The Adventurers having clean-up Wyvern Tor of the Bandit Orcs return to Deadwood but have their minds on Cragmaw Castle. On arriving to Deadwood, they are met with grateful townsfolk who thank them for dealing with the Redbrands and now the Bandits of Wyvern Tor.
The party ride to the Stonehill Inn where they are met by Sildar Hall Winter and Sister Garaele. Sildar thanks the Adventurers and promise that they will be paid, in full, for their work at Wyvern Tor and that they now had the freedom of Deadwood too.
Lofty begins to tell Sildar of their finds but is cut short by the old fighter and told to join him inside the Stonehill Inn for a drink and a rest. Inside Inn the patrons give the Adventurers a big cheer as Sildar leads them to a room that had been set aside for the Heroes and there they ate, drank and retold their recent mission.
Sildar openly wrote down all that he thought important and that he intended to send onto Waterdeep, while Sister Garaele also paid close attention but was much more subtle about it. Galdor notes that Sildar is now wearing Chainmail and that he is also carting a Longsword. His equipment was taken by the same Goblins that took Gundren and his Map of Wave Echo Cave.
Lofty insists that they now needed to concentrate on rescuing Gundren Rockseeker, and possibly his last remaining brother Nundro too. We must go to Cragmaw Castle and make sure he is at least alive. Sildar assures the young Halfling that they must need Gundren, if not just for information regarding the Puzzle Box, but possibly to be used as a bargaining chip against the Adventurers.
Lofty ‘Messages’ Sister Garaele and asks if she would help him as he does not feel well. Sister Garaele invites Lofty to her home, later on that night, and says that she would be more than happy to help in any way she could.
That night Lofty visits Sister Garaele and explains the illness to her and his symptoms. Sister Garaele at first finds nothing wrong with the Halfling and so begins to question him regarding his recent history and it was then that he mentioned the Puzzle Box. Sister Garaele cast ‘Detect Good or Evil’ on the box and found that it was not Good but not wholly Evil. Sister Garaele suspects that this is the cause of Lofty’s current illness and that it is alleviated if Galdor casts his ‘Healing’ Spell upon the Rogue. But this is by no means a cure and you need to return the Item within the Puzzle Box sooner rather than later.
Finally, Sister Garaele having grown fond of the Halfling or maybe she had an ulterior motive, elected to cast a ‘Divination’ Spell to see if Tymora could help with their quest. Sister Garaele goes into a trance and her voice changes to that of a musical and cheerful woman’s voice. What one single question, Rogue, do you have for me concerning a specific goal, event, or activity to occur within 7 days.
Lofty: “What single thing can Galdor and myself do to rescue Gundren Rockseeker from Cragmaw Castle with the best chance of succeeding?”
Tymora: “Take out the King first and you both may stand a chance of surviving you quest.”
Tymora Goddess of Good Luck
Sister Garaele then tells the Lofty that she was able to finish off one of Iarno “Glasstaff” Albrek’s potions which he had started and it was a ‘Potion of Invisibility’, just like the one he had on him when they captured him. Lofty Spots the alembics, retorts, distillation coils, and other alchemical devices from Glasstaff’s Workshop.
The Adventurers make purchases in Deadwood, arrows, food, etc, and then they ride off to Cargmaw Castle accompanied by Sildar Hallwinter. It takes the Adventurers some 11 hours to reach the forest where Cargmaw Castle stands and they make their wat to within a mile of the Castle.
The Adventurers then walk the next half mile until Galdor, Lofty having failed to find anything suitable, finds a perfect shelter for the horses. Here Galdor insists that Lofty practises his animal husbandry and look after the horse’s food and accommodation.
The party head quietly, at dusk as planned, to Cargmaw Castle making sure that Astrid and Sildar hide some 100’ – 110’ feet West of the Castle by the Main Gates. Here Lofty casts ‘Invisibility’ on himself, while Galdor Cast ‘Guidance’ and then drinks the ‘Potion of Invisibility’.
Lofty and Galdor setoff, both ‘Invisible’, both moving as silently as a stalking Rune and aiming to walk around the full perimeter of Cargmaw Castle to make sure they both have an idea of the best way in and to look for current defences. Lofty leads holding a 10’ foot long piece of fishing line, while Galdor follows holding onto the other end of the line. The two had previously decided on a few simple commands. One tug STOP, two tugs CONTINE, etc.
The time is around 10:30 at night and the Sun had just dropped down under the horizon.
Lofty and Galdor head first to the Cragmaw Castle entrance, which has a large path leading to it, to check the area and then they head clockwise around the ruined monument. Lofty stops to see if he can see or hear anything as they both move to the bottom of the stairs.
CRAGMAW CASTLE ENTRANCE:
The castle consists of seven crumbling towers of different sizes and heights, but the upper stories are all in varying states of collapse. A short flight of steps leads up to a terrace in front of the main entryway. Past the wreckage of a pair of sundered doors lies a shadowed hall. Round towers loom over the entranceway, with dark arrow slits looking down on the terrace.
The pair then pass the first of the 7 Towers and it is one of the 2 that are some 40’ feet wide.
Arrow slits in the castle walls are 10’ feet above the outside ground level, 4’ feet above the interior floor level, 8’’ inches wide, and 4’ feet high. A creature on one side of an arrow slit gains three-quarters cover against attacks from the other side.
Lofty checks the area in front of the steps for traps and finds none.
