After a day and half a nights searching, the party stumbled upon a large open field. There in it’s center stood an ominous dark structure that could only be the keep itself. The elves could see smoke lightly wafting its way from a couple chimneys, which meant someone or something was definitely inside, but how to gain entrance without raising an alarm remained to be seen. The “nimble” elf Aefrecht was lucky enough to discover the outlying field was riddled with traps. Not more than a few steps out into the darkness and he was yanked off his feet to be hung upside down and have a spear shot at him from some hidden contraption. Luckily the trap was old and the spear bounced off his armor. Unluckily, the noise was enough to wake whatever guards were on duty. Two men with flaming arrows stepped from the front gate to light the many trails surrounding the area.

 Kyrin and Kuiper made a sport of it and from hiding, riddled the two hapless bandits with arrows. This of course put the keep on full alert and gaining entry would prove even more difficult, but with a little luck and two experienced thieves, Aefrecht and Shileau were able to approach the keep from a blind side and clamber up it’s wall. While the two of them were busy, the dwarven warrior-priest Verig, called upon the aid of the god Heimdall and was given magical sight to spot out the hidden pitfalls surrounding the entrance. Verig again called upon the gods for aid and the party was surrounded by an eerie fog, clouding their approach to the keep. Arrows could be heard twanging from the slits in the walls, but no-one was injured. Right as the group approached the gate, the two rogues took out the guards and unbarred it for the party.

 Their victory was short lived as maddened dogs were let loose from their pens to viciously attack the party. If that weren’t enough a group of zombies were shuffling their way toward the fog enshrouded heroes to join the fray. Kyrin’s katana severed many a limb and Beren’s longsword found the heart of each dog, but the battle was not over, for once these evil creatures had been disposed of, their master and his minions were patiently waiting their part in the insane dance of death within the keeps many halls.

 Kyrin discovered them first, a large man with one eye, leather bat-like wings and a glowing medallion around his neck stood among orcs, zombies and bandits in large eating hall. Kyrin charged the evil leader, landing blow upon blow as the others engaged the motley guardians of the evil one. Both creatures and spells stood in their way to victory, Kyrin’s will was bent by the evil priest’s spellcasting and fled in terror from the keep, Verig the Stoudt was even frozen in his tracks, but good finally triumphed as the bat-winged priest fled in sanctuary to the lower level of the keep.

 Meanwhile the two rogues and the sage Raff were keeping an eye out for anyone the others had missed and found them too. A couple bandits were discovered hiding in various locations, waiting to grant death to anyone who opposed them. Fire sprayed from Raff’s hands and torched one of them, a dagger from Aefrecht’s hand found the flesh of one was fit for a sheath, and the last was knocked backward into flaming oil as Aefrecht swung at him in desperation.

 The lower level did not provide much comfort for the group as the undead poured from the halls like so many rats leaving a sinking ship. Beren’s berserk state left him as he slumped against the wall and Kyrin took up the slack, splintering bone and crushing skulls in his wake. A long hall awaited them lined with doors, but Kyrin’s elven blood aided him once again as a hidden passage was discovered just to the left of the stairwell. Beyond stood the priest and his zombies in a last stand against the just and righteous heroes. His spells could not save him as Kyrin’s sword removed the top half of the evil one’s skull and sent it flying into the room behind him.

 When the zombies finally stopped their incessant moaning and groaning, the group was able to see that the rooms they had discovered were lavishly decorated with expensive furniture and elaborate tapestries although one would have to be mad to enjoy the grotesque artwork they sported. A small table held expensive liquors in crystal flasks. A four-poster bed was adorned with silks and fine furs. This man may have been evil and his tastes a little warped, but expense was not an issue he minded.

 Then, the party and Kyrin had some harsh words as he claimed ownership to the priest’s belongings, claiming that because he had dealt death and justice to the man and that he risked the most in his battle that he should also be the one to benefit from his triumphs. At this the group balked stating that if he was to be traveling with them in good company that everything should be distributed equally among the group and that all of them contributed in the battle against the priest. Wile they bickered with each other, Beren removed the exquisite shirt of mail worn by the priest as well as a set of keys. Kuiper himself was insulted, that such a fine warrior would be so petty as to lower himself to that of a greed-ridden tyrant and stormed off in search of more evil minions to battle with in order to quench the rage building inside him.

 Beren and Lyntern then gathered round the dead priest’s carcass as Emari began a ritual of manhood for them both. Kyrin took rest upon the exquisite bed and noticed that someone had pilfered the sheets, much to his dismay. Disgruntled and insulted, Kyrin returned to the ground floor to search out any hidden rogues and secure it. What he discovered was a trap door leading back down into the keep.

