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[howandwhy99]

[DAY 86 – Weddingday, Azer 18th, CY 81]

“Ho! On the road!” called out the watchguard.
“Hail to the Keep!” called back Darius and the gate was raised. The small band felt good to be back inside Keep Margrave. After the attack and now their long absence it had begun to feel a little like home to them all. It would be hard to leave it. Once inside, a soldier ordered them to relinquish their weapons. “What?” cried Dalin. “I’m not giving up my sword. We’re under a constant thread of attack, don’t you know?” The guard explained he was acting under orders from Lord Ratcliffe himself. Everyone had to surrender their weapons before entering the keep. Reluctantly the team agreed to the terms, but chose to spend the night in the barracks instead of the inn. As they unloaded their horses word was sent for Father Ben. He looked rather tired, but obviously pleased with their arrival. “Any word of a replacement?” he asked. Darius admitted to not having met any such person. They had never even reached a temple inside of Harling.

Moving towards the door, Darius said he needed to meet with Lord Ratcliff immediately. Before he could leave the barracks, however, he overheard Ben telling Dram how eleven refugees from Hamfast had arrived a few days ago. Darius stopped in his tracks. Father Ben explained how he had received their letter and was still fighting stop the guard from hauling the men to jail. Dram and his father became livid. Pushing Darius out of the doorway, they marched all the way to the gate of the inner bailey with the rest of the team in tow. Dram kicked and pounded on the door demanding an audience with the castellan. After a short wait the whole team was let inside. Sitting inside his quarters, Lord Radcliffe swung wide his arms and welcomed them back. Dram smashed his fist on the Lord’s table. “I DEMAND ANSWERS! (smash) Why have you put a price on my father’s head?! (smash) And why are you trying to arrest his friends? (smash) I won’t stand for this!”
“Then you’d better sit down,” replied Radcliffe.

Gil caught his son’s fist just as he pulled back to pummel the Lord. Darius leapt forward between the two.
“We have many questions for you, my lord.” He said. “There were many difficulties during the journey south and we have learned that there are more problems in County Margrave than simply those affecting the Keep.”
”Then let us by all means sit and discuss them,” suggested Radcliffe. He genuinely appeared to have no idea why they were all so mad. A circle of chairs was set up. For privacy’s sake, Rose, Diedre, and Gil were escorted from the room. Having not been privy to every discussion, the newcomers still needed to prove themselves. Inside the room, Darius first asked why Dram’s father was a wanted criminal. Radcliffe answered nonchalantly. It turned out Lady Harling had sent several orders to him. Pigeons were arriving almost every day. Upon hearing this news, Father Ben’s jaw fell open. “Just what is going on here?” he thought.

Many of the messages concerned the need of making weapons for the war. Right now the Keep’s own smith was hard at work with four new recruits forging arms and armaments day and night. Other messages detailed the crimes of several enemies of the County. One of these criminals was Dram’s Father, Gil Hammersmith. Apparently, word had been sent from Harling stating Gil was an escaped prisoner loose in the area. He was to be escorted back to Hamfast in chains when found. Darius pressed on. Radcliffe said Father Benedict reported contradictory evidence about the criminals from Hamfast. Moreover, the Father currently locked them inside the temple under rule of sanctuary. Radcliffe was not pleased about this turn of events, but he had ordered Sergeant Keenan to take ten men into Hamfast to learn more. Keenan had been gone for four days now and was expected back at any time.

During another round of questions, Radcliffe exclaimed Father Ben had said nothing whatsoever about a Mr. Hammersmith. Dram looked over to Ben, but the priest just shrugged in response. “I didn’t know,” he said. Lord Radclift recounted his understanding of events. According to Lady Margrave, Hamfast was an important supplier of weapons to the Front. It was absolutely imperative that the weapon production continued. The success of the war demanded it. “But if the story of Hamfast being run by goblins is true,” Radcliffe threw up his hands in frustration, “what am I to do?” The whole team pondered the question as the truth about Hamfast slowly sunk in.