Nodding, Caesius raises his shield above his head.  "I've heard tell of this before, or something very like it, though I've never seen it until now.  One of my order got some on his hand a couple of years ago.  His captain cut the arm off to save his life, and burned the stump with a torch."

"But Faerel still says he can feel his hand burning sometimes, when he is on watch during the night."

Thanks to Violet's warning you advance warily ... but luck is with you and no more of the rotting slime falls, and you pass safely through the tunnel into the courtyard beyond ...

Thick cold fog swirls around the darkened courtyard as sporadic flashes of lightning lance the angry clouds overhead.  Thunder pounds the stone flags beneath your feet as a light drizzle begins anew.  Ahead torch flames flutter in the wind on each side of the keep's open main doors.  Warm light spills out from the doorway.  Although windows and arrow slits are visible in the walls of the castle above, no illumination escapes from them.

Behind you stand the two towers that hold the mechanisms for the drawbridge and portcullis with wooden doors at the base of each.  The courtyard itself is split in twain by a massive wall that joins the outer wall of the castle to the keep.  On either side there is a single gate, twenty feet wide leads through this joining wall.  A rusting portcullis blocks each gate.

"The light is like the call of flame to a moth," Ashlyn notes grimly.  "No warm welcome will we find here."

"What did the seer tell us? To seek the chapel that we might restore the symbol so dear to Ireena's family line."

"Hard it is to believe that any bastion of light might yet stand amid this darkness."

Zertin glances up in irritation at the light drizzle that has started to fall.

"Oh, curse this weather. My finery will be ruined. Come, let us seek the hospitality and shelter offered by the open doors of the keep ahead of us," he suggests, apparently determined to keep up the pretence of the arrival of a noble visitor.

Qvar chuckles softly at his brother's discomfort.  "Yes, let's use the front door, and see what awaits."

He would have to agree with Violet ... nothing good awaits.  And yet he looks up into the falling rain, knowing that above the clouds there is always a blazing bastion of light.  He smiles and nods encouragingly for Violet to lead the way.  "Yes, we should first try to find a chapel." 

"Aye, the chapel." Caesius agrees, and starts towards the door, with its blazing beacon of welcome.  "There is a saying where I come from: light drives out the darkness within and without.  So let us go inside.  With luck there's, at least, a sound roof to stave off the weather."

"And if our host proves less than welcoming, then all the better."

Wincing at Caesius's description of the effects of the dripping mold, Violet moves deeper into the fortress.  She doesn't like anything she sees, least of which the seemingly warm entrance to the keep.  It doesn't take one with her experience to recognize the cheery, comforting glow as the cheese for the wary mice who now enter.

"We might find that chapel," she murmurs, in response to those who mention it.  "But I hold strong doubts it will be anything holy, now."  Even so, they have only that to work with at the moment.  "Trust that if I see anything, I will speak up."  The nocked arrow returns to its quiver as the drizzle begins, and Violet hides her bow safely beneath her cloak.  Wet bow means wet bowstring.  Wet bowstrings stretch.

The doors it is; the young woman paces forward toward them, eyes and ears perked on the alert for dangers.

Though not without misgivings, you press on, duty, more than the drizzle that threaten worse to come, sending you across the courtyard to the strong wooden doors that stand open, and the promise, however false it may prove, of warmth and light within ...

The small entry chamber beyond is illuminated by flickers of fire in the jaws of the two coiled stone dragons that form an archway at the room's far end.  Their mouths direct the light in your direction, cloaking the room beyond the archway in darkness.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Qvar shuffles closer to Zertin, craning his neck to get a better look through the arch. "So far so good.  Shall we enter?"

OOC: Oooo, a map!  Must be something bad is about to happen!  :-)

Unslinging his haversack, Caesius reaches into it and, as luck would have it, discovers the item he seeks is laying on the top - an iron rod with a golden tip.  Striking the tip against the floor produces a bright glow.

The haversack returned to its usual place, and the rod held high in his left hand, Caesius steps forward, into the blackness.

"Ah, good man! I do hope the lord of the manor is at home. I should like to meet him," Zertin announces rather grandly as he follows Caesius across the threshold from light to darkness.

Producing a light, Caesius boldly steps forwards through the archway into the darkness, Zertin on his heels and Qvar pressing close behind his brother.  Ireena too pushes forwards, in front of Violet, as Saeko moves swiftly to keep with her charge.  Ashlyn and Randal bring up the rear, grateful at least to be out of the drizzle.

With the light provided by the stone dragons now behind him, Caesius moves the illumiated rod's back and forth to reveal what lies beyond ...

Cobwebs hang from dust-covered columns in this great hall.  Stone gargoyles squat motionlessly on the edge of a balcony circling some twenty feet above the floor.  Cracked and faded frescoes adorn the domed ceiling, nearly obliterated by centuries of decay.

