"THE DWARVEN RUINS AND THE BROTHERS AGARRD"


 * At anytime, the PC's can run into Devon Skylance. If PC's head to Griffonhead Square from the docks, Devon will intercept them. If they go the other way, or follow Daga, Devon will show up after a Random City Encounter is completed.


 * While passing THE HOLD a taller, handsome, human guardsmen approaches. His armor and decorations tell you he is a commanding officer of some kind.

Adventurer's For Hire
"'as you pass the hold, a handsome, younger man donning shiny plate armor and decorated with many medals approaches you.'DEVON_SKYLANCE.jpg"

'''>“Hail! I heard word of a group of adventurers in town. Please come in and speak with me we have a very serious dilemma..”'''


 * If PC's follow, he leads you into The Hold...

"As the Towngard's head warden leads you towards the Hold you cant help but be a little nervous. The building is made of jet black stone reinforced with thick blackoak tresses. It towers over the town, easily 100' or more. The front enterance door is made of solid iron. 2 Towngardsmen stand at guard, they nod to Devon then open the iron doors. He leads you down a curved hall lined with torches and into what looks to be an administrative area. In the distance, you can hear the tortured screams of some prisoner deep in the bowels of this keep.         "Devon sits you down in his office, a plain, cold, and unwelcoming chamber. He seems nervous and on edge..."

'''>“Due to our harsh winter weve been forced to purchase food and supplies from settlements south of us. This has costed nearly our entire treasury to just keep enough food around for the Legionaires and the Town watch. Then, perhaps 2 out of 5 caravans would actually make it here.'''

''' If you haven’t noticed we have a crisis brewing. People are starving and sick. Dying in the streets. A ranger informed me that he tracked several orcs south, south west of here working along side the Brothers Agarrd. 2 Sorcerers that fell into the darker side of Arcana and became full time servants of Gruumsh and Wee Jas. We sent a scout out yesterday to follow the ranger’s directions to the area in question. He never returned…”'''

"'Skylance pulls out a quill and ink vial and proceeds to write something on a scrap of parchment. He folds it and then slides towards you. Written upon it is : 200GP and a Cottage in Banefrost (A friend owes him a favor).'"

>“'''This is my offer for eliminating this threat and giving us a fighting chance. Cause if we cant even feed our troops we cant even protect the food we need to feed them…”'''


 * If PC's accept, Skylance stands and shakes their wrist, breathing a sigh of relief.

>"Let me brief you on what we know so far, the kid was lasted spotted about a mile past the Frozen Spear bridge. That’s also near where the orcs were seen with the brothers. So youll head South-West on the old Battlerok trail. Take warm gear, and your deadliest armaments. Orc’s in these parts are a bit more ruthless than most of the known world."


 * And with that, the PC's are off. Devon suggests bringing cold weather gear and anything to help discourage traps due to the underhanded tactics of these brothers and their orc minions.

The Frozen Spear Bridge (EL2)



 * After several LONG hours of hiking down the Embervale caravan trail the PC's begin to approach the Frozen Spear bridge.

“You come to about a half mile tract of oak and pine trees, the path begins to become curvey and more uneven, must of been hell in a horse driven cart. Somewhere, maybe 100 meters away, you hear the sound of rushing water. As you come to a large bend in the road you can see a large clearing in the wood. The ground is no longer coverd in snow but loose pebbles and broken hunks of marble. As the bridge comes into view, so do the skeletal stone remnants of old Dwarven shrines built here centuries ago.”


 * The PC's have entered an area guarded by 2 Orc scouts and their Goblin bretheren. They wait for intruders just beyond the bridge and have setup a trap...


