Post by Dead Greyhawk on May 18, 2008 22:03:23 GMT -5
Winthrop and Hugh stumble with the dead Grizela upon arriving in the Hall of the Blue Sun. The hidden room, locked, trapped, and warded by Winthrop, Dell, and Hugh, has served the Company well as a treasure room and a safe location for magical arrivals. The items within are never in the wrong place. Dust covers the goods within the room, the spoils of the Company's many fights and successes. Winthrop smiles at the statues taken from the frost giants' glacial rift, the large maps tacked up on the walls, and the spare arms and armor piled in the corners of the room and remembers why he has taken this path for his life.
"A short incantation will send a brief message back to the rest of the Company informing them that he is alive," he thinks. "But rest and a good meal first, though not in that order." The wizard and priest work their way past the security they have installed and quietly enter Morning Star Inn. The Churches are hard at work, several visitors sitting in the great room, and they school themselves to not show any surprise at the sudden appearance of two members of the Company. Instead, large meals are brought before them, and Winthrop directs that a short window of privacy, "Perhaps an hour," will be necessary tomorrow. The Churches know better than to ask.
The Churches are a font of information though. Since they have allowed Sir Highrider's men to use the Inn as a way station, they meet many of the messengers and officers involved in the defense of Keoland and the Little Hills. The destruction of the orcish army outside of Longspear has helped relieve the pressure on the city, and Sir Highrider has spent his funds like water to restore the city defenses. The refugees from Geoff and parts of the Yeomanry have been put to work repairing the city walls, and Sir Highrider's forces ride the Little Hills, securing a front away from the city.
Keoland still refuses to offer aid to the Yeomanry, and, rumor has it, the Yeomanry has refused to ask for it. This does not gibe with what Winthrop thought was the case, but he drinks in the information, not arguing but rather internalizing it. Thomas Church tells him that there were riders, King's Men, looking for the Company soon after they left Longspear, but the King's Men have not returned since then.
Rest and food do wonders for Winthrop, and, after messaging the Company, Winthrop summons mounts for Hugh, himself, and even the dead Grizela. Bidding the Churches farewell, they ride for Longspear and the Temple District. "What do you think of the King's Men?" asks Hugh. Winthrop shrugs without care.
The ride to Longspear goes without trouble, but gaining entry to the city is a different matter. The guardsman at the city gate casts an eye over the two of them, Winthrop's riding gear battered and torn, his customary robe worn thin, and begins to ask them uncomfortable questions. "Where are they coming from? Where are they going? Is that actually a corpse on their pack horse?" It takes many minutes to convey to the guardsman that they have business in the city and know a priest powerful enough to fix the "minor flesh wound to the heart" that Grizela bears. The guardsman seems very interested in the two of them until his superior, one of the Peacekeepers, waves the them through.
Longspear bustles with labor, the deep pockets of Sir Highrider and the merchant families funding the reconstruction of the city. Rising up out of the ruins of the Temple District is a new temple as well. Parthenon-like in style, its open, airy feeling and clean lines are uplifting to the spirit. Masons and other workmen scramble over the surface of the building, while a wiry man directs. Cedrus smiles at Winthrop and Hugh, a welcome surprise after these long months. He leads them into the portion of the Temple to Ehlonna that is fit for habitation.
Winthrop explains the loss of Grizela and his personal obligation to bring her back from the dead. Hugh interrupts to add his agreement as well. "She was freed from bondage and oppression," he rants, "and we must give her the opportunity to live a life of free choice!" Cedrus looks at Grizela's corpse and studies it.
"I have mastered the higher arts and commune with agathion and others," says Cedrus. "She is dead beyond my reach alone, but with your help Hugh, and perhaps two more of your brethren, I think I may be able to call to her. Relations with the remains of your temple are strained; they preach immediate vengeance and ignoring the need to rebuild. Perhaps you can bridge the gap and convince them to aid you, but it must be tomorrow for my prayers to have any hope of success."
