C is for Caerac

Greetings, visitors! I am Caerac, former adventurer, swordsman, and now lord of my own Keep! All right, I’ve been dead for centuries, but Caerac Keep was named after me. Yes, that’s right, this wonderful, walled city you’re wandering around within. Yes, I know my definition of Keep is different than what you might find, if you looked up the term. I earned my Keep, through questing and rescuing many a soul in need. All right, I actually liberated treasure, from many a careless monster, but every adventurer was doing it, in my day and age! Now, I’ve got all these monster right activists, picketing my tomb, accusing me of being a murderer and a thief! Right, I’d like to see how any of them would do, facing a real life monster! Plus, I did a lot of good, too! You see that tavern in Caerac Keep, the Tipsy Hedgehog? I trained Maggie, its owner, how to use the sword. She and I used to adventure together once. Now, her tavern is famous throughout the land, for its ale, along with its local dishes! What? You say Maggie is no longer in Caerac Keep? My fool of an author has transported her into another universe, where she’s playing a part in one of the novels she’s currently writing? Bloody devils! Why can’t my author get back to me? I was a good character! All right, I was only a background character, but still! My descendants have ruled this Keep for centuries! What did you say? There a strange, pale lord, who only appears at night, in charge of my Keep now? How did that happen? Come to my grave, young heroes! I’ll tell you how it was, really was, when I was alive! You know of Gwyneth Keep? Gwyneth was also a former companion I used to adventure with. Yes, I know, she ended up with a much larger Keep, but mine is a much more orderly and safe place! Monsters and all kinds of undead are constantly attacking Gwyneth Keep, so it’s no longer safe to wander around, unlike at Caerac Keep! What’s that? What do you mean, it’s because of a deal the local lord made with a vampire, which results in folks quietly going missing to feed its hunger? What scandalous lies! Why, you can’t find a safer place than Caerac Keep! Although, I will admit, it’s been getting a bit more dangerous of late. Come and find my grave, young heroes, and I’ll tell you the secrets of this place, but come quickly! If you dawdle, someone else might find me first, and I’ll be forced to walk the earth as one of the living dead. I truly hope you’ll hurry, but wait a minute! You say my author hasn’t worked on my story in years? Confound it! She can’t just create a character, only to ignore him! Lemme at her! How can she throw my story over, for that confounded Keep she shared with other authors? There wouldn’t even be a Keep, if not for me! Lemme at her!