[3.5E] Heretic's Bane Icewind Dale

[mshady]

It takes several minutes for the disorienting feeling in their heads to clear up it does. After a short time, Arman's nose finally stops bleeding. It was an unusual enough occurrence that Kelith made a point of examining Arman. The elf still walked with a crippling limp, from when a poisoned bolt had broken his leg. Perhaps he was at the end of how much trauma he could take?

"No, Glorian doesn't make mistakes. You just ask her" Buna remarks wryly. Carmard gives her a look, but says nothing. He too dabs at his nose, but says nothing else on the matter.

Sable and Wyatt fan out ahead of the group, exploring the tunnel ahead. The others follow along shortly thereafter, trailing several hundred feet and trying to be quiet as they can. Which was hardly quiet at all really, considering things. There was hardly room to hide, so the two scouts skulked along in the darkness. It was not hard, in the pitch black darkness. The only illumination was the faintest glow of lichen and the looming camp fire down the tunnel. That was more than enough for Sable, who wore a set of enchanted goggles that allowed her to see at least as well as a dwarf in the dark.

Wisely, the rest of the dwarves held in place to let Sable and Wyatt work now. If there was any sign the racket had been heard, there was no activity to mark it so. While this was supposed to be close to where the dwarves would meet whomever their allies were going to be in the next attack. Carmard and Buna had been very tight lipped about that.

Creeping forward now, Sable finds an alcove in the rock to take cover behind. With great care, she reaches for her spy glass and puts it to her eye as she looks down the underdark tunnel. She couldn't help but check the area for any signs of spiders that lurked in the tunnels, but she didn't see any. Not that she had the last time either...

With her spyglass, Sable looks down the tunnel and into the light of the fire and examines what she sees with patience as Wyatt waits. It takes her longer than she expected to notice the square, squat shapes hovering at the end of the table. Parts of them she is able to see, others no, making it hard for her to recognize shapes that weren't even really hiding that much at all and Sable had no idea how they were doing it. Some sort of camouflage, maybe?

Now the question was how to safely make contact...

[Chepe Nolon]

Commander Carmard is sometin wrong?Nega goes over too Buna and Carmard to confer and get an update on the situation.

[mshady]

"Yes and no" Carmard replies after a moment. "It turns out we dwarves may've been right to mistrust magic" he says. Blood dribbles down his nose again in a thin trickle, that he dabs away once again.

When it was clear Carmard had no plans to elaborate on that point, Buna interjects.

"What he's saying is magic's been unreliable lately. Mostly it works. Sometimes spells just have not worked in some areas. We nay know why yet. A few mages have been hurt. Nothing o'significance though. The Weave's a fickle thing, aye. Just enjoy the headache and be glad that be the worst o'it" she says with reassurance.

Nega can tell she doesn't entirely believe that.

[Chepe Nolon]

Nega frowns.Stuck in da underdark wit(h) magicks dat don't work is worse dan magicks itself.She curses under her beard.

[Strangie]

Wyatt waits for Sable to make her analysis of the surroundings up ahead, watching her back while doing so. Being sneaky themselves, and even with the dwarven group behind them somewhat, he wanted to make sure nothing got the jump on them as well. Teleporting wasn't out of the question, of course.

[mshady]

First Contact

Posting on Sable's behalf

Folding up her spyglass, Sable slowly leans back into the alcove and takes a deep breath as she thinks about what to approach here. She was not a military scout by training, but there were plenty of applicable lessons from her career. Making contact with someone was always tricky in the dark, anywhere really, especially when both parties were already on edge. She knew full well that people had been killed in just such a scenario. Whether it be a contact thinking she was someone else or taking advantage of a target who thought she someone else. Very real and deadly skirmishes had been fought when friendly units try to cross back across friendly lines, for want of knowing a password. When she had first met the dwarves, she had watched them first and nearly been shot as a spy upon introduction.
First impressions are always important, she remembers.

A fight now was not what anyone in her exhausted party was up for right now. Remembering the skirmish against a simple beholderkin in these narrow tunnels, the prospect of a full on tunnel fight against someone with magical ability was just plain frightening. That her dwarven employers seemed to relish tunnel fighting made her think they were all a bit mad. Apparently they had not bothered with a contact password either, to make all this less awkward.

Whatever it is these dwarves are paying me, I think it should be more for this...

Deciding on a course of action, she motions for Wyatt to stay down as she takes a deep breath. Making sure she was not exposed, she resolves herself to do the only thing she could. Just in case, she unlimbers her deadly bow and knocks an arrow, than lays it across her lap.

