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To the north of many rows of stadium-style benches stands a wide dais. Garbage clutters what was once undoubtedly a pristine floor. A small corridor near the dais leads to the west, while to the north, an iron gate provides a view into a central courtyard.
Additionally, you hear some curious, perhaps frightening, sounds coming from beyond the iron gate to the north—a series of barking growls, the sound of claws scraping stone, and further in the distance what sounds like goblins and a halfling arguing.
Bow at the ready, Jean-Pierre quietly heads north...
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A short flight of stairs leads down to an open-air courtyard surrounded by imposing octagonal walls, while a heavy iron gate separates it from the halls to the south. A few errant milkweeds and tufts of crabgrass protrude from the cracked cobblestone flooring. The ground to the west is sunken in, creating a natural pool of rainwater. To the north, the battlements above have partially collapsed into a huge mound of stone and wooden rubble, under which some sort of reptilian creature seems to have been crushed. The top half of a flight of wooden stairs rises up to the battlements above the collapsed section of the walls; broken plants from the bottom half lie amid the rubble below. A thick rope has been affixed via a grappling hook to the lower portion of the stairs, dangling down to within a few feet of the top of the rubble pile.
The desperate shouts and barking growls continue here, but now their sources are obvious. The shouts come from the battlements above, where a few goblins and a Halfling man holding another goblin at knifepoint can be seen. The man seems to be threatening the goblins, while the goblins look like they’re pleading for mercy. The source of the growling is of greater concern, though—for it comes from a large, draconic beast not far away at ground level, roaring at the delicious but inaccessible prey above!
Jean-Pierre declares the beast to be his Prey, then tries to ID it, before sending Archibald into the breach!
Jean-Pierre directs Archibald to harry the dragon, then starts firing arrows at it!
He then tosses an Electric Arc in its general direction...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Jean-Pierre's second arrow goes straight through the great beast's flank, and out the other side, causing it to roar in pain!
His other arrows, however, just bounce off its flanks.
Nevertheless, it still has the presence of mind to completely dodge his weak blast of electricity.
Ignoring Archibald, it then chases after Jean-Pierre...
...delivering a nasty bite!
Jean-Pierre (-14)
Archibald (-2)
G(-21)
Gulping hard at this unexpected turn of events, Jean-Pierre Steps back, directs Archibald to harry the great beast, then shoots at it!
He then tosses an Electric Arc in its general direction...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Jean-Pierre's first arrow strikes true, but his second shot goes wide.
However, it is enough of a distraction that the draconic beast takes the full effect of the weak electricity blast.
Bruised, electrocuted, but unbowed, it then Steps forward, and bites angrily at him!
Luckily, its Strikes are turned aside by a combination of Dexterity, and warding runes.
Jean-Pierre (-14)
Archibald (-2)
G(-32)
Filled with grim determination, Jean-Pierre Steps back, directs Archibald to continue to harry it, and keeps firing!
He then tosses another blast of electricity at it...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Jean-Pierre breathes a sigh of relief, and then takes a short rest (and spending 1 RP), before heading up to the battlements to see what is going on between the Goblins and the Halfling...
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Citadel Altaerein’s battlements provide a breathtaking view. To the east rise the majestic Five Kings Mountains, looming as ageless rocky monoliths in the hazy fog. To the south, rolling foothills unfurl, estled around Breachill’s rooftops. Along the battlements, six bonfires have been heaped, although currently only the southwestern three are burning fitfully, sending plumes of reddish smoke into the air.
The hunched halfling man, his hair wild and gestures manic, has a terrified goblin in a headlock as he waves a knife about menacingly, standing in the only surviving doorway in the northeast tower. His screams and threats escalate as he notices you approach. To the east is where the surviving eight Bumblebrasher goblins have gathered, eyes wide and faces locked in expressions of worry. The goblins themselves have no weapons other than a few brands and torches, having lost their dogslicers and other weapons during their flight up to the battlements. As the goblins beg for help, the Halfling addresses you in a shrill
voice:
“And who are you? Oh... wait! The do-gooders from town! You were supposed to burn in the fire! What are you doing here... No closer! I’ll cut this goblin’s ears off if you don’t leave at once!”
Jean-Pierre raises his bow, and points an arrow at the Halfling.
"That won't happen. You have a single chance to come quietly; otherwise, I will return with your corpse."
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The Halfling is well and truly cowed by Jean-Pierre!
