The dwarves chit-chatted (in dwarven tongue, of course) for a bit before Alaria took a sip of her black ginger tea and interrupted.
"Imgulg, can you tell us, please, how you came to be here? Tell us about your mistress and this strange realm bathed in night." the magess asked as politely and casually as she could.
"He's been around since the beginning!" Duor said excitedly. "He knows where the treasure is!"
"Aye, mistress. Twas just tellin' cousin Duor, here. I've been with milady for's long as I cin 'member. Her fada before her.
"Poor lass. So full o' life and joy once 'ponna time. Don' judge her harsh, I beg ye. She is bitter with loss and deservin' o' yer sympathies. I came with the mistress an' 'av been here e'er since. I won't 'bandon her...nay for alla gold'n the werrold. She's a good mistress." the white-bearded dwarf replied.
"What is it she's bitter 'bout losing?" Haelan said offhandedly as he took long appreciative sips of the, equally deilicious to the winter-Gorathgraard, hot chocolate.
"Wut she ain't, curious furry-footed one? Her fada. Her home. I mean her real, first home. Her sisters. Her beloved champ'yun. Then Madag-" the dwarf stopped himself at the mention of the name and looked toward the stairs.
He continued in a softer tone.
"Then, her one sister fell to the Dark One's influence. Cursed her champ'yun, she did. Inna form mindless and fere'er tied to this Forge-forsaken place." Imgulg halted his speech. His eyes went to the floor and a sadness greater, if possible, than the expression that seemed the norm for his face came over him.
"Milady has been through much. Watched the disintegration of this world her b'loved fada gave to her n' her kin...with his last breath, he did!
'Twas all well for a time. Then, them wut din't go with the Lady Amthyriine began t'fall. Twer lost, one by one.
"Milady watched'm. Protectin' them as she could. But one by one, all'em lost. The beasts. The birds. The courtiers n' servants til only Ole Imgulg is left.
"That horrible!" Haelan exlaimed. "Madag-a-bwil did that?" the daelvar was fairly confident he'd gotten the pronounciation correct.
"Twisted in the wicked corruption's o' her lost sister, they was. Lur'd by her magics n' charms. Left to roamin' the woods, mindless, tireless...dead but undying....til the woods 'came swamps...n' still they wander. Lost fore'er.
"Milady lost many friends. Many devoted ladies n' lords. But none so dear or tragic as what...the Dark One done milady many inj'ries but none greater'n wut she did o' poor Inskuel." he finished. As if to forget all that he was recalling, the dwarf looked up to the other companions and asked if any needed "more drink?"
"We're fine, good master Imgulg." Festus said at first and then found his spiced wine was, actually, empty. "Oh, um, well yeah. I suppose so."
"Festus!" Alaria chastised. "What is this form with which Madag-er -um, her sister, cursed her champion? He was one of the Swan Knights, like Ifthrakuel and Itzisgruel?" she asked.
"Aye. Twas a noble soul. Lost now t'wander the swamps a broken husk of a creature, bound t'the plants n' murky muds. Tis a fate wors'n death fer a warrior such as he...was." Imgulg again looked sadder than normal.
It didn't take much for most of the party (Haelan and Festus, notably excluded) to come to the conclusion that the Swan Knight was, or might be, that "shambler" they'd encountered.
Before Alaria could ask more, Fen interjected.
"Good dwarf, I've no doubt you've tended your lady lo' these many eons. But what was it, if you know, that might have been done by the Holy Order of Mistwood. I would, if I may, seek to make amends as it sound there has been a long time for grudges and bad feelings I would see remedied." the druid offered.
He made no charming smile, not any 'pleasant' look. He seemed entirely sincere, as best he could.
Imgulg frowned at the druid. "Ye dost not ken?" he began angrily. But then, he took a breath and looked again at the stairs. "Nay. I suppose ye wouldst not. The time has been long in this starlit place and, judging by what cousin Duor hast told me, the werrold tis now much changed..."
The dwarf seemed to think for a minute. He placed a finger to his bearded chin and seemed to be trying to recall something.
