The group convinced them to wait in the barracks until they returned, and they would be delivered safely back to the Town Master. With the Redbrands agreeing to wait, the group decided to continue exploring the manor.
They opened the door at the top of the stairs on the east wall and found another set of stairs outside the manor. They closed the door.
Next they went through the door underneath the landing on the north wall. Thick dust covered the flagstones of this somber hallway. The walls were decorated with faux columns every ten feet, and the double doors at the west end of the hall were sheathed in copper plate, now green with age. A relief carving of a mournful angel graced the doors.
As they crossed the hallway, Lee was not surprised at all as he fell through the floor of a pit trap that opened beneath him. Bruised, Lee climbed up the rope that Pippin threw down to him. Pippin then jumped across the pit, with rope in hand, leaping off the narrow ledge to the other side. Then he tied the rope to the large handles of the double doors and threw the other side of the rope across to the rest of the group. One by one they used the rope to help them scale the narrow ledge to the other side.
Once across, they untied the rope and proceeded through the double doors. Entering from the south side of the east wall, they entered a dusty 20' by 30' crypt, with three large stone sarcophagi. Propped up against each sarcophagus was a human skeleton clad in bits of rusty mail. Columns along the walls were carved in the image of spreading oak trees. There were doors on the west side of the north wall, and another on the north side of the east wall.
With weapons drawn and fire bolts thrown the group attacked the skeletons. Pippin struggled to strike his target as he stabbed at the turned skeleton with his short sword, but eventually he dropped the final skeleton.
As soon as Turenim opened the door two Redbrands struck out at him, with four swords. One of the swords managed to pierce him before he could close the door. "We come in peace and peace is the only way out of here!" he shouted in response, "Now put down your weapons and let us in."
Again he opened the door, and again they stabbed at him, but this time he was quick enough to shut the door before their blades could reach him.
As Turenim repeated his plea, Ivor lost his patience and tried to push his way past Turenim, but Turenim stood fast against the bigger warrior. Again and again Ivor tried to move him aside, but was unable. Eventually, feeling that he had exhausted his offer, Turenim and company rushed through the door, quickly dropping the two Redbrands within.
Inside this 15' by 35' dank holding pen, they saw iron bars walling off cells in the north and south sections. Filthy straw lined the floors of the cells, the hinged doors of which were secured by chains and padlocks. A pair of disheveled human women were held in the cell to the south, while a human boy was confined to the north. All were dressed in plain gray tunics and had iron collars fitted around their necks. A heap of discarded clothing was piled carelessly against the far wall.
Pippin was able to open the locks of the cells, and the collars of the two women, but found the collar around the boy two rusted to yield to his lock picks. Turenim tried to smash the chains with his mace, and eventually succeeded, damaging his mace in the process.
When the group assured the captives that they were being freed, the older of the women thanked them. She introduced herself as Mirna Dendrar, and her two teenage children, thirteen-year-old Nars and eighteen-year-old Nilsa. She explained that a few days ago, the Redbrands murdered her husband, Thel, for defying them. That night, the gang returned and abducted them from their home. She heard one of the Redbrands mentioned "dropping them into the crevasse with her husband."
The group decided they had to get the Dendrar family to safety immediately, so they brought them back to the hallway and helped them navigate over the pit trap. Turenim then brought them, along with the three Redbrands who were still waiting in the barracks, back to the Town Master's Hall.
It was late in the evening when they arrived. "Look what we have here, one of your Lost Minds," Harbin declared as Turenim entered. However, his tune soon changed when he saw that Turenim brought three Redbrands and the three Dendrar survivors with him. Turenim quickly explained what had happened so far to Sildar. Sildar was grateful, and Harbin was clearly frightened, and Turenim told them that he must hurry back.
Mirna pulled Turenim aside before he could leave. "We are so grateful to you for rescuing us, and my family has nothing to offer as a reward, but when I was a young girl, my family fled from the town of Thundertree after undead overran the place. My family had an herb and alchemy shop, inside which a case containing an emerald necklace was hidden beneath a section of storage shelves. I never dared to return and retrieve it. The shop was in the southeast part of Thundertree. If you ever decide to explore the ruins of Thundertree, maybe this valuable heirloom could serve as a token of our gratitude."
Turenim thanked her and hurried back to the manor where he found the rest of the group waiting for him. He relayed his story of the events and they went back over the pit trap and to the door on the west side of the north wall in the crypt.
Opening the door they entered an unoccupied 15' by 5' hallway with a door on the north side of the east wall. They discovered the door to be locked, and Pippin was able to open it with his lock picks. Inside they found a 10' x 15' armory with racks of weapons lining the walls, including spears, swords, crossbows, and bolts. They also found a dozen dirty red cloaks hanging from hooks by the door.
Many of the group armed themselves with additional weapons, especially crossbows, and some shoved cloaks into their packs.
Leaving the armory, they decided to search the opposite wall of the doorway and Atilius found a secret panel in the wall opposite the armory door.
Passing through the secret door they entered a storeroom to the north of the natural cavern with the crevasse. The chamber was finished with dressed stone block walls and a flagstone floor. Several barrels were stored against the walls, along with a number of empty crates, straw for packing, hammers, pry bars, and nails.
Lying among the provisions they found and divided up thirty beaver pelts.
They decided the search the walls of this chamber as well, and eventually Atilius found another secret door, opposite the one from which they had entered.
As they entered they found themselves in a bedchamber with walls covered with drapes of scarlet cloth. The furnishings included a small writing desk with matching chair, a comfortable-looking bed, and a wooden chest at the foot of the bed. Sitting at the desk was a short, dark-bearded human male in robes, studying a tome. He wore a princely mantle of ermine. A beautiful glass staff was leaning against his chair, within easy reach.
He turned to them, briefly shocked, and reaching for his staff. "Greeting my good gentlemen. Please enter and relax. How may I be of service?" He asked as he stood and tapped the staff on the ground, with a glimmer of light briefly surrounding him.
No comments:
Post a Comment