Part 12: Update XII - Welcome To Castle Rabenstein, Enjoy Your Stay

Update XII - Welcome To Castle Rabenstein, Enjoy Your Stay



So, last time, we made it to the gates of Castle Rabenstein. It's pissing like hell, so let's knock at the door and hopefully get out of the rain.



Who goes there?
We're travellers from Düsterburg! My name is Grandy...
Grandy? Hmm... strange name... but no matter. Seems like you picked some great weather for your little trip, Grandy!
Yeah, you're right, sir. Say, couldn't you let us in before we drown out here?
I don't know. I don't know any of you, and the niece of our mistress is celebrating her birthday this night.
Please, good sir! We'll stay in the stables, or in the haystacks! You won't even notice we're there!
I'll try to get permission from my mistress. Meanwhile, you can warm up in the entrance hall.



If he has to ask "his mistress", then that means that Sir Roland is no longer the lord of Castle Rabenstein.
We better be careful... perhaps the servants of the duke are occupying the castle.



Please wait here. I'll be back as soon as I can...



But he doesn't get far, as he runs into this priest-looking guy first.

Burger! I've been looking for you everywhere. ... Are the preparations for the ceremony...

Fucking Burger again. Was that really a popular name? First the strangler down in the Düsterburg prison, and now this bloke here. Is it really that hard to think up names, or is this another victim of the name changes I presumed happened at some point?

What are you looking so befuddled for? I'm expecting...
These strangers just arrived here, father. They asked for shelter until the storm is over...
Oh, now I understand. Well, I think we've still got enough unused beds.
Also, Miss Sylvia will be happy to see a few new faces on her birthday.
You want to let them take part in the ceremony?
Why not... I think we can do without the servants then...

The padre then walks over to our group.

Welcome to Castle Rabenstein, dear guests. I am Father Priamor. Please excuse that you had to wait...
Our chamberlain, Burger, will bring you to your rooms right away...



Quite the swanky looking place. I wonder why Libra isn't here - there's four beds, you'd think there would be room. Anyway, there's only one interesting thing in this room right now, and that's the bookshelf.



What titles: "The Passions of the Princess of G.", "Gossip Curiosities of Falkenburg, Issues 1-17", "Dokulbert, Academic and Lover"

...wait, what was that last one again?

Wait a second... "Conjurations and Abjurations in Supernatural Form". Maybe that could be of some use to Dankwart...

I don't know, but I know a way to find out.



Take a look - I found this book. Can you use this?
Oh my! You found some real treasure there, Grandy! I've heard of this book a lot, but could never find a copy...
I think I'm going to read myself in this one for now. Who knows... maybe this knowledge could be useful to us some day...

Neat. Let's see what Tarius thinks of this place.



I'm not feeling well in this castle. The walls are whispering to me, and they're saying that we're in grave danger!
The walls are whispering to you? You shouldn't be listening to everybody and everything, Tarius!

God damnit, Grandy, didn't we just go over this "not taking Tarius seriously" thing? First this calling a party a "ceremony" business, now Tarius is getting the creeps - this warrants further investigation, so let's go look around the castle a bit.



Now, this castle is pretty fucking big, and I can't really get a map together, so please bear with me as I roughly describe where we're going.



To the left and to the top we find this door that actually opens - the majority of doors in this castle don't open.



And inside it we find this fine upstanding fellow. When he speaks, a lot of times there's a sound effect of a spit.

Hey you! What you want here, jackass?
Jackass?
Don't just keep repeating everything like some stupid parrot! Are you stupid or something to just come waltzing in here?
1) You need a headbutt! 2) I'm already gone! 3) Come on, calm down...

Well, we want to figure out more, and I don't think headbutting him is going to endear himself to us. Let's try and calm him down.

I just got here and just wanted to look around a bit. I couldn't know you were staying here.
Alright then... so, what do you want?
1) Who are you? 2) Are those your empty bottles? 3) What kind of castle is this?

Oh boy, time for questions!

I'm Karlo and I'm a traveling journeyman, if you know what I mean...

