expedition.”

However, he learns the other dwarves aren't expected to be back until nightfall, and that's a long time to be sitting idle and babysitting humans. "Tell yah what," Daraden says, "gimmie something to quench my parched throat and point me in the right direction and I'll meet up with 'em rather that cooling my heels for that long."

“Lady Aria and those higher ups in the endeavor are away. There are a few dwarves here in Fort Fletcher transferring coal to the furnace. They’ll be able to help you out. There’s a few of them right now.”


Lieutenant Wyndham points off in the distance where two dwarves are being lowered down a lift to this, the ground level of the fortress. Between them on the lift is a mining cart full of coal. One of the dwarves is an old grizzled looking man who appears to have done much mining in his day. His companion is much younger female. Her brown hair is done up in pigtails. The human lieutenant calls the female over and speaks to her. After exchanging a few words, the female turns towards Daraden.

“Hello there! I’m Jennak Firehand. Welcome to Fort Fletcher. Come on, I’ll show you how to reach the others.”

As you walk along, Jennak explains the situation. “Right now we’re using the coal stores set up by our ancestors to fuel the furnaces in the fort. Lady Aria and the others are exploring further along in the mines while the workers move the coal and make any necessary repairs in the tunnels.”

Jennak will take Daraden to the dwarven quarter’s area for the ale he requested. From there, he’ll be led to the third level of the fortress.

“This is the entrance to the mines we’ve been using. The overland route to Hammerfall is buried under snow, so we’re using the delivery chute for the coal to reach the mines.”

The chute is held open and a climbing line has to be used to reach the top of it.

“That’s the way in. Just follow the main path and you’ll reach the others. Nice to meet you, Daraden.”

[GM Mad]

Dwarven Mines:

Down in the mines, the dwarves have encountered more shadows. Three of them stream forth from one of the side storage caverns in the main supply shaft. Farian strikes first and after two warhammer strikes, one of the shadows goes down and vanishes into nothingness.

Salem is steps up with his shortsword in hand. He stabs one of the other shadows and avoids being struck in return. Rat remains on the ladder overhead, but grabs his sling and launches a stone at the last shadow, hurting it.

Grondar steps up and displays his Holy Symbol, which is a pair of linked silver rings. Speaking the words of power, Grondar forces the two shadows to retreat back into the side cave they emerged from.

“We’ve got them cornered” Salem calls out. “We should finish them off and be done with them.”


Now what?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

The shadows rush forth, only to find the dwarves ready for them. Farian smashes one into oblivion with his warhammer. Salem and Rat combine to injure another.

Then the power of Berronar Truesilver is called forth, and the creatures are driven back into the side cavern.

“We’ve got them cornered” Salem calls out. “We should finish them off and be done with them.”

"I agree," Grondar says. Dropping his holy symbol, he dashes into the tunnel and stops as he lifts his crossbow once more. It seems the enchanted bolts are not needed, so he uses normal ones and starts firing rapidly at the shadows where they huddle in the back of the cave.
________________________________________________________
If the shadows appear to be able to turn back on them as soon as he lowers the holy symbol, Grondar will raise it back up and force them into a corner. Then he'll let the others finish them as he holds them there.

[Daraden Stormbeard]

Daraden Stormbeard:

“Lady Aria and those higher ups in the endeavor are away. There are a few dwarves here in Fort Fletcher transferring coal to the furnace. They’ll be able to help you out. There’s a few of them right now.”

"Finally, progess," Daraden says, setting his hand on Darkfang's head as the human calls over to a female dwarf. "Pretty good progress, no?" he says after spotting her. Darkfang merely snorts.

“Hello there! I’m Jennak Firehand. Welcome to Fort Fletcher. Come on, I’ll show you how to reach the others.”

"I am Daraden Stormbeard," he says proudly, puffing up his chest. "And this is Darkfang. Thank you for such a kind welcome Jennak Firehand. It is good to be in such fine company once more."

As you walk along, Jennak explains the situation. “Right now we’re using the coal stores set up by our ancestors to fuel the furnaces in the fort. Lady Aria and the others are exploring further along in the mines while the workers move the coal and make any necessary repairs in the tunnels.”

Jennak will take Daraden to the dwarven quarter’s area for the ale he requested. From there, he’ll be led to the third level of the fortress.

Daraden nods as she talks, listening to what she reveals and how far progress is, well, progressing. Only once does he pause, and that is when his hands close around a tankard of ale. "Ah sweetness comes no finer than this!" he proclaims and quenches his thirst in one long draw, emptying it.

“This is the entrance to the mines we’ve been using. The overland route to Hammerfall is buried under snow, so we’re using the delivery chute for the coal to reach the mines.”

The chute is held open and a climbing line has to be used to reach the top of it.

“That’s the way in. Just follow the main path and you’ll reach the others. Nice to meet you, Daraden.”

"Yes, we tested that overland route ourselves," Daraden says, indicating Darkfang. "What you say is indeed true. So if this be the way, then it shall be the road we take."

As he contemplates how to get Darkfang down, Daraden turns as Jennak prepares to leave. "Ah, departing so soon. A pleasure indeed then, Jennak. Until next we meet."

Once she leaves, Daraden gets into a lengthy discussion with Darkfang over the fact that it is not degrading to have to be tied and lowered to the bottom like a mere pack pony.

[farian]

Farian

"I agree," Grondar says. Dropping his holy symbol, he dashes into the tunnel and stops as he lifts his crossbow once more. It seems the enchanted bolts are not needed, so he uses normal ones and starts firing rapidly at the shadows where they huddle in the back of the cave.

Not sure if this is the best idea but seeing the point of such and action Farian will move forward with his ring activated just in case any hostilities are there in larger number and whack em with his warhammer.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Fort Fletcher:

Daraden and Darkfang have just met Jennak Firehand and were given a quick tour of Fort Fletcher.

"I am Daraden Stormbeard," he says proudly, puffing up his chest. "And this is Darkfang. Thank you for such a kind welcome Jennak Firehand. It is good to be in such fine company once more."

“It’s good to have another dwarf around,” Jenna adds. “I’ve never been this close to a wolf before, but he seems tame. He is your companion?”

Daraden nods as she talks, listening to what she reveals and how far progress is, well, progressing. Only once does he pause, and that is when his hands close around a tankard of ale. "Ah sweetness comes no finer than this!" he proclaims and quenches his thirst in one long draw, emptying it.

“Nothing better after a hard days work”, Jenna notes as she downs her own tankard. “But that’s for later. Still plenty of work to be done this day.”

As he contemplates how to get Darkfang down, Daraden turns as Jennak prepares to leave. "Ah, departing so soon. A pleasure indeed then, Jennak. Until next we meet."

“There be work to be done and it won’t get finished standing here. I’ll see you at the camp tonight, Daraden. We all gather for the evening meal and the sharing of ale.”

Once she leaves, Daraden gets into a lengthy discussion with Darkfang over the fact that it is not degrading to have to be tied and lowered to the bottom like a mere pack pony.

It’s actually a matter of raising Darkfang up, as the chute that delivers coal to the Fort is fifteen feet overhead. A large bin collects the coal dropped from the chute. It’s clear that the chute’s hatch was designed to blend in with the wall, but the coal has left a dark stain on the wall ruining the concealment. The hatch has been propped open and a rope hangs off to the side. This is used to climb up the wall to the top of the chute.

