Transposed Notes of Game: 4th of May, 2019 - Exploring the Castle

Three days have passed since the rescue and takeover of the castle. After taking time to rest and recuperate from the insanity, the team has time to really pour through the castle and investigate it. It is falling down; dilapidated and old. But… it looks like it used to be the home of some fantastical history.

(c1) Checking the doors at the front, they creak loudly upon being opened. The scent of dung and burnt flesh fills the entryway, wafting down from the entrance hall.

 

Flanking the door are two smaller rooms. (C2a and b) These appear to be guard posts. There are arrow slits here for the keep. Area C2b also has a lever that controls the portcullis hanging above the castle’s main doors.

 

In the large room in the middle of the keep, we find the largest chamber in Castle Rend. It is now breezy and moss-covered. Its carpets have been shredded by animal claws and rotted by water. A large bonfire burns in the center of this chamber, its smoke pouring out of a hole in the ceiling. Hikaru approaches the large hunks of roasting meat (now scorched and dry) by the fire. He scrunches his nose, unable to tell if it’s venison or…. Other questionable material.

 

A crate sits nearby with five potion bottles inside, swirling with brown liquid. They are 5 potions of hill giant strength brewed by the Cultist alchemists in the cauldron room (area C18).

 

Armella moves down the hall and enters a door to the right. This room once held the ceremonial attire of the knights and had room for guests to hang their coats. All within has been reduced to muck and tattered cloth.

 

Along one side of the room is a pile of random gear. It seems haphazardly strewn about, and jumbled as if someone has gone through it multiple times. Items include clothing from various countries of origin, bags, shoes, loose paper, hats and walking canes. This is likely gear from the sacrifices and prisoners over the many months. If anyone had things taken, it is possible the items are here.

 

Digging through the mold and muck for 5 minutes, Armella is able to find gold buttons, lapis lazuli cufflinks, and sapphire earrings (worth a total of 300 gp.)

 

Thorin walks toward the room to the north. A stately marble dining table stands before a cold hearth in the center of the great hall. Twelve stone chairs are assembled around it, though all have been chipped, covered with plants, or knocked over. He approaches a chair, looking it over as he stands it upright. “I wonder if I could fix these up… This would make a great hobby room.” He grins.

 

Heading to the Northwest corner of the keep, a stone spiral staircase winds up into the watchtower and down into the stronghold’s basement. Heading downward, they enter the dark, dank dungeon area. The first thing they see as they head across the hall is a small pit the cultists dug out to throw their refuse. It smells absolutely rank.

 

The Cultists created a new shrine to Mephistopheles after they realized their error in defiling the statue of Tarj in the upper levels. The shrine to Mephistopheles in the dungeons is little more than a stone slab covered in carved bone trinkets and skulls, but it is enough to satisfy. Thorin approaches it, “Well, we’re going to clean up THIS room.”

 

Armella looks at him, then at the altar. “Burn it… burn it all.” She picks up a bone trinket and hands it to Thorin. “Here, you can burn this.” Rodrick grins and unslings his flamethrower. He ignites the altar. In flames now, the room begins to fill with smoke. They hurry out of the room, shutting the door behind them to trap in the smoke.

 

Heading down to the other rooms, they find a chamber that someone has obviously made into a home. Perhaps a pair of cultists were here before. Two cots and various items are strewn about the room. They likely tended to things down here in the dungeons. Under each cot is a small chest with 100gp each. 

 

Down the hall there is a large alchemical room set up. In the middle is a very large cauldron with an acrid, green, foul smelling liquid over a bed of smoldering embers. Delilah takes out some glasses and touches the viscous liquid. She can tell it’s a potion of enhance ability. She looks curiously at it, thinking of how they could use it to their advantage. Right now it’s in its rawest form, but… it probably holds enough for 400 vials.

 

We head back out down to a hallway with some stairs leading upward. There’s some ambient smoke from the cauldron and the smoke from Rodrick’s flamethrower billowing around the room. Rodrick notices the smoke is very slightly, and very lightly, escaping through a crack near the wall. Thorin approaches it with him, looking over the stonework. With their hands against the wall, a button is depressed and it swings inward.

 

“Should we investigate this further, Rodrick?” Thorin looks over at the gnome. Rodrick nods and starts walking down the hall.

 

Thorin takes out his rod from Dolor. “Should I use this, Miss Ruby?”

 

She chuckles. “Sure, go for it.”

 

He presses one of the buttons down the side and a flaming sword transforms on the end to help light the way. Rodrick keeps walking up ahead, easily able to see in the dark. The two trudge forward up this tunnel.

 

Hikaru shrugs and follows after. They head further and further up the tunnel. The door closes behind them with a click. The tunnel continues to climb upward, and a pale light can be seen at the end. The ceiling is about 7 feet tall and 4.5-5 feet wide.

 

“I’m going to have to make this bigger…” Rodrick contemplates out loud. He has a clever gleam in his eyes. Thorin chuckles. “I’m with you there.”

 

They finally reach the end of the tunnel, coming out into the bailey outside the keep.

 

Delilah and Armella hang back, investigating around the dungeons further. Delilah wanders down to another area (C15) and gets a sour look on her face. She recognizes this area immediately. It is where she was held in a prison cell. It appears some of them had been converted to extra bunks for cultists, with the cell doors ripped off.

 

She heads back toward the way out, noticing some of the smoke billowing around another spot in the wall. As she looks at it closer, her hand pushes a spot on the wall and all of a sudden, she feels a large door push open. She falls into this room, tumbling to the floor. Looking up she sees one of the largest chests she’s ever seen in her life.

Armella comes over to the wall where Delilah disappeared. Delilah pushes on the hidden door again, opening it for her. “Armellaaaa! You want to look around?”

 

She walks in to the room. Within the chamber is a small, uncorrupted shrine to Tarj the Wise. A silver chalice worth 100 gp rests on it, filled with divine mead that has stayed fresh through the ages.

 

They both look at the mead, then at the chest again. It has very ornate, fine workmanship. It has brass inlay and a large, metal padlock. Designs and carvings are etched all over it. “Should we wait for the guys to see if they can open it? Or just… break it?” Armella looks at Delilah.

