***
small dark roundish object used to delineate participation in an online RPG.
"Do you mean dots? Tis'kaliss like those."
Dot.
Spring…finally!
The brutal winter snows and chill gives way to the warmth of the sun, and the potential for a lucrative contract for the company.
While wintering in Zobeck, you were able to make a few contracts, one of whom suggested that you meet a man in Triolo, in the Seven Cities region. He mentioned something about some treasure hunting in the Wastes, but he also mentioned that The city-states of that realm have been fighting since the elves left. And with the added hints of adventures in the Southlands…
On this particular day, the chilly morning leads to a warmer day. The road has led you south-west, and heavy clouds have been moving in from the west all day. With no signs of any shelter nearby, it seems prudent to keep an eye out for somewhere to safely camp for the approaching night.
As the sun begins to set it gets dark quickly, and as the wind begins to intensify, rumbles of thunder are heard. The first few sprinkles quickly turn into a stinging torrent within minutes. Lightning flashes in rapid succession, illuminating your surroundings for brief moments. As the wind picks up, flashes of lightning get closer, and thunderclaps follow much quicker.
Finally, in the light of a very close lightning strike, you see it…a crumbling tower on a low rise. Being the only shelter in sight, you make a run for it.
"We get to tower! To sparky out here!" Tis'kaliss says, dashing toward the tower. The small lizardfolk, even with his short legs, manages to keep up with the others, even at full speed, even the gigantic Wobloom.
At least it be getting warm. Cold is not good. Tis'kaliss gets sleepy. And being sleepy is not good.
In this wondrous land water falls from the sky. Will wonders never cease?
Belzakk runks towards the tower keeping his head up.
Arturien sighed in annoyance as the rain started to pour buckets.
"A tower? Wonderful. Hopefully unoccupied."
The elfmarked mercenary moved swiftly, using his shield to keep the rain out of his eyes at least.
Floren's disposition had steadily worsened as the rain continued to pour. Several small rocks had felt the brunt of his steel boots as he savagely kicked them out of his way. He frequently wiped the water off his brow, smearing the dust and war paint around until his head and face were covered with a mass of patchy colors, resembling a drunk or disturbed carnival worker more than a fearsome warrior.
His muttering became grumbling, which quickly led to cursing, most of which revolved the idiocy of ever traveling on top of the ground, rather than through it.
As Tis'kaliss and Arturien noted the tower, Floren glanced around.
"Probably doesn't even have a roof." he said just loud enough to be heard as he stomped forward.
"Only one way to find out, Floren."
"Ha ha, just a little rain my friends. If Mavros sees fit to blast us from the earth with one of his bolts, that crumbling tower won't stop him!" Wobloom trots on toward the tower anyway. He may be right at home in the raging thunderstorm, but he realizes his fellow Black Boots aren't quite so comfortable.
"Always looking on the bright side, eh, Wob?"
Belzakk continues on his way, listening to the chatter among the others and wondering if he'll ever figure out when they are serious, and when they're just joking.
"Mavros would strike the tower you are going to? You not have very friendly god. Let us go. Too much water."
"We should go up yes? We go." Tis'kaliss says, darting up the ladder.
"We should go up yes? We go." Tis'kaliss says, darting up the ladder.
As if to answer Tis'kaliss' question, a bright flash of lightning accompanied by a thunderous "Boom!" strikes rather close by.
"Yes yes. Up. Tis'kaliss going. Hold you camels."
Floren chuckles, then looks up at the dark sky, "That's right, hold you camels!" he shouts.
He follows Tis'kaliss up the ladder.
"What do you see up there?" Arturien yells up.
"You holds camels too! I is not up yet! Sheesh. So impatient."
|
Bannock cocks his head at the tower. "Methinks 'twere a very secure situation, but then it's odd that there was no one on guard. Hopefully that means it's abandoned!"
Bannock will hold the ladder for the others, making it safer for them to climb, and putting him close if he needs to rush up it to the sounds of battle.
Once at the top of the ladder, you see that the door isn't merely missing from its hinges, it looks like it was battered in long ago. Fragments of all sizes of the clearly thick wooden door lie scattered on the floor. Other than the door remains, some rotting straw and a small pile of rags are the only things in the room
There are a few spots where water drips through the ceiling, but it looks sturdy enough. Immediately to your left, iron rungs are embedded into the tower wall leading up to a trapdoor. To your right, a sturdy wooden door warped with age is closed (). No lock is apparent.
