as written by the cavalier, Olmas Lurecia, himself.

Wealday, 18 Erastus

We consulted briefly and determined there were a few areas on this level we had not yet inspected. Qatana quickly whipped out some paper and a pencil and started taking notes. Looking over her shoulder, I shook my head. When had she had time to take such copious notes? Did one of her mice tell her to do this? How did she focus long enough?

Perhaps that’s not fair, but I must say I’ve learned more about Qatana in the last several weeks than I’d learned about her in total, previously. And I have to hand it to Shalelu – she has much more patience and understanding than I ever gave her credit for.

One area we inspected was what used to be stables in the courtyard. Our first hint that things would not proceed harmlessly was when I heard a voice say, “Oh, they’ve come this far! Get them!” And so began the Battle of the Two Spiders and the Ettercap.

Etayne, of all the people who should know better, took the point on this one using her Burning Hands to good effect but not without getting bitten by a spider. I attacked both spiders and the ettercap, connecting in general, but it was Etayne, Qatana, and Sparna who ultimately moved them all to another plane.

Returning to the room we first encountered the troglodytes, we did a more thorough inspection. While nothing of monetary value was found, we did find scraps of paper that appeared to be from reports the night the castle was overrun. We took away from the reports that the guards in the castle, anyway, thought the violence had started first in the village and didn’t think the castle was in danger until far too late. It’s hard to tell if the attacks were serial or simultaneous, but we do know now with hindsight that the castle guard underestimated the seriousness of what they were seeing.

We did find [231] dice made of bones, which suggested they were pretty firmly entrenched here.

From the trog room, we went down the stairs, where we found 8 more troglodytes. We quickly retreated, expecting to pick them off one at a time as they exited the stairwell. Kali cast grease about three steps down, thinking to make them even more unstable as they emerged, but what it really did was prevent them emerging! Two did stagger to the top, but I’d say twice as many ended up slipping and falling back down the stairs. Finally, they stopped trying. Drat. We’d have to go flush them out anyway.

What started as a rather simple attack plan ultimately evolved into a complicated theatrical presentation. It was effective but at the same time almost comical. It involved a sonic burst, a color spray, obscuring mist, and – this was the kicker – a 7 ft dwarf. Yes, Ivan cast enlarge person on Sparna, who subsequently went in and kicked troglodyte butt. The sonic damage weakened them, the color spray knocked several unconscious, and the fighters (Radella, Sparna, and myself) made short work of the rest. Their leader looked buffer than the rest, but Large Sparna knocked him into next week with one of his powerful blows.

Meanwhile, Ivan and Kali inspected other doors in the hallway outside, finding an armory that had apparently been picked over before.

Nevertheless, between the armroy and the fallen troglodytes, we found

[232] +1 cold iron morningstar
[233] armor (half plate)
[234] masterwork heavy steel shield
[235][236][237] heavy crossbows
40 crossbow bolts
[239] case of 10 flasks of alchemist’s fire

Etayne took two of the flasks. The rest we left behind for now.

The next room we inspected looked to be an old kitchen. There was dust in here but for a couple of detectable paths. One was obvious, and the other was more subtle. We followed the subtle path first, which appeared to be corby-created. After several very complicated locks, Radella unlocked the last to find we’d exited the castle. This was a well-secured bolthole. And it wasn’t well-secured only to hide it from view. The wet walls around the last door suggest that at high tide, this exit is not navigable. Leaving the doors open could actually flood some of these lower levels.

The other trail led to another cavern which ended abruptly before a deep pit. A few black feathers were scattered near the edge. Was this a means of execution? More likely, we realized, is that this is the source of the corbies. This may be the way to their underground world, and also the source of any reinforcements should they decide to do so.

We returned to a room I’d peeked into briefly before we checked out the kitchen. It had a low walled cistern in it, and we now inspected this room more closely.

Radella and Qatana heard snoring from behind one of the doors. They opened the door and found two ogres, one noticeably larger than the other, sleeping next to what was left of a centipede that had to be as big as a horse. The big one woke up at the intrusion.

