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<blockquote data-quote="MarauderX" data-source="post: 2046112" data-attributes="member: 9990"><p><u><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">Session 28: The Keeps of Yatu and Nemirka</span></strong></u></p><p></p><p>Investigating the aftermath of the battle, the group poured over the bodies of the fallen Fharlanghn knights. Finding several items of value that they would no longer use, the group removed them and buried the bodies deep within the snow, chizeling into the ice beneath their feet to find a proper place for them. </p><p></p><p>The small hut that they had inhabited had animal skins strapped to the rickety walls, and a hole in one corner was used to pull small fish from the river below. Instead of staying the party used the last few hours of daylight to set out travelling once more. </p><p></p><p>The trail narrowed even more, and the mountains towered above them on either side. Wildlife and foliage had nearly disappeared, something that Jerrin had thought strange. They continued for another four days, steadily ascending along the trail next to where the frozen river lay. Enchantments shielded the group and their mounts from the elements, and progress was steady through the snow-bound trail. </p><p></p><p>On the fourth day they turned around the edge of a mountain to see a keep high up along where a rivulet split from the small river. It loomed over the trail at the base of the intersection and a quick scan revealed there were no tracks along the path to the keep. Slow movement caught their eye, as a slender metal spear tip protruded over the wall and glided from one side of the gate to the other. Alex scampered up to the wall quietly, and quickly he circled around the keep investigating for any other entrances. The party moved up the steep path to the keep and as they reached the flat grade a voice boomed out, calling for them to halt.</p><p></p><p>The party saw a man peeking over the battlements. He was thin and had visible yellow spots on his cheeks. After a quick introduction the gate opened and one by one the group entered. Alex crept up to his horse to grab his grappling hook and rope, but as he went to pull them off without anyone watching the whole saddlebag slumped loudly to the ground. The dozen or so men inside watched as the group entered, and Alex decided to go in with the others after the guards had seen him. </p><p></p><p>Inside the gates the group felt a stench settle into their clothing and Grimnyr coughed for several minutes as he breathed in the vile air. The men inside were thin and haggard, and all of them had a yellowish tinge to their skin with off-color patches on their faces. The guards sized them up and seemed to be eyeing the horses and the packs on them. Thovaas spoke to them and asked to see their leader or whoever was in charge. The lead guard scoffed and replied that it would be a few days before they could see him, as he was likely indisposed at the moment. Alex gave away ten days' worth of rations to the hungry guards, most of which devoured the dry food in a few minutes. The leader of the guards told them they would probably be sorry, that the Lord would see to a fit punishment for them. </p><p></p><p>The group was led to a guardhouse and again they asked to see the Lord of the keep promptly. Again the guards exchanged glances and finally led the party to the large central inner keep. The horses were taken to the stables and most of the famished guards went with them to ensure their... safety. As they approached Thovaas called forth the power to cure the illness that had settled into Grimnyr's chest. </p><p></p><p>The party entered the main doors and walked into a carpeted lobby. The deep red carpet had seen wear, but was still very clean by most standards. A robed man greeted them there and told them to come back in a few days to make an appointment. The party grumbled and he finally looked up from his ledger to scan them over, then said that he could schedule the appointment now if they wished. Again the party told the thin man that waiting would not do, that they needed to see his lord now. The man explained that the lord, not just his, would not see them now, but he would check to see if there was an opening tomorrow. His head disappeared behind a curtain and he was heard asking about the Lord's schedule. He turned to the party and smiled, saying that they could meet with their Lord at dawn tomorrow. The party again told him that their schedule indicated now was a good time. Again the man's head disappeared behind the curtain and returned to say that there would be a few rules they should obey when visiting the Lord. </p><p></p><p>First, they were to look him in the eye at all times, as the Lord did not trust those who could not do this. Second, everyone was to refer to the Lord as Lord and nothing else. Third, they