Episode 10 - A Tale of Two Caers Part III

Wiping the blood from her blades on a nearby Duergar corpse Shayde stalked off down the corridor to check where the first two had come from.The first door opened into a large, nearly empty room. Drifts of snow had piled up into the corners, and frost covered the walls. Barred openings allowed views to the outside. Stairs at the far end lead up to a smaller chamber, the armoury, containing equipment and weapons and an open hatch in the floor leading underground out to the bunker.

Grom grabbed a length of rope from his pack and used it to hog tie the unconscious Nildar Sunblight and dragged him into the armoury followed closely by Aldrick and Tor. Shayde closed the door behind them and stood guard earlier to the door listening out for any further noises.

Our heroes took a period to recover (a short rest) to heal up. Aldrick also used the opportunity to invoke his arcane recovery and replenish a couple of spell slots. 

Grom paced up and down beside the unconscious Nildar Sunblight while the others stood by discussing what to do with him. "Arggh let me take his head with my axe and be done with it!". "Now now Grom, we must at least try to find out more about what they are planning for ten towns" replied Aldrick. "But please, wake our friend up so we can begin". 

Grom gladly obliged by grabbing Nildar by the beard and slapping him awake. Spitting at Grom in defiance and screaming In Dwarvish, Nildar proclaimed his father to be all powerful with what the found in the ice and soon his father would unleash his terror upon Ten-Towns, soaring on dragon’s wings!”

"This is a waste of time!" Shouted Grom. "Enough talking!". And Grom moved to pick up his trusty axe. As he did, the wild eyed Nildar suddenly started to shrink, but before anyone could react, Shayde had leapt across the space between her and Nildar, both swords drawn and plunged them deep into his chest. Nildar instantly stopped shrinking and returned to normal size, blood pouring from his new wound. Shayde pulled her blades from the dead Duergar and wiped them across its robes to clean 🪥 FF the blood. "It is done". Searching the body Shayde found a small key and a couple of small nuggets of Chardalyn. Aldrick cast detect magic to test the Chardalyn and to his surprise wasn't able to detect the usual taint of demonic magic. Taking the key and the Chardalyn fragments out party slowly made their way back towards the central hallway.

Aldrick and Tor stationed themselves near the cages with the bleeting goats as Grom and Shayde slowly crept to through the northward passage bypassing a trapped entrance way and came upon a small office where they discovered a desk with more dagger sized pieces of glassy black shards sitting alongside a lamp that emitted changing coloured lights and a crumpled note written in Dwarvish. Within the desk was small chest. Using the key taken from Nildar's body Shayde unlocked the chest to find 24gp and 17sp.

Collecting up the finds and stuffing them into Groms pack Shayde and Grom returned to join their companions before they all ventured into the south leading passageway. Large wooden door barred the way. A listen at the door gave no sounds so Grom and Shayde pushed forward into another large hall with small cells along 2:walls and a set of stone stairs leading Northward. As our heroes entered the room a number of once humanoid plant like looking creatures shambled out of the cells to confront them.

Lowering his crossbow Grom took aim at the creature directly in front and fire. Straight and true the bolt hit the creature square in the chest. 

Tor and Shayde moved up to fight alongside Grom while Aldrick supported by throwing fire bolts from the passageway behind. Having defeated 6 of these dead, reanimated fungus plant creatures and hoping that there was no more fighting two enlarged Duergar appeared at the top of the stone steps. 

Taken a moment to heal up, Grom using his second wind out heroes readied themselves for further further fighting. Shayde hid in one of the cells and Tor cast heat metal on one of the Duergar's armour before transforming into bear form. 

Grom's trusty axe sank deep, spilling the guts of one Duergar across the cold stone floor while Shayde managed to get the better of the other with some well placed sneak attacks from flanking. 

A thorough search of the final areas of the outpost have rise to a little haul of well needed potions, a vial of poison and a sack of untainted Chardalyn. 

Our heroes having overcome the inhabitants of this Duergar outpost made their way triumphantly back to the main hall. Tor used a potion of animal friendship to calm the caged goats and they harnessed them to a sled and set off back toward Caer Konig to return the magic lantern and rest up. 

For the concluding part of this epic encounter with the Duergar Pete and I were joined by our regular Call of Cthulu keeper of Arcane Law the one and only Mr Stu Hawkes who took control of Grom for this latest session and who may hopefully become an additional regular member of our DnD nights. 

Until next time.............