Time Period: Still night Looking over the compound Johann notices that there are 6 24-pound guns that appear manned and armed and aimed down the main road and are about 200 yds away. These were not part of the information Johann was provided. Johann notices the decoration around the cannons and realizes that these are Dragon Roar Cannons which are reputedly made of dracheneisen, have a longer range than normal cannon and manned by elite guards. It appears that the rest of the information Johann was given concerning the guards patrols seems to be accurate. There is about a 15 min. window between each guard patrol. The patrol we observe seems to be made up of 14 people. We stay and observe for a bit and determine there are 2 seperate patrols walking the grounds. The buildings are 3 stories tall sitting in the middle of a very large cleared area. Sporadic lights on the 1st and 3rd floors. Felix, Monique and Grainne are to head into the stables and procure mounts. Nikolo is to make his way to the 2nd story of the chateau, the only floor without any lights on it. Johann, Cyrano and the rest will head in on the main floor of the chateau and make their way inside. The group waits until the guards pass and run for their locations. Everyone, except Monique, makes it to their respective destinations without tripping in the dark field. Looking through the window we see some of the headless corpses wandering around inside. Nikolo scampers up to the 2nd story and finds the window barred. Leaning out to look up at the 3rd story he finds those windows barred as well. Nikolo ties the rope off on the bars covering the 3rd story window and then climbs backdown and informs the group of the situation. Johann advises Nikolo to head up on the roof with Don Alejandro, remove the 2 guards there and find the way inside. Nikolo and Don Alejandro head up the rope to the roof. Felix, Grainne and Monique sneak into the stables. The ode to horse dung is quite prolific. Felix checks for horses and anything else that might be useful. Meanwhile, back at the chateau, Nikolo pulls himself very quietly over the lip of the roof. Four guards holding arbalests greet his eyes. They haven't seemed to have noticed him yet. There is a short gabling around the roof surmounted by a short wall behind which the guards are walking. The top of the roof is about 30 feet square. Grainne's thumb begins tingling. Inside the stable Felix finds a creature, horse sized, with an eagles beak exiting one of the stalls. The coppery smell of blood permeats the air. There appears to be no horses left alive after the griffon had it's way with them. Felix slips quickly out of the stable and draws both blades putting his back to the wall praying to any saint who would listen. The griffin follows Felix, spreads it's wings and flies off. Nikolo examines the wall surmounting the roof and finds no doors onto the patrolled area. Nikolo quietly slips over the top of the wall and into the guard area. There is a trapdoor in the middle of the floor. Nikolo motions over the edge of the wall for Don Alejandro to follow. Inititave Don Alejandro flows up over the top of the wall and pierces the guards throat with his rapier stifiling the guards cry. Nikolo sneaks up behind another guard and attempts to slit his throat, meeting with some success. The guard cannot cry out but is still standing. Down at ground level Felix hears the sounds of combat from the roof. Don Alejandro lunges forward and pierces the guard through the sternum. On the ground, Johann et al. notice the body of the dead Eisen hit the ground next to Gunthar with the crossbow just barely missing him on the other side. Nikolo stabs the guard in the kidney rips upwards with his knife. The guard slumps against the wall and doesn't move again. The other two guards on the roof each release a crossbow bolt at Nikolo and Don Alejandro both of whom are now pierced. Both crossbowmen have reloaded in record time. Don Alejandro and Nikolo drop the two guards let on the roof. Niko and Don Alejandro grab the coin purses from the guards and check the trapdoor. The door opens w/o resistance. There is a great deal of light inside the building and voices coming from directly under him. The sound of someone climbing over the side of the roof causes Nikolo to look back and see Johann. Nikolo points the trapdoor out to Johann. Johann makes his way to the trapdoor and hears voices complaining in Eisen. Don Alejandro translates. The guards are complaining that they are stuck on guard duty instead of in the glory of battle. Johann checks to make sure everyone is ready and receives nods all 'round. Johann flips the trapdoor open and Nikolo gets tossed in by Geoffrey. Don Alejandro, Johann and Geoffrey follow. There are four guards playing cards around a table Nikolo leaps forward and nails the guard with his back to him to the table. The remaining three guards leap to their feet and draw their broadswords. Don Alejandro cleaves another guard in two. Johann whips a pistol up under the jaw of a third guard with the muzzle pointed directly