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Story Hour
5e - Into the Mouths of Madness
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<blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 6013007" data-attributes="member: 3192"><p>The northeast door was unlocked when the party arrived back at the postern gate tower. A quick search didn’t reveal any intruders, so they began rummaging through the dead bandit’s main living quarters again. Three coils of rope each with attached grappling hooks hung on the west wall. Bob quickly snapped one up. The three 3-foot crates in the center of the room all held different assortments of <strong><span style="color: Olive">“shabby garments, grey cloaks, old boots, and shoes.”</span></strong> Nothing to write home about. The two 30-gallon kegs were ignored [oddly] and the large 4-foot wooden box was popped open instead. Inside they found:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a large clay jug, which turned out to be filled with water</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a rolled up cloth of wooden utensils and cookware</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">three 5 lb. bags</li> </ul> <p style="margin-left: 20px">• one of flour</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">• one of dried white [navy] beans</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">• and the last a mix of dried crabapples and shelled walnuts</p> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> a 2 lb. bag of salt</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">8 lbs of dried and smoked meat on a wooden stick</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">and a small leather pouch full of spearmint leaves stuck underneath the rest</li> </ul><p>Bob Johnson pulled out some beans and salt, lit a fire, and boiled them in water to prepare lunch. Spike and Andro searched the three bandit corpses in the room once more - two horribly burned soldiers and their leader - while Jozan sat aside looking out the front loopholes at the river. Andro cast magical sight and scanned the the entire room. He saw a flowing colorful aura rising up from the blade of a sabre on the dead serjeant’s body. After some discussion the party decided Bob should have it and he swung it around a few times. Unfortunately, no magical effects revealed themselves - other than perhaps a slight attraction of the weapon to whatever he was aiming for. </p><p></p><p>[sblock]<img src="http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/1851/louissabre.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />[/sblock]Red armbands were noted on an upper arm of each of the dead, but no clues as to why they wore them. Ultimately the bodies were tossed over the northwest corner of the roof and out into the overgrown courtyard. While above Spike collected the three crossbows [and 34 bolts] where the bandits had dropped them earlier. It was then Andro and Jozan noticed two scythes coiled taut with a rope, all pieces of some contraption built near the curtain wall stairs. There were two flights of stairs here, one each to the north and south, both leading 5-feet downwards to the adjacent castle walls and the walkways that ran along their parapets. The scythes would swing out at anyone coming up those stairs when a tripwire was pulled. They were nasty traps and difficult ones to spot if the roof was approached from along the top of either wall. They noted it was odd the eastern stairs should have a trap as it was largely collapsed further on, but decided in the end to keep them in place and also that a night watch should be kept up here in case of intruders. The three went below to eat lunch and enjoy some much needed R&R. </p><p></p><p>Spike saw the orc first. At the top of the switchback stairs the creature was walking up the path towards the tower gate. BOOM! Head shot. Spike reloaded. A couple more orcs appeared at the top of the stairs, saw what had happened, and ducked back out of sight. Moments later a gruff voice rang out from behind the cliff edge. It consisted of odd guttural snarling and squealing. </p><p></p><p><em><strong>“Orcs! Who knows how to speak Orc?”</strong></em> The party looked around… Niddler. The halfling smiled with a glint in his eye. He had heard the voice say they wanted to negotiate. He didn’t bother to relay this to the others. </p><p></p><p>[Orc Tongue]</p><p><strong><em>“What are you doing here?”</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><span style="color: Red">“Let us through your gate. We will pay toll. Ten silver for every orc… every orc alive! You don’t shoot us.”</span></em></strong></p><p><strong><em>“Well, show me the money!”</em></strong></p><p>Another orc voice said,<em><strong> <span style="color: Red">“They killed Kenny-Grub?”</span></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><span style="color: Red">“We pay you in the tunnel. You don’t shoot us.”</span></strong></em> The speaker tentatively stepped up the stairs to show himself. He wore piecemeal armor, a shield, and held a spear. A nasty looking warhammer hung by his side. </p><p><strong><em>“Why do you want to go through our gate?”</em></strong> shouted Niddler [from safely behind the second floor arrow slits] </p><p><strong><em><span style="color: Red">“We meet others on inside”</span> </em></strong>The orc moved forward, grabbed the body of his fallen comrade and began dragging him back to the stairs.</p><p><strong><em>“Who are you going to visit?”</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><span style="color: Red">“Allies”</span></em></strong></p><p><strong><em>“Who are you?”</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><span style="color: Red">“Grr… Who are you? You are not same humans as before!” </span></em></strong></p><p>[/Orc Tongue]</p><p></p><p><strong><em>“Forget this”</em></strong> said Bob Johnson and shot off a lance of burning light at the orc. He missed and the speaker picked up the dead orc and ran out of sight. <strong><em>“Boring conversation anyways.”</em></strong></p><p></p><p>Nothing happened for a few tense moments as the party readied to shoot anything resembling an orc. Niddler ran up to the rooftop to try and maneuver for a better view or perhaps simply a better position to fire on those below. He spotted orcs congregating at the bottom of the stairs far below at the base of the bluff. Leaning over the battlements he saw well over a dozen walk westward towards the ravine, but then stop short, head towards the cliff and out of sight. Afterwards the group would check their map and they presumed the orcs entered one of the south facing caves along the bluff. The party lowered the portcullis, barred the large gate doors, and set up a daytime watch, but nothing else really happened.