The party wakes and begins preparations for their investigations. Stago casts an identify spell before breakfast, and discovers that the scroll taken from the goblin leader is a fumble spell.
When they go downstairs they see that Olavia has been replaced by a day clerk. He is a balding little fop with a twitchy attitude. They immediately suspect that he is likely to be a Zhentish agent, just by the way he constantly watches and listens to everything at once. 
Moving slowly among the tables with a broom and damp cloth for wiping up spills is a clubfooted woman with a hunched back.With the clerk listening attentively, the party keeps conversation over the morning meal to a minimum as they themselves strain to overhear the buzzing discussions taking place around them. Here are some of the things said that morning:
"Constable Tren caused the dream fever so he can cure it and win favor. Mark my words, Tren will bring some sorcerer into town to pretend to lift the curse, so that us simpletons will hail his bravery and forgive his past cruelties. What? You think that's daft? It's what I'd do if I was him. What do you mean that proves your point?"
"A man with a strange accent came into my shop the other night, and tried to buy odd bits of this and that with these gemstones engraved with dwarven runes. I could tell at a glance he was surely up to no good, so I run him off and told him to come back when he had proper money and not that bad luck bringing dwarven stuff."
And lastly, "It’s more than likely outsiders up to no good. Strangers are always bad news." Suddenly the entire tavern goes eerily quiet as all the patrons look directly at the Company of the Severed Head.
The day clerk comes over to their table and clears his throat, "Ahem, my name is Eb, Eb Farnum, and I'm Miss Olavia's partner, of sorts, I run the hotel during the day for her while she...recovers from the exertions of the night shift. You folks are adventurers, I can tell by your togs and gear, and by the lack of scars on your faces and arms, I'd guess that you are somewhat new to the trade. As you are strangers to these parts, and likely looking for purposeful employment, might I offer whatever assistance I can in the area of steering you towards bodies that need guarding, caravans which might need protection, or dangerous dungeons which need exploring?"
Elessaria says, politely, "No, we are already employed."
Farnum, non-plussed, continues, "Might I inquire as to your employer and the service to which he has secured you? I am well aquainted with the environs and for a small fee could be induced to part with a great deal of useful knowledge."
Routunious thanks him, and nudging Elessaria, he suggests that it might be an opportune time to settle the tab and leave the inn. Everyone agrees and in moments they stand blinking in the bright sunshine, grateful to be out of the presence of Eb Farnum.
Merle mutters something incomprehensible and Stago says, "I think that is the Kara Turian phrase for 'Now what?', don't you?"
Elessaria says, "We can either go into town now or we can scout around the perimeter. I suspect that once we get inside the gates, getting out again won't be as easy, so I'd like to nose around out here today."
"I agree," Stago said, "Let's go up and look at the dwarven place."
"Eagle's Eyrie."
"The very same. We might as well, it sounds like dwarves are part of the trouble."
"Olavia didn't seem to put much stock in dwarven spirits haunting the town," Elessaria said.
"No, but she couldn't rule it out. Anyway, its here, we're here, and it is a lovely day for a hike up a mountain, don't you think?"
And since there was no arguing with logic like that, the company began walking down the road toward the mountain with dwarven ruins at its summit.
8:00 am
At the base of the small mountain is a farmstead with an old stone house. The farmer comes out to greet the company.
"My name is Navil," he says to the adventurers, "can I help you?"
Elessaria speaks for all, "We are The Company of the Severed Head, and we would seek your permission to traverse your land in order to explore Eagle's Eyrie in search of the root of the current troubles in the dale."
Navil looks dubious, and Selina uses her charms on him to sway his opinion of them in their favor. The farmer is taken by the cat suited thief and explains that he too, would be eager to have the troubles lifted. "Only a few days ago," he says, "I lost my shepherd and all of my sheep. They just disappeared, like those children that went missing from town. My son went looking for them, he thought they might be up at Eagle's Eyrie. Now, he's gone too."
