Clay Legions of Balients Breach (WORKING)

Skeleton Warrior; “clay legions” (encased in clay; armor)
Resilience 2
AC: 14
Metal tipped spear (Odd, the Lich Lords have been reduced to fire hardened and stone tip for a long time)

Bru-Gaal The Fire in the Deep; mountain spirit of the sonorous deep
The Ducateon attack the lands of dwarves in the north under the guise of the Lich Lords army. They do not attack Nothgate Garrison, they attack through the hills west of it and behind it.
Attack balients breach which the dwarves now work and ferry people across
= Follow a trail of broken bones and equipment through the hills.
The breech has the south edge, the north edge, The Red Neck (a fortress in NE pass)
RED NECK
Garrisoned by 40 dwarves with picks, short swords, heavy crossbows and traps. F2 equiv = elite
Lead by Crusher Bedmor and his second Doorsh Craekmor f4/f3
Almost all family names end in “mor” for dwarves; a reference to the first Steel Realms clan of Barremor
A couple dwarves made the climb on ropes to report: about 200 clay packed skeletons came from the north pass in the night. Not sure how get got in through portcullis.
What do dwarves offer? Leave everything you find, 3000 sc?
Its a lot, but if dwarves want someone ekse to do it, its practically suicide. Persuade for different outcome.
Also, why not just call for the High Kings army> Auditors… taxes…

North edge
Open, clear except for livestock pens, Inn, 2 taverns and small town of Cliburn – all 300 dead now it seems
Main baset line cut, only open platform, but they see you coming
Dwarves have bell pods set up for emergencies – few know of them. An anchor is driven 20 down. A black rope that is 200’ long ends in an upside down bell pod that fits 4. Another rope is tied to that and the whole thing pulled to the south side. As the rope let go slowly, 4 in the bell pull up. It ends on a rough outcrop 100’ down from the north edge. Climb rope up.
1 level exhaustion.
Spying on north edge/kliburn
4 patrols of 2 skeletons

Spying on the fortress entrance
8 hanging dwarven bodies (its a message, but why not animate them)
Just inside the entrance is a armored mantlet with a tube (flame thrower)
> 4 skeleton guards, a hellhound (firestarter), 2 ducateon hvy skeletons
4 unmoving skeletons (turns out they are decoys only, not animated)
2 hellhounds
Every now and then a deep vibration and sound come out.
4 man patrol comes out every few hours and sweeps the area.
It’s got a rusting portcullis held halfway open (rusted on purpose, in perfect shape)
Inside the gate the next 4 man patrol waits,
It feels like some warmth is coming out (must get within 90’)
Why no zombies? Why no dwarf animations?

Should decide to go back and tell dwarves the issues
They will tell of 3 linchpins above the gate mouth into the fortress and how a wall will swivel and let you into the corridor
They describe the stone surface for each in almost reverent tones, noting things you’ve never even heard of dc 12 int
Dungeoneering Experience

More Skeletons: Giants
Stone giant skeleton – thought to have gone extinct ages ago – where did the bones come from?
Minotaur pair – not seen in thousands of years
Skeletons with red glowing stones in their eye sockets
Skeletons with blue glowing eyes in their eye sockets
Ducateon heavy skeleton
Troll skeleton x1
Dwarven skeleton
Pair of hell hounds
Xorn guard a freshly carved out temple area, they can be bribed though
Galeb dhur
Mimic
Traps

Ducateon discovered in one of their copper scrolls the alliance key of the ____ holt – where armor and weapons were forged in great numbers. Deeper marks on the reverse side reveal the key to decode. The note can only be sung by ducateon. The instrument could replicate. It unlocks the door to the fire giants of ___; their world forge was the only thing that could manage the balefire shard. The fire giants have all passed. Their bodies are cracked stone, some lie where they collapsed from old age. Entire place is hot and silent. Eerie. Their clothes burned off. Each has a dagger (ling sword) a stone cup, and a couple boulders. A few mad sword (greatsword giant 3d4/7 + corrosion resistance.