"No, she disappeared at sea, I think? I wasn't paying it much mind at the time, I admit." Lute replies to Torra, his voice already notably stronger. At Riftun's suggestion, he nods vigorously. "I would love to return to Kalsgard... but you say we're quite far? Did you set up a campsite nearby?"
Upon receiving confirmation, Lute shrugs. "I can try making my way down there on my own... though I'd very much prefer some help."
"We might escort you to the entrance slope stairs and watch you make it down safely" Yuto accepts to help.
"Yes, the steps are quite tricky, so go slowly and carefully. Here, I will sketch you a map to the camp site."
Torra had been observing the features of the terrain on their way here rather keenly, so it is not so hard to draw a sketch of how to find the place where Lute might wait in relative safety.
"Here, have some more food, wait for us there. If we don't come back in a day or so, try to make your own way to Kalsgard."
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Lute swallows, getting unsteadily to his feet. "Thank you all for your help. I swear that if I ever have the chance to repay you, I will do just that."
The party takes the merchant carefully to the front door, opening it and letting him take a look down the stairway. He shivers. "Uh... I think I can make it down there. How far is it from the base of the cliff?"
When the heroes answer him, he takes a deep breath. "Alright. I owe you so much, heroes." With that, Lute begins his long, slow descent. Soon enough, he disappears towards the bottom - having had no troubles along the way.
"Take care Lute, i-it is less than a te-ten minutes descend" Yuto observes for a bit the man going down before heading back into Ravenscraeg.
Noticing the stairs at the end of the entrance hall, Yuto points there with his katana "Wha-what about those stairs? We sh-should check if someone there u-up has noticed us"
Hoping everyone agrees, he leads the party up the western stairs.
The party advances up the stairs to the top level of the feast hall, where all the tables are set up on either side of the entryway. To the south stands the high table, all the higher for the small stairway that lifts it above the rest of them.
On the floor nearby to them, the heroes see what must be the other side of the trapdoor that they'd noticed in the hallway below, while there are two doors on the northern end of the room - one on the side of the hall that they're on, and the other opposite it.
It doesn't seem like there's any other places to go here - or indeed any enemies, save for the handful of ravens that still roost in the rafters, glaring down at them.
Torra nods to the two doors. "Shall we check those quickly and return downstairs? I do not like this emptiness. Where are the masters of the castle?"
Yuto nods to Torra "Yes, it is unnerving "
The Tian advances to the closest door, and after Torra checks it, he opens it, shield at the ready.
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The door in question is quite firmly locked , but Torra doesn't see any signs of traps or hear any inhabitants on the other side.
After a few false starts, Riftun is able to loosen and open the lock that holds the door shut. The room beyond is dark, with only a thin shaft of light coming through what looks to be a shuttered arrow slit.
From what the party can see of the room, it looks like the armory. Wooden pegs on the walls of this chamber hold shields and scabbards, wooden stands hold chainmail hauberks, and open chests hold arrows and axes. A number of spears have been stacked together in one corner.
"W-well done Riftun!" Yuto smiles as the little Ulfen defeats the evil lock, then pushes in through the door.
Seeing an armory inside, he replenishes his quiver with arrows, and keeps an eye for any particularly good weapon or shield here.
Also, he takes note of any heavy armor. If there is one, he is interested to wear it.
"So what do you think? Sh-shall we check the door a-at the other balcony?" assuming the answer is yes, he will go to the other one and check for traps.
torra takes a careful look around the armory, not for any weapons or armor for herself, but more to get an idea of what the defenders of this place had for equipment.
She gives the second door a summary inspection before pushing against it to see if that was also locked.
As might be expected of an armory, the room is chock full of weapons, and it takes some time for a full inventory to be formed.
In all, there are 5 chain shirts, 2 suits of full chainmail, 7 light shields carved from wood in the round Ulfen style, 3 battleaxes, 9 short bladed swords, 22 spears and a whole mess of arrows. The party gets to over a hundred before it seems unlikely to matter any further.
Torra also notices a uniquely carved shaft amidst the arrows, which Riftun quickly notices is enchanted in some regard. Unfortunately, he can't quite figure out how it is enchanted, other than the fact that it has a strong aura of necromantic magic.
Like the first door, the second is locked.
"Oh, they are magical these arrows? Cool!" aside from the arrows, Yuto does not need anything and hence avoids to burden himself with more weight.
