The Westgate Campaign Chronicles - serial

[Carlo-One]

After several minutes, just as Rahnee and Dermot were beginning to get worried, a shout from Shanni was heard. She yelled up the shaft, informing them that there was a big cavern and a hole with stone that Darrow said was funny-looking; she then asked if they were coming down. Before her two companions had a chance to respond, sounds of fighting were heard below and Shanni’s torch vanished from sight again. A minute later, she shouted and tugged on the hanging rope for attention.

In response to a query from Rahnee about bringing Shanni up, Darrow shouted back that there were a few little pests down there, but nothing big...yet. The dwarf was in favor of the other two joining them below, but Rahnee insisted they come back up so everyone could coordinate their plans, telling Shanni to rope up first. A minute later, Shanni tugged on the rope and yelled up that there was trouble. Despite not wanting to leave Darrow alone, the dwarf insisted that she get moving. Rahnee and Dermot, tired from their earlier efforts, slowly and jerkily pulled Shanni up the shaft to the top. The diminutive rogue urged them to get the rope back down quickly, as there was a “sodding great big stone like thing” coming for Darrow. They dropped the rope end back down the shaft and were relieved when they could feel the dwarf tying it around him.

Rahnee, Dermot and Shanni then braced the rope and tried to haul Darrow up. The rope slipped from Dermot’s tired fingers and the other two on the first try could not get Darrow up to the shaft at the top of the cavern, with Rahnee taking most of the strain. Dermot grimly grasped the rope again and heaved along with the others, getting Darrow to a point where the dwarf could use his own strength to brace himself on the side of the shaft.

Rahnee yelled for Helrud’s help, but the dwarven scout retorted that there were too many big folk in the way for him to assist. Rahnee, Dermot and Shanni braced themselves as Darrow decided to manhandle his way up the rope. Rahnee’s grip gave way, but Dermot provided sufficient anchor for Darrow to make his way out of the shaft. The dwarf, still cheery, said that it was faster for him to climb up himself rather than be hauled up, since they all had the strength of punch-drunk moon elves. Darrow received no arguments from his exhausted companions, but did get a tired grin in response from Rahnee.

Darrow related that there were lots of “little beasties” and then one big beastie that seemed to have been attracted to their shouting; it was huge and looked like stone, according to Shanni. They killed it, but she warned there might be more of them, standing on tippy-toe and gesturing to show how tall it was. Darrow said that it was a big cavern – large enough to be a dragon’s lair - and thought it would be worth further exploring, in response to a question from Rahnee.

All agreed it would be best to locate Aerikoth and explore the cavern as a group. Helrud declined to go down with them, saying that someone needed to keep an eye on their gear; he was also unsure if a “mature” dwarf like him would fit down the shaft, which drew a smile from Rahnee. She and Dermot then re-examined the old winch and collaborated to rig the rope to it to better support their descent. Dermot tied it with a complicated knot to ensure it would not unravel under the strain.

 

[Carlo-One]

At this point, the early afternoon of Ches 14, there was still plenty of time remaining in the day for the party to gather their strength and reorganize before attempting another foray into the cavern. First, Rahnee headed out to see if she could locate and bring back Aerikoth. As Helrud watched her go, Dermot proposed that on their next sally, he should go down the rope first, then have his and Darrow’s equipment lowered separately, after which Darrow would join him and they could ready themselves as Shanni descended. Helrud would remain above to ensure that the rope stayed steady and nothing untoward happened up top, while waiting for Rahnee and Aerikoth. All agreed with this plan. Darrow grumbled that he’d prefer not to be separated from his armor, which however was impossible given the narrow space of the shaft.

Dermot divested himself of his equipment and dexterously clambered into the hole, but then nearly lost his grip on the rope while descending and had to halt in order to stabilize himself against the shaft walls. The ranger then relied on his strength to get down the rope safely, with Darrow and Shanni carefully letting it play out from their end. Once he was on the cavern floor, they lowered his pack, but it wobbled during the descent and loudly clanged against the shaft wall. Darrow and Shanni winced and grimaced in reaction; the petite rogue expressed concern over the loud sound and advised Darrow to hurry down. The two of them hauled the rope back up, attached Darrow’s pack and then lowered it to the cavern without further incident.

