Ghost Stories...

via Tim Burton Collective

From the journal of Grimlock

It had been about a week in our new home, the Red Keep. This place is a mess, and it’s taken us this whole time just to clean it out. It’s been good to get to grips with some hard labor and get my mind off of things though. We’re starting to get a few of the locals from Watchgate here to work the more menial jobs too, so it has been quite busy around here. I ran off a group of Gnolls in the woods on our third night, felling two with arrows, they haven’t been back...yet. I’m curious how long it will take vermin to realize that we aren’t to be trifled with.

Cashel, a ranger I know through reputation only, made an appearance a week in. He was making a courtesy call, but also had a message that Captain Fergal wanted word with us back in town. We needed new supplies and had to escort some of the laborers back anyway, so we headed off.

Fergal introduced us to the Dragonborn blacksmith, Haften, who took us to Gundrick, a withered old Dwarf on his deathbed with a tall tale of his own to spin. As the story went, the Tannheim clan of Dwarves, in ages past, had a mighty hold in the mountains nearby. They mined the ores, both mundane and rare, and used magical forges fueled by fires deep in the earth. Internal fighting and betrayal would eventually split the stout folk apart and scatter them to the four winds. The location of the forges forgotten by most, and a wealth of magic arms and armor are now collecting dust.

I guess we’re heroes after clearing the keep out, and since we’re not commoners, but warriors, that makes us something of a band. Because of this, the old Dwarf wanted to hire us before he died, go find the old forges and reclaim them for his kind. Sounds easy enough, but Elric, probably the smartest one of the bunch, heard rumors of these Dwarves, bad rumors. The tales said these Dwarves made wicked weapons, putting curses and banes on them. They also practiced dark arts and sacrificed victims to the forge. What the hell is this about? Are we helping an old Dwarf’s last wishes, or furthering the evil goals of a schemer?

We had to put truth to the rumors and set out in Watchgate to find someone who might know the answers. The priest at the temple gave our human friend, Helkonde no answers. We ventured to the wizard Adribard’s tower for answers. I wouldn’t go into the magic circle, it’s not natural, but the others did. When they came back from their meeting, the rumors were no more clear one way or the other.

In the end we set out, the only way to find out the truth is to get right in the middle of it. Besides, Gundrick gave us a chest full of star metal just for listening. If it turned out being a raw deal, we’d deal with it swiftly nonetheless.