Castle Whiterock Solo

[Grimtina]

The Town of Cillamar (http://www.krath.org/arania/Castle%20Whiterock/Cillamar1.jpg) has grown to prosper in the shadow of Castle Whiterock over the centuries, despite the many turmoils - giants orcs, drow and duergar to a red dragon and many other things had taken up residency in the place since the monks originally inhabiting the castle had been wiped out by orcs. There are so many rumours about the place, it is hard to discern what is true and what isn't.

You've came here for the rumors that the place blocks summoning magic, but before you even arrived, an old wizard friend's apprentice went missing. Only her cat familiar returned, and said that her master was still alive. She was not the only disappearance, so you were told. A whole family of farmers went missing, too. Clould you please come and help?

Once you arrived and settled in the Slumbering Drake Inn, the beautiful owner, Lady Chauntessa, has already somehow heard you might be going to the castle and asked nicely if you could, for a good fee of course, retrieve some of the ancient texts and scrolls said to be still in the castle. That, in turn, got the ears of a gnome in the inn who told you about gnomes once living in the castle, running something called the Clockwork Academy. Supposedly, a book called Codex Autonomica is still there, and he would pay really well to have it retrieved.

As chains of events go, a local historian was also present and very much would like your help in writing a book about the Company of the Black Osprey, an adventurer group which had held the castle for a long time. She doesn't have much money but hey, you are going there anyway, and she couldn do divinations and knows how to magically send messages to help you find your way. Going along, however, is out of the question! She could get killed. And you look so competent, she is sure you know what and how to do it.

Expectant eyes now look at you - of the sort that say "If he succeeds, fabulous, if not, we retry with some others." Only the Lady seems to not think of a possible failure as she smiles at you.

[ibtfu]

I inform Lady Chauntessa and the gnome that I will endeavour to retrieve the objects of their desire.

To the historian: "I am happy to assist a fellow scholar. When I reconnoiter the castle, I will keep a journal of my findings on the Black Osprey Company. If you would be so kind, I would appreciate any maps you can provide of Castle Whiterock and the surrounding area. Regarding the divinations, how will we contact each other once I'm in Whiterock?"

I inquire in the tavern and local markets about two topics: One, the recent disappearances of my friend's apprentice and the farmers. Two, where I might find men-at-arms and experts for hire. Any courageous souls willing to fight at my side in the castle will be paid a partial share of treasure commensurate with their skills and abilities.

[Grimtina]

"I think I do have some maps, although they might be outdated. I will look them up and gladly make copies for you," the historian beams.

The petite diviner smiles. "I am able to view you in my crystal ball, though mostly just you and the area close by. It will inform me of immediate dangers though, and I can't be at my ball at all times of course, but I will try. Sending spells are really easy for me, as long as you do not vanish several miles under the castle. You can't contact me, unless you write a sign and hold it up for me to see."

There is plenty of talk in town aboutthe missing family. The tracks near their empty home looked to belong to reptile-folk, who commonly live underground. There have been no troubles with the troglodytes in the years past though.

The cat familiar revealed that Lyssa, the missing apprentice, is in the hands of a vile slaver band. She was taken to the ruins of Castle Whiterock, and the familiar senses she is still alive. Originally, she had been planning to collect herbs for spell components and potions.

The town's council is very concerned about this as well, as slavers close to the city are always bad news. One of their guard captains, Lara Fentin, offers to go along with you on behalf of the city. She has been to the castle ruins once to retrieve a missing child, a few years back (Fighter 2, spear, short sword, light crossbow, leather armor, chain mail, assorted gear).

The first one to come to you to be hired is a half-orc, a former thug by the name of Oje. He's planning to make a more honest life adventuring instead of robbing people. He's good with the mace, the axe and a 2-handed sword and can also hit things well with a crossbow. He only wears light studded armor because, as he grins "Can't sneak up on things making noise like a priest in a brothrel." His main reason for coming along isn't the profit though. His ancestors from his orc half were said to have ruled in Castle Whiterock for some time, and he longs to see the place for himself, not daring to go there alone (Rogue 3, Fighter 1, heavy mace, heavy crossbow, 2-handed sword, studded armor, good selection of gear).

Pinkad Hewinkle, an older gnome, also wants to come along. He used to be an adventurer, but a lot of things happened to make him settle down. Now he is stricken with an incurable gnome disease known as Fading Twitch, which is always fatal. He has about a year or two to live, and he wants to die an adventurer. His disease sometimes causes him to react slow, he doesn't see or hear so well anymore, but he is confident he can be of use (ranger 6, alchemist 5, light crossbow, leather armor, alchemical equipment, good selection of gear).

Sabin Quint, a very short dwarf, makes it no secret that he was down on his luck recently and sees this as his last hope to gain some riches (Rogue 2, dwarven urgosh, throwing knives, assorted gear).

Kellie, a half-elf bard, is also down on her luck, as she could not find anything to write powerful songs about for a while. She is in it for the story, as she has heard so much about the castle. Additionally, she is aquainted with Lyssa and doesn't want to abandon her to slavers (Bard 2, longbow, quarterstaff, flute, small harp, assorted gear).

[ibtfu]

I send word to the council: "I'm investigating the disappearance of my friend's apprentice, Lyssa. I have heard she has fallen into the hands of slavers and I intend to buy her freedom. If the council is interested in obtaining my services, I am available for hire to remove the slaver band from Castle Whiterock. Please inform me of your proposed terms if you wish to avail yourself of my services."

I tell Lara Fentin that I will be happy for her to accompany me. If the council agrees to terms with me, I should welcome her assistance in removing the slavers from Whiterock.

As for the other adventurers: I inquire directly about their desired rates for employment and I gather information about how long they have lived in Cillamar and their general trustworthiness. I interview Pinkad Hewinkle and ask if he is a capable animal handler and whether he has any combat trained animals at his disposal for the adventure.

[Grimtina]

The council regrets not having many funds to spare, however, they can offer material support - provisions, spell components, some potions and maybe magical items (whatever your wizard friend has available), horses to get there and someone to watch them while you are in the castle, arrows and bolts, tents and other camping equipment etc for you and whoever you decide to bring along and of course free stay in town.

Pinkad has trained dire weasels, wolves, dire badgers, dogs and some other critters for a living in addition to his alchemy shop. He would not go anywhere without his two animal companions, Willie the dire weasel and Robbie the spying squirrel, anyway, and he has two large mastiffs, a red and a black, which he had trained for a knight who unfortunately died in an orc raid a few weeks back. He'd gladly bring them along as they begin to get aggressive without a challenge.

Oje comes with great recommendations from an ailing old paladina, the very one who took him out of the band of thugs he was in and helped him develop better fighting skills. Not the brightest, he will do what told and show enough initiative to not be fooled by change of plans. He will go out of his way to get treasure at times though, and may need to be cautioned.

No one has anything bad to say about Kellie either, but people don't know her that long. She is a travelling bard stuck here mostly because she never seems to make enough money here to move on - or so she claims. Rumor has it she is infatuated with a local merchant son. She knows her history and songs, though, and has once calmed a stampede of cows with her songs.

No one knows the dwarf, but they know he is in debt with several people. He could have sneaked out of town to escape the situation, probably, but while most people are suspecting he might not be beyond stealing, he is definitely not keen on having debts anywhere.

Pinkad doesn't want much, he only has one son left of family who will do well with inheriting his businesses, so all he wants is coming along and maybe a few coins to pay for his son's wedding if he makes it out alive. Oje expects a 20% share, but is willing to negotiate. Kellie is mainly interested in interesting items and, knowing she is pretty new at this, expects a 10% share. She promises to write up an spic tale about it all. Quint just wants to be able to pay his debts and maybe a little extra. Asking around, you figure this would equal 5-10% of what you would expect out of a place like the castle - if stories can be trusted, that is. Fentin is paid by the council anyway and doesn't expect anything.

[ibtfu]

I tell the council that I accept the mission to rid the Castle of slavers. I ask where I can collect the potions to aid us. I speak to Lara and request that she prepare the equipment, mounts and provisions.

I speak to the diviner and mention that the council believes she may be able to assist me by providing magical items. I would also be grateful for any spell knowledge she is willing to share with me. Likewise, if I have any spells that she is interested in, I'm open to sharing those with her.

To Oje: "I may be interested in acquiring your services in exchange for 15% of any treasure recovered. Additionally, you will be provided with munitions and supplies for the duration of the mission to dispatch the slavers preying on Cillamar. Your benefactress has spoken highly of you. This is your chance to justify her faith and prove your worth as a valuable citizen of Cillamar. I will need you to scout If you enter into a contract with me, you must follow my directions at all times for the good of the group."

To Pinkad: "Honored Elder, I greatly respect your adventurous spirit, but I worry that the demands of the mission may be too great given your failing health. I am unsure if my conscience will allow me to place you directly in harm's way. I believe your mastiffs would be of great help to the cause, but I'm unsure if they would follow our command without habituation."

I ask each of the adventurers (save Pinkad) and Lara if they have experience handling combat-trained animals like Mastiffs.

Before resting for the night, I travel to Temple Street and pay my respects at each of the churches. I explain that the Council has hired me to eliminate the slaver menace and I would be grateful for any aid that the gods and their followers can provide. If any churches associated with the Freedom/Liberation domain exist in the city, I ask them to send an acolyte with me to the Castle to oppose the slavers and in so doing advance their own cause and their prestige in the city.

[Grimtina]

The town is able to supply you with the following potions, made my Hariwinkle Colman, an ancient gnome wizard, and Lusathia Eremin, a Sister of Elyr, goddess of healing:

4x Levitate
3x Spider Climb
3x Water Breathing
3x Cure Light Wounds
2x Neutralize Poison
2x Tongues
1x Gaseous Form
1x Remove Curse
1 x Haste

Additionally, there is one oil of Bless Weapon and 11 flasks of holy water.

The diviner has the following spells level 5 and under she is willing to share, in no specific order:

Acid Splash
Alarm
Daze
Read Magic/Write Magic
Detect Magic
Light
Arcane Lock
Protection from Chaos
Detect Charm
Detect Secret Doors
Unseen Servant
Detect Undead
Cultiral Adaption
Comprehend Languages
Charm Person
Ear-Piercing Scream
Miserable Pity
Obscrure Object
Retrieve Item
Harrowing
Blood Transcription
Blood Biography
Carrion Compass
Locate Object
See Invisibility
Stinking Cloud
Hold Person
Oppressive Boredom
Blur
False Vision
Distracting Cacophony
Mirror Image
Invisibility
Dimension Door
Heroism
Dispel Magic
Ash Storm
Discern Value
Clairaudience/voyance
Spherescry
Arcane Sight
Blend
Force Punch
Storm Step
True Form
Detect Scrying
Named Bullet
Scrying
Locate Creature
Shadow Projection
Cloudkill
Secret Chest
Sending
Wall of Sound


You can tell she's been around, and a former adventurer. The reason for her not adventuring anymore is clear as you spend some time with her - her right leg is crippled, which is also the cause of her fear of anything remotely adventure like.

She has a Ring of Protection and a wand of Magic Missile (3rd level, 21 charges) she is willing to part with. Unfortunately, all her other items were recently "borrowed" by her thieving nephew.

Oje readily agrees to your proposal, he acknowledges that he needs someone to tell him what to do most of the time.

Pinkad assures you he can handle it, but if you just want the dogs, he says he can transfer their loyalty to any good soul not mistreating them.

Lara has worked with trail dogs, guard dogs and ghost dogs (trained to detect the supernatural) before.

A young cleric of Olidyra, god of Travel, Exploration and adventure happens to be in town, making devotions at his faith's shrine. Havran Grinderbush, halfling, cleric 1, Luck and Travel domains, is ready to come along if you think you can use him. He doesn't have much but a quarterstaff, a light maze and standard adventuring gear, but he is definitely eager to make his god proud.

Also willing to go along is Hasra Camrun, a rather harsh acolyte of Justicia. Her temple is doubtful about the mission though, considering it foolish, but they allow her to go along. Half-Elf, cleric 3, light maze, wooden shield, Law and Protection domains

[ibtfu]

I tell the diviner that I'm interested in several of her spells, but I'm not yet capable of casting many of them. After I deal with the slavers, I will return to scribe some of them into my spellbook. I allow her to copy any spells she is interested in while I prepare for the journey to Whiterock. I thank her for all of her help.

To Pinkad: "Are you familiar with Captain Lara Fentin? She is experienced with dogs. The city will remunerate you for the dogs. If they object, I will pay you out of pocket."

To Havran: "You're welcome to join us. You didn't mention pay, but since you are inexperienced relative to the group, I am willing to pay 5% of the recovered treasure. If you prove yourself, we will discuss a pay raise later. Captain Lara will also provide you with necessary equipment. If this is acceptable, let me know immediately because we depart soon."

If Havran accepts and everything else is in order, I make my apologies to Hasra Camrun and the other would-be-adventurers and explain that I have already assembled my team, but if I need any further help, I will I tell Oje to bring Caltrops and Marbles. I ask Lara to take control of the Pinkad's Mastiffs and to bring extra flasks of oil, torches, hemp rope and manacles for any prisoners we capture. I tell Havran to memorize Cause Fear and Obscuring Mist.

When all preparations are made, we set out for Castle Whiterock.

[Grimtina]

The gnome indeed knows Lara, and it's no problem to make the dogs accept her new master, although the slim guardlooks quite strange between the 2 large dogs. On the bright side, the dogs have a harness which can quickly be opened in case of battle, and they can help carry a lot of the non-sensitive equipment. Lara has stashed everything but the oil and the manacles with them, including some water and food.

