Finally we have reached the monastery, that I’ve heard the others talk so much about. Not sure why we are here, but the two knights following us, suggest it to be important. The wind was howling here, we could see the peak reach up just behind the buildings, i’m just glad that this place isn’t frozen over or covered in snow, that would make all of this a whole lot more difficult. We stopped to assess the situation some thirty feet from the large wooden double doors, that appeared to be closed at the first glance. Apart from the wind, there was… nothing. No sounds of animals, no sounds of people, nothing. There was only an eerie silence and the wind. I glanced up, the monastery wasn’t an enormous building, but the walls seemed solid, almost fortress like in their construct. Given it’s remote location, the monastery would be easy to defend from even larger forces, as the road, or rather path, up here was narrow and long. Ten people, if given enough ammunition, could probably fend this place off for quite some time. Food and water would likely become a problem over time, but the fighting itself should not.
With a closer look, we saw that one side of the door, was ajar. The opening was large enough for a person of regular size to get through. Before I could suggest that we should head inside, I noticed that Liri was missing from the group. How she moves that deftly, is beyond me. I looked around, she hadn’t climbed the walls, she hadn’t been falling, I’d probably have heard that. Suddenly she appeared from the door, I shot a look at Mariah, but it did not seem like magic was involved. Liri waved us over; the coast was clear.
The inside of the gatehouse was dark, the air seemed stagnant, a slight breeze came through the opened door, but it felt as if no-one had been here in a while. Liri was already at work opening the next door, I couldn’t see exactly what she was doing, but it seemed to work. A click, and the door could be opened with ease. The light that met us as the door opened up, was almost blinding. The sun gleaming high from above, several of us had our hands on the hilts of our respective weapons, but there wasn’t anyone, or anything for that matter, in the courtyard. Tension seemed to vanish almost entirely, but still there was this awkward sense of something being wrong. The courtyard had signs of trouble, blood splatter here and there, carvings into the walls as if something hit them with great force. There was no direct signs, other than the blood, no abandoned weapons, no pieces of armor, but most importantly; no corpses. I looked over at the blood, perhaps I could discover something, but alas, there didn’t seem to be anything odd about it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the Half-Orc striding across the courtyard with haste, a door in the far end of the courtyard had her attention. She tried to open the door, but finding it locked, she called out for the Halfling to help. I was pretty sure that, had she wanted to, she could have broken the door down with some ease. I could see Liri fiddle with the lock, she had a knack for locks it seemed. As soon as the door was opened, the Half-Orc nearly pushed Liri aside and headed inside. I couldn’t hear the clashing of steel, no cries of combat. Very shortly after entering, both the Halfling and the Half-Orc came out, heaving for air. Both of them were trying to hold their noses, whilst trying not to hurl, guessing something repulsive must have been in the room they opened. Looking around in the monastery, there weren’t a whole lot of windows around, not even crenellations or shooting galleries. In that sense, the construct was very Dwarven, though we Dwarves mostly build like that, because it would be underground. And shooting galleries for crossbowmen and siege equipment were pretty much a must. From my angle, I could see some tables, what looked to be for dining. While I was curious as to why my two companions acted like they did, I also had no intention of heading in there. We had agreed upon clearing out the top levels first, so that, if we were heading deeper inside, we wouldn’t get surprised by someone (or something) laying in ambush.
While this was going on, Mariah and That Tiefling were trying to discover anything new from the gatehouse. To no avail, it seemed, at least I heard no triumphant mutter. The Half-Orc walked, well, rushed, across the courtyard, to a small tower-like struture that was built on it’s own, not visibly connected to the rest of the monastery. This door had no lock, and was opened without issues. I could hear a splash coming from inside, distant and small. Then the squeaking of a poorly oiled hinge. Then another splash, and the Half-Orc coming out with a look of focus on her face. I’m not sure why, but Mariah thought to explore the exact room, that the Half-Orc had just left. Given it’s size, I wouldn’t count on much being in there actually. Another splash. Again the sound of the hinge. Mariah came out, with an old beat-up bucket in her hands, without further warning, she splashed the contents out in the courtyard. Well, she tried to splash it out, it was more of a sticky glide. I have seen some murky, dirty water before, like a stream that came from near where two Trolls had holed up. But even then, the water was still fluent. This water had a greyish, almost black colour to it, and it’s texture was more something gooey than liquid. Mariah looked to ponder the liquid’s nature, as if something about it was familiar to her. After a few moments of her being lost in thought, she attempted to throw something into the liquid. But nothing happened, the thing didn’t being to melt or being consumed.