"You at the end of tunnel!" Sable yells as loudly, and clearly, as she can. Her voice rolls down the tunnel, echoing back to her. "Who are you?" she asks.

A gruff voice immediately rings back at her. She glances down the tunnel and swallows a stone at what she sees. Matches are struck and two tubes held by the squat figures come to life. There was no mistaking it. They were the terrible dwarven dragons, capable of throwing burning oil under pressure a long ways. Watching them had been one of the more horrifying things she saw at the battle with the Godsmen. It was encouraging that it was a familiar weapon, but who knows how many others had them too?

"Who be you? Step out and show yerselves, or we'll burn ye out!" comes the reply.

Oh frak...

Sable shrugs, committed now, and replies loudly once again.
"A scout for a dwarven company from the Patriarchate. We mean to pass through here and mean no harm. Now, who are you?" Sable replies.
This time, she hears something else entirely. It's laughter.

"Why didn't ye just say so? Saw a sneaky slip of something and the clatter o'armor down the way, figured ye for drow!" replies the voice.

"Still could be" says the other voice. "It be the Underdark, remember?"

"Aye, true. Ye hold on, have to ask da Boss. Stay where ye are!"

Sable thinks for a moment about the voice. It was certainly dwarven, but the accent was different.

There is a long pause of several minutes, as the presumed dwarves consult with their superiors.

"Ok, gots a question for ye!" bellows the voice back. "If ye are who ye say you are, what's the name o'the bloke in the box yer carrying for us?"
Well, maybe they do have a password after all. Easy enough, she hoped.
"Barauk! His name's Barauk!" Sable replies.

"Har! Moradin be praised! That be them. Come forward and say hello. We've been wait'n a bloody age for ye, figured ye for dead! Ye have noth'n to fear from us!"

A moment later, the flames go out and the dwarves move the barricade away from the tunnel to let them pass.

"I guess that went alright" Sable remarks to Wyatt. She turns to look back down the tunnel where the rest of dwarves are.

"We're in the right place, come on forward!" she yells.

There is a pause for a moment, than a reply.

"Moving up. Thank ye, lass" The voice was clearly Carmard. He sounded relieved.

[mshady]

The dwarves and their allies make their way into the encampment, wary for any ambush. With the exception of Nega, none of them really had the energy for a vigorous defense. Carmard keeps his hand on a rod that sits on his belt, and looks around suspiciously.

With the exception of Nega, the party is fatigued. All attack and skill rolls are at -4, armor is at -4

Leading the way forward is Hjalmar, with Nega at his side. The massively built paladin holds his tower shield in front and the two paladins form a wall to block any surprise attack against the rest.

It was Hjalmar who spotted it first. His hand immediately dives for his warhammer.

"Duergar!" he yells. The warning and battle cry reverberate through the chamber. No less than a dozen armed and armored duergar are formed up near the entrance to the tunnel, and that was just what Hjalmar saw.

The sound of weapons being drawn in Carmard's company comes a moment later, in shock at the surprise.

Cries of "Oi!" and "What!" can be heard from the duergar, but none of them make a move for their own weapons. The gray faced dwarves make an effort not to react.

"Hold yer axes!" yells a dwarven voice, cutting through the growing clamor. "We be yer allies!"

The source of that voice approaches through the tunnel, wearing plain brown robes held together with a black rope. His skin is gray and beard black, with traces of gray in it.

"What nonsense be this?" says a wary Hjalmar. "Yer bloody duergar!"
"They are our allies. Sheath yer weapons" Carmard orders, before walking to the front of the group.

"Aye, yes we are" the duergar says. "Sent to meet ye by Prince Tolrin himself. Moradin's blessings be upon ye" is the duergar's surprising reply. He actually bows slightly towards Carmard, before continuing.

"I am Sonnlinor Thordek Stonebreaker, blood or Lorne and I am a priest of Moradin. These are my followers and protectors. Hjalmar, I'm surprised ye don't remember me from when ye fought the Aurilites when you and Tolrin visited the caves near Hundlestone. I recognize the elf, gnome, fire priest and Magnum too" smiles the duergar cleric.

Hjalmar stammers for a response, before putting his hammer back on his belt loop.

"Aye, I remember ye. Just nay ever expected ye. Tis a hard thing to get used to"

"Indeed it is. It is for me too" he says, and shrugs. "Ye can call me Sonnlinor Stonebreaker. Good to see ya" he says, offering his hand to Hjalmar.

