====== 2021.08.21 Deposed King ====== ++++ Statues (Continued) | Continued fight: - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen hits one; not that hard, but still finishes it off. - OswynVanDyse attack a couple that are assembling a siege weapon (!). Destroys one. The other is confused - I miss. - Statues - Statue I attacked goes over to help the other one - Several more maneuver, and a couple attack: - Missing. - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen misses, and the statue grabs the hammer and throws it away! - I miss horribly - OswynVanDyse strikes one, destroying it. - Statues - Continue trying to make the device. The one left on it is still confused, and another step up. - One tries to push me aside, but I resist. - Round - OswynVanDyse damages the new one - CedricVonSaberhagen recovers - I miss. - Statues - One tries to shove CedricVonSaberhagen aside. Fails. - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen misses - OswynVanDyse misses - I miss - Statues - One hits me. - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen misses - OswynVanDyse moves out from in front of the (now completed) ballista and attacks one of the crew. Destroys it. - I miss (again) - Statues - Man the weapon. - Miss CedricVonSaberhagen - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen destroys one, and steps forward (blocking the doorway). - OswynVanDyse attacks the crew again. Misses. - I drop my weapon. - Statues - Shoot OswynVanDyse with the ballista. Surprisingly little damage. - Round - I recover my weapon. - ... - Rond - CedricVonSaberhagen attacks the one he drove back into the original chamber. Misses. - I miss. - OswynVanDyse heals me mostly. - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen misses. - I hit. - OswynVanDyse misses - Statue (last one): misses OswynVanDyse - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen misses. - I destroy the last one. ++++ ++++ Searching the castle | We find a strange kennel of various beasts. And another. We go back the the entrance hall (with the well) and head through the double doors to the north. BrotherGalen catches up after tending to the wounded at the ship. We find a kitchen. Staffed by strange spider automatons. ++++ ++++ Deep Gnomes! | We eventually stumble on a throne room. Lots of armed statues. BrotherGalen recognizes the heraldry for a banished Deep Gnome house. We carefully retreat (instead of fighting all those statues). We continue to look for the masters of the castle. We find the dining hall. We search the east wing. Find a room with a score of the war statues at rest. ++++ ++++ Back in the Throneroom | We go back to the throne room and try to force our way to the gallery. - Round - Crossbowmen shoot at us. - Hit OswynVanDyse - We run up the stairs (CedricVonSaberhagen goes up the west stairs, OswynVanDyse and I take the eastern stairs). We find a couple of doors and two heavy crossbowmen (reloading). - CedricVonSaberhagen smacks one, knocking it over the railing to smash on the floor below. - OswynVanDyse attacks. Misses. - I smack the other crossbowman. - Statues: close on bottom of stairs. Remaining Crossbowman is still loading. - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen waits for them to come to him. - I miss - OswynVanDyse misses. - Statues - Finish loading - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen attacks the ones coming up the western stairs. Misses. - I miss - OswynVanDyse misses - Statues - They hit us a bunch. - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen hits one, damaging it. - I throw my morning star across the room - OswynVanDyse smacks one with his shield. - Statues - hit me - Round - OswynVanDyse hits the crossbowman, destroying him. - I recover. - ... - Round - I ready my bow - CedricVonSaberhagen destroys one. - ... - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen damages the last one on his stairs. - OswynVanDyse misses - I shoot the one in the back - Statues miss - Round - I miss - OswynVanDyse misses - Statues - Hit OswynVanDyse. He goes down. - Round - I pull OswynVanDyse away. - CedricVonSaberhagen's halberd is knocked away the the statues - Statues - Attack CedricVonSaberhagen - hit - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen recovers - I feed a potion to OswynVanDyse. - Statues - ... - Round - ... - Round - CedricVonSaberhagen destroys the last one. ++++ ++++ King Gnome | We find a small gnome, who orders us to leave the room. I am to be addressed as your magesty! CedricVonSaberhagen sees that he is evil and starts to attack - Round - I miss - CedricVonSaberhagen kills him. We find a letter from the followers of the Witch King--they magically sent us here, and offer him back his throne if he kills us. I find a journal. He seems a little mad. He was deposed and fled here. He is writing a bunch of edicts (to nobody). He talks of returning home and killing his family. CedricVonSaberhagen finds a false bottom chest with some gold hidden there. We loot the room (for the church, of course). ++++