Eliaera peers up at the castle, looking for any sign of Spivey's bird-men but seeing little aside from crumbling mortar.
"How about I sneak over and have a look around the gate?" she suggests to the group. "If there's anyone hanging around near the entrance, I'll come right back, don't worry."
Assuming no protests, Eliaera will sneak her way to the edge of the stone castle walls and inch alongside it right up until the gate. She'll listen for signs of anyone nearby and, if nothing sticks out immediately, slowly and carefully poke her head around the gate edge to have a look inside the immediate castle grounds.
Awaiting Eliaera's return, Ilir turns to the group. "If she doesn't find anything special, this looks pretty well-defended to me. How should we get inside?"
Amelius ponders his navel for a moment, the spindly fingers of his right hand rubbing his chin as he loses himself in thought at Ilir's query.
As Eliaera sneaks up to the gate, keeping a wary eye for any guards that may be posted, the mid-afternoon sun allows enough light to see inside the gatehouse. A packed dirt floor and wooden support beams keep the stone ceiling above aloft, and two wooden ladders inside the gatehouse lead up to the balcony above. Various debris and droppings of some sort litter the area. It's clear that this gatehouse has not been maintained in some time. There appears to be a lever mechanism that operates the gates, but it looks to be in very poor condition, much like the rusted gates themselves. A portcullis remains in a raised position in front of the gates, but the pulley system lies useless in the dirt. In fact, the corrosion of the elements on the hinged iron gates might make it possible to force them, either with a sturdy shoulder or a ram of some sort.
Amelius wracks his brain trying to remember if he read anything about castle architecture. He seems to recall that most castles in Varisia featured secret passages, but they were mainly limited to the interior of the keeps. Secret entrances from the outside in were usually explooited by raiders or pillagers, and the design was abandoned nearly 200 years ago, perhaps out of a sense of paranoia. You could search for a secret entrance, but even if you find one, it's doubtful that it would be easy without an experienced locksmith to enter. Searching for such an entrance may alert other enemies to your presence as well.
Eliaera also notices that there appears to be no creatures either sleeping at their posts or patrolling the gatehouse currently. Faint sounds can be heard - grunting? It's hard to tell from this distance, but there might be creatures at a distance in the courtyard beyond the gatehouse.
Eliaera returns to the rest of the group and relays her sightings of the castle grounds to them.
"There's definitely something in there, but I think it's far away. Either way... if we try to break open the gates, it'll certainly attract whatever's snuffling around out there."
"I wonder... does anyone have something like a grappling hook? Maybe back at the caravan?"
"I've got some rope, but no grappling hook" Garridan says. "I doubt we could all get over the wall without alerting any guards though... and even if we could, we'd end up attracting attention the moment we have to fight something, and then we'd have all the guards we bypassed between us and safety.
"What if, well, we do the opposite? If we're really obvious about it -- find some log or beam to use as a battering ram and knock a gate in, we can hold the entrance against any guards -- they couldn't overwhelm us since the gate is fairly narrow. If there are too many for us to fight, at least we could retreat without worrying about danger behind us."
"If we're going to make a racket anyway, why not call out for them to simply talk to us?" Always the jump to the sword. "There may be some misunderstanding between them and outsiders, or maybe they merely want some coin or food. It's possible Spivey and them just got off on the wrong foot."
"I would prefer to enter with a bit more discretion if possible," Hiro states. "I don't know what the 'bird-men' are that Spivey mentioned, but ogres are not known for their kindly ways. They are likely many, and we are few. We would do Ameiko no benefit if we were captured or killed by such creatures."
"With the castle's position on the bluff, it is not unlikely that there might be a secret escape route that we could use as an entrance instead," Hiro observes thoughtfully. "Kaijitsu-sama's letter stated that he had the family's greatest treasure hidden in a secret vault under the castle. As concerned as he was with the family's ancient enemies finding them, I think it reasonable to assume that he had a secret exit constructed as well. Before we try to go over the wall or through the gate, perhaps I could search for such a secret entrance?" he suggests.
"If you wish. But while Ogres may have a nasty reputation, let's not assume the worst and rush to skirmish with them; every man, woman, and child has a heart of their own." Ilir did not have much the stomach for this sort of work. Up until now, it was undead, vicious beasts, oozes and the like harrying them. To strike against another thinking being was something he didn't want if possible, though he'd needed to fend-off some ruffigans from the church in the past. "Let us see if they have inner beauty before judging their outer roughness for the whole."
"Yeah, have fun judging their 'inner beauty'" Garridan says. "I'll be over here, keeping my weapons sharp. You know, for when they try to kill us... which they will... being ogres."