You want some of this? I ordered some more, but the servants aren't exactly that fast, mate...
Umm... no thanks. I think the servants probably know better where to put all that glass waste...

You're asking me, mate... strange folk, I can tell you. I came here about a week ago... just wanted to beg for a few bucks or a warm soup, but they liked me so much they got me this room. I'm getting wine and food till I burst and the bed is soft... I can't complain!
Don't you think that's a bit strange?
I don't really give a shit. These guys are just crazy about me. Tonight's some kind of party, and there I'll get to know the lady of the castle. I guess that's the catch about this whole thing, if I know what I mean... but like I always say: What are pillows for, eh?
Umm... yeah, I got it.

Well I certainly fucking didn't. The hell is this guy talking about? Anyway, we now know there's a bum hanging out in the castle that is getting treated like a lord for some reason. The mysteries keep coming.



Two doors over to the left, we find Libra.

Oh man, now there's a party tonight and my clothes are completely drenched. And just look at my hair!
But they look the same as usual...
Exactly! Ever since we crawled out of that fog I never got the opportunity to style my hair!
Umm... yeah, that's really terrible, you're right...
Oh, and now you're starting with that too? Very flattering! Instead of standing here and bashing me, you could very well go and get me some dry clothes!
Um, yes dear, I'll be right on my way...

And we're out of the room again.

Gods, is she ever loaded today...
Well, that's nothing out of the ordinary, actually...

So we've got ourselves another side quest before we can head to the party, we've got to get clothes for Libra. Now where are we going to get those? It's not like we can just waltz up to the lady of the castle and be all "yeah, I need some clothes for my wife, you got some?". Anyway, let's meander around this castle some more.



Going past a few locked doors down a corridor, we find this curiosity.

Well, well... it's barely noticeable, but there used to be a passage here...

So we've got secret passages as well. Interesting.



Next up, we head up to the second floor from the first floor.



Close by, we find a set of doors that actually opens. Odds are that less than 50% of the doors here open right now, in stark contrast to the regular RPG convention of "every door is open for you to go ahead and loot, and if it's locked, you'll find a key close by and find treasure in there".



And inside, we find this young lady here!

Who are you? I've never seen you here before.
Hasn't your chamberlain told you already? My companions and I are going to be guests at your birthday party today.
My name is Grandy.
Really? That's awfully nice of auntie! Finally, some new faces in Rabenstein!
Ever since I came here from Königsberg two months ago, I've always just seen the same faces...
Are you looking for something in particular, or are you just wandering around through random rooms?
Umm... yeah, actually I'm looking for somebody that could have some fresh clothes for my companion Libra...
We were surprised by the storm, now she's completely drenched and doesn't want to show herself at the party in that condition.
Well, if that's all, I've got plenty of dresses. Just wait a second!

And then she walks to the back of the room and brings back a dress.

I hope it'll please your friend. It's my favorite.
Then why aren't you wearing it?
Auntie wants me to wear this old blue dress. It's family tradition, she says...
Can I do something else for you?
Let's talk a bit.
Gladly! What do you want to talk about?
1) About you. 2) About your aunt. 3) Do you know Sir Roland?

Neat, time for more information.

Well, there's not a lot to say. I grew up in Königsberg with my parents, quite sheltered...
They have a successful business there. Then, two months ago, a messenger from my aunt arrived. He said it was time for me to begin my education to become a sophisticated lady, as tradition mandates...
In the beginning, I was quite eager to get out from the stuffy Königsberg and see more of the world...
...but here I have even less contacts than I had before, and the only thing I'm learning is chess when Burger happens to have some time... as you can see, my life hasn't exactly taken any spectacular turns...
Don't worry, Sylvia, you're still young, and a lot of things can still happen.

My aunt is a real lady. She's been living here ever since I can remember and every once in a while she came to visit us in Königsberg. I've always looked forward to the day she visits so she could teach me how to behave oneself when in sophisticated company.
But it's so samey and the constant darkness is really putting a damper on my mood.
Furthermore, auntie isn't doing so well... I only rarely see her and the lessons are also called off...
Father Priamor currently runs the household, and Burger is his right hand man.

