The Troupe once again returns to the Cloakwood, where they raid the wyvern caves one more time. After a tough fight with a family of wyverns, the Troupe are left with a choice. Do they continue into the abyss, or do they retreat so they can finally assault the mines?
30 Eleasias 1368
I have this feeling that we shouldn’t keep descending into this cave. The Iron Throne’s mine is our goal, not these wyverns. And yet, I can’t leave these caves too soon. I tell the others I’ll scout ahead, and they agree to wait for my call.
I gulp down a Potion of Invisibility, and my body fades away, now darker than these caves. As long as I am quiet I should be undetected. I walk deeper, careful to avoid stepping on scraps of bone or carapace underfoot. I’m forced to cover my nose and mouth in a feeble attempt to resist the putrid smell of rotting flesh.
I see an adult wyvern picking flesh off the maggot-filled corpse of a much larger wyvern. The dead wyvern is stuck with spears. We weren’t the first to venture this deep into the cavern.
Then I feel heat and here a faint crackling coming from my right. I can smell burnt meat over the stench of death. I look over and see a warm glow, the glow of bright red scales lit up by flame. A red dragon? No. It’s too small for that. It’s a fire drake, a smaller, evil creature, but no less dangerous than its larger kin. We only have Fireballs and Minute Meteors prepared. Fire magic such as this would only heal this beast.
It hasn’t seen me yet, but I have to keep moving before the potion’s effects run out. My heart races as I move away from the creature.
We cannot hope to win against a fire drake, but I can see something reflecting the drake’s flames beneath the corpse of the dead wyvern. I carefully make my way toward it, hoping the potion lasts long enough. The wyvern is too distracted by its meal to notice as I reach a smaller, elven, corpse. I would have thought it human were it not for the ears barely being preserved.
The corpse’s equipment still intact, so I carefully move everything I can from it into my Bag of Holding. I keep an eye on the wyvern the whole time. It flaps its wings as it consumes the flesh of the larger wyvern. Is this how they express satisfaction?
After I have everything I can take I make my way back to the others. I tell them of the fire drake and they agree that it is too risky to try and slay the beast. We follow the light of the Sun and ascend the steps back to safety.
Once outside I take stock of the equipment I recovered from the would-be wyvern hunter. The deceased was wearing an Elven Chain when they died, but it failed to prevent a killing blow.
There were several weapons laying near the corpse, including an enchanted wakizashi, an enchanted quarterstaff, and a powerfully enchanted morning star. These are not weapons belonging to a single person. Many others must have perished within the Wyvern’s Cave.
I also pulled out a single dart from the corpse’s hand. I sensed it had an enchantment, but I knew not what it was. Aura takes a look at the rune inscriptions, and identifies it as a magical dart once owned by the moon elf Zaldor. It was passed to his son, Xarnor, and it is likely his life ended fighting wyverns within the caves.
I had also pulled an ornate ring off the deceased moon elf, embedded with a black jewel that glimmers in the sunlight. Aura recognises the ring, and says it will improve the skill of anyone using a melee weapon. I am usually at the front with Bashrik’s Hammer, so I decide to take this ring. I give my Ring of Holiness to Branwen, so she can be better connected to Tempus.
There was also a Wand of Fear, but they must have learned the hard way that wyverns have nothing to be afraid of.
On their belt were three Potions of Additional Healing and a Potion of Remarkable Healing. Kivan and I split the potions between us. With so many unused healing potions, they must have fallen quickly.
With our new treasures sorted through, we move away from the cave before night falls and the wyverns come out to hunt for food. We find a ravenous bear near the cave, probably hungry, and probably attracted to smell of death emanating from the cave. It decides to try and make us its next meal.
With a couple of arrows, Kivan dispatches the bear. As I clean the blood off Bashrik’s Hammer, I contemplate the bear’s fate. It would have met far worse had it stumbled into the wyvern or the fire drake.
Kivan stares at the bear’s carcass from beneath the shadow of a tree. He is deep in thought, as if disturbed by the animal’s death. I approach him and he speaks without moving his gaze.
Kivan: Do you know what “Shilmista” means in Common tongue?
Aegon: The Forest of Shadows…
Kivan: Yes, it means the “Forest of Shadows”. Of late I often think that for me it is indeed full of shadows.
Aegon: Shadows from the past?
Kivan: You have a sensitive heart, Aegon. Indeed, Shilmista is full of shadows of those whom I loved, and who are with me no more.
I sigh quietly, but do not interrupt the elf. He lowers his head and it feels like the forest falls silent for a moment.
Kivan: Deheriana, my beautiful Deheriana… The shadow of my beautiful Deheriana waits for me there, perhaps. I shall bring her the heart of her torturer and beg for forgiveness. There are two more shadows walking lightly among the trees – they belong to my brothers, who had fallen defending Shilmista against Orcish invasion.
By the gods, I didn’t know of the loss of his brothers as well. How long has he had a need for revenge?
Aegon: Your brothers? Invasion of Shilmista? Would you tell me more about it, Kivan? I confess, I do not know much about your native land. And even less about you…
Kivan: There was a great war in Shilmista some years ago. A sect worshiping Talona, the human goddess who has deserved her title as the Lady of Poison, created a secret enclave in the Snowflake Mountains, bordering Shilmista.
They were poised to conquer the whole region: the Elven forest of Shilmista, the human settlement of Carradoon, and Edificiant Library. We fought bravely the orcish host they assembled, and the attack was repelled… but, alas, the cost we paid for freeing our homeland was many lives.
