An earlier poster mentioned the other dwarven prisoners being red shirts. I do think that this is a very important distinction between the historically memorable characters from enlisted and conscripted companions.
I truly enjoyed the depth of deception by the wizard, but I definitely felt that the evil god was still too good. I was almost convinced that he might have actually intended to honor his end of the bargain! True wickedness have made up a contract with a mortal without plan B, C, D, E, and F betrayal opportunities. William had his task cut out _way_ too easy. Perhaps the God's opportunity to remain in the world without some form of human host is to destroy the hosts mortal coil with some accursed object. The deity might be weakened from some such event, but he would no longer require the service of his minion to remain in this world. Maybe the supposedly promised sacrifice of the other adventurers was merely entertainment? Somehow, a dark god should be dispicably evil and perverse, beyond the realm of any idealist to contemplate the question of his nature.
I truly enjoyed the aspect that the forest spirit was leading the elf to certain doom. He fully expected her to perish in the hands of the other god. Perhaps some alien pact was struct between the two divine beings: the elf was to undergo a test and trial beyond anything the forest spirit could use to test her, and perhaps the dark god was absolving some esoteric debt or agreement with the forest spirit? We mere mortals can not fathom the realm of interaction between the divine, much less those of differing natures.
As for Bram, that boy is a drunken fratboy troublemaker in a loincloth. The king was obviously sending to his death just to get him out of his hair for some time, but not expecting it to really kill him. By now, Bram has been on 7 or 8 missions of certain peril, and not a single one has gotten rid of him yet! Curses!!!