SorenKnight's G's G&G Red Hand of Doom Campaign

[QuadraticGish]

Aukan begins looking around the room, starting with examining the paper strewn about.

Spoiler: OOC

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Search roll: (1d20+12)[13]

[SorenKnight]

A closer look reveals the nature of the papers, mostly abandoned half-finished drafts of various reports. The writer seems to have had some difficulty with the business of actually writing, throwing away numerous copies of the same paper covered in ink blots and obsessive revisions.

The tossed aside remnants are far from complete, but what you see is still more than enough to be worrying. Not only was the Wyrmlord was sending back reports to a superior, that superior is implied to possess far greater forces than anything you've seen so far.

[JMS]

Enn steps in, darting up the stairwell with impressive speed to clear it.

Spoiler: If then

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If something's on the second level, start fighting, if not, head back down, cast spontaneous search. (Take ten on search check for everything in 20 feet, check result of 25 with inspiration.)

[Ancient]

"Thank you for your aid Cassandra. Are you willing to accompany us further? We're seeking to clear this area out." Aukan asks. He takes a moment to close his eyes and focus himself before moving to follow Enn.

"Indeed I am, the problem here seems more dire than I expected"

Cassandra readies herself for the coming confrontations.

[Ancient]

A closer look reveals the nature of the papers, mostly abandoned half-finished drafts of various reports. The writer seems to have had some difficulty with the business of actually writing, throwing away numerous copies of the same paper covered in ink blots and obsessive revisions.

The tossed aside remnants are far from complete, but what you see is still more than enough to be worrying. Not only was the Wyrmlord was sending back reports to a superior, that superior is implied to possess far greater forces than anything you've seen so far.

"It seems I spoke in truth, the Wyrmlord is not alone, not by any means, he was but the tip of a very long spear...the Valley..."

Cassandra tries to get make sense of the missives, to find the name of the Wyrmlord's master, or a more sure idea of the enemies' numbers

[QuadraticGish]

"We should double check the room again just to be sure we do not miss any information."

Aukan then does a once over search within the entirety of the room to hopefully ensure that there is nothing that they have missed.

[SorenKnight]

Enn steps in, darting up the stairwell with impressive speed to clear it.

Spoiler: If then

Show

If something's on the second level, start fighting, if not, head back down, cast spontaneous search. (Take ten on search check for everything in 20 feet, check result of 25 with inspiration.)

A quick check of the upper tower reveals little more than broken stone. Specifically, it reveals a crudely mocked up dummy of a ghost.

Returning to search the ground floor, you find something far more interesting. Hidden beneath not only scattered paper, but the armchair and what feels like an inch of dust as well, is a secret hatch.

"It seems I spoke in truth, the Wyrmlord is not alone, not by any means, he was but the tip of a very long spear...the Valley..."

Cassandra tries to get make sense of the missives, to find the name of the Wyrmlord's master, or a more sure idea of the enemies' numbers

Unfortuanately this particular officer doesn't seem to have been privy to any precise counting, if the goblins have even bothered with such things. However, what information you can glean isn't good. When the Wyrmlord left for this post his master was already well along in the process of uniting the goblinoids of the Wyrmsmokes Mountains. By now it's all too likely that the High Wyrmlord Azaar Kul could set out within the week.

[JMS]

Enn grabs the papers, sliding them into her backpack. "Nothing up there, but there's a secret door down here! Can you give me a hand moving the chair to reach it? I don't think the goblins found it." Thinking on it, she realizes that she is close to the staff her lady sent her for.

[QuadraticGish]

Hearing Enn, Aukan moves down the stair way and onto the ground floor. Aukan walks over to her and easily pulls the armchair aside. "Good eyes." he says, complimenting her.

[JMS]

Hearing Enn, Aukan moves down the stair way and onto the ground floor. Aukan walks over to her and easily pulls the armchair aside. "Good eyes." he says, complimenting her.

Enn dusts off the trapdoor. "Good magic." She wipes the dust off, coughing, and opens the trapdoor. "I don't think the Hobgoblins found this." she murmurs as she readies her bow.

[Ancient]

Cassandra

Cassandra steels herself ready for any danger.

[SorenKnight]

Opening the trapdoor reveals a long shaft down forty feet. Ladder rungs, only lightly speckled with rust, are embedded in the wall at regular intervals.

The shaft is quite dark, but the bottom is saved from pitch blackness by a faint white light, flickering and glimmering in time with some unheard rhythm.

[JMS]

"Cassandra or Aukan, you go first."

[QuadraticGish]

Aukan nods while drawing his blade. Running his hand along his blade, he casts Light on it, making it glow softly. The goliath then begins climbing down the ladder with his now glowing blade in one hand.

[SorenKnight]

The temperature drops precipitously as you climb down the ladder, falling below the the natural chill of the deep earth. As you reach the last dozen feet the space opens up around you with a vaulted ceiling enclosing an antechamber with three barred iron gates.

The gates aren't solid, leaving the contents open to your eye, but the antechamber is far from empty itself. A corpse slumps against the eastern gate, the heavy hauberk swathing his body insufficient to save his life from the massive arrow impaling his side. A naked blade lies near one gauntleted hand, glistening with a pale white glow as snowflakes drift up from it like sparks from a flame.

The alcoves behind each gate contain their own treasures. The first contains a shelf bearing ten iron coffers, the second a hidden study strewn with papers, and the third a long brass-bound trunk beneath the unmistakable form of a dragon skull, if a small one, hanging on the wall.

[JMS]

Enn looks around, casting detect magic as she does so. "I wonder how dead that corpse is. Dead, or Dead Dead."

[QuadraticGish]

Aukan casts detect magic as well and cautiously moves to the body, keeping his blade ready in case the corpse should rise. "Does anything appear unusual aside from the obvious?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Spot: (1d20+4)[11]

[SorenKnight]

As you scan the room in magic sight you see auras emanating off not only the obviously magic sword, but also from the closed chest in the third alcove.

As far as mundane vision goes, you don't see anything new.

[JMS]

Enn reaches out with mage hand, grabbing the sword.

[QuadraticGish]

Aukan moves to examine each of the gates, stopping at the third. He then cracks his knuckles brings his blade to bear. "Should I begins cutting through the bars?" he asks.

[SorenKnight]

The sword's hilt is cool to the touch, but comfortable to hold in stark contrast to the supernatural chill of the blade.

[JMS]

"I'm just going to set that aside until we can test it." Enn leans down, examining the bars, looking for a lock.

[Ancient]

Cassandra Dane

Cassandra offers a brief blessing to the fallen guardian.

"This place looks long abandoned, I do not know what it could hold to aid in our fight against the enemy"

[SorenKnight]

Each gate contains a lock lightly covered in frost. Examining them closely, you can see that the insides are just as chilly, but not so much as to render them inoperable.

[JMS]

Enn pulls out her lockpicks, and begins to open the locks.

Spoiler: OOC

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(1d20+19)[29] Lockpicking! If it fails, I'm taking 20

[SorenKnight]

Enn spends nearly a minute picking at the lock, making steady progress, until it clicks. They smile, reach for the lock...

And it fails to open. Enn sighs and goes back to the lock, which has clicked back to the starting position. This might take a while...

Spoiler: OOC

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The lock will successfully open after about ten minutes. If anyone wants to do anything else before then, now's your chance.

[JMS]

"If someone wants to search above, you can do it, I'll be here for 10 minutes"

[QuadraticGish]

Aukan decides to take a seat on the ground. "I think it would be best to stay together."

[SorenKnight]

After about ten minutes of effort each, the locks all click open.