"People have been trying the same thing as us for ages ..." Fhârn replied in a distant voice, on the topic of ruins. Then the glaze over his eyes disappear and he grins. "Except that we are going to succeed of course! History isn't my strong suit, I should make a note of reading some books on the River Kingdoms as soon as I can afford the time. But judging from the architecture -"
Fhârn gives a brief overview of what he can recall, before moving onto other topics.
"But you are right, there seems to have been some recent activity. The south-eastern tower shows sign of minor restoration. The craftmanship isn't top notch, but it is solid work. We might be entering someone's home, so we should be on both guard and our best behaviour. Depending on the mood of any eventual inhabitants... The north-western tower has some macabre decoration details, but they look time worn. But this could be another sect of Gynnora if our luck is running short."
"Gorruum move ahead. See who has been here." Unless Natalie wants to head in first, Gorruum will lead, watching for traps and to see if he can pick up enough in the tracks to figure out what might be here.
Fharn thinks these ruins are probably over a thousand years old. They're also elven in origin.
Gorruum is about to pass into the courtyard when he notices that the portcullis is still up, and it looks like there's some newer bits of rope in the shadows holding it up. Gorruum thinks it may be rigged to fall.
Gorruum puts up a webbed hand, signals up to the portcullis and then mimes one hand chopping down on the other like a guillotine.
Anastacia thinks back over any bits of history she may have read about the region.
Natalie nods understanding what Gorruum have in mind:"I see Gorruum, I might be able to do something about that!"
She walks over to the indicated spot and tries to disable the rigging.
"We wouldn't like Gorruum cleft in twain, think of the mess the clean Natalie says with a smile.
"Yes, and Ubagub would be an orphan. Can't have that, can we!" Fhârn adds with a chuckle and cautiously move forward. "Should we announce our arrival or simply assume at whomever lives in a desolate ruin decorated with skulls is of hostile intent?"
"Probably should announce ourselves."
Gorruum seems confused by the joke passing between Natalie and Fhârn, but definitely understands Anastacia's suggestion to make an announcement. "HALLO! HALLO! ANYONE HERE! PAR LAY!"
Natalie finds a lever on the inside of the gate, and flips it to disengage the trap, allowing her to re-enable it if she chooses to.
Nothing happens within the court as Gorruum bellows at the top of his lungs.
Anastacia has a vague memory of a history she read once, years ago, about an elvish outpost in the area, but it was abandoned a millinea ago, or more. After that, it traded owners and eventually disappeared from history.
Gorruum looks to his companions, "No one home. Or wants us to think no one home. Gorruum first or all together?"
"It's a good thing we wasn't trying to decide to sneak inside Gorruum. We might as well just walk inside, and maybe I'll activate the trap again once inside to slow down anyone sneaking up on us!"
Natalie walks over to Gorruum ready to walk inside by his side.
"Yes. No sneak. Announce. Gorruum good at sneak. Very good announce. Yes?"
"I suppose I haven't seen you sneak, but I can agree you're very good at announcing your presence. Let's see what there is to see in here. Be alert, but going with weapons in hand is a little much." Wilhelm quietly orders Triumph to stay with the other horses. He then joins the group as they enter the keep.
Gorruum puts his halberd in the sheath on his back and rides into the keep, watching for movement and for any tracks that should be investigated more closely for identification.
"I think that these were elvish ruins, from long ago." Anastacia comments.
"Re-setting the trap is a good idea. Unless we need to leave quickly." Anastacia pauses in brief thought. "I tend to want to wedge the gate open, actually. I don't like to be boxed in."
"I didn't think of that Anastacia, that is a sound idea I'll just let it be disarmed so we can make a quick getaway if needed."
Natalie leaves the trap disabled and then walks in with the others and scanning the room for anything worth pointing out.
+ 2 Bleed
A shape next to where Ubagub and Gorruum are moving forward suddenly blurs into existence, and a short sword slices deeply into Ubagub's side, sending blood pumping out.
A blurry creature with greyish green skin appears next to Ubagub, it's form difficult to focus on as it seems to vibrate in place.
The creature changes it's target, now that it's wounded the mount, and attacks Gorruum...
+ + 2 bleed
The small creature's blade slices into Gorruum's leg, cleaving flesh and bone, sending blood spurting out. The second slash from the second blade clangs off the armor and hardened skin.
Natalie delays until someone gets close to the creature to threaten it and then she moves into position and draws her rapier while getting in flanking.
