ikonu is dead. Who is Kikonu? I\u2019ll be honest: I am still not sure and I don\u2019t really know what is going on. I am trying to piece it together from the scraps of information we have uncovered so far, but there is too much that we don\u2019t yet know.<\/span><\/p>\n This began with exploring the tower. What was formerly the library (and, arguably, still is as the books are still intact) had become the private room of Zaiobe, a mute harpy oracle that has been living in the castle for many years. She was the first being we have encountered since stepping foot in here that did not try to attack us on sight.<\/span><\/p>\n Who is Zaiobe? She is, or rather was, Kikonu\u2019s lover. So you see the problem: some of these answers are circular.<\/span><\/p>\n She could communicate telepathically with whoever she was touching, and she had a lot to say. Most of that boiled down to this: she had \u201cgrown tired\u201d of her lover and she wanted to kill him, but she needed help. There was obviously more to this story than she was telling us since you don\u2019t just kill someone because you are tired of them, harpy or not. Something must have happened between them, something severe enough that revenge was her answer. In exchange for our help, she would give us information.<\/span><\/p>\n Who is Kikonu? He came from Tian Xia, and specifically from Minkai. He is an outsider of some sort, able to take the form of a man-sized bird with black feathers. When in his human form he looks like a Tian man with red skin and a rather large nose, but with raven-black wings sprouting from his back. In Tian Xia, she said, he is considered a horrible monster, but what kind of monster she didn\u2019t know. Some might consider him a demon, but that is as often as not just a colloquial name for an outsider of any sort.<\/span><\/p>\n Zaiobe believes he came here when the castle was initially attacked or shortly after that, but possibly for his own reasons. That is conjecture on her part, but it would be an amazing coincidence if he arrived at the time of the attack and had nothing to do with it. Regardless, he is the de facto man in charge, and if we want answers, we\u2019ll have to confront him.<\/span><\/p>\n We had several more questions for Zaiobe, but what made me most inclined to believe her was the seemingly innocent one that I had Qatana relay (reluctant though she was to do so). \u201cWhy was he writing a play about corbies?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I knew at once that I had struck a nerve. Watching her communicate with Qatana was fascinating because it was like watching two people talk without the words: there were still the facial expressions, gestures, and other non-verbal cues we all rely on in conversation to convey meaning and emotion. Up to this point, all of Zaiobe\u2019s responses had been controlled and measured. I could see her expressions change, and follow her emotions to some extent, but she was managing her part of the duologue carefully. At <\/span>this<\/span><\/i> question, though, that mask slipped away and there was just raw Zaiobe, channeling <\/span>years<\/span><\/i> of frustration and anger.<\/span><\/p>\n Qatana, who was trying to relay to us what she was \u201chearing\u201d, could barely keep up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBecause he\u2019s\u2026.he\u2019s <\/span>changed<\/span><\/i>! In the last several years he\u2019s become <\/span>obsessed<\/span><\/i> with becoming the king of these corby <\/span>things<\/span><\/i>. His <\/span>latest <\/span><\/i>amusement is writing this <\/span>play<\/span><\/i> and having them act it out and <\/span>making me watch them<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>it\u2019s horrible!<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her rage was so plain she was practically steaming with it. \u201cTired of him\u201d, indeed.<\/span><\/p>\n This was the point where I truly believed she wanted him dead (this play was merely insult piled on top of injury), and she both wanted and needed our help to do it. And, based on her description of him, Kikonu was not going to be an easy opponent even for the eight of us, so we would need her help, too. So we struck an agreement, and the wheels were put in motion.<\/span><\/p>\n The ambush was set in a large, ruined building on the edge of the abandoned village, at Zaiobe\u2019s suggestion. We figured she would know best where to arrange a meeting with him without arousing his suspicion. At the appointed time, she flew in and stood in wait while we got into position. A few minutes later, Kikonu came up the path along with a retinue of four dire corbies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy darling, I have the <\/span>greatest<\/span><\/i> new scene to show you! Wait until you see this!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As soon as he stepped in the door, we struck. At first, he was confused and cried out to her for help, but Zaiobe responded with a black arrow that burst into flame when it hit. And then he realized he had walked into a trap of her making. Rage overtook common sense, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the doorway and reappeared at Zaiobe\u2019s side to strike. This fight was bitter and personal.<\/span><\/p>\n For the most part, I stayed out of it. I saved what remained of my spells for his guard, who were trying to circle around through another entrance in order to even the odds. Etayne and I held them at bay while the others focused on Kikonu. It was an intense and brutal fight, but with Zaiobe\u2019s help we were victorious.