In a hushed whisper Katerina reminds the group, "Our new friend said the Baron's quarters are upstairs. If he's there all the better. If he is not, at least we will be above. And it is better to be atop the waterfall than under it." However, she makes no move until the party is ready.
Two wrought-iron tables and outdoor chairs dominate the expansive balcony 30 feet above the inner bailey. Looking out, you see a two hill giants hurrying toward the tower you're currently ascending.
In the far courtyard, four hill giants remain on guard, gazing back in your general direction.
"Giants? We will want to fight them in here, where their size hampers them. For now, I suggest we keep going up."
Kereek nods and checks the other doors on this level.
"Giants? Uh oh. Prazil am for thinking they am for knowing we am here." The tauric kobold checks his shield and lance briefly with the expectation of a struggle with giants now looming before he trots along with the group.
Marcelline does the checking of the doors and the opening of the doors... trusting her reflexes much more than she trusts Keerek's.
Kereek shrugs and checks the door that Marcelline doesn't check.
Agnar nods at Prazil, keeping his bow at the ready and an eye on the other doors while Marcelline and Kereek go about their work.
The next door opens into an empty ballroom, several tapestries hanging from the walls of the wide chamber, depicting a variety of distinctive floral patterns.
The final door, however, opens onto a room that is not unoccupied. The small bedroom contains only the barest amount of furnishings. A plain bed faces the room’s only window along the north wall. A simple bookshelf stands to the west and a small table and wooden chair sit next to the entrance.
A man lurches to his feet as you enter and steps back: "And who might you be?" he asks.
A small winged creature flies back to perch on the bookshelf.
"We am Big Heroes! Are you working for Bad Baron?" Kereek puffs out his chest and strikes an impressive pose of posing impressiveness.
"I think what my scaled friend here means to say," says Marcelline, stepping in front, "Is that we're visitors here to see the Baron Drelev, and that we were wondering if you know where he is."
She tilts her head, twirling her hair and smiling. "Do you think you could tell us?"
As she talks, she works psychic magic into her speech, trying to ensnare the man in a magical charm.
"The baron? Why would I know where that simpleton is? Probably entertaining his whore and making a fool of my sister!"
Kereek looks confused. "Who am your sister? Why am Bad Baron making her a fool? Is it because he am bad?"
Prazil checks himself and looks back at Kereek and Marcelline, scratching his helmet instead of his head again. "Soooo... we am for talking? This am not what Prazil was expecting, but Prazil am thinking this am for being good." He turns to regard the man and the hovering imp with a bright, friendly smile. "Hi!"
Marcelline quirks an eyebrow, sheathing her weapon and walking forwards with her arms outstretched for a hug. "My dear friend, it has been so long. The baron has an all-new consort? What a shame."
"See, we really would like to speak to him, but the guards aren't letting us past. They think we're intruders, but we're old friends of his and it's been ever so long since we've seen him. Is there any chance that you could show us around? Tell us where his consort's room is, or which room is his?"
"I'm afraid I'm far too busy to be shepherding you around like I was some servant," the man sneers. "Things won't just get done here by themselves, now, will they? If you can't manage to talk some guards into helping you, that's hardly my problem. I suppose you could ask my sister to help. She is likely upstairs in her room -- to the left, the LEFT, mind you! -- and I'm sure the baron wouldn't refuse the baroness an audience at least."
Prazil nods sympathetically. "Yeah, we am for being very busy too. Ok. We am for going now. It am nice to be for talking to you!" He waves cheerily and looks back to the stairs, twisting further upward. "Well, I guess we am for going that way again."
When the others are ready, he takes his normal place at the front of the group.
Katerina nods at the man's words. "Then we will go find your sister and make sure she is safe. If she can get us to the Baron without any issues, so much the better."
Kat follows Prazil up the stairs, attentive for the sounds of any guards that may be ahead of the party.
Kereek nods and stares at the man, still convinced he's not to be trusted. He follows Prazil, mainly to keep him out of the trouble he inevitably finds.
Agnar keeps a wary eye on the man until the rest of the group exits, then gives him a polite nod before shutting the door to his room.