The dwarf told Shanni that he would climb down on his own, so all she needed to do was keep the rope steady. She and Helrud both did that as Darrow made the descent for the second time, moving more slowly and carefully. Despite some wobbling by Shanni up top, he reached the cavern floor easily and began putting on his equipment, having been warned by Dermot that something was out there. Shanni then made her way down the shaft, more quickly and assuredly now that she knew its dimensions, sliding down its final length and gracefully landing like a dancer.

As Darrow picked up his axe and shield, he warned Shanni that Dermot had heard something moving, which prompted her to check the string on her bow. The dwarf then showed some curiosity about the papers strewn about the chamber, which Shanni had not been able to decipher. Neither of them touched the papers, which were falling apart; Darrow could only make out some impressions left by faded black ink on them.

The three adventurers readied themselves to head out into the main cavern. Shanni first suggested that someone sneaky lead the way, but quickly discovered that she could not see anything in the inky darkness; evidently she did not want to march ahead with a torch announcing her presence. Darrow offered the alternate suggestion of him marching up front to be loud and attract attention; Dermot agreed with this. Shanni turned to him, surprised, but then acquiesced as the ranger explained they could stab anything that showed itself in the back. Darrow, now fully armed and armored, then stomped forward past the broken doors, his two companions following with much softer treads.

 

[Carlo-One]

The three passed through a carved-out stone chamber a little larger than the prison they had started in, then entered a vast cavern whose walls and ceiling were lost in darkness. Darrow chose to follow the right-hand wall, to make it easier to find their way out if they needed to. They soon came upon the large pit that he and Shanni had discovered earlier, that had a strange-looking type of stone forming its lip. While examining some bones near it, the three of them were attacked by two large creatures with stone-grey flesh, who managed to painfully claw Darrow and Shanni before they were killed. The dwarf said be would be all right, with his ring. Shanni for her part refused a healing potion from Dermot, with a bright grin, mentioning she already had one. The petite rogue then took a couple of swigs from a potion bottle and hastily patched her tunic.

Turning back to the bones, Darrow thought they could have been that of a dragon, but also perhaps not, as they were rather small. Dermot pointed out that they definitely were not those of whatever creatures had attacked them. Shanni wondered if they were made of rock, but Darrow indicated their grey color was how they hid themselves.

Moving forward again and exiting the huge cavern to the west, they entered a small network of stone corridors and were about to cross into another chamber, but halted as Darrow hissed and pointed ahead. The three beat a quick retreat back into the corridor, where Dermot said he had spotted at least four of the stone-colored creatures; Darrow had only seen two, and the dwarf was not happy with the prospect of taking them all on at once. Dermot brought out some bear traps and asked Darrow if he could attract the monsters’ attention towards the spikes.

The dwarf cheered up at the prospect and headed forward into the dark cavern as Dermot finished setting the tripwires. Shortly afterwards, Darrow came running back to where Dermot and Shanni waited, positioned strategically behind the traps. Despite this advantage, the four creatures still fought savagely and injured Dermot during the battle, before being dispatched. Darrow insisted on passing the ranger his ring of regeneration afterwards, in order to save on healing supplies for the group.

The three adventurers caught their breath as they explored the chamber, which Dermot said appeared to be a den of some sort, given the bones scattered around. So far they had encountered seven total of the stone-grey creatures in the cavern, by Darrow’s count. Dermot, while handing Darrow’s ring back, theorized that those might be all that were down there, given that their den had just been cleared. The dwarf expressed his hope that the ranger was right.

Moving ahead, they found another cavern chamber with signs of previous occupation, including bone piles that Dermot thought had belonged to large rats. Shanni also pointed out some old, broken furniture pieces and an unusual-looking stone pillar. She then discovered a pressure plate in the floor and Darrow stepped on it, wondering out loud what could go wrong; the dwarf frowned when nothing happened. As they moved to exit the cavern back to the east, they noticed a large door set in a northern passage, but it was secured and they thought it best to wait for Rahnee and Aerikoth before attempting to open it.

