"It looks like something smashed through the roof of the solarium. Maybe a bigger bird-person? Also, there are a couple of creatures in the courtyard below us, but they seem to be currently occupied."
Lor-Sinn points their findings to the rest of the party, proud for noticing something useful for once.
Asuka pulls Ruka aside for a moment. ”Hey, Ruka! I see you’ve got some new tricks. Enemies being distracted helps you out, yah? Well, I got a trick that might help you with that!”
A duplicate of the mesmerist appears momentarily, as though he were fighting in tandem with the subject. The mesmerist can trigger this trick when the subject moves into or begins her turn in a square where she threatens an enemy. An illusory duplicate of the mesmerist appears in any unoccupied space adjacent to that enemy. This duplicate counts as threatening the enemy for the purposes of determining flanking, but can’t actually make attacks. The duplicate disappears at the end of the turn during which the trick is triggered. This is an illusion (figment) effect, and a creature that interacts with the false flanker can attempt a saving throw to disbelieve the effect.
Kajiwara looks over the doors, then points at one set and says, "These don't look like they go into the rest of the keep. Perhaps we should take the time to clear them. We could also take the time to fire arrows at the creatures in the courtyard, and try to kill them without risking ourselves."
"Huh, so there are," Sam said in response to the paladin's observations, only to do a double-take at seeing the wrestling giants. Giants? What the heck was going on in this castle? What led such disparate species as subterranean dire corbies and giants to work together? The only obvious answer was the mysterious something within the fortified walls which had cursed Ameiko, this something apparently being significant. The young man felt like he was staring at a painting through a keyhole, unable to grasp the full picture.
"We could also take the time to fire arrows at the creatures in the courtyard, and try to kill them without risking ourselves."
"We could," he pondered in reply, straddling the battlement to look straight down. "But then we run the risk of alarming the castle's other denizens. These two don't even seem to know we're here, after all. Should we try those doors first?"
The cartographer nodded to the solarium, as already suggested by Kajiwara. Might as well look it over before proceeding.
Ruka looks at Asuka strangely, not sure at first what she's talking about. "Thanks?" Once the purpose of the trick becomes clear though, her eyes widen. "So...this makes a copy of you that will distract them? That's great!" In a completely uncharacteristic show of emotion she pulls Asuka into a quick hug.
It is much easier to attack targets (people) when their backs are turned. And this way Asuka doesn't actually have to be in any danger to help with that. It's perfect.
She lets go just as quickly, face flushing slightly. "Uh, yeah. Anyways. Thanks for, uh, thinking of me."
"We could," he pondered in reply, straddling the battlement to look straight down. "But then we run the risk of alarming the castle's other denizens. These two don't even seem to know we're here, after all. Should we try those doors first?"
"I agree with Sam." Over her momentary giddiness at the new trick, Ruka throws herself back into tactical thinking. "No need to alert them if we don't need to. Firing arrows from this distance is great, but it also makes it easy for them to just run inside and tell everyone we're here. Unless we can guarantee killing them instantly, and I don't think we can no matter how good you and Lor-Sinn are, I don't think it's worth the risk."
"Eastern doors sound good." She heads over to them purposefully and, barring any objections, opens them.
"Firing arrows from this distance is great, but it also makes it easy for them to just run inside and tell everyone we're here. Unless we can guarantee killing them instantly, and I don't think we can no matter how good you and Lor-Sinn are, I don't think it's worth the risk."
"Wouldn't have to kill them instantly if they couldn't find inside," a speculative Samton replied, still eyeing the ogres from atop the battlement. He retrieved one of the bulky Licktoad fireworks from a satchel pocket. "Could blind them first. Maybe. I dunno. I'm just wondering. Probably best to check the doors before alerting anyone else."
