In the darkness of the doorway, the gap open only a few inches at a time, in one direction or another, Hel mutters a liquidly beautiful phrase (in Celestial) under her breath. When Gallen, then Wesh and Rigel finally join her, she nods their attention to the guards on the gate-house.
"Yeah," she sighs softly, then eases away, leaning with her back against the doors to try to figure out how to go about this. Rubbing her forehead, surrounded by shadowy figures, she stares at the dim distant light coming from Blackerly's office -- which is suddenly occluded by the huge form of the ...
"Ogre. Grumblejack," she asks in a low voice, "did they ever move you? Several guards, chains, that sort of thing? We're going to have to bluff this one out. I hate bluffing. Come on, let's get back into the light."
She heads back into the dining hall, where the two cooks have been moved, in order for Demlin to snuff the lights in the kitchen and peer out from that door. Going to the kitchen door, she leans in and says, "Demlin, over here."
Once everyone is together again, she states bluntly, "Some of us aren't going to be able to sneak this; between the guards on the walls and the ones on the gate, the odds of us getting spotted are regretfully high, but I have an idea -- we give them something that might be different, but which generally looks right.
"Grumblejack, you'll have to give up your chain mail and sword, and Gallen, you'll have to give up your sword, but it'll only be for a bit." Once she says that, she lowers her head, hands pressed against the table she's standing beside, and looks down at the wood as talks as though she was describing pieces moving around on a board. "Wesh, Sir Gallen, Rigel, and Amalrus -- yes, you, wizard -- are going to get fully kitted out: armor, swords, bows, clubs, the guard-standard lot. Two signal horns, two lit lanterns. We get the leg chain from our cell, that's what, fifty, sixty feet? Should be plenty. Grumblejack holds onto the middle behind his back, both hands, no letting go; you're supposed to be chained up. Loops go out to the two in the back -- Amalrus next to the wall, Sir Gallen on the outside -- and the ends go out to the two in front, Rigel on the inside, Wesh on the outside. Once we've spotted the wall guard, you'll walk him right out the door, turn left, walk along the path, and go into the Warden's tower. If the guards see you, they see four wary guards escorting the weakened ogre -- any of them call down, Rigel, you feed them something about the warden wanting to test out a new spell or something, I don't know -- whatever sounds good to you.
"Once you're out the door for a moment or two, I'm going to step out the kitchen door and hold the door open, looking inside like I'm the cook, and talking to the woodsman, her husband, whatever he is to her. When it's clear, I tell Demlin and she goes out and around the back of the keep with your weapons and my bow and some arrows. Drop the bow and arrows right around the corner, then meet the rest at or inside the door to the Warden's Tower, being careful not to be seen.
"If I have to, I'll go to the jacks, then come back, pull open the door, and slip around back while it's closing, grab my bow and arrows, and meet the rest of you in the Warden's Tower."
Blinking, she lifts her head, shaking off the mental image she's constructed. "Rough, rushed, but I can't think of anything else. Anyone else have any suggestions, refinements? A better idea? Amalrus, maybe your appearance-changing can help make you look like one of the fellows we've killed, and you go on the outside while marching your prisoner to the Warden?"
"Nope. They chain Grumblejack up in cell then only come in to give Grumblejack tea and bad food. Grumblejack did kill two when first put in cell. That fun."
Grumblejack frowns at Hel's plan. "Grumblejack just get sword and armor back. Sure have to give up again?"
Peeking out the kitchen door, you spy the guards on the wall on that side - they appear to be walking in the direction of the gate house, neither hurrying nor lagging, holding a bullseye lantern.
"Only until we get inside the Warden's Tower," responds the petite black-haired woman in the skirt. "After that, all yours." Thoughtfully, she looks over at the female cook, considering her with an eye to having to disguise herself. "And if someone decides we look suspicious and blows their horn anyhow, we get into the Warden's Tower at a run, get upstairs, and hit the warden before he's more than half awake. With luck, we can hold them off from in there, and figure out what to do next -- but hopefully we won't have to."
"I can certainly make myself look like one of the Guards. However, if Grumble has never been moved before, what is the excuse for moving him now? Experimenting is all well and good but why not experiment when he is safely behind bars?
Would it not be best to leave the Ogre here in the shadows to deal with whoever may come upon him while the stealthier of us sneak in and the rest bluff our way in as guards?
We are not only outnumbered but also in a bad spot here on ground level while our foes have the advantage of ranged weapons and the high ground.
While I do not absolutely hate the plan Hel I am not convinced it will be the best course of action considering our current advantage".
Wesh listens to both Hel and Amalrus before replying, "There are merits to both of your statements, for whatever that's worth coming from me. I think Amalrus is right, though. I would rather not have our cover blown so soon. Grumblejack can keep his sword and armor and deal with anyone who shows up unexpectedly. The rest of us can go deal with the warden quietly. And if we have to bluff, it'll be a lot easier if we don't have to explain why we're moving the ogre that's never been moved before.
