They halloo'd from the outer bank of the moat, and a little window popped open above the drawbridge. A voice called out, demanding their business at Castle Arzxzkil.
They stated that they had come seeking the hospitality of the lord of the castle, and the voice said "Alright, alright, hold on a minute", and shortly thereafter the drawbridge began to squeak and creak and rattle its way down, revealing an open gateway and a curious elongated creature like a human-sized earthworm with arms and legs working away at a crank-wheel.
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| Wormy Brian the Factotum |
"Come on then" it said, and headed off into the jumble of outbuildings, leaving the team to follow along as they might.
It led them through a labyrinth of passages, alleys, through and under stone-built shacks, into a largish barn-like space, at the end of which sat a fairly huge toad-like humanoid, dressed in rather fine armour. "Supplicants for your hospitality, O Lord Arsxzkil" said the worm-guy.
"Bah!" exclaimed Arsxzkil, "more parasites come to take advantage of my enforced generosity! Is there no end to them? Come on then. I suppose you'll want me to feed you too!"
"Yes please," said Olaf, "and also, will you show us about your very fine tower?"
"Why do you want to see around my tower? What business is that of yours?" demanded Arsxzkil.
"Merely as a matter of hospitality" said Olaf.
Arsxzkil's face swelled visibly. "Bah! All right then! follow me, and keep up!" and he turned about abruptly and headed off, his great armoured feet splatting and clattering against the flagstones.
A quick summary of later events:
- Arsxzkil grudgingly took everybody up the tower, where they met Princess Priscilla.
- Ali committed a social faux pas by insulting their host and was taken away willy-nilly by Arsxzkil, stripped, hung up in a cell, and given a preliminary thrashing with a besom of thorns
- Everyone was conducted by Brian to their sleeping chambers. He locked them in.
- Ti tried to break out, but found the door too sturdy for her. So she climbed up and hacked her way through the thatch. It turned out that destroying her host's property comprised an offence against the laws of hospitality, so when Arsxzkil found her she too was stripped, hung up and thrashed.
- Cajetan got up before dawn and somehow got Brian to let him out and take him to where the chickens were kept. He cut poor Brian in half with his axe (both halves scuttled away) and then cast a Silence spell on the rooster so that Arsxzkil couldn't hear it crow.
- He went and collected Olaf, and the two of them searched for and found their unfortunate comrades.
- While they were trying to break into the cell, the cock crowed (silently), releasing Arsxzkil from his obligations, and bellowing with rage, he rushed down in his brocade dressing-gown, sword in hand, to kill everyone not already manacled to a wall.
- A fight ensued, during which Ti and Ali managed to break free of their bonds (now no longer being rendered helpless), and Arsxzkil was eventually killed.
- Princess Priscilla was rescued from her imprisonment, and after sweeping aside masses of bon-bon wrappers and cake crumbs, retrieved her Go-Bag from under the bed.
- The looting of Castle Arsxzkil commenced.
