Now, with a chance to look around, we see that our bugbear assailants were wearing very mismatched armor. Probably mercenaries, not organized. The party found a beautiful obsidian mace among the corpses, as well as a very nice halberd. Menka stashed the obsidian mace in his pack, though the party left the halberd behind as it was too difficult to lug around (and no party members used halberds).

The ettins had attacked the party mid-day. Several party members were sorely wounded after the battle. Menka cured light wounds on Lycovyne for 7 points and twice on Ulland, bringing both characters to 27 points. The party decided to travel a bit more before healing and resting and headed northeast. Strangely, we did not keep a map.

Preamble#

You are traveling north on the coast road and encounter a large group of mounted individuals who appear out of the eastern hills. They are 12 men, 1 dwarf (the latter mounted on a small pony). The humans are all mounted on warhorses. All are clad in light chain mail with shields strapped to their chests and backs.

Continuing from the library, we noted that we had a ton of loot that had not been identified yet. We also unanimously agreed that the monastery was probably not a safe spot to rest for a bit to kick off the identify constitutional in any event. A large bare spot on the south wall signified the original location of the portrait of Phane now residing in the Medusa’s boudoir. Lycovyne checked around the bare spot, it was all that it seemed to be. Bare. Like a tapestry or large picture had been removed.

At the end of the eventful hour that was Session the Sixteenth the party was in rough shape, and also clean out of healing spells. Kyril handed Gonchar 4 goodberries, bringing him up to 37 points. We needed to rest, but were in no position, literally, to do so. The minotaur had fought us from the mist at (I) back to the hallway at (H). We formed ranks and marched back to the door at the end of the long hallway.

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:

We backed out of the room, leaving Hillgauntlet and his bony wenches behind. Immediately, the door slammed shut.

Flint listened at the secret door to the south, across the hallway and heard nothing. Ulland heard even less. The thieves also found no traps on that door. Slowly the feeling of doom that surrounded Hillgauntlet abated.

Double doors at the end of the hallway, bronze with a single stone step. The step glowed with some glowing, green translucent light. A human skull was embedded in each door, with a very large pull ring below each (A, below). Kyril was, of course, absent.

We all agreed that, if Kyril had indeed survived, he could get to us much more quickly than we could get to him, so we decided to press onward. The wizards were beginning to feel the presence of excessive amounts of mana in the surroundings as we moved more deeply into the earth.