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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 4252132" data-attributes="member: 3448">Not long after dark, a figure faded out of the shadow next to the cages.  The eum, for that is what it was, slipped discreetly over to our gibbets.  One at a time, the eum carefully unlocked each of the cage doors, taking about ten minutes total.  He then backed up and gestured to us.  We quietly dropped out of our cages, and Twang gestured to the storehouse.  The lock took him a while, but eventually he opened it.  We hurried in, grabbed our equipment, and put the blackened filigreed mithril matrix screen in a wheelbarrow.  He lead us back to where the rest of the eum were hiding-- another six, including one we took to be some sort of leader, as he had previously been seen hanging by Zolt.  The officer or shaman had tiny dragonscales by the muzzle.  They gestured at a small tunnel under the Shadowline, with one of the eum leading the way through either to reassure us in case of danger.  We pushed the wheelbarrow across the line above ground-- it is inanimate and could not set off any of the defenses-- and then wriggled through ourselves, crossing the way that foul creatures of Shadow do.The Eum shaman breathed a deep sigh of relief once the last of the eum had crossed.  He carefully picked out in clear but stilted Common, “Zolt said we should help.”“Thank you,” said Twang.“You help us.  We help you.  It is the honor of the Dragon.”  The shaman looked back at the Shadowline, clearly unnerved by its proximity.  “We must draw far from the Light-Dark.  Come.  Zolt is of two minds.”They led us off towards their camp.  The main body of eums had drawn back about a mile from the border and set up a very well-defended encampment.  We saw a rare sight in Shadow:  the eums were carefully tending their wounded.I asked the shaman, “Do all black eums treat their wounded?”“Of course,” he responded.  “It is the way of the Dragon.  We are not like others.”  He said that last sentence with almost palpable distaste.  He then pointed to a command tent.  “Zolt be there, with his lieutenants, plotting.”At the tent, two black eums stood guard outside, but they bared their teeth and then held the tent flap up as we approached.  As the shaman had said, Zolt and three others of the largest of the black eums had a huge map spread out on the table.  He clapped his hands when he sees us.  “Good.  You live.”“Thanks to you.”“Yes.  The Light-Dark is not a place to go willingly, but by leading him there, you allowed us to punish him for the destruction of our Lord.”“We were happy to help with your revenge.”“Not revenge,” Zolt said.  “Justice.”  Zolt directed our attention to the map, which showed Dragonhold Ripgut and the disposition of undead forces within and around it.  “We must discuss how to reach the leaders of the treacherous undead-- there are twenty who are dangerous.  We can destroy them, but only if we can develop a plan to reach them without being bogged down fighting the lesser undead.”“We help!” said Twang, baring his teeth.  Zolt bared his in response, pleased.  “That is good.  If we cannot find a way to destroy them, we will swear allegiance to you.  We would not throw away our lives for something that cannot be retaken.”Ironically, had we truly been of Shadow, that might have made us want to fail to find a viable strategy in the interest of adding the eums to our forces.  As it was, however, destroying the remaining forces at Dragonhold Ripgut remained a key step in redeeming Caldefor.  And while I was beginning to ponder whether the black eums were less naturally chaotic than other eums, such that they might be converted to Lord Paranswarm’s service, we still believed that pressing the attack on the Dragonhold outweighed any other goal.</blockquote>

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