While one group deals with making a commotion at the gates, another has split off and returned to the 'secret' tunnel. Not so much a secret anymore! The trip through the darkened winding passage occurs without much incident, save the feeling of claustrophobia that weighs on the party until they reach the heavy door. As luck would have it, it's open and swung a few inches into the tunnel. The chamber beyond appears to be recently deserted and empty. Hm.

Kael is wearing armor. Let's get that straight, first and foremost. Let's also get straight that while Devo is exceptionally Devoted, he has been left at home. It is Echo who is on this little adventure with him, called to heel, even as he keeps his hand on his blade. There is a sidelong look to the others within his party and, with a survey of the pair, he begins to advance a few steps. He is actually watching Norwood rather expectantly, as if to see if he will take point or rear.

It's actually SUPER hard to move quietly in full plate armor, but Norwood's doing his best to move quietly. The further they go down the tunnel the more careful he is. At the doorway he pauses looking inward. Turning back towards Kael and Jael he gestures for the pair to stick to the walls as they enter rather than venture into the middle. Hell yes he's going to take point. HE HAS MOTIVATION.

Jael is in armor too! Leather armor, but it's /really nice/. She's packing both bow and sword, though she hasn't settled on which one she's using yet. Silently she looks from one man to the other, as people with more familiarity with the current situation than she is. There's a sharp little nod as Norwood issues orders, sticking, as told, to the walls.

When Norwood moves to take point, Kael is rather obedient taking the rear. He keeps his hand on the hilt of his blade, ready to draw it in the instant, and there is a cautious glance tossed behind his shoulder. A single murmur of the equivalent of 'heel' is kept to his dog, just in case she might get ideas to go be the hero.

The chamber is empty, but caution is good. Caution keeps people alive. This seems to be part of a larger lower level, carved out of the cliff's of Duskshire Keep itself. There are other doors and other passageways and further up, a winding staircase that goes upwards and also downwards. So many options.

Norwood checks the room and once he's satisfied that there is nothing wrong with it turns his attention to the stairs. Up should lead to the main gate so that they can let the Small Women (TM) group in to help, but down could also lead back up. Eyeing them, "Kael, can you and Echo go down past the first curve and report back what you hear? Jael? Come with me up? We don't have diagrams of this keep so either could lead to the main gate."

Jael nods again and reaches for the sword at her hip. "Right behind you."

Kael's brow quirks, it is a mild thing, but there's no actual argument. He does however incline his head toward Norwood and then offer a low, airy sort of whistle before moving with the hound down the first curve, per the instructions.

JUST to the first curve before Norwood pauses to listen, looking for the sounds of the distraction or something else to indicate that this is the Right!Way!

Norwood checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 35 higher.

Paige has totally been along the whole time, creeping around silently and following the group deeper into the tunnels.

Jael hangs back behind Norwood, letting him do all the tracking stuff that she's not nearly as good at, though she's ready with her blade at the first sign of danger.

Creep, creep, creep. Kael eases in a bit more to tilt his head and to listen once he reaches that bend. There is a fiddling of the hilt of his blade before he ventures just a single lean in further. Echo is good and behind him.

When they get to a well torchlit corner Norwood raises an eyebrow and whispers to Jael, "I don't hear anything - you?" He'll pause for her answer before adding," Torches indicate //someone// is looking out. Let's go meet back up with the count Kael and countess Paige."

"Oh, this is nice," Jael mumbles with mild sarcasm as the gentle torchlight greets them. She shakes her head at Norwood, mouth set in a thin line. "No, but you know I don't notice things unless they're right up on me." And while this is true, she at least knows enough to keep her voice down.

There's almost no noise at all. It's very, very quiet!

With his task down, Kael is carefully easing back up the steps. He might ease his head and take a peer, but there likely is nothing to see there. So instead he's scooting around Echo and thereafter further venturing forward, ascending with his dog on his heels. He'll meet up with Norwood in the middle and murmur a low, "Something -- assume water -- is dripping down there. No clue how far it goes, but not so far as to have the sound fade." He turns toward Norwood, head tilting.

Norwood shakes his head, "Someday that is going to bite you Jael." The whole not noticing things. Regrouped there at the bottom Norwood nods as Jael reports what he heard. Looking between the three, "Perhaps an overabundance of caution drove me. Up is well lit and looks well traveled. I believe we ought to split towards the gate as soon as we can, so that those outside may enter. Suggestions before we go up?" Eyes move first to Kael, then Jael and finally Paige.

