Chapter 3: The Dwarven Ruins, Part 1
The group waited patiently for Jackie to join them. Once he had, they continued the discussion of what they should do next. Ostler, Shuglin and Chao were in favor of heading back to Travensburg. The rest wanted to follow the tracks to see if there were more bandits and solve the problem once and for all.
In the end, they decided to split up. Chao and the dwarves would take the wagon back to Travensburg. Hugh, Jackie, Jeb, Rumblethorn and Brush would see where the tracks led. With any luck, they’d be able to surprise the rest of the bandits, if indeed there were more, before the bandits even realized that the group who had attacked the wagon was missing.
And so they set out. Just beyond the road, the tracks entered the woods. Even through the foliage, they were easy to follow. The bandits obviously weren’t concerned about being discovered. Eventually, the group noticed a small hill up ahead. In its side, freshly cleared of vegetation, was the mouth of a cave.
Suddenly, Jeb spotted movement in the darkness just inside. The group took cover and quietly formulated a plan. Jeb and Jackie would fan out and sneak up on the cave from either side of the path. Hugh and Rumblethorn would hold their positions and keep an eye on things from the front while Rumblethorn sent Brush down the path to check things out. Being a wolf, she would draw the least amount of suspicion if she were spotted.
Jackie and Jeb started off, taking their time to make sure they were quiet and remained within the cover of the woods. Brush began her slow approach to the cave mouth as well. She took her time, wandering back and forth across the trail checking out everything. She may have been an animal, but she was one heck of an actress.
She had closed to within several yards of the entrance, when a shout came from inside. Jeb and Jackie both froze for a second, but satisfied that they hadn’t been spotted, they quickly continued to inch their way forward. Brush kept moving as well. A second yell from the cave was followed by a rock aimed in the wolf’s general direction. Still, no one could be seen inside. Brush took the rock as a sign that she had gotten close enough for the time being and sat down.
Jeb had almost reached his side of the hill, but Jackie was still a few feet away. Suddenly, he felt a breeze blow up, which caused the branches above to move. They parted and a ray of mid-day sunlight pierced the forest canopy to shine down on the exact spot where Jackie stood. This did not go unnoticed by whoever was in the cave and a louder, more excited shout went up.
Hugh realized that the stealthy approach had been blown, so he leapt onto the path and charged. Brush, Jackie and Rumblethorn did likewise. Jeb stood his ground, still concealed and undetected, and watched for anything to emerge from the cave, his short bow at the ready. Whoever was inside decided to wait on the attackers, however, so Jeb was left to bring up the rear as the others entered the cave.
The cave entrance opened onto a tunnel just wide enough for them to enter single file. With the wolf in the lead, they cautiously made their way forward. When they reached a point where the tunnel unexpectedly widened, something took a swing at the wolf from the side. Brush managed to keep her opponent pinned long enough for Hugh to step forward and kill it. A quick inspection revealed the attacker to be an orc.
The familiar twang of a crossbow, as well as the whistling of the bolt as it went by, alerted them to the presence of a second opponent. Hugh’s inspection of the dead orc had also revealed that the tunnel hadn’t just widened, it had in fact branched off. The group used this to their advantage and split up. The side tunnel reconnected to the main one several feet farther down. This junction was where the second orc was firing from, but he wasn’t watching his back and Hugh was able to get behind him. The orc was quickly dispatched. They quickly hid the bodies in the side tunnel and continued down the main tunnel until it ended at a large, wooden door.
They could hear quite a commotion on the other side, with lots of shouting and banging going on. Hugh opened the door and jumped into the room, quickly followed by the others. They had surprised another group of orcs in what was obviously a storeroom of some sort. The orcs were quick to grab their weapons, but by the time they had two of them were already dead as the group flooded quickly into the room. It took only a minute for the remaining orcs to be dealt with and the room secured.
A quick search of the barrels and crates found mostly mining supplies and food, the latter of which was almost certainly from Travensburg’s missing shipments. One thing was for certain, though. No matter what their current undertaking was, these orcs were definitely planning on being here for a while. The group took a minute to grab anything that might be of immediate use, and then cautiously opened the other door in the room.
It opened onto an empty hallway. They lit a lantern and cautiously made their way forward. Within minutes, they came to an intersection. A cave-in blocked the passage on the right, the left continued on into darkness and straight ahead they could faintly make out a door. They pressed forward.
The door was locked, but it took no time at all for Jeb to pick it. Hugh looked at him with mild suspicion, but he paid no heed to the paladin’s reproachful stare. Instead, he opened the door. The hallway continued on for several more yards before opening onto a room of some kind. They could make out no other details by the light of the lantern from this distance.
Hugh took the lead again as they proceeded cautiously towards the room. Hugh was beginning to make out two large, rectangular stone shapes on the floor ahead. The closer he got, the more he could make out. The room was round. The stone shapes looked like sarcophagi. And he began to smell a faint stench. It smelled like something dead.
