- Resting nearby, the group slept to awoke the next day with a dilemma - what to do? They decided to investigate the trap-door as it might be easier to get into the goblin city.
- Dropping a light spell into the room revealed that there were creatures trapped in the inky blackness. Jahnna heard a slippery scuttling and briefly saw something slide translucently across the rocks in the room into a dark corner on the ceiling.
- The beings in the room tried to communicate with the party. Whoever put their head near the grate felt a comb-like sensation through their mind and heard a buzzing sound that resembled a concept. After much confusion it seemed like the beings were asking for a specific person. Images similar to ancient Egyptian temples were place in their heads and these beings were seen as Lords of the people around them (Hemnat in the vision). The beings were like amoeba, but having a more opaque Man-shaped grey-matter in their centre which when it moved, the outer being moved also. Weird! After some trial-by-error it seemed Chl-Lak was the one who could best cope with their requests, and it transpired that they had been trapped hundreds of years ago by the Inquisitors. Much magic had been placed beneath the trap door that would kill any thing that passed through it, themselves included. Feeling benevolent, the group sought a different plan - Chl'Lak burrowed though the unprotected rock nearby with Lightning Bolts and freed the creatures. They were most grateful and empowered an item in the group to be a permanent link to them. If the group needed anything important, they should call. These beings were known as the Lords of Aeons. The group mentioned the Inquisitor attack in the mountain pass and the Lords said they would investigate further, heading off down the corridor.
- The group then went for the jugular and attempted to get access to the goblin city. Attempting to climb down the rocky shaft, they fell and nearly managed to kill themselves (as usual), Chl'Lak slipping and nearly taking Jahnna who was below with him. Dragging them back up and healing the near-dead, the group rested to recover magic points, to the sound of sawing below. The goblins were building a barricade across the shaft :(
- Undeterred, the group proceeded down, and when deciding what to do, how to do it, Tyr grabbed a piece of paper from Valdamean's belt pouch and knocked on the hastily-built barricade. A quick goblin (or was it orc? they all sound the same anyways!) retort was heard. Tyr answered and said that he had been invited to go below. The barricade was opened and Tyr descended.
- After a few minutes of discussion Tyr said that the group were invited to join them. Val had been in communication and it was decided that since the piece of paper ad been some kind of password, they would say they were here on a trading mission for some (well one actually) pelts. Showing a couple of weapons as trade the goblins were totally impressed and proceeded to escort the group through the corridors.
- The group headed this way and that for ages, going deeper and deeper within this magnificent mountain fortress now spoiled with dank excrement and abhorrent excuses for creatures. They passed through a room and were invited to join a small group of gobbos for some food and drink. Not wishing to offend, they joined and were offered the most foetid plate of "food" and rank cup of "wine". Pretending to eat, Tracebe took a sample of the "wine" for later analysis.
- After about 20 minutes of awkward silence, they moved on and were soon introduced to a chieftain in a great hall. He was only an orc and wore the headdress of a hyena. Tyr translated the conversation and the orc was ready to do business. The group showed a pair of daggers and the orc was mighty impressed at the workmanship and began to remove his headdress. The group (through Tyr) said that they were looking for lion headdresses and not hyena, but thanks anyway. The orc said he could oblige and took them to a large hall where many animals, still fresh (and some still alive) were being skinned for their pelts. A couple of nearly dry lioness skins hung nearby and he offered them as trade.
- The group politely declined as they said they were interested in something more grand. The orc thought for a moment and said he might be able to sort something out, but they would need more to trade. The group showed a longsword and he asked them to follow him.
- A few minutes later, with a small posse of gobbos and an orc chieftain, they were introduced to an ogre with a mighty fine lion headdress. Unfortunately, not that of Simba's mate. The gobbo posse were told to "fuck off" by the ogre and the two had a heated conversation for a couple of minutes while the group looked on, ready with their weapons just in case.
- The orc and ogre then offered the group a deal for their weapons and said they looked forward to doing business with them again. With tactful bullshit, the group persuaded them that they wanted a particular headdress as a sign of good faith and to seal the trade bond between them. After a small punch-up between the orc and ogre, the group were lead on again and into the great hall where a mountain troll sat atop an old throne, resplendent in his headdress.
- The troll was more cagey and wise than the other thick-skins and did not want to accept the offering. Besides, the orc and ogre had to get their trade for their headdresses too - a fact that had been overlooked, but everyone wanted their cut of the deal. After a bit of negotiating aside with the troll, the group agreed that it would be daggers for the orc, longsword for the ogre and a special treat for the troll. The troll explained however, that the headdress is a sign of superiority, so the weapons needed to reflect the same standing, and he was worried that the others would attempt to overthrow his leadership when the trade was made, as it might be used as a sign of weakness itself as he could be seen as giving away his (and their) power.