That was my aunt's husband. She moved here because of him. However, I never knew him personally. He died when I was barely a year old...
Could you tell me something more about him... like his relationship with the duke, or how he died?
I really don't know anything else.

It was nice talking to you. I'll see you at midnight.

So I guess we just really waltzed up to the lady of the castle (well, the heir, at least) and asked her for a dress. Who would have guessed that? I like Sylvia - she's a really pleasant person to deal with, always seems friendly.



After that, we grab some makeup from a drawer. Yes, this is very important, don't question me!



Walking around the second floor some more, we find another walled-up passage.

There used to be a door here. Somebody walled it up... there's a suspicious amount of walled-up passages in this castle...

The mysteries continue.



Further down the hall we find another open door...



...but it leads to a completely dark room.

Pitch black!
It reeks of old books. Seems to be some sort of library. Doesn't matter - it's too dark to read.



Further onwards we find a third walled-up passage. And yeah, it gets pretty dark in some parts of this floor, that's not me fucking up the screen capture. Anyway, there's nothing else of interest on this floor, so let's head back to Libra and bring her that dress.



And? Did you find something?
Umm... here: Lady Sylvia was nice enough to let me borrow some of her stuff.
Hey, that's not so bad...
Wait a second...
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! YOU IDIOT! THESE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIZES TOO SMALL!
But dear... the lady just happens to be a bit more delicate than you...
WHAT? Have you gone completely mad? Get out, and don't dare to come back until the party starts!

And get out we do. Gods know we don't want an angry Libra on our ass. Never piss somebody off that can throw fireballs. That's like lesson number one when marrying a spellcaster. I guess we can bring the dress back now.



Grandy! And, did the dress please your friend?
I don't know. All I know is that she had a go at me because it was two sizes too small... now she's offended.
Such a shame... you went the extra mile and everything... but that's the way we women are sometimes...
Also, I just remembered that I still have to freshen up. Could you be so nice to leave me alone for a while?
No problem.

Well, so much for that "side quest". Time to bop around some more, this castle is still a lot larger than what we've seen so far.



Close to our own room we find this room, and you can already tell there's something a bit off about it.



Would you look at that... a secret passage!



How useful! There's two handles on the back of the bookcase so you can push it back to the right position...



So we just found some sort of secret underground lair. Now we're really starting to go from "regular castle stuff" to "quite odd". Also, there's another secret passage here. See if you can spot it.



If you spotted that little arrow on that one brick, pat yourself on the back, because you're a hell of a lot more attentive than I am.

Wait a moment... if I move this brick to the right...



A secret passage within a secret passage... very smart!

We've got some alright swank in here. A mithril chainmail, which I already have a set of, a steel helmet, which is a minor upgrade for Grandy, and a war staff, which is a pretty good upgrade for Libra AFAIK.



Moving on, we find some sort of alchemist's laboratory here, but poor old uneducated Grandy can't make heads nor tails of anything in here.



But there is one thing he knows.

What's this? There's all sorts of chemicals in here...
...and amongst them some useful potions!

We get one elixir, two MP potions and four HP potions. Nice haul, all things considered. Moving on...



Oh my! Now that looks kind of black magic-y to me!
Well... I'm not an expert on the matter, anyway.

We know somebody that is, though. We'll have to remember to check this out later. The door is locked...



...and the other exit is walled up. I believe this is the other side to the second walled up entrance we found. Turning around...



...we find another movable wall here.

Aha... I can move the wall to the side here...



This leads us to another new hallway on the ground floor.



Going north, then north from there brings us to the balcony...



...and going north, then west from there brings us to the ball room.

Please, have a rest, sir. The rain drenched you and the celebration tonight will certainly last a long time...
1) But I'm not tired... 2) I guess you're right...

It obviously doesn't matter what you say here, the guy wants us out. Let's just agree with him for now.

Of course, Father Priamor... I didn't want to interrupt your preparations...

And we get booted back out to the hallway.



However, we can peek into the room through the windows on the balcony. Not sure if that's actually useful at some point, but whatever.



