Milo meets Old Night

Milo's meets Old Night - the guardian of The Herald's Holdfast

Meanwhile, outside, Milo watches as peace returns to the area. Birds begin to sing, and an air of normality starts to creep into the environment. His eye does keep getting drawn to the area of ice, where the occasional crack and pop of cracking ice can be heard, together with the occasional crash as whole chunks of ice suddenly fall off the cliff and hit the floor.

Milo glances up at the intruder, and smiles. Any visitor other than Von Fedel is a welcome one from his point of view. He watches as the water boils, and then puts in a handful of his favourite herbal leaves, leaving the pot to simmer on the side of the fire to let the essense of the herbs imbide the water. Closing his eyes again, Milo continues his exercises in calming his mind and body for the climb yet to come.

"Pretty isn't it?" says a voice after a moment, making the Painbearer jump. He looks around, and can see a woman wearing a fairly threadbare cloak, leaning against a staff. She has a care free face, surrounded with silvery hair of medium length. She is not exceptionally beautiful, but even with the silvery hair, Milo finds it very hard to judge her age, and she could be anything between 30 and 60. She smiles at him, seeming totally at ease.

Of Blondung, there is still no sign.

Milo quickly sits up hurriedly at the sudden appearance of this stranger. He takes in the clothes and her smile, and relaxes a little. Composing himself, Milo lumbers himself into a more dignified sitting position, and opens his arms as a sign of his good will.

"It is beautiful, and very peaceful now the others have all gone inside", Milo says as he tries to work out who the lady could be. "My name is Milo, and you are free to join me in a cup of my herbal tincture if that would please you?" Using an old rag to stop getting himself burnt on the pot, Milo fills his cup with a little of the brew, and turns to offer the cup to his visitor.

The woman nods and sits fluidly cross legged at Milo's side, facing the fire. She reaches across to take the cup, but hesitates, as she spots the sigils moving on the back of Milo's hand. Finishing the movement, she takes the cup and nestles it in her hands, warming them. "Thank you Painbearer" she says simply.

Milo bows as the woman thanks him, taking the opportunity to cover his arms better.

Milo glances to the horses, noting that they are still hobbled and grazing on some scrawny grass close by. They seem at peace. Glancing towards the tree with the crow in it, he can't see the bird anymore, though he didn't recall hearing it fly away. He suspects that the appearance of the lady and the crow may be linked, not only to each other, but perhaps to the place they seek, Herald's Holdfast. Remembering the caution The Lady Alustriel had made to them, Milo was somewhat glad only Blondung might be around at this point, not that he could see him.

He turns and looks sideways at the woman sitting next to him, however she seems to be staring into the flames, and for several long seconds, there is silence between them.

Eventually, she sips the brew, before turning to look at Milo.

"You are here seeking the Herald's Holdfast" she says, the words more a statement than a question.

Milo nods, not sure what to say.

Without waiting for an answer, she continues. "Many come here looking for answers, but not all find them. What do you search for Milo of Neverwinter?"

Milo looks into the flames himself, and considers the best answer.
Talking a few seconds to consider what the Lady Alustriel had said, he looks at his new guest, and exposes his arms so she can see his sigils moving over his skin.

"My friends and I have been 'cursed' by these strange markings. We are seeking their meaning and their originator so we can get them removed, and a friend of ours in Silvermoon said to seek out the Herald's Holdfast. She thought that there we may meet someone with knoweldge to aid us. Would that me you?"

Milo looked into her eyes to try and judge her, to see if perhaps she was one of those people that may be able to help them.

As Milo looks up into her eyes, the woman smiles, tilting her head slightly to one side in a half-shrug. "I'm not sure I have the knowledge you seek" she says, "but I may be able to help you seek it..."
She leans forward to look at the sigils squirming on Milo's arms, peering at them in silence for a few moments. Leaning back, she purses her lips. "Your friend in Silverymoon, is partially right" she says slowly.

"I am known as Old Night, and I am the keeper of the Herald's Holdfast"
she announces. She rises to her feet, finishes the cup of tea that Milo had given her, and returns the cup to him. "If you wish to enter the Herald's Holdfast, you should come with me now" she says. "I recommend you bring your animals" she adds smiling. "You can rejoin your companions later..." she adds.

Milo tried to judge her again in light of this new information, and wondered whether she might not be one of Von Fedel's helpers sent to get him. THinking about it Milo decides that if that is the case, she'll be leading him to the others, hopefully by a safer route than up the cliff, and if what she says is true, then he might be able to find out more about the unusual marking they all carried. Trusting the animals and his own senses, Milo stood, and bowed.

"Very well Old Night, I will follow you and bring the animals. Do you mind if I leave a message in the dirt for the others, to let them know I go willingly?"

