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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5938149" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>The companions let Alaria and Fen sleep as long as they could. The half-elf, of course, required significantly less sleep than the human. But both were particularly pleased to feel refreshed and renewed in their energies.</p><p></p><p>Alaria gave her books and thorough perusal after changing into her violet gown (which Erevan, stoically, holding up her dark blue cloak to shield her from the others...well, from Festus particularly).</p><p></p><p>Haelan meditated quietly, as did Fen. </p><p></p><p>Duor and Festus were eagerly poking through the treasures they'd claimed from the behir's cache. Acknowledging their position, with a bit of nudging from Braddok, the dwarf ignored most of the coins and gems (skillfully pocketing a few handfuls of coin and a couple of large gems without notice), and pulled out the objects that he thought might be magical or useful.</p><p></p><p>These included, three potions (one dark blue, one pinkish with red flecks and one transluscent and thick..."like clear milk" Haelan commented.), two scrolls which he quickly passed off to the spellcasters, a large helmet that had great white feathered wings attached over each ear-plate (this was summarily given to Braddok to replace his usual helm which had not been among the treasures.) and the coiled length of curious silvery thin rope (about 20 feet worth).</p><p></p><p>Festus joked that Braddok looked like one of the flying warrior women he'd heard songs about from the Gorunduun barbarians, to the north of Daenfrii. Haelan thought it looked "charming, though a bit like something Coerraine would wear." The daelvar then got melancholy to again think about their lost paladin friend.</p><p></p><p>Between Alaria and Erevan they quickly recognized most of the spells on the scrolls. Two incantations of the energy darts, though with something a bit "extra", in their words, to the spells they knew. One also had a spell of shocking grasp. As both mages alreay possessed this spell, noone objected to Alaria using it, immediately, to recharge the electrical shocking power of her staff. The other contained a spell neither mage knew, though Alaria could readily make out that it involved an evocation of fire-base.</p><p></p><p>Alaria's mystic site quickly concluded that the rope was magical, the helmet however, was not. Braddok shrugged, not at all disappointed, but lamented the wings were white instead of black, like his heraldic bird.</p><p></p><p>Alaria, with a kind smile invoked another simple cantrip and altered the coloring of the wings to ebony, which pleased Braddok greatly.</p><p></p><p>"Consider it a gift for finding my change of clothes amongst all of this clutter we now carry." the magess smiled coyly at the warrior. </p><p></p><p>"My thanks, my lady." Braddok smiled in rturn and nodded a curt bow. </p><p></p><p>"But wut's it do?" Duor said in frustration at the human's flirting, referring to the silvery rope he now held. He tossed it a couple of times at Festus.</p><p></p><p>The satyr looked unapproving as the coil of rope merely smacked against his bare (but hairy) muscled chest.</p><p></p><p>"If I may?" Fen said stoically, picking up the rope from the floor.</p><p></p><p>"But it's still mine!" Duor was quick to add. "I found it, fair n' square."</p><p></p><p>Fen nodded with rolling eyes at the dwarf, "Of course, master dwarf." Keeping his hand on one end of the rope, he threw the rest of the length above them, toward the curious opening in the ceiling.</p><p></p><p>In midair, the rope seemed to uncoil and "attach" itself (with nothing apparent to attach to!) to the edge of the circular opening. Fen gave it a couple of solid yanks and it did not dislodge or come down.</p><p></p><p>"Way t'go, druid! Now it's stuck." Duor said in frustration before his dwarven mind realized it was a magic rope to use for climbing.</p><p></p><p>"How does one get it down?" Haelan asked, thoroughly impressed with the enchantment of the rope.</p><p></p><p>Fen shrugged and tugged on it again.</p><p></p><p>Erevan walked over, calmly, took the end of the rope from Fen and gave the rope a shake, as if using a whip, the end at the opening, simply detached and the entire length came down and, by itself, recoiled in the elf's hand.</p><p></p><p>He tossed the silver rope to the dwarf as he said, "Rope of Climbing. Let's go."</p><p></p><p>The dwarf scowled at the elf, outwardly, while inside he was jumping up and down at the possibilities of such an item's use...if they ever returned to any civilized land.</p><p></p><p>"And these?" Festus said, swirling around one of the potions in his hand.</p><p></p><p>Alaria tore the vial out of the satyr's hand. "We can not say, as yet. But we will...<strong><em>to be sure</em></strong>, " she stared angrily at the satyr, "NOT be tasting them until we know."