Angel crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at the lad, it was an expression that bespoke skeptical disagreement. "That, would be about the quickest way you'd find your head on Saxton's pike," she said. "The minute he hears about you issuing a call for your banners, he'll know your still alive, and I dare say will spare no expense in trying to find you to complete the job the orcs didn't. Right now he thinks your dead and more importantly is not looking for you, and that, Edmund dear, is an advantage you should not lightly throw away." 

Talia felt a cool chill racing up her spine as the boy spoke. partly, she felt the thrill of acknowledgement and acclaim, the thrill of promotion. Mostly, it was the same chill that motivated Angel to speak. She looked up at the woman and nodded in agreement. She then looked to Edmund again, "But your idea isn't wrong. This might provide us a good place to work from, to grow our ability to press your claim, but not officially. Not yet. Should we succeed, then you can determine what rewards we might have earned. For now, let's move with caution and secrecy."

Again, she looked to her companions to see how they were taking this situation. This was the stuff of legends and heroes. She felt inadequate. Still, a legitimate route to take down Lord Saxton was welcomed for the security it might provide Ashford. The ability to be an influence upon the next ruler had its own appeals as well. She set a firm hand upon Edmund's shoulder, "Come, for now, we will take you to our home and we will see you well fed and warm for a night. The orc boss was not as terrible as I had imagined, yet I expect she was not the best host ever, either, eh?"

She glanced at the others again. A look that spoke of a discussion in their future. "But seriously, if Pinna ever finds out how long it took us to get her out of that dungeon, she'll turn us into newts or something."

Edmund shook off Talia's arm and looked her in the eye.

"We will not make it public yet. I can have you reach out to my most loyal lords first and secure an alliance first. Or perhaps we should send word to my uncle. On my mother's side. Count Zelphar Thann of Rivershire. While he was not particularly close to my father I am of his blood. His banners alone would be enough to give pause to Saxton."

He pointed at the faded tapestry above them.

"But that is a mission that should be entrusted to my knights and lords. I ask you again will one of you become the lord of this castle and the rest of you become my knights? I need loyal servants in this fight and if you are not up for such a noble cause then I...I...I'll find someone else."

Once again his noble speech gives way to childish demands as he crosses his arms and plants his feet.

Orila smiled as Edmund was making sense in her mind. This was a young man that wasn't afraid to take action. "I'm with you. You speak of taking vengeance and it seems that you've a mind on how to go about that." The goliath seemed ready to charge forth. "This place needs a lot of work. But it's a good place to start."

As the halfling opened the door she stopped and listened to Edmund's request. "Speaking for myself, my lord, I wouldn't know what to do as liege of a hole castle. I am one for the woods and sneaking through the underbrush... talk of knights and all brings to mind shiny, loud armor and the lot. Seems to be against my nature.


"Right. No one let on to Pinna! Lets see too the villagers-- your subjects, lord Edmund-- and then we can talk about our next move.

Talia stood after Edmund's speech and looked the small lord in the eye. She almost shook her head. She didn't want to be a lord or a knight. It seemed counter to her own family's background. Still, Edmund was, as Orila seemed to indicate, making sense. Vengeance and action were things she could understand. "If you need to call someone a Lord rather than a friend to trust them, I'll do that. But I hope you can trust us even if we are not beholden to you." The half-truth made Talia blush a bit and the fingers on her left hand fidgeted a bit. In truth, she felt no loyalty to Emdund or his family. She only cared about the ramifications for her own family and friends. Right now, their safety seemed in better hands with Edmund. She'd probably be among the first to overthrow him should he prove a tyrant. Still, for now this seemed the path, "And the others can be my bannermen, I suppose, each in their own way. Pinna, too." She looked around at the others with apologetic smiles. She doubted any of them wanted to be dressed up like peacocks and such. For now, that didn't seem in the cards, but it would likely happen down the line.

Of course, they could always disappear into the wilderness when all was said and done. Talia had always wanted to see her mother's homelands.

She held out a hand to Edmund then to seal the deal.

Angel snorted. "You can't give me what I already have," she answered cryptically. "Loyalty isn't won with titles and grants. Anyone who'd serve you for what you can give them is just a mercenary, and a mercenary's loyalty turns at the spin of a coin. Don't ever trust those whose hearts are for sale to the highest bidder. If you want people to follow you, then be a leader than inspires folk to follow you," she paused, making a show of looking Edmund up and down, appraising him. "And right now, to be quite honest, you're not very inspiring at all." 

She crossed her arms as she continued. "So here's a free piece of advice. Good and inspiring leaders actually listen to their advisors and don't reject wisdom just because it's not what they want to hear. So, you wanna play dress up," she added, waving one hand in a vague gesture to include their ruined surroundings, "Then by all means have fun. I've got better things to do than throw my life away on a boy's naïve fantasies," she paused for dramatic effect.

"But if you really wanna take down the people who murdered your family and see the axe take Saxton's head, then I'm happy to help for my own reasons," she said, her memory flashing back momentarily to Sir Arcturus bragging about breeding that noble girl. "But we best get one thing straight right now. I work with you, not for you."     

