[Completed] - Quirin/Exploration - 3 March, 1 VC

[AleBelly]

I propose we approach the tower on foot and see if whoever was camping in there is still there.

If Varas wants to climb the tower walls first, I'm not going to stop him. It's his call.

I agree with this. I'd just add that we should approach from a direction such that anything that's inside can't see us through the doorway. There are no windows on the bottom floor, so perhaps we can spring a surprise.

Also, that marching order sounds like what we talked about. I'm good with it.

Varas will walk with the party to the base of the tower, carrying his long bow with an arrow ready. His heart is nearly jumping out of his chest. His campanions obviously can't see this, but they can see him periodically wiping the perspiration from his hands on his hooded cloak.

If the party makes it near the tower unseen, Varas will try to hear noise to see if anything's inside. If so, he's likely to climb the tower as per his previous suggestion.

[Keehnelf]

March 4, 12:00pm

The party moves toward the tower carefully and quietly from the side of the doorway, keeping formation to the extent possible given the landscape.

As he gets nearer to the doorway, Dorvar spots obvious signs of turmoil or struggle near the entryway. The soil has been churned up and the grass is almost entirely ripped away in this area, as though there were a significant amount of movement while the ground was wet--though it has not rained recently.

Varas keeps his ears tuned to any possible noise from within, but catches nothing. As the party regroups near the entrance to the tower, it becomes clear that a number of different types of track have dried into the mud around the doorway. After there is no obvious indication that something is going to burst from the tower and attack the party, they take a moment to examine the prints.

The first, and easiest to identify, is a handful of chaotic-looking bootprints from small humanoids.

The second is a large number of what appear to be wolf tracks that range all around the area.

Next is a smaller group of much larger tracks that seem also to be wolf tracks, but are about twice the size of the others.

Finally, there is a single very deep print right next to the stoop of the doorway that is roughly the size of a bear's paw but distinctly wolf-shaped.

[sulldawga]

Quirin will head toward the door (but not yet through it) with arrow nocked and take a peek inside.

[Keehnelf]

Quirin peeks around the corner of the doorway and sees a room that takes up the entirety of the tower's narrow width (maybe fifteen feet from interior wall to interior wall). It is unfurnished, with a couple of broad, flat stones settled in the middle of the room like makeshift chairs, over which the unmoving forms of armored goblins lie sprawled, their weapons shattered and scattered across the flagstone floor. Pools of dried blood have spread around the bodies, and smears of it criss-cross the area between them and the door, with bloody pawprints making an appearance here and there along the length of the room.

A set of narrow stone steps leads up along the wall opposite, rising to an opening in the ceiling through which light is filtering.

[OGRE MAGE]

Wendall

Wolves, Goblins, and Bears? Oh my! Wendall can't hide a visible shudder and his face looks quite pained. Did anyone see any human prints? And why would this look as though it was once wet if it hasn't rained recently?

[sulldawga]

Wendall

Wolves, Goblins, and Bears? Oh my! Wendall can't hide a visible shudder and his face looks quite pained. Did anyone see any human prints? And why would this look as though it was once wet if it hasn't rained recently?

Looks like it's been raining... blood. Weird that the wolves and goblins were fighting each other. I thought they were allies.

Quirin will enter into the tower and head upwards, bow at the ready.

We might as well do a little looting here but let's sweep the tower first.

[Keehnelf]

4 March, 12:10pm

Quirin leads the way into the tower. The bodies remain unmoving, and the cold of the early spring morning clings to the chamber despite the noonday sun, the fickle rays of its warmth not managing to penetrate the stout stone walls. As Quirin crosses the ground floor toward the stairway, skirting the carnage that dominates the room's middle, he notices that there is some kind of metal plate, perhaps a hatch, set on the floor almost completely covered by one of the large flat stones serving as erstwhile seating for the goblins.

At the top of the stairs he finds an open platform with low crenelated walls and a badly damaged open-topped brazier set with long bolts into the flood of the platform. The brazier is about 2/3 full of ash and coals, and a faint and hazy smoke rises in wisps from the contents. Bundled along one side of the platform against the wall are four crude leather backpacks and furled bedrolls.

[AleBelly]

"Looks like someone beat us to it" cracks Varas as he surveys the carnage. "But I'm not above taking credit for these kills."