Once a rope harness has been placed on Darkfang, Daraden climbs up the rope and pulls Darkfang up behind him.

The top of the chute leads to a familiar dwarven style mine. A track for an ore cart leads off into the distance.

Daraden follows along and soon runs into some more dwarven works pushing a cart loaded with coal towards the chute. The workers provide directions and Daraden continues on.

The tunnel ends at the edge of a drop off. A pulley and bucket system is there that is used to raise the ore up from down below. An iron ladder is embedded in the side of the wall leading to the lower area, some 400’ below.

At the bottom of the ladder is a cavern that was used to store coal on its journey towards Fort Fletcher. The store is being rapidly depleted and not much remains. More dwarves are working here, including one in plate mail armor. The armored dwarf notes your arrival and approaches. Daraden can see that his shield bears the symbol of Moradin, the father of all dwarves.

“Welcome friend!” The armored dwarf calls out in a friendly voice. “I am Dougan Ironhammer, Priest of Moradin. Have you come to join us?”

[GM Mad]

Supply Shaft:

Deeper in the mines, the explorers have found more shadows lurking in the supply shaft. Grondar has driven them off with a display of power from his Goddess, while Farian slew one with his warhammer. The shadows retreat the supply cave with the dwarves in pursuit. Grondar reaches the entrance first and fires a bolt from his crossbow. He hits and the shadow drops into nothingness.

The remaining shadow moves forward, but Farian is there intercept him. His warhammer lashes out two more times and the shadow is destroyed.

A quick search of the area reveals no other shadows in the area and no hidden treasure is found.


Now what?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Zipping over to the cave entrance, Grondar's bolt finishes the already-wounded Shadow. The remaining Shadow takes the opportunity to move aggressively toward the dwarven priest. Fortunately, Farian wasn't far behind, and quickly destroys the creature.

"Thank you, Farian. It appears we have eliminated the last of this nest."

The cave now appears empty, and a search reveals nothing of interest.

"Time to get back to work," Grondar muses as he returns to his work of filling the mine cart with equipment and supplies.

[farian]

Moving forward with his Warhammer at the ready he quickly sees the fleeing shadows. One is downed quickly by bolts from Grondar, leaving one left for the scout. With a few swings the shadow drifts down to nothingness.

"Time will tell." he said gruffly and turned back to the shaft to see how the lift is.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

With the shadows dispatched, the dwarves and lone halfling turn back to the task at hand. Rat and Farian make their way up the shaft. The halfling moves at a quick pace and seems to scurry about much like his namesake. Say what you want about him, Rat can climb with rat-like ease!

The explorers discover four additional levels to the shaft above the ground level. At these points, walkways surround the shaft opening and several tunnels lead off deeper into the mines at these other levels.

The uppermost level, some 900’ feet above the bottom has the large winch and elevated platform. Farian inspects the equipment and it seems in usable shape. Some parts will need replacing first, having rotted with the passing of years.

The platform itself is up here and seems usable. It’s constructed of thick beams bound together with metal braces. Buy using the winch that controls a pulley system, the platform can be moved up and down the shaft. There is a place on each of the upper levels for the platform to pull along side. Materials and goods can be moved up and down the shaft this way.

The top of the shaft, where the outside light filters in is still 300’ overhead. Fresh air is funneled into the mine system from here.


Having completed their inspection, Farian and Rat rejoin the others. The mine cart is loaded up with gear and pushed back to the coal supply cavern.


Now what?

[Daraden Stormbeard]

Daraden Stormbeard:

“It’s good to have another dwarf around,” Jenna adds. “I’ve never been this close to a wolf before, but he seems tame. He is your companion?”

"I bet, with all these humans about," Daraden says. Then Jenna asks about his wolf, "Darkfang is my companion, and although he is tame he has all of his teeth and fury should the situation call for it."

“Nothing better after a hard days work”, Jenna notes as she downs her own tankard. “But that’s for later. Still plenty of work to be done this day.”

"Of course there is!" Daraden agrees. "Now that my throat has stopped complaining, it's time to be gettin' at it."

“There be work to be done and it won’t get finished standing here. I’ll see you at the camp tonight, Daraden. We all gather for the evening meal and the sharing of ale.”

"I meant more that you wouldn't be going any further," Daraden explains, "but the evening meal and ale shall be a fine time indeed. Until then."

Once a rope harness has been placed on Darkfang, Daraden climbs up the rope and pulls Darkfang up behind him.

"Oh just get up here and stop your complaining!" Daraden says as he handles raising the wolf. Scampering to find purchase for his claws, Darkfang nearly bowls Daraden over, bringing a round of grumbling to the dwarf. Finally both of them are where they need to be and head out.

The top of the chute leads to a familiar dwarven style mine. A track for an ore cart leads off into the distance.

Daraden follows along and soon runs into some more dwarven works pushing a cart loaded with coal towards the chute. The workers provide directions and Daraden continues on.

The tunnel ends at the edge of a drop off. A pulley and bucket system is there that is used to raise the ore up from down below. An iron ladder is embedded in the side of the wall leading to the lower area, some 400’ below.

"No, I don't think they built this with wolves in mind," Daraden says in response to Darkfang's whine as he looks down. "Would you rather have stayed behind with the humans? No, then stop your griping."

Daraden looks around to see if the wolf can make the descent on his own, or if he's going to need to use the bucket and pulley system. Whichever way is ultimately decided on, the two of them will meet up again at the bottom.

At the bottom of the ladder is a cavern that was used to store coal on its journey towards Fort Fletcher. The store is being rapidly depleted and not much remains. More dwarves are working here, including one in plate mail armor. The armored dwarf notes your arrival and approaches. Daraden can see that his shield bears the symbol of Moradin, the father of all dwarves.

“Welcome friend!” The armored dwarf calls out in a friendly voice. “I am Dougan Ironhammer, Priest of Moradin. Have you come to join us?”

"Thank you, Dougan Ironhammer. A fine honor to meet such a noble and pious dwarf as yourself," Daraden replies. "I am Daraden Stormbeard and this is Darkfang. I noticed some movement in the fort and decided to check it out. That brought me here. About time we get back to reclaiming what's ours! I'll be helping in any manner I can."

[Grondar]

Grondar:

It takes a little while, but they get the mine cart heavily loaded with as much equipment as they can possibly cram in there. Once that's done, they begin the task of pushing it back to the coal cavern where they had left Aria and company earlier.

Arriving back at the entrance to the cavern, Grondar pauses to look around. "Farian? Salem? Can one of you locate Aria and let her know we've returned? I'll stay here with Master Finder Rat." The priest gives the halfling a stern, meaningful look.

[farian]

Farian

Moving about the platform, Farian begins to inspect the wench and ropes and other equipment. Most seems in usable shape though some are rotten from time. “Shouldn’t be that hard to fix it.” He said to himself as he moves back down to the others.

Once back in the cavern with the full cart, Farian hears Grondar’s request. “Aye I’ll see to it. Have fun watching the little one.” He said in an even tone.

Once he has found Aria, he will inform her. “ The cart is here loaded with supplies. The wench seems usable, we merely have to replace a few parts that have rotten through. There were a few Shadows in the area but from what we can tell none are left alive.”

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Back at the Fort Fletcher, Daraden and Darkfang have arrived.

"I bet, with all these humans about," Daraden says. Then Jenna asks about his wolf, "Darkfang is my companion, and although he is tame he has all of his teeth and fury should the situation call for it."

