HH Productions

Hammerfall #16


The dwarves have reached Rockhaven, a minor suburb of Hammerfall. They’ve witnessed a fierce battle between hobgoblins and derro. The hobgoblins won and then the dwarves took them out. Trolls where found guarding an apartment building and the dwarves went to investigate.

The trolls were defeated and the group moved inside. Just inside the building was a trio of Shriekers, fungus that made a racket that could wake the dead when something passed by them. The Shriekers were destroyed and the local area explored. Nothing was found, but Darkfang sensed something coming up the stairs. The dwarves stand ready to attack.

Oran, Senoia, Daraden and Virae move to confront whatever it is coming up the stairs. Everyone soon realizes that it is three more trolls! Oran slams his Firehammer into the lead troll and takes it down in a bloody heap.

Senoia lands a series of blows with her warhammers, but it isn’t enough to take the monster down. Grondar lends a hand by burying a pair of crossbow bolts into the trolls’ head. It goes down after that.

Daraden scores one hit on the third troll and Farian adds a crossbow bolt. Virae cleans up with her swords and the last troll goes down.

Once the three trolls are down, the warriors can see a fourth member of the group, but one that is not another troll! The creature is man-sized, but certainly not human or demihuman! It has mauve colored skin that glistens with slime. Where its mouth should be there are four tentacles about as long as your arm. The creature has white eyes without any pupils. It’s dressed in dark colored robes covered with strange symbols.

“Mind Flayer!” Oran roars as he rushes to attack.

A strange, nearly invisible surge of energy comes from the creature’s forehead and it rushes outwards in the shape of a cone. The energy washes over Oran, Daraden, Virae, Senoia, and Darkfang. In its wake Daraden, Darkfang, and Senoia come to a complete stop and seem stunned.

Oran is unaffected by the blast and slams his Firehammer into the creature not once, but twice. The creature is badly hurt from the attacks and tries to flee. Virae adds her blades to the mix and the creature goes down without a sound. The creature never did speak.

“There’s your troll masters,” Oran says, pointing his Firehammer towards the downed creature. “A filthy Mind Flayer! They crack your head open and suck out you brain!”


GM Notes:

Those stunned by the Mind Flayer will be like that for about 5 minutes. They’ll be fine after that.

Now what?

Oran:

It’s not a surprise that more trolls come ambling up the stairs. The Firehammer makes short work of the lead troll and the others dispatch the other two. Only then is the master of the trolls revealed!

"Mind Flayer!" Oran roars as he rushes to attack.

Oran’s come across these foul creatures before during his adventures with Drakkimor. They are evil monsters possessing strange powers over the minds of others. The Mind Flayer attacks, but Oran withstands its mental assault. The Firehammer strikes twice and Virae lands the killing blow on the monster.

“Well done, lass,” Oran says to Virae. “You want to take these monsters down as fast as you can.”

"There's your troll masters," Oran says to the group, pointing his Firehammer towards the downed creature. "A filthy Mind Flayer! They crack your head open and suck out you brain!"

Turning to Grondar, Oran adds, “Our friends are stunned, but it will wear off. We had best be prepared to encounter more trolls and mind flayers as we move underneath this building. It seems that we’ve stumbled unto their lair.”

Senoia:

More trolls are coming up the stairs and Senoia wildly swings her hammers at the closest one. The strikes are not enough to put the lanky sucker down, but a pair of crossbow bolts finishes the job.

With the trolls gone, another figure is revealed. A hideous monster unlike anything Senoia has ever seen! It has a weird head and tentacles around its’ mouth! Some kind of energy washes over Senoia and that’s the last thing she remembers.

Virae

“Well done, lass,” Oran says to Virae. “You want to take these monsters down as fast as you can.”

Cleaning off her blades, Virae looks down at the Mind Flayer, “It’s uglier then a troll!” She states as she looks back at Oran. “Are they truly that dangerous?” she asks curiously.

“Tis a shame we could not burn this place to the ground.” She says absently to the dwarves.

