Tales of Neutral Ground IC

[3SecondCultist]

Castling

Lann offers Gryphon an apology of dubious sincerity and Drake a noticeably more effusive handshake before turning back towards Kett. "I was going to offer a personal favor to everyone in your group, but if you'd like to cash in yours now I can have 1000 galifars in your hand by day's end. There will be another 1000 when the job is finished to my satisfaction. Will that suit?" His voice is steady and position absent hesitation; if losing what most people would consider a fortune bothers him, the weight of that choice doesn't appear on his face.

"If that's everything, then I'd rather show you what we're dealing with. Prepare yourselves."

The Brelish judge leads the way down a side passage, which leads to another intersection and then another larger hallway, which in turn takes you down a flight of stairs and around a gallery before ending at a single innocuous side door. Or at least, it might be on any other day: at the moment, no less than three fully armed Wardens stand guard. One of the men in command, who trades in splint mail for robes and toughened leather vambraces at the joins, quickly assesses your group before leaning in to whisper something in Lann's ear upon your arrival. Lann pauses for only a moment to nod and usher you all forward. There is a series of knocks, followed by an authentication given by Lann himself - "the blade itself incites to deeds of violence" - before a series of heavy bolts on the other side are lifted and you are granted passage.

What you find on the other side is a sight more fit for a battlefield than the inside of the castle, yet it's sadly one you are all growing increasingly acquainted with. It'd be easier to find a patch of stone or mortar that isn't covered in dried blood in this corridor, which extends at least another thirty feet before turning out of sight. Of the corpses, you count at least eight bearing what used to be the insignia of House Deneith. To say that their bodies have been torn to shreds is something of an understatement: in several cases, there is more outside their body than in. The forged steel plates have been torn open, and both scattered entrails and exposed organs glisten under magelight. The Warden nearest the door looks like his head was caved in by repeated blows to the face, helmet and all: fragments of sticky skull are spread out at your feet like a really unfortunate game of knucklebones.

You're only able to fully take everything in for maybe a few heartbeats before you're hit with the invisible wall of pure gut-churning reek of day old charnel. Nyctessa immediately starts dry heaving behind you, the gnome scurrying away. All you hear is a muttered "Nopenopenopenopenope," which is followed by the sound of a faint splattering and more curses. Lann waves an attendant to look after her, stepping over the first of the bodies and inviting you all to join him.

"As you can see, the intruders were more than ready for an organized resistance. Here, let me show you the infiltrator."