Question 1

as the rules are written merrick and the Gold dragon of the great wyrm would not get the 15 threat in the LT encounter for merrick and the special ability for the Dragon. As a general rule will Lt's gain the special ability written in the card when you have an LT encounter? In the rules it mentions that happening when reinforcing but not when encountering them and since we have been playing it like that i am wondering if that is wrong and we have been buffing the OL all this time.

On a sidenote i would guess also that the lady LT can turn one of her beasts into master with the brilliant commander as the encounter is a new area. (We have also been playing that way). Ofcourse she can't reinforce it but she can still turn any creature she wants into master.

Question 2

In the ascension plot comets start falling when you rage the 4th town reducing 1 fatigue and 1 wound in 3 trails away from site (temple) that the comets have fallen. Do that apply also to the overlords keep? Since any OL keep is 3 trails away from it's closest city that would mean that even if the heroes hurry to the OL to face him (since they now can) they would receive from 4 - 8 minus on fatigue and wounds (at best and it means an automatic win anyway so why bother trying) since the OL will just hitting the comets in the town close to his keep.

Thanks for any answers.

as the rules are written merrick and the Gold dragon of the great wyrm would not get the 15 threat in the LT encounter for merrick and the special ability for the Dragon. As a general rule will Lt's gain the special ability written in the card when you have an LT encounter? In the rules it mentions that happening when reinforcing but not when encountering them and since we have been playing it like that i am wondering if that is wrong and we have been buffing the OL all this time.

On a sidenote i would guess also that the lady LT can turn one of her beasts into master with the brilliant commander as the encounter is a new area. (We have also been playing that way). Ofcourse she can't reinforce it but she can still turn any creature she wants into master.

I don't have the cards or book handy, but if the rules say "dungeon" it only applies to dungeons. If they say "dungeons and encounters" then it applies to lieutenant fights.

In the ascension plot comets start falling when you rage the 4th town reducing 1 fatigue and 1 wound in 3 trails away from site (temple) that the comets have fallen. Do that apply also to the overlords keep? Since any OL keep is 3 trails away from it's closest city that would mean that even if the heroes hurry to the OL to face him (since they now can) they would receive from 4 - 8 minus on fatigue and wounds (at best and it means an automatic win anyway so why bother trying) since the OL will just hitting the comets in the town close to his keep.

The overlord's keep is a dungeon, so the comet effects work there. The heroes can get there faster with the Staff of the Wild, or they can plan ahead and be closer to the keep in the first place.