Gwaelur gets up, and looks around at the rain outside. Realizing that the party will be stuck here for a while he wonders if anyone would like to go exploring with him. He is particularly interested in the fort near the west wall, but couldn’t say why. He vaguely remembers something he dreamed about, but it dances around in his mind just out of reach.
Can I go look at the fort now, or is it still raining too hard? If it is raining too hard I will wait, and spend some time swapping stories with the group and exploring the house itself.
No suspicious-looking applewood furniture. Why ever would you ask that?
Gil-Gandel does note the many examples of other finely made wooden furniture that has survived quite remarkably well. Some of the paintings are of very high quality and one appears to depict Eärendil aboard Vingilótë. Another picture has an odd shock. At first you think it is a picture of Gilraen on what humans call a Unicorn or his folk a Minaras.
Gwaelur quickly realizes The Rain, Wind, Hail and especially Lightning is way too bad to leave the house.
Gwaelur can’t help but notice how really good the stonework of the house is. It looks like the work of the best Dwarven Masons. He realizes the stone is hard clean cut clear light granite.
Mulligan gets some bread baking. She even locates plenty of excellent bread pans for the job and figures out how to use the built in bread oven in the fireplace. The smell of fresh baking bread is wonderful. When it is done the bread is extra tasty and nourishing. This probably used up much of her flour supply however. I have no clear idea how much you were carrying.
Obviously we should examine the house thoroughly yet respectfully, using Detect Magic , any religious rituals we can think of and all the Thievish skills at our disposal.
Elfstan doesn’t mind cooking at all. Being well rested, he cheerfully helps out with the vegetables. (He doesn’t like doing dishes nearly so well.)
Over the meal, Elfstan says to the party, “Do we feel like digging out the tunnel we collapsed or searching the ruins of the tower? I don’t think we ever got the chance to properly detect magic in there.”
In the other time while waiting for the storm to pass, he will tend to Flower and his weapons and armor. When he’s finished with that, he will examine the house for any mechanical secrets (doors, cubby holes, etc.). In particular, he checks to see if there is a basement.
Thoroncir will wander about the house with Gilraen, if she’d like; he points out the painting of Earendil and his ship, and recalls the play they saw in Minas Tirith about the great mythic mariner. He’s intrigued by the picture of a woman like Gilraen on a unicorn, and asks her what she thinks about it.
He will also check on the horses to see how they’re doing. He’ll clean and sharpen his sword and mend his armor and clothes, if necessary, and get some sleep when it’s his time off-watch.
Hey guys, this place was made by Dwarves! Amazing stonework, I have never seen anything like it. It may be better than dwarven, if such a thing is possible. Wait, Gilraen did you say this place was made by your people? Did they employ dwarves to do the masonry? I really have never seen anything quite like it!
Is anyone else interested in stone work? I could point out a few things if you like.
Anybody? Oh well.
I would like to examine things further while I wait out the rain.
The meal is excellent, using up a good amount of vegetables from Ghân’s last gardening plant growth.
The horses are doing well and they seem calm and content in the house. Gilraen had cast her last spell before sleeping as Goodberries and distributes enough of her Goodberries to feed every horse, pony and Missy. The Wild cat is disappointed by the lack of vermin in the house and is looking forward to a chance to get back over to the tower.
Lorliana is especially enthusiastic to study the books and artwork. “Does anyone with to look over the books with me, they are probably very old and should be handled only with trained caution.”
On Ghân’s excellent inspiration Gilraen studies the Ceremony spell in place of Hold Person for the day. She is as eager as everyone else to respectfully explore the house. She is somewhat stunned by the picture of her ancient doppelganger on a Unicorn. She does not know what to make of it. “Perhaps Lorliana will find something in the books.”
Gilraen to Gwaelur, “I think it was probably made by the refugees of Númenor but I cannot be sure. These would be the masons with skills to rival those that built the towers of the Citadel and Orthanc.”
Curunauth is unsure how he can help but is happy to help. Eventually he mentions almost casually, “I forgot how Lady Vanimeldë looked but this must be she that tamed the Minaras in this portrait. She looks strangely familiar to me. Like some other Dúnadan I have met recently. Some said the elven blood of Elwing must have run strong in her. She led her people as an ally to Elrond for a fairly long reign. I believe perhaps some 60 years. That was before the fall of Arthedain in 1974. I met her a few times in the period. I never knew where her castle or stronghold was though.”
Who will be exploring and what precautions/abilities are being used? The party has three treasure finders and up to 3 people that can cast Detect Magic today. Let me know if there is an item you think will come into play. Is Deor going to try and identify the house itself or wait for what Lorliana turns up? For that matter are Deor and Gil-Gandel going to explore or help her poor over the books?
Deor will start by poring over the books, and will also point out that if there really is Dwarven stonework here, many of the things we look at may reveal more under moonlight!
Of course. My bardic training covers stealth and manipulation skills, as well as loremastery (though to only a small degree at present). I don’t make much of it in the presence of a couple of [del]burrahobbits[/del] experts, though.
