Kelda cocks her head to the side in an inquisitive manner, "It wouldn't be safe to camp right outside the wall that surrounds the tower? Have you seen a lot of gobblins passing through here?" She asks while looking around.
"They come and go...among other things in these woods," the man replies. "Especially at night."
She thinks for a moment before asking, "So, if it's not safe to camp outside the wall at night, would it be alright if we camped inside your wall? We don't have to use a fire or anything, and we'll leave the area like we found it. We depleted our magic earlier this morning fighting a patrol of them, and we really just need to rest so we can recover and go back at it tomorrow." She hadn't planned on bothering him about staying within the walls of the tower, but she felt that she didn't have a choice since she didn't want to put them all at risk of another attack.
"Wait here," the man says, his expression unchanging. "I will ask."
He disappears as quickly as he arrived.
Looking around she asks, "Do you think they'll let us stay here? If they don't, what will we do?"
Shrugging she responds, "I don't know, we'll just have to cross that bridge if we come to it. Let's just wait and see what happens."
"We'll take our chances outside and survive." Jade says with a shrug. "Not much in the way of options."
The man reappears a few moments later. "Miss Erytheia is apparently acquainted with some of you. She has spoken to Master Ardin on your behalf and he has decided to allow you to stay in the tower."
He cocks his head slightly toward the tower then turns. "This way please."
Kelda's mouth falls open in surprise, "Oh, we were just looking for a safer place to camp out, but we will gladly accept Master Ardin's hospitality. We will follow you." Kelda makes sure everyone is ready before following him.
Sapphira gets an excited look on her face before shaking her sister's arm, "We're actually going inside the tower, can you believe it?!" She says with a tone of excitement and awe in her voice.
Basil follows along, taking in the rare sight of the tower's gardens.
"Definitely not what I expected, but this should be interesting." Jade replies, walking through the gate with her sister.
The garden path winds around the tower until you find yourselves in front of a massive red door adorned with thick green vines. With a wave of his hand, the man compels the door to open. He leads you into a posh foyer with an ornate rug trailing off to rooms beyond. He gestures to some chairs circling a table with a tea set before walking off. "Please help yourself to some refreshments. Miss Erytheia will be with you shortly."
Kelda is too stunned by everything to do much more than sit in a chair.
Sapphira helps herself to a cup of tea before sitting in one of the chairs, "This place is aaammaaazzzing. I can't believe we're really inside such a famous tower." She sips on her tea and tries to calm down, but she was just so excited to be here.
With a smile, Jade sit's down beside her sister, taking a sniff of the tea before venturing a sip.
Lisithia finds the sight of the vines and greenery refreshing, taking in the decor as they are led to the foyer. Taking a seat next to Kelda, she studies the room as they wait for their host.
Erytheia shows up a few moments later, dressed in gray robes and her hair tied in a bun. She nods at Kelda and Lysithia. "A change in company, I see."
Kelda nods, "Evert decided to take the other halfling lady that we rescued from the goblins, and go back to Daedran. Astoria decided to stay in Cooperton and try to figure out what to do with her life. This is Jade and her sister Sapphira, survivors from Wodrick, and this is Basil Cooper. He is the grandson of the founder of Cooperton and trying his best to keep his town from the same fate as most others. We have decided to go through the forest and map out the goblins camps, so that we might come back with greater numbers to defeat this menace. While we know that the goblins are not solely responsible for what has been happening in our valley....it's a start. How have things been here? Your gardens are amazing by the way, and so is what we've seen of the tower so far." She says, in way of explanation of change of comrads and the purpose of their presence in the forest.
Sapphira bows her head as she addresses Erytheia, "It is a great honor to be here. I always dreamed of coming here, but I never thought I would ever see the inside of this tower. Not even as a guest...it's even more amazing than I ever imagined. Thank you so much for your hospitality, we deeply appreciate it." Her tone is a mix of awe, excitement, and reverence.
Jade smiles silently, understanding the importance of the tower to someone with the magical ability her sister possessed.
Erytheia frowns slightly. "We still haven't heard anything about Tomas and Elowyn...the goblins are still terrorizing the area and there's something out there letting off a lot of magical energy. Ardin has found that parts of the forest are changing..."
She shakes her head. "Sorry, you have your own troubles, I don't need to burden you with ours. Thank you for the kind words. If you're ready I'll show you to your rooms for the night."
Kelda holds out a hand, "Wait a minute now, they're not just one person's troubles. This is something that affects all of us. In the last camp we came across before making it here, there was one house that the goblins stayed clear of. I don't know if it's a leader type, prisoners, or what...but it might bear looking into when we have more light to see by. We are looking for someone's sister from Cooperton. Her sister said her name is Verny and she's a magic user. Something happened to her though, and now she's with the gobblins. Somehow her familiar was separated from her, but managed to survive. The gobblins are calling her their Queen now....I don't know, the whole thing sounds very strange to me. If you could describe Tomas and Elowyn to us again, we will definitely keep an eye out for them, and bring them back if we can. We just want to help as many as we can, get rid of as many gobblins as possible, and try to save what's left of our valley by finding out who's really behind all this and putting a stop to their plans." Kelda stretches and yawns as her stomach grumbles, "Is it okay if we eat in the rooms? We have rations, we just haven't had our evening meal yet."
