7. Return to the Halls

After three weeks in Gosterwick, it’s good to be back on the road. An early start on a cool and showery day has you arriving at the foot of The Long Falls by noon. From there, you rope-up and begin the treacherous ascent.

By 2:00 pm, you’ve completed the first two sections of the climb and are roughly halfway up the cliff face. Here, you pause to investigate the outpost you discovered on your original journey.

A 20’-wide entrance into the cliff face leads to a low (8’-tall) chamber that has been neatly carved from the rock. As before, the only obvious contents are a fire-circle and a supply of firewood.

—
2:00 pm, Totsday 25th Lucrios (April) 2993 AEP
Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 2: 13/13, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 2: 7/7, 60’
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 2: 14/14, 60’
---
Billie, Mule: 120’
—
Eric, Labourer, 120’
Hector, Linkboy, 120’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

Jacky eyes the pile of firewood. Cooking fires are certainly one thing halflings are familiar with, and by association, the means to making them. Has the quantity of wood changed since he and the others last ventured here? Is there any sign that the wood's been left untouched for a while, like a covering of dust?

Grim waddles over to the entrance, and checks the stonework for interesting markings. Etchings into stone, perhaps where other travelers have left their mark?

Ella immediately begins to walk, at a slow pace, around the room’s perimeter, starting with the left side. She has a couple of fingers of an outstretched left hand sliding delicately along the wall, sensing any changes in make, temperature and texture which might awaken her ancestral understanding of concealed passages.

Thrud watches his companions spread out to investigate, unsure what to do himself. Suddenly remembering the chalk in his pack, he pulls it out and finds a clear spot on the wall and begins carefully scratching his name in child-like scrawl into the wall.

Hector, visibly pale from his first experience of ascending the perilous cliffside path, hastily pulls a torch from his pack and lights it to aid your exploration of the outpost.
It’s quite a sizable pile of firewood; Jacky reckons enough for about two weeks. It doesn’t appear to have been used recently - the wood is very dry and there are traces of dust and (small, non-threatening!) cobwebs on its surfaces. He doesn’t think the amount of firewood has changed significantly since he was last here.
He can see no markings. The stone, whilst neatly worked, is devoid of any decoration or ornamentation. Grim recognises it as being of Archontean construction.
If everybody chips in, it will take two turns to search all of the walls in the chamber.

As far as you can tell, there are no concealed features.

---
2:20 pm, Totsday 25th Lucrios (April) 2993 AEP
Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 2: 13/13, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 2: 7/7, 60’
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 2: 14/14, 60’
---
Eric, Labourer, 120’
Hector, Linkboy, 90’
---
Billie, Mule: 120’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

"Whoever was using this place as a hideyhole, they've not been around for a bit," Jacky remarks. "I wonder what they'll make of your name, Thrud."

Here we go again. 500 gp for 10 years, that's 50gp a year. By this rate, I expect to be 1500 years old by the time we're done, Zach thinks morosely. Lowering his pack but keeping his weaponry, Zach wanders over to Ellagel and asks "Lady Ermentrout, you seem occupied, is there anything I can do?"

"When people see, they know this Thrud place! Maybe they scared of strong fighter!"

"You may stand guard, Zacharias Polipulis, unless you can think of a more profitable activity," the elf responded happily.

Zach squares his shoulders and resolutely stands at attention, prepared for danger.

Finding nothing of interest in the lower outpost, you press on and ascend the next section of the climb.

Forty minutes later, you arrive at the second entrance in the cliff face.

Stepping over the fragments of the smashed stone door and peering inside, you see a chamber that is 20’ wide and 20’ deep. The floor is littered with various items of adventuring trash. From the middle of the left- and right-hand walls, two further passageways lead away from the main chamber. However, both are choked with thick, ropey cobwebs.

---
3:00 pm, Totsday 25th Lucrios (April) 2993 AEP
Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 2: 13/13, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 2: 7/7, 60’
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 2: 14/14, 60’
---
Eric, Labourer, 120’
Hector, Linkboy, 90’
---
Billie, Mule: 120’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

"Do cobwebs catch fire?"

Indeed they do, replies ourvdwarven fellow. Good thinking, Jacky.

"If this takes us into giant spider warrens, we might be in over our heads, " the elf commented as she considered Jacky’s question.

Thrud pokes through the items that litter the floor, looking for anything that could still be useful.

Jacky pauses. "I remember hearing something about big spiders carrying magic wands. That Plumthorn and his cronies are supposed to have a bunch too. If they stole the wands from the spiders, that's a tidbit that might come in handy.

"Of course, if we want to talk to the spiders, we probably shouldn't set their webs on fire.

"If we can speak the same language, that is."

Ellagel considered the tunnels for a while.

Zach continues to follow the party and stand sentry. He feels that boring and monotonous is good after his experience with the specter.