While merely thinking aloud and making inventory of the options available to the group, the wizard was a bit surprised at how he was able to consider all of this so... empirically. Ambushing and blinding someone before riddling them with arrows? Since when had he been able to plot murder so casually? Giants were thinking, feeling creatures. Sure was good he only had the greater good in mind, the young man reassured himself and hopped down to join the others at the solarium doors.
Asuka’s feathers poof up as she is completely taken by surprise at the show of emotion from Ruka. She quickly recovers and returns the hug, her heart beat quickened. ”It’s, uh, no problem! I can do it a lot now. I unlocked some cool new powers, too, if ya didn’t notice!”
As for the current problem, she scratches at her beak as she listens to the options. ”Ooh, blinding sounds good! Sneaky.”
"Let's investigate the solarium. We'll make another decision afterwards."
Opening the doors to the solarium to the east reveals a chamber may have once had a beautiful roof of glass, but little remains today save for a few precariously leaning wooden timbers hanging above a swath of crumbled stone and ruined furniture. The roof covering the southern half of the room has been crudely repaired with thick sheets of canvas and furs that have been stretched and fastened over the frames, creating a dark, almost cavelike, nesting area.
As the door is pushed open, a bat with a wingspan the length of two humans, over-sized ears, and a squat, upturned snout with rows of needle-like teeth unfurls from a timber on the ceiling and screeches loudly at you.
"Bat! Giant bat!" Sam croaked as the doors opened onto the winged, leathery horror within. What was with this castle?! Why was it attracting every manner of storybook ghoulie from giants to overgrown predators to underworld cannibals? Actually, that was a fair question, a rational voice said somewhere beneath the hysterical mess that was the young man's head. Had he read something about jumbo bats before?
What he did know was that the thing was likely to eat them all unless either deadened or scared off. So with this in mind he raised his trusty acid vial and shot out a poison green beam out of it.
"Kill it before it brings the whole castle here with its screaming!" hisses Lor-Sinn as they send an arrow flying towards the creature. Fighting the tengu-like creatures earlier had been very uncomfortable, as they were clearly intelligent beings. But this, this was only a beast, and Old Deadeye would approve of taking it down.
That bat was huge! As quickly as he could, Kajiwara pulled out two arrows and fired them at the bat in rapid succession.
Asuka moves with lightning speed, causing the creature to jump back as it attempts to block an oncoming surprise blow, only to find that she has used the fake-out opening to vault over to its other side, slashing it along the way as she stares at it with unsettling focus.
Samton recognizes this creature as a mobat, a magical giant bat with wolfish grins and immense wingspans. Survivors of a lost era, they are rarely seen beyond the dark forests and deep caves they haunt. Although mobats are omnivores, they vastly prefer the flavor of fresh meat over that of other prey. They understand undercommon, but do not speak. They are best known for their ability to screech that stuns all nearby creatures.
Sam splashes the bat with acid and Lor-Sinn and Kajiwara each bury an arrow into it. Asuka's strike however finishes the initial assault and nearly brings the bat down to the ground, but most importantly it's deliver so stylishly accompanied by her stare.
Much to the surprise of no one, the bat screeches loudly, alerting denizens nearby that something is amiss.
.
Asuka holds one taloned hand up to cover half her face. ”Your screeches cannot frighten the heart of a hero!” She holds her sword up high with both hands. ”Strike of the Plummeting Garundi Swallow!”
The bat's screech is deafening, causing Lor-Sinn's ears to ring. Undeterred, the paladin sends another arrow towards it, hoping to bring it down.
That bat's screech was LOUD. Still, Kajiwara was able to shake off the worst of the effects, but no doubt it had alerted any nearby guards. Leaving the bat to Asuka and Lor-Sinn, he looked about to try and see if he could tell where reinforcements were coming from.
The mobat is no longer a threat to the party with Lor-Sinn and Asuka who easily finish it off. The large bat comes crashing to the ground, smashing into several things and making an additional ruckus as things break and shatter in the solarium
As the sounds of combat fade, the party takes note that the two creatures in the courtyard who were wrestling are now gone. No one comes rushing yet, but it is apparent that the sounds of their fight here did not go unnoticed elsewhere in the castle.
