MERP: Rescuing the Princess

The cast:
Laus and Saul, dwarf warrior brothers
Nurn, a Beorning Animist
Sahara, an immortal half-elven bard
Darramon, a Dunadan Mage
Syrus, a hobbit scout
Stu, a Rohirrim horseman
Avestor, a Lorien elf diplomat (NPC)
Lord Barl, an evil cult leader
Unamed elven princess, a prisoner

Following a rough couple of days the group sleep well in the comfortable beds in the inn, their stomachs full of hearty stew, fresh bread and a few Iron Hills ales. They are rudely awakened at 6am by Avestor the elf diplomat with ill news….
“I have consulted with this local priest and it transpires that the cult (called the Elli) will likely execute the princess on the day the ‘stars are right’, which is today, but when the moon and sun are level in the sky. That will be at 9am this morning.”
The group hurriedly dress while the elf tells them some better news. “This priest will use his healing powers on you and can then sell you any herbs you want at his cheapest price. He will then guide you to the keep location. I must wait here for the Lorien troop to arrive – I will despatch them to the keep without delay.”
The group go into a herb buying frenzy using their small cash advance and a generous donation of money from their friendly Rohirrim banker. It is about 6.30am when they set off in their cart, with the priest, the Rohirrim war horse and the hobbit pony as outriders. They make good time along the Elven road and then turn off it into the hills around the ruins of Kurston Keep.
The priest describes the layout of the area around the keep and a little local history. Apparently this was once one of the distant outposts of Gondor, but was destroyed in at the end of the first age in battles during the Last Alliance of men and elves. Since then it has been deserted and fallen into decay. Local rumours are of ghosts haunting the site, but the priest thinks that is nonsense and that it has been used as a refuge for travellers and bandits making their way through the area. Recently it seems that the escaped Northern nobleman Lord Barl has made it the base for his cult, and since then there have been sightings of hideous creatures in the area that have brought fear to this fairly quiet region. The priest thinks that it is likely that the cult has taken over some kind of basement, as there is little habitable space on the surface. He volunteers to remain with the cart and pony while the group investigate the site.
Darramon’s keen eyes pick out movement around the foot of the keep’s hill and once he has this pointed out to him the keen elven eyes of Sahara recognise it as a lone Orc patrol. Stu gallops off around the blind side of the hills while the party move through brush parallel to the sentry’s route. They pause in thick undergrowth, but as city dwellers they are poor woodsmen and cannot help making noise and movement. The Halfling sneaks on, suspicious of other sounds in the area, and notices the orc is now heading towards the rest of the group. He sneaks back and warns them, just in time for them to ambush the orc, which is soon taken out, barely conscious, with a broken leg. Some crude interrogation establishes that the cult are in the ‘deep’ of the keep, which is being watched over by ‘the dead’ and that the princess will soon be killed.
The hobbit scouts ahead up to the top of the hill, discovering that little remains intact of the keep, only two towers and a gateway. Ridges and mounds are all that remain of the outer walls. He spots a goblin guard and stays out of sight. The rest of the group charge up the hill, lead by the dwarf warriors, with the Rohirrim ‘cavalry unit’ swiftly closing the gap. The goblin hears the sound and goes to investigate, with the hobbit stalking him. He sees the dwarves and turns to run, but is shot in the leg by the hobbit and then mown down by the charge of the warhorse and mounted lance. The group move up to search, but are thrown off the chase by the paranoia of the nervous mage, who is seeing orcs everywhere. There is a jammed door at one tower and a rickety one on the other. The halfling discovers that the gatehouse door seems well used and is not locked. The mage lights a lantern and the dwarves lead the way in down into the darkness.
Inside the short corridor has two doors on the right and a strange black rectangle on the left wall. The first door is locked and Syrus tries to pick the lock but fails. Saul noisily breaks the door down and is then attacked by a man with a spear from inside the room. He knocks aside the spear and with two blows the man is senseless. A third blow crushes his skull. Unfortunately he has managed to shout “Intruders! Intruders!” before he dies.
Meanwhile Darramon has determined that the black rectangle is made of black onyx and probably pivots in the centre. Gentle pressure does not move it. Various muscle-bound individuals line up to charge the door while the mage tries to direct their hasty efforts and prevents a disastrous double charge. The door is opened and a single chest is illuminated. Syrus takes the lantern to investigate it, accompanied by Laus, leaving the rest of the group in total darkness outside.
Syrus can find no traps on the chest and opens it from behind, with Laus by his side. Nothing happens and then a creature leaps from the chest at Laus, but misses. A dance of death then ensues as the would-be pest exterminator tries to kill this giant centipede, but finds it hard to hit. Syrus backs around, but in an ill-timed shot manages to hit the dwarf on the leg. Eventually the beast is subdued, but the dwarf has taken multiple small wounds. The chest is empty and Syrus stomps the creature’s body with frustration. Another secret room is then discovered, this one with two chests and a paved floor.
Meanwhile outside an arrow shoots from the darkness, striking Stu in the leg and bleeding profusely there is an unexplained delay before Nurn moves to bandage up the wound and the Rohirrim loses a significant amount of blood.
Abandoning the chest room the group moves to the attack and the two dwarves charge around the corner to face the mystery threat, which turns out to be a goblin archer, who lets fly and arrow at Laus but misses. The two dwarves are on him and have no mercy.
The rest of the group scout in the other direction and find a long corridor with a large gong outside an archway. Presuming a trap the Rohirrim throws a handful of coins up the corridor, but nothing happens…until an arm reaches around the archway to strike the gong with a hammer. Syrus tries to loose an arrow at the arm, but in his haste can only drop the arrow to the floor.
The dwarves join the group and they proceed up the corridor, only to be confronted by a horrific sight of the shambling undead body of a ghoul. The dwarves begin to hammer the creature into submission, but one of its diseased arms manages to cut through Laus’s guard and into his arm. Another ghoul joins the first and a goblin archer arrives as well. Saul hacks off both arms of this newly arrived obscenity and then a leg before the creature ceases to move. He then finishes the other, only to be shot by the goblin.
The action freezes. It is 8.35am.