Dicing with Death: Episode 039

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==Qualneer Recap==
===Day 148 (continued)===
Qualneer and Michelle are in Ashenholdt in a tavern called "The Drinking Bear" at Sunset. There are in the south-western slope from the keep. The two of them make plans. Qualneer just wants to storm the keep, like he did so long ago.
Qualneer overhears an old man telling the story of "The Red Duke", like the one from the letter. Michelle explains the story is hundreds of years old.
Qualneer and Michelle head back to their carriage outside and gets Hank to drive them up to the keep up the hill. The carriage is stopped at the gate on the 20 foot tall stone wall. Michelle asks for entry, introducing herself as "Lady Michelle". After 3 minutes Michelle is refused entry. Hank drives the wagon back to the tavern.
Qualneer goes looking for the blacksmith's shop then breaks in with Michelle. Qualneer steals a grappling hook. Qualneer then goes to a general store and buys rope for the hook.
Qualneer and Michelle sneak around the back of the keep like he did so long ago. The wall is more heavily guarded now unlike it was months ago. Michelle goes some distance away and casts as a distraction. Qualneer goes into the secret entrance during the distraction as Michelle sneaks back into town.
Qualneer crosses the grounds and make it to the wall of the keep. He decides to just climb barehanded without using the grappling hook. He climbs to the roof where there is a single watchman patrolling. Qualneer goes behind him and tries to murder him silently, but fails to kill him in the first 2 blows. The guard breaks free and shouts for backup. Qualneer murders the guard. He ties his rope to the roof and drops it off the side, then he goes inside. 
Qualneer searches the top floor of the keep. He enters the master bedroom and it is dark and empty. Qualneer opens another room and ends up in a kitchen lit up and full of 3 cooks. 1 cook flees.
Qualneer gives chase downstairs and runs into a guard wearing chainmail. Qualneer and the guard fight, with the guard shouting for help. 2 more guards arrive. Qualneer surrenders. The guards take his weapons and backpack and escort him downstairs.
He is taken all the way to the first floor into the court room. Sitting in a wicker chair is Stirge, wearing black and with a shaved head. Qualneer demands where his sister is. Stirge orders Qualneer to be thrown in "the treasure chamber", implying that is where his sister is.
Qualneer is thrown in the room and the door locked behind him. Qualneer heads down the stairs and searches for Alwell. In the chamber the walls and ground are entirely dirt. Quanleer again sees the underground tree. Between the tree is Alwell and not the old dead body that had been there before. Alwell looks in a bad state and barely conscious, wearing a blue blood-stained robe. Around Alwells head is a odd magical circlet that Qualneer can't remove. Qualneer uses his teeth to cut her free fromt he ropes, then carries her.
Qualneer looks around the room and finds a secret treasure room though a hidden wooden door that he had missed some months ago. Qualneer searches for a weapon to use, but finds none.
Qualneer lays Arwell on the ground and promises to get her out safely, then heads upstairs and picks the lock, then slowly opens the door a crack. Outside Qualneer can hear voices talking in hushed tones. After a few minutes somones heads for the door. Qualneer hides in the treasure room with his sister as the person come into the room. Qualneer sneaks behind the person wearing black robes but fails to steal his dagger.
Stirge removes his hood, and asks Qualneer to just leave and forget what he has seen, that he could be of use to Stirge. Qualneer refuses and fights with Stirge. Qualneer steals from Stirge of his short sword and dagger. The two clash.
Qualneer gets a luckily blow and slays Stirge. Stirge drops to the floor, regretting his plans ending like this. 
Qualneer returns to Arwell who is still in a daze. Qualneer again tries to remove the cirlet, but it is still magically held to her head. Qualneer tries to break the circlet and has no effect on it.
Qualneer heads to the top of the stairs and slowly opens the door quietly. In the throne room is a man at arms next to the throne, 2 guards at the door cross the room and a guard just outside. Qualneer imitates Stirge's voice and demands someone gather a book for him.
With the guards down to 3, Qualneer charges the room. The guards flee from Qualneer, calling him the Spectre of Ashenholdt. Qualneer searches for his belongings.
The missing guard comes with a pile of books. Qualneer holds him a swordpoint and demands his belongings. The guard says he is a mercenary and the belongings are in the barracks. Qualneer has the guard lead him to the outside the barracks and tells him to get the belongings back, but if he talks, Qualneer with murder him.
The guard does as Qualneer says. Qualneer lets him flee the castle. But Qualneer is still missing his weapons. Qualneer sneaks upstairs to get his weapons back. But on the way back upstairs he runs into a Knight who refuses to back down. Qualneer shows him the throne room being empty and convinces him that Stirge is dead and his men are gone. Qualneer convinces the Knight to just leave. The Knight abandons the keep.
Qualneer heads upstairs and enters a badroom where a man is sitting at a desk. Qualneer enters and attacks the man. The man puts his hands up in surrender. Qualneer demands to know what happened his weapons. 
The man leads the way in front of Qualneer to his weapons. He is lead to Stirge's bedchamber. The door is locked and the man can't get in. Qualneer goes to attack him, but the man flees and jumps out the window, dying on impact.
Qualneer lockpicks into the room and retrieves Rat Cleaver and the Sword of Swiftness. Qualneer then starts to search for information about The Red Duke but finds nothing.
Qualneer heads back downstairs back to Arwell. On the way he hears the sound of someone else around, but Qualneer can't see anyone.
Back in the treasure room, Qualneer grabs some gems and some golden goblets. He picks up his sister and heads for the front of the Keep.
Outside Qualneer sees some solders fleeing on horseback with some men on feet running behind them. Qualneer takes a Donkey from the stables and puts the dazed Arwell on the donkey and leads the Donkey into town back to "The Drinking Bear".
Qualneer collects Hank and Michelle, then they head out of town on the carriage. Michelle investigates the circlet on Arwell's head and is able to remove it. Arwell seems to relax with the circlet removed. There are blue marks on Arwell's temples. She wakes up, but is incoherent and food deprived. Qualneer lets Arwell to rest.
===Day 149===
The carriage stops at Glenberg where Qualneer gets a room for everyone to rest. Qualneer arranges for Hank to come back in 2 weeks.
===Experiance===
Experience: 8143 (+814 exp 10% prime requisite bonus) = 79,292 exp
Category:Dicing with Death Episodes
Category:Qualneer Episodes