The Keep
"The Realm of mankind is narrow and constricted. Always the forces of Evil and Chaos press upon its borders, seeking to enslave its populace, rape its riches, and steal its treasures. If it were not for a stout few, many in the Realm would indeed fall prey to the evil which surrounds them. Yet, there are always certain exceptional and brave members of humanity as well as similar individuals among its allies-dwarves, elves, and halflings,- who rise above the common level and join battle to stave off the darkness which would otherwise overwhelm the land. Bold adventurers for the Realm set off for the Borderlands to seek their fortune. It is these adventurers who, provided they survive the challenge, carry the battle to the enemy. Such adventures meet the forces of evil and chaos in a testing ground where only the fittest will return to relate the tale. Here, these individuals will become skilled in their profession, be it fighter or magic-user, cleric or thief. They will be tried in the fire of combat, those who return, hardened and more fit. True some few who do survive the process will turn from goodness, and serve the masters of evil. But most will remain faithful and ready to fight evil wherever it threatens to infect the Realm"
Gary Gygax
The adventurers rode up a long sloping hill to the Keep gates and stopped, just under the shadow of the crenelated walls. A cold breeze blew from the south, curling around the cloaks of the travelers. Melcise looked up and noted 8 guard towers scattered along the walls, with men-at-arms in gleaming armor patrolling the top of the battlements. He figured that at least one to two hundred guardsmen could fit in the keep with room to spare. The walls were hewn dark granite, and appeared to be only a few years old. Melcise recalled that Grand Duke Stephan Karkemekos had built the keep (at great expense) only 15 years prior. The magician's attention was diverted to the main gate with its gate house which loomed at least 20 feet above the road as a portcullis was raised, allowing traffic into the fortress. Two guardsmen in chainmail approached the company, asking kindly but firmly for the group to put their weapons away prior to entering the keep. Argonath surrendered his sword and shield, and Grunion handed over his short sword and a dagger. He winked at Melcise as he slyly hid 3 daggers among his clothing before being escorted in. Melcise had no weapons but a dagger, which he gladly surrendered to the gate guard. His spell book remained hidden.
As the group entered the Keep proper, the guardsmen had the group lead their horses to the stable on the right. The Duke's horses were taken into the stable by 2 small boys and the saddles were quickly removed and the groomsmen set to currying the tired beasts. The group gave their names to the guardsmen and were led to a large tower with a door at the base. The man-at-arms opened the door and beckoned the companions inside. Seated at a desk was a large ruddy-faced man with multiple white scars up his tanned arms. This was the Bailiff of the outer defenses.
"Hail and well met" the Bailiff grumbled good naturedly. "I have been expecting you" He shuffled some papers on his desk and pulled out a slightly frayed parchment. " You must be Melcise, Argonath, and Runion, our adventurers"
"That we are" replied Grunion. "Might we know ye name?"
"I am the Bailiff of this place, and you can call me Bill," replied that Bailiff.
"That appears to be a proper name that befits your station," Argonath said with a straight face.
"My mother raised me to be a fighting man and I adventured in this local district here until I met my wife. She decided that I should retire and take a job leading other men in the Keep, so I spend most of my days pushing parchment and inspecting youngsters. The Duke sent a message that you were to be given quarters in the guardsmen's barracks if you so desire. There are tradesmen around and an inn if you choose to stay there, although it will cost a bit of silver. Finally, there is a guild house and a chapel if you wish to ask for assistance with healing or help of other sorts. Your wizard can stay at the guild house and will be welcomed there"
"Magic user. I'm not high enough in level to be a wizard" Melcise said absently. "Although everyone seems to think more highly of me than I do of myself".
"This inn seems to be as a good a place to stay as any" Argonath stated. "At least we can wash away the dust of travel from our throats with some well-deserved ale."
"I be with ye on that ale part" Grunion said. "I haven't tasted ale in too long"
"Then let us make our way to the inn. Do they have any room?" Argonath asked Bill
"Yes, they are nearly empty. A trade caravan left the Keep a week ago carrying goods back to Specularum (the capital of the Duchy) and I'm sure Gladys the innkeeper would be glad to have you," Bill said
"I think that we have some bad news about that caravan," Melcise said. "It appears that it was destroyed by goblins. We found the encampment and killed the beasts, but not before they had wrecked the trade wagons and abducted the tradesmen."
"Oh no, this is terrible news!" Bill said. "You will need to report this to the Captain of the Guard immediately. I will arrange to have your saddlebags taken to the Inn along with your other belongings. I also believe that you will need your weapons sooner rather than later, so make sure to stop by the gatehouse after seeing the Captain. I'll leave word to my guard to return them to you. The captain is in the inner gatehouse."