Farian

Waiting patiently for a shot Farian aims his crossbow and scores a hit as the fighters bring the trolls down. Though, a strange creature walks up its eyes milky white and tentacles coming from its mouth. Oran screams what it is, and Farian can’t help but think so that’s a mind flayer. Sure doesn’t look like much, but then looks can be deceiving as Virae and Oran take it down.

“If there is one, how many more can they be?” he asks Oran as he mentions their lair.

Daraden:

The trolls were defeated and the group moved inside. Just inside the building was a trio of Shriekers, fungus that made a racket that could wake the dead when something passed by them. The Shriekers were destroyed and the local area explored. Nothing was found, but Darkfang sensed something coming up the stairs. The dwarves stand ready to attack.

Darkfang alerts everyone that someone or something approaches. It turns out to be more trolls. Daraden joins the others in bringing the attack to them and the three they face are quickly dealt with.

Once the three trolls are down, the warriors can see a fourth member of the group, but one that is not another troll! The creature is man-sized, but certainly not human or demihuman! It has mauve colored skin that glistens with slime. Where its mouth should be there are four tentacles about as long as your arm. The creature has white eyes without any pupils. It’s dressed in dark colored robes covered with strange symbols.

“Mind Flayer!” Oran roars as he rushes to attack.

"Boy, that be one ugggggly..." is about all Daraden can comment before he's left standing around blankly. Hopefully the others can deal with it...

Grondar:

Not surprisingly, trolls appear from the stairwell and the dwarves set to work. The battle is bloody, but the dwarves are doing well.

Then, some strange creature emerges from behind them. A wave of... pain... sweeps outward from the creature, encompassing many of the dwarves. Grondar grits his teeth a marshals his will to resist it. Several of the group succumb and suddenly become immobile.

It is only Oran's roar that identifies the creature; so that is what a mind flayer looks like... Grondar has heard the name, but never seen one and only heard vague descriptions. Yee-uch! Oran and Virae cut it down before it can flee.

Oran wrote:“There’s your troll masters,” Oran says, pointing his Firehammer towards the downed creature. “A filthy Mind Flayer! They crack your head open and suck out you brain!”

Turning to Grondar, Oran adds, “Our friends are stunned, but it will wear off. We had best be prepared to encounter more trolls and mind flayers as we move underneath this building. It seems that we’ve stumbled unto their lair.”

"This is grim tidings, my friend. These two working together make a very dangerous combination."

Virae wrote:“Tis a shame we could not burn this place to the ground.” She says absently to the dwarves.

"An interesting idea, Virae." Grondar scratches his chin and turns to Oran.

"How much do you know of these creatures, Oran? Would it be effective to topple this building into the hole as we did the derro tunnel earlier? Or would they just tunnel out?" In truth, Grondar would just as soon put this behind them; Aria still needs saving, and that won't happen if they get bogged down here.

Oran:

Virae wrote:Cleaning off her blades, Virae looks down at the Mind Flayer, “It’s uglier then a troll!” She states as she looks back at Oran. “Are they truly that dangerous?” she asks curiously.

“At least they don’t smell as bad,” Oran offers offhandedly.

“Yes, they are that dangerous. Treat them like a powerful mage. Get close hit’m hard and hit’m fast before they can unleash their spells. What we felt is what Drakkimor called a Cone of Stunning. Those who struck by the magic are rendered defenseless for at least ten to twenty minutes. Plus they can control other beings seemingly without the use of visible magic.”

Grondar wrote:"This is grim tidings, my friend. These two working together make a very dangerous combination."

“This is no partnership,” Oran counters. “The Mind Flayers are the masters here. This explains why those trolls outside wouldn’t chase us. They were being dominated and were obeying orders.

Virae wrote:“Tis a shame we could not burn this place to the ground.” She says absently to the dwarves.

Grondar wrote:"An interesting idea, Virae." Grondar scratches his chin and turns to Oran.

