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"It is not our castle, we do not know the layout." Dale admits to the group.

Jenara wrote:"Hmmm... Beer." Eloise raises her nose and sniffs, "I smell beer and sweat, you know that smell."

Looking for the a way to reach the others, she whispers in a low voice to Eloise. "Shall we try to sneak down or reach the others?", she asks Eloise.

"Well.... we could take a look.." she says as she glances back nervously.

"Decide," Thelma tells Eloise in a firm voice.

"Oh damit, let's go." grabbing Thelmas hand she heads down the stairs.

Thelma moves down with her as quietly as possible. She stays close to the wall as they move.

As the girls come down the stairs, the beer odor becomes stronger, but Eloise realises she has been wrong about the sweat. There is no sound except their quiet footsteps on the stairs, and the occasional soft creak of a step. As soon as they can, the girls crouch down and look into the downstairs room. It's a single room, and they can make out things only dimly, because it has no windows. Instead, large doors are in all three of the sides facing the courtyard (two in the long side and one each in the short sides), and it's the cracks between the boards the doors are made of that let in some light. There seem to be four large, man-sized racks in the room and several chests along the walls.

The men can easily pull open the door hidden behind the gate wing and indeed discover a spiral staircase. Going up, they find a corridor leading further into the gate (along the vault) after a turn and a half, and after another turn, they arrive at a door that opens outward. From the layout of the place, it probably leads to the stone rampart the grils climbed onto.

Kneeling half way up the stairs Eloise looks down, wishing she had a torch...

"I don't suppose you brought a light did you?" She whispers still holding Thelma's hand, "I understand what I was smelling, its a storeroom, or what are those places Soldiers live in called.. ?" rubbing her head as a stray strand of hair falls over her eyes. "Barracks?"

Does it smell like old beer, or is it possible that its fresh? I would expect she would have some idea of the difference.

Moving with the group, Dale pushes forward to the rampart. "We might be able to catch the girls if we are lucky." He stays low along the walls in order to avoid being seen.

Saul nods and says, "Go, scout ahead, and return if the way is clear. I fear I'm not able to crouch low enough to sneak my way across the parapet." He leans on his walking stick a bit, as if to emphasize his point.

Mathias stops himself just short of actually walking out onto the exposed cat-walk, having to toss himself backwards in order to avoid the foolish mistake of presenting himself as a pincushion for any likely archer. Instead he contents himself with a side-ways peak into the proper courtyard of the keep.

Dale and Mathias carefully open the door which indeed leads to the rampart overlooking the outer courtyard, where the girls climbed up. Further on is another door that opens towards them. Opening it carefully and peeking through, they can see parts of the inner courtyard. It is dominated by a large circular building, presumably the old keep, that lies a little to the right of the centre of the courtyard. The courtyard itself is part natural rock, part cobblestone, and there even seems to have been a small vegetable garden along the angle of the walls where they are now. A curious small building sits to the left of and a little furhter away than the keep, it is octogonal and the upper frames of the timber work below the roof are not filled. To the right is a building they have seen from the lower courtyard, its upper story replaces the bannisters with loopholes. A stone rampart walkway leads to it, and the door there looks ajar. Straight ahead, there is another building. Just as the men watch, smoke begins to come out of its chimney.

(OOC: I will wait for Stik's post before going on. We need to know where Christopher and Apollo are.)

Eloise and Thelma stay crouched on the stairs, inhaling consciously to make out the smell, It is quite similar, actually, to the smell of a pub store cellar, where beer occasionally gets spilled.

Thelma and Eloise

"Barracks," Thelma nods her head in agreement, "I hope they are unused if that is the case." She suggests, "It might be wise to stick to the shadows."

"I don't want to.look like we are... incapable... but perhaps we should wait for the Men?" Drawing the dagger from her boot she gives her a worried glance. "I don't.... I dont know if I could hurt someone."

Drawing her own weapon, Thelma replies, "Let's wait for the men if you want." She looks at Eloise with a sideways glance, "I'm not sure they are coming up this way, but it's possible."