 

“Uhhh… We could…” She tries to think persuasively, not sure if that’s a trick question. She doesn’t want to eagerly pilfer a holy room of Tarj. “Maybe we should check it, to… see what we have available to us here, from Tarj?”

 

Armella nods, and Delilah bends down to where the lock is again. Pulling out some hairpins, she tries to jimmy it open. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she sighs. The lock is massive and unwieldy. Armella pulls out her weapon and Delilah stands back. She gives it a mighty swing and slams down on the lock. It falls, broken at the top. She grabs it and tosses it aside. Then she opens the chest.

 

The two gaze at more gold and platinum than they have ever seen in their lives.

 

Armella blinks. “Huh…”

 

Delilah swallows a lump in her throat. “Maybe we… will go let the others know, after all.”

 

*          *          *

 

Meanwhile, Mutiger and Luther are sitting in one of the bedrooms upstairs, trying to relax with a game of chess. They wished to leave the others to the exploring to enjoy some quiet time. After a nice move from Mutiger, Luther sits back with a laugh. “Fantastic move, good fellow.”

 

He adjusts the board on the table, and accidentally moves some of the papers there. He pulls them out to set them aside, and glances at the one on top.

 

He reads over it a little bit, and his eyebrows furrow. “Oooh… someone needs to see this. Come with me.”

 

Mutiger looks at him. “What is it?”

 

“…You’ll see. I’ll tell you when we get outside.”

 

Mutiger nods and follows him.

 

Making their way out into the main hall, they find the rest of the group discussing some of the details of what was found. Luther approaches Hikaru and hands him the letter. He takes it and reads it.

 

“You’ve twisted your story many times, Oregg. You promised me results. When will you have enough of these artifacts to destroy magic’s influence? I will be arriving at the end of the month to see your progress. Do not disappoint me. If you cannot provide me a solution, I will have your head, and I will find someone else who can.”

 

It is written in the scrawling, unkempt handwriting of his uncle’s handwriting. He crumples it up and begins grumbling very aggressively under his breath. He then begins to march outside the building and begins to make repairs on it.

 

The others look a bit confused, and Luther turns to them. He addresses Mutiger specifically, but loud enough the others can hear. “It was a missive from Hikaru’s uncle. To these… cultists.”

 

“Hikaru’s family… is behind this?” Mutiger glowers, befuddled.

 

“I don’t think his family is… not his whole family. I doubt that. From what he’s told me, and some things that I know, well, I just say… his uncle is behind this. But yes, his family. I get what you’re meaning.”

 

Mutiger’s face scrunches up even further in confusion. “Hikaru’s uncle… is… bad?”

 

“Go ask Hikaru. I think he could tell you better than I could.”

 

Thorin shakes his head. “To avoid any outbursts from him, to put it simply… yes, his uncle is a bad person. But not Hikaru.”

 

Delilah nods in agreement.

 

Mutiger stares. “Why is he still his uncle, then?”

 

She pauses, thinking about that. “I… don’t believe he thinks of him like family, anymore.”

Mutiger nods.

 

*          *          *

 

Night comes on after a few hours of labor and planning and discussions. Hikaru continues working on the wall, while Armella, Delilah and Mutiger are in front of the keep. Rodrick and Thorin stand off to the side, discussing future plans for the place.

 

From the edge of the Forest Rend, a small group of five individuals cautiously approaches your castle. Four adults, Wuxian in descent, and one, a younger Korosvyian teenager. They are all garbed in the white sackcloth of the Cultist’s prisoner sacrifices. The foremost, a thin, tall man, approaches Mutiger, Armella and Delilah. In broken common, he says,

 

“Thank you! Thank you! You come… you saved us a horrid, horrid fate.” He takes Armella’s hand and grips it with shaking gratitude. The others Wuxians behind him kneel down in reverence to her, and the girl hangs back tentatively.

 

“I am Harahoshi.” He gestures to three of the others, “These my vassals. We from Wuxia, island of Shima. We prisoners of war.” His face grows dark. “My grandfather, poisoned. Kotowari took us, took home. Brought here. We saw Kotowari leave. He will return. We provide assistance, if you request. We owe you life.” He bows deeply.

 

Armella hesitates, thinking. “Do you have… anywhere to go? Have you just been hiding out in the woods this whole time?”

 

“We have nowhere to go. And we fear this place. But now it is not a place of fear but a place of strength. Now that you are here. You. All of you.”

 

“So… you can stay here with us. You mentioned that uh, the other man will come back? Are you sure he will come back?”

 

“Not positive… but he might.”

 

“Right. Well, let’s go inside so we can see about getting you set up inside.”

 

He nods as they are led back inside the building. Armella finds them beds, food and fresh clothes.

 

There is a young group hanging back. The girl, no more than 13 years old, looks up at Delilah imploringly. “M-my name is Brecca.” She shakes with fear, her eyes anxiously darting around the courtyard. “My mother and father live in Gravesford. T-they must be so worried. Do-do you think we could… go home? I… I can’t make it through the forest alone, I’m s-so scared. I just want my mommy...” Her eyes fill with tears.

 

Mutiger looks at her. “I will take you home and insure your protection.”

 

She looks up at him and gasps quietly, obviously shocked by his otherworldly physique.

 

Delilah looks between the two. With a comforting smile to Brecca she says, “He’s a good guy, I promise. He’ll take good care of you. He’s taken good care of all of us.”

 

She looks at her, then back to Mutiger a few times. Then she nods slightly. “O-Ok.”

 

Mutiger turns to the side, mumbling to himself, “Shut up…” as he hears a voice in his mind. Delilah looks at him, back at Brecca and then up at the sky, seeing how dark it is.

 

Turning back to the girl, she says, “Well, you can stay in my room if you’d like? We can go back first thing in the morning?”

“Oh! O-Ok!” She looks up at Delilah and starts to follow her.

 

“I’ll get you somewhere comfy. You’re safe here, don’t worry.”

 

*          *          *

Hikaru stops by the supplies and grabs a gin.

 

Delilah slips away from the others after a time helping the Wuxians. “H-hey. Would you like some company?”

