The Ruined Keep
After the battle with the trolls, Froing used his healing spells to restore the party. The rest of the night passed uneventfully. They spent the next day and night exploring without any encounters.
Moving southward, they advanced into a thickly forested area. It was a gloomy rainy day making the region almost jungle-like. Around mid-afternoon, they came upon the towers of a small ruined keep. K’rek knew of the place, but it had a bad reputation such as patrols disappearing without a trace.
Stormbolt took flight to observe the site. It consisted of a walled courtyard bearing four towers, and a collapsed tower in the center of the courtyard. The structures were overgrown, but studying the walls, there was evidence of ancient, worn writing.
They bypassed the collapsed gates and found a rubble-choked opening in the wall. Lucee activated her Detect Evil. Froing climbed the rubble and got a good look at the central tower. It was covered with foliage, and the central courtyard was choked with bushes and small trees.
From above, Stormbolt saw that the top of one of the towers was completely collapsed inside. The door was askew. Oostend cast Detect Magic and opened the door. Lucee entered and looked around. No magic or evil were detected, but the rubble might have blocked their abilities.
They moved on to the next tower, which was the tallest and in best condition. The vines covering the walls were festooned with bleached humanoid skulls. Arrow slits were barely visible through the foliage, as was the closed wooden door. Oostend noticed movement behind the arrow slits. Stormbolt noted that there was a trap door in the roof.
The third tower was a hollow shell only slightly overgrown compared to its neighbors. Oostend and Lucee entered the tower to look for subterranean entrances and were overwhelmed by swarms of rats. Lucee retreated from the tower. Stormbolt breathed lightning and killed many rats. Oostend retreated from the tower and closed the door behind him.
The final tower had a roughly cut wooden door of recent construction blocked entry inside. From above, the top of the tower had also collapsed, but the vegetation had grown over like a make-shift roof. Oostend did not notice anything moving behind the arrow slits. He detected a faint aura of enchantment within, and it was moving. Lucee also detected a faunt aura of evil.
The paladin opened the door. There was dim light within revealing a comfortable living space with rough furniture sized for a small being… and a variety of scalps decorating the walls. Lucee, Oostend and Stormbolt entered the tower. The detection was no stronger inside the tower.
Lucee noted a light moving around among the roof canopy. She spoke a greeting and thought she heard a response. Instead she heard a rattling sound from above as if bouncing through branches, but there was no sign of where it landed. Stormbolt flew up toward the light. He determined that it was a Dancing Light spell.
Then Lucee was attacked by a small humanoid with a sword before it disappeared. Stormbolt and K’rek tried to find it without success. Oostend prepared to grab the creature when it appeared next.
Lucee’s wound bled heavily, and she layed hands on herself. Stormbolt identified himself as the king and ordered the being to reveal itself. Froing summoned a dog to sniff it out. K’rek and Oostend prepared for its return. Lucee protected the others. A voice nearby announced itself as Reg, king of the tower, and said he would let the party live if they left the tower.
Stormbolt said that they would comply, but asked about the other inhabitants of the keep. Reg said that the Dancing Lady lived in the central tower and that the beings in the skull tower were unpleasant too. He said that all of inhabitants of the keep were fey. The party left the tower.
The central tower was a plain structure with no windows or arrow slits. The top was peaked. There were solid stone doors on opposite sides of the tower.
As it was getting dark, the party left and made camp for the night some distance from the keep. On the third watch, nine worgs attacked the camp.