Calorn pointed out that the bodies of Taramar's men were still left unburied in the Orc tower and that the party should consider burying them. After some discussion it was decided to leave both the burials and the attack of the keep for another day as Thorin and Bors were still short on health.

During this discussion the noise from the birds grew dramatically. Calorn climbed to the roof of the tower to investigate. He could see birds entering the Orc Tower that contained the bodies. Taramar sickened by the idea of them eating his dead men charged out. He killed two birds before they surrounded him and started to tear at him with their cruel beaks. He was forced to flee back to the tower. Birds then started to drag one of the bodies from the tower. It was too heavy for them to fly off with so other birds reduced the weight by ripping buckles to remove armour and weapons. Calorn shot two of the birds but they started to fly at him. He dropped back into the tower and shut the trap door, leaving the dead men to the birds. Once things calmed down Calorn and Claybeg went searching for herbs again and found more Thurl and some Rewk.

The night past quielty, plans for the assult were finalised after the party broke their fast. Bors handed command to Taramar. Also the assult of the upper floors was planned as much as possible. The party entered to keep through the secret passage from the tower to Basement level 1. This avoided both the birds and look outs in the keep. The ground floor and balcony were cleared without incident. Bravd took point heading up to the second floor. At the top of the stairs he turned left to see an open door as a crossbow bolt thudded into his shield. He then saw another Orc raise a crossbow and fire but it misfired causing pieces of shattered bolt to strike the Orc.

Bravd charged the Orcs closely followed by Thorin. Orc#1 started to fiddle with the wall as Orc#2 moved to defend. Bravd and Thorin joined combat with Orc#2 as Orc#1 openned a passage in the wall. With both Taramar and Bors also entering the room Orc#2 desperately fought to hold them off so that he could excape. Unknown to him Orc#1 fled down the passage sealing the door behing him. Orc#2 backed into the sealed door, a look of disgust at the treachery of his comrade past over his face just before he was hacked to a pulp by Bravd, Thorin and Taramar.

Bors moved to a door at the far corner of the room, it led to a hallway from which there were another three doors. Opposite to him he could see a room full of vials, potions and bubbling pots. Clearly some sort of laboratory. Bravd found the lever to open the secret door. The party filled through the passage which led to a library. The Orc was not there so they went through the only apparent door. It led to an empty room that was probably once a servants quaters. The only door from there led to the hallway. From the hallway the last two unexplored rooms were investigated. First an obsevetory containing many maps and a telescope and also the laboratory. Neither contained any enemies.

Sounds of flight were heard lower in the keep and the partry chased them to the ground floor but were reluctant to go into the basement levels. Alarmingly the keep door had been locked and bolted shut. Both pick lock and more violent attampts to open the door failed. The party gave up and decided to search the top floor for secret doors. Dain was left to guard the ground floor and claybeg the balcony. Calorn carefully searched the top floor for secret doors. In the library he realised that a large section of the wall was fake. After extensive search he found a lever that revealed a hidden office. The office contained a table with ten books written in Adunaic and some more animal anatomny books on a shelf. There were also some high quality maps. Next to the office Calorn found another secret door which led to a stair spiraling down into the wall.

After telling Clay and Dain the news Calorn slipped down the stairs to scout it out. The stairs dropped for a long time until he reached a wider step. The bricks next to the step were discoloured and after some searching he found the lever to a secret door. Opening the door he found a magnificent bed chamber. The room was clean and well maintained. Spotting a large chest next to the bed he slipped over to investigated. The chest contained a fine suit of chain, a nice dagger, some arrows, scrolls and papers, boots, some jewellery and charms and two potions. Calorn slipped the arrows in his quizer, took some of the more interesting looking jewellry and the pile of papers and headed for the exit. He past another door which propably led to the bear chamber. He then slowly returned to the others on the top floor.

Back on the top floor the party skimmed through the papers which gave scant information about great riches in the deeper levels. It was decided to investigate the room further. The entire party filed down the narrow stairs into the bed chamber. Bors claimed the fancy chain armour and Bravd and Claybeg took the jewels to be split equally later. Bors openned the door to the bear chamber. The Bear advanced aggresively to the extent of its chain. While in the process of calming the bear Bors heard the sound of a man running around in panic. Calorn reckoned it sounded like Jenn. In order to get to the man the party would have to pass the bear. Calorn cast sleep to knock out the animal which succeded. The party searched for the source of the cries. It appeared that the sounds were coming from basement level two. Suspicous that this was a trap, Claybeg was sent back along the secret passage to check on Jenn. To his horror he discovered that the mechanism to open the door into the tower had been disabled. The party were trapped in the keep.

It was decided not to risk using the main stairs in case of ambush. The party returned to the secret stairs. The stairs dropped another two levels before it reached another door. Calorn found the lever and opened the door. Several party members gagged as the most appaling stench filled the stairwell. As light penetrate the room several snakes and spiders could be seen approaching the door. Thinking quickly Thorin pulled the door shut. The party descended another level to find the end of the stairs and another door. Bravd tired to open the door, but soon realised that a piece of the mechanism had been removed. Unpreturbed Bravd ascended one floor removed the neccesary part from the door to the snake room and used it to repair the door. He then opened the door and the party entered a corridor on basement level four.

The corridor contained two doors and ended at a river to the right. Above the doors 'All who enter leave the way you come or enter into death and damnation'. Nobody was keen to enter those rooms so Claybeg was sent to cross the rickity bridge over the river. He carefully started to cross the rickity structure. When he had almost reached the far side he had a twang and a curse as an Orc misfired a crossbow. The Dunlendling quickly fled back to the party. The party did not want fight a battle over a structure that may or may not take a warriors weight. The party used to the secret stair to return to the top floor and from there dropped to basement level 1 using the main stairs. All the door mechanisms were taken on the way to curb enemy movements.

