Splinterden

The Guard Room

Heading down the ladder the Party found themselves on a landing where two sets of stairs that led down to an area dimly illuminated by a now-familiar green glow. Seawyr led the way down, bypassing an irritated Thyrus who was methodically searching for traps. The broad stone stairs opened into a small, irregularly shaped chamber dimly lit. To the east, a short flight of steps led up to a sturdy door set in the middle of a wall. To the north, a wide gate of iron bars blocked an archway leading to a larger chamber filled with the eerie green glow of the Emerald Spire which illuminated stairs leading further down.

Thyrus and the others arrived quickly but the rogue could find no method of opening the gate blocking the archway, Juntrik headed over to the door to the east, only to come under attack as bolts flew from unnoticed arrow slits. As bolts began flying towards them, Seawyr cast fog cloud, providing cover. Under cover of the fog, Yangrit, Seawyr and Thyrus moved up to the wall. Seawyr cast burning hands though one of the arrow-slits. However they quickly found themselves driven back as oil was poured though the slits and then set alight.

Retreating back up the stairway, Juntrik noticed something odd about one of the walls and found a secret door.   Calling the others they passed through the door into what looked like an armoury of some kind. This allowed them to flank the men in the guard room and they were quickly dealt with. After looting the corpses and finding what Thyrus suspected was the mechanism that operated the iron gate, they pressed on, passing by a statues that suddenly emitted a gust of gas that fortunately seemed to have no effect.

The first area they came to seemed to be some kind of gaol area that seemed empty - except for a gibbering mouther that was hidden under the bed and attacked Thyrus. The gibbering mouther emitted hideous screeches as it attacked and proved a formidable foe, badly wounding Thyrus and Seawyr before eventually been slain.

The noise of the battle did not go unnoticed, and more of the inhabitants of this level arrived from a nearby room. A brief crossbow battle up and down the corridor was ended as Thyrus, Tamarie and Seawyr charged up the corridor, killing one of their opponents, though Seawyr collapsed from the exertion and his wounds.