Episode 31
"The White Tower"
(c) Matt Grossman and J. Sage Schreiner

Nigil Palom, noble from a far-distant land -- Kevin Osborn
Norel Boulderdash, a well-built ranger -- Tom Morin
Tron, a resourcefull elf -- Matt Grossman
Danic, a dwarven warrior-mage -- Eric Kruller
All others -- Sage Schreiner

The party stays in the cave for about a day. They observe that around midnight,
when the tide is lowest, the water recedes enough to leave an  air passage to the outdoors.
Soren casts many healing spells, and there is enough beef jerky to go around. They discuss
what to do.

Danic: Groa said that we should be able to flag down a boat from the islands if we stick to
the coast. Assuming one shows up. Or we could hike to Marner -- it would take about a week.
Norel: I'm not thrilled about taking this bunch overland (gestures to other rescued prisoners)
Nigil: But we could wait a long time until a boat showed up.
Tron: We could steal a boat from the town.

Meanwhile, the other escapees have been talking among themselves. Rognvald seems to have been
accepted as their leader. One of the prisoners  comes over to the party:

Prisoner: We've decided to stay behind and fight as guerillas. Rognvald will be our leader.
Rognvald: Ugggh! Mummph eggah!
Tron: [snicker]
Soren: What about Idne?
Idne: Umm... I'll go with you guys, if that's ok.
Tika: I'll stay and fight with Rognvald. I will avenge Rhahid! And, uh, that other guy.

Danic: Without those guys it will be much more feasible to walk to Marner.

The next day, at low tide Tron prepares to scout outside.

Danic: My spell will protect you from the cold. [bzorm]
Tron: Hoody-hoo! (undresses)
Soren: [snicker]
Danic: [snicker]
Idne: Really, I'm sure that's just because he's cold. Oh wait, he's not. [snicker]

Tron swims out and sees that when the tide is fully out the water will be about four and a
half feet deep, so the humans can wade out. He finds that the cave opens on to the tip of the
southern headland. Going around to the north he can see the lights of Nyborg. There are a few boats
drawn up on the sand, surrounded by guards with torches. To the south all is dark and quiet. He hears 
a howl; a wolf or possibly a dog. He goes back inside and reports.

Tron: So much for the stealing a boat idea.
Nigil: If they're chasing us with dogs, then we can't hang around on the coast.
Danic: I guess we are going to Marner then!

They wade out of the cave at with the water at its lowest. The dwarves are barely tall enough
to keep their long noses above water. The heroes head south along the coast about a mile, until they
find a spot where they can easily climb the cliffs that line the beach. Once they are up on land they
head for the river that flows inland from Nyborg. The sun comes up, but they keep walking. Several times they
hear the baying of hounds in the distance. Finally they reach a ford in the river and bid
farewell to Rognvald and crew.

Nigil: Say, if you go upriver to where Jhaveks' castle was, you might find some supplies, and maybe
Thorwolf is still there.
Rognvald: Uggh! Ungghh!
Tron: [snicker]

The party crosses the river and heads northwest.

Danic: There's a road that runs along the coast that should take us to Marner.

They find a cart track that seems to be heading in the right direction and follow it. Behind them
they hear a strange, blood chilling howl. They pick up the pace.

Norel: Whatever it is, I don't want to see it.
Tron: You'd think we'd find a village or something.

They pass several wrecked and looted huts before they come to a large area of cleared land. It
seems that it was once farmland, but it has not been planted this spring. There is a burnt-out
and clearly depopulated hamlet there. Tron goes ahead to scout it out. As he enters the cleared area,
he notices movement in the trees to his left, and hears the sound of something large moving
through the trees to his right.

Tron: (makes a bunch of hand signals)
Nigil: (moves into cover)
Norel: (moves into cover)
Danic: Huh?
Nigil: Remind me to show you our hand signals sometime. He says there's something in the woods to the right.
Norel: Pssst -- I hear something as well. Maybe brownies?

Tron heads towards the left. As he approaches the woods, he sees small things moving in them. He can hear faint
whispers. A slingstone misses him widely and there is a titter of laughter.

Tron: We, uhh, come in peace!

He repeats this in Fruztti and Elvish. After a while a high-pitched voice calls from the woods:

Voice: You is from the city?
Tron: No!
Voice: You has food?
Tron: Uh, yes!

