Phineas slips back into camp, obviously making an effort to be stealthy.

"Well met, gentlemen. My apologies for having kept you for as long as I have. My reconnoiter has been met with some success: I got a look at the structure ahead, which appears to be a large stone castle. Its original color is lost to time, but it has evidently bleached to white over many long years. The main structure is surmounted by an impressively large tower that reaches almost to the top of the pass, and would make a very effective lookout point for any inclined to keep watch over the area."

"There does not appear to be anyone about, nor any obvious threat, though I must confess that the site makes me uneasy. It's quiet. Too quiet."

Thanks. Lets go on. Phineas, I think you should, when we're about in sight, get yourself hidden on foot. If we're surprised, maybe you can surprise the surprisers.

The wagons approach through the pass with little problem.  Soon it opens up to reveal the bone-white castle that Phineas described.  The walls of the castle move away from the walls of the pass at 45 degree angles.  As the approach the castle forming an implied X, they curve downward toward an inner circle of a wall that surrounds the castle proper.  Four more walls split the difference between those attached to the pass and form a smaller, thinner X.  They too curve down toward the central wall.

The castle inside is not exceptionally large, however all the wings, buildings, or whathaveyou surround a central tower that reaches almost to the top of the pass.

Moss covers everything.  In the moonlight, the place looks eerie and still.  Nothing moves and there is no sounds coming from the castle.  Not even the wind blows in the night.  The castle looks like nothing more than the long sun-bleached skeleton of a gargantuan monster.  A pair of gates nearly as tall as the wall hang open to the courtyard beyond.  There doesn't seem to be a way around the castle, only through.

The mountains have begun to diminish and on the other side of the castle are the foothills and open plains, or so Eles claims.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:54, Thu 16 Oct 2014.

Toben tries to peer past the open gates to get a better view of the interior courtyard.

"In we go I suppose. At least we'll have cover from the night, right?", he says glancing at his companions. "Did you want to scout it out Phin?"

In reply to Toben Ironsprings (msg # 33):

"But of course!"

Dagger in hand, Phineas again quietly slips on ahead to see if any threats lie in wait.

In the meantime, Klale keeps his wagon horses plodding along, hoping the cart driver is following. Maybe we keep going until we're on a downslope. We've been careful with the horses so far.

Phineas approaches the gates.  The moment he steps inside, a large breeze kicks up through the pass and whistles through the gates.  Dust and detritus are kicked up into the air making it hard to see.  One of the gates swings a little in the wind, but remains where it is at.  It doesn't make a sound as it moves.

Ano feels uneasy as they move towards the castle,  the feeling ofthe unknown weighted heavy on his mind.  They could be walking into all kinds of danger, but they pressed forward towards the only option left open to them.  "We must be careful not to get to far separated from one another, we could easily become lost in a place such as this".  Ano looked up at the tower strwaching to the sky before them and said aloud "I do not understand the need for structures like this to be built.  Why would anyone need something so elaborate?"

Don't know about elaborate, but I guess one could see quite a way from the top. Make a signal, fire maybe, from the top...that could be seen a long way off.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said this place didn't creep me out. I'll have to admit though, it is impressive." Toben scans the immediate area. "I have to agree with Ano. Last thing we need is to get lost in this place. We should find a secure area to rest in, and move on in the morning."

Within the gates there is a large courtyard surrounding the courtyard proper.  It is immense.  The gates and the courtyard are wide and allow for the free flow of traffic, even potentially a large army, to pass from the ravine through the courtyard and out the other side.  The emptiness itself is a bit daunting, though there is nothing for ambushers to hide behind.  Only empty stone spans the courtyard.  No buildings, no remains, no gear, nothing to indicate anything ever lived here.

On the castle proper there is another, smaller set of doors that echo the gates in design.  In the moonlight they are stark white, like bone left to bleach for decades.  The doors to the castle are closed.

On the other side of the castle, the gates out are shut tight.  Careful testing indicates that they are definitely locked shut.  They do not appear to have a mechanism for unlocking or opening them from the courtyard.

Phineas carefully checks the doors to the castle for traps.

Klale considers the feasibility of using his hammer on the lock area, assuming there's a keyhole.

Toben walks up to the castle doors and places a hand upon one of them.

"Gentlemen.  I'm curious as to what you are doing?  If there is nothing out here bothering us, and we can camp out here safely, would it not be better to pass on through without disturbing whatever might be locked up inside?"

"Surely you know, Eles, that adventurers are curious to a fault! It's the thing that most often lands us in trouble!"

Laughing, Phineas falls away from the locked doors, though never quite takes his eyes off them.aughing, Phineas falls away from the locked doors, though never quite takes his eyes off them.

"You may call me crazy, but I prefer the safety of walls. I don't like the feeling of being exposure this courtyard lends us."

Toben shrugs, "Besides, it looks like there may not be a way to enter anyway..."

"I agree with Eles.  We should make camp out here where it is easy to keep watch and just keep moving in the morning"  Ano stares at the tower for a long time, the stark whiteness making him feel uneasy.

"Dark things have come back to this world, and i would not like to meet one of them on this night"

Eles grimaces.  "Trouble, my boy, is exactly what I'm wanting to avoid.  We have a mission.  Trouble, at best, will only slow us down.  If you go in there, you go in without me."

Tobe steps back from the doors, defeated. "This structure is quite impressive, and so different in nature." He frowns a bit, and walks back toward the wagon.

He helps set up camp for the evening. "I wouldn't mind taking the first watch."

Toben passes the time during his watch sketching out the tower, and scribbles what appears to be nonsense in his journal.

Then here it is, but I mislike stopping now. Unless somebody else wants it, I'll take first watch; I've been sitting all day. If there's anything in yon works, maybe it'll leave us alone if we leave it alone.

The night passes slowly with the tower standing silent sentinel over the group.  The wind whistles at times past the walls and through the windows high above, sounding like the moans of tortured souls.  Sleep is fitful at best for the group and the feeling that something is watching never leaves, even in dreams.

Those dreams are troubled, images of pale, emaciated faces in long black robes, the shadowy forms of once-kings.  Vulgar faces with hints of tusks and piercings in every conceivable place look ready to shed blood.  They cry out with the wind, but waking only reveals an empty courtyard.

In the morning, the sun reflects off the bone white tower into the courtyard, waking the group...those who managed to sleep.  It will be an hour before the sun rises high enough to shine directly into the yard over the wall.

The way forward is still shut.

Phineas takes a close look at the gates that exit the courtyard, searching for a lock, a mechanism that could be released, or some other clue as to how they might continue their journey.

Toben wakes in the morning from a restless sleep. Though groggy, he manages to get up without wasting too much time and helps break down the camp. Seeing that Phineas is already testing the groups exit strategy, he spends most of his effort packing up.

Ano awakes in the morning to perform his usual routine.   His daily practice feeling a bit out of place in the bleak and desolate environment.

As Phineas is examining the door that leads out of the courtyard Ano approaches him "How does it look, what keeps us from opening it?"