The Fall of Castle Alaric - Part 1

DM:

The boat man watched from a distance as the heroes converted on an ancient tomb, long ago locking away dark secrets. Inside, Arthur awaited his fate. He could hear the frequently knocks on one side of the concrete door. Time had not played kindly to the structure. The handle on the exterior would be challenging for anyone to pull on to assist him.

Arthur moved closer to the sound and as he tried to trace the wall for some edgings of the doorway, he took a step to the left and splashed a small puddle.

Outside, Blurgle continued to search for a way in, but could only trace the exterior of the door.

William, too, assisted Blurgle, and his fingernail sharply scraped it. He pulled it away quickly and pressed up against the door with his weight, but it would not budge.

Jif just stood there, pointing.

Arthur continues to push around.

DM:

The heroes have learned there was someone trapped behind what seemed to be an overgrown door. Blurgle stabbed at the door repeatedly with his trident, and with his clink, Arthur could feel the vibrations of a small clank.

Jif's incredible hearing abilities allowed him to notice that Arthur had a difficult time breathing as he searched for a handle or something to assist with his escape. There was a foul odour in the air, and while Arthur wanted to free himself, he knew that the sound of the pounding against the wall came in the same direction as the strong stench.

Blurgle placed his trident next to the door, then began to fiddle with what appeared to be a handle. There was a click, then nothing, then a click, then nothing. Jif listened intently for the click, discovered a pattern, and began instructing Blurgle in which direction to apply pressure on the handle.

Up. Up. Down. Down. Left. Right. Left Right.

"It worked!" Blurgle said with a smile, as the handle jiggled loose. Jif assisted him in prying the door open, Blurgle using his trident to force the rusted latch away, and out poured Arthur, breathing in the cleaner air outside. His chest irritated him, his lungs damaged by something, but what could it be?!

Jif reached out his hand and helped Arthur to his feet.

Freed, at last.

Arthur got regained his bearings and looked around. There, in the distant water, he spotted the boat man.

DM:

The boat man pointed to a small clearing on an overgrown path. There stood a wolf. It stared at our companions momentarily before venturing off. A few minutes later and all four heroes were gathered together once more. The boat man slowly moved out into the fog, and out of sight.

DM:

Jif calls to the others to follow him through the path, as he wanders down a few steps, he thinks he catches something out of the corner of his eye. It's there in an instant and then it is gone. He turns back to see if anyone else noticed it.

DM:

Our heroes have traveled into the woods, in the distance they could hear what sounded like water rushing, and some wondered if the boat man had taken his own path along the water's surface.

They continued to travel until they reached a clearing.



It was a maze, unguarded, unkempt, and severely overgrown, but the maze existed none the less. At the end, was a large metal door attached to a wall that seemed to go miles and miles in both directions. It was clear there was only one way forward.

In front of the maze stood a small podium with a plaque.

DM:

Arthur brushes his fingers over what seems to be bumps and lines but he can't make sense of it. On the base of the podium are symbols that look like fish.