October 4, 349

The next morning, everyone is refreshed and ready to go, with the spellcasters having learned a full slate of spells.

"Back to the gargoyle chamber...and let's open that door to the northeast." Tabrina tells the others.

Tabrina tells Urwing "Actually I didn't say that I don't think."

"I don't expect you to understand paladin humor," Urwing tells Tabrina.

Tabrina laughs, "Humour? From a paladin? Watch it, there...if your bosses find out that you're trying to be funny they'll take away your winged helmet."

Urwing shakes her head. "Sorry, you need to get your nose out of those books. Your sense of fashion is quite out of date. Paladins haven't worn winged helmets since the cataclysm."

"You mean that thing on your head is your hairdo??" laughs Tabrina.

Urwing shoots back "But, I suppose you can't expect much fashion sense from a spell wielder. Your type really should try and wear something other than robes. How cliche. I won't even start at the colors you wear: white, red and black. You'd think one was at a sporting event or the Minotaur Circus when the conclave of mages gathers. Which team should I cheer for?"

Tabrina looks Urwing up and down...taking in her weaponry, her equipment and all of the odds and ends dangling from her.

She starts to say something...then for once holds her tongue, and instead walks away with a smirk.

The party is back at the gargoyle chamber. The room looks the same as when they left it yesterday.

Elderitch moves over to the unopened door and listens to it.

"Open the east door in the north, my sweet!" Tabrina says to Reg.

"Right!", says Reg going over to the door and opening it after checking for sounds.

There is a slight tussle at the door as both Reg and El are trying to listen at it.

Nothing is heard, so Reg opens it, to reveal a hallway going north for 30', ending in a T-intersection running east-west. Going up to look both ways, the east passageway runs for 60' and beyond. The west passageway runs for 60' in total, ending in a door. In the 30-40' section of the south wall is a passageway running south.

"Let's go west and look south," says Tabrina.

Looking down the south corridor, it goes for 20' and ends in a door facing south. The party assumes that this door enters the gargoyle room, so they go to the door to the west. Listening at the door, Reg can hear a faint humming sound.

Angus listens too.

"I know that tune!" he whispers excitedly.

Reg readys himself and opens the door.

Sarah scratches her head. "What hums? I can't think of anything that would behave in such a manner."

The humming is a constant noise.

The door opens into a room 30x30' in size (30 west, 20 south). The room is barren except for empty chains and cuffs hanging from the south wall, 4 pair in total. The humming seems to resonate from the walls.

Elderitch examines the walls closely to try to determine where the noise is originating from. He also looks for secret doors.

The noise seems to originate from all the walls.

El has no luck finding any secret doors.

Reg says, "Shit...look for a trigger mechanism...and be ready for the shit to hit that fan." Reg is obviously nervous and has drawn his sword and is looking about like trouble is about to pour out of the very walls.

Sarah remarks, "Seems like this is where they keep prisoners. The sound would drive a person mad listening to it day after day."

"Strange method of torture maybe?"

"Hanging around with a paladin is a strange method of torture!" says Tabrina. "Unless one of you has some inspiration as to what this may be all about, let's go back to the east and see what's down there."

Angus, meanwhile, is trying to hum along...

Doing a bad job, but having fun humming, Angus follows the others back east.

Starting past the second south hallway, along the south wall, the hallway 120' in total, turning south at the end. In the 70-80' section is a hallway going south.

Looking south, the hallway goes, from the corner, for 60' and beyond. In the 30-40' section is a 4-way intersection with an east-west hallway.

Elderitch points to the 60' hall and says, "Let's check this way out first." He then proceeds down the hallway, keeping a wary eye for danger, and an ever alert eye for secret doors.

"We've been down there already," replies Tabrina. "Why don't we go back to the gargoyle room and open the last door, in the south wall?"

El replies "Whoops, sorry, never was good at directions in closed spaces."

