The party of six stalwart adventurers turns toward the mountain to the west, and with a renewed determination, sets off at a brisk pace along the trail that leads away from the Black Village toward the mountain path that winds upward to the entrance of the Palace of the Vampire Queen
It is a bright, warm day. The sky above is clear of clouds, and by late afternoon the party reaches the mountain entrance. To the right of the entrance, there are still signs of the previous camp site which had been established many days before.
The doors stand closed to the Palace, and the group makes ready to head right down to the second level, below the first level, where they encountered a fierce troll. Checking Sandy’s map, the party is sure they know the way.
Brunar prepares his axe and shield, "Aye, ok, I will lead the way!" Brunar leads the party back to the troll den but still keeping a head on a swivel.
Kiril hefts the doors open for Brunar then follows.
The three heroes and their three travelling companions charge into the Palace of the Vampire Queen with renewed determination. They move quickly and as quietly as they can down the central corridor of the first level of the palace, then turn right at the last intersection, left into a narrow passage and then trough a few empty rooms until they come to the long flight of stairs that descends to the next level. Taking a moment to be sure they have brought enough torches, and in case those run out, a simple lantern with a few pints of oil to help them find their way out, they move down the stone steps in single file order.
Once at the second level they stop to get their bearings, Sandy consults the map, and points out the passageway on their left has not been explored, and she does not have it map. Then Flint remembers the parchment discovered in a secret room on the first level with a peculiar map, and quickly matches it to the one Sandy is making. She smiles at the brave and talented halfling and begins annotating her map to reflect the things on the parchment.
Heading straight to the east, the group stops at a set of huge doors on the left, Kiril shoves one of the ten-foot-wide stone doors open, and the party slides past the opening quickly, followed by Kiril when all are through.
Heading north now, Brunar is feeling his dwarven stone sense coming on naturally, and the feeling of being underground almost feels like home.
The party passes a twenty-foot-wide opening on the right, and then comes to a stop at the huge doors that led into a troll lair. It is now that the group readies their weapons, hoping their efforts from a few days ago were permanent, but cautious, knowing the lore of these tenacious monsters, they prepare for the worst as Kiril readies his shoulder. Looking back at the others he gives a nod of readiness, and the next move will open the door and give the party access to the troll lair.
Kiril, Doorsbane, shoves the door open with his shoulder and steps into the room with his maul ready to smash things.
Brunar stands are the ready to assist Kiril.
There has been a battle here
yes, that one, obviously, but there has been another.
This very large chamber, which you did not have time to fully explore before, has been the scene of a battle between two different kinds of monsters. Lying about you recognize the corpses of orcs and another kind of humanoid you are not familiar with, possibly
There are three orc bodies, each is pierced with arrows, and has been stabbed by spear points. Some of the wounds did not bleed, leading you to think the orc's enemies where making sure downed orcs stayed dead.
There are two other bodies, and these appear like goblins, only they are larger, tougher looking and have pale reddish skin.
Among the bodies are seven arrows, two war axes, and a single spear. The orcs are wearing heavy, studded leather armor, while the other creatures wear a combination of chain and leather armor which is unusual to your eyes.
Kiril goes around, looking over the bodies. After noting the postmortem injuries, he starts looking for any bodies that haven't been thoroughly finished off, and smashes their heads in with his maul.
"Some kinda territory dispute," he says while he goes to work.
Brunar nods to Kiril, "Aye!" Then holds up the armor that is unusual to our eyes. He looks it over for quality and etc.
Brunar hoists one of the dead fellow up off the floor to get a better look at his armor, while Kiril goes about making sure the dead are really, well dead, and should stay that way.
"Might have a band of Hobgoblins loose in here. Better be on the lookout for 'em," Kiril wipes his maul off on some of the ragged armor and starts looking around for anything they might have missed.
While examining the armor, "Aye, but we probably should look out for most things down here?"
Brunar is currently too distracted by the armor to notice most other things.
"Hobgoblins?!" Flint exclaims, his face making a look of incredulous uncertainty as he inspects the gear of the dead for quality and utility. "Hobbled goblins seem twice-impotent, but sure, keep your eyes out if your worried, I guess."
Flint keeps an eye on Kiril as the doorsbane looks around the large room, but he'll spend some time removing armor from corpses and gathering them and the fallen weapons into one spot for later transport to the party's in-palace base.
The armor that is worn by the hobgoblins looks like it is well made, but probably does not provide as good of protection as the scale mail armor Brunar is wearing.
The large chamber does not seem to reveal any other secrets, and is otherwise empty.