Havran gladly agrees, as long as he gets to prove himself. He's also quick to run to pick up the horses borrowed to you to get to the castle, and on the way to there he happily chats up Lara and Oje about their adventures.

The weather is nice to your endeavours. And if it is because of 2 large dogs running with you, sniffing out everything close by, or just nothing dangerous is close by, but you can get to the foothills with no trouble. It is early afternoon when you arrive, the castle being a bit further up, nested in the side of the hills, or rather small mountains at this point, and on one side it seems to be half emerged in a lake of calm water. From the hill you are on now, you can see the small, overgrown road leading downhill and up again to the castle. It is steep on the other side, and horses could sure go there slowly, however, as the stable lad and the 2 notive guards provided to you to watch over the animals while you are gone point out, there would be little food and no safe place for the animals in the ruins, and they suggest making camp right here, in a relatively safe distance, with a good view of what is going on in the castle.

[ibtfu]

I agree with the guards "Make camp here. We're going to proceed to the Castle on foot. Be wary of strangers--there are slavers in the area and they may try to cause mischief if they can catch you unawares." I trust specific instructions to Lara, as they are her men.

I briefly outline my battle plan to the other party members: "Stay together in formation. Oje, you will not be scouting ahead without the party, because we cannot risk one member walking into an ambush. You will be in the vanguard with Lara. Lara, can the mastiffs stay in the rearguard until combat begins? Havran, stay near me and provide ranged support. I will use my control spells to disable and impede the enemy. If any of them escape my spells, cast Cause Fear to take them out of the battle.

Take a few minutes to familiarize yourselves with Innis's maps. Keep your eyes open when we're inside. There is no telling what traps and ambushes these miscreants have prepared."

I hand out the maps and make sure everyone has prepared their equipment. I hand one potion each of cure light wounds to Oje and Lara. "Use these only in an emergency. Our resources are limited and Havran and I will provide healing out of combat."

If there are no questions or objections, we begin our approach to the Castle:

Lara_Oje
Havran_Barnabas
Mastiff_Mastiff

[Grimtina]

http://www.krath.org/arania/Castle%20Whiterock/whiterockmap1.jpg

The map you got is carefully drawn, even distances are noted. In bleached out blue ink, written remarks can be seen.

The ancient eroded volcanos basin is filled with murky water, and its west wall has collapsed, linking it to a large freshwater lake. A scant path meanders its way down to the water’s edge where your goal lies. The winding path you can see entering a cave up at the castle must be the very same one, ending at the gatehouse. You would not have been able to even notice the other path, going up in barely recognizable steps, if not for the map.

[ibtfu]

I point out the hidden path to the party. "We should follow these stairs to the Old Monastery. The slavers will be expecting visitors from the winding path around the lake into the gatehouse. We may be able to catch them by surprise if we come through the backdoor."

[Grimtina]

Following the path is easier as it looks. Unfortunately, the stairway ends at the water edge, leading downward to where you can't make out the path anymore in the murky water.

[ibtfu]

Following the path is easier as it looks. Unfortunately, the stairway ends at the water edge, leading downward to where you can't make out the path anymore in the murky water.

To the group: "The path is lost. We will have to go in through the gatehouse after all."

We double back to the winding path to the gatehouse. If there is no incident on the return to the winding path, I retrieve my 10-foot pole from my Handy Haversack and hand it to Oje. "Oje, you lead the way. Probe the ground ahead with this pole. Everyone else fall into single file. Stay as far away from the water's edge as possible. If anyone falls in, use the pole to help them out."

[Grimtina]

There is no problem getting up to the cave entrance, in fact part of the way look as if they have been crudely repaired.

The mastiffs tail behind you, sniffing the area without noticing anything strange.

The tunnel leading on from the cave is short enough, with only one steep section which, as it looks, has also been used by horses recently. As you near the gatehouse, you hear a curious voice calling out. "Who goes there?" A cover is drown from a small window, and a curious face of a middle aged man can be seen, wearing some sort of grey robe.

[ibtfu]

I return the 10-foot pole to my haversack.

"Good afternoon, I am Barnabas. We are here on behalf of the city council of Cillamar to search for missing persons--a woman named Lyssa and a family of farmers. If you have information about their whereabouts, we would appreciate your help. If you be a friend to Cillamar, perhaps you can come out to here to speak with us for a moment."

[Grimtina]

With a slightly confused grin, the man, wearing a simple woolen robe held by a belt, sandals and a pendant of sorts, opens the door but doesn't come out. You can tell your spell has taken hold. "I was told not to leave my post," he explains.

[ibtfu]

I return the man's smile and reply "Ah, that's okay, friend. You need not trouble yourself." I gesture to my companions: "These are my dear friends. We will come closer so we can talk."

I turn to the party and rest a hand on Oje and Havran's shoulders. Quietly, I say "Let me do the talking. He will cooperate with us as long as we do not molest this man or issue any orders."

"I would appreciate it if you could help us out. First, we have a map of the 1st level of the Castle. Would you mind taking a look at the map? If anything is missing like a trap or a secret door, we would appreciate it if you could point it out to us." I proffer the map.

After allowing him a chance to look at the map, I ask if he has seen Lyssa or the missing farmers from Cillamar. I tell him we have business with the slavers residing here. I ask how he is affiliated with them and how many do they number. Where are they positioned inside the ruins?

[Grimtina]

"Oh," he says as he looks at the map. "We put our tents up here, east of the old monastery. See, we pose as monks of the Dawning Sun order," he holds up his pendant, which, up close, looks to be rather cheaply made. "But Melchin really is the only monk. Isn't that clever? We have not really checked the ruins, we are pretending to explore the old monastery but we really just need a place to put new slaves. The rubble is dangerous, one of us went missing. Have you come to buy slaves? Most of them, the orcs buy. I don't know their names, but there was a girl among them recently." Then he looks back at the map. "We repaired the stable for our horses. And this door," he points to the right half of the map where a door can be seen at the top of a room that seems to have no real entrance, "was stuck, but now is open because one of us crawled through the rubble and caused a slide and now it is completely blocked. He came out somewhere else but I didn't go in. I don't like confined places."

[ibtfu]

"I am impressed. Your scheme is rather ingenious. The girl was sold to the orcs? She looked like this..." I describe her appearance. "My employer fancies her as a serving girl. However, we're actually here to do business with Melchin? My other associates have several captive we're interested in selling to the orcs." I hand him a gold piece and retrieve pen and a scrap of paper from my haversack. On the paper I write:

"This gentleman is an envoy of the slavers. Please deal with him appropriately.

-Barnabas"

I hand the paper and a gold piece to the slaver:

"Please take this letter to my associates at the base of the winding path. Just call out their names" I ask Lara to give him their names. "My friends will stay here and watch the gatehouse for you. I'm sure Melchin will be happy that you helped with this piece of business. By the way, where can I find Melchin and the Orcs in the ruins?"

If the slaver agrees to deliver the message, I ask Lara if she thinks her men can handle the slaver. If not, we should deal with him quietly so he can't raise an alarm.

[Grimtina]

For a moment, the slaver hesitates. Then the idea of getting gold on top of helping a "friend" wins him over. "Oh I will gladly do that. Melchin should be up in the spire. Old worn footpath goes there, difficult to find. But he'll come down if you call for him, I'm sure. The orcs, them show up whenever they need slaves. But selling is none of my business, see, I'm just an arms guy." With that, he makes to leave.

Lare nods at your question, having trouble to supress a grin.

[ibtfu]

I grin toward Lara: "Friendly fellows, these slavers."

Once the slaver is out of sight, I tell everyone to enter the gatehouse and ready their weapons. I cast anticipate peril on Havran. I shape my Traveller's Any-Tool into a small steel mirror and tell Oje to use it to peer out of the gatehouse doors to see if any slavers are near.

[Grimtina]

Oje nods and moves ahead, finding no one else in the gatehouse area. Peering out of the gatehouse to see what's further ahead, he reports the stable, with the telltale smell of hay and animals, with one unarmed man just going in with buckets of water. Oje is sure he's heard some curses about drawing the short end of the straw.

[ibtfu]

To Oje: "Sneak up on the man and dispatch him while he's in the stables."

[Grimtina]

Oje grins and sneaks out of the gatehouse, then vanishes into the stables. A while later he comes back with hay in his hair. "Stashed him behind the hay and straw blocks," he explains. "He never saw me coming. There are 14 horses and 2 wagons with cloth coverings. I took a peek and they hold cages for slaves but they are empty right now."

[ibtfu]

"Great work, Oje. Every slaver we take out now is one less we need to face later."

I tell everyone to get in formation and slowly proceed to the edge of the stables:

Oje_Lara_Mastiffs
Barnabas_Havran

I tell Oje to use the any-tool mirror to peak around the corner again.

[Grimtina]

There is still no one there, and you can get to the edge of the stable just fine. From there, you can see the tents in the yard well, (map update) and from one of them you can hear two people talking in a low voice. You can't say from here in which tent they are.

[ibtfu]

I move 60' away from the tents and cast Detect Thoughts. If I can't hear anything I slowly move closer in formation until I can hear their thoughts. I tell the group " I will try to pinpoint which row of tents they're in using my Detect Thoughts spell."

[Grimtina]

You pick up a clear presence coming from the tent closes to the old monastery. A moment later, you know there are 2 people, and the discussion is about profit margins and unhappiness with some sort of arrangement.

[ibtfu]

I order the party to creep around the tents until we're in position to see the opening to the tent closest to the monastery. If we're not discovered, I say "We will have to break our cover soon. I do not think we can take out both these slavers without creating noise." If there are no objections from the party, I ask Lara to send the mastiffs in to attack the slavers.

[Grimtina]

They don't notice you closing in on them; their discussion has gotten a little louder. Lara nods and sends the Mastiffs to get into the tent, which has its opening on the monastry side. The dogs move silently, trained well enough to stay silent. You can hear a short growl and a muffled cry, but then the other slaver gets out a lout shout of surprise before the dog can bog him down.

[ibtfu]

I maintain concentration on Detect Thoughts and motion Lara to retrieve the dogs and finish up the downed slaver if he still lives. I tell the party "The slavers have surely heard the cry and will be upon us at any moment. Let us retreat in to the area near stables where we can't be outflanked." If I do not detect incoming enemies, I lead the party back to the outside of the stables where we can maintain a view on the tents.

[Grimtina]

Lara enters the tent and comes back out a moment later. "Dogs killed them," she reports, " because they tried to get their knives. Nothing's in there save a few tables with some broken stuff on it, it's likely a disguise to make people think they are excavating."

You recognize 3 more mind in the area of the main keep south of you, they are on alert. "Kime? Rasul?" someone calls. "What's up wth you?"

[ibtfu]

I draw my scroll of sleep from my haversack and then direct Lara and Oje to attack the slavers in conjunction with the dogs. I read the sleep scroll as soon as the slavers come into view.

[Grimtina]

The two coming into sight are one fat, short human and a rather tall, slim half-orc. They are taken aback as they see you, but before anyone can do anything, your sleep spell is faster and they drop to the ground. The half-orc's armor makes a loud clattering noise though.

Oje sighs. "Too bad, my mace is getting itchy," he comments.

"What's going on out there?" another voice yells out from inside the keep. "Is someone poking around in the rubble again? We can't afford to lose any more people!"

[ibtfu]

"Don't worry, Oje, your mace will meet with plenty of heads before the day is through. Take care of these two. More will be on us shortly."

[Grimtina]

With experienced moves, Oje and Lara bind the two with their own shackles. Oje carries them to the tent as quick as possible. The red dog growls into the direction of a spire you only now really notice, as it wasn't on the map. It is build higher up in the mountainside, and a small path winds up towards it (map update).

[ibtfu]

"I expect the rest of these villains are holed up in the spire. Lets head them off before they can mobilize and take us from the rear. Standard formation. Keep your eyes open."

We head to the spire.

[Grimtina]

As everyone is trotting up the path, you can hear sounds of activity both above and below you. A pale face appears at one of the spire windows and then vanishes again.

[ibtfu]

I address my companions with a look chagrin: "They're ready for us, but I don't see any course but to press forward. If we turn back now, they will entrench themselves and we'll need an army to get through."

[Grimtina]

As you near the spire, you notice that a rope ladder goes up to the platform on top. The door into it has been heavily barred from outside, with tree trunks, old wooden beams and a few boulders.

Someone's shooting an arrow at you from below, but it misses by a lot.

[ibtfu]

"We better retreat, this is a dead end. Maybe we can find another way into the spire."

After we are safely back in the Castle, I scroll cast Alarm (Mental Alarm) centered on the footpath where it enters the Castle. "If they try to approach us from behind, I will know about it." I ask Oje to lead us in formation back to the central keep area. If we are unchallenged, I hand him the Any-Tool mirror again to spy ahead.

[Grimtina]

As you decend back down, however, more crossbow bolts are coming at you, and while none does any damage, they come dangerously close. 3 figures clad in leather armor block the exit of the path, a half-elf and 2 humans.

[ibtfu]

I cast Web on the group and shout at "Havran, Obscuring Mist, now!"

[Grimtina]

While the 3 figures are suddenly entagled in a magical web, cursing madly, a dense grey mist forms all around your group.

[ibtfu]

"Attack them while they're entangled." I ready my crossbow.

[Grimtina]

You can hear short commands to the eager dogs, who you can feel running past you, causing the mist to swirl slightly. A kind of hollow sound comes from ahead, like amace hitting a shield, and more curses.

[ibtfu]

You can hear short commands to the eager dogs, who you can feel running past you, causing the mist to swirl slightly. A kind of hollow sound comes from ahead, like amace hitting a shield, and more curses.

