Turn 93 on to the keep
You finish up your breakfast, and ask and answer your questions,
before
packing up and preparing to return baldwin to his father. Heading
out,
you ride in a formation keeping close watch for any signs of
bandits or
other undesirables but find nothing. As you approach the keep, the
bell
tower sounds the alarm, and several armed guards rush out, happily
surrounding you and escorting you to Lord Reynold. Lord Reynold
ushers
you all into his office, and a strange look passes over his
features as
he lays eyes upon his son. Not the sort of look you'd expect after
being
reunited with his own offspring, but then it's not YOUR child
after all.
Reynald speaks "Thank the Gods you have returned safely with the
child.
After you left, I discovered my advisor Antar was responsible for
faking
the ransom, and that he will be executed in the morning. He thanks
you
and again offers you payment of 500gp.
Gareth gently pushes the reward monies back towards Lord Reynolds.
"We
sought the safe return of your child because it was the proper
choice,
not for monies m'lord. I would speak with Antar and the rest of
thy
servants, however, to make sure this was not one member acting in
collusion with others. Furthermore, as my party has been wearied
sorely
by this trek, I would ask shelter for us for a day or two to
restore
provisions, properly check our mounts, and allow much-needed
rest."
"Antar is sch4eduled for execution, and may not have visitors.
Shelter
for 2 days will be provided and you may feel free to speak to any
person
not incarcerated.
Gareth nods respectfully. "Thank you for thy generousity,
m'lord." The
knight turns to leave, but turns again before taking two steps.
"Might
I inquire as to why Antar is not permitted to be questioned by a
knight
of King Arion's company? As the bandits are a blight upon all
lands,
not merely m'lord's, they become a concern to the crown. As
ranking
representative of the King in this area, it behooves me to speak
with
the villain. King Arion would be most curious about connections
and
movements of the brigand forces and their infiltration of his
nobles. I
am rather certain he would also be most curious about the reasons
for
denying him this information. Lord Reynold?"
King Arion would be most curious about connections and
movements of the brigand forces and their infiltration of his
nobles. I
am rather certain he would also be most curious about the
reasons for
denying him this information. Lord Reynold?"
"Apparently I was misinformed of your mission which from what was
reported
to myself was to map the land. NOT to interfere in various
governments and
laws. The law here is and always HAS been quite clear. The guilty
shall have
NO visitors before their execution. If King Arion wishes to change
a law he
himself agreed to, then you should have brought that missive with
you. Until
then Sir...the law stands! Now leave me. I have business to attend
to"
Vincas bows deeply before Lord Reynald as he backs from the room.
He reaches
out with a hand and tries to drag Gareth with him.
"Of course my lord, we meant no disrespect. We only sought to
protect you
and your heirs from conspirators, but if you're certain Antar
acted alone
and you are at no further risk we will certainly leave. You see,
we feel
there may be more agents at play here, but if you're comfortable
with the
situation, we'll take our leave. Good day to you."
Vincas will back from the chamber, an obviously forced smile on
his face.
Never did we seek to interfere in government my lord, nor have we.
There is a difference between a visitor and a questioner, just as
there
is one between visitor and jailor. My concern is for the many
peoples
of this land, in thy writ and beyond. The king cares for all and
is
responsible for all; sending this man's secrets to the grave
without
questioning subjects many people to unnecessary risks. I am sure
my
lord cares deeply for his people and has considered ..all..
aspects of
the situation. We shall leave thee to thy business, lord Reynold;
Pikahl's blessing watch over your people.
As soon as the party is outside the doors, Gareth turns to them
and
speaks softly. "Keldar, can you cover thyself and another with
that
invisibility to sight? If so, I would like you and another to
follow
the lord around and send us word if something strang happens.
Reggie,
Arilyn, and Jahl - how does a trek to the kitchens and such to
speak
with the servants of the keep sound? The keyhole ears often find
out
much more than one would expect. Wulfgar, Vincas - would the two
of you
come with me to speak with the guards, smithy, and especially this
Antar
if we can talk with him? Everyone else, roam the keep and keep
eyes
peeled. I want to stress that this is NOT a combat situation.
All are
simply to observe and report back to me, understood?"
"I will search around the keep and look for anything unusual. I
wouldn't
mine some company, since I don't like these cramped places anyway.
Who wants
to go for a stroll??"
Reggie's eyes light up, and without a second though, grabs hold of
Arilyn's hand, and drags her off towards to kitchen shouting
behind
him for Jahl to keep up with him
Vincas listens to Gareths plan and nods.
"I'd be happy to go. This is all too cut and dried for me. We
should have a
conversation with this Antar, and maybe a few words with the boy
after he's
spent time with his father....you know, to find out if he notices
anything
odd. He didn't even bat an eye at the fact that I was here with
the other
newcomers. He's either very trusting or not at all interested in
the trek
you completed."