- Chl'Lak solved this by offering a fine great sword, and used a bit of magic to give it a flame blade. The thick-skins were very impressed, and the orc and ogre became very nervous. The group explained how the flame blade worked - that it could be used once per day with a magic word (all lies of course).
- The troll asked if he could wield it to see the balance and the group asked that he didn't try any funny business as they were prepared to act with deadly force if necessary. He whispered to them that he wanted to remove the most obvious threat as a test of the weapon's effectiveness. Smiling, the group handed the sword over and stood back, still with hands on hilts just in case. Never trust a troll ...
- The orc and ogre stood in awe as the troll held the weapon aloft and applauded its majesty. Unfortunately, this was short lived as the troll swung the flaming sword with great force down severing the ogres leg. The orc leapt back and drew his puny longsword, and the ogre fell to the floor. A short battle ensued but with the mighty sword and superior strength, the troll soon defeated the unworthy opponents.
- And then he made his biggest mistake.
- He turned and decided with this much power he could take on the world (or at least the party). The sword went dull - Chl'Lak stopped the flam blade spell (which surprised the Troll, but also enraged him). Chl'Lak placed a new flame on Shy's sword and everyone set their spells to "kill". After a bevy of stuns and a little sword play, the troll was knocked over and sliced and diced.
- Tracebe began a ritual (and everyone joined in) to call and bind the spirit of the now dead troll. Fortunately, since the troll was not actually dead (the severed limbs were slowly crawling back together), Tracebe's invocation spell was able to summon the living spirit from the disparate pieces. A grey shade of a spirit appeared before them. The advantage of the groups ritual contribution was a great help in calling the spirit, but Tracebe had to take it on alone to control it. With a tense and difficult mental battle, Tracebe managed to overcome the spirit, and the group completed the binding ritual and sealed the spirit into Shy's sword. The pieces of troll flesh fell dormant.
- Picking up the headdresses of the three leaders, the group proceeded out into the corridors to be greeted by many gobbos, orcs, ogres, etc. Tyr translated and it transcribed that since they were wearing the headdresses they were now considered the armies leaders. Making their excuses to leave (for at least a month), the group were escorted with much celebration out of the city and headed off into the sunset. When they returned a great "feast" would be prepared in their honour.
- Travelling up the gorge, the group called on Simba and offered the headdress as a token. The group called on the Lords of Aeons to help unbind the spirit and Simba's mate was released. The two spirits got soppy and departed into the aether. The Lords also departed.
- Wondering what to do next, the group headed back to Sable and she told of a disturbance in the ley network. The group decided to go back to Longroost just in case there was substance in the visions.
- Approaching the town, they saw a low mist outside the rudimentary barricade, moving slowly away from the town. Six guards stood lifeless around the perimeter, nothing more than husks of what were once strong Hemnat. Worried, and curious, the group proceeded into the town.
- They checked everywhere, the pub, their houses, but there was nobody there. Faint echoes of life haunted their ears, but at every turn there was nothing but shadows of a lively town. The ale was still fresh, the food on the tables was still warm, as if everyone had just left, but the air was stale and cold, and the town seemed to be drained of colour and life.
- The group noticed that the obelisk that used to be in the marsh had been moved to the town square and the hawthorn that Tracebe had planted had now grown to entwine the entire monolith. A dark shade engulfed the whole mass, secreting a low mist which slowly spread out around the square. Tracebe identified it as a dark and powerful spirit.
- Seeking an answer to this, the group headed to Kalarell's place and Jahnna and Shy discovered a secret bookcase entrance to an antechamber beneath. Tracebe said he knew nothing of this and the party went in. In the room below they found a library with many unusual and ancient books. Some were magical and the group read with interest.
- One was a dictionary of demon spirits, and it clearly identified what you needed to summon them and how to appease them. Flicking through, the group discovered that the spirit was a third circle spirit demon (generically called a Pa'uqash) that required the sacrifice of souls to appease it and to allow it to be bound. It appeared that the whole town had been used as bait!
- On the desk was a series of drawings that showed the ley network of obelisks and altars, and showed that by moving the one in the marsh to the town square, a discordant harmonic could be set up to infect the rest of the network. Sable's obelisk was the nearest which is probably why she could detect this disturbance.
- Another book carried inscriptions and spells, many of which could be read directly from the page - like scrolls - a rare and invaluable find. There was also a book with summoning and banishing spells, but no clues as to what was needed to get rid of the Pa'uqash.
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