"We're so sorry for your loss," Selina purrs, "and if we can find him, we'll bring back your son."
"What about my sheep?" Navil asked.
"Your sheep too."
"Alright, then...you can cross my land and climb my mountain. The trail isn't very good, though. You might have to cut your way through the brambles."
The farmer's warning turns out to be accurate and it is very slow going as they hack their way through the thickets. Eventually, the path opens out on a deep ravine. Elessaria scouts for an alternate path, but there is no other choice.
10:00 am
With no alternate paths, the party must find a way to cross the ravine.
Selina, utilizing her wall climbing skills is able to get to the other side. Then, using her phenomenal ropecraft abilities, she builds an elaborate harness large enough even for Tick-a-Tick, and a simple rope system to pull it across from one side to the other. Merle and Stago are the first to cross in the contraption, and then Routunious. Elessaria fastens the harness to Tick-a-Tick and Stago's dog, then she crosses without it--her elven dexterity affording her the confidence to do so. Once across, Elessaria and Routunious pull Tick-a-Tick and the dog across the ravine.
11:00 am
Selina beings to disassemble the riggedb harnes and rope bridge but Stago stops her.
"Don't take it apart, we'll only have to build it all over again on the way down," reasoned the gnome.
Seleina protests, "But what if we need the ropes up there?"
Stago says, "We've got plenty of rope, and if we need more, then we know where this thing is and we can come down for it."
"Easy for you to say, it's my rope we're leaving behind."
"But think how glad you'll be when you come back down all tired from adventuring and mountain climing that you don't have to rig this thing up all over again. We're only going to be up there for a few hours and back in the inn by dark."
Routunious grumbles at the gnome, "Excellent, gnome, you've just cursed us. We're likely never to see that inn again."
Everyone laughs and they continue to climb, leaving the rope bridge behind.
NOON
On the hilltop, the party observes a ring of stones, the ruins of an ancient tower.
They also see a cave entrance, a natural opening which has been expanded and worked by dwarven hands. So engrossed are they in the examination of the entrance that they are suprised by a pair of mated eagles which attack them from the direction of the ruined tower.The male eagle attacks Elessaria, its talons and beak ripping into her shoulder. The female eagle claws at Nugget, but does no serious harm.
Merle, watchful that fighting the eagles does not keep the party from noticing a greater threat scans the ledge and sees something move in the rocks of the ruined tower. She moves to tell Routunious.
Elessaria is again attacked by the eagle, and the bird attacking Nugget scores another hit, causing the cat to fall limp. The eagle continues to peck at the unconcious cat, toying with it before the final kill. Selina howls in rage.
Merle manages to get Routunious' attention and alerts him to the hidden danger. He yells, "Something's in the rocks!"
Selina attacks the eagle still playing with her beloved cat while Elessaria continues to flail at the eagle batting her face with its wings and tearing at her flesh with its talons.
Stago attempts to aid her by firing a bullet at the eagle, but misses.
Routunious also attacks the same bird with a thrown knife, but misses. Fortunately, the aim is wide and he does not do any harm to the elf he is trying to aid.
Selina stabs the eagle feeding on her cat with Lifedrinker. The bird falls lifeless to the ground.
Elessaria finally manages a powerful hit on her bird of prey, and it too falls to the ground. Both the elf and the thief decapitate their eagles in short order.
Selina demands that they use 2/3 of a potion of extra healing to revive Nugget, but Routunious casts healing spell on the cat and revives it, saving the 2/3 potion of extra healing for their own use later.
Merle frantically gestures towards the rocks, she may be glad that the cat has been saved, but there is still danger nearby. She is still not confident of her translation brooch, and so she stammers, "I saw some thing!"
Stago nods, but continues to retrieve his sling bullets.
Clambering over the tower ruins they see a hideous hulking figure. It is covered in a thick coat of green and black fur and a horrible maw of jagged teeth. It looks as though it is preparing to leap toward the party.