He begins cutting off and collecting the left ears of the dead goblins.

Please let me know how many there are so I can mark in my backpack.

As the party moves upstairs, Varas is drawn to the backpacks and rifles through the contents.

[Keehnelf]

March 4, 12:20pm

Varas strings 3 goblin left ears onto a length of leather cord.

Rifling through the packs, Varas finds a total of a half-dozen old, heavy silvery coins with crossed warhammers engraved on one side and a dwarf's head on the other. In addition, he finds twenty feet of braided grass rope (could hold a halfling, gnome or lightweight human, most likely), four stinky bedrolls, a waterskin full of a pungent-smelling liquid and a long knife in a crude leather sheath strapped to the side of one backpack. When Varas pulls the blade loose, he gasps--the tool (or weapon) is very intricately worked and has a sheen similar to that of the coins he had pocketed--motifs of knotted cord and trompe-l'oeil engraved gemstones run along the length of the blade as though a cascade of argent rubies is spilling over across the hilt and the hand of the wielder. A single broad, obviously-dwarfish, rune is inscribed across the base of the blade.

[Keehnelf]

p.s. the studded leather armor of the goblins is beyond recovery, but each of the three bodies also bears a shortsword of elaborate dwarven design in crude but effectively-made leather scabbards. They were all the victims of non-human attackers, with many bite and claw wounds covering their bodies, arms and heads. None look as though they have been eaten by animals, however.

[sulldawga]

Quirin

Looks like we found some evidence of an abandoned dwarven hold nearby. These goblins were looters! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I bet we can sell those coins and blades for a fine profit. Not a bad day's work.

Now, the next question is: do we explore where that metal hatch leads, and risk being around when the rest of the goblins come looking for these three, or do we call it a day and head back?

It's only 12:20 PM. We could spend a couple hours exploring (assuming there is something worth exploring underneath that hatch) and still have time to move away from the tower before camping. I am in favor of a quick peek.

[OGRE MAGE]

Wendall

Wendall shudders again at the reign in blood comment from Quirin. As he looks about the room it's obvious that Wendall doesn't exactly like seeing the bloody carnage. In fact, his facial expression seems like his mind is far away from this place.

Yes! Please! Let's at least look down the hatch. No stone unturned as they say!

I wonder if it would be possible to use this place for a staging point some day after we clear out the surrounding area. Perhaps there are more structures like this even further away that we could clear out and use as well. The more area we can cover in the least amount of time the better I say.

[Keehnelf]

The front door is heavy, made of high-quality steel, and seems in good repair. The same can be said of what parts of the hatch are visible from under the large stone, goblin corpse and dried blood.

[AleBelly]

Varas excitedly shows off the blade to the others, and shows them the silver coins before putting the items in his pack. "Do you recognize any of these markings, my dwarven friend?" he inquires.

"Yes, let's at least take a look below..." agrees Varas. He chews on his lip a bit. "Although shouldn't someone stand watch above ground? I don't like the idea of our escape route being cut off. Oh, and one more thing. Let's make sure this hatch is safe."

As soon as the party agrees, Varas will search the hatch for traps, moving bodies and stones out of the way as necessary.

[OGRE MAGE]

Does the heavy steel front door (or hatch) have a lock? If so.....

Wendall begins to search the area and the bodies for any keys.

[Keehnelf]

Varas can move the body easily enough, but the stone will require at least 20 combined strength to lift off the hatch.

The front door has a latch to secure it in place, and appears to have once been barred but the bar itself is missing. There is no lock mechanism.

The dwarf takes a quick look at the blade and identifies the rune as a common but traditional one of difficult-to-translate meaning, corresponding roughly to "the enduring strength of the mountain".

[Keehnelf]

Wendall finds twelve silver coins scattered in pouches among the bodies, but no keys.

[sulldawga]

Quirin will look for something that would work to bar the door, both inside and outside the tower. Maybe a stout piece of wood?

[Keehnelf]

There is nothing in good enough condition to serve. One of the fallen goblins' broken spears could serve to hold the door closed but likely wouldn't resist much force.

[sulldawga]

There is nothing in good enough condition to serve. One of the fallen goblins' broken spears could serve to hold the door closed but likely wouldn't resist much force.

How about Quirin's longsword?