Have Fun Storming the Castle!

“I’m out of here!” Tomas gasped. He had easily half a dozen arrows sticking out of him, and he’d just taken a pair of vicious cuts from the orcs’ greataxes. One of the orcs who’d ambushed him was down, but the other was drawing back for another swing. Tomas spun away, then dashed back down the path and around the corner of the gatehouse, panting and weak from blood loss.

A lightning bolt came flashing up the road, zapping the orc. “I’ve got your back!” Shadow cried to Laori, who was now left alone facing the massive orc. With a bellow it redirected its swing at the elf, cleaving her armor. She was also wobbling on her feet, barely conscious, but she still smiled up at the green-skinned warrior. “Oooo … I liked that!” she purred. Then her spiked chain lashed out. The first swing smashed the orc on the side of its skull. As it shook its head to try to clear it, the chain swung around again. It wrapped itself around the orc's neck, then Laori gave a sudden jerk that ripped out the orc’s throat. As the orc collapsed, blood spurting, Laori sat down heavily in the dirt. “I think I’ll just rest here for a minute,” she said to no one in particular.

On the parapet above her, Erin was in equally dire straits, facing the orc chieftain. He drew back his greatsword for another swing, but Erin felt movement by her side. “I’ve got this!” the invisible Jax whispered, and then blood began to spray from a slash that opened from ear to ear in the chief’s throat. The blood sprayed both Erin and Jax, making him partially visible, and she saw him rush to the ladder that led down off the parapet before the chief's body even stopped twitching. “I think they’re still fighting downstairs!” Jax called back over his shoulder. Erin knew she should follow him, but like Laori, she just needed to sit down for a minute.

But by the time Jax dashed out of the lean-to, he found nothing but bloodied bodies. Thankfully, those of his friends still moving, and those of the orcs were not. The Shadowcount’s air elementals circled overhead, ensuring that nothing could catch the party by surprise as they searched the orcs’ bodies and lair. Erin, Tomas, and Laori were all very badly hurt, and it took the party’s healers quite some time to get them back to some semblance of health. The lean-to proved to be the orcs’ barracks, stinking of smoke, orc-sweat, and worse. As they stripped the chief of his gear, they could tell that his greatsword was particularly fine. “It’s got some Skald runes engraved on the blade,” Erin said as she turned the sword to catch the light. “They say ‘Akeraum’. It’s apparently the weapon’s name – no idea what that word means.” Nat cast Detect Magic, and studied the weapon for some time, then leaned back with a whistle. “That’s a Dragon’s-Bane sword!”

The orcs also had a surprisingly large stash of money, a mix of coinage from all over Varisia as well as Ustalav, Lastwall, Nirmathas, and other nations. That worried Jax. “Do you think whoever’s in there,” nodding at the Castle, “paid them to guard the entrance?”

Tomas shook his head. He’d been examining the ground outside. “I see lots of tracks around the building, and leading back up the road the way we came. But there are no tracks leading either to or from the causeway to the Castle.”

For the first time, the party turned their full attention on Castle Scarwall. Up close it looked every bit as foreboding as the legends said. Dark walls rose from darker bedrock to steep rooflines set with gargoyles and minarets. Battlements looked down from towers and defensive walls, and many foul-feathered carrion birds soared above them. Mists rising off of the black tarn obscured the lower portions of the rocky island, giving the whole place an ethereal appearance. Surprisingly, even though the structure was many centuries old, its walls and roofs remained intact, with no visible breaches or obvious signs of damage. The sun had already set below the rim of the caldera above them, casting the entire area into shadow, and they could see ghostly glows begin to light some of the windows and arrow slits; now and then, faint flickerings hinted at the motion of creatures within.

The causeway leading to the Castle was a high bridge crossing the vast expanse of black water between the barbican gate and the entrance to Castle Scarwall. The bridge was ornate and also in excellent condition, in stark contrast to the barbican ruins just yards away. High arching columns reaching from the waters below supported the broad span, each marked by a pair of sinister gargoyles that stared out over the dark lake. A larger pair of these statues flanked the near end of the bridge. Nat eyed these statues apprehensively, and cast Detect Magic to see if they posed any danger. The entire area ahead of him was suffused with an intense aura of necromancy, far too large and strong for any spell, and he found himself awed by the obvious power at play here.

