There was much the dwarf did not know about the communication with the dead. He cleared his throat and pulled at his beard, but then nodded his head.
"Rephrase it to the following.. Why did Maklo Roath, follower of Ilvaria Cha'ona, have you murdered?"Valdr nodded his head. It was worth the chance that the shade knew why he was murdered. It did after all know who killed it.
Tavrus passes the question along.
Neither of those names have any meaning to you.
”I served the true Mistress and for that was betrayed by the dark deceivers.”
Tomlin stood and watch with rapt interest as the corpses, first one, then the other rose and spoke. More than in most situations the intensity shined in his expression and stare. The halfling seemed content to let Valdr lead the proffering of questions; if he was put off by the necromantic magic used it did not show. After the first corpse was queried, Tomlin glanced at his companions and said, I know neither of the names spoken, nor what this "Mistress" or "dark deceivers" are. Let us move forward by asking the same the second corpse who his murderer was and where to find that being.
As the group arrived at the tower, Tomlin kept to the encroaching shadows the best he could. The overland journey had been tedious but necessary, and now having arrived the halfling was anxious to get started. Let's spend the last bit of daylight getting a sense of the area. Abandoned or no, we are likely safer sheltering for night indoors than out. Assuming the group concurs, Tomlin begins making a sweep of the grounds approaching the tower. He keeps to the shadows when possible.
At the tower Tunny takes some time sweeping the area for traps while he also looks for potential danger spots that an ambush might take advantage of.
Tavrus will relay Valdr's first question, and the second as well if the answer to the first doesn't invalidate it.
"Cheyle Nayss struck me down as I was returning home." the corpse gurgles.
You recognize the name Cheyle as being of drow origin.
Tunny circles the the grounds of the tower then passes into the inner wall and peers into the dark opening. From his vantage a passage running around the outside of the tower can be seen. No trace of traps is found.
You notice the traces of several bootprints in the dried earth and dirt. And near the south hole in the outer wall it appears something was dragged across the ground.
Standing next to the south wall, Tomlin stopped in his general examination of the area and frowned. He raised his hand and waved Tunny over to his location, though he did not attempt to hide his gesture from others who may be interested. Look at this, he stated as he pointed to the bootprints and drag marks on the ground. Aye, there has been recent activity here. We may not know what manner of beast occupies this area, but we need to be on our guard.
Speaking with the dead...
"Cheyle Nayss is a name somewhat common amongst the drow. It could be the real name of our prisoner or one of his associates. We may need to question him more thoroughly." The dwarf said between questions. He then waited for Tavrus to ask the final question of the shade.
--=---
He had made the journey appearing as nothing more than a squire boy. Attempting to mask his pressence within the party in case anyone was watching their coming and goings. Once at the tower Valdr focused his magical insight and began surveying the immediate area with concentration. He sought to detect whether their was any magic residue around this place. He was clearly uncomfortable, gripping his axe closely.
"Surely they have fled to the lair below the streets." the hissing corpse whispers.
Tomlin nodded grimly as the corpse gave its final answer. Aye, there will be work for us to do in Coran. If some cult is forming in the sewers it cannot be allowed to stand. In the meantime, we have this tower to secure.
The Halfling frowned as he did his final scouting of the tower. That the tracks stopped before the entrance likely means that whatever was caught stopped struggling before it was dragged inside. Once again, caution was called for. Tomlin then turned to an examination of the broken entranceway. He attempts to stay hidden from whatever might lie directly within as he studies the entryway for traps and peers into the tower.
You find no traps at the broken doorway leading into the dark interior of the tower.
Valdr stood watch with those who were not scouting and would await for a report. If the interior of the tower was darkened, he knew he would have no trouble seeing, but from his experience within the cavern of the frost wyrm it was clear some of his allies did not possess the same natural gifts the dwarven race was blessed with.
"If it is needed, I can create floating spheres of light to guide and illuminate a path for those of you with eyes not attuned to the lightless realms. Let me know if it is needed."