were to remove their shoes to keep the inner chambers sacred and clean. And last, there were to be no mongrels, pets, or other shaggy or feathered beasts allowed to intrude into the inner sanctum. </p><p></p><p>The party paused. They reflected what they were doing at the keep, why they had come this far, and why they were even insisting to see the Lord. They knew that they couldn't wait around in the keep to catch a disease or be ambushed by the inhabitants. Eventually they decided to see if they could help the inhabitants there by finding out if the Lord was indeed keeping the people captive at the keep. It was determined that they would not take off their shoes, nor would Jerrin comply to keep Tempest outside. The robed man attempted to stop them, but a quick look made him wimper. </p><p></p><p>The party sauntered into a gallery, fully carpeted with tapestries along the walls. At the other side was a wide corridor and a set of doors that likely led to see the Lord. Grimnyr gazed at some of the tapestries and recognized a few house symbols relating to the baronies of ages past. The tapestries were worn but still retained much of their original color. Two more robed men stood on either side of the hall to the door with stoic faces as they saw the defiant party stride in. A voice boomed out to open the doors and the robed men complied.</p><p></p><p>As soon as the doors swung open, the party and the being inside took battle stances. Before them a dried husk of a man stood on a raised platform with a decorated throne. The floor and walls were mosaic works of art that would have taken centuries to construct, and large, round purple tiles covered the floor. In the center a small pool of water reflected the light of the mummy's hand as a magical flame sprouted from it. </p><p></p><p>Alex was the first to react, and he washed off a wave of fear that threatened to overwealm him. An arrow zipped by the mummy just before it threw the ball of flame to explode on the party, throwing the robed servants to the floor in a burning masses. Jerrin summoned forth an arrowhawk and it swept forward to strike the mummy with lightning. Grimnyr noticed that Quentin was frozen with fright and he cast an enchantment to counteract the effect, then cast an enchantment to enhance everyone's focus.</p><p></p><p>The mummy cast a spell that called upon dark powers and he stepped upward into the air of the 30' room. The rest of the group entered the room to bring their attacks to bear, and Jerrin enhanced Thovaas with the same spell the mummy had so he could walk upward on thin air to challenge it. Grimnyr circled out of an area of silence that the mummy had put in place and leapt upward into the air to strike him heavily across its back, bringing its focus from the airwalking Thovaas. </p><p></p><p>Jerrin commanded a rolling ball of flame to bounce up at the mummy several times and it finally connected as Thovaas was struck with a heavy blow. Instead of striking back again Thovaas reached out and grabbed the thing's skull before calling for the healing power of Heironious. A blue flash and a searing flame left the paladin's hand print on the skull before the mummy dived downward to take advantage of Grimnyr below him. Thovaas followed him downward as both Alex and Quentin circled firing arrows into the fray. </p><p></p><p>Tempest gripped a leg of the mummy dangling in the air and thought to drag him prone, but the magic keeping him suspended in the air held him fast. Jerrin had morphed into a huge dire ape, strutting his way into the room after ducking his head in the corridor, something he was very unaccustomed to doing. The mummy struck out several times, and the group traded blows with him as he tried to walk upward out of range of those on the ground. Thovaas smote him once again, creating another streak of black across the dry bandages. </p><p></p><p>Before he could learch upward out of reach, Jerrin grabbed a leg with one heavy arm and the mummy's rib cage with the other and began to tear. His mouth locked around its neck and wrenched the skull free of the body just as the other limbs gave way and were torn from the trunk. The skull fell toward the corner of the room and stopped to rest facing the party, the black hand print boldly visable. </p><p></p><p>Alex investigated the throne and Quentin assisted to scan over the room for the next half an hour. They saw much of the mosaics were firmly in place and likely worth a good amount in the artisans market, but here in the mountains they would be nearly impossible to uproot and move.