In the morning, though, you head back into the fort and resume your exploration.
Your next stop is the first door beyond the entrance to the stable. This door opens to the north, revealing an odd shaped room (right wall runs north for 30', west for 20', south for 20' then southeast for 10'). A carpentry shop, it is unoccupied by creatures. In this room you see stacks of planks and boards as well as several half finished wooden wheels, plus many woodworking tools. A large bench is in the middle of the room.
Searching, you do not find anything of interest, unless you collect tools.
You head back outside and look around the corner to the north, past the door. The wall extends north for 30'. then northeast for 30' (door in first 10' section), east for 30' (door in first 10' section), south for 30', east for 20' (door in first 10' section), then around another corner to the north.
You go north to the first door.
Opening it, you see another odd shaped room (right wall runs northeast for 20', then north for about 20'; left wall runs west for 20', north for about 25', then a curved outer wall joins everything up). This is an armoury. This place is filled with all sorts of arms and armour. You see racks of armour (dented scale mail, splint and plate), swords (all types), spears, bows, arrows, crossbows, bolts and shields. A large pile in the northeast corner contains weapons and armour which are too damaged or rusted to be used.
Searching, you find nothing which appears to be magical, but a lot of the stuff appears to be quite serviceable.
Logan smiles as he sees a crossbow and bolts. He unhooks one of the crossbows and fills the quiver he had retrieved the day before with as many bolts as he can carry.
"Callie, can you instruct me in the use of a crossbow?" he asks the dangerous fighter woman.
"Certainly," she answers.
"Wonderful, the sooner the better!" he says with a smile.
Dor searches for the best short sword in the collection and a scabbard. He also searches for some plate mail that might fit.
He finds both. The armour is a little battered, but quite useable.
"I wonder if my horse will be able to carry me," he muses aloud, as he changes.
When you are ready, you continue on your way.
Leaving the armoury, you head to the next door: in the north wall. Opening it, you see before you what can only be a barracks hall (odd shaped: right wall runs east for 70' (doors in 20' - 30' and 60' - 70' sections), north for 30'; left wall runs north for about 20'; curving outer wall joins everything up). This place is large and dim, and smells faintly of stale sweat. There are many pallets, tables, chairs and old, rotted bedrolls about. Nothing appears to have been disturbed in a very long time.
Searching the place, you find nothing of interest.
You head to the first door in the south wall, and open it.
Before you is another mess hall (20' X 30': 30' south, 10' east; door in south wall west corner). This place is even more disarrayed than the others that you have thus visited in this fortress.
And...swinging towards you with their long prehensile tails from the rafters of the ceiling come a pair of ape like creatures with lots of nasty teeth and sharp claws.
"Must be the su-monsters!" exclaims Vanadil.
Logan barks out a few arcane words and a small bolt of red shoots from his hands, slamming into the nearest ape like creature.
His three magic missiles blast into a su monster.
He then loads his crossbow and fires at the wounded su monster.
"Let's see if this plate mail works," Dor says, charging into the fray, longsword and shield at the ready.
Wizbang also casts a magic missile spell. Her two missiles burn into the other monster.
A melee erupts, with Dor and Vastelle attacking one su monster and Logan and Windul the other.
Dor begins the festivities dropping his sword as he attempts to attack.
"You klutz!" yells Callie from the sidelines, as he bends over to pick it up.
The su monster claws at him, but all but one claw attack are turned by the warrior's armour. Dor suffers 2 hit points of damage, mostly to his ego.
Vastelle throws Callie a look and then shoves her longsword into the su monster. The creature howls.
Meanwhile, Logan tries to best Dor. Sidestepping a claw attack, he slices into his monster, opening a flesh wound. He is clawed for 3 hit points.
Windul connects next, and the second su monster is looking very hurt.
Vanadil and Callie move in.
Dor, having retrieved his longsword, is clawed for another hit point before he is able to land a solid hit. The su monster dents its teeth and claws on his plate mail.
Vastelle swings her sword and the monster drops dead.
One monster remains, and Logan quickly does it in.
You search the room, which is - or was - a mess hall, and find 833sp, 1 gem (200gp) and 1500gp.
You open the south door, and find yourselves looking back out into the courtyard.
You exit through this door and continue east.
Looking around the corner to the north, you see that the wall heads north for 30', then east for 60' (doors in 20' - 30' and 30' - 50' sections), then south for 30' (door in 10' - 30' section) and east for about 87'. After that the wall meets up with the curving castle wall.
You make for the first door. Opening it, you find yourselves looking into the sweaty smelling barracks hall that you just visited.
You push open the first set of large double doors in the north wall next.
