Firemonth the 27th. The party wrapped up their purchasing and outfitting for the trip back to Donnegarten Stronghold and hopefully, a portal trip to Gorok. Shields, supplies, oil, food, and even an oxen. Wilhelm and Eoghan went to the stockyards where they purchased a good oxen, called it Bessie. The thought was that we’d get to Donnegarten and then butcher it for meat. As for one of Eoghan’s mastiff’s and Wilhelm’s 2 smaller cats, Godrick and Gryg were willing to take care of the animals while the rest of the party was out. Captain Asher and Annalee Mason were going to be working on Shim’s house adjustments.
So we set off: Eoghan, Wilhelm, Shim, Connal, Dizzy, and Brading. We also had Bessie the oxen, Jessie the rabbit, Jarjar the Lynx, and one of Eoghan’s mastiffs. The weather was not the best and Eoghan was already in a crappy mood. We weathered the walk for a while and eventually arrived at the waypoint between Canaslan and Erylond. The ranger was done, dropping his stuff and refusing to budge. There was some back and forth with Eoghan being an absolute bastard with everyone, eventually getting a shot in the face from Connal after giving the monk one.
We set up camp and eventually arranged watch. A few hours after bedding down, a travelling merchant caravan came from Canaslan, Durgaru Merchants, and shared the space. They were taking small casks of brew from Canaslan and selling them to market to places west: Erylond, Tariz, Stivil, and Sorton. We left the next morning (29th), heading ever eastward. By 2:30 we had turned off the road and headed north into the wild. Eoghan and Wilhelm kept the group on a steady path, following faint signs and blazes they had made weeks earlier. The canopy cover was strong and it was only until almost sunset that we finally emerged from it.
The same river we had to cross was here and the party travelled downstream to find a decent place to ford over. Once on the north side, we located a decent place to camp for the night and settled in. We awoke on the 30th and proceeded on. Up through the Mountain gap and then across 2 valleys to the Donnegarten peak. We navigated to the best place to climb and then started making our way upward.
It was slow going and it was shortly after we began that the ranger and druid and their animals all scented something on the slope ahead of us. There was the need for quiet and the group gave some serious listen and scenting. Rot, old, lots of it, undead. We were downwind of it, but it was coming closer and crossing our path. Soon they would be downwind of us and we’d be hunted. Dizzy had the group gather and a pair of Hide from Undead spells were cast and we waited as they covered all of us.
It was ghouls. Lots of them. Like over 20 of them. In a pack. At one point they were goblinoid and orcish – but now they were carnivorous undead eating packs of danger. Once they were surely past, we proceeded up the mountain. By 2:30 we were back at the right door and then we spent time working the valve open. From there entered the stronghold again and then forced the door closed again from the counterweights on the inside.
We traveled the 1st floor of the compound back to the lift control area and made our way across to light the burner and make sure the boiler was up and ready. Wilhelm and Connal were going to work the controls while the rest of the party made their way down on the lift itself. Once again, there seemed to be nothing in the compound except for us. At the ground floor we checked and verified that the native American gods and heroes were still here – strange appearing since a layer of dust had settled over them. The lights of the gates were still active, letting us know that the Terror Dungeon Glyph Gates were still in action.
And then there was a back and forth on the killing of Bessie. Brading was horrified at the idea even though it had been discussed ad nauseum that we would be killing the oxen and making food out of her. He tried to get involved and stop it and eventually Eoghan did the deed. This had the young dwarven cleric get so mad that he clonked the ranger on the back of the head with the flat of the battle axe. This drew more fighting and Eoghan eventually swallowed his words but bad blood was born between him and the dwarf.
Shim and Connal worked on Bessie, carving a good 45 pounds of meat from her flank which Dizzy and Wilhelm were smoking on drying racks, when they punctured a large intestine and sprayed liquid shit everywhere. A prestidigitation cleaned them both up and we were done for the night – 8:30ish.
Awoke the next day, Workmonth the 1st and by 8 AM, were heading off to the Offices. The doors were opened and we made our way past the dead dwarves to the office of Ralstrom Thermun Gorok. Duke of Razors. The portal was still there- dormant but visible. The triggering mechanism was still there, situated right over the mural of the dwarven city. We debated how best to go and decided that everyone in the room and between mural and glyphs was the best way. And then we pressed the button.
It sunk in and we heard a clunk, some lights sparked…and nothing. The button was depressed but the magical connection didn’t fire. While thinking about what to do, Shim called out an Open/Close spell and…WHAMMO!!
