O&F5 Session 6: A Knight Spiritual

5-7 Oakenfall, 103 III-Inter, Sir Ogiero's Keep    The party sets out from Fordefract, meaning to follow the Delta Trail to Cappebraccia. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the torrential rain of the last few days has made progress extremely slow - at the next river ford, the party finds the river flooded with water, and they have to try to find a way to cross. Eventually, they do find a way across. The next day, they arrive at the border of a gnarled forest.   Looking for a place to set up camp, the party finds a ruined castle at the top of the hill. The shields still hanging over the gate declare it to have belonged to a member of the Order of Saint Alderecorín, colloquially referred to as the Twelve Paladins, a Filian Knightly order whose job it was to guard the Emperor. Animals seem to avoid the castle. Nykkaen wants to investigate, but the general eeriness of the surroundings and tracks belonging to the castle's denizens lead the party to set up camp in the forest instead.   The next morning, the party decides to check out the castle after all, hoping to find out what happened to its owner. They leave Oloward at the gate. Starting their investigation in the bottom right tower, they cross into one of the towers overlooking the castle keep, where they happen upon the the softly sobbing ghost of a boy, who reveals that he was a squire to Sir Ogiero, the castle's lord and one of the Twelve Paladins. He was told to guard his post, but his master never returned. He says many of the inhabitants of the castle went mad after Ogiero disappeared. He also reveals the presence of what might be a beholder. The party convinces him he can now rest, so his soul can go to his eternal rest.