The Blank Shields
Mercenary Mountain II
A very clear account has survived of the initial scouting mission sent to
decide if the Dhugal’s company wanted to occupy the abandoned fastness. Six
scouts went to investigate the abandoned keep & the reported fortress beneath
it. The scouts split their efforts, with some scaling the mountain, and others
seeking a more traditional entrance.
Without scaling the walls, or forcing
the gate, there was really only one
way into the mountain, but it was not
as easy a path as it looked, especially
for the uncautious...
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These unfortunate fellows are the
scounts that found the side door.
Obviously, this is before Martin started
training them to be observant.
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After getting past that first trap, the remaining scout discovered (carefully!) that the cavern curved around, and split into two chambers, one occupied by a tomb, the other by a decayed skeleton, and a barred door leading farther inside.
Although the obvious door almost certainly meant a trap of some kind, there wasn’t anywhere else to go. The scout’s instincts proved corrent since upon approaching the door, a false ceiling was triggered, turning the dead end into an effective prison cell.
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| | Later, the team that went over the wall discovered that there was a clever one-way door at the back of the tomb.
After the Blank Shields did decide to occupy, while resetting the traps and carefully checking for more, they determined that the elaborate “dungeon” was effectively just a well-disguised sally port. A large number of troops could gather unseen and charge out, but it was almost impossible to penetrate the defenses using it.
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Up Exterior Interior
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