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Message: <blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 1572247" data-attributes="member: 463">Lord Maugraign’s HallWhen Leo, together with Raven, Fjorent, Red Ivy, Xyzzy and Tarquin arrived at the  audience chamber of Goldworthy Hall, they  heard grave news. Queen Tori Oakshield related the problems of the Goldhammer dwarves. Recently they had been suffering the depredations of the duergar, corrupted “dark dwarves”. This evil race hated everyone and felt that it was their destiny to rule the whole world both above and below. They saved a special kind of hate for their dwarven cousins, whom they regarded as offensive abominations, whose primary role in life was to be their slaves. That morning, the Hall had suffered a massive raid and for the first time dwarves had been taken prisoner. Leo, Fjorent and the rest had agreed previously to put themselves at the disposal of the dwarves after dealing with the dragon. The dwarves wanted several things. Stop the duergar raids; rescue the prisoners; find out what the duergar were up to and stop it; and whilst they didn’t actually say it, if this involved killing as many duergar as possible, so much the better.Some quick decisions were taken. Xyzzy and Red Ivy would go back to Kanor to tell him the good news about the dragon and the situation of the dwarves. Then the spell casters in the group had to rest to regain their magic. Finally, Leo wanted to consult the dwarven sage, Fillum about certain legends and knowledge he remembered about the duergar. The duergar were Fillum’s area of expertise and his knowledge would be very valuable. Fjorent, Raven, Tarquin, Xyzzy and Red Ivy then retired to their own affairs. Leo asked to speak to Fillum and spent some time with him. After they finished, he had a much better idea of what they would face. He called the others together and gave them a quick lecture on what he had been able discover: the duergar mind abilities to make themselves bigger and unseen. Their great resistance to spells. Their ability to see the unseen and their immunity to poisons. Their great fondness for deadly traps. Their weakness in light. He did not mention other myths and legends he had heard as these were not relevant to their mission. He also told them of the strange powers present in the underground realm known as the Underdark, especially its magic warping features. Afterwards everyone rested. The next morning, Leo was very pleasantly surprised to find that other comrades from Gaxmoor had arrived. Cailin the White, noted scout, together with King Sigurd of Trafalgis and Xiang the warrior from Mount Fire. Another man was also there, a stranger to Leo. He was with Cailin. His name was Deorn and he was a woodsman, a ranger of the land. They pronounced themselves willing to travel into the Underdark after Leo repeated the information he shared with the others previously. At the same time, the dwarves would also be helped by a contingent of cavalry Kanor had sent to help.The group made ready. Three dwarves were going to accompany them on their journey. Hled, the scout and two dwarven warriors, Korbon and Balto. The former was an older taciturn individual who looked competent and spoke only when spoken to. Balto was younger, more enthusiastic and more talkative. The group was almost ready to leave when Fillum approached Leo and gave him several scrolls. Leo glanced at them. They contained arcane magic, making it possible for the recipient of the spell to see in the dark. Realising that Fillum was giving him one of the treasures of the dwarven hall, Leo gravely thanked him. Then the group left under the eyes of Queen Tori, Fillum and Captain Konerk the dwarven war leader. A greater crowd also gathered, watching mutely. One dwarf waved briefly. When they were out of sight, Leo cast a spell on everyone who could not see in the dark. It was the same spell as on the scrolls albeit substantially more powerful. It would last most of the day. Then the journey proper began. In the early part of it, they were led by Hled. He had intimate knowledge of the caves near the Hall and acted as guide together with Cailin, who took point. Leo was glad for this time. As he and his companions entered into the inky darkness, he found that he had to adjust his perceptions. His eyes now only saw up to a certain distance ahead. Also, they saw in shades of colours depending on heat. This created some truly bizarre visions and they took a lot of getting used to. Several times he rapped his shins on stone outcroppings or bumped his head on parts of the caverns that he had not been able to distinguish. Judging by the language from the rest of the group, he wasn’t the only one. However Leo was anything if not adaptable and soon he started to get used to this new type of perception. He assumed the others were also going through this process. The only one immune to this Fjorent who flitted around in the shape of a bat.Several hours later, Hled stopped and announced that this was as far as he had ever ranged.  