The party makes its way to the above mentioned door. It opens onta a hallway going south for 40' in total, ending in a door facing south. In the 10-20' section is a 4-way intersection running east-west. Going down to look each way, the east hallway goes for 20', ending in a door to the east. To the west, the hallway goes for 40', ending in a T-intersection with a north-south hallway.

Tabrina suggests "Let's go east and open the door."

Opening the door, onto a room that is 20x20' (20 east, 10 north), the party sees a store room in disarray, with overturned boxes and crates scattered around the floor.

Suddenly the party is set upon by 4 shadows. They are on Reg and Urwing.

Elderitch will step in to lend assistance.

Urwing shouts "Undead! See if you can turn them. If not, slowly retreat!"

Sarah chants "In the name of Kiri-Jolith, I command thee.. Be gone!"

The shadows turn flee and cower in the northeast corner of the room.

Urwing tells the others, "Quickly, lets grab anything valuable looking and get out of here."

"But they're evil..." says Tabrina, looking in surprise at the paladin. "Don't you think you should try to kill them?"

Sarah remarks, "Paladine _is_ the God of Wisdom, you know. I should hope all his followers have some kind of intelligence."

Urwing smiles. "Aye. I'd rather not lose my powers and be unable to do anything at all in the service to Paladine. I have no defenses against a shadow's ability to steal them away. Fight the battles you can win. We can keep them from touching us, but that is all. It is death to try otherwise."

Angus just grins and goes looking for loot.

Elderitch will move in and search the room, keeping a wary eye on the shadows.

Reg looks over towards Sarah, unsure of what to do next.

While Urwing, Tabrina, and Sarah are debating the merits of evil, deities, and the likes, Angus and Elderitch go searching through the debris. They find, in total, 9000 sp and 1000 pp.

Elderitch will pocket 400pps, "Let's divide this out among us so it will not be so heavy for one person to carry."

Sarah remarks, "Let's get out of here. Are there any other doors in here? If not, we should spike this room closed if we can."

There are no other doors present in the room. Closing the door as they leave, the party spikes it shut.

Going back to the 4-way intersection, Tabrina sees the door to the south of the 4-way intersection and heads for it.

Angus opens the door to reveal an odd-shaped room. The wall to the right goes for 10' west, 20' south (door in last 10' section), 20' est, turns south and out of view. The wall to the left goes for 40' east, 40' south, 30' west (door in first 10' section) and continues, but the party can't see it as it is around the corner in the middle of the room.

The room looks like an old blacksmith's shop. Along the east wall is an old, delapidated fireplace. Along the north wall is a pile of stacked wood which is very cracked and dry. It is about 4' high and runs along most of the wall. Along the south wall, directly across from the party, are hanging various tools, like hammers, crowbars, S-hooks, and tongs. Almost in the middle of the room are two large anvils. The party estimates them to be about 3' long from their vantage point.

"Now back when I used one of these, I found it a great place to keep my jewelery away from prying eyes. Lets see if anything is hidden under the anvils."

Urwing looks the place over with a familiar eye of one who knows about blacksmithing. Anything amiss?

Sarah looks at the tools. "Anything we need?"

Continuing her discussion on paladins while Urwing and Sarah look at the place, Tabrina comments, "Wisdom and intelligence do not necessarily go hand in hand. Just look at Angus."

"Oh? Which of those does he have?" Sarah asks.

Angus smiles.

"That's an unusual philos - philom - errr - way of thinking, for a paladin," he says.

Looking over her shoulder, Urwing remarks, "A paladin is expected to use his or her brain to best serve our patrons. We don't all simply charge in to our deaths."

Sarah adds, "Agreed, although convincing the Knights that at times can be rather trying.. At least for the younger ones."

Urwing smiles. "That is true. Two hundred years ago I probably would have charged that creature no matter what the probably outcome. One learns a few things in a century or two."

Suddenly the image of a beautiful, brunette street girl appears. Giggling, she says, "But convincing younger Knights at times can be most enjoyable!"