Sparna and I moved closer at that. Ivan stayed back.

Qatana then had the strangest conversation with the ogre, who was not exactly the sharpest blade in the drawer. She almost had it convinced we were here to take its order for fresh food when an arrow went thwack and stuck in its chest.

Ivan had become impatient.

Ogres may not be bright, but what they lack in intelligence they make up for in sheer strength. Qatana, bless her heart, was able to cast hold person on the big ogre. That allowed us to concentrate on the small ogre. I found out that he apparently has quicker reflexes than I’d thought when I tried to sneak closer to attack him and received a horrendous blow for my efforts. It left me near death, but fortunately my companions were able to finish off the ogre before he could beat on me again. The big ogre was then dispatched easily, since he was unable to move.

Looking around, we noticed what seemed to be a prisoner, probably potential food. We freed her, and allowed her to take her gear from the other side of the room. She carefully introduced herself as Kelda Oxgutter from the north. Her companions had not made it even this far, having lost their lives when their boat in the lagoon had been attacked. She was suspicious of us, but seemed to reluctantly and perhaps temporarily accept us as allies. I suspect there is yet more to her story that she has not shared.

Meanwhile, killing the ogres yielded

77 gp
dead turtles
[240] a masterwork but filthy dagger
[241] a nicely polished rock which, if crushed, struck, or broken would
summon an earth elemental

To the north, a passage led back to the kitchen but to the east it led to a grate over the entrance. The grate looked formidable, but apparently one of the keys we’d picked up was sufficient to unlock it. This appeared to be a crypt.

But, unfortunately, a defiled crypt. Tombs has been previously desecrated and perhaps looted. But quickly what drew our attention was not the destruction. It was the image of what one of our clerics identified as the image of Pharasma at the far end of the chamber.

Kali immediately suspected trickery – how often do gods visit this plane anyway? – and started an intense scrutiny of the apparition to determine if it might be an illusion. Meanwhile, it engaged us in conversation. The image reminded us continually that this place was holy and we should not desecrate it. She told us that we should lay down our weapons before proceeding further – another suspicious statement. Why would a god fear our puny weapons?

Then Kali determined it really was an illusion. This was no god. Now to find what was casting it.

It was Kali again who spotted a creature high up near the ceiling. It seemed to have many arms but it wasn’t clear if it was holding on or floating. Did its voice raise a note when it realized we were ignoring its warnings?

Ameiko’s mumblings returned to me. “The key you seek lies in the grip of the 10-handed one. His fear is your greatest ally.”

Did it fear us?

With that we were all struck by something one of the clerics identified as unholy blight. It hurt most of us substantially, and weakened some of us even more. It seemed easy to hit, but difficult to damage.

“His fear …” Could it be that its own beliefs could hurt it?

“Finally,” I announced loudly. “I have a use for my bolt of Destroy God!” I grabbed an ordinary crossbow bolt and shot it.

It missed miserably. But as it clanged harmlessly into the ceiling above it, the creature shuddered and moved away. Did it fear even being touched by it?

I had no reason to believe my bolt would have harmed it, but perhaps the fear generated by not hitting it was even more important. Using all my skill at bluffing, I stepped forward and sequentially clapped my hand on the shoulder of each of my friends in front of me. “It will take the blessing of Desna to defeat this. Through me may she grant you the accuracy to destroy this beast in a ray of holy light!” A couple of friends looked at me like I was crazy, but it was working. The creature started wailing to Paizuzu to save it. The fact that Kali somehow managed to summon a light archon that really was doing real damage to it only underscored the bluff.

Ivan was firing cold iron arrows and finding they seemed to do lasting damage as well. And suddenly with a loud noise and a disturbing and loud explosion (“save me Paizuzu my father!”) it became messy purple bits as Qatana hit it with one last sonic blast.

And we paused to contemplate what we’d just experienced and learned.