With no obvious sign of Bilfro's belongings, the group head across the courtyard to the tower diagonally opposite the former den of spiders.  Around them the air grows cooler as the cloud-filled sky darkens with the approaching dusk.

Approaching the structure reveals that it stands at the corner of a second courtyard, strewn with rubble and detritus.  A close examination of the tower reveals a door at ground level, reinforced by planks nailed to it, but not in such a way that they look as if they were intended to seal the opening.

A flight of crumbling steps, many of them missing, and others canted at sharp angles to the horizontal, lead up to a door on the upper floor.  The stone balustrade on one side of the steps is entirely missing.  The upper door does look as though some attempt was made to close it permanently.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:58, Wed 13 Feb 2013.

Ozzy crouched near the crumbling remains of a wall that once separated the two courtyards. He watches the sky anxiously, not at all pleased with the approach of nightfall. He then scrutinized the ground around him (for spiders, even little ones)) before turning his attention to Aarnr, almost certain he would get to witness the mans skillful use of a 'two-handed lock pick'.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:03, Sat 09 Feb 2013.

"Up there," Aarnr seems to prefer the more dangerous and better barricaded entry on the upper level to the easily breached barrier below.

"That froggin' orc I killed," the priest ponders, "the puttock that fell off the ledge," he clarifies. "Maggot had an axe, didn't he ?"

Enthusiastically, Aarnr returns to the first courtyard, looking to locate the creature's broken body in the ruins of the pallisade and retrieve his weapon, the better for prying open reluctant doors.

Fergus follows the others to the tower opposite.  The general condition of the keep did not inspire confidence and the stairs to the upper level of the tower ahead were no better.  Still, Fergus could see a kind of sense in Aarnr's suggestion, except for one thing...

"Aarnr, I got my axe right here." he calls after the priest.

"Back in a froggin' minute !" Aarnr assures his friend, not really paying attention to what Fergus is saying, so intent is he on locating the spot the orc fell.

Aarnr seems determined to get himself killed before his next birthday.  Or tomorrow.  Whichever comes first...  He heads back to the scene of the first battle with the orcs of the keep, and his triumphant entrance to their grim abode, to search for an axe.

His friends, meanwhile are left to ponder the condition of the tower.  The gathering dusk makes the assessment uncertain, and does not bode well for a safe ascent of the ruined stair.  Colwyn peers upwards in the fading light, "I reckons as I could be climbin' the wall an' takes me a look in that there window.  Could be good ter know what's bein' in there afore Aarnr's eatin' 'is way through the door.  Easy work fer me, with all them 'oles an' cracks an' stuff in the stone."

Corian eyes the rogue uncertainly, doubtless remembering all the previous occasions when Colwyn has avowed that some task would be simplicity itself for him to complete.

Meanwhile, amid the wreckage and the blood, the dead orc's axe is not easy to find.  Aarnr spots it, though, and picks it up... and it turns out to be a stick laying next to a piece of stone, in such a way that they had looked like an axe.  He tosses the useless piece of wood aside, and looks around again...

"Yeasty, common-kissin', dankish, fen-sucked, toad-spotted ..." Aarnr provides him opinion of the orc, its parents, and sticks and stones in general as he impatiently throws aside the debris in his pursuit of the elusive axe ...