The paladin looks at his hand, than the duergar's and shakes his head slightly.

"Not yet" Hjalmar finally says. Sonnlinor Stonebreaker nods slightly, a quick look of disappointment on his face.

"Very well than" Sonnlinor Stonebreaker finally says. "Now that yer here, time to plan this attack. We're eager to show ye what we can do. The others will be here shortly."

[Strangie]

A half-hearted, "Yay," was all Wyatt could reply to Sable. He moved forward with the group, and once they all collected, took the first chance he could get to take a seat somewhere.

"I don't think I've ever marched so much in my life. And for a devotee to the travel god, 'dat's saying something right 'dere."

He glanced around at all the duergar, and then at the others, and frowned. "Awright, no orcs around to come and chain me down 'dis time... so far, so good, right? I suppose it'd be too much to ask if we're gonna actually get a chance to rest our feet here. If not, well... I came prepared."

[Chepe Nolon]

Greys!!. W(h)at in da world.Nega's eyes flash with anger and go dark. She bears no love for the duergar. You can sense that she would kill them all if she could.Dis be a dark day fer dorf kind w(h)en we associate wit(h) dis scumHer hand stays firm around the handle of her mace as she scowls and mutters soothing words under her beard. She whispers to Hjalmar:Stay on your toes lad can't trust em dese fiends.

[thorgrim29]

As they meet the Grey dwarves, Thordrek, who had been in contact with many reformed Duergar, is a bit surprised but not as stunned as the paladins. He checks to make sure Tasster is not about to charge before introducing himself with the respect dur to a cleric of moradin (not too clear on that one, shoul he kneel, bow, I don't know)

It's a pleasure to meet you Cleric Stonebreaker, I am Thordrek Torrun of the Forgemark Levtokuld.

I'm afraid you'll have to forgive our paladins, I've found that single minded devotion to the cause of the Moradinsham leaves little place for shades of grey in one's world view, no pun intended.

He looks to said paladins with a look of disapproval:

For shame, the both of you, Duergar who have returned to the worship of Moradin are our brothers in faith and in deed, and you should treat Cleric Stonebreaker with as much respect as you would any priest of Moradin.

[Chepe Nolon]

I've been killin greys since I was but c(h)ild. And many of my friends fell at da (h)ands of dem. I cleared da c(h)amber of Berronar dorf mot(h)er of ems kind. So pardon me if I don't smile wit(h) joy over dem. I respect da Sonnlinor but w(h)en ye (h)ave foug(h)t and killed so many of greys ye tend to keep yer wits about ye. I mean no disrespect in my words. But suc(h) are tings. She inclines her head slightly against the Sonnlinor.
Nega Silver(h)ammer First Mace of Berronars Valkyries Protector of (h)er c(h)ambers and C(h)ampion of (h)er fait(h) she says in a stern tone. For the first time you can see that this Paladin has a darker side then previously seen.

[Strangie]

"... huh. Bad history, huh... well, 'dat makes a little more sense, but... let's try not to kill each other before we get 'dis whole thing underway, eh?" Wyatt scratches his head a little, frowning. "We're all a bit too tired for 'dat right now. So... who are 'the others' 'dat we're waiting for?"

[thorgrim29]

Nevertheless, there are such things as redemption and atonement, as well as basic practicality. But I agree with Wyatt, we're all battered and weary, not to mention out of spells, so if you could lead us to your camp Cleric Stonebreaker we would all be grateful for a good night's sleep before venturing into the dragon's lair, quite literally.

[mshady]

Sonnlinor Stonebreaker smoothes out his heavy robes and looks smiles serenely in response to the quietly fierce statement of Nega Silverhammer, First Mace of Berronar's Valkyries, Protector of her Chambers of Faith. He stands unmoving as the other Thordek reprimands Nega and Hjalmar for their attitudes towards the duergar, even raising an eyebrow at when he says he has met other reformed duergar. He rubs his ash gray jaw and pulls at the short plaits of his beard looking at the group.

"Levtokuld? I'm nay familar with that rank, but I am just becoming familar with your Patriarchate. I look forward to working with ye, though I hope the price is nay too high. Every forge must be fed though" he says, and shrugs with acceptance.

"I appreciate yer tolerance. Few of my kin have turned back to our original faith. We are violent and bitter isolationists, and our faith is that a life of toil is our lot in life. We believed that Dumathion and the shield dwarves cheated Laduguer out of the honor of being patron of the dwarves, Laduguer being a brother to Moradin" he says, "that led to bitterness and warfare, the eventual fall of Deep Shanatar between your Crusaders and ours. The newest crusade, pitting the Army of Gold versus Steel to reclaim our mutual ancestral homes is history in repetition" he says. His eyes turn back to Nega.

