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Post by Celebes on Oct 11, 2022 20:42:36 GMT -5
"Have you heard? "
"No what, what happened?"
"The lake, it's dried up! Summer didn't leave us this fall, the water has never been so low!"
"What, you mean the one Kotir sunk into?"
"The very same! You can see Tsarmina's tower sticking out of the mud!"
"No way, let's check it out!"
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There had been chatter all around Redwall about the drying up of the lake, for such had never occurred in any beasts living memory. A huge bog of mud leading from the old shore all the way to where the much reduced current shoreline now lay, causing many beasts who had planned picnics and site-seeing trips to turn back from clouds of mosquitos. Even the great shoreside feast planned for celebrating the end of the hazelnut harvest had to be moved back to its traditional location near the orchards.
However, somebeast had to go in there, dusty recorders and sedentry elders insisted. This was a once in a twenty generation chance to see what was inside Kotir, the forsaken fortress that had once dominated Mossflower in the times of Martin. And so, after many speeches, lectures, beseeching's, and a riddle that he was sure some Elder had just made up after a nap, Celebes the sea otter found himself with a few others trudging through the mud towards the lone stone spire that poked out of the center of the great mud doughnut. He was covered up to his waist in its frosting already, and no, it wasn't chocolate.
"That window looks awful high, don' it, mates?" Celebes said, looking up and screening his eyes with a paw. The lone window on the tower, which Celebes imagined from all the stories Tsarmina used to leer out at the countryside from, was quite high above the remaining pool. Probably the same distance from the road to the top of the Abbey walls! And Celebes, as any of his dibbun friends would know, was no fan of heights.
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Post by Fyri on Oct 13, 2022 14:56:28 GMT -5
Harken, ye beast, if tis my treasure ye seek Then seek ye first the statue meek, Of beast not mice nor badger lord But he of those who walk the ford.
The riddle bounced off the walls of Fyri’s mind as she trudged along with the party. The words were rather hastily put together she felt. The fact the brother who had delivered them had to revise it to make it rhyme twice was a dead giveaway something was off. It was dangerous to set out from Redwall alone, however, so they always took with them a trusty poem to guide them when they were in a pinch. That was the Redwall way and as talespinner trainee Fyri could appreciate the tradition - and the distraction from the awful environment trying to swallow her whole. As such, she was rather worried about the part that directed them below the slog of a bog....
"That window looks awful high, don' it, mates?"
“It cannae be high enough for me.” She answered the otter as she gripped her leg and forcefully had to pull it loose from the very slick, slightly bubbly, and more clingy than a bur in one’s fur mud. She knew he’d disagree, however, so her habit kicking in, she added more neutrally to assuage his worries. “I’m cert Tsarmina had a pair ‘o stairs leading up tae ‘er chambers. Cannae imagine she’d be scaling ‘er own walls. Enough beasts already did that, right?” She directed the final word to the whole patrol - wait were they a patrol now? Now things could definitely be getting hare-y, wot wot. She stifled a laugh, not wanting the otter to think she were laughing at him, as she threw another glance, longingly, up at the high and dry spire.
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Oct 13, 2022 17:05:33 GMT -5
Riddles, history, towers; most of this went over Stanwick's head. As the others would likely know by now, Stanwick was an outsider, came in from the far north a season or so ago. As such, the weasel didn't truly have much of an idea as to what the significance was of this tower sunken into the mud. What he DID care about however? Proving himself. The weasel was no coward, and the venture called for volunteers; Stanwick was practically the first to offer himself as part of the party sent out to investigate. However as he and the others ventured forth and began to wade through the sea of mud and grime, he couldn't help but regret his decision a bit.
"That window looks awful high, don' it, mates?"
Looking up to the tower, the weasel would sigh and nod his head in agreement. He dearly hoped someone had brought some rope and a grapple of some kind; the weasel could certainly lob something up there! He just... failed to bring anything other than his old gear. Stanwick wore a once pristine chainmail hauberk over his clothes, a large round shield strapped to his back and a sword on his hip. He would have looked rather dashing if the rings of metal weren't clogged with mud as the extra weight seemed to be practically dragging him into the depths
"I’m cert Tsarmina had a pair ‘o stairs leading up tae ‘er chambers. Cannae imagine she’d be scaling ‘er own walls. Enough beasts already did that, right?"
