The ghoul slumped as the flames consumed it, lighting the area for a moment before the flames extinguished the undead completely. The door ten feet ahead lay open and the door past that about forty feet away was still closed.
The Flash of flame caused the stirring in the lower level to grow more excited. However no [i]new[/i[] foes presented themselves yet but it was obvious now they were coming much more quickly...
Wallace gives a nod to Maiathreens kill and gestures to the closer door. "Lets head into the hallway, as the smaller force we are going to be at an advantage in a passage like that. There is quite possibly hundreds of ghouls in here we will want to leverage our strengths." With that wallace moves up to the open door, checking around the edge with a quick movement, pick at the ready.
As you peer into the room you blink, in that split second the room you see is filled with light, a forge burns low and steady. The feeling of the heat pouring from this room warms your face and heals the pain in your heart momentarily. Though your poor feet ache from mining the cold earth of the mountain. The blacksmith, Harflorj barely takes notice. He was a quite dwarf, liked to smith and be left alone, the barest nod is all the mind he gives you before the ring of his hammer starts anew. You here a woman's gruff voice in your head. He didn't deserve to die... The pang of regret nearly brings tears to your eyes which you slowly blink away...
You slowly blink your eyes, the pang of regret melts away and the room changes completely, the warmth of the forge replaced by the chill of a cold room. The room shows signs of a struggle, smashed chairs, a broken workbench and a broken smithy's hammer. Laying in the middle of the collapsed workbench is a pile of bones though from here you can see a severed jaw amidst the bony fingers and the broken handle of the smithy hammer in the other hand.
Wallace
As you sidle up to the doorway you are struck by a sudden thought. The stairs you all passed on the left were not there before. It used to be a solid wall... By your reckoning those stairs would lead somewhere near the dormitories, the kitchen and the chapel...
Everyone else
As Wallace appeared to be lost in thought some movement caught your eye. Three gaunt forms were now loping up out of the darkness and into your darkvisions range.
Rhavenna sends an arrow streaking toward the oncoming ghouls, their jerky undead gait taking her target out of the line of fire . With a curse she stows her bow, drawing her warlance.
[Oic] don't forget your initiative rolls haha.[\ooc]
Wallace begins an only mildly disconcerting chant that seems to be helpful for one reason or another. Moving the side of Rhavenna in hopes of avoiding being eaten.
Livain quickly pulls up her bow casting a quick spell poor groans through the air as the power her arrows can deliver is increased. She releases an arrow that slams into the body of one of the ghouls staggering it with the added magical weight of the arrow.
The Ghouls never had a chance, the preparations the party had in place were far more then they could withstand. The moment the ghouls tried to engage they were cut down, seared by Mai's unyielding fire, punctured by Livain and Rhavenna's arrows before being struck by Wallace's enchanted Pickaxe. The pickaxe tore through the rotting corpses like they were made of parchment,splattering skin and shattering bone without so much as an ounce of effort...
Aeria and Aradacemorn's efforts were no small part either as Aeria summoned up small balls of flames and Aradacemorn's fists left little else to be desired in a fight.
With the fall of the three ghouls the noise died down, everything was still and quiet once more...
The remaining rooms in this lower level appeared to hold items that had been stored for the many years since the Dwarves fall. Old tools, crafting materials and a set of cold forges were all that lay on this level now. Along with the scattered bones of the fallen who didn't have the luxury of turning.
"Should we move forward then?" Rhavenna asks nocking another arrow as she steps over the broken and tattered corpses.
Wallace nods gesturing to the hallway he had indicated before becoming distracted. " That hallway leads up, and in the direction I believe we want to go. Be on your guard, there will be more battles."
Aeria and Aradacemorn take up rear and let the rest of you go on ahead a few yards as she ascend the stairs and reach what looked to had once been a well appointed bedroom. Clearly whoever had once called this room home was well off. A wine cabinet stands open, several larges bottles lining the rack like a wine cellar. Though the labels on each of the bottles appears to have not weathered the years very well.