Hugh entered the room. The stones were indeed two dwarven sarcophagi. The remains of two greataxes were lying on the lids. He turned back to the others just in time to see the ghoul attack. It launched itself out of the shadows straight at Jeb, who had no time to react. Jeb and the ghoul went tumbling to the floor, the vile, rotting creature viciously clawing and biting at Jeb’s face. Jackie and Hugh jumped forward and managed to force the ghoul away from the hapless gnome. They struck at the creature repeatedly until it moved no more.
Jeb was much the worse for wear. He still lived, but not by much. They helped him to his feet, Rumblethorn cast a quick healing speal on him, and they set out to check the rest of the room. The only thing that remained of the greataxes was the axe heads. But they were as clean and sharp as if they had been forged the day before. They were of superb craftsmanship.
"Put some of those hafts we found in the store room to them and these would make fine weapons for Shuglin and Ostler," Jeb said.
"We can’t take these," Hugh protested. "These are tombs. We can’t desecrate them."
"It’s not desecration," Jeb said. "They’re dwarven axes. We’ll be giving them to dwarves. What could be wrong with that?"
"It’s a tomb. They were placed here to honor these two dwarves. It would be sacrilege to remove them."
And so the debate continued for several long minutes. When Jackie and Rumblethorn spoke up in favor of Jeb’s suggestion, Hugh resigned himself to the fact that he would lose this battle. With a loud "humph", he stormed back up the hallway. Under his breath, he asked Mayaheine for forgiveness. Jeb gathered up the axes.
Back at the intersection, they turned down the unexplored passage. The hallway turned to the left after several feet, then continued on until it opened onto a small, square room. In the center of the room was a strange winch and chain system attached to a platform that hung suspended over an opening in the floor. Peering over the edge of the pit, they could see that it extended downward for at least a couple of floors. The strange lift was the only way down.
The lift was barely large enough for all of them, but they squeezed on and began operating the chain and winch. The ride was slow and they were sure the noise from the chain would alert the entire complex to their presence, but eventually they reached the next level. The room was identical to the one they had just left and it was empty.
They found that this level was laid out much like the one above. The hallway leading from the lift room ended in another intersection, with the passages ahead and to the right both blocked by debris. They turned their attention to the open passage on the left. As they did, they failed to notice the movement in the shadows above the debris in the passage they had been facing.
Suddenly, something shot out of the shadows and grabbed Jeb by the throat, dragging him back towards the debris...
The group waited patiently for Jackie to join them. Once he had, they continued the discussion of what they should do next. Ostler, Shuglin and Chao were in favor of heading back to Travensburg. The rest wanted to follow the tracks to see if there were more bandits and solve the problem once and for all.
In the end, they decided to split up. Chao and the dwarves would take the wagon back to Travensburg. Hugh, Jackie, Jeb, Rumblethorn and Brush would see where the tracks led. With any luck, they’d be able to surprise the rest of the bandits, if indeed there were more, before the bandits even realized that the group who had attacked the wagon was missing.
And so they set out. Just beyond the road, the tracks entered the woods. Even through the foliage, they were easy to follow. The bandits obviously weren’t concerned about being discovered. Eventually, the group noticed a small hill up ahead. In its side, freshly cleared of vegetation, was the mouth of a cave.
Suddenly, Jeb spotted movement in the darkness just inside. The group took cover and quietly formulated a plan. Jeb and Jackie would fan out and sneak up on the cave from either side of the path. Hugh and Rumblethorn would hold their positions and keep an eye on things from the front while Rumblethorn sent Brush down the path to check things out. Being a wolf, she would draw the least amount of suspicion if she were spotted.
Jackie and Jeb started off, taking their time to make sure they were quiet and remained within the cover of the woods. Brush began her slow approach to the cave mouth as well. She took her time, wandering back and forth across the trail checking out everything. She may have been an animal, but she was one heck of an actress.
She had closed to within several yards of the entrance, when a shout came from inside. Jeb and Jackie both froze for a second, but satisfied that they hadn’t been spotted, they quickly continued to inch their way forward. Brush kept moving as well. A second yell from the cave was followed by a rock aimed in the wolf’s general direction. Still, no one could be seen inside. Brush took the rock as a sign that she had gotten close enough for the time being and sat down.
Jeb had almost reached his side of the hill, but Jackie was still a few feet away. Suddenly, he felt a breeze blow up, which caused the branches above to move. They parted and a ray of mid-day sunlight pierced the forest canopy to shine down on the exact spot where Jackie stood. This did not go unnoticed by whoever was in the cave and a louder, more excited shout went up.
Hugh realized that the stealthy approach had been blown, so he leapt onto the path and charged. Brush, Jackie and Rumblethorn did likewise. Jeb stood his ground, still concealed and undetected, and watched for anything to emerge from the cave, his short bow at the ready. Whoever was inside decided to wait on the attackers, however, so Jeb was left to bring up the rear as the others entered the cave.
