The Dragons Bane
Chapter 2: CrossRoads Castle

CrossRoads Castle is truly a fully functioning castle, and an impressive sight to behold. It lies nestled in the valley floor by the blue-white waters of the Great River of the North at the meeting place of the east-west Road of the North and the North Road. The roads are made of a red rock that contrasts sharply with the snow-covered fields. The east-west Road of the North actually runs right through the castle yard. The North Road meets the other road along the western side of the castle.

The Great River of the North runs down along the eastern wall of the castle. Here, the only island in the wide river has allowed the construction of the only bridge. Thus the castle is strategically located so as to control the only bridge crossing.

The great outer walls are the most notable feature in our view of the castle from this distance. The tall, stout-looking walls have large gates where the Road of the North runs through the castle. There are ballistic catapult platforms in each of the corners, as well as one in the middle of each of the north and south walls, and two by each gate in the east and west walls. We can see a slender, needle-thin tower rising high inside the northwest corner, just inside of the outer walls. There is a large keep with several steeples in the middle of the southern half. The sound of a trumpet comes wafting across the valley, signaling that our presence has been noted. We should be in warm beds by tonight!

Soon a contingent of horsemen can be seen leaving the castle and coming our way. Carmoon yells out “here comes our escort!” as we continue along the road into the valley and to the castle itself. The road is recently repaired, allowing us to set a good pace into the valley.

We meet the escort almost halfway across the valley floor, just after our midday meal. Carmoon and Killian are in front, leading the way. The sergeant in charge of the escort can be heard greeting the two men.

“Ho, Carmoon, Killian. Must have been a rough trip, you’re two days late. We were beginning to worry. I already had orders to come looking for you with the coming of the morning’s first light. I trust there were no serious problems beyond bad weather?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” replies Carmoon. “And I hope the past two months of winter were kind to those at the castle, as well?”

“Yes, we have had a reasonable winter so far. We did have one instance of trouble from some snow giants. They managed to wipe out three of the outlying farms before we were alerted to them. But they were no match for the mages and the Lord’s personal guard. Well, we better get moving, I’m sure you would prefer the comfort of a warm bed tonight!”

“Yes, that we would!”

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We arrive at the western gates with the setting of the sun. The castle is even more impressive up close. The walls are made of solid stone more than ten feet thick that surely reach fifty feet in places. And each door of the gate is a twenty-by-twenty-foot monster of metal ten feet thick with locking bars from the ground and top wall that surely make them stronger than the walls themselves.

Two squads of ten soldiers each and a sergeant stand at the ready. A corporal demands our inventory, and a list of all persons seeking entry and their reasons for doing so. As we four are the only persons intending to remain, the rest being permanently with the caravan and as such are leaving with the caravan in three days’ time, we receive a more in-depth scrutiny.

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We were couched by Killian regarding the procedure for newcomers entering the castle. So we now find ourselves standing, encumbered by our gear, waiting for our turn just inside the gates. The corporal’s questions are conducted in a small room where several spells are supposedly in effect. We have been advised against using any magic while in the room, and to answer truthfully any questions put to us. The consequences, we were told, can be pretty severe. We are each going to have to be interrogated before being allowed entry into the castle.

“Who and what are you, and where do you hail from?”

“I am Seldor, a fighter from Solar.”

“And what is your business here?”

“Adventurer.”

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“As long as needed.”

“Do you possess any items of magic?”

“No.”

“Have you now or in the past six months suffered from any sickness?”

“No.”

“Very well, you may enter.” At which Seldor is allowed to pass through the door to the inner courtyard.

“Who and what are you, and where do you hail from?”

“I am Nordok, a fighter from Solar.”

“And what is your business here?”

“Adventurer.”

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“As long as needed.”

“Do you possess any items of magic?”

“Yes.”

Immediately a booming voice screams out “LIE” and the corporal, shaking his head, responds with “there is always some wise guy wants to see if the room’s magic is real. I assume you therefore have no magical items.”

