7th Day of Meloramensis – Part I

Hogar’s Journal (Translated from Giant)

Year 781 of the founding of the City

7th Day of Meloramensis – Part I

Thunderspire Mountain – Horned Hold, The Great Hall

I stood watch last and took advantage of the opportunity to scout out our surroundings, with a view to figuring out our next move.  The building we occupied had two possible exits, to the north-west a narrow doorway leading to an equally narrow bridge crossing the deep gorge that so terrified Vic on our initial approach to the hold.  To the south-east a set of double doors leading into a narrow tunnel hewn out of the mountain itself.

Standing on the bridge I could see another wider bridge off to the left perhaps 70 or 80 feet away.  Both bridges lead to a bastion forming the central stronghold of this fortress.  The wider bridge emerged from another building further along from the one we find ourselves in and must be accessible via the tunnel to the south east. 

There appears to be no other method of crossing to the central portion of the Hold.  As I roused the others ready to move on I suggested that by travelling through the tunnel to the second bridge it may be possible to eliminate all enemies on this side of the gorge and prevent an attack from our rear when assaulting over the bridge.

The party agreed and we travelled though what turned out to be a relatively short tunnel into hallway with three rooms leading from it.  It was at this point that I learned that Rodney has a spectral rat as a pet, named Hawkeye.  He sent the rat underneath the three doors to see what lay beyond them.  However after disappearing under the third door the rat did not return.  After a little while Eligos peered under the door herself and could see several pairs of boots milling around, at least one pair of which were very grand indeed.

We pushed through the door to find ourselves in a Great Hall confronted with yet more duergar.  Three large tables dominated the room and a roaring fire crackled and snapped behind our adversaries.  These duergar were keeping company with some re-animated skeletons, which makes a nice change from the orcs their comrades have been spending their time with in this place.  They screamed their challenge and we charged them.  They gave us little trouble and the fight was notable for only two things.  Firstly my inability to hit anything or anyone with an arrow and secondly that one of the duergar quadrupled in size mid way through the fight.  Quite a sight but it availed him of nothing as we cut him down regardless.

We killed them all.  As we closed in on the last duergar he screamed at us that Mirklemoor is in the western fortress and will kill us all.  He would tell us no more and refused to surrender.  I disarmed the wretch and forced him back against the wall at the point of my sword.

“My mother was taken by slavers like you.”  I snarled at him.  “One day I will send them where I’m sending you.  This Mirklemoor will not stop me.”  With that I drove the point of my sword through his throat.  Bathed in his own blood he slid to the floor looking upon the world for the last time.

With the duergar dispatched we searched the rooms of this new building and discovered three human slaves, timid filthy wretches who looked like they hadn’t eaten properly in some time.  We gave them some weapons and provisions and offered to pick them up on the way back or give them directions back to the Seven Pillared Hall.  They are going to wait for us.