</p><p></p><p>By sunset night watches were scheduled based upon how well each member could see in the dark. The two clerics Bob Johnson and Jozan went first. As darkness fell sounds began to fill the night air from the grassy interior of the castle - the only part of the interior they could see. Perhaps some of the creatures within had fallen asleep, but many others were now awake and making all manner of strange calls and shrieks. Shadowy figures moved within the tall grass, but no distinct forms could be made out. From farther away there was a low din, like the raucous noise of many creatures bustling about. It was akin to being near a town bazaar on a busy day. Light, as if from many small fires shown up into the night sky from behind the west inner wall. Something near the main gate was definitely going on, perhaps multiple somethings. </p><p></p><p>Part way through his watch Jozan spotted at least two figures atop the large hexagonal tower in the castle’s southeast corner. The party had noticed these two massive corner towers when they arrived a few days ago aboard boat. Tall and wide, the fortifications flanked the more massive ebon stone fortress and all overlooked the river from the tallest portion of the bluff a good 80-feet up. Each tower rose seven to eight stories higher still upon the embankment. The northern was wider, circular, with a large conical slate roof above the battlements. The southern one was taller, if only because had been built upwards where the other had a roof, but it was slimmer and hexagonal in shape. Atop this latter tower Jozan pointed out the figures for Bob Johnson to see. They were humans or human-sized and shaped. And they were clearly watching back from between the merlons above.</p><p></p><p>[sblock]<img src="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/7691/drawneastwalltowers.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />[/sblock]All this was reported to Spike and Niddler who were roused for second watch. Nothing much changed during the darkest hours, but the two did spot a patrol of what they guessed were hobgoblins in the river plain to the south below. When Andro was finally woken the sun had all but peeked over the horizon and the noises of the night were quieting. During that hazy time between darkness and light the elf spotted a few small boats some hairy humanoids were paddling down river. They approached Captain Frederique's riverboat and Andro saw arrows fly between as a battle broke out. It was silent for him, but a fierce engagement and shortly the riverboat was fleeing down river southwards with the other vessels chasing behind and eventually out of sight. </p><p></p><p>The next morning everyone’s injuries were fully healed. The crew packed up and started heading out to explore the inner workings of the castle. The only catch was the doors needed to be barred from the inside. <em><strong>“How do we leave and leave it locked?”</strong></em> Niddler couldn’t manage to bar them from the outside with his picks. Jozan elected to stay behind and the team decided to barricade him in hauling cots and crates from the second floor down to in front of both entrances on the first. [Jozan’s player had fallen asleep by this point][Also, the 2’x5’ entrance doors and small spiral staircases were too narrow to fit through the crates already inside. Something not quite kosher for adventure design, but we just called them smaller in the end.]</p><p></p><p>The cobblestone pathway led inwards to a broader one which connected the two inner wall gate towers, a 4-story pagoda to the east and a pylon tower to the west. [You can read the tower descriptions in the previous entry] The party turned east and went up the broad stairs to the pagoda. A 9-foot statue stood on either side of closed double doors. Bob Johnson took point and started inspecting the different elements beginning with the statues. Each was carved from stone, a <strong><span style="color: Olive">“variegated green serpentine”</span></strong> and were cracked and chipped.</p><p></p><p>Left Statue: <strong><span style="color: Olive">“A long snake-like dragon standing upon its tail. The creature is four-legged, bearded, has glaring bulging eyes, tight-knit brows, and a toothy grin. Each of its 5-taloned claws holds the facsimile of a pearl.”</span></strong></p><p>Right Statue: <strong><span style="color: Olive">“An odd amalgamation of a creature portrayed. It has the breast of a goose, the hindquarters of a stag, a snake’s neck, a fish’s tail, the down of a duck, the marks of a dragon, the shell of a tortoise, a swallow’s visage, and a cock’s beak.”</span></strong></p><p></p><p>Symbols or words were carved into the base of each, but the language was unknown to anyone in the party. Bob moved up to the door and saw it too was carved. <strong><span style="color: Olive">“There is a double-door of rare carved teakwood, battered and scratched, of 8-foot width by 8-foot height. The doors are engraved with the images of two flying creatures that chase the tails of one another, thus forming a circle.”</span></strong> One of each of the statue creatures was depicted. Niddler checked for traps before Bob gave a knock. <strong><em>“HELLO!?”</em></strong> No answer. Bob opened the doors. Each slid into a pocket space built into the walls to either side. Beyond was a small, ornate room. <strong><span style="color: Olive">“This 5-foot-deep by 10-foot-wide foyer has a soiled, low-pile, wool rug of Chinese red (vivid orange-red) and jade green on the floor. Another set of teakwood doors are here, these also sliding into the walls, each door engraved with orchids, albeit scratched and gouged. Loopholes left and right are notched into the walls here.”</span></strong></p><p></p><p>The next pair of doors was slightly ajar with a slight crack where they could see through into darkness. After a few minutes of daring to go in Bob angled his radiant lance attack through each arrow slit and slid open the inner doors. The party tossed a magically lit pebble down the hallway to see. The corridor was broad with an intersection left and right midway through. <strong><span style="color: Olive">“…a central passage 10 feet wide by 40 feet long. The walls are paneled in whitewashed wood that might be bamboo (though scratched and gouged), and candle sconces of bronze line the passage, each taper reduced to globs of wax.”</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive"></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive">“The ceiling is painted in striking mural, portraying a powder blue sky across which cirrus clouds scuttle. A jade palace of many spires rises from a thunderhead, and bearded, snake-like dragons slither through the air.”</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive"></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive">“The floor is tiled in mosaic of stone–sky blue and jade green marble intermixed with alabaster and sandstone of yellow ochre–depicting an airborne dragon of Eastern sort with flames of red carnelian limning its taloned feet, mane, spine, and tail tip, while obsidian jets shoot forth from its mouth.”