“Next, have you now or in the past six months suffered from any sickness?”

“No.”

“Very well, you may enter.” At which Nordok is allowed to pass through the door to the inner courtyard.

“Who and what are you, and where do you hail from?”

“I am Mintock, a mage from Solar.”

“And what is your business here?”

“Adventurer.”

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“As long as needed.”

“Do you possess any items of magic?”

“Yes.”

“What items?”

“A +1 staff.”

“That would be the staff from the unknown deceased mage found along the road, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Since you have yet to sign a contract with us concerning adventuring, there is no tax on the staff. But in the future, know that such items are considered treasure and are therefore subject to taxation. Make sure you and your cohorts read the adventuring contract carefully, if you decide to become adventurers based out of CrossRoads Castle.”

“That we will, thankyou.”

“Have you now or in the past six months suffered from any sickness?”

“No.”

“Very well, you may enter.” At which Mintock is allowed to pass through the door to the inner courtyard.

“Who and what are you, and where do you hail from?” asked the corporal of Clernon.

“I am Clernon, a Cleric of the Mother Tree, I am from Solar.”

“And what is your business here?”

“Adventurer.”

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“As long as needed.”

“Do you possess any items of magic?”

“Yes.”

“What items?”

“A holy symbol of my God.”

“OK, have you now or in the past six months suffered from any sickness?”

“No.”

“Very well, you may enter.” At which Clernon is allowed to pass through the door to the inner courtyard.

Once the four adventurers are together on the other side, the other three turn on Nordok. Seldor is the first to criticize him. “Are you really that stupid? You could have been refused entry, and then where would we be? I’ll tell you where we’d be; we’d be short one lame-brained fighter, that’s where! First the incident with the wolves and now this. What are we going to do with you?”

“It was just a joke,” replies Nordok sullenly.

“Nordok, remember what I told you about thinking first and how you shouldn’t abuse my ability to heal? Please start taking my advice, we are a long way from home and sooner or later one of your jokes will most certainly prove fatal.”

“Yes, I hear you. OK?” At which point Mintock just gives him a stare that could freeze a lava giant before turning and proceeding into the main courtyard, followed by the rest, with a chastised Nordok bringing up the rear. “Jeez, no sense of humor” mumbles Nordok quietly to himself.

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The inner courtyard walls are a good 30 feet high, and must be just as thick as the outer walls, if the wide stairs leading up to the outer walls are any indication. There are stables on the south side, by each gate, and the blacksmith shop is at the back of the stable by the western gate. The entire northern side of the courtyard is a bazaar filled with tents under which all manner of people are selling and buying various items.

There are great double doors 12 feet high in the north and south walls of the courtyard, with four guards standing at attention by each door. The main keep can be seen towering over the south wall with spires at least 100 feet high. A single impossibly slim tall tower can be seen rising over the north wall.

We immediately notice that the horses we acquired in Three Forks have been placed in the stables by the west gate, along with the caravan horses not still hitched to wagons. The caravan guards are unloading the wagons into a secured area, protected by four guards. Each driver then backs up the empty wagons to the stable fence.

After the wagons are positioned properly, each driver unhitches his horses and leads them into the stables, where he promptly removes their tack and harness. It is all done in a very orderly manner with Carmoon’s watchful eye directing the whole process.

Killian, noticing our interest, approaches us. “Your horses will be bedded with ours for tonight, but come the marrow you will have to move them into the east stables and make arrangements with the blacksmith for their board. His name is Smitty and you’ll know him when you see him. I’ve got a lot of work to do, but look for me in the Blood Moon Tavern later.” Killian then hurries off to assist with the unloading of the caravan.

“Well, I suggest we find ourselves a place to sleep and store our gear. And then some supper,” suggests Mintock.

“Yes, but where? I don’t see any place here in the courtyard,” comments Seldor.

“I suggest we try the guards by the north door,” offers Clernon.