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, yeah..." the ranger responded. "Unless it's an emergency, of course." he smirked a leering grin at the magess and winked.</p><p></p><p>Alaria did not return the humor, turning instead to Braddok and discussing their next move.</p><p></p><p>The passage was wide and high enough to walk in double file. So, Festus and Duor took the fore to scan for traps and peer as far as their differing vision could into the darkened passage. They were followed by Erevan. Some distance behind, Braddok walked with shield and glowing blue sword in hand.</p><p></p><p>The elf, dwarf and satyr could confirm that the magical light of the sword did not disrupt their vision...a welcomed surprise for all.</p><p></p><p>Still, Braddok stayed about fifteen feet behind the advance so that his light might aid Alaria's vision in the next rank, with Haelan. No need to light torches or for Alaria to invoke the much more severe/noticable blue-white sparking of her staff. Fen brought up the rear, sticking close to the wizard and priest. </p><p></p><p>The Hilltender was again lamenting their deplorable care of the ferret, Buttercreamshadowfeet, who was left to her own devices somewhere in that awful swamp. He hoped and prayed to his goddess that she would not fall prey to the lizardfolk or deadly snakes or vampiric vines or goddess knew what else in that horrid place.</p><p></p><p>They moved a short way and the passage came to a door.</p><p></p><p>Duor listened carefully at it and reported quietly that there was some garbled mumbling voices behind it. A casual examination of the door revealed it was not trapped and seemed to open outwards (toward the party), making a surprise entry difficult.</p><p></p><p>Readying themselves for a battle, Duor threw open the portal and Festus, Erevan and Braddok charged in to find a small barracks of a sort, with four small beds and a small square table around which sat four goblins arguing over some game of cards and dice. Their arms were casually strewn about their cots and, while armored, none had shields or weapons ready.</p><p></p><p>Two of the four grey-green skinned creatures fell in moments, before Alaria came through the door and ordered one be taken alive...for information, of course. </p><p></p><p>One made a break for stairwell on one wall (the companions realized they had no indication of what direction was what in this place). It made three steps before falling with two of Erevan's arrows in its back before it could even broach the first step. </p><p></p><p>The last goblin, who had gone for his shield and shortsword on his bunk turned and looked defiantly at the interlopers. The poor thing saw seven heavily armed demihumans and humans in its chamber and threw its weapon and shield on the ground before raising its hands.</p><p></p><p>"No hurts! No hurts! Gives up!" the goblin croaked.</p><p></p><p>"Gotcher captive here, magess. Now what?" Duor said calmly to Alaria. The dwarf then casually began searching the room, looking over the weapons, lamentably, "shoddy goblin make" and looking into sacks and small chests looking for any sort of treasure he could find.</p><p></p><p>Duor found only strange small medallions, each with a black horned dragon face on them, more shoddy weapons, hole-riddled cloaks and other dirty day-to-day items and about two handfuls (20) copper pieces of strange make with unknown minting symbols upon them.</p><p></p><p>"What is your name?" Alaria said to the goblin.</p><p></p><p>The goblin, thoroughly shaken and shaking, did not answer.</p><p></p><p>"Lady asked you a question, filth." Festus said seriously as he moved his blade closer to the goblin's throat.</p><p></p><p>"Festus, there's no need for that." Alaria said calmly. She placed a soft hand upon the satyr's shoulder and pulled him away. "Your name?"</p><p></p><p>"Gak." the goblin said. "Me called Gak."</p><p></p><p>"Gak, we need to know what is up these stairs. What creatures inhabit this place? Where is the dragon and what does it hold?" Alaria said.</p><p></p><p>The goblin crooked its head to the side and furrowed its heavy brow.</p><p></p><p>"If he doesn't know, can I gut him now?" Festus said stepping forward again.</p><p></p><p>"No! No hurts! Gak knows!" the goblin quickly amended as the satyr took a step forward.</p><p></p><p>"Stairs goes to more gobbles...and the cells, the shadows...and the master's rooms after that. No goes to the master's rooms. Very bad mojos. You not hurts the master." Gak quickly blurted.</p><p></p><p>"Yeh watch us, goblin. We'll hurts the master." Duor said over his shoulder rifling through a moldy sack.</p><p> </p><p>"And who is your master, Gak?" Alaria asked.</p><p></p><p>The little grey-green creature looked side to side, as if scared to answered. Finally, it leaned close toward Alaria and whispered, "The dragon's shadow is master."</p><p></p><p>"Gottit. Let's go." Festus said, moving in, again, to harm the creature.