"How much do you know of these creatures, Oran? Would it be effective to topple this building into the hole as we did the derro tunnel earlier? Or would they just tunnel out?" In truth, Grondar would just as soon put this behind them; Aria still needs saving, and that won't happen if they get bogged down here.

“We ran into these things a couple of times when I travelled with Drakkimor. They always seemed to be holed up in some distant outpost. Never saw more than three of them at a time, so I’d have to assume that there’s only one or two more of these monsters to contend with here.”

“This is a solidly built dwarven stone building, Grondar. I doubt that it would be worth our effort to try and collapse it and/or burn it. It would make a heck of a racket. These Mind Flayers have some form or innate travel ability, sort of like a mage Teleport spell I would assume. They are here one moment, and gone the next. It would be gone long before we could carry out such a plan.”

“There’s also something else we need to consider. These creatures are slave keepers. We have to consider the possibility that there are other slaves here in addition to trolls. We’d be killing them too. These things eat brains, so you’d think that they’d have to have food available to them.”

“In my opinion, we should press on cautiously. If we run into any more Mind Flayers, everyone concentrates their attacks on it. Kill it or force it to flee. It’s the greatest threat here. Get rid of the Mind Flayers and then deal with the trolls.”

Grondar:

Oran wrote:“This is no partnership,” Oran counters. “The Mind Flayers are the masters here. This explains why those trolls outside wouldn’t chase us. They were being dominated and were obeying orders."

"That's a lot of power, if the mind flayers can do that," Grondar says. "Trolls aren't terribly bright, but they are usually quite beligerent."

Grondar listens as Oran fills them in on what he knows of the mind flayers. That innate travel ability is troubling and certainly complicates things. And if they have prisoners waiting to be food, then clearly that must be dealt with. Grondar can only hope that Oran is right about there only being a few of them here.

"Thank you, Oran," Grondar replies. "I agree. Certainly, if they have prisoners, they we have an obligation to try to free them. Let's get moving and see what we can do about driving them from our Rockhaven." Grondar will request the same marching order as before, and will proceed with weapons at the ready.

Post Continued:

The Mind Flayer “Cone of Stunning” that washed over the warriors of the group fades and Daraden and Senoia can move and talk once more. They don’t really remember anything from their ordeal. Oran reveals what he learned from past encounters with these stranger creatures. It is decided to press on and hope that only a few more of the monsters remain.

Slowly and cautiously, the dwarves and Virae make their way down the stairs to the lower level of the dwarven apartment building. The layout is the same as above, so from past experience you know that one hallway holds small apartments while the other has larger ones.

The hallways are dark and you don’t spot any creatures around. However, there is light come from underneath a door from one of the larger apartments. Occasionally a shadow will pass through the light telling you that someone or thing is inside the room.

The tracks in the dust in the floor seem to indicate that most of the traffic down here was in the hallway that has the door with the light underneath it. Tracks move between the stairs and the three doorways in the hallway. The door with the light underneath it is the one at the far end of the hallway.

Now what?

Grondar:

They make their way slowly and quietly into the basement. This level looks much like those above and tracks in the dust and debris on the floors indicate that most of the traffic came from one hallway. Looking that way, they can see light under the far door and evidence of movement within. Clearly, someone is down here. Still, we cannot afford to assume the other rooms are empty and leave an opportunity for someone to fall on us from behind.

"Okay, let's work our way toward that door at the end," Grondar says quietly, gesturing. "Farian and Virae, please check the other doors as we pass. If they aren't locked, sneak a look inside to confirm they're empty.

"When we reach that door at the end, let's prepare to attack whomever is within. Again, let's check the door, then the warriors can lead us in. The rest of us will follow. As Oran said, focus on the mind flayers first, then deal with any trolls. Ready?"

Oran:

Oran nods his understanding, has his hammer at the ready, and trials long. Should another mind flayer turn up, he’ll attack it with his war hammer.

