[AU] Siege on Ebonring Keep

Rybaer said:
"If you would, could you elaborate on your encounter with bandits? What was their strength and number? I know there is a sizable band of them in the region, though we have not yet dealt with them. As long as they're leaving us alone, we can't spare the soldiers to hunt them yet."

"There were only four that attacked us," Ys-Baddaden says. "And only one that walked away, naked as a babe. That one told us that his leader was called Drell and that the bandits made their base camp in the Floating Forest. Their orders were to stop all adventurers from reaching the Keep. I have ... reasons ... to believe what he said was true."
 

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Yaren leads the group into the ruins surrounding the Keep. The ruins are primarily crumbled stone walls and the husks of towers. Tents and stalls are scattered throughout and soldiers and craftsmen are busy at work.

The keep itself is set into the side of a hill. It is a slab of a building with little decoration and dozens of arrowslits. A broad stairway leads up from the right hand side of the building to the main entrance - over twenty feet up. There are a couple higher levels as well as an observation tower that is at least seventy-five feet above the camp. A pair of guards in the tower seem to focus most of their attention on the nearby Floating Forest.

Yaren's scouts are sent on other business and she leads you quickly through camp and up the stairs of the keep. A pair of heavy iron doors stand open and through them you find a long guardroom. Along the left side, arrow slits look out over the camp and one human archer watches through them. Two heavily armed and armored giants flank a open doorway into a large hall beyond. A portcullis hangs over this doorway, and the more observant of you notice several gratings in the ceiling above this room...though it is too dark through them to see anything.

Yaren sweeps you all through the room, only curtly nodding at the guards who return the gesture. The room beyond is large, almost fifty feet on a side, clearly accounting for over half the space on this level of the keep. Twenty foot high ceilings are supported by four massive columns. There is a stairway climbing up the far left corner of the room and another descending in the far right. There are no windows or even arrowslits in this room - it is lit (poorly) by a handful of torches and several lanterns. Two doors set in the right side wall are the only other visible exits.

Three long tables surrounded by chairs dominate the center of the room. Three giants and a human are clustered around the end of one table, apparently looking over maps and other documents. As you enter, the soldiers all look up and one immediately rises and approaches.

The giant stands just over eight feet tall, but his bearing and heavy chain and plate armor makes him appear even larger. At his side is a beautifully crafted swordaxe. His stride exudes confidence and purpose.

"Sub-commander Yaren," he barks, "who are these people? Why do you bring them in here?" He is clearly irritated.

She stands tall and salutes him smartly. "They're adventurers, Colonel," she says. "They're here to answer Iriana's recovery mission. I expect she would like to see them immediately."

He looks you over briefly and then grunts under his breath. "Carry on," he says and waves you past. He turns sharply on his heel and returns to the table with the others.

Yaren indicates for you to follow and she leads everyone down the stairway into a lower level of the keep. The stairs descend about thirty feet and the ceilings of the basement are only ten feet high.


[ooc - I'll finish this up later. Feel free to post any questions or observations your characters may wish...through the tent camp and hall.]
 

The room at the bottom of the stairs is a smaller hall. Two officers sit behind a couple tables at one end of the room and a handful of soldiers are standing nearby, apparently waiting for their daily orders. Branching off either end of the room are barracks quarters, though from the bottom of the stairs you can't see much of them. A small door in the opposite corner from the stairs likely leads to the latrine (judging by the smell).

Yaren leads you to a door near one of the barracks rooms. The soldiers look at your group with a bit of interest, but say nothing. Yaren knocks sharply at the door and then opens it without waiting for an answer.

The room beyond is about half the size of the main hall above. A great glass panel situated between two pillars of black marble dominates the opposite wall. Only bare stone can be seen through the glass. In the center of the room is a lowered area with two sets of stairs leading down the five foot depth. Centered in this depression is a short pedestal, again of black marble. Standing next to the pedestal is a well-dressed human woman of middle age who looks up from a book she is scribbling notes in as you enter. (Pyior immediately recognizes her magister's staff leaning against the wall nearby.)

"Lady Truthspeaker," Yaren says stiffly. "Adventurers are here to answer your call." Yaren waves you all into the room.

The woman sets her quill down. "Ah, at last!" she says. "You're the first group to arrive. Thank you so much for getting here this quickly. We can hope that the rhodin have not taken the ring too far in this short time."

Iriana walks up the stairs and looks pointedly at Yaren. When the litorian doesn't respond, Iriana thanks her and pointedly dismisses the sub-commander. Yaren turns and departs without another word.

Iriana closes the door firmly behind Yaren, then leans against it and sighs deeply. "If it were not for the military types, fighting would be so much more pleasant."

She looks at each of you in turn. Her eyes are penetrating and suggest great intelligence. "So, you're here about the job to recover the Ebonring. Tell me, who are you, what skills do you bring, and what sort of credentials might you have?"
 



Cordo said:
Bowing deeply, Pyior repeates his prior introduction, "Pyior Silverleaf, ma'am. Novice magister and student of exotic creatures."

"Excellent," Iriana says with a smile. "You should bring some useful skills to this quest."


Kajamba Lion said:
"Khajom. Sworn bodyguard of an overly altruistic, but gifted faen magister." He bows respectfully.

Iriana bows her head in return. "An oathsworn? You may have more in common with sub-commander Yaren than you realize. And I envy the altruistic faen magister."



[ooc - Pyior hasn't had much opportunity to do more than a cursory examination of one of the devil dog's corpse. This will be the first night following the fight, though it's likely you'll have some quiet time in the Keep to cast Creature Loresight and dissect the body. The soldiers probably won't object too much until it starts to really smell.]
 

Rybaer said:
ooc - Pyior hasn't had much opportunity to do more than a cursory examination of one of the devil dog's corpse. This will be the first night following the fight, though it's likely you'll have some quiet time in the Keep to cast Creature Loresight and dissect the body. The soldiers probably won't object too much until it starts to really smell.
OOC- Pyior is particularly interested to learn if the devil dog had a name or not, as that will tell him something about their level of intelligence and social structures. If he has the chance, that evening Pyior will stay up all night dissecting and sketching the anatomy of the dog, with particular attention to the brain.
 


Rybaer said:
She looks at each of you in turn. Her eyes are penetrating and suggest great intelligence. "So, you're here about the job to recover the Ebonring. Tell me, who are you, what skills do you bring, and what sort of credentials might you have?"

"You may call me Ys-Baddaden," the giant says in reply. "A simple giant -- not too wise, not too strong, not too tall -- but enough for what needs to be done."
 

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