#2201 [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Lord Stephan and his guard left the ballroom and went to the top of the southeast tower to observe the battle. He had no intention of helping unless he saw some obvious benefit to be gained. He would use the opportunity to observe the Keyholder’s brother in battle to judge how best to eliminate him when the time came...

#2203    Penthesilea
     
     The party continues as the battle rages outside. A particularly loud roar of pain from the embattled lizard causes tiny bits of plaster to fall from the ceiling. The Keyholder looks up muttering and decides to start repairs in the morning -- after the battle is over! She makes her way to the bar and the gremlin behind it.

The Keyholder: Root beer. Untampered with! *Sullenly, the gremlin hands over an unopened can. Aphrodite glides up to the Keyholder.* Thanks for keeping the crowd calm. *Another explosion. Another roar.* Mr. Prissypants must be getting desperate to send something so obvious.

Aphrodite: It might not be him.

The Keyholder lowers her soda can slowly.

The Keyholder: Do you know something I don't and should?

Aphrodite: You have a goddess mad at you. The word among the pantheons is that she isn't happy with the success you've had here. The friends you've made. The more than friend you might yet make.....

The Keyholder: All this because I dumped an idiot who wouldn't take "no" for an answer into a hog wallow.

Aphrodite: Naked. *Tries to smother a giggle.* In front of his whole tribe.

The Keyholder: On his Mother's Feast Day after She had promised him me.

They can't help it. Laughing starts as another explosion makes the plaster fall.

#2205     Penthesilea
     
     There is a thunderous crash, a final defiant roar and finally, it is silent. A gremlin enters the Ballroom, comes up to the Keyholder and speaks in heavily accented Human. “Dead. What do with?”

MoonCat: DIBS!

SpiritFire: ME TOO! I can use it in my Aberrant Biology Class!

Penthesilea: *waves her hand toward the doors.* Go. While it's still fresh.

MoonCat: I'll get the sample case!

SpiritFire: I'll get the forklift!  *They rush off.*

Penthesilea: *Yelling.* Change your clothes!

#2207  Penthesilea

     The Keyholder sees Coral and Sir Kevin, who looks like he's been through a war. She stops them. “Sir Kevin, you're relieved.” Points to the door. “Go soak or sleep or .... whatever you were thinking of doing. You're not any good to me in this condition.”

#2209    Penthesilea
     
The Keyholder's Magickal Workroom

     The Keyholder's scrying mirror is active showing the path that the giant lizard had taken. The Keyholder frowns and blanks the mirror...

#2211   Penthesilea
     
The Ballroom

     The Party's still going strong, even though the Guest of Honor has slipped off, leaving a very unhappy Lord Stephan behind! The Keyholder makes her way through the crowd to where her father stands. The smile on his face fades when he sees the look on hers...*

Lord Duncan: What is it?

Penthesilea: That monster tonight. It came through the badlands.

Lord Duncan: The southeast?

Penthesilea: Yes. It was materialized about a mile from the Lord Marshall's main camp. It went through it like a hot knife through butter. There are a lot of dead. I can't tell if the Lord Marshall survived. There is nothing between us and that rabble now but open plains. If they manage to organize, they'll sweep over us like the tide, wipe Crowhaven off of the map and take control of the trade routes. Then, they'll head for the sea.

#2213  Penthesilea

The next day..
     
   The Keyholder stands on top of her Tower watching a work force of gremlins remove the enormous lizard carcass. Since their air sleds are too light for the job, the gremlins are using the heavy transport sleds from the Castle's fleet.  “Thank the Gods they're not butchering it here. We'd never get the stink out of the place!"

#2215    Penthesilea
     
The Keyholder's Study

*The Keyholder and Lord Duncan face off over her desk.*

Lord Duncan: I'm not leaving you!

The Keyholder: Then I'll go with you!

Lord Duncan: You're not leaving this Castle!

The Keyholder: If you won't go, I'll have to! I need to know what's happening out there! You and I are the only ones who can get in and get out without being detected -- I hope! You have a better chance of doing that than I do but if you won't go, I'll take my chances!

Lord Duncan: You argue like my sister!

The Keyholder: Who do you think I learned it from?

Lord Duncan runs his hand through his hair. Penthesilea was the most exasperating of his children.

Lord Duncan: You promise you won't leave the Castle.