The tapestrys in the room are now covered in smudges, faded blood splatter and tattered by what was most likely damage caused by insect activity. An old and mostly empty weapon rack stands in the corner near what appears to be a small mannaquin for the setting and care of armor as well. The mannaquin stands bare though, its stone frame scared by claw marks.
A king sized stone framed and runic engraved bed lies built into the wall, the old skins that once covered it are matted and filthy.
Moving into the next adjoining room you find no resistance as of yet. Though you do find a large desk stands at the center of the office, maps and pages are scattered throughout the office as well. On the desk though is a curious and battered looking tome, an old ink well and a crumbling feather sitting on the desk near the stoppered inl well.
The one in charge of the fortress was a barrel of a dwarf by the name of Engel Dorn the Ironbeard. He came from a prestigious merchant family, though his rank among them was the lowest due to his youth and lack of success in the family business. So as a means to an end the family had him assigned to this backwater outpost, a task he didn't relish and had left him always in a foul mood. Though he was phenomenal at book keeping and tracking records of shipments, events and the goings on within the Fort.
Much to her displeasure she had to report to him everyday and everyday he would complain at their lack of 'Forward Progress'. He was driven but complete soft in the goings on of real work, having always had a life of quills, paper and bartering.
He was one of the survivors among them at the end, though he didn't make it to the mines the day the dead rose against them. Now she knew why...
A door to the west leads out into the main area and an office to the north leads into what may be an extension of this office. Though the door is locked...
From the inside.
The door to the west was similarly barred, though the metal bar that had once secured it was long removed and left to rust in the corner behind where the door comes to rest when open...
Wallace walks over to the large desk with the pick resting on one shoulder. The human prodding the objects to test their safety before thumbing through the last few entries of the journal.
The human drawls in a dialect of dwarven, motion stopping as he processes what he just said. The human giving a disconcerted smile as he looks to his party Well if they didn't figure it out already I best explain.
" The partial possession I've gotten myself into seems to be mostly benign. Just let it be known the scales on that could swing the other way, if I start swinging this pick at any of you know its not intentional. This ghost seems powerful and driven though, I doubt it will happen so long as we don't interfere with it's chance to take vengeance." the human informs as he takes the book and makes a point of actually reading the pages his rider had been thumbing through.
" The door to the north likely contains the remains of this Ironbeard fellow. Shall we open the door to be sure nothing leaps out at us when we leave? If not the armory is directly down the hall to the north out this door." the priest suggests as he points to each door with the pick.
"Might as well." Rhavenna says tersely. [b]"If Wallace were to turn on them.....well for his sake she hoped it didn't happen.
Wallace nods walking over to the door and presses a button on his anytool, the mystic object snapping into a sledgehammer form with several metallic pops. The priest grins and gestures to the tool, tipping it toward the locked door.
"Anyone feel like doing the honors? I've no skill in picking locks and I know a solid stone door is going to keep me out for much longer than it will either of you two" the human states gesturing to his centaur and dragon companions.
"You should probably stand back." Rhavenna says reaching out to take the hammer and stepping up to the door.
Until Wallace had spoke Aradacemorn had been wwatching the rear, being summoned he sidles up to Rhavenna and looks at the stone door, a rather plain look of annoyance on his halfling face. "Let me do it... A hammer will be far too loud." The polymorphed dragon gives Wallace a telling look before placing his fist experimentally against the door's center, or at least as close as he could get to it with his reduced height.
He brings his fist back and slams it against the stone, leaving a bloody mark upon it but causing the door to visibly shift inward on what remained of its hinges. Accompanying the sound was that of rather dulled thud of something falling on the other side of the door.
Aradacemorn shakes his hand, despite the overwhelming strength he had it was obvious such a blow probably smarted something fierce...
Despite the quick blow the sound still echoed some and it wasn't obvious just how far or who might have heard.
Stepping away the halfing takes his position back at the rear and nods to Rhavenna with an apologetic look on his face just as he scampered off.