He releases the Goblin, drops his dagger, and seems to wilt, blubbering:
“I just wanted to find Alseta's Ring! These freaks know how to get to the basement. They used to live down there! Everyone knows that! Those blocked stairs on the first floor, they can’t be the only way down. There’s an elf gate down there. Do you have any idea what someone would pay for information about lost elf gates? A lot! Only these worms won’t tell me how to get downstairs!
Alseta’s Ring is a ring of elf gates. Connected to places all over the world. Elf. Gates.” Calmont emphasizes those last two words slowly. “You know those? You’re not daft, are you? Don’t you realize how valuable that information is to richies who want to travel fast? Selling that information would get me out from under Voz’s thumb!”
His shoulders then slump. “I guess that won't be happening now, though...”
“Voz is my employer, but she thinks she’s my god. Always bossin’ me around! ‘Calmont do this, Calmont read that, Calmont that’s not how you pronounce Norgorber!’ She’s a jerk! I hate her! I’ve been digging around her stuff for weeks, trying to find something I could sell to buy my way out of this stupid job. Didn’t find any goodies. But I did find her notes about Alseta’s Ring. What’s she planning to do with that information? Don’t care! I just wanted to get paid, and get away!”
Jean-Pierre shakes his head firmly.
"There are better ways to escape from mind-numbing tasks and onerous jobs; trying to kill innocents is *not* a good start! You will be taken to town, and answer for your crimes. That said, no-one has died, so you may still have a chance to learn from all of this..."
He then carefully relieves the Halfling of his equipment (other than armour, unless it is magical).
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As the dust from the drama on the battlements settles, you hear a distinctive, garbled throat-clearing coming from nearby. Soon, the short, slight goblin woman who’d been held hostage by Calmont approaches. “Excuse me,” she says, in a voice like that of a hoarse bird. “Excuse me, and thank you, friend. You are a friend? You must be a friend, because you’ve just saved the Bumblebrashers from that man. So much flailing! And shrieking! Ack!
I am Helba, and I am the Bumblebrashers’ chieftain. We have been stuck up here for so long—days it feels like! Maybe even weeks? Hard to keep track. First those awful monsters chased us from our comfy basement, then that dragon-dog came, and then that awful halfling man showed up talking about elves and other nonsense! No elves live here! Just us Bumblebrashers!”
Helba looks back at her people, and a deeply morose look settles upon her face. “I just want to protect my people. But everything—everyone—wants us dead.”
Jean-Pierre smiles darkly.
"Oh now, not *everyone* wants you dead - I certainly don't. Tell me, what monsters chased you out of your basement, and do you have any idea what the Halfling was blathering about?"
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Helba gets a panicked look at her face, but then she glances back to her tribe mates and conspicuously rights her posture. “Cultists—at least I think they’re cultists. They called themselves the Cinderclaws, and they said our home was their home now. They threatened to roast us! To peel us and eat us! Ack! And they had dragon monsters with them! So of course we ran from the vaults. Then so many monsters on the ground floor, so we ran up here, to the battlements. That dragon thing down in the courtyard kept us from getting away! It wanted to eat us! Thank-you so much for killing it!
Never heard of an Alseta ring. Is it shiny? I bet it is. Rings are always shiny. But there were no shiny rings in our vaults, I can say. But there’s rooms even deeper, and crypts too. We never go there, but maybe the ring is hidden in there?”
She then gets a hopeful look on her face.
“Maybe you could go down there, and get the cultists to go away? Then Bumblebrashers can have their home back? There is another, secret way to reach the basement - there's a secret door just down the hill to the west. It’s not hard to find when you look, but I can show it to you! It goes right to the vaults, where we used to live; we used the door all the time to go out and hunt for food.”
Jean-Pierre nods thoughtfully.
"I think we might be able to help each other. I want to finish exploring the above-ground level of the keep; whilst I do so, I need you to guard the Halfling. When I am finished, I will take him back to town, and rest, but after that, I would be happy to help you clear out your old home."
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The Goblin nods happily.
"Yay! We can do that!"
She pauses for a moment, looking thoughtful.
"Bumblebrashers only used Northern vaults - Eastern and Southern had monsters and dead things in them. Tribe mascot also still probably down there - Big Bumble is a big, big bear! He can be cranky, so watch out!"
Jean-Pierre frowns.
"I'll keep that in mind..."
He then heads back downstairs, and starts exploring the Northern side of the keep.