"You sure have a way with people, Marcelline," he says.
Marcelline smiles at Agnar's appreciation or observation of her people skills. "I like it when they do what I want." she says.
Going upstairs, you open a doorway into a T-shaped hallway, with doorways to your left and right, as well as doors on both branches of the T.
Opening the door to your right, you discover an elaborately decorated bedroom, silk hangings covering most of the wall space as well as the large window looking south.
A canopy bed takes up the center of the room, with teak end tables placed to either side. A small desk and cushioned stool also stand along the north wall, and a large fireplace in the south corner heats the room comfortably.
The second you open it, a small dog -- clutched in the arms of an older woman -- immediately lets loose a cacophony of barking and howling, clearly not pleased at being interrupted.
"And who might you be?" the woman asks, an eyebrow arched imperiously, "Entering my chambers unannounced? Well, I never!"
"No you never. We am entering, you am here already." Kereek looks somewhat confused as he tries to figure out how the woman could enter and already be here at the same time.
"We're your best friends," says Marcelline, concentrating as hard as she can on the woman. "You just might not know it yet."
As she looks at the woman, Marcelline's pupils begin to rotate, and the woman's vision tunnels to Marcelline only... but only for a moment or two. A purple energy crackles around Marcelline's eyes as she casts a psychic spell.
"You wouldn't happen to be the Mrs. Drelev, would you?" she asks, smiling charmingly and walking forward to extend her hand for a shake.
"I hardly think such as you would be my best friends," the woman sniffs. "I am Baroness Pavetta Stroon-Drelev.
" And I ask again -- Hush, Jewel," she says in an aside to the dog, which continues to yap loudly both before and after her instruction, "who might you be? Horrid little creatures running around. Why that one looks deformed!"
She points to the four-legged Prazil, a look of horror on her face.
"Prazil am Prazil!" Prazil says helpfully with a cheery wave. He then looks to the dog, "Jewel am for being a great name, but Jewel am very loud. Shhhhh, puppy, Prazil am nice! He holds his hand out for the pooch to sniff then playfully lick.
Kereek slowly licks his lips as he realizes the woman was offering a tiny animal for their dinner. How polite!
Marcelline shrugs, drawing her curve blade and hefting it up over her shoulder. "Well, I got nothin' now." she says, taking a couple of steps forward into the room. She looks at the woman, her face completely impassive. "Listen. We're not your friends. We're cleaners. We're here to clean out the rats and the cockroaches... and you... you look like a cockroach. I might let one scuttle out of reach, though, if you tell me where to find your husband."
Losing patience with Marcelline's excessive display, Kat barks, "No!" She steps between Marcy and the noblewoman. Facing Marcy she says, "No, we are here for the Baron, and any men that would stand for him. We are not here to hurt women or children!" Brsides, who would be at the head of the barony if not her?
Marcelline's eyebrows draw together, and her sword falls off of her shoulder. Its edge bites into the ground, and Marcelline puts a hand on her hip, turning to face Katerina. "You don't think a man's wife stands with him? You think she's not a part of this horrible man's oppressive regime?" she waves at Katerina, "Besides, you're a woman. What, if one of his guards turns out to have boobs like we do, you're just gonna spare them?"
"And who mentioned children?"
She points out the door, not at anything in particular but just to indicate 'outside'. "You think those giants out there aren't something she supports?" Marcelline picks up her sword and turns back to Mrs. Drelev. "And I f%+~ing hate tiny dogs. They're just rats wearing dog-suits! Shut up!"
The woman steps back in alarm, whatever she was about to reply cut off by Katerina's interjection. Jewel barks loudly at the shouting.
"If there are women baring steel and barring our path I can deal with them. This woman is unarmed. What did the old man downstairs say, 'making a fool of my sister', right?" Kat's eyes storm as she glares at Marcy. With a graceful step she again gets between the suddenly irrational Marcy and the baroness and her yapping dog-skinned rat. "If the Baron has lost his good sense, and is betraying his marriage vows, maybe, just maybe the Baroness here wants our help. She does not need a sword waved in her face!" Turning away from Marcy, Katerina addresses the baroness, her own face frowning at the mess she's in. She tries to begin again, as if Marcy were not acting like a complete ogre. With a curtsy, Kat introduces herself, "I am Katerina Aldori, known as the Maid. I serve Petyr Aldori and the Baron Jon Surtova of Hartsland." She rises and looks the woman in the eyes, ignoring that incessant yapping of her cobblestone cockroach. "Please understand, these circumstances are dire. We do not wish to harm you, or your people, but the madness of your husband must be stopped."