Revealed is a large, odd-shaped room, a warehouse filled with many crates, barrels and boxes (left wall runs north for 30'; right wall runs east for about 62', curving back wall joins everything up).
You enter the room to take a look around.
Suddenly, a half a dozen bugbears, who had been hiding behind the boxes, jump out and rush at you!
"This is kind of fun," Dor says as he attacks, concentrating a little harder on maintaining his grip on the sword.
"We'll give you fun!" shout the bugbears in passable common, as they attack!
Crossbow in hand, Logan fires at the nearest bugbear. His quarrel embeds itself in the belly of a bugbear, making him mad.
A melee ensues.
"Kill! Kill! Kill the monsters!" the bugbears chant as they go to work, apparently referring to you.
Dor discovers that his new plate mail does not render him invulnerable, as he is chopped for 6 hit points. He, in turn, fans badly.
Logan, drawing his blade, manages to dodge an attack by a bugbear.
Vastelle raises her shield just in time to deflect the blade of a bugbear, then opens a large wound in the monster.
Windul misses his foe but also manages to avoid the bugbear's broadsword.
Vanadil opens up a nasty wound in the fifth bugbear as he misses.
Callie moves in quickly and attacks low, as is her style, but the bugbear jumps over her longsword and emerges with his treasures intact. He then brings his sword down across her shoulder for 6 hit points.
The battle continues, as others rush to your aid.
Dor and his bugbear trade misses as Logan takes 6 hit points of damage from a slash across his buttocks. The elf does connect, however, and the bugbear is badly wounded.
Vastelle finishes off her bugbear, and turns to seek new foes.
Windul connects with his shortsword, and the bugbear howls.
Vanadil next kills her bugbear.
Callie, smarting from both her wound and the damage to her ego, stabs upwards with her longsword. The bugbear utters a pained squeak, and drops dead.
Nuanna helps out Dor, and smashes the monster with her flail.
Birch does likewise in helping Logan, but misses.
Melissa fans in her attack on Windul's foe.
Dor and his bugbear again stir up a breeze but little more. Attacking from behind, though, Vanadil kills it.
Logan is again slashed for 7 hit points, as he swings his sword and embeds it in a nearby crate. Callie laughs at him, and then emasculates another bugbear, killing him in the process.
Windul makes short work of the last bugbear, and peace and contentment return to the room.
Searching the bodies and the warehouse, you turn up 36cp, 42sp, 24ep, 42gp and a further 333cp.
"Well that was fun," Dor declares. "But those rats did manage to scratch me up a bit. Any chance of getting a little healing spell or two?"
"Ouch," Logan says as he bleeds from his ass and his other wound. "Nuanna, can you heal me, honey?" he asks, looking for the healer. "And Callie, bite me, maybe if you taught me better, I wouldn't get hit so badly!"
"Teach you?" the ranger giggles, "That's Edelle's job!"
The clerics step up and go to work on the wounded. Nuanna cures Dor up to full, then does likewise with Callie. She finally heals Logan for 1 hit point.
"Sorry, I'm out, big guy!" she says.
As Logan opens his mouth to make some biting comment or other, Melissa comes over and lays hands on him for 9 more hit points. And finally, Birch bestows the holy handshake of Mielikki upon Logan, and he is fully healed as well.
You continue your exploration of the monster condo.
Exiting the warehouse, you head south to the next set of double doors and open them. This reveals another warehouse (odd shaped: left wall runs north for 10', then east for about 52'; right wall runs east for about 87'; curving outer wall joins everything up). Again, the place is filled with many crates, barrels and boxes, but no monsters this time. Opening them, you find many different types of foods, all rotted away and inedible. Some of the barrels contain wine which is still drinkable, though, you discover.
Stepping back outside, you realise that you have completed exploring all of the buildings along the north and south walls of the fort. All that remain now are two smaller buildings located between the gate and the keep, an isolated building on the far side of the keep...and the keep itself.
You head to the closest building between the gate and the keep. It measures 20' X 30', oriented east - west. There is a door in the north wall, west corner.
This building is stoutly made of brick and stone blocks. Four chimneys poke up out of the peaked slate roof. Thin wisps of smoke issue forth from them.
Suspecting that the building may be occupied, you prepare for another fight.
When you are ready, you open the door.
Inside, you see a large kitchen. A flight of stairs heads down to the east to a lower level below. In here are four fireplaces with cooking fires, all just smouldering at this point. Over two of the fires hang cauldrons filled with simmering liquids, giving off appetising aromas. There are also ovens, benches, tables, counters, boxes, barrels and several pallets in here. On the walls are cupboards. A number of buckets filled with water are about as well.
A half a dozen gnolls are in here, running about in white aprons and chef's hats, cooking and preparing meals, breads and other delicacies.
