"Do any of you know anything of this place?" Bastian asks as he searches his own mind for clues to the tale of the Monastery. "It really is quite beautiful even in its ruin."
It is hard to be sure given the condition of the monastery and statues, but you suspect it probably predates the dwarven Forge War
and was built during the time of the last of the great kings, perhaps five or six centuries ago.
None of that made much sense to Ulark. But he had to admit it was beautiful, even in ruins.
Dugan steps forward and approaches the hammer wielding statue and strikes a similar pose.
'You think they knew I was coming?' He gives his companions a wry smile before continuing towards the doors.
"If there's any of them lingering hopefully they wont get too upset with a group of trespassers if there is a upstanding dwarf among us. I'm a bit more concerned about those wolves though, hopefully they are sleeping but keep your eyes peeled. I'm still in favour of dealing with them, I'd rather not have them nipping at our heals when we are fighting any new occupants."
"We don't know what lives here now, so Let's get to work."
Tall grasses and chunks of stone debris have all but overtaken this small yard.
Off to one side, a wooden stable has collapsed into a mound
of rotting timbers and moldy straw. The outer wall on the east side has also collapsed, leaving a ragged hole.
Three doors exit into this yard— a pair of double doors to the east, a single door to the north, and a lone door leading into the squat tower in the southeast corner.
”I didn’t know that dwarves had stables. Was this a trading post? But who would they have traded with so deep in the woods? I hope we find the opportunity to learn more about this place.”
An old well sits in the northwest corner of the yard, almost hidden by the wild growth. Among the tall grasses nearby, Ulark finds the remains of an unfortunate traveler.
He also finds a rotting backpack propped up against the mossy stone well. Between bits of preserved food, only some of which has remained palatable, he finds a length of silken rope, a bundle of lockpicks, a small yet bulging coin purse, and a ceramic cruet sealed with a wax stopper. Inside is a viscous blue liquid that smells of peppermint.
Lastly, Ulark also notices some tracks, hidden among the grasses, concentrated by the double doors.
'My family never had much occasion to keep animals, but we told stories of great dwarven armies, riding forth on sturdy ponies. They breathed fire in some of the stories.' Dugan begins to look wistful but quickly stirs himself from his fantasies. The dwarf walks over and gives the tower door a once over.
"I have heard tell of large horses hauling the produce of dwarven mines... and even a few mounted dwarven Knights fighting up at the Worldwound." Inconnu wont pick up any of the gear, he's still not back to normal yet.
Joanne also looks around
"This traveler seems to have died recently, could what killed him still be about?" Bastian looks around the area for tracks or other signs of recent passage by unknown assailants.
Bastian finds that these remains are perhaps a year old. Based on tooth and claw marks, it seems he was devoured by a large animal.
He also distinguishes two sets of tracks coming and going through the yard
One set are wolf tracks, even though some of the paw prints are inordinately large. These mammalian tracks can be traced leading between the double doors, gaps in the outer walls, and the main gates. The second set of tracks are small and bipedal, seeming reptilian in nature. These tracks exclusively lead between the double doors and the main gate.
Dugan finds the tower door stuck shut, owing to swollen wood or rusted hinges. However, he is certain that he could force it open with a bit of muscle.
The tower's stones remain solid, a testament to their builder's skill. Peering through gaps in the door, he finds dapples of sunlight falling through sizeable holes in the roof, faintly illuminating the interior.
A rickety wooden staircase winds along the inner walls, but it looks like it has not fared nearly as well as the stonework.
The sulfurous smell of guano also wafts out from within.
Bastian points out his findings to the others, "We should be wary of kobolds or other bipedal reptilian creatures."
”Well done with the tracks. The size of that wolf worries me. Let’s move on before they return. The tower, then?” Ulark takes the thief’s pack and heads over to the tower, to help force the door open.
Dugan briefly sizes up the door before taking a few steps back and attempting to throw a shoulder into it.
Inconnu nods at Ulark but winces when he sees Dugan connect with the door.
Joanne approaches the door encase something comes out.
With a groaning crack, the door snaps off one of its hinges, pops free from the jamb, and swings awkwardly inward.
A thick layer of dust and cobwebs cover the ancient crates and barrels stored inside the base of the tower.
A rickety wooden staircase ascends along one wall to reach an open trapdoor above.
The trapdoor is only one aperture in the roof, though, as several sections of the shingles and timbers have rotted away, leaving holes of varying sizes.
The floor is fragrant with moss on the paved floor and weeds growing through the crevices, fed by rainwater and fertilized by guano.
Dugan's momentum carries him inside the tower. He takes a moment to assess his surroundings before moving towards the stairs.
'I see some moss. No mushrooms, though. There's some stairs ups.' Dugan tests the bottom stair's sturdiness.
Bastian inspects the barrels and crates while Dugan tests the stairs.
"Given how long this place has been left to decay we should be careful, I wouldn't be surprised if the something collapses as we are going along."