An increasingly more agitated Paladin stomped towards the next door, only to find it locked. And barked an order to Liri for her to do her craft. The Halfling shrugged her shoulders, and went over, tinkering with the lock shortly, before once again nearly being pushed over as the Half-Orc flung the door open, calling out “Door’s open!”. She didn’t even have her weapon at the ready, as she barged into another room. I was halfway prepared, as I moved over to the side of the opened door, to hear the sound of the Half-Orc hurling up her rations, but aside from the staleness in the air, there was nothing foul here. A thin layer of dust had settled on the tables and benches. Looked like a barracks, but I saw no weapons, armour or training dummies. No forges, grindstones or workbenches. Perhaps I should have been a little more vigilant in paying attention to the knights, I found myself doubting the purpose of coming here at all. Sure, the fellowship and companions were a nice change of pace, but the meager loot, the lacking amount of heroic action and now this, seemingly completely empty monastery. I had made my mind up; if nothing came of this venture, if nothing really was found in this desolate place, I’d head down the mountain again, heading east, if nothing else, I could at least find a suitable plot of land. After that, it was only the matter of gathering building materials, and finding somewhere to buy crops and pigs. There was a sinking feeling in my gut though; something here was not right, and it wasn’t just the lack of loot.
While my mind was set on potentially leaving, the Door-duo was at it again. I was the only one trying to reason that, we had planned to take the upper levels first. It was only when the next door open up to a steep staircase leading down and into the mountain, with only very little light at all, that my words seemed to reach into the Half-Orc’s thick skull. She stopped to think, looking down into the darkness. Thankfully, Mariah the Blue came to my aid, proclaiming that we’d likely have to head down here eventually. I am not sure exactly why, as we could hear nothing and see nothing from the staircase; no signs of life, but Liri decided to lock the door up once more, in hindsight, a wise decision. Instead the Half-Orc headed towards yet another door, opened it and went in. Another dining room, this one clean though. Without checking anything more in the room, the Paladin strode across the room, towards yet another door in the far end. With a firm grip, she opened the door. And as if hit by an invisible fist to the gut, she keeled forward, hurling the breakfast and possibly more, up on the stone-floor. As i was standing in a straight line, I could see straight into a larder, and I swear, I could almost see the fungi and mold from here. Luckily, I could not smell it. I called out to her, high spirited, “Oi, Half-Orc, do you like the tiling of the floor, ya seem very intent on the details of it!” as I was reminded of an old Dwarvish saying; “Only fools rush in, the patient one will make it through more likely.” Sure, there was some honor in getting into a fight first, part of what I admired in the Halfling, but if you aren’t exactly acting brightly or prepared for combat, you’re likely to get into a heap of trouble. And unless you go out in a blaze of glory, the dead are only rarely considered as heroic.
Leaving the contents of her stomach behind, the Paladin seemed overjoyed by getting out in the fresh air of the courtyard. Taking a moment to regain, most of, her composure, she quickly rushed up the stairs, with the Halfling in tow. I think the Half-Orc went for the sake of action, Liri, on the other hand, was likely after loot. Two doors and another staircase was our options here. As expected, the Half-Orc was first to a door, this one unlocked, leading in to a library. Books and knowledge isn’t really my call of port, but I was hoping to find some information on the monastery itself, if I could discover clues leading to treasure or glory, then that would be grand. Plus, even though it was a library, you’d never what could be left of other things of value. A tale from the caravan told of a vain and greedy Human noble, who, in the attempt to reclaim an enchanted sword, literally dug through a pile of Ogre shit. As the tale went, the man DID find the sword, and it did indeed bring him fortune in the rest of his life, though the tale of him waist deep in Ogre shit stuck to him. The point is, I think, that you can find treasure in the strangest places sometimes. There sure was a lot of books, floor to ceiling bookcases, and unfortunately not much else. A couple of sturdy looking furniture, for reading and writing, no doubt, but nothing that looked like it could have secret rooms with gems or other valuables. Right behind me, I was joined by Mariah, I reckon this could be a potential heaven for one like her. I had begun to feel more friendly with her, even despite her being a user of magic and all. Perhaps it was the Athlin guard tabbard? No Athlin guard had ever done wrong by me, and heck knows, I sure wasn’t an easy customer in my early days in Athlin, drinking my last wages away, trying to forget. What I had seen and heard, Athlin guards had a high standard of protectiveness, honesty and a keen sense of justice. Values that I myself found to cling to.