They stop and look at you.
"What ees eet?" one asks, clearly not pleased to have visitors. "Deener will not be served for another hour!"
Note that gnolls speak common with a French accent.
"Who else is coming for dinner?" Dor asks the gnolls. "Neither the bugbears nor the goblins nor the orcs nor the Su monsters are available to dine this evening. So who does that leave, hmmm?"
"What do you mean zey are not coming?" demands the gnoll. "Zey are our best customers!"
"It's just us, everyone else left," Logan replies.
"Really? Zen what do we do wit ze food?"
"What did you cook? perhaps we can share some if you would be so kind," Logan replies.
"Off course. Come back in ze hour. We are servink ze cream off ze human testicle soup accompanied by a glorious spinach souffle and cream horns!"
"Aren't there any other big eaters around?" Dor asks.
"You know," says another gnoll, "I sink zat zese guys are lyink to us! Did not Wilbur the giant come around only a half an hour ago to inquire about ze lunch menu?"
"That ees right! These people are lyink! Kill them! Make sausages out of them!" cries the first gnoll.
He grabs a pie from a nearby table and creams Dor in the kisser with it.
"I never said that the giants weren't coming, you dopey morons," Dor replies as he clears pie from his eyes. "I said the bugbears, goblins, Su monsters, ogres and orcs weren't." He glares at the gnolls. "So if you want to die, just hit me with another pie. Hey, that rhymes."
"You are right, it does," agrees the gnoll. "And since I do not want to die, I will attack you with theese!"
With that, he produces a meat cleaver and charges at Dor!
The rest of the gnolls also produce weapons and pies, and attack the remainder of the party as well!
Unsheathing his enchanted blade, Logan steps forward and stabs at his closest foe.
"At least you'll die graced by my poetry," Dor declares as he attacks the gnoll.
"And you will die graced by my pie!" replies the gnoll. "Hey, zat rhymes too!"
"It going to be a shame to see a great poet like yourself killed," the warrior responds. "Why don't you just run away? I will make sure you are allowed to leave."
"Run away from my kitchen? Nevaire!!"
A fierce battle erupts as three more gnolls come running up the stairs, bringing the number to nine in all.
The poetic gnoll on Dor clangs his meat cleaver off of the warrior's breast plate, then deflects Dor's sword with the weapon.
Vanadil also manages to miss a gnoll. She dodges a pie that sails through the air towards her.
Logan deftly sidesteps the attack of a gnoll...then swings his sword wildly. He connects with a steaming cauldron, spilling its contents into a firepit.
Windul manages to jab his blade into a gnoll, and kills him.
The gnolls continue to miss...but so does Vastelle. Callie connects, though, and a second gnoll drops dead.
Edelle steps out of the shadows and skewers another gnoll.
The battle continues.
Dor connects, and beheads his gnoll.
"In retrospect," the gnoll says as his head sails across the room, "Maybe I should have run away!"
Vanadil, finding her stride, kills a fifth gnoll.
Logan takes a pie in the face, blinding him. nevertheless he swings, connects, and kills a gnoll.
Windul is attacked by another gnoll...who misses. The elf connects with his glowing longsword, though, and his assailant drops.
Vastelle kills her gnoll, and Callie ends the festivities by dispatching the last one.
Searching the kitchen, you find no treasure.
You look downstairs, and see that the entrance is blocked by yellow tape.
'UNDER DESTRUCTION'
- reads a sign which hangs from the tape.
Knowing better than to push your luck by entering an area that the DM has not yet keyed, you decide to finish off the rest of the buildings on this level of the fort.
Heading back outside, you make for the next building south of the kitchen. This one also measures 20' X 30', and is oriented east - west. There are two doors in the east and west walls respectively, and doors in the centres of the north and south walls.
You open the door in the west wall, north section.
Through it you see a 10' square room. Someone's private quarters, you surmise, you see in here a bed, a table, a chest of drawers...and a locked strongbox.
"Perhaps a clue may be found," Logan says as he enters, opens drawers and rifles through them.
Dor says, "Remember, the gnolls mentioned a giant. We'd better stay on guard."
Dor remains outside of the room, about 20 feet away from the entrance.
As soon as Logan's back is turned, though, a giant snake slithers out from under the bed and goes to wrap itself around the elf!
"Look out, Logan!" shouts Edelle.
Logan jumps in surprise, and in doing so moves just out of the way of the snake's biting attack. However, it manages to coil itself around his legs for 4 hit points of damage. Losing his balance, Logan topples over.
Windul and Vanadil rush forward to attack.
