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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 509818" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chinese Take-outChapter 55, ”Be Verwwwy Qwiet, We’re Hunting Morgarths”, September 27, 1018, 3:15 P.M.The party head out into the room with the staircase and decide to check out the other room on this level, but neither Lannon nor Lono are able to pick the lock.   They head downstairs to the next level, finding it to be one large room, used for storage.  There are statues and several rows of picture frames leaning against the walls, many of the paintings rather deteriorated.  Based upon the cobwebs and dust outlines on the walls and floor they conclude that several paintings and statues look to have been removed from the room within the past year or so.  They continue to head downstairs.  The next room is on the second level of the castle, but this room is sixty-foot square rather than round, therefore part of the main building rather than just the tower.  In this room maps cover all of the walls, with a huge map, twenty-five by fifty-feet in size, covering the far wall.   All of the maps are yellowed, and many show tears and cracks.   Several are mounted on wooden backings and have pins of various colors stuck into them.    There are two large tables in the room, one with sand, and the other marked off in one-inch grids.   Cassie concludes that this was a “Strategy room”.     They start to examine the maps, seeing none of their home continent of Phlooredah, or any other place that they are familiar with.   Hiroshi finds a map on a wall of the continent that they are now on.   Mounted on wall is a rack, with several poles with broom and brush ends, which Cassie says would be to mark the sand.   Drawers beneath the tables are filled with lead miniatures, Mojo commenting “How silly, people who play with little miniature figures.”   The other drawer contains paper scrolls, with deteriorate when touched.  Cassie manages to get one spread out, concluding that they are 500-year-old military orders.   The party decides that “war-room” was used by the Zhentarum during their rule, and left untouched by Li-Tak.   The party notices that globes floating in the corners of the room brighten as the party’s voices rise, faintly lighting up the room.    Fiona suggests they all leave the room, as Morgarth might be able to detect that the castle’s magic is being activated.    They head down to the lowest level of the tower, finding themselves in at a room once used as a forge.   At the base of the chimney is a twenty-foot diameter forge stove.  The room has many benches, anvils, and shelves and racks of hammers, tongs, pliers, and other assorted metalwork tools.  Pieces of weapons and armor in various states of production are also hanging on hooks and racks, as well as well-worn leather aprons and gloves.  The party concludes that the room is large enough to accommodate several blacksmiths at one time, and that the heat generated would have kept this tower toasty warm.  This is most likely why the dragon chose it for his home.  Some of the party help themselves to a few tools.   The only door from this room is locked, but that is soon rectified.  The group finds where they are on the schematic of the castle’s first floor.   They move out, discovering that, like the towers, each floor has ceilings thirty feet high.  They stop when they smell food cooking ahead. They turn around, Narg deciding “Not to blow our element of surprise on a bunch of cooks.”They proceed down a long hallway, heading through the first doorway, into what is clearly the “Great Hall” of the castle.  It occupies close to half of the interior space of the building, being 300 feet long and 120 feet wide, with a vaulted ceiling going up 90 feet (three stores).  The vast room is presently empty.   They are near the back of the room, where there is a wooden stage and giant-sized wooden throne not far from them.  The room has two balconies, one on each side of the room, made of thick and sturdy hardwood, with elaborately carved columns.   Narg leads the party to a metal spiral staircase going up to the closest balcony.   They reach the second floor, finding two doors off from the balcony, one at this end the other at the far end.   Mojo is very impressed by this room, and declares that “This castle would make a better home for us than our island.”   It is pointed out to him that twenty miles of Hengeyokai surround it.  He answers “No big deal, we’ll just sit in the castle towers and pick them off.” Narg leads the group to the far end of the balcony, where voices are heard on the other side of the door.   Aradyn and Cassie are able to identify that the speakers are talking in the Bugbear language, which Narg concludes, are “Also not worth blowing our cover over.”   They head to the door at the other end of this balcony, entering into a thirty-foot wide corridor that runs outside of the entire 300-foot length of the Great Hall.    There are no visible exits, which convinces Narg that “there must be a hidden one.”  He leads the party down it to the very end, with none of the thieves or elves finding any secret doors.  It is pointed out to Narg that they are now at the end of a long, stone, exit-less hallway, and if anyone comes around the bend at the opposite end they will be seen and trapped.   The party makes haste to get back down the hall, and proceeds cautiously from there.</blockquote>

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