Over on the other side from the ballroom, we find another hallway that leads to the servants' quarters, so let's see if we can't get some information from them.



Greetings, sir. Are you going to honor us with your presence at the feast tonight?
Yes, good lady. Father Priamor invited me and my companions.
Us servants were also supposed to be there tonight, but just now Burger told us that we're supposed to go to bed early instead.
That's a shame. Did he say why?
No, sir. He only said we weren't needed anymore.

Huh? So what can Grandy and his group do that the servants were originally slated for, and why are we now doing it when the servants were originally supposed to do it? This is quite confusing.

Can you tell me something about this castle and its inhabitants?
Pardon me, but we're sworn to secrecy...

Hm. And what does the other guy have to say?

Umm... good day, sir. Pardon me, but I have to cook for tonight's feast.

Alrighty then. Anybody else we can talk to and not get anything out of?



Sir, these are my private chambers, and I ask of you that you respect that.
Pardon me. I was just looking around, I had no idea that you were living here.
By the way, my name is Grandy and I'm invited to the party tonight.
My name is Fitz von Fatzenheim. I am the first servant of Lady Xynthia, and I am asking you to leave.
Alright. See you later, maybe.

There is a reading training system over here that has two characters named Fitz and Fatz. I'm almost certain this is just a coincidence, but decided to bring it up anyway.

Well, that was a waste of time. So let's do something that isn't a waste of time:



Find more secret passages!



We've got another hallway crawling with rats...



...to the south we've got a door guarded by soldiers, so we're not fucking with that...



...and to the north we have only a locked door.



A locked door and another one of these secret passages!

Hmm... this branching path has to have some purpose...
Told you so!

Didn't screencap the interior, which was just a little room with a chest, but inside there we find one of the best items in the game - the magic amulet. What does it do? It's an equippable item that HALVES all MP costs for the character that equips it. For somebody like Tarius, whose special attacks eat MP like nobody's business, this is a godsend.



Going back to the non-secret main hallway (the ones where we can enter the ballroom and balcony from), we can find our way back to the main entrance, and with that, we've explored pretty much the entire area.



Now, this entire time, we've basically been scouting the castle for any sort of suspicious things and any kind of information we can get our hands on, since we need to know what's going on here and what happened with Sir Roland. Now, let's talk this over with Dankwart.



Grandy, you're back! And, could you find something that should worry us?
I got to know another guest. Quite the strange fellow. I guess he just sits in his room all day and gets shitfaced off of wine.
Hmm... does he belong to the family or why is he a guest here?
No, that's the strange part: He can't explain himself why exactly he's being allowed to stay here...

I got to know Lady Sylvia, the girl that is celebrating her birthday today.

Sir Roland has been dead for about twenty years. Lady Xynthia was married to him...
Hmm... that must have been past my time...

The lady of the castle, Lady Xynthia, is not well. Lady Sylvia barely got to see her in the last few months.
I'm not surprised... the corridors here are quite drafty. I myself could feel my gout coming forward...

I can't shake the feeling that the people here are hiding something. Some doors were intentionally walled up...
Really? I never noticed anything like that in my previous visits to Rabenstein...

This entire castle has more holes than a Königsberger cheese. All the walls have a set of secret passages drawing through them.
If this castle didn't have any secret passages, then that would be a reason to be concerned. Still, it's good to know where the access points are.

I spoke with a servant. As I asked her about the castle and the inhabitants, she didn't want to talk.
You can tell a good servant by his discretion!

This Father Priamor character has skeletons in his closet. I happened to run into him in the ballroom and he immediately threw me out again!
I don't like that guy either, he's got that mean streak in his face that doesn't fit with a servant of the gods.

Regardless, we should keep our eyes open.
But that shouldn't hinder us from having a bit of fun at tonight's festival. Although I am quite tired... that book you gave me basically stole my sleep away!
It's time, Grandy. Let's take Tarius and Libra and make our way to the ballroom.

Not so fast - that'll have to wait a bit. I was originally planning to split Rabenstein into two updates, but it seems better to go with three. Check back in for the next part, when we'll get to have some fun at Sylvia's birthday party and then have to deal with the hangover!