Poking around the Moathouse

Its about time I gave an update on my new Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil campaign for Pathfinder I reckon! We have now played 3 sessions of this campaign, and have the character roster completed; the company of heroes consists of the following:

Adventus Helios: A human who is an genius with all things poisonous and company "expert" on traps and locks.

Maudriel: An elven master of the arcane arts of Abjuration. He acts as the brains of this company

Rickaard of Axeport: A human priest of the god Pelor. Acts as the company's moral beacon, and patches them up when they inevitably get wounded.

Bronath: One half of the half-elven brother-sister combo in the company, Bronath is the man who hits hardest, using his guisarme to fell opponents. Goes by the title "Champion of Goldensprings".

Kielle: The other half of the brother-sister combo, Kielle acts as party adviser on magic and death, acting as back up for both Maudriel and Rickaard, being a priestess of the god Wee-Jas.

With most of the company assembled in the small town of Hommlet (just waiting for the arrival of the tardy Rickaard) they decided to go and explore the infamous Moathouse located near town. This ruined fort was the site of a famous battle 25 years ago that involved Bronath and Kielle's father and they wanted to see the site of his triumph, as well as keep themselves occupied (before Bronath tried to chat up any more of the locals).

The Moathouse, located near Hommlet

A pleasant stroll in the early summer sunlight brought them to the Moathouse by mid-morning and after a spot of lunch the company decided to head on into the ruins. No sooner had they reached the entrance when two things occurred to them. Firstly, there were new planks laid across the old, rotting drawbridge; secondly, the reeds were sure moving in a funny way! A short scuffle ensued with some of the local wildlife (a Giant Frog) and after a hairy moment for Bronath, where he was dragged into the water by the frog's freakishly long and strong tongue, the heroes managed to beat back the offending amphibian.

The company's first mighty opponent!

Once inside the courtyard of the ruins, it became apparent that the site was not as abandoned as the company had believed. A long drag mark was evident in the courtyard, leading into the ruins of the Moathouse itself. Proceeding with caution, the adventurous band crept up the steps and into the gloomy interior, where they noticed three things simultaneously: one dead body, one half eaten body and a blue dragon uncoiling as they peered in! This dragon, Utreshimmon, gave them one chance to leave his newly acquired lair or be added to his larder. The heroes, being brave and heroic declined his polite invitation and proceeded to engage him in combat. Adventus got the drop on him, flinging daggers at him, whilst Maudriel hammered him with spells; Bronath flailed ineffectively with his guisarme and Kielle kept an eye on every one whilst swinging her mace. The dragon fought ferociously, but in the end weight of numbers began to tell, and with his strength failing, he unleashed one final crackling blast of electrical energy before retreating, swearing revenge up the impudent humanoids who had dared to tangle with him.

The blue dragon Utreshimmon, now a sworn enemy of the party.

Flush with victory, the company proceeded to claim their spoils, finding an interesting collection of weaponry and minor items on the two dead bodies. What's more the bodies hinted that the Moathouse was not, in fact, abandoned. The party proceeded to explore the ground floor of the Moathouse, finding a large room where in the north-eastern corner of the building where damage from the battle 25 years ago had been crudely, and recently, repaired. A more detailed look in this room revealed a hidden trapdoor in the rubble, and a dark staircase leading down into the dungeons beneath....