Time after Time

Ralom was confused as he headed to the eastern door, which he found locked.  This is strange the door was off its hinges when we were last in this room.  Where is the mud and the tracks and how did we get in here, he wondered since the double doors leading in from the south were completely missing.

Varrid headed to the locked door, which opened to her administrations.  Inside the cross shaped area was loaded with weapons of all types on the weapons racks.  Swords, spears, maces, crossbows, long bows and quivers filled with arrows and bolts.  The spiral staircase still led up and down and the center of the room.  Drovic looked for magic weapons but found none, Ralom picked up a hand crossbow and headed down the stairs.  The stairwell ended in a small chamber furnished with two stools and a rough wooden table.  A door in the southwest wall was locked but featured a small, barred window at eye level, at least at Ralom's eye level.  Baru looked out into a hall about ten feet long.  Varrid came down and picked the lock.  Baru headed out south and then west, where at the end of about twenty feet was a man with a sword.
"Halt!" ordered the soldier, "Who are you and why are you here?"  Baru responded that they were merely looking for the lord, "We have some information for his ears."  The soldier told them they had to leave, this area was off-limits for any but themselves.  "We are under the lord's orders to keep everyone out of this area," he continued.  Baru asked the lords name which was replied with "Marc ApBlanc, you should know that if you have information for him."  Varrid was interested in the year, and was rewarded with the year 1934, certainly different than the year 2122 she heard from the Druids.  So the party headed back up the stairwell.
Ralom continued upwards from the weapons room and emerged into another chamber where he saw rough work tables loaded with broken weapons of various types.  Shelves held various tools.  There was a door at the end of a short hall to the west and the spiral staircase continued upwards but was blocked by a heavy locked door.  Seglun headed up the stairs in the entry foyer, which led to a similar chamber above whose walls were covered with shields, and a suit of armor stood in the northeast corner.  Two other bases and stands were nearby but empty.  Everything was covered in dust, except the suit of armor which was brightly polished.  A closed door headed east and a hallway opened to the north.
Seglun moved into the hallway which had several doors on the east and west.  Behind the first east door Seglun found a room filled with wine racks, which were loaded with stoppered bottles.  A door led north.  Ignoring the inside door Seglun moved to the next door to the east.  Behind this door was a room with shelves that held a few plates, goblets, cutlery linen, and candlesticks.  On the floor was a pile of rubble, broken plates, goblets and linen in a heap.
Ralom opened the first door to the west, which had a large room highlighted by a long table, surrounded by carved chairs, in front of a fireplace.  A sideboard was set next to the fireplace.  Windows on the western wall provided a view of the courtyard and the raging thunderstorm outside.  Some of the windows were cracked.  The courtyard was covered in mud and Ralom could see the curtain wall and others areas of the keep.  There was a low squat building just beyond a large oak tree.  Dust covered everything in the dining hall and some bottles had spilled out of the sideboard.  In the northwest a staircase led down.  Ralom came out of the dining hall by a north door into the hallway where at the end of a short east passage was another door.  Seglun checked the final door on the east which was a small room furnished with gray slate.  A ceramic bowl sat on a shelf but the pitcher had fallen on to the floor and was smashed.  Ralom found the eastern door led into the second tower, which according to the party had collapsed, at least in 2122.  This octagonal chamber had a spiral staircase leading up and down and three large tubs with dirty towels draped over the edges.
Grunyar was headed back into the armor display room when he stopped short, the chamber was clean, no dust anywhere and a jauntily dressed man came up the stairs.  He asked Grunyar if he was enjoying the keep while he studied the armor and shields.  Grunyar noted that a door in the west wall of the chamber was no longer there.  As everyone moved back Ralom looked out the windows in the dining room, which was neat and clean now, no cracked windows nor spilled wine.  Outside was a setting sun, no rain, clouds, or thunder.  The curtain wall was not evident nor the larger castle to the north.  The oak tree and the squat building still stood surrounded by bare ground.  Seglun tried the door to the wine closet which was now locked.
Drovic suggested going into the courtyard and trying to determine if the oak tree was related to or the actual tree from the story they had heard about a hung woman.  Down and out the heroes headed, the colored glass in the foyer door was now complete, the face of a young man was evident.  The entrance hall had a barred wooden door which was easily opened.  On the outside of the door was a carved relief showing a mailed fist clenching a feather.  Ralom greeted a few ordinary people who were milling around and a servant girl was stoking a fire in the large fireplace with a complete mantel.
Drovic addressed the oak tree, which related an injured bough, roughly treated by a rope.  Later there was a large fire that reduced the once proud trees to blackened skeletons.  It left the mighty oak untouched.  Meanwhile Varrid approached some villagers who were walking in the courtyard and asked again what year it was.  "Why it is 1839 here in Forfar," they replied.  Varrid continued to query them about the lord, who was only referred to as the "Young Minstrel" and after a short conversation the townsfolk moved on.
