Forest Keep Session 39 “Ancient Halls with Dirty Walls”

[Wildfire]

Forest Keep Session 39 "Ancient Halls with Dirty Walls"

World Date:

Party:

Mirri: Phineas
Faznar: Chassic
Belwar: Griznuq
Zurn: Wildfire

After defeating the Iron Orc we continued our search for Burke the Ettin whom we knew had the glyph of the Varn'Khor. So we went deeper into the cave. Mirri snuck ahead and came to the smoldering remains of a fire and heard voices. The rest of the party moved forward to the fire. We then heard a resounding thud. "Um...that can't be good." So Faznar shimmied his way to the entrance (turns out the cave is doughnut shaped). Along the way he saw what appeared to be a big bear on the right side of a chamber and on the left was the garbage dump. The "bear" was just a pile of hay covered in multiple bear skins. When Faznar got to the entrance he found a big damn boulder blocking the entrance. "Yeah...that wasn't good".

Mirri, Belwar, and Ghering stay at the entrance while Zurn and Faznar search the bed for the glyph. It's vulgarly apparent that the boulder will not be moved by the likes of our puny party and no glyph is found in the bed pile. Voices are heard outside the cave though and Ghering can understand them and even speak their language! He informs us that there's not just one ettin but two. Imagine that...two bodies and four personalities!

We begin to try and negotiate with the Burke and Ernesta (female ettin). Having assumed that the ettins are actually in league with Margarath our negotiations don't really go so well. In fact, they put yet another rock in front of the cave. "Yeah...that was soooo not good." They apparently don't like Margarath either.

Since there is no other way out, we toss ourselves on the mercy of Ernesta who is clearly the brains of these two..er...four? Being able to tell the difference between honesty and bullshit Ernesta decides to let us out but not before we hand over our weapons. They have nothing to gain by holding us and as it may be, we're actually sort of on the same side.

Finally freed, we take a big sigh of relief and deep breath of fresh air since the cave kinda stunk. Through our conversation we forge a tenuous alliance with the ettins. They tell us that they were actually pressed into service by the Iron Orc (he was the boss! No wonder he was so damn tough) and don't really feel comfortable holding the glyph. They agree that we leave them alone and agree to help them in the future should they need it, they'll give us the glyph. We agree. We also tell them that we'll inform the Forest Keep that they're out here and to not harm them and that they should be able to find sanctuary in the Keep if the need arises.

The following day we're about to head back to the Varn'Khor outpost and imlore the ettins to come with us to help clean up the mess they left in front of the door. Four day later we arrive to the outpost to find that it's infested with dwarves, elves, and humans! WTF? How in the hell did they find this place? Of all the nerve...

Belwar and Zurn approach the troupe and Belwar recognizes an old friend named Scarmane. Belwar informs the infesters that we have a pair of ettins with us but they're on our side. Mirri, Faznar, Burke, and Ernesta approach (Two ettins, a gnome, and a cat lady walk into a bar...). Naturally the troupe is nervous wondering if the ettins were going to cook them or squash them into jelly. Instead, the ettins help clear their pile of trees in front of the outpost door. In short order the door is cleared.

Belwar and Scarmane use the glyphs to open the door (yeah...Scarmane of all people. Y'know the dude who we only ever met in game this one time. It's not like Zurn was carrying around the damn glyph for years keeping it safe or anything or in the party for even longer. Nooooo....he didn't do anything like that. snark snark). Inside we see a tunnel that runs deep. Oddly enough the tunnel doesn't appear to be fashioned stonework but rather more like dirt...odd for an old dwarven dwelling. Upon close inspection...it's not dirt it's Garachi guano (Those aren't pillows!). Suddenly we all realize what this means. It means this place has to be scrubbed down of all the poop that's been smeared and dried on the walls. We must undo the work of "thousands of generations".

After traveling down an impressively long poo lined corridor we come to Hall 1 with a double hammer sigil carved into the floor (the sigil was discovered after the hall was cleaned of Garachi ick). At the opposite end of the hall are 3 ramps leading to Hall 2. Nothing else is in Room 1.

Hall 2 is also empty but it also has ramps on the opposite side leading to Hall 5 and 5 and 5 (3 rooms identical to each other and empty). On the "south" side of Hall 2 is an entry to Hall 3. Hall 3 contains table-like structures tall enough for dwarves to work from or use to eat from (or both). On the east side of Hall 3 is Hall 4. Hall 4 is a long room and at either end are stone hearths that have fires burning in them. Either these fires are always burning or lit up when we entered the front door (I know, it sounds self absorbed and egotistical to think such a thing)...we're not sure. Later, after the two week cleanse, we find out that there is a secret door on the east side of Hall 4 hiding a corridor that continues east and banks north to meet with the entry hallway that leads to Hall 1.

After investigating Hall 4 we explore the other side of the complex and find ourselves in the north west corner in Hall 6. This hall has 2 circular carvings in the floor in the shape of a doughnut. The inside diameter is 10'-0" and the outside diameter is 15'-0". We ultimately have no idea what these are for but we guess they could have been used for training in some way. Hall 6 next door but not connected to the other Hall 6 has 2 sets of  3 triangles in a triangle pattern. The pattern on the west points north and the pattern on the right points south. Each individual triangle is carved into the floor. Again, we don't know for sure what these patterns are for but, like the other room, we guess that they are also for training.

Hall 7 next to the Triangle Hall 6 is a long hall and carved into the floor are 7 holes that appear to be in very specific locations. We assume that something like posts fill these holes and that they too are used for training.

Johan's Very Important Note (not expressed in game): The east wall of Hall 7, when cleaned, is found to have a gemmed mosaic of Moradin's Hammer & Anvil on it. The mosaic is 8' tall and 12' wide.

Turns out that the mosaic on the east side of Hall 7 hides a secret door that leads via a short passage to a library of sorts. From inside the passage, one can look into Hall 7 through a clever lens system that uses the gems of Moradin's Hammer  (on the mosaic in the room beyond). There are 4 10x10 tables one of which has a big damn old book written in old dwarvish. On the east wall are a shelves of scrolls and such. On the south side of the Hall 8 is a hallway that leads to a big set of spiral stairs. Hrm...wonder what's up there...

[Johan]

Thanks, WF

[Wildfire]

My pleasure! *bow*