</p><p></p><p>"Festus! Knock it off." Haelan now interjected. Most of the companions were again caught off guard to hear the daelvar hill-priest making such a commanding statement.</p><p></p><p>"Does this dragon's shadow have a name?" Haelan said, now moving closer to the goblin.</p><p></p><p>The creature stretched its hunched form to sneer down at the halfling that was now shorter than it was. "You can not hurts the master."</p><p></p><p>"The master's name, Gak?" Alaria said. The magess was significantly more imposing to the creature, apparently and it quickly hunched over again in obvious deference.</p><p></p><p>"Says the master is...Tresahd...but gobbles calls it different...for many litters of gobbles." Gak responded.</p><p></p><p>"The Bulgruch? Is the Bulgruch your name for it?" Erevan supposed, his bow hand itching to put an arrow through this deplorable creature's skull. The elf knew, without any shadow of doubt that it would try to escape and/or betray them at its first opportunity.</p><p></p><p>The goblin placed a hand to its mouth to, unsuccessfully, cover its giggling. "Knows nothing. Pointy ears, knows nothing. Bulgruch serves the master. Destroys the elves with the Red Claws and buggy-bars."</p><p></p><p>Gak turned his head and looked sidelong at the companions. Gak was not stupid for goblin and was gleaning as much information for them as they were getting from him.</p><p></p><p>"Not knows so much? Heroes not knows. heeheeheeh." Gak said unprovoked.</p><p></p><p>"Then you will tell us!" Alaria said strongly and called the harmless but electrical sparking light to the end of her staff as she thrust it in Gak's direction.</p><p></p><p>The goblin soldier quickly realized he was not in any position to chuckle at these things. This one was a wizard too!</p><p></p><p>"No hurts! No hurts! Gak tells!" the goblin quickly cowered and huddled into a ball in the corner of the room.</p><p></p><p>"What are these?" Duor finally said, completing his search. The dwarf held up one of the four badges he'd found.</p><p></p><p>"Gak's tribe. Black Death. We serves the master. Red Talon serves the..." he looked with disdain at Erevan, "serves the Bulgruch...who serves the master."</p><p></p><p>"And what is it you call the master beside Tresahd?" Alaria asked, already fearful of the answer she would receive and hoped to Manat it was not so.</p><p></p><p>Gak looked long and hard at the magess, then to the other heroes about the room. "Can not wiiiinssss." Gak seethed quietly through clenched pointed teeth.</p><p></p><p>"The name, Gak!" Alaria commanded. "I grow tired of your avoiding the question. I might just let my friends here have their way." Alaria surprised herself that she, in fact, felt no remorse at the threat.</p><p></p><p>As Gak spoke it, Alaria felt the entire chamber grow dark and a chill rise up through her back (though in reality nothing about the torch lit chamber had changed).</p><p></p><p>"Dezzz-ay-ar-thillll." Gak smirked. The goblin could smell the fear coming off of the magess...and the others as the name passed his lips.</p><p></p><p>Alaria took a step back, her attempt to mask the fear on her face was unsuccessful. </p><p></p><p>"Wait..." said Festus in his typically dim way, "Desaarthal<em> is</em> Tresahd?!"</p><p></p><p>"That's wut the goblin sed." Duor said impassively. </p><p></p><p>"What does he want?" Braddok now stepped up and commanded a response from the smirking goblin.</p><p></p><p>Gak's toothy grin quickly left its face as the huge human warrior stepped forward. This human could obviously hurt him...very much.</p><p></p><p>"He?" Gak said, honestly confused.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, I thought Des-...um...the dragon was a<em> 'she</em>' that seduced Evaranthriine's father?" Haelan said. The shaking of his voice was evident to all of them.</p><p></p><p>Gak shook his head in affirmative. "She is the mother of the mountain. The master of Nor Gorthok. Always has been. Always will be."</p><p></p><p>"Mistress." Fen corrected, to noone's enjoyment.</p><p></p><p>"Wuts is miss-tress?" Gak said, now obviously confused.</p><p></p><p>"Nary you mind, Gak." Alaria interjected. This was bad. Very very bad. "What does the..um...'mother of the mountain' want? What is she trying to accomplish?"</p><p></p><p>Gak, again crooked his head to the side. His face, insofar as one could read a goblin's face, seemed sincerely confused by the question. "Will rule all. Brings the Great Doom to the world and return the gobbles to their <em>rrightful</em> place!" Gak's last statement was obviously directed at Erevan with pure malice.</p><p></p><p>"The Great Doom?" Erevan said quietly. He turned and looked at Duor for confirmation that he was not translating into the goblin tongue he knew only casually.