"Yes, I do know who ye are" he says to her, with a sigh. "We all do. By our reckoning, ye have killed more than a hundred of my kin personally and commanded expeditions that killed more. We know ye as the Bloody Valkyrie and Berronar's Bane, among the more popular names. Your name is feared and reviled by my people all across the Underdark for the deaths you have caused and our holy places that you have conquered. There is a price on your head of over a hundred pounds of gold for the blood you have spilled in your years. The ambition of many of our great warriors is to defile your body and return with your head, with no preference to the order of that. Both Laduguer and Deep Duerra have named you to our clergy as Enemy" he pauses, letting his words set in.

Slowly, Sonnlinor Stonebreaker extends his hand to her.

"I offer you my hand, and hold no bitterness, for you and I are not enemies by coreligionists of the same faith" he smiles. "Remember First Mace Silverhammer, that despite the crimes of my kin, and crimes they were, that it was Berronar who spared Laduguer and the duergar race from Moradin's hammer. She showed mercy and spared our race, because she remembered that we are still her children too and would hopefully return one day. While Laduguer never will, some of my kin still might. Moradin spoke to me and showed me a sign leading to a different path. He never promised it would be an easy path. We don't deserve one. After all this time, I would like to think it was Berronar's prompting that led to that offering"

"Now tell me, Levtokuld Thordek Turron, what can we do to help? Our camp is nay far from here. Ye all look like several leagues o'bad road, so we can offer ye rest. Your former companions, Bundok and Duervar, have preceded you, along with a few others. We have food and warm bed rolls, as well as maps of yer objective. Our scout says it is nearly deserted as well, the forces there having left days ago. I'm nay sure how much time till they return, but I think there be little time to waste"

"Duergar's a duergar" Tasster says, standing in the back of crowd. "Never heard such nonsense in me life, and that be a long one. Good on the lass for kill'n so many of ye. I just thought her another pretty face in shiny plate. Keep yer faith and keep yer head, I say"

Sonnlinor Stonebreaker looks at Tasster with a look of surprise at the bloody minded statement, giving him a reproachful look that utterly fails to quiet the unruly Prince. Instead, he takes his axe and licks the blade and gives the duergar a wild look in reply.

Having stayed in the background with Buna for now, Carmard rubs his temples with quiet frustration.

"Nothings ever easy..." he can be heard muttering.

[Strangie]

Wyatt simply stares straight-faced at this whole exchange. The only parts of his body that move are his eyes that switch back and forth between speakers as they speak. At the end, once everybody is finished, he seems to agree with Carmard by lowering his head, and then simply slapping the palm of his hand against his forehead, closing his eyes as he pulls his hand slowly down his face. When his hand reaches over his mouth, he opens his eyes again, looking at Sonnlinor Stonebreaker.

He drops his hand to his side again, straightening up. "... Sonnlinor Stonebreaker. Whatever your race or history is, I don't care. As long as Carmard says you're our ally, 'den I'll at least treat you as such. I'm Wyatt, our group's scout. Believe me when I say 'dat over the past day or two, we've only had about an hour's worth of rest, if even 'dat much. If you could lead us to where we can finally rest our legs, I think me and my companions would like 'dat very much."

He gestures vaguely at Nega and Tasster, waving his hand around a little. "Since... y'know, 'dis whole meeting isn't really going all 'dat well and all, and I don't want to be spending the time I could be resting instead watching my allies make mean faces at ya and each other all day. I know what it's like to be stereotyped, after all..."

He is, of course, referring to the general assumption that halflings are nothing more than conniving thieves, tricksters, and other shady varieties. The reminder of that thought makes him frown a bit, but nonetheless he waits for the duergar to respond. He didn't seem to care that the duergar was, well, a duergar - despite being well aware of how duergar are in general, he was smart or patient enough to hold judgement until this one had proven himself one way or another.

He glanced at Nega and Tasster for a moment as he waited, with a sort of "Do you REALLY have to be like that?" look on his face, raising an eyebrow and frowning a bit, disappointment apparent. Whatever their personal history with duergar, he'd have liked for them to hold judgement for someone who has only been so far friendly to them, regardless of his race's history.

[Chepe Nolon]

Nega takes the Sonnlinors hand but she is still on her guard.Da dorfmot(h)er is wise and I trust in(h)eR wisdom she says calmly and releases his hand.