 * LISTEN DC 20: You hear, over the sound of rushing water, guttural voices exchanging conversation, peppered with laughs. (SUCCESS 25+: You identify them as orcs, you hear one of them say "GET BACK TO WORK!" in common tongue)


 * TRAP: DC 20 to spot, a trip wire that activates 2 DAZZLE BOMBSon either side of the bridge. REF SAVE DC 10 or be dazed for 1 turn. This trap also acts as a signal for the 2 orcs and 4 gobs hiding to attack. (Red line on MAP)




 * DC 14 to Spot Orcs across the river in the trees. They will spot Pc's and fire as soon as they either trip the trap,or if they noticed it, get about 10 feet over the bridge. They fire crossbows at the closest target. Once the surprise round is over, one of them throws another DAZZLE BOMB and then they charge.

ORC (2) CR 2; SZ Medium/HD 1d8/HP 4, 5 Init +0/ Spd 20 ft. AC14/12 (+4 scale mail+2 leather) Atk +3 melee (1d12+3/crit x3,greataxe) Rng +0 (1d6 19-20/critx2 L.Crossbow) SQ –1 penalty to attack rolls in sunlight. AL CE/ SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Wil –1 Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha8 Skills and Feats: Listen +4, Spot +3; Alertness Special Qualities: Orcs suffer a –1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Possessions: Tattered Leather Armor, Rusty Scale male, 2 Decent Great-axes and 2 working Light crossbows. Plus a leather sack with 20SP each, a satchel containing 3 DAZZLE BOMBS and a BLACK SKELETON SHAPED KEY. 4 Goblins, 1st-Level Warriors Small Humanoid (Goblinoid) HD 1d8+1 (5 hp) Initiative- +1 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 leather armor, +1 light shield), touch 12, flat-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-3 Attack: Rusty short swordX2/Old Mace/Morningstar +2 melee (1d4+2/1d6+2/1d6)) or 2x Light Crossbow +3 ranged (1d6) Full Attack: +2 melee (1d6) or +3 ranged (1d4)  Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.  Special Attacks: —  Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.  Saves: Fort +3, Ref +1, Will -1  Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6  Skills: Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2  Feats: Alertness Posessions: Tattered leather armor, a satchel with 5GP, a Garnet (30GP) and a sack containing a strange vile containing a writhing swarm of red ants. (Potion of ACID BREATH LVL3)

At The Wagon

 * The wagon is only another few miles from the bridge.

"As you crest a small hill, the fate of the food wagon is revealed. Below you, two figuresbundled against the cold struggle to lead a resistant horse off the road. Two orcs are standing guard; one of them watch the wranglers with apparent amusement. The snow covered ground is stained red in places, and a half-dozen bodies lie in the snow.”


 * Seeking to gather supplies to maintain their exploration of a nearby dwarven ruin, two brothers in the service of Wee Jas, the god of magic, have ambushed the wagon and plan to make off with the food.
 * The brothers, Marsem and Aldin Trember, are in charge of the humanoid workforce the servants of Wee Jas employ to turn the nearby ruin into a hidden base of operations. While the exploration and preparation of the dwarven complex is going well, the place is larger than the brothers anticipated, and they need more supplies to feed their surly employees.


 * While Aldin keeps things moving at the ruin, Marsem has left with some of the orcs to capture supplies. With the help of his orc companions, Marsem has already dispatched the guards sent with the wagon and the two boys sent to meet it. He has just begun to calm the frightened draft horse still attached to the wagon and is about to head for the new base. The groups get their first chance to spot each other when they are 3d6 x 10 ft. apart. An individual must succeed at a DC 20 Spot check to see the other group. (This Spot check is unopposed, as it takes place before either party has any idea of the other’s presence.)


 * If the party attempts to approach silently, the PCs must make Move Silently checks opposed by the orcs’ Listen checks (the orc watching the horse wrangling suffers a –2 penalty to his check). If the party does not attempt to approach silently, or if they roll lower than the orcs, one or both of the orcs standing watch near the wagon hears them. The orcs cry out a guttural alarm to the others and make a Spot check opposed by Hide checks from the party. At that point, the orcs move to attack, while Marsem hangs back, casting shield in preparation. Once combat is joined, he casts true strike, then attacks the next round with his crossbow.