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Ruka grimaces, sheathing Murasamemaru almost immediately after unsheathing it. Sometimes there were disadvantage to having a sword that long; it took forever to get it out of the scabbard. "Anyone who didn't know we were here before does now. We have no idea how many enemies there are or what direction they'll be coming from." She closes her eyes, clearly thinking hard, and starts speaking slowly as she works out a plan in her mind.
"If we head back to the area where we fought the dire corbies, we can set up in a defensive position. Lock the trapdoors into the towers if at all possible; or at least set our packs on them to make them hard to open without a lot of noise. Asuka and I can each guard one of the battlements. Kajiwara and Lor-Sinn will have clear sightlines to shoot anyone running towards us. Sam and Poppy can stay in the middle; as protected as they can be while also having plenty of space to cast their spells."
She opens her eyes again. "The towers are obviously the weak point, but they're close enough to the battlements that Asuka and I could easily move there if need be. And, if all else fails, we'll have several possible routes of escape. Does anyone have any better ideas?" From her tone, she's clearly hoping that somebody does.
"Watch out, everyone! It can let out this immense screech that...!" The rest of the young wizard's warning was drowned out by an immense screech. Samton was still clutching his ringings ears as the paladin and tengu mercifully put an end to the giant bat.
"Huh? Yeah. Yeah, sure," he said noncommittally to Ruka's plan. He frankly wasn't sure he'd caught all of it; could one get tinnitus all spontaneously like this? A nasty high note, what had turned into the mobat's death rattle, was still resounding through his skull.
Asuka nods anxiously. "Yes, yes. That sounds good! Hunker down and get ready for a battle!"
"Solid plan, Ruka. Ve'll follow your lead." , she offered gratiously despite hersadness by their lack of time to harvest the mobat. The gnome hustles with the rest of the party back to the sight of their previous fight, lighting another bit of flayleaf in her pipe. Poppy takes up her position in the middle of the room, arming herself with her crossbow and a decidely determined look. She readies an action to fire at the first enemy that pops up into range. Then I'll drop it and start crossing my fingers for the nearest ally that needs aid.,she considered.
In response to Ruka's proposed plan, Lor-Sinn takes up position at the rear of the group, arrow nocked and bow half-drawn in case enemies would challenge their strategic retreat.
Kajiwara nods. "It seems as good a plan as any. I'll take point in getting there, in case someone beats us to it."
Kajiwara moved ahead of the party, heading back to the battlements.
The party retreats back to the room above the gatehouse, preparing for an assault. Numerous noises and sounds echo through the castle in the hour that follows, including doors slamming shut and shouts from various areas within the keep itself.
As an hour draws to a close however, no assault arrives.
After the first five minutes of being holed up in the tower room, Lor-Sinn had already begun pacing back and forth and peeking onto the battlements and down into the courtyard. The long wait has exhausted any reserves of patience the tiefling might have had (which were rather small to begin with), so at long last they burst out.
"We are wasting time. We should go out there and fight!"
"It appears that rather than come after us, they've decided to hunker down in place. We may have to go to them."
Poppy grumbles. The silence is too much. Her teeth start to grind as paranoia sets in. Just as she's about to break it, Lor-Sinn gets there first. She nods at their words and offers quietly,"I agree, ve should proceed vith caution, ze might've set traps or an ambush." her point emphasized by her eyes narrowing.
Ruka's spent the entire time tensely guarding her 'side'. With an hour passing and nothing happening though, she has to admit that Kajiwara seems to be correct. "You're all right," she sighs. "Waiting here probably just gave them the chance to set up. I'm sorry."
"I guess we just keep circling the battlements for now? I'll take point; keep an eye out for any traps."
"Agreed. Once we've finished circling the battlements, let's pick a door and enter. Shall we continue where we left off?"