</p><p></p><p>Thovaas took the skull from the corner and walked down the hallway three feet from the carpeted floor and through to the lobby. The greeter had been watching the fight and cowered as Thovaas parted the curtains he had hid behind. The paladin then walked out to the front of the small building to address the inhabitants as they gathered, still standing three feet above the ground. Murmurs could be heard, and it wasn't clear to those looking at him what had happened. A few were heard to say that Thovaas had stolen the Lord's power, that he had taken it in some vile manner. All of the people were emaciated and brownish spots were scattered across their yellow tinged skin. Clearly they were all striken with whatever disease the mummy had given them. </p><p></p><p>Once they had gathered it was clear the keep housed around ninety men and women. Thovaas noticed that there were no elderly or young children. He told them that he had defeated their evil master and were free to go. Talking ensued again and a bold man asked why they should trust the paladin that the loard was dead. Thovaas showed them the skull and they seemed dumbfounded. He explained what had happened inside, and the small crowd seemed to shake their heads and talk again. Someone asked Thovaas where he was from and who he paid homage to. He responded that he was first a servant of Heironious and a knight of the Kingdom of Correl. They stared, as if expecting an explanation. Thovaas continued that he had come from Kargam, that he had passed through many towns on his way there and was now on a task for the Kingdom. They again stared, not knowing what the Kingdom of Correl was, and a few asked which Baron he really served. Instead Thovaas asked how long they had been there and how long they had lived with the Lord. The crowd exchanged glances and words once again, each of them trying to recall the last time they had seen their Lord, which phase the moon was in, and how many seasons had passed. They were at a loss. </p><p></p><p>Meanwhile Alex had discovered that there was a mostly hidden entrance to a room behind the throne, as it appeared to have undergone constant traffic by the mummy. A closer inspection revealed that the door was trapped somehow and that there was likely a means to disable it. With Quentin's aid they discovered that the throne itself, when turned, deactivated whatever trap was in place. Pushing the door open, the two were washed in a golden light from the room they had discovered. </p><p></p><p>Grimnyr and Jerrin appeared at the entrance to join Thovaas. Grimnyr was certain from what he heard and the tapestries inside that they had lived in these mountains for over five hundred years. One of the men in the crowd told the party that they had moved here with their Lord Fistandantilus when he wanted to get away from the tyranny of the other Barons. He said the that the mountains were his domain, that the only one who shared them was the Lord of Keep Nemirka. Further questions revealed that the children and elderly who were the most suseptable to illness had died long ago, and that Lord Fistandantilus had sustained them up to this point. As he got a tingling from his spiritual mount, Thovaas decided to check on the horses and bring them back. </p><p></p><p>Jerrin and Grimnyr returned inside to see Alex and Quentin gazing at a gold-filled room. Inside the room were many gold crafted items, and many parts of the wall were lined with a thin layer of gold foil to make the room glow that much brighter. A large golden pitcher sat on a stone pedistal in the center, and a few gems were inlaid into other items in the room. Alex picked up the pitcher to assess it's value and felt a thin, clear substance coating it. He could feel the illness that pervaded the keep try to wrack his health once more but managed to drop the pitcher and cover his mouth to ward it off. Grimnyr examined a pile of gold pieces on the floor and recognized that they predated the Kingdom of Correl, most likely by several hundred years. It suddenly struck him that perhaps the man pictured on the pieces was supposed to be this mummy creature, as each barony used to manufacture their own gold piece standard. It also seemed as though each gold piece in the piles had a thin film of clear slime on it. </p><p></p><p>Thovaas returned and the group began discussing the fate of those in the keep as well as a possible solution to cleansing the gold of the diseased slime left behind by the mummy. Thovaas mentioned that he had expended his ability to relieve disease on Grimnyr, and Jerrin said it would be a long time for him to lift the disease from the inhabitants. The people of the keep also asked how they would be provided food, and Jerrin decided to investigate a solution. </p><p></p><p>As the group moved their things to the outside of the keep walls, they were again thankful for the enchantment that protected them from the weather as the wind whipped about the mountains. Jerrin took flight as an eagle and scanned the mountainsides for food and trees that could be used for warmth. Further and further he glided west until he saw the forest begin abruptly at the bottom of a sixty foot cliff. Investigating