From now on, they would have to slow down the pace as they would have to start tracking the duergar war party. This shouldn’t be difficult but it would be slower. The group moved on again with Hled and Cailin taking point. Sometimes Deorn, who had taken rearguard, was called forward and all three of them consulted before deciding on which direction to go. Leo was surprised that so far they hadn’t met any of the reputedly deadly Underdark creatures. Once or twice Hled had pointed at a particular tunnel and said it was a worm tunnel. A path made by one of the titanic purple worms of this realm. Apart from that nothing until suddenly Cailin stopped everyone and silently crept ahead.Some moments later she came back. She described a passage intersection in which there was a band of furred humanoid creatures, feasting on some dwarven and duergar corpses. From their description, Leo dredged from somewhere in his memory that they were the “Children of the One”. Primitive humanoids whose main concerns were food and shelter. The shelter was caves and the food was whatever or whoever was in them. Normally Leo would hope to avoid them but in this case they were very much in the way. So the group made ready to attack. Fjorent summoned one of her spirits. According to her, it was called “Black Rock Ape”, the reason being apparent. Looking as if it was detaching itself from the rock, an ape made out of stone appeared and looked at the witch. She started talking to it and it loped forward. Then, as one, the group moved behind it, the warriors to the front, the spell casters in the center and the dwarves and Deorn taking rearguard. Leo, his reactions honed, was able to loose his spell first. Lighting crackled down the corridor and struck one of the creatures in the centre of the group. Then it branched and struck all the others. Burning air and the smell of ozone. The next moment the enemy was all down with two exceptions. One which had avoided the lightning strike altogether and one which looked a little bigger. However, they were still stupefied by what had happened to their pack and they were soon disposed of by Black Rock Ape. Having dealt with the threat the trackers then moved forward and soon found the duergar tracks again. A few hours later it was time to rest. The rest period was uneventful although Leo found a peculiar sense of timelessness without daylight. There was no light followed by darkness to tell him of the passage of time. Just pure darkness briefly interrupted by a little light he used to study his spellbooks. Now he understood when the old chronicles described lost souls who had stumbled out of the Underdark Kingdoms,  completely unaware of the passage of time. As they were about to set out Leo noticed something strange. Cailin had a peculiar set of tattoos glowing across her eyes. It seems she had adapted better than anyone. Due to the sigils imprinted, she was able to see in the dark without Leo’s magic. Maybe the prolonged darkness triggered this ability. Who could tell? Together with the tattoos on her arms, which made her unseen, both these abilities aided her greatly in her profession. Someone must have seen great promise in her.So they set out again. This time the active period was uneventful. Hled even believed that they were catching up. Then another rest period. The scouts believed that they were only a few hours behind. The group made the best time they could. Hled believed that at this rate they would catch up with the duergar soon. After resting again the group set out, tense for the confrontation. Then Cailin came back. She had found something extraordinary. A massive stone bridge over a chasm of some sort. She could hear water at the bottom. She was suspicious but her preliminary scouting had produced no traps. She did discover two paths leading down the sides of the chasm. One at each end of the bridge. She described runes of some type at the entrance of each path. The group moved forward cautiously. It was as Cailin described. A stone structure from another age. An age when the dwarven nation contested the Underdark. Leo speculated about the desperate battles that must have taken place between the dwarves and all comers. Over time the dwarves must have been driven further and further to the surface and now there were only a few hundred left in the Dosk Heights. It was a shame the dwarves did not keep more chronicles. A study of their history would be fascinating. Leo hoped that Raven the dwarven Holy Knight would be able to read the runes but no such luck. The runes were too old for his own knowledge of the dwarven language and Tarquin’s religious knowledge lay in other subjects. Therefore no one was able to read them. The three Goldhammer dwarves could not read them either though they looked awestruck. They recognised the dwarven stonework of the bridge but they had never expected to find it here. Whilst the runes were of great academic interest to Leo, no one could decipher them and the duergar tracks led over the bridge, not down the chasm paths. Cailin cautiously scouted the bridge. She found it to be safe so the rest of the group also crossed. Then the marching routine resumed. Some time later Cailin quickly returned to the group. She asked them to stop. In the far distance, her incredibly keen hearing had detected voices. The rest of the group moved back a little and Cailin left to investigate. Some time later she came back. She had good news and bad news. The good news was that she had found the duergar who had committed the raid. The bad news was that she had also found lots of their friends. Lots and lots of their friends. The way Cailin described it, it was the duergar nation of the Dosk Heights, maybe of the whole of Ea. She had moved forward and came up to a precipice. This precipice had a narrow path leading down its