 

He guzzles some gin and smashes the empty bottle against the wall. “Tarj damnit!”

 

He puts his now bleeding finger into his mouth to suck it and stem the bleeding. He looks over at Delilah and for a second his eyes soften to pain instead of anger, but he shakes his head like trying to clear it from the depression and goes back to the wall.

 

She stands there quietly for a moment, gathering her nerve to approach. Taking a breath, she walks over and starts helping with some of the stones, silently.

 

He stops suddenly and sways, staring vacantly into the stone.

 

“Delilah?”

 

His voice sounds broken, more vulnerable than she’s ever heard.

 

Knowing how strong gin can be, she’s ready and reaches out to steady him with the gentlest touch she can. Her heart aches hearing his voice. She looks up at him. “I’m here Hikaru.”

 

He turns and buries his face in her chest, and for the first time since he was six he weeps openly.

 

Delilah’s eyes widen a little with surprise, but then her expression softens almost instantly. She wraps her arms around him, gently cradling him through the sobs.

 

She tenderly brushes her hand through his hair, trying to comfort him. Doing like she remembered her mother doing for her. She runs her fingers over the soft fur of his ears. “Shhh… Shh.”

 

He cries for a while and it slowly subsides into a fitful half sleep.

 

Delilah slowly, gently lowers them to set on the cool grass, letting him rest against her lap. She leans he back against the wall, continuing to comfort him through the night.

 

*          *          *

 

The night passes without any trouble, and the next morning is on its way. The 28th of Sunsebb. It is the twilight before dawn, and Rodrick is in Firelord, patrolling the outside of the keep.

 

He sees a figure approaching the castle, and he looks to be the size of a halfling.

 

Firelord stops between the figure and the castle, and he waits. The figure stops as well, giving a big thumbs up and a nod of his head. He gestures in a sign language, trying to say something to him.

 

Rodrick watches him, deciphering what he’s saying. It is akin to: “I’ve been assigned to come here and let you guys know that something is on its way here. Can I come in?” This is an interesting fellow. He is part of a countrywide system called “The Clock.”

 

Rodrick, speaking through Firelord, puts his arms down at his sides rather than across and folded and says, “Who sent you?”

 

“Eh, ya know, that’s kinda private? I can’t really get inta that? But what I can tell yous is that, uh… Good job with those cultists, man. You guys did great. Uh… by the way, um… looks like you got yourselves a new base here. That’s awesome. That’s great. Wow. So uh, you guys know yous screwed, right?”

 

A deep, mechanical laugh echoes from Firelord. He reaches behind him and pulls Infernus out, and plants it in the ground, before igniting the blade. “They can try. They will lose. Again.”

 

“Oh no no no no, I’m not talkin’ about them cultists. I’m talkin’ about uh, yeah uh, Kotowari and his fellas. They’re comin’ with a whole army to yous guys. Yeah…”

 

“Hikaru will be pleased to hear his uncle is coming into a trap.”

 

“Okay! Well, it’s lookin’ like you guys have things under control. Um, I figure you folks got about a week before that pigstain Hitokira shows up at your new base or whatever. His army ain’t big but Kotowari has some …nasty friends. You know what a gnoll is? Well you’ll see.”

 

“A gnoll. Is nothing. Compared to what I have faced.”

 

“Alright, alright. All power to yas, That’s great and stuff. But uh, anyway, the word is out there about you folks and the castle here  in the forest. And Kotowari ain’t exactly popular. I know a couple of companies of foot used to work for the baron will probably come by to help. But it wouldn’t hurt to fid a few hundred more friends who can fiht and take orders.

 

“Oh—oh oh oh. And you’re gonna have to kill Lieutenant Hitokira, too, you know that right? ’Cause he’s coming for you personal. Hitokira can get into your castle. We don’t know how exactly, but we know he got it from Kotowari and we think Kotowari got it directly from Mortum, a seer fella of the church sittin in ‘is court. Fun times.”

 

“I cannot let you in at this hour. But once the sun is up, you can come in and talk to the rest of the group.”

 

“Oh! Why don’t yous tell him? I’ve told you all you needs to know. You could tell em.”

 

“The rest of them will want to hear this from you. Directly. Not through me.”

 

“Oh ok! Well maybe we’s can take a little walk or somethin’.”

 

“And why would I abandon my post?”

 

“No I’m meanin’ around your post! That cool? You don’t have toos, I mean.” He holds his hand up a few times, signaling “No worries, no worries.” After an awkward silence, he shifts on his feet. “Ok, well uh, if you’re not too keen on that, I will uh, go ahead and just, uh, slink back to what I do best. I’ll come back in a couple hours, and you can all let me in, and I’ll tell you what you needs to know. How’s that sound?”

 

“I’ll be watching for you.”

 

“Alright! I’ll be lookin’ forward to it.” The halfling slinks back off into the darkness.

 

With that, Firelord pulls Infernus out of the ground and swings it in a big arch, casting fire down onto the ground, spilling out in a big jet—coating the ground for about 10 feet before extinguishing it and putting it back on his back. Then he continues his slow patrol.

 

A few hours pass, and his slow, methodical patrol around the keep definitely proves positive. There are no enemies in sight. Every so often though, he sees something out of the corner of his eye that looks like a halfling, flitting in and out of his vision.

 

Each time he does, Firelord points in the direction he thought it was. Basically saying, “I saw you.”

 

*          *          *

 

Hikaru opens his eyes slowly and sleepily, trying to clear the sleep dust from his eyes. He realizes he’s not alone and looks up to see Delilah, having nodded off herself.

 

“Delilah?” He turns red and kind of pulls back, surprised at where he is.

 

“Hmm..?” She mumbles sleepily, her eyes fluttering open. Almost immediately they snap awake as she registers him, resting against her in her arms. Her groggy head swimming, she blushes deeply. “O-oh, up, I… I guess we fell asleep, I…”

 

She seems to struggle piecing together what was going on the night before. She glances at the broken gin bottle nearby.

 

He looks over and sees it, and looks very self-conscious. Almost ashamed.