"We should try to avoid the shavs as long as possible. If we get bogged down with fighting too soon, we'll be overrun before we can reach the gate. We should try not to engage anyone until we are close enough to get the doors open to the others." Paige pipes up finally, having otherwise just been a silent by-stalker. She glances at the other three and shrugs, "Stick to the outside walls, get out of the keep itself as quickly as we can, away from the lights and where they are most likely to be gathered..."

The stairs that lead to the next level spiral upwards at a dizzying angle. It's enough to give anyone a healthy case of vertigo as they travel. But still, there's light and it does look well traveled. As they get closer to the next level they can start to make out sound. There's the pounding of footsteps and the shouting of voices. Rather than take a careful look at the stairwell, it seems that they pass by in a giant hurry without even giving it so much as a glance. Something has their attention.

"Well I don't do it on purpose," Jael rebuts quietly to her former mentor as they make their way up. She looks back over her shoulder a few times, a little frown touching her sharp features, even though the action seems to be going on ahead of them.

Kael's evidently going to make with the doing, being his typical quiet self doing such an adventure. He keeps the dog held fast to his side, and is moving with the group, making certain that all remain within eyesight. Occasionally he pauses, glances over his shoulder, but he'll be on the move soon enough. There's little delay when their luck holds and folks are distracted.

Falling back a step as the Shav hurry hurry by and nods back to Paige. "I will be keeping Queensguard sheathed unless we have no choice. They get very... excited when they see him. Let's follow that group - our armor will show us as intruders but it is possible Princess Alis will keep them distracted enough they will not notice." The glance around is for input before Norwood moves forward himself, though he does pull his helm down. No weird hats today, BLENDING.

Paige nods to Norwood and tugs her cowl a bit lower, shifting her bow on shoulder and moving with the others. Time to sneak!

The stairs open into a wide room and they're in on the ground level floor of Duskshire. It would be an absolutely adorable little keep if it weren't so run down. Tattered banners hang from the dusty rafters overhead and the doors to the courtyard are hanging lamely from the hinges. Sunlight filters in through narrow windows, casting beams of light through broken spots in the stained glass. They can see into the courtyard from their vantage point. There is a large group of shavs in the courtyard, clustering around the massive gates. There are several up on the walls. Voices carry and they can hear them laughing at the people on the other side of the wall. "AHAH THE OTHER LITTLE ONE IS ANGRY TOO! SHOOT MORE ARROWS, MAKE THEM DANCE!" and "OH! SET YOUR ARROWS ON FIRE!" - To their left is a direct flight of stairs to an upper level that runs along the perimeter of the keep, around the hall and out to where the archers are.

Did Kael really just seriously stop to inspect one of those tattered banners? Why yes, yes he did. He surveys the banner, inspects it, and in the end there is a shake of his head before he inches onward. Though it's tempting to throw a sign of victory to his comrades yonder, the Count manages to refrain and instead keeps on with his task. When they move to the next set of stairs to ascend, he grips the hilt of his blade more firmly, muscles tightening by way of anticipation.

"Countess, can you cover us while we try to cut down the ones who would wish to fire flaming arrows? If the keep follows a similar pattern the gate release should be nearby. Jael - can you get that while Kael and I try to stop the archers?" Norwood is really trying NOT to order the nobles around, but also, it's not working. He's also not looking at them - he's looking for a PARTICULAR Shav. "Anyone see SMiling Clive?"

"EAT THIS, YOU WANKERS!" is shouted from the otherside of the walls by a woman and followed up by another female voice: "YOU MIGHT WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE BATTERING RAM INSTEAD." The group has a clear shot to get up to the next level because as soon as the word 'battering ram' is shouted, people who are holding the keep promptly start to to panic. Many of them are inside, but there's the sound of /others/ moving. Others who didn't quite get to the front of the keep early on.

"Someone sees us," hiss Kael, his voice a low thing, and the words directed toward Norwood. It is at this point that his gaze is flicking to and fro in search of the target.

"Get to the gate release?" asks Jael, looking mildly confused in the welter of noise and orders. She looks game to find the thing though, until Kael says that they've been spotted. Still, "They're distracted, we should move."

"Yes, that." Jael can speak Norwood. Norwood does a very professional grunt in response to Kael's hiss. "No use for it now - Let's go." Norwood is going to drop subtly - because if they see them they see them. Queensguard comes out and Norwood's going to charge. Silently, but still. The flash of white - "That way! In that room, there's a white... something." MAYBE IT IS A DUCK.

Paige checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 3 lower.

Onward! Kael is at the ready, moving to charge in with Norwood. Did... Count Keaton just nudge him with his shoulder in a move of camaraderie before they are off? Why yes, yes he may just have. At least he does this prior to the (silentish) charge.

