Adrian gazed upon Zaraleva and Spivey with some amusement, but was quick to ask a question. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?"
A hint of a smile curls the corners of Lyraesel's lips, as Zaraleva talks to Spivey, the wolf-sister watching with curiosity as she entertains what she assumes is a fairy of some sort.
She smiles as she lands on Zarlava’s hands. She gives a small curtsy, and looks to Lyraesal before speaking again to the group. “Yes there was a woman she wore furs, looked very scary, and carried a large axe. She was the only survivor from the battle with dragon that destroyed the longship! She was grabbed and brought into the castle a few days ago.”
Her smile grows wide and she looks at you excitedly Zaraleva as you speak of miracles,
“Are you blessed by the Dreamer too! I am as well, I carry a small part of the wonder and excitement she brings, for I am from Elysium. I am a Lyrakin, I was brought her many many years ago by my friend. But she was eaten by a hungry plant, so now I’m here.” as she speaks of Desna you can see excitement, admiration, and pure wholesome love is pouring from the tiny person.
Lyraesel cocks her head to the side in thought, as Spivey describes the survivor of the dragon battle. "The boat woman, she is from Land of the Linnorm Kings?"
“I’m not that familiar with this plane, but your guess is better than mine. If I may ask, what brings you all here? I heard some talk of helping someone. What’s wrong, do you need help?” She looks about you all curious at your situation and if there is aid she can provide.
"Last night while I was on watch something happened to one of our caravan members. She has not woken up since." Byron answers to the small creature.
"I'm going to guess that's outside of Varisia, so your guess is as good as mine." Adrian shrugs.
But it was his turn to be curious as he walked closer towards the outsider. "I didn't know outsiders could be this small, never mind taken in as familiars..." speaking of which, he realized how that could still be a sore spot and he bowed slight in response. "Sorry for your loss by the way."
After Byron spoke, he added. "We think whatever can wake her up may be in that castle... so maybe there's a connection. Either way, we're heading in there. Might as well make it as rescue mission too."
She gives a nod, “I appreciate the condolences. As for your friend I can help if you need. Or I can heal you when your hurt and watch over you as you sleep, the creatures of the castle don’t venture here anymore. They think me some kind of spirit.”
"Good spirits are always welcome." Lyraesel says with a brief smile, before her expression once again becomes one of focus. "They have a captive...no time to waste." she says beginning to advance on the castle.
She smiles and agrees to wait here saying when you return she will accompany you to see if she can help your friend. With that she flutters off to tend to the graves and hide once again. You all turn and follow Lyraesel as she follows the slowly climbing road as the night begins to darken. A half moon hangs in the sky giving you some light to work with but the encroaching darkness and the eerie sounds of creatures is still unnerving.
You walk and see more burned and destroyed houses. Most completely ruined, others barely a wall remains standing, covered in lichen and moss. As you begin to leave the town you see the road turn and begin to climb much faster. As you round it, the castle that was hidden behind the trees and darkness begins to come into view. The surrounding overgrown groves on either side give it a secretive look like it is trying to hide yet is to large. The high stone walls block your view and you see large rotten wooden doors closed at the gatehouse. The entire structure looks abandoned and decrepit. A quick study of the gate doors reveals they are locked shut.
A quick study of the tracks reveals that within the last day a group of humanoid like creatures walked through the path into the castle. The prints show them as bipedal, with large claws on their feet and three toes. Resembling almost like a very large bird. The second set of prints also shows that they were carrying something, a slight change in the gait of their walk is easily seen.
Aiko whispers, "I thought we were going to check the longship. Why are we here?"
She gestures to the castle and adds, "I hear something, some kind of argument. Large bird-creatures came this way recently. Might be best to see if I can climb up one side of the curtain wall and lower a rope so that we aren't coming in the front gate."
"They took a prisoner from the ship to here. If we want to save her we should move quickly." Byron says as he looks around.
"There are strange tracks here of a large, three fingered claw going into the castle. But, somewhere inside I hear the sounds of a fight and arguing."