 

She senses the change in him, and overwhelmingly wants to comfort him. Not sure what words she can say, she gently pets his hair again. She blushes and glances away, but… has a look of understanding that says, ‘Hey… it’s okay.”

 

His ears flatten in a flinch at her reach, but slowly swivel back up like a cat. “I’m sorry. I know I’m supposed to be better.”

 

“Just for your own sake. Not… Not anyone elses. But… You have been good. I’ve… I’ve noticed.”

 

Unsure if she should stop or not, she continues stroking his hair slowly, a little self-consciously.

 

She looks out at the pale light of predawn in the trees. “We’ve been through a lot, huh? I know there is more to come. But… we can enjoy this peace. We’re allowed to. You’re allowed to.”

 

“But my uncle… He’s coming for us. He will torture and kill all of us if he can. He will not stop until he is dead.”

 

She looks at him with a fire and a sincerity, more than he’s ever seen from her. “Then we will stop him. Together. You’re not alone Hikaru. Not anymore.”

 

He smiles but not greedily, instead, gratefully. “Thanks Delilah.”

 

“Of course… of course. We’ll get through this coming week. Then we’ll prepare… and then we will strike.”

 

She pauses, thinking. “We are closer now than ever. Ya know? To… to Kotowari. To fixing this magic business. To the old gods. To…” She looks at him, turning a little red and then glances away. “To wrapping up a lot of loose ends.”

 

“I’m honestly not sure what to do once we’ve killed him.”

 

She nods and is quiet for a bit. “You can choose that path when it comes. It’s alright not to know.”

 

Delilah adds quietly, without any judgment, “I don’t know if you remember last night much, but… That was alright too. It’s alright to cry, sometimes. I’m… kinda glad ya did. That you were able to.”

 

“I haven’t cried in a long time, Delilah.”

 

Giving him a soft hug, she responds, “You’ve been struggling to stay strong for too long.”

 

Delilah exhales slowly, feeling the cold stone behind her. She looks up at the crumbling fortifications around them. “I think we’ll want to let professionals deal with this. I don’t think we can do too much, except clear away what’s fallen.”

 

“…Do you think we could persuade some more locals?”

 

She nods. “I’m sure. If armies are coming, they will need a safe place to be, too. And we have coin now.”

 

“The local towns. They ought to have stonemasons and riggers, don’t they?”

 

“Mmhm… I would imagine so.”

“Carpenters and lumbermen… Recreate this castle.”

 

“Yeah… Probably a lot of willing hands.” She watches him think, watches him talk. The change of subject seemed to give them both a breath of fresh air. “You think we should, Hikaru?”

 

“Use all the resources at our disposal and win the hearts of the people at the same time.”

 

Delilah gives him a funny look and a smile. She looks like she’s thinking something but doesn’t say it.

“What?”

 

“Nothing, I just…” She chuckles. “You’re clever. And you just sound like… like a leader. That’s all.”

 

“But I’m not…” He seems surprised.

 

She smirks. “You sure think like one. Win the hearts of the people…” Delilah smiles and shakes her head. “My dad used to say somethin’ like that… he was shrewd. One of the most charismatic leaders I knew. I looked up to him a great deal.”

 

“I learned it from my uncle. I need to take back as many supporters, and kill the rest.”

 

She looks thoughtful. “I think most oppressed supporters do so begrudgingly. Fear breeds temporary obedience. That’s what Kotowari did. Is doing, still. I think most would turn on him if they could.

 

“What you said though… What you want to do here… it didn’t feel fearful.” Her eyes light up a bit, as if remembering something she’d heard before. “Win their hearts. If both parties benefit, is that manipulative? Is it bad? They participate willingly. It doubles the goodness in the end. Doesn’t sound bad to me.”

 

“Shouldn’t the traitors suffer? I won’t kill the innocent bystanders. Just the ones who are devoutly my uncle’s.”

 

“There may be those that still support him. We’ll have to stop them, too. Like this…. Lieutenant of his.” She tilts her head. “Still a decision a leader has to make, too. I’m sure if they’re devout, they’ll wish to kill you. I’d rather their demise first. Just bless ‘em to Balgor, and we’ll send ‘em on their way.” She smiles half-teasingly.

 

*          *          *

 

The sun is now rising, and the halfling comes across Firelord’s path again. “So, am I ok?”

 

Firelord looks at him, then turns around toward the keep. He lets out a loud bellow to let everyone know someone is coming.

 

We are all awakened by this, including the former captives of the cultists. They look around with dread in their eyes, like something is here for them.

 

Mutiger goes near them to comfort them. “It is fine.” The captives calm down, taking a sigh of relief. They visibly relax.

 

The halfing is allowed entry into the keep now. “Ok, ok ladies and gentlemen! Whoever you are, wherever you are, you’re gonna wanna come out and hear this! This is pretty important stuff! I don’t got all day, I’m on a pretty tight schedule, so if you could all gather around, I got some information for yous!”

 

All the others make their way inside to where he is, curious what is going on.

 

“So like, this is a nice castle yous all got here. But I have to tell you, yous all screwed. Yeah, fun times. Well, that’s not it, but it’s kinda the jist of it. Ya know? I figure you folks have about a week til Hitokira, the pigstain who was uh, withs your uncle?” He looks at Hikaru, “Til he uh, shows up at your castle. Or whatever. He ain’t got a big army or anything, but he’s got some uh, nasty friends.

 

“Anyway, the word is out there about you folks and the castle and in the forest. Kotowari ain’t exactly popular. He’s kinda the, the crapstain of this whole uh, region ya know? Nobody likes him. I know a couple of companies of foot used to work for the baron who will probably come by to help. But it wouldn’t hurt to fid a few hundred more friends who can fiht and take orders, ya know?”

 

Hikaru stares at him, “Do you know anybody else?”

 

“Eeeh, well that’s about it. You’ll have ta go into the surrounding counties, the surrounding baronies and uh—“

Hikaru cuts him off again. “Do. YOU. Know anybody else?”

 

“Do I know anybody else? I know a lot of people, son.”

 

“How many people can you get on my side?”

 

“Well it’s how many people can YOU get on your side. I can get—I can get you—“

 

“No. How many people. Can YOU. Get on my side?”

