Once up on the roof of the hold after a perilous climb the company found the remains of a fight between a handful of Dwarves and some oddly equipped & rusty skinned Orcs. <pete's charactor> took one of these and sought means to raise the gate shield inside the hold whilst the others examined the double capstan arrangement on the roof of the hold. The Hold was found to be long deserted save for some signs of recent short and improvised occupation. However the explorers <pete's charactor> & Victonia found a sturdy table they could cannibalise to make capstan leavers & the gate was duly raised.....
This revealed a wide road leading through the hold into the mountain. Feeling that they had rather fulfilled there task to escort the dwarves back to their home land the our heroes where inclined to go about their other business. At which point young Prince Rangrim quickly sported or rather supplanted by his wise councillors Fulgar & Imitaun revealed that in typical dwarvish style the players had been told only part of the tale. Indeed the dwarves being all trades folk & despite a few weapons non-combatants wished our hero's to investigate the fate of their warriors who they had left behind allowing them to escape.
Our heroes where not happy but the dwarves where desperate and there was heated negotiations which ended up being oath sealed by Filinka the oathbinder where dwarves agreed to pay the party a large sum of coin ( 1200 silver) and a 1% share in the levy on traders using the Stone fang Road should it be possible to reopen it.
Thus reassured our heroes entered the mountain along the road. travelling past the titanic bass relief's of dwarves deeper into the darkness and the small way side rests where they came across the odd sight of two dwarves who had seemingly slain each other long ago and Thorn found a dimly glowing dagger which he believed might be cursed, but Nigel couldn't swear to it but given Nigel's optimistic world view opined " your likely right", some old coins similar to those found at Quasqueton & a slightly damaged shirt of fine dwarf mail over which Victonia & Thorn argued.
Eventually after further travel they reached the gates of the Gliterhold & found the way barred to them. Exploring the outer works, two way side rests rest to the left and the right of the road, they discovered a place where they could look into the road beyond the gates & whilst exploring noticed a patrol of the Rusty skinned orks.
Thorn hating Orcs of any hue decided to deal with them with his dread bow did not manage it by surprise & was unpleasantly surprised by the return fire which even though it glanced off of the low balcony nearly disembowelled him. Thorn crawled blooded down into the chamber below where he managed to staunch the blood by elven arts & his companions tried to work out what to do next. Thorn still smarting from his recent would opined that they had done all they could for the blasted dwarves & more than could be expected for vague promises of future riches. The others saw it as a problem to solve and where investigating when they heard the sound of stone grinding against stone.......
To be continued.......
Ginger