"One can only hope." Stanwick grumbled in agreement before his gaze shifted to the pair
"Who's this 'Zarmana' anyways? No one seemed to mention her to me as far as I can remember." Stanwick questioned; was certainly obvious he hadn't heard of her before, didn't even get her name right after all! He wasn't raised here, and thus didn't get the history lessons most dibbuns did.
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Post by Celebes on Oct 17, 2022 22:08:15 GMT -5
(OOC: Anybeastie should feel free to jump in at anytime! Just wanted to make sure we kept this story moving along. If you think you need an opening for your character to come in naturally, feel free to drop a note in the shoutbox and we can make it happen!)
"One can only hope."
Celebes could hope indeed. After Fyri had mentioned it, Celebes was busy scanning the tower for other windows leading to these alleged stairs. There didn't appear to be any other apertures from this side, but perhaps on the other side of the circular tower? He was pretty sure Fyri was a almost a squirrel when it came to climbing, at the very least she could get up to that window and throw something down for the rest of them to climb up. Though that still involved a lot of heights...
"Who's this 'Zarmana' anyways? No one seemed to mention her to me as far as I can remember."
Celebes glanced over at Stanwick, grateful for the distraction. Celebes didn't know the armored weasel all that well, but it was always easy to warm up to a fellow mustelidae. "Tsarmina was bad news. A long time ago, like a long long time ago, she an' her dear ole dad set up shop in this fort here, and taxed all the woodlanders till they had nothing left. One winter when they had nothing lef' in the pot, the woodlanders rose up and kicked that cat's behind, and sank this whole place in a lake! By breakin' a dam or something," Celebes said, looking at the others to see if he had missed any details.
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Post by Fyri on Oct 20, 2022 17:02:16 GMT -5
"Tsarmina was bad news. A long time ago, like a long long time ago, she an' her dear ole dad set up shop in this fort here, and taxed all the woodlanders till they had nothing left. One winter when they had nothing lef' in the pot, the woodlanders rose up and kicked that cat's behind, and sank this whole place in a lake! By breakin' a dam or something”
That was certainly the Sunday afternoon dibbun class summary version of it, Fyri thought amused. “Ur somethin’! Makes ye wonder why they didnae rise up afore they had naethin' left huh?” She piped up, eagerly taking the otter’s silent queue for anybeast to fill in the blanks.
And by her whiskers, were there many of those! The tale of Kotir held so much more; it was a riveting regale of warriors and woe! Fyri didn’t know this weasel well, or, at all really, but from the looks of his attire, he might appreciate the full lengths of the tale. As eager as she was to let the thoughts flooding her mind spill out of her lips, she had more self-awareness now, being older, to realize they were still on a mission here and not sitting roasting chestnuts over a cosy fire. And that maybe, juuust maybe she should not give a half hour monologue, preferably set to rhyme slightly more thought out than the average Abbey verse.
“Mebbe they were waiting for Martin.” The jill’s eyes were shining as she went on, her capelet fluttering upwards as she made a paw gesture towards where the river Moss flowed.
“Twas he tha’ sank a corsair ship in th’ river Moss tae help flood the castle en beat Tsarmina in a one-on-one duel that nearly cost him his life.” The duel itself she had always imagined to be the epitome of an epic showdown; the fights to end all fights. Which, in Martin’s case, had truly been so. His transition from a warrior to weaponless had always intrigued Fyri.
“En tha’s what the abbot en the like hope we’ll find, some relic of his.” She concluded - for now- as she noticed the spire had grown considerably already in the time she’d spoken. Unable to resist, however, she ended with a grin back at Celebes. “Ur somethin’!” before turning her attention back on not stranding herself in the lake mud like a living Muddwhip.