The woman nods, and waits patiently for Milo to extinguish the fire and leave his message. The Painbearer wonders, not for the first time, where the ex-Zhent Blondung had got to as he gathers the leads to the horses, and calls to Dodge.

As the procession leads away, Old Night at the front, followed by Milo, Thunderbolt the horse and the four pack ponies, Dodge races ahead, stopping to sniff at almost every bush on the way, occasionally cocking his leg and marking his scent.

Milo is content that the animals do not fear Old Night, and follows with the ponies.

The woman leads Milo directly away from the cliff towards a group of trees, seemingly just another part of the woods that surround this area. As Milo follows after, watching the trail ahead and unsure of what to expect, the pattern of tree trunks and foliage seems to suddenly resolve itself into a squat ivy covered citadel, backing onto a short and stubby cliff of over-grown rocks.

Old Night pauses, glancing over her shoulder to smile in amusement at Milo, who had momentarily stopped still in awe at how he couldn't have seen such a building from further away. "Come" she says simply, walking the last 30 yards to a the single iron bound door in the tower's wall. She gestures towards a simple wooden rail, "You may tie your mounts there - they will be quite safe."

Trusting her to her word, Milo hitches the ponies and horse to the rail, and wonders what to do with Dodge.

"The dog can come with you" Old Night says, almost seeming to read Milo's mind.

"I can see why no-one would find this place without a lot of help. The trees seem to work with the structure to hide it. Very impressive Old Night." Milo waits by her side to see if the door is a door, or if a part of the wall will open up for them. It wouldn't surprise him after it's previous attempts to stay hidden.

Milo will carry no weapons on himself, leaving them with the ponies. He takes the command of Lady Alustriel, of only coming in peace to find the place, to extend into it's confines as well. He is feeling happier that this is not one of Von Fedel's tricks to get to him. At this point he feels a tightening of his chest, as if something is happening to the others, and wonders what they might be up to in the cave.

A small smile appears on the woman's face. "All those who seek this place for the right reasons will find it - be they human, dwarf, elf, orc, goblin..." Her eyes twinkles slightly at Milo's expression as she mentions the "uncivilised" races. "... All races, even drow come here occasionally to seek the wisdom stored here." She gestures around her.
"None will come to harm within the boundaries of this place" she says opening the ancient looking door in the tower. As Milo steps towards the building, a sense of peace settles over him, and for a moment, he feels the weight of ages bearing down. Truly, this is an ancient place he thinks.

Following the woman into the building he blinks for a few moments, allowing his eyes to adjust from the brighter late afternoon light outside. The gloom inside is not oppressive however, and soon his mouth is open with awe, as he realises that the building is a LOT bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. The circular room is nearly 300 feet diameter, and lit by candles hanging from old fashioned chandeliers at regular intervals. Almost every inch of wall is covered in weapons, shields and tapestries, bearing the coats of arms of various nations, both current, ancient and forgotten. Stone columns supporting the ceiling are carved with scenes from famous battles, wooden beams are carved with depictions of famous leaders, heroes and heroines. For several minutes, Milo can do nothing but gawp at the treasury of history and art in this one place. A nudging at his leg brings his attention back, and he glances down to see Dodge. Looking up, he can see that Old Night is waiting for him on the far side of the room, at the other end of a clear walk-way through the packed room.

Hurrying after her, he joins her as he passes through a short passageway, into what must be the hillside behind the tower, though given the unnatural size of that first room, it could be anywhere. The passage ends in a much smaller circular room, with archways heading off in all direction. Each archway has above it a depiction of a different race, painted onto the key-stone. There are over 20 arches, and glancing around, Milo spots dwarf, elf and orc, as well as some he doesn't even recognise.

"Keep to the path" warns Old Night, as she continues across the room, aiming for the arch on the far side, which has no image depicted above it. As he approaches it, Milo can see that there is another short corridor, followed by a door. The woman pulls out a key of some sort as she nears the door, and, inserting it in the lock, opens it with a click.

"The Library" she says, pushing open the door wide for Milo to enter. Moving into the room, Milo is again staggered by the size of the room. Book cases disappear into the distance, and he can smell in the air the sheer volume of musty ancient tomes. "Time passes differently here" states Old Night. "To preserve the books from decay, time within this room is effectively frozen, so when you exit, it will be as if you had only just entered." Old Night smiles. "You can take as long as you want to search for knowledge, and no time will pass in the outside world" she says. She gestures towards an area close to the front. "There is an extensive index amongst those shelves there. I cannot guarantee you will find what you are looking for, but whilst you are here, you will find you do not need food, drink or sleep, so use your time well. You will only visit this library once in your life." Old Night hesitates at the door. "Just knock when you wish to leave..."