a bit more, Jerrin realized that the forest and wildlife within a two-day radius was eradicated and only snow covered barren rock. Returning to the keep he learned that the people of keep had already scoured the land for as much lumber and food as they could, eventually falling shorter year after year until Lord Fistandantilus was their sole provider and they were beholden to him. Jerrin offered the location of lumber at the bottom of a cliff to the west and an outspoken leader mentioned two men getting killed trying to drag the logs up to the keep. </p><p></p><p>The group mentioned trekking down the slopes to the dwarven town they had stopped in, saying that it was about ten days travel. Jerrin found a bird messenger and sent a quick message to the squire Thovaas had left behind in the dwarven town. The message was brief and relayed the situation that the inhabitants of the Keep of Yatu were in. It was then decided that they should fend for themselves and that the party needed to keep going on to the Keep of Nemirka. </p><p></p><p>The party could see occasionally see the Keep of Nemirka from two days away, as it was situated in a highly visable location on the top of a lower mountain. As they approached the party could see no smoke rising nor see any movement. When they did get to the base of the Keep, Quentin noticed that the door was ajar. The other squinted to see what he did and it wasn't until they started up the path to the keep that they saw he was right. Cautiously they approached. </p><p></p><p>Scanning the area inside and out the party saw that the place was indeed empty. Inside the ground was terraced upward towards the largest house, large to the others in the keep by comparison but still small to most from where the party had seen. Inspecting the entire keep yielded a common thread: whoever had lived here had packed up and left abruptly. As Grimnyr pulled out a chair to rest, the party saw something just outside the open door. A tiger was watching them from outside. </p><p></p><p>Turning with his bow in hand, Quentin launched first one, then another arrow at the beast outside the door. Thovaas could hardly believe that it was there as his mount had given no indication of an intruder. The tiger leapt into the air, recoiling from the arrow wounds, and sprinted towards the gate of the keep. Grimnyr and the others began to give chase, but soon the last they saw of it was its striped tail as it darted beyond the walls of the keep. Jerrin shuddered as he realized how intelligent those eyes seemed. To him, this was no ordinary tiger. The others trusted the small druid's instincts and discussed what it could possibly be.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MarauderX, post: 2046112, member: 9990"] [U][B][SIZE=4]Session 28: The Keeps of Yatu and Nemirka[/SIZE][/B][/U] Investigating the aftermath of the battle, the group poured over the bodies of the fallen Fharlanghn knights. Finding several items of value that they would no longer use, the group removed them and buried the bodies deep within the snow, chizeling into the ice beneath their feet to find a proper place for them. The small hut that they had inhabited had animal skins strapped to the rickety walls, and a hole in one corner was used to pull small fish from the river below. Instead of staying the party used the last few hours of daylight to set out travelling once more. The trail narrowed even more, and the mountains towered above them on either side. Wildlife and foliage had nearly disappeared, something that Jerrin had thought strange. They continued for another four days, steadily ascending along the trail next to where the frozen river lay. Enchantments shielded the group and their mounts from the elements, and progress was steady through the snow-bound trail. On the fourth day they turned around the edge of a mountain to see a keep high up along where a rivulet split from the small river. It loomed over the trail at the base of the intersection and a quick scan revealed there were no tracks along the path to the keep. Slow movement caught their eye, as a slender metal spear tip protruded over the wall and glided from one side of the gate to the other. Alex scampered up to the wall quietly, and quickly he circled around the keep investigating for any other entrances. The party moved up the steep path to the keep and as they reached the flat grade a voice boomed out, calling for them to halt. The party saw a man peeking over the battlements. He was thin and had visible yellow spots on his cheeks. After a quick introduction the gate opened and one by one the group entered. Alex crept up to his horse to grab his grappling hook and rope, but as he went to pull them off without anyone watching the whole saddlebag slumped loudly to the ground. The dozen or so men inside watched as the group entered, and Alex decided to go in with the others