"Fiore weapons kept stored there were labeled in Tien. Good sign that we might find what is needed to help Ameiko there. Not that common in this area." Lyraesel adds.
"Whoosh, I'm beat," complains Winsome. "That f-f-flying creature really took everything out of those of us it hit. It was a r-r-really p-p-powerful spell!" He emphasizes this with a defensive look at the rest of the party. "I mean, r-r-really p-p-powerful. If it can do that every day... what did it say? Something about something giving it strength? Pezuzu? Pazuzu? It s-s-sounded like the thing's deity. Does that sound f-f-familiar to anyone?"
Aiko shakes her head. "Outside of my experience."
She turns to Kelda and says, "Care to join us for dinner and some rest? We are still planning to infiltrate the castle again."
Lyraesel shrugs before going in search of Shalelu.
"Pazuzu? Oh...he's one of the worst."
Zaraleva proceeds to describe him as she heals Winsome.
"Can you work on the Pearl of Power a little tonight?"
Byron flops down into against a tree to nurse his wounds and says, "That thing worshiped a terrible deity.... yeah that figures."
"That I can guess pretty well," he replied to Byron before turning towards Kelda. "Yeah, you're more than welcome to stay with us for the night."
"Can you work on the Pearl of Power a little tonight?"
The thought of doing slow, deliberate work on a magic item seems to calm Winsome down somewhat. "Oh yeah, s-s-sure. Of course. We have plenty of reagents for me to work with, I guess. Do you have a pref-f-ferred color you’d like? I would guess white, but uh, you never know huh?"
Sandru takes all the information in thinking before seeing Kelda he offers a bow and a smile, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, you look the picture of violence with your sword and shield.” she response with a short but somewhat friendly “Thanks” before turning to respond to the question of staying.
“I’ll stay, I wanna see this through with that place.” as she finds a place to rest by the fire setting down her weapons and helmet but leaving her armor on.
Sandru listens attentively to you all, in awe of such a story. “Wow it seems you have had quite the night. This things sounds… horrible. As for a tiny woman I have not, though I’m sure I would notice someone like that hahaha.”
@Winsome you know that Pazuzu is a demon lord, known for violence his assossciation with birds strangely.
@Zaraleva he is an ancient demon lord and is considered powerful even by Demon Lord standards. The phrase that he lords over all that is evil and flys is not without basis; for his concerns are The Sky, Temptation, and Winged creatures. Often working via direct or second hand sources on the material plane his is one of the more present evils in the world.
Zaraleva listens attentively to Winsome. "Sure, white is fine." She then looks at Lyraesel and has a thought. "Actually, make it green if you can. We will honor the natural world around us. Lyraesel, do you casts spells as well?"
After everyone is settled for the night, she will take second watch (before midnight) and use her last channel energy if nothing attacks.
"Yes, I do use the magic of nature." the druidess replies to Zaraleva's question.
Adrian's main task was to ask Spivey if the outsider was interested in joining them in taking over the castle, likely going to the same place they first found her. He will also take the last watch.
"I just need to get cleaned up a bit and then I can settle in for the night. We should still have plenty of food supplies for now. Sandru, did you already set up a fire pit for the caravan? Best if we all stay near the wagons in case we need to make a hasty exit or arrange a defense," says Aiko.
"I'm going to pay a quick visit to Ameiko after I get cleaned up, then let's talk dinner."
The ninja puts down her naginata with a sigh and goes to sit for a while with her comatose charge, lost in her own thoughts for a time.
It wasn't long before Adrian walked by to check on Ameiko as well. "I wonder what she's thinking about in there," he said to broke the silence. "I just hope it's pleasant thoughts."
Having cleaned up and put away her arms and armor for the moment, Aiko has switched to a comfortable long robe, presumably in preparation for dinner and sleep. She kneels next to the fitfully sleeping bard-noblewoman with her hands on her knees.
Without turning to look at Adrian she says, "Her sleep seems troubled. I feel that the sooner we find a way to awaken her, the better. Perhaps if she's fortunate she won't remember the experience at all."
After a moment of hesitation she gestures to one side with one hand, inviting Adrian to sit next to her.
