(017) A closer look at the Gatehouse

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:

"Well, hell, Wibur... I could have done THAT!" Desmond says as he shakes his head. He mumbles, "I thought there was a bit more to being a thief than that..."

(Wibert calls himself a Cook, not a thief. Why ever would Desmond think him a larcenist? Besides, there's nothin' much any good fer nuthin' sneak can do that a hard Fighting-Man can't accomplish.)

OOC:
Sorry... the mumbling was really more a bit of OOC mixed with 4 hours sleep (7 month old baby who is trying to adjust his sleep schedule) and oxycodone (back spasm issues). Apparently that results in META gaming... :-\

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
Standing on the northwest tower, Ulric makes one last survey of the surrounding land.

"I wonder if Saxxon's men are out there looking for us?"

Ulric shrugs and turns his attention to more immediate needs.

"Ah well, Highbough, would you care to open this trapdoor as you did the others? I'll light the way with my lantern and we can see what lies within."

[waysoftheearth]

mushgnome wrote:

Ulric shrugs and turns his attention to more immediate needs.

"Ah well, Highbough, would you care to open this trapdoor as you did the others? I'll light the way with my lantern and we can see what lies within."

Highbough pries open the trapdoor with his spear.

[waysoftheearth]

Professor P wrote:

Gustave lobs in with the halflings, hearing the happy sounds of laughter and coin.
He finds himself a comfortable corner and pokes and prods at himselfs, bandaging bits and padding others, in an effort to redress some of his many new injuries.

KOCH

"Ho stranger, you seem to have had better days. Let me help you out. I am KOCH, and you are?"

[waysoftheearth]

tonneau wrote:
"Gustave Tonneau" says Gustave, effecting a half-bow from his sitting position.
"Until recently, an attendee to the Duke of Peal, but...", he says, sweeping his hand over soiled, holed and torn garments that may once have been fine, "...one would be hard pressed to guess so now."
"A pleasure to meet you, Koch, ah...excuse me if i dont get up"
"As for aid, I dont suppose you have any wine or, perchance, a pastry?", he finishes with a hopeful grin.

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:

Desmond and Wibert gather the spilled coins and hurry into the dormitory to pile the coins up into little towers of ten, divided into silver and gold and others coins so that they can tote up the loot.

"It's gold! Real gold!" cackle the pair of Halflings enthusiastically, biting a few coins here and there to confirm their authenticity as the others continue the investigation of the gatehouse.

Ten minutes or so later they have tallied their find at 46 gold coins, 73 silver coins, and 13 odd foreign looking coins with holes in the middle. Of these, 5 appear to be of nickel and 8 of brass. It is a happy find indeed.

Wibert feels like he is dreaming to see so much gold and silver. In all his days he has never seen so much.

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:

Olaf turns to the newly arrived Wibert, Nidhogg and Koch and says, "Say! You should know something about this place because you've been here before."

Wibert and Nidhogg are both familiar with the mess hall and kitchen (across the courtyard) -- and know of the dormitories, where the main body of Saxxon's Men took their rest in shifts. A few of the bigger bullies (including Sigmund and Wulfric) had bunks reserved for them only, but the Dwarf and Halfling were confined to ruder accommodations -- Nidhogg slept in a corner in the mess hall, and Wibert under the bench in the kitchen (adjacent to the mess hall).

Both know that there is a large gambling den below the north-east tower, and a few smaller private rooms accessed from there, and that Saxxon had his rooms somewhere deeper in the complex. But that was off limits to all but Saxxon's favoured henchmen. No sane Man would actually choose to go down there to face Saxxon in any case -- for being summoned to his presence was said to be a fearful experience, even by the coarse standards of the brigands.

Now Copernicus, he was a strange one. Somehow apart from the rest, and yet close with Saxxon to be sure. He would come and go, seemingly at will -- seemingly a law unto himself. None of the brigands seemed comfortable around him, but nor would any cross him. Wibert never had aught to do with him, but Nidhogg found him appreciable on the few occassions they exchanged a word or two...

Wibert wakes himself up with a slap to the face. "This is no time to rest, Saxxon is somewhere waiting to trap us" says Wibert.

"Let us put these coins and keep looking around. Maybe we should try the cavern entrance Nidhogg speaks of?", Suggest Wibert.

"But first lets look at the gambling den below. Come with me and I will lead the way", says Wibert.

Wibert waits for the other to come with him to investigate, very carefully.

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:
Desmond packs up the coins back into the box and tucks it into his bag. With a sigh of contentment, the box settles in next to Dieter's crowbar.

He then hoists his bag onto his shoulders and waits by Wibert to continue investigating the outpost.

[waysoftheearth]

tombowings wrote:
"Allow me." Pelenwin strides over and rudely opens the trapdoor Ulric indicated for Highbough to open.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
On the Roof Top

Ulric surveys the lands about as he leads the roof-top company back along the catwalk from the south-west tower to the north-west tower.

It is still early morning. A blotchy bank of grey cloud rolls discontentedly across the sky in a westerly direction ahead of a sputtering breeze.

The immediately surrounding ridge lands are split by a deep ravine that runs more or less north-south.

The keep whose walls you stand upon is one of a pair -- this one squatting on the eastern lip of the ravine, and the other on the opposite side of the ravine. Barely 50 yards away stands the sullen sister-keep -- wherein the company fought the resident Ogres in recent days.

West lies the bulk of the ravine lands -- and undulating carpet of tricky ravines and canyons that the company has recently traversed -- and where they fought a pitched battle against a company of brigands who presumably occupied this very keep. Until recently.

East is a great grassy plain, looked over by the distant shadow of a great forest. here the great trade road from Ket winds its way overland toward the interior of the Kingdom.

Southward through the ravine, and then the surrounding ridgelands crawls a narrow stream, and eventually -- far off where gentler, more arable lands are found -- it passes Ket. The place from which this overland expedition set out some four days ago.

In the north the ravine spills out into a series of fens wherein -- perhaps a days march away -- a misty haze can be seen arising from the Gulwren Mires, wherein lie the ruins which this company set out to explore!