Nobody Thinks of the Henchman’s Family

Arnogall had taken the last watch.  As the dawn broke, the other members of the party, Balderpoor, Sorin and Skonn started to wake to find their companion missing.  They assumed Arnogall would be back so over breakfast Sorin told the others about a strange dream he’d had that night.  

He described the centre of the a crossroads corridor where his God, Gwaeron Windstrom, pointed to a door. When Sorin walked through it the ground trembled. He entered a large empty dwavern hall where the stoneworked floor gave way and he fell, landing in a narrow cavern. Ahead was an evil looking altar.  There was a figure with snake hair with its back to him. As he began to approach he felt immense pain and looked down to see a metal horn had pierced through his chest from the back, then pulled out. As he fell to the ground he saw a goat with long sharp metal horns. As he lay there dying, he noticed the goat’s eyes had a strange symbol where it’s iris should be. There the dream ended but he had managed to draw the symbol he’d seen and thought it contained the other symbols of the elemental cults they had been dealing with.

After a few hours they decided they could wait no longer and headed off to the mine entrance without Arnogall.  On the way there they were approached by a Warlock calling himself Garon.  He had over heard them taking about the medusa from Sorin’s dream.  Garon explained he had tracked a medusa called Marlos Urnrayle to the nearby monastery.  As the party shared an enemy they decided to work together for now.  

At the entrance to the mines they could see two guards kicking dirt onto a smouldering campfire.  Sorin loosed two arrows making fatal shots with each one.  On one of the guards they found two letters.

“"Dear Varden, I'm sorry you were forced to take a job so far away from us. I know you don't trust the person offering the work, and neither did I... but the baby and little Derry would never survive the coming winter if it wasn't for you. Good thing you'll just be looking after a bunch of bad guys in cells and not fighting a war or something. We could never afford to lose you and we're all so grateful for such a brave and selfless husband and father. Come home to us soon. Love, Jayne.”

The second simply read: “Mis U Dady. Luv Derry.”  The party fleetingly questioned their core values before continuing with their murderous crusade.  Balderpoor lead them down the dwarven stairs to the bridge that spanned a deep chasm.  As they crossed, two gargoyles swooped and attacked.  Skonn over enthusiastically slashed at one of them, loosing grip of his sword only to see it fly through the air and strike Garon.  Two more gargoyles appeared behind Garon but he managed to confuse them with a darkness spell.  Balderpoor produced a bear from his bag of tricks which attacked the gargoyles.  Two of the gargoyles were reduced to shingle and after failing to do any real damage the remaining two tried to push the intruders off the bridge.  Skonn and Sorin plummeted 100ft to the chasm floor while Balderpoor simply floated down under the power of his featherfall cloak.  Using the ballon packs Sorin had in his bag, he and Skonn floated up to the bridge.  Balderpoor shifted into a panther and climbed the wall.  The gargoyles retreated to the other end of the bridge and blocked the way.  Sorin loosed and arrow and destroyed another monstrosity.  The remaining one flew off deeper into the chasm, out of sight.  

The party crossed the bridge to a plaza in font of giant doors leading to a dimly lit hall.  They quietly healed themselves.  In hall they could see two hobgoblins and one sleeping Bulette.  This was fewer cultists than Balderpoor had scouted here the previous day.  They decided to sneak in.  One hobgoblin noticed something as Balderpoor, still in panther form sneaked forward.  It nudged the Bulette awake.  Unsure if they had been spotted, Balderpoor pounced, Skonn charged, Sorin knocked an arrow and Garon cast a spell.  But one hobgoblin and the Bulette were alert and ready for battle.  

From the three other corridors attached to the hall, the sound of battle cries and roars became louder and louder.

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