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf, who up til now had been sitting back and almost bored with the interogation, reflected the elf's concern. </p><p></p><p>Braddok and Alaria and Fen looked from the elf to the dwarf and back again. Haelan and Festus ket their eyes on the goblin, but were thoroughly lacking in understanding.</p><p></p><p>"I don't get it..." Haelan said, "goblinese for 'Great Doom' would be...'zak sheer', right?"</p><p></p><p>"Flip it around Hilltender...and then pray to your goddess." Duor said.</p><p></p><p>"Sheer...zak...I don't gettit." Festus said.</p><p></p><p>Alaria put her hand to her forehead. "Sheer-zak...it's not a great leap to 'Shaarzak.'" she said in almost complete understanding.</p><p></p><p>"What's a 'sharzak'? I hope it's not anything like a Hargak!" Haelan said in alarm.</p><p></p><p>"Worse, Hilltender. Far...far worse." Fen said.</p><p></p><p>"Wasn't that the name of the big dragon your founder defeated?" Braddok said toward Erevan, searching for understanding. "You told us a story about it once...we were...on a boat?" the warriors memory was spotty, but he recalled something about that.</p><p></p><p>"Pronounce it like the dragons do, Haelan." Alaria explained. "Dez-ay-ar-thil...Shay-ar-zak. That same dragon that, yes Braddok, the founder of the Miralostae nation defeated...at the expense of her own life that her people might find a safe haven in which to live."</p><p></p><p>Alaria's mind raced with the tales she'd heard in R'Hath. The dread wyrm...far more dreaded than Desaarthal had been in the days of the Scourge Wars...the mother of dragons and a servant of the demon-godson, Aishapra. Shaarzak was a doom the realms could not contain. It was only with the power of the Eye of Arinane that the Lady Nirastelyn had defeated the beast...and the Eye of Arinane must surely have been one of the Repahlentim...the stone to which was attributed the powers of Life, according to Stenthil's research.</p><p></p><p>"Tresahd...who is Desaarthal...is trying to bring his...er...her...<em>ITS</em> mother back into the world! He...<em>IT</em> needs the Eye of Arinane to ensure she cannot be defeated when she is returned." Alaria began explaining.</p><p></p><p>"Or, perhaps, she..<em>.it </em>needs the Eye to bring Sharrzak back to the living...in any event, THAT'S why Tresahd wanted the Ihs Repahl...and others of the Repahlentim. THAT'S why he's attacking Miralostae, to regain the Eye!"</p><p></p><p>Alaria turned from Gak and began walking out of the chamber as fast as she could...back the way they'd come!</p><p></p><p>"Alaria! Where are you going?!" Haelan said in alarm.</p><p></p><p>"We can not stay here. We must return to Daenfrii and relay this information! I must reclaim the Ihs Repahl and we <em>must</em> defeat the Bulgruch's forces from entering Ayla Nirai and capturing the Eye of Arinane. Tresahd...or Desaarthal can wait...they must wait. We do not have the power to stop him...her...it!" Alaria found her confusion over the gender pronoun annoying.</p><p></p><p>"But, magess, you forget...We cannot escape the way we came. If there is a way out, we must find another." Fen said calmly.</p><p></p><p>Alaria halted here the door they'd entered moments before this horrifying epiphany. Her head sunk. "You are correct of course, my friend. We must continue."</p><p></p><p>"And didn't you say there was something about this mountain? Something you'd seen before? Something we had to get...or stop?" Braddok added.</p><p></p><p>"I did, Braddok. I did." Alaria said.</p><p></p><p>She sounded defeated even though they'd only just arrived and gotten some very useful information, which Braddok thought the knowledge-driven wizard would be thankful for. </p><p></p><p>"But I did not know it was THIS!" Alaria defended. "Our first priority must be to exit this place and return to Daenfrii as soon as we are able...or to Miralostae, to the battlefront, if that is not possible."</p><p></p><p>"Like HELLS!" Duor immediately protested. "We've come all of this way, been through all of these trials...to be on the dragon's doorstep!...Hells, INSIDE the dragon's doorstep...and you want to leave NOW?!"</p><p></p><p>"Duor, this information is too important to be lost searching in vanity<em> and greed </em>for a dragon's hoard." Alaria replied with all seriousness.</p><p></p><p>"But we know Tresahd 'r Dessie-arthal or <em>wutever</em> its name is<em> isn't here</em>!" Duor argued.</p><p></p><p>"This is true." Festus answered.</p><p></p><p>"He's a wizard...a...SHE'S a dragon-wizard, Festus. Desaarthal could return any time it wants...most speedily." Erevan replied as he raised his bow and fired.</p><p></p><p>Stormriders went diving and ducking as the elf fire straight through the room...through THEM!...Objections began to raise from voices until all turned to see the goblin, Gak, with an arrow in the back of his skull as he had tried slinking toward the steps while the company was in discussion.</p><p></p><p>"Erevan!" Haelan said in objection, at first.