Aanparon slips in the door behind some orcs in servant's clothing and follows them in. Inside there is a passageway that leads to a t-intersection. Some of the orcs head left, some head right.

Picking a path, Aanparon comes to a large room, that is obviously the kitchen. Several orcs move about preparing food. Additionally, there are several chained humans performing a lot of the manual labor. There are two exits (other than the one that Aanparon came in) from the room. One to the north and one to the south. Both are open doorways, no doors.

Aanparon pauses for a moment and then heads north. All of the other orcs are busy working and do not seem to notice him. Heading down a short hallway, that quickly ends, Aanparon enters into a large centrally chamber. There are several sets of staircases leading up. The tower is square shaped with no inner walls, so Aanparon can see up to the higher floors. There seems to be a lot of floors, more than Aanparon can count.

In the present chamber there is a large feasting table, currently empty. Orcs in army uniforms move about the keep, from level to level, disappearing into rooms, etc. Aanparon also sees the main hallway that leads to the main entrance. The main door has a portcullis as well as a thick wooden bar on it. The door is currently closed and the portcullis is down.

Heading up the stairs, Aanparon listens in on conversations and moves along. His actions are not noticed in the hustle and bustle that is the environment in the Keep. Aanparon picks up a few snatches of conversation that catch his attention. The first bit is the fact that all of the 'volunteers' have been collected for the spearhead of the attack, and that the 'volunteers' are located in the Pit. The second bit is the mention of a 'Human Lord'.

After some further listening and following, Aanparon is able to determine the exact room in which the Human Lord is housed. It is on a higher level within the Keep, deep in the tangled hallways and stairwells.

Aanparon makes his way to Lord Herpein's quarters. He has two guards that stand outside his door, but they seem bored and unattentive. Aanparon pulls himself into a niche in the wall when he sees a black robed Orc move purposefully down the hallway. The Orc seems to radiate power. The two guards quickly come to attention as the Orc passes them by without a second glance and goes into the room. The door remains slightly ajar and Aanparon is able to hear bits of a conversation.

A human voice in common says, "You have the Ca'ega ready, Karak?"
An orc voice returns, in common, "Our prayers will bend it to our service, Lord Herpein. Are you ready? Feeling a bit queasy now that it is time?"
The human with emotion, "I have kept my oaths and will continue to do so. Just get that gate opened!"
The orc returns, "Of course we will."
The human, with a trace of skeptism, "Are you sure? You seem to be having some trouble getting it to work."
The orc returns nonchalantly, "Trifles, my Lord Herpein. Trifles. Have you and the officers completed the invasion plans?" with more force, "We will not accept failure!"
The human, soothing, "Never fear, Karak. With your orcs coming up through the old mines, Honshar will fall in moments with a minimum of bloodshed."

At this moment one of the guards notices that the door is open and closes it, cutting off any further conversation.

Aanparon stays in position and waits for Karak to leave. After about an hour, Karak leaves the room and heads down the hallway. Aanparon follows him from a discrete distance. Karak leads Aanparon deeper into the labyrinth of the Keep. Finally, the hallway that Karak heads to enter is blocked by two stout, nasty looking orcs. The two orcs come to attention and step aside to let Karak pass and then resume their posts. Karak continues on, out of Aanparon's sight.

Aanparon makes his way back into the Keep and eventually finds himself back at the center. Moving towards the kitchen, Aanparon sees Adriena on the third level, about the same time that she sees him.

Back to Trouble in Honhar