</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive"></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive">“The tiled floor is littered with scraps of broken wood, glass, bits of metal, and earthenware shards. Also, many of the tiles are cracked and chipped.”</span></strong> </p><p></p><p>Spike used his sword and a hammer to chisel off the two bronze sconces just inside the hall. <em><strong>“We’ll need a day just to pry up all these floor stones!”</strong></em> said Niddler. Bob moved up to the intersection and saw the cross passages were shorter, only 10-feet long. At the ends were more closed double doors engraved with images of orchids, all except to the south, his right-hand side, where the doors and the entire back wall had been demolished leaving bits and pieces lying about. The party lined up in formation and carefully walked over the debris and into the room beyond. It was large with pillars, a single room merged from many as several inner walls were clearly destroyed. The odd-shaped space likely took up most of the entire southern half of the pagoda’s ground floor. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive">“This former shrine originally dedicated to deities of distant lands appears looted and pillaged. Now the place is cluttered with broken boards, shattered tiles, debris, and glass. Some of the pillars are toppled as well, resulting in a sagging ceiling, including a large hole in the southeast corner of it. The south end of the shrine is dominated by a crude monument erected no doubt by savages… At the fore of a heap of rocks rests a massive boulder, smaller rocks are heaped about it. Flanking the monument north and south you note stone fireplaces…”</span></strong></p><p></p><p>The party cautiously looked for any monsters which might be lurking in the shadows. None were found, so they started searching the debris. Largely ignoring the shrine, the hole in the ceiling was scanned as well as the fireplaces, which had clearly seen recent use though the charred wood within was cold to the touch. A single mullioned window faced eastwards, a stone pillar bisected two peaked arches and creating flanking openings whose panes had been broken out. Bob breathed in the fresh morning air and saw for the first time the inner courtyard of <strong>Castle Greyhawk[sup]TM[/sup]</strong>. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive">“This courtyard lies under the looming fortress of the Mad Archmage, it being ensconced by a semi-moat of greenish black water over which a lowered drawbridge lies.” “Two enormous towers stand sentry over the fortress they flank and its sprawling precincts below. The inner courtyard lies at the foot of the fortress and these towers that shoulder it.”</span></strong> Beyond the moat and other fortifications mentioned, this eastern third of the castle precincts was largely empty. It was mainly comprised of cobbled stone in a like manner to the path in the middle courtyard. <strong><span style="color: Olive">“Under the imposing shadow of Castle Zagyg and its massive flanking towers, one round, the other hexagonal, all seems to be calm within…” “A preternatural silence reigns.”</span></strong></p><p></p><p>[sblock]<img src="http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/7489/bk2cover.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />[/sblock]Finding nothing they wanted the party moved across the hall to the northern set of doors, checked for traps, and opened them. The room beyond was similar to the other, but in much better condition. The ceiling was supported by two rows of four pillars. A shrine upon a dais rose up from the floor across from them. The room stretched out in width beyond the pillars where doors and hallways could be seen on either side. Bob Johnson noticed the matching mullioned window far to his right in a deep alcove. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive">“You have entered what appears to be some type of primitively renovated shrine now dedicated to a diabolical, preternatural being of humanoid worship. The nave is lined with six battered pews of oak flanked by stone pillars carved to represent various horned and bearded dragons, curling snakelike up the length of each pillar, each dragon holding a pearl in its right fore claw. These carvings, however, have largely been defaced, gouged and scratched as though with blades and chisels. On the pulpit stands a tremendous, upright log, charred black. The log is painted with a crude, toothy grin and is decorated with various skulls and bones. Two fireplaces are set in the north wall, these set behind the pulpit, and each bears charred logs…”</span></strong></p><p></p><p>Niddler immediately tried to pry out one of the pearls from a pillar, but discovered they were simply ornamentation. The others called out, but no one answered. Upon the shrine they saw a number of what might be gifts or offerings. Loot! <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A cloth pouch – Spike opened to find a pile of dead snakes inside</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A copper vase with an aged verdigris patina, stained in red around its top – unexamined</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A number of rocks – unexamined</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A leather pouch – full of solid green marbles</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some large internal organ sewn shut with feathery fronds sticking out at the seams – This was cut open and after some deduction the feathers were identified as owlbear</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A silver whistle – Bob blew this to insure it worked.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A massive humanoid skull with a partially melted candle inside – identified as ogre</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A stoppered clay flask [16 ounce variety] – opened and smelled as sour red wine.</li> </ul><p>In the end they took the whistle, bag of marbles, and clay flask – but only after pouring the wine out all over the dais. Spike nabbed the ogre skull candle too and stuffed it in his pack. One of the doors was opened along the side paths and a small meditation chamber smelling of urine was found within. It revealed the rear side of a hidden loophole facing on the central hallway. The party decided to skip the rest. Heading back into the hallway they glanced around, but decided not to bother with the east set of double doors either and exited back to the middle courtyard, carefully closing all the doors behind them. Crossing over the walkway to the other inner gatehouse, the pylon tower, they arrived at a tunnel similar to the one leading through the Wyvern’s gate, but with no doors or portcullis. [See the previous entry for tower description] </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Olive">“On the floor of the west end of this passage you note a mass of solid stone, like hardened mud. The passage is 12 feet wide and 30 feet long, its ceiling of 15 feet height, its floor of flagstone. The walls and ceiling are intaglio-carved and painted (albeit chipped and cracked). Your attention is at once arrested by a large pile of skulls in the center of this passage, it forming a makeshift pyramid. Beside it the flagstones are cracked and upheaving.”