 

“How many can I get on your side?”

 

“If you can, I can reword you handsomely. I am the heir.”

 

“The heir? The heir what?”

 

“My uncle. He might say he… upstates me. You help me kill him. I’ll make it worth your while.”

 

The halfling licks his lips. “Oooh… Well… Hm. Soo… what are you talkin’ about in terms of uh… you know uh, payment… and reward?  And stuff like that?” He looks around at the others. “I come here tellin’ you guys this, and uh… I actually have to be at other places, but your boy here, he’s really temptin’ me with this offer, and uh... I can’t refuse.”

 

He looks back at Hikaru. He rubs his thumb and forefinger together, indicating money. “It all depends on what you got.”

 

“Well…” Hikaru stares at him. “What do you have in the way of connection? Then we can talk prices.”

 

“Oooh, sweet talk. I like it. I like it. Alright, well, I got some connections to the local baronies. I got- I got uh, baron Bedegar out to the west. There’s um, a couple’a baronies north of here, who really have some good foot soldiers, who can, can uh, bring in some good infantry for yas.”

 

Hikaru licks his own lips. “You know, there could be a plot of land with your name on it. A decent size one. Bring in some good revenue.”

 

Mutiger stands up and says, “Excuse me.” And walks out of the meeting.

 

Hikaru watches him leave, then looks back at the Clock agent. “A plot of land. Your name on it. Decent revenue from that. A decent size plot of land. Maybe uh… a title of your own.”

 

The halfling’s goggles slide down his nose a bit, and he adjusts them, contemplating.

 

Hikaru grips and ungrips his hand, like he’s anticipating.

 

The halfling says, “Keep going.”

 

“I’m sure we could set you up with some form of… cattle. Or some form of… agriculture. Holds a lot of power in these parts.”

 

“Got that right… You got that right, son. Well… What do you want me to do? Your word is my command, oh captain my captain.”

 

“Well, you get me those foot soldiers from all those baronies, and you got yourself a deal. And you can get the barons themselves on my side, well I also happen to know a forgeman… The Iron Falcon Armory? I think you’ve heard of him.”

 

“Yeah, yeah I have.”

 

“He could probably provide you quite a bit of tools, too.”

 

“Well, sounds like you guys are set. I thought you guys was screwed, but it sounds like you guys are all set and now I’m roped into this like some kinda fool. I like it. Money talks! Land talks!”

 

He jumps up from his seat. “Well I’ll go to work immediately!”

 

As he turns to leave, Firelord looks at him and says, “I have one question for you.”

 

“What’s that big guy?”

 

“Moving through the shadows last night. Were you just being sneaky?”

 

Rodrick then shadowsteps out of Firelord and into the thieves’ shadow, right behind him. He taps him on the back, standing there with his arms folded. Just in the same pose that Firelord was in last night, and says, “Or do you got some trick up your sleeve that I don’t know about?”

 

“That’s a neat trick you got there fella! I like it! Nah, I just usin’ my wit and quick feet, and yeah! Nuthin’ else to it.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

“Al’ight. Well then, I got my work cut out for me. I’ma go find yous an army!” With that, he gives Rodrick a pat on the shoulder and a thumbs up to everyone else, then leaves.

 

The group has about a week to prepare the place to get ready for the fight ahead. The thief promised to bring them soldiers, but the one thing we will need to do is find people willing to work to build the castle up as much as we can in this week… around the clock.

 

There is the village of Gravesford, about 3 hours south of where we are. There is the barony of Bedegar west of the castle, about 6 hours travel on foot, 2 hours travel with any other vehicle.

 

Meanwhile, outside the castle, the girl Brecca approaches Mutiger and taps him on the back very lightly and gently. She says, “Um, so are you… still gonna take me home?”

 

Mutiger nods.

 

With that, she says, “Well I’ll… lead the way. You just come with me and, if anything weird happens in the forest, I’ll uh… I’ll kind of... get down, and let you do the fighting. I don’t do fighting…”

 

Rodrick sees them ready to leave and wishes to help. He approaches them while inside Firelord.

 

Mutiger nods and gestures for her to lead the way.

 

The three of them begin to head south. The road curves through the forest, and the trees are rather thick. The sun has a hard time breaking through the trees, so it looks almost like twilight.

 

They come into a clearing and in the center of the clearing is a large, bearlike creature with antlers and a long tail. It is laying down, breathing evenly. This creature looks substantially bigger than Firelord.

 

Mutiger quietly whispers to the others, “We should probably go around…”

 

Rodrick gives a thumbs up in the mech, so Firelord gives a thumbs up. The girl nods and they skirt around the beast. The girl accidentally steps on a twig and it echoes throughout the clearing.

 

When they turn to look where the beast was, it is no longer there. It looks like it has completely disappeared.

 

Mutiger quickly grabs the girl, puts her behind Firelord and puts himself in front of them.

 

The creature appears behind the three of them within the trees, making some grumbling, growling noises.

 

Mutiger, with his sword drawn, raises his arms up to make himself look bigger. Then he growls back, blustering out a roar… hoping to make himself scary enough to frighten the bear away.

 

The bear creature looks at him and stands up on its hind legs. It is truly an impressive specimen to behold. It is huge. It slams it two front paws on the ground, and it shakes the whole clearing. Then it opens its mouth and it roars a powerful, deafening sound. “ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!”

 

The sound echoes throughout the whole forest.

 

Mutiger growls again, but then looks at Firelord. Rodrick stares at the bear, really unsure what this… creature is. It definitely doesn’t look like it is a creature of this world. It seems to be dripping magic.

 

It starts to paw the ground a little bit, like it wants to charge at the group and bowl them over. But the moment is leans back to lunge forward, it phases—it blinks—out of existence. For a moment it reappears, but appears to be flashing in and out of existence. Now it looks like it is struggling and straining to hold its composure.

 

Rodrick climbs out of Firelord and with his hands up in a “not meaning any harm” gesture, he slowly approaches the bear.

 

The bear has its head down, straining, trying to keep itself together from the phasing and blinking. It does not notice his approach.

 

He begins to talk to it. He says, “I understand your pain. I too, have been broken by magic.”