side to a vast cavern below. There were three separate groups of fires at the bottom of the cavern. Cailin was not sure but she would be prepared to bet a lot of money that a large proportion of that cavern served as an area of habitation for a great many duergar. She also heard soft voices, which she believed were at the bottom of the path, guarding it. This was mixed news. Leo was pleased they had found their quarry without too much deviation. However, now that they had been found, a great deal of thought had to be given to their next course of action. At this point, Fjorent suggested she could summon an earth spirit and see if they could gain any information about the enemy below and possibly alternate routes into their area. A little time later, something coalesced out of the nearby rock. To Leo, it looked just like an earth elemental, although it was the most talkative one he had ever come across. Fjorent started talking to it, simultaneously translating for the group. She immediately christened the spirit “Stolid Cave Guide”. It  was distressed that the “dark ones” were now in charge of this area. It found their corruption deeply unsettling. At the same time, it did fear them. It did not know what the duergar were doing but it was sure that they had to be stopped. It itself had no abilities to do so. Luckily it had very good knowledge of nearby caverns and was willing to guide the group into the complex via ways that were not obvious to many of the enemy. It also said that this whole area was once part of the Hall of Lord Maugraign, a forgotten dwarven potentate. Leo was frustrated. He had never heard of this figure but obviously he must have been someone of great importance. None of the dwarves looked as if they knew anything about him either.  The decision was made. The spirit guide would take the group through a network of caves into the complex. To seal the bargain, Fjorent gave him several gems she had on her person. The spirit guide looked happy. The group got back into their marching order and the spirit led them back to the bridge. Then it said that they needed to go down one of the paths to the bottom. The group looked down gingerly. The path was narrow and had been unused for centuries. The passage down would have to be trodden carefully. In single file, the group started down. Soon, the sound of rushing water was getting louder. Everyone moved slowly, especially the heavily armoured warriors. Everything was going well and after a little time, Leo could make out the fast flowing water beneath. Then suddenly, a shout went up. They were being attacked! From the air. Large flying creatures with a wingspan a good twenty foot wide were swooping down on them. It was obvious that they were attempting to catch people in their claws and fly away. There were five of them. Leo heard Tarquin chant softly and two of them veered away. The other three continued their swoop and attacked the group. Luckily, their victims were very strong and the creatures found it impossible to dislodge them from the path. At the same time, the warriors swung at them, dealing fearful damage. Several spells also followed the creatures inflicting more harm. At that point, two of them went plunging into the ground. The last one attacked again but again a warrior hit it very hard and it followed the others. The final two disappeared into the darkness. The group followed the spirit guide to the bottom. There they were then confronted by several streams flowing into individual caves. The guide pointed in a particular direction, a cave full of water with a small passage on the side. There was a little confusion then. Ways had to be found to transport everyone. Going into the water was out of the question. First it would be freezing. Then, only the gods of the deep knew what lived in that water. It was very fast flowing and there were likely to be jagged sharp rocks at the bottom. There was a real danger that some people could be swept away. The solution was to make the strong people fly and they could then carry the others. There was also an attempt to cast this spell on the spirit but it looked very unhappy, so the spell was dismissed and Fjorent diplomatically asked it to return to its abode. She promised she would summon one of its compatriots. The flying ones scouted the cave and came back to say they had found nothing and there was a small beach, which could accommodate the group. So the group was ferried over. The fliers found that the cave led on but there were now no ledges on the side of the cavern. At this point, Fjorent summoned another spirit, this one bearing resemblance to an aquatic denizen. She immediately christened it “Green Cloud Fish”. Again, it seemed quite talkative and much greedier for gems than its friend. When asked if it could guide us into the complex, it was happy to do so and pointed into the water filled cave passage. When asked for another route, more regretfully, it pointed up the corridor leading from the little beach. During this time, Cailin’s sharp eyes spotted a peculiar thing. A fish bone, suggesting the beach was used by fishermen of some type. The group got into the usual marching order. As they walked, a moment later Cailin came back saying she had found a door. This was the first sign of habitation in this region. The group got battle ready. It was unlikely there would be something behind it but one never knew. The group marched up. If there was something