There is some muttering, and then a number of children emerge from the woods. They are clad in rags and
look very thin and malnourished.

Child: Big friend!

Behind Tron a huge gray monster has emerged from the woods on the other side of the clearing. There
is a small child sitting on its head and another one clinging to its leg. It just stands there and
looks at him.

Tron: Uhh... I could do with some backup here guys!

The rest of the party comes out of hiding and introductions are made.

Idne: Hello little girl. What's your name?
Girl: I'm Ilvis. Where's the food?
Soren: (summons tofu)

The children devour the tofu eagerly. The monster just stands and watches.

Norel: Where are your parents?
Ilvis: They, umm, went away, uhh, to, uhh, fight the Wendol. That's it.
Tron: Where did bob over there come from?
Ilvis: Uhhh... she showed up one day.
Boy: It's a he!

Suddenly there is another howl in the distance. The children look uneasy and start to drift back
into the woods.

Tron: (looks around for pig heads on stakes)
Nigil: Well, see you around... (waves to the kids as they wander into the woods)
Norel: I feel like we should do more to help them.
Tron: They're as likely to survive as anyone in this forsaken land. Let's get out of here.

They quickly search the ruined village but do not find anything of use. Norel uses his rangerly magic to
hide the signs of their passing, and they head quickly into the woods. They hear the howls several
more times in the distance, but increasingly farther away. Finally, after dark they make camp.

Nigil: Say, what happened to the little moon, Celene?
Danic: Oh, it disappeared a while ago. Around the time the thaw started.
Nigil: How could a moon disappear?
Tron: Maybe the string broke and it fell down.
Soren: Bah! You can never trust elvish smithing.

Nothing happens that night. In the morning, they continue along and soon reach the coast road.
Several hours after dawn they come to an inhabited village. People are working in the fields and
they can seen the smoke of fires.

Idne: We need some clothes and food and shoes and stuff.
Danic: I'll go in alone and buy some clothes. We can use that pirate's treasure, it's a good thing
Rognvald didn't ask for it.
Tron: Not like he could anyway... [snicker]

The dwarf approaches the village. Women scream and hide. Men come running out carrying sharpened
farm implements.

Danic: Hey, I come in peace.
Farmer: Who are you? What are you doing here?
Danic: My comrades and myself are simple travellers from the south. We want...
Farmer: We don't like your sort here!
Danic: My sort?
Farmer: Demon! Begone!
Danic: Listen, peasant...
Farmer: The only thing we'll give you is cold steel!
Danic: Fine!

He walks back, pursued by jeers and clods of "mud".

Tron: Nice work.
Norel: Aran would have gotten us all warms beds and hot food.
Danic: Let's kill them and take what we want.
Nigil: Norel and I will go. They may react better to humans.

The two warriors approach the village. This time the peasants are less hostile.

Farmer: We don't have any food. But we could give you some clothes. What could you give us?
Nigil: Gold.

They buy a bundle of old clothing for an outrageous price and leave. The escaped prisoners among
the party are glad to exchange their prison rags for fresher garments.

Tron: I'll miss these lice [crunch].

They continue northwest along the coast road. They have now entered a populated region and
occasionally see farmhouses and people working in the fields. These peasants watch the party warily
as they walk past.

Danic: Bah.

In the afternoon, as they are walking through a wooded area:

Norel: Hooves! Behind us!
Nigil: Let's hide and see who it is.

They hide in the woods along the side of the road. Soon they see two riders. One is a teenage girl
with long, dark hair, wearing hunting clothes and carrying a falcon on her wrist. The other is an older man
in chainmail armor, with the alert look of a seasoned fighter.

Girl: Did you see how Jester took that last rabbit? He's really...
Man: Careful, milady! There's danger about. [shing]
Girl: Ooooo! Danger! (Readys her axe)

Nigil: (steps out of the bushes) Greetings, fairest flower of Ratik. We were just passing through
when we heard your horses approaching. Unsure of who it might be, we decided to wait and find out.
Man: Bah. They look like a bunch of escaped prisoners to me.
Tron: That's funny, because... Ow!
Girl: Where are you from?
Nigil: The call me Nigil Palom of Keoland.
Girl: Wow, Keoland! That's really far away. I'm Alida Crawford, and this is Corbin, the Master of Arms.
Corbin: Bah.