A large book on a pedestal caught our interest, Mariah began thumping through the pages, I glanced in from the side. It was a journal of sorts, seemingly written by someone important within the monastery. But alas, nothing that spoke of valor, loot or unique objects. I turned around, walking out of the library, leaving Mariah with the book, she seemed deeply concentrated in going back through the pages. In the meantime, the others had opened the other door. I wandered in, and found that Tiefling halfway inside a simple chest. He had found some white, simple robes, probably belonging to the monks of this place. Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever did see him wear anything on his torso. No wonder he found the climb up the mountain to be cold. It would not give him protection, but it would like make him look at least a little more decent. I could see the other chests, and an even more aggravated Half-Orc looking like she did not know what to do with herself. If it wasn’t a foolish venture, I’d have offered to wrestle with her, just to let her let some steam off. But before I could even think the thought through, she had already gone and left the room, heading for the stairs to a higher level. I fear what she may do, if an enemy shows up. She is strong, headstrong as well, but her fierce attitude and her current mood is not a good combo. Plus, if we were to engage with another weak enemy, she’d likely yet again take all the kills.
These stairs led up to what looked like the top level. This was good, it meant that we’d be done with this forsaken place, and could head inside. A decrepit silvery tree stood in a plaza. It resembled the crest on our knightly companion’s clothing, and seeing how they seemed extra sullen at the sight of the tree, there probably was a connection. As if working on a clock, the Half-Orc went over to the first door in sight, finding it locked and turned to shout for Liri, only to find the Halfling already at work with the lock. As the door opened, the Half-Orc took only one glance in, then decided that this room wasn’t interesting at all, and scurried over to a sturdy looking door, calling for the Halfling to help. The inside of the room they left, appeared to be an office of some sort, and Mariah went in to seek further knowledge. As the final and last door as opened, things seemed to finally turn out right. An armory of sorts, but alas, only containing staves and the like. No axes, no shields, no crossbows, no armor, not even a sword to boot. The others didn’t seem to mind, as they came out, each carrying a blunt-ended staff each. Didn’t look much like magical staves to me, but I can’t really say that I know much about magic.
We reconvened in the barracks-like room once more. Had the door not been locked, I’m fairly certain that our dear Paladin would have rushed forward without thinking, or waiting for the rest of the party. In the case nothing truly was below the monastery, of course then it wouldn’t be a problem. Mariah had discovered, from the journal in the office and the book in the library, that something, apparently from within the mountain, might be the cause of the undead walking about in hordes. Liri started opening the door, I thought for a second I saw worry in her face, but in the same instance the lock clicked open, a rushed push from the Half-Orc shoved her aside. The stairs seemed steep, and the steps narrow, and judging by our Paladin’s speed and step-length, I was willing to bet we’d see her stumble and tumble down, we could just barely make out the bottom of the stairs in the dark. To our surprise, the Half-Orc maintained to stay upright all the way down, as she reached the bottom she sort of stumbled forward, out of our sight. That’s when we heard a pained, low, and unsettling groan. I had heard a couple of Orcs try to make a coherent conversation, which was not unlike this sound. But where Orcish speech seems to be a series of grunts and aggressive noises, this was more slow and monotone. As we all got down, I believe a few of our hearts may have skipped a beat; our Paladin had stumbled, to her luck, shield first into a grey-ish looking zombie. The skintone wasn’t exactly the same hue as the water from the well, but there were similar points. The remains of the same white robe, we discovered in the bedroom, clutched to the undead monk. Further down the corridor, that seemed to descend slightly, more shapes were shambling around. The one zombie that the Half-Orc had pushed, started slowly, very slowly to turn towards her. It seemed she finally stopped to think, as she signalled to us to follow her. We all moved past this zombie, who didn’t seem to notice us. All of the zombies appeared to be this slow, while we might have stood a chance, fighting an enemy this slow, we instead found it wiser to just move past them, hoping our speed would suffice. I had bad gut feelings about this plan, mostly because we Dwarves aren’t exactly known for feats into sprinting, but fortunately, I was pretty much in the middle of the group, and as we walked in a single line, I would at least have someone at my side to assist me.