Hugh and Winthrop ride for the Temple of Trithereon, planning on talking with Arthurus. Unlike near the other temples, the area surrounding that of Trithereon is much less busy and little work has been done on reconstructing the temple. Only a few men and women gather before the temple itself, and their mien is not martial at all. The Temple of Trithereon is greatly reduced in spirit and in fact.
Hugh and Winthrop are not even challenged as they dismount and walk into the ruined temple. The once-proud bell tower remains a pile of destroyed masonry and burnt beams, and the gathering hall beneath it is poorly swept and filled with water from recent rain. Winthrop gestures imperiously at an altar boy that hovers nearby, and Hugh sighs as the child meekly runs off. "Not good," mutters Hugh, amazed at the state of the church.
Arthurus, smelling heavily of cheap wine, staggers to the fore, greeting Hugh and Winthrop and inviting them into the catacombs where some chambers have been made fast against the weather and the rain. Hugh rails at the High Priest, wondering what has become of the church in his absence. No worshippers practicing in the yard, no construction on the temple, and no spirit to be found!
Arthurus's defense is weak and somewhat incoherent. In the wake of the Battle of Longspear, the church found itself short of both worshippers and priests. Having fought to the last in the defense of the Holy Wedge, the priesthood of Trithereon was decimated. Only a handful of priests able to receive the benisons of Trithereon still exist. Additionally, the material wealth of the church, its golden bell, was taken by the orcish army upon its retreat. The golden bell is the most important artifact of worship in the temple and shows Trithereon's might, pealing his cry out over the city. Without the bell, it is not possible to have services and pray properly. Even worse, the church is unable to hire workers and laborers to repair the temple, since it must simultaneously save gold to cast a new bell and find funds to hire workers. The temple of Trithereon has gone from the second or third-most powerful in the city to a mere cult. Arthurus, somewhat belligerently, sticks his finger at Hugh and asks him what he's done to promote Trithereon's worship. Hugh is a powerful enough patriarch of the faith; where is his church? Where are his worshippers?
Hugh launches into a long and angry story about how he has been freeing prisoners and slaves, fighting demons and dragons, and slaying undead throughout Sterich and southern Geoff. He has not had time to settle down, build a church, and establish a parish. Instead, he has been collecting gold and living Trithereon's creed! Hugh doffs the backpack full of gold coins that he has been carrying through the city and drops it at Arthurus's feet. "Here is my tithe, which I had presence of mind to bring to you," he says, "even as I was fighting for my life and the lives of others. I had expected you would be able to use it better than you have!"
Seeing that the two men are about to come to heated blows, Winthrop interrupts. "I also have brought a tithe, though it will take me a moment to get to it," he says, pulling forth a small wooden box. "I was wondering if you would be able to send some of your acolytes to help Hugh and I tomorrow." Winthrop speaks a single, multisyllabic word, and a large chest matching the small box appears. Winthrop waves his hands over it several times, chanting, and then opens it. "We could really use the help," he repeats, as he pulls sack after sack of gold coin out of the chest. Soon, ten sacks of gold coin of various mints stand in a pile next to the backpack.
Arthurus is dumbstruck. The prospects of him forming a bell have greatly increased and there may be enough gold to possibly hire men to begin work on repairing the temple too. Arthurus, who has just taken a tipsy hardline with Hugh, finds himself in a bind. He turns to Winthrop and agrees to send some acolytes along with them in the morning, but he also has words for Hugh. "You have chastised me about my temple without having one of your own! Do not come here searching for my wisdom and guidance until you have built a parish of your own," he says. "Once you have experienced the difficulties of caring for others, you can learn from me, but not before."
Winthrop drags the steaming Hugh off before the two hot-headed priests can argue more. Winthrop has gotten the answer that he wants and wants to exit before Arthurus changes his mind. Outside, Winthrop finds several street urchins poking at his and Hugh's magical mounts. The urchins are very confused at the way the mounts simply ignore them. Winthrop shoos them away, and he and Hugh, creatures of habit, take up lodging in the Wheat Field.