</p><p></p><p>"He was trying to escape, Hilltender. If we are to escape this place, with or without dragon treasure, we must go unnoticed as much as possible." the elf replied coolly.</p><p></p><p>Haelan could not argue with that. Nor could any of the others.</p><p></p><p>"Onward then?" Fetus asked plainly. "Can't get out that way."</p><p></p><p>Alaria nodded and the company assumed their "standard marching order to climb the steps. The magess was thoroughly in thought.</p><p></p><p>"Wait!" she said as the first of the party was climbing the stairs.</p><p></p><p>"Haelan, Festus, search your packs. There was an emerald. A teardrop shaped emerald...it was magical so I expect it was given to the behir. If we have that, I might be able to kill two birds with one stone...quite literally."</p><p></p><p>Not in the habit of questioning the magess, the daelvar and satyr began rummaging through their packs of holding.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5938149, member: 92511"] The companions let Alaria and Fen sleep as long as they could. The half-elf, of course, required significantly less sleep than the human. But both were particularly pleased to feel refreshed and renewed in their energies. Alaria gave her books and thorough perusal after changing into her violet gown (which Erevan, stoically, holding up her dark blue cloak to shield her from the others...well, from Festus particularly). Haelan meditated quietly, as did Fen. Duor and Festus were eagerly poking through the treasures they'd claimed from the behir's cache. Acknowledging their position, with a bit of nudging from Braddok, the dwarf ignored most of the coins and gems (skillfully pocketing a few handfuls of coin and a couple of large gems without notice), and pulled out the objects that he thought might be magical or useful. These included, three potions (one dark blue, one pinkish with red flecks and one transluscent and thick..."like clear milk" Haelan commented.), two scrolls which he quickly passed off to the spellcasters, a large helmet that had great white feathered wings attached over each ear-plate (this was summarily given to Braddok to replace his usual helm which had not been among the treasures.) and the coiled length of curious silvery thin rope (about 20 feet worth). Festus joked that Braddok looked like one of the flying warrior women he'd heard songs about from the Gorunduun barbarians, to the north of Daenfrii. Haelan thought it looked "charming, though a bit like something Coerraine would wear." The daelvar then got melancholy to again think about their lost paladin friend. Between Alaria and Erevan they quickly recognized most of the spells on the scrolls. Two incantations of the energy darts, though with something a bit "extra", in their words, to the spells they knew. One also had a spell of shocking grasp. As both mages alreay possessed this spell, noone objected to Alaria using it, immediately, to recharge the electrical shocking power of her staff. The other contained a spell neither mage knew, though Alaria could readily make out that it involved an evocation of fire-base. Alaria's mystic site quickly concluded that the rope was magical, the helmet however, was not. Braddok shrugged, not at all disappointed, but lamented the wings were white instead of black, like his heraldic bird. Alaria, with a kind smile invoked another simple cantrip and altered the coloring of the wings to ebony, which pleased Braddok greatly. "Consider it a gift for finding my change of clothes amongst all of this clutter we now carry." the magess smiled coyly at the warrior. "My thanks, my lady." Braddok smiled in rturn and nodded a curt bow. "But wut's it do?" Duor said in frustration at the human's flirting, referring to the silvery rope he now held. He tossed it a couple of times at Festus. The satyr looked unapproving as the coil of rope merely smacked against his bare (but hairy) muscled chest. "If I may?" Fen said stoically, picking up the rope from the floor. "But it's still mine!" Duor was quick to add. "I found it, fair n' square." Fen nodded with rolling eyes at the dwarf, "Of course, master dwarf." Keeping his hand on one end of the rope, he threw the rest of the length above them, toward the curious opening in the ceiling. In midair, the rope seemed to uncoil and "attach" itself (with nothing apparent to attach to!) to the edge of the circular opening. Fen gave it a couple of solid yanks and it did not dislodge or come down. "Way t'go, druid! Now it's stuck." Duor said in frustration before his dwarven mind realized it was a magic rope to use for climbing. "How does one get it down?" Haelan asked, thoroughly impressed with the enchantment of the rope. Fen shrugged and tugged on it again. Erevan walked over, calmly, took the end of the rope from Fen and gave the rope a shake, as if using a whip, the end at the opening, simply detached and the entire length came down and, by itself, recoiled in the elf's hand. He tossed the silver rope to the dwarf as he said, "Rope of Climbing. Let's go." The dwarf scowled at the elf, outwardly, while inside he was jumping up and down at the possibilities of such an item's use...if they ever returned to any civilized land. "And these?" Festus said, swirling around one of the potions in his hand. Alaria tore the vial out of the satyr's hand. "We can not say, as yet. But we will...