behind it, they would have heard them. Cailin opened the door. There was a large room behind it in which there were nine large humanoid creatures. Leo couldn’t make out what they were in the darkness, but there was not mistaking their large size and the clubs they had in their hands. The front warriors moved in, blocking the doorway, allowing the spell casters to use their spells. Four of the creatures threw nets on the warriors but luckily only Xiang was entangled. Then Tarquin chanted and six of the creatures turned away as if suddenly disinterested in the whole thing. The other three moved forward and battle was joined. Luckily, one on one, these things were no match for the warriors, especially as Leo made all of them very fast. The first three were quickly dispatched and then Xiang, Raven and Sigurd were able to move on the others after a lightning bolt from Leo and a fire spell from Fjorent weakened them considerably. Again the battle was short and brutal but soon they were dead with the exception of two, who loped down one of the side passages, badly hurt.  Further examination revealed them to be trolls and therefore they were regenerating. This was soon fixed as the trolls were burnt. The group then organised themselves and moved out of the room, led by the guide. A little later, they moved into another large chamber. It looked empty and there were no exits. Cailin immediately began searching. Fjorent asked Green Cloud Fish which way and it pointed to a wall. Cailin started searching there. Sounding surprised, she finally said that because of the darkness she was finding it very difficult to find an opening mechanism but the wall was definitely false. There was also a trapdoor in the ceiling, which may have something to do with the wall. The construction was definitely dwarven and obviously very intricate. Leo regretted that he couldn’t see the room with a light. It would have been fascinating to study the architectural skill of the dwarves. No time for that though. He had a spell which could create doors where there were none. After a little discussion, the group decided that was the way to go. Getting ready, Leo made a hole in the wall and the group moved forward. They moved a few hundred feet into a corridor that was about ten feet wide. As usual, Hled and Cailin were approximately forty feet ahead of the main group. Suddenly the leading pair stopped. Hled dropped. Cailin stood but seemingly couldn’t move. Tarquin had taken to casting a spell on Cailin, which gave him an idea of her direction and state of health. Rapidly he let the others know that she was under a spell which prevented her from moving and she was also hurt. Everyone closed the distance as fast as they could. Leo cast as spell on a pebble, which lit up the corridor as if it was daylight. Xiang took it the pebble from his hand and took it forward. Fjorent was able to dismiss the holding spell on Cailin who rapidly moved back to the group. The warriors moved ahead as fast as they could. Soon the enemy was in sight. It was a group of dark dwarves. Their leader was a priest. The first rank was lying on the ground aiming arbalests whilst the rank behind them were standing, again aiming arbalests. Sigurd reached them first, smashing into their midst. Fjorent, cursing his impetuosity, cast her spell in front of him. It was spectacularly successful. A column of fire wiped out the back rank of the duergar. Burnt corpses littered the corridor. At the same time, Sigurd bloodily waded through the rest of them. In a few moments, the duergar patrol had been wiped out. The damage had been done. Hled, the dwarven scout was dead. The two dwarven warriors mourned inconsolably. To them it was a massive loss. Leo could only imagine. There were already very few dwarves. Most of them were warriors. It was a mark of the importance they laid to this mission that they sent their best scout along with the group. His loss was an incalculable one to the community of Goldworthy Hall. The group got together and discussed whether they should bring him back from the dead. Tarquin could do that, although it was at great expense and Hled would be weaker than before. Leo was a little surprised that Raven didn’t argue more strongly for his resurrection. However, the dwarf seemed to relate far more easily to his companions than he did to any of the Goldhammer dwarves. However, Leo didn’t understand the social mores of the dwarven community and there were more important things to talk about. It was decided that regrettably, it would be better to save resources for later. Hled had been useful but at the moment his potential usefulness had ended. It was a painful but necessary decision. It would be reviewed if the mission ended successfully. The group decided to go back to room with the false wall. The casters were low on spells and a door had been glimpsed close behind the duergar. Potentially this could lead to more duergar. The hole in the wall had been dismissed. Then Fjorent summoned another spirit, Baron Ghost Bear. This one looked like a massive coal black dire bear. Gently it lifted Cailin to the trapdoor. There she found a huge mechanism, which was part of a chain/pulley system designed to lift the wall. So, the wall was like a cunningly disguised gate or portcullis into the Hall. Unfortunately, she was unable to find the opening controls. Then the group rested.</blockquote>

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