Tunny stops near the entrance to the tower and awaits the others to approach, keeping an eye on the doorway.
Tavrus and Edric make their way to where the party is grouped up near the tower, ready to enter once preliminary checks are complete.
Moving cautiously about the entrance of the tower Tomlin and Tunny take a tentative step inside, their footsteps careful and silent on the cold stone. Through the dim light making its way past the broken doorway to the east side can be seen a set of stairs heading upwards into the darkness. The stone floor is chipped and marred, the corners where the floor meets the walls lined with dirt. The center of the floor is unexpectedly clean of such though.
After peering in to the tower and seeing nothing of immediate concern, Tomlin waved ahead his companions. He then slipped inside the tower, attempting to keep to the shadows as he more closely examined the area inside. He moves towards the west, in hopes that the hallway opens up into a more central chamber.
Seeing that the rest of his companions were entering the ruined tower, Valdr gave a shrug of his shoulders. He did not think the exploration of this old ruin would reveal anything, but decided to play it safe just in case he was wrong. Uttering an incantation of illusion and deception, he wove a cloak of invisibility about his frame. He gave Tavrus a simple nod of his balding head before he vanished from sight all together.
Valdr steps into the tower and instantly he begins observing the stone work, searching the damage to the worked rock and stone of the tower with his dwarven eyes. He moved as quietly as he could, his magic forged axe gripped in his hand as he let the invisibility do the majority of his work for him.
Tunny move silently into the tower, making his way carefully around the west side as far as he can see. "Some light would be helpful," he quietly mentions.
Tavrus lingers a bit at the back of the party so as not to spoil the stealth of the other party members.
Akane casts a light spell for Tunny, causing one of his blades to glow. As he circles around the west side he comes upon a door leading into the inner chamber. The passage continues to circle around towards the north.
On the east side Valdr makes his way to the stairs. They lead upwards to a large closed trap door. The wood is ancient, and parts of the door have fallen away. Through the gaps in the trap door can be seen an upper room. Something is shuffling around in the room above.
Seeing the door closed, Tomlin keeps to the shadows cast by the light on Tunny's blade. He moves into the hallway to the north to examine what lies beyond.
Still invisible, Valdr will move back to his companions, passing whispered word to them as he goes from one to the next.
"There is a closed trap door at the stairs. Something or someone is moving up above." His voice a whisper at their ears.
Valdr would navigate to each in turn, moving quickly, before returning to the stairs and waiting for one of his companions to venture up above.
Tavrus looks about for any signs of trouble outside of the base of the tower, while readying his crossbow.
Tomlin and Tunny continue further into the tower as Valdr makes his way back from the stairs to whisper to those waiting at the entrance of what he saw and heard.
Coming round to the back side of the stairs they find an additional set of steps leading down to a basement level. The floor and walls here have light colored stains on them, a light brown fading to yellow in color. Signs in the dirt at the edges of the walls show something was dragged down the steps at some point in the recent past.
Tavrus, Edric, and Aurelion remain at the entrance waiting for further word.
Tomlin stopped as he reached the stair case going down. As he was considering his next steps he heard Valdr's disembodied whisper. The halfling moves to gather his companions near the stairs going up. Let us first take care of whatever is moving up above. Prepare yourselves. Assuming no objections, Tomlin moves in stealth up the staircase towards where the shuffling sound can be heard.
Valdr moves quickly amongst his companions waiting at the entrance, his whispered voice reaching them and then fading away as he moved off to give backup to the advance movement of the halfling.
"We advance on the upper level and whatever lingers there. Tomlin moves as point. Follow, one and all, let us clear this tower of its unwanted guests."
Valdr his surefooted upon the stone and will try to quickly follow behind the those leading the way up above.
Tomlin moves to below the trap door. The shuffling sound has stopped, though you occasionally hear the faint sounds of cloth moving against cloth. Tunny stays back for now to avoid casting light onto and through the cracks and holes, in the door.
