Back to the Stockade
The group of heroes decided to pursue the treasury map recovered from the stockade and looked about to find a way back in. Hextorites had definitely taken over the stockade and had a detail of goblins clearing out the burnt debris and stacking it in a large pile. There were also encampments of recruits extending halfway around the fort, drilling heavily in broad daylight.
A quick investigation showed that the hole 'found' by Gil into the well area had been repaired with masonry. Also, the caves that provided such a fruitful entrance into the dungeon had been collapsed (in truth, the slaver forces were in the process of doing this when the last foray occured). Some quick thinking later and some crawling around by Gil and a plan was hatched. Pale used his druidic summoning spells to enlist the help of earth elementals. Although their time on the material plane was short, his ample number of spells and their own efficiency at moving earth enabled them to create a narrow breach in only a few hours.
The band carefully sneaked back into the stockade dungeon to find it largely abandoned and not in use for much by the Hextorites. They found their way to the specialist quarters and the hidden treasury only to find it difficult to get into. A very small tunnel with a small cart provided the only way in. According to the map, Blackthorne's talents would be necessary, but the heroes made due with Pale's shapechanging ability. Turning into a viper, Pale crawled his way through the small tunnel and into the treasury. There, he found most of the chests plundered of all but the smallest denominations of coins. They took a smattering of treasures, loading them on the small cart to pull through the tunnel with a string, and Pale returned, again in the form of a snake.
Thinking that the stockade had now largely played itself out, the adventurers returned to the trails to find the hidden town of Suderham. Flying on ahead and doing some extra scouting as a bird, Pale was able to survey the town, concealed within an old caldera. He noted that the city itself was on an island in the volcanic lake, with strictly controlled access. A slum squats outside the walled city proper. The city itself is relatively neatly divided into quarters including a low quarter, a rich quarter, a military quarter, and another quarter dominated by warehouses and other large storage. Situated in the middle of the rich quarter sits a veritable fortress, heavily guarded, possibly the headquarters of the Nine. While observing, Pale saw a brief exchange between a smug-looking human man and an elven woman, each with a small entourage of bodyguards. The man seemed to be named Klim and he made some reference to "sacrifices to propitiate the Earth Dragon." Pale recognized that they were smack on the trail of the cult that an acquaintance of their, Werner the Ranger, had been tracking for so long. He then returned to his companions.
Outside the crater, the party found the trail leading into the hidden vale but saw that it was dangerously fortified against intrusion with plenty of opportunities to repel attackers coming up the narrow, switch-back trail. Jie-An resolved to try to bluff their way through. Then Gil noticed something strange. Off the trail a ways, he saw a wolfhound that made eye contact with him. It turned to leave, looking back over its shoulder as if expecting him to follow, which he did. He managed to keep the hound in view for a while but eventually lost track of it. But getting a look around where he lost the animal, he saw a series of 4 caves leading deeply into the mountain. He summoned the rest of the band to his side to investigate. If the caves lead deeply enough, perhaps the main gate into the caldera will not have to be tested...
Next Episode: Into the Drachensgrab Caves
A quick investigation showed that the hole 'found' by Gil into the well area had been repaired with masonry. Also, the caves that provided such a fruitful entrance into the dungeon had been collapsed (in truth, the slaver forces were in the process of doing this when the last foray occured). Some quick thinking later and some crawling around by Gil and a plan was hatched. Pale used his druidic summoning spells to enlist the help of earth elementals. Although their time on the material plane was short, his ample number of spells and their own efficiency at moving earth enabled them to create a narrow breach in only a few hours.
The band carefully sneaked back into the stockade dungeon to find it largely abandoned and not in use for much by the Hextorites. They found their way to the specialist quarters and the hidden treasury only to find it difficult to get into. A very small tunnel with a small cart provided the only way in. According to the map, Blackthorne's talents would be necessary, but the heroes made due with Pale's shapechanging ability. Turning into a viper, Pale crawled his way through the small tunnel and into the treasury. There, he found most of the chests plundered of all but the smallest denominations of coins. They took a smattering of treasures, loading them on the small cart to pull through the tunnel with a string, and Pale returned, again in the form of a snake.
Thinking that the stockade had now largely played itself out, the adventurers returned to the trails to find the hidden town of Suderham. Flying on ahead and doing some extra scouting as a bird, Pale was able to survey the town, concealed within an old caldera. He noted that the city itself was on an island in the volcanic lake, with strictly controlled access. A slum squats outside the walled city proper. The city itself is relatively neatly divided into quarters including a low quarter, a rich quarter, a military quarter, and another quarter dominated by warehouses and other large storage. Situated in the middle of the rich quarter sits a veritable fortress, heavily guarded, possibly the headquarters of the Nine. While observing, Pale saw a brief exchange between a smug-looking human man and an elven woman, each with a small entourage of bodyguards. The man seemed to be named Klim and he made some reference to "sacrifices to propitiate the Earth Dragon." Pale recognized that they were smack on the trail of the cult that an acquaintance of their, Werner the Ranger, had been tracking for so long. He then returned to his companions.
Outside the crater, the party found the trail leading into the hidden vale but saw that it was dangerously fortified against intrusion with plenty of opportunities to repel attackers coming up the narrow, switch-back trail. Jie-An resolved to try to bluff their way through. Then Gil noticed something strange. Off the trail a ways, he saw a wolfhound that made eye contact with him. It turned to leave, looking back over its shoulder as if expecting him to follow, which he did. He managed to keep the hound in view for a while but eventually lost track of it. But getting a look around where he lost the animal, he saw a series of 4 caves leading deeply into the mountain. He summoned the rest of the band to his side to investigate. If the caves lead deeply enough, perhaps the main gate into the caldera will not have to be tested...
Next Episode: Into the Drachensgrab Caves
posted by Bill D91 at 11:45 AM
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