“Oh, some of them are all right,” Jenna says with a shrug. “But it is better to be among your own kind. They’re just too different at times.” Jenna nods her understanding as to Darkfang’s status.

"I meant more that you wouldn't be going any further," Daraden explains, "but the evening meal and ale shall be a fine time indeed. Until then."

“Oh, not today,” Jenna answers almost apologetically. “I’ve been assigned to move coal to the furnace today. Thus I must remain here so that we all can be warm.”


After being given directions, Daraden enters the mines but finds that they are not wolf friendly as they change levels many times. A rope harness is used to pull the wolf up or lower him down as need be.

(Darkfang will probably have to be carried. The buckets are only usable going up. They’re ‘down’ on the way back to the cavern below.)

Upon reaching area #3, Daraden encounters an armored dwarf.

"Thank you, Dougan Ironhammer. A fine honor to meet such a noble and pious dwarf as yourself," Daraden replies. "I am Daraden Stormbeard and this is Darkfang. I noticed some movement in the fort and decided to check it out. That brought me here. About time we get back to reclaiming what's ours! I'll be helping in any manner I can."

“Ah, then you must be somewhat familiar with this area? Good. I am sure that Lady Aria will welcome your assistance. There are only a few of us right now, but more reinforcements will be on the way.”

Dougan will bring Daraden up to date on what they’ve accomplished thus far.

“The others are away dealing with the spiders that infested the next coal supply cavern. That’s still a fair distance away from here, but I am sure that they’ll be coming back soon if you wish to wait. As for helping, there is certainly plenty to do here.”

Daraden can see that the bucket/pulley system was originally water powered. Wooden chutes funneled water into the coal cavern and over a waterwheel that powered the pulleys. But there is no water now. The pulleys have to be manually turned to raise the ore to the higher levels.


Deeper in the mines, the explorers have returned with supplies to the second coal supply cavern. Work on the repairs begins. Those damaged beyond use buckets on this pulley system are removed while others are repaired. In short order it is made operational again. However, it has the same problem as the first pulley system. It was designed to be water powered and now there is no water.

The day finally reaches an end and the group makes their way back to the forth. Along the way they meet Daraden and Darkfang. Among the dwarves that Daraden meets this day are (NPC’s):

Baluk Ironforge, the assistant to Aria and the foreman of the workers. He assigns who does what job.

Salem Ironring, a scout skilled at exploring underground areas.

Senoia Redrock, female warrior who is eager for battle.

Thenek Strongaxe, the head miner who is prone to breaking into song while working.

And last, but not least, Oran Firehammer, a dwarven warrior of some renown.


GM Notes:

The map to the dwarven mines has been updated to include the new area.

Now what?

[Aria Stonehand]

Aria:

Looking up from her task, Aria finds that the others have returned with our missing finder.

Once he has found Aria, he will inform her. “ The cart is here loaded with supplies. The wench seems usable; we merely have to replace a few parts that have rotten through. There were a few Shadows in the area but from what we can tell none are left alive.”

“Good, very good. We can put those materials right to use on the ore buckets. Shadows you say? That doesn’t bode well.”

Once she’s located Grondar, Aria will ask, “It seems to me that we’re going to need some defensive measures to protect the workers in the tunnels from whatever else lurks down here. Can you do those spells that were laid in Fort Fletcher to protect against the invading forces? Glyphs, or whatever you called them? We don’t have enough manpower to guard each tunnel, so other means of protections are required.”

Aria will repeat the request to Dougan when she sees him.


Much progress seems to have been made this day, and so Aria calls a halt to the work and begins the trek back to the fort for a good hot meal and hearty ale. Along the way, it seems that a newcomer has arrived.

“Welcome Daraden Stormbeard. I am Aria Stonehand, charged by the dwarven king to liberate Hammerfall. Good to have you on board.”

Later on, after eating and having a few ales, Aria will discuss who to proceed next with those around her.

“The second coal cavern is almost ready to use. According to Farian the winch in the supply shaft will need some minor maintenance to make it useable once more. Right now, the biggest obstacle to moving the coal from the second storage area to the first is the gap across the chasm. The workers are seeing to that task and should have a new bridge in place in a few days. Therefore it seems to me that we should investigate why the water that powered the pulleys has dried up. If we can get that running again, it’ll free up workers for other tasks.”

“We also have multiple sources of potential danger, ranging from the natural caves below us to whatever lurks deeper in the mines. I’ve asked the priests if they have any spells that could provide some protections in this regard. They used trap spells that blocked out certain beings during the siege of the fort. I hope we can do the same thing as far as the mines are concerned. We don’t need the workers to be attacked by whatever else is down here with us.”

“Farian, I’d like you to take Grondar, and our new friend Daraden and see if you can find out what happened to the water that used to flow. Salem, I want you and Oran to go and scout out those natural tunnels down below. Find out if there are any dangers down there and just how large those caverns area. Dougan, Rat, Senoia, and I will explore the new tunnels off the second ore area and the supply shaft to see if there are any immediate dangers about. We’ll gather tomorrow evening to compare notes.”

“Let’s get some rest, lads. We have another full day ahead of us.”

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Once she’s located Grondar, Aria will ask, “It seems to me that we’re going to need some defensive measures to protect the workers in the tunnels from whatever else lurks down here. Can you do those spells that were laid in Fort Fletcher to protect against the invading forces? Glyphs, or whatever you called them? We don’t have enough manpower to guard each tunnel, so other means of protections are required.”

"Aye, I know the spell you mean, Aria. I can create one today and will have several more ready tomorrow morning. Where would you like the first one?" He creates the ward with a password which is the name of the king of the dwarves, and shares that with Aria and the others.

Once that is done, Grondar pitches in with the repair work, allowing those more skilled in the task to guide him. Some time later, Aria calls a halt for the day and they head back toward the fort. Along the way, they meet a dwarf who has just arrived. Interestingly enough, the dwarf seems to have a wolf companion!

"Hail, Daraden, and welcome!" says a craggy-faced dwarf in shiny chainmail. "I'm Grondar Foehammer, a priest of our Revered Mother, Berronar Truesilver." The holy symbol of twin rings resting against the outside of his armor appears to confirm this, which is unusual as most of Berronar's priests are female. "I take it the wolf there is with you?"

After dinner and ale, Aria hands out assignments for the following day. They are splitting up into smaller teams, most likely in an attempt to make some serious progess on a number of fronts. Hopefully it won't leave them too vulnerable.

A good night's sleep, and Grondar is up early performing devotions. Remembering Aria's plan, he requests more Glyph of Warding spells from his patron.

Over breakfast, Grondar approaches Aria. "I can create four more Wards today. Before we split up, how about showing me where you would like them placed?" The wards will be invested with the same password as the first.
__________________________________________________________
Temporarily, Grondar will replace all 3rd level spells with Glyph of Warding.

[farian]

Farian

“Good, very good. We can put those materials right to use on the ore buckets. Shadows you say? That doesn’t bode well.”

“No one said this venture was going to be easy, Lady Aria. With all the work that is happening it is a good thing. If there was no threat no danger our men would be relaxed, at least this way they are on guard, as it should be while we are outside our walls.”

Making his way back for a meal, Farian eats heartily having two portions in fact!

