Into the castle!

[Breila]

Mid-morning sees the group setting out, well-equipped, to the old castle. A well-maintained road - dirt, with rubble and stone where necessary - leads up the slope. The woods grow thinner as they approach, close to the castle there are only saplings, evidence that the area had been cleared in less peaceful times.

The massive walls of the Valckenburg have been built taking advantage of the terrain, bedrock shows here and there in the walls. The road ends at a massive tower building set into the outer wall. It is about 20 feet wide, with a 10 foot wide and high set of arched double doors which are closed. At chest high, a beam supported by iron brackets keeps them closed, this looks newer than the doors themselves.

(OOC: Christopher didn't have time to break fast with the others, I guess he managed to buy some bread and ate it in the saddle.)

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Saul looks at the doors pensively for some moments and finally steps forward calmly and knocks on the gate with the edge of his walking stick. He looks over his shoulder at the group and simply shrugs.

[Breila]

The gate resonates, but nothing else happens.
Saul is close enough now to see that in its present state, the gate is equipped to be opened and closed from the outside, where they are standing. It would even be possible to padlock it, but the lock is not there. It looks like the party would have to lift the closing beam out of the hooks holding it. A joint effort of two people should do this (no STR check necessary).

[Stik]

"Someone from town remind me. This place is supposed to be empty, yes? Who puts a bar on an empty ruin? And if not empty, what do they wish to keep in?"

Christopher keeps his seat, but stabs his lance into the ground near the trailside and draws his sword.

[Jenara]

"Well really, you expect to find that out sitting up there?" Eloise asks from her position near the back, "That means someone is in here right?"

"Surely we just lift this and go in?" Not waiting for an answer she strides forwards and starts to lift the bar, "Could one of you big strong men actually help here?" She asks with a wry smile.

Can the keep be seen easily? Now she is next to the gate?

[Breila]

All the group can see now are the outer walls and the gate tower. The castle sits on a hilly outcrop, and they have proceeded up a ramp that will probably continue inside the gate. At least, that was what it looked like from the valley, with the inner wall higher and the outer one sloping up to meet it, close to a second tower set into the inner wall that could protect the gate to the inner courtyard.

When someone looks at the crude map they got, they will remember that the building in the outer courtyard furthest away from the gate tower is called the Stoney Barn. Matthias knows the barn is still used to store the tithe due to the Abbey, the new liege lord.

[NoTrammeling]

Stepping forward from his position near the back of the group the aging apothecary frowns dubiously at the barred gate, his hand rummaging in a cloak pocket for the assuring weight of his sling stones. Only after he has double-checked their security does he open his mouth to speak. "The tithe yet remains here, by custom or convenience the Abbey has seen fit to retain the Stoney Barn's purpose. Since none reside within, it is my guess that the bar and lock..."

He pauses to move closer, searching the ground for any bits of metal, or signs of break-in. Matthias quickly forgets his address to the others, absorbed in his study of the ground and gate.

(Edit:color)

[Breila]

All Matthias finds are slight scratches on some of the stones of the pavement. Those that have been pushed slighly up by actions of erosion show part-circular grooves from the gates being forced over them. The gates show signs of both wear and maintenance. The beam in its hooks seems to simply be the mechanism to keep the gates closed from the outside. A padlock can be fixed to keep it there when something valuable (such as the tithe) is inside.

[Jenara]

"Can be lifted." Eloise says abruptly, "Are we going or not?" She grunts, using all of her strength she tries to lift the heavy bar on her own.
(Open Doors Check: 1d20=5 Pass!!)

[NoTrammeling]

Matthias stumbles backwards, blustering excitedly as Eloise lifts the bar he had been examining all on her own. "Now n-n-now see here, madam!" He sputters whilst trying to pull himself together. Not thinking to move to help her, he simply stands there while forming a lecture in his mind. "That bar is much too heavy, and think if you were to drop it on myself or others? We will have made another cripple investigating the first!"

[Breila]

With an effort, Eloise manages to lift the bar off its hooks, but because she can't control it, it clatters down and rolls down a bit. Matthias just can get out of the way in time. Luckily, Christopher's mount is a war horse and not easily spooked! He just twitches his ears and swishes his tail in indignation.
The restraining bar gone, the two wings of the gate slowly creak open. They reveal an arched tunnel that is about 20 feet long and just high enough for Christopher to ride through in the middle. There are several gaps in the vaulted ceiling, the most prominent one is in the middle and spanning the entire width of the tunnel.

[Stik]

Christopher grins at his mount's composure, and strokes Apollo's neck in praise. He's a bit more concerned than the horse, though.
"Tunnel's a good place to ambush a squad of men," he says to Saul. "Remember Apamea?

"We go through one at a time, people. Follow me." he urges his horse to move forward through the opening at a walk, watching the tunnel sides and ceiling as he goes.

[Jenara]

"Fine." Eloise stomps her left foot, "You go clanking in there in your heavy armor and loud horse. Or... You could let me sneak inside, I have skills you know, more than just opening gates you are too lazy to open on your own."

[Kafen]

Dale nudges Thelma forward. "She's right. You two are the sneaky ones." He jokes with the group.

To the group, he says. "It's too late for sneaking up on them, but we should have a scout behind the leader to look for snares, perhaps."

[pixie chic]

Thelma taps Eloise on the shoulder, "You follow and looks for triggers, then." She gives Eloise a gentle look, "We were not being silent."