GURPS: Mystery at Spider Keep part 2

Being the illuminated dispatches of Grand Knight Sir Joshua Hiffin.

chapter 1.

After taking back the upper keep of the Lord Vicar, it became known to us that under the keep was an ancient temple to the pagan gods of the highlanders, and despite the Lord Vicar's attempts to sanctify the ground, it had instead slowly corrupted him in his pursuit of ghillie witches.

Sir Ethelred and the Lord Vicar's corpses had been recovered.   However, Father Kapp's corpse and soul remained imprisoned in the dungeon below.

It would not due to let a fellow servant of Arken to rot in eternal damnation so an attempt must be made to recover him.

Plate 1:  Sir Hiffin prepared a rope to lower himself into the darkness below.  Squire Mugabe began to moan pitiously and beat himself about the head and chest.   Knowing the Atem to be an emotional people, Sir Hiffin stopped to inquire the source of the squire's anguish.
"Oh Sir Hiffin,"  Mugabe cried,  "You are too valuable to go first into that chamber of horrors.  If you are lost, who will lead us?"
Touched by the young lads concerns and natural fear of being left leaderless,  Sir Hiffin allowed Squire Mugabe to scout the way ahead.  It was a good opportunity for the lad to prove himself.
Unfortunatly, he was immediately beset upon by a giant spider (just one of the creatures whom supposedly the foul keep gets its name) and needed to be rescued by Father Wolfgang's holy prayers while Sir Hiffin drove through several of the vermin with a spear.

Plate 2:  A representation of the lower catacombs and it's denizens.  (Apparently the illustrator had no clue what a giant spider looks like and has made them look like giant red ants!- J.H.)

Plate 3:  Sir Hiffin and his companions clear the halls of vermin giant spiders and come to an area of offerings to the Servant of Aracnia.

Plate 4:  The corrupted form of Father Kapp lies behind the door in Lady Aracnia's temple.  But alas the door is sealed by a powerful spell.  The key will have to be found elsewhere.

Plate 5: Sir Hiffin deduced that the key to the inner chamber was held in four parts, one in each of the outer chambers, guarded by the avatars of Aracnai pantheon.  The first we chose to acquire was from the son's chamber.

Plate 6:  The chamber was guarded by the Nightwarg Volron and his undead werewolves.  He offered to give us the key if we suplicated ourselves and submit to some lewd acts.  These were unappealing to us three, even Father Wolfgang, so we chose the old fashioned method of acquisition.  Father Wolfgang drove the undead wolves back with his Lantern of Holy Light while Mugabe peppered them with arrows.

Plate 7:  Seemingly blinded by Sir Hiffin's flashing silver blade, the nightwarg shrank back in fear as the Grand Knight stuck the blade through his foul heart.  One piece of the key recovered.

Plate 8:  The next chamber contained the avatar of the Father- a mountain giant and two mummies.  The giant was not immediately hostile, instead offered to parlay and after a vow was taken that the trio would not harm the mother, only take away Father Kapp, he agreed to give the key piece to the group.

Plate 9:  The chamber of the daughter was guarded by two siren spirits.  These succubi used their unatural charms to enthrall all men that entered.  Father Wolfgang had devined that the key piece was in the pool.

Plate 10:  Poor Mugabe was instantly enthralled and set to mounting the spirit like a cur in heat.  Sir Hiffin on the other hand used his savoire faire to counter seduce the spirit on the right, giving Wolfgang time to get to the fountain and recover the key.  Once in our possession the succubi's power was broken and the party left victorious.

Plate 11:  The final chamber, the Grandfather, keeper of the Crow watchers.  Sir Hiffin used his golden words to convince the Grandfather that letting the Templar remove Father Kapp from their dungeon was in the best interest of all.  He saw the Grand Knight's wisdom and gave the final key piece.

Plate 12:  Returning to the central chamber, the group entered and prepared to battle the corrupted soul of Father Kapp.

Plate 13:  True to their word, the pagan forces stood idle while Sir Hiffin, Father Wolfgang and Mugabe delivered the fist of holy justice to the undead form of Father Kapp.

Plate 14:  The Avatar of Aracnia did not interfere as Sir Hiffin and his men departed.  Nor did their followers impede their return trip to the coast and the long voyage back to Saxony was uneventfull.