The group of heroes made their way through the Eisen forest. They
were headed toward the village that the other villagers hadn't heard
from in some time. Getting there with little trouble other than
constant slow and cold rain, they came out of the forest at the edge
of a small valley, the village nestled at the bottom. The whole
valley is dominated by a large outcropping of rocky cliffs, opposite
from where the group exited the forest.
The village is quite small and (besides several dogs, chickens,
goats, and sheep) showed little signs of life other than a few wispy
streams of chimney smoke. The rain subsided but the clouds hung dark
and menacing above, seeming to barely clear the telltale signs of
ruins perched on the cliff-top.
The remains of a road, now mostly a muddy track, run through the
middle of the village and steeply up the north side of the cliff.
There is no sign of anyone on the road or in the village.
Suspecting foul play (and why wouldn't they?) they decide to on a
plan of action. Reynaldo would walk boldly through the village and see
if anyone would respond to him if he knocked on a few doors. His
eventual destination would be the ruins on the cliff by way of the
north road. Jenner would pace him on the lip of the valley (actually
only a few hundred feet away) and cover him with his longbow in case
he is attacked. Meanwhile William and all the others would make their
way up the south side of the outcropping where the cliffs are not as
steep and dangerous.
Putting their plan into action, Reynaldo cautiously made his way into
the village. Picking what looked like a smithy, he knocked repeatedly
on the stout door but got no response. He though he heard a noise
inside but was unable to get anyone to answer him either at the
smithy or any other building in the village. Giving up, he made his
way through the village and began climbing the steep road to the
ruins. Jenner noticed someone at the shutters of one of the houses in
the village but the person was quickly out of sight so he continued
to pace Reynaldo. After Reynaldo got to the top of the cliffs and
began to explore the ruins, Jenner picked a defensive position on the
road; an old archer position behind thick, crumbling walls. There he
commanded an excellent view of the valley and waited for word from
the others.
William and company made their way up the south side of the cliff
with little difficulty. By the time they got there, Reynaldo had
searched the ruins pretty extensively with no sign of entry into the
lower levels if in fact, lower levels existed. Another search of the
area by everyone by Jenner turned up just as little. Soon to lose
what little light there was, the party was at a loss for what to do.
Fellhand had 'invited' them to 'one of his holdings' but was no where
to be seen. Was this the correct ruined keep? After all, it isn't like
there are a shortage of them in Northern Eisen. They knew they were
in the right place after William discovered that the effigy of a
knight on one of the crypts in the back of the ruins had the same
stylized "F" on its shield as Fellhand's signet ring. But what to do
now?
As they were discussing their next move, Jenner cried a warning from
below. A strange fog had begun to creep purposely and quickly toward
the village. It poured thickly over the lip of the little valley from
the forest and sent tendrils ahead of it like grasping hands.
Deciding it would better to take cover, the group raced back toward
the village to try to take cover in one of the houses or shops, if
the frightened owners would allow them entry. The problem lay in the
fact that they had to run directly toward the strange fog and gain
shelter before the fog reached them.
As they reached the village they heard whimpering from under porches
as the cowering dogs wisely took cover. They also noted that the
chickens had taken to the rooftops. Several stupid sheep stood
directly in the path of the fog, however.
Though they desperately tried to convince the villagers to allow them
entry, they were refused. Meanwhile the sheep bleated in pain as the
fog covered them and made its way into the outskirts of the village.
For a bit, the blood of the sheep outpaced the fog and then was
covered by the heavy mist. They group decided to climb onto the
rooftops since the fog appeared to be no higher than 5 or 6 feet.
Gaining the rooftops just in time, they shivered in the cold evening
as the fog passed directly beneath them. The unmistakable sounds of
many people whispering came from the depths of the mist. It was as if
a large army used the fog as cover but no figures or shadows showed
in the thick mist.
The fog made its way through the village and started up the road to
the ruins. The sun briefly broke through the clouds to the west,
staining the low-lying clouds blood red. Then it was gone and
darkness settled on the scene. With the loss of sunlight, the
temperature took a drastic plunge.
As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Jenner pointed to the top of
the cliff in surprise. What they saw surprised them all. The large
shape of an intact keep loomed on the top of the outcropping. Light
poured through the windows and the telltale sounds of music drifted
down with the night breeze.
There was a celebration going on in the keep and it seemed that they
were invited...