The Keyholder: Unless there is an emergency that requires my presence, I won't budge. You can have Jasmine and Coral sit on me if you like.

Lord Duncan: I'd rather the Lord Marshall were sitting on you! Or your brother! You'd listen to them and just maybe, allow them to protect you!

The Keyholder: I was protecting myself for decades before either of them were born!

Lord Duncan: Don't change the subject. Swear, daughter, that you will not leave the Castle proper and I will do your bidding. Otherwise, I will sit on you and you will not get the information you need!

The Keyholder: I swear, in the Name of Ares, God of War, that I will not leave the Castle proper until you return. (pause) Satisfied?

Lord Duncan: I shall have to be. I will return as soon as I can. *Lord Duncan disappears in a shower of sparks.*

#2217  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Satira stood watching the activity outside the Castle wall from a position on the wall itself. She had been studying the layout and construction of the Castle and was both puzzled and impressed. The layout was more like an enormous manor house than a frontier fortress and she had discovered that despite its appearance, the wall on which she stood was a single piece of limestone. And as near as she could tell, that was also true of the exterior walls of every building inside the wall. What she had been able to see of the interior of the Main Hall convinced her that it was the most technologically advanced building in that part of the world, if not in the entire world. There were things that she had heard hinted at by the servants that were unheard of elsewhere. And the magick! It was no wonder that her master had sent her here. Whoever controlled the Keyholder and her Castle would have an insurmountable advantage both in technology and magick.
     Satira felt something against her leg. It was a small black tomcat who looked up at her with enormous eyes. She smiled and picked him up. He responded by purring loudly as she began to scratch his ears even as he communicated with the Keyholder, telling her that the prey had been found.
   

#2219  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]
   
     Daemon materializes unseen in a shadow and watches the two women. He does not know what the strange woman is up too but he has promised himself to keep an eye on his sister while he can.

#2221  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]
     
Quote:
Originally Posted by Penthesilea
*The Keyholder steps out onto the top of her Tower. At her feet, the majestic War Queen paces -- a twelve pound black lioness. They see the figure standing by the wall looking toward the southeast. She is holding the Black Prince. Penthesilea smiles. The little guy is such a flirt!*

Penthesilea: Greetings! How should I call you, Servant of Mar-Nek?

     Satira jumps at the sound of Penthesilea’s voice and is disturbed by the mode of address she used.  Whatever hopes that she had had of keeping her association with Mar-Nek secret were gone. She could tell by the look on Penthesilea's face that no amount of denial would convince her that she was mistaken. The cat in her arms begins to squirm and she lets him jump from her arms. He walks up to the huge cat at the Keyholder’s feet and they touch noses. Then he walks into a shadow and vanishes. He has other duties to see to today. 

Satira:  I am called Satira, Lady Keyholder. 

Penthesilea:  And what brings you to my Castle, Satira? And why did you feel it necessary to go about in disguise?

     Inwardly, Satira broke a sweat. The Keyholder had her at a disadvantage and she knew that if she failed to convince the other woman of her desire to be of service, she would be banished from the Castle and since her first disguise had failed to conceal her identity, she doubted that she would be able to sneak back in no matter how good the disguise.  She saw Penthesilea watching her with an expression of patient interest on her face as she waited for Satira’s reply.  She decided on truth or at least part of it prayed that it would be enough.

Satira:  My true form attracts notice, especially from men, so I disguise myself when I want to go unnoticed. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you and this Castle and I wanted to see if they were true.

Penthesilea: And?

Satira: I found much to admire here and in you.

#2223  Penthesilea
     
     Penthesilea smiles.  ‘I understand. I  have found it necessary to change my appearance from time to time as well. I would prefer, however, that you go about in your own form from now on. Some of my people are sensitive to such disguise energies and might take it amiss if they were to detect them around you.”  Penthesilea raises her hand and before Satira can protest, her disguise is gone and her true form in revealed.  “If you wish quarters in the Castle, pick something out and if no one else has reserved it with Housekeeping, it’s yours.  I’ll inform them that you might be staying with us.  Until later then,”  The Keyholder leaves the wall. Satira looks down at herself and reflects on the level of power that Penthesilea has just demonstrated. It would have taken the man who cast the disguise spell the better part of an hour to take it off and the Keyholder had done it with a wave of her hand.....

Visualization Aid: Pamela Anderson as Satira

#2225  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Daemon smiles and does as he is told.