Gwen was the fourth one down to the field, where the tower was, by
the time she had gotten and mounted Arwyn. Dolarth, Brueyan, and Brother
Maynard had all arrived first and were staring at the tower that had
appeared overnight.
"Welcome, gentlemen, to Tarintor Tower, our home for the next few monthes," Gwen said with a grin. "This tower, which compacts itself into an easily carriable box, has been provided by the sergeants of Castle Tarintor and Commander Markenis. Please place follow me." She then rode Arwyn up the steps to the second floor entrance, the first floor being half below ground. "Open, tower," she said loudly, and the door opened. The three were awed and trying not to show it as they followed the lady knight. "Close, tower," Gwen called behind her once they were all safely in. They walked through a corridor thirty feet long and ten feet wide into the main room. "This room will serve as a stable. Behind you to your right is the kitchen and pantry. The fireplace works, and we have a good supply of wood. Behind you to your left is the staircase going both up and down," Gwen said, smiling inwardly as she showed the three men, all hard to impress, the magnificent magical fortress and saw their looks of wonder. "Behind the spiral staircase is where we are storing hay and feed for the mounts. Below us, if you will follow me," Gwen said amiably as she dismounted from Arwyn, who could not hope to make it down a spiral staircase, "you will find a well, which gives us water no matter where we set down, storage space, and our sleeping quarters. Ladies will sleep in the room on the left, men on the right, for modesty reasons. As there are more men than women, the room behind us is also a private bedroom. I trust that you gentlemen will work out a suitable sleeping arrangement. The other two rooms are storage, mostly bandages, rope, tinder, a ladder, and similar practical supplies. Please put down the supplies you do not intend to carry constantly so we can proceed to the upstairs." The men left for a moment.
The three reappeared quickly, and Gwen proceeded to take them up the two flights of steep spiraling stairs. "This tower is made of pure adamantine," she said as they ascended the steps. "It grows and shrinks at my command, can shrink into its box size with people and animals in it, with no discomfort, and is obviously easy to defend." They had climbed the stairs, and Gwen began showing the men around the third floor. "This hallway leads to four rooms. The room behind us is the common room. When we want to relax, plan our next move, and so on, we do so there. To our left is the study. I have anticipated the needs of several to meditate, pray, and study spellbooks. Thus, I created this room, for us all to work." The last was aimed at Brother Maynard, who pointedly ignored her statement. Not really wanting to offend the brother, Gwen hurried on, "To our right is another storage space. This area is more for ammunition, spare weapons and armor, and the like. In front of us is the watchpost. It has arrow slits, murder holes in the floor, directly over the entrance, in case of a desperate last stand, and has two loaded crossbows always at ready in that closet," Gwen said, pointing to her left. To her right, she the gestured to a ladder. "This leads to the rooftop. The rooftop is equipped with three ballistae, the ammunition for which is also kept in the large storage space on the third floor."
Pausing for breath, Gwen let all the information sink into the mens' heads. "So, what do you think?"
Dolarth looked rather grim. Gwen had been worried that the dwarf would disapprove of the tower simply because of its magical nature. His race had a resistance to arcane magic and was notorious for distrusting such wizardry, relying instead on the psychics and clerics of its race. Gwen opened her mouth, but Dolarth waved her off with his hand. "Lass, I think that this is terrible. How will we ever get into a fight if we are able to set camp in an adamantine tower every night?" He suddenly started grinning, and Gwen smiled back in relief, patting the dwarf on his armored shoulder.
Gwen looked over at Brother Maynard. The cleric, no longer in his ceremonial armor but in a well-used set of steel plate over a brown travelling cleric's robe, looked at her just as sternly as the dwarf had. Somehow, though, Gwen knew that Brother Maynard was not going to burst into laughter. "This is more than adequate. I approve." He nodded curtly to them all. "If you will excuse me, gentlemen, Lady Gwendolyn, I would like to procure a few more vials of holy water and healing potions from my brethren, since we have the available storage."
"Of course," agreed Gwen, still grinning. Dolarth nodded vigorously, adding a comment about getting more ale as well. Both went down the stairs, leaving Gwen alone with Brueyan. She looked at him, wearing the same armor he had been wearing the day before, with no modifications at all to his attire. "So, my friend, what do you think?"
"This tower is, well, amazing. It almost makes me think we might get all the way to Silvanesti without incident."
"Almost?"
"The Blackblood is going to get very curious very quickly about this tower that forms in moments and disappears again just as quickly."
"Yes, but they would never be able to get it, would they?"
"No, I don't think they could get close enough." A troubled look passed across the were-owl's face. "Who else is coming?"
"Aramne the Incarnate, Marlow Fenwark the halfling 'entrepreneur', Rahasia Aravarnae the qualiniel sorcerer, and ... Taudoc Malgrim, the Korakkan mage."
His trouble face looked even more upset as Brueyan spoke, "You invited Taudoc Malgrim, Gwen? The dark wizard?"
Suddenly feeling unreasonably guilty, Gwen replied, "We needed someone who could handle the fiends and undead that we suspect we will encounter. Do you know how to combat a greater fiend?"
"No, but do you really trust him?"
"Do we really have a choice?" He seemed truly hurt by her harsh- sounding words. "Brueyan, I don't know what else to do. We need his skills, and that means we need him." Gwen shivered slightly. "But he does unnerve me." Gwen sighed, turning to look out an arrow slit in the watch post.