The following day, Arthurus and Cedrus are both good to their word. Arthurus sends three acolytes to join with Hugh and Cedrus in attempting the ritual. Cedrus calls upon Ehlonna to draw back Grizela's soul, and, much to his pleasure, her soul returns to her body! Grizela hacks and coughs large black chunks from her lungs, but she definitely breathes once more. Prayers from Hugh bring her back from death's door, and Grizela walks again among the living. Grizela is amazed at Longspear, a city larger than the capitol of the Duchy of Geoff. Escorted by one of Cedrus's servants, she roams the city, seeing new sights and sounds.
Hugh and Winthrop spend their time in more productive efforts. Hugh had planned to scribe scrolls in the temple, placing Trithereon's prayers in a written form and imbuing them with the power of the holy ground. With the state of the temple and its lack of bell and altar, Hugh is dubious that any prayers written there would retain any potency. Instead, he serves as Winthrop's errand boy, searching for reagents and materials for the wizard.
Hugh hunts through the city with a list written by Winthrop. The Silent One's tower, his first stop, seems both similar and different. The tower has a large dark bulge that grows in a strange shape, not circular like the dark bubble over Istvin, and the courtyard surrounding the tower is filled with impenetrable mist and strange sounds. Hugh hears that some adventurers tried to enter the tower several weeks earlier and were never heard from again. Richard Coldheart and an enchantress are rumored to be attempting to breach the tower and rescue the Silent One in the near future, says the rumor mill, so Hugh plans to check back later.
Indom Falmuth is next on his list. The alchemist is unhappy to make Hugh's acquaintance, but he does not throw things or refuse to do business with the priest, making his relationship better than Winthrop's. With the Silent One no longer in residence, Indom's market for magical unguents and inks has shrunk. Magi no longer come from far away to treat with the Silent One for new magics, and the Silent One no longer needs inks to scribe and sell books and scrolls of enchantments. Indom has only a small amount of ink on hand, but he is willing to sell it to Hugh and take a down payment for the manufacture of more.
Hugh also commissions the construction of several high-quality books, future tomes of magic for Winthrop, Dell, and Antonus. Winthrop has carried with him several swatches of skin and hide from magical beasts, and these are used as binding materials for the books, to protect them from harm.
Last, Hugh searches the jewelers and the gemsmiths for pearls of various sizes and qualities as well, putting out the word that he is willing to purchase such pearls at a profit. Waiting for prospective sellers is a dull and time-consuming business, but it keeps Hugh occupied and gives Grizela something to do as well.
Winthrop locks himself up in his room, disappearing for days at a time and reappearing haggard and worn. Grizela takes to guarding his door, not wanting some poor maid or servant to interrupt him and receive a lightning bolt in return.
Frank still frequents the Wheat Field, and he sits and chats with Hugh and Grizela. He asks after Dell, inquiring of his health, and wonders where the rest of the Company is. Hugh explains the history of recent events and tells the story of the north. Frank is a careful listener and appreciates the humor and wit of Hugh's story. Frank, in turn, tells Hugh of how adventurers and mercenaries have flowed through Longspear into the Yeomanry, seeking high pay and loot from their enemies. The collapse of the Earldom has left the surviving mercenary groups without employers, and they have moved on to the Yeomen. The fall of Flen and the obliteration of the western brigade has mobilized the Keoish throne as well. Frank expresses surprise at the slow and ineffective response by King Skotti. The Keoish Army still maintains only a cordon around Flen. A black cloud blankets the city, and the howls of undead can be heard for miles in the might.
One day, Frank dashes into the Wheat Field with news that Richard Coldheart is attempting the Silent One's tower, and Hugh and Grizela join him and the hundreds of people that watch from a safe distance. When Hugh arrives, the tower is transformed, with the courtyard clear of mist and sound but instead marked with a strange fence. Made of bones, it wraps around the tower, halfway between it and the courtyard walls. Skulls mounted on bones peer outward and a great bone gate lines up with the entryway to the courtyard and the tower. The burnt husks of ten men lie dead before the gates, where the last attempt failed. "The skull shot fire," hisses one of Frank's men to them.