<\/span><\/p>\n I ushered us out of the building as quickly as I could, fearing what was coming next, wanting it to happen in daylight rather than shadow, where confusion would reign. And she did not disappoint me. Within minutes, Zaiobe\u2019s broken body lay in the street.<\/span><\/p>\n I am still upset by this.<\/span><\/p>\n Spivey had offered the cemetery as a place to rest and heal, and we took her up on her generous offer. Over the next hour, we told her what we learned of the castle and all that had transpired. Nihali agreed to relay messages back to the caravan, and we learned that Ameiko\u2019s condition was unchanged, but for the first time I felt like we were finally closing in on some answers.<\/span><\/p>\n As night settled in, I walked down the hill to the northern edge of the cemetery and lay down in the grass just a short distance from the shrine to Desna. The white marble statue was gleaming in the light of the waxing moon. It was relaxing, just being there and watching the stars come out.<\/span><\/p>\n We had been traveling together for over two weeks now, pretty much living on top of one another the whole time. Even when spending the night in settlements and cities, we stayed together with the caravan just out of an abundance of caution. I certainly enjoyed the company of my friends\u2014I wouldn\u2019t be traveling with them if I didn\u2019t\u2014but seventeen days is a long time to go without any sort of privacy. I just needed some time alone and the sanctuary of this place was our first opportunity for it since leaving Sandpoint.<\/span><\/p>\n I rolled onto my side and ran my fingers through the grass absentmindedly as I watched twilight fade. Nihali landed in front of me and settled in. I could barely see her outline in the moonlight.<\/span><\/p>\n Spivey may have sensed something, or perhaps she was just curious why I was out here (mostly) alone in the dark. After some time had passed, I caught the faint glow of the tiny azata out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to follow her progress as she skimmed over the grass and landed next to Nihali. My familiar stretched out her head and neck, allowing Spivey to stroke her gently.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not sitting with your companions?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her tone was very tentative and something about it suggested that she was, very politely, asking if something was troubling me. A couple of years ago I would have just smiled and blown off the questions, both the one stated and the one implied, but I had since learned not to equate vulnerability with weakness. Not always, anyway. With the right people.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to clear my head. This seemed like the right place for that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Spivey gave Nihali one final scratch just above her nape. Nihali raised her head slightly and opened her beak momentarily before closing it again. That was certainly the right spot for <\/span>that<\/span><\/i>. Spivey looked at me and smiled.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt is. Is it something you want to share, or would you rather I left you alone?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t stop thinking about Zaiobe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Spivey considered this for just a moment, then said, \u201cYou said she turned on you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes. It was stupid, what she did, and completely senseless.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know what possessed her to do it. Did she really think she could overpower the eight of us? How did she think that could possibly work? I remember keeping an eye on her after the battle with Kikonu and his personal guard of corbies. She just stood there, watching us as we wrapped up. She had the look of someone waiting for us to get distracted enough to be ambushed. It\u2019s why I suggested we go outside and finish our business in the light where we could see, instead of the dark of the ruined building. The point was to let her know that I knew, without me having to actually accuse her of something. It was intended as a deterrent, and an excuse to get everyone else outside and paying attention.<\/span><\/p>\n In the end, it wasn\u2019t the best of ideas since she could take to the air and shoot at us from above, which is exactly what she did, but at least we knew when and where it was coming. Had we stayed inside, one of us would certainly have paid a heavy price for our inattention.<\/span><\/p>\n I continued, \u201cThat\u2019s not what\u2019s bothering me, though. To be honest, I never trusted her. I more or less expected this, or something like this, to happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Can you really trust someone who plots with strangers to murder their ex-lover? What a relationship that must have been.<\/span><\/p>\n Not that I am good about trusting people. Early lessons taught me to put more faith in what others do instead of what they promise. It\u2019s not that I am suspicious of everyone, it\u2019s just that reading people is hard and I am not very good at it. It is much easier to just assume that they will act out of their own self-interests until proven otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo what is it then?