Chapter 8: Into the Deep Continued
Here's that second post I promised for this week
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Early morning of the next day, the Heroes of Marchford awoke in castle Llyndofare. A sprinkling of rain had passed during the early morning hours and despite that relief, the rising sun promised another scorching day.
Motega stalked out into the nearby forest to hunt and harvest a meal for the entire party. The other three remained in the castles and began constructing warnings for any bandits that might wish for refuge. An hour later Motega returned with a dear and various nuts and berries.
After a quick breakfast, the Heroes quickly finished with their preparations. Magnus was quietly affixing his crystal blue arcane mark to the tops of the towers when Motega sighted a band of men approaching from the North. A shrill whistle sounded from Motega’s lips and the rest of the party took their positions.
Motega, Tobias and Magnus waited along the catwalks at the rear of Llyndofare while Fitz exited the back door. He walked to the edge of bridge and waited.
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Gandras had welcomed the sight of Llyndofare from the distance. She was a magnificent keep that had protected him, his kin, and his associates for many years. The tales of the keep were over-exaggerated in his opinion. Often there were sounds in the castle at night but it was easy to recognize the sounds as nothing more than insects and animals. But the superstitious peasants had obviously exaggerated. Bugs became restless spirits. Animals became vicious ghosts craving companionship. It was for that reason he had chosen Llyndofare. No guards would dare enter the keep, preferring to face the wrath of their commanders than the wrath of a spirit.
But Llyndofare was different this time. He recognized it easily even from this distance. Gigantic blue symbols blazed at the top of each tower, even along the walls intermittently. The mark had to be of a mage Gandras thought. The implications were something to worry about. But perhaps, it was merely from a mage that traveled with another group of bandits. Deciding to at least garner a bit more information before deciding whether to flee, Gandras instructed his six companions forward.
When the bandits had finished climbing the steep trail up the plateau, a shrill whistle pierced the air. Movement could be seen among the catwalks behind the high walls. The bandit group slowed a bit to search for archers. Seeing none they continued toward the rear door, which surprisingly was gone.
A man shuffled out of the keep and toward the bandits. Gandras’ hand went instinctively to his dagger, but he did not withdraw it. He stopped his men ten feet from the man, obviously a priest not a mage. That meant there was at least one other here, Gandras thought. He saw movement above and quickly multiplied that figure.
An awkward silence stilled the warm air until Gandras broke it. “I seek refuge for my traveling companions and myself. Please step aside.”
“I am sorry,” Fitz began, “but castle Llyndofare can no longer be a refuge for travelers.”
“She has always been a refuge!” Gandras quickly retorted. “Surely a priest and mage would not cast travelers out?! Especially ones exhausted with a hard journey and just needing a bit of rest?”
“Castle Llyndofare has been reclaimed by his rightful owner the Duke of Dun Beric. No one is permitted to enter at this time,” Fitz calmly replied. “It is not safe.”
“Safe? Of course Llyndofare is safe. You’re here aren’t you?” Gandras didn’t believe the lie about the Duke. These bandits were just fortunate enough to have a cleric as well, he decided.
A grunt issued from behind the wall, as Tobias lifted the tied object and flung it over the wall. The body of a scorpiot plummeted downward then snapped as the rope held it in place. Looks of horror blossomed on the bandits’ faces, all except for Gandras.
“Llyndofare is not safe, not be gone.” Fitz demanded.
“Just one,” Gandras searched is memory for the name of the unnatural creature before him not finding one, “beast and already dead. Now let us in!” Suddenly three more of the insect-appearing beasts flew over the edge of the wall. Then four more bodies joined those four, the dwem corpses.
Gandras had heard of the dark dwarves. He knew them to be evil, more evil than petty bandits. His mind began to change. Perhaps Llyndofare wasn’t so safe.
“There are more inside.” Fitz challenged. “If you really want to risk the lives of your men, then by all means enter. But,” he held up a finger to mark his point, “the infestation has not been cleared yet. You would do well to leave.” The other six bandits turned to walk away. Gandras had a hard time pulling his eyes from the corpses.
“Oh!” Fitz added. “If you have need, I can send a garrison of soldiers with you to make sure your journey is a safe one. I wouldn’t want you to run into any bandits along the route.” Fitz nearly beamed as the leader turned to follow his men.
“That won’t be necessary!” Gandras shouted. “We know the land well enough!” Then the bandits disappeared over the lip of the plateau.