"Havran, onward to the fray." I move towards the noises out of the mist.

[Grimtina]

The mist only allows you to see a few feet, but soon enough you can see Oje's massive form hammering at the half.elf who has somehow managed to disentangle his arms and draw his weapons. His shield has heavy dents, and another one is added as he again blocks Oje's attack. The 2 humans can't move much.

The dogs have pressed on through the mist it seems, you can hear their muffled barks somewhere ahead.

[ibtfu]

I continue making my way out of the mist until I can fire my crossbow at the entangled humans. I look around for Lara and the dogs and assess Oje's injuries.

[Grimtina]

Lara is moving out of the mist, following the dogs, shooting at something you can't see. Oje seems not to be injured yet, if you ignore the large bump forming on his head.

You can safely fire at the humans, they can't put up any defense right now.

[ibtfu]

I start firing at the humans and I tell Havran to do the same.

[Grimtina]

Havran happily obliges, killing his target, the left guy, with the first shot. From his face, you can see how surprised he is about that result.

(need an attack roll from you)

[Grimtina]

You, too, manage to kill your opponent - looks like he had been injured before, too, with a wound not taken that well care of.

In the distance, dogs howl, and horses neigh. Oje loses his patience with the half-elf and trips him, then placing a final blow on the man's neck. Blood quikcly spills everywhere. "Eww" Havran comments.

[ibtfu]

I speak to Havran in a good-natured tone: "Aren't you glad you became an adventurer? We better press on, the fighting is not yet done." I ready a scroll of grease from my haversack and move forward in formation with Oje and Havran.

[Grimtina]

You clear the mist in time to see Lara coming from the stables with a big grin. "Dogs cornered 2 of them and disarmed them. I gave them the choice of being locked up in their own cages or eaten by "those monsters" and to no surprise, they agreed to being caged."

[ibtfu]

"Good work, Lara. I reckon we ought to question them. Are any among us injured?"

I proceed to the stables and begin talking to the men:

"You will have to answer for your crimes in Cillamar, but we will not harm you. If you answer my questions, I will put in a good word with the judge. Lara here is a captain of the guard and wields considerable influence. If you're lucky, you will not be hanged. Now, I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer honestly."

I retrieve a scroll of charm person and cast it on one of the men.

[Grimtina]

No one is injured, and Oje assumes an intimidating position right behind you as you start the questioning.

"Questions? Oh sure?" the man nods happily. The other slaver growls at him but then seems to realize in what bad a position they are.

[ibtfu]

1. "At the start of this day, how many slavers were in Castle Whiterock?"
2. "How do we reach the spire? The entrance after the footpath is barred."
3. "Are there any special dangers we should know about on the route to Melchin in the spire?"
4. "There was a girl fitting this description:" I give Lyssa's description. "When was she purchased by the orcs?"
5. "Where can we find the Orcs?"

[Grimtina]

1 He truly doesn't know, you can see how sorry he is about that. He knows of 9 and the monk in the spire but there may be more, as he has been sleeping in the makeshift barracks most of the day.

2 Either take the rope ladder or find some sort of secret entrance he has not been told about.

3 There are some "bad things" in the lower spire levels, other than that it is fine to climb the ladder. He has never been curious about what is in the spire.

4 He doesn#t recall Lyssa, since he has freed an elf girl, claiming it was accidental, they never let him close to the slaves again

5 the orcs show up anytime they need slaves, sometimes they order specific types. There is disdagreemtn among the slavers about being so dependent on orc buyers lately.

[ibtfu]

I try to hide my disappointment: "Thanks for the information."

"To the group. I think we better look for another entrance to the spire. First, we should round up the two prisoners we left in the tents earlier and put them here." I scroll-cast alarm (mental alarm) on the entrance to the footpath.

"Lara, is there anyway for us to contact your men from here so they can take charge of these prisoners? We don't want them rejoining with their fellows later on. If we march the prisoners down to them, we are giving the slavers even more time to regroup and possibly call on their orc allies."

I lead the party back to the tents to gather the two men we manacled earlier.

[Grimtina]

"I could send one of the dogs with a note," she suggests and pats the head of the red mastiff. "She'll be able to find us later again."

[ibtfu]

"I hate to lose her, she's worth than more than two men in a fight. However, we need to secure these prisoners. Send her. Tell your men they can feed and water the horses here in the stable. In the meantime, lets gather up the other two prisoners."

I write a short letter to Lara's men and after the red mastiff is on her way, I lead the party to the tent where we shackled the prisoners earlier.

[Grimtina]

With all the slavers secure in the cages - including the one Oje had hidden in the hay earlier - it suddenly seems very quiet.

[ibtfu]

I spread the map before the group. "I have some background in engineering. I suppose that the entrance is somewhere inside the mountain. Anyway, it cannot be in the Old Monastery and there is only one other unexplored area on Innis's map, so we will start there."

We march to the mouth of the inner keep. Upon reaching the entrance, I cast Mount from a scroll. "I am summoning this light horse to serve as a buffer between us and whatever dangers lie in this inner keep. It will not fight, but it will trigger any traps the slavers have set and warn us of other dangers ahead. Oje, keep your eyes open for traps.

I position the Light Horse in front of our formation and enter the inner keep.

[Grimtina]

(hah, creative spell use)

As you enter the inner yard, you can't see anything that seems threatening. The dog is slightly spooked by the horse and stays a bit behind.

[ibtfu]

I motion Oje and Lara to open the doors to the area with the rubble piles and then prod the horse in. "The gatehouse slaver warned us about the rubble piles. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you." If the way seems safe, we follow the horse.

[Grimtina]

This room is dominated by a massive pile of rubble. The west wall has a gaping hole which peers into the courtyard. Half of the east wall has collapsed, apparently caused when the south tower fell. The center of the room is a large pit, mostly filled with rubble.

[ibtfu]

After eyeing the room with the hollow rubble pile, I cast Detect Secret Doors from a scroll. I steer the party clear of the rubble piles and position the light horse between us and the piles as much as possible while we make a sweep of the three rooms with broken walls.

[Grimtina]

There are no secret doors, however, the ground is very treacherous and the summoned horse refuses to move on. Oje starts laughing at orcish graffity on the wall.

[ibtfu]

I leave the horse behind in the inner courtyard and then lead the party to the room in the upper right with two doorways. I tell Oje to search for traps and then open the door. I look around nervously, the words of the slavers about the rubble piles playing in my mind.

[Grimtina]

Oje can't find any traps, but the door is locked with a crude mechanism.

[ibtfu]

"Oje, please unlock the door and open it." I unconsciously take a few steps back.

[Grimtina]

It takes a while, but Oje is able to break the lock.

Unlike most rooms in the castle, this one sports a mostly intact ceiling. A flickering torch in a sconce provides dim illumination chamber. The north wall is rounded with a door situated in the middle.

Pushed against the west wall is a wooden desk and positioned in the northeast corner is a fancy bed with an overstuffed mattress. An iron pot lies discarded along the east wall. The desk contains numerous papers and logs along with six quills, a pair of inkpots, and 16 sheets of parchment. The logs are all sales records and manifests, for everything from lamp oil to chalk.

[ibtfu]

To Oje: "Keep your eyes, peeled. They're not likely to trap their own bedroom, but one never knows. We'll come back and loot everything once we've dealt with Melchin." I direct Oje to check the door for traps and then unlock and open it to see what lies beyond. While Oje deals with the door, I quickly peruse the logs for anything of interest.

[Grimtina]

Again it takes a moment for Oje to open the lock.

The ground level of the tower is empty but tediously clean. Overhead, the open tower stretches to the sky for at least 100 feet. About 10 feet up, the partial remains of a shattered wooden floor are
present. Some clothes are laid out on top of a small chest, all folded up neatly.

[ibtfu]

"Plan A: We can climb 100 feet of stairs, wading through whatever they have prepare for us up there or..."

I pause for dramatic effect. "Or... Plan B: We gather up the hay from the stables and any other wooden refuse we see lying around, pile it up and start a bonfire. The smoke will force them to flee the spire via the rope. We'll be waiting for them when they come down."

If this plan is agreeable to the group, I direct Oje to trap check, unlock and loot the chest and anything else of value in the bottom floor of the spire. I tell him to likewise check the living quarters for traps and open any locks. If there are no problems, we cut open the mattress to look for hidden items. We empty all the drawers and search through everything thoroughly for booty. We take all the documents and writing equipment, but leave anything else flammable of minor value that can be added to the kindling.

Once the rooms are cleared, I direct everyone to march back to the stables, where we will gather up the fuel for our inferno.

[Grimtina]

(why has no one else ever done this before... but remember the tower you are in now is not the same as the spire, you'll need to go back up the path, clear the blockage from the spire doors first and then smoke everything out)


There are no traps, but unfortunately, the box only contains 10 white candles and flint and steel. A small pouch under the pillow contains several dried figs.

[ibtfu]

I direct the party to search the wall for a way to reach the area to the right of the inner keep. "This looks like the most likely connection to the spire. I want to avoid a direct frontal assault on the spire because we will take heavy fire trying to clear the entrance." We make a thorough search of the wall and the bottom right area with what appears to be a fallen pillar on the map. We also examine the rock pile to see if it can be cleared away.

[Grimtina]

Everyone's busy for a while. In the living quarters, Oje finds an iron pot along the east wall, containing ashes, the remains of several sheets of parchment. A small scrap that has not completely burned has the words “Umberwood Coffins” on it albeit barely legible. Oje finds no other exit, however, your magic notices a secret door on the south wall. It's closed by a stone slab, and the opening mechanism is new to Oje so he will be busy a while

The rubble into the mountain is, unfortunately, not easily clearable. One could probably manage with some weeks of time. The pillar doesn't move, either.

Right then, the red dogs comes back leading the rest of the group with the horses. The horses from the stable whinny to greet the newcomers, and they reply. Latest now, everyone will know you are there. The guards curse and quiet the horses down quickly. Just as everything goes quiet, your alarm spell goes off.

[ibtfu]

"Lara, your men are here and they've been detected by the enemy. The slavers set off the alarm I set earlier. We must head to the stables before everything is undone."

We head to the gatehouse in formation:

Oje_Lara
Barnabas_Havran

[Grimtina]

Getting to the stable area, you notice a young man racing for the gatehouse. The guards have just led the horses inside the stable and are slow to come back out.

[ibtfu]

I look around with some bewilderment, searching for signs of the slavers.

To the guards: "Assume combat positions. Someone triggered my alarm spell. The slavers are coming from the area to the right of the gatehouse."

My quartet advances to within sight of the footpath. To Lara and Oje: "Form a front line with the guards. Havran, back with me." I draw my rod of extend spell.

[Grimtina]

A grey clad figure rushes down the stars from the spire, jumping along at times, using a quarterstaff to help balance. He jumps right over the area that's been warded and lands in a crouch right before your line. The dogs back off behind the line, intimidated by him.

(initiative: Melchin 18, Lara 16, Guard A 11 Havran 9, Oje 8. Guard B 7)

[ibtfu]

I cast grease on Melchin's square, positioning it to avoid any of my allies.

[ibtfu]

I also tell Havran to cast Cause Fear on him.

[Grimtina]

Melchin raises to a standing position, takeing a hand axe from his belt. Lara positions herself in front of Havran in the line. One of the guards shoots a crossbow, but somehow the monk twists out of the way. Havran curses as the spell he casts seems to have no effect. Oje pulls hsi mace free and snarls at the monk to come on to him. The second guard draws his short sword.

[ibtfu]

I cast extended Glitterdust on Melchin and then return the rod to my haversack. I leave my teammates to their own devices.

[Grimtina]

Melchin puts something from a small flask on his axe, the he leaps off the ground, the slippery ground seemingly not bothering him. Lara waits for him to land, then barely misses him with her sword. One of the guards barely misses with a bolt, and Oje decides to chance tactics and kicks at Melchin's leg but it is not enough to make the monk lose his footage. Havran casts resistance on Oje. The other guard just parts the air where a moment before the monk's jumping body has been. Melchin is obviously affected by the Glitterdust spell.

[ibtfu]

I marvel momentarily at the blind monk's acrobatics and growl in frustration at my companions' misses. "Havran, what are you doing? Fire or throw something at him. He's blinded and can't dodge our attacks." I retrieve my wand of missile and fire a charge at the monk.

[Grimtina]

The monk kicks at Oje, but his expectations as to where he is are off and he almost falls on the slippery ground. At the same time he hacks at Lara and got her location right, she tries to block the attack, but the axe slips off her blade and causes a small gash in her arm. Now she is angry, and her counter stabs the monk in his tigh. Guard A hits him with a crossbow, and Oje's mace hits him as well, although it doesn't seem to do much damage as his swing was hampered by lack of space. Havran's crossbow bolt misses and guard 2, flanking with Lara, cuts the monk's leg. The magic missile hits him square, and now there is a hint of panic on his face.

[ibtfu]

"Melchin, lay down your arms, prostrate yourself and we will spare your life. You have my word. The battle is lost."

If he surrenders, I order the guards to shackle him and put him with the other prisoners.

If he doesn't surrender, I fire another magic missile.

[Grimtina]

"Yeah, alright," he growls. "I surrender."

With some difficulty, he manages to get down, where the guards are quick to shackle him. Lara gives him a pat over to remove whaever he has on him and finds a knife in addition to his axe.

[ibtfu]

I ask one of the guards "Was the young man who ran to the gatehouse the stable boy we traveled with? In the melee, I couldn't make him out."

"I don't think Melchin would attack us alone if he had any comrades left." to Melchin: "Does any of your band yet wait for us? Think carefully on your answers. I am a merciful man, but my associate Oje is not and I fear that his appetite for blood has not yet been sated today." I grin at Oje. I confer with the rest of the party and make an accounting of the men we encountered. (See OOC thread).

