Ven motions to the eastern door and signals that someone is there. He then quietly opens both the southern and northern doors.
Aenian opens the arrow slit shutter, gaining a view of the woods and hills to the north of Thrushmoor. The thick stone walls are clearly not those of Iris Hill.
Trillis takes a look over Aenian's shoulder and makes a confused noise. "We're inside Fort Hailcourse," she whispers, shaking her head.
Ven checks the doors to the north and south. The southern opens into a courtyard, muddy, with patches of grass and weeds sprouting from the soil along the walls. A brick well stands at the center of the courtyard and a grate for grilling food stands against a wall to the south. There are several other doors leading to different parts of the fort, and a pile of something lies near the well, surrounded by a cloud of flies.
The northern door opens into a spacious barracks. It is fitted with bunk beds, small chests, and stools. A rancid smell lingers in the room. There is a spiral staircase leading up in the north corner.
”Huh, so the Fort is part of this mess as well. No wonder that woman was so rude when we tried to enter earlier. Let’s head north, looks like a barracks. We need to find our gear.. I don’t think we will be able to get out and back in easily.”
Ven nods, "Yeah, she's complicit in whatever is going on here."
He follows Aenian north. In the barracks, he will detect magic and will search the room.
You move into the barracks and have a look around. Ven detects no magic, but he finds the source of the stink -- a half-drunk pitcher of milk stashed beneath one of the cots, with a thick curd floating atop the
vessel. The rest of the room is orderly, as if ready for inspection -- the beds are all carefully made and gear is properly stowed in the chests.
Ven listens at the west door. "Any exit will be on the ground floor."
If he doesn't detect any danger he opens the door and goes in.
"As good as any ... really need a better weapon." Aenian waves the dagger around.
Aenian glances at the barracks again, "Hang on ..."
He begins rifling through the chests. "No magic but maybe they split some stuff up. "
Aenian searches through the foot lockers, finding each packed in orderly fashion with normal, personal gear. There are no real valuables, and none of your gear.
"What happened to all the guardsmen?" Trillis asks.
Moving through the west door, it leads to an L-shaped room. It is mostly empty, but holds a few neatly stacked piles of military-style camping gear sitting against the walls. A case of arrows sits near each of the arrow loops. An extinguished hooded lantern sits on the floor near the arrow loop in the western wall.
As you round the corner, you spot three armored mercenary guards, two sitting and a third standing by the western arrow loop. As they turn to face you, you see they are clearly not living -- emaciated, rotted flesh outlines their skulls and the eyes glint with dark motes. They draw longswords and move to engage while the one a the arrow loop readies its bow.
The undead guardsmen close and attack. The archer fires at Vaustin while the other two team up against Ven, slashing and stabbing.
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Sgt York Wade's into battle with his axe.
Aenian holds his dagger firmly in hand and waits for an opening.
Ven withdraws away from the undead.
Winter assumes an orange-tinted aura as she manifests Autumn as a shield. She moves up and slashes her long claws at the nearest undead guard, rending away pieces of armor and flesh.
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Trillis grimaces wearily at the undead. "Those two are zombies of some kind, but that archer is a wight... be wary of its touch!"
The zombies keep hacking with their swords while the archer fires again.
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Ven takes a 5' step and fires a magic missile at the wight.
Vaustin swings at the same zombie that Winter attacked.
Aenian holds again looking for an opening. If Vaustin and Winter drop one, he will tumble through the opening and attack with his dagger.
Vaustin chops down one of the zombie mercenaries, making an opening for Aenian. He rolls in, stabbing but the dagger fails to penetrate the undead's tough flesh.
Ven casts a barrage of magic missiles at the archer.
Winter turns her claws against the second zombie, damaging it badly.
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The zombie slashes at Vaustin and the archer takes aim at Ven. Neither hit their mark.
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Ven hits the wight again with another magic missile.
Aenian drops his dagger and picks up the dead zombie's long sword, steps north into the flank and then swings at the other zombie.
Vaustin continues to attack the remaining zombie
Vaustin finishes off the second zombie. Aenian picks up a longsword and takes a clumsy swing at the wight archer.
Ven blasts the wight with two more force missiles.
Winter leaps at the archer, ripping her claws into the enemy's flesh.
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The archer backs up and fires at Aenian, point blank.
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Vaustin moves up as Aenian shouts for him to hold for the flank.
Aenian moves around behind the archer before Vaustin attacks and then follows with his own slash.
Aenian nicks the wight archer, but then Vaustin drops it with a heavy swing of his axe.
You pause a moment after the last undead falls, listening for sounds of alarm or incoming foes. Happily, you hear no reaction to your quick melee.
