Mayve smiles bemusedly and nods to Lady Marin, "I do try to keep the sullying to a minimum, unlike a hangover, it doesn't go away the next morning."
Mayve holds the wine up and slowly swirls the wine in the glass, "as for the refuges, it was more a matter of directing their own desires to a common goal. It was fortunate that they had not yet devolved to a mob."
After standing and bowing politely, Gliressa sits back down, then nods at Mayve's assessment of things. "They just wanted to be on their way, and we were able to assist in encouraging them, though of course your own guards helped matters along by being reasonable and obviously great judges of character." She smiles lamely at her own joke.
After a bit of discussion, the half-elf stands and excuses herself. "Heh. Sorry, be right back. A lady's gotta powder her nose, you understand."
Once away from the table, Glee does her best to orient herself in the place and sets out down a random hallway to get a look around the castle.
Let's have a bit of a look-see around here, huh? Irina's right to be a bit paranoid, I think, I don't like all the furtive looks and hidden glances going on in this place...
Rhane nods silently to Gliressa as she moves away from the table, and then turns back to their hosts with a smile and a raise of his glass.
"Now that we've cleared up the mystery of how we resolved the refugee situation, let's have a drink to our host's health! My lord, my lady, you honor us all by inviting us to dine at your table tonight. To the Bougharts!
Sheriff Blackwood perception
As Glee slinks away, the lord and lady gladly join in a toast.
Once away from the table, Gliressa sticks tight to the shadows and corners, listening and watching closely for any approaching guards she might need to bluff. She has no interest, currently, in stealing anything or breaking anything or -- she gulps -- escaping, but she is keeping her senses as open as possible to anything out of the ordinary. What could have such clearly noble people acting so strange; exposed riches? Arcane knowledge? Caged beasts?
Maybe it's nothing...a girl can hope.
Seth winds nervously around her neck a couple times and hisses, flicking out his little tongue in a marvelously accurate reflection of his mistress' mood.
You slink out of main hall, up a short staircase which leads to hall approximately 20 feet long. On either side are closed wooden doors. At the end of the hall you see a window with panels of etched glass in an iron frame.
Also at the end of the hall is a narrow stairway leading up to the right, and down to left.
You see nothing particularly suspicious. The walls are lined with old but well maintained tapestries, and floor is covered with a long, fine carpet which helps to muffle your footsteps.
@The dining hall:
After gladly accepting Rhane's toast, your noble hosts down their wine and quickly refill their glasses, as well as yours. Sheriff Blackwood attempts some protest, but Lady Boughart fills his cup regardless. He returns to his seat, raising his glass when appropriate, though keeping a suspicious eye on Irina.
Finally they seem to notice the giant, bipedal lizard among you and turn attentively to T'zay.
"And where do you come from, my friend?" Lord Boughart inquires, stepping close to the reptile, "I can't say I've seen your like around these parts. I've heard tales of lizardmen, and I can't say they were pleasant!" he laughs heartily at that.
His wife rolls her eyes. "Dear, you're being rude." She addresses T'zay, "I apologize for my husband. He can be... blunt at times." she speaks to T'zay, but her tone is clearly aimed at her husband, "We do not judge our guests based on rumors and superstition. You are quite welcome here."
Not entirely sure of the proper protocol when dealing with human nobility and sensing the mood of his companions; T'zay reacts cautiously, deferring to his native customs. The female is clearly the Mistress of this den, but he's having trouble placing the male. He seems too soft to be a warrior or hunter, yet he wears the hides of kills. And he behaves like no Chieftain or Elder that T'zay has ever heard of, but he seems to be the master here, so.... He offers a respectful bob of his head to the human woman. "My thankss Den-mistresss, your h'osspitality is mosst welcome. And I assure you, apologiess are not necesssary. I musst appear as sstrange to your eyez as you to mine." He inhales deeply as he turns to the male, attempting to pinpoint his scent as he tries to recall the title used by his friends. "Lard Boughart, I'm ssure you have never heard of my homeland as it iss quite disstant and somewhat difficult to reach from here. I am, in fact, the firsst of my people to visit these landss." He offers a short, respectful bow, "I am called T'zay Sshi'aah, and you may be at your eaze, for I am...disssimilar from other, lessser, creaturess that may resemble me. I enter your den in peace."
Glee moves forward quietly, stopping to listen at two of the doors, but only briefly and surreptitiously, not really expecting to hear anything suspicious, not so close to a dining hall and reception area.
She gazes at the tapestries as she goes along, and thinks to herself what her next move should be. Downstairs is probably dungeons, barracks, danger and secrets. Oubliettes. Things to be hidden and forgotten. Upstairs...yeah...upstairs is where they always put their valuables...closer to the heavens, I guess. Upstairs it is.
Trusting the elven half of her blood to allow her to see clearly in the dim light of the stairs, she approaches quietly and starts up the steps, to see what may be above.