So the four of us head through the bazaar towards the door. Along the way, numerous merchants, noticing that we are new arrivals, begin hawking their wares, hoping to attract our interest. Nordok, attracted by a knife merchant, begins to head toward the merchant.

“There will be plenty of time for that later, Nordok. Let’s get ourselves settled in first,” suggests Seldor, steering Nordok back in the proper direction.

“Yes, I guess you’re right.”

As we approach the door, the one of the guards demands our business. “What’s your business here?”

“We are looking for rooms and food. Can you recommend a respectable place?” asks Clernon.

“Aye, but there is only one place to choose from. The Blood Moon Tavern and Inn has rooms above, and food and drink are available in the common room. But one word of warning, if you get drunk and wander the streets looking for trouble, you’ll wake up in a cell for a fortnight.” At which point one of the other guards opens one door and directs us to the tavern.

Once inside, Seldor says, “well, that was easy.”

“Yes, but let us hope the Blood Moon is a respectable place,” replies Mintock.

“And that the food is as good as Clernon’s,” adds Nordok.

With spirits high, we enter the Blood Moon Tavern and Inn.

The Blood Moon Tavern and Inn, marked by a sign with a glowing blood-red moon, appears to be a neat and tidy establishment with a large common room filled with tables and having a bar along the back wall. Being a little early for supper, there are only a few patrons present. A large man, well past his prime, approaches us. “Looks like you will be wanting rooms?”

“Yes, four rooms, if they are available,” replies Clernon.

“Aye, there are four empty rooms, and then some. My name is Freedar. I run the place. And the rooms cost two silver a night each or one gold for a fortnight. That includes breakfast, but we stop serving at ten. The rules are simple, don’t bother or steal from the other guests, pay in advance, and don’t piss off me or my help. I run a clean place and I don’t like troublemakers. You four still want rooms?”

“Yes, we’ll take four for a fortnight. And we’ll be down for dinner, as well,” replies Clernon.

We each hand over a gold piece and Freedar yells, “Timora! We got guests! Come and show ’em to their rooms!”

Timora, a bare wisp of a girl in her mid to late teens, comes to show us to our rooms. “Come this way, gentlemen. We have several rooms free at the moment. The quieter rooms are in the back, away from the street. Which would you prefer?” she asks as she leads us up the stairs.

“We’ll take the quieter ones, and all together, if possible,” replies Clernon.

“This way, please.” Timora leads us down the hall to four doors all in a row. She then proceeds to fit four keys, one in each door, unlocking each and pushing the doors wide. “Take your pick, gentlemen.”

Mintock and Clernon take the center rooms, leaving Seldor and Nordok to take the end rooms. Nordok, noticing the girl is still waiting, smiles at her as he hands her a silver piece. “These will do nicely, thankyou.”

Timora, smiling, replies, “You are welcome. And if you need anything, just come down and ask. We change the sheets and clean the rooms after ten bells, unless you put the ‘do not disturb’ sign out on the hook on the door. Dinner starts in half an hour, an’ runs till nine.” With that she departs to show her father the generous tip she just received. On the way down the stairs, the girl sneaks a last minute peek over shoulder at the young man who gave her such a large tip.

“That was nice of you, Nordok.”

“Well, it pays to keep the help happy. Besides, we don’t want anything to disappear while we are out, now do we, Clernon?”

“No, but I don’t think that will be a problem here, if I’m any judge of character.”

“Time to unpack, clean up, change, and then get some supper. See the rest of you in half an hour,” says Seldor.

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A bell can be heard; obviously the signal that supper is being served. The four of us soon-to-be adventurers descend to the common room. The common room, while not packed, definitely has quite a few patrons. Choosing an unoccupied table off to one side, we seat ourselves. A woman bearing a striking resemblance to Timora approaches our table.

“What would you gentlemen like for dinner? We have meat pies, beef soup, beef, venison, ham, and chicken. And we have a large assortment of vegetables, along with apple and pudding pies for desert. Dinner is one silver each.”

