Session 10: Underneath Wolveshire Fortress Report

General Summary

The party has disembarked from the Arachne down the shore from Wolveshire Fortress and makes their way to the main gates on foot, while Zarra sails on to the piers alone. Wearing full armor, the party approaches the main gates to find the fortress in ill repair - poorly maintained and run by an undisciplined force of mercenaries. The drunken gate guards appear to harass any of the merchants passing by and taking part of the goods after rifling through them.   Approaching the gates in full armor, the guards appear to have heightened alertness, and initially turning the party away before Ilyana charms the guard who grants them passage into the city. If the conditions from outside are bad, entering the interior of the walls is far worse. All of the buildings in this section have been repurposed and abused. Furniture that has been thrown from windows high above lays broken and moldy on the grounds below...the smell of a carcass of a cow lies nearby, and the smell of the place assaults the team's senses.   Ilyana narrowly misses being hit by a drunken guard's vomit as she pass back through the gates to retrieve her charmed guard who gives them information on the castle and the conditions. Before their conversation is up, a guard force of a dozen men including the fort's current leader Covirus approaches to detain the party. Cordial at first, the conversation quickly turns sour and the party fails to charm the leader - leading to an order for nets to be cast at the party from ballista mounted on the walls. Capturing all but Ricfried, the party is quickly entangled, then the soldiers begin to drag them towards the dungeons. Ricfried dives past the guards and makes for the gates with three guards chasing him.   The remainder of the party uses several tactics to free themselves, including Fara and Wellys cutting their way out of the netting, while Shade uses magic to cast burning hands to catch the netting on fire and assault the guard dragging her. Fara casts Firebolt burning two guards and rending them to unconsciousness and as the party gains the upper hand, the mercenaries begin to back away, leaving only Covirus fighting - he is quickly surrounded and bound.   The party makes for the broken bell tower, the only location that seems to have any underground stores or tunnels, and descends to the basement. With a quick Detect Magic spell, the party finds a hidden latch that opens a trap door that descends into an old crypt that has been modified into some form of laboratory. Huge vats filled with glowing orange fluid are found, two broken long ago and two still intact containing the preserved corpses of an average sized humanoid with bulbous head and four tentacles surrounding a toothy jaw, and a container that includes a preserved intellect devourer and some form of tadpole creatures.   On an examination table to the side the team finds notes that describe the larger creature as an Ilithid, or Mind Flayer and attempts to find weaknesses, as well as a description of how the tadpole like creatures are used to convert a normal humanoid into the ilithid they see in the vat. After leaving, they agree to hide this location from the others here, and Covirus assists by dragging some old broken crate materials over the hatch. A successful perception check yields Fara recognizing the same thieves cant from the smuggled crates in Arkdale. Covirus notices her recognition of the markings and tries to slip away, but is stopped before he can make the stairway.   Marigold casts Zone of Truth, and an interrogation of Covirus uncovers Wolveshire Fortress as the source of the smuggled slaves. Covirus and his soldiers would enslave humans, send them off over land somewhere in the crates, then when they return the crates are perfectly still, then load them on ships. Their role is merely supply and loading...they do not know how the people are converted to statues, nor where the final destination is, only their own part. The last known shipment was several months before and they don't have any new orders of late.   The party concludes their time at Wolveshire Fortress by taking Covirus to the Arachne waiting at the pier.