Bye Bye, Boys! Have Fun Storming the Castle!

The group decides to brave the fog and attempt to walk over the canal to get to the castle. As they are approaching they hear indistinct screaming, and see a womanly figure near the edge of the canal bridge, waving in the dense fog like she is in trouble. Adalia springs into action, calling a wave of water from the canal to push her away from the edge of the canal, towards Nira, who opens her arms to welcome the woman. The woman has beautiful, large eyes, and as she comes towards her, Nira realizes she looks like Quinn. Nira smiles questioningly at her, wondering how Quinn ended up in Thornyside. Quinn’s mouth opens into a strange, toothy smile, her hand reaching out to Nira invitingly, and her hair whips out and wraps around Nira, tightening around her arms as the woman lets out a horrible scream. The illusion of Quinn fades, and a pale blue woman with long, wet hair and a cold, angry face took her place.
Belladonna, the first to react, shoots an arrow, but it ricochets off nearby arrows and doesn’t hit her. Galia attempts a spell, but the pink mist fizzles out. Adalia tried to hit the drowned woman’s hair, but her water attack did nothing against her. Venus turned her hand and cast a firebolt at the drowned maiden, hitting her core and making her rock back a little. Carindrina and Juniper sped forward so they could prepare for an attack. The drowned maiden cast silence, creating a magical ring of complete silence, rendering those inside unable to hear or make noise. She then leaned forward, pulling Nira to her with her hair and attempting to kiss her. Nira was lost in her deep, watery eyes, but managed to pull herself out of the trance and throw her head back to avoid the kiss.
Furus, swinging his violin around and pulling it up, let out a long riff and began to inspire the group, unfortunately his musical spell did not reach Carindrina or Nira, inside the magical silence. Nira called upon her innate strangeness from being a Ganza and attempted to deflect the magic of the drowned maiden. The maiden’s face softened into a look of confusion, but no damage was done.
Midna took aim with her long bow, attempting to hit her core, but it missed. Belladonna moved and took aim, but missed, the maiden turning to look at her with large, haunting, dead eyes, then turns her focus back to Nira. Aquila bounded forward, trying to get close to the maiden, but doesn’t quite make it. Galia again attempts a spell, but the shadows she calls can’t grasp the maiden. Adalia let out another attack, slamming her hair with a shearing wave, and sending both her and Nira back five feet. Adalia jumps to bite her hair, but the maiden yanks the hair away before she can latch on. The drowned maiden took the opportunity to pull Nira closer and kisses her, draining her energy. Furus summoned some dogs to attack, the appeared in the fog, snarling and growling, looking around for their prey.
Nira managed to grab the maiden and released a beam of positive light, damaging the maiden, smoking palm prints sizzling the blue flesh of her chest.
Adalia shouted out, “I have an idea! I know I got us into this mess, but trust me. I need everyone to pray to the spirit of water. There were glowing orbs in the water before that may be a water spirit that can help us.”
The group was confused, but they all paused to say a prayer to water. These cute, luminescent jelly-fish like glowing orbs with long tendrils float up out of the canal. They don’t have faces, but they seem to look at the group, and then float to Nira and the drowned maiden. They put a tentacle on Nira’s shoulder and she slumps over, passed out. Then they grabbed the drowned maiden, arcing electricity through her, and she collapsed and disappeared. They begin to bob back to the canal. Adalia reaches out to touch one, “Thank you for your assistance.” As she touches it, she hears in her head, “Thank you for being a friend to the water. Please save our canal.” She gives a bow and says, “ I would be honored. They bob approvingly and return to the canal. Adalia moves over to heal Nira and help her back to her feet.
As the group looks around, there are stairs leading down to the water’s edge of the canal, some sewer grates, or they can simply walk over the bridge to the castle. Adalia pauses over the canal, trying to sense the water. She feels the same evil thrum as in Balvonier, though much less strong. Carindrina and Midna share with the group that the drowned maiden may not be completely dead, and explain that she can’t pass on from her curse until she is given her murderer. The group decides they need to put a pin in it and come back to that after they find the Abbots. They make their way over the bridge, and to the castle entrance.