"Farian Silverpike, I'd be your scout, StormBeard huh?” He said looking over the new dwarf with mild interest, ‘Where you be from?” he asked curiously seeing the mongrel at his feet, “And this be your pet I’d wager. He raised his eyebrow curiously, I reckon this is the first time I seen a wolf within a mine, You sure that be wise?”

Putting his feet up on the table leaning in his chair smoking a pipe, Aria begins to put forth her plans. “Aye, we will leave at first light, Probably a cave in or the likes.’ Bringing his hand to his pipe he let out a puff of smoke and released it. “maybe dried out.” He added though he wonders, what if it was diverted.

[Aria Stonehand]

Aria:

"Aye, I know the spell you mean, Aria. I can create one today and will have several more ready tomorrow morning. Where would you like the first one?" He creates the ward with a password, which is the name of the king of the dwarves, and shares that with Aria and the others.

“Place it on the fort side of the crevice where the workers are building the bridge. That’ll cover everything between here and Fort Fletcher and will guard against anything coming up from the caves below.”

“No one said this venture was going to be easy, Lady Aria. With all the work that is happening it is a good thing. If there was no threat no danger our men would be relaxed, at least this way they are on guard, as it should be while we are outside our walls.”

“Nor did I expect it to be,” Aria answers easily. “We’re dwarves and would always rather work for what we have then just have it given to us. I have no problem with the men being on guard, but they shouldn’t be needlessly put into danger if it can be avoided either. This is just a little more protection for them.

Putting his feet up on the table leaning in his chair smoking a pipe, Aria begins to put forth her plans. “Aye, we will leave at first light, Probably a cave in or the likes.’ Bringing his hand to his pipe he let out a puff of smoke and released it. “Maybe dried out.” He added though he wonders, what if it was diverted.

“Baluk has the maps we were entrusted with for this area. I believe that the source of the water flow was a mountain lake in a valley on the surface. We know that there have been earth tremors here in the past. The chasm is proof of that. So the flow could have been diverted elsewhere, is blocked, or maybe the lake has since run dry. You’ll have to find out what did happen and if anything can be done to restore the flow.”

Over breakfast, Grondar approaches Aria. "I can create four more Wards today. Before we split up, how about showing me where you would like them placed?" The wards will be invested with the same password as the first.

Aria considers for a moment, rubbing her growing facial stubble and then says, “Place one in the tunnel above the second coal depot, right before the drop off as it’ll cover multiple ways. Another can be placed on the tunnel to the supply shaft you explored yesterday. Then add one to each of the other exits from that second coal supply depot. Those can be done on your way to find out what happened to the water supply.”

[Daraden Stormbeard]

Daraden Stormbeard:

“Oh, some of them are all right,” Jenna says with a shrug. “But it is better to be among your own kind. They’re just too different at times.” Jenna nods her understanding as to Darkfang’s status.

"I guess there be a few who are worthy of keeping their heads attached to their shoulders a while longer," Daraden finally concedes.

“Oh, not today,” Jenna answers almost apologetically. “I’ve been assigned to move coal to the furnace today. Thus I must remain here so that we all can be warm.”

"Every role is an important one, even if it doesn't always seem that way," Daraden says with a spark of wisdom beyond his years.

After being given directions, Daraden enters the mines but finds that they are not wolf friendly as they change levels many times. A rope harness is used to pull the wolf up or lower him down as need be.

(Darkfang will probably have to be carried. The buckets are only usable going up. They’re ‘down’ on the way back to the cavern below.)

"Quit yer strugglin', will you!" Daraden gripes as he dwarf-handles his wolf through the various levels. "It'd go faster if you'd just relax and let me do all the heavy lifting."

“Ah, then you must be somewhat familiar with this area? Good. I am sure that Lady Aria will welcome your assistance. There are only a few of us right now, but more reinforcements will be on the way.”

"The surrounding area, yes," Daraden says. "I haven't ever been down here before now."

Dougan will bring Daraden up to date on what they’ve accomplished thus far.

“The others are away dealing with the spiders that infested the next coal supply cavern. That’s still a fair distance away from here, but I am sure that they’ll be coming back soon if you wish to wait. As for helping, there is certainly plenty to do here.”

"If they're to be back soon, I might as well wait," Daraden says. "Darkfang can guard an area if the need is there, and I'll put my back into anything that needs to get done."

Daraden doesn't comment on the spiders. They seem to be a common enough sight, especially how long the mine has been vacated. It'll be if they encountered anything else that he'll be more curious about. Daraden will help out wherever he might be needed, meeting the other dwarves down there throughout the rest of the day. Eventually though, the expedition group does return.

“Welcome Daraden Stormbeard. I am Aria Stonehand, charged by the dwarven king to liberate Hammerfall. Good to have you on board.”

"An honor indeed to be so charged with this glorious task, Aria Stonehand," Daraden says, "as is the honor in meeting you."

"Hail, Daraden, and welcome!" says a craggy-faced dwarf in shiny chainmail. "I'm Grondar Foehammer, a priest of our Revered Mother, Berronar Truesilver." The holy symbol of twin rings resting against the outside of his armor appears to confirm this, which is unusual as most of Berronar's priests are female. "I take it the wolf there is with you?"

"Thanks to such a welcome, Grondar Foehammer," Daraden replies. "It is good to see so many of our devoted here in this honorable task. I see you do the Revered Mother's work. That is truly a blessing."

Resting a heavy hand on Darkfang, Daraden replies additionally, "Yes, this is Darkfang and he has been my loyal companion all these long months in the wild. We've been scouting the area and were tracking an orcish force, but it was wiped from the land without a trace."

"Farian Silverpike, I'd be your scout, StormBeard huh?” He said looking over the new dwarf with mild interest, ‘Where you be from?” he asked curiously seeing the mongrel at his feet, “And this be your pet I’d wager. He raised his eyebrow curiously, I reckon this is the first time I seen a wolf within a mine, You sure that be wise?”

"Yes, I'm one of the Stormbeards," Daraden replies, puffing up his chest a bit, "and I'm from here and there. As I was just telling Grondar, I've been looking for signs of activity around here to tell me when the dwarves were finally ready to return. Since you're here, I'm here."

"I don't know how wise it is for Darkfang to be here considering what it took for me to get his blasted hide down here!" Daraden chuckles. "I just keep telling him it's a big cave and he'll be fine."

Darkfang lets out a long, rolling series of barks and yowls at that. "Oh simmer down!" he says, then turns back to Farian. "A scout you say? I figure you'll be wearing out your boot soles faster than most've the rest of us then."

He says the last in good humor to let Farian know he means no disrespect. Daraden has a lot more in common with him than most of the others considering how many miles he's put on his own soles.

“Farian, I’d like you to take Grondar, and our new friend Daraden and see if you can find out what happened to the water that used to flow. Salem, I want you and Oran to go and scout out those natural tunnels down below. Find out if there are any dangers down there and just how large those caverns area. Dougan, Rat, Senoia, and I will explore the new tunnels off the second ore area and the supply shaft to see if there are any immediate dangers about. We’ll gather tomorrow evening to compare notes.”

Daraden listens to Aria's instructions and admires her for the way she hands everything out efficiently and clearly. A fine leader he feels she will be, especially for however the dwarven king decides to reward her upon completion of their task.

Daraden will down the rest of his ale and then find a nice flat part of the mine to lay down on. Using Darkfang as a pillow, he closes his eyes and drifts off into snoring slumber.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Previously:

"I guess there be a few who are worthy of keeping their heads attached to their shoulders a while longer," Daraden finally concedes.