 

[Carlo-One]

The three adventurers then headed toward the southwestern corner of the cavern and found a large pool fed by water flowing from a crack in the wall. Some oozes and animated mushrooms made it their home and the group decided they were more icky than of interest. Darrow had a quick look at the water and then trundled off after the others to the east, nearly colliding with a stealthy Shanni in the natural stone corridor.

Dermot, ahead of them, pointed out a small chamber with a ladder heading up to the ceiling, which Darrow declared had potential. Dermot wondered if it led to the frozen hatch on the surface; Shanni thought that would make it easier for the others to get down. Darrow agreed they should search the remainder of the level before trying the ladder, after Shanni pointed out they should make sure there was nothing left down there to attack them.

Further east, they found a long corridor with a series of doors lining the southern rock face. The first set of doors were open and led to a small, rough-hewn stone chamber. Darrow’s keen eyes observed that the door was warped and old, which Shanni said meant something had come in or out. The next two sets of doors were locked, but opened to Shanni’s nimble fingers. The only things inside the chambers behind them, however, were skeletons on the floor; the first possessed a single one and the second chamber had two of them. Shanni examined the pair of skeletons more closely and paled when she realized one of them had teeth marks scoring its bones – marks that matched the jaw of the other skeleton. She observed they must have starved while locked in, Dermot commenting that they were many years too late to help.

The next set of doors were not locked and led to a large chamber with a number of cots strewn about in a disorderly manner. Darrow said it looked like a barracks, but in response to a question from Shanni, did not think it was for dwarfs, unless they had a very sloppy sergeant. Dermot wondered who would build a place like that, which Darrow confessed he did not know, although he speculated some Underdark race might have done it.

The last chamber on the southern side was also open, but had several large rats in it. The three killed a few, but the rest scampered into a crevasse in the wall. Darrow declared they must be the source of the “rock-beast” food and speculated they grew big eating the mushrooms.

Having explored the entire level, Darrow, Dermot and Shanni quickly took stock of their findings, which Darrow enumerated: two locked rooms with skeletons in them; another room with two starved skeletons and crates, along with writing papers. The dwarf wondered if that meant slave traders, noting that whoever had the keys to the locked chambers must have died or taken off. Dermot and Shanni agreed that it would be best to go check out the ladder. (I shudder to think of how those in the locked chambers met their fates - left abandoned by their cruel masters, whether by choice or some outside force. When I let minor annoyances creep into my mind about my own life's demands and constraints, remembering the tortured lives and deaths of these creatures will be enough to dispel such trivial concerns. --C)

They arrived back in the small chamber and more closely examined the ladder. It looked sturdy enough, but Shanni still volunteered to go up first, since she weighed the least and was “sneaky” as Darrow said. After testing the first rung and finding it solid, she nimbly climbed up the ladder into the darkness. The petite rogue paused, having gone over twenty feet up, and called down a request for some light. Dermot lit a torch in response and she was able to further ascend, reaching a round hole in the ceiling. The ladder entered the hole, which became a shaft heading toward the surface, with metal rungs set into its wall.

With the encouragement of Dermot and Darrow, Shanni entered the shaft, although she had to turn down Dermot’s offer of the torch, since she could not climb and hold one at the same time. Exclaiming about the cold of the metal rungs on her hands, the rogue carefully made her way up the shaft, to a point where sunlight trickled down and she could see a grate above her, with layers of ice encasing it. Calling down to the others as she descended back to the cavern, she told Darrow that he might be able to make it up there without armor; the dwarf intended to try and force the grate.

Out of prudence Darrow first removed his armor, although Shanni as she reached the floor told him the shaft was wide enough. Without the extra weight, he easily scrambled up the ladder and into the shaft. Reaching the top and within arm’s length of the grate, the dwarf attempted to find enough purchase to press up on it. The angle gave him little leverage, however, and the grate failed to move after much grunting and straining from the dwarf. Darrow called down to inform them of his failure and said that they might be able to get at it from the other side, if they could find it; Dermot pointed out that it must be the same ice-covered grate they had discovered earlier.