The door opens and reveals what could only be a moderately sized closet, with several small shelves lining the walls with food, spirits and other assorted goods as well as there being a hole in the floor where the sound of running water echoes from somewhere far, far below. Near this hole is the shriveled remains of dwarf. Wallace recognizes him as Ironbeard and, true to form, he lies with his ledger firmly in his dead hands. However the walls with the shelving show that the items on them were untouched. Being as frugal as ever Ironbeard had seen that prolonging the inevitable was useless and chose to go out on his terms.
[spoiler=26 days of iron rations, 26 bottles of dwarven spirits and the tattered clothes ironbeard wears, along with his family forged Waraxe lay in this room for the taking. The corpse still grips the ledger of course.
"The word hoarder comes to mind." Rhavenna mutters with a look at the room's contents. "Do you think there's anything worth seeing in the ledger he chose to die holding on to?"
Wallace shrugs and gives a sidelong glance to the dragon " I mean they do already know we are here"
" As to the mans effects his weapon is dwarven craft, family forged. Its likely worth something but most likely worth more to his family if any remain. I doubt the ledger will tell us much without me reading the entire thing. I'll go ahead and take it but for now lets move onward. The Armory is just around the corner."
" I didn't think of it earlier but here how I suggest we proceed. the hallways in here are fairly cramped so we are not likely going to be able to fit in any order but single file. If so why don't we have Aradacemorn go first, Maiathreen and Livian next, Rhavenna following with Aerea behind her. I'd be in the back." The human suggests as he looks at the door.
" Once we reach a spot where attacks from either side of our line becomes possible I'd suggest we have Rhavenna swap places with me so we can have a skilled warrior guarding both approaches."
With that he looks to the companys dragon
" Additionally the Armory is supposedly big enough that you'd be able to resume your natural form in it. Assuming the number of ghouls in this place is significant it would be a good place to reach first."
"That's fine." Aradacemorn responds taking his position as the group forms up into a new marching order. Letting the small but deadly Aradacemorn lead as they leave the old quarters of the fallen Ironbeard.
You round the bend, making quick and quiet steps through the abandoned hallways until you reach where the hallways form a sideways 'T'. Several bedroom doorstand closed to your right, totalling three and roughly ten feet apart. On the left comes the sound of hissing and grunts as several ghouls come lunging our of the darkness towards the group. Aradacemorn, having been in the lead stands in the center of the hallway facing the oncoming ghouls with a firey resolve.
The five dwarven ghouls don't seem to notice anything amiss with the small halfling and continue to rush headlong at the group, snapping their jaws. Hungry to savor the flesh of the living!
The dwarven ghouls were armed and armored in the gear they wielded before falling to the path of undeath. Their gear is battered but serviceable in the coming conflict with the group. The close, lifting their shields and moving with purpose despite drooling heavily and slathering as their jaws clack together at the thought of the coming feast. Rhavenna can feel their eyes on her as three of the ghouls appear to be fixated on her flank...
Aeria and Aradacemorn hold their ground, though Aradacemorn moves to block the approaching groups line of attack, preventing them a clean charge for some but not all of the ghouls...
Distracted by the awful sense of dread that seemed to radiate off the ghouls, Rhavenna rushes an utterly abysmal shot.
As he was at the back of the formation rather than go for some overly optimistic at ranged combat Wallace begin humming a hymn of vaguely dangerous sounding words. Whatever they were seemed to help.
Aeria raised her hands and unleashed what appeared to be motes of sound or light that shot from her fingertips and blasted one of the lead ghouls...
Aradacemorn didn't wait for them to close and charges the wounded Ghoul. Slamming his fist into it with such force the ghouls body breaks apart. Rotted guts and dry flesh give way and explode out of its backside as his fist pulverizes the ghouls pelvis into dust...
The ghouls stood little chance as they charged the transformed Aradacemorn. When their battered weapons failed to draw so much as a scratch it was then they appeared to realize too late what was in store. The next few moments were gruesome as the Halflings hands turned to claws. HIs claws were like twin blurs as he slashed and clawed the up close ghouls. Reducing their battered armor to shredded metal and scattering their chainmail links like sand in a fierce wind. Not a single ghoul survived the onslaught and with a look of pure malice Aradacemorn's eyes surveyed the hall.