Stago fires a magic missile, striking it in the chest. Tick-a-Tick and Elessaria close in to engage. The creature is gesturing and grunting at them, and as it does so the patterns of green and black fur seem to change accordingly. As Tick-a-Tick closes, the beastman swings its stone club at the automaton and misses. Tick and Elessaria score hits much more accurately and the beastman falls.
Selina rushes to the ruins of the stone tower and searches it. In a carefully tended nest she finds an unhatched eagle egg.
Stago says, "That's gonna die without the parents. Let's eat it."
Elessaria looks at the nest and stops the gnome from gathering breakfast supplies. She has a very grim visage as she says, "They were protecting their nest."
Routunious replies, "They nearly killed us. And this thing...This beastman...you think he is some kind of eagle farmer or something? He tried to kill us too."
The elf turns her eyes, filled with sorrow, on the priest. She says, "I don't want to have killing things always be the first thing we do. I'm a ranger. I'm supposed to be protecting nature, not destroying it everywhere I go."
"You're supposed to be protecting us," Routunious returned, "and you're doing a wonderful job of it."
"He's right, El, without your help, we wouldn't have collected half so many of these!" Stago says as he saws at the bestman's neck to remove its head.
"I just don't like feeling...evil."
"You're not evil," says the priest.
"How do you know?" Elessaria asked sincerely.
"Because evil people don't worry about being evil."
"He's right! So, stop worrying and help me search this body." Stago quipped, laughing at his own joke.
Selina says, without turning to look at them, "I already checked him. Nothing but the club, his gerkin, and the shield."
"Well, let's roll his body down the cliff, then, so it doesn't spoil our lunch."
Elessaria comes over to Selina and looks out on the impressive view with her. She can see the entire town of Dagger Falls from this vantage point. She whispers to the thief, "I won't become evil."
"Don't expect them to become good." Selina replies, and they both share a laugh.
Routunious drops his pack on the ground after rolling the headless body of the beastman down the cliff. Wiping his hands on his robe, he asks, "What's for lunch, then?"
Stago shouts, "Eagle egg!"
"No!" snaps Elessaria and snatches the egg away from the constantly hungry gnome.
"What's she going to do with it? Hoarding is wasting, and wasting is probably more evil than eating the egg would be," Stago grumbles.
Selina puts her hand on the gnome's shoulder and says, "Let her be, and eat your rations. You can have all the eggs you want at the inn tonight for supper."
2:00 pm
After their meal, the party prepares to enter and explore the cave. Only a few feet in and the top of the cave is black as tar. The elf and the gnome make use of their infra-vision and see that the cave cieling is carpeted with fist-sized thermal signatures.
Stago says, "Bats." Then, before anyone can stop him, he lifts up a stone and throws it as hard as he can at the sleeping creatures.
They come to life in a flurry of leathery flapping and flee the cave in a thick swarm, biting Selina once and Stago twice as they pass.Stago doesn't feel well, but other than the scratch on her face, Selina appears fine. "What did you do that for?" She asks.
Stago replies, "I can't help myself."
Selina re-enters the cave with Routunious, who has opened the lantern lid on his hat allowing the illumination from the continual light spell cast on it to flood out. In the cave there are piles of guano, bones, garbage and what is presumed to be bear scat. The cave dead ends very quickly, with no appearant sign of any secret dwarven fortress. Selina carefully examines the walls and discoveres several narrow slits in the stone.
She says, "These are not a natural feature."
Elessaria asks her, "Do they look like arrow slits?"
"Very much like arrow slits. I'll check for traps...you check for bears."
Selina spends several minutes checking for traps and finds none. She takes a bit of string and ties it to a stone, which she then tosses through one of the arrow slits. She can hear it clatter to the floor but nothing else happens.
She calls the others to her, "Everyone help me look for secret doors or panels."
After a long time searchng Selina finds a secret door. The door slides open and a very long tunnel is revealed.
Experience points awarded to the party: 218xp each,
not including bonuses.
Sources:
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