Vincas frowns and rubs his chin. "You know, Keldar's probably our
best bet
to find out what's going on here. He's got a few tricks up his
sleeve, as
does Reggie. They can get around unnoticed and observe things if
you catch
my drift. Maybe we should allow him to go where he feels he'd
learn the
most. He's got good instincts on such matters. But I agree that he
should
observe Reynald for awhile, he just doesn't seem right."
As Lord Reynold offers the money, Jahl prepares to step forward
but is
cut short by Gareth's refusal. Jahl briefly scowls at Gareth as
he watches
the coins being quickly taken away. Resigned, Jahl silently
follows along
with the group.
Jahl nods understanding as Gareth passes out orders. "Good
Idea," Jahl
agrees. "We'll try to find out as much as we can."
"Alright Reggie and Arilyn, lets get go- Where?" Jahl looks
down the
hall to see Reggie nearly dragging Arilyn off to the kitchens.
Chuckling,
Jahl races to join them.
"Right, right, right..." Keldar moves into a large bunch of you,
and casts
his invisibility spell.
"I'll track sir, what's his name around. Just drop something on
the floor
Arilyn half-heartedly tries to pull her hand away from Reggie's
hand. A
smile crosses her lips and she begins to giggle. She thinks that
Reggie
could close his eyes and sniff his way to the kitchens. Her tummy
begins to rumble and she starts to laugh uncontrollably. The
previous
days horrors disappear from her mind as she sees the determination
and
drooling look on Reggie's face. Like fish in the water..like
birds in
the skies..like sand in the desert...what is more natural than
Reggie in
the kitchen. She waves back to Jahl, "Hurry..it is going to take
the
both of us to make sure Reggie controls himself." She pulls on
Reggie's
arm, "You will be good...Reggie...c'mon, promise me you will
control
yourself."
" I'll go with you, as long as you tell me what just happened? I'm
pretty
sure I just saw you all turn down five hundred Crownies.", Kay's
voice
deepens, "No thanks folks! Just returning your son was reward
enough for
us!". The warrior's tone returns to normal, "Good Lent, you guys
aren't
'Heroes' are you? You know, the type who go around doing good for
the sake
of doing good? Not that I have anything against it, but are you
for real?"
As Keldar begins casting, ominous thunderclouds roll across the
sky. It
begins pouring rain onto the party as soon as the spell is cast.
Keldar
turns invisible, but casts a shadow still.
The knight spreads his palms and stares upwards into the downpour
in an
unvoiced, "Why me?," and shakes his hear wearily for several
moments.
"Keldar, when thou- you... when you are casting, please remember
that
your magics can backfire and make things more complicated or
painful for
thy allies. Try to leave a little distance between us next time.
Incidentally, before you follow your assignment, you need to dry
off.
The shadow you can still hide, but the trail of water might just
give
you away." Gareth motions to the others with him and walks away
chuckling to himself about something...
and chuckling... and chuckling - thought certainly not breaking
down
The knight interrupts his chuckling for a moment. "There are
those
within this world, friend Kay, for whom a warm thanks or even the
simple
knowledge of aiding another, protecting another, doing a good deed
simply because it wants doing, is more precious than any amount of
cold
coinage. We are not 'Heroes,' just fellow travellers that take
our
payment in self-respect and honour." The knight continues his
chuckling
walk away...
As the party organizes itself outside of Reynold's doors, Caoimhin
seems
lost in thought. At last he looks up and says, "It's not clear to
me why
we're investigating this. Surely, something here is not as it
seems: but
it is not our role to sort out all the squabbles in all the petty
baronies.
Somebody wants to eliminate the heir and take the throne for
himself, and
surely he's as much a villian as all the other barons. I say
we..."
He continues as Reggie leads Arilyn and Jahl to the kitchen, but
trails
off as Keldar casts his spell. He watches intently as Keldar
casts, and
raises an eyebrow. "Most peculiar," he mutters. A few moments
pass, and
he shakes his head as if waking. "Anyway. I say we put as much
distance
between ourselves and this place before we become enmeshed in a
struggle
of no interest to us." He looks around at the party, who are now
all
walking in different directions, and shrugs. "Or perhaps not."
He jogs
a bit to catch up with Gareth, and says to him, "I'd like a word
with
you in private, Gareth. Not now, but when we have a little time
later."
Caoimhin jogs back to Barbaxle and the rest of the aimless
wanderers.
He walks up alongside Kay. "Now, indeed, you're starting to get a
feel
for the party. Gareth is what you'd call a capital-H Hero. Our
party
is more or less under his leadership; much less so than an actual
army
--- not a one of us is a regular, and we're all free to go our own
way
when we choose. But as much as I have differences with him from
time
to time, I find myself agreeing with him more often than I might
like."
He smiles a little. "Sometimes it means we pass up a bit of a
reward.