"There is door and ladder up here!" Tis'kaliss calls down. "We see what behind door, and then up ladder, o.k?"
Floren watches Tis'kaliss attempt to open the door. "No, my friend. You cannot do it alone - let's try it together!" Floren motions the others inside to help.
|
|
Since it looks like there's no immediate guards to meet them, Bannock clambers up. As much to get out of the weather as anything. He manages to not break out into laughter at diminutive rogue trying to lift the steel gate, and instead diverts his gaze, keeping a watch. You never know what might be inhabiting an abandoned keep.
Though not physically strong Belzakk offers to help.
STR Check
And surprisingly his draconic claws find good purchase in the gate.
The wedged door shrieks in protest, but opens with a few good shoves. It scrapes along the floor, leaving fresh marks. You do notice several older marks dug in to the wood floor.
Inside is a very small room, about 12 feet long by 5 feet wide. A rusty iron torch sconce hangs on the wall immediately to your left next to the door, but no torch is in it. The only light comes from behind the now open door. On the floor is a trapdoor with a rusty iron rung. It looks remarkably sturdy.
Wobloom follows Bannock up the ladder, pausing a moment at the top to take in the chaos of the storm before he heads into the relative stillness of the tower.
"I expected to find this tower to be an empty shell. It is more intact than I would have thought. Do you think this one leads up to the roof?" The Minotaur climbs the iron rungs and tests the trap door above their heads.
Arturien, climbs up and enters the room. He stares at the trapdoor and finally says, "I'm pretty sure that if I slept up here without knowing what's down there, the curiousity would actually kill me. So -- who goes first?"
"I find what down there." Tis'kilass says, clambering through the trapdoor.
Floren takes up position beside the trapdoor in the floor, ready to leap down if anything happens to his scaly comrade.
With a little effort, Wobloom is able to open the ceiling trapdoor enough to see that above is the remains of a tower level that had collapsed in, as stinging rain still falls.
The tower itself looks like human construction, most likely 200-300 years ago. It appears that it has been abandoned for some time.
The minotaur jumps down from the ladder and dusts off his hands.
"Just leads to the roof as I suspected. Nothing but rubble and rain up there. Would serve well as a lookout spot once this weather clears a bit though.
Now, let's see what Tis'kaliss finds below us."
Belzakk ever curious, stands below as Wobloom looks up, and has to quickly jump out of the way of the descending Minotaur.
He then runs over to Tis'Kaliss to see what is behind door number 2.
The trapdoor in the floor opens easily, leading to a half-circle shaped room about 8 feet below. There is no ladder down.
Some rotting clumps of straw line the floor, along with some small pieces of wood, most likely from some crates or barrels that had been smashed ages ago.
A pile of old rags is in the NW curve of the room.
Tis'kaliss looks around.
Belzakk peaks down. Perception
Tis'kaliss notices in the NE corner that several grooves are worn into the floor at the wall , as if something was dragged over it repeatedly. Some of the grooves look rather new, as some grit is apparent in them.
He also notices a small discolored stone about 2 feet from the ground is just barely jutting from the wall. Once pressed, a "clunk" sound comes from behind the wall, and a hidden door 3 ft wide by 4 ft high slowly opens into the room.
Beyond the opening is a narrow passage with steep rough-hewn stairs cut into the rock that descends into the darkness.
Tis'kaliss looks down the hole. Then he slowly looks back at his friends. "Does all towers have a hole in the bottom? Is normal? I is not knowing."
Floren whistles softly as the secret door opens. "More and more interesting. Seems there's more to this tower than we thought."
He looks at Tik'kaliss, "The ones I've known with secret doors in the cellar most often lead down to ... dark ... places. Dungeons, torture rooms, wizard labs full of demons and devils and other such magical nonsense."
Floren shrugs his shoulders and loudly cracks his neck. He grips his maul tightly then looks around with a wide grin, "Don't know about the rest of you, but I'm thinking we need to make sure nothing down there is going to come up tonight to interrupt our beauty sleep. What you say, boys?"