"I think the fairy already checked what's in there. I'm more worried about the person whoever's in that castle captured. She can tell us if there's anyone there... provided she's still alive."
Adrian gulped at the prospect of the woman not surviving and he nodded towards Aiko. "I can try and climb up with you if you need any help."
"Dire Corbies. Vicious crow people. They live underground, not normal to find them above." Lyraesel proclaims as they look at the tracks.
She nods at the idea of a stealthy approach over the wall.
"I do not have any rope or climbing gear to help get up and over." Byron says as he looks up at the walls.
Winsome mutters to himself, depressed that he has allowed himself to get into such a difficult situation. He finally goads himself forward while the others discuss climbing, to examine the lock on the gate and see how difficult it would be to disable.
Aiko goes through her pack and produces a 50' length of rope and a grappling hook.
"I should be able to scale the wall and then hook the rope around the top and send it down for everyone else to climb," she says.
"We just need to get on a side that isn't well-guarded, so there's nobody up there that I have to fight alone while trying to secure the rope."
She glances about the length of the curtain wall.
"If I can find a narrow causeway along the west side wall at the base, I may be able to get up... but a lookout will probably be posted there to keep an eye on the harbor. South side will obviously have a lookout for the gate. East side... maybe, maybe not. I'll try that."
She moves to the east side of the castle, then shoves her naginata between her backpack and her body to keep it stowed, as she'll need her hands for climbing.
Once she reaches the top, she glances down the parapet for guards, cautiously peeking over it and then ducking back while hanging on the side. She uses the wall itself for cover, pressing herself flat against it and hanging below the crenellations.
If there are no guards posted on the east side of the wall, she scrambles up, loops her rope around one of the crenellations, then uses the grapple to secure the line to itself before tossing the other end down.
Looking at things Winsome, you can see the mechanism is to large to pick a large post holds the gate shut, you muse that a lever or switch is needed to unlock the gate.
As you move to the east wall you pass by the wall and towers. Looking up you see nobody moving and no person along the walls. As you get further along you all can now hear the sounds of fighting. The gruff voices speak in guttural and brutish language.
You toss the grappling hook up and giving it a pull your able to easily climb up and find yourself near the top. Looking about you see a ruined building just in front of you. Using it as cover you look and see to the north a pond amidst the castle walls, but nothing else. Far off near the rest of the castle you see through two arrow slits somewhat dim light streaming through and the muffled sounds of raccaus. Looking south you see two large silhouettes wrestling. Finally finishing with one pinning the other and dropping an elbow on the other’s head. The same guttural voice is heard from earlier.
Waiting long enough for Aiko to clear the area, and hearing no sign of battle or danger, Lyraesel quickly moves to the east wall, noting the sounds of ....something(s), possibly fighting.
Getting to the rope, she grips a dagger between her teeth, preparing for any enemies at the top, and begins to climb.
Lyraesel You make your way up and Aiko slinking in the shadows of the ruined building room. Seeing what she sees as you make your way to either side.
Byron will follow them up taking his time as he goes.
Winsome brings up the rear, clucking to himself nervously.
"You understand them?" Lyraesel whispers as she creeps up beside Aiko.
Adrian takes up the rear and situates himself so that he can see the conflict.
"We can only hope those two keep their focus on each other instead of us."
"No," replies Aiko. "If we're quiet maybe we can get inside without them noticing us, while they're still in the aftermath of the fight."
Byron moves forward to see as well and shakes his head before whispering, "Its not a great idea to leave them behind us. Getting trapped between them and whatever is further in might be a big issue."
[/b]"Fight them first, everything inside knows we're here."[/b] Lyraesel replies.
"Exactly," Adrian agrees. "We still don't know just how many things we're up against yet. We should only attack if we need to."