[mshady]

To Wyatt:

Sonnlinor Stonebreaker nods to Wyatt, accepting his tolerance with some degree of relief. His ears perk a bit when Wyatt mentions that he is a scout, as well.

"Yes, it would be better if we were nay at each other's beards before we even get back to the camp" he acknowledges. "That you be a scout bodes well. I was nay told a halfling would be accompanying your group, that the human woman Sybil would. Sable was it? Our scouts could only get so far. If you and your companions have a way to infiltrate, I think it would be a good. But I nay want to get ahead of meself" the Sonnlinor says.

To Nega:

"Your hand be welcome. If not in friendship, than in peace" Sonnlinor Stonebreaker says. He smiles at Nega and the two shake. While the Sonnlinor may be a follower of Moradin now, it was clear Nega especially made him a bit nerveous. "Da dwarf mother be wise and one of peace. My wish be that ye know that our hearts can change, and that yers does as well" the Sonnlinor says with a serene smile directed at Nega.

"Now, I think we head towards the camp and rejoin ye with your friends. We have a hot stew of mushrooms and rothe meat ready. If any of ye would like to join me in prayer later with my kin, ye are welcome to attend. Now, come along..." the Sonnlinor says. He waves for the group to follow him, as they head down into another tunnel.

In the rear, Tasster watches the duergar. His hand stays on one of his axe hilts, not trusting the duergar whatsoever.

[Strangie]

"Rothe? Er... make sure you don't mention 'dat to any of those of the 'bull' variety in our group, if you know what I mean... might get offended..." Wyatt says quietly, making sure Kerik or other minotaurs weren't in listening distance.

He nods a bit, following along. "Yeah, I'm a scout. I handle trap removal and I can fight, too. Nah, you couldn't have known I was comin' - 'dey actually rescued me from the underground some time back and in exchange for 'dat and some coin I've been workin' for 'dem since. I was in a previous mercenary unit before I hooked up with Carmard, but we got ambushed by raiders and pretty much got wiped out... From what I could tell, only two of us survived, myself included. Not pretty. Anyway... " He shrugs, gesturing to Sable, who should be nearby still. "Sable's still with us, too. We've been working together on our team's scouting duties, and I might say we handle the job exceptionally well - you can ask just about anybody in our group about 'dat. We'll talk more, and figure out what you want us to do, after we've had a nice sit-down and rested our worn feet a bit, eh...?"

Wyatt rubs his sore legs a bit, wincing. "Last thing I need are for my poor legs to collapse out from under me while I'm on the run, y'know...?"

[Gorgondantess]

Johannes stumbles up the the Duergar, quite late in the conversation. Being of a lighter and leaner build than most other dwarves- in fact he'd been mistaken for an extremely burly gnome once or twice (and he always had wondered about his "uncle" Gimble), he fell quite behind the rest of the crowd. Sweating and exhausted, he still does his best to keep his composure, though.
He approaches, the Duergar, holding out his hand with a jovial grin. "Name's Johannes, good to see a friendly face down here. Don't mind these folks, they'll treat you like scum if you have a pimple that doesn't look normal. Me, well, if I can get along a baatezu I can get along with a gray skinned dwarf."
His ears perk up at the prospect of a good meal and a soft bed, and he slaps the man on the shoulder in a brotherly gesture. "Anyways, what are we doing wasting time standing around? We can talk as we walk to your camp."
All of the exhaustion fades from him with roasted beef on the spit dancing in his mind.

[Melody]

Well that explains Yennifer.

Sable smiles and winks at Johannes as she walks along with Wyatt towards the camp and a most welcome rest.

[mshady]

The entire group embarks on another hike through the Underdark, towards where they can rest and meet with any other allies. The area where they met the duergar and Sonnlinor Stonebreaker was in an area of rough tunnels, barely worked and winding. It was the wilderness of the Underdark, but the duergar seemed to know the winding tunnels well. At times, the Sonnlinor takes a moment to consult a map and discuss things with another duergar about their path.

The two groups generally stay separated during the march, but at one point the Sonnlinor approaches Thordek and the rest, explaining that they were taking a different path than the one they had came to avoid being followed. He did not mention who might be following, if anyone.

After four hours of more unwanted marching towards their refuge, they step out into a wide, open tunnel. It is a shocking contrast. This tunnel is old and crumbling, but it's wide and expertly made with supports and a flat roadway, when not obstructed by debris. Much of it had been cleared to the side, fairly recently even. The Sonnlinor calls for a break at this point, and he has his soldiers pass out some of their rations to the dwarves and water.