"We have surely found something. The fireworks in the box, with the writing in Tien? There is a connection, it seems almost certain. But what? And why did it do this to Ameiko? And how do we end it?"
"My father was close-mouthed about the history of the Kaijitsu family. He said only that we, the Hattori family, had a duty to them, one that extended beyond the edge of the world, beyond our own lifetimes. Was Ameiko's family here before us, long ago? How did they get here? A castle like this isn't built overnight. How long did they reside here? Were they visitors, or did they own this place? Why did they leave and come to Sandpoint?"
"Too many questions, and right now, all of our answers are in that monster-haunted ruin of a castle."
Finally the ninja turns to look directly at Adrian and says, "What do we do if she doesn't wake up?"
A closer inspection showed that she was right. Her breathing has been shallow.
"The last part is what worried me." He blinked. "Not about her never waking up again. I hope it doesn't come to that yet..." He took a big breath. "I suspected that whatever your family was hiding, they were hoping the Kaijitsu family never came across it. And yet it seems like it may not have mattered anyways. I think those giants and other creatures are after whatever this thing was too. It seemed like no matter what this was going to happen."
He got more comfortable by sitting cross-legged. "She wasn't going to say no to an adventure, that's for sure."
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Aiko makes a sort of unhappy hrm noise and twists her lips up momentarily, then says, "I don't generally believe in inevitabilities, so I think there is... something going on here that's bigger than we understand yet. We won't know what until we finish exploring Brinewall and find out how it's connected to our history."
"The Kaijitsu family history is pretty well lost. I don't know much about it, just that my father said that we were sworn to protect and serve them. Lonjiku maybe knew more, but he was, frankly, an ass, and when he died in the goblin attack on Sandpoint, nobody really shed too many tears. Ameiko's grandfather might've known more, but... I don't know how much she's been told. She doesn't share it, if she knows more."
Aiko goes back to staring at the sleeping woman. "I would think that she trusts me... she knows that I am devoted to her protection, utterly. But maybe it's not a story that she wants to tell, nor mine to know. Regardless I will follow her to the edge of Jigoku and beyond, if necessary."
Aiko looks back to Adrian and says, "Thinking about Ameiko's fate makes me feel helpless, which means I wind up focusing on what I can do, and that means solving the mysteries of the castle."
"Yeah... it seems like that's the only thing we can do for her now," Adrian sighed. "The castle sure isn't making it easy on us that's for sure. What's a worshiper of Pazuzu even doing in there?"
Shaking his head, he continued. "If it makes you feel better, I think she would have told you if she knew about what was going on." He placed a reassuring hand on the ninja's shoulder. "She seems to trust you well enough and all."
The ninja looks for a moment like she's going to shake it off, then she gently puts her hand over Adrian's.
"I have an advantage, we did grow up together," she finally says quietly. Her dark eyes sweep back over Ameiko's sickened form, and Adrian can feel the distraught tension in her shoulders, though her face remains an implacable mask.
"You know at the end of it all we're just a couple of lovesick fools, right?"
"That much we can agree with," he nodded slowly. "Funny that it feels like when I was trying so many times to get her attention. I guess it was partially the reason I agreed to join the quest. Part of it was to make sure things go south but also... to spend some time with her. Now I would trade that just so she can wake up again. "
He then turned to face her. "Whoever she chooses, let's just agree we won't get in each others' way. I can tell how much you care about her."
"Bold of you to assume that she will choose one of us," say Aiko. "She had a lover before... and lost him. Maybe she'll find someone else, or maybe she will hang on to that flame for the rest of her life."
Aiko sighs and adds, "All we can do is the best we can to do right by her. And who knows? Maybe she'll decide she wants to share. She's never let conventional notions of 'propriety' stop her from following her heart."
"Right..." He briefly looked down on the ground. "I heard about that rumor but didn't want to press anything."
When Aiko stated her next statement, he chuckled. "Now that's something funny." Another look at Aiko indicated that it wasn't a joke. "Wait you're serious? How would that even work?"
Aiko shrugs. "I don't know. Just something I've heard of. Keleshite harems, and such." She lifts her hand off of Adrian's to brush her black hair a bit absently.