The fallen mercenaries carry masterwork weapons and studded leather armor, but nothing else of value.
Trillis approaches the corpses, checking them carefully. Her disgust and confusion are mixed upon her features. "These men, I knew them. They were the mercenaries hired by Magistrate Padgett to police and defend Thrushmoor. This one attended services regulary -- he was a devout Pharasmin." She sighs and says a prayer over the dead, ushering their souls on to final judgement.
"Something strange is afoot in this town and it looks like everyone is in on it."
He looks at the dead creatures with disgust, "Hold your nose, Vaustin, this is going to be unpleasant."
Aenian will take the bow and some arrows (long or short? how many?) and keep the sword and dagger. He will put on a suit of studded leather and offer the other 2 to Vaustin and Winter. Vaustin will swap his axe for the masterwork blade.
"Another longsword here for those of you that feel inclined."
Ven detects magic on the bodies and then moves to the southern door and listens before opening it.
"'Strange' is an understatement," Trillis replies. "These men were alive not long ago -- whenever it was before I was abducted. Someone killed them and re-animated them, but who? Those deep ones in the basement?"
Ven slowly pulls open the southern door, revealing another barrracks room. This one is much like the one behind you, but without the rancid smell. There are more doors leading to the courtyard, one continuing south, and two spiral staircases going up.
Ven will detect magic and will search the beds and chests.
"If all these bunks were assigned to a soldier or mercenary who has turned into a zombie or wight, I am curious if someone is preparing an assault on the city?"
Aenian glances at the stairs, "Lets.check.upstairs this time. "
Ven nods, "Yes, I fear the town is in danger. The same forces that were at work in the asylum may be in effect here."
He follows Aenian up.
The lockers in this barracks are orderly like in the previous room. You detect no magic.
You head up the spiral stairs, which leads into the upper level of the fortress tower. An array of arrow loops provides secure observation of the grounds outside. A circling wooden stair climbs upward to a trap door at the top of the tower.
An open doorway leads to the heavily weather-beaten open space on top of the fort. The walkways that connect the towers looks bare and bleak. Two other structures sit at the fort's center, and an external wooden stairway leads up to the donjon above.
Three mercenary guards stand watch, still and staring over the battlements.
Trillis smiles and breathes a reserved sigh of relief as you greet the open air. She looks around the area, peering over the battlements towards the mist-covered town and Iris Hill on the adjacent rise. "Now that I've got my bearings," she nods, pointing towards the donjon. "Up those stairs is the Magistrate's apartment. Padgett's office is down near the kitchen, below that central room, the steward's chambers."
"Let's see if we can move quietly to the steward's chamber without alerting the dead ones."
Ven nods, "Let's you and I recon. I'll turn us invisible". He turns to the others. "Wait for us here."
He cast invisibility on Aenian and himself and quietly moves to the steward's chamber door.
Invisible, you both move across the upper walkway, reaching the door to the steward's chambers easily. The guards make no notice of you. They remain motionless.
Aenian whispers to Ven, "Those guys arent zombies they are straight up dead. Propped up for appearances it looks like. Let's continue on with the invisibility. We will tell the others in a minute."
Ven whispers back, "Let's go in then. Note that we have about four minutes of invisibility."\
He will quietly open the door.
Aenian keeps the bow drawn with an arrow nocked and grunts to indicate his acknowledgement of Ven's plan of action.
Ven tries the door to the steward's chamber but finds it is locked. The door on the opposite side is locked also.
Grumbling, Aenian attempts to disable the lock with a dagger.
Aenian nearly gets his dagger jammed in the key hole.
Ven whispers, "Let's try the Magistrate's chamber."
He moves down the hall and tries both doors. If locked, he will move up the stairs.
You climb the external stairs up the donjon. The door is closed but unlocked.
Furnished with a double bed, two chests of drawers, a small table, and a couple of stools, this room also contains a bulky steel safe, its door standing open. A cold fireplace occupies the northeast corner of the chamber. The shutters of the three windows here have been torn from their hinges and lie broken on the floor. The smell of briny water is strong in the still air.
A deep one sits at the edge of the bed, reading a journal intently. It looks up sharply as the door opens, its dark eyes confused when it doesn't see anyone at the door.
Ven nudges Aenian in an attempt to indicate to him to move to a flanking position. He then casts comprehend languages before attempting to charm the deep one. "Sir, we're on your side - no need to get up or call for the guards. May I read the journal? Who are you and what are you doing here? I'm sure we can help you once we know what's going on."
He smiles warmly as he pantomimes for the deep one to remain calm and to provide the journal.