Orc (3) CR 2; SZ Medium-sized humanoid (6 ft., 6 in. tall) HD 1d8; hp 4, 5; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 14 (+4 scale mail) Atk +3 melee (1d12+3/crit x3, greataxe) SQ –1 penalty to attack rolls in sunlight AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Wil –1 Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8. Skills and Feats: Listen +4, Spot +3; Alertness Special Qualities: Orcs suffer a –1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Possessions: Each orc has scale mail, a greataxe, and a pouch containing 20 sp

Marsem Agarrd, male human Sor1 CR2; Medium-size humanoid (6 ft., 1 in. tall) HD 1d4 +2; hp 5; Init +3 (Dex); Spd 30 ft. AC 15 (+2 armor +3 Dex) Atks +1 melee (1d4+1/crit 19–20, dagger) or ranged +3 (1d8 +1 within 30 ft./crit x3, crossbow) AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Wil +2 Str 13, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 15. Spell failure: 10%. Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spellcraft +4, Concentration +6; Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot Possessions: Leather Armor, light crossbow 10 bolts, dagger, cold weather gear, pouch containing 15 gp, pouch of spell components. Spells Known (5/4): 0--detect magic, mage hand, read magic, light, 1st--true strike, shield

The tracks end at the entrance to a shallow cave. The area around the cave mouth looks heavily trafficked, showing several different sizes of boot print.
 * When the fight is over, the party can search the area. A DC 5 Search check reveals the bodies are those of the four guards and the two teenage boys sent to meet the wagon. In addition, the bodies of two other orcs lie amid the carnage. If any of the PCs return to Nirewin with the news of the wagon, a group of villagers will come back with them to claim the food wagon and deal with the bodies of the slain.
 * A DC 10 Search check in the area reveals a large group of tracks coming from the west. These are the tracks made by Trember and the orcs as they prepared to ambush the wagon. The tracks -- easy to follow, once discovered -- lead three-and-a-half miles into wilderness, back to the ruin that the Trembers are exploring.

"You follow the trackmarks for about a mile through the forest until you come to the mouth of a large cave. The area in front of the cave looks heavily trafficked with bootprints of all shapes and sizes."


 * SPOT DC 10, You notice movement inside the mouth of the cave.

At the Mouth of the Cave, Dungeon LVL1
''“’As you drive forward through the pines towards the mountais, you notice that the area area is well travelled. Dozens of different boot tracks have trampled the light covering of snow into mud. All of the prints appear to come and go from the clearing ahead.'' You follow the tracks through the thick pine grove until you reach the massive clearing at the foot of a large craggy hill. 30' ahead is the gaping maw of a cave enterance. As you glance around the area, you see the shadows within the cave shift: Something inside obviously moved.”

INSIDE THE CAVE(ENTERANCE):
Orcs (3), 1st-Level Warrior Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Orc) Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 13 (+3 studded leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+4 Attack: club/FalchionX2 +4 melee (1d6+4-2d4+4/18-20) or Crossbow +1 ranged (1d6+ Full Attack: Club/Falchion +4 melee (2d4+4/18-20) or crossbow +1 ranged (1d6+3)  Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.  Special Attacks: —  Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity  Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -2  Abilities: Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 6  Skills: Listen +1, Spot +1  Feats: Alertness
 * Inside the cave, 3 orcs stand guard with crossbows. Marsem left them with instructions to guard the cave entrance until he comes back. The two guards have a good chance to see the party before anyone notices them, because the cave shelters them, and the party is on open ground. At a distance of 30'., the orcs need to succeed at a DC 17 Spot check to see the party. The party, on the other hand, is looking into total darkness and won’t be able to see the orcs unless they have darkvision and are within 60 feet of the ORCS.

If they see the party, the orcs slip to the back of the cave and attempt to shoot at the party from the cover of darkness. If one of the orcs falls, the remaining orc will attempt to flee to alert the orcs in area 1.

