Day 73 – Night
Camping again in the tower’s stables. I spent most of my time tending to Felganis who was recently wounded by an evil lightning bolt trap. No the trap was not evil, but it was carefully positioned to strike anyone approaching the great column of the amethyst deep crystal.
He was almost blown apart, and if it was not for the luck that Aenir had a healing potion, we would have lost him. I am still amazed we saved him though, even with the potion. Now at least he was breathing, we could rest.
Don went out to forage… to fish at the cost nearby.
Day 74
We brave the tower yet again. This time to investigate the crystal and the other rooms. My Dispel Magicks failed to affect the lightning bolt trap, twice. So it was concluded we search the rest of the tower – both for loot as well as possible survivors – we have yet to find the bodies of the other travellers.
Searching the large trapdoor, it opened up to a large storage room. Mostly dry goods and unperishables such as coal. We found signs of a fire here, a camp. One man, and he was most likely wounded. The fireplaces were strange, well made, and the dwarves commented on the fact there were no noticeable chimneys from the outside – and come to think of it, no sign of smoke either.
We moved up again, searching rooms and floors as we approached the level with the Bone Claws. This time we engaged them in combat, and it was brutal and swift.
Two of my summoned animals – one a man sized crocodile and another a wolf. Both were almost ineffective, doing minor damage before they were dispatched. The dwarves once again, with potions and skill were able to defend themselves and douse an area in grease and one of the monsters in alchemical fire. The fire was effective at least doing some damage.
I followed our plan, and as the crocodile was finally dispatched, I plied the clay into an extended wall sliding the very rock-granite stone, sealing off the open archway and protecting us from those horrid claws.
Aenir commented that the room was an armoury. We made note of it and continued up to the next levels.
Next level was a dormitory of sorts, but with a dozen or so room. Here we found evidence of another camp – most likely the church-folk. Five perhaps.
Up again was a more fabulous rooms and level, at least at one stage. Glass windows, wood panelling on the walls, and larger rooms. Most likely was once the domain of the tower’s ruler. Other rooms were probably used by servants and a fireplace as well.
The next level was the top. Here we found the bodies. Four of them, sliced up by one of those steel dogs. Another body and the broken remains of the construct. The last one though appeared to have been murdered – from behind. I would bet it was Fenris, I thought to myself but yet we found no sign of him.
This room was some kind of library, and a magic circle protecting a pedestal was here too. No book was mounted though. As we walked around the room,. we marvelled more at the Freeze on the wall – delicate artwork that has stood the test of time, told a tale that would amaze us soon enough – but an archway and stairs heading up was enough of a destraction for that to wait.
At the top, another Cold Iron Door. This one was open and as we left out into the level, we felt the bite of the cold wind – could see for miles between the gaps in the ‘wall’. We explored a bit, fighting off the cold and turned to see an amazing sight. We all almost fell backwards in fright.
Two Shield Guardians – constructs of immense power – protected what seemed to be a bell-holding area. Don lifted me up to look a bit closer. The bell would have sat here, and below it an impression.
By the Saint, the bell’s power would have been channelled directly into the Crystal below. Or worse. What if the crystal was storing the power of the bell?
We quickly left that level, and went back down to examine Freeze on the wall. Felghanis and myself studied it careful while the others carried the bodies down to the ground outside.
The story that was unravelled was amazing. When man first came to the land of Kiltayre, it was blanketed in a never ending winter – a winter formed and controlled by the great Frost Titans.Kentos, the legended giant slayer, quested to find the Three Books of Winter – the Fimble Winter. Kentos acquired one of the books and was fighting an Elder Titan for another where he fell at the mouth Grey Wind River – the river was less than three days away from the Iron Tower.
His soldiers managed to fight and slay the giant, and buried their leader – in Kentos’ Barrow.
There was more. The Five Swords of Bone from our initial riddle was mentioned here. His men, his Shoulder Men, Five of them crafted bone swords from the thighs of the great giant as trophies. We were back! We were back on the path – the path to Winters End.
The dwarves were excited to fight alongside and travel with us in our quest, and I was proud and honoured to have them with us.
We went down to the level below, camping in the very place where the church folk had. We searched their bodies, finding high quality armour and weapons as well as extra spell components. Between the dwarves and myself we buried them in a makeshift grave below, on the level with the stables. We had stripped them almost completely and left a sign of the church above the grave. I didn’t even pray, even though I felt sad, felt the pain of the loss. Fel and Don went off to forage a bit.
Day 75
We discussed at length the bone claws. With careful spells and tactics layed out we decided to approach and attach them again. I melted back and pushed out the wall, forming a barrier to grant the dwarves cover.
Kellor and Don charged in, Aenir threw in a tanglefoot bag catching one of the beasts and slowing it down a bit. Fel gave a yell as his spell finally harnessed the undead’s mind and commanded it to attack its own ally. I Started summoning a dire wolf, pulling it out in time to aid Don and Kellor who had moved around to bash the other bone claw.
We were winning. And indeed, we did. Soon after the it fell, and we turned our fight against the commanded beast – even with Felghanis’s protest on how useful it could be. We dispatched it fast enough, and only my Dire Wolf was wounded whom I healed, in time for it to deliver the final blow, tearing out a thigh bone and gnashing on it.
We all yelled a bellow of victory!
We set about searching the armoury, amazed at the weapons and gear we found. Equally surprised that someone somehow got passed them to steal a dagger that was taken from a display case.
We found two sets of armour, one chain and one plate. A light shield also magical. We found a potion case, 11 vials in all. An amazingly fine crafted sword, a long sword. Symbols of storm clouds signifying some form of lightning enchantment. A shortbow, with similar runes marking it too as a lightning enchanted weapon.
We also found 30 useable arrows for the bow and two master crafted crossbows, with 24 bolts.
This was a great find and well worth the three attempts at defeating those horrid beasts.
We all sighed a big breath. The Iron Tower had been beaten.