With the moonlight and the momentary pause you are able see the area in question better. This smaller courtyard contains what may have once been a fine garden, but neglect has seen the death of the flowers that once grew here. Several broken benches complete the sense of loss. An area in the middle of the old cloister has been cleared of debris, and is marred by numerous bloodstains. As you’re speaking the one that pinned the other starts to let the other up. There is a laugh, and you can finally see their forms better. They are some seven and a half feet tall. Muscled and strangely wrong; one has his knees bending backwards as if it’s normal. The other has a small vestigial arm unable to be moved sticking out his side. They look tired and covered in bruises and cuts from their match.
"Those are ogrekin. They are not very bright, but they love to fight. We might be able to lure them somewhere or sneak past. But they are already fighting. I am not sure anyone would notice the sound of more fighting."
"True. This much noise...already bleeding and yelling. Kill them quick...sounds the same." Lyraesel concedes, as she watches the brutes with a hunter's eyes.
Winsome hesitates, unwilling to initiate combat himself, though with the signs that battle is imminent, he begins casting a protective spell.
"I would rather we avoid combat unless we have to," Adrian interjected. "If we face anything else, those ogrekin likely wouldn't be ones to join in."
"I think we have to get through them first. We have the element of surprise, though."
You see the two now standing and the one that was on the ground rub his shoulder and back they start to walk a little but don’t seem to pay you any mind… they don’t seem to have any horns or other way of alarm. Though a couple pointed sticks are stuck in the ground nearby.
"I don't see how we bring the caravan into town with a bunch of ogrekin hanging out in here. They have already sortied out to take someone near the town. We can try to sneak past for now, but in the end these ogrekin are unlikley to ignore the caravan appearing in town." Byron says as he looks back towards where the caravan is hidden out of the town. Looking back at the two ogrekin he adds, "We do not necessarily need to kill them. We could subdue them and question them if we want and set them free when we leave this place. Although, I think they will just attack the next group that passes through."
Studying your target Byron you notice that he looks physically drained from their wrestling match, and you can see that despite the “friendly” fight he has a few rough bruises and cuts on him.
"The caravan's safe for now," Adrian pointed out. "We can take care of them once we get through whoever else's guarding the castle. I just don't feel the need for an ambush if we can easily sneak past them."
A low growl sounds in the back of Lyrasel's throat
"Ameiko sick, possibly dying, another inside captive. Talking does nothing." she says, her words pubctuated by her drawing the iron-black sickle at her belt. Her countenance shifts somewhat, becoming wilder, eyes glowing golden, her hair thickening and growing, face and jaw taking on a more bestial cast as her canine teeth elongate.
Dropping into a predatory crouch, she begins loping forward stealthily.
As you begin to slink foreword along the wall to get closer to leap at your prey, the one that was beaten sulks arms folded turning away from the other. Just as you move along the wall he looks up at the wall and points. Speaking in the guttural tone.
“что это? Я думаю, это летучая мышь, ты видишь?”
“What's that? I tink its the bat, you see it?”
The other looks over his shoulder at the area you are at Lyraesal.
Byron will seek to sneak along wit the druid hoping the two ignore whatever they may have heard but ready with his spear in case the come to investigate.
Crap.
Adrian froze in fear as the ogrekin managed to spot the druid. When not much else happened, the monk would slowly make his way to follow the Slayer. Maybe they didn't notice the rest of them...
Aiko moves quietly, crouched down behind the parapet, along the wall until she's as close as she can get in a short burst of cautious movement, then she leaps up, vaults over the crenellation, draws her naginata as she falls, rolls when she hits the ground, and comes up ready to fight.
Realizing that she'd been spotted, and choosing to keep the attention drawn to herself so that the others could act unseen, Lyraesel locks her golden glare on the ogrekin before throwing her head back, and letting out a single primal wolf-like howl to instill the terror of an apex predator in her enemies.
Zaraleva loads her crossbow and will fire it at the wounded one before anyone gets into melee, if she thinks melee is going to happen.
Winsome readies an action to shoot a magical missile at the first enemy to initiate combat.
The one that won the wrestling match goes eyes wide at the howl and seems to register primally. While the other grits his teeth and looks angry.