PlanetADnD.com

Seeing Saul heat the poker, the man sitting on the ground cries out, his face streaming with tears: "Have mercy, Sirs, have mercy! you have already broken my hand and leg, and nearly killed my cousin. You have bound his wounds, I cannot believe you are evil! We really can't tell you much more. While we were fillling the vats and the barrels, I have seen that there is a bed in the brewing cellar over there (he points towards building #7), but I swear I have never seen someone in it or in the cellar. So it is possible that the woman you are looking for is somewhere here, but we don't know where! The only thing we could show you is the way we come in and out of here." The other young men nod vigorously. Gisbert begins to stir.


(OOC: you can proceed with the torture, but I as a GM declare that you're not going to learn anything else from the men. Like people tend to do under torture, they might tell you anything they think you might want to hear, but it won't be the truth. After all, I want you to explore the castle and fall into my traps!)

"A grain store.." She says in exasperation, "Nothing but a grain store." She moves to the floor, lifting a couple of grains from the gaps, can she see the forge through the gaps?

"I almost believe you," Christopher says, his attitude somewhat flippant. "Now answer me this: when we march you down the hill to the village - oh - I mean when we march your cousins down to the village, carrying you on a litter, and you meet Volker, is he going to tell me that you are the men who hamstrung him? Tell the truth now."

Dale moves with the girls up the stairs and halts behind them. "What do you see?" He asks them as he waits on the stairs?

"Just some grains." Eloise responds, "Nothing more."

Saul raises the poke from the forge and turns toward the captives. "Yes. Who hobbled the boy....."

In the courtyard
Gernot hangs his head. "We did" he admits."We attacked the boy and girl who were coning back from the Abbey, late on St. John's day. Georg had clubbed him, and Gisbert took a dagger and cut the boy's tendons. I don't know why, perhaps he has a grudge against that family.
"Then we took the girl to the hut in the forest where we live. Georg and Gisbert brought her away the next day" Gerhard, who is kneeling next to Gernot, adds.
all young men are eying the poker nervously, clearly wanting to talk as much as Saul and Christopher want to hear to be spared its application.

In the forge's attic
There are only a few scattered grains in small imperfections of the floor, none of them allows to seee through to the storey below.

Matthias chooses this moment to chime in, "It appears you owe Volker an apology indeed, Christopher. Of course I do now as well seeing as how I raised my own suspicions about the poor boy. Was it threat of the gallows again? By God I am becoming more savage by the hour messing about in these matters!"

Saul tosses the brand to the cobblestones, out of the way so there's no risk of it burning anyone on accident. "I've heard all I need to hear." He walks forward slowly and looks at each man before continuing. "Each of you will be taken to town to answer for your crimes. You will each beg forgiveness and ask for penance. All of you, that is, except for Gisbert." He glares at the 'leader' of this group before turning to Christopher. "What should we do with him?"

Gisbert, who had started to stir, is now bringing a hand to his face and tries to sit up. His three nephews all look pointedly away from him.

[OOC] Aaargh! Too many people to talk too at once! [/OOC]

"I owe Volker nothing, hermit. If he is angry that I distrusted him, having his lady returned should sooth him and serve as more than adequate recompense."

Christopher ponders, then says: "We have heard almost all we need, Brother. But there is one final question that needs answering." Christopher turns toward Gernot. "Bearing in mind that only complete cooperation can save you from hanging, or worse: Where is she now?"

Seeing Gisbert stir, Christopher looks to Dale and Matthias: "Dale, will you restrain him, please, and quickly. If I go over there, I might end him instead."

"There is nothing up here sis." Cursing under her breath, a word she heard more than once at home, she hops down the stairs and confronts the scene outside.

"That building..." she mumbles, looking over to the large structure with the bridge.

Gernot replies, doing his best to sound honest. "As i have said before, I have not seen her since that fateful night. But I think she's here in the castle. There must be cells here from the time of the Counts of Valckenburg."

"Cells? That is good news. If Gisbert has the keys, we will have a place to keep you while we search the castle look for Erika. Fair is fair, after all."

A search of Gisbert reveals no keys.