"Ye may have lost track o'time between jump'n through the Planes, but it's time for breakfast. Nay too much time. We have places to be. We should be at the encampment in a few hours. There be an old keep near on the outskirts of the area once controlled by the old clan hold. There was a ring of them, built around the hold. It was nay abandoned when we got there, but short work was made of the Aurilites there. This old clan hold be an important hub for these deep these roads, and they go throughout the Spine of the World mountains. From what we know, it's loss would mean the Aurilites would have to move their troops overland. While they may nay mind the cold, it's still an impossible march. The loss be a pity, but better this than see old ruins desecrated so." the Sonnlinor says. He sits down with the dwarven group and chews away at one of the biscuits, while nibbling at the meat with careful bites.

With a much needed break, the group eats from the rations of cold, canned beef and stale tasting flat bread the duergar seem to enjoy far more than anyone else. Kaladus motions for Nega to speak with him to express his protests.

"I thought ye said I was nay to be fed as a prisoner? I would nay feed this food to a dog! An orc, even!" he exclaims. "This... poor food, I will not have it. Find me something hot, that I'll nay chip a tooth on. My constitution be important if ye wish me to produce your devil's miracle"

[Chepe Nolon]

Nega looks at him and smiles:Kaladus my dear friend. That food you got is w(h)at everybody else eats but I'll fix you some more enticement. Jo(h)annes!!! She calls.Now which finger do you want broken dis time my friend. Eat w(h)at you got and be glad you are fed at all. You eat like us and we survive Kaladus. She waits for Johannes to appear before speaking again. Jo(h)annes my friend Kaladus is not content wit(h) our food will you do me a favor of stimulating (h)im so (h)e does enjoy it more. She bows to Jo(h)annes and leaves whispering in dwarven to Johannes as she leaves: A finger will do I tink.

[Gorgondantess]

Johannes sighs. "Listen, lad, I'm getting the same crap you are, so just make good with it."
He takes his spellbook and pulls a page out of it, containing all of his cantrips, and hands it to Kaladus. "You're a mage. Figure it out."
Meanwhile, Johannes himself has cast a prestidigitation and warped the food into something resembling flavor, as well as supplementing the rations with a sack of cranium rat jerky he picked up while in Sigil. The stuff was stringy and full of gristle and practically oozed grease, but there was some addictive, savory quality to it that made him savor every last bite.
This done, he heads over to Sonnlinor and gives him some prestidigitation-enhanced food. "So tell me- you're a rarity among your kind. Just what brought you to Moradin's side, as opposed to your brethren?"

[Melody]

Sable eats quickly and without any fuss for the taste, washing it down with copious amounts of water from a flask. Resting with her back against a cavern wall she closes her eyes for a moment and is supprised as she wakes up a few moments later as some sound or another snaps her out of the light doze. Blinking she relaxes her hold on her rapier hilt and looks around to see who might have noticed her lapse.

With a weary sigh she straightens and heaves herself to her feet, running her right hand through her hair. She pushes back a few strands that have escaped back into place and goes to look for Carmard and her orders.

[Strangie]

"Heh, technically, we ARE feeding it to a dog..." Wyatt remarks off-handedly at Kaladus, letting the prisoner figure out that burn on his own.

He chewed down his food, not caring for taste as much as anybody else, as he followed Sable to obtain orders from Carmard. He hoped they were "go take a nap" but that would be pushing his luck, he figured.

[thorgrim29]

Thordrek washes the trail rations down with a skin of ale he had taken from Faithholme, sharing it with anyone who wanted some. He is soon ready, if not exactly willing, to continue.

((I figure we took supplies with us, and ale is a supply right?))

[Werewhale]

Nalrak Ironfist

Nalrak eats silently except to accept a swig of Thordek's ale, thanking him with an inarticulate grunt. He was still unusually gruff in manner, pale and had sunken eyes. He seemed to be spending his energy on staying upright so he had none to spare on pleasantries. The duergar did not improve his mood, but neither did the negative reaction of dwarves like Nega. But he was too tired to argue, so he stayed silent.

[mshady]

Johannes and Kaladus, than Sonnlinor Stonebreaker

Barely able to continue, the time is used as much for cat naps as eating. The rations are different from what they had in Faitholme, but only in degrees of blandness. Buna passes around a tin of valuable sugar around to improve the taste, which helps significantly.