Stubbornly, Darrow refused to give up and took it as a challenge to get the grate open. Shanni, concerned, called up to the dwarf to take care not to get knocked off. Loud cursing in dwarven was heard below, followed by a muffled thump and a trickle of rocks. More cursing followed as Darrow descended the ladder, clearly upset at being unable to achieve his goal.

 

[Carlo-One]

The dwarf shook his fist at the top of the ladder as he descended it, still grumbling as he stepped onto the ground. Despite some calming words from Dermot and Shanni about the usefulness of his efforts, Darrow refused to let it go. Talking animatedly, more to himself than to the others, he said he would shoot it with a crossbow, since he couldn’t miss the grate with a quarrel.

Darrow went over to his pack and angrily pulled it open, spilling a mess kit while grabbing and loading his crossbow. He then walked over to the ladder, aimed the crossbow up the shaft and fired, yelling defiance at the grate. Without bothering to wait for the results, the dwarf loaded up another quarrel and again took aim as the first one, which had been shot true up the shaft, bounced off the ice-covered grate and fell back down. The second shot was not as steady, however, and glanced off the bottom of the shaft.

Dermot, seconded by Shanni, gently suggested they should be getting back to the rope. The petite rogue also pointed out that Darrow was just wasting bolts. Grumbling to himself, the dwarf pulled on his armor, gathered up his gear, and followed his two companions towards where they had first entered the cavern, vowing that the grate would not defeat him. As they walked, Shanni remarked that there was no gold so far, but Dermot reminded her that they still had one door to go on that level.

Once back in the old prison chamber, Shanni called up the shaft for Helrud. The dwarf made sure the rope was braced properly as the three made their way up to the surface, where he eagerly inquired about gold, jewels and other treasure, only to be disappointed. Shanni mentioned the unopened door, which Helrud enthusiastically declared must lead to a dragon hoard. Darrow gave him an abbreviated summary of what they had found so far in the Hidden Peak cavern. Dermot then indicated they should go try to find the grate entrance on the surface. Helrud volunteered to stay put, in case Rahnee or Aerikoth returned.

After getting his bearings, Dermot led Darrow and Shanni back to the site of the grate, which was covered with several inches of solid ice. After examining it, the ranger said that having walked the roads of wintertime, he had learned how to deal with ice, and pulled out a bottle from his pack. Darrow confirmed it was alchemist’s fire and mentioned he had used it once to collapse a tunnel by burning the supports. Shanni watched, fascinated, as Dermot used his small hatchet on the ice, attempting to cut grooves in it for the liquid to follow. The thick ice meant that he only managed to scrape some of the surface, however. Darrow volunteered to assist and after making a bit of headway with the hatchet, decided to take out his waraxe and bash the grate. The weapon made more of a dent, but also rebounded dangerously, prompting Dermot to tell the dwarf to ease up. Muttering in dwarven under his breath, Darrow complied, backing away.

Dermot then poured some liquor from his hip flask onto the grate, followed by smashing the bottle of alchemist’s fire on top of it. An unnatural-looking flame burst from the top of the grate, beginning to melt the ice. Darrow started chopping off branches from a nearby small tree to use as kindling, with Dermot’s encouragement, as the ranger joined in with his hatchet. Shanni also contributed by gathering some loose branches on the ground. The wood, however, failed to catch fire, being immediately soaked by icy meltwater.

As the chemical flame grew smaller, Darrow took his axe to the tree, which resisted his blows for a short time, then fell. The dwarf dragged it back to the grate, but by that point the fire had gone out, having melted all of the ice off the grate. The grate was still stuck, so they tried various ways to lift it. Darrow attempted to use the tree as a lever, but it was far too large to fit in a grate hole. Dermot worked at its seams with a knife, attempting to pick out any remaining ice. Shanni suggested running a rope through the grate and then pulling it up. Dermot thought for a moment, then took a small branch from Darrow to tie on the end of the rope, to use it as an anchor. The ranger attempted to shove the branch and rope lengthwise through the grate, as Shanni watched. Dermot failed, but Shanni’s more nimble fingers eventually succeeded, turning the branch horizontal after getting it through.

