Nov 28: Abandoned Keep...Mostly.

The party travels through the village, following their map, heading towards the ruined keep. Indaril stays ahead, using his skills as a scout to watch for any potential trouble. But there is none, as they reach an abandoned and desolate keep.

The road ends at a squat keep, hunkered down like a pig in the mud. The analogy is appropriate, given the abandoned keeps state of disrepair. Exterior stone is crumbling, and the iron gate, halfway up the entrance wall, is heavily rusted. Cracked stone gives evidence of where an abundance of vines once grew. The gate leads into a courtyard.

Using caution, they make their way inside. After some initial confusion-and injuries, they discover the secret to the puzzle in opening the entry into the keep.

This large room is 45’ in width, and longer than your vision extends. Unlit torches in holders are regularly placed on the walls. About 20 feet in is a large table, chairs seated around it. Dishes, serving trays, and candelabra adorn the table, as if a dinner party had been in progress and the guests suddenly left. Everything is covered with cobwebs and a heavy layer of dust. You can see 5 doors from your vantage point at the end of the room, 3 on the right side, and 2 on the left side.

The party first investigates the sound of crying, and find a secret entrance into a hidden room. There, Indaril and Aezra find the ghost of a young half-breed (Half-human, half-Githyanki) girl, about 5 years old, named Nina. She wants Scruffy, who keeps her company back here. She refuses to leave her little room until her mother calls for her. Nina asks them to find Scruffy, and to meet her in the temple downstairs, the other place she's allowed to hide.

The party decides to open the 6 doors in the room, and then decide which to explore. They assume the door opposite the entrance must leave to the second level. They opt to explore the three rooms on the one side first. These are determined to be small bedrooms, similarly sized and furnished. In the first one, Sojan discovers a skeletal hand under the bed, bearing a simple gold ring. Aezra holds onto it, promising to examine it further once they have time.

The second room was quite obviously looted, but the third room yielded some interesting finds. Emberclaw holds onto the book, inkwell, and pen for examination later. Tybris unlocks a chest, and Sojan opens it, finding a quilt in excellent condition, somehow preserved from time and environment. The patchwork pieces are made of hand-stitched silk, embroidered with various draconic depictions on each panel. There is also a small blue silk pillow. Sojan's manhood rebels at the thought of carrying such feminine items, and Emberclaw carefully takes the items. Aezra's careful investigation of the desk finds a false bottom in one of the drawers, and she pulls out a small book, the leather binding dyed a pale yellow. There is also a palm-sized disk, made of or plated with gold, a stylized sun engraved on the surface.

As they are tucking away the items found, Indaril announces that he's found a secret door on the backwall. Tybris checks it for any traps, and finds the switch, and waits for the go-ahead to open it up.

Loot:
Gold Ring
Embroidered Silk Quilt
Blue Silk Pillow
Leather book, empty inkwell, and pen
Small yellow, leather prayer-book
Palm-sized disk with a stylized sun

Quotes:
Emberclaw: "...How are we going to find a ghost dog?"
Aezra smiles innocently, "How did we find a spirited girl?" **
Sojan: "Listen for ghost whining I presume. Maybe Indaril will find a steaming ghost-pile."
Indaril: it seems im looking at one

Aezra nods along, "The bedroom should be more exciting than the offices. Unless they were lonely men."

Sojan: i can't carry a quilt and a pillow... what kind of pit-fighting savage to you take me for?