+1 Rapier
Piercing+Sneak
Wilhelm cries out a belated alarm as the small creature cuts furiously into Gorruum and Ubagub. He draws his sword as he moves to assist the boggard, swinging at the vicious little attacker.
"That is a 'No' to the parley, I think!"
Fhârn cries out and advances to flank the creature, hoisting his weapon as he does. With an acrid smell of electrified air, jolts of arcane energy dances along the blade of his axe as he swings it in a sweeping arc towards the small assailant.
"By Pharasma's will, let our aim be true. Anastacia calls for divine help.
Gorruum growls, "NO PAR LAY! NOT NICE!" Ignoring the pain of the creature's attack, the boggard wheels on the creature with his halberd, attempting to beat it back savagely. Ubagub stays his rage given the close quarters and attempts to bite the creature.
The group opens up a serious can of whup on the poor thing, and it goes down in gouts of blood, it's blurred form finally stabilizing as it hits the ground with a messy splat, multiple wounds leaving it's body in multiple pieces.
The old fortress returns to a near supernatural quiet as the sounds of battle fade.
Gorruum harrumphs and adds "Par lay better. Less dead." Battle over, he inspects the wounds on himself and Ubagub and seeing them still bleeding, attempts to apply a compress to Ubagub first and then to himself. Having stopped the bleeding, he collects some vegetation from the immediate courtyard and attempts to create a makeshift bandage for both the slurk and himself though neither bandage appears to be very effective.
"Hrm.." Fhârn pokes the fallen foe. "A Quickling. Fey, but the sadistic little sort. Closer to mites and gremlins then dryads or nerids. I doubt anyone would miss it ..."
Anastacia notices Gorruum's efforts to treat his own and Ubagub's wounds. " I can help with that." Anastacia holds up Pharasma's holy symbol. "Let Pharasma's holy power bathe you. Let your wounds fade away!" A colorless wave bursts out of the holy symbol, healing all in its path.
"Definitely not the prettiest fey we have encountered so far! Looks like it only got a nasty bite but are not tough enough"
Natalie pokes around looking for anything the creature might have hiding from previous travelers
"Heh." Fhârn chuckles. "I'll echo that sentiment..."
Gorruum gives a big grin to Anastacia and looks under the makeshift bandages, "Thank you green eyes. Much better than plants here. Plants in swamp are better."
"The grace of Pharasma." Anastacia tells Gorruum serenely.
"Creatures of that type would prove deadly to those less skilled than ourselves." Is Anastacia's comment about the Quickling.
Natalia pokes the creature, but other than the two small kukri in it's hands, and a couple of vials of black liquid in it's pocket, it has nothing else on it.
Natalia does notice that the southeast tower has a wooden door made from roughly-cut timber planks, obviously of newer construction than the rest of the keep, blocking the entrance to it.
"Look over here folks, this door seems to be fairly new compared to the rest of the ruins. It must have been put in resentlig"
"I certainly hope we don't meet more of those feys behind this door" Natalie thinks
Natalie studies the door carefully checking if there is any sort of alarm/trap attached to it.
Gorruum joins Natalie by the door, not only helping her look for traps but also checking the ground for more recognizable tracks.
There are no traps on the door, as far as the two can find. Tracks near the door seem to all belong to a small humanoid creature, likely the quickling.
"Tracks not traps." The boggard makes a dreadful half croaking, half snorting sound that can only be laughter. When he recovers he adds "Tracks from dead one." Gorruum pulls open the door and looks inside.
All eyes will be forward now, time to check our backs. Anastacia thinks. She casts her gaze to the surrounding forest, just to see if there any observers, or potential threats.
"Yeah. I'm not sure if quicklings are social creatures or not, but lets not make any assumptions." Fhârn remarks, trying to suppress a shiver. I know Gorrum means well, but that only helps so far ...
The 40-foot-tall southeast tower is also missing its roof, but interwoven, leafy vines and the forest canopy above provide a ceiling of sorts, shading the interior and allowing only dim illumination. Inside, the rubble and undergrowth have been cleared away to create a cozy living space, decorated with crude wooden furniture, sized for a Small creature, and bloody scalps nailed to the walls.
"Will you look at that Gorruum, I think it's the living courters of this little creature. And those things on the wall must be trophies from earlier adventures!"
"Adorable. It had its own murder-cave..." Fhârn remarks with a snort and looks around. "Lets see if we can't spot the sleeping accommodations. Just to confirm that there isn't a whole mob of those pests milling about."