Where the bloodied party reaches the stone tower of Eletza Helgen, and ventures inside the tower.. REACHING THE TOWER The group were still bloodied from their recent battles with the goblins and wolves, and emerged from the Black Hills mine into the night. Around them could be heard many noises, making the group nervous. They decided to rest at the fire the goblins themselves had, immediately outside of the mine. First though, Dronk made a suggestion. Seeing the instability of the mine entrance - the timbers holding the roof up "Let's collapse the entrance! Those timbers are rotted." The rest of the group agreed. Dronk insisted on trying by himself to move the support beams, but when he failed he reluctantly accepted Drake's help, and also tied his grappling hook to the nearly rotten beam. Drake and Dronk together pulled, and the timber came out, and with a tremendous crash, the entrance to the mine collapsed, sending a cloud of dust and dirt into the air. Dronk then spent several minutes trying to retrieve his grappling hook, now buried in the rubble, before finally succeeding, though one prong was now severely bent from a heavy stone falling on it. "Now we can sleep!" THE RIDERS The group took turns taking watch, Baroon tending to the wounded. During Red's watch, he heard something approaching, and saw two goblins, mounted astride giant wolves, enter the clearing. They looked around at the scene of carnage, with goblin bodies laying about, and quickly turned around - but not before one fired an arrow, which flew widely off the mark. Red roused the group and they readied themselves for a fight, spreading out. They waited over an hour, by which time the sun was starting to rise. Dark clouds were gathering, though. When they were satisifed the riders were not returning, they went back to camp and sleep. A few hours later they awoke, and Baroon climbed the slope nearby, then pointed and yelled "I can see the tower from here, just to the east!" With Baroon and Drake in the lead, the group wasted no time heading into the forest in the direction Baroon indicated. As they cut they way through the bush, the sky opened up, and a hard rain began to fall, making it difficult to see in the thick forest. THE TOWER AWAITING It wasnt long before they could see the outline of the short but wide tower. It was a solid thing, short but surrounded by a 10 foot tall wall of set stones, with a roof of blue tiles. A great gate faced them, and set within it a smaller door. As they approached they could see the door hung on its hinges, open, despite having a lock. They quickly entered the tower compound, though Dronk broke off and headed north along the wall, quickly throwing his damaged grappling hook over the wall and climbing up using his modified armor. As the party entered, they saw another large gate, like the first only smaller, set into the tower. Again, a smaller door was set into the large door, to accomodate individuals, while the large gate could be opened for coaches, wagons, or other large requirements. This door also lay on its hinges, as though smashed. ARROWS IN THE RAIN As the group noticed this, and Dronk reached the top of the wall and jumped onto a battlement, the goblins sleeping on the battlements noticed the ground and began shouting cries of alarm. Arrows began flying in the rain. Red ran over to Drake, who helped him leap onto the battlements, though he did not land gracefully. Dronk shot a goblin with his crossbow, catching it in the throat. Cornelius blasted another off the battlements with a ray of frost. Meanwhile, Hugo, Drake and Baroon rushed into the tower itself, through the open door. They entered a broad hall, with large columns, and once-fine tapestries covering the walls, now shredded and torn. Expensive, broken pieces of furniture littered the floor, and stains and footprints of mud and other filth covered the polished red stone. However they hardly had time to take this in as they were rushed by another half dozen goblins who were in the hall when they entered - some wielding cruel-looking swords, others crude bows and spears. Hugo broke the ribcage of one with a powerful strike, while Drake cleaved another in two, and Baroon brained one with his warhammer. Outside, the fight continued - Red slew the goblin closest to him, then realizing none were left standing nearby, leapt back down and headed indoors. Dronk rushed across the battlements and leapt across the gap left by the entranceway, landing on one knee, then continued moving towards the remaining goblin archers on the battlement. Inside, the battle was nearly over; when Red arrived he killed another goblin, and those that remained started to panic. One broke, and fled out a door to another part of the tower, while the remainder were hacked to pieces by the furious warriors. Outside, Dronk stabbed one of the few remaining archers with his rapier, directly in the heart. The rest broke and ran, and Dronk and Cornelius, who had been grazed by a goblin arrow, then killed his attacker with arcane energies, headed inside the tower. ENTER THE DUMPLING Goblin bodies were now strewn around the entrance hall. The party pushed deeper in, led by Drake and Red. Red chased after the goblin but he was nowhere to be seen. The rest moved more slowly. The back rooms, for series of rooms they were, were much like the entrance hall. Once richly decorated, they had been badly damaged, with tables and chairs broken, rugs burned, cut, or filthy, and foul smelling stains on the stone floor. One room, off the main hall area, was clearly a kitchen, with heaps of mystery meat and herbs piled high. Nearby, Drake caught a glance of a tiny quivering bundle, in the kitchen. He approached it. The bundle, huddling under a filthy blanket, pulled away. "Who goes there?" asked Drake. He overheard a loud sob, and the huddled mass pulled against the wall, but the blanket slipped a little, revealing the face of a female halfling, tear stained and wide eyed. Hugo joined Drake's side, as did Cornelius. The halfling cried "Please don't kill me! Please!" Drake reassured the traumatized halfling, who said her name was Dumpling, and that her Mistress Helgen had left her here with the goblins. When