The group moves back northeast, turning north and moving past the solarium. The battlements angle northwest and before coming to a dead end.
Moving back around the other direction, the group begins to circle the hundreds of feet of battlements as they swing from a two o'clock position on the battlements to an 11 o'clock position and find themselves in the northwest corner where the path moves east. Ahead of them, an ancient-looking catapult sits 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 beyond the catapult are two doors leading east, one to the northeast and one to the southeast.
Poppy gives Ruka a side long glance. "There iz nothing to forgive. Group iz strong. Ve vill make it DESPITE their plans.", she assures her.
As the party continues, the hedge witch admires the castle and it's construction. Despite the hast of their missions, she couldn't help but appreciate the achievment. It was easy to imagine those catapults in their glory days, despite the rot and greenery that had infested every nook and cranny. She couldn't help but wonder if they'd ever fired at an invading army or only in drills.
Once they reach the fork in the road, she briefly hesitates before approaching the northeast door, turns on a heel towards the group and wordlessly motions a thumb up at the entryway as if to say, "Why not this one?"
The door is unlocked and listening at the door reveals no noises beyond. Slowing pushing it open you move into a study. This chamber’s furniture—couches, drawing tables, and empty bookshelves—lie in disarray, with the exception of one writing desk and chair in the center of the room, its surface heaped with pages of parchment and paper.
Stiars along the north wall lead down while stairs to the south lead up. A door sits closed in the southeast.
The pages on the desk are covered with dense scribblings and revisions in messy Tien writing.
Lor-Sinn's jaw drops as they round a corner and the ancient catapult comes into view. Peering over the battlements into the courtyard, a grin forms on their face. "If those giants are still around, we can throw these rocks at them."
As the rest of the group proceeds through the door and into the castle, the paladin hurries to catch up, leaving the investigation of the decrepit war machine for another time. Their bow still half-drawn, they take up position to cover both stairways and the door, in case someone comes.
"Aw, neat!" Much like the gnome and paladin, Sam had to stop for a moment to appreciate the ancient catapult. A giant gizmo designed to fling equally giant rocks? Few boys could resist the siren call of such a toy, and he was still too much of a boy. That said, his wonder at the machine wasn't entirely rooted in the childish. The wizard did possess enough technical know-how to appreciate the ingenuity on display, and tried to take in all of the sling's intricacies. Was it still functional, moss cover be damned? Or had the years turned it from weapon to deathtrap?
"Uh-oh. C'mon, Ms Imass. We should catch up." Should he be glad that he wasn't the only one taken with the contraption, Samton speculated as he hurried to catch up with the others along with Lor-Sinn? Or should he be embarrassed that that other person was the quirky tiefling? He decided upon the former. Nothing wrong with youthful wonder and enthusiasm. It was what made the world go round. Maybe. He couldn't say for sure. He was still too young to know these things.
Once within the castle proper, the cartographer was immediately piqued by the chamber's writing desk and papers, naturally enough. He was very disappointed upon realizing that he couldn't read the scattered pages. Although - wasn't that funny? The messy scribbles seemed to employ the same alphabet as Minkaian, or at least one very similar. Was this it, definitive proof that there really was some connection between Brinewall Castle and the Kaijitsus?
"Those stairs..." he pondered aloud, eyeing the staircase leading up. "They must lead to one of the towers, right? Should we go up? That's one dead end we know of and could clear."
Kajiwara had passed the ruined catapult - he doubted it was functional, and none of them knew how to operate such a weapon anyway. It was unimportant at the moment, anyway.
Once they arrived in the library, he looked over everything. At the papers, he said, "These papers are written in the Tien Language - I can't read the writing, though. It's very messy. Either the writer has very poor penmanship or they are not particularly familiar with the language."
Looking at the stairs, he said, "They could, yes. We might be able to get a view of the keep as we do so."
The group follows the spiraling stairs up into the tower.