She glances at Dodge, and the dog trots over to her side and back through the door into the corridor, where he sits down and starts scratching behind his ear with his hind leg.

Milo stands for a moment and contemplates, and then quickly asks one question before Old Night closes the door. "You say no time passes as such in here, and I have as long as I need to research for information. Does this include information on the future, or only information written by someone somewhere?" If he could know just a little of his future, Milo would rest a bit easier in his bed at night.

Old Night pauses in the doorway, smiling back at Milo. "Only that which has been written before now will be in here..." she says. As she looks around the room, a touch of sadness comes to her eyes. "Just remember - however long you stay in here, although time will not pass for those outside, it will for you." Her eyes return to Milo. "I have led some scholars in here, closed the door, and then opened it again at their knock moments later to find that they have become old, but learned, men." She sighs. "For some, the fear of returning to the world became too great, and they never knocked, simply preferring to live their lives out in the company of books, records and the ghosts of ancient authors, eventually dying in here of old age..."

She sighs, then cocks her head on one side, as if appraising Milo. "I do not have that fear for you however," she says. "You have too much to live for" she continues with an almost knowing smile and a twinkle in her eye.

Milo wonders how she knows so much about him, as he turns away from the door. As he hears the door shut he moves to the index, wondering where to start. He had to move as quick as he could on the identification of the Sigils, and who they stood for, but an opportunity like this was literally a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he had many questions he needed answering.

Moving to the index, he looked up a catalogue of Sigils and Wizard Markings, knowing that was a good a place as any to start.

LINK TO RESULTS OF HIS RESEARCH

Milo, bearded and some of his clothes a little more threadbare than they had been before, finally gathers his notes, and turns to face the door he had originally entered in, over a year earlier. It is not the first time he has got this far, before changing his mind and returning to the books. Remembering the words of Old Night, he shivers as he thinks of the poor souls who had never manage to make this decision, choosing to remain among the realm of words rather than face the real world outside.

He glances behind him, one last time, to make sure he had left the place as neat as he had found it, and then steps towards the door, knocking upon it firmly - significant doubt in his mind that the woman would in
fact be there to open it for him. Another worry crossed his mind -
that what she had said would not be true, and that he would find his companions gone when he emerged, given up waiting for him after all this time!

With his heart hammering, there is a few seconds pause, before the door opens, and Old Night, looking exactly as he remembered her, stepped aside, making room for him to exit. Dodger looks up at him, his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging.

"Find what you were looking for?" she asks, a wry smile on her face as she eyes the bundle of papers and notes Milo was carrying. Without waiting for an answer, she gestures for Milo to follow, and almost in silence, the three of them retrace the path Milo had taken only a short time ago.

Exiting the tower, it is with a somewhat surreal feeling that Milo unties the horses, still waiting patiently where he had left them, before he turns to say his thanks and farewells to Old Night. It with a greater shock that as he turns, he realises that the tower has disappeared. With mouth open, he turns a full circle, before a rumble and a shaking of the ground gets his attention. Dodge barks several times, and Thunderbolt plus the ponies become skittish. Looking in the direction of the cave, he sees a large cloud of dust rising, and hurries, pulling at the somewhat reluctant horses. As he gets closer, he can see that a significant proportion of the cliff has fallen away. As the dust clears, he searches frantically for the cave entrance, finally spotting what could be a tunnel still leading deeper into the rock which could have been it.

A voice calls his name, and he looks to his right. Some 50 yards away, Blondung stands, also facing the cliff. The man runs over and joins Milo. "What the hell has happened in there!" exclaims the Zhent (or "reformed Zhentarim" as Milo corrects himself, given his new learning).

Milo looks at the Blondung, trying to figure out what has changed since he last saw him, over a year ago to his eyes. There were more lines around his eyes, and a streak of grey at his temples. It seems he too may have spent time visiting Old Night.

Blondung turns away from the cliff again, and looks at Milo. His mouth crooks into his characteristic half-smile. "I guess you met with Old Night too..." he says, his eyes going to the various notes still clutched in Milo's hand.

His smile fades as he turns to the collapsed cliff. "I think it will be dangerous to explore - we should wait for a while to see if they will come out." He turns to the trees behind them and moves to find a spot from which they can watch.

Tying up the horses, the pair sit on a fallen log at the edge of the trees, and start to talk about they had seen within the Herald's Holdfast.

About three quarters of an hour later - when the shadows are starting to lengthen, there is a sudden bark by Dodge, and the pair look up to see figures starting to clamber down the jumbled pile of broken rocks.

Dodge runs out from the trees towards them, and the climbers look around.