Dermot threw the free end of the rope over a nearby wall, to provide leverage, then joined Darrow in giving it a strong pull. The dwarf, clearly motivated to finally defeat the stubborn grate, heaved with his full strength. The grate groaned and screeched as Darrow slowly manhandled it up, while Shanni wedged a branch under it at Dermot’s suggestion. Suddenly, it popped open and Darrow let out a stream of triumphant cursing in dwarven.

 

[Carlo-One]

The Hoard

After placing the tree over the grate to ensure it could not close again, an act which Darrow especially appreciated, Shanni eagerly ran over to Helrud to inform him of their success. Upon her return, Darrow and Dermot pointed out the rungs set in the side of the rock shaft under the grate, which they assumed was the same one they had climbed from below, using the ladder. Darrow expressed his curiosity about the door with the nearby pressure plates, but agreed with Dermot that they should not get in over their heads without Rahnee and Aerikoth. Shanni pointed out that they now could run back to the ladder and escape the cavern much more easily.

As Darrow started climbing down the rungs, he observed that the meltwater had made them slippery, which would be a problem when iced over. Just as Shanni was mentioning that they should set the rope up, in case the ladder below them fell, Darrow uttered an oath and slipped off the rung he was holding, starting to fall down the shaft. The dwarf flailed his arms, attempting to grab a rung, but caromed off the side of the shaft as his companions rushed over to the entrance and yelled at him to take care. They then saw him suddenly reach out and seize the last visible rung. Huffing and agitated, the dwarf said it was just like he planned it.

Dermot knelt down to tie a rope around the top rung as Shanni, with the relief evident in her voice, asked if Darrow was hurt. He indicated he was fine, although could barely see anything in the shaft. The dwarf then prodded the top of the ladder below him with a foot, to make sure it was stable. Dermot finished tying off the rope and threw its free end down to Darrow, who missed catching it and had it smack him in the head, which forced Shanni to suppress a giggle.

After the dwarf had secured the rope around his waist, he easily climbed down the ladder to the dark cavern below, tugging the rope twice to signal success. Dermot managed to relight his torch and tossed it down the shaft, following it himself shortly afterwards. Shanni, left alone for a little while, seemed nervous as she called down to ask if she could descend as well. Darrow gave the rope another two tugs and the petite rogue quickly entered the shaft, putting her hands on the still-slick rungs. Her grip failed her, however, and she squealed as she slipped and started falling straight down the shaft. Like Darrow, she managed to grab the last rung before reaching the ladder, letting out another squeal and a shriek of pain at the impact.

With the encouragement of her companions, Shanni managed to slow her panicked breathing and transferred herself to the ladder. Visibly shaking, she made her way down to the cavern floor. Although she had wrenched her shoulder a little, she was still game for Darrow’s suggestion of going to have a look at the remaining sealed door. As they approached the northwestern end of the cavern where the door was located, they were unexpectedly attacked by a pair of the same stone-grey creatures previously encountered on that level. Shanni ran off as Darrow and Dermot handled them in melee. Dermot got a bit of a scratch, as he put it, but was otherwise all right. Shanni observed that they at least now had something to put on the two pressure plates in the area near the door, if they needed a weight on them.

With some experimentation from Darrow and Dermot, they determined that each of them standing on a pressure plate caused a grinding sound to be heard off to the east. Shanni confirmed it was coming from behind the sealed door, which itself however remained jammed shut. Darrow tried to drag a corpse of one of the creatures over, but it was too heavy for the dwarf. He came to the conclusion that he would have to knock down the door to see what was behind it. Dermot and Shanni both pointed out that they might need to shut it again, but Darrow gave his axe a few good swings at the lock anyway. Shanni came over to see if he had managed to loosen it any. She was able to peer through the keyhole and told the others that there was a closed portcullis about twenty feet past the door, on a downslope.