Richard Coldheart and a sorceress, Elena the Pure, consult on what to do, and eventually Elena begins casting enchantments on the wall of bones. The gate swings wide and Coldheart, the sorceress, and a band of eleven men enter through the gate. Mists swirl again in the courtyard, blocking site of the bone wall, much to everyone's displeasure. After twenty minutes without the sound of an explosion, the crowd slowly disperses.
Winthrop spend days in his room at the Wheat Field while Hugh and Grizela purchase and collect goods. Finally, with the ink, books, and pearls purchased, Winthrop decides it is time to return to Castle Crag. Cedrus chooses not to join them to the north, though if the Company returns southward to search for the Great Druid, he will join them then. Cedrus has also built a font with the Company's funds, and he provides a case of flasks of purified, blessed water for the Company to use. Winthrop carefully lowers it into his magical chest before gathering the others to him. After some preparatory spells, Winthrop speaks arcana, and they disappear.
The rooftop of Castle Crag lurches into sight, and the three of them stumble a bit before regaining their footing. The castle is still deserted, though the smell of the bodies piled outside and decaying is enough to make them want to desert it as well. After a few hours of making certain the castle is deserted, rather than seeming deserted, Winthrop summons balls of fire on the dead, incinerating them.
The three of them settle into a pattern of watching for the return of the others, performing daily duties, and trying to move, break, or carve off a piece of the mithril slab in the dungeons. Winthrop tries a plethora of spells and efforts while Hugh pours holy water on it and Grizela tries to pound off a chunk. None of their efforts are successful, but they spend hours each day working on it.
Winthrop and Hugh also note that to the southeast, a dot on the horizon comes and goes. It appears irregularly and infrequently, but sometimes will hover there for hours. Winthrop tries to go out and meet it, but it disappears when he takes to the air. Finally, he casts his vision out to where it is, better prepared for its visit, and spies on it. The dot is a single rider on a hippogryph, bearing a long spyglass and wearing blackened armor. The rider is swaddled in clothing against the cold but is either an elf or a petite human based on size. Winthrop ponders the figure and searches its appearance for the telltale badge he expects it to be wearing. After several attempts, he sees what he searches for, the sign of the Bergheim Mercenaries.
The rider seems to be keeping tabs on the castle, and Winthrop finds there is little to be done about it. He, in return keeps an eye on the rider as well. The rider comes irregularly, possibly camping or traveling some distance to take up this post. Winthrop sighs, wondering what is keeping the Company and whether he should cast his vision further afield.
"A short incantation will send a brief message back to the rest of the Company informing them that he is alive," he thinks. "But rest and a good meal first, though not in that order." The wizard and priest work their way past the security they have installed and quietly enter Morning Star Inn. The Churches are hard at work, several visitors sitting in the great room, and they school themselves to not show any surprise at the sudden appearance of two members of the Company. Instead, large meals are brought before them, and Winthrop directs that a short window of privacy, "Perhaps an hour," will be necessary tomorrow. The Churches know better than to ask.
The Churches are a font of information though. Since they have allowed Sir Highrider's men to use the Inn as a way station, they meet many of the messengers and officers involved in the defense of Keoland and the Little Hills. The destruction of the orcish army outside of Longspear has helped relieve the pressure on the city, and Sir Highrider has spent his funds like water to restore the city defenses. The refugees from Geoff and parts of the Yeomanry have been put to work repairing the city walls, and Sir Highrider's forces ride the Little Hills, securing a front away from the city.
Keoland still refuses to offer aid to the Yeomanry, and, rumor has it, the Yeomanry has refused to ask for it. This does not gibe with what Winthrop thought was the case, but he drinks in the information, not arguing but rather internalizing it. Thomas Church tells him that there were riders, King's Men, looking for the Company soon after they left Longspear, but the King's Men have not returned since then.
Rest and food do wonders for Winthrop, and, after messaging the Company, Winthrop summons mounts for Hugh, himself, and even the dead Grizela. Bidding the Churches farewell, they ride for Longspear and the Temple District. "What do you think of the King's Men?" asks Hugh. Winthrop shrugs without care.