Johannes alone seems to enjoy a better meal. He chews away on a kind of jerky he picked up in Sigil, a rather spicy kind made from brain rats. That the dehydrated and smoked meat still remained greasy was a testament to just how greasy the meat really is. The complaints from Kaladus soon draw his attention, and he wearily makes his way over to the two prisoners. Wisely, Regina eats her food and says little while Kaladus continues to complain. Her hopes that she would draw a beating are answered when Nega invites Johannes to break his finger again. The news leaves her smiling, but she is quickly disappointed when Johannes arrives and sympathizes with him at the food. He tears out a page from his travel book and gives it to Kaladus, explaining he should just use a cantrip to improve the taste of the food.

"You're just full of surprises" Kaladus remarks, holding the scroll in his hand. "You threaten me with a sword, break my finger and now this? I shalt not complain; merely marvel at my providence of finding such a friend who provides me with such marvelous food on such a dreadful menu!"

Kaladus says no more after that display, and instead concentrates on working the basic spell through his shackles. Thankfully it was a simple spell, and he manages to turn his biscuits and tea into something more palatable. Regina glares daggers at him, as Kaladus makes a point of showing her his improved food while she worries about chipping a delicate elven tooth on what she had to eat. She mutters something vengeful under her breath and returns to her meal.

Meanwhile, Johannes takes some of his magically improved food and takes over to see Sonnlinor Stonebreaker. He was too unique an individual to pass up an opportunity to speak with.

He approaches the Duergar, holding out his hand with a jovial grin. "Name's Johannes, good to see a friendly face down here. Don't mind these folks, they'll treat you like scum if you have a pimple that doesn't look normal. Me, well, if I can get along a baatezu I can get along with a gray skinned dwarf."His ears perk up at the prospect of a good meal and a soft bed, and he slaps the man on the shoulder in a brotherly gesture. "Anyways, what are we doing wasting time standing around? We can talk as we walk to your camp."

The Sonnlinor smiles at Johannes and takes the food. He eats it carefully, enjoying each bite with respectfulness. Johannes can tell that the duergar was trying to be polite, however hungry he was. They probably had few rations of their own, and who knows how they got what they had to begin with.

"A marked improvement on a staple, I might say" the Sonnlinor allows. "Now if ye could only conjure a good ale or some spirits to wash it down, it make this a proper meal" he smiles slightly. He motions for Johannes to sit down on a broken boulder in the carved tunnel. They sit on the edge, where the tunnel ends and the ancient dwarven road begins. While dwarven roads are strongly constructed and last millennia, dwarves are not the only thing in the Underdark that digs. The way they are using was likely carved by an umberhulk, a great creature that looked like a massive crab that clawed through rock like it was dirt. Smoothly carved tunnels are generally only carved by beholders, and those such tunnels are best avoided.

"Walking while we talk is nay the best idea. Ye certainly seem to be a different kind of fellow, so I'll explain as best I can. We try to keep it as quiet as we can, but I'll answer yer question...

Why? That was a question I asked myself one day. I was a smith in the duergar city of Gracklstugh, far below your Silver Marches.

Some drow came to me shop one cycle, and complained bitterly about how quickly the dwarven population was increasing in Citadel Adbar and Feldbarr, never mind Mithril Hall, and how they would overrun the surface and Underdark in a few hundred years. They asked me if I knew about this, being a dwarf. I could only reply... no. What they described dumbfounded me. I walked back into my shop and thought about what they said. Thought hard. I nay even cared that they walked off with the swords I was to sell them" he pauses and laughs softly at that. "It was less funny at the time; good adamantine blades they were!"

The Sonnlinor takes a draught from his canteen before continuing.
"What troubled me was that, while the shield and presumably gold dwarves were bearing children by the cart full... the duergar were profoundly not. Our population held steady in a good decade, but the losses to war weighed that down greatly. That had been the case for other dwarves, but... something had changed. What was the point of us escaping the illithids, if we were to all die out? If the illithids' victory was inevitable, why had the duergar rebelled against them in the first place? What difference did it make if the gray dwarves lived free or as chattel if their ultimate end was the same?

In me bones, I always knew the doom of the dwarves would always be numbers in the end. We all did. We were bitter and in decline. Our shared history has been one of pride, but steady decline. Suddenly it was nay for the others, so why? That was when I figured I figured only a God could do such a thing, and when my prayers to Laduguer, the Gray Protector, when unanswered, I questioned that faith. Had the Gray Protector abandoned his children? I was a simple priest, no theologian or a Thuldor. I starved myself for weeks before I could do the next sensible thing. If he had abandoned us, than perhaps I should pray to Moradin instead!" he says, his voice quicker and his hands more animated now.