“We’ll make it easy and all have the chicken with taters and corn, followed by pudding pie, any objections?” asks Clernon.

“Sounds good to me, it’s been quite a while since we had chicken,” says Seldor.

“Me, too” reply both Mintock and Nordok.

“My name is Teela, and I’ll bring your food out shortly. If you need anything else, please feel free to ask.”

“How about a round of ale for Seldor and myself, here?” asks Nordok, pointing to Seldor.

“And I’ll have some wine, please” says Clernon.

“And you, sir?”

“Just water, thankyou.”

With that Teela leaves to place our orders and get our drinks. While we wait for our drinks and supper, we examine our surroundings and the other patrons. The common room is decorated like most common rooms of the era. There are a few paintings and drawings on the walls. And there is a plaque behind the bar giving the Lord’s permission for the bar and inn to exist. There are also a number of worn but well-maintained weapons hung on hooks surrounding a shield above the wall behind the bar.

Most of the patrons are clearly other townsfolk. But one table in particular catches Seldor’s attention. Around the table sits a robed man, a female elf, and two dwarves. They have a distinct air or aura about them that sends a clear message that they are not to be trifled with.

“How much do you want to bet those four are adventurers?” he asks, nodding his head towards the far table.

“I would say that is obvious,” replies Mintock. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Should we go and talk with them?”

“Remember the house rules? Don’t bother the other guests. There will be plenty of time to discover who they are over the next few days.”

Just then Teela arrives with the drinks. “Supper will be out in a few minutes, gentlemen. The ale is three coppers each, wine costs five. You can pay at the end of the night, if you like.”

“Thankyou.”

Soon Teela returns pushing a serving cart laden with plates of food. She quickly places a steaming hot plate of food before each of us. “Is there anything else I can do for you gentlemen?”

“No, we are all set, for now. When we have finished our meal, we may have another round of drinks. And thankyou,” replies Clernon. Teela then leaves to take care of another patron who has been signaling her for a couple of minutes, pushing the cart ahead of her.

“Let us pray for our daily supper.” Clernon leads us in prayer. After tasting the food, we each dig in heartily.

“I think you need to take lessons from whoever the cook is, Clernon, this is really good!” exclaims Nordok, between bites.

“Yes, it’s very good indeed,” adds Seldor.

After the food is gone, and Teela has removed the empty plates to a platter, Clernon inquires about the cook. “Who is the cook, my dear? We wish to compliment him on his fine cooking.”

“That would be my husband, Freedar. Unfortunately, he is quite busy right now, but I will gladly pass along your praise,” returns Teela with a knowing smile as she leaves with the empty plates and silverware.

“Well, so far I am quite pleased with this place. It is warm, clean, and has great food,” says Seldor.

“I thought you would be,” says Killian, coming up to our table and surprising us.

“Well met. Won’t you join us?” offers Clernon.

“Don’t mind if I do. We just finished unloading and getting everyone settled in for the night, so my time is my own, at least for a few hours, anyway.”

“This tavern doesn’t look big enough for everyone that came in on the caravan. Where is everyone staying?” asks Mintock.

“Oh, the castle guard lets us bunk with them, easier this way.”

“Cheaper, too, I’ll wager.”

“Yes, in this business you save where you can,” laughs Killian.

Clernon, motioning for Teela, asks, “What would you like to drink?”

“Ale is fine, thanks.”

“Ale for our friend, and put his drinks for the night on our tab, please” says Clernon to Teela, who retreats to get another ale.

“Thanks, but I do make enough to pay for my own drinks.”

“Consider it a payment for the information we are about to garner from you,” replies Mintock. “We find ourselves in dire need of many things and ignorant of much more.”

“Ok, then, fire away, gentlemen, and I will do my best to enlighten you!”

