Morg offers the 2 potions to the party to see if anyone can identify them, and divvies out all the coins in the room.

---

If the lock is removable, Morg will put in in his backpack

Makari glanced at Tana. "Of course they look different." He shrugged. "Where I come from, all magic is studied extensively. Everything is researched, cataloged, named, indexed, etc."

However, he then noticed the bear walking away. "Bear! You just walk away? You didn't answer my questions, which were very basic questions." He moved around and tried to get in front of the bear. "What's your name? What's your interest in us and/or this keep?"

"Well perhaps the bear has the scent of something Makari.  You talk to it like you expect it to answer you.  I mean its a smart bear and all, but a talking bear....."  He says laughing a bit to himself.  "Ok...Ok, lets see where its off to.  Hey its kinda of like our leader..." Durik says following after Makari and Gorm.

The group arrives outside of the southeast tower and finds the door open just a crack.

---

Let me know if anyone would like to try to identify the potions, and/or any of the items in the Loot thread that are unidentified.

Tana raised a hand, gesturing for the others to wait.

"Just a moment."

She closed her eyes, and pushed her other hand forward.  The crack in the door widened by an inch, then stilled.

Inside the tower, the unoccupied ground floor looks separated in half by curtains. Whoever had previously been hiding here has apparently slipped out in the intervening time.

Several straw pallets lie on the floor near the door on this side of the curtains, and a capstan stands against the north wall. The capstan has a heavy chain that disappears through a pipe to the northeast. The river laps just beneath the arrow slits of the tower.

On the far side of the ragged curtain, a leather saddlebag sits about various personal items, apparently abandoned. The upper floor above appears ruined, and similarly deserted.

"It appears empty, let's go."

Tana said, not explaining why she thought this, but apparently confident in her answer.

Giving the room a quick sniff the bear seems to agree with Tana's conclusion, and desire for haste.  Moving on to the next nearest unexplored section of the fort, no doubt intent on bashing down another door.

Durik stays on the heels of Gorm-the bear had a nose for trouble and he wanted to be ready to help.

Magdrak follows along quietly as the group checks the room.  Finally, he speaks.  "Did we get them all?  Most of them, at least."  He spins his battleaxe in his hands a few times, shrugs his shoulders, and continues on.  "What is left to check?"

Tana searched the saddle bag and the personal belongings.

Tana searches the leather saddlebag and finds a collection of coins and gems. The rest of the tower contains a folding cot, straw pallets, and various other odds and ends of little interest.

---

Tana finds 70 gp, 12 pp, and 6 agates in the bag.

Map updated!

Loot thread updated!

Makari had half-glared, half-stared at the bear's retreating uncommunicative ass for a moment. Then he shook his head, and tried to let go of his frustration and just not trust the bear for now. He kept an eye out as Tana looted a bit more.

He then shrugged at Magdrak. "We should probably go check out the main building. I don't think any of us have been in there yet....but we should likely try to gather everyone up for that."

"What exactly have you been doing with the spoils?  Do you have a system?"

Tana asked, walking up to Makari and offering him the gold that she had found.

Durik continues to follow Gorm the Bear, to assist when he 'inevitably' finds trouble.

"Ideally the stolen goods should go back to their owners, but we probably won't be able to find out who that was." Morg says to Tana. "Also, some of the authorities in the area are not particularly trustworthy. Maybe share it out and use it for good works?"

The group makes their way up the stairs away from the interior docks, past a single-story structure and towards the keep at the northwest corner of the castle grounds. The heavy double doors lay directly opposite a door into a structure flush against the northern exterior wall.

---

Map updated!

"Anyone see a way through?"

Tana was not going to be the first to try the doors.

"I doubt this keep can keep out 3 dwarves, and uh, you wizards ofcourse, but how about we look in this smaller building first?" Morg says, pointing to the structure behind them.

---

y13 is a single door, ah10 double doors, and the blue parts windows?

A chill breeze stirs the night air. Flies buzz around the heads of the group assembled in front of the keep's doors.

---

Morg is correct, AH10 & 11 are double doors and Y13 is a single door. The main keep's double doors are at V9 & 10.

"Maybe the longshanks can look thru its windows?" Morg says.

"Agreed lets bash it in.  If its locked then their is someone....or something on the inside.  Perhaps whoever is in charge of this place."

Tana nodded, agreeing with the plan.

With even the bear's effort to rush the process of clearing the fortress long since failed she simply waits behind the dwarfs as they open the door, likely planning to offer some assistance, but no longer with any urgency.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:52, Fri 24 July 2020.

The heavy doors buckle and crash open as the bear bursts through them. The room inside appears to be the great hall of the keep. It is two stories high, with stone stairs on both sides of the room leading up to a stone balcony at the west end of the chamber. Two interior doors below the balcony open to the west. Arrow slits look out to the north and the south. The walls are painted in green and blue, decorated with tattered banners showing nautical designs.

Below the balcony at the west end of the room, a large wooden chair sits behind a wide table littered with papers and discarded plates. At the sound of Gorm's entrance, a woman behind the desk looks up from examining the papers, dropping them as if they were vipers.

A second table, this one long and furnished with benches, runs down the middle of the hall. Two more women flank the table, these holding large shields resembling giant crustaceans and vicious swords, with serrated blades. Those to move towards Gorm immediately, slicing at him. One blade scores a nasty gash across the bear's flank.

---

Map updated!

Rowan, Tana, Gorm, and Magdrak are up now.

Gorm's Call Lightning is expired, and Magdrak has 10 minutes left of Magic Weapon.

Round 1 So Far:

Reavers:

R1 attacks Gorm - MISS.
R2 attacks Gorm - HIT for 12 slashing.

Round 1 Initiative Order:

Who	Init	Status
Reavers	22
Rowan	20	Inspiration
Tana	19	Inspiration
Gorm	15
Magdrak	13	Inspiration, Conc: Magic Weapon
Urshnora	10
Makari	7
Morg	3	Inspiration
Durik	2