This was the last meeting my group had before NY put the PAUSE in place due to the Coronavirus that brought 2020 to a stop. The party had gone back into the Terror Dungeon, this time with the other group, and the intention was to map out the entrance from 2 to 3 and see how they all come together, giving the group a loop to look at for the top level to see how one can get from any of the three entrances to any of the other and not need to use the Chime.
Write up follows:
The party that had come back from Bork Keep went off to see Julian before they split up to train. There were some questions about the Orcish fetish Barb had been carrying, some of the cosmology of the Dungeon, and some greater exposition of Primus and the silver statue we had. Julian answered our questions and expanded on more of our knowledge of the Dungeon.
It was after we left that we were wondering at Julian’s knowledge. He refused to tell the group anything that we didn’t already question, and he made sure to only discuss things we had seen in the dungeon – not things we are slated to see. The thought was he knows more of what’s going on than he is revealing.
We finished making our purchases and on the morning of the 9th, the 9 of us: Barb, Brading, Thalin, Dizzy, Gryg, Eoghan, Thon, Menaria, and Silk (Including Eoghan’s now much better trained wolf, Grin) loaded up our two sleighs and horses and were on our way by 8 AM. The snows had been slight as of late and there was a foot and a half or so of the packed down stuff. The roads outside of Erylond were rutted for a mile or so before we were far enough away.
Passage was without issue as we travelled along, eventually making it to the borders of Canaslan where we slid off the skis and added the wheels, rode through the stolen kingdom, and then finally on the opposite side and back on the road, removed the wheels and reattached the skids. It was about 10 that night when we arrived at Bork Keep, checked in with the Seneshal, and took up location once again at Visitor’s Hall One.
Given the time we arrived and the fact that we had the Horn now, there was talk of going in quickly and checking out Entrance 3 – where a fountain had been mapped out by us some time ago but we had avoided drinking from since we did not have the Horn at that time. So we made a pact to just go down and hit the fountain and then leave – no funny business. So we geared up, made our way to the Entrance and came down to see the two guards at station as well as a slightly younger (16? 17?) year old woman acting as recordkeeper – along with a late 20’s slick backed moustached leather clad fancy man trying to make time with the girl.
He identified himself as Hawkee, troubadour and bard, always looking for a willing woman or a thrilling tale. We tried to ignore him, while the girl, Mina, Kara’s sister. Took our information and Hawkee paid attention to it. He was eventually told that another group of adventuring women were just coming to keep right behind us and they would most likely want his services. So he grabbed his pan pipes, fixed his rapier, and left to make his introduction.
Mina was thankful and we entered. About halfway down the decision was made to send Thon the rest of the way down and verify that there were no problems or surprises waiting for us. Thalin hit him with an Invisibility spell and our half-orc thief went down. The base of the stairs showed the same room we had seen before, slowburn torch on the south wall, various chalk marks, the place a bit quiet, and some low voices down the north door.
As Thon was checking out the east door on the way to the fountain he managed to open it, step in, and in the distance, we heard a low gonging sound. It vibrated through the dungeon and then the door to the north opened and three 8’ tall blue skinned humanoids carrying long curved clubs came running out, hit the west door, and charged down there eventually heading off to where the gonging noise was. Faintly..so faintly, he could hear the sounds of combat echoing from a long distance away.
Thon checked carefully the passage east, then took it around to the room with the fountain, looking around with exaggerated care.
Meanwhile it had been some time so Dizzy and Barb came down the steps to find Thon, saw the two open doors and then made their way east calling softly for the half-orc. They all met up (he was still invisible), verified the fountain was clear, and then called off for the rest of the group to join them. We all went around to the fountain room, door shut behind us, two people on guard to listen for any signs to the blue men or anything else.
We went to the fountain and using the Horn we brought it to the water where it glowed and then the glow stopped when the Horn was full. So we lifted the fountain water and one by one, we all took a drink. Since we were using the Horn any negative effects of the enchanted water were muted to just cool water, while good enchantments passed through unchanged. However each of us could only drink from the fountain once.
We had a variety of effect such as faint spell ability and healing, to further life experience and even a few instances of coins on our person doubling. Some of us had no measurable effect but that was ok, we did what we wanted. From there we made our way back to the stairs and then without delay, went up to the surface and left – total time, maybe 45 minutes.
We rested that night and the next day prepared spells and scrolls, ate well, and made our way to the Entrance again – this time aiming for Entrance Two. At 11:40 we made our way down the steps while spiraled until eventually at long last, we made it to the bottom. Once again most of us stayed hidden partially on the steps while two of us were going to explore. Dizzy had been saying we should hit the southeast corridor as it might in a round about way, link up with Entrance Three. So once we were sure all was ok, we came around the corner to see some filth on the floor in a wide swath and then the passage going east and “T” intersection after some dozen paces.
As soon as then stepped forward the ground dropped out beneath the two of them and Dizzy and Thon skipped back just in time to avoid falling down a 20’+ pit with spikes at the bottom. There was a lever just below the surface of the pit in the down position so we held onto each other and pulled it up fast – and the pit mouth closed and latched shut.
We tested it to see if it would open, even using a thrown grappling hook which made a hell of a lot of noise (nothing came!!), eventually satisfied that the latching would stay in place for a half hour or so, maybe..we were guessing. The rest of the group came down the steps, crossed the pit, and we all were at the “T” area. A slowburn torch was on the south wall beyond here – the passage when north and south some dozen paces and both turned to the east.
The northern one was a short passage to a door with a viscera paste of some…meat? All over the floor on either side of the door. Nah. The southern one was a longer passage that ended at a door the area looked a bit messed up and burned. That door was eventually verified to be not locked or trapped, but Dizzy was uncomfortable with a door left behind us so he made his way up there to listen. Hearing nothing…but the viscera on the floor seemed to have moved. It was moving slowly but trying to cut off his retreat.
Eoghan’s wolf, Grin, was growling north the entire time, fur ruffed, until Dizzy came back. Back at the southern door we opened it up to show the remains of a prayer room to Moradin, dwarven crafting major god. There had been a battle here, broken bows and other piled up stones acted as a break to offer cover. A 6’ bronze gong had been knocked off the holding pins and was leaning on the wall. We looked around with care, Barb smelling some animals nearby, the party searching for secret doors – but it was discovered by pressing a section of Moradin’s beard – and a hidey hole on the east wall opened up and we found a secret room.
It was a 20’ square chamber that other adventurers had used. A pair of iron shanks had been mounted to the secret door to lock it behind you on the top and bottom. A box was here, battered former porter’s crate, and inside was a noted carved that it you needed something take it, if your didn’t, leave something here.
Various rope, spikes, bits of skins, boots, clothes, oils, other adventuring gear – even a few healing draughts. Thinking it was a good idea, the party dropped a few things in the box as well just in case and we were discussing where to go next. A note on the wall warned of Ogres and Goyles nearby. There was also a secret door on the eastern wall of this room (not secret from this side) that we decided to listen to (heard nothing) then open and see a corridor running north and south…and the scent of fresh turned earth.
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