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2026made an agreement with her. She really did feel like a prisoner there, and her kind being what they are\u2026I believed her when she offered to help us ambush this Kikonu. All she wanted, in turn, was just to be\u2026left alone. She wanted to stay in the library that she had turned into her own living space. We could do as we pleased elsewhere in the castle, as long as we respected her privacy and her home. And we agreed. Because we needed her help.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut a confrontation with her was inevitable. We were lucky. By turning on us, she solved a looming problem. I mean, that agreement we struck\u2026it wasn\u2019t really tenable, was it? She couldn\u2019t stay there. We\u2019ll be done here, soon, and people <\/span>will<\/span><\/i> return to reclaim it. She has no rights to it, and it was not our place to promise that she could stay.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd on top of that, there\u2019s a shrine to <\/span>Desna<\/span><\/i> there. How long could such an agreement last?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n My thoughts were still a mess\u2014they still are even now\u2014but Spivey understood what I was getting at.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou feel that you made an agreement in bad faith.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She thought for a moment, looking up at the sky and the stars. Legend says that Desna, herself, placed them there. Her temples are often open to the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDid it ever occur to you that she <\/span>bargained<\/span><\/i> in bad faith?\u201d I\u2019ll admit that this took me aback. Of all the responses I was expecting from her, this one was not on the list. \u201cYou say you didn\u2019t trust her. I\u2019m saying you were right not to. How can you be sure that \u2018being left alone\u2019 was what she truly wanted? You found a symbol of Pazuzu on her person when she fell, after all. That alone should be enough to question both her words and her motives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She paused for a moment and then continued.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think, on some level, you all knew how this would end; you felt safe making that agreement because you knew she had no intention of living up to it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She looked at me and smiled.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou say what happened was luck. Perhaps you\u2019re right. Your actions here have benefited Desna, after all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026I suppose. Though\u2026I\u2019m not a follower of Desna.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her smile turned into a big grin.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou told me about the temple. I am sure Shelyn would have words about that, as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I am not really convinced by this argument, but it is something to think about.<\/span><\/p>\n On the far side of the hill, just below Mercatio\u2019s crypt, my friends had set up a couple of tents in the dark and covered them with a blackout curtain so that there could be light inside\u2014courtesy of Ivan\u2019s cantrips and some common rocks\u2014without drawing the attention of whoever may still be dwelling in the castle (I am not the only one who spends late nights writing down my thoughts). Kikonu may have been the overlord of his little fiefdom, but his death did not necessarily make the castle or the ruins any safer. If anything, the resulting power vacuum could make things worse if we don\u2019t address it soon. So, for now, an abundance of caution made sense.<\/span><\/p>\n Tomorrow, we return to the castle, starting with the library and then working our way through the main floor. If Zaiobe is to be believed, Kikonu compartmentalized everything, keeping his \u201csubjects\u201d isolated from one another and more or less in the dark. Only the corbies seemed to enjoy the run of the castle, and even <\/span>that<\/span><\/i> is supposition. If true, though, it may make our task easier.<\/span><\/p>\n O<\/span>ur first stop after returning to the castle was the library, which was in remarkably good condition considering what had happened here. We were able to find maps of the castle, including some old construction drawings, and a fascinating, handwritten tome titled <\/span>A Historical Record of the Colony at Brinewall<\/span><\/i>. It\u2019s not quite as useful as it sounds because it\u2019s not a true history text: it\u2019s really just annals of the colony since its founding in 4442. It\u2019s not indexed, and there\u2019s no summary of events, which means you\u2019d more or less have to read it from start to finish. And it\u2019s the worst sort of reading, mostly dull log entries and recordings of everything that the authors deemed significant enough to write down nearly every day, ranging from the weather to gossip to absurd details about the construction of the castle and the town, visitors, raiders, and so on, depending on the annalist\u2019s whims. Still, it has value; it will just take time to glean information from it. We took all of this with us.<\/span><\/p>\nErastus 19 (Brinewall Castle, Morning)<\/h3>\n
![\"Excerpt](\"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/castlemain-finalexcerpt.jpg\")
<\/a>