At the far end of the causeway, at least 400 feet away, they could see the bars of a portcullis blocking the path into the Castle, and beyond it a huge gate, also closed. “I’m thinking we shouldn’t just walk up and knock on the front door,” Jax said, breaking the silence. No one disagreed. “Maybe I should turn Invisible and fly around, get a sense of the layout of the place,” he suggested.

“Maybe we should wait for morning,” Wren countered. The light was fading quickly. “You’ll be able to see more, and when you get in trouble,” (Jax noted that she said ‘when’ and not ‘if’) “we’ll be able to see you to bail you out.”

So the party set up to spend the night, using the ruined gate-house as their shelter. As they cooked a thin stew over the fire, Laori sat down next to Wren. Wren tensed – she didn’t trust the Kuthite cleric, and everything about Laori just rubbed her the wrong way. But Laori wasn’t in her usual joking or flirting mode. “I don’t know if you’ve encountered many undead,” she said solemnly, “but I have. I don’t know what kind of things we’re likely to run into in there, but some of them could be very dangerous. I’m preparing several Death Ward spells, to help protect our front-line folks from some of the worst of them. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but you might want to consider the same.” She gave Wren a look that was almost sisterly, then rose to go back to snuggle (well … as much as her barbed armor would allow) with Shadow. Wren watched her go with mixed feelings; she still couldn’t stand the woman, but she hadn’t even thought about the Death Ward spell until Laori mentioned it, and it pained her to admit that it was actually a good suggestion.

The morning dawned damp and overcast. The group gathered on the cliff overlooking the crater lake as Jax prepared his spells. He vanished from sight, and then they heard his voice call out from above: “Be back in a few minutes!”

From overhead, Jax could really get a sense of the scale of Castle Scarwall, and he was almost overwhelmed. Growing up in Korvosa, he’d always been awed by the imposing sight of Castle Korvosa looming over the city, but that was like a cottage compared to this. A dozen or more towers rose from various parts of the structure, some slender and graceful, others sturdy and imposing, clearly built for war. One especially stout tower rose from the northeast corner of the Castle, its parapets holding ruined siege engines. At the rear of the Castle was a large square building with no windows or arrow slits, likely once the Castle’s donjon. Attached to it was the huge black star-shaped tower that had drawn Laori and Sial’s attention. Like the donjon, it had no windows or arrow slits – no openings of any kind. Its stone walls showed no seams and gleamed as if polished, and its foundations passed though the stone of the island, as if a single shaft of stone had been driven into the earth. On its flat roof was a small blockhouse, and only on its southwestern face was the smooth surface marred. Here, a carving of an immense skull with spiked chains dangling from its eye sockets looked out over the Castle below. Jax shuddered as he recognized the representation of the face of Zon-Kuthon.

A long single-story wing of the Castle extended to the west, ending in an almost flower-shaped room with a vaulted roof of rose-tinted glass. Jax could almost make out an empty room beneath the glass roof, but didn’t venture too close. Beyond it, the western end of the island sloped downwards, almost reaching the surface of the lake, and from above, Jax thought he might be able to make out the dark shadow of ruined pilings beneath the water’s surface, as if there might once have been a dock there.

But there was no entrance into the Castle in that western wing; indeed, the only exterior entrance he saw that would be accessible from the ground was the barred front gate. However, there were plenty of potential landing areas for those coming in from the air: the top of the Star Tower, the tower with the siege engines and a parapet below it, an overgrown courtyard in the center of the structure, and a large open parapet at the area where the west wing met the rest of the Castle. In addition, there were any number of small balconies and elevated walkways. There were also a pair of parapets flanking the top of the Castle entrance, overlooking the causeway and the gate below, but here Jax saw the only inhabitants that he spotted during his fly-by. Each parapet held a pair of huge skeletal creatures, each like an oversized human skeleton with the skull of a horned bull. They were armed with greataxes and crossbows, and stood motionless on the parapet, on eternal watch over the Castle approaches.

Jax completed his circuit of the Castle, and rejoined the party to report, sketching out they layout he’d observed in the dirt. “Did anyone see you?” Nat asked anxiously when he had completed his description.

