Tulthoe, Preszana, Randal, Westra and Kaybelle decided to return to the Shund Valley and the Ironwolf Keep to continue into the dungeon, searching for the treasure rumored to be hidden there, as well as to uphold their bargain with the ghost of the young child who wanted to be buried with his parents outside of the keep. Previously, the party found the boy’s mother and all but his father’s skull after clearing the top level of the old dungeon and going down one level and clearing one room of the goblins that inhabited it.
The party started by each purchasing a potion of healing and then heading out on their travel back to the keep. Along the way, while traveling, the party happened upon a clearing where a horrible stench was hanging over what appeared to be a mostly butchered body of a dead ogre, its organs laid out as if prepared for transport. Upon closer inspection, a beautiful woman was seen, who noticed the party and began to utter something in a language unknown to anyone in the party.
The party took positions and demanded the woman explain what she was doing with the ogre and what she was uttering. The woman did not respond, and suddenly the body of the ogre animated and began attacking the party. Everyone fought to both take down the ogre once more, as well as subdue the woman and prevent her escape.
When she finally awoke after being knocked out the next day, it seemed the woman could not understand common or any other language known by the party. They were able to lightly communicate with her using gestures and writing down answers to questions. She claimed that the she was collecting the ogre’s life force for her god, and it was the party’s understanding that she only attacked them with the ogre due to her misunderstanding, believing the party meant her harm. They decided to let her go after learning her name was Hilayah, and continue on to the keep, keeping a magical guitar that the dead ogre was carrying.
Upon reaching the keep, the woman in the tower previously came down to speak with the party. She was angry, citing the deal struck previously to give her a percentage of any treasure found. She also informed the party that there was some awful wailing and some sort of a ghost preventing them from continuing into the keep. Upon closer inspection by the party, this ghost was the child they had promised to put to rest two weeks prior.
They briefly spoke with the ghost child, explaining they had returned to lay him to rest with his family outside the keep. He kept repeating that wish and allowed the party to pass. The party continued to the staircase down to the second level of the dungeon, approaching cautiously. Upon reaching the mess hall room they had previously reached, they found several goblins, apparently ready for them to return. Tables had been upturned to make cover for the goblins and they attacked as soon as the party reached this level.
The party quickly dispatched most of these goblins, and were about to attack some gnolls that also appeared during the battle before attempting to reason with one of the more powerful goblins. This goblin seemed to agree to let his chief know about this deal attempting to be struck (the party asking for valuables in exchange for the goblins keeping their lives), and left to tell the chief. After several minutes of waiting, the party got tired of waiting and started attacking the gnolls and goblins. After dispatching the remaining goblins, they chased after the gnolls.
An older, grizzled gnoll approached, asking for peace. The party heard him out, and he said that the gnolls here were simply messengers, just asking the goblin king for a favor, but they had no interest in protecting this keep and would leave peacefully if the party would let them leave. The party agreed and the gnolls left without a fight. Knowing they were looking for the skull of the ghost boys father, the party decided to blockade the hallway down which the goblins had disappeared and continue further down to another level of the dungeon.
The party descended into a hallway with a deep pit which they were able to traverse using pitons, rope and Randal’s climbing skills. The following room appeared to be an underground chapel of some sort, with an alter at the front upon which a coffer box sat. The party was able to open the box and found some items inside. Proceeding to the next room, there appeared to be another enormous pit on the other side of the room, but with a bunch of skulls on chains hanging from the ceiling in between.
Upon trying to go over to the pit, the skulls all started chattering as skeletons started animating and attacking the party. The sheer cold in their presence dealt the party damage as they fought the skeletons. They were able to defeat the skeletons, and the skulls stopped chattering. One of the skulls appeared to have a crown on its head. The party once again had to leave, so decided to return to the ghost boy above, bringing the skull. It appeared this was the skull of his father, and the party buried all their remains by a tree outside of the keep. The boy promised upon their return to let them know a secret way to the keeps vault, where all the treasure should be. He disappeared, and the party returned to the city with their hearthstones.