"And profitable .. " The green eyed brunette sidles closer to Reg, her eyes flashing an invitation. Her curly hair in disarray, her ample bosum displayed most fetchingly, and a well-turned ankle peeking from beneath her tattered skirts.

"What will be your pleasures today .. " she says softly to Reg, her voice low and sultry ...

The image suddnly disappears and the area appears as it did before.

The tools look pretty beat up, although they are not rusty. Overlooking the room, urwing sees that nothing is amiss in the room. Looking around the corner, she sees that the wall goes south, then east to close up the room, making the room an L-shaped one.

"I've got both Sarah!" replies Angus with a smile. "Brains an' wisdom are a family trait."

"Who were they..?" wonders Angus, scratching his noggin.

"Shut up and search this place," snaps Tabrina, as she strides in.

Looking under the anvils, Urwing finds out that they are solidly made.

"Someone open that west door!" orders Tabrina.

Angus runs over and opens the west door. It opens onto a hallway running west for 60' and beyond. In the 20-30' section is a 4-way intersection with a north-south hallway.

Elderitch will make his way over to the fireplace and carefully search it for hidden compartments or secret doors. Being especially careful inside the fireplace.

The fireplace has a pile of cool ashes distributed about the bottom. The inside of the chimney does not go very far as the way is blocked by stones and rubble. Elderitch does not find any secret doors or compartments, but in doing so, a hoard of large spiders comes rushing out of the rubble and ashes to attack Elderitch. Eight spiders attack Elderitch while seven others rush out towards Urwing and Reg, who are the closest to the fireplace. Of the eight spiders, two of them manage to bite Elderitch for 2 hp damage.

Elderitch will begin hacking and squashing spiders with sword and boot.

He promptly squishes one of them with his sword.

Reg shouts a war cry and throws himself at the spiders, swinging his mighty sword about with skill.

Reg throws himself on one of the two spiders attacking him, crushing it at once.

"Duh!" shouts Angus, as he rushes over to attack.

He easily sprays spider guts over the place, leaving two left.

Tabrina keeps out of the way.

"If any of you can cast remove poison, keep out of the combat," Urwing shouts.

She then attacks the spiders vigorously, but not vigorously enough as both spiders avoid her sword.

The fight continues, with Reg dispatching his last spider and Angus and Urwing crushing another spider, but Elderitch only wounds another one.

Elderitch is bitten by another spider for 1 hp of damage. He promptly collapses, on top of a spider, smothering it.

Urwing and angus take care of their last spiders while Reg rushes over to take care of the spiders that are crawling over a fallen Elderitch. Seeing Reg coming, they quickly turn their attention to him.

Reg dispatches one with his sword while Angus and Urwing come over to help.

None of the two spiders each on Urwing, Angus, and Reg manage to penetrate their armor.

The spiders are quickly finished off without them biting anyone else.

Sorting through the ashes in the fireplace, the party finds, in total, 180 CP, 135 SP, 60 EP, 120 GP, 90 PP.

Searching the rest of the room, the party finds nothing of value.

It is getting late in the day and the party is tired.

"Anyone have a neutralise poison spell handy?" asks Tabrina, looking at the fallen El and then Sarah. "How about a sweet water potion?"

Sarah searches through her backpack.. "I think I had one.."

She doesn't find a sweet water potion on her.

Urwing quickly searches through El's things, looking for any potions she might have on her.

Sarah will try using her healing skill on Elderitch.

It does not seem to work as El's body is still motionless.

Reg nods and picks up El's body gently. "Someone else can get his posessions. I can carry him out of here", says Reg.

The party gathers up El's possessions and heads out of the dungoeon. They make it back to the entrance cave without incident. Reg places El's body down on the ground and the rest of the party ponder what to do next.

Tabrina cuts off a lock of Elderitch's hair and stores it away in her pack.

"Bury him, Reg," she says quietly.

Reg, with the help of Angus, dig a hole and bury Elderitch while Sarah gives the elf last rites. The party spends the night in a somber mood grieving for their fallen comrade.

Go to October 5,349.

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