“Everyone played an important role in keeping the fort safe during the attack,” Jenna explains. “It appears that we’re entering into a new era of dwarf, human, and elfin cooperation.”

"Every role is an important one, even if it doesn't always seem that way," Daraden says with a spark of wisdom beyond his years.

“Yes, I can understand that,” Jenna answers, showing her own wisdom. “Everything we do here, every job no matter how mundane is important to the overall cause.”

"The surrounding area, yes," Daraden says. "I haven't ever been down here before now."

“Still”, Dougan answers, “Thanks to you we now know more than we did before.”


New Explorations:

The dwarves return from the mines and introductions are made with Daraden. A fine meal and ale is had as the dwarves settle in for the evening. Plans for the next day are made. Aria repeats the request she made to Grondar concerning the placement of Glyphs of Warding to Dougan Ironhammer.

“My apologies, Lady Aria”, Dougan answers. “I know of the magic of which you speak, but alas it is currently beyond my skill to invoke. I will not be able to render aid in this matter.”

After hearing about Grondar’s plan to have password protected Glyphs, Dougan will say, “Do you think that it is wise to structure your Glyphs in such a manner? It seems to me that we’ll have workers passing these protections dozens of times each day and each time they’ll be required to utter the password. I am sure that someone will eventually forget to say the password and be harmed, perhaps even killed by the protection. It seems a wiser course of action to not have a password, but to tailor the glyph to allow only dwarves and our companions to pass freely.”

As the dwarves relax from their day’s efforts by sharing ale and stories, Jenna will say hello to Daraden and Darkfang again. Senoia shares tales of the groups’ exploits down in the natural caverns. However her version of the story seems to be a lot more exciting then what really happened.

“How did your friend like the mines?” She’ll inquire.


To Grondar Jenna will say, “Welcome back Revered Brother. I trust your day went well. I look forward to continuing my training.


After a hearty breakfast, the dwarves begin the tasks Aria has set forth. Salem and Oran are changed with the task of exploring the natural caverns below. A large contingent makes their way to the second coal supply cavern. Once there, Aria, Dougan, Rat and Senoia go down to the cavern using the rusty metal ladder, while Daraden, Grondar, and Farian will climb up. (This area #7 on the map.)

A wooden trough that used to channel the water spirals up the shaft. The ladder goes up about 100’ before ending at a rough tunnel. The trough continues down this tunnel into the darkness.


GM Notes:

What’s your marching order going to be? Anything else you’re going to do before attempting to find out why the water stopped flowing?

Now what?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

“Place it on the fort side of the crevice where the workers are building the bridge. That’ll cover everything between here and Fort Fletcher and will guard against anything coming up from the caves below.”

"Yes, ma'am. Give me a few minutes, and I'll have it set up."

After hearing about Grondar’s plan to have password protected Glyphs, Dougan will say, “Do you think that it is wise to structure your Glyphs in such a manner? It seems to me that we’ll have workers passing these protections dozens of times each day and each time they’ll be required to utter the password. I am sure that someone will eventually forget to say the password and be harmed, perhaps even killed by the protection. It seems a wiser course of action to not have a password, but to tailor the glyph to allow only dwarves and our companions to pass freely.”

"Ahh, a good point, Dougan. Thank you. I will do as you say."

"Thanks to such a welcome, Grondar Foehammer," Daraden replies. "It is good to see so many of our devoted here in this honorable task. I see you do the Revered Mother's work. That is truly a blessing."

Grondar inclines his head in acknowledgement of Daraden's praise. "I conduct a short devotional every morning. You are always welcome to join us."

Resting a heavy hand on Darkfang, Daraden replies additionally, "Yes, this is Darkfang and he has been my loyal companion all these long months in the wild. We've been scouting the area and were tracking an orcish force, but it was wiped from the land without a trace."

"Hmm..." Grondar murmurs, rubbing his chin. "That may have been the one that we were expecting a few days ago. As best we can determine, they were wiped out by the Cold One's forces in the area and transformed into an army of her frozen warriors. Frotunately, we were able to destroy them and her priests in the area."

To Grondar Jenna will say, “Welcome back Revered Brother. I trust your day went well. I look forward to continuing my training.

"Aye, Jenna, indeed! First thing in the morning as usual. I will see you then."

Putting his feet up on the table leaning in his chair smoking a pipe, Aria begins to put forth her plans. “Aye, we will leave at first light, Probably a cave in or the likes.’ Bringing his hand to his pipe he let out a puff of smoke and released it. “maybe dried out.” He added though he wonders, what if it was diverted.

“Baluk has the maps we were entrusted with for this area. I believe that the source of the water flow was a mountain lake in a valley on the surface. We know that there have been earth tremors here in the past. The chasm is proof of that. So the flow could have been diverted elsewhere, is blocked, or maybe the lake has since run dry. You’ll have to find out what did happen and if anything can be done to restore the flow.”

"Whatever the cause, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, my friends. The difficult part may be fixing the problem. However, I'm sure this fine crew of ours will find a way, whatever the problem may be."

In the morning, Grondar leads a short service for those who are interested in attending. As usual, there is a short period before the service of private instruction for Jenna. Then she assists him in leading the service itself, allowing it to serve as an instrument of instruction.

Aria considers for a moment, rubbing her growing facial stubble and then says, “Place one in the tunnel above the second coal depot, right before the drop off as it’ll cover multiple ways. Another can be placed on the tunnel to the supply shaft you explored yesterday. Then add one to each of the other exits from that second coal supply depot. Those can be done on your way to find out what happened to the water supply.”

Grondar pauses a moment to mentally envision the locations she describes. "Ah, I gotcha. None of those locations will take me too far out of my way, so it shouldn't cost us much time. Once they're done, this whole section will be significantly safer for all of us."

As promised, Grondar creates the four wardings as instructed by Aria as they make their way to the second supply cavern. This will be the first time any of them have ascended this shaft, so they will have to be wary of hazards along the way. Among these is the poor condition of the ladder itself, which presents a possible falling hazard. It is even possible that it won't reach all the way to the top, which would make reaching the tunnel even more difficult.

Grondar is happy to let Farian lead the way, as he is the best climber. After that, he will let Daraden decide whether he wants the middle or rear position.

[farian]

Farian

"I don't know how wise it is for Darkfang to be here considering what it took for me to get his blasted hide down here!" Daraden chuckles. "I just keep telling him it's a big cave and he'll be fine."

Darkfang lets out a long, rolling series of barks and yowls at that. "Oh simmer down!" he says, then turns back to Farian. "A scout you say? I figure you'll be wearing out your boot soles faster than most've the rest of us then."

“Aye that I be, not in the least. There be a trick to it there is. Move slowly and cautiously only running when one needs to be”

After eating his fill, Farian raises up from the table, drinks the last of his mead and slams the mug down. “Well, it be time to move.”

Farian will take the lead and move slowly and silently as he can. He will look for tracks amongst the mine, hoping that perhaps there are some sign.

[Aria Stonehand]

Aria:

"An honor indeed to be so charged with this glorious task, Aria Stonehand," Daraden says, "as is the honor in meeting you."

“You’re welcomed, Daraden. So you’re from the Stormbeard family then? That explains the wolf then,” Aria notes. “The Stormbeards are renowned for their skill in training animals.”

“My apologies, Lady Aria”, Dougan answers. “I know of the magic of which you speak, but alas it is currently beyond my skill to invoke. I will not be able to render aid in this matter.”

