Seeing nothing else of interest, Ameiko gets bored and turns to leave.
"Well, that's nice and all, but why don't we check out the castle?"
She starts walking toward it, but she doesn't get far. After exiting the cemetery and turning toward the castle she abruptly collapses, like a puppet with her strings cut. Her head slams painfully into the ground.
"Yeah, that's what I've been saying!"
Daji spoke at her sister in a slight huff, like she was about to sass her sister, only to have her planned sick burns interrupted by Amekko collapsing onto the floor.
"What the...? Sis are you ok!?"
She blurts out, rushing right to her sister's side and giving her a shake.
"Hey guys! Get over here!" shouted Daji
"Whoa!" Belaria runs over to the two the sisters.
"Sorry Daj, I had a feeling she should rest, but she seemed fine for a while, and anyway how could I say no to Sandpoint's most famous adventurer?" she blurts out in a panic.
Then she takes a moment to calm down and think. "Wait, didn't Mvashti say something about how her condition might be an ailment of the mind? D'ya think maybe getting closer to the castle made it worse somehow?"
"Maybe we should get her back to the caravan? I tried to say something but I got overruled." Liam checks if she's still breathing.
Lianne tries to check a bit more thoroughly.
"She seemed fine enough just a few moments ago!"
"Yeah back to the caravan I say, we'll worry about this placw later.
Lianne looks her over. As expected by the earlier prognosis, she seems perfectly fine physically (save for the large bump on her head from the fall), but is completely unconscious.
You drag her back to the caravan. Partway there, she begins twitching slightly and murmuring to herself.
"Ojīsan? Ojīsan? Naze anata wa soko ni iru nodesu ka? Kurai… oboe teru?"
"My Tien's a little rusty, but it sounds like she's calling out for her grandfather, and thinks he's somewhere that's dark."
For a lack of any better ideas, she tries responding to Ameiko in kind.
"Ameiko-kun, kikoemasu ka? Doko ni iru no?"
Shook her head.
"She is always like this! If she had been feeling this ill then she should have stayed with the caravan!"
Nevermind the fact that Daji has the same habit herself.
" that's Tien. Dad tried to teach it to us, What's she saying, I never took to our lessons so I don't understand it."
Liam blinks and decides to ignore Daji joking about not knowing Tien.
"She...only collapsed once we started to head towards the castle. This place has some kind of connection to your family, right Daji? I bet there's something there doing this. Though...it kinda sounds like some curse than treasure if it's doing this to Ameiko."
"We should get going now though. No telling if her condition will get worse."
Ameiko doesn't respond, merely muttering and tossing more, as if in the throes of a nightmare.
You quickly get her back to the caravan, where Madame Mvashti rushes over. "What happened?"
Sees liam give her that look and can't help but feel sorta embarrassed.
When they finally reach the caravan she waves down Mvashti.
"It's Ameiko, she said she was feeling sick then she collapsed, Liam is talking about a curse, but that's crazy, I think she's just sick... right?"
Bel gives Daji a sympathetic look. "Well Daj, seeing as she's speaking in Tien with her dead grandfather...I don't think a family-related curse is completely out of the question."
She then turns to look to the castle. "We definitely need to get her far away from here, but I think we should still investigate the castle ourselves. Maybe we'll find the source of this curse, or some clue to helping her!"
And I didn't come all this way to *not* check out the spooky castle!
"I like to think I'm an expert on family-related weirdness and this definitely qualifies to me." Liam makes a complicated expression at his own comment.
"We're after some kind of inheritance from that scroll right? Sounds like there might be strings attached."
Crosses her arms.
"I mean we should check if it's a curse just to be sure, I mean we do have a lot of odd stuff with my family, Dad was kinda wierd, I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the whole thing. Just kind of came out of nowhere and now it's a big deal that some great dead grandsomthing of mine was like a lord or something. Wonder why Sis is taking it so seriously? Anyway, We should go back to the castle, if there is anything worth taking then we can take it, better than it just sit around doing nothing for anyone."
Koya bundles Ameiko off back into one of the wagons and gives her a look over.
"This must be some kind of curse...or possession? Whatever it is, it's clearly supernatural. Nothing is triggering my magical senses, but I can just feel it. Physically, she's in perfect health. No diseases, her heartbeat is normal, even her eyes simply look like she's peacefully asleep. I'm at a loss. I will pray to Desna for guidance on what to do. Perhaps tomorrow she will gift me with the power to diagnose what's wrong with her."
Looks a tad confused and concerned at Kota
"Possession? Curse? Of all the things? What does that all mean? Can those things be fixed?"
Daji doesn't know alot about curses and even less about possession. And is frustrated that the issue isn't somthing that can seemingly be solved with a potion or sword swing.
"Pretty sure it can. We'd just need to get her to a powerful priest. They can fix anything. But if we don't get rid of or find whatever did it in the first place in that castle, then she might just end up like this again." Liam has that anxious, gogogo energy about him as he paces back and forth.
"Indeed. All things can be fixed." she shakes her head though. "But it may take a priestess with greater talents than mine. I agree: searching the castle is of utmost importance. Ameiko was drawn here by something. Perhaps finding it can hold the key to freeing her."
"Then what are we waiting for?!"
Belaria starts making a beeline toward the castle.
The group marches off to the castle, to save Ameiko!
The primary question, on arrival is...how to get inside? The gatehouse appears to be locked up tight, and likewise seems to be the only viable entrance.
Without opening the gate, the only option left would be to scale the walls; a tall order given how high they are.
Daji walks a circuit around the castle, looking for any possible entrance or perhaps a place where the wall is easier to scale.
Is this castle old and does it look like it's been abandoned for long? is the wall crumbling or cracked in any places? Are there trees or vines growing near or on the walls?