"Something changing the forest would definitely be amongst our concerns." Lysithia adds solemnly.
Kelda nods in agreement, "We'll do whatever we can to help."
Erytheia shakes her head slightly. "I'll ask if Master Ardin will see you in the morning. Maybe he can provide some guidance."
She waits for everyone to finish their tea before leading the group down the hall. "If you're hungry, we can stop by the dining room first. No point in using up your supplies."
Kelda looks at the others before nodding, "Sure, something to eat would be great. We would appreciate any guidance that Master Ardin could provide. We're a little at a loss on how to proceed. I don't think the goblins are the main ones behind all this though, just part of a larger problem." She says, sounding a little tired and frustrated.
"Thank you." Lysithia adds.
Jade frowns slightly at Kelda's statement about the goblins not being behind the attacks on the valley. She did not believe that, more likely that somehow the goblin leaders had developed the intelligence and power to lead all of their kind against the other inhabitants of the valley, probably through magic or an extremely gifted leader.
The had seen more than her of this so far though, so she remains quiet.
As they walk she adds, "I'm not saying the goblins aren't a problem, I just mean that this isn't typical behavior for them, so there has to be someone or something else in the background pulling the strings. We can kill goblins all day long, but if we don't find who is actually responsible for the change in the goblins behavior, and all this other craziness....we're not going to actually....what's the word I'm looking for? We won't be able to stop what's happening, if we can't find who's really behind all this and put a stop to them." Kelda lets out a frustrated sigh, wondering if she's making sense.
Looking around at the others she says, "I know the devastation the goblins have wrought, I'm just saying there's more to what's going on than meets the eye, and I feel like we're barely scratching the surface of the problem." Hoping that she's made herself a little more clear, Kelda wraps an arm around Lysithia as they follow Erytheia to the dining hall.
Sapphira wasn't sure what to think. She just wanted someone to pay for what happened to her family, her friends, and her home. The air around the young sorceress gets a little more chilly as she thinks about what was done to their home and how much they lost....but they lived to fight another day, and fight they would. Her hands ball into fists and become a little frosty as memories of that fateful night come flooding back into her mind. A slight frown appears on her face at the recollection of memories.
Erytheia abruptly turns left and opens the doors into a spacious dining area with a multitude of tables. She nods at a couple of attendants who are cleaning off a few tables with the aid of some magic. "Please get them some food. Whatever they would like."
The elf turns to the group. "I am going to attend to a few things while you eat. I'll return within the hour."
"Thank you." Lysithia says, entering the dining room with her arm around Kelda.
One of the attendants, a half-orc who could easily pass for human from some distance, approaches you. "Welcome. Please tell me what I can get for you. Our chef can make anything you desire."
"Anything?" Basil asks, breaking his temporary silence.
"Yes, anything," the attendant avers.
Basil loses himself in thought for a moment. "I'd like some fish. I haven't had any in forever."
"How about Venison stew and fresh bread?" Kelda asks, unable to really think of anything else, while still taking in their surroundings.
Sapphira's eyes light up, "I'd like a waffle with strawberries and blueberries on top, and some sausage please. I'll have some milk with it if you have any."
"Stew sounds good, anything with meat and potatoes if you have them." Jade replies with a shrug.
"Fresh vegetables, and any foul you have available would be greatly appreciated." Lysithia says with a smile.
The attendant attentively listens and nods when everyone has made their request. "Have a seat at one of the tables. I'll be back with your food."
Once you are seated, the other attendant brings a pitcher of cold water and a pitcher of lemonade along with some tankards. She addresses Sapphira. "Give me a moment to get your milk."
Sapphira smiles as she pours some water for herself, "Sure, thank you so much." The promise of good food and fresh milk does much to improve her mood, her troubles momentarily forgotten.
The female attendant returns with a cold tankard of milk just a few moments before the half-orc rolls a cart with your food into the dining room. Both attendants serve your food and make sure you are accommodated before they leave you to eat.
Each of your dishes are expertly plated and smell exquisite. Basil's fish is flaky and well-seasoned. Kelda and Jade's stew have large chunks of meat and potatoes, served with a hunk of hard crusted bread. The berries on Sapphira's waffle look fresh and juicy. Lysithia's plate of roast duck with crispy skin and broccoli almost looks like a piece of art.
Kelda looks at all the food with wide eyes, "Oh wow, this all looks and smells amazing." Kelda samples the stew after blowing on it, and closes her eyes and hums happily as the flavors of the meat, potoes, and broth all mingle together delightfully on her tongue.
Sapphira practically salivates at the sight if the fresh berries on her waffle, and the sausage patties that lie next to it. She takes a swig of milk before stuffing a bite if waffle and berries in her mouth. The flavor of fresh berries along with the warm fluffy waffle send her into a state of bliss, "Soooo good." She says, swaying slightly in her seat as she continues to stuff her face.
"This is impressive." Jade replies, after a spoonful of stew. "Definitely put their magic to good use."