Posted by Darth Krzysztof
21st of Vermus, 1301 AD
The sturdy fortress called Kendal Keep sat atop a flat-topped hill. Four travelers reached the end of the steep path which climbed up to the Keep, where the raised drawbridge forced them to stop at the wide yawn of the moat.
Hugh Caedmion aimed a nervous glance at the forbidding towers that flanked the entrance. The crenellated battlements would provide excellent cover for any archers, and there was nowhere to hide down here on the road…
“So,” Adara asked, “This is Kendal Keep?”
“I guess,” Hugh replied with a grunt, looking to Petrus, who nodded once.
Detrius crouched a bit, testing the strength of the knee that had pained him all the way here. Pointing down the road, he said, “They rang the gong when we were back there. They definitely saw us coming…”
As if on cue, a man’s face appeared atop the tower to their right, thirty feet above. “Halt!” he called, though everyone had already stopped moving. “Who goes there? Friend or foe?”
Hugh blinked. “Friends?” he offered, uncertainly.
“Yes,” Adara said, “friends, good sir. We wish no trouble.”
As a second man appeared in the left-hand tower, the first guard squinted down at the four travelers. “Names?”
Hugh and Detrius offered theirs without elaboration. “Adara,” said the deva, “High Priestess and Artificer of the Grand Cathedral.” Petrus introduced himself as a man sworn to St. Relonor, earning another sideways glance from Adara.
The guards stood in silence for a long moment. The man to their left said “Right!” and began climbing down.
“I do hope he’s lowering the drawbridge,” Adara said, mostly to Hugh.
Hugh nodded, mumbling, “Does anyone ever answer ‘foe’?”
“I would certainly hope not!” Adara exclaimed, smiling. Massive chains clanked to life as the drawbridge began to lower. “You see, friends? Relonor’s luck is with us.”