Dalnor/Campaign1/session-2
A Little Time Below
Session Date: October 4, 2008
There are several versions of cave safety guidelines. Having adequate training and reliable equipment are the main points in each one. Safe use of equipment can be achieved only by sharing information, teaching and demonstrations. Chances of being injured are reduced by awareness of dangers and by knowledge of your equipment and techniques. - National Spelunking Society
Harvest 2, 53
The party turns to freeing the remaining merchants and setting up a camp for the evening. As the camp is setup the party questions the freed merchants. Below is a consolidated report:
- The bandits would come out of the trees and capture an entire caravan group. The entire group would then be led off the road into a clearing that was several hundred feet off the road. The bandits would hold back one or two men from the caravan at the clearing and the rest of the merchant caravan would be led to the bandit base. The merchants that were held at the clearing never made it to the bandit camp. It is presumed that the men kept behind were the ones later found eviscerated.
The bandits would then take one or two merchants out of the base each day. These merchants were not seen again. The remaining merchants do not know what happened to the merchants that were taken away. The merchants report that the previous wagons had been burned. The merchants do not know what happened to the previous stolen trade goods.
Alex had finds a letter on the dead leader and shares its contents with the group:
-
Thork,
I am pleased with your progress in supplying me what I need. And while I am pleased with our apparent progress let me reiterate my needs so there are no more mistakes: Live human males between the ages of 35 and 45, in good health. I would prefer not to receive anything that I cannot use, and I will not pay for such.
As I stated before: You are free to deal with the remainder of each merchant group as you see fit. Just make them go away without attracting attention.
If you attract attention of the local law enforcement: It is not my concern and I will not act to assist you.
Assuming that this relationship continues, you will get what you want and I will get what I want. I will see you again.
Everyone beds down for the night. A couple of guards keep watch. Night passes uneventfully.
Harvest 3, 53
In the morning the rescued merchants prepare to head back to town. The merchants pack up the remaining trade goods and wagons. The party mentions their interest in investigating the dwarven ruin and the merchants give responses along the lines of better you than me. The merchants start back to Mormoon with the remaining horses and wagons.
Party investigate the dwarven complex under the fort. The ruin is accessed by a ladder beneath some flagstones. The ladder leads down to an antechamber roughly 25x25 with low barricades that could provide defenders cover against aggressors descending the ladder. The antechamber has an exit on each wall leading out of the room.
The party descends into the antechamber and conducts a cursory inspection of the antechamber. The party decides to investigate the northern passage. After twenty feet the party finds a wall blocking further progress. The party determines that the wall was dropped into place to block the hallway. No mechanism for operating the "drop wall" is found on this side of the passage. It is speculated that the wall was meant as a defensive measure to seal off this outpost from the greater network of tunnels that might connect to other dwarven holds, though its unclear if this was due to forces coming from beyond the wall... or invaders from above.
While the others move on to explore the rest of the underground, Safiria remains, keeping her head pressed to the wall as if listening to something. She later returns to the others, and makes an enigmatic statement about being able to "hear" something call to her from beyond the wall. (In Session 3 she discloses the disquieting revelation that the voice she heard knew her name...)
During the investigation, find room with decapitated warforged. Room had barricades in it protecting against a room deeper into the dungeon.
Safiria returns to the party as Varien is tinkering with the warforged construct. Over the objections of Safiria, Varien activates it. The construct wakes up grumpy and mistakes the party for those who had previously decapitated him. The construct almost rips Varien limb from limb and then cows Elrohir and Alex into submission: "You will kiss the earth, or you will be the earth". The party placates the construct by telling it that they aren't his enemies from long ago. The construct identifies itself as "Unit 3016" or "Crash" but is vague in explaining who or what removed his head. Varien asks Crash about a warhammer that he was sent to retrieve. Crash indicates that it is most likely in the forge room and gives direction to get to the forge room. Crash joins the party to find the warhammer.
Party finds a pair of corrupted warforged guarding the forge. After a short fight, the party destroys the corrupted warforged. A dark smoke/mist like substance leaves the bodies of the fallen warforged. The mists drifted towards the corridor that was sealed off and eventually slip onto the other side. Safiria comments that she has an idea what the smoke is, but doesn't explain in detail.
The party searches the forge room for the hammer. During the search the party finds a hidden storage space in the floor under a work bench. When they open it, they find the warhammer and spring a trap. Large numbers of zombies start pouring out of the floor from two rooms in the complex. The shambling zombies are initially no match for Crash and the martial might of the party. The tides turns when a nasty wight starts taking chunks of flesh out of Elrohir and Safiria. Elrohir and Safiria beat a hasty retreat from the wight. In the ensuing chaos the party is forced to cut their way free or risk being taken down through sheer weight of numbers. The party scampers up the ladder ahead of Crash before the wight can claim someone for a snack. The undead hordes decline to pursue the party up the ladder.
After catching its breath and licking its wounds. The party reseals the underground fortifications with flagstones. The Party heads back to town and arrives at the town gates an hour after the merchants had straggled in.
Previously: Introductions
Continued in: Happiness For All
Campaign 1 Index