The castle was an enormous expanse that seemed to continue past the horizon. As they entered there was a fountain of holy water and some stone benches. Adalia knelt to say thanks. Carindrina moved to stand near, remembering the help that the water spirits just gave them. Galia sat on a bench, calling Juniper to sit next to her as well. Furus went up to the edge and stared at the water, then looked back to Carindrina, “You got me right?” Carindrina shakes her head, “If you keep doing this, one day I’m not going to get you.” but she gets up and grabs the back of his shirt. He can see that the whirlpool effect isn’t a fountain, but the water actually is draining through a small hole. Carindrina tries to look for a pipe or plumbing, but it looks like the water is draining through a portal or a rift. Carindrina reached into the pool with her damaged arm, trying to pour holy water over her injury. She then pulled her two axes out, dipping the blades into the water, sending a silent prayer for the water god’s blessing to help fight the evil waters that have been affecting the area.
Adalia has gotten up to investigate the large columns and statues, covered in runes. They are carved with blessings of Liguaquide and all the names of people in their house. The group follows further back into the castle, there is a large dais with one throne, though it seems like there should be more. Galia found a large amory and went to find Midna to bring her over to investigate. Belladonna comes too. She picks up weapons and looks at them, finding a nice halfling sword and putting it in an empty scabbard. Adalia, not sensing any water magic, calls to Nira to seek out holy magic. Nira points out that there are a few broken items in the back that seem like they may have been holy, but are no longer holy or whole. Belladonna, leaving the armory, looks around as the banners hanging all over the walls finally registering as the black kraken banner. She turns back to the armory, desperately searching for any weapons that seem familiar from under the mountain. She sees several that seem evil, but none specifically fey. Carindrina takes a well balanced knife from a table, and the group leaves to explore more of the castle.
There is a large table with room for three thrones, but only one is there, with a clear, unnatural space where the others should be. At the end of this hall, there was a locked door. Furus picked the lock, Carindrina and Adalia cautiously peek their head through, but the darkness is so complete, they can’t see. They hear breathing and shuffling, so Adalia calls out, “Hello is anyone there?” There are whispers and shushing, but no one responds. Midna looks into the darkness and sees rows upon rows of cages. As they move further in, they see that the people range from mostly alive to skeletons, but they recognize a face in the far corner, this must be Nell’s twin, Alora. Nira quickly scans for children, but the youngest seem to be 15-16, not the age of the kids who are going missing. Galia sends Juniper in to cast dancing lights, illuminating the room, and revealing the squalid conditions. There are about 15 people in varying stages of health, as well as 8-10 more skeletons. The people in the cages back away from the light, they try not to make eye contact, not to make noise, and to hide in the corner. When Juniper comes near with the light, they squint and blink.
Carindrina tries to open the nearest cage, but as she looks, the bars are covered in sharp spikes reminiscent of the chest they had to open by feeding it blood. She pauses, her hand just above the spikes. Adalia goes to the cage with Alora and asks, “Do you have a sister named Nell?” She is cowering in the corner, but turns to look at her, “Is my sister safe?”
“Yes, we escorted her to Lowtown. She is really worried about you.”
“That is stupid, why didn’t she leave the whole town? Everything is fucked!”
Adalia tries to encourage her, “ I don’t think she wanted to leave without you.”
Alora just shakes her head, “You shouldn’t be here either. I can smell the fog on you, I know they are coming back any minute. You need to run before it comes back.”
Adalia is adamant, “Not without you. Will you come with us if we can take you to your sister?”
Alora looks resigned, “I’m already dead. You can’t take me.”
Nira, having come closer, “Are you saying you are dead because you have been turned?”
She shakes her head and holds out her arms, “Not yet, but I am sure I will be soon.: Her arms are covered in bruises and puncture marks.
Nira, “Did you drink any blood from a vampire, nevermind, don’t tell me, let me heal your arm and we will see.”
They look at the bars and there isn’t a good way to get an arm through without dragging it across the spikes.
Adalia asks again, “Have you drank any blood?”
Alora, “No, but I’m sure I’m next, I’m so weak I can’t stand. Even if I wanted to come with you, I physically can’t walk.”
Adalia reassures her, “Let us worry about that.”
Carindrina draws a ration from her pack and passes bits of it through the bars to her. Carindrina says she thinks the cages may need vampire blood, otherwise the captives could have used their own blood to escape.
Nira decided to release a positive pulse and bless the room, announcing that she will hopefully reveal who is a thrall or vampire, and heal the rest. As she does, most breathe a large sigh of relief, and three people make a horrible groan that turns into a growl, as three fledgling vampires are revealed. One is in the cage with Alora, one is in the far cage with two other captives, and another is in the first cage as they enter the room, with one other captive. They can’t reach any two at the same time. The group has precious little time to strategize until the fledglings are ready to fight.