Alyssa had paused momentarily as Angel set young Edmund right about loyalty, Actually, some rather good points she's making...

Finally, the halfling pushed the door open and looked for the way to the dungeons and the captured villagers.

Edumnd seemed to be satisfied and then began looking around.

"If you are to be knighted I shall need a sword. Go fetch one and we will perform the ceremony here and now."

OOC: Please specify where you plan on wandering off to and who is going with you. Us the map for reference.

Talia raised yet another eyebrow at the boy and then spoke from her full height. She even stepped in closer so he had to look up, "I shan't "go and fetch" anything. I am not a dog, Majesty. Perhaps, this is good. You can learn some proper manners while we explore our new keep..." Talia actually blanched at that. She really didn't want to invest any resources into this place. What it would take in time, money, and effort to restore this dilapidated fortress to working condition was beyond her. As it was, it was fit only for raiders and bandits.

She supposed that descriptor more or less included their current status: rebel leaders. She sighed and looked around for a door likely to lead into the dungeon. She moved north and west toward the door closest to the tower they had entered from.

Moving to B. Was it set if we knew what door led to the dungeon? If we know, then that takes priority.

Angel threw her hands up in exasperation and turned away as she started ranting in her native tongue. [Language unknown: "Nc ons urutbe moll! Lo. K. El! I ithortted ofmi ma enwhevle trfo-elhise! A adecti in llliel ven encof u iohone! Wino tinureioneve, stionsven astwas-antwerrom!"]

She spun back suddenly to point a finger at the boy and switched to the Common. "Sit!" She commanded, her voice echoing slightly with magical power. "And listen! Your obsession with this nobility nonsense is going to get you -- and us! -- all killed! Get this through your thick head! Right or wrong, at this moment you're nothing more than a fugitive! And if Saxton finds out your still alive, you're gonna be a fugitive with a price on his head! So if you have any desire to see tomorrow or even next week, much less have a chance to avenge your family, you better start thinking and acting like a fugitive! One day, one hour, at a time and one step in front of the hounds after you!" ... and Angel sounded like she spoke from experience.

OOC: Using Command on Edmund, Wisdom save DC 12

The party does not know which door leads to the dungeon nor was Dorokor in any mood to give them directions on her way out. The only stairs they have seen so far were back at the tower (A).

Opening up (B) reveals the kitchen area. Where once grand meals were once served to nobility and knights now there is only the stone counters and broken shelf spaces to indicate what the room was once used for. The room is now covered in dried animal blood and the half butchered remains of a deer carcass hangs from the ceiling on an improvised meat hook. The best cuts had already been removed and what remained was already starting to smell like rot.

There is no signs of a fire or any other food available. It is known that many orc tribes eat only raw meat and this seems to have been the case here.

The magical command compels Edmund to sit but does little to adjust his attitude. He sits ramrod straight and crosses his arms over his chest. He doesn't respond to Angel but just glares daggers at her while he sits in time out.

As the others searched back the way they came, Alyssa followed Angel's directions and entered room on the far side of the table.

---

OOC: going through unmarked door (the apparent other side of door "E")

Talia scowled at Angel then sighed and nodded at the angry elf-woman. Though it lacked tact, they were probably words that need to be spoken. Talia turned to the young royal and smiled at him, "A poignant lesson, Majesty. Different people require different tactics. Learning to read the room and adjust accordingly will make life a lot easier."

She looked back to Angel and considered what her words revealed. There was a lot of truth in them, perhaps more than Angel had intended?

She stood and followed the others to the kitchen and blanched. If they were to use this as a base of operations, then it would need a lot of work. Shaking her head, she returned to Edmund, "I don't think this will serve us well. For Now. It needs a lot of work and the outer walls have fallen into ruin. We'd not be able to defend it. I think it best to start by finishing our work here, then returning to Ashford for a hot meal and some thinking about our next move." She knelt again and spoke with confidence, "If I am to be your general, then you ought to listen to my advice. I have been battling monsters far longer than you. Monsters and men. And monstrous men. Keeping our heads down is our best plan. When the time is right, we can raise our banner over these walls if that is what you want to do."

Talia whistles to get Alyssa's attention then points with her chin at another door (E) she recalls Angel mentioning earlier. "Try that one."

As the others moved away to explore the keep, Angel hopped up on the table near Edmund, intending to keep a watch on the boy as he sat in her magically-imposed time out. As he glared at her, she glared right back for a few moments, and then suddenly stuck her tongue out at him. For someone who most folk would say was older than dirt, the she-elf could be decidedly childish at times.

Setting her hand down on the table brought a vivid stinging reminder of the cut she'd suffered from the orc chieftess, and she hissed a quick gasp of pain as she brought her hand up to look at the wound again. Pinna's hand's probably worse, she thought. But that line of thinking only reminded her that the others would soon find and free the hedge-wizardess, and most likely bring her back to the hall... and that was a reunion Angel did not look forward to one little bit!