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Oct 21, 2022 16:56:16 GMT -5
"Tsarmina was bad news. A long time ago, like a long long time ago, she an' her dear ole dad set up shop in this fort here, and taxed all the woodlanders till they had nothing left. One winter when they had nothing lef' in the pot, the woodlanders rose up and kicked that cat's behind, and sank this whole place in a lake! By breakin' a dam or something,"
Stanwick's brow quirked up slightly at the explanation, head tilting as his jaw clenched. What kind of plan was that, taxing everything until there was nothing left? And the woodlanders just allowed such a thing to happen to them? Stanwick opened his maw to make a comment, only to let out a surprised grunt as his foot slipped in the mud beneath him. He managed to catch himself before falling face first into the much beneath him, but at the cost of both his arms becoming submerged up to his elbows. He remained still a moment, heaving an already frustrated sigh before forcefully yanking his arms free and forcing himself to his feet once more.
“Mebbe they were waiting for Martin.”
"Martin? Wait yes, Martin; the abbey's warrior mouse?" Stanwick questioned, just to ensure he had the right person in mind. Unlike this Tsarmina who he seemingly had little care for, the name of Martin seemed to carry some weight to the weasel. Yes, the idea of warriors and confident leaders seemed up the weasel's ally.
"I would have very much liked to meet him; if he was anything like you abbey beasts describe him as, he would have made a powerful ally." The weasel said with a grin, looking to the tower once more with a more determined light in his eyes as he quickened his strides!.. only to then slip once more onto his knees. For a weasel trying to prove his worth and maybe even compare himself to Martin the Warrior, he ought to work on just finding his footing first.
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Post by Celebes on Oct 28, 2022 18:43:15 GMT -5
Celebes was glad that Fyri was there to pick up the details, his own ears even perking when she had mentioned the corsair ship. How had he forgotten that? A sea otter should not be forgetting when corsairs are involved! He must have been inland for too long.
"I would have very much liked to meet him; if he was anything like you abbey beasts describe him as, he would have made a powerful ally."
Celebes grinned, reaching over and giving Stanwick a hearty slap on the back with a free paw. "Everybeast wants to meet Martin, matey! And just on occasion, if you believe the elders, he wants to meet other beasts too!" Celebes said, with a laugh that wasn't completely unconvincing. It was a good way to get out a last shot of nerves, for now they were here, the foot of the tower, the only thing from the fortress to have emerged from the mud. The otter had to wonder if there would be more dry fortress underneath once they got in there, and if the tower just came up like a hollow reed in the lake, or if it really all was still submerged. Would certainly cut down the amount of fort to explore if it were.
The sea otter walked around the circumference of the tower, stopping when he arrived back at the mud tracks he had left at the start. "Looks like this is the lowest window after all," Celebes said a little dejected, pointing up to a window that was about three otters off the ground. "Somebeast got the rope?" Certainly not him.
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Post by Fyri on Nov 16, 2022 16:36:00 GMT -5
Fyri was lightly dressed for this excursion, with her main protection from any weather coming from her thin, airy but fairly sturdy purple capelet. It was sufficient to break the majority of the sun’s rays beating down harshly upon every beast. Even still, with nigh naught but fur to her name, and being of lean and light build, she struggled to keep her upper body mud-free. She couldn’t even imagine how tough it must be with a massive shield and armour on…! How did Stanwi— oh. She stifled a laugh, not wanting to insult the unfortunate weasel as he stumbled down the first time. By the second, she had to bite her lip for a different reason. Not everybeast was appreciative of an helping paw being offered if it drew attention to their little mishap, after all, and besides he seemed to be managing himself fine.
So she held her tongue on the matter. Focusing instead on the bricks reaching up into the sky now right in front of them.
“Everybeast wants to meet Martin, matey! And just on occasion, if you believe the elders, he wants to meet other beasts too!”