The ride to Longspear goes without trouble, but gaining entry to the city is a different matter. The guardsman at the city gate casts an eye over the two of them, Winthrop's riding gear battered and torn, his customary robe worn thin, and begins to ask them uncomfortable questions. "Where are they coming from? Where are they going? Is that actually a corpse on their pack horse?" It takes many minutes to convey to the guardsman that they have business in the city and know a priest powerful enough to fix the "minor flesh wound to the heart" that Grizela bears. The guardsman seems very interested in the two of them until his superior, one of the Peacekeepers, waves the them through.
Longspear bustles with labor, the deep pockets of Sir Highrider and the merchant families funding the reconstruction of the city. Rising up out of the ruins of the Temple District is a new temple as well. Parthenon-like in style, its open, airy feeling and clean lines are uplifting to the spirit. Masons and other workmen scramble over the surface of the building, while a wiry man directs. Cedrus smiles at Winthrop and Hugh, a welcome surprise after these long months. He leads them into the portion of the Temple to Ehlonna that is fit for habitation.
Winthrop explains the loss of Grizela and his personal obligation to bring her back from the dead. Hugh interrupts to add his agreement as well. "She was freed from bondage and oppression," he rants, "and we must give her the opportunity to live a life of free choice!" Cedrus looks at Grizela's corpse and studies it.
"I have mastered the higher arts and commune with agathion and others," says Cedrus. "She is dead beyond my reach alone, but with your help Hugh, and perhaps two more of your brethren, I think I may be able to call to her. Relations with the remains of your temple are strained; they preach immediate vengeance and ignoring the need to rebuild. Perhaps you can bridge the gap and convince them to aid you, but it must be tomorrow for my prayers to have any hope of success."
Hugh and Winthrop ride for the Temple of Trithereon, planning on talking with Arthurus. Unlike near the other temples, the area surrounding that of Trithereon is much less busy and little work has been done on reconstructing the temple. Only a few men and women gather before the temple itself, and their mien is not martial at all. The Temple of Trithereon is greatly reduced in spirit and in fact.
Hugh and Winthrop are not even challenged as they dismount and walk into the ruined temple. The once-proud bell tower remains a pile of destroyed masonry and burnt beams, and the gathering hall beneath it is poorly swept and filled with water from recent rain. Winthrop gestures imperiously at an altar boy that hovers nearby, and Hugh sighs as the child meekly runs off. "Not good," mutters Hugh, amazed at the state of the church.
Arthurus, smelling heavily of cheap wine, staggers to the fore, greeting Hugh and Winthrop and inviting them into the catacombs where some chambers have been made fast against the weather and the rain. Hugh rails at the High Priest, wondering what has become of the church in his absence. No worshippers practicing in the yard, no construction on the temple, and no spirit to be found!
Arthurus's defense is weak and somewhat incoherent. In the wake of the Battle of Longspear, the church found itself short of both worshippers and priests. Having fought to the last in the defense of the Holy Wedge, the priesthood of Trithereon was decimated. Only a handful of priests able to receive the benisons of Trithereon still exist. Additionally, the material wealth of the church, its golden bell, was taken by the orcish army upon its retreat. The golden bell is the most important artifact of worship in the temple and shows Trithereon's might, pealing his cry out over the city. Without the bell, it is not possible to have services and pray properly. Even worse, the church is unable to hire workers and laborers to repair the temple, since it must simultaneously save gold to cast a new bell and find funds to hire workers. The temple of Trithereon has gone from the second or third-most powerful in the city to a mere cult. Arthurus, somewhat belligerently, sticks his finger at Hugh and asks him what he's done to promote Trithereon's worship. Hugh is a powerful enough patriarch of the faith; where is his church? Where are his worshippers?
Hugh launches into a long and angry story about how he has been freeing prisoners and slaves, fighting demons and dragons, and slaying undead throughout Sterich and southern Geoff. He has not had time to settle down, build a church, and establish a parish. Instead, he has been collecting gold and living Trithereon's creed! Hugh doffs the backpack full of gold coins that he has been carrying through the city and drops it at Arthurus's feet. "Here is my tithe, which I had presence of mind to bring to you," he says, "even as I was fighting for my life and the lives of others. I had expected you would be able to use it better than you have!"