 Meanwhile, Kuiper found his fight, a group of skeletons were guarding a desecrated temple, now with blood smearing the walls and various organs lining the once holy altar. Verig an Emari held up the symbols to their gods and turned the foul creations away as the warriors smashed them into pieces. Lyntern swung at one of the skeletons, but his sword missed its home and shattered against the keeps stone wall. This he took as divine providence from the gods and backed out of the battle to join Beren as he recuperated. The group finished off the undead and began cleansing the temple and consecrating it to Forseti, the god of justice.

 Shileau, Aefrecht and Verig kept themselves busy with checking out the remaining doors in the lower lever as Emari and Kuiper continued cleansing the once pure temple. The hall ahead of them was pitch black, so the two elves relying on their elven sight, moved forward cautiously. They rounded a corner and heard from somewhere ahead, “Foul beast!” Aefrecht then moved forward toward the noise only to be questioned, “Who goes there?”, followed by loud barking from a dimly lit room across the hall. Shileau discovered that the owner of the firm voice was none other than Kyrin who had just slain a rat the size of a small pony. Aefrecht peered through the barred window where the barking was emanating to discover that the room is covered in bizarre charcoal drawings and the door is barred shut from the inside. The barking sounds are coming from two large dogs that seem to be guarding this chamber and a hall beyond with more barred windows set in strong oaken doors.

 Kyrin, bored with the dogs, banged on a door opposite them and called out, “Surrender now or meet justice at the end of my blade!” No sounds replied, so he swung it open, only to be assailed by the foulest odor he’d ever been witness to. This he recognized as some cistern or sewer and quickly slammed the door shut.

 The group moved down the hall to find a locked door in their way, Aefrecht attempted to jimmy the lock only to fail. Shileau had remembered Beren picked up a ring of keys from the dead priest and retrieved them. Shileau then tried his skill with the lock, with and without the keys, but also failed. Kyrin’s patience left him as he grabbed the door and wrenched it from its hinges. Beyond is a room covered in cobwebs, dust and rat droppings. Verig and Aefrecht cautiously entered the room and discovered a bedroom with a reclining skeleton. Not waiting for any surprises this thing might have, Verig flung a rotten piece of wood at the body, which bounced harmlessly off to the side. Still not satisfied, Verig gave it warning by shouting, “If ye be evil then ye shall die!” and proceeded to cleave it in two with his battle-axe along with the bed beneath it. Finding nothing of value in any of these chambers they moved onto the next door at Shileau’s bequest.

 Nothing could have prepared them for what they found, beyond was an ancient crypt a long hall with tombs set to either side, but what was strange was that a over fifty bodies had seemingly been flung around the room like rag-dolls. Nothing, but rusted armor and skeletons remaining of what they once were. Whatever happened here happened a long time ago and whatever did it must have been powerful for three of the tombs had been smashed open to reveal the rotting corpses inside.

 Somewhat satisfied, the group separated to take care of various tasks. Verig returned to assist Emari in cleansing the temple, Aefrecht searched throughout the priest’s chambers for anything his grubby paws may have missed earlier, Shileau returned to the surface to fetch the groups gear and Kyrin’s curiosity in the jail is piqued again.

 While searching about, Aefrecht found a small coffer under the bed and checked the surrounding area for traps. The coffer was locked and had a strange symbol drawn onto its lid, not recognizing it, he took it to Verig. Verig determined the symbol was a type of harmful magical ward, but that his power was not sufficient enough to remove it. Emari overheard this and called upon the gods to grant him power over the evil one’s magicks. His spell cast, the symbol faded from view and left the pilferer to his business. Remembering Shileau had the keys, he fetched them and returned with Shileau. Inside the chest they discovered two fishy smelling potions and wrapped in silk, a large gilded key with an ivory handle!

 Meanwhile, Kyrin’s curiosity was rewarded as he discovered a door made to look like the surrounding stone with a small keyhole in the wall beside it. He returned to the group for the keys and the whole lot of them, save Emari who was still busy in the temple, went forth to see what lay beyond. As they examined it, Aefrecht noticed another strange symbol drawn on the door, not wanting to take any chances he had Verig examine the symbol. Verig thought nothing of it and suggested Beren go ahead and open the door. Upon turning the key the symbol glowed and blasted Beren with frost. His face and hands frostbitten, he turned to Verig and said. “Is this what you call safe?!”, Verig then replied in defense, “Well, if you were as tough as a dwarf it probably wouldn’t have affected you!”. Smiling, Beren pointed to the now open doorway and stated to Verig, “Why don’t you go first.”