Darrow took this as a sign that he needed to get back to bashing the door. A good number of swings later, it finally buckled around the lock and opened, to the satisfaction of the panting dwarf. Darrow then went back to join Dermot at the pressure plates, while Shanni made her way down the slope to the portcullis. After a few abortive tries, Darrow and Dermot managed to properly balance on the plates and raise the portcullis long enough for Shanni to use the parts from one of her spike traps to jam the metal gate’s mechanism open. The way was now open to the next level down.

 

[Carlo-One]

Darrow and Dermot joined Shanni by the raised portcullis, shoving aside the remains of the door the dwarf had bashed open. A short discussion took place among them about whether to wait for Rahnee and Aerikoth before going further. Their curiosity proved too strong, so the three followed the sloping tunnel downward. Shanni offered Dermot the use of her magic cloak to better hide as he scouted ahead, but the ranger shook his head and said he felt better when she had it; he could always fight his way out of trouble. The petite rogue gave a sheepish little grin as she fell in behind the two warriors.

The second level of the Hidden Peak cavern proved to be just as dark as the one above. After slowly making their way down the initial corridor, it turned to the left and opened into a huge cavern, similar to the level above. Scouting ahead, Dermot made out at least five of the grey rock-colored creatures they had previously encountered. When the ranger reported back on his findings, Darrow said he was up for it. Shanni asked if there was a choke point they could use to their advantage in battle; in response, Darrow pointed at the traps Dermot had started setting up around their position.

Once the traps were ready, Dermot carefully sneaked ahead, with the intent of luring one of the creatures to their prepared position. He was successful the first time, as a lone monster followed him back and was quickly trapped and finished off. The next time out, however, all of the remaining creatures took off after the ranger, who barely made it back to his companions. Between the other traps and some intense fighting, the three adventurers dispatched their foes, although Darrow’s shoulder got banged up in the process and Dermot suffered a deep scratch. The dwarf, evidently having a high pain threshold, offered his ring of regeneration to Dermot first. The ranger hesitated, then took it and put it on as they moved deeper into the cavern.

Their explorations led them to the central chasm in the cavern, which on this level had warm air coming over its lip. Dermot returned the ring to Darrow as they speculated on where the creatures had come from. Some bones of large rats were found, which they concluded was what the grey stone-like creatures had subsisted on. Shanni peered over the central pit and remarked that the stone appeared to be smooth, black and glass-like. Darrow told her that it was called obsidian and made by volcanoes, which would explain the warmth.

Carefully spreading out around the area, they noted the freestanding remains of what appeared to be stone supports for a door, although nothing remained of it, along with the presence of additional large bones on the floor. Darrow shared his observation that the cavern had evidently been made for something larger than humans. When Shanni queried further, he explained that he could tell the natural cavern had been enlarged, but the rough stonework meant that it was not done by dwarven hands. With their exploration of the area around the central chasm completed, the three companions moved towards the southern end of the cavern level.

 

[Carlo-One]

Darrow, Dermot and Shanni entered a wide stone corridor that ran west to east. Shanni was first to notice and complain about the cold air wafting towards them from the east, which caused Dermot to shiver. The ranger scouted ahead as his two companions held their position in view of the cavern entrance ahead. Shanni could see that the floor seemed to be moving and Dermot, once he returned, confirmed that there were ooze-like creatures on it, along with what he described as a tall, man-like figure made of ice. Darrow, somewhat incredulous, asked if it were moving, which was confirmed by the ranger.

Dermot remarked that normally this was the sort of encounter they would use Aerikoth for. However, he thought that even without the mage, they could defeat the creatures, as long as they were ready to back off quickly. Darrow grinned and suggested that Dermot try to draw off some of the mindless creatures, to give them an advantage. The ranger said he would see if he could outpace their targets.

The plan worked, as the three adventurers were able to defeat the crystalline oozes and two of what they assumed were ice elementals; Dermot had not seen the other one while scouting. Moving forward and wondering out loud how the elementals had gotten there, they searched the ice-rimmed cavern, noticing more large bones near a central rock formation. Darrow found another dragonscale near it. This prompted Shanni to produce a couple more scales from her pack, handing them to Darrow. Dermot half-questioningly raised the idea, previously discussed, that there had been a fight between a white and a red dragon at the site a long time ago.