Seeing that the two men are about to come to heated blows, Winthrop interrupts. "I also have brought a tithe, though it will take me a moment to get to it," he says, pulling forth a small wooden box. "I was wondering if you would be able to send some of your acolytes to help Hugh and I tomorrow." Winthrop speaks a single, multisyllabic word, and a large chest matching the small box appears. Winthrop waves his hands over it several times, chanting, and then opens it. "We could really use the help," he repeats, as he pulls sack after sack of gold coin out of the chest. Soon, ten sacks of gold coin of various mints stand in a pile next to the backpack.
Arthurus is dumbstruck. The prospects of him forming a bell have greatly increased and there may be enough gold to possibly hire men to begin work on repairing the temple too. Arthurus, who has just taken a tipsy hardline with Hugh, finds himself in a bind. He turns to Winthrop and agrees to send some acolytes along with them in the morning, but he also has words for Hugh. "You have chastised me about my temple without having one of your own! Do not come here searching for my wisdom and guidance until you have built a parish of your own," he says. "Once you have experienced the difficulties of caring for others, you can learn from me, but not before."
Winthrop drags the steaming Hugh off before the two hot-headed priests can argue more. Winthrop has gotten the answer that he wants and wants to exit before Arthurus changes his mind. Outside, Winthrop finds several street urchins poking at his and Hugh's magical mounts. The urchins are very confused at the way the mounts simply ignore them. Winthrop shoos them away, and he and Hugh, creatures of habit, take up lodging in the Wheat Field.
The following day, Arthurus and Cedrus are both good to their word. Arthurus sends three acolytes to join with Hugh and Cedrus in attempting the ritual. Cedrus calls upon Ehlonna to draw back Grizela's soul, and, much to his pleasure, her soul returns to her body! Grizela hacks and coughs large black chunks from her lungs, but she definitely breathes once more. Prayers from Hugh bring her back from death's door, and Grizela walks again among the living. Grizela is amazed at Longspear, a city larger than the capitol of the Duchy of Geoff. Escorted by one of Cedrus's servants, she roams the city, seeing new sights and sounds.
Hugh and Winthrop spend their time in more productive efforts. Hugh had planned to scribe scrolls in the temple, placing Trithereon's prayers in a written form and imbuing them with the power of the holy ground. With the state of the temple and its lack of bell and altar, Hugh is dubious that any prayers written there would retain any potency. Instead, he serves as Winthrop's errand boy, searching for reagents and materials for the wizard.
Hugh hunts through the city with a list written by Winthrop. The Silent One's tower, his first stop, seems both similar and different. The tower has a large dark bulge that grows in a strange shape, not circular like the dark bubble over Istvin, and the courtyard surrounding the tower is filled with impenetrable mist and strange sounds. Hugh hears that some adventurers tried to enter the tower several weeks earlier and were never heard from again. Richard Coldheart and an enchantress are rumored to be attempting to breach the tower and rescue the Silent One in the near future, says the rumor mill, so Hugh plans to check back later.
Indom Falmuth is next on his list. The alchemist is unhappy to make Hugh's acquaintance, but he does not throw things or refuse to do business with the priest, making his relationship better than Winthrop's. With the Silent One no longer in residence, Indom's market for magical unguents and inks has shrunk. Magi no longer come from far away to treat with the Silent One for new magics, and the Silent One no longer needs inks to scribe and sell books and scrolls of enchantments. Indom has only a small amount of ink on hand, but he is willing to sell it to Hugh and take a down payment for the manufacture of more.
Hugh also commissions the construction of several high-quality books, future tomes of magic for Winthrop, Dell, and Antonus. Winthrop has carried with him several swatches of skin and hide from magical beasts, and these are used as binding materials for the books, to protect them from harm.
Last, Hugh searches the jewelers and the gemsmiths for pearls of various sizes and qualities as well, putting out the word that he is willing to purchase such pearls at a profit. Waiting for prospective sellers is a dull and time-consuming business, but it keeps Hugh occupied and gives Grizela something to do as well.