"She had a very brief and intense fling with Sandru's brother, Alder, but... they went on an expedition, and he didn't survive. That's how she knew Sandru and was able to arrange the caravan: They've traveled together before," Aiko says.
She licks her lips and then slowly and fluidly rises to her feet. "Believe me, I was furious," she says. "She went and risked her life with these folks? And she didn't take me, or even tell me? And then she spent months just brooding and crying. I almost didn't want to forgive her, but... well." She gives a wry, quirked half-smile.
"She's had a lot of hard times in her life, in spite of being born into a wealthy aristocratic family. These have shaped her into the woman that she is today."
Aiko looks off into the distance over Adrian's shoulder and says, "If I weren't in love with her... I think I might be a much more terrible person. Because there would be nothing making me want to be better."
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As more was told to him about what happened to her, the sadder and more conflicted he felt. He stood up along with her as she continued.
"She always wanted to be an adventurer.. I wondered what it would take for her to quit like that... but I wouldn't blame her for quitting if it ended like that," he replied.
Mentioning the last part caused him to smile. "She has that affect on people, doesn't she. I don't think I would have tried to learn the Ruan without her. You just want to be a better person around her."
He took a deep breath before he spoke next. "For her to want to go out like that, it felt like she was finally healing."
Aiko says, "You need to remember, her father and half-brother died in the glassworks just the year after she lost Alder. But she never really got along with either of them. That was... what... four? Five? years ago now. She sold the glassworks, focused on the Rusty Dragon. She chose the life that she wanted, put the loss of her family behind her."
"This journey... in a way, it represents two things. First, it's a break with her past. She left Sandpoint behind, left behind all of those terrible memories, uprooted everything to go on this journey. She wants to be out and about in the world, doing things, not just slowly sinking into routine running a tavern in a little town on the coast. Second, this is... it's a way to reconnect with her family heritage. To get past the awful memories of Lonjiku and the horrible way that he treated her and her mother, and to skip past him and learn about the family that came before. Maybe to see something that tells her more about where she came from, who they were."
"It's a way of putting all of the old trauma behind her, in her past, and finding out who she is."
It was a lot to think about. Ameiko's search for her purpose in life, who she might actually be and what her family connection to all of that may be. It's also making him tired. "Then we need to make sure she sees that through," he spoke determined. "We'll function better with a good night's rest. And we will get her awake."
And with that he went back to continue his shift in watching th3 rest of the party.
As Adrian starts to turn away, Aiko says, simply, "Hey." She grabs his wrist, then surprisingly, she hugs him. After a few moments she lets go.
"I'm going to get some dinner and then try to rest. See you in the morning."
As you all finally get some rest, awaking around the small campsite. You all may have woken up for guardshift but just in case the caravan has a shift as well. Shalelu is awake at the moment tending to slowly smoldering fire as the day begins in earnest. It’s before noon but past sunrise close to 9 maybe 9:30. She has a small animal roasting and some other food from the area ready. The others are either sleeping or going about camp getting it set up for the day, taking care of the animals or fetching firewood. Ameiko still lies in the makeshift bed she has been, Sandru is asleep so is Koya.
Nothing of note happened during the watch, but the air is tense still, after only a day of waiting.
Awakening before the others, Lyaesel goes through her morning meditation, communing with the natural world around her and preparing her magic. Once finished, she quietly makes her way to the center of the camp, drawn by the smell of food, and smiling to herself at the sight of Shalelu roasting some small game.
Barely making a sound, she pads over to the smoldering fire, sitting beside the ranger, and enjoying a long stretch of comfortable silence before speaking. "I can feel the tension in the camp. Worried, and nervous." she says staring into the embers. "I think today will be a hard fight, against the monsters in the castle."
She takes a deep breath, glancing over at Shalelu for her thoughts.
Byron wakes up still stiff and sore from the previous day and stretches. "We should probably clear the upper layers and head back down to deal with that foul creature once we are sure it lacks allies to join in."
Shalelu nods, “Just be careful. I’ve walked into things thinking I had it all figured out and gotten over my head. Almost died because of it, almost lost some people close to me too.”
She looks to Byron and listens gauging to see what your plan is.
