At the top of the stairway, Sir Gavin leans against the balustrade and gasps for breath.
"...Yes... talk to him..." He wheezed.
"We have come to the castle seeking aid for a friend. As we said, we have been through the lower halls. What can you tell us of the castle above ground? Are there other inhabitants besides you and the troglodytes?"
The birdman keeps consistently squawking his inane ramblings and only squawks louder at you as you interrupt his musings. He tears up the scraps of paper and begins to write again, perfecting his story with all the obsession of a mad scientist perfecting his monstrous creations. Treygan walks carefully over and secures the creature's blade - a strange combination chain-sickle with a weighted ball on one end.
Gyorgy snaps him out of it just long enough to glean information out of him. Appearing perturbed, he rips a key off a chain at his neck and tosses it to Gyorgy then goes back to scribbling. "It is here, the captain lives... No, no. Dwell... Waiting for someone else to fell. No. For you to fell. Go, go. On with your trip. Best watch out... No, be wary... Yes yes.... for Buttersnip. Begone with you. I've got lots more writing that I must attend to. You... To... No, no. You... Two... Yes, yes. Kill them two-by-two. Gone... On... You.. Two. Keep. Sheep."
Humies and dwarves from outside the walls
Have stormed the castle to kill us all
But in Brinewall Keep
They'll die like sheep.
Dead and gone
Their spirits pass on.
For even though Pazuzu's dead
His servant waits to collect their heads
For here is where the captain dwells,
Waiting for all of them to fail.
His spirit lies in eternal wait
Waiting for them to meet their fate
And Muthildah, she waits for them to eat
Her appetite voracious for humie feet
Go, they go. On with their trip.
Never will they see poor Buttersnips.
Kill them he will two-by-two.
He'd gut his mum just to get to you.
But it's here above my lady lies
Quiet as a mouse with those lovely eyes
Her wings as lovely as ashen air
How I long again to see her stare
The Ballad of Zaiobe, just for my love
Soaring silently in the library above.
"Yes, yes! Humie sand dwarves..." He begins again.
"He has perhaps gone mad, but there seem to be warnings in his ramblings. I say we start with the door at the far end of the hall to the west, then work our way around this floor."
Well Jean will lead the way onward through the door gyorgi suggested.
Mukluk backs away from the birdman, turning on his heels to follow Gyorgi and Jean.
"Wow...I guess you could say that birdman was cuckoo...HAW HAW!!," Mukluk jests. "A real birdbrain! HAW HAW!"
Sir Gavin hesitated as Gyorgy led them away from the mad creature.
Oh well, he thought; If Gyorgy thought he was harmless, it should be safe to bypass him.
He followed along with the others.
Opening the door immediately to the west, you spot an ancient-looking catapult sitting atop the stone roof of this flat-topped building. Moss grows on the catapult's ropes and on the four round boulders sitting nearby. Just to the right is another door that leads back inside and a little ways down you can see the guard towers that lead down into the castle and bear view over the castle grounds and the surrounding lands.
Testing the catapult, it sounds just as it looks. The barren courtyard below is of hard-packed earth and contains clumps of tough-looking weeds, furrows in the ground as if made by talented feet, and chalky white mounds of dung the size of human heads. Across the courtyard, the double doors to the stables sag on their hinges and you can make out that the walls appear the same - gray with age and ominously sagging as well. The building itself however appears relatively sound. You count at least three stalls but realize there's much of the stables you can't see.
Immediately across the courtyard to the south lies the gatehouse. The rusted inner gates to the courtyard are open but the gates to outside the grounds are locked and barred by large wooden beams. The stone structure has a floor of,packed dirt much like the courtyard it leads into and numerous wooden support beams for its stone ceiling. The top of the gatehouse roof is a large open area of flat stone surrounded by low battlements.
"Not a bad vantage point, but it doesn't look like anyone is out right now. Shall we try another door or make a lot of noise and see who comes out?"
Mukluk looks over the vantage point.
"See this here? This is why we travel. And this is we look. There are wonders and mysteries everywhere if one can but pause to appreciate them," Mukluk says while looking out.
"Say Jean. Did you want to scout a bit? Maybe see if you can hear anything around?"
"Not a bad idea. Jean could probably figure out where there are still pockets and where things are clear quicker than the rest of us clanking around."
Jean will sneak around the courtyard trying to keep to shade and the walls as much as possible, performing a circuit through the courtyard, listening at every appropriate vantage and return to the group with whatever he has to report.
Stealth
Perception
Sir Gavin plunked his new tower shield on the ground and he leaned against it to rest for a moment.