Winthrop locks himself up in his room, disappearing for days at a time and reappearing haggard and worn. Grizela takes to guarding his door, not wanting some poor maid or servant to interrupt him and receive a lightning bolt in return.
Frank still frequents the Wheat Field, and he sits and chats with Hugh and Grizela. He asks after Dell, inquiring of his health, and wonders where the rest of the Company is. Hugh explains the history of recent events and tells the story of the north. Frank is a careful listener and appreciates the humor and wit of Hugh's story. Frank, in turn, tells Hugh of how adventurers and mercenaries have flowed through Longspear into the Yeomanry, seeking high pay and loot from their enemies. The collapse of the Earldom has left the surviving mercenary groups without employers, and they have moved on to the Yeomen. The fall of Flen and the obliteration of the western brigade has mobilized the Keoish throne as well. Frank expresses surprise at the slow and ineffective response by King Skotti. The Keoish Army still maintains only a cordon around Flen. A black cloud blankets the city, and the howls of undead can be heard for miles in the might.
One day, Frank dashes into the Wheat Field with news that Richard Coldheart is attempting the Silent One's tower, and Hugh and Grizela join him and the hundreds of people that watch from a safe distance. When Hugh arrives, the tower is transformed, with the courtyard clear of mist and sound but instead marked with a strange fence. Made of bones, it wraps around the tower, halfway between it and the courtyard walls. Skulls mounted on bones peer outward and a great bone gate lines up with the entryway to the courtyard and the tower. The burnt husks of ten men lie dead before the gates, where the last attempt failed. "The skull shot fire," hisses one of Frank's men to them.
Richard Coldheart and a sorceress, Elena the Pure, consult on what to do, and eventually Elena begins casting enchantments on the wall of bones. The gate swings wide and Coldheart, the sorceress, and a band of eleven men enter through the gate. Mists swirl again in the courtyard, blocking site of the bone wall, much to everyone's displeasure. After twenty minutes without the sound of an explosion, the crowd slowly disperses.
Winthrop spend days in his room at the Wheat Field while Hugh and Grizela purchase and collect goods. Finally, with the ink, books, and pearls purchased, Winthrop decides it is time to return to Castle Crag. Cedrus chooses not to join them to the north, though if the Company returns southward to search for the Great Druid, he will join them then. Cedrus has also built a font with the Company's funds, and he provides a case of flasks of purified, blessed water for the Company to use. Winthrop carefully lowers it into his magical chest before gathering the others to him. After some preparatory spells, Winthrop speaks arcana, and they disappear.
The rooftop of Castle Crag lurches into sight, and the three of them stumble a bit before regaining their footing. The castle is still deserted, though the smell of the bodies piled outside and decaying is enough to make them want to desert it as well. After a few hours of making certain the castle is deserted, rather than seeming deserted, Winthrop summons balls of fire on the dead, incinerating them.
The three of them settle into a pattern of watching for the return of the others, performing daily duties, and trying to move, break, or carve off a piece of the mithril slab in the dungeons. Winthrop tries a plethora of spells and efforts while Hugh pours holy water on it and Grizela tries to pound off a chunk. None of their efforts are successful, but they spend hours each day working on it.
Winthrop and Hugh also note that to the southeast, a dot on the horizon comes and goes. It appears irregularly and infrequently, but sometimes will hover there for hours. Winthrop tries to go out and meet it, but it disappears when he takes to the air. Finally, he casts his vision out to where it is, better prepared for its visit, and spies on it. The dot is a single rider on a hippogryph, bearing a long spyglass and wearing blackened armor. The rider is swaddled in clothing against the cold but is either an elf or a petite human based on size. Winthrop ponders the figure and searches its appearance for the telltale badge he expects it to be wearing. After several attempts, he sees what he searches for, the sign of the Bergheim Mercenaries.
The rider seems to be keeping tabs on the castle, and Winthrop finds there is little to be done about it. He, in return keeps an eye on the rider as well. The rider comes irregularly, possibly camping or traveling some distance to take up this post. Winthrop sighs, wondering what is keeping the Company and whether he should cast his vision further afield.