Alida seems especially excited by the sight of Soren and Danic.

Alida: Wow, you have dwarves with you! Oh, you simply must visit the castle.
Nigil: I would go wherever you wished, milady, if I could be assured of your company on the road.

They head along the road, with Alida chattering merrily.

Norel: Psst, Nigil, don't come on so strong, you'll get us in trouble.
Nigil: Hey, my bacon ain't sleeping alone tonight!
Danic: Dream on. Did you see how she was looking at me? She's one of those human chicks who dig dwarves,
I can tell.
Soren: No way, she's one of those chicks that digs priests.

Alida: So you're from Nyborg?
Idne: Uh, yes.
Alida: What does your father do?
Idne: He's a shipwright.
Alida: Oh, I'm sorry. How... quaint. Some of my best friends are peasants.

They come over a rise and see a small castle ahead of them. There is a curtain wall with many towers and
a central keep. The keep seems to be built around a white tower of clearly different construction from the
rest of the castle.

Alida: Behold, the castle, ummm keep, of Caerghallen!
Norel: Caerghallen!
Nigil: Caerghallen!
Danic: Caerghallen!
Tron: It's only a model.
Soren: Huh?
Tron: Never mind.

Danic: That castle is clearly of dwarven construction. Just look how solid it is... Except for that white tower.
Alida: Yeah, that tower was really old and they built the castle around it. All these ravens live there,
and it's like, a legend that if they die, then my family would fail, or something. You know why it's
white? Because it's covered in raven poop. But we don't kill the ravens.
Norel: Probably wise.

They go to the castle and are led to rooms in the keep. Servants take their old clothes, bathe them, and
dress them in clean and decent clothes. Then they are summoned to dinner. Nigil tips the servants.

Nigil: This is the life!
Norel: Remember guys, we don't know how these people felt about Jhaveks, so be careful what you say.

The dining room of the keep has only a single large table. The only diners besides the party are Alida, her
tutor Griswell (a wizened scholar), and an older man, who is introduced as Sir Ingram Crawford, Lord of
Caerghallen.

Ingram: I regret that my son Bran is indisposed and will not be dining with us. We don't often get guests
in our humble home, so please, tell me the news of the world.
Norel: Actually, we were hoping that you could tell us some news. We've been in the wilderness for the
past few months.
Ingram: Really? You must tell me all about it.
Norel: Well, we were just fighting Wendol and such.
Ingram: Fortunately we didn't have many up here. I shouldn't say it, but evil breeds evil. They were 
mainly found in Jhaveks' lands. I can't condone murdering a lord, but if anyone deserved it, he did.
Tron: That's good, because... Ow!

Norel: We heard that there was danger of an orc invasion.
Ingram: There still is. Soon Corbin and myself, and few other stout men of my household will go to Ratikhill
to join the king's army.
Alida: I want to go too!
Ingram: You will not go. You must stay here and look after the castle. Ah, here is the main course! I
believe my cook has outdone herself.
Tron: What are those things, some kind of giant bug?
Nigil: Lobsters?
Ingram: Giant crayfish, fished out of the well. If you're not careful they'll nip a finger off.
Danic: We dwarves eat them, as well. And we use them to protect moats and the like from intruders.
Ingram: So I have heard. I hope that these meet with your satisfaction.

They eat.

Nigil: Say, Alida, who is that gentleman in the portrait above the mantelpiece?
Alida: That's Sir Bertram Crawford. He allied with the dwarves in the orc wars centuries ago and they built
this castle for him in return. He's buried in the white tower. Those are the Crawford arms: A raven, argent,
flying into a sun sable.
Danic: What does it say on the mantelpiece?
Alida: It's a poem. (reading haltingly) Death of ravens thou shalt abhor lest the line of Crawford be no more.
That's that whole "don't kill raves" thing I was telling you about earlier...

They enjoy Sir Ingram's excellent cellars.

Tron: Thish hippocras ish really good. Let me tell you about the time we fought the rat people...
Nigil: I haven't had wine this fine since I was home...
Norel: We were looking for some friends of ours, a man and woman, maybe with a small child. Have any travellers
like that passed through recently? In the past few months?
Ingram: No, you're the first...
Tron: The women and children shwarmed at ush like a mob, howling for blood. We had to kill them all, it wash 
terrible...
Griswell: I... I'm sure it was.
Tron: Didja know that rat tastes kinda like, hic, shicken?

