"It sounds like we just need to bring this seal to Ameiko. I know what the kami said earlier about her being safe while it's in her, but I'd rather not move her if we don't have to."
Haru comes out of the wagon, and calls for everyone's attention. She relates what the kami inhabiting Ameiko's body told her, and explains that they need to return to the castle again.
Well then I'll be right there!
He called sliding behind some wagons to remove the heavy plate armor to keep to his normal much more comfortable leathers. Hopefully they would be finished with the castle soon, and miss Ameiko could be healed properly. This was the weirdest Caravan trip he had ever taken so far, though he certainly was able to do a lot of good so he didnt mind.
Freshly back into his more compfortable normal attire he hurried to join the others.
With their goal closer to completion, the party once more departs the caravan and sets out for the looming Brinewall Castle. The plume of smoke coming from the castle has died down greatly.
Lets start with the rooms we havent checked her on the first floor my friends
He began cautiously heading towards the main hall then to his right.
The first door on the right that Kavell opens into a short hallway with two doors, both on opposite sides of the hallway: one to the west, one to the east.
"Two... no, three." Friday lets out as he walks to the end of the hallway and inspects the wall.
The door Friday finds opens out into the courtyard again. It seems to open into a barren garden of sorts.
Friday will move to open one door.
And if he doesn't notice anything will open the other.
The first door Friday opens appears to lead into a washroom that hasn't seen use in a long time. At least the room doesn't stink.
The other door Friday opens leads into a much larger room.
Four stone pillars support the roof of this large hall. What appear to have once been wooden cages lie in shambles throughout the room. A heap of rags and furs in the middle of the room seems to be some sort of makeshift bed, while a large heap of partially eaten birds, squirrels, and wild turnips mounded nearby reeks with the stink of compost.
There's a door on the far side of the room, and the crack of sunlight at the bottom of it seems to indicate that it leads outside.
"I wonder what was living in here?"
Friday wonders aloud while moving to open the door outside.
The door leads back into the courtyard. A welcome breeze comes in to help lessen the impact of the smell.
"... nothing... where to next?"
Lets give these double doors here a try Friday.
He said heading torwards teh two doors in front of him that were unopened after Friday explored and found the hidden door.
"Okay."
Friday returns to the double doors they passed earlier.
The double doors open into a large circular room that features a ring of pillars that support a balcony just over fifteen feet above. A flight of stairs winds up to the balcony along the southern wall. Faded paintings of dancing elves decorate the walls, spattered here and there with ancient bloodstains.
The gouges appear to have been made with some sort of enormous axe, or something similar.
Friday takes a moment to take in the masterful paintings, getting lost in the scenes they depict and captured. Moving along the wall he looks over the large gouges in the walls flowing in tandem with the bloodstains, the carnage at war with joy trapped in the paintings.
After watching over everything present for longer than he should Friday heads up the stairs.
Haru looks over the signs of battle. "Songs should be written about what happened here, but no one survived to tell them, unfortunately."
Friday nods as he moves up the stairs. "I'd like to paint this, but I like painting places that still have life in them. Still, those who died here don't deserve to be forgotten. Maybe I could give them their rites in ink?"
That would a great honor to any Friday, It is kind of you.
He began too looking at the great paintings with a slight sigh. Such artwork didnt deserve to sit here abandoned. Something to think about.
There are a few more rooms down here, I will check them out with Miss Valeria if you want to head up the stairs.
He began.
Friday halts to give a quick bow towards the Paladin before continuing onward.
"Sure, Kavell," she said, double-checking her crossbow, "we'll make a regular heaven-and-hell team," she joked.
The upstairs of the ballroom consists of a balcony that overlooks the ground floor. There's a railing running along the balcony, and two sets of double doors (one to the west, one to the east) leading elsewhere in the castle.
The railing along the balcony looks quite rickety.
One of the doors in the room leads downward into the dungeons. A set of double doors on the room's east side lead to more of the castle's unexplored first floor.
Haru will go with Friday.
A large number of ruined bunks have been heaped into a nest-shaped mound in the centre of this room. An immense, blue-scaled lizard raises its head from the cluster of mattresses & pillows and hisses as it hears the door open. Loose scales hang off of its face and over its eyes.
Friday holds up his hands. "We're just looking..."
"I'm not sure what that thing is, but it doesn't look like it's about to attack us as long as we leave it alone."
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Friday nods and begins to close the door. "Sorry, mister or miss lizard."
The lizard doesn't seem inclined to lunge out and attack Haru & Friday as the warrior closes the door. It can be heard shuffling about inside once the door closes, presumably trying to get comfortable and snooze again.
This grey-walled building seems to be well-worn with age. Patches of ivy can be seen climbing the sides of the building, and two sets of double doors offer entrance: one to the northeast, one to the southeast on the opposite end.
I've been meaning to ask about that, but could not think of a polite way to put it. Do you feel the pull of your heritage? Not all do, but it is a curious matter.
He began opening the doors in front of them.
"Not particularly," Valeria replied, a bit surprised at the question, most either gave her the benefit of the doubt, assumed the worst or just reserved judgement until they got to know her better. "Had a bit of a temper as a kid, but that was probably just from all the bullying - you know how cruel kids can be and, well, the resident tiefling is a prime target. Only thing that could be my heritage was willing to fight back against those bullies with these." She lifted one lip up to show a pair of sharp, feline-like fangs. "But even that could've just been me being pragmatic - what else was a scrawny little girl going to do against boys a full head taller and a damn-sight stronger?"
It was pretty clear from her tone that she wasn't too happy about having used her fangs like that.
The walls of this wooden stable are grey with age and sag ominously, yet the building seems relatively sound. An old forge sits to the south, while five empty horse stalls stand to the north.
A spider the size of a man emerges from one of the horse stalls, being petted by a multi-eyed, spider-faced creature, its hide purple and its arms ending in sickle-shaped claws. The purple humanoid looks up as the stable doors open and *chitters* in anger.
It doesn't offer any words--it just points at the two planeborn and its spider starts scurrying forward to strike.
The humanoid beast rears back, a white patch of webbing beginning to form in its mandibles.
Eyes widened he immediately slammed the doors back shut.
Uh Run! Get the others!
He said.