"Ah! Yay, I 'member. Twas one o' ye Greencloaks what brought the Dark One to Gorathgraard n' milord Gorathiel. Interduced 'em, s'I recall. Twas a friend o' high repute with his lordship...the Forge keep 'im."
When none of the companions made other query or interruption, Imgulg continued.
"Twas an advisor n' trusted friend to his lordship...I'm nay permitted t'speak his name in this hall, by milady's command. But he was one o' yer a...Sha-...Shaylok..ye calls 'em? A...wutzit?...a 'Keeper' in the human tongue.
"Said twas sent by yer 'order' to help maintain the beautiful realm milord had created inna werrold." Imgulg, literally, spat on the floor behind the couch.
"Twas a liar n' corruptor. Stayed milord's hand mor'n once against the Dark One...counseled him to accept the Temptress' affections n' averred, o'er n' o'er, her 'love' t'be true. Twas HIM wut did this to us."
He shook his head at the floor at some unknown lament. "Brought the Dark One, he did. Brought 'bout the end'a the whole o' our werrold, he did.
"All the folk of Gorathgraard he doomed. E'en Ole Imgulg. And so...ye und'rstand, milady hast no love for ye n' yers." Imgulg concluded more to himself than the company as he moved to collect Festus' goblet and replace it on his silver tray. He took Haelan's proffered empty cup as well.
"Might I assist yeh, oorn?" Duor asked as he rose from his seat. <DM's note: "oorn" - a dwarven term for "elder" or "father" harkening back to the origins of dwarfkind believed created by the Elder god, Oor, who was said to have carved the original dwarves of Orea from stone in his own image.>
This struck all of the companions as strange, Duor offering to help?! But Duor was very curious to explore more of this tower than he did the last.
Imgulg looked again to the staircase that rose arond the perimeter of the single chambered ground floor. "Milady wouldst nay like it." he said at first. But then his expression softened and he added, "But yer a nimble one. Cain't begrudge Ole Imgulg a bit o' aid after all this time." he winked at Duor and let the young dwarf accompany him down to the kitchens.
"Imgulg, can you tell us, please, how you came to be here? Tell us about your mistress and this strange realm bathed in night." the magess asked as politely and casually as she could.
"He's been around since the beginning!" Duor said excitedly. "He knows where the treasure is!"
"Aye, mistress. Twas just tellin' cousin Duor, here. I've been with milady for's long as I cin 'member. Her fada before her.
"Poor lass. So full o' life and joy once 'ponna time. Don' judge her harsh, I beg ye. She is bitter with loss and deservin' o' yer sympathies. I came with the mistress an' 'av been here e'er since. I won't 'bandon her...nay for alla gold'n the werrold. She's a good mistress." the white-bearded dwarf replied.
"What is it she's bitter 'bout losing?" Haelan said offhandedly as he took long appreciative sips of the, equally deilicious to the winter-Gorathgraard, hot chocolate.
"Wut she ain't, curious furry-footed one? Her fada. Her home. I mean her real, first home. Her sisters. Her beloved champ'yun. Then Madag-" the dwarf stopped himself at the mention of the name and looked toward the stairs.
He continued in a softer tone.
"Then, her one sister fell to the Dark One's influence. Cursed her champ'yun, she did. Inna form mindless and fere'er tied to this Forge-forsaken place." Imgulg halted his speech. His eyes went to the floor and a sadness greater, if possible, than the expression that seemed the norm for his face came over him.
"Milady has been through much. Watched the disintegration of this world her b'loved fada gave to her n' her kin...with his last breath, he did!
'Twas all well for a time. Then, them wut din't go with the Lady Amthyriine began t'fall. Twer lost, one by one.
"Milady watched'm. Protectin' them as she could. But one by one, all'em lost. The beasts. The birds. The courtiers n' servants til only Ole Imgulg is left.
"That horrible!" Haelan exlaimed. "Madag-a-bwil did that?" the daelvar was fairly confident he'd gotten the pronounciation correct.
