Szith Morcane

Your spot was well chosen and though you hear the grinding of stone as the Umberhulks pass through tunnels around you the beasts themselves do not come close. You wake when everyone has rested and by the middle of the day you find yourselves near the gates of Szith Morcane.

The very first thing you note is the lack of any Drow snipers hiding along the way and while it is assuredly possible that you didn't see them, the second thing you notice brings that previous item back into stark clarity because when you are at the gate no one challenges you. This may be a small trading post with just one merchant family in charge but, you should have been challenged at the very least.

DC 14 Perception: There are sounds at the arrow slits, someone is eating something there. Taking a careful look you can see a decaying Zombie slowly snacking on the remains of the guard that was formerly here.

Yao Pu and Ryo'fein scout ahead. Ryo, climbs up the walled palisade next to the door as if it were a ladder and Yao Pu simply floats over. On the other side the pair find the remnants of two guards still being chewed on by ten or so zombies while six skeletons wearing the remnants of guard uniforms wander around the area between the door and the next set of defenses.

The set of defenses beyond the door and palisade is the remnants of a ten-foot-long stone bridge over a chasm filled with spikes. In addition to the ten zombies wandering between the palisade and the door you also note quite a number of holes drilled into the stone here. It is easy to guess that someone attacked the gate with a large force of undead.

Yao Pu, is able to fly past the Zombies and scout a bit further past the destroyed bridge. Two stone pillars stand next to the bridge with steel doors shut and, in the arrow slits, the Imp can see living guards huddled in the relative safety of the pillar. Beyond the pillars there is a small, and now destroyed market, and what looks to be a lift to go down into the rest of the outpost.

All in all, the small army of undead at the gates might have been a challenge for some simple Drow guards but, compared to the skilled Drow of House Platin they might as well be a walk in the park.

Your group along with the summoned Imp are easily able to kill the small horde of undead. It takes a few moments and your armor is decorated with the remnants of the zombies and skeletons.

All in all, it was easier than having to watch one of the House Platin younglings. Some of you may still have nightmares from those experiences....

The only problem you come to is the bridge, which is ruined and trapped. Sure, parts of it are technically standing but, the pile of corpses on the spikes below suggest that doing so would be rather unsafe. The chasm is about sixty feet across though cut, it wouldn't be impossible to climb across or send Yao Pu over with some ropes...

Ryo’fein nimbly traverses the bridge and Kalafein ensures that he and Burny can cross without falling into the spikes below.

The small tent shops and trading area are destroyed but most of the dead bodies in the area look like zombies. The lift building that would take you lower has been shut and locked. A look down into the chasm below shows a small town laid out along stone paths that have been shaped to make the town look like a spider web.

The survivors near the wall (outside just east of S1 and where you came into s1 from where you came in) are holed up in the safety of the towers. After some amount of knocking at the door of the lift area (the brown room in s1) you are able to get someone’s attention.

A female face peers through a small hole and then moments later T’rissae feels a splash of cold water. Once she doesn’t scream in pain from the holy water the door to the lift area opens. The woman shakes her head and says, "Guard Captain Sehlia at your service. I don’t exactly have any orders for what to do with living Drow coming in to the city unless it’s a supply caravan which you aren’t…"

In the lift area the woman in charge has a few male guards who are sleeping. "Don’t mind the boys they just came back from the mistresses."

She tries with some difficulty to get out, "The mistresses came in and took over a few days ago." She keeps trying and looks like she would really like to say more but, fails.

Instead she rubs her neck and points to a map of the city, "So, the Bazaar is somewhat safe, house Sylvatreen has surrendered to the new mistresses but might be safe. Shrine to Ghaundar hasn’t been desecrated yet. Slave caverns are being defended by Fiera she’s a Fire Giant and apparently doesn’t like undead much. House Morcane was taken over by the new mistress in charge. She and her sister are doing something down at the Fane of Lolth."

She shrugs and adds, "Don’t bother asking the boys any questions. They don’t have much will power left. I can do my best to answer your questions if you have them."