Dicing with Death: Episode 183

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==Zweihard Recap==
===May 14th 1511===
Thane Einhard Blacksteel and some guards leave on their trio to visit the other Dwarven Towns, Tharnham & Keldoram. Zweihard Blacksteel stays behind to continue his works.
While working Zweihard has a divine portent.
:Sparks give you a vision that plays in your mind where there is a great dwarf leading a contingent of other dwarves across a brutal desert. As first you think it's your brother, he is wearing dwarven platemail, but as the sparks fly you realise it is not him at all, it's you. You are leading a group of dwarves, armed with mithril axes, across a sandy desert, or some unknown destination. As the sparks fly from your forge, they light up the air above the vision, and you can make out the various constellations.
Zweihard goes to Mother Johanna and talks about his holy vision and explains what stars he saw. They conclude it must be some time in the spring.
That night Zweihard goes outside with Johanna to look at the stars and determine the vision must be from a few weeks ago, or in a year. 
===May 15th 1511===
Zweihard starts work on a mithril shield and works on it for 10 days.
===May 25th 1511===
The shield does not turn out well. Zweihard feels he has failed Sayor somehow and looks at the stars again. The stars show more passage of time has passed again. Zweihard assures himself he is still onto he path and starts work on the shield again.
===June 5th 1511===
The medium mithril shield ends up at 27 Quality and is round like a hoplite shield. Zweihard then etches the surface of the shield with bronze alloy. An image of himself leading other dwarves into battle, but he made it abstract enough so others wouldn't know this was the story the image was telling. The inlaid bronze has been darkened to look black using the Blacksteel secrets.
===June 6th 1511===
Zweihard needs to make new weapons and reforge his breastplate. Zweihard decides to make a Mithril Axe next. He uses one of the wood from the branches harvested from himself. 
===June 8th 1511===
The Mithril Axe appears to have a Hardness 27 & Flexibility 24. Zweihard decides to start over.
===June 10th 1511===
The Mithril Axe is in progress when the forge breaks and 76% of the mithril from the axe spills down a crack.
===June 11th 1511===
Zweihard repairs the forge. The mithril that went down the crack is unrecoverable unless the floor is dug up.
===June 12th 1511===
Zweihard starts work on a new Mithril Axe. 
===June 16th 1511===
The new Mithril Axe has Hardness 36, Flexibility 36. Balance 32. Sharpness 27. This means the Axe +1 to hit, 3 bonus save vs breaking, +1 die size on crit (d10 instead of d8), +2 on crit chance. Zweihard curses the axe with the Blacksteel Curse, that will curse a non-dwarf who welds the weapon has a 50% chance to drop the weapon in combat.
===June 17th 1511===
Zweihard works on reforging his breastplate. It will take 9 weeks. Zweihard sends out a messenger to the mine to see what happened there.
===September 11th 1511===
Zweihard finished reforging the armor at Quality 23, same quality as his brother's weapon. A messenger comes back from the mine and says that the mine entrace has been caved in. Could be intentional or accidental.
===September 13th 1511===
Zweihard arrives at mine himself with a trio of guards to investigate the mine. There is no sign of anyone at the collapsed mine or the mining camp outside. There are supplies and a change of clothes inside the buildings. There is no sign of Mithril.
Zweihard inspects the cave in to see if it was done with picks or by other means, but doesn't find enough evidence one-way or another. Zweihard casts "Soften Earth & Stone" then he and his guards dig out the cave in.
With the path clear they see light coming from inside the mine from the lightstones. Zweihard sees tools of construction lying haphazardly around. One pick is still in the wall of the mine. None of the tools are near the entrance, so they weren't used to collapse the mine. Zweihard casts "Detect Evil" for 150 yards in front of him and finds it.
The guards stand at the mine entrance and Zweihard heads inside. Zweihard passes a minecart filled with ore. Zweihard then sees a Grell.
Zweihard casts "Protection From Evil" upon himself. The Grell attacks with its 10 tentacles, landing 3 hits. Zweihard casts Strength of Stone on himself as the Greell keeps attacking Zweihard. Zweihard calls for backup as he keeps fighting. The group of dwarves kill the Grell.