Senoia:

The last thing Senoia remembers was that strange and ugly man-squid doing something to her. In the next moment, it’s dead and everyone has moved.

“What happened? What’d squid face do to me?”

After Senoia is filled in, the group continues onward into the lair of the man-squids. Orders are to take them out as fast as possible and Senoia has no problem with that.

“Just let those things try that trick again on me!”

Post Continued:

The dwarves have moved deeper into the mind flayer lair. A light is noted underneath a door at the far end of the hallway. The chambers in this hallway all lead to larger apartments in this building.

Farian and Virae lead the way. Farian has used his ring to make himself invisible. The first door is reached and found to be unlocked. It’s cautiously opened and the chamber beyond is found to be empty of beings. Numerous crude bedrolls litter the floor, suggesting that this is the bedchamber of the trolls.

The next room is locked.

The last room, the one with the light underneath it is reached. The group gathers at the door, ready to burst into the room and engage whatever it is inside. The door is found to be unlocked.

The door is thrown open and what lies beyond can be plainly seen. The room is well lit by oil lamps. Stone tables line all four walls and a large table dominates the center. A strange antiseptic smell fills the air.

A quick glance tells you that this is a laboratory of some kind, the type you’d associate with a mage. There are scales, vials, beakers, mortals and pestles, and vials everywhere.

Movement draws you to chambers inhabitants. There are two more trolls and another mind flayer present. Uttering a war cry, the warriors charge!

Oran leads the way and slams his Firehammer into the startled mind flayer. The squid-like creature is hurtled violently backwards from the attack, crashing into his gear and breaking a few vials. Daraden flings his throwing axe and it buries deep in the monster’s side. Virae takes care of the mind flayer with her swords.

The two trolls stand there stunned from what’s happened. So stunned that one allows Senoia and Dougan to bash it to the floor. The last troll tries to run, but Grondar and Farian blocks its way. The rest of the warriors easily take it down. Oran then uses his Firehammer to ensure the trolls will trouble you no longer.

No other threats present themselves and the area seems to be clear of danger.

The dwarves then take a better look at the mind flayer lair. What attracts your attention in the laboratory is a gruesome collection of human and demi-humnan skulls on a shelf. Each is upside down and perched securely on a tripod of finger bones. The lower jaw of each skull is missing, and the nose and eye sockets are sealed with a greenish-black wax. The forehead of each skull is marked with a thin, spidery glyph in gold ink.

Scattered throughout the laboratory are vague, cryptic notes, and several sheets of vellum with strange writing on them. Virae has a vague idea that the strange writing on the notes is alchemical formulas, but it is beyond her ability to comprehend what they mean.


The locked door can be picked, or one of the keys found on either mind flayer body will do the trick. This room was used by the mind flayers as their private quarters. The room contains two thick, soft, well-made sleeping mats. There is a large trunk and three small chests. What is most disturbing is a small tub sitting on a table. The tub is filled with some kind of unknown fluid and floating in this fluid are numerous brains.

The large trunk is unlocked. Inside it is spare bedding and clothes for the mind flayers. The three chests are locked.


GM Notes:

I assumed that no one picked up or move the skulls on the shelf. Each mind flayer had four keys on its body. One of these keys fit the door to their private room. That leaves three unknown keys.

The area is now clear of trolls and mind flayers.

Now what?

Grondar:

They rush into what appears to be a laboratory of some kind to find a startled mind flayer and two trolls. The fight is short and very one-sided as the dwarves make short work of the disgusting creatures.

The room is gruesome, and appears devoted to some kind of mage study or alchemy. Not having any mages in the group, Grondar recommends that they leave the stuff alone. However, a set of keys are found on this mind flayer that appear similar to those found on the other.

One of the keys proves to unlock the room that they passed. Inside are sleeping mats, a trunk and three small, locked chests. Additionally, there are a number of what appear to be brains floating in some kind of foul-smelling liquid. Whatever its intent, Grondar doubts its anything good.