Suddenly there is a scream from behind one of the doors. Sir Ingram runs through it, followed by the party.
They find themselves inside the white tower. The inside is one massive, windowless room, lit by burning
tapers. There is a stone staircase that goes partway up the tower, and a carved sarcophagus. A symbol of
Pelor is drawn on the floor. Another door leads out of the tower, apparently to a pantry which opens onto
the kitchen garden. The cook is standing in that door screaming. Sprawled against the sarcophagus is Corbin,
lying in a broad pool of his own blood. He has been disemboweled and is clearly very dead.

Ingram: (gives orders)
Danic: Hmm... it looks like what killed him was a wound to the inner thigh, cutting the veins there. It was
a powerful blow, the sarcophagus is nicked. Also, he had his tongue cut out. It looks like he died sometime
in the last few hours.
Tron: Only a left-handed halfling cobbler could have done thish! Hic.

There is some discussion, but nobody can see how the murder could have been comitted.

Alida: He must have been dead all the time we were eating dinner next door.
Norel: We did hear a howling behind us a few days ago. It seemed... supernatural. Whatever it was might have
followed us here.
Ingram: Hmm... thank you for telling me. But at the moment it's not clear how this might have happened. I 
have to ask you all to go to your rooms now. I will post guards throughout the castle. In the morning we will
get to the bottom of this.

As the characters go upstairs to bed.

Norel: Waaah! [thump] Ow...what the hell? There's marbles all over the stairs!
Alida: Oh, Bran must have done it. He's always doing stuff like that.
Norel: Someone could be seriously hurt! Bah.

The party goes to bed, although they post a watch throughout the
night.  Nothing unusual happens. In the morning they decide
to try and find out more about the murder.

Nigil: I'll go around and talk to the villagers.
Danic: I want to check out that tower
Tron: I want to get some weapons and armor.
Norel: I'll go and search the ground. Though I'm afraid the rain last night washed away all the footprints.
Soren: Before you guys all take off, now that we're in a relatively safe place I can use some magic to restore
your lost vitality.

The priest prays to Moraddin and soon Tron, Nigil, and Norel are all feeling somewhat better, although not
completely restored to themselves. They go the armory and Tron, Norel, and Nigil get weapons and armor. Nigil
goes and talks to the keep's blacksmith.

Merle the Blacksmith: Well, I saw a strange thing a few days ago, like an orangy-tang from Hepmonaland,
crawling on the roof of the keep. I seen one in one of Rook's books before.

Norel talks to a gardener:

Gardener: Arrh, those ravens be filthy birds! But I don't kill 'em. Nobody does. It's the way!
Norel: Have you seen any cats around?
Gardener: Ayy... no. Filthy birds, I say. Cats are filthy too! It's a good thing they don't go into the keep!
Filthy! Except for Hugo, Griswell's pet. In the house I mean. Filthy too...

The ranger locates a likely-looking raven and uses his rangerly magic to speak with it.

Raven: Hey! Hi! Ho! Caaaaaaaaw!
Norel: Hey. What's up?
Raven: Looking for shinies! Caaaaaaw! Shinies! Mmmmm.... Shinies for girlies!
Norel: Have you seen anything unusual lately? Has a creature been hunting you?
Raven: At night, big thing come, twist heads! Twist, twist, twist! Ooo, shiny. Hee hee! A murder of
crows! Murder! Crows! Ravens! Murder! Twist and twist and twist!
Norel: What does it look like? The big thing?
Raven: Big thing! Not shiny. Twist and twist and twist.
Norel: Thanks.
Raven: Caaaaaaaw!

He gives the raven a shiny copper piece and heads back to the castle.

Danic and Tron check out the tower.

Danic: Climb like a spider! 
Tron: Hoody-hoo! (climbs up the inside wall of the tower)

Tron finds that the ceiling is made of comparatively recently laid stone. There is a single trapdoor that
opens upwards.

The Crawford family enters the tower:

Ingram: Oh, we put that ceiling in in my grandfather's time. The old one was leaking. Above it is just a space
where the ravens roost.
Alida: Wow! Magic!
Bran: (a sullen boy of about 10 years) Bah.

