Preamble#

The trail of blood lead from the western door at (M), through the hastily erected defenses in the entrance to (N), to the two bodies Flint was examining when some sort of ward in the western wall blew up in his face, literally. The sitting corpse showed no outward signs of injury, though the man he cradled in his arms had been sorely wounded, as if by claws. Black studded leather armor rent asunder. Menka cast 2 cure light wounds on Flint, bringing him up to 25 points.

Preamble#

There were webs everywhere, though not in the secret room at (C), where it was spotless, no dust. Gonchar pushed the gray gems into the appropriate openings in the room. There was a slot in each of the four corners. As soon as he slid the 4th gem into place, a yellow, glowing field appeared on the floor along the eastern wall. Immediately, a disembodied voice was heard to say:

The Dwarven Stronghold In The Mountains#

The dwarves were not part of the training fiesta, so they did what bored dwarves do. Drink. And drink some more. The Halfmoon Inn barkeep just fed them breakfast and ale when they awoke and came down, lunch and ale a few hours later, and dinner and ale 5 or 6 hours after that.

Having let Legola return to his repose, we decided to rest in the unique Dionysian bar, heal and regain some spells. We head skittering rocks to the north and a low, indistinct moaning to the south. Not all of us heard it.

Harald and Ninax, Menka and Cathal discussed the orcish incursions . Cragenheim will be levying troops from the surrounding area in the near future. Priest and knight assured them we would be back through at some point.

Menka, Cathal and Seamus planned to travel to the Hall of Seven Pillars the following morning. Ninax offered to ride with us to the block house. With the cessation of the frigid, lingering winter the road to Westkeep was re-opened, though only a well-protected caravan dare make the journey.