“Le’s hope Tsarmina doesnae want tae meet us two, aye?” She said as she patted the tower’s sheer walls to get a feel for them. Looking up she could see what appeared to be seaweed - lakeweed?- dangling off the slimy stones. There were cracks spread across the wall, holes not big enough for even a dibbuns but certainly perfectly suited to be a pawhold.
“‘Tlooks climbable tae me.” She concluded, “if slippery. If there isnae a rope, I can try tae climb it first?” She offered looking from the nervous otter to the heavily loaded weasel. Yea, she would definitely have to go before them.
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Nov 16, 2022 20:15:11 GMT -5
"Everybeast wants to meet Martin, matey! And just on occasion, if you believe the elders, he wants to meet other beasts too!"
Upon hearing that paired with the slap on his back, the weasel would give a confident smirk as he gazed to the tower. He had heard stories of Martin visiting beasts in dreams, and he fully intended on becoming one of said beasts. He just had to earn the right to do that he felt!.. which was pretty difficult when he was stuck in the mud. With his first blunder, Stanwick's ear would twitch at the stifled laugh, slowly peering over his shoulder with a squint as if to spot who it was. Luckily however he didn't pin it to anyone. With his second slip, another stifled laugh wasn't even needed to get a reaction out of the weasel, as when Celebes and Fyri passed him they could easily hear bitter mumbles and curses from Stanwick. Driving his hand into the ground, Stanwick would free himself a second time as his attention shifted to the tower itself, reaching high with only a few handholds for somebeast to make their way up.
“if slippery. If there isnae a rope, I can try tae climb it first?”
As Fyri suggested she go first, Stanwick would give a small grumble as he marched through the mud closer to the tower. Putting his hands to his hips, the weasel would scan his eyes over the stones, as if mapping a route up before abruptly turning heel and facing the other beasts once more.
"That's only if no one brought a grapple. Gimme a rope an' hook, I can lob it up to the window." He suggested, once again returning his attention to the tower itself. Yes, he was certain he could throw something up there. He just hoped someone had something to throw... and was hoping he could save face after tripping in the mud like a dibbun.
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Post by Celebes on Nov 17, 2022 23:39:32 GMT -5
“If there isnae a rope, I can try tae climb it first?”
"Gimme a rope an' hook, I can lob it up to the window."
Celebes stood, looking from one beast to the other. "So...from what I'm hearing, nobeast brought a rope," Celebes said at last, an almost amused grin spreading across his face. Almost amused because that meant that they had no easy way up, regardless of how ridiculous that it was that they had all set out for an excursion to climb a tower with every beast thinking some other beast brought the thing they needed to climb it! It was a hoot.
"Well Fyri, you wanna give it a try an see if you can toss down a staircase for us?" Celebes said quickly, lest somehow by letting things stay silent too long one of the other would suggest that he head up first.
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Post by Fyri on Nov 18, 2022 17:04:07 GMT -5
"Well Fyri, you wanna give it a try an see if you can toss down a staircase for us?"
Fyri snickered as she began stretching her muscles, lifting one arm up and pulling it with the other until she heard a small pop! “Thought ye wouldnae ask!” She replied, jumping at the chance to get out of the mud and wasting no time to literally do that very same thing. Splotch! Her claws had barely made contact with the brick tree or she sank back down into the muck as her paws slid off the slippery stone. Looking at her palms, she grimaced as she shook them to get the slime off. This tower had been submerged for so long the local water flora had taken up its residence there and were adamant not to be evicted. What would Mossflower be without the moss though? Paws cleaned, she made a roundtrip of the tower much like Celebes had to look for a better starting point but as was to be expected the entire lower base of the tower was covered in slime and moss and other unidentifiable substances Fyri rather not think about. “Could ye mebbe give me a lift on tha' shield o’ yers…?” Fyri asked the armoured weasel, her voice trailing off at the end as she was about to say his name only to realize she wasn’t sure if she’d got the right one so she opted for no name. Just to be sure. “... so I cans reach the less slimy part?”