</span></strong></p><p></p><p>[sblock]<img src="http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/2209/pic17session3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />[/sblock]Beyond the tunnel they could see a crisscrossing ramp down, the far west castle wall, and some buildings within. The party decided to look for an entrance to the interior of the tower and found castle standard 2’x5’ iron doors, one flanking to either side… just like the postern gate. Except these two were both ajar opening inwards to darkness. The party walked to the left door along a path in the overgrown grass. Bob cast Light on a pebble and tossed it inside. They saw a small room 15’ wide x 20’ deep crowded with two rows of pillars. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: Olive"><strong>“This chamber appears to be a crypt, carved and painted in hieroglyphs, pictographs, and creatures grotesque on walls and ceiling alike, and the six stone pillars within are similarly embellished. A trio of human-shaped stone sarcophagi are scattered across the floor, each one carved and painted with hieroglyphs and like designs, the head of each one fashioned to a bearded visage accoutered in fancy headdress. Built into the south wall a spiral stair of stone ascends.”</strong></span></p><p></p><p>One of the stone funerary crypts had been moved to bar passage across half of the slim, 2-foot wide doorway. Niddler slipped inside and he and Spike pushed the lid of the sarcophagi to see what was inside. As soon as they started moving it however something or <em>someone</em> else began to help. The living dead! The other crypts began to slide open as well and within the first the corpse of a long dead man rose up from its grave. It was adorned in a once elegant, yet foreign costume which had faded over time. Its skin was shriveled to its face, its hands drawn into thin, long-nailed claws, and its eyes sunken in its skull were now socketed with overly large golden coins. One eye coin was impressed with a pyramid, the other with a holy symbol Bob knew as an ankh. </p><p></p><p>The fight was short and brutal [to the zombies at least.] Two more undead rose up of similar visage to the first. Andro cast Shield upon himself. Spike cleft into the chest of the nearest with his greataxe and Niddler followed up with a dagger thrust to its head destroying the abomination. Bob succeeded in Turning back the other two by calling upon Pelor’s aid. Andro let loose a beam of icey frost, but narrowly missed as did Niddler. Spike’s blow landed as did Bob’s who let loose with a “Bob Johnson!”. Unfortunately he was clawed by a zombie for his trouble. In retaliation Andro evoked a force missile and destroyed it. Spike and Niddler converged on the last and the battle was soon over. [Well, smackdown really]</p><p></p><p>Lootin’ Time! The 6 coins were scooped out of the corpses. Niddler judged these to weigh about 3 times the standard. The sarcophagi were searched even though they appeared empty. Surprisingly, Andro found a false bottom in the farthest one. Niddler did a search for any hidden traps or locks and found the trigger mechanism for releasing the stone bottom. As he did so, it rose upward and a set of dark, dusty stairs were revealed. These descended steeply and turned left about ten feet below. </p><p></p><p>Before heading down the party decided they should check on Jozan back at the gate tower. Who knew what trouble he could have gotten into by now? So they wedged the secret door shut again on a piece of rope, tossed the remains of the undead back into their final[?] resting places, replaced the lids, and ducked back outside. Heading back along the path, [wouldn’t you know it?] they spotted a man, a human, who was dressed as if he might be with the bandits. He was standing outside the eastern door to the party’s prized gatehouse with his ear pressed up against it. </p><p></p><p><strong><em>“Hey You!”</em></strong> shouted Andro who started to run forward. The others had begun coming up with a plan and seeing this outwardly groaned. Now alerted, the spy got the jump on Andro and moved eastwards, off to Andro’s left, and was quickly concealed behind the tall greenery. Needless to say there were some grumbles of frustration, so Andro kept running forward toward the gatehouse until he reached the grassy area he had last seen the intruder. His elven senses weren’t helping him today though, so he pulled out his spell book and let loose with a 15-foot cone of rolling flames straight into the mutated flora. </p><p></p><p>Wooooosh! The fire burned every strange plant, shrub, tree, and blade of grass in the area… and then it began spreading as a ground fire outward from that point. The rest of the party had been approached slowly, but now ran headlong toward Andro. They grabbed him and headed towards the gatehouse door. Animals were heard chittering, snorting, and loudly calling out now. Underneath that racket was heard a high pitched keening slowly rising in intensity. Some of the party banged on the small door calling out for Jozan, while others kept a lookout. Through the smoke Niddler spotted a bunch of bandits crouched down between stones on the far side of the east inner wall gap where the castle was in ruins. The party heard the bar fall from the other side of the door. Inside the Jozan tried to remove the barricade as those outside pushed inwards with all their might. The fire blazed larger, but everyone managed to slip inside slamming the door shut behind them before any further damage was done.</p><p></p><p>After restocking the barricade and barring the door, they reconnoitered atop the roof. The interior wall of the gatehouse wasn’t battlemented like the others, but they pulled themselves atop it and looked down at the fire. They saw the bandits grabbing their heads and rolling on the ground just inside the inner courtyard, which was elevated on the far side of wall. [The inner wall is built on a 10-foot land rise west to east, so the east inner courtyard is higher up.] Suddenly a strange feeling came over the party as the keening from the garden below reached them. They held their own heads and struggled to keep the sound out. Bob Johnson collapsed then and had a vision of a tall sunflower at least 3-feet across towering over him. Light shone out from behind it and Bob had a revelation: He needed to save the plants. He was certain he needed to help them. He told the others. <em><strong>“We have to put out the fire and save the plants. All of us. Right now.”