"Looking at the amount of weapons and armors, they are well stocked for a war in here... wonder what these people are planning to do..." the Tian will move to the other locked door and wait for Riftun to try force it open.
If that fails, he tries to open by force.
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Riftun finishes scribbling notes of all the items the group has managed to get their hands on in this armory, folds his papers and tucks them away for later.
"Nothing too extraordinary but should be worth some decent coin all-together." the Ulfen mumbles before noticing the others trying the next door. "O-Oh! Sorry! I'll get right on that!" The young man rushes up and starts fumbling for his tools.
"How are we going to transport all of this out, though? Even magical containment bags probably wouldn't hold all of it at once," Andochtuir says, seeing the veritable *mountain* of armors, arrows and weapons before him and already feeling his muscles threaten to go on strike.
"Hey, you say that arrow is magical? Let me take a look. Archery was a pretty popular combat style back in the Tanglebriar - it usually kept you alive a bit longer." He grins wryly at this and inspects the arrow up close, careful not to touch it until he was reasonably sure that was safe. Who knew what sort of necromantic enchantments an assassin's guild put on their projectiles and what set them off...
Yuto struggles with the door for a few seconds before Riftun slips in beside him and unlocks it with much more ease than the previous. Like the room on the opposite side, this one is quite dark, as the arrow slit that might have let light in is carefully covered.
It appears to be a cloakroom, as it holds many such articles of clothing, as well as heavier cold-weather gear that suits the chilly climate of the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Furthermore, there are heavy bales of raw wool (presumably from the sheep outside) and what look like valuable furs stacked around the room.
Torra pokes around for a bit, lifting some of the furs and shifting items, in case anything immediately useful is present in this room. Then the dwarf moves to the arrow slit and twitches the cover aside, straining on tiptoes to see outside.
Yuto helps Torra check the room "Well... we can certainly fight back coldness in here, hehe"
Then he moves back to the other side of the hall, to the corner stairs.
Riftun ponders on the thought for a while, "Hmm, they must have had a way to bring all this up here... perhaps there is a cart or carriage we could load it into and a safer way down once we've cleared the area?"
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Torra and Yuto search the area for awhile before finding something of unusual interest - a collection of rolled leather scrolls covered in tiny, cramped Skald runes.
He further claims that only those who were prepared for the coming storm would be spared and find themselves in a ruined world ripe for plundering... thus, Ravenscraeg, an impregnable stronghold with which to weather the end of the world and from which to conquer the north.
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Yuto swallows while reading the papers "Th-this Snorri Stone-Eye... he-he is really obsessed by the arrival of the end winter and the fight of the gods... Goodness... the Rough Beast release itself..."
While searching through the diaries, the Tian points out a specific entry "Watch here... it seems there is a concealed cache in the upstairs flue... hidden for the 'coming winter', maybe there is something of use for us..."
Yuto will try to check the place the diary is referring to.
A search around their current floor does not reveal anything resembling a flue.
Helgarval suggests something. "Perhaps it is upstairs in the tower. That is yet higher than this floor."
Yuto nods acknowledging the helmet's wisdom and moves over the stairs "Le-let's keep on from where we Le-let's..."
The young man traces back to where they found the prisoner and tries to find the stairs there to reach the upper floor.
"So this Snorri is convinced Rovagug will slip free soon..." Andochtuir sighs. "Terrific. And to prepere for that, he trained an army of ninja vikings Ulfen Assassins just in case his hiding castle would be spared from a no doubt reality-shattering conflict between gods fighting eachother - to then raid whatever little would be left of the world on the extremely off chance that would *actually* happen. Yes, that makes a lot of sense. I would have done the same." He deadpans.
"Let's get moving up then and try to find this stash." He continues, shaking his head and muttering something among the lines of 'all this death for the sake of a lunatic'.
"But Snorri is dead now, isn't he? I don't understand how all this connects with... everything else." Torra looks confused, then shakes their head. "Perhaps the sword is hidden in this cache, let's go find it."
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Riftun looks puzzled at the diary they've stumbled upon. "The Rough Beast... a doomsday prophecy is nothing new but prophecy itself is so flawed in the age that I can't see why someone would dedicate their whole life to it. A-And Andy makes a good point, who would want to rule over a destroyed world?" The bard shrugs. "At least we have some context to this place now even if it is built on logic that is a tad... flawed."
The young man nods along with the others, "I'm right behind you all regardless. Let's go to the upper floors and find ourselves the sword so we can all get out of here and I can cook you up something nice and warming."
