Session Twenty Five

The twenty fifth session of the Adventures of the Dragon Crag was on the 24th April 2022.

## Party Members Present

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

## Synopsis

### Vikram's Stronghold

#### Some New Friends

Having managed to find another way between the second and third levels, we decided that up was certainly the wrong way and headed back down the ropes to the orc camp. As we got to the whole, we heard some dwarf voices below. From their accents, Snorri reckoned thatthey were from Karak Kadrin. We heiled them and slid down the rope to meet with them. THey saw that some of our party were wounded from the fight and they congratulated our efforts and told us theyhad healing supplies back at their base. On the way to their base we introduced ourselves to eachother. These dwarfs turned out to be none other than the famed Vikram and Sons and Sons and Sons and Sons and Sons led by none other that Vikram Vigharthursson of Clan Vikramson himself.

#### Fort Vikram

They led us back to where there were many murderholes just west of the market. They had made an extremely fortified base where adventurers could seek refuge from the dangers of the Ruins. There was a draw bridge and plenty of defensive firing positions. At present, there were various adventurers in the base along with Vikram and his sons. A set of stairs led downwards, supposedly to the fourth level. However, this passage had been collapsed. Various dwarfs were inspecting the collapse and Snorri went to investigate. The stairway looked as though it had been broken up from underneath. The rock there was a shiny, glassy black. It was clear to Snorri that this had been a gas explosion. This was the way down to the fourth level we had hoped to find and it was blocked. We discussedour predicatment with Vikram who said that this was also a problem for them. We told him that we would help find another way down. He suggested that we examine a sealed door that no one has yet been able to open and we said we could take a look. Failing that, we could also follow the trail of the Greenskins we had just killed - they must have come up to this level somehow. We finished out discussion, healed ourselves, had supper, and took some well earned rest, making sure to do our bit on the camp's watch rota.

### Through the Sealed Door

#### Touch, Friend, and Enter

The next day, we decided to head south to find the sealed door. We came to the door - it was very large and inset into the wall with large columns on either side. It was made from bright, gleaming metal. Brandr took a look at the door and saw that there were runes etched into it- some were decorative but others were magical. As he passed his hand along, his runic mail armour touched the door. Both the mail and the door glowed. As they illuminated, another rune lit up, previously unseen: the mark of Clan Forgekeeper! The door hissed and moved slightly. Before pushed the door open, Brandr took a quick sketch of the rune. Then, he easily slid the door open and a swift rush of air came out. We entered and came into a large room.It was undecorated but in the middle and towards the eastern edge there had clearly been a large explosion much like the one on the stairway in Fort Vikram. There had clearly been a large door and staitway heading downwards that had been blown to smitherines. However, the way was not blocked and the was an opening to a passage. Before heading down the hole, Brandr asked the Prof to try and open the door - he couldn't, even when he magically took on the image of Brandr. Clearly, runes were needed.

#### Gassy Trolls

We headed down the hole which quickly became narrow and winded and continuously headed downwards. Rel started to get a bit concerned because she was walking behind Snorri and she saw that his lantern was becoming brighter and brighter. Gas! Gas! Quick boys! Snorri turned off his lantern and the Prof lit up the lantern with magical light instead. We decided that the gas probably wasn't poisonous and continued onwards. The sides of the passage had been rubbed by something large that clearly clambered up the way and then back down. As we headed further down the passage, we began to hear a moaning, sobbing sound. The passage opened up into a larger cave with two other entrances. As we came into the cave, we heard a loud weeping and then something vomit. The Prof sent a floating light forward to reveal a blackened and burnt troll, weeping and crying on the floor. It was alsocovered in lumps. Aleksi and Snorri approached the troll and Aleksi said: "You there, Mister Troll." The troll told us it was called Wurogg. It said that it had been eating tasty mushrooms and was tricked up into this cave by nasty goblinses and was trapped. He told us the way he had come from and said there were many goblins down there, but he could't get back through. Wurogg told us there was a hissing down the other passage which we guessed meant there was gas. Wurogg had tried to find a way outof his predicament and blown hiself up in the process. We told Wurogg to hang fast and we would take a look.

#### Gas Leak

First we went down the gas passage. Snorri went first with a glowing rope around his middle. It sprialled downwards and the rest of the party followed at the other end of the rope. Eventually, Snorri came to a cave that had been slightly carved by dwarfs. There was a Forgekeeper-marked hatch in the floor and a pipe next to it. There was a large dent in the pipe and gas came hissing out of it. Using a pewter mug and resin from a torch, Snorri and Brandr fixed the pipe, stemming the flow of gas. As it was soon to be night, we decided to head back up, free Wurogg through the big door and sleep in Fort Vikram for the night.

### Exploring the Forgekeeper Rooms

#### Opening the Hatch

In the morning, we returned through the Forgekeeper door and went to investigate the hatch. We opened the hatch and lots of gas immediately came rushing out. Quickly, we shut the hatch. Clearly, the level below us was flooded with gas causing the stairs at Fort Vikram to blow up. Here, there seemed to be a system for moving gas in pipe - if only we could find a way down to the next level.

#### Goblin Mushroom Farm

We headed down the passage where Wurogg said there were many goblins. We came to a fissure and crossed it not without some trouble (except Rel who did a flying leap and somersault, vaulting over the rest of the party and landing neatly on her feet). We continued onwards and heard a noise up ahead. Callisri sneaked up to have a look and returned saying that we didn't have to creep. We all went forward to have a look and saw into a large cavern through crack in the walls. The cavern was illuminated by glowing fungi and down among the mushroomswe could see many, many goblins all dressed in black robes with yellow moons.

#### Well that was a bad idea

Fearing that we couldn't defeat all these goblins, we think: fuck it, Rel is fast - she can open the hatch and let all the gas out. The only problem is that she didn't have a light. So, a plan was devised: the Prof would go with Rel and set up marsh lights and then leave. Rel would open the hatch and then leg it up the passage after the marsh lights, beating the gas in a standard running race. The Prof and Rel put the plan into action. However, just as Rel laid her hand on the hatch to open it, she had a vision. All was fire and all was death. The heavens - the stars high above the mountains - were telling her that this was a dreadful idea that would get us all killed. We would have to find another way.

#### Finding another way

We left the Forgekeeper rooms and did a little mor exploring to the west. We came to a place with the symbol of Gazul on the wall and entered. Within, there were hundreds of tombs - dwarfs that had died and been laid to rest thousands of years ago. We began to explore...