To Melchin:

"A slaver warned us of 'bad things' in the lower spire levels. What are they? Are there any traps waiting for us in the spire or the inner keep."

"What are Umberwood Coffins? We found a note in the fancy living quarters in the inner keep."

"Is there anything dangerous in the Old Monastery."

"Where do we find Lyssa and the Orcs?" I make a description of Lyssa.

If we judge that there are no more slavers yet living, I instruct the guards to strip the prisoners of all valuables and I write an inventory of the items. I leave the dogs and guards to guard the prisoners.

Next, I lead the party to search the areas we've cleared for any valuables we missed (the tents, the inner keep and the tower with no ceiling, the fallen pillar). I send Oje ahead to search for any traps that we may have missed. We ransack everything--cut open the mattress, disassemble the desk in the living quarters, etc. But we don't disturb the rubble pile, the hidden door in the inner keep, the spire or the old monastery.

We round up everything of value in the stables with the prisoners and I use detect magic+spellcraft to try and identify anything magical.

[Grimtina]

The guards shake their heads. "We left the stable boy with the horses."

But the riddle is cleared up quickly when the boy comes out of the gatehouse again. He's been hired by "mercenaries" so his trained ravens can be used to deliver messages. He keeps them up in the spire. Soon after he arrived, he found out that those people were criminals and tried to sneak away. He got caught, and he wasn't allowed going around alone anymore, and they even watched him when he sent the birds to deliver messages. He knows the messages go to the city to a shop of some sorts to a guy named Ankiel, because he had to show the birds where to go to first. When the monk left him alone to check on the fight, he took the chance to let his birds out and run.

Melchin seems not to care much about the slavers. "You got them all but their leader, Ikenvar. Loud mouthed half-orc, he's friends with one of the orc leaders who buy slaves. I think he's gone to meet his friend or something, at least he headed out a bit ago. I don't track what he's doing, as long as he leaves me alone. He's the one in the fancy quarters." From his voice, you can tell he feels those fancy quarters pointless. "I think the coffin maker is their contact in the city. I never saw the man though, he's secretive, more than this bunch was. Lot of good it did them. The old monastery is, unfortunately, empty of any secrets. I had hoped for more." He hasn't seen Lyssa, not paying attention to the slaves at all, but he knows the orcs live in the lower levels of the castle. "There's 2 groups of orcs, and they don't seem to like each other much." The beings in the spire include a dangerous rost spider the orcs once sent up as a prank, and Ikenvar keeps it to feed unruly slaves to it. The other creatures are some centipedes which are usually fine if you leave them alone, and a blood hawk who dislikes anyone disturbing the nest. Melchin has taken to feed it scraps of meat to be able to hide close to its nest anytime he wanted to be undisturbed.

You recover the following valuables:

Masterwork shortsword x6
Light crossbows x5
55 bolts
Shortbow x1
21 arrows
Human sized chain shirt x3
Quarterstaff x8
Fake symbols of the Dawning Sun order x9 (in gold)
Another symbol of unknown order in silver (on the monk)
Scroll of Cure Moderate Wounds (CL5)
Pouch holding 12pp and 2 citrines approximately 50gp each
Potion of Barkskin
Stenchpot x26*
Light Riding Horses x14
Wagons with cages x2


Total XP for you - 1575



*Stench Pot: These small clay or glass pots are filled with an alchemical mixture of troglodyte gland oil and skunk musk. If the pot strikes a hard surface or a creature with a successful ranged touch attack, it breaks dousing the target or area with an oily substance that reeks. The pot have a range increment of 10 feet (maximum range 50 feet), and if a square is targeted its AC is 5. All within a 5 foot square of the targeted area must make a Fort Save (DC 10) or become sickened for 5 rounds. A creature struck by the pot suffers a -4 to this save. Each additional pot that affects a target incurs a cumulative -2 penalty to a new save.

A stench pot can be created with a successful Craft: Alchemy (DC 25) roll, and access to an alchemy laboratory plus the required troglodyte gland oil and skunk musk. (cost 25 gp, weight 1 lbs.)

[ibtfu]

I grimace at Melchin's words: "Good gods, I rather thought you were the captain of this motley crew. This conspiracy is larger than I thought." I take a minute to reflect on the enormity of the task before me and then return to business at hand. "You seem to be a different sort from these slavers. The gatehouse guard said you were the only real monk. Are you a member of the Dawning Sun? What were you doing here? Perhaps you are looking for the same things we are?" I ask him about Lady Chauntessa's ancient texts and scrolls, the codex autonomica and The Black Osprey Company.

I draft a letter to the council: "We have routed the slavers except for their half-orc leader Ikenvar. We have information that Ikenvar intends to rendezvous with orcish groups residing in the lower levels of the castle. These orcs remain in possession of the slaves taken from Cillamar. There seem to be links to the slaver organization in Cillamar: A man named Ankiel and a business named 'Umberwood Coffins' who we can't afford to deal with at this moment.

We have captured 5 or 6 slavers as well as their monk ally. We don't dare leave the Castle for fear that it will be recaptured by. Please send a detachment of guards to escort the slavers back to Cillamar and a more men to stand guard in the upper level of the Castle.

Additionally, please contact the the church of Justicia and ask them to send the honorable Hasra Camrun, Half-Elf Cleric of Justicia. Before, they did not approve her desire to aid our cause, but since then we have shown ourselves to be champions of Law and Justice. We will tithe 10% of the wealth we recover to the church in return for her services so long as she remains in our company.

We have accumulated 14 light riding horses, 2 wagons with cages and manacles and some other miscellaneous equipment that the city may be interested in purchasing."

I ask one of the guards to ride back to the city to deliver my letter. I tell the boy with the ravens to stay here for now. "You may be able to help us find Ankiel, but I must rest and think on how to proceed."

[Grimtina]

Melchin sighs. "I agreed to cooperate with those thugs because I am here to do my own research. I'm not from the Dawning Sun, I've come to see if my order, which I won't talk about, might be able to find a place here, or at least to recover something from the Dawning Sun order. I agreed to help them pose as monks in exchange for them helping me search the castle, but the orks didn't want us down there, and all I got was promises."

One of the guards proceeds to deliver the message, but the ravenmaster asks to go along with his ravens so he could send messages with them at a later time - he's glad to help, foir a bit of coin. He really has no idea of the possible scale of this all, and he asks for only 5 cp a day.

[ibtfu]

One of the guards proceeds to deliver the message, but the ravenmaster asks to go along with his ravens so he could send messages with them at a later time - he's glad to help, foir a bit of coin. He really has no idea of the possible scale of this all, and he asks for only 5 cp a day.

"That wage sounds fine." I advance him 1 gp wages and tell him he can obtain further payment from Innis at the Slumbering Drake Inn. "We should like to use your ravens to send and receive messages from the city in the future." I ask for details on sending messages with the ravens.

The party rests near the stables and awaits for a reply from the council.

[Grimtina]

The ravens learn a command at the location they are to travel to, and then can be sent there using that command. When they return, they always come to the last location their master was at. He has a way to call them magically to another location, but it takes time and a ritual, and the spell components needed are expensive so he has rarely ever used it.

The guard estimates they will be back the next evening if they hurry.

[ibtfu]

I tell the boy that it all sounds satisfactory. "When you meet Innis, send a raven to the gatehouse."

To the guard: "Ride swiftly. Hasra should found in the temple of Justicia. We will wait for your return before proceeding further into the Castle. Much as I'd like to prevent Ikenvar from marshaling his forces, I must rest to regain my spells and besides we can't leave the prisoners unprotected."

If everything is in order, we set up camp near the stable and assign watch shifts. We rest until recovered and then wait for reinforcements from the city.

[Grimtina]

A raven arrives the next morning, with the city announcing additional forces to arrive soon.

Reinforcements indeed arrive late that night, with the moon already well up. 24 men and a watch captain is all they can spare right now, but if needed they will recruit volunteers to help man the stations. The new arrivals make use of the already present tents and otherwise occupy the better rooms of the castle.

[ibtfu]

I collect the following and place them in my haversack: Fake symbols of the Dawning Sun order x9 (in gold), Another symbol of unknown order in silver (on the monk), Pouch holding 12pp and 2 citrines approximately 50gp each, Potion of Barkskin, 6x Stenchpot.

I distribute the other stenchpots amongst my team and give the scroll of cure moderate wounds to Havran. "Does anyone need any of this other equipment from the slavers? If so, help yourself. We will leave the remainder in the custody of the guard captain." I cross off all the items we took from the inventory I made earlier and transfer everything to the guard captain for safekeeping.

To Havran: "Perhaps you can ask the guards if they have any weapons with longer reach that you can use to attack from the second rank: Longspear, boarding pike or any other weapon that you're proficient with."

To the guard captain: "Stay away from the inner keep and the spire, we haven't cleared those areas yet. Keep watch on the Old Monastery, there may be another entrance there. Be wary of attacks on the road when your men take the prisoners back to Cillamar. Burn the bodies of the dead slavers."

I lead my party and the mastiffs back to the hidden door in the inner keep so that Oje can resume his examination. I cast Mage Armor. If Oje opens the door, I lend him the Any-Tool/Steel Mirror to inspect the room before we enter.

[Grimtina]

Havran exchanges his crossbow with a better one out of the lot, and takes the bolts as well. After some bartering, he convinces one of the guards to "borrow" him a spear - he looks pretty strange carrying it though, but seems to know, mostly, what he's doing.

Oje has little trouble opening the door, and carefully checks the room. "Empty," he mumbles, "seems to be just one long corridor, and it smells as if something has died in there a long time ago."

[ibtfu]

"Lara, keep the dogs in front. There is something off about this place. The smell... and no one builds a hidden hallway to nowhere." We proceed carefully down the hallway. I show Oje the unfinished map and point out that we should look for passages to the spire and the rooms with the caveins. Once we have completed an inspection of the passageway, I tell Oje to open any door we find that leads to the cave-in area and peer through with the steel mirror.

[Grimtina]

The passageway leads to an entrance Oje guesses might leade up to the spire. It is easy to open and shows a metal ladder in a shaft, going up for some time. There is another, locked door, which he also manages to open. The dogs growl and howl at the door though, and don#t want to move on.

[ibtfu]

We close the door to the spire and leave the dogs in the corridor. "Oje, inspect the room with the steel mirror." I ready my rod of extend spell from the haversack.

[Grimtina]

"There's nothing," Oje mumbles, "that I can see anyway. But it's the room with the rubbled entrance. And if my eyes aren't playing tricks, there's a stairway leading down further behind."

[ibtfu]

"Okay, are there any signs of recent activity like footprints or the like? At any rate, we have no choice but to enter."

We enter the room and make a thorough inspection of the stairs and the doorway to the caved in dead-end. We keep our backs to the entrance until we finish sweeping the room. If the room is clear, I tell Oje to check the doorway to the caved-in section for traps, then unlock and open it.

Marching Order:
Lara_Oje
Barnabas_Havran

[Grimtina]

There are some footprints, vague in the dust. Nothing too recent. However,as you enter the room, a clattering sound comes from under what looks like a pile of rugs, and a weird looking, large skeleton arises. It seems to be part bird.

INI:

Lara 19
Havran 19
Oje 12

Skeleton 5

[ibtfu]

I cast web if there are two anchor points such that I can catch the skeleton on the edge of the web radius. Basically, I want to web the skeleton, but give my team outside the web a chance to attack it with blunt weapons.

I shout to my companions: "Use bludgeoning weapons!"

[Grimtina]

Between the rubble and the corner of the door, a web appears. The skeleton walks rigfht into it. It will try to keep moving forward.

Oje and Havran grab their maces and move towards it. Lara doesn't have any usable weapons and stays back with the dogs.

[ibtfu]

I return my rod to my haversack, retrieve my quarterstaff and drop it on the ground for Lara. "Lara, use this."

[Grimtina]

Lara is quick to grab it and then move forward.

Oje, in the meantime, lands a heavy blast on the skeleton, and a hand breaks off. "Take that you undead evil," he growls. Havan is not quite as successful but cracks one of the ribs.

[ibtfu]

I retrieve my wand of magic missiles and fire a charge at the skeleton.

[roll0]

[Grimtina]

The missile hits almost at the same time as Lara, Oje and Havran go at it again. Almost in slow motion, the cursed thing breaks apart, with it's head exploding in a lot of shards.

[ibtfu]

I return the wand to my haversack and collect my quarterstaff from Lara.

"Oje, search the room thoroughly. Check the stairway to see if anything can be seen or heard beyond."

[Grimtina]

"What was that thing?" Lara wants to know as Oje moves to the stairs. "It didn't look like the skeleton of any being I know."

[ibtfu]

"I'm afraid the world is full of such horrors, Lara." I examine the bones of the skeleton from a safe distance to see if I recognize any distinguishing features.

[Grimtina]

The thing must have had wings when alive, and there is a beak which is all that's left over from the skull. But the feet look like that of a large mammal.

Oje grunts his disappointment. "Stairs are quite long, can't see all the way down. No traps on the stairs as far as I can see, and I threw some stones to make sure."

[ibtfu]

To Lara: "It looks like it was an Owlbear. We were lucky to face it dead rather than alive. They are vicious, bloodthirsty beasts."

To Oje: "Okay, that is all for now. We have some business to attent to in Cillamar before we proceed any farther."

