The keep was raised by the Shadowlords prior to Ultima V to be their fortress. With daemon Balinor guarded the front, the Avatar had to enter the keep to reclaim the Sceptre of Lord British from the Shadowlords, although deadly traps surrounded the sceptre. Without the magic carpet it was impossible to reach the sceptre; the trapdoors surrounding it would drop the entire party into a lake of lava, where death was inescapable.