 

The bear stops and opens one eye to look at him. Its eye glows an opalescent blue color.

 

He feels a tickling in his body and in his head. A tingling sensation runs down his body, and he feels the bear trying to use some sort of magic on him. But the bear phases out immediately, and is no longer in the clearing. The bear is gone.

 

Mutiger approaches Rodrick. “What should we do?”

 

“Take the girl to the village.” He walks back over and climbs into Firelord.

 

Mutiger follows after Firelord, keeping a careful watch on the girl and the forest around them. They see no signs of the creature at all, or anything else for that matter. It seems ominous, but it doesn’t seem all too dangerous. Just wild.

 

They finally arrive at the village of Gravesford. It is hustling and bustling with the activity of people. Before they exit the tree line, Rodrick climbs out of Firelord again, stashing the mech in the trees.

 

With that, the girl starts leading the way more confidentially this time. As soon as they cross the threshold of the bridge, she takes off running. She runs toward one of the buildings, and they can hear her small, high pitched voice cry out, “Mommy!!” They can hear the outcry of her parents as they are reunited with her. It seems, from what can be heard, they’d been missing her for some time.

 

“Come out and see my friends!” They can hear her say, and she leads her parents outside. But this is a small village, and quite a few people could hear Brecca’s return. Everyone knows everyone here, and so a small crowd of people comes out of doors, looking with interest and wonder. Their eyes are directed to the two strangers.

 

They see a small, 3 foot tall gnome, arms crossed with a smirk on his face, and a beast of a man with these massive horns on his head, standing perhaps 7 feet tall. Two polar opposites standing there.

 

“Come see my friends! They rescued me!”

 

Upon seeing them, several people run, screaming, and the mom lets out a scream as well. The dad gasps and reflexively draws a dagger. “What in the name of Tarj is this!”

 

Mutiger quickly whispers to Rodrick, “We should probably leave now.”

 

The little girl holds up her hand and says, “Wait! Stop! They’re friends! They rescued me! Don’t you get it? They aren’t here to hurt us. They’re here to help us! They took over the castle from those evil men! And they drove them out!”

 

The father puts his dagger away, kind of ashamed. The mother takes her daughter in a big hug again. The father approaches the two strangers.

 

“Do—Do any of you speak common?”

 

Mutiger nods.

 

Rodrick smiles. “We both do.”

 

“A-Al’ight, well this will ‘elp greatly. Um… Look. You may seem to be a bit… interesting? And, we’re just a small town. We don’t do interesting well. But, I want to thank you personally for comin’ out and rescuin’ me daughter. Brecca is her name. I’m Gowan, that’s me wife Giselle. You’re welcome anytime to our home. I’ll… talk some sense into the rest of these buggers, and you’re more than welcome to stay in our town.”

 

He pauses. “So, you were at the castle?”

 

Mutiger nods.

 

“And it’s—it’s true? You drove them out? Accordin’ to what my daughter says?”

 

Another nod.

 

“The short version, yes.” Rodrick adds. “The slightly longer version… they kidnapped one of our friends. So we got her back.”

 

“Well, okay. Um, we’ve been missin’ our daughter for a fortnight now. Been missin’ days and days, and we’ve been lookin’ everywhere. All over the woods. Some of us riskin’ our very lives to go into that deep wood. But… But you found her. So you’re more than welcome.”

 

Rodrick gets a look on his face, a look of determination. He then looks up at Mutiger. Then at the family. He walks over to a pillar nearby, as they’re close to the center of the small town. Using is climbing hooks, he clambers up to the top of the pillar so everyone can see him.

 

People start heading over, curious now. Rodrick withdraws a small flask, something Rolland had made—a potion of amplifying voice, similar to what affected him in the Rift.

 

He drinks it and starts looking around at everybody. He takes a deep breath, and then… addresses the crowd.

 

“Let me ask you: Are you tired of hiding in fear of the church making new laws? Outlawing things you have been doing for generations?”

 

He looks around, waiting for an answer.

 

“Uh… Excuse me?”

 

An elderly gentleman, dressed in the garb of the church, addresses him.

 

“The Rhenese government has pushed your church, to do things that they shouldn’t. Are you tired of that?”

 

The man looks puzzled, his brows furrowing for a second. He looks up at Rodrick. “Well… We are allies with the Rhen. But they haven’t imposed any form of government on us. We run our own country.”

 

“But for how long? Alwyn ran their own country, until the Rhen took over. They were allies with the Rhen as well. What happened to them?”

 

The man keeps silent, his brows furrowed. Wondering.

 

“Are you not tired of feeling forced and controlled to follow orders given by someone you’ve never even heard from, let alone ever even met? The Führer of some foreign country, having his hand in your affairs. Sure, he’s not controlling your government… but he’s giving your government orders.”

 

Again, looking around at the crowd, he sees the silent faces turned up to him. Watching him.

 

“You all heard what happened in Alwyn… Yes?”

 

There are silent nods. Some people muttering and mumbling under their breath. Talking one to another. It gets a bit louder and dies down after a minute or two.

 

“Well I can tell you exactly what happened. Because I was there.”

 

He looks at them with a serious expression. “Rhenese airships came in and obliterated families. Buildings. Businesses. Innocents. To take over. What’s to say your country isn’t next?”

 

There is more murmuring and talking, and people start to nod. “Yeah… yeah! That’s right!”

 

“I think you have been bullied by the Rhenese long enough. I think you’ve been bossed around, pushed around, and told what to do, long enough.”

 

The crowd becomes more animated. They’re talking more, and their voices are rising a little.

 

“I have a letter here.” He pulls a letter out of his jacket pocket. “Signed and sealed by Ragnar, of the Iron Falcon Armory. I’m sure you’ve all heard of what happened to his shop in Trenfield. Blown up, by the Rhenese. I ask this village, who of you is the most trustworthy? Who can I trust this letter to? Who will break this seal, and read it out loud?”

 

“I can.” A portly, but strong looking fellow comes forward. “I am Mayor Osric. I oversee things at this village. The interesting things that you are telling us seem of great import. But if you will, I will read this letter for you.”

 

The man takes the letter, breaks the seal and opens it.