"“The cave is roughly hewn and holds little of interest. A well-worn path leads from theentrance to the back of the cave. The back wall of the cave actually apears to be shaped stone. The shaped stone corridor leads to a stout-looking door.”

1.Supply Room:
''You advance down the hall towards the heavy wooden door. (Listen DC20 to hear the guttural whispers of Orcs.) You grab the latch and try to pull the door open as quietly as possible (DEX check DC 10), suddenly you hear the roar of orcs in the darkness beyond..."'' ROLL INITIATIVE


 * This room is used by the brothers and the orcs as a staging and supply area. The walls of the room are lined with tables, boxes, and barrels of all shapes. There are picks, shovels, and other tools for digging and hauling dirt. There are weapons, including 60 crossbow bolts, five spears, two damage suits of scale mail, three spare hafts for greataxes, and one light crossbow. The other useful equipment in the room includes 150’ of heavy hemp rope, 2 dozen spikes, 3 small hammer, two lanterns, four flasks of lantern oil, and ten large sacks. Most of the boxes and barrels held food and are now empty. There are a few days worth of iron rations left. 4 orcs are working here. To hear the door opening, they need to succeed at a Listen check. The DM should set the DC based on how quietly the party moves. If the party makes no attempt to be stealthy, the orcs must succeed at a DC 10 Listen check to hear the door open. As soon as the orcs are aware of the characters, they attack. If they have been alerted to the group’s presence ahead of time, two of the orcs will have light crossbows and begin firing at the PCs as soon as they open the door.

Orcs (4) CR 2; Medium-sized Humanoid (6 ft. 6 in. tall), HD 1d8; hp 4, 6; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 14 (+4 scale mail); Atk +3 melee (1d12+3/crit x3, greataxe);+1 Ranged (1d6+1 Light Crossbowsx2) SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Wil –1; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8. Skills: listen +2, spot +2 Possessions: Scale mail, greataxe, pouch containing 20 silver (At this point, it might become obvious to the PCs that the orcs have all been recently paid.)

''As the last Orc takes his final, wet, choking, blood drenched breath realize you are in some sort of staging area or supply room. The walls are lined with sacks, barrels, crates and tables of all sorts of shapes and sizes...''

2. The Crypt:
''The door to the next hall opens easily with little to no noise. The low pitched howl of breeze passing through the rocks creates an eerie symphony of sound. 50' ahead you see another heavy wooden door, except this one is barred from your side. You can't hear a thing through the thick Black oak."''

The ghoul waits just inside the room. Knowing that the door can easily be barred again, the ghoul won’t attack until the group enters the room. Once at least one PC is in the room, make a contested skill roll between the ghoul’s Hide skill and the PC’s Spot roll. Only PCs in the room get an attempt to spot the ghoul. If the ghoul is successful, it gets a free surprise action. Because it’s watching the door intently, the ghoul cannot be surprised. Although the ghoul keeps no treasure, there are two locked coffins at the back of thelarge chamber. The coffins are dwarf-sized and contain the remains of two nameless dwarven warriors. A masterwork battleaxe lies in each coffin with the remains. The handles have rotted away, but the blades are still in good condition. If fitted with a new handle, the axes retain their masterwork qualities.
 * . The ruin was haunted by a ghoul, but the acolytes of Nerull were able to control it long enough to force it into this chamber. Unable to break through the stout door, the ghoul waits just on the other side for anyone foolish enough to let it out. 