"Farian, will you try the remaining keys on those chests? Once we're done here, Oran, I think we should destroy whatever this is," he says, gesturing toward the tub of floating brains. Your Firehammer may be the best means of doing so. What do you think about the laboratory we raided? I'm inclined to destroy it as well, but am concerned that the attempt might prove disastrous with all of that mage stuff in there."

The next step, to Grondar's mind, will be to search the rest of the building for any other surprises.

Oran:

The last room appears to be a laboratory of some kind. Another mind flayer is found inside and it’s overwhelmed before it can pose a threat. It’s troll lackeys are quickly taken down as well.

Oran concurs with leaving the strange equipment alone. “Aye, those things would only be valuable to another mage. Best to leave it alone. Some of these liquids could be flammable.”

Grondar wrote:"Farian, will you try the remaining keys on those chests? Once we're done here, Oran, I think we should destroy whatever this is," he says, gesturing toward the tub of floating brains. Your Firehammer may be the best means of doing so. What do you think about the laboratory we raided? I'm inclined to destroy it as well, but am concerned that the attempt might prove disastrous with all of that mage stuff in there."

“Their food, would be my guess,” Oran offers when Grondar indicates the tub. “Drakkimor always told us to leave mage stuff alone, as some as simple as breaking a vile could trigger an explosion. This is a strong stone building, so I doubt we’d have to worry about the long-term affects of a fire. An explosion could weaken the foundation and cause it to collapse, but it would have to be a big one. Whatever is in that lab, it’s probably useless to us. I’d say either destroy it and run or just leave it be. But not until we’re done with this building and everyone else is out.”

Senoia:

Senoia throws herself into the battle and the troll goes down without much resistance.

“Now that’s my kind of foe! I just stood there and let me smash him!”

“EEWW!!” Senoia says as she takes in the strange and no doubt evil laboratory. “Somehow it fits these creepy critters.”

Their sleeping quarters seems just as creepy, including vat holding brains!

“It’s a good thing we dwarves have strong stomachs,” Senoia mutters upon taking in the sight.

“Since we seem secure here, I’ll go check out the rest of the building. Say, Daraden. You and your mangy mutt want to come along?”

Post Continued:


The dwarves turn their attention to the trio of chests I the mind flayers quarters. Keys were found, but Farian and Virae still inspect the chests for traps. Farian finds that each chest has a poisoned needle trap near the lock. Anyone trying to pick the lock might stab themselves in the process. Using keys removes this threat. Virae only finds the traps on the second and third chest, but not the first.

The first chest holds a silver decanter, a silver serving tray, and six gold, jeweled goblets. The serving set looks expensive.

The second chest holds six copper scroll holders of fine craftsmanship. Presumably each holds a scroll of some type.

The last chest holds three silk pouches. Each pouch holds a handful of dust and a small vial. Each vial is different in appearance from the other, different color and texture.

The rest of this apartment building is searched and no other threats or things of interest are noted.


Now what?

Grondar:

Senoia wrote:“Now that’s my kind of foe! I just stood there and let me smash him!”

Senoia's comment brings a smile to Grondar's face. She certainly doesn't lack for enthusiasm...

Oran wrote:“Their food, would be my guess,” Oran offers when Grondar indicates the tub. “Drakkimor always told us to leave mage stuff alone, as some as simple as breaking a vile could trigger an explosion. This is a strong stone building, so I doubt we’d have to worry about the long-term affects of a fire. An explosion could weaken the foundation and cause it to collapse, but it would have to be a big one. Whatever is in that lab, it’s probably useless to us. I’d say either destroy it and run or just leave it be. But not until we’re done with this building and everyone else is out.”

Oran's presumption regarding the tub of brains makes a certain disgusting kind of sense. Grondar decides not to think on it anymore. "My thoughts were similar. I doubt very much any resulting explosion would bring down the building; any danger is more likely to be to our persons. To be honest, I'd rather destroy it than leave it. However, I think we should check the rest of the building before doing so."