Just as Shanni was complaining about the lack of gold to be found, both she and Dermot saw something glinting in the ice field covering the back of the cavern. Shanni confirmed that they still had one rope left, then divested herself of most of her equipment, including a few previously hidden blades, save for a dagger in her boot sheath; Darrow had suggested she have at least one on her, to use as an anchor on the ice. The petite rogue tied the rope around her waist and Darrow picked up the other end, giving her a small amount of slack as she moved toward the ice field, which was at a short drop below the cavern’s stone floor.

As Dermot held up his torch, Shanni squealed at the contact with the cold surface and slid a short distance, moving forward on her belly. It soon became evident to her that several inches of ice covered a rock floor, rather than it being water underneath. Wriggling forward, she discovered that the shiny thing they had spotted was a diamond. Squealing again from both pleasure at the find and the coldness of the ice on her body, Shanni reached for the precious stone, then triumphantly waved it in her hand.

She was obviously eager to continue the search for treasure and moved along the edge of the chamber, ignoring the occasional involuntary shiver of her body. Darrow and Dermot each spotted another sparkling gem in the ice field for her. The first one she had to chip out with her dagger. As she did this, she merrily thanked Darrow for suggesting she bring one along. The last gem, which she identified as a star sapphire, was on the edge of the ice field and was more easily retrieved.

Shanni sat for a moment on the ice, regarding the gem with a faraway look, and mentioned that her da’ used to say that star sapphires matched her eyes. This prompted Darrow to ask how he had come across such gems, as well as to remind Shanni she should get back off the ice. This snapped her out of her reverie and she wriggled back to the edge of the ice field, where she easily climbed back up with the aid of her friends. Grinning brightly, the petite rogue displayed the three gems on the palm of her hand, declaring that they were not as good as a mountain of gold, but not bad.

 

[Carlo-One]

Now that the action was over, Shanni started shivering in earnest from the bitter cold of the cavern. She untied the rope from around her waist and handed it back to Dermot. As she recovered her pack on the ground, she commented on how useful the ropes Dermot carried were and half-jokingly wondered what else he had in his pack. The ranger responded thoughtfully to the question, saying that other than what he was wearing, he was carrying his life in his pack. Shanni became equally thoughtful and said she was the same way. (Such is the way of our Order as well. This is an interesting insight, as I had not thought that what we consider as part of the practice of asceticism could be reflected in the lives of such kinds of adventurers. While the ones described here are not ascetics, they are similarly wanderers with no fixed abode, or at least not one they return to often. Once I leave this house of the Order, I shall be in a similar position. I should meditate more upon this commonality. --C)

Departing the cold chamber, the two humans struck up a discussion about their original homes as Darrow tramped ahead, aiming to return to the central chasm. Dermot and Shanni were still talking as they arrived, while their dwarven companion looked over the rim of the chasm wall, impressed by how deep it was. Darrow decided to drop a quarrel over the edge to try and gauge the depth, since the bottom was not visible in the dark. As the cavern was mostly silent, after about a five-second wait all three could hear the soft plink of the item landing on a stone surface.

Darrow observed that it was a long way down and wondered if Aerikoth had any spells that could levitate them to reach the level below. Dermot guessed that it was at least an eighty-foot drop, from the time it took the quarrel to fall. The three companions all moved to stand on a rock shelf above the chasm, which seemed the most convenient place to survey its depths. After a short period, all of them noticed that the shelf itself was more smoothly worn than the rest of the cavern floor. Shanni observed that it was as if something had been going backwards and forwards a lot on that spot.

Given that they had explored all of the cavern by this point, with the exception of whatever was at the bottom of the chasm, Darrow started going over with the others what they knew about the place, holding up a finger with each statement. He mentioned the prison cells on the upper level with prisoners who starved to death – Shanni helpfully reminded them of the people who ate each other in the one room - crates in the entry room that looked like they came from the Underdark, and the white and red dragonscales scattered around the area. The dwarf was less sure what the large bones belonged to inside the cavern, perhaps either a white or red dragon.