[B][I]to be sure[/I][/B], " she stared angrily at the satyr, "NOT be tasting them until we know." "Yeah, yeah..." the ranger responded. "Unless it's an emergency, of course." he smirked a leering grin at the magess and winked. Alaria did not return the humor, turning instead to Braddok and discussing their next move. The passage was wide and high enough to walk in double file. So, Festus and Duor took the fore to scan for traps and peer as far as their differing vision could into the darkened passage. They were followed by Erevan. Some distance behind, Braddok walked with shield and glowing blue sword in hand. The elf, dwarf and satyr could confirm that the magical light of the sword did not disrupt their vision...a welcomed surprise for all. Still, Braddok stayed about fifteen feet behind the advance so that his light might aid Alaria's vision in the next rank, with Haelan. No need to light torches or for Alaria to invoke the much more severe/noticable blue-white sparking of her staff. Fen brought up the rear, sticking close to the wizard and priest. The Hilltender was again lamenting their deplorable care of the ferret, Buttercreamshadowfeet, who was left to her own devices somewhere in that awful swamp. He hoped and prayed to his goddess that she would not fall prey to the lizardfolk or deadly snakes or vampiric vines or goddess knew what else in that horrid place. They moved a short way and the passage came to a door. Duor listened carefully at it and reported quietly that there was some garbled mumbling voices behind it. A casual examination of the door revealed it was not trapped and seemed to open outwards (toward the party), making a surprise entry difficult. Readying themselves for a battle, Duor threw open the portal and Festus, Erevan and Braddok charged in to find a small barracks of a sort, with four small beds and a small square table around which sat four goblins arguing over some game of cards and dice. Their arms were casually strewn about their cots and, while armored, none had shields or weapons ready. Two of the four grey-green skinned creatures fell in moments, before Alaria came through the door and ordered one be taken alive...for information, of course. One made a break for stairwell on one wall (the companions realized they had no indication of what direction was what in this place). It made three steps before falling with two of Erevan's arrows in its back before it could even broach the first step. The last goblin, who had gone for his shield and shortsword on his bunk turned and looked defiantly at the interlopers. The poor thing saw seven heavily armed demihumans and humans in its chamber and threw its weapon and shield on the ground before raising its hands. "No hurts! No hurts! Gives up!" the goblin croaked. "Gotcher captive here, magess. Now what?" Duor said calmly to Alaria. The dwarf then casually began searching the room, looking over the weapons, lamentably, "shoddy goblin make" and looking into sacks and small chests looking for any sort of treasure he could find. Duor found only strange small medallions, each with a black horned dragon face on them, more shoddy weapons, hole-riddled cloaks and other dirty day-to-day items and about two handfuls (20) copper pieces of strange make with unknown minting symbols upon them. "What is your name?" Alaria said to the goblin. The goblin, thoroughly shaken and shaking, did not answer. "Lady asked you a question, filth." Festus said seriously as he moved his blade closer to the goblin's throat. "Festus, there's no need for that." Alaria said calmly. She placed a soft hand upon the satyr's shoulder and pulled him away. "Your name?" "Gak." the goblin said. "Me called Gak." "Gak, we need to know what is up these stairs. What creatures inhabit this place? Where is the dragon and what does it hold?" Alaria said. The goblin crooked its head to the side and furrowed its heavy brow. "If he doesn't know, can I gut him now?" Festus said stepping forward again. "No! No hurts! Gak knows!" the goblin quickly amended as the satyr took a step forward. "Stairs goes to more gobbles...and the cells, the shadows...and the master's rooms after that. No goes to the master's rooms. Very bad mojos. You not hurts the master." Gak quickly blurted. "Yeh watch us, goblin. We'll hurts the master." Duor said over his shoulder rifling through a moldy sack. "And who is your master, Gak?" Alaria asked. The little grey-green creature looked side to side, as if scared to answered. Finally, it leaned close toward Alaria and whispered, "The dragon's shadow is master." "Gottit. Let's