Inside Thornhold Keep

Year: 1491, Month: Tarsakh, Date: 27th

Gaining entrance to the Keep

We decide our best course of action is for Leo to use his transmutation magic to gain entrance into the keep.  turns into gas and goes through the keyhole to the keep.

A couple of minutes later the door opens, and Leo pokes his head out, and gestures for us to enter.  We all come into the room.  Its a large room partitioned in two with wall sconces for torches all around.  In one half of the room is a large table with chairs, but nothing in the other half, other than the bodies of dead Dwarves.  There are no other exits visible.

We all start to look for any hidden passages.  Celery and Leo both spot, almost at the same time,  a wall sconce that looks out of place.

Leo impulsively pulls it down. We hear stone scraping, and Leo quickly leaps back only just in time as the floor below him falls away.  We all gingerly look down the hole which is full of sharp metal stakes and looks very unpleasant - lucky Leo.

A few moments later, the floor behind the table moves revealing a staircase that goes down as far as we can see.

The secret passage

Celery summons a light and we begin our descent.  After climbing down endless stone stairs for two hours, torches appear on wall, which glow blue as we approach, and stay lit as we walk past.  After another 50 feet the stairs end, and lead into a corridor which ends abruptly at a set of huge double doors.  They appear to be made of some metal, and etched into them is a relief of the banishment of Lloth.  This seems to be a celebration of Lloth herslef rather than a warning.

We try pushing and pulling the doors but they won't budge.  We can't move them at all, and notice that they are really cold to touch.  Leo warns us that there is a very powerful spell holding them closed.

As we don't seem to be able to get through, nor have any idea what else we could do, we decide to trek back up the stairs.  Once back in the keep, we close the secret passageway using the sconce.  By now its evening.

An unexpected turn of events

Me, Leo, Celery begin to do what we can for the dead dwarves.  Enya seems to be sorting her gear and ignores us as we labour away in respect of the dead.  We begin to build a pyre, Celery and I even drag the drow over to a separate one.

I notice one of the drow in the pyre begins twitching, its hand begins to move.  I point at it, and yell, "Look.  The dead drow!  Its moving!  That can't be right"  I tighten the straps on my shield, and slowly draw my sword.  Leo notices as the bodies shift around the drow, as it slowly begins to push its way out of the pile.  Leo casts ray of frost but misses.

The drow rises from the pyre.  Its head s all caved in - must have been the one Celery finished off with her mace - and lurches slowly towards me.  A 2nd drow, ears all deformed, also rises from the pyre.

Celery raises her holy symbol and implores Lathandar to "Turn Undead". One begins to slowly turn and lurch away from Celery.

I cast Shield of Faith, and engage the one that is still walking forward.  I implore Tyr (divine smite), bright flash, as my sword strikes the creature in the midrift.

Leo Toll the Dead on turned drow (black eyes).  It turns again, and begins lurching towards celery.

My foe scrapes at me but i weave to the side and he gropes thin air.

Enya chromatic orb on black eyes

I hear Celery yell for the glory of lathandar, her mace flares, and she strikes the black eyed animated drow.

I shove my foe with my shield, but he somehow (how?) avoids, but it distracts him, and I strike two solid blows with mysword, again imploring Tyr (divine smite) to aid me.

He again tries to strike me, but i block with my shield/

Black eyes reaches celery and attacks, but "Warding Flare" and celery seems immune to its touch.

Another chromatic orb from enya strikes my for and immolates him.

Celery Burning Hands, engulfs black eyes and sets the pyre on fire.

I move to the remaining animated corpse, and do a combination move, I strike with the first thrust, but it dodges the 2nd

Enya chromatic orb with fire on black eyes

Celery hits him with Mace

I shove him with my shield, with some force, and falls backwards crumpled on the floor. I smash him with my sword and the corpse is still.  

We drag the corpses and throw them back on the pyre.