Ralom was interested in the squat building, which made of white marble and appeared to be two building with rounded stone roofs.  Inside the eastern building was a stone sarcophagus, unadorned except for the words "Morholt ApBlanc, 1815-1833."  The ceiling was painted with a mural of a handsome muscular boy in his late teens.  Floating over the boy's right shoulder was a tiny woman holding two spears.  The imagery held no additional meaning for Ralom.
The next building also held a stone sarcophagus, unadorned except for the words "Gilan ApBlanc 1814-1826."  The ceiling here was painted with and angelic looking blond boy about 12 years of age.  An animal stands beside him, but the mural has flaked away, leaving only its paws.
The adventurers then headed back into the keep, which looked in fine condition, to try and talk with the "Young Minstrel".  In the sitting room they encountered the maid tending the fire and asked to talk with the master.  She was happy to help, but didn't wasn't allowed to enter the master's quarters.  She headed into a room from which splendid aromas were emanating, and returned with another servant.  She was taken aback at the sight of the group, a Tiefling, half-orc, drow, Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling and an angel, and led them through the Kitchen into a pantry.  Arvien was drooling all over the floor as the group entered the cross shaped room filled with sacks, crates and bushel baskets.   A spiral staircase led up and down.  On the far side of the stairway they saw a incorporeal figure, a young boy, perhaps 12 years old, carrying the corpse of a small dog.  The boy had fair tousled hair and an angelic face.  He wore a kilt with a green and white striped tartan and a sporran decorated with a mailed fist gripping a white feather.  His feet were bare and crusted with mud and dried blood.  As the group watched he set down the dog and tried to feed it.  The dog was small, but it body was grossly mutilated.  Blood dripped continuously from its many wounds and gaping muzzle, but the drops turn to mist before they hit the ground.
"Petitcreiu eat, please eat," he begs, but the dog merely lays on the floor.  He turned to the heroes and pleaded, "Please help me.  Can you cure my pet of his malady?   He has lost his appetite."  Ralom looked at the small dog and held no hope for a cure.  Varrid tried to comfort the young boy but when no one took any action, fruit, vegetable and other foodstuff started flying around the pantry aimed at the heroes.
The maid paid no attention to the ghostly figures, but acknowledged their existence when asked by Varrid if this was common.   She then led the group up the stairs to a scullery area, then up again to what appeared to be a studio.  Easels, paints, tables and couches filled the room.  Tables covered with mortars and pestles, jars of pigment, brushes and pallets.  There appeared to be two partially finished canvasses but the maid again led them up the stairway.  The next level was filled with brightly colored blocks, rocking horses, wooden swords and shields, kilted dolls and other childhood toys.  A thick layer of dust lay on everything and the staircase continues upward.  Sitting on a chair was a young man wearing a primarily blue, green and gold kilt, muted purple shirt and tam.  He held bagpipes and appeared deep in thought as the group entered.
The party was introduced and the maid left down the staircase.  A conversation took place during which the party learned that Gilan was killed, ripped apart by wolves, along with Petitcrieu.  Morholt was killed by the terrible priest Duncan ApDuguid, who had befriended him and drawn him into the worship of the war Goddess Morrigan.  Duncan had stayed at the castle one evening and murdered Morholt as he slept in his bed.  The minstrel's wife Isolt had mostly concealed herself on the fifth floor mourning the loss of her children, including Brangain's disappearance.  As the time wore on the Minstrel asked if the group would like to stay overnight in a guest room.  They agreed and the lord led them down to the Studio where Varrid examined the two unfinished paintings, one of a pale-looking woman in her mid-40's and one of a handsome man in his mid-20s.  The faces and shoulders were complete, but the rest of the painting only blocked out.  Varrid asked the young lord if he did the painting,  "Alas no, an artist from Birnam does the work," he replied.  The lord led them out of the tower into a hallway and the door of a nicely furnished room.  A bed, wardrobe, night table, chest, and writing table stood in the clean room.  At this the minstrel left the party for the evening.  Outside the windows night had begun to fall and stars started to fill the sky.
Arvien was now famished and recalling the aromas from below she talked Ralom and Seglun into heading down to the kitchen to grab some dinner.  They left and retraced their steps into the Studio intending to head down to the pantry.  Everything in the studio was covered with a thick layer of dust, the paints and pigments looked completely dried out and the paintings of the man and woman were gone.  A jagged flash of lightning lit the studio from outside the windows, thunder exploded and gobs of rain fell against the glass.  The wailing of humans mingled with the mournful howling of wolves.  Arvien tried to retrace her steps back to the guest room while Ralom stood before another door in the hall which had wooden planks nailed to the frame barring entry.

DM's Notes:  There were no XP awarded for this nights adventures.