“No need to apologize for something you cannot do,” Aria answers. “I know very little about the ways of magic. If such a spell hadn’t been used and discussed here in Fort Fletcher, I never would have known about it.”

After hearing about Grondar’s plan to have password protected Glyphs, Dougan will say, “Do you think that it is wise to structure your Glyphs in such a manner? It seems to me that we’ll have workers passing these protections dozens of times each day and each time they’ll be required to utter the password. I am sure that someone will eventually forget to say the password and be harmed, perhaps even killed by the protection. It seems a wiser course of action to not have a password, but to tailor the glyph to allow only dwarves and our companions to pass freely.”

"Ahh, a good point, Dougan. Thank you. I will do as you say."

“Yes,” Aria adds, “lets make then as easy for us to pass through as possible. If a password was needed every time someone passed through, it is conceivable that an enemy could overhear it and get through unharmed.”

Grondar pauses a moment to mentally envision the locations she describes. "Ah, I gotcha. None of those locations will take me too far out of my way, so it shouldn't cost us much time. Once they're done, this whole section will be significantly safer for all of us."

“Very good.”


Once we reach the place where we part ways with Grondar, Farian, and Daraden, Aria will say, “Good fortune, lads. Here’s hoping you find water!”

[Grondar]

Grondar:

“Yes,” Aria adds, “lets make then as easy for us to pass through as possible. If a password was needed every time someone passed through, it is conceivable that an enemy could overhear it and get through unharmed.”

"Another good point, Aria. As you can tell, I don't have much experience with using this particular blessing yet," Grondar adds with a shrug.

Once we reach the place where we part ways with Grondar, Farian, and Daraden, Aria will say, “Good fortune, lads. Here’s hoping you find water!”

"Indeed. It does appear to be the key to getting this place up and running again.

[Daraden Stormbeard]

Daraden Stormbeard:

As the dwarves relax from their day’s efforts by sharing ale and stories, Jenna will say hello to Daraden and Darkfang again. Senoia shares tales of the groups’ exploits down in the natural caverns. However her version of the story seems to be a lot more exciting then what really happened.

“How did your friend like the mines?” She’ll inquire.

"Hello again, Jenna," Daraden says when she joins along with the rest of the dwarves. "Oh, he loves the mines," Daraden says with a scoff, which Darkfang retorts with a series of quick barks. Daraden merely "hhrrmmpphhss" at that and smiles at Jenna to let her know they play that sort of game all the time.

Grondar inclines his head in acknowledgement of Daraden's praise. "I conduct a short devotional every morning. You are always welcome to join us."

"I probably won't, just so you'll be knowing," Daraden says, "but I appreciate the offer all the same. My devotions lie on a different path."

"Hmm..." Grondar murmurs, rubbing his chin. "That may have been the one that we were expecting a few days ago. As best we can determine, they were wiped out by the Cold One's forces in the area and transformed into an army of her frozen warriors. Frotunately, we were able to destroy them and her priests in the area."

"Ah then that explains where they got off to," Daraden says, clearly relieved at the solving of the mystery. "The Cold One you say? Well, better them than me, although if you destroyed them, then we won't be having to fear none o' that nonsense anymore."

“Aye that I be, not in the least. There be a trick to it there is. Move slowly and cautiously only running when one needs to be”

"Like all things, there is a trick," Daraden agrees. "Yours and mine are quite close, if for different reasons."

“You’re welcomed, Daraden. So you’re from the Stormbeard family then? That explains the wolf then,” Aria notes. “The Stormbeards are renowned for their skill in training animals.”

"That's right, we are," Daraden says, puffing up his chest a bit at the recognition. He's glad to see that Aria is one of those that recognizes what his family brings to the clans rather than one of those that foolishly look down upon them.

Grondar is happy to let Farian lead the way, as he is the best climber. After that, he will let Daraden decide whether he wants the middle or rear position.

"We'll take the rear," Daraden says, including Darkfang. "If we haveta do much climbing, I'll be lugging around the flea-bitter there anyway and just be slowing yah all down. He will be good at letting us know if anything is amiss though, so I guess we'll keep him around a bit longer." Darkfang snaps at Daraden at that, and the dwarf simply laughs. It's a long, good-hearted laugh and soon Darkfang joins in with a yowling of his own.

Once we reach the place where we part ways with Grondar, Farian, and Daraden, Aria will say, “Good fortune, lads. Here’s hoping you find water!”

"And here I was hoping we'd find some ale, maybe some gold and a few dwarven artifacts," Daraden mutters, "but water'll be just as fine today."

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

A new day dawns at Fort Fletcher and after their morning preparations, the dwarves move back into the mines once more. Grondar sets multiple Glyphs of Warding into place for protection. While the workers pick up their tasks, the explorers are off once more. One group goes down into the natural caverns below the mine tunnels to map them out. Another will explore the various mine tunnels off the huge supply shaft. Lastly, Grondar, Farian, and Daraden are to go in search of the water the used to flow and power the dwarven waterwheels.

The climb up the iron ladder isn’t too bad since you’re prepared for its poor condition. It’s safe enough if you are careful and take your time. The ladder leads to a natural tunnel at the top. The wooden trough follows the tunnel along. The trough itself is essentially two wide wooden planks attached together to for a ‘V’ shape and sealed with tar. Iron bars were driven into the side of the tunnel support the trough every few feet.

Farian takes the lead, followed by Grondar with Daraden and Darkfang bringing up the rear. Farian moves up ahead, but not out of sight of Grondar. The scout searches for any tracks he can find. The floor of this tunnel is a combination of dirt and stone. Since there is no wind here, any tracks will remain undisturbed. The air isn’t as fresh as it could be.

Tracks are noted, all of them coming from the ladder and heading down the tunnel you are now traveling in. It is impossible to tell how recent the tracks are, but appear to be dwarven in origin. The tracks overlap each other, suggesting that many dwarves came this way.

Farian leads the way as the tunnel runs its way through the earth. The tunnel shrinks and expands as it goes along. It some places it is clear that tools were used to enlarge the tunnel in the distant past. All the while the trough continues to follow the tunnel.

Finally you come to something you were not expecting nearly a mile into the tunnel. Someone has erected a brick wall across the tunnel! The wall is a combination of bricks and mortar and appears to be dwarven in manufacture! Naturally, the wooden trough ends at this point, appearing to have been cut with a saw to allow the brick wall to seal the passage.


Now what?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

"I probably won't, just so you'll be knowing," Daraden says, "but I appreciate the offer all the same. My devotions lie on a different path."

"Sorry to hear that, but I hope you'll keep the it in mind for the future."

"Ah then that explains where they got off to," Daraden says, clearly relieved at the solving of the mystery. "The Cold One you say? Well, better them than me, although if you destroyed them, then we won't be having to fear none o' that nonsense anymore."

"That particular threat seems done, though I suspect that we'll hear from that particular god again eventually."

"We'll take the rear," Daraden says, including Darkfang. "If we haveta do much climbing, I'll be lugging around the flea-bitter there anyway and just be slowing yah all down. He will be good at letting us know if anything is amiss though, so I guess we'll keep him around a bit longer." Darkfang snaps at Daraden at that, and the dwarf simply laughs. It's a long, good-hearted laugh and soon Darkfang joins in with a yowling of his own.