The party go deeper into the mine as Zweihard feels another evil presence ahead. Zweihard spots another Grell and charges at them, hitting it hard with his mithril axe as the other dwarves back him up with their halberds. The Grell kills one of the Dwarf guards. Zweihard then kills the Grell.
Zweihard looks down the passage and sees that the dwarves had cut into a passage with their mining. Zweihard casts light on his shield and heads down the dark passage with the remaining guards with him. He soon happens upon another Grell. The Grell retreats away from Zweihard around a corner as Zweihard advances and happens into a larger cavern that extends 60' above and 20' below. Zweihard looks down to the base of the cavern and sees the remains of various creatures and a shiny mithril coin among the remains. The Grell is hiding directly above the passageway. The Grell dives down and grabs on Zweihard's shield. After a few blows from Zweihard, the Grell withdrawals again into the cavern.
Zweihard enters the cavern and sees the Grell hiding behind a stalactite. Detect evil also reveals another evil signature is more evil. The nearby Grell moves from cover to cover on the ceiling above Zweihard. Zweihard casts produce flame and throws it at the Grell, causing it damage.
Another Grell enters the chamber, carrying the skeleton remains of 2 dwarves, and drops them on Zweihard. Zweihard roars in rage. The wounded Grell retreats and the healthy Grell attacks Zweihard. Beyond Zweihard can sense even more evil. After Zweihard kills the Grell, he and his 2 Guards retreat, carrying the 2 skulls that had been dropped on him. Behind Zweihard he senses the Grell have gathered around the dead Grell.
Zweihard and the Guards head back towards Blacksteel Keep. 
===September 14th 1511===
Zweihard returns to Blacksteel Keep and finds Thane Einhard has returned. After Zweihard reports in the state of the mine, he goes to rest. 
===September 15th 1511===
Zweihard visits Johanna and receives some healing. Zweihard then casts Speak with Dead on the skulls be carried home. The skulls belong to Una and Sceptimis, two of the guards at the Mine. From the dead Zweihard finds out the miners followed a vein into the darkness and all the dwawrves are deceased. 
Zweihard finds Thane Einhard and his Officers are in the War Room talking of plans with dealing with the Grell. From the way people are talking, Einhard has gotten the Mil Faldur Dwarves on side.
Einhard's plan is to lead his army into the Mine and conquer it, then relocate Blacksteel Keep there. The meeting then continues about logistics. The logistics will take some time to arrange.
===September 19th 1511===
Zweihard finishes off another Mithril Axe. Zweihard uses another Speak with Death and finds out there are 40 Grell, and the 4 missing halberds are being weld by the Grell. 
===September 21th 1511===
Zweihard makes Mithril Handaxe. He hands the new Mithril Axe & Handaxe to Einhard to use in the campaign against the Grell in the Mine. 
===September 28th 1511===
Einhard then heads out with his forces and marches on the Mine. Zweihard gets back to the Forge. He finds he needs more wood and leather for the shafts. Apprentice Dunhilda has done research into the nearby forests and knows there are smilodons in the Big Fur wood to the West, at the edge of the Grand Canal. Zweihard decides this will be his next destination.
Zweihard heads out on his own to the Fur Wood.
===September 30th 1511===
Zweihard arrives at the Big Fur. It is a forest without much in the way of overgrowth and some gigantic Redwood trees. Zweihard explores the forest and finds some Cyprus Trees off the side of the cliff of the Grand Canal.
Zweihard spends the rest of the day searching, but doesn't find any smilodons during the first day.
At nightfall Zweihard returns to the Cyprus trees and harvests some wood from it. 
===October 1st 1511===
Zweihard detects a smilodon and Zweihard leads his goats in that direction. Zweihard arrives at the spot and finds that the smilodon is underground over him. Zweihard finds the cave entrance and it is so small that Zweihard has to crawl to get inside, holding a produce flame in his hand.
Zweihard enters a small chamber where the smilodon is sleeping. Zweihard approaches and casts "Charm Mammal" then slays the smilodon. Zweihard then drags the dead smilodon out of the cave.
Zweihard heads back to Blacksteel Keep, with the smilodon carcass on top of his goats.
==Experience==
28,800 exp (14,400 exp each class)
* 34,507 exp per class
* Cleric & Fighter both reach Level 6 
** Max HP from 34 to 39.5
Category:Dicing with Death Episodes
Category:Zweihard Blacksteel Episodes