</strong></em> </p><p></p><p>The others were less inclined. Bob climbed back atop the rear rooftop wall and shot out repeatedly with his ray of frost trying to create barriers were the flames could not cross. The rest of the party watched as the bandits down below began working to put the fire out too. They were hauling barrels and carrying buckets filled at the moatside and dumped onto the burning plants. Hours passed and the keening lessened as the fire slowly died down, was beat back, and gained control of. Animals could were spotted running haphazard across the gardens and at one point a large man-sized spider attacked the bandits until it was beat back too. Spike and Niddler did a quick count and calculated about two dozen humans working below. Twenty were in plain leather armor, four others barking orders in a fancier studded variety. When they were finished the whole were seen walking back over the drawbridge and into the main entrance to the fortress. It was past noon when they finally convinced Bob to get down off the rooftop wall and come inside. </p><p></p><p>[sblock]<img src="http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/652/precinctssession3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />[/sblock]<strong><em>“Well, the boat’s come back. At least that’s good news”</em></strong> said Jozan. And so it had, anchored right back in the center of the river.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="howandwhy99, post: 6013007, member: 3192"] The northeast door was unlocked when the party arrived back at the postern gate tower. A quick search didn’t reveal any intruders, so they began rummaging through the dead bandit’s main living quarters again. Three coils of rope each with attached grappling hooks hung on the west wall. Bob quickly snapped one up. The three 3-foot crates in the center of the room all held different assortments of [B][COLOR="Olive"]“shabby garments, grey cloaks, old boots, and shoes.”[/COLOR][/B] Nothing to write home about. The two 30-gallon kegs were ignored [oddly] and the large 4-foot wooden box was popped open instead. Inside they found: [LIST][*]a large clay jug, which turned out to be filled with water [*]a rolled up cloth of wooden utensils and cookware [*]three 5 lb. bags[/LIST][INDENT]• one of flour • one of dried white [navy] beans • and the last a mix of dried crabapples and shelled walnuts[/INDENT][LIST][*] a 2 lb. bag of salt [*]8 lbs of dried and smoked meat on a wooden stick [*]and a small leather pouch full of spearmint leaves stuck underneath the rest[/LIST] Bob Johnson pulled out some beans and salt, lit a fire, and boiled them in water to prepare lunch. Spike and Andro searched the three bandit corpses in the room once more - two horribly burned soldiers and their leader - while Jozan sat aside looking out the front loopholes at the river. Andro cast magical sight and scanned the the entire room. He saw a flowing colorful aura rising up from the blade of a sabre on the dead serjeant’s body. After some discussion the party decided Bob should have it and he swung it around a few times. Unfortunately, no magical effects revealed themselves - other than perhaps a slight attraction of the weapon to whatever he was aiming for. [sblock][IMG]http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/1851/louissabre.jpg[/IMG][/sblock]Red armbands were noted on an upper arm of each of the dead, but no clues as to why they wore them. Ultimately the bodies were tossed over the northwest corner of the roof and out into the overgrown courtyard. While above Spike collected the three crossbows [and 34 bolts] where the bandits had dropped them earlier. It was then Andro and Jozan noticed two scythes coiled taut with a rope, all pieces of some contraption built near the curtain wall stairs. There were two flights of stairs here, one each to the north and south, both leading 5-feet downwards to the adjacent castle walls and the walkways that ran along their parapets. The scythes would swing out at anyone coming up those stairs when a tripwire was pulled. They were nasty traps and difficult ones to spot if the roof was approached from along the top of either wall. They noted it was odd the eastern stairs should have a trap as it was largely collapsed further on, but decided in the end to keep them in place and also that a night watch should be kept up here in case of intruders. The three went below to eat lunch and enjoy some much needed R&R. Spike saw the orc first. At the top of the switchback stairs the creature was walking up the path towards the tower gate. BOOM! Head shot. Spike reloaded. A couple more orcs appeared at the top of the stairs, saw what had happened, and ducked back out of sight. Moments later a gruff voice rang out from behind the cliff edge. It consisted of odd guttural snarling and squealing. [I][B]“Orcs! Who knows how to speak Orc?”[/B][/I] The party looked around… Niddler. The halfling smiled with a glint in his eye. He had heard the voice say they wanted to negotiate. He didn’t bother to relay this to the others. [Orc Tongue] [B][I]“What are you doing here?” [COLOR="Red"]“Let us through your gate. We will pay toll. Ten silver for every orc… every orc alive! You don’t shoot us.”[/COLOR] “Well, show me the money!”[/I][/B] Another orc voice said,[I][B] [COLOR="Red"]“They killed Kenny-Grub?” “We pay you in the tunnel. You don’t shoot us.”[/COLOR][/B][/I] The speaker tentatively stepped up the stairs to show himself. He wore piecemeal armor, a shield, and held a spear. A nasty looking warhammer hung by his side. [B][I]“Why do you want to go through our gate?”[/I][/B] shouted Niddler [from safely behind the second floor arrow slits] [B][I][COLOR="Red"]“We meet others on inside”[/COLOR] [/I][/B]The orc moved forward, grabbed the body of his fallen comrade and began dragging him back to the stairs. [B][I]“Who are you going to visit?” [COLOR="Red"]“Allies”[/COLOR] “Who are you?” [COLOR="Red"]“Grr… Who are you? You are not same humans as before!” [/COLOR][/I][/B] [/Orc Tongue] [B][I]“Forget this”[/I][/B] said Bob Johnson and shot off a lance of burning light at the orc. He missed and the speaker picked up the dead orc and ran out of sight. [B][I]“Boring conversation anyways.”