The walls of this semicircular 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 in the northeastern corner of the room, while a wooden door sits in the wall to the northwest and a flight of stairs leads down to the south.
Sitting in on a stool, with a massive longbow leaning on a nearby bookshelf and a book opened in her talons, is a curiously-clean harpy. Her red hair falls to her shoulders as she delicately flips a page of her book with a sharp fingernail. Her reddish-brown wings are folded neatly behind her back, and her chain shirt clinks softly.
She looks up you enter the room, her red eyes clear and focused on him. She arches an eyebrow, her expression a mixture of surprise and slight irritation. She dog-ears the page of her book and closes it, setting it on her stool as she stands up.
She waves at your with one hand held out, her mood visibly lightening.
Ruka warily keeps her hand on Murasamemaru as she waits for someone, anyone, who isn't her to start talking. Unfortunately no one does, and so she swallows hard and takes a deep breath.
"Um. Hello. We're just...exploring. Here. For reasons. Um..." She frantically tries to think of what to say to this harpy that isn't attacking them for some reason. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
A harpy. Here. Apparently...interested in talking? What on earth was this. He was so stunned, he didn't even realize Ruka had begun engaging the creature in conversation. Once he did, however, he focused on the creature and said, "We were surprised to encounter anyone here. We thought this place abandoned."
But hadn't Spivey told them that there were monsters inside? So the castle could not be abandoned.
"That is, abandoned by any civilized folk." Lor-Sinn hastens to add. The tiefling takes in the neat appearance of the harpy again and the book they are reading. "You seem nice, though. What are you reading? Is it good? Is it an adventure book? Oh! Is it a book about magic? Sam here loves magic. Myself, I'm not into reading that much, but I do like a good story. Do you know any good stories? Do you know the one about Zonzon the Brave?"
Relaxing her manner, the paladin takes a few steps towards the harpy, friendliness and animation replacing the wide-eyed wariness.
Samton was as surprised as anyone at seeing a friendly face in the fortress of subterranean cannibals, giants and giant bats. And a harpy at that? Those didn't exactly have the best reputation, cruel as every account of their hostile culture was. Nevertheless he raised a hand in greeting, mirroring the winged woman almost reflexively. The young man had been raised to be polite.
"Sorry for interrupting your, uh, reading, ma'am."
The harpy listens to each of you speak in turn, but makes no attempt to respond. To Kajiwara, she shakes her head no. To Lor-Sinn, she extends her book to the paladin. Written in the common tongue, its titled 'Love, Hatred and Vengeance'.
Turning to Sam, she simply extends her hand and holds it out to him to take.
"Uuuh..."
What in the world was this now? Samton looked as wary as a blind horse upon the harpy extending her hand towards him. The monstrous nature of the woman (or at the very least the monstrous reputation of her ilk) was one thing, and her avoidance of their questions another; both had him alarmed. But chiefly the humble young man simply wasn't comfortable being the focus of anyone's attention. Why was she reaching for him? Had he done something wrong, he wondered? He certainly couldn't think of anything he'd done right.
"Would... you like me to take your hand?" the wizard asked, his unease demanding some confirmation before proceeding.
At seeing the harpy nod, he knew he could only acquiesce. There was no way he could refuse a potential ally, after all, deep in enemy territory as the group was. It was only logical, his rational side lectured: the benefits outweighed any risk. And even if this was some insidious ploy disguised as a civilized handshake, well... it was only him. If worse came to worst, it was only himself at risk, not any of the others. They could do without him. They were all so much more capable.
So with this in mind Sam grasped the proffered hand and gave it a little shake in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Samton."
The harpy reaches out and takes Samton's hand, holding it in her own. She doesn't speak, just stands there looking at him holding his hand.
The harpy speaks, but she doesn't use her mouth. As soon as their hands touch, Samton hears a voice inside of his head respond "Hello Samton, my name is Zaiobe, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. What brings you to Brinewall? Judging from the blood the clothes of your companions, the corbies certainly didn't invite you in, now did they?"