I gather the party and proceed back to the stables. I give these instructions to the guard captain:

"We're returning to Cillamar to search for Ankiel. We will leave the prisoners here. If we return the prisoners to Cillamar, we may put Ankiel on alert. You and your men should maintain a constant vigilance on the prisoners and patrol the rest of this level while we're away. Keep your men away from the lower levels of spire and the rubble piles until our return. We will send word daily via raven to coordinate with you. If all goes well, we should be back in a few days."

To Lara: "Lara, tell the guard captain if you have any further instructions. Strip off any insignia of your rank or office before we return to Cillamar and put on a heavy cloak. We want to avoid being recognized." I bid Oje and Havran to do the same. If need be, we ask the guard for cloaks or convert a tent or other material into makeshift versions. Finally, I ask the guards for information about Umberwood Coffins or Ankiel and then we wait for dark before departing.

[Grimtina]

Everyone has cloaks, and prepares.

As far as Lara and the other Guards know, Umberwood Coffins is run by Mortimer Umberwood, who employs a group of downtrodden coffin makers who might otherwise find no job at all. The workers are usually so sick they have been mistaken for zombies before. The clerics take some of them away to heal, but Underwood always replenishes them from among the weakest refugees coming to the city. No one likes the man much.

[ibtfu]

To the guards: "He sounds like a prize. Do any of you know at what time we can find the Umberwood in his shop?"

We borrow some light horse and depart at dark. To Lara: "Which gate should we enter through? I will leave you to get us through the gate surreptitiously. We will stable the horses at the Slumbering Drake Inn."

[Grimtina]

The coffin maker sleeps above his workplace, and if he isn't sleeping he seems to be in the shop most of the time. But no one is sure how often he might be away.

Lara decides to ignore the gates and get in through the broken walls at Rogue's Court. There are guard, too, of course, but those are always from her squad so it would raise no trouble if she shows up with company, she did that before.

[ibtfu]

To Oje: "Check on the coffin shop and see if Umberwood is in. Meanwhile, we will take the horses to the Slumbering Drake Inn. Meet us in the stables when you're finished."

The rest of the group proceeds to the stables at the inn. I pay the stable boy to feed, water and clean the horses. I ask him where we might stay unobserved for a short time while we wait for our friend Oje to return. I give him 1 gp and tell him to keep quiet and fetch us from the location he recommends when Oje returns.

[Grimtina]

You arrive after dark, as you had a late start from the castle.

At the inn (http://www.krath.org/arania/Castle%20Whiterock/inn.jpg) (big green building in the middle of the town) you find stables easily, and the stable boy advises to stay in the stable loft behind the hay and straw.

Oje comes back after an hour and reports that he's been overhearing a conversation between the last workers leaving the place late. Seems their boss is conducting business with someone but they were sure he would be back early in the morning so they wouldn't dare to show late for work.

[ibtfu]

"Good work, Oje. We will go there at first light and wait for the undertaker. "

We sleep in the stable loft and wait for morning. I give the stable boy 2 gp and tell him not to disturb us and to tell no one of our presence here. I prepare spells for the next day.

When dawn breaks, we walk with Oje and conceal ourselves near Umberwood Coffins. I tell Oje to stake out the shop and tell us when Umberwood is there.

[Grimtina]

Oje comes back quickly. "He just got in, shouting at the poor workers. Very foul temper, this one."

[ibtfu]

I cast extended mage armor using my rod of extend.

To Oje: "Look around the building to see if there are any other exits. In your surveillance, you've noticed no evidence of fighting men with Umberwood?"

To Lara: "Find some guards and tell them to station themselves a safe distance off from any entrances without drawing suspicion. Hopefully we can resolve this without bloodshed, but these slavers are desperate, dangerous men and I don't want to take any chances."

[Grimtina]

Oje says there is one other exit leading to a small yard with high walls, not easy to climb over to escape. Only the workers were there asides frm the owner. "And some tall elf buying a coffin for his brother," he adds.

Lara runs to get guards and returns only a few minutes later, having told them to surround the building in aoms distance.

[ibtfu]

I cast extended anticipate peril (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/anticipate-peril) on Havran (+4 initiative for 8 minutes) and return my rod of extend spell to my haversack.

"Everyone act naturally and don't make any threatening movements. Lara, tell him you have an order for coffins. You won't have to talk long, so don't worry about your story. I will immediately attempt to ensorcle him. Havran, if my spell fails, I'll signal you to cast Cause Fear on him. We want to capture him alive--we need information about his cronies."

I lead the party into the shop in the following formation:

Lara_Oje
Havran_Barnabas

[Grimtina]

On Cutpurse Street just northeast from Rogue's Court, Lara enters the grim shop confidently, and puts on a face of sorrow. The elf leaves just when you enter.

"Excuse me" Lara starts, "but I have a large order of coffins to make. Our expedition to the old castle ruins was very unlucky,"

A simple looking short human turns around. He seems to be startled at the request. "You were at the castle?" he replies in a cracked voice. "Very foolish an undertaking. Let me just..."

Havran calls out a warning and then starts casting.

Initiative

Havran 24
Oje 18
Mortimer 17
Lara 10

[ibtfu]

Initiative: 20

I shout for the guards and then cast Sleep on Mortimer after Havran casts his spell.

[Grimtina]

Havran's spell takes hold for a brief moment, but then Mortimer shakes it off. Likewise, the sleep spell has no effect on him. He finishes a spell of his own, but just before doing so, Oje's mace hits him at his hip and he cries out. Lara's sword bounces right off the man though.

Havran changes tactics and casts another spell.

[ibtfu]

Havran's spell takes hold for a brief moment, but then Mortimer shakes it off.

(He's still shaken (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/conditions#TOC-Shaken) for one round, right?)

After Havran casts his spell, I retrieve my wand of magic missiles and blast him with a charge.

[roll0]

I shout at Mortimer: "Surrender, you cannot hope to outnumbered and overmatched. The guards on their way."

[Grimtina]

(yes)

Oje's assumes a threatening position, as Lara quickly steps around the man to stop him from going out the back. Havran blocks the exit to the street

Mortimer hesitates, his face a mix of worry and indecision. The missile seems to not have done a lot to him.

[ibtfu]

"Don't be a fool. Don't throw your life away, Mortimer."

I cast Create Pit (DC 16) (http://paizo.com/prd/advanced/spells/createPit.html) centered on Mortimer.

[Grimtina]

For a short moment, Mortimer seems to fall, but even as he does, he shouts one word and disappears in a magic flash. The room stinks of ozone and a gust of wind rushes through the room.

Lara holds off the workers in the back who want to come looking at what's happening. Oje curses and shatters a chair with his mace.

Havran states the obvious. "I think the man just teleported out or something."



(aaand you've made the first enemy)

[ibtfu]

"Havran, see what you can do for these workers. They are in appalling condition. Send one of the guards to fetch assistance from the temple district. Tell him to ask for Hasra Camrun at the temple of Justicia."

"Oje, start searching this place for evidence and anything this nasty fellow left behind. Try to leave the building standing, Cillamar still needs coffins. I fear they made need them more than ever by the time this business is done."

[Grimtina]

Havran goes to calm the workers down and see if he can help, while Lara calls outside for the guards she has waiting.

Oje sets to search the place, and quickly comes up with a large binder in a hidden drawer. While it seems to contain sales information about coffins, it is obvious it is a code for something else, as even a city like Cillamar could nor use so many coffins.

He also finds a locked box with a poison dart trap he disables. It contains 416 gold and 16 platimum pieces, plus a letter from one Gringbar Gorhammer, promising to pay the required 200 gold somehow if he'd just get back his only son.

[ibtfu]

Without much hope, I ask the workers if they can provide any information about their former boss or his business. I also ask if they have heard of Ankiel.

I collect the binder. "I will take this to Innis. Maybe she can deciper the code. We are all lucky to be alive--Mortimer's powers are years... decades ahead of my own. It seems we've become embroiled in a much more dangerous game than any of us imagined."

To Havran: "Stay here and assist the priests. If Hasra arrives, ask her to meet us at the Slumbering Drake Inn this evening."

To Lara: "Send word to the Castle that we should be back in a few days. We need to make preparations."

"Oje, you're with me." Oje and I travel to the Slumbering Drake.

[Grimtina]

As expected, the workers know little. They did wonder about the ravens coming and going evry now and then but didn't dare to ask.

At the Slumbering Drake, the suposed reason for the inn's name - a payful pseudodragon named Ixnay, is sitting on the bar table, playing some sort of dice game with a female half-elf who, by the backpack on the ground next to her, seems to have just arrived. A dwarf you vaguely recall having seen here on your first stay sits at a small table closest to the fire, eating a late breakfast. The town drunk is, as usual, asleep at another small table. The inn is otherwise empty.

[ibtfu]

I look around for the bartender to inquire about Innis's whereabouts.

I ask the Half-Elf woman if I can sit the dice game and inquire about the stakes.

Diplomacy (Prescience):

[roll0]
[roll1]

If she agrees and the stakes are small, I sit down to play and ask her background and what she's doing in Cillamar.

[Grimtina]

"Lady Chauntessa is out," the half-elf informs you. "Just to organize more supplies, so she should be back soon."

She and the pseudigradon are playing a game called "Devil's Dice" which aims to get certain 6-dice combinations of eyes in a roll with 8 dice, to be crossed off a list. Whoever has them all crossed of first ends the round, and each eye counts a copper in the end. The Lady's familiar is a bit ahead, but not by much. They agree to start over and let you in.

The woman#s name is Brianna Berland. "Just call me Brie," she smiles. "Everyone does." A a red-headed attractive half-elf with greenveyes and a freckled, tanned complexion, she seems to smile all the time. She wears a gaily colored pants-and-blouse combo, with high leather riding boots. Her teak lute with gold inlayed runes is at her feet, and she points to it now. "I'm a traveling bard, and I always stop by here to see my old friend, the Lady Chauntessa."

Considering that Lady Chauntessa almost always wore a frown and seemed to worry constantly, it is a bit hard to believe they would fit well together.

[ibtfu]

I sit down to play dice without much interest in the result.

"Thanks and well met, Brianna. I am actually doing a bit of work for Lady Chauntessa. She asked me to retrieve some ancient texts for her, although I can't say that I've made any progress. I and my companions have spend all our time dismantling a vile slaver organization." I ask her if she is has any information on Mortimer Umberwood, Ikenvar or Ankiel. "We are preparing to return to Castle Whiterock to rescue the slaves that they sold to the Orcs and stop Ikenvar from marshalling the Orcs to his cause. Do you know of anyone who might be interested in helping us, either with information or by joining us in our mission?"

[Grimtina]

"Oh?" Her head perks up, and part of the happy-go-lucky attitude vanishes. "Slavers? The Iron Manacle, by chance?"

[ibtfu]

"Iron Manacle? I'm not sure, in the chaos I didn't realize their organization had a name. I have this ledger here and we're still holding the slavers prisoner in Whiterock. They were using Umberwood Coffins as a front for their operation."

[Grimtina]

"That's interesting. Hey!" She calls to the rooms behind the bar. "Are you there Cookie? When you are done storing the barrels, can you come out here please? I need you to show something to this wizard here!"

A minute or so later, a massive barrel chested man comes out of the side door next to the bar. He bumps his head at the door frame but hardly notices, as if it would happen all the time. "Yeees?" he asks slowly, taking the inn in. You have seen him before, he works here as a bouncer and all-around helper. His sloping forehead and his coarse, unshaven face make him out as a half-ogre.

Bri winks for him to come over, and he smiles at her and you politely, patting the pseudodragon. "Turn around and lift your shirt," Bri asks.

Still smiling, Cookie does so, revealing a large black tattoo of 2 lifted hands in chain-linked shackles. "That#s the symbol of the Iron Manacle," she explains. "Cookie used to be one of their slave bodyguards when Lady Chauntessa persuaded them to let him go. Did you see this symbol anywhere?"

[ibtfu]

At a loss, I turn to Oje. "Oje, do you recognize this tattoo? You and Lara were up close and personal with the Slavers."

[Grimtina]

"Yeaaah.." Oje says, scratching his head. "Didn't think it important, but I know at least two of the prisoners had it on their hands. Didn't think it that importat at the time."

[ibtfu]

"I guess that answer your question, Brianna. As you can see, we're out of our depth here. Who are these slavers to you?"

[Grimtina]

Bri plays with her dice, as if to make a decision. "I'm with a group trying to end slavery," she them explains. "We drove those thugs out of their first den, and didn't know where they went. Until now. We don't know who their heads are but they tend to rebuild poretty quickly."

[ibtfu]

"We gutted the organization's outpost in Castle Whiterock. They were run by a half-orc named Ikenvar who fled after we decimated his henchmen. We believe he met up with his former orc buyers on the lower levels. In a few days time, we will return to the Castle to resume the chase. Quite frankly, though, I believe the real power behind the slavers is Mortimer Underwood. We cornered him in his shop early this morning and we were lucky to escape with our lives. He cast a Greater Teleport spell, a magic only available to an extremely powerful wizard. He left the scene as the guards approached." I pause for a moment. "There is another man named Ankiel, I'm not sure where he fits into all of this. We rescued a young man who may know more of him. In fact, I sent him to rendezvous with Innis here at the Slumbering Drake."

To Oje: "Do you have anything to add?" After pausing for Oje, I continue "We will take whatever help we can get. I confess I was shaken by the encounter with Underwood and I need to recruit more hands before we return to Whiterock to deal with the Orcs."

[Grimtina]

"There was a monk working with them," Oje adds. "So they wouldn't chase him off, he claims, but we didn't get any more information out of him. And we found some... owlbear? skeleton in the ruins."

"I have heard a mention of someone named Ankiel before, but we never found out who he might be," Bri muses. "But Mortimer Underwood? The limping guy never appeared to be anything important to me, certainly not a wizard, and I saw him quite a few times as I pass through here often."