after the guards had seen him. Inside the gates the group felt a stench settle into their clothing and Grimnyr coughed for several minutes as he breathed in the vile air. The men inside were thin and haggard, and all of them had a yellowish tinge to their skin with off-color patches on their faces. The guards sized them up and seemed to be eyeing the horses and the packs on them. Thovaas spoke to them and asked to see their leader or whoever was in charge. The lead guard scoffed and replied that it would be a few days before they could see him, as he was likely indisposed at the moment. Alex gave away ten days' worth of rations to the hungry guards, most of which devoured the dry food in a few minutes. The leader of the guards told them they would probably be sorry, that the Lord would see to a fit punishment for them. The group was led to a guardhouse and again they asked to see the Lord of the keep promptly. Again the guards exchanged glances and finally led the party to the large central inner keep. The horses were taken to the stables and most of the famished guards went with them to ensure their... safety. As they approached Thovaas called forth the power to cure the illness that had settled into Grimnyr's chest. The party entered the main doors and walked into a carpeted lobby. The deep red carpet had seen wear, but was still very clean by most standards. A robed man greeted them there and told them to come back in a few days to make an appointment. The party grumbled and he finally looked up from his ledger to scan them over, then said that he could schedule the appointment now if they wished. Again the party told the thin man that waiting would not do, that they needed to see his lord now. The man explained that the lord, not just his, would not see them now, but he would check to see if there was an opening tomorrow. His head disappeared behind a curtain and he was heard asking about the Lord's schedule. He turned to the party and smiled, saying that they could meet with their Lord at dawn tomorrow. The party again told him that their schedule indicated now was a good time. Again the man's head disappeared behind the curtain and returned to say that there would be a few rules they should obey when visiting the Lord. First, they were to look him in the eye at all times, as the Lord did not trust those who could not do this. Second, everyone was to refer to the Lord as Lord and nothing else. Third, they were to remove their shoes to keep the inner chambers sacred and clean. And last, there were to be no mongrels, pets, or other shaggy or feathered beasts allowed to intrude into the inner sanctum. The party paused. They reflected what they were doing at the keep, why they had come this far, and why they were even insisting to see the Lord. They knew that they couldn't wait around in the keep to catch a disease or be ambushed by the inhabitants. Eventually they decided to see if they could help the inhabitants there by finding out if the Lord was indeed keeping the people captive at the keep. It was determined that they would not take off their shoes, nor would Jerrin comply to keep Tempest outside. The robed man attempted to stop them, but a quick look made him wimper. The party sauntered into a gallery, fully carpeted with tapestries along the walls. At the other side was a wide corridor and a set of doors that likely led to see the Lord. Grimnyr gazed at some of the tapestries and recognized a few house symbols relating to the baronies of ages past. The tapestries were worn but still retained much of their original color. Two more robed men stood on either side of the hall to the door with stoic faces as they saw the defiant party stride in. A voice boomed out to open the doors and the robed men complied. As soon as the doors swung open, the party and the being inside took battle stances. Before them a dried husk of a man stood on a raised platform with a decorated throne. The floor and walls were mosaic works of art that would have taken centuries to construct, and large, round purple tiles covered the floor. In the center a small pool of water reflected the light of the mummy's hand as a magical flame sprouted from it. Alex was the first to react, and he washed off a wave of fear that threatened to overwealm him. An arrow zipped by the mummy just before it threw the ball of flame to explode on the party, throwing the robed servants to the floor in a burning masses. Jerrin summoned forth an arrowhawk and it swept forward to strike the mummy with lightning. Grimnyr noticed that Quentin was frozen with fright and he cast an enchantment to counteract the effect, then cast an enchantment to enhance everyone's focus. The mummy cast a spell that called upon dark powers and he stepped upward into the air of the 30' room. The rest of the group entered the room to bring their attacks to bear, and Jerrin enhanced Thovaas