We all felt like something grabbed the back of our heads and we were violently pulled backwards at 40 mph. Our skin and limbs were stretching the wrong direction away from us and then there was a bang as we all hit what felt like a solid wall, bounced off, and then tumbled out of a portal…
And dropped almost 9 feet to the stone floor below. Most of us were jostled and a bit wounded, but alive. There were the remnants of a portal in the ceiling over our head and as we watched, it was cold and then dormant. Looking around, there was no portal switch anywhere. A 15’ square room, and a set of stairs going up.
Dizzy checked it out. Closed and locked. Stone door, opens away. Pretty tight seal. Took out his picks and it was a 4 tumbler lock (DC: 20). A few minutes and he needed a break as it did not open. So Shim went up and with his gloves of thievery, took a crack at it and unlocked the door. Dizzy was just staring at the gnome, muttering under his breath as he went back up to open the door, and using the mirror on the stick, looked around.
Strange neon looking colored light sieved through the door. The air was alive with it, giving everything an odd glow. There was an industrial scent to the air. The room beyond had a few windows on one side of the room closed and shuttered. 2 sets of double doors – one was on the far end and seemed the type that would be on the front of a house. The other was more fancifully carved and ornate. Both were stone.
We discussed it and went up to look around. Doors on north end of house were locked. Shuttered windows were shut from the outside. Door on west end of room was closed and not locked. We guessed this was a foyer of some sort. Someone’s house? So quiet. Abandoned? What’s with the lights?
We went west and opened door. Grand room. 2 smaller rooms north and south, many other ways, passages and doors out. A single 2’ tall 2’ diameter stone topped table with a note folded in half and settled on top of it. Once again, Dizzy went in.
He approached the table with reverent care , not trusting the note for some reason. Using his sword he tried to flip it over but instead knocked it to the floor. So he used the blade, pushed it around so he could get under it, then lifted it again and placed it back on the table face up so he could read it.
“I have been waiting for you to come through here for some time. Seek me out in Lombard Province. Ralstrom”
The note began to crumble as whatever spell was on it to preserve the paper was now fading. Group talked, was he talking about us, or just a generic “you”? The assumption was that this was most likely not to place the portal was supposed to bring the party to. Shim made a comment that we all felt a “bump” as if we hit something just before we ended up here.
Looking back, over the entrance to the hall was a sign in dwarven that read, “Steading Manor”. Dizzy took a fast look around. Two doors on the north wall (closed) and a small room with tiny shelves. On the south end of the room a double wide passage leading to some trophy hall (most things and spaces are empty). In the Grand Hall, the north tiny room was a coat room, a single green and brown cloak hanging there. The south tiny room was a guard room with a few armor stands, all currently empty.
Group entered and we all looked about. Connal verified the cloak was very old, we are talking decades old. Dry rotted and fell apart. No pockets. Shim checked the small room on the north, gut reaction was the size of the shelves and placement it might have been a pipe and tobacco area. Beyond it was a room set up like a parlor – single old and broken couch. Door on the south wall. Brading let the group know both doors on the north wall were unlocked and no sounds from the other side.
The strange lights continued to whorl about. The south passage and trophy hall – most were empty but there was a trident on the wall with an overly thick handle and a scrap of blue mesh or netting below it. There was a double door on the left side of the hall, and on the right side of the hall a single door then down and around, a pair of thin double swinging doors.
Dizzy went first again – the far room was the Manorhouse kitchen – again just about everything taken from the place. The swinging doors led to the dining room where the table still was – no chairs. We looked it over, so far no problems or issues. We then went to the double doors on the left side of the Trophy hall and the door here opened easily. The room beyond had a massive crack in the floor, where it looked like half the house was tilted at a 10 degree angle away, a gap in the ceiling showed the open air above. We decided not to go and explore here yet and shut the door, heading back to the Grand Hall.
We went to the 2 north doors and took the one on the left. It opened to a large Common Room and fireplace where travelers might stay over. Two bedroom doors were on the left side, both closed. The Common Room was pretty large and there were other doors in this chamber as well.
So far no monsters – which is ok! It’s 10:20 on Workmonth the 1st and the only clue we know we have is that at some point in the past (decades ago?) the inhabitants (of which we strongly assume Ralstrom was one of them) left here and went to someplace called Lombard Province – most likely still in Gorok. There is a strong industrial scent to the air, and strange gas light lights (neon?) are prevalent. Right now no one is exhibiting any breathing problems, but it’s only been 2 hours. Still much of Steading Manor to explore – and when and if we leave – the thought is we could use the Manor House as a safe house should we need one.
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