But we've had no problems feeding ourselves, and we're well
respected
by all we meet. Even from my rather more mercenary standpoint, I
see
a certain wisdom in Gareth's decision: 500 crowns is not so much
in
the grand scheme, and it leaves the good Baron a little in our
debt.
But not so much that we're worth eliminating."
Vincas shudders at the mention of the reward. "I agree with you,
I'd have
kept it. But since I'm just recently a member of this team I
decided not to
interject my terror at the sight of all those coins being taken
away."
A voice appears in an area beside you. "We wern't really turnin'
that
money down were we??? I thought you were just bargnin fer a better
deal.
Who's in charge uv the money here!"
Keldar mumbles and shakes the water off himself. You then watch
his shadow
dissappear into the shadow cast by the knight. "Well, with me
shadow, I
can let yas see where I am. My sneakin' should help me hide the
shadow...
or I can use it just ta scare em."
"Ho ya, could some one get a courier ta run this to Durant fer me"
A peice
of folded Paper appears and floats to the floor. It is sealed and
has
`Durant' written on it. "I'll pay ya again, once I get me some
monies. AND
DON'T YA BE SNOOPIN'!"
Gareth nods his head in acknowledgment. "Certainly Caoimhin. I
suspect
everyone will be busy the rest of the daylight, but we should all
remeet
for supper. Perhaps directly afterwards? It would not hurt to
check
the horses a further time..."
Kay watches Gareth go by, "I see.". She looks up to the sky and
then to the
others, "Lets get out of this rain, chainmail chaffs like a
sonnofab.", Kay
quickly pauses, remembering where she is, and who's near."Lets
just go
somewhere dryer."
Kay responds to the Invisognome, "Returning the boy was reward
enough, eh?
And geez, could protocol allow the guy to be just a little happy
to see his
kid?
the clouds overhead split as well, and small clouds follow each
group in
the party. You suddenly realize it isnt raining anywhere but upon
yourselves....and people in the keep are beginning to look at you
oddly.
Kay looks to the clouds, "Er, guys? What's with the rain?". She
spends a few
moments trying to get away from the clouds..Sudden movement, fake
to the
left, and then the right! Kay notices the others staring back and
forces a
grin, "Strange weather, we're having here? Heh Heh."
Keldar cusses, then pops back into sight. He looks up, hoping the
clouds
vanish with his appearance.
Caoimhin frowns at the tiny rain cloud moistening his short hair.
He
pulls the orange kerchief out of his belt, and ties it around his
head.
"Well, as I have already said, I do not see why we wish to stay
here.
Especially now, since we have no chance of remaining
inconspicuous.
I have no specific destination in mind; we could just wander the
keep
--- an architectural tour, perhaps? Or we could go back to our
quarters and see what interesting information we can find there."
He smiles wistfully. "It's been so long since I've been on stage
that I'm starting to lose lines, and perhaps whole parts. It's
not
enough, maybe, to just read the old tales to myself. I may need
to stage a performance sometime soon." He looks around the hall.
"Not here, though. This place has a feel too foul. I find I just
want to leave this barony."
As Keldar reappears...nothing changes.
"Wow... now I'm a village witch, cursin' people and all".
Keldar will concentrate on dispelling the clouds.
As keldar speaks, the clouds overhead begin swirling, and
twisting,
causing high winds similiar to hurricane conditions.
"Anyone able ta dispell magics!!!! This is gettin' outta control,
and I
can't do nothin' to it!!!!!"
"So this all your fault?!", Kay shouts while try to keep herself
from
blowing away."You know, sometimes if you kill or knock out the
spellcaster,
the spell would disperse! Maybe one of us should try that? Huh?"
With a grim look of dispare Cole offers the only advice he
knows to Keldar "No magic has worked properly since we began this
mission and when I have tried I have been rained on by colored
daisies
turned blue and even rendered unconscious". Turning and taking a
few
steps away from the freak storm he mutters aloud "But every other
time
it
wore off in an hour or so".
Cole sits on the ground and fumbles with a jet black stone he
pulls from his pocket. With the other hand he attempts to brush
his
wet and matted hair as the gusts blow it back in his face.
"Was hopin' it was something that just you guys were
sufferin'. Like
some bad cheese or somethin', and I'd not bug me... We all gotta
move
outside this place, or we'll have the buildings blown ta bits.
Need ta get
into the middle'a nowhere and either hide in a cave or burrow or
somethin'!!!"
"Hold there Reggie and Arilyn," Jahl calls out loudly as Gareth
ponders
what to do/where to go. Watching with interest, Jahl witnesses
the magical
circus as Keldar disappears and the rain and winds begin.
Cursing in the sudden wetness, Jahl pulls up the hood of his
cloak to at
least keep his head dry. "Perhaps the use of magic should be
curtailed a
little, yes?"
As the winds begin Jahl waves Reggie and Arilyn back to the
group.
Seeing that Reggie will not be detoured from his trip to the
kitchen, Jahl
races after to fetch them.
Turn 94