Two bronze doors stand closed opposite the arched entry.  To the left of the entry, a wide staircase climbs into darkness.  A wide hallway extends to the right, draped in shadow.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Zertin looks up suspiciously at the gargoyle statues on the balconies above as he follows Caesius into the great hall.

"This... " Caesius says, peering about at the dust and cobwebs, "... does not look promising.  It appears that nobody has passed this way in some time."

His gaze travels up, towards the balcony...

Qvar looks left towards the staircase, his eyes piercing the gloom.  He purses his lips in thought, then shrugs.  "I'd expect the chapel to be on the ground floor where all can gather to welcome the Morning Lord.  Perhaps off to one side of the castle, in a wing where there can be windows all around, and facing East to favour the Sunrise."  He looks towards the shadowy hallway to the south.  "Perhaps down there?"  He wanders off 30' diagonally to the southeast into the pillared hallway.

"Careful," Violet cautions, slowly moving after the wandering priest.  One never knows what sort of hellspawn might lurk about in such places.  It's pretty much a guarantee, here.  Arrow to her bow, she moves a pace behind him, a suspicious eye on the various pillars.

While Zertin and Caesius both stare suspiciously at the stone gargoyles perched on the balcony above, Qvar looks around more broadly, his curiosity leading him to wander down the wide, shadowy hallway to the South.  Violet, more cautious by far, follows a wary pace behind him, an arrow at the ready. 

The ever-present light that envelops Qvar reveals a narrow passage that leads to a spiral staircase at the far end of the wide hall, and an alcove nearby holds a suit of full plate armor posed with a halberd in one hand.  Another pair of double doors stands opposite this alcove, set in the West wall.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

The paladin's eyes narrow, and he points the glowing metal rod towards the gargoyle laden balcony.  "Ware!" he growls, "I detect the taint of foulness above."

His blade slides from its sheath with a whisper of metal on metal.

"Ah, no chapel this way."  Qvar sounds a little deflated, "But there is a spiral staircase going both up and down."  He smile at Violet, "I'm glad you're keeping watch... that 'taint' suggests something is lurking nearby." and moves across the pillared passage to peek and listen at the double doors to the west.  Is there a keyhole, or possibly a chink?

The young woman can only roll a shrug at Caesius's words, though he garners a quick nod as well.  Fantastic; now there's more than one direction to worry about.  Violet grimaces at the armor, fully expecting it to come to life, and bites her lip at Qvar's words.  "Of course there is," she whispers.  If the staircase leads upward...  "We might see what lies above come down that."

Cocking her head, she listens as best she may, but the Un-Dying don't seem to make a great deal of noise....

OOC - Unspectacular 16 on listen.

Zertin sniffs as if displeased by an unwelcome odour.

"Just statues. The taint you sense must be from something other than those stone gargoyles," he advises Caesius.

He strides off after Qvar and Violet.

Caesius scowls.  He likes it not that his companions seem prepared to move onward and leave some unknown evil at their back.

Still, there seems little he can do about the evil if it chooses to remain above.  And there is, apparently, a staircase that might allow him access to the balcony, and whatever vileness lurks there.

With one last, half-hopeful, look at the balcony, he turns to follow the others.

Qvar crosses the shadow draped hall, searching for any gap in the doors that he might peek through, Violet following, more cautiously behind him. 

Caesius pulls his sword from its scabbard as he continues to concentrate upon the balcony above, though Zertin is convinced that the statues are no more than they seem, turning his back on them to pursue his brother down the southern hallway, the Paladin reluctantly following him. 

The rest of the party come after, Randal and Ireena first, the former shuddering as he looks up at the stone shapes above, the latter keeping her head down lest she be overwhelmed with fear as you forge deeper into the home of the Master, while Ashlyn and Saeko bring up the rear ...

... unseen, the two stone dragons uncoil, twisting around, a gush of flames erupting from their mouths as they breath fire, while a grinding noise comes from above as the stone statues unfurl their wings ...

OOC: Ashlyn, Ireena, Saeko and Randal - 1) DC 17 Ref save to avoid 17 HP fire dmg; 2) DC 17 Ref save to avoid 13 HP fire dmg; no damage taken if successful save

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Zertin curses and takes a step back toward the entry chamber to see better what the gargoyle statues are doing. His hands are ready and the words of a spell ready to roll from his lips if the gargoyles descend.

A truly vile oath drops from Violet's lips as the room behind ignites; whatever the words are, the sounds are lost in roar of flames.  She begins a movement back toward the room, then aborts it, choosing instead to nock an arrow and half-draw, keeping close to Qvar.  Whatever happens, the holy man requires protection.

OOC - Violet will move with Qvar and loose an arrow at anything that looks like it's moving to attack.