Shaking out the sting a bit, she looked at Edmund again and regarded him carefully, thinking. "We're gonna have to find something else to call you besides Edmund," she finally announced. "Edmund is too likely to jog someone's memory and who knows how many people might have seen you or have knowledge of what you look like." She leaned her head slightly to one side, and a spark of mischief glinted in her eyes. "I mean we could call you Richard, or Dick for short, but you at least don't look like a Dick. How about Peter, son of John?" She asked, her lips curved in a smirk at her witty wordplay.

Edmund frowns and shakes head.

"I am already agreeing to your plan to lie low. There is no need to adopt a false name as well. I am sure Edmund is a very popular name. Why would anyone suspect me? But if you insist on such a ruse why not adopt a more inspiring one. How about calling me Blade. That is what the other boys nicknamed me because of my skill with the sword."

It did not take an expert to realize that he was, of course, lying about his nickname. Possibly even lying about playing with other children.

The side door revealed a series of barracks. It was likely that the nobles had their rooms in one of the towers while this space was for the knights and servants. Poking into the rooms most of them had four bed frames although one room was different. Its door was marked with the crest of an eagle and inside was a single room with such luxuries as a washbasin and a desk that, while old, was still in functional shape.

Edmund, poking along behind you, pointed at one of the rooms.

"That is where I stayed. They were surprisingly accommodating for barbaric beasts."

Talia moved among the rooms slowly taking a moment to look through each. It wasn't exactly and investigation, but she was trying to get a better mental picture of the place. She was certainly looking for stairs or some other way to find the taken members of their village. As she walked though, she replied to Edmund, "Edmund will be fine. It's a common enough name. But, Edmund, something that a life of adventure has taught me is to use my own mind rather than assume the prejudices of others. Orcs live the way they do because they know nothing better. They'd have been considerable allies if they had been willing."

She huffed a sigh at that missed opportunity, but others had just wanted to resolve the situation and she could not blame them. For now, finding Pinna and the others was her main objective. She'd continue to look through doors until she found them. IF they weren't in this series of rooms, she'd try the door across the hall next (E).

The door across the hall leads into what appears to have once been an armory. Twelve suits of plate armor line the walls although time has not been kind to most of them. It appears the orcs had little interest in these pitted and rusting suits, ravaged by time and the elements.

The twelfth suit, however is gleaming as if it had just come out of the smithy. Gleaming silver it is so polished one can see reflections of the room in it. On the chest is bright blue and white crest with a dragon in flight, presumably the coat of arms of either the noble family or even the knight himself.

Orila checked each suit of armor until she got to the final suit. "This one is special. It hasn't shown the wear and tear of the other suits. Can't imagine that the person that lived here have so many extra suits of armor to leave this one here - unclaimed." Orila turned to Edmund. "Anything wrong if we claim this suit?"

Edmund was following far behind the others. Exploring strange rooms in an abandoned castle wasn't exactly something he was keen on doing. To her question Edmund just shrugged.

"I didin't explore the castle. They kept me either in my room or in the training room with breaks for meals between."

Talia eyed the suit; it wasn't to her tastes. She tended to wear no armor to allow her freedom to move and avoid blows. She recognized its value, both protective and money-wise, though. "Aye, well, we should claim it for our cause." There was definite sarcasm dripping from her words but not overmuch. Then Talia frowned deeply. The door which led to where Pinna and the others were had been shown to her. Mentioned to her more than once. She found she could not recall for the life of her where it was. Sighing heavily, she set about finishing exploring the place. It needed to be done anyway.

"I guess what's next is to just go around the corner then? Do stay close, Majesty, so we can protect you. No telling what evil might yet lurk in this place. There's already a haunting spirit, yeah?"

D next.

As Alyssa made her way through the barracks she absently nodded at Edmund's comments. Moving thru the armory the handling gave a moment's thought to the distinctive sigil recalling stories from her youth and such.


"Yeah, that appears to be it... Pinna is not going to be happy with how long we've taken!"

Alyssa moved back out of the armory and around to the next door. Looking over her shoulder to see that her companions where with her, she opened the door.

---

OOC: 11:19, Today: Alyssa Tealeaf rolled 15 using 1d20 with rolls of 15.  history, sigil on armor.

Opening door "D"

Angel laughed, a pleasant sound but with a distinctive mocking edge to it. ”Anytime you want to truly earn that name, Sir Blade, you just let me know. I’ll even loan you a knife and let you strike first.”

Her spell-enforced timeout soon wore off the boy and as he quickly hopped up to follow the others in checking out the rest of the ruined keep, Angel reluctantly followed along behind everyone else. In fact, if the others were observant, they’d surely notice that the she-elf drug her feet in following them all. For unknownst to her companions Angel did not look forward to a reunion with Pinna — not one bit. Her eyes glanced toward Edmund and narrowed for a heartbeat. Would he back up whatever Pinna told the others about her? … And if he did, what would she do about it?