Keeping to one side of the trap door, and in the shadows cast by the light off of Tunny's sword, Tomlin reaches up and opens the ancient wooden structure.
The door opens upward with a creak of rusted hinges. Whatever is in the room above could not have failed to hear that.
The soft rasp of steel being drawn from a sheath is heard from above. Not a single time, but several near simultaneously. Three, maybe four blades have been drawn.
A voice calls out in common. "Who is there? Show yourselves." There is no tremor or quake of fear or concern in the voice.
Tomlin froze as the voice rang out. He had expected a creature of some type, not people. Still, he expect that whomever was in the room above was more likely foe than friend.
Fighting from a position of advantage was a lesson the halfling had learned early and often. Climbing up and exposed into a space your opponent knew and you did not was the very definition of disadvantage in his mind. He motioned for his companions to remain wordless and back-up. Tomlin did the same while still keeping to the shadows.
Pushing everyone back behind him Tomlin waits at the broken entrance. Thirty seconds pass before a couple of boots appear at the top of the stairs, moving cautiously, until an old dwarf appears peering from out of the darkness.
His body is covered in sores and lesions, his skin pale. He holds a dwarven axe in his hands and mutters without a trace of accent, "Who are you? What do you want?"
Tunny remains silent behind the others, sheathing his blade to hide its light.
While the dwarf waits for a response, the sound of movement can be heard behind him in the darkened room above. Something scraping across the floor.
Aurelion steps forward boldly Who are you? What is your purpose here?
Tomlin's mind had been a flurry of activity as he tried to determine what to do next. Nothing good could live here. Let the gods determine the goodness of their souls. With that he slowly and silently drew his blade with the intent of ending the man coming down the stairs. It was then that Aurelion stepped up and spoke.
Tomlin winced and cursed silently to himself. But he knew the die was cast. The halfling kept to the shadows, determined to make good on his threat if the denizens' intentions proved foul.
More scraping sounds come from above as someone or something else continues to move about.
"I'm hoping to not be bothered by every person who wanders this direction", the dwarf says gruffly. His eyes keep flickering upward, as though to look through the stone over his head. He is waiting for something, and his attention is more riveted on whatever he is waiting for then it is on the group.
Valdr didn't like the sounds he heard coming from overhead, as such he began to move to investigate, trusting to the invibility that shrouded him and his own abilities. The rest of his companions would likely move to assist him if things went wrong. He would seek to move around the other dwarf and ascend the stairs to get a glimpse of what lay above.
Realizing that there was no way around the other sickly looking dwarf, Valdr decided that he would use other methods to get to the second level. Of the few mundane items that he carried within his bag of holding, one did happen to be a climbing kit, a relic of his youth when he would climb the hillsides and cliffs near his birthplace.
Retrieving the kit, he began to climb up the side of the tower, trusting in the cloak of invisibility and the sound whoever or whatever was making overhead to hide his presence as he got to a window or opening in the ruined wall and made his way inside.
Drawing his blade, but slowly, he holds it calmly in front of him. We are here on official business of the Tower. I can only assume you to be trespassers, bandits, or other such ilk. Unless you identify yourselves quickly you will have far more "bother" than may please you.
"I am Azdak if you must know. If the mages cared about this tower they should have maintained it." His voice is contemptuous and he gives a low mocking bow. He holds his axe at the ready but does not advance.
The second floor covers the entire diameter of the tower. Shafts of light from arrow slits let in a little light from the fading sun outside, making a contrast of bright slivers of light and pitch blackness.
A very dim light shines from a hole leading to the third floor where a ladder leads upward. An obese man is climbing the ladder, open sores on his body.
10' climb to the top, there is a trap door, but it is near completely rotted away.
There is some rubble and trash strewn about, and several piles of straw or grass that look to be used for sleeping.
Seeing the ladder now you'd guess the sound was the ladder being moved around some and people climbing it.