Hogar's Journal (Translated from Giant)
Year 781 of the founding of the City
5th Day of Meloramensis – Part I
Thunderspire Mountain – Return to the Seven Pillared Hall
At dawn, or what passes for dawn in the permanent gloom of the labyrinth, Terrlen roused the group and led us back into the dark passages towards the Seven Pillared Hall. Time is indiscriminate in this place so it is difficult to say how long we had been walking before Terrlen doubled over in pain. He fell to the ground screaming in agony. In the guttural half light cast by the torches it was unclear at first what was going on. His screams began to be punctuated by the suck and pop of deforming flesh and dislocating bones. It became apparent that his jaw and nose were growing before our very eyes. Hair began to sprout from the back of his hands, his cheeks and his forehead and his screams became less human and more animal in sound. Presently his transformation was complete and a salivating werewolf towered menacingly over us.
Glen and Eligos did not wait for him to attack us but charged straight at him knocking him further down the corridor. Minron then joined in, sending the beast crashing to the floor. All six us proceeded to hit him with everything we had. Whatever had caused Terrlen to turn into a werewolf clearly made him incredibly tough. He managed to withstand our onslaught for quite a few minutes. Six versus one he never really had a chance though and inevitably he fell unconscious at our feet. No sooner had he done so than he morphed back into the form of Terrlen. The combined healing efforts of Minron and Vic soon brought him around.
The experience left him disoriented and he seemed to have no clear recollection of what had just happened. He did however come to realise that such a transformation has happened to him before, though he had thought it a dream. It seems that he visited a temple somewhere in the labyrinth many years ago where he was transformed. Believing it to have been a dream he does not recall where it was. Its location may be worth further investigation once we have dealt with Kediri and his cronies.
That little misadventure dealt with we continued back to the Seven Pillared Hall, this time keeping a closer eye on Terrlen's condition. Once there Terrlen handed himself over to the mages who oversee the hall and we handed over our Goblin captive. The mages were so grateful that they volunteered to waive the heinous tax they levy the next time we pass through the hall, how very generous!
Vic suggested that as we are in the Hall we may as well spend another night under the hospitable roof of the Halfmoons. Glen and Rodney decided to do some shopping and joined us a couple of hours later having bought an "elixir of accuracy" for me. Apparently I'll barely be able to miss having consumed it, we'll see I suppose. Rodney aloof as ever retired early to spend some time brewing concoctions of his own.
6th Day of Meloramensis – Part I
Thunderspire Mountain – Duergar Trading Post
We rose early and headed to the trading post by the name of Grimmerzhul in the south-east corner of the hall. Rendil informed us that this establishment is in fact owned by duergar. If one duergar in an area is involved in shady transactions then you can bet your last copper bit that the whole community at least knows about it. This seemed the perfect place to enquire about the location of Kediri.
As we approached the building I noticed a hand painted sign which read "adventurers not welcome". Not promising but we trooped in anyway to find two dark dwarves standing behind a counter. They gave us short shrift, refusing to talk to groups of adventurers in strict accordance with the sign outside. I was all for beating some respect into them but Vic offered to talk to them alone and ushered us outside.
We stood outside cooling our heels for no more than a couple of minutes when Vic came bursting out of the door with bright red duergar spines protruding from his face and neck and four angry duergar bearing down on him. Another successful negotiation courtesy of our fearless leader.
We moved as one to his aid lead by Eligos and Diefenbaker. These two managed to drive the duergar back into the shop and away from the prying eyes of the mages in the hall. Eligos' brave charge did not come without cost though as she took something of a beating for her trouble. I have come to learn however that there are few tougher than the tiefling Warden and it was nothing that she could not handle.
With a foothold in the room it was not long before we began to gain the upper hand. But just as it was becoming apparent that we would overwhelm Vic's assailants a spectral figure burst out from an adjoining room crying "who dares attack Kediri in his own home?" His boastful declaration of identity making it clear that not only did these duergar know of the slavers machinations. It turns out, they were sheltering the very duergar we were looking for! At the appearance of Kediri columns of light began to appear around the room leaving all those close to them blinded. Dief however remained unaffected and was able to attack Kediri knocking him off balance. Vic despite being blinded had the presence of mind to direct Minron to charge at the spectre and knock him prone thus taking advantage of Dief's efforts. This bought Eligos the time to summon a swirling cloud of grit and blood which lacerated the duergar whilst protecting the rest of us. With the help of Vic's spells this was enough to see off the last of the duergar soldiers. Kediri then felt the full force of our fury. For a long time he resisted, seemingly able to shrug of the effects of many of our blows but eventually the sheer weight and ferocity of our attacks toppled him.
A quick search of the shop revealed some gems, which Glen immediately declared himself custodian of, some gold coins, an ornate box which had been used as a till and on the person of Kediri himself a contract referring to supplying human and halfling slaves to a place called the Horned Hold
6th Day of Meloramensis – Part II
Thunderspire Mountain – Duergar Trading Post
We spent a few minutes ransacking the place before Glen suggested that, with the previous owners disposed of, the shop could be a useful method of selling the various weapons and armour we liberate from the slavers in the labyrinth. This would have the benefit of negating the mark-down we always suffer when selling to traders who have to sell on at a profit. I suggested that we could also sell some of the gems we have found in the past; he was less keen on that.
As we discussed who would run the shop for us in our absence (quickly deciding that Splug, a goblin that Glen, Rodney and Eligos found in Shadowfell Keep, Bob and Eric would be just the people for the job and mulling over how to get them over from Silverkin Manor) a tiny (even by their standards) kobold emerged from his hiding place behind a packing crate. The scrape and skitter of drawn weapons coupled with the full attention of all six of us sent him cowering into a corner.
"Who are you creature and why do you skulk about in this shop?" Glen asked him.
After much stammering and grovelling prostration he revealed that his name is Charrak and that he looked after the shop when the duergar were away. Though they were cruel and often beat him he had nowhere else to go and had stayed on for most of his life. Vic could see no hint of deceit in the creature so we offered him his old job but working for us instead. He accepted our offer without hesitation. As luck would have it he had overheard enough of the conversations amongst the duergar to have learned the location of the Horned Hold and was able to draw us a map.
We left him with five gold pieces to pay the mages to set up a teleportation link between the shop and Silverkin Mansion. Glen wrote a note for him to give to Eric explaining the situation and we set off immediately for the Horned Hold.