We've informed baron Grellus of the "great danger" posed by the Bone Keep warlock and his feline army; in response he decided to send a troupe of three scouts to investigate, despite our protests.
Upon arrival we've noticed that various keep breaches have been reinforced and obstructed with rubble. This will undoubtedly make our future excursions even riskier than before.
I lead the party down the tower corridor, for we wanted to resume where we left last time. We were greeted by a sound of steel and bone clashing.
And what sight it was! An enraged dwarf, duking it out with two skeletons and a zombie. Mayhem ensued, with all of us engaging in a skirmish. Conciencia, blessed be her soul, warned us of upcoming "unnatural magicks" just in time to prepare.
Rozza and I faced off against a skeleton mage and his three lackeys, whilst Amos, Gregory, Dalgarn, Hats, and Artzua exchanged blows with four skeletons and two zombies.
Both Rozza and I took a chunk of the mage, he with pebble and I with quarrel, but that did not prevent him from waving his hands and casting doom upon us. I could see the purple glow of his, his skeletal hands weaving patterns; I could feel unnatural heaviness in my body, stupor permeating me.
Fight as I might, my will relented; leaning on the cave wall I slipped to the ground; falling into sleep; three skeletons were the last thing I've seen.
Sharp pain in the ribs and a burning pain on my cheeks brought me back to life. It was Dalgarn who awoke me. The situation was dire, for a zombie mage and three zombies have joined the fray as well.
Amos and Artzua turned the tide by turning the undead, sending all but the mages fleeing. Henceforth we did them fast. Gregory and the dwarf fell. In total, we exterminated ten skeletons, six zombies, one skeletal mage, and one zombie mage. A righteous purge.
Upon investigating this set of connected caverns, we realised that one of the doors leads to the narrow passageway we've traversed before—the one where Hats took down the doors, and then took magic arrow to the chest.
There was another door behind which magic lies. It was barred and reinforced. Dalgarn discovered an illusory wall in the corridor, with the stairs leading up. We all felt extremely uncomfortable, like something ill is to happen.
We rushed to the angelic statue, hoping to finally retrieve it. It spoke! Pesky thing! When I spoke to it, it just ignored me, but when a holy man asked her a simple question, she immediately replied.
'Twas a long exchange, but the gist was that it was made by elves as a gift or protection system for the humans. It will help us cleanse the Redwood Keep, and will allow us to transport her to Redwood, if we are able to show her the proof that the elves that made her are long gone. We should be able to find them in "The Tower of Constructors," which supposedly lies few hours north-east from the keep. She said we should show them her helmet, the one I took off her. She did not appreciate that.
Whilst returning to the surface, we were assaulted in the corridor by two fast moving hairy creatures with long snouts. We were able to outrun them only because Staniel sacrificed himself. What a brave soul.
We yielded no riches from this expedition. Only death. Natural and unnatural.
Redwood castle notes:
- Tower and trapdoor connect to the same underground level.
- Where did giant mole-like creatures on B2 came from?
- Keep is getting reinforced.
- Scouts reported seeing at least ten feline warriors.
- Angelic statue said it would help us cleanse the keep if we can prove that her creators are long gone.
- She will accept something from the "Tower of Constructors" as proof.
- "Tower of Constructors" should be several hours north-east from Redwood keep.
- There is a shrine or temple somewhere.