[/I][/B] Nothing happened for a few tense moments as the party readied to shoot anything resembling an orc. Niddler ran up to the rooftop to try and maneuver for a better view or perhaps simply a better position to fire on those below. He spotted orcs congregating at the bottom of the stairs far below at the base of the bluff. Leaning over the battlements he saw well over a dozen walk westward towards the ravine, but then stop short, head towards the cliff and out of sight. Afterwards the group would check their map and they presumed the orcs entered one of the south facing caves along the bluff. The party lowered the portcullis, barred the large gate doors, and set up a daytime watch, but nothing else really happened. By sunset night watches were scheduled based upon how well each member could see in the dark. The two clerics Bob Johnson and Jozan went first. As darkness fell sounds began to fill the night air from the grassy interior of the castle - the only part of the interior they could see. Perhaps some of the creatures within had fallen asleep, but many others were now awake and making all manner of strange calls and shrieks. Shadowy figures moved within the tall grass, but no distinct forms could be made out. From farther away there was a low din, like the raucous noise of many creatures bustling about. It was akin to being near a town bazaar on a busy day. Light, as if from many small fires shown up into the night sky from behind the west inner wall. Something near the main gate was definitely going on, perhaps multiple somethings. Part way through his watch Jozan spotted at least two figures atop the large hexagonal tower in the castle’s southeast corner. The party had noticed these two massive corner towers when they arrived a few days ago aboard boat. Tall and wide, the fortifications flanked the more massive ebon stone fortress and all overlooked the river from the tallest portion of the bluff a good 80-feet up. Each tower rose seven to eight stories higher still upon the embankment. The northern was wider, circular, with a large conical slate roof above the battlements. The southern one was taller, if only because had been built upwards where the other had a roof, but it was slimmer and hexagonal in shape. Atop this latter tower Jozan pointed out the figures for Bob Johnson to see. They were humans or human-sized and shaped. And they were clearly watching back from between the merlons above. [sblock][IMG]http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/7691/drawneastwalltowers.jpg[/IMG][/sblock]All this was reported to Spike and Niddler who were roused for second watch. Nothing much changed during the darkest hours, but the two did spot a patrol of what they guessed were hobgoblins in the river plain to the south below. When Andro was finally woken the sun had all but peeked over the horizon and the noises of the night were quieting. During that hazy time between darkness and light the elf spotted a few small boats some hairy humanoids were paddling down river. They approached Captain Frederique's riverboat and Andro saw arrows fly between as a battle broke out. It was silent for him, but a fierce engagement and shortly the riverboat was fleeing down river southwards with the other vessels chasing behind and eventually out of sight. The next morning everyone’s injuries were fully healed. The crew packed up and started heading out to explore the inner workings of the castle. The only catch was the doors needed to be barred from the inside. [I][B]“How do we leave and leave it locked?”[/B][/I] Niddler couldn’t manage to bar them from the outside with his picks. Jozan elected to stay behind and the team decided to barricade him in hauling cots and crates from the second floor down to in front of both entrances on the first. [Jozan’s player had fallen asleep by this point][Also, the 2’x5’ entrance doors and small spiral staircases were too narrow to fit through the crates already inside. Something not quite kosher for adventure design, but we just called them smaller in the end.] The cobblestone pathway led inwards to a broader one which connected the two inner wall gate towers, a 4-story pagoda to the east and a pylon tower to the west. [You can read the tower descriptions in the previous entry] The party turned east and went up the broad stairs to the pagoda. A 9-foot statue stood on either side of closed double doors. Bob Johnson took point and started inspecting the different elements beginning with the statues. Each was carved from stone, a [B][COLOR="Olive"]“variegated green serpentine”[/COLOR][/B] and were cracked and chipped. Left Statue: [B][COLOR="Olive"]“A long snake-like dragon standing upon its tail. The creature is four-legged, bearded, has glaring bulging eyes, tight-knit brows, and a toothy grin. Each of its 5-taloned claws holds the facsimile of a pearl.”[/COLOR][/B] Right Statue: [B][COLOR="Olive"]“An odd amalgamation of a creature portrayed. It has the breast of a goose, the hindquarters of a stag, a snake’s neck, a fish’s tail, the down of a duck, the marks of a dragon, the shell of a tortoise, a swallow’s visage, and a cock’s beak.”[/COLOR][/B] Symbols or words were carved into the base of each, but the language was unknown to anyone in the party. Bob moved up to the door and saw it too was carved. [B][COLOR="Olive"]“There is a double-door of rare carved teakwood, battered and scratched, of 8-foot width by 8-foot height. The doors are engraved with the images of two flying creatures that chase the tails of one another, thus forming a circle.”[/COLOR][/B] One of each of the statue creatures was depicted. Niddler checked for traps before Bob gave a knock. [B][I]“HELLO!?”[/I][/B] No answer. Bob opened the doors. Each slid into a pocket space built into the walls to either side. Beyond was a small, ornate room. [B][COLOR="Olive"]“This 5-foot-deep by 10-foot-wide foyer has a soiled, low-pile, wool rug of Chinese red (vivid orange-red) and jade green on the floor. Another set of teakwood doors are here, these also sliding into the walls, each door engraved with orchids, albeit scratched and gouged. Loopholes left and right are notched into the walls here.”[/COLOR][/B] The next pair of doors was slightly ajar with a slight crack where they could see through into darkness. After a few minutes of daring to go in Bob angled his radiant lance attack through each arrow slit and slid open the inner doors. The party tossed a magically lit pebble down the hallway to see. The corridor was broad with an intersection left and right midway through. [B][COLOR="Olive"]“…a central passage 10 feet wide by 40 feet long. The walls are paneled in whitewashed wood that might be bamboo (though scratched and gouged), and candle sconces of bronze line the passage, each taper reduced to globs of wax.” “The ceiling is painted in striking mural, portraying a powder blue sky across which cirrus clouds scuttle. A jade palace of many spires rises from a thunderhead, and bearded, snake-like dragons slither through the air.” “The floor is tiled in mosaic of stone–sky blue and jade green marble intermixed with alabaster and sandstone of yellow ochre–depicting an airborne dragon of Eastern sort with flames of red carnelian limning its taloned feet, mane, spine, and tail tip, while obsidian jets shoot forth from its mouth.” “The tiled floor is littered with scraps of broken wood, glass, bits of metal, and earthenware shards. Also, many of the tiles are cracked and chipped.”[/COLOR][/B] Spike used his sword and a hammer to chisel off the two bronze sconces just inside the hall. [I][B]“We’ll need a day just to pry up all these floor stones!”