The snake continues to coil itself around Logan, inflicting a further 6 hit points of damage as the elf, no longer surprised, ponders how to get himself out of this latest predicament.
Dor, Vastelle, Callie, Melissa, Birch and Wizbang remain surprised.
"BAM!" the elf intones as he attempts to cast his last magic missile spell at the slithering fiend.
His attempt is futile, as the snake bites him first for 3 hit points, spoiling his spell.
Using all of his strength, though, he grabs the entwining coils and prevents himself from being wrapped up any further than waist height...for now. He takes a further 6 hit points of constriction damage to his lower regions, though.
Windul and Vanadil attack.
Windul, being careful to avoid hurting Logan any further, misses with his sword.
Vanadil does better, though, and slashes her glowing sword through the scaly hide of the monster.
"Get this damned thing off of me!" Logan cries as he wrestles with the snake.
Logan is squished for a further 5 hit points, as he finds that his strength is no match for the snake, and it coils itself up around his chest. It then bites him on the neck for another 3 hit points.
Vanadil attacks again, but misses.
Windul, however, connects, and beheads the snake. The body goes limp, and uncoils itself from Logan, while the head drops to the floor, its jaw opening and closing reflexively even in death.
You finish searching the room, but find nothing of value. Smashing the strongbox, you find that it is empty.
When you are ready, you head for the door in the north wall of the building.
As you are about to open it, though, it suddenly flies open in your faces, and you find yourselves confronting a horrible monster: a bastardised cross between an owl and a bear!
"Hoot! Hoot!" it bellows, and attacks the surprised party!
The only one who reacts is Edelle, who jumps back. The owlbear swats at Dor, then bites the warrior for 3 hit points of damage.
The owlbear attacks him again, missing, as Vanadil and Windul again move to attack.
Vanadil slashes deep with her sword, as Windul misses.
"Ow," Dor responds, surprised to find himself in the front rank of the party when he thought he was at the back keeping watch.
Staying far from any more wounds for the moment, Logan says, "I am tired of all this."
He thinks about throwing a lightning bolt at the owlbear, then thinks better of it.
The owlbear, meanwhile, turns on Vanadil, clawing her for 2 hit points. The warrior replies with a second hit, and its entrails start to pour out. Its next paw misses her, but the elf's sword is accurate again, and the monster drops with a choking death hoot.
Searching the place, you find 1200sp.
Vanadil turns to Logan.
"Had enough of this place?" she asks, "Is it time to move east again?"
"I would be more comfortable, after some rest and healing, to determine if the item we seek is here. Silly to go further east, if it is right under our nose!" Logan replies, clearly in pain, bleeding from the many snake bites he just received.
"We don't have a clue where it is," says Wizbang, "Except it is to the east. Hlarn thought it would be in Atlantia. That's a long way from here."
"Why does he think that?" Logan asks Wizbang.
"I don't know," she replies, "Except that I think the riddle hinted that it was hidden in a city. Atlantia is the capital of the Empire of Saltar, so maybe he thought it was appropriate for the Emporer's artifacts to be hidden there."
"Don't forget about the giant, Wilbur, that the gnolls talked about," Dor reminds the group. "So we need to keep our eyes open as we travel east."
"I meant leaving this fort altogether and heading east after that Robe or whatever," says Vanadil.
"So did I," replies Dor. "What if Wilbur gets hungry and goes to the mess hall to find everybody dead. He would be mad, as well as hungry. Then he might start following us to get revenge and a nice snack, perhaps. So we need to be watching our flank as we head east."
He grins at this fine example of Dorian logic.
"Oh. Okay."
"So, what do we want to do?" asks Callie. "Leave this place half finished and go east or complete the job? Speaking for myself, I don't like the idea of just walking away from here while there's still plenty of monsters about. I mean, the reason we came here was because they were raiding into the lands of Amlad. Besides, I'd like to fix Wilbur. It's a ranger thing, you know."
"Well, I think we have explored this entire outpost," Dor answers. "My guess is Wilbur has a cave or something nearby, and just stops in for meals. So let's start heading east and leave a good, easy trail for Wilbur to follow."
"There's lots more here, Dor!" exclaims Callie. "We haven't even been in the keep, yet, and there's a dungeon below!"
"Let it rest, Callie," says Edelle. "We have a greater task to do."
Callie mutters under her breath, but keeps any further comments to herself.
You head out of the keep, and return to the camp where Umboth and his flock of converts await you.
By mid afternoon you are packed up and heading back down the mountainside to Amlad. The afternoon is sunny, the temperature about 45F, with a brisk breeze blowing in your faces out of the northwest.
The trek down the rough trail is slow, but you are near the base of the mountain when it becomes too dark to continue, so you make a camp.
The night is uneventful.