A Dark And Stormy Night

The Tor at Hightower

It was a bright, sunny morning when Gerald and Tolly set out from the Ol' Boar Inn.

Last evening, they had heard the locals tales of nearby ruins of The Sunless Citadel, and knowing well that old ruins were a possible source of discovery, glory and not to mention treasure, and given their funds were few, they set out to investigate.

Following somewhat vague directions from the barkeep Caron, they eventually found their way to The Old Road and began to follow it. They progressed in a roughly north eastern direction, leaving the neat farmlands surrounding the village and heading into more rugged hilly terrain. The sky had been slowly darkening all day, and the smell of rain became thick in the air. It had finally begun to fall, accompanied by loud peals of thunder that seemed to roll across the landscape.
The sun was hidden behind massive stormclouds, and a cold wind blew from the north. Bolts of lightning begin to slam from cloud to ground and pieces of hail began to strike the earth, the need for shelter became obvious.
Ahead in the distance, a large tor rose from the ground, its form illuminated by the occasional lightning bolt. It seemed rocky and solid, and though climbing it in this weather would be folly, it might have some outcropping that would provide safety from the storm. The only alternative was to endure the weather.

As they approached, a closer inspection revealed a massive, arched entryway at least 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide, set into the side of the hill. The ground just outside it sloped away from the doorway, directing the falling water out and away. Given this fact and the sturdy nature of the hill, whatever space lies beyond the door should be both dry and safe from lightning and hail. The construction seems quite sturdy, so the likelihood of collapse, even in severe conditions such as these, seemed remote. Somewhat surprisingly the door opened easily and they found themselves in a wide hallway with other exits. Moving in Gerald noticed no signs of recent disturbance, which seemed good, but they resolved to check the area thoroughly before settling in to rest.

They chose the eastern exit first which led down a corridor of worked stone to a wide dusty rum with a stone chest in the centre They approached cautiously which proved wise as upon opening the lid they had to dive to one side to avoid a hail of darts from a hidden trap within. The chest contained a strange headband, two pearls wrapped in cloth, and a small bag containing 100 gp.
Next they chose the central exit and soon came on signs of disturbance in the long hall beyond. The long stone hall ended in a stone chamber furnished only with cracked, moldering tables on which lay rusted implements of iron. Rain fell into the middle of the room from a shaft in the ceiling that must run all the way to the top of the tor. From the bottom of the shaft dangled a rope, swinging slightly. A drain in the center of the floor allowed the water to escape, but old, dark stains suggest that it was used to carry away other fluids long ago.

Suddenly, from a doorway on the far side of the room stepped two burly humanoids. Each stood more than 6 feet tall and had feral eyes and flat facial features. With a roar, the two drew their weapons and charge. Tolly and Gerald initially struggled to defend themselves against the two hobgoblins, but eventually, somehow, eventually managed to slay them.

They searched the bodies, retrieving a few trinkets and moved on followed the passageway to a room dominated by  a long stone table. Bright bits of gold winked from within the dust that covered the floor. Upon the table lay the well-preserved corpse of a tall humanoid, a bugbear, wearing the tabard and belts of a knight. Suddenly, the corpse sat up, lifting an old, rusted axe in one hand. As it climbed off the table, its mouth opened to loose an eerie moan.
Gerald and Tolly, bruised and battered from the hobgoblin, started back to the doorway, but the undead monstrosity pursed. Gerald raised his holy symbol attempting to ward off the creature, but his power proved insufficient and battle was joined. While Gerald engaged the undead bugbear with his mace, Tolly cast spell after spell at it, until running out, he raised his staff and joined the melee.
Between them they managed to destroy the zombie knight, and while Tolly collected the gold scattered on the floor, Gerald found at the back of the stone table, a finely crafted mace.

After this the weary adventurers  returned to the entranceway to rest out the storm