Darkness

In possession of three unused keys the party headed back up the outer tower stairway to the top level.  Seglun took the keys and tried to open the eastern side door.  One of the keys opened the lock.  Baru opened the door and peered into --- Darkness --- it was pitch black inside the door.   Low light vision nor darkvision could penetrate the inky blackness.

Arvien cast dancing lights, but as she moved them into the chamber the light was extinguished.  Baru entered the chamber and keeping his had on the eastern wall made his way to the north.  Seglun stepped into the room also.  Neither hero could see anything the the all encompassing blackness, not even the open door.  As they move deeper into the impenetrable darkness, they felt tiny hands plucking at their sleeves.  Seglun felt what seemed to be a wet nose pressed against her bare hand.  The air was filled with clicking sounds, as if taloned feet were skittering across the floor.
As Baru seemed to reach the northern edge of the room he felt a large wooden object in front of him.  Feeling around int he dark he surmised that this must be a large desk.  As he moved to skirt the desk he felt a breath of hot, wet, stinking air on his neck.  Jerking away he almost tripped over the chair situated in front of the desk.  Baru continued circling the room finding what appeared to be the door of the opposite side.  He came back around to the open doorway, only found by touch.  Seglun went out and around to the opposite door, opened it with another of the keys.  Again she was met with the ever present darkness when she opened the door.  Arvien suggested moving the desk to the door way so that she could search the drawers, cubby-holes, and desk top.  Ralom cast detect evil into the room but the evil aura was oppressive in the entire area, nothing stood out.  Seglun headed straight across the inky blackness, and was stopped in the center of the room by a metal, head high, to her anyway, railing.   Circling the railing she found a spiral staircase going down.  She took a few steps down and when her head broke the plane of the floor, she could see, with darkvision, the rest of the stairs headed downward.
At this point Seglun and Baru attempted to pick up the desk and move it to the doorway.  But it was too heavy, therefore they both stood at one end and walked the desk step by step to the door.  Drawers on the desk held papers, both empty and written upon.  These detailed agreements between Lord Soth and various other persons, all unknown to the heroes.  In the cubby-holes Arvien found many scroll cases.  Ralom determined that four of them were magical, one being evil.  One scroll was determined to be protection from fire, the other two non evil scrolls were unidentified at this point.  But Arvien grabbed the evil scroll opened it and as she started to read it, she went blind.
Night was falling outside the Keep, the blackbirds started casing loudly as they continued their whirling pattern around the tower.  Drovic and Varrid suggested heading down, they did not want to spend the night in the tower.  Since Arvien was now blind, Drovic suggested he jump off the tower with Arvien, his new ring of feather falling making them drift down.  Ralom suggested just carrying Arvien down, since a wind gust may push them over the chasm.  Down the group headed and Baru suggested that they spend the night in the temple on the curtain wall.
They heroes reached the curtain wall with no issues, headed to the temple and settled down for the night as the sun set behind the mountains.  About an hour after being afflicted, Arvien regained her sight.  There was no moon visible, and Varrid indicated there was no moon the previous night either.  The blackbirds were cawing loudly as they seemed to settle on the roof line.  Around midnight Varrid heard a singing coming from the tower.  She could not identify the actual level but there were several female voices, almost keening, that didn't blend together in any fashion.  The serenade lasted for 3 hours, the volume increased and decreased through the hours, as if telling a tale.
When the sun rose the party arose and identified the two additional scrolls, neutralize poison and a scroll with two spells, blur and mirror image.  The group determined to head down the spiral stairway and explore the next level.  On the balcony they heard the clank of of armor.  There was the faint odor of rot in the air.  Striding toward them was a giant of a warrior, clad in rusted armor and tattered clothing.  Behind the visor of the warrior's helm, twin pinpoints of red glowed with an unearthly light.  In skeletal hands, the warrior clutched a terrible sword, its blade streaked with rust -- or perhaps dried blood.  Glaring at the party, the figure opened its creaking jaws and issued a challenge;  "Who goes there?"
Arvien answered "Seekers of Lord Soth", at this the warrior attacked.  The party rose to the occasion but discovered that their attacks seemed weaker than expected.  Swords and arrows did damage but the sword of the warrior was more effective.  Arvien roused her Dire Boar and Drovic threw acid which was effective.  It was still a rather quick fight as the combined damage of Seglun, Varrid, Baru and Grunyar felled the skeleton.  Ralom suggested that battering weapons might be more effective if they met another similar creature.
Thence up the stairs the party surged. Varrid suggested using her daylight, to dispel the darkness and when she tried, the room was dimly lit as she moved into and around the room.  There was no evidence of any creatures, so Baru and Seglun, who reported the hands, noses and mouths were looked upon with suspicion.  Down the stairwell the party headed.
Baru exited into a foyer like area, where the stairwell ended.  There was a door on the northeastern curved wall going outside?  There were also doors on the south and western walls.  A hallway headed north, which had doors on the east and west.  The floor was dusty, but not as much as in other areas, although the dark sooty ash footprints were here also.  There were new footprints all around the area leading to and from the doorways.  Seglun headed up the hallway and opened the door on the east.  Inside was a very dusty, unused bedroom where she saw that incorporeal woman moving toward her.  She shut the door, to no avail, and headed south to the rest of the party.  The image came through the wall, crossed the hall and passed into the room on the west.  Seglun wondered how the apparition followed the party around, Arvien suggested that there were several of them as the party heard several voices singing last night.  Varrid was examining the south door, which was locked.  After a few attempts Varrid picked the lock and opened the door on a room filled with large pieces of furniture, all made of heavy, dark wood that was ornately carved.  A massive table stood against the wall next to the door; loose papers were heaped on it.  Several papers had been torn or wadded into balls.  Nearby stood an iron brazier with several half-burned pieces of paper inside of it.  The brazier was still warm.
A writing desk stood by the curved wall, just under the middle of three rotted window curtains.  On it was an open book and and inkwell.  In front of the desk was a high-backed chair.  On the west wall was a door slightly ajar.  As Varrid moved closer to that door she could hear a faint buzzing sound and the smell of rotten meat.  Seglun started to search through the piles of papers on the table.  Arvien headed for the desk and chair.  No one was in the chair but there were several books piled on the seat of the chair.  Arvien examined the books which appeared to be military histories of a place called Krynn.  Baru recalled that the tale Magda told them mentioned Krynn as the homeland of Lord Soth.  Ralom cast detect magic, which identified that somewhere in the mass of papers on the desk there was some magic.  Seglun continued flinging the papers, which were records kept by Caradoc.  They recorded mundane matters such as the castle's food stocks, payment to household staff and craft workers, disciplinary actions taken against the keep's soldiers, and dates of various ceremonies.  Most were damaged by water or obscured by mold, the papers in the braziers were from the same stash.
Varrid looked through the slightly open door into a room whose walls were filthy with brown stains.  Garbage littered the floor and the still air had an overpowering smell of ripe meat.  She recognized a leg on the floor, gnawed to the bone.  Maggots squirmed in what little meat remained.
With a sick feeling Varrid hurried to the desk and examined the book.  It appeared to be a journal, recently written in a cramped, childish hand.  Only the first page or two was used.