Ghoul (1) CR 1; Medium-sized Undead (5 ft. 4 in. tall), HD 2d12; hp 14; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural); Atk +3 melee (1d6+1 and paralysis, bite), and +0 melee (1d3 and paralysis [x2], claws) SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Wil +5; Str 13, Dex 15, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16. Skills: Climb +6, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intuit Direction +3, Jump +6, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Search +6, Spot +7, Feats: Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite) Possessions: none

3. Lift Room:
''The hall extends North about 35' then turns left. As you approach the end of the hall you notice it getting colder. (LISTEN DC 15, Hear chains rattling in the room) The hall turns and goes on only 15' before dead ending into a stone door. A series of glyphs or letters are etched into the stone. (Old Dwarven: Lift)''

the lower levels. The brothers found and repaired an ingenious dwarven lift. The lift uses a series of pulleys, cranks, and catches to give access to the two lower levels of the ruin.The lift moves between levels very slowly. As a standard action, one character on the lift may attempt to move it 5 feet up, or control the lift’s speed and descend 10 feet. To raise the lift or to control its descent, the character must succeed at a DC 10 Strength check. The crank apparatus on the lift was designed for only one person to use. In a pinch, one person can assist. As the PCs approach the lift, they have a chance to hear its chains moving through the pulleys. Characters within 30 feet of the door to the room who succeed at a DC 15 Listen check can hear the chains rattling. Five rounds after the rattling begins, the orcs arrive at level one, and the noise stops.
 * The first thing the brothers did when they occupied the ruin was to get access to

4. Lift Room, Level 2
''The rattling, ancient lift, noisily comes to a rest. Above you is a network of support beams, block and tackle, pulleys, and all sorts of gears.''
 * The second-level lift room contains support beams and part of the pulley system, but nothing else of interest. Because of their fear of the Spider in Area 5, the orcs and the brothers pass through this area as quickly as possible.

5.The web, Level 2
''The door eases open and you're met with the stench of rotting flesh. Your torchlight sparkles off of crystalized stains on the floor... Blood... You move ahead into the intersection, the tunnel ahead and 2 your right have collapsed and are piles of rubble. To your left, the hall is choked up with thick webbing. THrough it you can barely make out another door way...(SPotDC 10, Bones litter the floor, some even stuck in the webs...)''


 * The spider hides in the rubble at the end of the Southern passage waiting for someone to trip it's web. The spider gets a +5 to it's hide check if Pc's try to spot it. The webbing doesnt seem to burn, but melt and evaporate. The instant someone begins messing with the webbing, ROLL INITIATIVE. The spider's first attack will be to spray whomever is the closest with webbing it well then climb across the ceiling and attempt to drop on someone using it's venomous bite.

MONSTROUS SPIDER,LARGE CR2,SZ Large vermin ,HD 4d8+4(19), Init +3, Spd 30ft,Climb 20ft, AC(–1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11, Atk Bite +4 melee (1d8+3 plus poison), SQDarkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits, SVFort +5, Ref +4, Will +1, Str 15, Dex 17, Con 12, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2 Skills and feats: Climb +11, Hide +3*, Jump +2*, Spot +4*: SQ: All monstrous spiders are aggressive predators that use their poisonous bites to subdue or kill prey. Monstrous spiders come in two general types: hunters and web-spinners. Hunters rove about, while web-spinners usually attempt to trap prey. Hunting spiders can spin webs to use as lairs, but cannot use their webs as weapons the way web-spinners can. A hunting spider has a base land speed 10 feet faster than the figures given in the statistics blocks. Poison (Ex): A monstrous spider has a poisonous bite. The details vary by the spider’s size, as shown on the table below. The save DCs are Constitution-based. The indicated damage is initial and secondary damage. Fort SV DC:13 DMG:1d6 TEMP STR and player can only take 1 action(move or attack) for 1d6 hours. Web (Ex): Both types of monstrous spiders often wait in their webs or in trees, then lower themselves silently on silk strands and leap onto prey passing beneath. A single strand is strong enough to support the spider and one creature of the same size. Web-spinners can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than the spider. An entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check or burst it with a Strength check. Both are standard actions whose DCs are given in the table below. The check DCs are Constitution- based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. Web-spinners often create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square, depending on the size of the spider. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it  and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot section has the hit points given on the table, and sheet webs have damage reduction 5/—. A monstrous spider can move across its own web at its climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web. Size Escape Artist DC Break DC Hit Points Large 13 17 12 Tremorsense (Ex): A monstrous spider can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with the spider’s webs. Skills: Monstrous spiders have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A monstrous spider can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Monstrous spiders use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher. a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks. Web-spinning spiders have a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks when using their webs.
 * Hunting spiders have a +10 racial bonus on Jump checks and