Lor-Sinn takes the proffered book, leafing through it and looking for illustrations. "Oooh, is it a romance book? I love romance books! And that is a very nice bow you have! Local wood? What's the draw on it?" Placing the book on a shelf, the paladin wanders over to inspect the longbow, hands held behind their back as they bend over it to look at it from different angles.
Kajiwara tenses as the harpy reaches out and takes Sam's hand. When nothing seems to happen, he relaxes slightly, but is still ready to strike if she tries to do something to the wizard.
The cartographer no doubt elicited some surprise from his comrades as he haltingly answered a question never voiced. "N-no, ma'am," he said, recovering from his own shock, "I admit that they did not, no."
Hearing voices in one's head was valid ground for some astonishment, of course. And yet he bounced back quickly enough, finally looking to the harpy with something other than trepidation, because while the young man certainly had his flaws, his intellectual curiosity would always conquer his cowardice. Was this telepathy? Neat! He'd never heard of harpy-kind possessing such an ability, so he could only assume that this Zaiobe had some very specific capabilities. And he hadn't even seen her invoke any spell! So taken was he by her magic that Sam almost forgot to ponder the more pressing question: what her speaking with them meant for the party.
"Uh, well, Ms Zaiobe," he went on, answering her question and surreptitiously letting the others know her name both, "we're here because we think something or someone has magically stricken a friend of ours. We came to the castle hoping to help her, only to encounter the, um, aforementioned door guards. Could I... ask a question of you?"
Not knowing where he was treading here, Samton was careful in proceeding. "Why is it you prefer speaking directly to my mind? And could you maybe tell us what forces have laid claim to the castle? Sorry, that's two questions. And what is your own role here? Sorry, three."
He felt self-conscious. He was not used to speaking for the group.
The harpy looks over at Lor-Sinn and makes an 'eh' sound when she asks if its a romance book. She wiggles her hand back and forth to signal 'so-so'. She then opens her free palm towards the bow, allowing the tiefling to pick it up and draw it if she wishes.
"I am cursed and live my life without a voice, unable to speak words aloud."
"Brinewall castle is ruled by a yamabushi tengu named Kikonu. I used to be his healer and lover, but I'm afraid that relationship has come to an end."
After a brief pause, she adds "We may be able to help each other, then. Could you perhaps introduce me to the others?"
... a yamabushi tengu...
A what?
Oh. Oh, things were finally starting to make some sense for the inquisitive young man. An oni. Yes, such a foul creature would be power-hungry enough to claim a fortress for its home, complete with minions. It even explained those minions being dire corbies, the avian oni having a special rapport with those subterranean savages. Of course, a monstrosity such as this was normally foreign to Varisia's shores, hailing from the far east. But this was actually no inconsistency in this case. Because so had the Kaijitsus at one point. Yes, it all fit.
Oh no, it all fit. Were they going to have to fight an oni? Samton's excited curiosity had to make way for quiet anxiety at this realization. An evil spirit willed into flesh was no joke. It was only at the harpy's request of introductions that he reigned in his fretful predictions. He did so hate to be rude.
"Right, sorry, yes. Uh, everyone?" Sam felt eminently silly in addressing the others like he was some sort of emissary. "This is Ms Zaiobe. She's mute - cursed to live without a voice in her own words - but can speak through some limited telepathy. She, um, says hello and would like to know who we all are."
He paused regularly, looking to the harpy to make sure he wasn't misrepresenting her in any way, and only proceeded when all members of the group had introduced themselves. "Ms Zaiobe says that a yamabushi tengu - that's a sort of evil spirit turned corporeal - has claimed the castle. And that she used to be his healer and, uh, lover, though their relationship has... come to an end. She also wonders if there's some way we can help each other."
Increasingly uncomfortable with his role as liaison, he went on. "Ms Zaiobe? Could you say exactly what it is you're suggesting?"