Kristyd walks slowly among the dead orcs and hobgoblins, and finally turns to Kiril and says, "Maybe they got news that the troll was dead and they came looking for it's lair, you know, as if there were some sort of treasure they knew about."
"I've heard things like that before," Gwendolyn adds, "And it isn't surprising that maybe the two groups were trying to claim the dead trolls territory for themselves."
Sandy stays by the doors, keeping a watch on the passageway to the left and right, and then says over her shoulder, "Whatever the reason, I think it's safe to say that we are probably going to run into the survivors of one or the other of these groups. I just hope the hobgoblins are willing to negotiate, I know the orcs won't be."
Kiril returns to the group empty-handed. "Nothing. Think Kristyd's right, whoever survived this probably took everything already. Let me see that map," he tells whoever has it, and looks over the map. "Hmm, look at this weird spiral hallway that leads to six doors after the other, I want to know what's in there," he jabs a meaty finger at the map.
Flint bobs his head, first at Sandy and Gwen, but later at Kiril.
"Well, I guess we better be ready to tell the orcs and the gobbos the truth, that this is OUR turf now. If they didn't want to f+*@ with the troll, they're not going to want to f+!* with US."
and to Kiril... "Ooo, I like it. Over by the stairs here?" he taps the map in the lower left corner. "... ... We... Haven't been there already, have we?" He looks at the map, trying to figure out where he is. "This matches up to your map, right Sandy? How do we get there from here?"
"Back out of this room, then south all the way down the hall until we hit that T junction, then we take the first...eight rights." He traces on the map, then turns to leave, assuming the rest will follow.
Sandy takes out her map, a collection of a few thick pages of parchment with crude drawings in charcoal and compares them to the curious map found by Flint.
"No, I haven’t mapped that area, so we haven’t been there, at least I know I haven’t been there. I made some notes on my maps to remind me of the map Flint is carrying. It looks like that map has been accurate so far in showing the rooms on this level, but if it starts to get strange I’ll be ready to draw my own again.”
With having said that, she stuffs the pages back in her pack, and falls in line behind Kiril and Kyrstid.
Kiril waits for Sandy to summon a small light, which she places on the end of her staff, and holding it high, gives the big man a smile, and waves him on.
Marching at a slow, careful pace, the group, going two-by-two, heads back to the stairs, where near them there was a narrow, only ten-foot-wide, passageway that intersected the main passage at the bottom of the stairs. Here, Kiril pauses for a moment, and that is when Gwen steps up next to him. She spins around slowly, taking in her surroundings, and then announces.
"North is that way,”she says, as she points down the dark narrow passageway.
Checking the map again Kiril proceeds in that direction, coming to a set of heavy wooden doors on the left, which match the map exactly, he hesitates, but just for a moment before continuing, and then passing another set of doors on the left
’Do you think it’s safe to pass these doors without checking what might be in the rooms on the other side?” Kristyd asks
Kiril shrugs. "Let's check this next one then," he'll shove the next door on the left open if no one objects, stepping in to check the room out with his maul ready.
Brunar discards the armor in the collection pile to sale or donate later.
Brunar listens to the conversation and then agrees with Kiril, "Aye, right behind ya Kiril." He then holds up his shied and war hammer at the ready.
Flint walks along, following the group and tossing his belaying pin from hand to hand, enjoying the weight in his grip. He walks a couple steps past the door when Kiril goes to open the door, so he's standing on the far side of the group, the side that faces the unexplored.
"Yea, get it down Kiril. Let's see what's lurking around here!"
Kiril shoves the door open, and behind him Krystid, Sandy, and Gwen crowd close to the doorway to look inside
The room appears to have recently been a camp. There are two small canvas tents, one is partially collapsed. The ropes that hold the tents up are held down by iron spikes driven into the spaces between the flagstones of the floor.
A few bed rolls are laid out, but it appears as if someone has upset them. There is a circle of stones near the center of the room and the remains of a fire, now cold, with a large iron pot sitting close to it.
One of the tents rustles, and the tent flap opens and then shuts as if an invisible creature has exited the tent and the suddenly a dwarf appears in front of the tent.
He is young, with dark brown hair, cut at his shoulders and a crisp well-groomed beard. He wears adventurer’s robes and is holding a short but sturdy staff.
Before you can speak the dwarf shouts to the ceiling,
Thank the heavens, I’m rescued.
Kiril scratches his stubble, "Is he some kinda illusion or is that a real f$&#ing dwarf?"
He looks about the room, searching for a trap or ambush.
Brunar looks at Kiril with smile, "Aye, as opposed to a fake dwarf my friend? You can always pull its beard to make sure?"
Brunar laughs.
"Rescued?" flint says in dwarvish, peaking his head into the door frame. "from What?"