As Dugan tests the stairs, they groan under the weight of him and his armor. Almost immediately, the third step cracks beneath him. He stumbles but does not fall.
Meanwhile, from the door, Joanne notices something large and furry moving along the rafters. It unfurls great leathery wings as it prepares to swoop down.
"Oh crap is that a Bat"
She goes for Defenive fighting and readies an attack if the bat goes within reach of her.
Sweeping its fifteen-foot wingspan, the bat occupies much of the air above the party.
As the giant bat swoops down, Joanne strongly strikes the creature on its back as it gnashes its needle-like teeth at Dugan.
Falling upon the unaware dwarf, its strong bite punctures Dugan's armor and its teeth dig into his muscles.
Reacting on instinct Ulark swung his massive axe at the creature...
Dugan reels back against the wall as the bat flaps down and sinks it's fangs into his shoulder.
'You're a biggun!' He roars in the bat's face.
"Don't let him get away with that Dugan, his skull would look well as a pauldron! Lets send this flying rat scurrying to the grave." Inconnu moves to start helping people flank it if possible.
Ulark squeezes past Joanne, through the broken door, to reach the flapping terror.
As he moves, the bat's jaws snap at him in passing, but he easily evades.
For his trouble, though, Ulark's upward swing nearly disembowels the dire bat. Gouts of blood bathe the dusty stone floor, and the creature now struggles to stay aloft in the narrow confines.
Joanne attacks the bat again.
'I don't plan on it!' The dwarf shoots Inconnu a wicked smile as he gets a familiar wild look in his eye. He un-shoulders his massive hammer and brings it to bear on the oversized bat.
Joanne's strike knocks the overlarge bat from the air, and Dugan's furious swing crushes the prone creature's chest and spine.
The musty odor of the room is overtaken by the smell of gore as the dire bat's wings convulse then quickly become still.
”Is everyone alright? That bat was immense!” Setting his bloody axe on the ground, Ulark bent down to examine the corpse in wonder.
Inconnu sighs, glad they took the beast down so quickly but knows he is still weak and vulnerable from the poison of the tatzylwyrm.
Based upon its massive wingspan, you would not be surprised if such a creature could carry off an entire stag to feed upon.
A search of the storage tower turns up no ironbloom mushrooms, but you do find - wrapped in a length of oilcloth - a short sword of exceptional dwarven craftsmanship.
Dugan recalls learning from the Vifstaurvolk, when he sought to learn from his tribe about such old ruins, that ironbloom mushrooms only grow in places rich with metal, so searching for a forge or workshop would be a good idea.
”Dugan, a blade from your ancestors. You should wear it proudly.”
Bastian steps back outside of the tower and considers where they should go next. "Through the northern door?" He asks to anyone who has followed him outside, "The double doors are likely the main entrance and therefore most dangerous."
Dugan leans back against the wall along the stairs after his vengeful blow on the bat.
The dwarf holds the blade up to examine it and smiles broadly.
'This is a fine weapon, I hope I ave occasion to use it in retaking the monastery, here.'
'If we're going to find Ironbloom, we need to find their forge, smithy, or armory. We need places with lots of metal. I'd hoped they had kept a healthy stockpile of arms in the tower and we could explore the rest at our leisure. I suggest the Northern door.'
"Sounds like a plan." Inconnu shifts his feet a little awkwardly. "I'm feeling a bit better today but not back to my full strength yet. A good thing ye got that thing off me when ye did or ye might have had to physically drag me along."
The door on the northern side of the yard creaks opens onto a long hallway.
To the left, the hallway continues onward through the tightly mortared stone walls before making a turn southward.
Two doors also sit closely beside each other on the hall's north face.
A damaged statue sits in an alcove on the other, nearer end of the hall.
Barely recognizable as a dwarf, his stone hammer sits on the floor beside the cracked remains of his head.
Across the hall and just to the right, another door hangs open, revealing large heaps of stone rubble.
Sunlight freely flows inside the hallway from the open doors and collapsed portions of the walls and ceiling to the northeast.
Ulark boldly leads the way, going left down the hallway.
"Let's check the right side before checking the left."
Ulark shrugged. ”It makes no difference to me. I’ve never been here before and know nothing of forges. I’ll follow your lead.”
Inconnu nods, keeping his weapon handy. "Right side so, we should keep our eyes peeled for any hazards as well as new residents."
"We will want to cover every inch of the place in the end, so right it is." Bastian peers into the rubble strewn room and checks for obvious signs of danger.
The chamber once anchoring the northeast corner of the monastery has been completely shattered.
The ceiling and outer walls have almost entirely crumbled, leaving a thick field of rubble.
As Joanne enters, a number of rats, birds, and even some bats - thankfully of normal size - scatter from their hiding spots and corners, fleeing from the tall woman.
Clumps of moss and weeds grow among the rubble, but there is no sign of the mushrooms.
"If there's nothing of note in there perhaps we should move on, investigate those doors to the right."
”Agreed. Though this place. It makes you wonder what it was like in it’s glory days. Any idea why the dwarves left?”