"I think we may also be forgetting that there's a good chance many, if not all, of the remaining guards have seen us before. We may be able to keep up the act at a distance, but if they come close, our cover will likely be blown. Yet another reason not to attract more attention unnecessarily by bringing Grumblejack."
Wesh turns to Grumblejack and asks, "What do you say, friend? Would you rather stay here and whack anyone stupid enough to show up or come with us unarmed and vulnerable?"
"I agree with Amalrus's amendments. If we keep our eyes open we may see an opportunity to take out the guards in those towers without raising an alarm. If we are clever we'll be far more than enough to deal with the warden."
"Whatever you decide, I prefer to remain unseen. Perhaps I shall scout ahead for us."
"Grumblejack like that plan - Grumblejack get to keep his sword and armor. Grumblejack promise not get bored."
Hel nods in slow acknowledgement of the weak points in her plan. "True. All right, Grumblejack, you get to stay here and keep your sword and armor. Do nothing to those two, though,[b]" she tells the ogre, indicating the servant pair. "[b]They stay alive and unharmed, unless they try to escape or cry out." She may have not meant for them to hear that, but then again, she might've.
To Wesh, Gallen, and Amalrus, she asks, "All four or two by two?" As an aside to Demlin she adds, "It's you and me out the back door, just as soon as the coast is clear. By the way, we couldn't see the wall guards from where we were -- did you chance to spot them?"
"I say two go and after a few minutes another two. It might get them a little curious but I don't think we've unsettled things enough that that alone will get them blowing horns. Distance and the dark alongside a confident stride will aid our subterfuge."
"Okay, Grumblejack not hurt those two. Grumblejack get snack before you go?"
Assuming he gets the okay, Grumblejack will go and grab a couple of bodies from the barracks to eat if he gets hungry.
Gallen strides confidently out... perhaps a little too confidently for a guard on night duty and it's drudgery.
Demlin peers carefully out of the kitchen door again and waits for the patrol to pass before exiting and heading for the warden's tower.
Wesh is even more overly confident than Sir Gallen as he walks out. He only holds a small hope that their guard attire will compensate for their ineffectiveness.
"No, not those," Hel says to Grumblejack, and gestures to the two from the entry hall, pushed under a table. "While I disapprove of the targets of your appetite ... Wesh went through a lot of effort to carve those symbols." She pauses, then shivers and shakes her head, gathering up her things and moving to the kitchen, to sneak out after Demlin; she's particularly careful to watch until there's nobody looking from the top of the gatehouse.
Alamrus' disguise is flawless, he certainly appears to be "just one of the guards" as he awaits his tur to stroll into the Tower.
"Okay. Grumblejack eat one of them if get hungry."
While Gallen and Wesh do a very poor job of acting like guards on night duty, Amalru's disguise as one of the guards and Rigel's perfect demeanor allow them to approach the door to the Warden's Tower without issue.
Hel and Demlin easily sneak to the Warden's Tower, where Demlin quickly opens the door and you slip into the ground floor, closing the door behind you.
This entire floor is dedicated to the history of the Castle Branding and the subsequent events that led the castle to become Branderscar Prison. It consists of a series of mostly uninteresting plaques that tell of nobles and deeds hardly anyone remembers anymore. There are a number of banners and flags.
One of the wall hangings is an old brocade tapestry that depicts Castle Branding being turned into a prison with the motto “His Judgment Cometh and that Right Soon”. It looks like it could be somewhat valuable, but also looks quite heavy and awkward to carry.
You also recognize one of the flags is that of the short-lived Hellknight Order of the Brand, which briefly used Castle Branding as its base of operations. The entire Order supported the Barcan regime during the War of Succession, and were wiped out to the man in the ensuing conflict.
There is a spiral stairway leading up to the second level. This room is lit by four sconces holding torches.
Gallen nods respectfully at one of the banners and silently says a prayer to Abadar. "You will be remembered." He grins to others. "On our way out I'm either going to take this or set it flying above the battlements once more."
Wesh draws his greatsword once everyone is safely inside the Warden's Tower. He forgot how good it feels to hold the heavy blade. For a bunch of Mitrans, they knew how to make decent weapons.
He says to Sir Gallen, "As long as we use it to help bring down Talingarde, I don't see why not. Given that the Warden lives here, I expect we'll find even more useful things."
Wesh looks up at the spiral stairway. The Warden surely resided somewhere above. The time of his death would soon arrive.
"I'll lead the way. He could have magical wards in place, so we should move swiftly."
Amalrus remains in the back dagger drawn.
"Strange that they kept that here instead of destroying it." She doesn't care what Gallen does with it. She wants to escape with her life. She isn't here to make statements.
After waiting for everyone to arrive safely and without incident, Demlin moves to ascend the stairs.
While Hel notices the banner, it means little to her beyond a historical curiousity; she nods to Wesh, and moves quietly behind him, arrow nocked and ready to be drawn and fired.
Gallen hangs back with his sword drawn. If the covert actions of the vanguard should be discovered he would reinforce them.
