~Date~
We've left Thulfall behind. It is an empty, dead place and there's no point staying longer. We still have to find and meet up with this, "Father Matthias" to the North East. We travelled for a few days and came across an old fortress, her gates closed and barred. Old, rotting heads were mounted on pikes outside, but even the poles were starting to rot and not a sound could be heard. The others started discussing the fortress while I took out a grappling bolt and hooked it onto the parapet with a sure shot from my crossbow. Marcus climbed the rope and made his way down to undo the bars, letting us in. It was still inside, save for a few crows. Not a great sign, they always know where the dead are.
We made the decision to clear the place and use it as a camp for at least a night, maybe find some supplies so we can make the journey to Thraben without having to forage too much in these cursed lands. The group checked the stables while I checked the chapel that was nearby. A body lie face down inside, very much dead and for quite some time. Scorch marks and old blood marred the walls and what I later found to be a demon trap was etched into the floor, but it's circle damaged and broken. The body was that of a cleric of Avecyn, still holding a serviceable holy symbol, some holy text and an enchanted bone dagger. We searched the fort slowly and methodically, coming across ghosts, ghouls and more. The ghost we came across needed her bones salted and burned to put her permanently to rest. Also in the fortress were Thralls… created undead. Some were oblivious to us, others attacked on sight. We put them all to their final rest, destroying bones with salt and fire when we could.
The day passed quickly and we were able to clear much of the outer keep before we found a tower to barricade ourselves into. Fleet had found a bizarre statue that seemed to enthrall her, it matched up with a sketch I found in the fortress commander's journal. I determined it to be an evil, vile thing and had to dispose of it… but the question was how. She would not willingly part with it. I came up with a plan to go slowly into effect: I convinced her to leave it safely with the carriage, hidden in a chest while we explored as it weighed nearly three stones, then, when we were to barricade ourselves up, we had chanced upon a barrier wreath earlier and I convinced her to hang it and salt the entrances whilst I got the horses and donkey inside. I sent the last in with Viktor and waited until he was out of sight before grabbing the statue and running out of the keep, my excuse being to close the gates. I hastily buried it off the path and covered my tracks before closing and barring the gates once more and returning to the tower, light fading fast.
We set the Guardian Wreath to repel the undead, as they were the most prominent denizen of the area, though we found the tracks of hellhounds inside the walls when we awoke, the wall of the keep proper had crumbled, being the entrance where the ghouls amassed and attacked the keep while its occupants still lived. So much death and betrayal happened here, it is clear, as I read this journal, that Commander Krell slowly lost his mind after the death of his wife, hiding her death from his men and entering a bargain with Baroness Olivia Valdoran for a ritual to regain his beloved… but a life cannot come from nothing. He had to slay someone else to bring her back and his poor daughter had been infected with lycanthropy… This place troubles me, the kingdom more so. I've decided if we come to Thraben and it, too, is abandoned and destroyed, then there is little chance this small band can save the kingdom and word must go out to neighboring areas to engage in a thorough cleansing, by fire if need be.
I digress, we attempted to enter into the main keep, but her doors are barred from within, so we entered the attached tower. We'd cleared the rest of the fortress at this point save for these two structures, though they are attached. Within the tower we went below grounds first, seeing that it was cordoned off by an iron cage and gate, which we had the keys for, since we raided the gatehouse. If needed, after we cleared the basement, we could hold up the night there. Below were a few more thralls and the most peculiar sight I have ever come across… the barracks in the tower had a sextet of armored skeletons gathered around a table playing cards. Marcus and a newcomer we'd found in a cell both shot at the skeletons, one of them losing its head just before Fleet slammed the door shut. We waited for them to burst through and attack, but the attack did not come. We opened the door again, curious, and the one at the head of the table turned, speaking in sepulchral tones, "Play, or leave." Fleet entered the room, greatsword at hand, then blinked, sitting at the table, picking up a hand of cards, the door slamming in our faces. We reopened the door, the Holy Gun again dispatching one of the undead, Fleet was sitting there, but looked older, somehow. Her pile of chips was smaller than before. Again, the low, gravelly voice intoned, "Play. Or leave." The door once again closed, pushing me back as I tried to hold it open. It seemed a trap, thinking quickly, I loaded my grapple bolt to my crossbow and opened the door once more, firing upon the head undead. The bolt glanced off its armor and it grasped the silken rope. I tried to haul it through, but it tried the same with me, it's strength superior to mine. I must admit, I panicked momentarily as I was hurtled towards the doorway, sure I would be trapped as Fleet. Luckily for me, I suppose, I hadn't tried entering willingly and bounced off an invisible barrier. We attacked the head undead from range and felled the last of his companions before I realized…. This was not an undead… this was Death, the final answer, the dark winged messenger everyone must face… and he was playing his game, those undead around him were people playing to get their lives back and failing miserably.
The only way to beat Death is to trick him, or simply leave the game if your time has not yet come. Fleet looked more hale and whole than before, she must have had a few good hands of poker. I grit my teeth and stood, cursing softly. I stepped into the room, Marcus with me. It was obvious before that Fleet could not see or hear us from outside. As I stepped in, I felt a… I'm not sure how to explain it, just as a 'difference' and spoke to her, then Death in turn, "All you need to do is lay your hand down and end the game. As such, I lay my hand down and acknowledge the end of the game for myself" Then I turned and strode out of the room, Death gesturing me away. We all left. The door closed again and when it reopened, the room was a normal, empty barracks again. Fleet said she had gained twenty years. The last place to look was in the sub-basement, where the brig was. There seemed to be an undead jailer, still taking care of his charges, though they were long dead. Going on a hunch, I asked to inspect each cell in turn, showing our validity via the garrison keys. It had me sign each out, though I did not use my name and took the last effects of each prisoner, then finally signed out the jailer itself who unlocked his cage and put all the keys away, leaving the fortress. Fleet followed and verified he went out into the woods. We brought the horses and donkey into the tower, interestingly enough, it had a way for carts to get down into the area by the kitchen and a cart was there full of empty barrels. We spent the next few hours filling them. We'd found this marvelous cleaver that magically preserved any foods it prepared, which explained all the still usable herbs and meats we found… and took. We had more time and explored upstairs, in the top of the tower we found a library, but the wraith of the mage we found hung on his own tower attacked us, striking me with bolts of searing fire as it materialized, thankfully, my companions were up to the task of taking it down… albeit temporarily before it could do more harm. We raced outside after that encounter to salt and burn his bones… doing that to all other bodies we had found, just to be sure they would not return again.
We were tired, still somewhat injured, but decided to enter finally into the keep, within were a few more thralls and a powerful thrall of Commander Kresh, whose body we could not find and destroy permanently. His hits were powerful and brutal and he was well armored.. It took much of our resources to end him. We claimed the gear he dropped, inspected his office and retired to the barracks below, sealing ourselves in, against Fleet's better judgement. She'd wanted to leave, but we decided it was best to go in the light of Dawn and leave the place far behind us when night fell once more.
The rest of our journey to Thraben was remarkable only because of how unremarkable it was. We entered the town, thankfully alive and thriving and met with Father Matthias. I think it is time for me to put the pen down and have another drink at this inn he is paying for…