The dwarf at the table by the fire is done with his food, and seems to have heard the last few words. "Mortimer Underwood?" he asks in passing. "He's alright, I hope? I was planning to order a casket from him this afternoon. Uncle of mine bit the iron, and I'd hate burying him without."

[ibtfu]

"We captured the monk, Melchin. He's in Whiterock. I don't believe he was working with the slavers. We took care of the Owlbear Skeleton, it was guarding the stairs to the lower levels of the castle. I assure you Mortimer is a wizard. Oje can corroborate my story."

To the dwarf: "He's alive, though I wish to the gods he wasn't. I don't think you'll be able to buy a coffin from him. He abandoned his shop. By the way... this is a longshot but do you know anyone named Gringbar Gorhammer? We found a letter from him in the shop re: his lost son. My suspicion is that the slavers captured his son and he is trying to ransom him."

[Grimtina]

"Oh yeah," the dwarf nods. "Gringbar is the shoemaker up at Wall Street. Small but clean shop, affordable prices. I got all my footwear from him," he says and slaps the boots he's currently wearing.

[ibtfu]

To Oje: "Oje, can you recruit a street urchin to run up to Gringbar's place and tell him to meet us here tonight? We might as well gather everyone here at once."

To Brianna: "I hope you will join us tonight also. Please tell Lady Chauntessa that we'll be here this evening for a small party with friends. Ask her to invite Innis and the raven trainer from Whiterock. If you know anyone trustworthy who can aid our cause, please invite them also."

When Oje returns, I tell him to find Lara and discuss equipment for the return to Whiterock. I suggest that he and Lara exchange their crossbows for composite longbows and I advise him to buy 10' reach weapons like Guisarmes and Lucerne-Hammers as well as four pairs of spiked gauntlets. Lara should make sure to have a blunt weapon and replace her shortsword with an appropriate two handed weapon like a Falchion or Great Sword. "We will all meet back here at sundown."

I venture into the streets to spread news of our initial victory in Whiterock and gather information about who would be willing to join us in our return to finish the job.

Prescient Diplomacy:

[roll0]
[roll1]

I spend any spare time I have on crafting and return to the Slumbering Drake at sundown.

[Grimtina]

Oje does as instructed, and then brings back Lara, who has already been shopping. She's now adorned with clothes much better for dungeoneering than her uniforms. She also has a heavy mace with her now.

Oje regrets he has never learned to use a real bow, but Lara is fine with it and goes to get one. She will also go and exchange her normal dury sword with a longsword. Oje goes to find the rest, but only has partial success. He got the gauntlets, but the amount of long each weapons in this city is poor. He found a guisarme with a blade shaped into a fishing boat. The dealer he got it from gave it to him only because he heard about them cleaning out the castle. This weapon used to belong to his daughter who never came back from a trip there with another party. All they found of her was this weapon. Oje also found a lucerne hammer with a quite simple design but a sharp blade. He also got a halberd, which seems to be more for smaller folks but still has a good reach.

Out in the streets, you find interested, but cautios people. No one really seems to want to dare getting into the deep of the castle. With interesting exceptions.

Someone coughs behind you, and you face a green skinned, half naked Goblin on a warg. "You want go kill orcs from castle, yes? Then we must go with you. Orcs come out a forthnight ago and kill all my clan for s not want to make war on city. I just still here for being out on Grok." He pats his warg. Then he points behind him, where a white kobold with a bandana stands. "Orcs go kill all of his family, too. He not talk anymore." The kobold tilts his head and nods a greeting.

"I Krasko. I can scout and fight. Him Whitescale. He makes blades with mind. We want to kill orcs." (Ranger 2, composite shortbow, leather armor, short sword and a warg with leather armor custom made, assorted gear, - Soulknife 3, studded leather armor, assorted gear)

[ibtfu]

I speak warily to Krasko: "I will speak to the rest of my party later about your interest. I am not sure if we need two more frontline warriors. Where can I contact you later?"

After bidding farewell to the odd couple, I return to the Slumbering Drake to wait for the gathering.

[Grimtina]

"We now live in Beggar’s Hold," the goblin says. "No more home so now poor."

[ibtfu]

I shout at Krasko in Goblin: "Listen, you caught me by surprise sneaking up on me like that... The enemy of my enemy is my friend and we do need extra men. If we hire you, what kind of wages or share would each of you require? Can you follow my orders? What about your friend here? Anyway, I'm not sure if we can hire both of you--I will speak with my party tonight and send word to you tomorrow."

After hearing Krasko's answers and taking my leave, I travel to the Slumbering Drake to await my friends and allies.

[Grimtina]

By the time you get back to the Slumbering Drake, the Lady is back, talking exitedly with her friend, and her frown is gone for the moment. Everyone else is present as well, except for the shoemaker.

Lara is now armed with a simple longsword and a composite longbow, and she seems to be explaining to Oje how to use such a weapon. The Ravenmaster sits to the side, petting one of his 5 or so ravens.

[Grimtina]

I shout at Krasko. "Listen, you caught me by surprise sneaking up on me like that... The enemy of my enemy is my friend and we do need extra men. If we hire you, what kind of wages or share would each of you require? I'm not sure if we can hire both of you--I will speak with my party tonight and send word to you tomorrow."


"We not require gold," the goblin says. "We want revenge. Revenge is payment. And maybe when orcs are gone from castle, him and me," he points to the kobold, "can make new clan in there somehow."

[ibtfu]

Upon arriving at the inn: "Hello, my friends, I trust the preparations have gone well. Innis, it is good to see you again. I have updated the map you provided me, but as of yet we have seen nothing of the Black Osprey group." I hand the map of Castle Whiterock Level One to Innis. "Lady Chauntessa, thank you for hosting us. Havran, how are those poor souls from the coffin shop? Did you receive help from the temples? Oje, there is no word from the shoemaker?" I pause to hear their responses before continuing.

"Recently, as I'm sure you've all heard. Me and my party expelled the Iron Manacle Slavers from Castle Whiterock. However, the leadership remains at large: Mortimer, Ikenvar and Ankiel. We mean to end this plague once and for all, but we cannot do it alone."

To the Ravenmaster: "As of now, you are the only link we have to Ankiel. What can you tell us of this man? Do you know how we might find him?"

To Innis: "Mortimer, the proprietor of Umberwood Coffins appears to be a mage of vast power. He cast a Greater Teleport to escape the oncoming guards when we ambushed him this morning. Are you familiar with this man? Do you know any wizards in Cillamar who may know of him?"

To Brianna: "As for Ikenvar, if he is in Castle Whiterock as we suspect, we mean to pursue him immediately. The goals of your organization parallel ours. Can you offer us assistance? We found but two souls who were willing to join our cause--a dispossessed goblin worg-rider and a mute kobold who want vengeance on the orcs."

[Grimtina]

Havran sighs. "The workers are in the care of several priests now, looks like this Underwood guy hardly ever fed them, but it seems a lot of the refugees coming through share this lot anyway. Lady Camrun of the Temple of Justice is now pressing to establish a refugee center, she will be here in a bit."

Oje shrugs. "I was told he'd come."

The boy with the ravens looks a bit helpless. "I know he likes ravens, this ankiel. Has one of his own, larger than mine, and my ravens never likes his much. He's got a black beard and red pants and shirt, and his black hat was pulled over his face so I couldn't really see it. I only saw him this once and I paid more attention to his bird than him. Oh, he said he was a relative of the coffin maker. And he paid me a whole silver for making my ravens know the coffin shop."

Innis shakes her head. "We do have a mage who can cast Greater Teleport, and lots of other things, but it is a she, and an elf, and not in the city that often. Last I saw her was 4 moons or so ago, when she joined a party to find some magic book. As for Mortimer, yes, I thought I knew him well. He came here a few times, and he was boasting that he at least gave the refugees from the war some work. It is true that they at least ween't targets of those awful raids against refugees someone is staging. Mortimer always appeared to me a bit naive, you know, thinking he did a lot of good for the refugees when really he was just exploiting them but I mostly kept my mouth shut, lest he'd kickthem out and they would be the worse for it."

Bri nods. "I'm not much for underground exploits, but if I can help I will try. I will contact my friends and see if they can at least spare someone who could assist with transportation. We have no one close by who could cast teleports just yet, but we have a mage who can create temporary portals with the help of a special staff. The ritual for it takes a few hours, and the portals last around 3 days, I think, and he needs to know both locations to do it, but i have found it useful in the past." She smiles at the inn owner's astonished glance. "How do you think I appear here so often for just a few days?"

A goblin and a kobold?" Oje falls in, not having understood much of the magic stuff as he's trying to hold back his amusement. "Like in the joke.. a kobold and a goblin walk into a dungeon...W then he catches himself. "Sorry, it's just so weird. But vengance for what?"

[ibtfu]

"The goblin mentioned that their clans had disagreements with the orcs and the orcs exterminated. Supposedly, the orcs wanted the goblins to aid them in a war against Cillamar and the goblins refused. That particular thread could be related to Ikenvar. I'm inclined to let them come along, but I haven't decided for certain yet. No one else seems much interested in joining us."

To the boy: "Hmmm, so Ankiel is directly related to Mortimer. It's possible that he is also a wizard and the raven was his familiar. At any rate, we don't have any leads on him and he surely knows we're looking for him by now."

To Innis: "Thanks. Do you have any more maps of Castle Whiterock? We have reached the stairs to the next level, but we haven't begun our exploration there yet."

To Brianna: "Okay, that sounds fine. I do enjoy the scenery from Whiterock to Cillamar, but time may be of the essence."

I ask Lady Chauntessa: "What is the cook's specialty here? I'll have that. Everyone else, meals are on me. Just don't drink so much you can't keep your wits about you. Mortimer could still be in the city."

I wait for my meal and for the arrival of Lady Camrun.

[Grimtina]

There is plenty of good food to be had, and the Lady assures she can Soberize anyone who winds up drinking too much. Except, as she points out, the town drunk, which causes Lara and Oje to chuckle.

The ravenmaster mentions that it is possible the raven was a familiar, but at the time he had been too intimidated to ask the man.

Innis has no more maps - she used to have maps of some of the dungeon levels but her place was broken into a few moons back and the maps, of all things, stolen. Which is, as she points out, silly, because she would have mace copies for cheap for anyone wanting them.

[ibtfu]

To Innis: "Do you know who might have stolen your maps or where we might find another cartographer? Can you tell us anything about the Orcs in Whiterock? The monk, Melchin mentioned that there are two opposed factions. Perhaps we could play them against each other."

After hearing her answer, I eat my food thoughtfully. "Lady Chauntessa, can you send a runner to fetch the shoemaker, Gringbar Gorhammer? He is mixed up in the business with Mortimer and I worry for his safety. I will retire for the night after I speak to him and Lady Camrun."

[Grimtina]

"I only know whoever it was didn't do much damage and must have come in through the chimney, wich is something, really." Innis blows over the hot tea she just got. "We do have another cartographer, but he is not known to give out any of his prescious information, you might need to steal it yourself. Hagger Jobart, a dwalf* from the Ridgebone farm has been to the castle and many other places, and some say he gets his information by scrying as well. But he's a sour fellow, some say evil to the bone. I haven't seen him in a while either."

The door opens and Hasra Camrun enters, in the robes of her holy order. She drags a scared, redbearded dwarf along. "Found him just outside, eavesdropping under the window. He says he has been invited but didn't dare to go in, for whatever reason."





halfling/dwarf

[ibtfu]

To Innis: "I will speak to Hagger Jobart. Perhaps we can come to some arrangement. I have no intention to steal from him, I do not trust the judgment of the mob, nor do I need any more enemies at this time."

"Good evening, Lady Camrun. May I call you Hasra? Gringbar Gorhammer, I presume?" I smile at the image of the lady dragging the dwarf around like a schoolmarm with a misbehaving student. "We found your letter to Mortimer and thought you might need our help. Don't be shy, have a seat and tell us the tale from the beginning." I stand up and offer a chair to the woebegone dwarf.

[Grimtina]

Seeing that he is really expected, the cleric relaxed and nods. "Hasra is fine."

Gorhammer doesn't look any less concerned. "You found my letter?" he barely manages to squak out. "How? I was told to kepe it a secret."

[ibtfu]

"We had an unfortunate encounter with Mortimer Underwood today and we discovered your letter among his belongings. We will help you if we are able and we do not ask for any fee--just information. Tell us what happened to your son. What do you know of Mortimer Underwood and the Iron Manacle?"

[Grimtina]

"Well," he starts, still doubtful. "My son Rual and his best friend Beck were going on a journey to visit an old relative of his friend, you see, to help out with the business. I thought they arrived there but a week later I learned they never did. Lots of people have vanished later. But Beck was found dead in the river a few days ago, and he had been marked as a slave. Someone is kidnapping people to sell them to others, how sick is that?" The dwarf gets more and more angry. "I helped his father to buy a coffin and that's when Mortimer heard and said he knew someone who knew someone who was trying to buy slaves recently - not that he condoned it but people are people and all - and that someone matching the description of my son has been seen among the... stock... but was hurt and might be killed if not bought soon. He said.. he said he would help me buy my son out but would need the money soon!"

[ibtfu]

To Gorhammer: "I cannot say for sure, but I think it likely that your son was kidnapped by the Iron Manacle. They sold most of their slaves to an orc faction in Castle Whiterock. Provide his description and I will question the slavers we captured as prisoners. If your son is alive, we will free him. We will leave the morning after tomorrow. I am sorry for your misfortune."