Looking around at the vasty pile of stone that constituted the fortress, he shook his head at the scope of the problem before them. Even unopposed, searching this place for the 'treasure' would very likely take a very long time...
Despite Jean's stealth and his acute senses, he finds nothing in the courtyard. It appears to have been abandoned when you drew Kikonu's forces to you. Not even horses remain within the stables.
"Well then, If we have to search this entire place, let's look through all the chambers on this floor first." Opined Sir Gavin.
Finally... *continued below*
Tower Library
... Ascending the stairs into the tower library, you're greeted by an unfamiliar sight. The walls of this semi-circular room are lined with bookshelves, although the majority of the books lie in disorganized piles on the floor. A large, filthy nest of grass, branches, and strips of cloth is tucked into the northeastern corner of the room, while a wooden door sits in the wall of the northwest. A tall woman with wings and taloned feet stands with her back to you until you enter. Upon entering, she turns and looks at you and bows her head, holding her hands up in a joint sign of both surrender and to say she means no harm.
The fungus-covered corpses of the servants here appear to be among the few existing remains of the castle's original inhabitants. Further investigation of them reveals, after wiping away the mold, that the limbs and heads were severed by sharp slashing weapons, and there appear to be no sign of skulls anywhere.
Know (arcana) (one less if it's Kn(nature))
Mukluk taps Gyorgy on the shoulder.
"This one is all you. I think she's your type."
Mukluk eyes the books, somewhat intrigued by the collection.
Luki Mukluk, Corvus is eager to scan the books once the creature is catalogued as non-offensive. But a quick scan is all she can afford them as she realises that she should take nothing for granted in this place and returns her gaze to the winged woman.
"You! ...Woman!" Sir Gavin shouts and points at her dramatically with his sword.
"I am Sir Gavin D'Monteforte, Knight of the Shield! Name yourself!"
The woman motions with her head and shakes it, pointing to her throat. She opens and closes her mouth a few times while gesturing strangely, but other than that doesn't appear hostile towards your group. She holds her hands out and motions some more with her hands. Finally, realizing no one likely understands her, she holds her hand out, palms up, and slowly and carefully moves them towards Corvus. She kneels before doing so and tries to show you that she means no harm.
She doesn't appear to mean any harm and it seems as if she's being genuine in trying to communicate.
She appears to be using a form of sign language to communicate.
Sense Motive
Linguistics (untrained)
"I don't think this harpy means us any harm...but then again, I would know why the harpy doesn't sing," Mukluk says literately, looking around to see if anyone else gets the reference to Naga Archontu's seminal work, I Know Why the Caged Wyrm Stings.
Mukluk offers her a stick so she can write in the dirt...making a little scribing gesture.
"That stick is a good idea Mukluk. I can't make anything of what she's trying to tell us beyond the fact that apparently she cannot speak."
She takes the proffered stick and scribbles her name in the sand in Common: "Zaiobe". She then smiles as best she can and proffers her hand in a gesture of friendship.
"Well, she's either choosing not to speak or she can't speak, as she clearly understands us."
Corvus realised her words were not great insight, but vocalising what she was thinking seemed to be better than saying nothing. "And I guess Zaiobe is her name as I don't recognise it as a word in any language."
She looks at the harpy to see if she reacts to her words.
Corvus doesn't recognize the writing on the ground and the Harpy nods fervently when Corvus suggests 'Zaiobe' could be her name. She nods and points to her and covers her mouth with her hand to signify that indeed she can't speak. She points to her hand and then grasps it with her other, almost signifying her ability to shake hands and then she points to her head followed by the motion of her trying to speak. Then she holds her hand out again in hopes of a handshake. Even without hearing her, you can make out her words.
"Please will you help?"
Gyorgy tilts his head at her, "What sort of help are you seeking?"
As György speaks, Corvus feels a little sorry for the creature, standing there with an outstretched hand - so she shakes it, smiling warmly.
The harpy begins to mouth words at a quick pace after Gyorgy's question, making her indecipherable to you all. Corvus reaches out, grabs her hand, shakes it, and the harpy stops, a look of surprise on her face. A moment later she smiles and begins jumping for joy though you're unsure why.