Jax paused for a moment before answering. “I don’t think so. At least nothing reacted to me. But the whole time I was over there, I was sure I was being watched.”

“The Castle has eyes,” Shadow said, and there was nothing joking about his statement.

It took the group all of two seconds to agree that trying to enter through the front gate was a Bad Idea. It took considerably longer to agree on what to do instead. Several people liked the idea of following Jax’s lead and using flight to get in, but no one had sufficient Fly or Air Walk spells to get everyone airborne. Nat had the option of Teleport, and he and Shadow could also offer Dimension Door as a means of instantly transporting everyone to their chosen destination. That seemed like a reasonable idea, and led to a long discussion about just where that destination should be. Ultimately, they decided to go to the large parapet where the western wing joined the rest of the Castle, overlooking the courtyard. Everyone gathered on the road at the end of the causeway and began casting protective spells. Wren cast a Prayer then they joined hands and Nat and Shadow simultaneously cast Dimension Door.

There was a jolt, and it felt like they’d run face-first into a brick wall. When they reoriented themselves, they were standing at the lip of the causeway, barely ten feet from where they’d started. “What the hell?” Nat mumbled, rubbing his nose to see if it was bleeding.

“What happened?” several people asked at once. “Was that some sort of anti-magic field?” Wren asked, but Nat and Shadow simply shook their heads in confusion.

“I don’t think so,” Jax said slowly. “I didn’t have any problem flying to the Castle. I’m thinking it’s some kind of Dimensional Anchor effect. Something that doesn’t allow any extra-planar or dimensional travel into or out of the Castle.”

“What about once we’re inside?” Erin asked. “Will it stop us from popping in and out in there?” But Jax just shrugged. “We won’t know until we’re in there.”

This new development limited their options considerably. They could either stroll up to the front door and hope someone had left a key under the mat, or they could fly. “I can cast Mass Fly,” Nat offered. “Just not today.”

So they settled in to wait again. The fighters spent the day sharpening weapons while the casters debated what spells to prepare. They spent another uneasy night watching the ghost lights in the distant Castle, wondering what was behind them.

They gathered in the pre-dawn twilight. They cast the same suite of protective spells as the day before and everyone who had one pulled on their Red Mantis mask and activated its See Invisibility. Jax walked down the line tapping each person in turn with the Wand of Invisibility they’d bought in Janderhoff, then Nat cast Mass Fly on the entire party. Those with the masks could see one another and had no trouble navigating as a group; Laori and friends simply tied a rope around their waists and had Shadow lead them.

They headed for the northwestern parapet, above the long single-story west wing. They saw the pair of minotaur skeletons that Jax had reported, still standing guard above the gate, but they gave no indication that they were aware of the invisible invaders. They landed lightly, and Jax dismissed the Invisibility, so they could all see one another.

The parapet overlooked the dark lake to the north and south, and the overgrown courtyard to the east. A short walkway extended above the courtyard, leading to a door into the donjon; another door led into the roof of the west wing just to the south of their landing spot. Most of the group headed for the donjon door, while Tomas went south to the other door.

Jax peered at the donjon door, then stepped back in surprise. “Well that’s something I’ve never seen before.” The door itself was bronze, its surface so tarnished that it appeared almost black. But the stone all around the door jamb had been shaped to form a lip around all four edges of the door, preventing it from being opened. The seam where that lip met the door had then been sealed with lead. “Looks like someone really didn’t want us getting in here.”

“No,” Nat said softly, “I think they really didn’t want something getting out.” He cast Detect Magic, and studied the area for some time, then it was his turn to scratch his head in confusion. “This whole area’s protected by some form of Forbiddance. Not just the door – this whole building.” He waved his arm to indicate the entire donjon. “But it’s weird – it seems like there are two Forbiddance effects, in conflict with each other. But I just can figure it out.” He pressed his Gloves of Reconnaissance against the door, and an image formed in his mind’s eye, but all it showed was a small alcove with another closed door leading east – nothing informative.

While the others had been examining the donjon door, Tomas had been checking the door into the west wing roof. It was locked, and like the rest of the Castle the lock showed no signs of rust or age, and Tomas had little trouble getting it to yield to his picks. He motioned the others over, and everyone gathered around. He pulled open the door, revealing a dark stairway leading down.