Grondar simply nods and takes up his position in the middle. It actually works well for him; with his enchanted boots he can quickly be anywhere he needs to be.

"And here I was hoping we'd find some ale, maybe some gold and a few dwarven artifacts," Daraden mutters, "but water'll be just as fine today."

The newcomers comment draws a laugh and a slap on the back from Grondar. "Never fear, friend Daraden. I have no doubt we'll find plenty of ale come the end of the day."

The climb seems more precarious than perhaps it really is. Still, Grondar is careful due to the poor condition of the ladder and is rewarded by reaching the top safely.

The trough clearly leads down this tunnel, and the group follows along it for quite a ways. Farian's mention of tracks is disturbing, though at least they appear dwarven. Then a nasty though occurs to the priest.

"Could it be that our less pleasant cousins have come up from the deeps to steal our city?"

It all takes a weird turn when they come upon a wall blocking the tunnel. It seems an odd thing for any dwarf to do. Grondar turns to his companions.

"I suggest we return to the nearest storage depot and collect equipment to breach this wall. While the two of you select the tools we'll need, I can zip over and update Aria on what we've found."
______________________________________________________
Grondar's recommendation basically involves returning to (7) on the map. From there, he'll run catch up with Aria and fill her in. Meanwhile, the others can go to (10) as needed to get tools. If that trip will be longer than to wherever Aria is, then Grondar can go fetch the tools. Either way, they can meet back up at (7) and return to the funky wall.

[Daraden Stormbeard]

Daraden Stormbeard:

The newcomers comment draws a laugh and a slap on the back from Grondar. "Never fear, friend Daraden. I have no doubt we'll find plenty of ale come the end of the day."

"Aye, but the end of the day is always the furthest away and hardly stays once it shows up," Daraden grumbles. "Ah well, at least there's still the hopes of gold and dwarven artifacts," he adds wistfully.

"Could it be that our less pleasant cousins have come up from the deeps to steal our city?"

"It would be their style, for certain," Daraden replies.

Finally you come to something you were not expecting nearly a mile into the tunnel. Someone has erected a brick wall across the tunnel! The wall is a combination of bricks and mortar and appears to be dwarven in manufacture! Naturally, the wooden trough ends at this point, appearing to have been cut with a saw to allow the brick wall to seal the passage.

"I suggest we return to the nearest storage depot and collect equipment to breach this wall. While the two of you select the tools we'll need, I can zip over and update Aria on what we've found."

"By my grandpappie's beard, what is this nonsense?" Daraden questions, looking at the wall. Listening to Grondar's suggestion, Daraden simply replies, "Alright," and heads off to gather up some tools.

[farian]

Farian

Aye, but the end of the day is always the furthest away and hardly stays once it shows up," Daraden grumbles. "Ah well, at least there's still the hopes of gold and dwarven artifacts," he adds wistfully.

“Don’t be getting a head of yourselves.” He says simply as he looks back over his shoulder, “Lots of work to be done.” As they come to a rather odd site.

His eyebrow cocks up I curiously as he moves toward checking the wall. Brick and mortar. He can’t help but wonder just how old the wall his as he looks back at the others. “Nonsense is it? We don’t build walls with out good reason.” He says simply, “Whatever was behind this wall, gave our kin quite a scare.”

Looking to Daraden, “If we are going to breach this wall, we only remove what we must to pass. I think we should move one brick and have a look, if it appears safe we will remove enough for one dwarf to move through.”

“I not be liking this. What would make out kin run scared like this… Drow?” then something hits him for one reason or another, “A big lizard...” he wonders out loud.

[Aria Stonehand]

Aria:

"Another good point, Aria. As you can tell, I don't have much experience with using this particular blessing yet," Grondar adds with a shrug.

“Afraid I can’t help you there, Priest,” Aria answers. “But having to speak the password all the time just means that others may hear it. More common sense then anything.”

"Indeed. It does appear to be the key to getting this place up and running again.”

“At least in this section of the mines. I’m sure there will be many other challenges along the way.”

"That's right, we are," Daraden says, puffing up his chest a bit at the recognition. He's glad to see that Aria is one of those that recognize what his family brings to the clans rather than one of those that foolishly look down upon them.

“I’m sure your skills will be of great use in the days to come.”


While exploring a mine tunnel, Aria is surprised when Grondar runs up to her. She forgets how fast the priest can move with his magical boots. He reports that they’ve come to a wall, literally.

“A dwarven built wall you say? How odd. The obvious reason for this is that when our ancestors left this area, they went that way and built a wall behind them to seal the passageway off. What for I cannot fathom, although it could have something to do with the dark elf tracks found in the lower tunnels. Yes, break through the wall and continue on. But if you find strong resistance, then return for assistance. Tread cautiously. No one would take the time to build such a thing without reason.”

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

While searching for the reason why water no longer flows in the mines, the dwarves have discovered that a wall has sealed the tunnel they were traveling in. The group retraces their steps back to pick up tools need to breach the barrier while Grondar goes to update Aria on the situation.

Once back at the wall, the dwarves begin to work. Removing the first block is the hardest. Once that one is out, several others follow quickly and soon there is an opening large enough for the group to pass through.

On the other side of the wall, the trough continues on, but there is no water in it. The piece that was cut out lies to one side. A few more blocks are there, extras that were not used. A small barrel holds now long hardened mortar. Numerous footprints cover the area and eventually they all lead onward. No tools were left behind.

The group continues onward following the tunnel and the water trough. A few hours and miles later the tunnel opens up into a much larger cavern. The left side of the tunnel falls away and you find that the path is now a ledge on the side of a cliff face. Far, far below you can faintly make out the flow of an orangish-red liquid. A river of lava flows far below you.

Other ledges with tunnels are noted on the far side of the cavern and the roof is sixty feet overhead. No one or thing is about and there are no signs of civilization in this cavern, save for the wood trough that is mounted to the side of the cliff face. A few normal bats fly overhead.

The path begins to turn to your right as you move through this vast cavern. Rounding a bend, you suddenly come to a dead end. The path ahead has fallen away for a span of forty feet! All that remains is the trough across this gap. You can see that the path picks up on the other side of this chasm.


Now what?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

"It would be their style, for certain," Daraden replies.

Grondar grimaces. It is good to know, he supposes, but is still a grim possibility indeed.

Looking to Daraden, “If we are going to breach this wall, we only remove what we must to pass. I think we should move one brick and have a look, if it appears safe we will remove enough for one dwarf to move through.”

“I not be liking this. What would make out kin run scared like this… Drow?” then something hits him for one reason or another, “A big lizard...” he wonders out loud.

Farian's suggestion of opening the wall carefully is a good one. However, Grondar suspects that he may be assuming too much. "I'm not sure we know it was built by our kin, Farian. If the duergar have come up and taken our city, it may have been built to keep others - including us - out. Not that a simple wall would stop dwarves..."

“A dwarven built wall you say? How odd. The obvious reason for this is that when our ancestors left this area, they went that way and built a wall behind them to seal the passageway off. What for I cannot fathom, although it could have something to do with the dark elf tracks found in the lower tunnels. Yes, break through the wall and continue on. But if you find strong resistance, then return for assistance. Tread cautiously. No one would take the time to build such a thing without reason.”

Grondar races off to fill Aria in on what they found. Her thoughts seem to reflect those of Farian. Perhaps his own theory is less likely. "Indeed. We shall go with care, though if you're right, then the danger is on your side of the wall..."

