Hrogar Journal: Days 14-17

Day 14

We were woken in the night by a large group of wolves that circled our camp. While they did not attack, it was a disturbing experience. Did they have something to do with the orc shaman and his group? Or were they unrelated? Were they trying to scare us, or were these simply wild wolves that were kept at bay by our fire? For now, I’m simply happy with the fact that no one was injured. But we shall have to remain vigilant.

In the morning, we found the goblins that had been healed were no longer where we left them. I do not know whether they were eaten by the wolves in the night, or if they were found and taken away by their allies. I hope for the latter. Curiously, the dead bodies of their brethren seem to still be around. I would have expected the wolves to at least take those. More evidence, I suppose, that these wolves are not merely wild animals. Either the shaman and his group, or possibly some other, unrelated group of foes.

We continued on into the mine, Fflam drawing a map as we went and keeping track of where we were, and Sigrun doing admirably in getting through many of the doors. One of the doors was too large to lift, but making use of some wooden logs we found earlier, we were able to use them as a lever to lift the door, and then wedge it open. Moving through the place, we wondered how the bard managed to get so far in, but we continued, not finding the horn in any of the easier places to get to.

Within the mine, we’ve had to deal with no small number of traps. While this mine appears to have been abandoned for some time, it is clear someone had some purpose in mind for it at some point. We’ve fought a number of foes, from those as minor as a pack of dire rats, to a group of goblins, but the greatest foe we dealt with was an undead, evil, floating presence of darkness, which the clerics were eventually able to drive back.

We’ve also found some mysteries that for now, we plan to leave as mysteries. We found a grate covering a set of stairs that led down deeper into the mine. It was locked, from our side of the grate, as if to keep something down there. I feel it best we not delve down there until we are sure we can deal with whatever may be lurking in the darkness.

We’ve also found an exit from the mine, which leads to a very troubling sight. We were able to see in the distance, a city, decayed and abandoned, with a great, green, evil tree rising from the center, and black vines encircling the town. Is this the dark future that awaits Ismere if we fail in stopping it?

In less grim tidings, I have been collecting and cataloging a large quantity of items we can eventually remove from this mine. As it is abandoned, I do not have any problem putting these items to the service of the greater good, especially considering the evidence that the former owners appeared to have much darker intentions. Some of these items appear to be quite useful indeed, from powerful weapons, to a magical ring that I have put on. I will try to figure out what it does in time.

While my comrade, Alcander, seems to feel that everyone should follow his vow of poverty, I believe in “waste not, want not”. If it can be put to good use, and does no evil by doing so, then it should be done.

Day 15

After continuing our searching, we eventually found a Duergar inside a partially bricked up room. It that appeared that the Duergar had been bricking himself up in the room! He was spouting nonsensical ramblings, about something that he did not want to be found by. We were unable to find out what exactly it was, but it was obvious that whatever this threat may be, it had driven the poor fool mad. In addition to this surprise, we found that he held the Bards horn that we had been seeking!

Unfortunately, before I could make a serious attempt to calm the dwarf down and find out what happened, Alcander did what he thought was best, and put the Duergar out of his misery. While I see what he was trying to do, I wish he had waited until we had tried everything else we could. If Alcander is teaching me anything, it is that I must be quicker in my reactions to situations as they occur.

Day 16

We finished off searching through the mine today. While we had found the horn, there was only a small section of this level of the mine yet unexplored, and I felt that with all the doors we had opened, it was important to insure that we did not leave anything in here that would now be able to easily escape and wreck damage upon the countryside.

Unfortunately, we had to do this without the assistance of a large portion of our group. The clerics were called upon through holy missive to aid in another matter, so we drew straws to see who would stay and who would go with the clerics. Fflam, Prudence, and Sigrun left with them, and I hope they are able to carry out their mission. We will simply have to make due without their assistance, but they will be missed, until we meet them next.

In our final searches, we discovered a grik, a large, worm like creature with tentacles. While the battle was close, we eventually defeated it, and with it, the last of the threats we could find in the mine without going through the grate we found some days before.

We then collected those items that seemed to be potentially valuable in the future, Alcander protesting all the way.

We eventually returned to town, and returned the horn to the Bard. We asked him about the doomed city, and he had not heard of it, however he was interested in exploring it at some point, and we suggested that if he should go, we would be interested in joining him for such a quest.

We then went to the wizard we’d dealt with earlier, and through him, found out about a magic sword we’d found, and also, to my dismay, found that the ring I’d put on my finger two days ago, now will not come off, and furthermore, is a cursed ring of sustenance. While I do not need to eat or drink while wearing it, my ability to defend myself is hampered by it, and it shall be quite expensive to remove. In time, I’m sure, I’ll be able to acquire the money required for this, but I’d much have preferred not to have to deal with this trouble. But this is a valuable lesson, indeed, to be far more careful in the future with any and all magical items that we find. Truly, a hard learned lesson, but an important one.

Day 17

Today, we learned that no one seems to know of the city we saw from the mine entrance. This is strange, indeed, considering the proximity is not all that far away. We shall have to do more asking around in the future, perhaps find a historian who may know legends of such a city.

We also learned that a local caravan train has been late in coming through the mountains, but no one knows why. We decide we will investigate this.

However, much of the day has been spent selling the various items we brought up from the mine. As one’s trash can be another’s treasure, we did not leave a single item that I thought someone might have use for. From simple cleaning supplies to a stuffed displacer beast, all was put to better use.
Alcander continues to rant about our greed, but I believe the greater good is served by us our being as capable as possible. Wasting what resources we come across could mean the difference between victory and defeat in the future. I would rather be as prepared as possible in future battles, than follow the path of poverty Alcander has chosen. While I respect his chosen path, as I did Markus’s path of pacifism, they are not the paths I choose to walk.