[Closed] Peeking at the Peak

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Alistair, Anders, Carver, Loghain, Nate, Teren
WHAT: A happy little field trip out to a happy little place, all in hopes of continuing with a Blight cure.
WHEN: Drakonis 5
WHERE: Soldier's Peak
NOTES: Summarized here.

The Fortress looms before them, cold stone walls protecting cold stone towers, rimmed by cold snowy hills.

It's cold, basically, and somehow manages to look even colder than it feels. The stairs upward are no longer even, crooked and bent as if some giant decided he wanted to romp his way through, and the gates are askew and slightly open.

On the approach there's little noise beyond wind whistling through, until the gate is touched and a flock of ravens bursts upward in a cackling cacophony. Beyond that it's still. Too still, perhaps.

Comments

Entry Hall

[justice_is_blond]

The gate is open, and the keep is before them. The front door opens easily to show a large, square room, the walls of which are lined by bookshelves. All but one of the bookshelves are full - the one nearest the door on the far end has four shelves, all of them empty. On each shelf is a carving of an animal surrounding a rectangular indentation.

A large, out-of-place, stuffed chair sits next to an old firepit in the center, and various small tables are scattered here and there. There are faded notes on a couple of the tables or sticking out of some of the books, eight notes in total. On one of the tables stands a tiny model of dragon wrapped around a pillar.

Several books aren't fully flush with the others, one each of various cover colors: red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, brown, and black.

[byblow]

This was much easier last time. Fight some demons, fight some undead, deal with a treacherous possessed Warden-Commander. There was very little thought required, and what thought was required could be pawned off on Cousland, which was great. But Cousland is dead now. And if he weren’t dead, Alistair would still be ten years past ever asking for his help.

So he goes to look at the notes first—humming, while he walks, because he’s not creeped out by this place. You’re creeped out by this place.

[justice_is_blond]

The notes do not hum back. They're not that creepy. They may be a little odd, though.

'Remember to put blue book in place first' reads one from a table, while the note next to it simply says, 'Purple is a distracting color.' On another sidetable is a note declaring 'Red is two shelves lower than the second-placed book' as if someone forgetful couldn't keep track of what he'd set up himself.

The notes from the books run along a similar vein. 'Problem: tea always cold. Solution: magic???' seems the most reasonable, while on the surface 'Another dream of blue birds last night' seems the least useful. Or maybe that falls to 'Green, then brown, like leaves in fall.'

Whatever the case, there are two more totally-not-creepy notes that stick out of books: 'Locked out again - brown snakes are dull but reliable' and 'Is there such a thing as a yellow dragon? Does color matter re: viability?'

The author might have had a lot of time on their hands.