Senoia wrote:“Since we seem secure here, I’ll go check out the rest of the building. Say, Daraden. You and your mangy mutt want to come along?”

"That's a good idea, Senoia. Farian, Dougan, would you go with them? Might be good to have someone keep an eye on those two," Grondar says with a grin. In reality, his main concern is to have a well-rounded team should they run into trouble along the way.

"Virae, would you collect up the stuff in those chests? Then we can take another sweep through the basement to make sure we didn't miss anything."

Neither of the searches takes long and the group all meets up on the main floor. "Oran, I'd like you to destroy the stuff in that laboratory with your hammer. While he's doing that, I'd like the rest of you to head outside and wait for us. I'll wait for Oran here and we'll both join you as soon as he's finished."
_________________________________________________________
In case Oran isn't clear on what Grondar is asking for, Grondar will explain that he'd like him to go to the bottom of the stairs and throw his hammer into the lab from there. Once his hammer returns, he should race up and Grondar will accompany him outside. Grondar will also cast Aid on Oran just for a little added assurance.

Daraden:

"Well if that jus' isn't tah most disgusting thing I be seeing in a while," Daraden comments after looking around the laboratory. With the discussion of destroying everything comes up, Daraden adds, "Well ye could just knock everything o'er and empty contents without resorting tah fire or magic. Wouldn't this stuff be jus' as useless if out of its vials and goo?"

“Since we seem secure here, I’ll go check out the rest of the building. Say, Daraden. You and your mangy mutt want to come along?”

Darkfang barks at the question, but whether in agreement or in retort to be called a mangy mutt only Daraden knows for sure and he doesn't mention it. "Aye, let's be checking around a bit more. Don't want tah leave anything lurking in dark corners or nothin'."

Oran:

Grondar wrote:Oran's presumption regarding the tub of brains makes a certain disgusting kind of sense. Grondar decides not to think on it anymore. "My thoughts were similar. I doubt very much any resulting explosion would bring down the building; any danger is more likely to be to our persons. To be honest, I'd rather destroy it than leave it. However, I think we should check the rest of the building before doing so."

“As you wish,” Oran shrugs. It doesn’t matter one way or the other to him.

Grondar wrote:Neither of the searches takes long and the group all meets up on the main floor. "Oran, I'd like you to destroy the stuff in that laboratory with your hammer. While he's doing that, I'd like the rest of you to head outside and wait for us. I'll wait for Oran here and we'll both join you as soon as he's finished."

Daraden wrote:"Well if that jus' isn't tah most disgusting thing I be seeing in a while," Daraden comments after looking around the laboratory. With the discussion of destroying everything comes up, Daraden adds, "Well ye could just knock everything o'er and empty contents without resorting tah fire or magic. Wouldn't this stuff be jus' as useless if out of its vials and goo?"

“That’s a good point,” Oran adds. “But we should make sure all these wizard notes are destroyed too, and that means burning them. Collect the notes on the floor, douse them with what’s in the skulls and then I can ignite it with the Firehammer from a distance. That should solve all the problems.”

Once ready, Oran will throw the Firehammer at the notes and liquids, hoping to ignite them. Then he’ll rush out of the building as fast as his legs will carry him.

Senoia:

Daraden wrote:Darkfang barks at the question, but whether in agreement or in retort to be called a mangy mutt only Daraden knows for sure and he doesn't mention it. "Aye, let's be checking around a bit more. Don't want tah leave anything lurking in dark corners or nothin'."

Senoia teasingly barks back at Darkfang and then laughs. “You might be a mangy mutt, but you’re our mangy mutt!”

Grondar wrote:"That's a good idea, Senoia. Farian, Dougan, would you go with them? Might be good to have someone keep an eye on those two," Grondar says with a grin. In reality, his main concern is to have a well-rounded team should they run into trouble along the way.

“Afraid we’re going to run off without ya?” Senoia retorts still laughing. “Don’t worry, we’re still on point.”