"Twisted in the wicked corruption's o' her lost sister, they was. Lur'd by her magics n' charms. Left to roamin' the woods, mindless, tireless...dead but undying....til the woods 'came swamps...n' still they wander. Lost fore'er.
"Milady lost many friends. Many devoted ladies n' lords. But none so dear or tragic as what...the Dark One done milady many inj'ries but none greater'n wut she did o' poor Inskuel." he finished. As if to forget all that he was recalling, the dwarf looked up to the other companions and asked if any needed "more drink?"
"We're fine, good master Imgulg." Festus said at first and then found his spiced wine was, actually, empty. "Oh, um, well yeah. I suppose so."
"Festus!" Alaria chastised. "What is this form with which Madag-er -um, her sister, cursed her champion? He was one of the Swan Knights, like Ifthrakuel and Itzisgruel?" she asked.
"Aye. Twas a noble soul. Lost now t'wander the swamps a broken husk of a creature, bound t'the plants n' murky muds. Tis a fate wors'n death fer a warrior such as he...was." Imgulg again looked sadder than normal.
It didn't take much for most of the party (Haelan and Festus, notably excluded) to come to the conclusion that the Swan Knight was, or might be, that "shambler" they'd encountered.
Before Alaria could ask more, Fen interjected.
"Good dwarf, I've no doubt you've tended your lady lo' these many eons. But what was it, if you know, that might have been done by the Holy Order of Mistwood. I would, if I may, seek to make amends as it sound there has been a long time for grudges and bad feelings I would see remedied." the druid offered.
He made no charming smile, not any 'pleasant' look. He seemed entirely sincere, as best he could.
Imgulg frowned at the druid. "Ye dost not ken?" he began angrily. But then, he took a breath and looked again at the stairs. "Nay. I suppose ye wouldst not. The time has been long in this starlit place and, judging by what cousin Duor hast told me, the werrold tis now much changed..."
The dwarf seemed to think for a minute. He placed a finger to his bearded chin and seemed to be trying to recall something.
"Ah! Yay, I 'member. Twas one o' ye Greencloaks what brought the Dark One to Gorathgraard n' milord Gorathiel. Interduced 'em, s'I recall. Twas a friend o' high repute with his lordship...the Forge keep 'im."
When none of the companions made other query or interruption, Imgulg continued.
"Twas an advisor n' trusted friend to his lordship...I'm nay permitted t'speak his name in this hall, by milady's command. But he was one o' yer a...Sha-...Shaylok..ye calls 'em? A...wutzit?...a 'Keeper' in the human tongue.
"Said twas sent by yer 'order' to help maintain the beautiful realm milord had created inna werrold." Imgulg, literally, spat on the floor behind the couch.
"Twas a liar n' corruptor. Stayed milord's hand mor'n once against the Dark One...counseled him to accept the Temptress' affections n' averred, o'er n' o'er, her 'love' t'be true. Twas HIM wut did this to us."
He shook his head at the floor at some unknown lament. "Brought the Dark One, he did. Brought 'bout the end'a the whole o' our werrold, he did.
"All the folk of Gorathgraard he doomed. E'en Ole Imgulg. And so...ye und'rstand, milady hast no love for ye n' yers." Imgulg concluded more to himself than the company as he moved to collect Festus' goblet and replace it on his silver tray. He took Haelan's proffered empty cup as well.
"Might I assist yeh, oorn?" Duor asked as he rose from his seat. <DM's note: "oorn" - a dwarven term for "elder" or "father" harkening back to the origins of dwarfkind believed created by the Elder god, Oor, who was said to have carved the original dwarves of Orea from stone in his own image.>
This struck all of the companions as strange, Duor offering to help?! But Duor was very curious to explore more of this tower than he did the last.
Imgulg looked again to the staircase that rose arond the perimeter of the single chambered ground floor. "Milady wouldst nay like it." he said at first. But then his expression softened and he added, "But yer a nimble one. Cain't begrudge Ole Imgulg a bit o' aid after all this time." he winked at Duor and let the young dwarf accompany him down to the kitchens.