 

“I Ragnar, will arm and equip anyone who will join me in the fight against the damned Rhen. You won’t have to be stuck under their boot no more if you join me: Ragnar of Iron Falcon Armory.”

 

He goes to hand the note back to Rodrick. He takes it and places it back in his jacket pocket. “I am not afraid to say, I have sided with him. Who is brave enough to join me? Who is brave enough to stand up to these bullies, pushing their way across the world? Taking things that don’t belong to them? Killing innocents? Stealing little girls from their parents? Stealing parents from little girls.”

 

With that he points at Brecca.

 

The people in the crowd look at one another, some are beginning to talk more animatedly to each other. Pointing, looking up at Rodrick, then looking back again. The conversation is hard to catch, but he can feel his words are having some kind of effect on them.

 

Rodrick looks at them, shifting his gaze again. “And if any of you feel the need that I need to convince you more, you just say the word and I will do it. Right here. Right now.”

 

The priest of Tarj who addressed him earlier approaches. He holds up a hand and the crowd immediately silences. He says, “I would like to see what you have to say.”

 

Rodrick looks at the priest and says, “What you are about to see… is something of a bygone era. It is something that the church… is against. And has been for a long time. But I’m not after the church anymore. I’m not mad at the church anymore. The Rhen has done more damage than the church ever can.”

 

And with that, he pushes a button on his bracer. Large footfalls start coming over the hill.

 

Firelord enters the town, and Rodrick points at it. “I’m sure you all know who that is.”

 

He can hear the name “Firelord” as a hiss and a byword go all through the crowd.

 

“He’s been inactive for over 20 years… correct?”

 

“What is the meaning of this?”

 

“Hasn’t been seen or heard of for over 20 years… because I’ve stopped him.”

 

He looks right at the priest. “I’ve realized that fighting the church… was useless. I was being no better than the Rhen. And yes. I will have to atone for that. But I will do so after the fact. After the Rhen have been taken care of.

 

“Yes. I am the pilot of the mecha known as Firelord.”

 

The priest says, “I must go.” He turns immediately and starts walking away.

 

Rodrick calls after him. “Call your paladins if you must. But I will warn you, I don’t want to hurt them: But if they try to end my fight before it begins, I will.”

 

Firelord, at a press of a button from Rodrick, pulls out Infernus and plants it in the ground again.

 

While this is happening, Mutiger turns to the father who is still nearby and says, “Have you had troubles with the people of the castle?”

 

Gowan turns to him and says, “Was they that took my daughter?”

 

He nods. “Have they been troubling you long?”

 

“For some months, yes…”

 

“They’ve been a pain to this village?”

 

He nods. “Yes, they have.”

 

Mutiger lowers his head and says, “This village is now under my protection. There are those who have come here and tried to take its people! From now on, those of the castle have been destroyed! It has taken new ownership! Our ownership. Those are brave, those who would fight for those who are weaker than themselves, or even those that are stronger… Those that will protect the innocent and the guilty… I invite you to come, and fight for us!”

 

The crowd hears his deep, booming voice, and it very nearly rivals Rodrick’s. The people turn toward Mutiger and their eyes are wide, but their talking is much more animated. Some people begin pumping their fists into the air for Mutiger, just as they started to for Rodrick.

 

Gowan addresses him again saying, “Well, I’ll reckon, that you’ve gotten them in a right uproar. A good one, a good one…”

 

Mutiger looks over at him. “I don’t want them in an uproar. Those who are willing to lay down their lives, those who would willingly die for one who hates them—these are the people I ask for!”

 

Gowan draws his dagger. “Well, you got my blade.”

 

Mutiger nods.

 

People draw their pitchforks, their clubs, their rusty swords, and point them all up in the air. They shout, “We fight for you!”

 

Mutiger shouts, “No! Don’t fight for me! Fight for each other!”

 

The crowd lets out a huge roar. They start chanting, “Down with the Rhen! Down with the Rhen!”

 

Rodrick waits for the chanting to stop, bringing his hands up to call for silence after a moment. He says, “Before we can take the fight to the Rhen, we have another threat. Those who were at the castle… are trying to come back. We need your help, fixing the castle and defending it.”

 

The mayor steps forward. “Gladly, we will help with this task. We are yours to command.”

 

Rodrick bows his head, and then jumps from the pillar. He lands on the ground, walks up to the priest and looks him dead in the eye.

 

“I truly am sorry for what I did to your church… so many years ago.”

 

The priest looks down at him. His brows are furrowed. He is very old and very tired looking. He says, “Whatever wrongs you may have committed were done with an ill heart. You do not seem to be one possessed of such a heart, to me. I know Firelord. I know his reputation. But from this forward, I don’t know who pilots him. To me, you are just a young man, searching for his purpose… and has finally found it. May Tarj bless you.”

 

Rodrick looks a bit sour at the blessing, but he just nods his head in a silent thanks.

 

With that, the priest turns away, his brows still furrowed, still very tired and puzzled looking. He could at least tell Rodrick’s sincerity and heads back to the small church in town.

 

Rodrick goes up to the mayor and says, “Could you send this message to nearby locals, or bring them here, or to the castle, so we can share it again? We can deliver it there?”

 

“Well, yes! We can. And we will. We will send the message immediately to baron Bedegar.”

 

“Here, take the letter.” Rodrick pulls the letter from Ragnar out of his pocket again.

 

“I will send messengers immediately, and they will go to the baron Bedegar immediately. This castle… has some special significance to the baron. If you don’t already know this…”

 

“I did not know.”

 

“Yes… The baron had special interest in this castle, even though it’s been more in the back of his mind in recent years. He has wanted to retake it for himself and claim it as his birthright. Or, if he could find suitable allies to join up, he has wanted to forge an alliance with them. But, we will send a message a quickly, and he will send at least a company of footmen. A good… five score.”

 

“That sounds good.” Rodrick takes another potion to neutralize the effects of the loud speech potion. He leans in very close to the mayor and says in a low whisper, “I need to find 20 of your bravest and strongest men. I’m putting together my own… force, for this upcoming battle. I will lead them personally.”

 

“Alright. Will do.”