Tron: Can't... push... open... trapdoor...
Danic: You wuss! 

He climbs up the wall.

Danic: Darn it... can't... quite... uggh...
Tron: If only we could use our leg and back muscles...
Danic: Maybe if we...
Tron: No... Can't exert enough force...

After futily pushing on the heavy, lead trapdoor for a while, they decide to try entering through the
outside. There is a space between the pointed roof of the tower and the stone ceiling of the tower. There
are slats allowing entrance into this space, and it looks like Tron and Danic could fit. Unfortunately the 
top of the tower is full of ravens.

Tron: Err....
Ravens: (peck and hiss at the intruders)
Danic: (throws some copper pieces at them, distracting them) Now!

The elf and the dwarf squeeze into the tower and quickly search it. The ravens do not attack them, but they
swarm around them, pecking, flapping in their faces and defecating on their heads.

Danic: I found an amulet with a spell! It's magical.
Tron: I found some coins. Let's get out of here, I think this is it.

They open the trapdoor and climb down into the tower. The onlookers eye them in astonishment.

Alida: Wow, those ravens are pretty messy birds.
Danic: We need to bathe.

They go upstairs. As Tron enters his room, a dagger balanced above the door falls and almost hits him.

Tron: "And then there were none", huh. It looks like it's poisoned.

Alida comes by.

Alida: Oh, I bet that was Bran. He was saying something about catching a murderer.
Tron: I'll "catch" him.
Alida: He usually doesn't do stuff this dangerous though. I guess I'd better tell dad.

The characters exchange information.

Tron: I bet the orangytang thing did it.
Norel: That's orangutan.
Tron: Whatever. Eliminate the impossible and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Tron and Danic then start looking at the sarcophagus.

Tron: See that carving there?
Danic: Hmm... yes... I think that it is a secret door. But the opening mechanism is very intricate.

They spend hours working on the door. Norel and Nigil also search the tower.

Tron: Ok, hold that thing, now push that guy's head...
Danic: [click]
Tron: Dammit, why did you do that?
Danic: You told me too! And you're wrong anyway! No dwarf would ever design a mechanism like that! This whole
approach is wrong!
Tron: Bah. (goes to get a drink of water)

Tron: (goes to pull the bucket out of the well) Hey, there's something down there... Hey guys, check
this out! (he turns the crank and the gnawed body of the gardener comes out of the well, lifted by the rope
around his neck)
Danic: Hmm, looks like they really do have giant crayfish in the well. He can't have been down there long or they
would have stripped him to the bone.
Nigil: Remind me not to drink the water. We'd better tell Sir Ingram of this.

They do. Guards are summoned. Norel searches the garden, but with all the people tramping through it the
marks have become confused.

Norel: It looks like he was weeding that flowerbed when he was attacked from behind, stabbed, then the 
rope was fastened around his neck and he was flung into the well.
Danic: But we were right next door! We would have heard it!
Nigil: Maybe not, if the attack was sudden, or if the attacker used magic to silence it.
Tron: Sounds like an orangutan to me! I once heard a story about an escaped orangutan that murdered two
women in Greyhawk. It was called "The Murders in the Rue Mordenkainen".
Nigil: That's, uhh, interesting.
Norel: Where does Tron get all this stuff?
Nigil: He's an elf, so he's like a bazillion years old, remember?
Norel: Yet's he's oddly immature at times... Weird.
Tron: You're just jealous.

Meanwhile, Norel has noticed a scarecrow in the corner of the garden. There is something distinctly
disturbing about its pumpkin face. It bears a striking expression of agony and fear.

Norel: Who carved this?
Cook: The gardener did... Wow, I don't remember it looking that bad. I guess I never noticed it.

They discuss the situation for a while, then Tron and Danic go back to working on the sarcophagus. As the
early winter darkness falls outside...

Danic: [click]
Tron: (watches as the door swings open) I have to admit, that's clever.
Danic: Of course it's clever. Dwarves built it.

They see a steep flight of stone stairs leading down into darkness.

Tron: Let's get the others.
Danic: I want to do some research first.

He goes to the castle library. Unfortunately, it seems that the only book on the construction of the castle
is missing.

Danic: Hmm... guess we'll just have to find out what's down there ourselves.

Soon, the entire party descends the stairs into darkness.

