Chapter the Third
or, Good Thing We Brought a Spare
When the Eye of Pelor (known to most people as the sun) rises the next day, we find the ladies of our party safely ensconced in Gilgar's quarters at the Temple of Garl Glittergold, while Dave from Waterdeep awakes on an uncomfortable cot at the inn.
He bellies up to the bar for a morning libation and makes the acquaintance of a pair of dwarven twins, the impetuous Baron and the more cautious Garon Ironfist. Intrigued by tales of adventure in the offing, Baron decides to accompany the party; Garon, concerned about the possibility of mortal peril, decides instead to stay behind in the thorp of Tharp.
Our Heroes meet up at the inn and debate how best to approach the Moat House. Only one of the adventurers has a horse of their own, and although the erstwhile innkeeper has offered to give them directions to the general store where they might purchase additional mounts, they decide instead to proceed on foot -- save Jollybell, who is permitted to ride Eiramenna's horse due to her poor cardiovascular health. And so, with their new and hopefully more reliable dwarf in tow, the group sets off in search of adventure and zombies at the Moat House.
As the six venture overland to their destination, their surroundings gradually become more and more unpleasant. Tendril-like vines grasp at sickly trees, and the ground turns to muck beneath their feet, slowing their progress. Eiramenna is particularly upset, not because the unhealthy environment offends her sensibilities as a ranger, but because the mud is getting on her finely-crafted elven trousers. Amidst much complaining, the party at last comes upon the infamous Moat House that allegedly infected members of the last visiting group with zombiism.
The building might once have been an imposing sight, built of solid stone and standing two storeys in height. Alas, the depredations of time and the Forces of Good have taken their toll on this former redoubt of villainy, and it has fallen into disrepair -- and the swamp. Entire sections of wall have crumbled to powder, and the second floor is naught but an architectural memory. Even the wooden drawbridge has seen better days, for the chains that once held it up have snapped and entire sections have rotted into nothingness. Not wanting to chance their one mount on the precarious footing of the drawbridge, Eiramenna ties her horse to a nearby tree, and the sextet travels cautiously across the bridge and into the keep.
A quick tour of the courtyard reveals that its interior is in no better shape than its exterior, save for one door at the far end that has been recently repaired. Intrigued, Cat attempts to pry the hinges of the door loose and, after some difficulty, succeeds. Unfortunately, the ruckus caused by her unsolicited renovations alerts those on the far side of the door to her presence, and as our heroes burst into the room, they catch only a glimpse of someone fleeing through a hole in the wall and over the rubble that forms a makeshift set of stepping stones across the moat. Baron Ironfist gives chase, but his heavy armour and large greataxe through his balance off and he slips on one of the stones, plunging headlong into the moat.
Somehow he manages to swim to shore even when weighed down by his armour, and once on solid ground he does his best impression of a dog drying itself off, spraying his companions with moatwater and prompting Eiramenna to make a comment about the smell of wet dwarves. Meanwhile, their quarry vanishes into the woods.
A quick survey of the room reveals little of interest, but Enelym's finely-honed Elven senses detect a secret door that seems to have gone unnoticed even by the room's previous residents. Baron Ironfist tries valiantly to batter down the door but succeeds only in bruising his shoulder and stubbing his toe; Cat's knack for locks, on the other hand, springs releases the hidden catch and reveals that the door is made of solid stone and swings into the room, not away from it. No wonder Baron is sore.
The door reveals a stairwell, and our adventurers debate whether or not to descend until they hear pained cries coming from the basement level. "We'll save you!" Dave calls down the stairwell before being shusshed into silence by his compatriots.
Once underground, they determine that the muffled screams are coming from an adjacent room, but the only door they can see is set at a right angle to the wall that separates the rooms. Without a thought for his own safety, Baron Ironfist flings open the door and charges into the room. And into a greatclub. A very nice greatclub. Held by a rather unfriendly ogre. Or rather, not so much "held" as "swung with great force." There isn't even enough left of him for his twin brother to recognize, were he there.
Baron's newfound adventuring companions do the only sensible thing. They run. They run around the corner, up the stairs, and through the secret door, hoping the ogre will be unable to find it. The five brave heroes stop to catch their breath, and spy a familiar figure coming through the doorway. Why, could it be brave Baron Ironfist, returned from an early grave?
Sadly, no. It's slightly-less-brave Garon Ironfist, who was following his brother at a safe distance out of filial concern.
When filled in on the gory details of his twin's demise, Garon draws upon heretofore unknown reserves of courage and throws in his lot with the group that, indirectly, caused his brother's death. Back at full strength, and realizing that it would be quite hard for the ogre to squeeze through the human-sized door, the party decides to head underground once more, this time with the added benefit of a plan.
This time the battle goes quite differently. Garon Ironfist takes a much less impressive blow than his brother did, and the rest of the party quickly brings the ogre down with a volley of spells and arrows, Cat finishing him off as he lies unconscious and bleeding at her feet.
A second door from the ogre's room leads to the source of the muffled cries -- a pair of human merchants and a severely beaten gnome whom the ogre had set aside as snacks for later. The merchants thank the party profusely and go on their way, while the gnome explains to Jollybell that he is an agent of the Gnomish kingdoms to the North. He was investigating tales of mysterious mining going on near the Moat House when he was captured and taken prisoner. He describes his captor as a most hideous monstrosity, about the size of a goblin, with a deformed head and two large mouths. Giving the adventurers a plain-looking iron ring that will identify them as an ally to the Gnomish kingdoms, he accepts some small healing and takes his leave. Enelym suggests placing the ogre's body in his own pantry to prevent any other residents from noticing his fate, and with some concerted effort they manage to drag him over and bar the door once more.
Concerned that they are over their heads, and puzzled that there has been no sign of the alleged zombie infestation they were expecting, Our Heroes decide to press on, and through diligent searching discover a second secret doorway, which leads to a set of stairs leading up and also -- according to Eiramenna's Elven senses -- a second door directly across from the first. After some debate, the decision is made to head upward rather than further into the underground chambers.
At the top of the stairwell is a locked door which, when opened, leads to a well-stocked pantry, complete with food, beverages, and large rats, the latter of whom quickly set upon Cat and Garon. The beasts do little damage before being slain, but one of the bites leaves Cat feeling rather woozy. Discretion being the better part of valour, the sextet heads back to Tharp -- no one having thought to retrieve Baron's body or personal effects. How rude.