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"Snorri Stone-eye is dead." Helgarval confirms. "And had business dealings with the Rimerunners Guild and the Frozen Shadows before his death. I believe that they inherited this from him."
The journey to the stairs is long as there are no doors into the tower from the main hall's upper floor. Instead, they must return through the storage hallway and the laboratory. While there are yet a few doors left closed in the main hall, they venture past them and into the laboratory. Here there are stairs heading upwards, as well as another door to the south that they have yet to open.
The swarm-infested corpse hisses and bangs against the glass, but cannot damage it whatsoever.
Torra frowns at the remaining door before the stairs. "What do you think is there? More doomsday provisions?"
It was unlikely for any foes to be lurking in the room beyond, what with all the noise they've been making, so unless she spots an obvious trap, the dwarf attempts to open the door.
Andochtuir shrugs. "If the Frozen Shadows took over Snorri's self-appointed mission, then everything here is a doomsday provision. I wonder if we're going to be able to find the ones that got away..."
He then stands guard, seeing Torra's resolve in taking point herself.
Yuto waits for Torra to open the door and check what's in that room "Pro-probably just another storage, but let's be ca-careful" before starting to slowly go up the stairs, with shield and katana at the ready.
"Do you think the survivors went further into the fortifications? Or do you think they've fled altogether? Sh-Should we be worried about them telling others of our location?" Riftun gulps as he prepares to enter the next area.
Neither Torra nor Andochtuir hear any sign of life or other activity from behind the door, and it swings open easily. On the other side of the door is yet another set of stairs, this one headed downwards. Evidently, Ravenscraeg has a basement.
As Yuto ascends partway up the stairs the stone walls turn to heavy timbers as the tower climbs above the longhall. He sees a landing that is almost entirely dark, illuminated only by what little light spills from the room below. A steep, narrow stair lacking any railing rises through an opening in the ceiling 20 feet above. Beyond this stair, a door opens into a side room.
"Do you think the survivors went further into the fortifications? Or do you think they've fled altogether? Sh-Should we be worried about them telling others of our location?" Riftun gulps as he prepares to enter the next area.
When the next room yet again fails to show any of the missing Frozen Shadows, Andochtuir sighs. "I don't know, my friend. I think that either way, they would have had enough time to do either. As such, I would recommend carefully checking every room we come across from now. It's slow, but at least it would stop us from being blindsided."
He looks down into the basement. "As far as I'm concerned, we might as well start at the bottom and methodically work our way up. Plus it'd be useful to know just how deep down into the mountain this hole goes."
Torra frowns. "I don't think they ran away. Most of them would not surrender even when we killed their friends in front of them." The dwarf shakes their head at Andochtuir's suggestion. "We cleared the top level, we should finish the ground floor and make sure we can't be surprised from behind once we go down."
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"Th-there is something here" states Yuto from the upper part of the stairs "A-another door. And I bet the cache the notes were r-referring to is located in th-this set of stairs here go-going up."
For now Yuto just opens the door in front of him, while letting the group decide if fetching the cache is a priority or not.
If the group prefers to ignore the cache for now, Yuto will follow the others into the basement after revealing what is behind this door.
Torra follows Yuto up the stairs, one hand trailing on the wall. It was comforting to feel the solid stone of the keep, the way it was anchored in the crag itself.
"Perhaps the sword was hidden in the cache? That's why we're here, no?"
"Are we not also here to seek out Ulf and Uksahkka?" Helgarval inquires.
The heroes circle up the stairs and arrive at the door, which Yuto carefully examines for any sign of traps or presences on the other side. He hears a soft shuffle of feet and a puff of air from the other side of the door. Someone is there.
Once he has warned his fellows of potentially hostile presences, Yuto pushes open the door. A stench of stale wine, rank sweat, and wild animal spoor assaults the heroes' noses as the door swings open. Inside is what looks like a bedroom - a rough bed sits at the far end of the chamber, and a pot-belly stove rests between the windows, next to a coal bucket. Across from the stove is a small table holding several empty wineskins and a small oaken statuette.
Most importantly, however, is the oversized humanoid bear standing in the middle of the room. In one clawed hand, he grips a battleaxe of equal size. He rumbles in Skald-accented Taldane. "I had wondered who these intruders were, and now I know. Die!"
