2.2 Chapter 2: Stag Lord

Dalia makes her way deeper into the south room with Linzi in toe. Far corner of the store room their appears to straw animal bed, with gnawed bones cast around the bed. Dalia tracks the sounds to a specific point on the wall, it sounds a kin to casting a spell.

Silene you gracefully drop the 15ft and see a miserably damp cellar. The ceiling fifteen feet overhead is thick with cobwebs. Her Elf eyes can see two archways in the walls open into other rooms, they seem to be filled with with mounds of crates, furs, sacks, weapons, and other presumably stolen loot.

Octavius ungracefully drops 15ft, his heavy armor groaning for his effort. The cellar is shrouded in darkness, except the storeroom to the south.

With a flash of inspiration Dalia recognized the signs of 'One with Stone', a magical trick of Druids and Wizards. A creature is has merged with the stone wall is currently casting spells, you believe it another druid spell. The creature in the wall should be able to hear you, but not see. Damaging the volume of stone the creature occupies should expel it, otherwise it can stay from about 10 minutes.

I will have Filbert guide Octavius away from hazards since his weak human eyes can't see well in the dark. We will carefully move away from the entrance so Valerie can come in, then move in after Dalia

Seeing Octavius and Filbert having issues with the dark, Linzi casts light on herself to become a halfling beacon of hope.

There is a moment of silence, punctuated by Valerie and Harrim dropping from the roof.

Without warning an unkempt man old springs forth from the wall and makes a b-line for the ceiling. He scrambles with unnerving to the center of the cellar ceiling, clinging to the rough stone like a gecko or spider. His eyes wildly scans the cellars and the intruding adventures, moving his body like a cornered animal. "Who ars u? Not be here! He not allow!" the old man barks

The old man recoils "THe Dryad? Alway the Dryad! He Luv the Dryad! He babble on the Dryad! The Dryad nothing to Wind and Wave!" he snarls, before retreating in deep thought, then whispers in fear "Fist with strength beat wind and wave... the dryad his strength. Go, I guard!"

We should go on as the man says.

The old man on the ceiling continues to glare at you like a beaten dog.

"Then I guess we leave the poor man to it then. But do not worry my dear Sir, we will come back for you and help you to find the way back to sanity."

And with that Dalia heads back to the other hallway

Everyone starts shuffling to the other side of the cellar, with the ceiling old man hounding their progress. The remainder of the cellar seems to house trade goods like pelts, furs, tobacco, iron, bronze, miscellaneous weapons & armor, and random adventuring gear. There are some shiny chests as well, the old man barks at anyone who strays to close. "Go, I Guard! I Guards gud, Gets no fist!"

In one corner a rickety ladder leads to hatch covered with a wooden plank. Pushing up on the plank reveals a rubble-filled room that has old smells of roasted pig and cheap booze. It appears to be unoccupied.

Let's very quietly send Filbert ahead to scout, he can turn into some lichens or moss that wouldn't look too out of place using his plant form ability if people approach and return to us once the coast is clear.

Filbert rolls out in to the "pig smelly" room, slipping into the darkened fortress.

After a few minutes Filbert comes back to report

2: Filbert area as a barely a room, filled with rumble from the collapsed tower. It only qualifies as a room as ruined walls separate it from other rooms. Worse the bandits use the only remaining bits of roof to keep some wooden crates dry.

3: These are wooden stairs leading to the platforms and towers that make the fort. Filbert heard someone squeaking the floor up in the tower so he didn't go further.

4: The fort has a dusty yard between it and the walls. Very hard packed, with no tasty plants. There are two hunger horses that probably ate them all.

5. This seems to be some sort of central room. Filbert didn't investigate as there was lots of snoring and talking.

The old man in the cellar is getting increasingly agitated. Dalia feels that her spell will last for a few more minutes.

Well let's sneak forward and take out that squeaking guard.

Sneaking

As you leave the cellar, Valerie whispers "I don't trust him, I'll hold back to keep an eye on 'him'". Harrim joins her because he likes moving ponderously.

The heroes approach the stairs and start creeping up. A few stairs up Dalia steps on step to yield a load "squeak". From the guard tower you hear the gravelly voice. "Finally, what took you scummy ass so long?" followed by squeaky footsteps in the tower. Dalia can make out a shadowy figure making there way towards the tower door, stretching as they walk.