Dalus' Keep

Frumious' memory of his time in Marquis Dalus' residence is not a pleasant one. First and foremost, he did not care for the Doorwarden. He could not decide if her initial attempts at duplicity were vanity, or simply an order from the Marquis himself, but her later attempts at duplicity were more transparently evil. Frumious took great pleasure in outwitting her as she continued to block the group's exit from the keep.

There was the Marquis himself, who had made the mistake of considering himself above others, and treated souls as if they were somehow less important than his. This was also the first time, and - he hoped - the last time he would be swallowed by a frog. The group also found the design of the keep maddening (which was surely the intention), and attempts to traverse it led to considerable strife among friends.

There were a few positive takeaways. The aforementioned foiling of the Doorwarden, but also the discovery of the blank wand. This would be a magic which the gnome would look forward to researching and duplicating. Additionally, the opportunity arose to free Master Shake from his decade of imprisonment, and to learn the reasons for his failure to deliver the religious texts to Halvenspring.

Free of the keep now, and with no fatalities, Frumious could now find time for reflection. Hopefully, the Marquis would not consider the circumstances of their departure to be a nullification of his promise to free Thomas, once the group had fulfilled their part of the bargain. But would the others still want to? Frumious was still willing, and his backpack was heavier for it. He did not know the minds of his fellow "knights," but he hoped that he knew their hearts.