The companions thanked Bill and made their way across the inside of the keep. The walls were expansive and the interior of the keep contained all manner of people, including traders, townsmen, and a cleric or two. Guardsmen could be seen going to and fro, coming from the inner fortress to guardposts on the outer wall. An occasional entertainer walked by, juggling brightly colored balls, or playing a small lute. The air of the keep was relaxed and carefree, but the towering walls of the place spoke of danger outside that must always be guarded against. The adventurers made their way towards the inner gatehouse. They were stopped at the entrance by two guards who crossed pole-arms in front of the door. Melcise quickly explained that Bill had sent them to talk with the captain of the guard about a missing caravan. They were ushered inside quickly and soon found themselves in front of a young, well muscled man. This was the captain of the guard
"What can I do for you today?" asked the Captain
"My name is Melcise and my friends here are Argonath and Grunion," Melcise explained. "We were sent here by Bill the Bailiff to speak to you about a missing caravan". Quickly Melcise sketched out the battle that occurred with the goblins and the destroyed caravan. The Captain looked troubled and rang a small bell at his arm. A scribe entered and the Captain quickly whispered to him. The scribe looked at the companions and left.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Crikey. I am the captain of the inner fortress. I also am in charge of the outer defenses. The Castellan, Geoffrey, is in charge of the overall Keep. I am very concerned about the caravan you encountered. If what you say is true then we have a very big problem on our hands."
"A passenger in the caravan that you speak of is a nephew of the Grand Duke. He was supposed to be going back to Specularum to attend a wedding and never made it. I am worried that he was captured by the goblins and taken away for ransom. I have heard rumors of a place called "The Caves of Chaos". This is apparently a region of the wild near the Keep that is inhabited by all manner of evil and greedy monsters. If the Duke's nephew is a prisoner of these creatures, it is imperative that we get him back." The scribe that had left earlier reappeared breathless and handed Captain Crikey a note. He quickly scanned the missive and looked even more upset.
"Geoffrey has just sent me a message saying that the leader of the trade caravan was a very rich merchant that just happens to be his father-in-law. It appears that he has been kidnapped as well. We must find both of them before something worse happens."
Melcise and his companion spoke amongst themselves quickly. It was apparent that they had been called by the Duke to handle situations exactly like the one that has just cropped up. This is what they were waiting for and they were all in agreement that their duty would be to take this adventure. Melcise considered the group's strengths and weaknesses. He felt that the fellowship needed a cleric to help with combat and to assist in healing. The others agreed.
"We accept this quest." Melcise proclaimed. "We will need a few supplies; horses for the journey; a guide that knows the area well and can watch our horses while we explore these Caves of Chaos; and finally, we need another companion, namely a cleric. Is there anyone around that would be willing to come with us?".
The Captain looked gravely at the group. "There is one acolyte in our church that has always had a flair for adventure. He is only a first level Cleric, but he is quite wise and would be a benefit to your group. I'll have my messenger go to the chapel and fetch Benedict. He can meet you at the inn you are staying at. I have also left messages with Gladys, the innkeeper, that your lodging will be paid by Goeffrey. You will have to pay your bar tab on your own."
"That agreement is acceptable to us" stated Argonath. "We will meet Brother Benedict in the inn. Can you tell me which God he worships?"
"Celowin, of course. All goodly men should be in his service," the Captain said.
"That is most pleasing to me. I think that Brother Benedict and I will have many theological conversations on our way to cleanse this land of evil" Argonath intoned
Runion rolled his eyes. "There ye go getting all churchy on us again. I hope ye don't mind if I dinna want to listen to you two being all high and mighty. Just give me some ale and let me alone if ye don't mind".
Melcise felt much better knowing that there would be a cleric in the fellowship. "I just hope that we don't need the healing, but I suspect that we will before the rescue is over" he said.
The companions retreated to the common room of the inn where they found a rowdy crowd already gathered to listen to the local bard. The music was fair, but the ale and mead were very good. After the second round, Grunion became quite talkative and bought a round for the patrons. He was cheered loudly. Several patrons came over and started talking to the fellowship about the local area. Melcise sipped a mead and listened carefully. From what the townsfolk said, he picked out that these Caves of Chaos were a valley or ravine in the wilderness. There was some sort of crazy priest that one must encounter on the way to the Caves. And finally, there were different factions of monsters that sometimes allied themselves to each other and other times fought bitterly amongst themselves. It was not certain which of these rumors were true and which were not. There was not much real information on what they would be walking into, something that Melcise was not happy about at all.
Brother Benedict entered the common room shortly after the fourth round had been bought by Runion. He was a austere, quiet man that smiled rarely, but listened intently with everyone he spoke with. He was a man to be trusted, Argonath thought. Men can disguise what they think, but they could very rarely disguise who they were. Benedict was a man that was devoted to his God and intense in his hatred of evil. He would be a fitting companion. After a couple of more rounds, the companions stood up and departed the common room. They needed to get some rest before they set out in the morning to find the Caves of Chaos