Tairn

Play date: July 11, 2006

1531.1.3

Varendë hears a voice from the direction the troglodyte ran, but can’t make out words. Everyone waits while Malperder and Jack’s wounds close with the help of Moradin’s divine power. Malperder leads the way down the steeply sloping passage that twists and turns. He and Banic emerge into a slightly larger room to be greeted with a flight of four javelins from behind a far rock. The troglodytes run away. Three run to the left into a ten foot wide passage, and one runs down a five foot passage behind him. Malperder gives chase down the narrow passage while Banic smites a troglodyte with the power of Moradin. Keddick follows Malperder, but neither see the troglodyte. Malperder advances to find he has the reptile cornered in a cul de sac. Banic has approached by now, but he and Keddick move off when Malperder seems confident. As Jack goes through the wider hallway to the left with Varendë not far behind, they see a line of ten troglodytes facing them thirty feet into the room with another group behind them in a knot. Varendë starts picking away at them with his bow, and the troglodytes stand their ground trying to dodge the arrows as he fires them. Jack feels an unreasoning fear grip him. Varendë notices a larger troglodyte across the room. Keddick shoots energy at the larger troglodyte as Banic enters the room to be attacked by a troglodyte near the door. The large trog casts a spell, but Keddick shakes off the effects (Hold Person). Varendë continues to fire at the stalwart troglodytes. More of the creatures are disappearing through the floor. Keddick hits the large trog again as he approaches the knot of trogs around the hole. Keddick shouts “Don’t attack or we will kill you.” A swirling, thick mist engulfs all of the troglodytes. The troglodytes don’t attack. A moment later, Keddick sends a small pea sized ball of flame into the mist, and the mist evaporates as flame engulfs the cavern. As the flames die away, a single troglodyte is left standing. Malperder hacks him apart to add the “troglodyte in four” that he created moments before.

Empty of potential assailants, Varendë checks the area where once there was a hole. The floor now looks like the rest of the floor save a rope entering the floor that is fused into it. A small loop of stone nearby holds the end of the charred rope. A five foot wide, twenty foot deep alcove shoots off of the main cavern, and Banic investigates a pile of human skulls at the base of a small altar. The altar is in a tiny alcove at the top of two smooth steps made of stone.  The lowest part of the cavern at the southern end is filled with flowing water as if an underground river passes through the area. Malperder decides he can dig through the rock with the appropriate tools. Keddick and Varendë go ask the Hannon guards to get two picks. Keddick and Varendë return 30 minutes later with the two picks. Malperder and Banic set to work. Fifteen minutes later they have a hole large enough for a person. Malperder begins climbing down a rope Varendë tosses down the hole. The floor is fifty feet down and has jagged rocks below it. As Malperder enters the cavern below, he sees two troglodytes and two humans at the far end of the room move jerkily. He continues to climb down carefully, and the zombies approach. Keddick casts feather fall on Banic. As the dwarf floats down, he brings the Vengence of Moradin down on one of the troglodyte zombies. The zombie is shaken, but not killed. Malperder drops to the ground, and the zombies attack him and Banic. Varendë and Jack climb down, and then Keddick attempts to climb down but falls 20 feet to the rocks below. He takes grave damage. Banic invigorates him and Keddick stands slowly. The zombies seem impervious to the attacks of Jack’s rapier and Banic’s hammer, but longsword and axe tear through them. Jack changes to his whip, but on his second attempt to trip one of the troglodytes, the zombie’s inhuman strength knocks Jack to the ground. The two remaining zombies fall upon him as he lies on the ground to bludgeon him with their fists.

Varendë and Malperder finish off the zombies.

The cavern the group now stands in is eighty feet long and forty feet wide. Stones litter the floor. The ceiling is forty feet high. Someone hears human voices calling out from a tight squeeze of a passage near where the group stands. Keddick and Banic investigate a hole in the top part of the cavern above a stone shelf, while the remainder of the group follows Malperder through a winding passage that eventually leads to a group of five humans in the darkness below. An older man named Cedric thanks everyone for rescuing them introducing Kaylee, a young woman; Brice, a teenaged boy; and Kaln, the Hannon son you were looking for. A very young girl of ten or so is not speaking. Kaylee is holding her close. A small pool of water at the end of the room glows faintly with a blue luminescence. Everyone seems in good health. Cedric responds to Varendë’s question of “How long have you been here?” with relating his story of being taken the first night of Dapa. He asks what the date is now.

Malperder leads everyone back to the zombie cavern. Everyone moves safely back to the surface. Kaln leaves with the six Hannon guardsmen. Cedric and Kaylee leave with the young girl back into The Warrens, and Brice runs home into The Central Ward.

Everyone proceeds to the watch station in The Central Ward to allow Varendë to report to the watch. He suggests the area be sealed.

All but Varendë go The Foamy Mug to clean up (baths and clothes), while Varendë heads home. Keddick then leads all to the Wizards’ Guildhouse at the top of Gryphon Hill in The Outer Ward. He speaks with Palcinek and entreats him to return to the sewers with him. Palcinek seems completely uninterested in entering the sewers for any reason. Keddick and group leaves and heads down to Varendë’s house. They all talk briefly with the intention of meeting back here tomorrow morning.

Varendë goes out to inform the watch station near The Bell & Cup of the day’s events. The watchman scribbles them down and asks Varendë to sign.  At nine bells, a knock comes at Varendë’s door. Four Hannon guards hand over words of thanks and a pouch full of the King’s coin. After the guards leave, Varendë counts 100 queens, divides the coins into five piles, and goes to sleep.

Keddick inquires at the Lysorian Guildhouse about the troglodytes. One of the wizards says he has read of them, but never seen on or heard of them in these parts. He describes what he knows. Keddick stops by the Library of the Order of Darius in Lysoria on his way back to The Lucky Silver. He requests information on troglodytes. They charge him a crown to research the matter. He is to return tomorrow. Night passes….

1531.1.4
Keddick arrives at The Library at eight bells. He is offered three books mentioning troglodytes. He skims them for an hour and a half (paying the crown and three princes for the luxury), and heads to Varendë’s house. When he arrives, everyone else is there and waiting. They head to The Warrens arriving at eleven bells to reenter but find the grate will not move. They find another grate and enter the sewers. Everyone climbs down to the zombie cave, some being lowered for safety. Malperder attempts to climb the cavern rock up to the small hole near the ceiling but fails. He removes his armor and tries again. This time he easily makes it, drives in a piton and ties off a rope. Soon all are at the top in a tight passage four feet wide and four feet high.