with the same spell the mummy had so he could walk upward on thin air to challenge it. Grimnyr circled out of an area of silence that the mummy had put in place and leapt upward into the air to strike him heavily across its back, bringing its focus from the airwalking Thovaas. Jerrin commanded a rolling ball of flame to bounce up at the mummy several times and it finally connected as Thovaas was struck with a heavy blow. Instead of striking back again Thovaas reached out and grabbed the thing's skull before calling for the healing power of Heironious. A blue flash and a searing flame left the paladin's hand print on the skull before the mummy dived downward to take advantage of Grimnyr below him. Thovaas followed him downward as both Alex and Quentin circled firing arrows into the fray. Tempest gripped a leg of the mummy dangling in the air and thought to drag him prone, but the magic keeping him suspended in the air held him fast. Jerrin had morphed into a huge dire ape, strutting his way into the room after ducking his head in the corridor, something he was very unaccustomed to doing. The mummy struck out several times, and the group traded blows with him as he tried to walk upward out of range of those on the ground. Thovaas smote him once again, creating another streak of black across the dry bandages. Before he could learch upward out of reach, Jerrin grabbed a leg with one heavy arm and the mummy's rib cage with the other and began to tear. His mouth locked around its neck and wrenched the skull free of the body just as the other limbs gave way and were torn from the trunk. The skull fell toward the corner of the room and stopped to rest facing the party, the black hand print boldly visable. Alex investigated the throne and Quentin assisted to scan over the room for the next half an hour. They saw much of the mosaics were firmly in place and likely worth a good amount in the artisans market, but here in the mountains they would be nearly impossible to uproot and move. Thovaas took the skull from the corner and walked down the hallway three feet from the carpeted floor and through to the lobby. The greeter had been watching the fight and cowered as Thovaas parted the curtains he had hid behind. The paladin then walked out to the front of the small building to address the inhabitants as they gathered, still standing three feet above the ground. Murmurs could be heard, and it wasn't clear to those looking at him what had happened. A few were heard to say that Thovaas had stolen the Lord's power, that he had taken it in some vile manner. All of the people were emaciated and brownish spots were scattered across their yellow tinged skin. Clearly they were all striken with whatever disease the mummy had given them. Once they had gathered it was clear the keep housed around ninety men and women. Thovaas noticed that there were no elderly or young children. He told them that he had defeated their evil master and were free to go. Talking ensued again and a bold man asked why they should trust the paladin that the loard was dead. Thovaas showed them the skull and they seemed dumbfounded. He explained what had happened inside, and the small crowd seemed to shake their heads and talk again. Someone asked Thovaas where he was from and who he paid homage to. He responded that he was first a servant of Heironious and a knight of the Kingdom of Correl. They stared, as if expecting an explanation. Thovaas continued that he had come from Kargam, that he had passed through many towns on his way there and was now on a task for the Kingdom. They again stared, not knowing what the Kingdom of Correl was, and a few asked which Baron he really served. Instead Thovaas asked how long they had been there and how long they had lived with the Lord. The crowd exchanged glances and words once again, each of them trying to recall the last time they had seen their Lord, which phase the moon was in, and how many seasons had passed. They were at a loss. Meanwhile Alex had discovered that there was a mostly hidden entrance to a room behind the throne, as it appeared to have undergone constant traffic by the mummy. A closer inspection revealed that the door was trapped somehow and that there was likely a means to disable it. With Quentin's aid they discovered that the throne itself, when turned, deactivated whatever trap was in place. Pushing the door open, the two were washed in a golden light from the room they had discovered. Grimnyr and Jerrin appeared at the entrance to join Thovaas. Grimnyr was certain from what he heard and the tapestries inside that they had lived in these mountains for over five hundred years. One of the men in the crowd told the party that they had moved here with their Lord Fistandantilus when he wanted to get away from the tyranny of the other Barons. He said the that the mountains were his domain, that the only one who shared