The party listened intently for sounds on the other side of the iron doors, but heard only silence. Zanne inspected the door for signs of traps, but found none. Tim Frostbucket inserted the key they had found and, with a turn, the tumblers fell in place. Pushing the door open revealed a small room with a small statue on a pedestal of a dwarf hammering at a forge. The statue’s raised fist was empty, where a smith’s hammer might be. As the party looked around the room, they noticed a faint boot-print that disappeared into the south wall. Those versed in religious studies noted that the statue was a depiction of a dwarf god, and that this room was probably used for religious offerings. It would have been typical for followers to come here and make offerings, and when the iron doors were sealed, someone might come through a hidden passage and remove the offerings in secret to give the impression that the god had received the gifts. Jonbon thoughtfully rummaged through his pack and produced the hammer totem that Garwin had given them. It seemed to be the exact scale of the statue before them.

After dealing with the goblins guarding the entrance to the tomb, the party needed a short rest to recover the energies they had spent in the fray. However, as he was pressed upon at the battle’s conclusion, the hexer had shouted a warning down the darkened hallway to the east and sounds of movement could be heard beyond the glow of light cast by Jonbon’s sunrod. The party took a quick breather which keeping guard down the passage way and then decided to move on since things had quickly grown quiet.

As dawn broke on the morning following camping near the Witch’s Tree, the party of adventurers once again set their face towards Blackquartz’s camp. After a few hours of marching, the terrain began to assume a more rocky character and steeper elevation as they passed into the foothills of the Stoneheart Mountains. By mid-afternoon, the party came upon a low rise and could see an excavation site nestled at the base of an impassable and unstable looking rock face. The excavation site appeared to be somewhat protected by a high wooden fence. All around the site, foliage had been cleared.

Amid the carnage created by our band of adventurers and upon the bloody corpse of the Goblin Hexxor leading the assault on Riverstead, Scragg retrieved a rolled up scroll and handed it to Jonbon Jovvy.

The letter was foul in look and writ upon with fetid blood from some hapless victim:

Sizzlefizit,

This map will guide you to the town called Riverstead. Retrieve the Hammer Totem from Garwin’s shop near the south well. Use the alchemist’s fire to break through the city wall.

Do not fail me or I shall sacrifice all of you.

The afternoon was much like any other in Riverstead. Winter seemed to be approaching early this year and an unusual chill hung in the air. Townsfolk moved about the dirt streets attending to their daily business. In the tavern of the Green Tankard, Jonbon Jovvy, the half-elven minstrel, was recounting the creation tale of the Realm to a couple of patrons. At the bar, his companion Scragg the half-orc barbarian was sharing an ale with Tim Frostbucket, a goliath warden that had traveled from the mountain ice farms of the northland. Deciding to pool their resources to find work, they had just agreed that the name “Masters of the Universe” had quite a potent ring to it as well as nice marketing potential.