"The response was... profound. Moradin gave me knowledge of what ye know as the Thunder Blessing, the thing that cured the endemic sterility of the dwarven people for all but the duergar, who were no longer truly dwarves when Ladugeur left the Moradinsamman, the dwarven pantheon. If our people would return to his graces, they too would receive that blessing. To that end, he accepted a simple smith as one of his clerics, a Sonnlinor, and charged me with the mission of leading as many as I could to the true embrace of the dwarven family"Sonnlinor Stonebreaker pauses and rubs his jaw for a moment as he prepares to say what came next.

"Heady with this profound gift and revelation, I gone told the other smiths of my Clan. Men whom I considered me friends. Their response was... what ye'd expect" he says, sighing deeply with sadness.

"They accepted me as a Sonnlinor of Moradin, yes, but their views were... unmoved. The leader of my guild insisted if I wished to be a cleric, I had to endure the rites of such by duergar tradition. So they promptly tortured me, chained me and forced me to work until exhaustion, laid stone slabs on my back and left me for days, worked me some more when I survived that, and finally branded me with the hammer and anvil of Moradin on my forehead. My family disowned me and they exiled me into the Underdark alone. Something normally a death sentence. By Moradin's grace alone... I survived all that. I traveled and sought to know more of the Thunder Blessing and what sins caused the duergar to be bereft of it. None of those were comfortable answers... We deserve what we are, but there is still the fire of hope burning in our forge, dim though it be...

"Now, I work to convert what kin that I can among my people's exile and castaways. Living in Underdark ruins as I can. Sneaking back into Gracklstugh, at great risk but with Moradin's guidance, to find whom I might save. Having learned of your Patriarchate, and their willingness to accept all who believe regardless of what they've done before, I see that I may finally have a great ally in this. If I survive this task, mayhaps I shalt find out. Moradin willing" Sonnlinor Thordek concludes. He takes another drink and sughs, after providing the explanation.

"I trust that answered yer question to yer satisfaction?" he smiles at Johannes.

[mshady]

Carmard and Sable

As Sable approaches Carmard, she sees that Buna and him are leaning over the map they were using before that showed the pathes in the Underdark. They were plotting their own course, with the extra time.

"We need to be moving out soon" Carmard grumbles. "We all need a rest, even if Johannes still has a spring in his step, but we need to complete our task even more"
"Aye? Ye and what legs Carmard?" Buna responds wryly, wrinkling her nose at him and shaking her head.

"I reckon... These duergar are making me nerveous. Two months ago, I was fighting them. Now I'm eat'n their rations... Bah" he mutters.

The two finally acknowledge Sable, who has been standing silently to avoid interrupting them.

"Where'd ye come from, ye stealthly waif? Ye got a bad habit" Buna demands, but she wears a smile on her face and winks at Sable. "I was expect'n Nega before ye, but she's probably working on her "keg" look thanks to an extra helping of these biscuits after slaying a duergar with sheer righteous indignation"
That draws a snort from the otherwise serious Carmard.

"What can we help ye with, Sable?" Carmard asks her, his face neutral.

When Sable explains her desire for orders, Buna shrugs her shoulders and has a drink. Carmard responds for her though.

"Our orders are to wait until they be ready to leave. When storytime with Johannes is over, we can get marching 'gain. Sooner the better. Once we get there, we rest and let Kaladus work" Carmard says, clearly perturbed at the mention of Kaladus. The edge in his voice softens when he continues.

"The lack o'rest has me irritable, forgive me" he says with a slight smile. "Welcome to a soldier's life, Sable. Mainly ye wait around a lot. Make the best of it that ye can"

[Strangie]

"Hah, if she's got a bad habit," Wyatt says, gesturing to Sable, "'den I'm worse. Didn't even see me, did you? Or you were ignorin' me. Wouldn't be the first time, I suppose, hah."

He holds up his index finger, remembering something. "Oh yeah, right. I paid a trip to the quartermaster back in Faithholme, Carmard. Made real good use of 'dat trip. Thanks for 'dat." He shows Sable the abundance of alchemical gear in his haversack, before closing it up again. "Thunderstones, fire, buncha other stuff... Enough for one of our patented 'alchemy bombs' and 'den some. Next time we run into any incantation circles, we're doin' dat all over again. When brute force or mighty magic don't cut it, get creative. Am I right?" He asks with a grin.