To Hasra: "Hasra, we need your help. Havran has acquitted himself well so far, but he is yet an acolyte of his church. We need someone with your faith and power to aid us. If you consent to join our cause, I can offer you 10% of the treasure we recover on our travels. Before you join, can I ask you to tell us about the tenets of your faith? I know you serve Justice, but what of Mercy?"

After listening to Gorhammer and Hasra's replies, I change the topic to Krasko and Whitescale: "Earlier this evening, a disenfranchised goblin named Krasko and a mute kobold named Whitescale entreated me to let them accompany us to Castle Whiterock. They are sincere in their desire for vengeance against the orcs who massacred their tribes, but I am not sure it is wise to enlist their aid. Melchin mentioned that the two orc factions in Whiterock are at odds. This presents us with an opportunity to play them against each other. Krasko and Whitescale's thirst for vengeance may prevent us from realizing this opportunity. I will think more on this question when I sleep."

[ibtfu]

If there is no more pressing business that evening, I arrange rooms for rent with Lady Chauntessa and retire for the evening. The next morning, I gather the party to call on Hagger Jobart at Ridgewood Farm to inquire about maps of Castle Whiterock.

[Grimtina]

"Justicia, the Restoring Flame, is thegoddess of justice, mercy, and defense," Hasra replies with a smile. "We seek to remedy all hurts, redeem all evil and make sure the world becomes a better place through our works. I'll gladly come along to sort the orcs out, beyond that, it depends what will be found."

At the mention of Krasko Hasra raises her eyebrows. "I know the little man," she says, with a hint of amusement. "He's distrusted a lot due to his race, but he is one of the few fighting whatever kills the refugees on moonless nights. I suppose with the help of his friend, but I only caught him when I came back from assisting a farmer late one night. I first thought he was the one doing the attacking, you see."

Oje grunts. "I don't mind taking them along. Providing, as you say, they don't get friend and enemy mixed up."

Lara shrugs. "I'm not good at judging such things."

Havran takes another warm milk. "I would need to see them."

Bri just waves. "I've worked with many strange companions in the past, including a minotaur and a beholder. Even a lich - not everything undead is really evil, and so I am sure there are a lot of good goblins and kobolds."


The next day starts out foggy and cool, but nor unpleasantly so. It promises to be a bright day later. Bri departs to see of she can borrow the gate mage. The ravenmaster says he's sent his ravens to discretely look for Mortimer's raven. A raven arrives from the castle to say that a group of orcs has tried to attack, but the guard at the stairs noticed them early enough for them to block the approaching enemy. They have retreated and nothing has moved since.


The farm of Jobart is about an hour ride away, he's mostly growing corn, as you can see from afar. The farm itself isn't more than a large flat storage building and a roofed space for the carriages needed to transport the goods. A small stable for the oxen used with the top made into a living space completes the picture.

By now the sun is up high, and the still short corn stalks glister with dew. After caling out a few times, it is clear no one is home but a single small dog barking angrily at the mastiffs.

[ibtfu]

I write a brief note to Jobbart and search for a visible place where it may be safe from the elements:

"Dear Sir,

I would like to purchase your maps of Castle Whiterock. I have gold, goods and services for trade. I am sure we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement. Send word for me at the Slumbering Drake Inn.

Barnabas"

To Hasra: "Let us visit Krasko. I don't doubt Krasko and Whitescale's good intentions, but I fear that their bloodlust may compromise our plans and I have confidence that we can handle the orcs with our current group."

I express my regret to Krasko and Whitescale that I must decline their services for now. Afterward, I tell my party to meet back at The Slumbering Drake the next morning to travel to the Castle. I tell Havran to pick up a breastplate for better protection and I suggest that Oje trade his Heavy Crossbow for a Light Crossbow until he learns to use a Composite Bow: "The Light Crossbow is not as fiercesome, but it gets off twice as many shots per minute." I also see to it that Hasra is outfitted with a longspear and spiked gauntlets as well as appropriate armor if she is lacking.

I retire to the Slumbering Drake until the next morning's journey, alone with my thoughts and my craft. I leave word with Lady Chauntessa to disturb me if any emergency should arise or if Jobbart pays me a call.

[Grimtina]

Havran and Oje take care of their equipment. Hasra has spiked gaultlets already, and a really solid looking, enchanted armor - just that, as all of her order, she wears a helmet open at the front, like her goddess. She is using a longsword and assures you she can do more with that than with polearms.

The night is disturbed at some point, when loud shouts drift up from the direction of the warrens, where the poor folk live, but after a while it quiets down again.

Morning comes with the healthy smell of fresh bread and coffee - and a pseudidragon on your chest.

[ibtfu]

I tell Hasra that I don't doubt her skill with a sword, but there may arise certain situations where she needs alternate weapons to deal with the mechanics of the battlefield. I recount my use of the Web spell against the slavers and the owlbear skeleton and explain that longspears and crossbows are valuable when it would be dangerous to engage in close quarters combat and a blunt weapon would not be wasted if we encounter more creatures like the owlbear skeleton. I don't press the point too hard and leave it to her good judgment.

I savor the smell of the bread and coffee and gently stroke the pseudodragon atop my chest. For a brief moment, I consider forgetting this fool's mission and retiring to spend my days in comfort and leisure, but it is not long before the call to adventure reasserts itself in my heart. I carefully transfer the sleeping pseudodragon to the bed and make my way to the breakfast table.

[ibtfu]

Before ordering bread, coffee and a vegetable omelette, I inquire about the health of Pinkad Hewinkle and whether he might be invited to breakfast before we leave for the Castle. I should like to thank him for the Mastiffs and possibly buy some alchemical items if he has some in stock. In particular I'm interested in Tanglefoot Bags ,Fungal Stun Vials and Alchemical Glue.

[Grimtina]

The Lady gladly sends a kitchen girl to fetch the old gnome. He arrives in a good mood, obviously an early riser. He is feeling a little better right now, as Bri, who knows him from his adventuring days, has brought him a potion which slows his disease for some time. And he wants to know all about what had happened in the castle.

He has a good stock of all the items you would like, especially tanglefoot bags. A group of young adventurers who had ordered them a few weeks ago never came to pick them up.

[ibtfu]

To Hasra, Havran and Oje: "I'm going to advance the gold for these concoctions, but let us agree now that disposable items such as these benefit all of us and therefore the expenses should be deducted from the treasure we collect." I order four tanglefoot bags, one fungal stun vial and two flasks of alchemical glue. I pay him for the order. "Please, stay for breakfast."

If Innis or Lady Chauntessa are at breakfast "I've heard tell that summoning magic is blocked in the Castle, but a few days ago I successfully cast a Mount spell. Do you know which spells are affected?" After hearing the answer, I gather my companions and we return to the Castle.

[Grimtina]

The Lady Chauntessa nods. "I have tried to summon swarms, and extraplanar beings, and it has not worked. But mounts and..." she looks to Bri "...instruments seem to work fine."

Brianna nods. "Instruments, tools, little objects as weapons, like a shrapnel swarm, all work, too. It appears it mostly effects creature summons which are designed as offensive measure."

[ibtfu]

"That is useful information and it will inform our spell selection. Perhaps in the future, we can discover the cause of this anomaly, but for now we must focus on our immediate mission."

To Brianna: "Is the portal ready? How does it work exactly? Are there any restrictions on its use? We are eager to resume our mission in the Castle now."

[Grimtina]

"I've made contact with the portal mage," Bri says, smiling at this eagerness. He will arrive directly at the castle in 2 days time, which will just be a day after us if I remember the distance right. He knows the city, so he decided he could head straight there. I must warn you, he is a bit weird if you aren't used to him. He will bring everything needed for the ritual and can start as needed."

[ibtfu]

"Thanks, Brianna. We will tell the guards at the gatehouse to expect him. Now, we must be off. If we leave now, we will arrive at the Castle before nightfall." I take leave of Brianna, Lady Chauntessa and Pinkad. I gather my party, the mastiffs and our horses and begin the journey to Castle Whiterock.

[Grimtina]

The weather is really splendid, it is almost a shame you plan to spend your next days underground.

At the castle, there are no news, except that the slavers have tried an excape which was doomed to fail from the start. The guards at the stairs to the lower levels have been doubled, and nothing has tried to come out since.

[ibtfu]

Grimly, I wonder to myself why I was so eager to exchange the comforts of the sun on my face and the wind in my hair for this dark, stone nightmare.

To the guards: "Your vigilance is appreciated. We should be able to move the prisoners back to Cillamar within two days time. We will make a foray into the next level of the Castle now."

I lead the party to the stairway and whisper a short prayer to the gods. "Let us proceed down the stairway. Oje, make a careful search of the stairway, stairs, walls and ceiling. We will follow closely behind. Lara, I leave the mastiffs to your management. "

We slowly follow Oje in formation:

Oje
Hasra_Lara
Barnabas_Havran

[ibtfu]

Before going down to the next level, I cast Mage Armor on myself and Anticipate Peril on Hasra.

[Grimtina]

Oje is very careful examining the stairs, and this time he can find traps and the sign of some blood spilled in the orc attempt to get upstairs. The traps have been recently fitted, probably to prevent the guards from following the orcs. Disarming the tripwire traps doesn't take long, as it was sloppily executed.

"Closed door ahead," Oje announces. "Can hear something going on in there."

[ibtfu]

"I don't see much choice but to open it. You know the drill, search it for traps and try to unlock and open it without alerting them. Maybe we can catch them by surprise. Everyone ready your weapons."

(Just in case...)

Initiative:

[roll0]

Prescience (Stored Roll):

[roll1]

[Grimtina]

(I'll go with group initiative for this. Currently can't do maps due to the crashes, hopefully later today)

Oje checks the door again, then, finding no traps, quickly kicks it open.

This chamber is perhaps 50 feet wide and 40 feet long. There is a door centered in the east wall and another door located on the south wall. A table with four battered chairs is along the north wall. A three-foot-high haphazard pile of rocks forms a crude wall about 20 feet long positioned in the southeast corner of the room. Half a dozen orcs jump up to defend the room. Their skin is a strange color - pasty white - and they have unkempt white-gray hair. Three advance with glaives while the other three take positions behind the makeshift wall.

Orcs 31
Party 28
Orcs have acted.

[ibtfu]

I cast stone call (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/stone-call) positioned so that the outer edge of the spell's radius hits the orcs nearest to us and such that all the orcs and the makeshift wall are included in the blast radius.

Damage:

[roll0]

I tell Hasra to cast Bless on all of us.

If the glaive wielding orcs are in range for melee, I tell Lara to advance and attack with the mastiffs and Oje. Hasra and I retreat from the melee using our move actions and Havran attacks with crossbow.

[Grimtina]

http://www.krath.org/arania/Castle%20Whiterock/whiterockmap2M.jpg

The spell takes the defenders by surprise, and they stumble over the rocks trying to take cover somewhere. The low wall the had built shatters into pieces.

As soon as the stones have stopped, the dogs, not hampered by the difficult terrain, make their way to those in the cornerl to prevent them from firing their crossbolts. Havran hits the one not covered by the dogs, not wanting to endanger Oje or Lara. Lara is right behind Oje, who keeps one of the orcs busy with his mace, while Lara is at it with her longsword. The orcs try to gather but aren't all that successful.

[ibtfu]

I cast sleep (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/sleep) targetted behind(avoiding allies) the orcs in melee with Oje and Lara. I draw my crossbow.

Oje and Lara deliver a coup de grace to any Orcs who fell asleep and I signal Hasra to move in and deliver a coup de grace to or engage any remaining orcs in the middle of the room. After waiting for the mastiffs to attack the orcs in the top right, Havran fires his crossbow at any orc who remains standing.

[Grimtina]

(me and rolling saves for orcs... but as usual I roll well for halflings)

All of the orcs in the middle of the room fall prey to the spell, and Oje and Lara don't hesitate to deal with them, with the Justice cleric right behind them. Havran manages a headshot to one of the orcs in the corner, who had just been trying to hit one of the mastiffs with a rusty old knife. The mastiffs are now really worked up; the black one, upon getting the kill command from Lara.tears out the throat of his orc, while the red one stands on the back of the last, making sure it never gets up again.

Both dogs are unharmed save a few sore spots where the orcs, having planned on using their crossbows, pommeled them with them.

It will take Lara a few rounds to calm the dogs down from their bloodlust.

[ibtfu]

"Lara, silence those dogs!"

"Havran, see if they have anything useful on their bodies."

"Oje, you share a common ancestor with these Orcs, right? That was a cold family reunion. Listen at both sets of doors. Do you hear anyone coming?" If Oje doesn't hear anyone approaching, I tell Oje to search, untrap and unlock the southern door and observe what is beyond. I cast Alarm (Mental Alarm) (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/alarm) on the eastern door.

Formation:
Oje_Lara
Barnabas_Hasra
Havran

[Grimtina]

Lara has her hands full getting the dogs to quiet down quickly. Havan disappointedly counts a few crossbows and other weapons of bad making, but collects all the bolts. "In stories," he grumbles, "every monster has such a great treasure, but reality is always different." He counts a few coins. "8 gold, 4 silver and 18 coppers. Either they lost it all in gambling or they are really bad off. Did you notice how clean them and their weapons are?"

Indeed, for tribal orcs, they have kept themselves and their stuff, including the room, very neat, not counting a few stains on their clothes.

Oje points to his own whitish hair and lighter skin and nods. "Definitely related. If they'd behave like civilized folks and not ally with slavers and worse, the reunion would have gone better," he laughs. Then he makes to lsiten at the door.

Hasra prays over the fallen bodies. "I couldn't detect any evil in them, just mishuided habit and an unjustified sense of superiority," she sighs. "May their gods welcome them."