An onslaught of words floods into your mind as she grasps Zaiobe's hand. "Kikonu was my lover, but he stole my voice. I never could speak since birth, but he can through my words. We haven't spoken in several months. I stay here in the Tower, but I want to...". She trails off when she feels the mental connection between her and Corvus. She stops mouthing words and looks at Corvus. Her mouth doesn't move but Corvus can hear her loud and clear. "You... You can hear me? Oh who am I kidding!? Of course you can. Please, don't be scared. It's a mental link. Its the only way I can speak and be heard. Oh, you can hear me!" She begins to leap up and down happily. "Please, I want to leave. I want to fly south. I'm weary of this castle and I want to seek life elsewhere. Please can you help me? I'll do whatever you want. I just want to be free of my imposter of a lover. He keeps me trapped here now though says I'm free to leave. I'm scared if I do he'll hunt me down."
Corvus quite literally jumps when she receives the mental bombardment of Zaiobe's thoughts.
She calms herself and smiles at the harpy.
"Yes, I can hear you and yes I understand you. I now have to let my comrades know what you told me. They may have questions, I know I do."
She speaks calmly and in a friendly manner in order to keep the information flowing.
"She is speaking to me - at least, I can hear her in my head. She says that she wants help. She is imprisoned here by someone called Kikonu. He was her lover but it sounds like he isn't any more. She's frightened if she leaves he will track her down."
She looks to the group to see if they have any questions before she asks her own.
Mukluk smiles and nods, trying to let Corvus handle the 'talking'.
"Explain that we'll do what we can to help. She should be free to explore and fly. Everyone deserves the chance to wander and roam if they wish it," Mukluk states.
"Keep going Corvus, you're doing fine."
"What does this Kikonu look like?"
Corvus hears Zaiobe's response again in her mind. The exact description she gives matches the raving madman you left in the room ranting and raving. She nods to Mukluk as he mentions freedom to travel. She again re-iterates that of you can ensure Kikonu will not hunt her down, she'll help you for as long as you need.
Corvus relays the information the harpy gives her word for word.
Mukluk scratches his chin.
"So...waitaminute here...Is she saying that crazy scribing loon we just met is the one that's been hurting her and has her imprisoned?" Mukluk asks, seeking clarification.
"Well that fella ain't right, that's for sure. If you took off now, flying, he'd never find you."
Seeing and hearing this conversation, while everyone us distracted and focused on the winged woman Jean is going to slip to the back of the group, letting the others talk.
Sense Motive
Stealth
GM Beazy
If anyone notices me or thinks about my disappearance, I'd say a DC 10 Sense Motive to my intentions
Caught up in the discussion with the winged creature, Gyorgy fails to notice Jean's departure. "Yeah, if that is Kikonu, we left him not too long ago. I have to agree with Jean. He isn't going to do you any harm and he certainly isn't going to follow you in his current state. Why don't you leave and find a better home."
Perception - Jean
Sense Motive
Mukluk waits to hear what the harpy says.
Mukluk
Sir Gavin lowers his blade, but continues to look at the creature suspiciously as his companions attempt to communicate with it.
"His obsession with the play overtakes his mind. It's his weakness. He excludes all else. If you claim he's no longer a threat, then I shall go. I hope you haven't laid a trap for me." She stands up and turns to the balcony. "Is there anything I can do for you to repay you before I go?"
Kikonu continues to sit where you left him, no longer rambling, but stopped over his writing. He doesn't appear to see you.
Corvus relays the information from the harpy and then asks. "What is the significance of the play?
GM Beazy
Stealth
Sorry old man, but I'm guessing this is whats right. I'll try to make this quick for you...
Jean will raise his rapier up and attempt to drive it into the man's back.
? Coup d Grace
or if he is not helpless, but assuming he is still flat footed...
Attack
Damage
Mukluk scratches his chin, trying to think of what to ask the harpy.
He comes up with nothing.
"I thought I saw Jean go that way," Mukluk mentions.
"He values himself a minstrel, but has done nothing of significance. He's worked on his play for years to no avail and having come here has only been driven to madness by it.". She's cut off by a cry of pain from downstairs as the birdman is struck. . She smiles somewhat at Mukluk's comment and the sound of her ex-lover's anguish. "Yes, I do believe your man may have gone that way. I owe your group a debt now it would seem."
The strike is enough to pull Kikonu from his stupor. He turns quickly and knocks your blade away, standing quickly to defend himself and eliminate the threat on his life. "You've interrupted my works twice now! No more chances for you, filth!" He takes a step back and pulls a short eastern-make blade from his scabbard, clutching the right side where Jean stabbed him as he does.
Initiative
5ft closer to him
Attack with the Rapier
Damage
+ sneak attack if i beat him in initiative as he would still be flatfooted.
Corvus is torn. She knows Jean has gone from the room and heard the scream but the harpy in front of them is still under suspicion. How do we know she's not in contact with Kikonu?'
Corvus will stay with the harpy for now, regardless of what the rest of the group do.