Lycanthropes are resistant to weaponry that is not made from silver, and have the ability to pass their curse on through a bite. Most lycanthropes also have strong affinities for their associated animal.
Given that he seems coherent (if very hostile) and that it is daytime (although the moon is full), this werebear is also likely a natural lycanthrope - one who was born with the curse, rather than one afflicted with it. Such lycanthropes are even more resistant to non-silver weapons than their afflicted counterparts.
Werebears are known to be virtuous sorts compared to the typical depiction of the better-known werewolves, though far rarer and less spoken of - they keep to themselves rather than going out to hunt humanoids. That this one seems to be working with the Frozen Shadows seems very unusual.
The humanoid bear roars, a horrifying bellow that is both all-too-human and utterly bestial.
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Seeing the size of the Foe, Andochtuir doesn't hesitate and quickly downs a Shield Extract! "By the gods, this stench ! What is it with castles and their vendetta with my nose?"
Lamenting his elvish sense yet again, he moves in after Yuto.
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Riftun tries and fails not to openly gag at the putrid stench of the room as they enter. Through watering eyes the bard takes note of their foe.
The tales of his people ringing in his ears the bard cries out to the man hoping he will be heard, "Werebear? Wh-What are you doing here? Are your kind not more heroic? The skalds do not tell of you skulking around with assassins. We have no qualm with you. Please lay down your arms or we will be forced to use our silver!"
"Whoa!" Torra steps behind Yuto, giving the dwarf a good view of the huge bearman in the room.
"What my friend said. There has been enough death in this place already."
Torra raises a protective rock wall in the doorway - it would prove no obstacle should the bearman decide to charge them, but it might slow him down a little.
"I-I-I hope we can fi-fi-find them" Yuto stammers to answer Helgarval before opening the door.
"W-who are you?" Yuto exclaims, not knowing about this kind of bears "Silver? B-but I have no silver?"
He is doubting what to do about the silver when a wall of earth appears in front. The Tian readies to attack if the bear manages to break through.
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Andochtuir drinks another of his defensive extracts, summoning a shield of force to hover before him again.
Riftun questions the werebear, even as he offers insight into the creature's weaknesses.
"Ha! You've not heard of Jorgan the Axe? I run the guards here!" The werebear rumbles back.
Torra raises a wall of earth in the doorway, closing the werebear in for a few moments, at least.
"Bah!" Jorgan snorts at Torra's offer. "You have no idea what you're talking about, fools."
Yuto readies himself for the werebear to break through, lifting his sword up.
The heroes hear an odd chant coming from the other side of the wall.
"Looks like he isn't really up for talking, sadly," Andochtuir remarks.
He frowns at the casting, figuring he SHOULD know, but it slips from him.
"Okay, what now? Do wait for it to break through?" Andy asks afterwards, mostly at Torra, as he takes and sheathes his dropped Fauchard in the moment of respite.
"Most of your guard are already slain. A-And what are you doing down here by yourself if you're the head of the guard?" Riftun questions.
In regards to Andy's question he merely shrugs and frowns, uncertain of their next moves.
Yuto goes pale at the thought of the guard "I-I fear Jorgan is only going to get m-more angry at the thought of dead guards Ri-riftun..."
He raises his voice over the wall "So-sorry sir Axe Jorgan, w-we are only loo-looking for some people tha-that are missing. Th-their friends are worried for Ulf and Uksahkka"
Yuto keeps up his readied attack, in case the werebear decides to break through instead of talking.
Andochtuir and Riftun are both unable to identify the sounds of the spell through the wall of earth, for all that the former can feel the answer lurking at the back of his head. Andochtuir stows his polearm, uncertain of the next steps.
Torra gathers power to strike the werebear, just in case he does come crashing through the wall, as does Yuto.
Sure enough, within heartbeats the edge of an axe breaks through the earthen wall, followed swiftly by a heavy claw that tears the rest aside. "Fools!" He rumbles. "You just don't get what you're getting into, do you?"
Torra unleashes her biast at the oncoming lycanthrope, striking him in the head. Despite the precise strike, much of the force is deflected off of his thick hide. Still, the blast snaps his head back, and he roars in agony.
Even though she was expecting it, the werebear bursting through her barrier still startles Torra, and she instinctively releases her blast. The next one is more controlled - she doesn't want to kill the creature if she can help it.
"Well, no, we try to be prepared but no-one can know everything about a given situation, so..."
the dwarf trails off, starting to realize that perhaps the werebear's question was rhetorical.