[/B][/I] said Niddler. Bob moved up to the intersection and saw the cross passages were shorter, only 10-feet long. At the ends were more closed double doors engraved with images of orchids, all except to the south, his right-hand side, where the doors and the entire back wall had been demolished leaving bits and pieces lying about. The party lined up in formation and carefully walked over the debris and into the room beyond. It was large with pillars, a single room merged from many as several inner walls were clearly destroyed. The odd-shaped space likely took up most of the entire southern half of the pagoda’s ground floor. [B][COLOR="Olive"]“This former shrine originally dedicated to deities of distant lands appears looted and pillaged. Now the place is cluttered with broken boards, shattered tiles, debris, and glass. Some of the pillars are toppled as well, resulting in a sagging ceiling, including a large hole in the southeast corner of it. The south end of the shrine is dominated by a crude monument erected no doubt by savages… At the fore of a heap of rocks rests a massive boulder, smaller rocks are heaped about it. Flanking the monument north and south you note stone fireplaces…”[/COLOR][/B] The party cautiously looked for any monsters which might be lurking in the shadows. None were found, so they started searching the debris. Largely ignoring the shrine, the hole in the ceiling was scanned as well as the fireplaces, which had clearly seen recent use though the charred wood within was cold to the touch. A single mullioned window faced eastwards, a stone pillar bisected two peaked arches and creating flanking openings whose panes had been broken out. Bob breathed in the fresh morning air and saw for the first time the inner courtyard of [B]Castle Greyhawk[sup]TM[/sup][/B]. [B][COLOR="Olive"]“This courtyard lies under the looming fortress of the Mad Archmage, it being ensconced by a semi-moat of greenish black water over which a lowered drawbridge lies.” “Two enormous towers stand sentry over the fortress they flank and its sprawling precincts below. The inner courtyard lies at the foot of the fortress and these towers that shoulder it.”[/COLOR][/B] Beyond the moat and other fortifications mentioned, this eastern third of the castle precincts was largely empty. It was mainly comprised of cobbled stone in a like manner to the path in the middle courtyard. [B][COLOR="Olive"]“Under the imposing shadow of Castle Zagyg and its massive flanking towers, one round, the other hexagonal, all seems to be calm within…” “A preternatural silence reigns.”[/COLOR][/B] [sblock][IMG]http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/7489/bk2cover.jpg[/IMG][/sblock]Finding nothing they wanted the party moved across the hall to the northern set of doors, checked for traps, and opened them. The room beyond was similar to the other, but in much better condition. The ceiling was supported by two rows of four pillars. A shrine upon a dais rose up from the floor across from them. The room stretched out in width beyond the pillars where doors and hallways could be seen on either side. Bob Johnson noticed the matching mullioned window far to his right in a deep alcove. [B][COLOR="Olive"]“You have entered what appears to be some type of primitively renovated shrine now dedicated to a diabolical, preternatural being of humanoid worship. The nave is lined with six battered pews of oak flanked by stone pillars carved to represent various horned and bearded dragons, curling snakelike up the length of each pillar, each dragon holding a pearl in its right fore claw. These carvings, however, have largely been defaced, gouged and scratched as though with blades and chisels. On the pulpit stands a tremendous, upright log, charred black. The log is painted with a crude, toothy grin and is decorated with various skulls and bones. Two fireplaces are set in the north wall, these set behind the pulpit, and each bears charred logs…”[/COLOR][/B] Niddler immediately tried to pry out one of the pearls from a pillar, but discovered they were simply ornamentation. The others called out, but no one answered. Upon the shrine they saw a number of what might be gifts or offerings. Loot![LIST][*]A cloth pouch – Spike opened to find a pile of dead snakes inside [*]A copper vase with an aged verdigris patina, stained in red around its top – unexamined [*]A number of rocks – unexamined [*]A leather pouch – full of solid green marbles [*]Some large internal organ sewn shut with feathery fronds sticking out at the seams – This was cut open and after some deduction the feathers were identified as owlbear [*]A silver whistle – Bob blew this to insure it worked. [*]A massive humanoid skull with a partially melted candle inside – identified as ogre [*]A stoppered clay flask [16 ounce variety] – opened and smelled as sour red wine.[/LIST] In the end they took the whistle, bag of marbles, and clay flask – but only after pouring the wine out all over the dais. Spike nabbed the ogre skull candle too and stuffed it in his pack. One of the doors was opened along the side paths and a small meditation chamber smelling of urine was found within. It revealed the rear side of a hidden loophole facing on the central hallway. The party decided to skip the rest. Heading back into the hallway they glanced around, but decided not to bother with the east set of double doors either and exited back to the middle courtyard, carefully closing all the doors behind them. Crossing over the walkway to the other inner gatehouse, the pylon tower, they arrived at a tunnel similar to the one leading through the Wyvern’s gate, but with no doors or portcullis. [See the previous entry for tower description] [B][COLOR="Olive"]“On the floor of the west end of this passage you note a mass of solid stone, like hardened mud. The passage is 12 feet wide and 30 feet long, its ceiling of 15 feet height, its floor of flagstone. The walls and ceiling are intaglio-carved and painted (albeit chipped and cracked). Your attention is at once arrested by a large pile of skulls in the center of this passage, it forming a makeshift pyramid. Beside it the flagstones are cracked and upheaving.”[/COLOR][/B] [sblock][IMG]http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/2209/pic17session3.jpg[/IMG][/sblock]Beyond the tunnel they could see a crisscrossing ramp down, the far west castle wall, and some buildings within. The party decided to look for an entrance to the interior of the tower and found castle standard 2’x5’ iron doors, one flanking to either side… just like the postern gate. Except these two were both ajar opening inwards to darkness. The party walked to the left door along a path in the overgrown grass. Bob cast Light on a pebble and tossed it inside. They saw a small room 15’ wide x 20’ deep crowded with two rows of pillars. [COLOR="Olive"][B]“This chamber appears to be a crypt, carved and painted in hieroglyphs, pictographs, and creatures grotesque on walls and ceiling alike, and the six stone pillars within are similarly embellished. A trio of human-shaped stone sarcophagi are scattered across the floor, each one carved and painted with hieroglyphs and like designs, the head of each one fashioned to a bearded visage accoutered in fancy headdress. Built into the south wall a spiral stair of stone ascends.”