The zombies were aware of our presence, but only as we got close and started to move between them. That Tiefling and Liri used their nimbleness to kite between the staggering undead, while the Half-Orc and myself were using our shields to keep the dead at a distance. They were even slower than the time my old caravan fell into a Hobgoblin ambush, the cretins had somehow secured the aid of an Ogre, but the fiend was so slow, that we managed to slay or drive the Hobgoblins off, and still have plenty of time to riddle him with arrows. Mariah and our knightly followers, all without sight attuned to the dark, must have had it rough, it’s hard to say if the undead may have reacted faster, when affected by a torch or another light-source, but none dared to try, it would potentially be suicide. Up ahead the carving of the tunnel seemed to end, bit of a shoddy work, the support pillars did not look well-placed, and the different sized stones didn’t seem to make the tunnel stronger. It would stand, of course, but this certainly wasn’t done by skilled masons or diggers. Stone walls and floor, turned natural, we were no longer in the monastery, we had entered the mountain itself.
Up ahead, through even more zombies, I think I counted a total of nearly sixty of them in total, we scouted a double door, set in a dark metal. It spanned across the entire tunnel, there was no inscriptions on it, no ornate designs. Just plain, dark metal. Four heavy-looking bars spanned in front of the door, two from each side of the tunnel. As we pushed through the final zombies, we must have had about forty feet between the horde and the door. Upon closer inspection, the door and the bars were all set in iron, coarse and rough metal work, but efficient in creating a strong door. As Liri pointed out, looking the doors over for locks, it was a bit strange that the bars where on this side, indicating that this door was meant to keep something in. This was concerning indeed. What ever the creature or force was, the monks had either failed to fight it fully, and just contained it. Or the monks had kept it locked off as a security measure. Finding no locks on the flat iron surface, Liri pointed out that the bars would need to be moved, for the doors to open. She didn’t even try to move them herself, though I can’t say I blame her, the bars did look heavy. Someone, I’m not sure who, suggested that we attempted to find another way through. But none of us had seen any doorways, nothing that looked like it could conceal a hidden passage. The stonework was too obvious. So I called out, perhaps a tad harsh that “We can open the door, and go forward, or we can go backwards, through the zombies once more, and gain nothing. That’s it, we do not have other choices here!”. As if reacting to the claim, the Paladin swiped her shield against one of the bars, but with no other purpose than to let out aggression, it just dinged off. Judging by her feats of strength earlier, I would guess that our Paladin was on par with myself in strength. I glanced, shortly at the others, and thought to myself: “Well, yea, no… That’s not going to happen.” Out of the corner of my eye, the zombies were shambling closer, still not very fast, but now they seemed aware of our presence. We had to move. Now. Without further delay, I went for the lowest bar, and started pulling it out from the door. I felt every bit of my shoulders and upper chest strain, but gritting my teeth, I put my back into it. The iron cried out as the bar began to bend. Feeling that neither my arms nor the bar could move much more, I let go of my grip. I had bent it about a foot or two out from the door, it would suffice. The Half-Orc followed my example, I could see her large muscled biceps swell, and just as the first bar, this one also bent about a foot out. This seemed to drain the Paladin’s strength, so while she regained her composure, I went to bend the third bar. This one was just above my head, I would have trouble reaching the fourth and last one. I felt blood rushing through my veins, the feeling of success, and it was as if this iron bar bent even easier than the first. The Paladin started pulling in the lat bar, but it seemed she had been overexerting herself, the bar barely moved at all. In a moment, as she tried applying more strength that wasn’t there into the pull, she kneeled down on her one knee. It was an opportune moment, using her thigh as a stepping-board, I lept up, pulling my entire weight outwards. The bar shrieked and bent outwards. As soon as there was room, that Tiefling and Liri each pulled their side of the door open, the iron doors pressing against the bend bars, creating an opening deeper into the mountain. As everyone had entered, we pulled the doors to a close behind us again. i doubt the zombies had enough consciousness to be able to pull the door open, had it been a push, we might have been worse off.
The new tunnel was even darker than before, and deep into the mountain, we heard something scuttle about; we were not alone in here…
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