Dermot, having done some thinking about the situation, opined that at one point whoever lived here either served a white dragon, or had built the place first and the dragon had come along afterwards. He then speculated that a red dragon had come along, fought the white, and both had died, the red somewhere outside and the white crawling back inside first. Whoever else had occupied the place left, perhaps due to the rock-colored creatures they had encountered. (It is a plausible story, but it is also premature to declare the death of a dragon until you have in fact seen its bones. They recall this fact soon enough. --R)

Shanni, as she peered over the chasm rim looking for claw marks, thought that made sense; the dwarf said it fit with what they knew. As he and the ranger were talking further, Shanni excitedly called them over to look at the chasm wall, where she had spotted some handholds carved into the rock. Darrow had trouble seeing them in the torchlight, until Shanni moved to stand directly above where they began, leading down into the dark.

Both Darrow and Dermot thought it would be a hells of a climb, although perhaps doable; the dwarf suggested real climbing tools would be helpful. As the three talked about how best to go about it, gusts of hot air started coming up over the lip of the chasm. At first Shanni appreciated the warmth, but she soon started backing away as she and the others realized something new was happening – and that they had not actually found a red dragon corpse. Dermot suggested that they run and Darrow agreed that it was time they got back to the others.

Shanni scooted ahead, stopping when she reached the room on the upper level with the portcullis mechanism. Once Darrow and Dermot joined her, they agreed with Shanni’s suggestion to remove the spike holding the iron gate open, in order to keep anything from below from coming up, as they knew how to get back down. The three adventurers made their way to the small chamber with the ladder to the surface and emerged into darkness, the sun having gone down while they were exploring the cavern below.

 

[Carlo-One]

Darrow, Dermot and Shanni walked the short distance back to the original shaft entrance and greeted Helrud, who was eager to hear how their second foray into the cavern had gone. The dwarf scout also expressed his concern at the lateness of the day and the presence of wolves in the area. They were about to respond when they heard footsteps crunching on the snow. Shanni spun around and Dermot leveled his crossbow towards the sound, just as Rahnee called out that she was coming in. The ranger lowered his weapon as she strode forward, commending her companions on their reflexes. She told them that she had lost the wizard’s track in the snow earlier, then had spent the rest of the afternoon keeping an eye out for him as she covered their backtrail.

Just as Darrow began explaining about how they had succeeded in opening the grate entrance, Aerikoth walked up to the group and then stopped, standing calmly and holding his staff while he regarded them with unblinking eyes. The others expressed their relief at his presence. Shanni also called their attention to the fact that the wolf calls in the surrounding area had gotten louder, with the fall of night. Darrow asked if Aerikoth had one of his “house” spells available and the wizard confirmed this, saying he could cast a spell for shelter if they desired it. Shanni then observed that the wolves had gone silent and asked Dermot if that was better or worse. Dermot thoughtfully answered that he didn’t know, since he had usually found shelter by then.

Darrow resumed his summary of their underground discoveries, telling Rahnee and Aerikoth that they had found evidence of two dragons, a red and a white. The dwarf said they had found the white’s lair, guarded by some sort of frost elemental, but not much in the way of a hoard. Shanni, appearing more nervous about the wolves in the area, suggested that since it would take some time in the telling, they should do it somewhere safe and warm. Darrow acknowledged the practicality of this and Rahnee asked Aerikoth to cast his spell.

The wizard glanced around and settled on a spot near the statue of the dragon, which he said he had determined was of the red species. The others followed him to a point near the statue, where Aerikoth stopped and began bringing forth various objects from his robe. In response to a question from Shanni, the wizard said that he would not place the shelter over the visible large bones on the ground, but just to the north of them. He then stood quietly for a moment, appearing unaffected by the wind and cold, and began speaking words of magic and holding up the objects as the spell required. Shanni stood and shivered while the wizard continued to cast; Dermot, meanwhile, scanned the ridgeline.

With a final gesture, Aerikoth pointed at the ground and a large hut appeared, to the surprise and delight of Helrud, who had never seen anything like it. The dwarf put a hand on it and exclaimed that it was solid, appearing not to have believed it at first. Aerikoth announced that the hut door was open to all who wished to enter, and the group eagerly filed into its warm interior.