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A judge’s bench, a witness stand, and councilors’ tables are the only remaining indication of this room’s previous use as a formal courtroom. Benches have long ago been smashed to fragments and strewn about the gallery, covering the floor of the room in debris. Through several empty doorways to the north, a large, ragged opening in the citadel’s wall is visible—along with what appears to be a corpse wearing silvery armor, lying on a muddy lump in the center of a pool of water that has filled much of the collapsed section.
Jean-Pierre frowns.
"That... looks suspicious..."
He then fires an arrow at the corpse, just in case.
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Jean-Pierre's arrow strikes true, slamming into the corpse with a satisfying 'Thunk'.
The precise response to this, however, was probably not expected: With a roar, two vaguely-reptilian creatures, that look a bit like spiked-shelled land tortoises rise from the pool (one of them has the corpse pinned to its shell)!
Jean-Pierre (-)
Archibald (-2)
G (-7, -)
Jean-Pierre sighs.
"I wish that I could say that was completely unexpected..."
He then designates the injured one as his Prey, directs Archibald to go and harry it, and fires a brace of arrows.
He then channels electricity between the two of them...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Jean-Pierre's first arrow bounces off its thick hide, but his second strikes true, dealing a grievous injury, which causes it to sink into the water.
The remaining one then jerks spasmodically as it is electrocuted.
Roaring in defiance, it attacks Archibald...
...giving him two nasty bites.
Jean-Pierre (-)
Archibald (-16)
G (-5)
Nodding in grim satisfaction, Jean-Pierre shifts his focus to the remaining creature.
He then tosses an Electric Arc at it...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
"Damn it!"
Jean-Pierre desperately tries to drop the beast, with both arrows...
...and electricity...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Jean-Pierre's second arrow strikes true, but the others bounce harmlessly off its shell.
However, his subsequent electricity blast arcs straight across its brain, killing it instantly.
The corpse atop one of the creatures still wears a chain shirt, and carries 6 gp and 9 sp in a pouch.
Searching the rest of the area turns up a hidden compartment in one of the southern offices, containing a Scroll of Alarm, and a Scroll of Fear.
Breathing a shuddering sigh of relief, Jean-Pierre goes over and strokes the flank of his long-suffering companion.
"I promise you a good dinner tonight!"
He then starts binding Archibald's wounds...
...leaving his companion almost in top shape after a couple of hours.
Jean-Pierre then goes through the arch to the West.
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This open area with a clear view into the courtroom to the east is littered with piles of filthy blankets, half-gnawed bones, and other signs that some sort of creature is squatting here.
Near the door, a pile of blankets draped over an overturned desk serves as the nest of two tiny puppies, each about the size of a domesticated cat. When you approach, the puppies both growl and bare their little teeth, but they also make no move to attack...
Jean-Pierre is somewhat bemused.
"What on earth are you doing here? More importantly, where is your mother..."
He then tries to work out what they are.
Jean-Pierre chews his lip thoughtfully.
"No. No, I am not going to murder babies..."
He then tries to calm the warg pups down, by offering them 'turtle meat'.
"Are you good pups? Yes you are!"
After giving the two pups friendly pats, Jean-Pierre goes through the door to the South.
With a shrug, Jean-Pierre goes through the Western door.
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(As you leave, the two pups bark, and follow you.)
This wrecked room holds toppled shelves and filing cabinets. Its southwestern wall has entirely collapsed, revealing the verdant weeds and undergrowth outside.
As you move to explore, there is a hissing noise, and three rats, each the size of a small dog, move to attack!
Jean-Pierre (-)
Archibald (-)
GR (-, -, -)
With a wince, Jean-Pierre designates Green as his Prey, urges Archibald forward to harry it, and starts firing.
He then tosses an arc of electricity between Green and Red...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Working in tandem with Archibald, Jean-Pierre's first arrow annihilates Green, whilst his second pins Red to the floor.
Meanwhile, Cyan completely evades the channelled electricity.
Squeaking angrily, it charges forward, and tries to bite Archibald...
...delivering two surprisingly nasty bites!
Jean-Pierre (-)
Archibald (-8; Fort save x2)
GR (-)
With a sigh, Jean-Pierre tries to finish-off the last rat, directing Archibald to continue to harry it.
He then tosses an Electric Arc at the little terror...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Jean-Pierre heads through the door to the North.
Jean-Pierre designates the bat as his Prey, and then starts shooting!
He then tosses an Electric Arc at it...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Shrugging, Jean-Pierre tries again!
He then tosses an Electric Arc at the little terror...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.