Tron: The dust is disturbed. It looks like someone with big, unusually narrow feet has been ahead of us.

They continue along a dark corridor until they come a bridge over a deep body of water. The water is dark and
swirls threateningly.

Danic: This bridge is trapped to tip over. Someone has to go across and put something into that hole over there.
Tron: Soren, can I borrow your ax?
Soren: Sure, don't lose it.

Tron sets out across the bridge. At first he does well, but when he is almost across the bridge tilts and
topples him into the dark, cold water.

Tron: Whoops, sorry Soren.
Soren: My ax!
Danic: Careful! I bet that this is the same water that the well draws from. There are probably those crayfish
things down there. They can skeletonize an orc in five minutes!

Clinging to the side of the bridge, Tron makes it across and jams his shortsword into the hole, locking
the bridge in place. The others then cross, and the party continues deeper into the earth. Eventually
they come to a deep pit that goes down into darkness. Below they can see the gleam of water. There is the
sound of falling water but they cannot tell where it is coming from. Across the crevasse is the mouth of a
cave.

Nigil: Ok Tron, do your stuff.
Tron: [sigh]

The elf ties a rope around his waist and starts going around the side of the pit. Fortunately there are many
handholds and after a few tense moments, Tron makes it to the cave mouth on the other side.

Tron: Hmm, now I have find something to attach this rope to. [click] Aaagh, my leg! A bear trap? What the hell?

The elf levers the jaws of the trap open and extracts his leg, then ties the rope to the trap. The rest of
the party hand-over-hands along the rope and soon join him.

Soren: I'll stay here and guard the rope.

A tunnel leads back from the cave mouth into darkness. The party regroups and advances carefully, with 
Tron in the lead checking for traps.

Tron: Don't step there, don't step there, watch that rock...

Eventually they come to a chamber carved from the rock. It contains a number of sarcophagi.

Nigil: Hmm, you know, normally when we rob the dead, the dead fight back.
Tron: I bet they go for us as soon as we pop the lids.

They carefully check for traps and then open up one of the sarcophagi.

Danic: This guy's... not juicy at all.

The skeleton inside the sarcophagus seems to have belonged to a small man. There is a quantity of silver
jewelry scattered around his bones.

Norel: Hey, those markings look familiar.
Danic: I think this is an Ur-Flan burial site.
Nigil: I guess they were all that short.

They contemplate the remaining sarcophagi.

Norel: How do you guys feel about robbing the dead when they don't fight back? I mean, these guys are just
buried here.
Danic: They're just humans.
Nigil: They don't need the treasure.
Tron: Hmmm... what would Skanda say. I know. It's ok to rob the dead as long as they didn't worship Pholtus.
This "ethics" stuff is easy.
Nigil: Come on, this is what we do as adventurers.
Danic: Don't think of yourself as a tomb robber, think of yourself as an archeologist.
Norel: I guess you're right.

They open and rob the remaining sarcophagi. Then they head back to the cave mouth. Looking across the pit,
they can see that there is another cave directly beneath the one that they entered by. Everyone except Tron
goes back along the rope, then Tron unties the rope and brings it back.

Tron: Well?
Soren: What?
Tron: I got injured by that trap. Aren't you gonna heal me? It's what you're here for, right?
Soren: Blah blah Moraddin heal this elf. Nope. Looks like the god has withdrawn his power from me.
Tron: Why?
Soren: Because you lost my sacred ax, you moron! Without that ax, the god will not grant me power! And you
dropped it! He's pissed. What do you expect?
Tron: I think you're just making this up. You just want me to convert to your god. I've already fallen, er,
I mean, Pholtus is my god now.
Soren: I'm not lying, and I couldn't heal you if I wanted to, which I don't. Freakin' pansy.
Tron: Hey! Don't make me come over there!

Meanwhile, the rest of the party has dropped a rope down and is climbing down to the lower cave. The more
heavily armored adventurers have to take off their armor before climbing down, then put it on again at the
bottom.

This cave shows clear signs of artificial shaping. A stream runs out of it in a channel and into the water,
which is at the level of the cave entrance. The floor is smooth and polished, and as the characters continue
in, they see that the cave opens into a chamber supported with columns. There is a waterfall at the far end
of the chamber.