Lofty chooses not to stop and listen for any noise coming from within the Castle and the pair reach the Northern side of the Cargmaw Castle. Here there is another path heading to the third northern Tower, which had mainly collapsed. Galdor stops and Lofty moves back towards him.
Cragmaw Castle Goblin
Galdor: “Look yonder Lofty. Do you see there, at the base of the tower, it is a large grey canvas hiding a possible way into the tower. Also, look here on the ground this path is well travelled.”
Lofty Bilberry: “This is fortunate indeed. Let us continue and then re-join Sildar and Astrid.”
Galdor: “”Sometimes the Lady smiles, sometimes she laughs out loud.”
The 2 Adventurers continue on around the East side of Cragmaw Castle and find nothing more of interest. Upon reaching the Southern side of the Castle, Lofty is interest to check the locked side door into Cragmaw Castle, but is weary of the arrow slits overlooking the Southern path. The little Rogue move below the arrow slits and listen out for any sounds from within.
The Rogue can here the sound of various Goblinoids talking, jeering and laughing. Lofty, tugging on the fishing wire, gestures Galdor to join him and proceeds to climb up onto his shoulders and then climbs up to the arrow slit. Within Lofty can now see what is making the noise.
CRAGMAW CASTLE BANQUET HALL:
The western portion of this large hall ends in a wall of rubble, but the remainder is still intact. This must once have been the Castle’s banquet hall, with a soaring ceiling 25’ high. Two large wooden tables with plain benches stand in the middle of the room, and a brass brazier full of glowing coals is tucked into one corner. Dirty dishes, half-full stew pots, mouldy heels of bread, and gnawed bones cover the tables.
This hall holds several miserable Goblins and their leader? a fat, cantankerous Goblin enjoying himself at the cost of the others.
Lofty also spots a closed door in the bottom east of the hall. This is near to the side door and apparently not guarded.
Cragmaw Castle Goblins
Lofty climbs back down and moves off with Galdor towards the side door.
POSTERN GATE:
On the south side of the old castle, an overgrown path leads to a passage that climbs up into the wall. A large iron door stands here, sheltered from direct outside attack. Arrow slits ten feet above the ground overlook the path. A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location.
Lofty checks the area in front of the steps for traps and finds none.
Lofty notes the door itself is very well reenforced and would take a great blow to damage it. However, always look for the weakest spot, the lock. The Rogue believes he can pick this lock, but it would be a hard task to do.
Lofty and Galdor return Astrid and Sildar and explain what they have uncovered.
Sildar Hallwinter: “If you intend to enter by the side door, then I suggest that Astrid and myself move over to the Northern hidden entrance and use that to enter Cargmaw Castle. Do you investigate any further inside past the canvas?”
Lofty Bilberry: “I’m afraid not Sildar.”
Lofty and Galdor return to the Side door and Lofty easily manages to pick the lock, open the door and all in complete silence. The 2 lone heroes were now within Cargmaw Castle and Lofty quietly closes, but does not lock, the side door.
Galdor is comfortable in the darkness and now so is Lofty, having attuned with his newfound Belt of Dwarvenkind, as he also can see in the dark.
The two heroes can see that the ceilings, unlike the Banquet Hall, are 15’ feet high. The Interior doors are made of wood reinforced with iron bands. They have neither locks nor keyholes.
The floors are cracked and uneven flagstones and conceal a dirt floor underneath.
The light source come from a small amount of natural light that filters through the arrow slits around the castle. During the day, this provides dim light in most areas. At night, all areas are dark.
Finally, the exterior walls and load-bearing interior walls are 5’ feet thick, with 3’ feet of mortared fill sandwiched between 1’ foot thick courses of hard stone blocks. Interior walls are 1’ foot thick worked stone.
To the west the Rogue can see the door that leads to the Banqueting Hall, to the sides the corridor is whole and then ends at the northern section full of rubble, with a path leading to a large heavy curtain stretching across the corridor.
Lofty approaches the curtain as silently as he can and peers around the Lefthand side of it. Beyond Lofty can see that the area behind it is an upside-down T-junction, with a door to the east, a door to the west and another large heavy curtain stretching across the corridor to the north.
Dragging Galdor along by the fishing line, Lofty first goes to listen at the western door and, possibly due to his heart pumping so hard, can only hear the sound of it and nothing else behind it. The pair move over the western door and Lofty once again puts his ear to the door and listens for any noise. Again, the Halfling ears hear nothing beyond the door.
Lofty and Galdor then move up to the large heavy curtain stretching across the corridor to the north. Once more to the dismay of the Rogue he hears nothing behind the curtain. The Rogue moves close and this time peers around the righthand side, as there is more rubble piled to the left.
CRAGMAW CASTLE RUINED TOWER:
This tower has almost completely collapsed, although the ground floor still has a little open space. Rotting crates and ancient barrels show that provisions were once stored here. A heavy curtain blocks a crumbling area to the south, and an intact door leads east. To the north, a short passage through the rubble ends before a screen of canvas.
As the Rogue and Cleric head towards the western door, Galdor notices something of interest on the creates and tugs Lofty off.
SILDAR’S GEAR:
The Chain Mail and Longsword belong to Sildar Hallwinter.
Galdor decides that he will use these items and changes into the Chainmail and leave his Leather Armour hidden behind one of the barrels.
Galdor: “I am sure that Sildar is grateful if at least his Longsword is returned to him. But for now, it will be used within Cragmaw Castle by me.”