them was the Lord of Keep Nemirka. Further questions revealed that the children and elderly who were the most suseptable to illness had died long ago, and that Lord Fistandantilus had sustained them up to this point. As he got a tingling from his spiritual mount, Thovaas decided to check on the horses and bring them back. Jerrin and Grimnyr returned inside to see Alex and Quentin gazing at a gold-filled room. Inside the room were many gold crafted items, and many parts of the wall were lined with a thin layer of gold foil to make the room glow that much brighter. A large golden pitcher sat on a stone pedistal in the center, and a few gems were inlaid into other items in the room. Alex picked up the pitcher to assess it's value and felt a thin, clear substance coating it. He could feel the illness that pervaded the keep try to wrack his health once more but managed to drop the pitcher and cover his mouth to ward it off. Grimnyr examined a pile of gold pieces on the floor and recognized that they predated the Kingdom of Correl, most likely by several hundred years. It suddenly struck him that perhaps the man pictured on the pieces was supposed to be this mummy creature, as each barony used to manufacture their own gold piece standard. It also seemed as though each gold piece in the piles had a thin film of clear slime on it. Thovaas returned and the group began discussing the fate of those in the keep as well as a possible solution to cleansing the gold of the diseased slime left behind by the mummy. Thovaas mentioned that he had expended his ability to relieve disease on Grimnyr, and Jerrin said it would be a long time for him to lift the disease from the inhabitants. The people of the keep also asked how they would be provided food, and Jerrin decided to investigate a solution. As the group moved their things to the outside of the keep walls, they were again thankful for the enchantment that protected them from the weather as the wind whipped about the mountains. Jerrin took flight as an eagle and scanned the mountainsides for food and trees that could be used for warmth. Further and further he glided west until he saw the forest begin abruptly at the bottom of a sixty foot cliff. Investigating a bit more, Jerrin realized that the forest and wildlife within a two-day radius was eradicated and only snow covered barren rock. Returning to the keep he learned that the people of keep had already scoured the land for as much lumber and food as they could, eventually falling shorter year after year until Lord Fistandantilus was their sole provider and they were beholden to him. Jerrin offered the location of lumber at the bottom of a cliff to the west and an outspoken leader mentioned two men getting killed trying to drag the logs up to the keep. The group mentioned trekking down the slopes to the dwarven town they had stopped in, saying that it was about ten days travel. Jerrin found a bird messenger and sent a quick message to the squire Thovaas had left behind in the dwarven town. The message was brief and relayed the situation that the inhabitants of the Keep of Yatu were in. It was then decided that they should fend for themselves and that the party needed to keep going on to the Keep of Nemirka. The party could see occasionally see the Keep of Nemirka from two days away, as it was situated in a highly visable location on the top of a lower mountain. As they approached the party could see no smoke rising nor see any movement. When they did get to the base of the Keep, Quentin noticed that the door was ajar. The other squinted to see what he did and it wasn't until they started up the path to the keep that they saw he was right. Cautiously they approached. Scanning the area inside and out the party saw that the place was indeed empty. Inside the ground was terraced upward towards the largest house, large to the others in the keep by comparison but still small to most from where the party had seen. Inspecting the entire keep yielded a common thread: whoever had lived here had packed up and left abruptly. As Grimnyr pulled out a chair to rest, the party saw something just outside the open door. A tiger was watching them from outside. Turning with his bow in hand, Quentin launched first one, then another arrow at the beast outside the door. Thovaas could hardly believe that it was there as his mount had given no indication of an intruder. The tiger leapt into the air, recoiling from the arrow wounds, and sprinted towards the gate of the keep. Grimnyr and the others began to give chase, but soon the last they saw of it was its striped tail as it darted beyond the walls of the keep. Jerrin shuddered as he realized how intelligent those eyes seemed. To him, this was no ordinary tiger. The others trusted the small druid's instincts and discussed what it could possibly be. [/QUOTE]
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