Re: The Duchy of Daggerford
"Guide him in, please," Maerovyna directs some of her acolytes.
"My thanks to you and your party for taking good care of our brother. We'll see him returned to you once he is well." The druidess bows to Lady Bronwyn, "I am happy to see that you have returned, milady. I hope you fare well at court."
Lady Bronwyn inclines her head to the druidess and responds, "True hearts have no fear in the court of the Duke of Daggerford. The harvest seems strong, it is the season of the Earthmother and I am gratified to receive your well-wishes in the midst of the harvest."
The druidess bows again, "All seasons belong to the Earthmother. Every season has its own meaning. Spring to grow, Summer to mature, Autumn to harvest the fruits, and winter to recuperate. All are necessary. It is a truth that is helpful to remember in trying times." With that, the priestess returns to her shrine, and the party stirs toward the gates.
Moonglow tower, with its spired dome is the last sight before entering the kill box at the gatehouse of Daggerford Castle. Two story curtained stone walls rise starkly from the top of an escarpment. The construction has no trick to it aside from its height and thickness. Tol is reminded that this is a brutal land, and that Daggerford is naught but a remnant of a remnant of a succession of Fallen Kingdoms. Thick wall and tall were all the artifice the doomed survivors could likely muster. Courage and strength saved what remains when grace, beauty, and wisdom had failed them. Trotting beneath the murder holes is an eery feeling for all.
A wide bailey filled with orchards and fruit bearing hedges fills the space between the outer curtain wall and the inner keep wall. The fruit could fill the defenders in a time of siege or give cover to defenders after the walls had been broken. A second gate house and wall stand before the keep--and that wall is studded by a total of six more towers. The four corner towers are like castles in their own right. The blue and gold standard of the Duke--seldom seen in the town--is present every where here. The Duke's guard, knights, and liveried servants are in evidence everywhere. It's as if you're on another planet.
One liveried servant with gray hair and a stoop to his shoulders greets you at the steps of the keep. He is flanked by a pair of guards and six more junior servants. "Word has reached my lord of your arrival. He wishes you all to be washed and fed and brought to him." Upon seeing the corpse tied to the back of Tol's horse, he pauses, "Oh my. We were not told that you had suffered losses. Much will be answered for."
He claps his hands twice, and the servants move to each of you to assist you in dismounting. They politely request your arms and armor, assuring you that it will be cared for--polished and sharpened--but that it cannot be borne in the presence of the Duke of Daggerford. That is a privilege reserved for the Knights of Daggerford and bonded Paladins. Maidens follow shortly thereafter with basins and gauze for cleansing and the binding of wounds.
The two guards move toward Baron Agwain, which he protests. Lady Bronwyn scolds the men, "Unhand him! He is a Shining Baron of the Council of Man!"
"He's a blackhearted criminal my lady, and we're to take him into custody."
Baron Agwain calls to Tol and the party, "I am under the protection of your escort. Will you allow me to be accosted so? Is this the extent of your honor?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:09, Mon 25 July 2022.