No time to write in the journal until now. Things went sour as quickly as they started...
Tik. Tik. Tik. Tik. Tak!
"Remnants!"
The screams echoed through the Hold. Everyone rushed to their stations. The beasts were let out of their kennels, the bear woke from its slumbers, the ranged troops took their posts, and the soldiers filled the halls, shields, hammers, and axes at the ready.
The dwarves of New Stone uncovered a vampire court mid-ritual. Furious, they clawed and lashed out at the first miner to break through their intricate stonework. Only two miners made it away with enough time to sound the alarm before falling to the thralls that moved as if they were one with the shadow.
The thralls scurried up through the caverns, ducked and dipped through the carts and rails of the abandoned mineshaft, and were nearing the top of the stairs into the bear's den when the thrall in the front's head was caught under the great paw of the bear, half of it being torn away in a single swipe.
The bear's ferocious growls were all the soldiers could hear. They were, however, able to see the silhouette of the bear rearing up against its foes as the thralls jumped onto it, clawing and biting through its thick and oily fur. It wasn't long before the bear's roars turned to dulled growls. And even sooner after that, it grew quiet altogether.
The soldiers stood firm -- stalwart. Hammers and axes hit shields in unison, and their war growls built from a low and gravelly bass until they echoed within the chambers. It was enough that by the time the thralls showed their faces from the growing shadows in the bear's den, the cannons and muskets let loose over the shoulders of the stout paladins, the explosions of black powder overwhelmed the dwarven growling and the cave filled with a bright white smoke.
The growl continued as the echoed explosions dissipated. The soldiers continued to stand, clattering their shields in unison, ready for the onslaught. As the smoke cleared, however, the thralls were torn to pieces at the end of the clearing. The floor was covered in various colours of blood.
"You've killed all my thralls!" the vampire lord's shrill voice screamed from the depths of the caverns. He sauntered his way into sight before long; the dwarves picked up their war growls again before he started again, "You! All of you," he pointed at the group of dwarves, still standing at the ready, "You will become my new thralls. From my small court, I will expand it threefold with all of you pitiful, hairy, disgust --" he was cut short as the wounded bear clambered up and gripped his head in its jaws. Its teeth pierced through the pale skin into his skull, his eye popping out from the pressure as the bear's jaws closed, his body going limp. The bear released the vampire as it collapsed onto the floor. Tyryn was summoned in a moment to see what he could do for the bear.
"I specialize in dwarven medicine, not bears... As hairy as we are, we're not bears." His sigh was barely audible through his beard and face mask. "We're not going to be able to save her." He looked up at the druid, his eyes the only sign of the regret he had clearly been feeling having to express such sombre news. As he stood from the bear's side, patting off his apron where he was just previous kneeling, a green glow emitted from the cavern wall next to them. Two spectral hands reached out and lowered down toward the bear's side. Quiet whispers came from the soldiers who were still assembled, having not been dismissed.
Myrin, standing in the front of the assembly, spoke up, "Looks like some of Krytin's magic." As the hands finally reached the bear, the visage of a spectral dwarf leaned down and out of the wall. It was indeed some of Krytin's magic. The valkyria spell had called on healing dwarven spirits of the past who now wandered the halls and even the solid stone that hadn't yet been hollowed out. A blue glow overtook the bear as its breathing ceased, and a spectral bear rose out of it, letting out a gentle growl as it looked up at the druid who had by then collapsed in tears over their dying friend.
It seemed unlikely, but the amount of effort we've put into defending ourselves has really paid off. We're going to need to do more, however. The deeper we go, the worse it's going to get. We got lucky this time that the bear was as strong as it was.
We didn't have enough time to make any new additions to the Hold. We spent a lot of time reflecting on the possibility of losing a lot more than we had.