The search turns up nothing of any real interest. The dwarves who used to live here long ago took their belongings with them. All that’s left behind is some of the larger furniture and the dust and debris of the passing years.

Once that task is complete, Senoia will join the others outside at a safe distance while the lab is destroyed.

“So now what? We press on towards Hammerfall? Set up camp for the night? Say, wasn’t there something else here to look at?”

Post Continued:


The Mind Flayers and their troll guards have been defeated. There’s no real idea just why these creatures were even here, unless it was for whatever they were working on in their laboratory. The papers with the unreadable notes are scattered on the floor and the strange liquids in the skull holders are dumped on top of them. Oran’s Firehammer ignites the whole thing from a safe distance. Some of the liquid was flammable and burns quickly. Smoke fills the apartment basement, but the fire does not damage the structural integrity of the building.

That task taken care of the dwarves turn their attention to the other beings spotted earlier during Virae’s overhead explorations. In this case, it was a pair of gray skinned humans weary ancient looking fancy livery garments stationed outside of the estate block at the northern edge of Rockhome.

A quick check will reveal that the gray skinned humans are still at their posts. The estate itself is fairly isolated. Stonewalls surround the block and the only opening faces the rest of Rockhaven. A large open area lies between the estate and the stonewall, a span of some 150’ wide. There’s no real good way to sneak up on the estate without being seen. (Without the use of magic and/or magic items of course.)

Those familiar with this type of block will know that there are three entrances to the estate. The guards stand before the main double door entrance. There is a small side entrance that leads the quarters area, but it’s within eyesight of the guards. Typically, there is another entrance on the side of the estate that grants access to the estate’s main hall. This entrance is out of sight of the guards and Virae can tell that it’s unguarded.

It is late in the afternoon by now and the dwarves no have to decide if they are going to continue on or retire for the evening. There are plenty of defendable places to put up for the night.


Now what?

Grondar:

Senoia wrote:“Afraid we’re going to run off without ya?” Senoia retorts still laughing. “Don’t worry, we’re still on point.”

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of chaperones for you two..." Grondar replies with a mischievous grin.

Daraden wrote:"Well if that jus' isn't tah most disgusting thing I be seeing in a while," Daraden comments after looking around the laboratory. With the discussion of destroying everything comes up, Daraden adds, "Well ye could just knock everything o'er and empty contents without resorting tah fire or magic. Wouldn't this stuff be jus' as useless if out of its vials and goo?"

"Maybe. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what might happen if some of this stuff got mixed in the wrong way. I've heard of more than one wizard suffering unpleasant consequences from fiddling about with concoctions. I'd just as soon be well back from it in case anything unexpected occurs."

Oran wrote:“That’s a good point,” Oran adds. “But we should make sure all these wizard notes are destroyed too, and that means burning them. Collect the notes on the floor, douse them with what’s in the skulls and then I can ignite it with the Firehammer from a distance. That should solve all the problems.”

"I agree with burning the notes, but I'm reluctant to go spilling that wizard stuff about willy-nilly. Safer to just destroy it from a ways away."

Senoia wrote:“So now what? We press on towards Hammerfall? Set up camp for the night? Say, wasn’t there something else here to look at?”

"Setting up camp seems like the better plan, though I believe we can put that off for a bit. As you say, there's still that occuppied estate Virae spotted earlier on the far side of town to investigate." Some reconnoitering shows that the humans spotted earlier are still present. What these humans are doing in this abandoned dwarven town is unknown, but Grondar doubts it's anything good.

With the recon complete, Grondar calls for setting camp. Once that is done in an appropriate place, he consults his companions. "Any thoughts on the best way to approach the estate? Straight on to the front door, slip around to the unguarded side door, or split up and take multiple approaches?" He has some ideas of his own, but Grondar wants to hear the others' opinions.

Farian
Farian will help look for any other signs within the warehouse, When it comes time to ignite the house, Farian will be waiting outside.

Farian will think on the best way to approach the estate, and will listen to the others before he makes his thoughts known.

