| Upon returning to the haunted citadel, the party (Ignatius, Jack, and Nemo) encountered an adolescent elven boy named Avan who was fleeing goblin raiders. After chatting with them, Avan headed into town to observe the local architecture and visit the temple to the goddess of technology. After looting the wizard�s library some more, the party returned to town. There they learned that Avan not only is a priest of technology but also knows how to speak Draconic (a language Ignatius failed to learn in his youth). They recruited him and returned to the citadel. At the citadel they began exploring the main palace, working their way to the highest tower. On the way they ran into the ghost of Avalon�s last princess. Most of them attempted to flee though Jack, bolstered by the morale boosting effects of the throne room, chose to dance with her. Eventually they found their way to the tallest tower and looked out over the countryside to the Giant�s Run Mountains and the desert, the Orcish Wastes. As they headed back down they thoroughly ransacked the place, fighting off monstrous spiders and sacking dusty rooms. Eventually they found the physical remains of the princess and decided to inter her in the crypt underneath the citadel�s church. Once they got there they discovered their old enemies the kobolds had built an alter to Tiamet in the bottom most crypt. After giving last rites to the corpse they took it upon themselves to haul the stone block to the tallest tower and hurl it off to the ground some 70 feet below. That accomplished, they moved on the library and trophy hall they noticed next to the throne room. While Nemo was investigating the worthless trophies, Ignatius and Avan were attacked by a choker hiding behind a bookcase. Quickly incapacitating Ignatius, it soon had the rest of the party in a pitch battle. But finally with a flurry of sword blows and Ignatius�s angrily clawing falcon, the creature was felled. The party retreated taking with them the magical shield they had found. The next day undaunted they again went to the citadel to pillage. Using a secret passage in the palace library the party entered the old castle. This area was even more empty and crumbling with age. There they found a large band of skeletons but with ease, Avan made them cower before the might of Automita. Also they had an encounter with a small venomous snake living in the ruins where they discovered the shield also had great power to bash things. Eventually they found the old strategy room and while distracted by an abandoned warning device, a foul melting creature attacked. After a lengthy fight they realized that the creature was a lemure, a damned soul from hell drawn back the its old home. Then delving into the depths of the old castle they found a passage to the old torture chamber where Nemo was compelled to sit on the rack until his allies were able to dismantle it. The party decided that was enough for one day and headed home. By this point, Jilt, the merchant with which they promised to enlist as guards, was getting impatient. So deciding that being paid to leave was more profitable than what was left to loot they set out the next day with the caravan (along with the four original guards and Ara, Jilt�s beautiful but barbaric bodyguard). As they left, goblins and worgs set upon them. In the end they overpowered their attackers but not before they had lost two guards. As they set up camp that evening they could see smoke from the up ahead. |
| The Haunted Citadel (Part II) |