"That creature we met yesterday almost did the same to us. I think we need to start as far from it as we can and clear as much of the place as we can. If we can find more ways to effectively fight it from range or to protect ourselves from its blasts, we will fare much better." Byron says.
"I think we'll be better prepared for that creature this time around," Adrian said, holding up the heavy crossbow. "We can shoot down the creature without getting in range of its magic now. I didn't have much luck finding Spivey but we may not need her. After that, it should be straight forward from there. Hopefully our enemies hadn't figured out we're invading yet."
"We will. We've already see how dangerous at least one of them is." Lyraesel replies.
Turning to look as Byron and Adrian discuss how to face the creatures in the castle she nods. "As long as we pick them off, a few at a time, we should be fine."
"As long as we pick them off, a few at a time, we should be fine."
"I agree. I feel like if we use the secret doors, we can get to the Tengu when they least expect it. I also agree that we should save the Pazuzu zealot for last (or never.) We have ways around it, so we can avoid it for now."
"I also need to pick spells for today. I can't change the domain spells, but if there's something life-changing on the cleric list, please tell me now. Magic Weapon? Maybe a bunch of magical crossbow bolts? Maybe Cat's Grace for Aiko?"
Shalelu surveys you all as you start to wake and gather. “Seems like the best idea. Figuring out the best places to strike will help. Just removed the answer is also in that town I think. Whatever happened to Ameiko happened when we got here.”
"Let's show the map to Shalelu. Maybe she has more tactical knowledge than we do?"
Adrian does just that, handing the map over to Shalelu to observe. "So do you think our idea matches what's on the map?"
She looks over the map studying it for a moment. She asks a few questions about what you saw and where. She scratches her chin thinking.
“Well sneaking in is the best start. As for after that, exploring it to find whatever is causing that sickness is important. You never saw any bird creatures though which is strange. Maybe they were somewhere within the castle. It’s hard to figure out exactly where to go next, you have a lot of questions and so few leads. Just try to avoid getting overwhelmed… and make sure to stay away from obvious death traps. Castles are made to be defended.” . As she says the last part she points to the courtyard for emphasis.
"I can do at least one of those things," He paused as the corny joke failed to land. "Anyways, we better get going then." With that, he set off back into the castle with the others.
"I can try and remove any of the traps we find. But considering what is tramping around in there, you would think they would have set off any traps already." Byron says as he shoulders his new crossbow and then hefts his spear and starts heading back to the castle.
"Unless they set them." Lyraesel replies, waving to Shalelu as they set out.
Shalelu waves back as you all head out and begin to make your way through the dilapidated town. The remains of it laid bare in the morning sun. Making your way if you want you can see Spivey who tends to the graves in her manner. She waves and offers healing if you need it, but remains there. You begin to get to the hill and have a decision to make entering via the secret tunnel once again or trying to sneak in through the upper floors.
If you move close you see the place remains relatively the same. The doors still closed and the walls abandoned. But you do see a figure leaning over the gatehouse lazily standing about. Feathered, with claws and a sharp beak half of it is visible. It seem to simply be eating something. It however doesn’t seem to have seen you all, yet.
Relooking at the path as you move along up the hill you can see that the tracks you saw the other day are the same. But fresh and by the way they disturb the dirt you can tell that several of these bird like creatures came through here this morning. You see some leading out but none leading in.
"Look, more tracks!" Lyraesel says in a low tone, more of a soft growl than a whisper, as she points out the fresh signs of passage up the hill. "More of the birdmen...some left this morning. Not back yet."
"They must be hunting. There's no signs of agriculture or domestic animals, they have to get food from somewhere," suggests Aiko. "Maybe we can take the gatehouse guard by surprise."
Winsome cracks his knuckles with an obvious amount of trepidation, but smiles as if trying to be brave. He casts a spell to give himself some protection, a suit of armor made of force. "I w-w-will do my b-b-best," he stammers. "F-f-fortunately, the bolts of energy at my c-c-command are r-r-relatively plentiful."
"Seems like that's the best plan," Adrian nodded. "Aiko, do you think you can sneak in and surprise the guard? Or I can go in for the stun myself."