Rigel hangs back with Gallen - probably just as well, since neither of them is particularly quiet while moving in their armor.
Ascending the stairs, you come to the second floor of the tower. This floor is clearly the Warden's private library, as a large collection of books and scrolls cover the shelves around the room. A quick look shows that the most common type of book are the penny dreadfuls. The poorly printed compilations seem to run the whole gamut of adventure genres. You do notice, however, that the one genre over-represented is bawdy tales featuring amply-endowed young maidens in grave peril.
There is a shelf of more scholarly texts, however, with books covering topics of magical theory, history, and astronomy. There appear to be 55 books in this sections.
You notice a copy of the Astra Mysterii, a rare treatise on astrology written by the mad monk Clivarus, worth 75 gp to a collector.
You've found a valuable first edition The Travels of Titus the Mendicant by Artus Vellor, a popular title published before the author was well known. It would be worth 120 gp to collectors.
A copy of The Floralegium by Branthus Hart. An imposing tome of no small age, this beautifully illustrated book of flowers is obviously something special. It is worth 250 gp to collectors.
Amalrus quietly scans the library.
Know Arcana - .
Whether lack of nutrition or simply nerves, nothing occurs to Amalrus regarding what he is looking at.
He whispers, "Let's keep going. Wait".
He casts Detect Magic and scans the room once more.
While Wesh has little interest in the Warden's choice of books, he decides to look around since everyone else is.
Once he's confident he's not going to learn anything from the books' contents, Wesh prepares to continue on to the next floor when everyone else is ready.
Hel looks mildly disgusted at the state of the library, then even moreso at the majority of its contents; for a long moment, it's clear that 'cleanse it with fire' is flashing through her brain before she recognizes the pattern of thinking she's dropped into, and her eyes widen.
Irritated at herself, she tightens up for a minute, almost looking like she's throwing a mental tantrum, before she stalks over to the more erudite section and browses through it.
Demlin recognises one book that is quite valuable. Perhaps if she had have payed attention in school instead of daydreaming about adventure and battle she would recognise others in this library. She pulls the Astra Mysterii from its place and slides it into her sack. Something like that might come in handy on the outside once they were on the run if she was lucky enough to find a fence. "Planning ahead." She says if anyone wonders why she is taking a single book.
Amalrus detects no magical auras in the room - the Warden doesn't keep his spellbook with the rest of his library.
Amalrus grimaces, "Nothing of value to me here. Let's go find something that is..."
Demlin nods to Amalrus and continues up the stairs.
The group continues creeping up the spiral stairs, reaching its ending at another landing. It looks as though the stairway once continued all the way to the roof, but now it ends here and the roof is closed off. The small chamber is lit by a single torch in a sconce. There are two doors. The one to your right has a plaque that reads "Office". The door to the left has a similar plaque that reads "Private! Keep Out!"
Gallen still holds back not wanting to spoil the good work of the others.
Wesh points toward the door with the 'Keep Out' sign, before moving toward it, his greatsword held in both hands. They could search the Warden's office later. It seems much more likely that they'll find the man in his private quarters. Maybe they could catch him with his pants down... perhaps literally.
In her slow browse along the more respectable books, Hel occasionally takes one out, leafs through it for a moment, then puts it back. One such book, however, she lifts her eyebrows over, then looks around, only to see Demlin slide a book into her sack. "Here, put this in there too," she tells the scout. "Travels of Titus the Mendicant. I don't know how much we can get for it, but a first edition is probably going to rate a nice handful of coins."
That done, she follows Demlin up the stairs, but isn't paying enough attention near the top, banging her foot on the one-stair-too-many and almost falling. Though she doesn't hit the ground, her bow does with a most unpleasant 'whack!', after which she immediately freezes and tries to listen to see if anyone besides her fellow prisoners has heard her clumsiness.
Hearing no movement, she nods to Wesh, and gets ready to slide into the Warden's chambers, on the lookout for either a waking-up wizard or anything else that might be alive and moving.
Wesh finds the door to be locked. It looks like Demlin will have to pick the lock to get them into the Warden's room. Breaking the door down would surely sound an alarm.
Demlin moves towards the locked door and attempts to unlock it.
Demlin opens the lock, and the door swings forward silently, its hinges well-oiled. As it does so, you hear a very faint sound of snoring coming from inside the room.
Gallen continues hanging back, if they can kill the wizard in his sleep without any trouble he wont object.
Wesh walks over to the sleeping wizard and allows his greatsword to slide across the man's throat. Perhaps the Mitrans were even more foolish than Wesh had originally thought.
Moving more carefully than before, Hel draws her bow to full extension, holding it as she follows Wesh in. Letting her eyes be ready to catch movement, if (or when) she spots some, she'll shift her aim to that point and, should it prove to be some sort of critter or creature or strange blob or whatever, she'll put an arrow into it -- and, should it survive that one, put another into it.
Flurry Shot #1:
Flurry Shot #2 if Needed: