You start a methodical search of the Longhall. Every room is explored and searched. At one moment, you stumble upon five thugs of mixed Tian descent, but you make short work of them.
The rooms of the Longhall serve various utilitarian purposes. You find sleeping rooms for the raiders and the ninjas, a kitchen, a room filled with various tools for maintenance of the place, a store with food and drinks for several weeks.
On the second floor are located Jorgan's room and Wodes' room and rookery. The rookery is currently empty. A small cell is easily opened and counts three merchants from Kalsgard: Juvek Asdagar, Lute Hagerslyg and Fedeluk Dokingard.
You find the bodies of the slain raiders and ninjas stacked in one of the bunkrooms.
At the back of the Longhall, you find a rear entrance door leading to a narrow path going into the forest.
Also of note, the back of the Longhall sports a fully equipped alchemical laboratory.
Finally, you find a staircase leading down. Pavel finds a trail of blood leading down, probably from the body of Jorgan...
Note: a lot of riches can ne gathered here, but it will require more time to inventory and gather.
AC 19 Touch 17) FF 16; CMD 23 (25 Grapple) Hp 58/58
Spoiler:
+4 dodge bonus FD/ 6/6 ki points
Raith questions the merchants, "Who have you met? How long have you been here? Why were you taken? Who leads the Frozen Shadows? Have you seen the crow?"
(AC 19/t14/ff18, hp 62 of 68) Shoanti Cleric (of Erastil) 8
Garand has an ioun torch as a light source
While Raith questions the merchants, Garand moves to the most Ulfen looking of them and examines him for signs of captivity (manacle marks at the wrists, etc.), fearing that these 'merchants' might be more enemies in disguise, either Frozen Shadows themselves, or members of the Ulfen clan they had co-opted.
The merchants look puzzled for a moment, until Pavel translates in Skald. He translates back, which makes it almost impossible for Raith to discern signs of mischief.
"We are the first sons of prominent merchants. We are hostages here. The people here have kept us fed and simply locked, but always watched, in order to get cooperation from our fathers."
Garand:
The don't show signs of having been restrained, but they have not been fed well, and don't seem to have seen the sun very often.
Theoden:
The name Hagerslyg rings a bell. From what you recall, the family is involved in smuggling, robbery and extortion in your district.
(AC 19/t14/ff18, hp 62 of 68) Shoanti Cleric (of Erastil) 8
"They show no signs of binding or abuse, but have not been fed well or seen the sun recently. Frankly, it would be harder to fake malnutrition or pallor than to bruise the wrists, so I am inclined to believe them." Garand says in the Varisian tongue.
AC 19 Touch 17) FF 16; CMD 23 (25 Grapple) Hp 58/58
Spoiler:
+4 dodge bonus FD/ 6/6 ki points
Raith nods to Garand. "Tell them to stay here until we come back. We have matters to settle with the Frozen Shadows. Then we'll take you back to the city."
(Mage Armor, +2 AC 1/6); DR 10/magic vs. ranged weapons (40pts); Fort+6, Ref+3, Will+5 (+2 vs. enchantments, immune sleep, resist cold 5)
Half-Elven Wizard 6
Sorin waits until Garand's examination is complete before asking in Skald,
"Can you tell us who you saw leading the people here? Do you have any idea how many of them there were? And finally, it looks like they have left the longhall, did they mention anything about where they might be going?"
Narrowing his eyes in thought after the men introduce themselves, "Gentlemen, a moment of your time." Theoden calls out to the group, motioning them to an area away from the three. Turning to the men, "Excuse us a moment, good sirs," he nods to them as he moves to speak to the others.
"Just so you are aware, the one that goes by the name of 'Hagerslyg', his family is known for their involvement in smuggling, robbery and extortion. I would guess the 'cooperation' the Shadows were looking for is probably more related to joining the cause than any type of ransom. But that is nothing more than conjecture," he shrugs as he takes a glance over at the three. "That is all. Let us continue our interrogation. Hopefully they will give us some solid information to go on, if any."
Pavel returns to the prisoners, weapons still drawn and lazily propped on his shoulders.
"Need some answers.", he begins in Skald, managing to reign in his speech impediment enough to sound menacing. "Especially from you, Hagerslyg. Don't think for a second we don't know a little about the family business. So let's chat."