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Nov 23, 2022 10:15:08 GMT -5
"So...from what I'm hearing, nobeast brought a rope,"
Stanwick would scowl somewhat at the news, shifting his gaze up at the tower once more as he crossed his arms. All this foiled because no beast brought any rope? It was THAT simple? For a moment hope seemed lost until Fyri began to stretch and work her joints. Turning his head to face her, he'd look just in time to see her jump up onto the wall!.. and promptly fall right back down. Luckily, with Stanwick already being to close, he managed to stretch a paw out to "catch" Fyri, or at least ensure they didn't smack their head on the ground.
"Don't go hurting yourself." Stanwick said to her in a protective tone, almost like a father to a dibbun. Helping Fyri to her paws, Stanwick would then cross his arms and look up to the window impatiently as the pine marten circled around the structure once more. He sighed in frustration just as Fyri came back around the tower once more.
“Could ye mebbe give me a lift on tha' shield o’ yers…?”
"... that could work." *The weasel muttered to himself before shoulder his shield off his back and into his hands, gripping the rim of it.
"You, otter; could you grab the other end of this to keep 'er steady?" Stanwick asked, unintentionally sounding somewhat rude as he tried to get Celebes' attention. Of course he hadn't gotten the otter's name!.. or Fyri's, or anyone's now that he thought on it. Digressing, assumedly with Celebes' help, the shield would be held flat, acting as a platform for Fyri to use.
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Post by Celebes on Nov 23, 2022 11:45:16 GMT -5
"You, otter; could you grab the other end of this to keep 'er steady?"
To be honest, Celebes had thought it strange that Stanwick had come along fully armored to this expedition, they were still far out from vermin country, and with the difficult they themselves were having getting into the tower the otter doubted that there was anybeast already up there. Just went to show there was more than one way to use anything, even a shield!
"Aye matey, we'll have half the work done for her!" Celebes said with a grin. The otter dropped to one knee to better brace himself and keep the shield surface nice and flat for when Fyri hopped up. His tunic was already coated with mud, at this point there wasn't any point in being squeamish about getting it dirtier. It would all need to be laundered in the Abbey pond when they got back anyway!
"M'names Celebes, by the way," the otter said with a grunt as he readied for the weight, extending his free paw to the weasel. He had been around enough beasts by now to know that NO beast ever remembered a name the first time. The only reason he knew Fyri's was because he had always said it wrong when they were dibbuns. "Let us know if you need any more of a boost, Fury!"
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Post by Fyri on Nov 25, 2022 10:37:46 GMT -5
"Let us know if you need any more of a boost, Fury!" The jill crossed her arms and gave a little mock huff at the dibbunhood name that he still liked to throw out. “Ye saids ma name juist fine a second ago.” She strongly suspected he did it on purpose now but on the other paw she wouldn’t put the other option past him either. It took another second for her face to clear and with a small smile she shook her head slowly. She didn’t really mind that much.
“Tis Fyri, by the way.” She turned to the weasel with a friendly grin as she crawled onto the shield. “Fyri Giuthas. Pleasure!” After all, she might mind a little more if every new beast started calling her by anything other than her name. She was quite fond of it.
Standing straight up, she let herself be lifted up on the shield, ever higher, until her paws got hold of a much less water wrecked wall. Looking down at the two fellow mustelids, she had to suppress another giggle at the sight. She felt like a chieftain being carried around by her subjects so her paws did not have to touch the ground. Not a bad deal in this muck; not at all… “Thank ye, lads!” Before her visions of grandeur could go over her head, she jumped off the shield and latched onto their current obstacle. Once contact had been established, the world below swiftly left her mind, and with quick, experienced paws she traversed the decaying rock with little effort. There may have been a slip or two, and a moment she’d dangled on with but one paw, but when you were climbing you had no time to dwell on that. Fyri always found that the smoothest climbs were the ones she thought the least about after her initial trajectory had been set. Unexpected snags not included, of course. Reaching the window, she threw that theory out of it, and stopped to observe. Not the wall outside but inside. Approaching the opening from an angle, she took a peek. A harsh small hit her nose; her whiskers twitched. There was a coolness coming from within, almost like being in the abbey cellar. It smelled just as dank as well, Fyri thought as she crawled inside… and promptly went over and fell onto the floor.