"I hear someone snoring," Oje says. "And I am pretty sure I smell... minotaur."

[ibtfu]

"Minotaur?" I blanch. "Ruthless, ferocious beasts... Hasra, cast Aid on Oje. Havran, prepare a tanglefoot bag. Oje, I want you to approach by stealth and backstab the beast while we attack from the front. I will cast a spell to render you undetectable while you get into position."

After Hasra casts Aid on Oje and Oje searches and opens the door, I cast vanish (extend rod: 8 rounds) (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/v/vanish) on Oje and direct him to approach the Minotaur.

[Grimtina]

Oje quickly checks the door for traps but finds none. Then he kicks it open, with all the nifty boons on him.

There is a short hallway into a chamber In this chamber, you see dozens of lanterns dangling from pegs along the east and west walls. The room smells faintly like an animal pen, and hay is scattered about the floor. Most of the hay appears to be piled up in the southwest corner of the room, where the snoring is coming from. Along the east wall are numerous weapons including a greataxe, a two-handed morningstar, and a flail.

The smallest minotaur you have ever seen, a little smaller than a normal human, spouting only one horn, jumps up from the pile of hay. He looks around wildly and grabs a spear close to him. Not knowing what's going on, he throws it at the hallway, fortunately missing Oje. Then he realizes it is the only weapon he has had with him and makes to dart for the weapons on the walls but Oje is faster. A moment later, Oje has the strange minotaur in a grappling hold, his surprised and confused opponent huffing and struggling, and, now that Oje is visible, trying to tear his hair.

[ibtfu]

Havran moves up and throws the Tanglefoot Bag (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/goods-and-services/herbs-oils-other-substances#TOC-Tanglefoot-Bag). Hasra casts Cause Fear (http://paizo.com/prd/spells/causeFear.html) and then moves forward to stand between the malformed Minotaur and Havran. Lara advanced to block the Minotaur from reaching Havran and Barnabas and attacks in melee with the Mastiffs. Lacking an appropriate spell to cast, I draw my crossbow and attack from the back rank.

[Grimtina]

(attack roll needed, -8 penalty to avoid hitting the dogs and Oje)

The dogs get an arm and a leg each and help Oje to pin the strange guy down. The minotaur starts shrieking in another language.

[ibtfu]

I try to interpret the Minotaur's speech. If it's unintelligible then I read a scroll of Comprehend Languages (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/comprehend-languages).

[Grimtina]

"Help, you moronic idiots, the slavers try to kill me. Did you devil spawn sell me out? I want my brother!"

[ibtfu]

I tell Lara to stuff his mouth with hay and manacle him. If she didn't bring manacles, I give her a rope from my haversack to tie him up.

To Oje (In Common): "Do you speak Giant? If not, try Orc. Try to make this monster understand that you're stronger than him and you're in charge now--new boss of the orcs. Tell him that if he doesn't stop squirming and shouting, you'll break off his other horn."

(Intimidate) (http://paizo.com/prd/skills/intimidate.html)

[Grimtina]

Lara nods and shackles and gags him, shaking her head at the size of the guy. "I thought minotaurs were bigger."

"It's a minitaur," Havran chuckles.

Oje grins and shouts at the minotaur in orc, mixed in with a few giant words. "Those whiteskins are dead, I'm the new boss. So shut the hell up or I'll rid you of your last horn."

The cow face of the minotaur falls at the threat. But he seems to be used to submit to the stronger folks in the area, so he does as told.

[ibtfu]

"Lara, take out his gag. Oje, question him."

I cast extended(8 min duration) detect thoughts (http://paizo.com/prd/spells/detectThoughts.html). If the pygmy minotaur fails his save, I listen to his thoughts to see if he can be trusted:

1. Where are the slaves held?
2. How many orcs guard them?
3. What was his arrangement with his previous employers? Tell him we will match whatever they were giving him.
4. Why are there so many lanterns in this room?
5. Where is your brother?

After the interrogation, I ask Oje to search the room and tell Havran "Put out some of these lanterns before this entire Castle goes up in a blaze."

[Grimtina]

He spits and sputters out the hay. "Slaves are in the next room," he says in a shaky voice and points to the other door out of his room. "Well, those they haven't sent down yet. Don't know how many orcs are around still, I don't count very well." He looks at Oje, scared that this answer won't satisfy him. "I was paid 5 silver a week. Them little people down below used to pay me 5 gold but the white orcs say silver is more than gold." He blinks and looks at the lanterns. "They are there so it is always light. Darkness is bad bad. Can't see what's coming. Can't see where going. And maybe dark will bring monsters." He shivers. "Always need light in life." He seems to check if each of the lanterns is still burning properly. "My brother is still with those not-quite-dwarfs down below. Everyone makes fun of me there and laughs at my size so I left. Up here is better but one day I think I will end up like the slaves." He tries to give a grin. "You don't break my horn oiff, no?"

From his thoughts, you get the impression of a simple mind speaking the truth, and probably not clever enough to lie in the first place.

[ibtfu]

"What is your name, Minotaur? Do you see this glowing stone?" I point to my Ioun Torch. "This is a light that never goes out. Serve us well, fight for us and I will give it to you after we have removed the rest of the orcs. You need never fear the darkness again. For now, we will double your pay. 10 sp per week. We are strong, but we are fair and generous. We will not break your horn unless you cross us."

If he agrees to work for us, I tell Lara to untie him and I glare at Havran (In common): "No more teasing. Let us earn his trust, he may be of service to us and we will show him we are better masters than the Orcs."

To Oje: "We need to reach the slaves. Listen at the door. If it's locked, order the minotaur to open it."

We assemble in formation:

Minotaur_Oje
Lara_Hasra
Havran_Barnabas

[Grimtina]

While Lara and Havran douse some of the lanterns, under the fearful eye of the minotaur, his gaze is captured by the ioun stone. "Magic light? Magic light is better, doesn't burn," he nods. "They call me Minus, because I am minus one horn," he grins sheepishly. "And I'm not bad in fights unless invisible people sneak up on me," he claims. "Yes, I will work for you."

As Oje checks the other door, Minus produces a key he has a round his neck and just opens it.

http://www.krath.org/arania/Castle%20Whiterock/whiterockl-lvl2-2.jpg

The center of the room is recessed 10 feet below the floor level, and divided into 10-foot-by-10-foot cells. There are 20 such cells, each composed of thick iron bars but no doors. The tops of the cages are wooden beams, perhaps four inches wide. Some of the cells appear to beoccupied.

There is an access corridor along the west wall that provides a route to the other side of the room. However, a pair of portcullis, currently lowered, block the way. Doors are located in the southwest, southeast, and northeast corners of this chamber, and a pair of archways are on the south wall.

[ibtfu]

"Excellent... Minus." I stifle a smirk and give Minus the Greataxe and Two-Handed Morningstar that he left hanging on the wall.

To Oje: "Do you hear anyone coming? Lara, command the dogs to stand guard against anything coming through the portcullis." If no one has a better suggestion, I tell Oje, Lara, Hasra and the Minotaur to start moving the beams while I retrieve the traveller's any-tool (ladder) and hemp rope from my haversack. "Start helping the slaves out of their cells. Keep them quiet."

[Grimtina]

Oje can hear nothing from here, but keeping the slaves quiet isn't so easy. Some of them call out for help as soon as they notice it's not the orcs.

You retrieve 11 commoners from some of the cells (A) These are residents of Cillamar or the surrounding lands, they explain, and have been forced to work in the mines. They are herdsmen, traders, or craftsmen, and due to the conditions, they are of no help. It is hard even for the priests to keep them from freaking out in their need to get away.

One cell (B) contains a single male human with short brown hair and a medium build. His name is Hugin, he says, a mercenary from a caravan attacked a few days ago. He has tried to escape three times, so the orcs have taken a liking to torture him with reach weapons. Although underfed and depressed, he is quite willing to punish those orcs, given he can retrieve his gear somehow.

One cell contains a silver-haired female elf who is gagged with her hands tied behind her back. Under the dirt and grim, she’s quite comely and displays a fiery attitude. She was captured a week ago, so she recounts, while spying on the castle. During her capture, she scorched several orcs with a produce flame spell, hence her bindings and gag. Her name is Sapphira Silverhue, and she, too, is hoping to recover her gear and the hurry back to the city to inform her superiors, as she belongs to an orgaization trying to end slavery.

One more cell (C) contains the manacled form of a female gnome with gray hair and large blue eyes. Katanya Glimer (“Kat”) is an illusionist from Cillamar who was kidnapped months ago. Her brother Findle is forced to cut gems for the orcs. They have threatened to harm her if he does not comply with their desires, thus he continues to aid the orcs against his will. Hasra knows her as a happy-go-lucky gnome, they had been searching for her for a week.

Although once a competent adventurer, so she claims, Kat’s imprisonment and uncertain future have shaken her normally jovial and extraverted personality. She needs to get out of her cell, as she has developed a mild case of claustrophobia. She#s hard to keep quiet, especially when seeing a familiar face, and she insists on rescuing her brother.

Oje warns that the commotion has been heard, he can hear steps from the other side of the wall, nearing the portcullis.

[ibtfu]

"Hugin, Sapphira, Kat, take these commoners north until you reach the room with the stairs on the western. Avoid the eastern door so that you don't trigger my alarm spell. Call for the guards and they will aid you while we deal with the incoming orcs."

The party retreats into the minotaur's quarters and encircles the 10' square north of the the doorway. Lara/Minus to the north, Mastiffs to the west, Oje/Hasra to the east. Barnabas and Havran north of Lara/Minus.

+xx+
+xx+
x++x
x++x
------

+ is a 5' square
x is a party member
------ is the hallway south of Minus's room

(Sorry if this overly complicated, I basically want to retreat into Minus's room and try to outflank the incoming orcs).

[Grimtina]

(yeah I can see it, no problem, can't do map update right now, on tablet)

As soon as you've taen up positions and the commoners are gone, you hear the opening and closing sound of the portculis at the far end, then the opening on the near side. A moment later, there are a lot of orc curses. You can make out 4 arguing voices, wondering if Minus has gone insane now or if whoever it is blocking the way to the castle grounds has come to cause problems. One of the orcs decides it is best to have a look. "Minus," he calls out. "Are you there you lazy runt?"

[ibtfu]

I clap a hand on Minus's shoulder and say: "Keep quiet, everyone. When he comes in, knock him out and tie him up."

I cast ghost sound (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/g/ghost-sound) to mimic the sound of the minotaur's snoring.

[Grimtina]

"The lazy guy is sleeping again, let's wake him up and find out what's going on!" an angry orc voice sounds. A moment later, the door opens. "It's open, he forgot to lock." Then the 4 of them move in 2 by 2.

(suprise round for you)

[ibtfu]

I cast Grease [DC 15] (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/g/grease) on the Orcs' 10' square (I try to catch all the Orcs in the area if possible), ready my scroll of color spray and then order everyone else to attack.

[Grimtina]

The bunch of orcs shrieks in panic as they suddenly lose their footing. Not being totally surprised, they attempt to put up some sort of defense. But in the small area and falling over another, only one of them manages to land a stab in Minus' leg and immediately gets his head bashed in. Hasra decapitates another and causes the dogs to be drenched in blood as they, not getting the ground is slippery, latch on to the other two orcs. While the black mastiff catches a nasty cut on his side from a dagger, the two of them are riled up by the scent of blood and make quick work of their foes, Oje and Havran helping them only a little.

The stink of wet dog, blood and ripped apart intestines hangs in the air, the dogs growling wildly, looking for more enemies.

[ibtfu]

With my confidence bolstered by our decisive rout of the orcs, I order the group to march forward down the eastern hallway:

Mastiffs
Minus_Lara
Oje_Barnabas
Hasra_Havran

[Grimtina]

The dogs charge forward, but are stopped at the second portculis, which had been lowered again.

[ibtfu]

Knowledge: Engineering

[roll0]

"Oje, Minus, do you know how we can open or bypass this portcullis?"

If not, we double back to check on the freed prisoners.

[Grimtina]

Oje and Minus are both at a loss, althogh Minus is quick to limp back and search for the key. Without much hesitation, he sifts through the remains of the orcs. A few minutes later he is back and shows a blood covered key.

http://www.krath.org/arania/Castle%20Whiterock/whiterockl-lvl2-3.jpg

Minus points to the left as he enters the hallway. "Friend lives down there," he says. "Beastmaster of the ogre dogs. Other orcs not like him because he's smart."

[ibtfu]

I cast Infernal Healing (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/i/infernal-healing) from a scroll on Minus.

"Havran, you're up for body searching duties again. Check those corpses for anything of value. I'll loan you my bar of soap later." I smile.

"Minus, who else is down here behind this southeaster door or in the rooms with archways?"

"Oje, scout ahead with the steel mirror/any-tool to see if there are any more enemies in the archway rooms. If you don't see anyone, fill the 10' square in front of the beastmaster's quarters with caltrops and then come back to search, untrap and unlock the southeastern door."

[Grimtina]

http://www.krath.org/arania/Castle%20Whiterock/whiterockl-lvl2-4.jpg

While Havran goes to check the bodies and Minus gets healed, Oje checks what appear to be barracks. They are currently empty - all the present orcs are now dead in the minotaur's room. There must be more of them somewhere though, as there are over 30 "beds" - mostly made up of straw, rags, some wooden plans and a few sheets. There are weapons in several states of repair here, some very rusty. It looks like the iaimple tools for repairing them. A whole of 9 cp ans 2 silver can be found in the southern room at a crude table with old playing cards, and nothing at all in the other. Oje shakes his head in dismay. 2In this time and age, why in the world would any orc still want to live like this?"