 

The mayor goes up to a pedestal near where the monument sits on, the same that Rodrick had climbed. He begins to rally his people together.

 

Once the two leave to head back to the castle, Mutiger says to Rodrick, “We shouldn’t be focusing on who we should destroy.”

 

“I’ve been around a long time. I’ve found the easiest way to rally a group of people that is under someone’s boot… is to turn them against that boot.”

 

“But should we seek to rally? To find anyone to fight?”

 

Rodrick looks at him, small grin on his face. “We don’t need just fighters. We need those to take care of those who are injured. To feed those who can’t fight. To take care of the castle, when people are out fighting. To be lookouts. To be scouts. Everyone can play a part on a war.”

 

“But do we need people who might flee? Who might betray us?”

 

“They’re fighting for their home. They would die before they would betray us.”

 

“Do we know that of all of them?”

 

“If that castle gets taken, every single one of their lives will be in danger. They may not fight the Rhen back with us, but they will be damned sure that Hikaru’s uncle will never set foot in that castle.”

 

Mutiger nods. Then he pauses, and asks, “What did you say to him back there?”

 

“When?”

 

“There was something you said. When you took your other potion? What was it you whispered to the mayor?”

 

“I was merely asking him to keep an eye out for something for me.”

 

Some of the peasants of Gravesford have actually started following the two back into the forest. A few of them are retired military, and they begin a march, singing an old folk song trying to keep the morale of the people up. There’s about 50 of them following them from a small distance.

 

Rodrick climbs into Firelord and they all head back to the castle.

 

 

*          *          *

 

Meanwhile, back at the keep, Thorin approaches Delilah and Armella. “Miss Ruby? Where should we start clearing out? I say we start with the guard post at the main entrance.”

 

She smiles. “Sounds good, Thorin. I'd love to help with that!”

 

Thorin nods. “Armella, care to help?”

 

She looks agreeable to it. “Sure, maybe we can lay some traps on the off chance anyone gets through.”

 

“Laying traps sounds like a great idea.”

 

Delilah seems thoughtful. “I like that idea! You're very clever Miss Mella. The less we have to fight, the better.”

 

They head over to the entrance to start working. Delilah attempts clearing out the area as best she can. After several moments she stops to catch her breath. Rather frustrated about it, she ends up doing this several times during the process.

 

Thorin seems to notice, and brings out his Medic Kit to help. Delilah gets somewhat embarrassed but accepts the help nonetheless with kind of sheepish thanks. She's physically okay otherwise, just not as strong as she used to be.

 

Thorin looks at her with a worried expression. “Delilah, why don't you come up with a lay out and placements of the traps. Armella and I can deal with the physical clearing.”

 

"Sure, I can help with that! Might... be something I can more easily do." She grumbles a bit, but starts getting out some paper.

 

“Delilah; I meant you not disrespect; I was just suggesting something that you might more… better be able to do at this time. When you get stronger you can lift more.”

 

"Oh, I--I know...I appreciate it." She mumbles apologetically. "I'm not upset with you for suggesting it, just..."

 

“I understand where you are coming from. You are just frustrated with your current situation of limitations.”

 

She's quiet, pouting a little. "Y-yeah.. long and short of it, I guess."

 

Armella looks between the two. "Thorin, do you think we can make some sort of defenses along the parts of the walls that are broken? Maybe something that will help prevent people from getting through the holes."

 

He nods. “We would have to scout the layout and discuss with others about the possible defense options.”

 

"Sounds like a plan. I'm sure Rodrick has good ideas.”

 

“I am sure Rodrick would have some ideas... How sane those ideas are, is the real question.”

 

Delilah looks up from the papers. She chuckles a bit. "That's a fair statement. Sane or not, we may not be dealing with sane enemies. In the meantime we can still clean though. Maybe move the current stone to the broken areas...."

 

Armella smiles. "That's a good idea. It'll make it harder for them to get through."

 

Delilah looks contemplative again. "I would like to go take those alchemical potions to the village later... bring in some more coin."

 

Thorin glances over. “That sounds like a great idea. Maybe you could make different potions to help us with making the repairs. For example, maybe potions for strength, stamina…”

 

"That's a good idea... I'm sure some here would be good too... Oh..." Her eyes light up. "I could even advertise them here... free samples... hmm.." She starts scribbling in her book she keeps all her notes.

 

Armella comes over to them. "I actually have the instructions for an anti-magic powder if you think that would help. I'm not sure if I'd be all that good at it…" Armella rummages in her bag and pulls out a list of ingredients she wrote down for the anti-magic stuff, handing it to Delilah.

 

Delilah takes it excitedly. Her eyes light up. “Really?! The ones the paladins of the church use?” She looks super excited and gives Armella a big leaping hug. "That'd be fantastic!"

 

She starts pacing around, scribbling down ideas. "I'll have to discuss with Rolland how to best... activate this... enhancing alchemical potion."

 

Thorin chuckles. “Well Delilah, it seems I set you onto a great idea. Take off with that.”

 

"You did Thorin, thank you. I think this will help a lot... You're a very clever dwarf."

 

“Your mind is still as sharp as ever; I figured you could use that to help organize and come up for ideas to get these repairs under way.”

 

As the group is planning and working, they hear singing coming from the forest. They hear the footfalls of many feet on the ground. Emerging from the south of the castle, they see Firelord coming out of the forest.

Thorin sighs. “Oh. It’s just him. Rodrick…” He shakes his head.

 

Then about 50 peasants, armed with pitchforks, clubs, maybe one or two guys that have half plate armor on and are fully armed. But those look older, more like veterans.

 

Seeing them coming toward them, Thorin turns to the ladies. “Um… should we—do you think we should be concerned about this?”

 

Armella shrugs. “Of an army of ordinary people?”

 

“Well there’s that, but it’s the fact that Rodrick is leading them?”

 

Delilah pipes up. “I would trust them. If they’re following him, I don’t think there’s any problem with that.”

 

“Wait… Does anyone see Mutiger among them?” Thorin peers up, trying to get a better look. Spotting the tall, horned man he says half jokingly, “Oh ok! If Mutiger is among them, then we’re good.”