up. Johann, "Geoffrey, in Eisen how do you say 'drop your sword'? Oh, never mind, I remember." and cocks his pistol. The guard drops his sword. Geoffrey cleaves the fourth man asunder with his claymore. Johann sends Nikolo after the rest of the group outside so they can avoid the impending patrol. Johann asks Don Alejandro to question the guard to find where the General is being held. Apparently the General is being kept down the hall guarded by a 'stone guy'. Nikolo begins motioning the others outside to climb the rope to the roof. Johann forces the guard down the hall after the guard had requested his blade. A large man-shaped creature with wings and appearing to be made of granite rips the guards head off, tosses it down the hall and follows it with the body. Everyone is up on the roof by now and head down in the guard room. Johann organizes Don Alejandro, Cyrano, Geoffrey, and Eleanor to overbear the gargoyle. Nikolo relieves the dead guards of their valuables. The door to the stairs down to the second floor is closed and barred. Nikolo keeps an ear open for the door downstairs and the trap door above. Initiative. Don Alejandro advances down the hall and orders the gargoyle to stand aside in the name of the King of Montaigne. The gargoyle blinks. Don Alejandro stabbed the gargoyle only to watch his blade skitter off. * Johann suggests to Nikolo that pulling the rope up on the roof might be a good idea. Cyrano, rattled at the appearance of a living myth, misses the gargoyle completely with his blade. Geoffrey makes contact with the gargoyle and seems to be having some effect. The gargoyle reaches out and painfully caresses Don Alejandro. Don Alejandro falls back and is replaced by Gunthar running down the hall crying out, "For the Jenny's!!" Gunthar, a little thrown off his game, manages to connect with the stone creature sending stone chips everywhere. Don Alejandro strikes the gargoyle with his blade. Gunthar, having introduced himself to the self aware boulder, finds himself stoned. Cyrano manages to strike the gargoyle a couple more times. Gunthar misses and Don Alejandro scratches the gargoyle again. Initiative. Gunthar swings and misses. The Gargoyle decides he doesn't like this and smacks Gunthar, sending Gunthar flying backwards. Don Alejandro scratches his initials into the chest of the gargoyle. The gargoyle fans the air near Don Alejandros face, cooling him from the ardor of battle. The gargoyle attempts to smack Geoffrey and pin him to the wall but Geoffrey ducks out of the way on the first attack but is caught up and thrown down the hall on the second. Cyrano manages to make a spectacular shot and pierces the gargoyles eye and follows it up with a shot to the other eye. Johann pulls Gunthar and Geoffrey over to Monique for medical assistance. Don Alejandro manages to put a few more scratches on the gargoyles hide. Initiative. Felix begins walking down the hallway. Cyrano comes flying back down the hallway. Johann pulls two pistols and reverses them for pommel strikes and succeeds. Eleanor follows Johann. *Nikolo heads back up on the roof, scans the grounds for guards and sees none. He then cuts a couple of feet off the rope, lowers himself over the side of the roof until he's outside the window leading into the Generals cell. Nikolo wraps the rope around two bars and using his crowbar begins twisting the rope to distort the bars. The gargoyle attacks Felix who manages to hastily parry the attack. Johann attempts to pommel strike the gargoyle again who manages to slip to the side and returns the favor with a punch to the chest. * The bars on the window are tougher than Niko first thought. Felix, in his guise as Capt. Pedicure, stabs the gargoyle in the foot and manages to cause the gargoyle to come to a rumbling end. * Nikolo hears a rumbling from inside the building. Johann waves the dust from his face and tries the doorknob. It's locked. Felix picks the lock before Johann can open it with primer and spark. Johann and Felix greet the general and explain that they are here to rescue him. Nikolo climbs back up and enters the building. Johann asks where the guards are. Niko replies they are just outside. We head back up on the roof and wait for an opening in the guards rotation to climb down. We head off cross the compound into the scrub and make our way to the horses. It takes an hour to get back to the horses. Two days later we encounter a Freiberg patrol and find out that they spent the battle excercising and maneuvering around. A week later we arrive in Freiberg. Nikolo turns in his Letter of Credit to the constable of Freiberg who honors it. We hear that there is a 500 guilder reward on all of our heads, levied by the principality of Posen. Nikolo speaks to the General about putting in a good word for Nikolo to the Boucher school. The Generals good word counts as if Nikolo were from Montaigne instead of Vodacce. Discount the cost by 20, 10 ea. for each skill he already has, and the cost to apprentice to Boucher is 30XP. Felix goes to see the princess. Everyone's rep goes up by 5 7 Xp to all.