The cave entrance opened onto a tunnel just wide enough for them to enter single file. With the wolf in the lead, they cautiously made their way forward. When they reached a point where the tunnel unexpectedly widened, something took a swing at the wolf from the side. Brush managed to keep her opponent pinned long enough for Hugh to step forward and kill it. A quick inspection revealed the attacker to be an orc.
The familiar twang of a crossbow, as well as the whistling of the bolt as it went by, alerted them to the presence of a second opponent. Hugh’s inspection of the dead orc had also revealed that the tunnel hadn’t just widened, it had in fact branched off. The group used this to their advantage and split up. The side tunnel reconnected to the main one several feet farther down. This junction was where the second orc was firing from, but he wasn’t watching his back and Hugh was able to get behind him. The orc was quickly dispatched. They quickly hid the bodies in the side tunnel and continued down the main tunnel until it ended at a large, wooden door.
They could hear quite a commotion on the other side, with lots of shouting and banging going on. Hugh opened the door and jumped into the room, quickly followed by the others. They had surprised another group of orcs in what was obviously a storeroom of some sort. The orcs were quick to grab their weapons, but by the time they had two of them were already dead as the group flooded quickly into the room. It took only a minute for the remaining orcs to be dealt with and the room secured.
A quick search of the barrels and crates found mostly mining supplies and food, the latter of which was almost certainly from Travensburg’s missing shipments. One thing was for certain, though. No matter what their current undertaking was, these orcs were definitely planning on being here for a while. The group took a minute to grab anything that might be of immediate use, and then cautiously opened the other door in the room.
It opened onto an empty hallway. They lit a lantern and cautiously made their way forward. Within minutes, they came to an intersection. A cave-in blocked the passage on the right, the left continued on into darkness and straight ahead they could faintly make out a door. They pressed forward.
The door was locked, but it took no time at all for Jeb to pick it. Hugh looked at him with mild suspicion, but he paid no heed to the paladin’s reproachful stare. Instead, he opened the door. The hallway continued on for several more yards before opening onto a room of some kind. They could make out no other details by the light of the lantern from this distance.
Hugh took the lead again as they proceeded cautiously towards the room. Hugh was beginning to make out two large, rectangular stone shapes on the floor ahead. The closer he got, the more he could make out. The room was round. The stone shapes looked like sarcophagi. And he began to smell a faint stench. It smelled like something dead.
Hugh entered the room. The stones were indeed two dwarven sarcophagi. The remains of two greataxes were lying on the lids. He turned back to the others just in time to see the ghoul attack. It launched itself out of the shadows straight at Jeb, who had no time to react. Jeb and the ghoul went tumbling to the floor, the vile, rotting creature viciously clawing and biting at Jeb’s face. Jackie and Hugh jumped forward and managed to force the ghoul away from the hapless gnome. They struck at the creature repeatedly until it moved no more.
Jeb was much the worse for wear. He still lived, but not by much. They helped him to his feet, Rumblethorn cast a quick healing speal on him, and they set out to check the rest of the room. The only thing that remained of the greataxes was the axe heads. But they were as clean and sharp as if they had been forged the day before. They were of superb craftsmanship.
"Put some of those hafts we found in the store room to them and these would make fine weapons for Shuglin and Ostler," Jeb said.
"We can’t take these," Hugh protested. "These are tombs. We can’t desecrate them."
"It’s not desecration," Jeb said. "They’re dwarven axes. We’ll be giving them to dwarves. What could be wrong with that?"
"It’s a tomb. They were placed here to honor these two dwarves. It would be sacrilege to remove them."
And so the debate continued for several long minutes. When Jackie and Rumblethorn spoke up in favor of Jeb’s suggestion, Hugh resigned himself to the fact that he would lose this battle. With a loud "humph", he stormed back up the hallway. Under his breath, he asked Mayaheine for forgiveness. Jeb gathered up the axes.
Back at the intersection, they turned down the unexplored passage. The hallway turned to the left after several feet, then continued on until it opened onto a small, square room. In the center of the room was a strange winch and chain system attached to a platform that hung suspended over an opening in the floor. Peering over the edge of the pit, they could see that it extended downward for at least a couple of floors. The strange lift was the only way down.
The lift was barely large enough for all of them, but they squeezed on and began operating the chain and winch. The ride was slow and they were sure the noise from the chain would alert the entire complex to their presence, but eventually they reached the next level. The room was identical to the one they had just left and it was empty.
They found that this level was laid out much like the one above. The hallway leading from the lift room ended in another intersection, with the passages ahead and to the right both blocked by debris. They turned their attention to the open passage on the left. As they did, they failed to notice the movement in the shadows above the debris in the passage they had been facing.
Suddenly, something shot out of the shadows and grabbed Jeb by the throat, dragging him back towards the debris...