Virae

Letting out a low whistle upon seeing the gem studded goblet set, Virae moves to the next chest, slowly looking for traps she manages to find some, apparently her skill is getting better!

Virae will carefully gather up the belongings of the chests and stow them. Once done she will be ready for the cleansing of the house.

"There is sometimes more entrances, perhaps unguarded. Scouting may be a problem without being seen." she says mildly as she leans back against a wall. "hopefully it can be done."

Oran:

The mind flayer lair is taken care of and after some scouting camp is set up. The humans spotted earlier at the estate on the edge of town are the next concern.

Grondar wrote:With the recon complete, Grondar calls for setting camp. Once that is done in an appropriate place, he consults his companions. "Any thoughts on the best way to approach the estate? Straight on to the front door, slip around to the unguarded side door, or split up and take multiple approaches?" He has some ideas of his own, but Grondar wants to hear the others' opinions.

“On the surface, this seems superficially similar to what we found with the mind flayers: guards who rigidly stay at their posts and don’t go off to investigate what else is going on in town. They have to pretty tough to only be two of them. After all, a full-scale military conflict took place at the middle of town a few hours ago and they only post two guards. Or they are simply few in numbers. That is another possibility. The question now is to figure out who or what they are guarding.”

“Tactically speaking, I’d prefer a combination approach. Our best warriors walk up to them and see what’s going on while the scouts flank from the sides and perhaps a couple of us held in reserve. Humans don’t see very well in the dark, assuming these guards are even human. Most creatures can only see so far in the dark and the estate grounds are large. Scouts should be able to hug the walls and reach the estate without being seen.”

“We ask what they are doing here and if it comes to violence, then our best fighters are right there to get into it with support from the flanks. That’s what I would do.”

Senoia:

Grondar wrote:"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of chaperones for you two..." Grondar replies with a mischievous grin.

“Business before pleasure, Grondar,” Senoia answers with a laugh. “Business before pleasure.”

More scouting is done and Senoia just watches from a distance while gnawing on a piece of jerky. Then talk turns to what to do next. Oran goes on and on about tactics and what not.

“Hey, if it was up to me, we just go up to them, see if they are threat, and if so hammer things out. Nice and simple.”

Dougan:

Camp is set up and Grondar seeks opinions on how to proceed next.

“We cannot rule out that whoever these beings are that they an enemy. Granted the circumstances are suspicious, but we shouldn’t needless create conflict where none might exist. I do agree that speaking to the guards is the best first approach. Let us find out their motives and then decide how we shall act.”

“But we should be prepared for treachery and deception. I never heard of grey skinned humans before, so they might not be what they seem to be. Far to many creatures have the ability to assume other forms. That could be what we are dealing with here.”

Grondar:

The Revered Mother's priest nods his head as he listens to the others. "Your thoughts reflect my own. One group scouts the far side entrance while another group approaches the front. Of course, Farian and Virae are best qualified for the first group. Oran, Senoia and I will be the second group. Dougan and Daraden, I'd like you to hold back and be ready to support either group should troubles arise. Daraden, would Darkfang be available to join Farian and Virae, or does he need to stay with you?"

Daraden:

The Revered Mother's priest nods his head as he listens to the others. "Your thoughts reflect my own. One group scouts the far side entrance while another group approaches the front. Of course, Farian and Virae are best qualified for the first group. Oran, Senoia and I will be the second group. Dougan and Daraden, I'd like you to hold back and be ready to support either group should troubles arise. Daraden, would Darkfang be available to join Farian and Virae, or does he need to stay with you?"

"Nah he don't need tah be staying with me specifically as I can give him some commands," Daraden explains. "Only trouble be is if it'all rolls south, then the wolf will decide what he wants tah do all on his own."

Daraden has no problem holding back in a support role as there might not be a fight to be had. He knows Darkfang can fend for himself, but he might not aid his fellow dwarves if Daraden's not there with him should it turn bad.

Post Closed