Bukk (Giant), Dunzen (Drow), Ermagerd (Goblin), Kethan (Human), Thrain (Duergar), Venum (Yuan-Ti) Wilhelm (Duergar)
Short Synopsis
The party enters the Keep of Lady Wynn Cromm. They investigate the main floor. A cambion and a captain of the guard attack the party. After defeating both the pair, the party explores further to find two more fiends on the lower floor. They discover a summoning circle for demons and signs of human sacrifice. The party secures the keep and awaits their drow patrons’ arrival.
Long Synopsis
Bukk, Dunzen, Ermagerd, Kethan, Thrain, Venum and Wilhelm stand at the front of the Keep of Lady Cromm. Rather than keep the party together, Kethan, Venum and Dunzen cast *disguise self* upon themselves and appear as guards. In keeping with their disguise, they pretend to make a routine inspection of the Keep. The remaining party keeps up from a discreet distance. The “guards” arrive at a library which appears to be kept by a librarian. Venum uses a *suggestion* spell to suggest that the librarian give them a tour, which keeps the librarian cooperative.
Thrain’s arrival frightens the librarian, but Kethan keeps the librarian calm during their tour. As they pass through the various rooms, they find the captain of the guard who keeps himself solidly drunk throughout the day.
Bukk keeps guard of a stairway while Ermagard investigates the basement. The half-giant is attacked from behind by a Cambion, but Bukk manages to keep from crying out in pain. The Cambion keeps Bukk from attacking him by using an infernal charm to redirect the half-giant’s aggression towards the duergar brothers, Thrain and Wilhelm. In response, Venum casts a spell upon Bukk so that Bukk will keep calm and carry on like his normal self. Wilhelm summons a shadowspawn that keeps itself hidden after attacking the Cambion. The captain of the guard comes out and keeps complaining about the noise. Bukk keeps it real by smashing the Cambion to pieces, slaying the captain of the guard and drinking some spirits in celebration.
While the party investigates, Wilhelm tells the shadowspawn to keep a guard on the stairway. Upstairs, they keep their eyes open and find some gold. Then, they keep investigating further by going downstairs to the basement with Bukk leading the way. At the bottom, Bukk keeps drawing the enemy’s attention when a Cambion shoots two fire rays at him. Dunzen charges in to attack and Thrain follows along to keep up the attack on the Cambion. Unfortunately, another gorilla-like demon charges into Thrain with such force that it keeps the duergar on the floor. Venum uses twinned *haste* spells to keep Dunzen and Bukk going strong and fast. After Bukk takes out the gorilla demon, the cambion realizes that the best way to keep itself in one piece is to flee, and it vanishes into thin air.
The party keeps exploring the basement and finds an alchemy lab, a torture chamber and some books on demonology. Bukk raises an iron grate and keeps holding it up while Kethan, Thrain and Wilhelm enter the room. The find a weakened old man who barely has enough blood to keep him alive. The man explains that the humans kept prisoners as sacrifices to summon demons through the magic circle etched in stone. To keep the magic circle from being readily used, Wilhelm begins breaking it apart. Thrain helps keep the old man alive and helps him out of the chamber. Meanwhile, Venum found some books on demonology and gives it to Kethan for safe-keeping.
The party informs their drow patrons that the keep has been taken. In response, the drow patrons tell them to keep the keep safe until the drow can claim it. The party believes that they’ve earned their keep and they hope that the drow keep their promise of rich rewards.