Once they are finished, Grondar races back to catch up with his companions. Passing the wall does not prove prohibitively difficult and they are through in a little while. There is no immediate danger, so they continue on.

Eventually, the dwarves find themselves in a huge natural cavern. Their path is little more than a ledge along the wall, and the lava flowing far below makes the cavern uncomfortably warm. There are no signs of movement or creatures of any kind, which seems somewhat odd to Grondar as he would have expected something to move in after the dwarves left.

Round the next bend, they come to a dead end. The ledge is missing a section, leaving little more than open air for crossing.

"Any thoughts on how to cross?" Grondar asks Farian and Daraden. "How strong do you think that trough is? Would it hold a dwarf? If Rat were here, he might be able to scurry across on that."

[Daraden Stormbeard]

Daraden Stormbeard:

Once back at the wall, the dwarves begin to work. Removing the first block is the hardest. Once that one is out, several others follow quickly and soon there is an opening large enough for the group to pass through.

"No doubt about the craftsmanship there," Daraden says once they finally pull out the first block. Shortly after, they've cleared enough to pass through, see as how there is nothing on the other side to greet them or otherwise.

The group continues onward following the tunnel and the water trough. A few hours and miles later the tunnel opens up into a much larger cavern. The left side of the tunnel falls away and you find that the path is now a ledge on the side of a cliff face. Far, far below you can faintly make out the flow of an orangish-red liquid. A river of lava flows far below you.

Other ledges with tunnels are noted on the far side of the cavern and the roof is sixty feet overhead. No one or thing is about and there are no signs of civilization in this cavern, save for the wood trough that is mounted to the side of the cliff face. A few normal bats fly overhead.

"Kinda nice in a strangely empty and devoid of life sort of way," Daraden says, noting only a few bats as residents of the cavern. It is a marvel to look at though, having been aboveground for so long. The emptiness of it keeps him edgy however.

The path begins to turn to your right as you move through this vast cavern. Rounding a bend, you suddenly come to a dead end. The path ahead has fallen away for a span of forty feet! All that remains is the trough across this gap. You can see that the path picks up on the other side of this chasm.

"Any thoughts on how to cross?" Grondar asks Farian and Daraden. "How strong do you think that trough is? Would it hold a dwarf? If Rat were here, he might be able to scurry across on that."

Daraden looks at the gap and then looks down as Grondar asks his questions. He whistles softly and says, "You sure don't want to be falling down that now."

"It's an idea for certain, Grondar," Daraden says, regarding the trough. "If the lightest of us can make it across with a pair of ropes, we can add support to it to allow the heaviest of us to cross."

[farian]

Farian

"No doubt about the craftsmanship there," Daraden says once they finally pull out the first block. Shortly after, they've cleared enough to pass through, see as how there is nothing on the other side to greet them or otherwise.

“Aye, they wanted to keep something out. But what? We saw no signs of anything except maybe the spiders..I don’t understand it.” He said gruffly as he dropped the last stone and walked through the wall.

Farian's suggestion of opening the wall carefully is a good one. However, Grondar suspects that he may be assuming too much. "I'm not sure we know it was built by our kin, Farian. If the duergar have come up and taken our city, it may have been built to keep others - including us - out. Not that a simple wall would stop dwarves..."

“Are you so sure? Deurgar are greedier then most you think they would leave the coal mines to fuel their smithies. No dwarf would do such a thing without some threat lingering. We have seen no passing of dwarves for sometime only elves. We dug to deep and to far from home, to save what we held dear they blocked it off.” He assures himself as well as those willing to hear him.

Farian looked at the chasm, flowing far beneath is a river of molten lava. “Bugger me.” He said as he looked down at the sight. “I be wondering,” taking up a handful of dirt and rock if there is any he’ll throw it out on the chasm.

"Any thoughts on how to cross?" Grondar asks Farian and Daraden. "How strong do you think that trough is? Would it hold a dwarf? If Rat were here, he might be able to scurry across on that."

Rubbing his head, “Must you always be asking so many questions?” he grumbles, “I beginning to get a headache. But he is not so let us focus on the task at hand rather then what could be.” He said gruffly. He slowly wondered just how much this dwarf has been around human or elves, cause he sure not be thinking like a dwarf!

(Curious The chasm, is the trough supported by itself or is against a wall? Or kinda of free floating.) Farian will inspect the trough to see how stable it is. If it is built into a wall or near the wall and idea springs to his mind. “We’ll be needing a hammer and spikes, good length of rope to say 60 feet.” It is his intent to walk the trough driving spikes into the rock wall, lashing the rope to the spikes as he goes say every 3-5 feet for support.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Farian looked at the chasm, flowing far beneath is a river of molten lava. "Bugger me." He said as he looked down at the sight. "I be wondering," taking up a handful of dirt and rock if there is any he'll throw it out on the chasm.

The dirt and rock fall into the chasm. The missing part is really missing, not invisible or an illusion.

Is the trough supported by itself or is against a wall? Or kinda of free floating.

The trough itself is essentially two wide wooden planks attached together to for a 'V' shape and sealed with tar. Iron bars were driven into the side of the tunnel support the trough every few feet so it is somewhat sturdy.

Farian will inspect the trough to see how stable it is. If it is built into a wall or near the wall and idea springs to his mind. "We'll be needing a hammer and spikes, good length of rope to say 60 feet." It is his intent to walk the trough driving spikes into the rock wall, lashing the rope to the spikes as he goes say every 3-5 feet for support.

The trough does seem sturdy enough to walk across. The planks are thick and regularly supported. (Dwarves are known for building for longevity, not for aesthetics.)

[Grondar]

Grondar:

“Are you so sure? Deurgar are greedier then most you think they would leave the coal mines to fuel their smithies. No dwarf would do such a thing without some threat lingering. We have seen no passing of dwarves for sometime only elves. We dug to deep and to far from home, to save what we held dear they blocked it off.” He assures himself as well as those willing to hear him.

"Not sure at all, Farian. Just wanting to avoid making too many assumptions."

"Kinda nice in a strangely empty and devoid of life sort of way," Daraden says, noting only a few bats as residents of the cavern. It is a marvel to look at though, having been aboveground for so long. The emptiness of it keeps him edgy however.

"After so many years aboveground, it does have a bit of the feel of home, doesn't it?"

Rubbing his head, “Must you always be asking so many questions?” he grumbles, “I beginning to get a headache. But he is not so let us focus on the task at hand rather then what could be.” He said gruffly. He slowly wondered just how much this dwarf has been around human or elves, cause he sure not be thinking like a dwarf!

Grondar ignores his friend's grumbling. Such is the nature of dwarves.

"It's an idea for certain, Grondar," Daraden says, regarding the trough. "If the lightest of us can make it across with a pair of ropes, we can add support to it to allow the heaviest of us to cross."

Grondar nods. "I'm not certain who among us is the lightest, though I suspect our Wayfinder would have the best chance of making it across safely." He looks over at Farian, but doesn't ask the obvious question.

[farian]

Farian

Seeing the trough is built solidly Farian will say, “ I think we will be getting across but We will need some rope to be on the safe side. I don’t think any of want to become…” looking down into the chasm. If need to be Farian will go back and grab some rope(2x) and climbing spikes if any are available in the supply depot.

Once ready he will tie the rope about him and ask the others two to hold the end as he makes his way across the chasm

[GM Mad]

Post Closed