go." Festus said, moving in, again, to harm the creature. "Festus! Knock it off." Haelan now interjected. Most of the companions were again caught off guard to hear the daelvar hill-priest making such a commanding statement. "Does this dragon's shadow have a name?" Haelan said, now moving closer to the goblin. The creature stretched its hunched form to sneer down at the halfling that was now shorter than it was. "You can not hurts the master." "The master's name, Gak?" Alaria said. The magess was significantly more imposing to the creature, apparently and it quickly hunched over again in obvious deference. "Says the master is...Tresahd...but gobbles calls it different...for many litters of gobbles." Gak responded. "The Bulgruch? Is the Bulgruch your name for it?" Erevan supposed, his bow hand itching to put an arrow through this deplorable creature's skull. The elf knew, without any shadow of doubt that it would try to escape and/or betray them at its first opportunity. The goblin placed a hand to its mouth to, unsuccessfully, cover its giggling. "Knows nothing. Pointy ears, knows nothing. Bulgruch serves the master. Destroys the elves with the Red Claws and buggy-bars." Gak turned his head and looked sidelong at the companions. Gak was not stupid for goblin and was gleaning as much information for them as they were getting from him. "Not knows so much? Heroes not knows. heeheeheeh." Gak said unprovoked. "Then you will tell us!" Alaria said strongly and called the harmless but electrical sparking light to the end of her staff as she thrust it in Gak's direction. The goblin soldier quickly realized he was not in any position to chuckle at these things. This one was a wizard too! "No hurts! No hurts! Gak tells!" the goblin quickly cowered and huddled into a ball in the corner of the room. "What are these?" Duor finally said, completing his search. The dwarf held up one of the four badges he'd found. "Gak's tribe. Black Death. We serves the master. Red Talon serves the..." he looked with disdain at Erevan, "serves the Bulgruch...who serves the master." "And what is it you call the master beside Tresahd?" Alaria asked, already fearful of the answer she would receive and hoped to Manat it was not so. Gak looked long and hard at the magess, then to the other heroes about the room. "Can not wiiiinssss." Gak seethed quietly through clenched pointed teeth. "The name, Gak!" Alaria commanded. "I grow tired of your avoiding the question. I might just let my friends here have their way." Alaria surprised herself that she, in fact, felt no remorse at the threat. As Gak spoke it, Alaria felt the entire chamber grow dark and a chill rise up through her back (though in reality nothing about the torch lit chamber had changed). "Dezzz-ay-ar-thillll." Gak smirked. The goblin could smell the fear coming off of the magess...and the others as the name passed his lips. Alaria took a step back, her attempt to mask the fear on her face was unsuccessful. "Wait..." said Festus in his typically dim way, "Desaarthal[I] is[/I] Tresahd?!" "That's wut the goblin sed." Duor said impassively. "What does he want?" Braddok now stepped up and commanded a response from the smirking goblin. Gak's toothy grin quickly left its face as the huge human warrior stepped forward. This human could obviously hurt him...very much. "He?" Gak said, honestly confused. "Yeah, I thought Des-...um...the dragon was a[I] 'she[/I]' that seduced Evaranthriine's father?" Haelan said. The shaking of his voice was evident to all of them. Gak shook his head in affirmative. "She is the mother of the mountain. The master of Nor Gorthok. Always has been. Always will be." "Mistress." Fen corrected, to noone's enjoyment. "Wuts is miss-tress?" Gak said, now obviously confused. "Nary you mind, Gak." Alaria interjected. This was bad. Very very bad. "What does the..um...'mother of the mountain' want? What is she trying to accomplish?" Gak, again crooked his head to the side. His face, insofar as one could read a goblin's face, seemed sincerely confused by the question. "Will rule all. Brings the Great Doom to the world and return the gobbles to their [I]rrightful[/I] place!" Gak's last statement was obviously directed at Erevan with pure malice. "The Great Doom?" Erevan said quietly. He turned and looked at Duor for confirmation that he was not translating into the goblin tongue he knew only casually. The dwarf, who up til now had been sitting back and almost bored with the interogation, reflected the elf's concern. Braddok and Alaria and Fen looked from the elf to the dwarf and back again. Haelan and Festus ket their eyes on the goblin, but were thoroughly lacking in understanding. "I don't get it..." Haelan said, "goblinese for 'Great Doom' would be...'zak sheer', right?" "Flip it around Hilltender...and then pray to your goddess." Duor said. "Sheer...zak...I don't gettit." Festus said. Alaria put her hand to her forehead. "Sheer-zak...it's