The castle looks to be in surprisingly good shape for having been abandoned for decades. It appears as though someone is maintaining the castle, though not perfectly; the gates of the gatehouse are rusty for instance. But there are no major cracks or gaps in the wall to speak off.
Just as Daji is about to give up, her keen ears pick up a curious sound...almost like snoring coming from the gatehouse.
" Hey you guys hear that? I think I hear a noise, someone snoring?"
Daji Says to her allies in a hush tone, picking for a second sheet in motions at the gate.
" Hey I'm going to try and call out to whoever is in they. you guys should get out of sight"
Belaria flattens herself against the wall.
Liam and Lianne back off farther away. Sixty feet in fact. They give a thumbs up from afar to Daji.
Havi wasn't one for sneaking, and just in case something happened to Daji he wanted to be a looming presence for anything that might come out at her. He stands behind Daji, holding his earthbreaker like it is a walking cane, hoping to be intimidating by virtue of just being himself.
Sours at Havi, Crossing her arms.
"You look like a brigan, at least put your axe away, We're going for honey here."
She sighs and approaches the Gate, unarmed and trying to look as much as a passerby as she can.
"Hello? Anyone there? I think I can hear somone."
You hear the snoring come to a garbled stop and then suddenly a loud *SQUAAWWWWWWWWWK* sound rings through the air.
"What? Huh? WHO GOES THERE!?" croaks the unseen figure.
"Hail! I am Daji of Sandpoint, and this is my first mate Havi, we where just curious about this town and came to find the gates locked, What's the story here?"
Daji yells back up at the gate, eyes peeled for any signs of trouble.
Someone comes striding toward the door from out of sight. By the sound of their gait, they seem displeased.
"WHO GOES THERE!?! SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!" the creature screams as it comes into view, a birdlike humanoid with deep black feathers gracing your sight.
At Daji's answer, its eyes widen.
"SQUAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWK! You're not supposed to be here! Alarm! Alarm!" It shouts, and then begins a deep squawking that seems to go on forever.
Bel winces at the incessant noise, and emerges from her hiding spot to get a look at the source.
Dire Corbies are intelligent, savage predators that usually dwell in underground caves. Their exact origins are unknown, but the generally accepted origin is that they are a degenerate offshoot (or perhaps savage throwback) of the Tengu race.
While intelligent they are wildly xenophobic, and have little use for creatures outside their own kind except as prey. That's not to say they are above hunting their brethren; Dire Corbies are notorious cannibals.
As far as special abilities, they have few. Their primary defining feature is their muscular, springy legs which allow them to make incredible (and incredibly fast) leaps. They can spring up to 20 feet in an instant and rip apart their prey before they have time to react.
They are also notoriously hard to kill, and react much like orcs to being stabbed. Many a would-be Corby hunter has found themselves disemboweled by a Corby who otherwise should have been dead.
"Oh, a Dire Corby! So, bad news: Corbies around here only speak Aklo, which I don't know. Good news: It wouldn't help if I did, because they mainly think of non-Corbies as a tasty snack! Actually, they also think that of each other, but that's not important right now. They can jump really far, really fast, and they get really really pissed off when they're on the verge of death. So basically...be careful!"
"Alright, lets get away from the walls, they can scream all they want they gotta come down here if they wanna get rid of us!"
Daji performs a "tactical retreat", getting about 60 feet away from the wall, and for good mesure she picks up one of the many crumbled cobblestones and flings it at the Corby's general direction.
"Come on down here then, if you don't think we should be here."
Daji beans the bird man in the head with a rock. It squawks even louder, clutching its head in pain, and backs away from the gatehouse door.
Help! I'm being attacked! Intruders!
"...So a bunch of monsters are squatting...Roosting? in this castle huh? Well if talking didn't work out, time for plan B right?" Liam jogs back to the gatehouse door with his sister.
Laughts victoriously as the Corby scrambles back.
"Haha, Got'em! Sounds like we got more coming, be careful Liam!"
Totals: 24 and 6
8 and 7
Daji (22)
Liam (18)
Belaria (13)
Havi (10)
Corby 1 (8)
Corby 2 (6)
Belaria positions herself in front of Daji and raises her fists, glaring at the Corby.
"Alright! Come GET some!"
Standing behind Belaria, Daji prepairs to defend her allies, placing her hands on the handle of her sheathed katana, ready for the moment she needs to draw it out and deflect an attack.
Havi, now glad his hammer was out, goes to hit the Corby that Bellaria neglected.
Liam stands next to Belaria ready to break some beaks.
The corbies take in your display of martial prowess, and make the only wise decision.
They run away.
You hear the warbling cry of the "alarm corby" getting further and further away as you watch. It does not appear to be a ruse.
"Well that was easy. Daji, you must have nailed that Corby real good. Nice throw!" Liam strolls up to the gate with his sister.
Beams, flooded with a strong sense of success as the Corbies flee the combigned might of her and her companions. "Yeah, smart birds!" she exclaims, breaking her prepared stance and rushing to catch up with Liam and walk up to the gate beside him.
The dynamic duo approach the gate, and Liam catches the very faint sound of a shuffling footstep before...
A noose flies down and wraps around his neck, jerking him high into the air toward the top of the wall!
It brings him face to face with a creature at the top; humanoid in the vaguest sense, but with spider-like mandibles and eyes. It clacks its scythe-shaped claws with glee as its spider companion moves forward to take a bite out of Liam's helpless form!
...But it fails to connect as Liam shoves against the wall, barely darting out of range of its jaws.
"-Huh? WHOAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GRK!" Liam is suddenly caught in the very difficult situation of wanting to shout in horror but also not strangle himself to death. His sister, however, is not limited to mere mortal capacities of breath and screams in terror.