"Gah, I think you'll remember I was specifically proposing not killing her." says Marcelline, backing away from Katerina and the older wife and sighing.
Prazil's face screws up in an expression mixed of equal parts distress and confusion as Kat and Marcy begin to shout at one another and the grumpy lady and her nice dog. He looks at Kereek, knowing Kereek would be able to make sense of the Bigfeets and fix things.
"Well," the baroness says, "I can't say I haven't noticed the state of things since my husband -- hush, Jewel! --" (the dog ignores her, continuing to bark wildly) "threw in with that barbarian. Perhaps you can help save me and my people. What exactly is it that you propose?"
Recognizing the telltale glint in Kereek's eyes of fiery conflict resolution, Prazil shifts his confused gaze to Agnar. When the baroness interjects, Prazil spins back to look at her again. "Ummmm... we am for stopping the baron?"
Katerina tries to calm herself before she answers. "As Prazil says, we are here to stop him from hosting giants and worse in your barony and to bring your people back to you. As for how, we were planning on a brief discussion and ultimatum with your husband. I don't have any hope that he would return to being a good lord and neighbor by words alone. You can imagine how that would have turned out." She stands palms up and adds, "If you had any other suggestions we would be willing to listen to your wisdom."
Agnar stands listening to the exchange. Finally he turns his attention to the small canine in the lady's lap, issuing what sounds like a long growl.
At Prazil's urgings and Agnar's growling, Jewel suddenly stops barking, her tongue lolling out as she awaits a treat.
"Well, I hardly think he'll listen to you. He's besotted with that strumpet of his and between the two of them, well, I don't know that anyone could convince them of anything. I think if the two of them weren't here, and you can get rid of the giants and barbarians, why, we'd be right back to normal and happy again."
Prazil brightens at this and nods, "Oh! That am sounding like something we can be for doing! Normal and happy is what we am wanting!"
"Well? What do the rest of you say? Will you help us?"
Marcelline shrugs. "We're already here to murder him. You don't need any extra oaths from me, and I don't know what you're like. I don't feel comfortable promising to put you in power after we murder your husband."
"You are, after all, part of the overall power structure that created this whole mess."
Agnar pulls out a small piece of dry beef and gives it to the dog.
"You give your word that you will come to Thronehold in Hartsland and meet with our ruler, Jon Surtova. Work out a peace treaty between your land and ours. That will be a good first step. Considering most of his Council are standing in this room with you, your oath will be taken seriously."
Kereek nods vigorously, happy that Agnar is feeding their dinner to get it nice and plump.
Prazil's eyes bounce from bigfeets to bigfeets as he tries to make sense of Marcy's talk of murder and Kat's talk of mercy. The grayscaled, knightly kobold frowns though when he realizes Marcy's talk makes it sound like they were bad guys too. He turns to the baroness and Jewel, "I am not for knowing what am going to be happening to your husband, but we am good heroes! We am wanting to be for helping you. It am what good neighbors am for doing!"
Katerina frowns at Marcy's turn of phrase. That's not what we are here to do! The people deserve a ruler that doesn't threayen them or bring in giants to ensure his rule... but, I will kill him in a duel if it comes to it.
"Murder? Oh my. I have heard of this Hartsland, but hadn't realized its ruler was one to employ murderers. So ... impolitic. One hopes word doesn't get out about such things. I shudder to think what the other River Kingdoms might do. But I can hardly stand in the way of such murderers as you now, can I? My husband is likely on his throne, two floors down if you seek him. As for his mistress, she's placed herself right across the hall, as close to him as she can be."
Jewel grabs the piece of meat, nearly nipping Agnar's fingers, then almost choking as she tries to swallow it too quickly.