Danic: This is clearly the work of dwarves, guys! This must be the tomb of the dwarves who built this place!
Norel: So are we gonna rob their graves too?
Tron: Guess I'll check for traps then.
Danic: That waterfall is direclty below the pool above. That's probably why the water is moving up there.

They proceed slowly across the room and reach the waterfall. Danic sticks his sword into the fall and it
parts like a curtain, showing the party a passage leading up and to the side. The party goes through the
fall and up the passage. They find themselves at the entrance to a large room. In the center of the room
is a massive stone table, on which is lying the ancient corpse of a man in full armor. There are four passages
leading out of this room.

Nigil: Hey, I bet that's the guy in the painting. Sir Bertram Crawford. You can tell by the beard... what's
left of it.
Norel: I guess the dwarves liked him so much they laid him to rest down here.
Danic: That is a great honor amongst my people.

Suddenly dank mist rolls into the room. The ghostly forms of six dwarves materialize, one at each of the six
exits from the room.

Tron: Err, Danic, you can handle this. (hides behind the dwarf)
Ghost: Who are you who dares to disturb the rest of dwarves of the Clan McDonald?
Danic: I am Danic vaanDrager, of the clan vaanDrager, oh honorable forefathers.
Ghost: Why do you trouble us again?
Danic: We've never been here before.
Ghost: One disturbed our rest... but I see that he is not with you now.
Ghost: Begone, and trouble us no more!
Danic: Oh revered ancestors, permit me to inspect your wondrous tombs.
Ghost: ...

Danic wanders around admiring the carvings for a while, then leaves when the ghosts start to look grumpy.

Norel: I wonder who it was who came down here earlier.
Tron: The same guy who left those footprints at the bottom of the ladder. It would have been helpful if
they'd told us what he looked like.

They head back towards the surface. When they come to the tipping bridge Tron jams it with his sword and
they cross.

Soren: Get my ax back.
Tron: Get it yourself. There's giant crayfish things down there.
Danic: I'll get it.

The dwarf uses a light spell on a coin to illuminate the water. He dives into the water and retrieves the
ax, and Soren heals Tron.

Danic: (Coughs) Dwarves don't swim for a reason. It's going to take me a week to dry my beard. Morradin
owes me one.

The party continues back to the surface and emerges from the sarcophagus.

Guard: I'm awake! Um, you guys missed dinner.
Norel: Has anyone else been killed?
Guard: No. Not that I know of.

The party goes to bed. They set watches, but notice nothing unusual. In the morning Danic tries to use his
magic to ferret out the powers of the amulet he found the day before.

Danic: Hmm, the writing says "To my son Tavan, to protect him from the blows of his enemies". And it seems
to have some kind of protection magic on it. I guess I'll wear it and see what happens.
Nigil: We can find out if it protects you... hold still... [smack]
Danic: Ow! You gave me a bloody nose!
Nigil: I guess it's not a very good amulet.

They head down for breakfast and find Sir Ingram in the kitchen.

Ingram: Morning. Say, have you seen the cook?
Nigil: (sigh) Try the root cellar.

They look in the basement and see the body of the cook, lying among the hams and preserved vegetables.

Norel: Nobody move!

The ranger quickly searches the dirt floor of the basement.

Norel: Whoever did it was wearing long, thin boots. I guess that rules out the orangutan theory.
Tron: Maybe it was wearing shoes.
Soren: Enough of this detective nonsense. Sir Ingram, if you call together the servants, my god will allow
me to sense which of them are evil enough to have done these deeds.

Sir Ingram quickly assembles the entire castle staff, and the dwarven priest calls upon the power of his god
to reveal evil...

Soren: Err, none of these people is evil at heart.
Ingram: But that leaves only...
Soren: You also are not evil.
Nigil: Surely not Alida!
Tron: (whisper) Wouldn't be the first time...

They head upstairs.

Ingram: Alida! Where is that girl?
Alida: [yawn] Whass' goin' on?
Soren: Hmm... her soul is free from taint.
Danic: There's only one more...
Ingram: It couldn't be Bran. He can be a bit cranky sometimes, but...

They knock on Bran's door.

Ingram: Open up! This is your father speaking!
Tron: Bah. (forces the door) What's that smell?

There is a big pile of dead ravens under the bed and a large book on the bedside table. Suddenly the
wardrobe flies towards Nigil!

Nigil: [thud] Ouch!

TO BE CONTINUED...