 Verig proceeded into the room beyond only to discover an old treasury with four smashed and rotted chests and a newer one with a lock and a familiar symbol traced upon its lid. Not wanting to court death, he went to fetch Emari once again to dispel the evil magicks placed upon the chest. Upon his return, Beren and Verig continued bantering while Emari’s spell failed to remove the symbol. Emari and Verig then decided that they should wait until the temple is cleansed before trying again and headed back to finish their work. As Kyrin and Beren were about to lift the chest and carry it back to the temple, Beren instead snatched the keys from Verig and moved toward the chest to open it. Verig yelled out, “You fool!” and everyone took cover. Upon turning the lock the symbol again glowed and a force easily four times as strong as the last one that assailed Beren hit him full force and iced over the front of his body. He fell to the ground with a thud and Emari rushed to his side to revive him.

 At the moment that Emari’s spell of healing once again warmed Beren’s body, he stood up Berserk and raced to the jail door. The dogs behind it driving Beren into further rage, he kicked the door in slamming one of them into the bunk behind, but leaving Beren wide open for the second to leap at him. Beren’s sword barely slicing the dog’s hide, it bit him through his armor and knocked him to the ground. Still in his rage, he leaned forward and bit the dog on the nose causing it to flee in fright. Taking the opportunity, Beren lopped the dog’s head from its body and headed into the jail to finish off the other one.

 As he stepped through the doorway a garrote lowered from above the door and locked around his neck. He fell forward on the door he had kicked in and Verig rushed in to help him. As Verig stepped through someone dropped from above the doorway and attempted to stab him in the back. The dagger was turned aside by Verig’s armor as Aefrecht stepped in behind them. Aefrecht’s dagger was not turned aside as he slipped it in between the offending person’s ribs. A girlish cry erupted from the half-elves lips as she slumped to the floor dead. Verig was then successful in removing the garrote from around Beren’s throat before he suffocated to death. Verig then stayed by his side healing him with the power granted to him by the gods.

 Aefrecht searched the half-elf and found a set of jailor’s keys. Opening each cell, he searched them in turn, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary, then Shileau showed up as hyper as a young child who races around and shackled the dead half elf in one of the cells and told Verig about some writing he had found. There written on the wall in dwarvish runes was the following:
 

 Aefrecht wandered out into the hall to find Kyrin by the chest that Beren had unlocked and questioned him as to what was inside. He explained that there had been three sacks filled with coins, a pouch of gems, a scroll tube and a book. Kyrin then asked Aefrecht about the coffer and he replied he found a bracelet, two fishy smelling potions and a gilded key.

 Verig and Emari discussed the writings and Emari asked Kuiper what Snag could refer to and he had no clue. Aefrecht and Shileau then examined the doorway to see how the half-elf hid. Shileau then bolted upstairs and Aefrecht cautiously followed him. Shileau went back to retrieving the backpacks and Aefrecht entered the stables, realizing that the door was wide open. There in the last stable was a young human boy hiding in the straw. Sneaking up to him, he startled the boy and began questioning him as to why he was here. The boy explained that his name was Heydrus and that he was a slave to two of the bandits, Wilmors and Balrat and that the evil priest’s name was Ranchefus. He agreed to help the party in exchange for his freedom and proceeded to draw out a map of what he knew of the lower level. Nothing that he drew gave any new information, but he now followed Aefrecht wherever he went, showing him everything he could.

 Aefrecht took the boy to the rest of the gang and he told them all he knew of the evil priest and the orcs. Some kind of alliance had been made with the orcs and some of the thieves were given something to drink now and then that would make their eyes glassy and they would moan strange things in their sleep. Sometimes they would call out, “The Deep!” or, “The Blood Queen!” but then they would fall silent. Questioned about the alliance with the orcs, all Heydrus knew was that they would meet in private and Ranchefus would take orders from them, but he’d never see them leave or enter the keep through the gate.

 After this, Aefrecht took Heydrus to the jail, as he wanted to see his beloved Marly the insane jailor. When he found her dead he did’nt grieve but instead was happy she was at rest. Heydrus asked Aefrecht if they had discovered her treasure. She used to take valuables from the prisoners and stash it under her bed. Aefrecht then found an unlocked coffer and searched it for traps, with no results. Upon opening it a poison needle stuck him and he immediately weakened, but was able to keep his wits enough to count the treasure he found!

 Emari and Verig had been making headway with the temple all this time as Beren lay healing just inside its doorway. During the final rites, Verig and Emari were chanting to the gods and Emari traced Forseti’s symbol on the wall in charcoal as Verig lit candles around the room. When the last words were spoken the symbol on the wall glowed brightly and did not fade.