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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1269583" data-attributes="member: 15470">Issue #1: The Laughing Ogre. Episode 8When Miriel suggests leaving, Fergus shakes his head. “We should explore the tower before we go," he says. "I’ll go upstairs and check out the second floor.” “Wait, I’ll come with you," Chuck says, "But Stone and I have to go get our packs.” He and Stone go outside to retrieve their packs, which they had both dropped at the start of the fracas. When they return, Miriel suggests, “Let’s hook up the team to the wagon,” a plan which Stone and Paks adopt as the two eager explorers head upstairs. Stone flips the wagon over and Paks begins to harness the horses. After they finish, Paks steps outside to stand guard. Stone puts on the boots he took off the first corpse. Fergus and Chuck climb to the second floor of the tower. It’s a ruin, open to the sky, which is dark with the night. They can hear the crash of surf against a nearby beach or cliff, and in the light of the stars, they can see that the ocean is just beyond the tower, less than forty yards away. Stone rushes after them when he is finished putting on the boots. The three of them search the area briefly, but the only thing of interest is a lantern, set upon a stone block against the ocean side of the tower. “Let’s explore the cellar,” Fergus suggests. Chuck observes, “There were some guys in the cellar.”“So? We can take ’em,” Stone says. He picks up the lantern and brings it with him as he starts back downstairs.When everyone has gathered together downstairs, and Chuck says, “It’s open to the sky. Nothing there.” “Just this.” Stone holds up the lantern, which is unlit.“We’re going to explore the cellar, too,” Chuck tells the rest of the group. Miriel rolls her eyes, but nobody disputes their plan.Goldpetal steps over to the trap door with a finger to his lips, for silence. He listens at the trap door, but after a moment shakes his head. “I don’t hear anything,” he says. He backs off, with his bow drawn. Paks, still wounded from the first fight, says, “I’ll go up to second floor, where I can watch to make sure we aren’t surprised again.”Chuck, Fergus, and Stone gather around the trapdoor. Goldpetal covers them with his bow, while Miriel crouches out of sight behind the wagon. Stone moves the bale of hay. Fergus opens the trap door. Nothing happens. Stone peers over the edge, sees a ladder which goes about 10 feet down. Fergus carefully descends the ladder, and finds himself in a square room, perhaps thirty feet on each side.  He looks around, but he can’t see anything more in the near-darkness. He calls for a torch, which Chuck passes down, while Stone climbs down the ladder. With the illumination of the torch, Fergus sees a large rock slab, over nine feet tall and perhaps five feet wide, leaning against the southern wall. Several other rocks are piled against it, holding it upright against the wall. On the eastern wall is a wooden door. Chuck joins them, while Stone listens at the door. “I don’t hear anything,” he whispers.Chuck tries to study the dirt floor for tracks. “There are tracks,” he says, “But I can’t make much out of them. It’s just a bunch of confused footprints.”Miriel calls down, “Can we go now?”Chuck yells back, “We’re just lookin’ at some stuff.” Stone winces, and puts his finger to his lips, reminding us to be silent.Fergus listens at the rocks, but hears nothing. He shakes his head. He moves to the door, and listens at it. He looks to Stone and whispers, “Do you hear whispering?” Stone nods. Fergus tries to look under the door, but there is no crack. Upstairs, Goldpetal moves over to the trap door to cover the threesome, with his sling drawn. The door opens inward, into the room which we are in. Fergus decides to try using some of the rocks blocking the slab to block the door. “Here,” he says. “Help me pick up this rock.”Stone looks blankly at him, as though he doesn’t understand. Chuck shakes his head. “I’m not opening that,” he says, gesturing with his head towards the ominous stone slab.Fergus bends his knees, and, with a grunt of exertion and a scraping noise, picks up one of the larger rocks propped against the slab.Stone’s keen hearing catches, through the door, a voice saying, “They’re movin’ the rocks... good... maybe it’ll get them!” “Fellas, don’t move the rocks,” Stone says. He looks at Fergus, who has the big rock braced on his shoulder. “Put down the rock,” Stone insists.Fergus puts the rock back about where it was and looks quizzically at Stone. Stone, speaking to the door, suggests, “Let’s leave, guys.” The door doesn't say anything. After a silent half-minute Stone says, “Whadda ya wanna do, MacAllister? The guys on the other side say not to move the rocks.”Chuck is aiming his bow at the door, and calls out, “How many of you are there?”“An awful lot!” somebody responds.Chuck looks at Stone, in amusement. He calls out, “Why don't you come get us, then?”“Why don't you come in and find out?” one of the bandits retorts. Stone says, to Chuck and Fergus, “In the next fifty seconds, I'm leaving. I suggest you guys go first.”Stone waits for fifty seconds, while Chuck heads to the ladder, keeping his bow ready, and carrying the torch. Fergus stands staring at the door, so Stone heads up the ladder. Chuck won’t leave Fergus. “Fergus, come on,” he says. Fergus shakes off his hand, staring fixedly at the door.Chuck tries again. “Fergus! You can’t beat them by yourself.” When the stalwart clansman still refuses to leave, Chuck pleads, “Miriel won’t be there to heal you.”“Fine.” Fergus finally agrees. He stares intently at the door for one last moment, as though through force of will alone, he could see through to our enemies on the other side. Then he turns, and they head up the ladder.  We’re all in the tower now except for Paks, up on the roof. Stone puts the bale of hay back over the trapdoor after Fergus and Chuck come up. Stone starts leading the cart out of the door, calling to Paks, “Paks, come on, let’s go.” Everyone starts piling into the wagon. Paks comes down from the tower top, and notices all the weapons lying on the ground of the tower. She tosses all the weapons into the wagon, and then climbs in herself. Stone leads the horses with the wagon down the road, while Paks and Chuck cover the tower with their bows. There is no sign of pursuit, and we ride north into the night, towards Southport and the safe confines of the Laughing Ogre Inn..</blockquote>

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