My father, Echtellion, and my two brothers – Tinuvil and Arenel – were among the fallen.
Aegon: My condolences, Kivan. Time and distance are the great healers of the heart’s aches. Is that why you left Shilmista?
Kivan: Aegon, could we leave this talk for another day? After years of silence I feel strange talking about my past…
Aegon: As you wish.
Kivan: Amin hiraetha… I am sorry… I shall explain everything to you one day. Somehow I feel that you are given the strange power to judge people and their deeds. I wish I knew what is the source of this power…
He has lost everything. His whole family. Vengeance is all he has left. Is that my fate as well?
I never even knew my family, not really. Never had a wife or children. But Gorion was a good father to me and losing him…
He was the only family I had. And he was taken from me by the very same people that took Kivan’s. He doesn’t follow me. We just happen to walk the same path and crave the same blood. But the others… Do they truly understand what I am leading them into?
As we walk onward, my thoughts drift to loss and vengeance. Passing wolves seem to share a mute understanding of our purpose. They let us pass unhindered.
We walk for a few hours and see the motte and bailey just as the sun starts getting low. Finally we have made it back. It was a slaughter last time we were here. I tell the others to ready their weapons as we approach. They will likely have replace the guard that was waiting for us last time.
We cross the bridge and enter it once again, but the only welcoming committee waiting for us are a couple of horses in the stables. Some of the grass is darker, stains remaining from the blood spilled last time we were here. It’s eerily quiet, except for the occasional bray of the horses or the quiet whistling of slow winds.
We enter the building in the courtyard and disturb a couple of guards roasting some meat. They draw blades only to meet hammer and arrows’ deadly blows.
These are just foot soldiers, not the experienced fighters and mages were expecting. Perhaps we have been thinning out the number of allies the Iron Throne has to draw upon.
The chests here are locked, but Aura is able to bypass the locks with a flick of her wrist. One of the chests contains a few weapons. Among them is another Dragon Scepter, its origins still lost to time.
The other chest contains some coins, a zircon gem, and a Potion of Magic Shielding. This should help us if we meet any mages defending the mines.
We ascend the stairs here and find a man cowering in the corner. He begs for his life as soon as he sees us.
Guard: Please! Don’t kill me. I’ll tell you where the mines are. Yes, I’ll do that for you if you spare me! The entrance is in the bailey to the east. Please let me live.
We choose to let him go, and he almost falls down the stairs as he rushes down. Poor human is terrified. It’s made me wonder just how many men have fallen to my hammer thanks to the actions of the Iron Throne.
This room has several bunk beds with a chest at the end of each one. It must be a barracks meant to house those defending the mine. The chests are locked, but they don’t use any mechanisms Aura can’t break through. Inside we find some gold and simple weapons that the guards must put to use when on patrol.
Our friendly guard said the mine was below the bailey to the east. We follow his direction and find another bridge guarded by a Blacktalon.
We cut him down quickly and continue across the bridge. Only to find more Blacktalons waiting for their death on the other side.
The eastern bailey is empty of both sound and people. We haven’t broken a sweat so far, but we are still wary of an ambush. There is a raised wooden cabin here and nothing else. Atop the steps leading to it is a sliding door. Is this the entrance to the mines?
While the others keep watch, I climb the steps and carefully slide open the door, anxious to see what lies waiting for us within.
Inside we find four guards waiting for us. One is more heavily armoured, and is clearly the leader as he orders the rest to kill us.
I use my god-given abilities to inspire Horror in the guards. We are blocking the entrance so they rush to the corners of the room and try their best to break through the walls.
Two of the guards die screaming before the effects of my spell start to wear off. The last guard and his leader are not in a good position to defend themselves.
Branwen kills the last guard, but the leader is better prepared with healing potions. I ask the Weave to Hold him in place.
Before I can release my spell the guard sinks his sword into my gut. Despite the searing pain, I’m able to maintain my focus and the Weave’s energies stiffen his body, leaving him unable to move.
I pull myself off of his sword and Kivan passes me the Potions of Additional healing. With the guard unable to move, he is unable to continue drinking his potions or defend himself anymore.
I’m still holding my stomach when he falls. Sometimes you can still feel the pain of a wound even after its healed. The adrenaline fades as we bind wounds and ready ourselves for whatever might be waiting below.
The guards had simple chain mail and long swords, but their leader’s armour was more interesting. It is a plate mail crafted from the shell of an umber hulk. Branwen considers donning the armour, but then she decides it is too restrictive.
Gameplay Note
With the Dexterity penalty, this armour would give her the same AC, but would reduce her THAC0 with her sling.
He also wears a belt that grants him great strength. No wonder he was able to wound me with ease. Kivan is the only one of us with the skills to take advantage of it, so he replaces his girdle and his muscles seem more well defined.
He also carried an enchanted bastard sword, but since we have better weapons it goes into the Bag of Holding.
There is another locked chest in this room that Aura picks open. Inside we find a couple of swords and some gold. The only other thing of interest are some stairs on the other side of the room. Stairs that lead down.
We step carefully as I lead the others down. The wooden steps creak and I am afraid it will alert more guards. But there are none down here, only a wooden platform attached to cogs and levers. A chill wind blows from the platform Aura tells us it is an elevator that will take us deeper underground.
We have found the entrance to the mines.