[025 BANG. That's the sound of Alis' battering ram as it hits the gates. It's entirely likely they won't need any kind of gate release in the immediate future, since the Valardin princess is apparently just going to /smash/ it in. However, while Kael is noticing that they're being watched and Norwood thinks that he's spotting indoor ducks, a rogue group of Abandoned round the corner out of one of the rooms on the second level. At the very least, no one immediately starts shouting that they want to kill Norwood. But he hasn't taken his swor- "Sir Norwood Clement! It's been a few years. Are you here to die?" A large man with a scar going down the side of his face waves at Norwood from the back. Smiling Clive makes his appearance.

Norwood checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 8 higher.

Shoulder nudge FTW as they charge, Norwood taking aim at knees and arms and AWWW IT's CLIVE. Norwood is just going to hyper focus on, "What was it they were calling you?" Now that he's in the THICK of it a hyper calm has fallen and Norwood is going to face down Clive. "A wanker?" Sorry guys, FEND FOR YOURSELVES.

When the group of Abandoned are rounding the corner, that is all that it takes for Kael to draw his blade and stalk menacing toward the group. When there is communication between the two he hesitates, a brow arching to quite the height and he looks back and forth. Mind you, this is a swift thing, for there are others in the mix. Unless Smiling Clive advances for an honorary duel between the pair alone, Kael will be engaging with the others.

Norwood checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 34 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 12 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 42 higher.

Paige checked dexterity + huge wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 10 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 22 higher.

Paige checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 22 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 38 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 18 higher.

BANG. "That's no way to talk to an old friend after so many years." Clive remarks to Norwood, sounding almost bored. And when the groups rush forward to engage, he pushes directly into Norwood's personal space.

Norwood is going to stab first and cut later as he dodges Clive's attack and responds with a hard upswing that draws blood but otherwise doesn't seem to knock the smiling jerk off his game too much. "We could have been. If you hand't taken over what belonged to my Duke."

There is no attempt at all to intervene between the personal matter of Clive and Norwood by Kael. Nay, instead he is focusing in on the thug that is before him, his eyes narrowed as the dance of swords begin. His opponent missteps early in the game however and the Keaton Count lands a particularly dramatic strike against him, though the foe is still on his feet and ready to attack. He's slow enough in his return strike that Kael can dodge to the side and avoid any return blow. At least for now.

When Norwood and some dude start chatting, Jael just looks confused. Until everyone else starts wading in, at which point she adjusts her grasp on her blade and takes a swing at one of the thugs that is advancing towards her. The sword slices across the shav woman's arm, drawing blood, but she continues to advance and answer Jael's attack with one of her own. One that, fortunately, Jael is able to dance free of just in time.

"Always your duke this and your duke that. When do you stop being someone's pet? And I don't see your duke here claiming that this is /his/. There were no guards to stop us taking it." Clive is chatty for someone who can't seem to land a substantive hit on Norwood for his life. The others don't seem to be having much better luck. Everyone is very agile today.

Norwood checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 28 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 34 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 27 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 22 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 15, rolling 40 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 20 higher.

Paige checked dexterity + huge wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 25 higher.

Paige checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 17 higher.

Norwood rolls forward again, this time laughing without an ounce of humor in it as he comes at Clive again, this time from a different angle. "An oversight, soon to be corrected." Norwood responds to the man, and then he LAUGHS as Norwood slices him again. "Good to know you've kept your sense of humor." Norwood raises his voice so that he's not just talking to the big wanker in front of him. "THAT is Princess Alis Valardin knocking on your door. This keep //will// be ours before night falls - you decide if you're going to live to see it or not." Except Clive. Clive is going to die.

There is no talking from Count Keaton, but that is likely for the best. Instead he is entirely engaged with his foe, striking, moving, and striking again. He seems to be faring well against his opponent, driving him back with a bit of fancy footwork and a solid strike.

When Jael's opponent swings and misses the first time, Jael drives her advantage and hits the woman solidly, forcing her to retreat, bleeding. She easily ducks out of the way of a retaliatory strike.

While in the midst of her fight, Paige glimpses something. Someone. She frowns, looking back to her adversary. Ducking his blow neatly, she comes back up, and rather than slice at him with either end of the doulbe-bladed glaive she wields, Paige smashes the heavy metal staff into his face, then spins around the man and rushes off towards the hall once more.

Norwood checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 40 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 0 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 11 higher.

Jael has rolled a critical success!
Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 80 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 9 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 1 higher.

Paige checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 36 higher.