Hesitantly, Brueyan put his leather gloved hand on her shoulder. His touch was strangely comforting. Before either could speak, there was a shouting from the courtyard. Gwen grinned ruefully. "I guess the rest of the group is here."
"Welcome, gentlemen, to Tarintor Tower, our home for the next few monthes," Gwen said with a grin. "This tower, which compacts itself into an easily carriable box, has been provided by the sergeants of Castle Tarintor and Commander Markenis. Please place follow me." She then rode Arwyn up the steps to the second floor entrance, the first floor being half below ground. "Open, tower," she said loudly, and the door opened. The three were awed and trying not to show it as they followed the lady knight. "Close, tower," Gwen called behind her once they were all safely in. They walked through a corridor thirty feet long and ten feet wide into the main room. "This room will serve as a stable. Behind you to your right is the kitchen and pantry. The fireplace works, and we have a good supply of wood. Behind you to your left is the staircase going both up and down," Gwen said, smiling inwardly as she showed the three men, all hard to impress, the magnificent magical fortress and saw their looks of wonder. "Behind the spiral staircase is where we are storing hay and feed for the mounts. Below us, if you will follow me," Gwen said amiably as she dismounted from Arwyn, who could not hope to make it down a spiral staircase, "you will find a well, which gives us water no matter where we set down, storage space, and our sleeping quarters. Ladies will sleep in the room on the left, men on the right, for modesty reasons. As there are more men than women, the room behind us is also a private bedroom. I trust that you gentlemen will work out a suitable sleeping arrangement. The other two rooms are storage, mostly bandages, rope, tinder, a ladder, and similar practical supplies. Please put down the supplies you do not intend to carry constantly so we can proceed to the upstairs." The men left for a moment.
The three reappeared quickly, and Gwen proceeded to take them up the two flights of steep spiraling stairs. "This tower is made of pure adamantine," she said as they ascended the steps. "It grows and shrinks at my command, can shrink into its box size with people and animals in it, with no discomfort, and is obviously easy to defend." They had climbed the stairs, and Gwen began showing the men around the third floor. "This hallway leads to four rooms. The room behind us is the common room. When we want to relax, plan our next move, and so on, we do so there. To our left is the study. I have anticipated the needs of several to meditate, pray, and study spellbooks. Thus, I created this room, for us all to work." The last was aimed at Brother Maynard, who pointedly ignored her statement. Not really wanting to offend the brother, Gwen hurried on, "To our right is another storage space. This area is more for ammunition, spare weapons and armor, and the like. In front of us is the watchpost. It has arrow slits, murder holes in the floor, directly over the entrance, in case of a desperate last stand, and has two loaded crossbows always at ready in that closet," Gwen said, pointing to her left. To her right, she the gestured to a ladder. "This leads to the rooftop. The rooftop is equipped with three ballistae, the ammunition for which is also kept in the large storage space on the third floor."
Pausing for breath, Gwen let all the information sink into the mens' heads. "So, what do you think?"
Dolarth looked rather grim. Gwen had been worried that the dwarf would disapprove of the tower simply because of its magical nature. His race had a resistance to arcane magic and was notorious for distrusting such wizardry, relying instead on the psychics and clerics of its race. Gwen opened her mouth, but Dolarth waved her off with his hand. "Lass, I think that this is terrible. How will we ever get into a fight if we are able to set camp in an adamantine tower every night?" He suddenly started grinning, and Gwen smiled back in relief, patting the dwarf on his armored shoulder.
Gwen looked over at Brother Maynard. The cleric, no longer in his ceremonial armor but in a well-used set of steel plate over a brown travelling cleric's robe, looked at her just as sternly as the dwarf had. Somehow, though, Gwen knew that Brother Maynard was not going to burst into laughter. "This is more than adequate. I approve." He nodded curtly to them all. "If you will excuse me, gentlemen, Lady Gwendolyn, I would like to procure a few more vials of holy water and healing potions from my brethren, since we have the available storage."
"Of course," agreed Gwen, still grinning. Dolarth nodded vigorously, adding a comment about getting more ale as well. Both went down the stairs, leaving Gwen alone with Brueyan. She looked at him, wearing the same armor he had been wearing the day before, with no modifications at all to his attire. "So, my friend, what do you think?"
"This tower is, well, amazing. It almost makes me think we might get all the way to Silvanesti without incident."
"Almost?"
"The Blackblood is going to get very curious very quickly about this tower that forms in moments and disappears again just as quickly."
"Yes, but they would never be able to get it, would they?"
"No, I don't think they could get close enough." A troubled look passed across the were-owl's face. "Who else is coming?"
"Aramne the Incarnate, Marlow Fenwark the halfling 'entrepreneur', Rahasia Aravarnae the qualiniel sorcerer, and ... Taudoc Malgrim, the Korakkan mage."
His trouble face looked even more upset as Brueyan spoke, "You invited Taudoc Malgrim, Gwen? The dark wizard?"
Suddenly feeling unreasonably guilty, Gwen replied, "We needed someone who could handle the fiends and undead that we suspect we will encounter. Do you know how to combat a greater fiend?"
"No, but do you really trust him?"
"Do we really have a choice?" He seemed truly hurt by her harsh- sounding words. "Brueyan, I don't know what else to do. We need his skills, and that means we need him." Gwen shivered slightly. "But he does unnerve me." Gwen sighed, turning to look out an arrow slit in the watch post.
Hesitantly, Brueyan put his leather gloved hand on her shoulder. His touch was strangely comforting. Before either could speak, there was a shouting from the courtyard. Gwen grinned ruefully. "I guess the rest of the group is here."