“Whhhaaa— ouch!” She groaned as she slowly got up, looking around and letting her eyes adjust to the darker space. Light streamed in from the open window but furthest away from it, dark corners spread out like ink on paper. Fyri was both glad and not that she’d gone on ahead alone. At least now the others wouldn’t see the fur rising on her spine, her pinned back ears or nervously twitching whiskers as the cold air nipped at her senses in a literary looming and menacing manner. …but on the other paw, it would have been nice to know that if she weren’t alone, her fellow occupants were corporeal and on her side rather than the Other Side… THUNK! “GAAH!” Startled, Fyri stumbled back to the window and, after a furtive glance back, leaned out to shout down at her fellow explorers.
“MADE IT!” Right, they probably already realized that from her sudden disappearance into the window. “I’ll look for somethin’ tae throw down for ye lads tae climb!” Feeling a sense of urgency as another strange noise emanated from beyond the dark abyss where once there was a door, Fyri quickly scanned the bedroom. It was in a terrible state, with all sorts of aquatic flora entangled onto everything. A large beautiful closet stood abandoned; a royal bed with sheets torn. Fyri recalled a tale she heard once, of an otter that had infiltrated Kotir and had hid himself underneath that very bed. Curiosity compelled her to check and see if the clue he’d found was still there but she held herself in check. Priority was to get the others up here. Now where would she find something that could work for both a heights-allergic otter and a metal weasel….? She paused, staring in disbelief at the trunk she’d just opened up. Rope. There was actually some rope in here. Huh. Picking it up, she walked back to the window to examine it more closely. It was in pretty good shape too. That trunk must have been built like a vault. Well then. It felt a little anticlimactic but beggars can’t be choosers. And neither can ill-prepared explorers. Tying on end to a pillar as good as she could, she leaned back out the window, and with a warning of “Timber!” threw the other end down at her mudlocked companions.
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justcog
Active Dibbun
Posts: 63
Main: Stanwick the Repentant
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Post by justcog on Nov 27, 2022 11:02:55 GMT -5
"Nice meeting ya both. I'm L... Stanwick." He replied back to them, stumbling over his words for a moment. Celebes and Fyri; odd names, though Stanwick supposed he couldn't say anything about it. He came from far up north after all, names differed between regions. Digressing, as Fyri began to scale the wall upwards, Stanwick would sling his shield back over his shoulder as he watched the pine marten scale upwards. While he hid away his true emotions well, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious as Fyri got higher and higher. If they fell from that height, there was no telling what injuries could happen! However as Fyri finally made her way inside, Stanwick would give a quiet sigh of relief. Great, now one of them was up there!
“I’ll look for somethin’ tae throw down for ye lads tae climb!”
"... That's one of us." Stanwick grumbled as he impatiently crossed his arms, staring up to the window far above before idly looking over to Celebes for a moment. He seemed like a good creature, strong too. The weasel opened his mouth as if to speak, only for no words to come out. These beasts were abbey dwellers, not raiders like himself. Socializing was hard for him, he didn't have much in common with the peace loving beasts. That being said, they had saved him when he was injured a season or so ago; he felt obligated to stick around and renounce his old ways... well, as much as he could. Luckily and further awkwardness came to a halt as the rope was tossed down from above.
"A rope? That's... shockingly convenient." Stanwick muttered before wringing his hands together a moment to clean off the mud. From there he'd take hold of the rope and begin his ascent. Despite all his gear, the weasel made good time working his way upwards. Stanwick was certainly strong if nothing else. As he made it to the window, Stanwick would roll himself in with a surprising amount of grace, ending in a crouched position as his eyes scanned the room.
"Did you see or hear anything in here, Fyri?" Stanwick asked, peering over his shoulder to the pine marten as he spoke. His tone held some seriousness to it; he honestly didn't know if anything could survive in this castle after it had been submerged for so long, but he wasn't going to immediately assume it was safe.
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