Pharasma grant him patience. Ilir did see the rational side to Garridan's disposition, but he could not bring himself to go in swinging blades on folk they didn't know. Perhaps it was because he was so green? Regardless, he said nothing in response, turning his gaze back to Hiro instead. "Perhaps the scouting would be best sooner than later?"
Eliaera sighs emphatically at the dialogue between Ilir and Garridan. "Let's not get caught up in a religious debate. I don't want to hurt others either... but this far most things have been wanting to hurt us pretty badly. Going into the unknown with good intentions and a sword in hand seems the best way to cover all your bases."
When Hiro no doubt returns from scouting with little success, Eliaera will frown. "So it's either over the walls or through the gate. We'll have to chance the front entrance, I think." She'll try to help pushing the gate open.
As the paladin and fighter debate the finer points of negotiating with monsters, Eliaera looks at the rusted gate and pushes hard against it - it gives a bit, but not enough to break the rusted mechanism keeping it locked.
Meanwhile, Hiro remembers a certain magical ring that was distributed as part of the loot the group found back in Brinestump. Slipping it onto his finger, he looks for footholds in the gaps where the mortar has begin to disintegrate, and somewhat deftly scales the wall, landing gracefully on the upper landing. Trying to remain as cautiously stealthy as possible, just in case, he descends one of the ladders that lead down to the interior of the gatehouse, quickly examines the lock mechanism, and sees a crude wooden lever wrapped in cloth has been grafted in place on the deadbolt plate. Pulling it, a mechanical click sounds, the gates swing open, squealing on rusty hinges.
As you look around on the balcony above the gatehouse, there are three dark looking humanoid shapes with beaked heads that appear to be covered in black feathers that are walking along the upper ramparts at a distance to the east and west. They don't seem to notice you, but don't seem to be keeping a very vigilant watch either.
Eliaera's chastising putting an end to their discussion, Ilir hardly noticed Hiro head over the wall. When the gate popped open, he was a bit suprised. "Nicely-done, Hiro."
This was just the first step though. What lurked within was another story. Ilir made directly for the main structure, hoping to put this chapter behind them - and return to those in need.
"Quietly," Hiro softly warns his companions, putting up an arm to block Ilir's advance before pointing upward to the east and west as the group begins to enter the opened gates. "Three bird-men walking along the upper ramparts at a distance to the east and west. Fortunately they don't appear to be keeping a very vigilant watch. I don't believe they've noticed us... yet."
Skitterfoot looks on in amazement as Hiro scales the wall. "Very sneaky, well done, climb climb climb and up we go, hee hee!
As Hiro opens the gate, the ratling looks inquisitively at the lock mechanism. As the party moves through into the gatehouse and the courtyard beyond, he produces the key he found in the light house, climbs up to the lock, inserts his 'skeleton's key' and the mechanism turns back and forth. "Well, it was much more impressive to go over the wall than simply unlock the gate, if you ask me, heh."
As you move quietly through the gatehouse, keeping under the cover of the balcony above so as not to arouse the suspicions of the bird-men patrolling the upper levels, you gaze into the courtyard beyond.
The barren courtyard of packed dirt contains clumps of weeds, furrows in the ground that look like tracks (made by taloned feet, perhaps?) and numerous chalky white mounds of...something that is probably dung, roughly the size of a human head.
A stable lies to the west, and to the east you hear the sounds of grunting and exertion, some of it in what sounds like common, and some that sounds like another language.
A massive wooden door must lead to the main hall - it rests in a wall that juts out at a 45 degree angle to the rest of the castle.
"Can't hit me!mumblesI hit you! Ugh!"
Flatbelly Perception
You cautiously move into the courtyard, keeping your eyes open and weapons prepared for an ambush. The bird-men on the ramparts do not seem to notice you - they all seem to be looking out past the castle walls instead of looking in on the courtyard area.
That rat is twice as clever has he looks. Ilir wished the same could be said for himself after Hiro reminds him of his rashness. "Very well," replied the Paladin, keeping his voice also low. "Which way do you think we should press forward? I'll follow your lead."
"How about the stable?" Hiro suggests, pointing toward the structure to the west. "It might provide us a place from which we can observe the activities of the castle's inhabitants without being seen."
"The stables sound as good as anywhere else," Garridan says quietly. "Lead the way -- and be careful."
Eliaera will simply nod and follow Hiro's lead.
Amelius whispers something to Skitterfoot too low to be heard by the others.
The young sorcerer then follows quietly with the rest of his friends, though he can't help but furrow his brows in confusion as he hears the conversation taking place. Sounds like someone's playing tag, or rough-housing over there. Wonder if it's ogres? Amelius listens intently as the group scurries ahead, trying to determine if the voices sound similar to the ogre raiding party that had made a mess of the caravan previously.