The group of adventurers decided to leave The Keep for a brief respite, and return to Winterhaven to resupply. Upon exiting The Keep, they discovered the corpse of a horse. Esselte had been slain!
A note was attached to her, stabbed into her decomposing side with a knife. The note was from Amerike, stating that he had grown tired of waiting for the party, and had ran out of food, resulting in him needing to kill and eat Esselte, and that he had returned to Winterhaven to seek other adventure.
The group devastated at the news, burnt Esselte's remains and held a quiet moment for her.
After they said a few words, they continued on back to Winterhaven. Arriving at the gates, Padaraig yelled down from the battlements that the undead had risen from the cemetary and that they would not be allowed back into the town unless they took care of it, they had taken ten of the townsfolk captive!
They reluctantly agreed, and headed for the cemetary.
As soon as they set foot inside the cemetary, undead skeletons rose from their graves, the deceased townsfolk had been magically imbued and animated to fight them. The adventurers having experience with this magic before quickly dispatched the entire horde of skeletons. But as they thought they were victorious, two gravehounds launched forward from one of the crypts and attacked them.
A battle was fought against the hounds, and half way through elven arrows began raining down upon Songfey, injuring her. After dispatching one of the hounds, the second fled to the west towards a crypt, the adventurers followed, still being rained upon by arrows. As they approached, an elven woman exited the keep and mocked them as she fired her arrows from a distance.
Yotisot taking the initative, ran forward and lassoed the elf woman, which the group of adventurers interrogated. She revealed to them she had been employed by Kalarel, and after some "very subtle" interrogation (being held over a fire and threatened to burn to death), revealed a password to get into the second level of The Keep.
Content with their success, the adventurers returned to Winterhaven.
Padaraig excited to see them, and with the ring leader of the undead spawn captured, offered them 600 gold pieces for the pleasure of executing the elf for her crimes of capturing and killing ten townsfolk. The adventurers reluctantly agreed, and she was executed by guillotine.
After the execution Scholar Parle came forward and revealed to the party that Amerike had come past, and confessed to him the murder of Esselte. Parle offered his help to Yotisot and the group, that with certain items he would be able to perform a ritual, and raise Esselte from the dead, and return her to Yotisots care. But this would require collecting some unusual materials from within the deepest and darkest depths of The Keep.
Resting for the evening, and consolidating themselves and their supplies, the adventurous group prepares to enter the second level of The Keep.
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