When nothing more presented itself his hands fell to his sides but didn't return to their former form. In fact the halfling looked more like some bestial reptile then a halfling now, scaled and its features rough and muscular. "Which way?" Aradacemorns voice was no longer as high pitched either, more gravely and rough sounding now that he had changed.
Wallace gestures north, toward the doors on the other side of the hallway " Thats the armory, it should be big enough for you to stretch your wings in. Be cautious of the doors on either side, they'd be opportune for an ambush. There might be more warriors to come from the left but if they haven't left from hearing the sounds of battle they will likely wait until we come to them.
Rhavenna readies her bow as they move forward into the armory.
The group makes its way to the armoury, finding the doors closed and unmoving to light robing. Aradacemorn gives them a gentle press and grimaces. "Barred from the other side..." The small reptilian halfling smiles toothily. [b]"Shall I knock?"{/b]
Wallace nods and gives his own grin in return. " Oh please do, its only good manners after all. Can't having these ghouls last thoughts being our rudeness. That would just be crass."
With a quick glance to the rest of the group the humans smile softens somewhat but still maintains a feral edge. " Now I doubt it needs be said but as Aradacemorn is knocking we should be all ready for what may come. Ready your weapons, gird your loins and all that rot."
The human juggling the various items of his preference in hand seeming to delay for a moment between holding his flag or holy symbol. Ultimately deciding on the symbol.
Note to self, find a way to strap this thing to my back or.. I suppose use magic to shrink it. Stick it on the back half of a long hammer or spear? Now that I think of it there are plenty of situations beside having my hand frozen by a possessing dwarven presence that could be useful in.
Considering the likely closeness of enemies behind the door, Rhavenna stows her bow, drawing both her swords and rolling her shoulders in anticipation. "Ready when you are." she grins back
Aradacemorn nods and throws back his fist in a dramatic fashion before pounding the doors in the center. The stone doors groan under the blow and whatever had been barring the door from the far side gives way under the enormous strnegth of the transformed dragons strike. The doors open partially as the sound of a broken wooden beam clatter to the floor moments after Aradacemorn's strike.
The dragon shakes his fist, blood splattering the floor but looking no worse for wear. "Knock knock." He comedically remarks as he steps up and pushes the doorway open. The open door reveals an immense and cramped armory, with rows upon rows of weapon racks and armor racks that have seen better days...
Swords held in a ready position, Rhavenna advances as the group enters the armory, eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of activity.
Maiathreen closes his eyes for a moment as a flickering light forms between his fingers forming into a long curved blade seemingly made of red crystal. He grips the hilt in both hands as they enter the armory.
This armory once held the hopes of a Skycitadels population, the hope that their search for skky would lead to abundance and safety. However disease struck the Skycitadel and led to the devastation of the population. This forward base was an attempt to go somewhere where the sickness wouldn't follow. Yet somethin darker had followed and the dwarven warriors never had a chance to deploy a single one of these formidable weapons.
It was saddening to think that even what little of the precious armor fell into the hands of vial creatures. Once the guardians of the Citadels hopes. Those items were given to the two commanders of the garrison...
This area was also to be used as an amuch point during an invasion as well...
Aradacemorn steps into the chamber first, a low growl escaping from his hybrid reptilian throat. "It smells like Rot. Come on out dead ones. Show us how weak you a-!"
The voice that interrupted Aradacemorn's booming challenge was low but it seemed to come from everywhere at once. Seeming to come from every moving shadow, from just over your shoulder and enough to make the hairs or scales stand on end. "So much noise. why can't you be silent..." Its demand whispered in each of your ears.
Aradacemorn seemed taken aback but undaunted as a wave of dark energy passed through the dilapidated armory.
You are immune to this trickery, instead spitting on the floor in response as if you were challenging it to a personal fight. Your emotions were filling rapidly with anger.
You felt like you know this voice.
No you [i[knew[/i[ this voice in a different life.
The one that corrupted this place.
The one that trapped you to die.
It was this abomination.
All its doing.
It Had to Die.
For honor's sake.
Rhavenna feels the terror creeping up her spine but is able to stave it off by turning it all into anger.