"Where did everyone go? How many are there? And what's downstairs?"
Hagerslyg's shoulders slump as Pavel's cold stare meets his. He drops his gaze before saying: "We're hostages. The Frozen Shadows control our fathers' gangs and we serve as guaranty. The Longhall's been mostly silent since yesterday. We were about to try to make a run for it when we heard you shuffle about."
Their eyes darted here and there as they were told you were going down. It's likely they'll make a run for it, but they're thieves, so it's also likely they'll take a few things with them...
(AC 19/t14/ff18, hp 62 of 68) Shoanti Cleric (of Erastil) 8
Garand shakes his head at the likely intentions of these men. "The Frozen Shadows will happily cut a man's throat just to make a point. Do not tarry overlong seeking spoils to bring home, at the risk of losing your priceless lives instead..."
It seems clear that they see wisdom in Garand's words, for they pack their things and make for the door within a heartbeat.
You proceed down, led by Pavel and Raith, with Theoden closing at the back. The stairs down lead to a narrow arched passage cut in stone, turning right. Torches are lit, but are far apart and procure a bare minimum of light (concealment).
(AC 19/t14/ff18, hp 62 of 68) Shoanti Cleric (of Erastil) 8
Garand makes sure his ioun torch is floating above his head, to provide illumination, and also calls forth magical light from the spike on Pavel's spiked shield.
The air is fresh and humid. Condensation drips along the walls. After a few feet, a door to your left beckons. Behind it, you find the Longhall's cistern. The room is small and musty, hewn from solid rock. Near the far wall stands a low well, its opening only a foot in diameter. A winch and chain with a rusty steel bucket hang from the wall above it. In the far corner sits a pile of old wooden buckets and other debris, rotten and broken, with several different kinds of fungus growing on their remnants.
In the hallway, a few feet ahead of the cistern, the passage is flooded. A deep channel, 9-feet wide, of flowing water crosses the hall, it's waters moving swiftly. On the opposite side lies a heavy timber plank that could be used to cross. A brass bell and clapper hang from the wall on your side of the stream.
Ahead, the passage splits in two opposite directions. On your right, the corridor opens immediately into a room, while on your left you find a simple door of great craftsmanship.
The room is oppressively hot compared to the rest of the cellars. A coal furnace roars in the far wall, giving the room a dull red glow. A heap of coal is stacked against the east wall. An iron door opens in the ceiling above the coal pile. Three crude beds made of poorly cured bearskins and wolf pelts have been thrown on the floor before the fire. A hogshead rests between them, next to the bloody bones of some unfortunate creature.
Pavel takes a position near the fancy door, hiding the light on his axe or codpiece, whatever to not give himself away.
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
All is quiet. The iron door in the ceiling probably leads outside for the delivery of coal. Raith finds nothing of interest, except that soot makes feet dirty...
The roar of the furnace makes it hard to notice any noise. As best you can tell, all is quiet.
Troll feet certainly went through the nice door. Though they are very smudged at the edge. Like they wiped their feet before going in, which doesn't fit well with what you know of trolls' habits.
(AC 19/t14/ff18, hp 62 of 68) Shoanti Cleric (of Erastil) 8
"I think a troll went through this fine door, although it cleaned its feet before entering the room, which seems unusually fastidious for a troll..." Garand says quietly, not wanting his voice to carry into the next room.
The door is simple, yet is of great beauty, made from a mix of two woods with harmonious grain patterns. A cursory examination shows it is locked though.
Trolls possess incredibly sharp claws and amazing regenerative powers, allowing them to recover from nearly any wound. They are stooped, fantastically ugly, and astonishingly strong—combined with their claws, their strength allows them to literally tear apart flesh to feed their voracious appetites. Trolls stand about 14 feet tall, but their hunched postures often make them appear shorter. An adult troll weighs around 1,000 pounds.
A troll's appetite and its regenerative powers make it a fearless combatant, ever prepared to charge headlong at the nearest living creature and attack with all of its fury. Only fire seems to cause a troll to hesitate, but even this mortal threat is not enough to stop a troll's advance. Those who commonly battle with trolls know to locate and burn any pieces after a fight, for even the smallest scrap of flesh can regrow a full-size troll given enough time. Fortunately, only the largest part of a troll regrows in this way.