“First and foremost, how do we become adventurers based here? The guard where we entered mentioned a contract and taxes to me when I told him I had a magical staff that was taken from the dead mage.”

“Well, there are three ways you can be adventurers here. One is to just go out and adventure, but then you are classified as brigands and thieves. The next way is to form a party and obtain a charter from Lord Muldoon legally enabling you to adventure. But that costs money, and a lot of it.”

“The third way is for you to sign up with an existing party that already has a charter. The last way doesn’t generally cost anything. Particularly if they need more adventurers to fill the shoes of lost party members before they can go out again and have a hope of returning. The drawback to the last way is that you are generally on the bottom of the list for picks from the treasure and they have a greater say in what the party does. But the benefit is that you have their experience and knowledge to aid you. And, since you four are all beginners, you stand a greater chance of returning because those in the party you join will be seasoned veterans.”

“The second option, aside from the fact that I suspect you four don’t have the fee for your own charter, isn’t open to you because the minimum party size that can apply for a charter is six adventurers. And since I do not recommend the first, that leaves the last option. Now your next question should be, where do you find an existing party that is in need of fresh blood? In each guild house, you will find a board where members can post notices and such. That is where you start. If you can’t find a party that way, then put your own note up. After a month, if you still can’t find one, ask at your respective guilds, maybe you will get lucky. But I’m willing to bet that you will find a note asking for adventurers, the snow that blocks the roads and paths up here is just starting to melt and I’m sure there is a party just itching to adventure, especially after being cooped up here all winter.”

“Ok, next question, where are our respective guild houses?”

“Well, the church is yours, Clernon, and it’s the only one in town, so you can’t miss it. The tall, slim tower that I’m sure you spotted on the way in here is the Tower of the Mages. That’s where you would go, Mintock. And you walked right by the fighter’s training hall on your way in from the courtyard. Tomorrow, I suggest you each go to your respective guilds and make yourselves known.”

“Next question?”

“Now that we pretty much know what’s on this side of the courtyard, can you tell us about the other side?”

“Well, that depends on what you want to know. Specifics, I can’t give you, only been there a few times myself. It is where the main keep is, and all the important people live there. The likes of you and I can only get in if we are summoned, or if we get in trouble. And I don’t recommend the latter as a means for satisfying your curiosity, the dungeon here is no joke.”

“Up here, every day can be your last. Mistakes are not easily forgiven, nor ever forgotten. The people here are honest and hardworking. They are also friendly and polite; they have to be to get through the long winters of isolation without killing each other. Also, they know that to survive, they have to depend on each other.”

“You’ve given us much to think about and consider when dealing with the people here, we are grateful,” says Clernon, and he motions Teela for another round.

“Just don’t forget to make sure you have your horses moved to the east stable, you don’t want them confused with ours when we leave in three days. We won’t be back this way for about two months.”

“I’ll take care of the horses first thing in the morning,” promises Seldor.

“Well, I’m off to my studies and then bed,” states Mintock.

“Me, too,” adds Clernon.

“You three have a pleasant evening.” The three fighters are left to drink and enjoy each other’s company for the rest of the evening.

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“Well, it’s my turn to bid you two a farewell. I’ve got to get up early,” says a weary and drunk Killian.

“Sleep well, and thanks again,” replies Seldor.

“I’ll get this night’s tab,” offers Seldor, as he stands and staggers towards the bar. “Freedar, what’s our bill?”

“Well, let’s see, four dinners at one silver each, two wines at five coppers each, two plus three plus three plus three plus three plus three plus three plus three ales is 23 ales at three coppers each, ......., comes to ..... four silvers for the food and 79 coppers for the drinks. A total of 11 silvers and nine coppers, just under 12 silver.”

“Here’s a gold piece, keep the rest for your excellent food and your excellent service.”

“Thankyou very much!” replies Freedar, surprised at the generosity of the newcomer. A very drunk Seldor and Nordok stumble up the stairs, with Nordok falling only once along the way.

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