[/B][/COLOR] One of the stone funerary crypts had been moved to bar passage across half of the slim, 2-foot wide doorway. Niddler slipped inside and he and Spike pushed the lid of the sarcophagi to see what was inside. As soon as they started moving it however something or [I]someone[/I] else began to help. The living dead! The other crypts began to slide open as well and within the first the corpse of a long dead man rose up from its grave. It was adorned in a once elegant, yet foreign costume which had faded over time. Its skin was shriveled to its face, its hands drawn into thin, long-nailed claws, and its eyes sunken in its skull were now socketed with overly large golden coins. One eye coin was impressed with a pyramid, the other with a holy symbol Bob knew as an ankh. The fight was short and brutal [to the zombies at least.] Two more undead rose up of similar visage to the first. Andro cast Shield upon himself. Spike cleft into the chest of the nearest with his greataxe and Niddler followed up with a dagger thrust to its head destroying the abomination. Bob succeeded in Turning back the other two by calling upon Pelor’s aid. Andro let loose a beam of icey frost, but narrowly missed as did Niddler. Spike’s blow landed as did Bob’s who let loose with a “Bob Johnson!”. Unfortunately he was clawed by a zombie for his trouble. In retaliation Andro evoked a force missile and destroyed it. Spike and Niddler converged on the last and the battle was soon over. [Well, smackdown really] Lootin’ Time! The 6 coins were scooped out of the corpses. Niddler judged these to weigh about 3 times the standard. The sarcophagi were searched even though they appeared empty. Surprisingly, Andro found a false bottom in the farthest one. Niddler did a search for any hidden traps or locks and found the trigger mechanism for releasing the stone bottom. As he did so, it rose upward and a set of dark, dusty stairs were revealed. These descended steeply and turned left about ten feet below. Before heading down the party decided they should check on Jozan back at the gate tower. Who knew what trouble he could have gotten into by now? So they wedged the secret door shut again on a piece of rope, tossed the remains of the undead back into their final[?] resting places, replaced the lids, and ducked back outside. Heading back along the path, [wouldn’t you know it?] they spotted a man, a human, who was dressed as if he might be with the bandits. He was standing outside the eastern door to the party’s prized gatehouse with his ear pressed up against it. [B][I]“Hey You!”[/I][/B] shouted Andro who started to run forward. The others had begun coming up with a plan and seeing this outwardly groaned. Now alerted, the spy got the jump on Andro and moved eastwards, off to Andro’s left, and was quickly concealed behind the tall greenery. Needless to say there were some grumbles of frustration, so Andro kept running forward toward the gatehouse until he reached the grassy area he had last seen the intruder. His elven senses weren’t helping him today though, so he pulled out his spell book and let loose with a 15-foot cone of rolling flames straight into the mutated flora. Wooooosh! The fire burned every strange plant, shrub, tree, and blade of grass in the area… and then it began spreading as a ground fire outward from that point. The rest of the party had been approached slowly, but now ran headlong toward Andro. They grabbed him and headed towards the gatehouse door. Animals were heard chittering, snorting, and loudly calling out now. Underneath that racket was heard a high pitched keening slowly rising in intensity. Some of the party banged on the small door calling out for Jozan, while others kept a lookout. Through the smoke Niddler spotted a bunch of bandits crouched down between stones on the far side of the east inner wall gap where the castle was in ruins. The party heard the bar fall from the other side of the door. Inside the Jozan tried to remove the barricade as those outside pushed inwards with all their might. The fire blazed larger, but everyone managed to slip inside slamming the door shut behind them before any further damage was done. After restocking the barricade and barring the door, they reconnoitered atop the roof. The interior wall of the gatehouse wasn’t battlemented like the others, but they pulled themselves atop it and looked down at the fire. They saw the bandits grabbing their heads and rolling on the ground just inside the inner courtyard, which was elevated on the far side of wall. [The inner wall is built on a 10-foot land rise west to east, so the east inner courtyard is higher up.] Suddenly a strange feeling came over the party as the keening from the garden below reached them. They held their own heads and struggled to keep the sound out. Bob Johnson collapsed then and had a vision of a tall sunflower at least 3-feet across towering over him. Light shone out from behind it and Bob had a revelation: He needed to save the plants. He was certain he needed to help them. He told the others. [I][B]“We have to put out the fire and save the plants. All of us. Right now.”[/B][/I] The others were less inclined. Bob climbed back atop the rear rooftop wall and shot out repeatedly with his ray of frost trying to create barriers were the flames could not cross. The rest of the party watched as the bandits down below began working to put the fire out too. They were hauling barrels and carrying buckets filled at the moatside and dumped onto the burning plants. Hours passed and the keening lessened as the fire slowly died down, was beat back, and gained control of. Animals could were spotted running haphazard across the gardens and at one point a large man-sized spider attacked the bandits until it was beat back too. Spike and Niddler did a quick count and calculated about two dozen humans working below. Twenty were in plain leather armor, four others barking orders in a fancier studded variety. When they were finished the whole were seen walking back over the drawbridge and into the main entrance to the fortress. It was past noon when they finally convinced Bob to get down off the rooftop wall and come inside. [sblock][IMG]http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/652/precinctssession3.jpg[/IMG][/sblock][B][I]“Well, the boat’s come back. At least that’s good news”[/I][/B] said Jozan. And so it had, anchored right back in the center of the river. [/QUOTE]
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