The stairway descended to a landing, then reversed and continued down, where it opened into a room. Jax took the lead and stepped into the room. The dim light spilling down the stairs from above revealed what might have once been an apartment for two, but the ruined beds and desks left nothing today for creature comforts (whatever magic had preserved the Castle through the centuries apparently didn’t extend to its furnishings).

As he turned to his right, Jax saw a pair of exceedingly odd figures. One was no taller than a short halfling; one leg was missing and had been replaced with a wooden leg that looked like it had been fashioned from a chair leg. The other was over seven feet in height, with overly long arms that dangled to mid-calf. Both were dressed in identical outfits of tight, form-fitting black leather, with tight leather masks covering their heads; each mask had a stitched seam running from forehead to jawline, with tinted goggles over the eyes and no openings for mouth or nose.

As soon as they spotted Jax, both figures began gesturing and thrashing their arms about wildly. They bore no weapons, and didn’t move as if to attack; instead, their motions appeared to be some sort of mute pantomime. Jax knitted his brow as he struggled to derive some meaning from their motions. “Can you hear me?” he called out, hoping to establish some sort of communication.

Erin heard Jax’s call, and followed him into the room. She, too, was baffled by the creatures’ movements. Something about them seemed plaintive, and she wondered if they were trying to offer some warning. Tomas was on her heels, bow at the ready, but he also found himself absorbed in trying to decipher what the pair were trying to tell them.

Wren was next down the stairs. She saw the two strangers, but she also saw her comrades standing slack-jawed and drooling. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but it was obvious that these creatures had done something to her friends. “Snap out of it!” she screamed, and charged at the shorter of the pair with the new sword she’d taken from the Red Mantis cleric, Koriantu. The blow should have sent him flying, but the blade passed through his seemingly-solid form as if through smoke, and she was grateful that she’d used the Blessings of the Ancestors to imbue the weapon with the Undead-Bane ability.

Shadowcount Sial heard Wren’s shout from halfway up the stairs. “Go to her aid!” he commanded, and Asyra instantly obeyed. The kyton charged down the stairs and into the room. The leather-bound pair were still performing their Horrific Pantomime, but the emotionless creature was unfazed by it. She also attacked the shorter one with her spiked chain; like Wren’s, her weapon flowed through its incorporeal body.

The two jesters stopped their wild motions, and attacked Asyra; their hands seemed to flow through her armor and flesh, tearing at her from within. As their pantomime stopped, Jax charged; he wasn’t sure what had happened and felt even more confused than normal, but Wren was attacking and that was good enough for him. He stabbed the midget with Vencarlo’s rapier (now infused with extra Undead-Bane goodness). Shadow dashed down the stairs at the sound of combat, just in time to see Jax’s rapier flow through the leather-clad enemy. Taking advantage of that knowledge, he pulled out the Ectoplasmic Metamagic Rod he’d recently purchased, and fired off a trio of Scorching Rays that did full damage against the incorporeal ghost, causing it to vanish in a puff. Nat was right behind him, and sent a volley of Magic Missiles flying into the taller jester.

Erin also belatedly recognized the threat in front of her, and charged the remaining foe, slashing it with her flaming longsword. A trio of arrows finally flew from Tomas’s bow. Each struck the seven-foot tall figure in the face, then flew on through to clatter off the far wall. But each sent a spout of ectoplasm flying out of the creature, and with the last it vanished like its partner.

Jax, Erin, and Tomas suddenly realized they didn’t feel so good. They were each a little dumber, a little less wise, a little less charismatic. “Why didn’t we realize what they were doing?” Erin moaned, but no one had an answer to that. Wren cast Lesser Restoration on Erin, restoring some of her wisdom, then Erin called upon her Power of Faith to help restore all three of them – at least a little bit.

The jesters’ bedroom had two exits, one to the north and another to the west. Tomas made a ‘which one?’ gesture and got a chorus of shrugged shoulders in response, so he made an executive decision and moved to the door to the west. It opened into a dark hallway; there were two doors on the left hand side, and the hall turned to the right some ways down.

They were inside Castle Scarwall. Would they ever leave?

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The PCs received 12,267 XP, putting  you at 212,702 XP with 295,000 required for level 14. Roger will be in Texas next week, so someone will need to play Jax.