she moved they could hear a clank, that of a chain attached to the halfling's leg, trapping her in the kitchen. Dronk started working on the crude lock, and before long, it popped open. Dumpling embraced Dronk, who was startled, and she then said she needed to get out of this place, and asked for the group to come with her to Grissenwald. Hugo convinced her it was unsafe, and asked her to hide in a nearby store-room until the fighting was done. As if to emphasize his point, at that moment a loud thud could be heard from upstairs. Dumpling disappeared into the store-room and the party headed upstairs. As they made their way up the winding stair case, they could hear a sound, like muffled yelling. GUTBAG STUNTY-THROTTLER The upstairs was much like the first floor, but the hallway opened into a chamber with several doors. In the middle was a metal statue of a wyrm. Filth covered the walls, and the smell of smoke and filth filled the air..mixed with an odor of female perfume. The group neared the statue and now could hear the noise more clearly - what sounded like orders being barked out, behind the northern door. The group prepared themselves, then Drake kicked the door in with a plated boot. The door crashed open, revealing a number of goblins, standing ready as though expecting them, which indeed they were, since the goblin who fled the slaughter downstairs could be seen in the back. The room was clearly a bedroom, with a fine bed, a large desk with a mirror and many vials of colored powders and liquids, a writing desk and a chest. However they hardly had time to take this in - for in the back, amongst the goblins, stood a hulking figure nearly 9 feet tall. A stench emanated from its body, and as it moved forward, Cornelius shouted in dismay "TROLL!" Red grinned, and rushed the troll, screaming a warcry in Khazalid - "Uzkula thagorraki!" Near the troll was a more powerfully built goblin, wearing the rich red gown of a noblewoman and with a diamond tiara perched atop its helmet. It carred a sword and shield. As the party entered, it waved its hands and babbled something incomprehensible. It seemed disappointed when nothing happened, and then barked at the goblins nearby, who began to rush forward. Near the goblin in the red dress stood an enormous snarling wolf, much more healthy and vicious looking than the ones they fought at the mine. A DESPERATE STRUGGLE Red reached the troll just in time to duck as its enormous head came down and snapped its jaws shut where he stood a moment before. It then rained down its claws, strong as steel, on him. Red was injured but returned the favor, opening a deep gash in the troll's chest. He could see the wound begin to close almost as soon as he opened it. The troll snarled, and with its other massive hand smashed into Drake, who failed to deflect the attack with his greatsword. The blow caught him directly in the chest, and sent him flying through the air to sprawl on the ground, unconcious. Dronk yelled something blasphemous and fired his crossbow, catching the goblin in the dress in the shoulder and causing blood to fly. It screamed in rage and pain and waved its sword, pointing at Dronk. Hugo, meanwhile, ran up to the troll, but missed as he swung his war maul, instead breaking one of the wall-stones. Cornelius could see the danger. Red was already wounded, Drake unconcious. In his mind, he could see their fate - slain then eaten by the troll, their bones to end up decorating the goblin's battle standards and trophies. He manipulated the lines of fate, and tried to recall his training at the Colleges of Magic. "Fire!" he said simply, then waved his hands in the air, shouting the words of Power. A orb of pure fire, like a minature sun and blazing with light, flew through the air to smash the troll full in the chest. This time, when Red's axe fell, the wounds no longer healed. The troll screamed in pain and rage, but was unable to reach Cornelius, who then threw another one, again crashing into the thing and setting part of it afire. Dronk again hit the goblin in the red dress with a crossbow bolt. It was now rushing forward to join the others. Arrows came flying at the party from the goblins in the back of the room. Baroon began casting healing magics, first on Drake, who was now getting to his feet, shaking his head to clear it, then at Red, who was covered in his own blood. Hugo rushed past the troll to slay a goblin, then confront the snarling wolf which tried to attack his leg, taking him down, but failed. THE PARTY TRIUMPHANT Feeling the healing magic pour through him Red felt his energy coming back, and he doubled down, hacking at the rubbery mass of the troll. "It can be killed! It can be beaten!" he thought, as his blade fell, again and again. Dronk killed another goblin with his crossbow, then drew his rapier. Drake rushed past the troll, just as Red delivered the killing blow, cleaving its neck asunder and nearly decapitating it. It crashed to the stone floor with an enormous noise, splattering ichor everywhere. Drake reached the corner, and saw what he expected - the goblin in the red dress waiting. Before it could react, he brought his greatsword down like a silver arc from the sky, cutting deeply into the shoulder and deep into the chest. Gutbag Stunty-Throttler died with a look of stunned surprise on his face. The group then mopped up the goblins, and slew the troll, with Hugo and Dronk both contending they delivered the killing blow, and finally deciding to settle it in an arm wrestle later. Around them were strewn the ruined corpses of their foes. Red, exhausted, collapsed next to the corpse of the troll. Cornelius breathed a sigh of relief and Baroon muttered a prayer of thanks to Sigmar. Drake headed over and began to search the writing desk. Inside the drawer he found a letter which he quickly red, then called out to the others. "Everyone needs to come see this." The party, minus Red who was too tired to move, gathered around Drake, who showed them the letter.
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The WizardIn time, you will come to know the tragic extent of my failings... Past Journals
September 2017
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