You hear nothing at either door.
You ascend the stairs. A quick glance down reveals nothing in that direction.
The hall is considerably brighter than you expected, with regular if small windows as you move up the round structure of the keep.
You come to a flat area in the stairwell and a closed door leading to the second floor rooms. The stairway continues up.
"So what can you tell us of the lands to the north? Our mission from the Academy, to discover the source of the recent disturbances, is of paramount importance, and we can ill afford a local roving band of brigands or green dragon infestation hampering our efforts, so any guidance in what to expect would be most helpful and appreciated."
Glee looks at the door for a second, considering, but then continues up the stairs. Lessee if I can get to the top and work my way down. With that thought, the half-elf starts lightly trotting up the stairs, seeking to get to the very top. She keeps her eyes and ears alert for guards.
@The dining hall:
Rhane's distraction seems to have worked perfectly. Combined with your hosts new interest in T'zay, Glee's exit seems to have been completely overlooked, even by the suspicious minded sheriff.
Blackwood seems momentarily hesitant, but an admonishing glance from lady Boughart loosens his tongue.
"Yes... well, the north is a dangerous place. You've got about a week's travel in relative safety, at least in that the bandits are humans and will usually be satisfied with simply taking your gold."
He takes a small sip of his wine, before continuing, "The village of Whitehill represents the last bastion of humanity before you reach the frontier. The Empire used to extend much further, of course, but since the fall the orcs have been emboldened."
"There were a few, small, isolated clans of orcs and goblins during the reign of the emperors," Blackwood explains, his enthusiasm for history seeming to melt away his wary demeanor, "Now, the Red Fist clan has expanded, usurping the other orc clans, and conquering the goblin tribes and using them as footsoldiers to conquer those human settlements in the Northern provinces. Last I heard, they're led by an orc called Grilakh, who is said to be a masterful tactician in addition to the savage brutality common to his race."
@Glee You make your way to the top of the stairs, eventually finding a small ladder which leads to wooden hatchway directly above.
You see no guards along the way, and the keep appears to have four above ground floors and at least one below ground floor from your observations. This confirms what you saw from the outside. There could be a tiny fifth floor area not visible from the ground, but from what you've seen the hatch before you leads to the roof.
Rhane's ears perk up at that last part.
"An Orc tactician? Really? Oh, this should prove to be quite interesting, indeed... So, tell me - do you have any information as to the last known locations of these Red Fist's camps? The last thing we want to do is to blunder our way into the midst of an Orc village."
Glee arches an eyebrow. Interesting... She climbs up the short ladder and checks the door for any sort of traps or wards. If none are present, she tries to open it. Slowly, and carefully.
@The Dining Hall
"Camps?!" Blackwood exclaims, "HA! The Red Fist has taken over the Northern provinces altogether. Grilakh controls fortresses, not camps."
Mayor Boughart interjects, with a deep laugh, "Good luck luck to you if you're heading north! I can't imagine what you seek that could be worth venturing into those blighted wastes. Did you find a map to the Tower or something?"
The lord and lady have a chuckle at that, though Blackwood remains more serious. He stands, with a quick bow, "Well then, I believe you owe our hosts some entertaining stories. They are... fine hosts, and I'm sure you will find their food and company to be most leisurely. If there are no further questions, I should really be supervising the movement of the refugees over the bridge. Sir Knight, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name, see me after your meal and I will provide you with copies of the most reliable maps my scouts have provided."
@Glee This exploration has thus far proven much less exciting than you had anticipated.
The door contains no apparent traps or magical wards, and it opens easily and quietly.
On the other side, you see the roof of the keep. Two guards sit on the battlements, their backs to you, watching the crowd pass by below. They are armed with crossbows, but they seem only mildly interested in the mundane goings on, and their weapons are set to the side.
"Fortresses? This Grilakh must be quite impressive indeed... perhaps even a worthy foe to launch a campaign against once we've finished our business for the academy."
He laughs at Mayor Boughart's joke, but does not make any comment. However, Sir Blackwood's sudden exit after the mention of the tower does not sit well with him.
Sense Motive check:
Glee looks at the guards for a moment, then softly shuts the door and climbs back down the ladder, all as quietly as possible.
"Tch."
Seth flicks his tongue in and out, tasting the air, but to the half-elf it looks like a snakey reproach. You're right, friend, I'm being silly. There's nothing here. I'll take a quick glance in the basement and then re-join the others. No reason to be so paranoid, and anyway this goes rather a bit beyond my typical threshold for 'exploration'…
She glances down each of the halls as she goes, just to see if she's missing anything obvious, then cruises quickly to the bottom of the stairs before proceeding more stealthily past the 1st floor and down into the basement.
Although suspicious, he stands and clenches his fist to his chest in salute of Sir Blackwood as he leaves.
"The name is Rhane Far-Reach, good knight, and you have my thanks for the assistance of you and your scouts."