There is a bit more of a press from Kael, a lean into his opponent, and he grits his teeth. That next strike that comes against him, he only barely misses it. Still, the combat continues and he is working for his victory.

Jael slices at her opponent again, and dodges away with almost unnatural ease. But now there's a second attacker to deal with. Jaw set, she grips her sword tightly, taking the briefest of breathers before the next blows fall.

More cuts to Clive as the large man fails to land more than a ping on Norwood's armor. "You could have been an asset to the duchy Clive." Norwood's tone is low, //almost// sad.

Norwood checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 18 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 5 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 19 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 12 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 1 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 33 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 7 lower.

Kael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 1 lower.

80 inflicted and Kael is harmed for moderate damage.

The shav woman Jael has been engaged with takes another hit, another swing and another miss. But a second opponent's blade glances off the Laurent woman's armor. It does no real damage, but it's a near, near miss.

Norwood has been SO FOCUSED on killing Clive, that he ALMOST had ignored the rest of the wankers dancing around them. The sound of something BAD HITTING ARMOR distracts him momentarily from the killing-clive blow. He'll get to it, but first check on the other two, "Kael, Jael," - waiting for the sounds.

There are certain things that simply just...are. Swordplay is quick, it is deadly, and at one moment the victor becomes the loser and so forth. Take for example the fact that Kael is so very focused on his opponent that another, despite honor even, leaps in to slide a dagger between the weak points of his armor. There is a hiss, a sudden sound, and his opponent before him gets another strike at the shoulder. Yet Kael, he's striking back, dispatching that opponent even as he spits blood to the side and turns toward the other.

Norwood checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 22 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 23 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 12 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 22 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 9 lower.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 2 lower.

Kael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 4 higher.

15 inflicted and Jael is harmed for moderate damage.

With a second attacker in the mix, Jael's first opponent is able to lash out and whack her hard on the elbow. This opens her up to a new attack from the fresher thug, who slashes her across her shoulder, eliciting a yelp of pain.

Though his initial enemy has fallen, Kael still has that second thud (for now and forever known as Thug #2) to deal with. After all, that blade had gone between that weak point, and thus some reprimand is in order. He advances, attacks, parries, and dodges.

Paige checked luck + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 4 higher.

Smiling Clive isn't smiling so much as Norwood swings Queensguard one more time and takes him down. There isn't time to stand over an old nemesis though, Norwood sees blood on both of his companions and swings to get at one of the enemy attacking Jael. "JAel, you okay?" Kael's fine. Assuming.

Also, "Where did Paige go?" Norwood tossing that out.

Jael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 15 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 33 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 35, rolling 29 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 55 higher.

Jael has rolled a critical success!
Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 32 higher.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 6 lower.

Kael checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 14 higher.

From down the hallway, the direction that Paige ran off there's a sudden commotion. Those in the hallway can see books and cups and other things come FLYING out at top speed and the sound of wind. SO much wind. But there's also the sound of BANG, BANG. And finally, CRASH. Someone out in the courtyard is yelling about /splinters/ in his eyes.

"I assume that is where Paige went." Norwood can't go over there yet, because he's stabbing at a poor unfortunate soul with a direct application of a single solution. "ALIS." Calling down tot he people there. "UP HERE."

"Peachy," Jael replies to Norwood through gritted teeth, still fighting.

With Clive dead on the ground and the gate having been literally bashed in with a battering ram by Alis' knights, the remaining combatants drop their weapons and flee. They've seen Kael cut down a man, seen the fury of Norwood wielding Queensguard and witnessed the utterly unreal ability of Lady Jael to dodge attacks (mostly). They're not sticking around when they're outnumbered by the three of them. This leaves the keep deserted, save the corpses. Their allies are cleaning up the mess at the massive gates. The keep has been breached and cleaned up, save for /one/ thing. An open archway leads to a balcony that overlooks the fields below. And from there? Hangs the banners of Laurent and Valardin, the ones with all the creative artwork on them. Maybe take those down.

Norwood ends the day staring at the creative banners that look down. "Never did figure out what those white flashes were..." It's a mutter as Norwood reaches over the edge to try to cut down the fluttering banners.

Kael, meanwhile, is looking toward the scattering Abandoned and frowning somewhat. He keeps his hand on his blade and scans the area before glancing back toward Norwood. There's another look to those gathered near, taking stock of the injured and noting nothing too serious -- at least in his line of vision, he goes to take care of his own wound.

With the attackers suddenly scarpering, Jael finds a convenient wall to slump against for a moment before looking for some sort of makeshift bandage. Not the banners though. Those are unsanitary.