Daerthe twitches as the cat ignores her yet again, she looks ready to chase it off but calms herself.  Not sure of what else to do, she breaks the food apart and tosses it closer to attempt to lure the winged cat closer.

After continuing to groom for a minute, seeming like it didn't even notice the food being thrown down, the cat glides down to a piece. It snatches it up and flies to the roof of the damaged cottage where it had first appeared. After gulping it down, it settles into a comfortable position to rest. Daerthe gets the feeling like she has made some progress, but perhaps the cat has had all the interactions it wants for the moment.

It has been nice to rest for a few minutes, watching this intriguing and independent creature, especially after the confrontation with Kella and the work of constructing the bridge. Looking around the village, there is no sign of Kella or the last goblin. The midmorning sun shines down pleasantly for those who enjoy such things. Bramble and Ryndar feel some pride in the bridge they have constructed.

(What would you like to do?)

Daerthe will give the cat an unimpressed glance before, crossing her arms and going towards the bridge. "It is being difficult...."

Essie has sat beside Bramble and Ryndar, tipping her head back and simply soaking in the sunlight. But after a while, she rises to her feet and shakes her armor out. "Alright. I'm willing to chance the bridge, if everyone else is down, too." She gives them all an absent-minded smile and makes her way over to the bridge. "It looks good, gentlemen. Is there a certain way we're going to want to do this?"

The 70-foot long bridge before you rises steeply from the village up to the top of the motte (the funnel-shaped hill on which the keep stands). It crosses the 30-foot wide moat below and the steep, shale-covered side of the motte. Bramble’s web stretches across the 15-foot wide section that had been broken in the giant attack. Assorted ladders and planks of wood provide a fairly stable surface on which to walk across the webbing.

You can see that the keep above is surrounded by a wall of 15-foot tall, thick wooden planks. At the end of the bridge are two 20-foot tall, windowless stone gatehouses with wood-shingled roofs. Between the gatehouses are two sturdy oak doors which are closed.

(What would you like to do?)

"Anyone home!" Helena calls out as she approaches the closed gate/doors.

Bramble will rise and follow Helena, eager to see how the bridge stands up under his two feet instead of eight.

Essie waits for the first few people to cross before she cautiously steps on the bridge. She's pretty big, alright, and she's a little nervous about it not quite taking her weight. But once the others cross the web portion, she takes a breath and follows them.

"We're going inside, right?" Essie looks up at the doors. "It doesn't really look like they want visitors."

Everyone crosses the bridge without incident; Bramble’s web was well constructed. All is quiet as you approach the doors which seem like they would lead into the bailey area around the keep. No one responds to Helena’s hail. Assuming someone tries the doors, you find that they are not locked. Opening them reveals a small hall that connects the east and west gatehouse buildings. An unpleasant smell comes from the west building where you can see some scattered debris on the floor. There are also additional unlocked doors that lead south toward the keep.

(What would you like to do?)

Helena pauses at the smell. "Maybe some goblins got here as well..." She comments and takes a slightly quieter approach. She waits for the others now and then would move towards the doors to the keep itself, ready to open them once the others are ready.

"Hopefully only goblins, and nothing nastier." Ryndar replies as he unsheathes his longbow instinctively. "Let's start with that smell, I think." He approaches the west building investigating the source of the odor.

Investigation: 8

Her nose wrinkling up at the smell, Essie looks to the west building. "Yes, that's something we should definitely investigate," she says. Her hand shifts on her shield, holding it closer to herself, but her white eyes focus on the building in question. "I'll come with you."

Investigation: 10

Bramble will hang back and turn to gaze back at the village from the elevated entrance to the bailey. He will keep his head on a swivel watching for anyone from below heading for the bridge and for any of his party entering any structures.

Ryndar leads the way into the western gatehouse and sees another boulder and more debris caused by its violent passage through the roof. Essie follows, noting the damage to one end of the building and intact bunks and footlockers at the other end. It appears that this building was used as a barracks for the guards. She lifts a few broken planks and pieces of roof, and immediately identifies the cause of the smell. Some guards must have been resting in their beds here when the boulder crashed through. Needless to say, they didn’t survive. There are no signs of goblins here. Perhaps they never made it across the bridge.

(Bramble, please roll Perception. Everyone, what would you like to do next?)

Perception: 16

Helena waits while the others check out the bunk house. "Should we move on towards the main keep?" She asks the others, nodding in that direction.

With a quietly murmured curse, Essie lets the wood fall back down over the bodies and takes a step back. Her fingers clasp her holy symbol, knuckles white around it with the force of her grip, as she delivers a quick prayer in Celestial. Then she shakes her head and stands back to her full height. Looking at Ryndar, she tells him, "There are guards here who did not make it. Clearing their bodies might take some time, if we wish to do that." She carefully picks her way over to stand with him. "I'm afraid I don't know the proper funerary customs of these parts, either."

As Bramble is watching for anyone approaching the bridge, a slight movement catches his eye. Someone is at the top of one of the watchtowers at the front gate of the village. He didn’t see if it was Kella or a goblin, but those seem like the two most likely candidates. As he continues to watch, he doesn’t see anything more.

Daerthe sticks close to the group but looks unimpressed with the shambles of the keep. As they cross the bridge she will turn once more to glare at the winged cat. As they step inside and the others begin to search she will move to the side, drawing her bow and crouching incase anymore goblins are around.

Stealth: 27

“Someone is on the top of the watchtowers at the main gate. Is there any way one person could lower the drawbridge by themselves? We might be in for more company!” Bramble urgently relays the information to all who are in earshot.