Back in the basement the groans of a man in distress could be heard again. The sounded like they were coming from the centre wine cellar. Bravd openned the door to the room. Bravd and Thorin could make out the heat signature of a man cowering in the corner, the others could see nothing. Bravd called to the figure, it started to approach. While Bravd tried to calm it Thorin shot it with acrossbow. Everyone could see the effects of the impact of the invisible figure on the debry scattered on the floor. After a few minutes the invisibility wore off and Jenn could be seen barely alive with Thorin's bolt in his chest. Thorin and Calorn rushed to treat the wounded man. Calorn applied Arlan to his wound which seemed to help. The Dwarves travelled along the secret passage to the tower to see if they could fix the mechanism with the part from the other door. Unfortunately it did not fit and they returned.

The party carried Jenn up to the ground floor. Taramar was visible shaken and enraged by the treatment of Jenn and keep in general. The Dwarves spent more time trying to break down the main door but eventually conceded that it was held magically. The party concluded the only way to leave would be to kill Turlin. Before assulting the basements Jenn was hidden on the first floor and the top floor was swept through again to ensure that no enemies were circling back on the party. The group the desended to basement level two via the main stairs.

The stairs led into a room full of herbs and mushrooms. Calorn nearly soiled himself with excitment and spent several minutes collecting varios herbs. There were many others he did not recognise so ignored for safety sake. From there the party entered a torture chamber, clearly well equiped and frequently used. From there they found a corridor lined with prison cells. One contained a man clearly high on some drug, the party did not bother to release him. There was a door leading from the guard room but the party ignored it instead they went back to the other door from the torture chamber. This was a fresh invigorating room. It restored a power poing to Calorn. From there a door led to a small rank oppresive corridor that stripped away the power point. Retreatring from the dank room the party returned to the guard chamber and went through the door there. I tled to a store room containing little of value. A stairs led from the room with 'down I go and down I danceto seek my gold and magick chance'. The party reckoned that this sounded suspious so ignored it and dropped to level three using the main stairs.

They reched a large hallway with many door leading from it, one obviously leading to the snake room. Picking a door the entered a small room that contained the skeletons of two huge dogs. Openning the only other door revealed a room with full of bats. The bats disturbed by the lightstarted to awake. The party reckoned this was not a good idea so shut the door. They concluded this was not the nicest of levels so ignored the rest of it and using the main stairs descended to level four.

As he stepped of the base of the stairs Bravd was shot at by an Orc. The crossbow misfired causing the bolt to drop harmlessly to the floor the Orc bolted into a room, the door instantly closing behind him. Sensing they were reaching their goal the party became quite excited. Bravd ran for the door, paused briefly to read the inscription above it 'Once inside the wise will not tarry, cause danger will be tough to parry'. Paying the words no heed Bravd openned the door and ran inside. The door slammed shut behind him. Thorin tried to open the door but it was locked. Trying to find another why to get in and support Bravd the party openned the door next to it which led to a baths. Only one door led from that room, Thorin ran in there. It was a bare room, on entering Thorin start to feel weak and barely made it out before collapsing, once he was out he quickly recovered his strenght. Seeing as no other way into the room presented themselves Thorin, Claybeg and Bors took to trying to pick the lock. Bors managed to open the lock and Calorn raised his bow inpreparation.

Thorin openned the door, reavling an Orc standing over Bravd's body and a tall man in heavy robes standing at the back of the room. Calorn fired at the man hitting him in the leg. Thorin rushed in closely followed by Bors. The door tried to shut but Bors held it until the entire party entered the room. Taramar and Dain charged the Orc grappling him so that the others could get Turlin. Once the mess of men and Orc had gotten out of the way it appeared that Turlin had disappeared. They then noticed a 3' by 3' tunneling leading away from the room. Thorin and Claybeg entered the tunnel chasing the sounds of Turlin. The going was hard for Claybeg but Thorin barely had to stoop. The tunnel wound too and fro all the time getting closer to the sounds of running water. Suddenly it opened out next to the underground river. Thorin saw the splash of Turlin diving in the water. Being unable to swim he moved aside to allow Claybeg to dive in. Then Thorin returned along the tunnel.

Back in the room Calorn cast sleep on the Orc. Thorin reentered the room saying that Claybeg would need help from thoose able to swim. Taramar, Dain and Calorn then struggled into the tunnel. Taramar and Dain had to pause to remove chain before entering the water. Thorin did what he could for Bravd's injuries. The Dwarf looked in bad condition though.

Claybeg dived into the water which rushed down a narrow tunnel. It briefly opened into the basement of the keep and he narrowly managed to duck under the bridge. In doing so he swallowed a large amount of water. Coughing and spluttering for breath he was whisked out the side of a hill. The river rushed down the hill joining with the gate stream. After a few more minutes it hit into a larger slow moving body of water and he was able to move towards the shore. He approached a sandy beach and pulled himself from the water. The hand and footprints of another man could be seen.

Looking up the beach Claybeg saw the outline of Turlin in mud. He had clearly cast some invisiblity spell but it was being hindered by mud and clinging weeds. Claybeg drew a belt knif and rushed him. Turlin weighed down by his soaking heavy robes still managed to hold off the hillman. The fight continued for some time, Claybeg proved to be pretty incompetent with a dagger, so dropped the weapon and tried to wrestle Turlin to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dain slowly rise from the water, he drew forth his morning star and started to move in behind Turlin. Claybeg continued to distract Turlin while Dain stroke a savage blow into the mage's back. Turlin collapsed onto the grond. Dain dropped the morning star and grabbing Turlin's arms held him for Claybeg to finish. The Dunlendling fumbled for a moment then cut Turlins throat.