6. Level 3:

 * The lowest level yet discovered by the brothers, this area boasts sturdy-looking walls, a relatively debris-free floor, and more evidence of the dwarves that once inhabited these caverns. Two orcs are busy clearing the passageway leading to Area 7. They double as sentries for Aldin Trember, who is currently searching Area 7 for a hidden passage that might lead deeper into the dwarven city.

Orcs (2) CR2; SZ Medium-sized humanoid (6 ft., 6 in. tall), HD 1d8; hp 4, 5; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 14 (+4 scale mail); Atk +3 melee (1d12+3/crit x3, greataxe); SQ -1 penalty to attack rolls in sunlight; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Wil -1; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8. Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spot +2; Alertness Special Qualities: Orcs suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Possessions: Each orc has scale mail, a greataxe, and a pouch containing 20 sp The orcs waste little time asking questions; as soon as the lift has come to a halt, the orcs see that there are intruders and begin attacking. They yell for their leader in Area 7. If Aldin Trember succeeds on a DC 5 Listen check, he arrives after two rounds of combat. If he fails the Listen check, he may try again during each successive round of combat. Since the orcs yell only for one round, the Listen check during subsequent rounds has a DC of 10.

Aldin Trember, male human Clr2 (Wee Jas) CR2; Medium-size humanoid (5 ft., 10 in. tall); HD 2d8; hp 10; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 16 (+4 armor +2 shield); Atks +4 melee (1d8+2/crit x2, heavy mace); AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Wil +6; Str 15, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 14. Skills and Feats: Spellcraft +4, Concentration +5, Heal +7, Knowledge (Religion) +1; Combat Casting, Scribe Scroll Make sure these skill points add up. Possessions: Scale mail, masterwork heavy mace, large wooden shield, holy symbol, cold weather gear, scroll of cure light wounds, pouch containing 13 gp. Spells Known (3/2+1): 0--light, mending, read magic; 1st--cure light wounds, entropic shield, cause fear

Area 7: The Grand Hall
Supplies are stacked along some of the walls near the door. Once the crews finished clearing out the rubble, Aldin planned to consecrate the hall to Wee Jas. Anyone searching the supplies who succeeds at a DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check can identify the purpose of the supplies. The boxes hold little of interest, but two fine tapestries depict important scenes from the teachings of Wee Jas. If the party can find an interested buyer, the tapestries could be worth as much as 50 gp each. A secret door leads out of Area 7. Characters who succeed at a DC 20 Search check can find it in the center of the east wall. Aldin has found the door, but has not yet figured out how to open it. The door has no visible opening mechanism, and it is protected by an elaborate "puzzle" locking device (see below).
 * The Grand Hall is the current focus of Aldin’s investigation of the ruin. The design on the floor (see below) hints that there is a secret exit from the room, but Aldin has been unable to locate the hidden door.

An additional clue is written in Dwarven at the entrance to the chamber. The letters, carefully engraved in the stone, say: "The dwarven spirit is filled with secrets." The design looks like this: The solution to this puzzle is simple: Fill the circular area with the blood of a troll. The blood flows down the grooves and under the walls. Its movement releases hidden magic catches that cause the secret door to open.
 * One of the most striking features of the room is the design on the floor. A shallow circular indentation occupies the center of the room, with six shallow grooves leading out of it to the edges of the room and continuing under the walls. Characters succeeding at a DC 25 Search check notice two key details about the design: (1) There is a slight crest to the floor, the lip of the circular indentation being slightly higher than each of the places where the grooves go under the wall, and (2) the grooves themselves get slightly deeper as they approach the wall.

RETURNING TO THE HOLD
'''Once you return to town, take evidence of the brother's deaths to The Hold