not a great leap to 'Shaarzak.'" she said in almost complete understanding. "What's a 'sharzak'? I hope it's not anything like a Hargak!" Haelan said in alarm. "Worse, Hilltender. Far...far worse." Fen said. "Wasn't that the name of the big dragon your founder defeated?" Braddok said toward Erevan, searching for understanding. "You told us a story about it once...we were...on a boat?" the warriors memory was spotty, but he recalled something about that. "Pronounce it like the dragons do, Haelan." Alaria explained. "Dez-ay-ar-thil...Shay-ar-zak. That same dragon that, yes Braddok, the founder of the Miralostae nation defeated...at the expense of her own life that her people might find a safe haven in which to live." Alaria's mind raced with the tales she'd heard in R'Hath. The dread wyrm...far more dreaded than Desaarthal had been in the days of the Scourge Wars...the mother of dragons and a servant of the demon-godson, Aishapra. Shaarzak was a doom the realms could not contain. It was only with the power of the Eye of Arinane that the Lady Nirastelyn had defeated the beast...and the Eye of Arinane must surely have been one of the Repahlentim...the stone to which was attributed the powers of Life, according to Stenthil's research. "Tresahd...who is Desaarthal...is trying to bring his...er...her...[I]ITS[/I] mother back into the world! He...[I]IT[/I] needs the Eye of Arinane to ensure she cannot be defeated when she is returned." Alaria began explaining. "Or, perhaps, she..[I].it [/I]needs the Eye to bring Sharrzak back to the living...in any event, THAT'S why Tresahd wanted the Ihs Repahl...and others of the Repahlentim. THAT'S why he's attacking Miralostae, to regain the Eye!" Alaria turned from Gak and began walking out of the chamber as fast as she could...back the way they'd come! "Alaria! Where are you going?!" Haelan said in alarm. "We can not stay here. We must return to Daenfrii and relay this information! I must reclaim the Ihs Repahl and we [I]must[/I] defeat the Bulgruch's forces from entering Ayla Nirai and capturing the Eye of Arinane. Tresahd...or Desaarthal can wait...they must wait. We do not have the power to stop him...her...it!" Alaria found her confusion over the gender pronoun annoying. "But, magess, you forget...We cannot escape the way we came. If there is a way out, we must find another." Fen said calmly. Alaria halted here the door they'd entered moments before this horrifying epiphany. Her head sunk. "You are correct of course, my friend. We must continue." "And didn't you say there was something about this mountain? Something you'd seen before? Something we had to get...or stop?" Braddok added. "I did, Braddok. I did." Alaria said. She sounded defeated even though they'd only just arrived and gotten some very useful information, which Braddok thought the knowledge-driven wizard would be thankful for. "But I did not know it was THIS!" Alaria defended. "Our first priority must be to exit this place and return to Daenfrii as soon as we are able...or to Miralostae, to the battlefront, if that is not possible." "Like HELLS!" Duor immediately protested. "We've come all of this way, been through all of these trials...to be on the dragon's doorstep!...Hells, INSIDE the dragon's doorstep...and you want to leave NOW?!" "Duor, this information is too important to be lost searching in vanity[I] and greed [/I]for a dragon's hoard." Alaria replied with all seriousness. "But we know Tresahd 'r Dessie-arthal or [I]wutever[/I] its name is[I] isn't here[/I]!" Duor argued. "This is true." Festus answered. "He's a wizard...a...SHE'S a dragon-wizard, Festus. Desaarthal could return any time it wants...most speedily." Erevan replied as he raised his bow and fired. Stormriders went diving and ducking as the elf fire straight through the room...through THEM!...Objections began to raise from voices until all turned to see the goblin, Gak, with an arrow in the back of his skull as he had tried slinking toward the steps while the company was in discussion. "Erevan!" Haelan said in objection, at first. "He was trying to escape, Hilltender. If we are to escape this place, with or without dragon treasure, we must go unnoticed as much as possible." the elf replied coolly. Haelan could not argue with that. Nor could any of the others. "Onward then?" Fetus asked plainly. "Can't get out that way." Alaria nodded and the company assumed their "standard marching order to climb the steps. The magess was thoroughly in thought. "Wait!" she said as the first of the party was climbing the stairs. "Haelan, Festus, search your packs. There was an emerald. A teardrop shaped emerald...it was magical so I expect it was given to the behir. If we have that, I might be able to kill two birds with one stone...quite literally." Not in the habit of questioning the magess, the daelvar and satyr began rummaging through their packs of holding. [/QUOTE]
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