After your rest, you depart as the sun is rising. Its not too far and you arrive in about 4 hours. As the Keep appears the warrior halts you. "This is as far as I go. You'll need to find a way past the patrols on top of the walls. You know the river entry, by boat yes? Once inside there, there is a tunnel that leads to the inner sanctum. I've only been allowed once so I can't tell you what you'll find, aside from death. It's about a mile or 2 long."

Picture coming in a bit. The walls are 15 feet high, with arrow slits and go right to the water. Lookouts stand on top pacing the wall, a guard tower on every corner.

"Where get boat, and how enter keep with boat? What say to guards to let us in?" Shrek gently asks the warrior, almost at a whisper as to not alert the guards.

"Are you mad? Do you think they won't notice a BOAT? Or perhaps you can convince them you aren't the 'Dim, gigantic brute' they are looking for? You'll have to get over the walls, or swim (though good luck with that"

Picture still coming, promise!

“So… how should we get in?  I thought you said you knew of a secret way to get in?  A back door or secret entry?  I don’t like this … “ Olaerys scans the situation, looking for any other possible routes of entry.  

Perception :  17 

"To the inner lair, not the Keep. If you wait until dark you might be able to sneak in but you to over or around that wall. No boat is going to go unnoticed.

There's one sentry on each wall at all times. Shift change is every 6 hours. However you plan to get in, that's your best bet, or find a way to distract the guards"

Will embiggen the map : 

((Where is the “You are here”?))

Randall looks up at the wall.  "I... really don't see all of us going over top of that.  At least not with any stealth."

Sorry! You are north of north wall, behind a bluff. The walls are 15 feet high.

OOC: Distraction idea - in the middle of the night, upstream we fill a boat full of firewood, light it on fire, and send it downstream.  It'll cause the keep to go on alarm and everyone will stream towards the river side of the keep to see what's going on.  In the meantime, we enter in through the west side of the keep, perhaps where we entered last time we were here?  I think everyone would be distracted enough that we should be able to enter unhindered, and have a few minutes to freely roam around the keep in the midst of the chaos?

((Good plan, Shrek you’re a genius!))

Olaerys sees a light bulb appear over Shrek’s head.  “Shrek good man, is there an idea, formin’ in your head?  Do tell!  That place looks pretty rough to get into.  Seemed so much easier last time..”

Before the guard flees, Randall hits him with some last minute questions.

"So spill it... how strong is the garrison here?  How many fighters?  Do they keep any monsters?  Wolves?  Bears?  Any weirder stuff like shrimp monsters or giant claims?"

"The high priest or grand poo-bah or great gazoo or whatever you call the leader here... can they cast spells?  What have you personally seen them cast?"

"And what about traps?  Any hallways you guys were supposed to avoid, or floor triggers?"

"Don't worry about spilling the beans.  The way these things seem to go, we are likely to kill everybody in there before we are done.  There isn't going to be anybody left to blame you for ratting them out."

Update coming tonight or in the am

"Sizeable. 10 or so rabble. 6 more dedicated warriors like me. Reash and Jolly. They may have pulled more from the temple, likely another priest like Drosnin, the man you executed.

No traps. There are undead guarding the way to the Temple, the secret river passage I told you of. Ive only been to the Temple once. I dont know what you'll find there. I know there are trolls, and i was told to stay clear of the water if i wanted to live. As for Shatterkeel. As for Shatterkeel, I don't know what he can do. He is terrifying however. Powerful."

Out of earshot from the captive, Shrek whispers to Randall "Sounds dangerous...too danger for us.  Think he telling truth or lie?  Boss think we should get help from sheriff friends?"

“Yeah, I think perhaps we should visit the knights of Samular.  Perhaps bring back some help here.  And clear up that matter with them anyway.  Any other ideas?”  Olaerys looks around for the opinion of the court.  

Randall looks at the keep and then back at his allies.  "I don't know.  We're here now and we just cut down a good chunk of their forces.  Those knights seem like good blokes with their own problems to deal with.  My vote is give stealth a chance, then when that fails, kick all of these crab-lovers' heads in right here and now."

Ankita finally pipes up, "I agree with Randall.  And we need to keep moving, so try the river path?"

She gives her staff and dusts herself off a bit, ready to get a move on.

“Ok, ok, let’s do this.  I’m not the most stealthy in the bunch, I think I just proved that back in the encampment.  Damn branches and that boar.  Who wants to lead?”  Olaerys looks around, scratches his chin and looks at the formidable fortifications.