Session Fifteen

The fifteenth session of Adventures of the Dragon Crag was on the 6th December 2021.

## Party Members Present

* Brandr Sigurdson
* Snorri Morgrimson
* Relnwe Adiath
* Professor Meino Osterhaus
* Aleksi Lehtonen

## Synopsis

### Struggling with Mysteries

#### Dead Trolls and Fresh Air

Once again, we found ourselves victorious. We stood over the dead lumps of troll flesh that used to be Gedd and Hogga, having saved the two dwarfs and one human from certain death. We back tracked through the tunnels in search of more trails to follow, of which there were many but each was difficult to distinguish. We followed one south to a tunnel that was part natural and part carved. Suddenly, this passage became straight. We followed this passage until we came to a y-junction. The air smelled fresher straight on, and Snorri believed the party to be somewhere underneath southern Deadgate. We followed Snorri's very hairy nose and found that the entrance from the Mausoleum wasn't far at all. We came to a set of stairs and could hear people above. We headed back the way and followed the other passage of the y-junction which eventually led us back to where we found the two dwarfs and human (and dead human). The dead body was still there and the knife we found in the troll's back neatly fit into the sheath on the body.

#### The Underground Pond

We followed the tracks we hadn't yet followed and they led us to a cavern with a small underground lake. The Profesor saw a metal glint in the mud and found a belt ornament with a mark of one of the dwarfs. Rel saw it was the ornament buckle of one of the dwarfs - the one that entered the water last. Brandr checked the quality of the water and we all take a sniff, but nobody finds anything. Brandr tried to dredge the pool with his grappling hook, but found nothing in the mirky depths.

#### The Mausoleum and Giving Up

We decided to head back to the Mausoleum to find out if the Lawbringers knew who the three people were. At first the Lawbringers were confused, but they eventually told us that the human was one Ivo Rieder and the dwarfs were Harek Katrinsfind of Clan Jewelgrasper and Baragor Largsson of Clan Rorganson. FInally, the dead human was a man named Fyodor Masov. We left them with the Lawbringers and they immediately started accusing each other of murder again. We sighed and headed back into the Ruins.

### Further Exploration

#### Many Tunnels and Many Rooms and a Nice Dinner

We continued our exploration of the first level of the ruins, finding more tunnels and more rooms of varying shapes and sizes. We sought to head west as, according to Thori the Bandit, that was where we would find a way down to the next level. After hours of walking we came across an old mining outpost where we decided to have some dinner. Rel had Lembas; the Professor had a fine side of Averland Beef with a small glass of red wine; Brandr and Snorri had a glass of stout each; Aleksi ate gravel.

#### The Downhole

After dinner, we continued our search for the way down. We took a northerly passage that wasn't well crafted with various sounding tunnels branching off it and then came to a crossroads. At the crossroads, Aleksi saw quite a bit of blood leading off to the north from the east. The blood was about a week old. We followed it north and it led to a cave and disappeared down a hole. Clearly this was the hole down to the next level that we were searching for. We decided to make camp and head down fresh.

#### Footsteps in the Night

We camped in a sounding tunnel and set up watches for the night. During Aleksi's watch, he heard people coming along the passage. He woke Snorri and went to investigate. He crept to the edge of our sounding tunnel and saw three humans pass by.

### Delving Deeper

#### A Tight Squeeze

The next morning we headed back towards the hole. Rel spotted the tracks of the three people Aleksi saw the night before and we followed them down the hole. The hole looked like a natural sink hole.

#### They Call it a Mine!

The part of the second level we arrived in was very much a mine. We followed the tunnel and blood trail round and came to a dwarfen passage heading east to west. We headed east along it and eventually came to a gatehouse with runes above it and a prominent image of a pickaxe. The runes said 'Of Hearth and Home', marking the entrance to the Stonepick Clan Hold. Behind the gate house was the main area of the hold: many rooms were cointained within one large space. It had been completed ransacked - it had been looted, but there were also marks of a vicious, ancient battle. The blood trail went straight through the hold to the Road of a Couple of Carts.

#### A Wee Boat

We passed along the Road of a Couple of Carts and heard rushing water beneath us. The road ahead had been purposefully collapsed , but a passage led north. Snorri though someone had attempted to blow this passage up, but had not quite succeeded. We came to a crossroads and the tracks of the three people went west into a small tunnel, whilst the blood led north. We followed the tracks of the three people west into a narrow tunnel that closely resembled Brandr's arse crack - it was very much single file. Brandr's Crack wound around many corners and we could hear rushing water. We came to a swift underground river where there was a post with a rope tied around it. Someone had clearly taken the boat. We decided that the river was to risky to swim and that we ought to come back later.

#### A Woman in Distress

We wound our way out of Brandr's Crack and followed the blood northwards. We came to a breech in the eastern wall of the passage and went through it, hearing ragged breathing. We followed the sound and found a woman with a large sword next to her. She was surrounded by various bit of equipment and was badly injured. The Professor thought that this was the best time to start an argument with Brandr and Snorri about stupid magical stones. It came down to Aleksi to save the woman's life. It was clear from the blood trail that she was chased down there - she was in safe hands now. We decided we had to take her back to the surface.

### Resurfacing

#### A Thankful Man

The journey back was long and took many hours. We returned to Zambor's Well via the loot pipe and paid the tax on our loot. As we exited the Ruins, we saw a man on his knees, crying. When he spotted us, he ran towards us shouting that we had saved his sister. He says that his name is Aldon Brickner and that the unconcious woman Aleksi was carrying was called Leah Bahr - his half sister.

#### The Temple of Shallya

We took Leah straight to the Temple of Shallya where Aldon told us that Leah went down the Ruins a lot. He said he doesn't know and doesn't want to know who she goes down with. Aldon says he works as a builder in Deadgate and works with the Deadgate Deed Merchant. He said that he would help us with our building efforts at Our House.

### Back at Our House

#### The Magic Stone

We headed back to Our House and laid all our loot out on the table in the Mess. Things had calmed down after the heated argument over the magic stone in the Ruins and we were able to talk like grown-ups. The Professor said that magic stones could be used by wizards to give them great power. Rel seemed to know a lot about the magic stone in question. She knew that it was a Stone of Power of the Wind of Hysh and knew that, whilst it was no use to the Professor, it would be useful to his higher-ups at the College. The dwarfs asked why such stones were in the Ruins of Karak Azgal. The Professor then told the rest of the party of his mission: during the War of the Beard/War of Vengeance, many of these Stones of Power were taken from the Elves and brought into the Dwarfen holds. The Professor sought to recover these stones, especially the Stones of Ulgu. Brandr and Snorri agreed to let him have the stone as long as he laid no claim to Dwarfen secrets or Forgekeeper artifacts. Also, on the trial of rogue wizards, the dwarfs would abstain while the Professor would get two votes.

#### Aleksi's Search Continues

Tiring of all the talk of magic stones, wizards, elves, dwarfs, and other generally meaningless things, Aleksi wandered off to meet one Casimir Knorren, master of the Deadgate Orphanage. He told Aleksi that he had heard of his search for Nikolai who was their mutual friend. Casimir said that he thought Nikolai went to the Ice Maiden. He said that Nikolai was attacked by the criminals of the Ice Maiden. He would keep Aleksi updated on any news he got.