12 Deepkolt
Elves report seeing K near headwaters of Krellin River, on Disappearing Mountain.  Found nothing.
3 Yrthgreen
Elf claims to have been attacked by K near southern tip of Great Chasm.  Elf lying; wounds more like claw and bite marks, possibly wolf. Elf executed for insolence.  Ordered his friend killed, too.  Good eating tonight!
Reading this caused Varrid to shudder remembering the leg in the storeroom.
14 Yrthgreen
Possible K sighting by Vistani tribe north of Har-Thelen.  Reported by elves.  Vistani denied sighting.  Wanted them disciplined but Lord S refused, said M was too useful.
22 Holmswelt
Kender report K on south slopes Border's Edge Mountain.  Most reliable sighting yet, but could not pinpoint location due to earth-quake activity.  Entered mirror to report to Lord S, but told to get out, stop spoiling his fun.  Cut me in half with sword and said he'd do it for real if I ruined his dream.  Told not to bother him again until I have a positive sighting.
2 Fierswelt
Messenger from Barovia report seeing K near border.  Description matches.  Took messenger to tell Lord S, but something has happened to S.  He's turned into a ghost himself.  After last time, afraid to go into mirrors to talk.
17 Fierswelt
Barovian messenger unable to return home.  Driven back at border by singing.  Strange, Lord S hasn't sung in many weeks.  Kender report seeing messenger running back from border, falling in crack in ground.  Good riddance.  Never liked him much.
10 Paleswelt
Worried about the cracks in the ground.  More every day.  Elven cities damaged, but no effect on keep yet.  Elves actinf peculiar.  Seem more absent-minded than usual.
2 Reapember
Elf woman from Har-Thelen said ho have seen K in woods yesterday.  Will take eight skeletal warriors to investigate.  Hope this sighting pans out --- Lord S has lost all interest in kingdom.  If he doesn't come back from the mirrors soon we're all DOOMED.

Varrid realized that this was evidently the encounter the party had stumbled on in the forest, so Azrael, Lord Soth's Seneschal, lived here.  Arvien crossed into the storage room where she soon recognized the long, slender bones scattered around the room.  As she threw up a little in her mouth, it was clear that an elf had been butchered and eaten here.  After a long search Seglun found a scroll of Hide from Undead among the papers.
Meanwhile Baru led Seglun and Ralom to the west facing door which opened into a bedroom.  The windows were open: a cold breeze stirred the rotten curtains.  From outside, the hoarse cries of blackbirds were heard.  Below them was a bed, its blankets rumpled.  On top of the bedclothes was wicker cage about a foot square.  A messy pile of clothing lay in one corner of the room; the clothes were covered in dark stains and dirt. A pair of muddy boots lay beside them.
Arvien started to examine the clothes, this are clearly from that dwarf/badger we saw before, must be his lair.  As she moved the boots something rattled inside them.  Dumping the contents, she found 30 gold, 20 platinum, a peridot gem and a skull headed black snake.  The snake struck at Arvien but missed and slithered under the bed.  Baru and Seglun upended the bed and Ralom cut off the snake's head.

DMs Notes:  The party earned 614 XP for the night and now have 26,329 XP and need 8671 additional XP for 6th level.