At the Grand Portal of the Dead

[Bronn Spellforger]

Daziel -- Why don't you and Corwyn find the Lunar Speculum and we'll deal with Flame. We'll try and meet up later. Or perhaps you'd like to have another vote on the issue?

Van's sleeping in the corner. Somebody please go wake that human up!

 

[Tom Cashel]

Daziel: "Look, I'm still the leader of this group. It's the best thing for the group to find the Speculum."

Velm: "Enough of that talk. From now on we discuss and we vote. That's v-o-t-e, not v-e-t-o."

Daziel: "..."

Corwyn: "So...why aren't we taking the treasure?"

 

[Tom Cashel]

Velm: "SNOWCAP! WAKE UP!!"

 

[Van Dyksun]

Can't a guy get some sleep around here?

"Really, do you dwarves ever shut up? Selunz...

"I'm not voting again. I'm telling you this: I promised the lich that I would return his lover's bones for simple gratitude that he didn't flame us all after we broke into his home. Yeah, I understand you guys don't trust him--I don't either. But absent some reason to attack him, I'm not the kind that goes around murdering people (even if they are close to dead)."

Van stares at Bronn, recalling his comments about the bugbear with the Scarlet Flame.

"And I think Daziel's got a good point that we need to finish Selune's bidding before we return, however. The lunar speculum might be useful in case the lich turns mean on us.

"So, while I would love to be hastened, Bronn, I'm thinking taking another four days is out of the question. That damn Zhentarim wizard is still around, and while I may have wounded him, he seems to have resources at his disposal and I don't want him getting anywhere ahead of us again. We need to move on--NOW."

 

[Tom Cashel]

Velm: *grins* "Little Snowcap has found his voice, it seems. Wise words, ranger."

Daziel: "Finding the Speculum may well help us all in our quest; do not forget that Clan Darkfell and the Selunites were allies, even if we struggle to maintain our own alliance.

"I say this to you all: I will step down as leader of Wolf Company. But once again I ask, can we let bygones be bygones and let the water flow under the bridge? Endlessly rehashing the mistakes of others won't get us anywhere.

"Van Dyksun has spoken what I also believe: we should just give back the bones."

 

[Van Dyksun]

"Oh, let me add that I don't think we need to return the bones immediately. The lich's been without them for years--he can wait for another day or two as we attempt to remove Hathos' curse from this place. I, too, support the idea that this could once again be a thriving dwarvish city.

"Who's got the drum? Who knows what the hell you're supposed to do with the damn thing? I'd take it up, but I haven't a musical bone in my body."

 

[Tom Cashel]

Corwyn: "True. We might be better off lifting the curse and opening the way for an army of dwarves, rather than getting ourselves killed trying to bonk every creature in these ruins."

Velm: "Good point about the drum...now would be the time for someone to learn how to play that skul."

 

[Bronn Spellforger]

Van, my young friend, if you're going to get squimish killing goblins, bugbears, and liches, perhaps this adventuring business is not for you. Perhaps you'd like to go back and play a game of skullbones with some ORCS before we leave Aerunedar?

Although Flame has done us no harm, perhaps you've forgotten that he did kill a good dragon and destroy Aerunedar. And you'd like to give him the bones of a powerful wizardess for him to play with. I don't think we can afford to be so flippant about this. I don't know much about Selune's will... but I get the feeling your goddess doesn't like people to create undead mages.. especially when you help them do it.

And especially since Flame isn't just a wizard ... he's a cleric for one of the dark gods. I'm not sure which one, but I'm certain he's gifted in divine powers.

I must admit, I'm confused by all of you. You want to play kiss-and-hide with a bugbear that tried to kill us, and now you want us to be errand lads for an evil cleric/wizard who slays silver dragons. Am I the only one with sense around here?

So what's our next move? My learning the magic of Haste was to benefit the rest of you, so I'm comfortable not learning it if you all don't wish it.

Let's lift the curse. But let's also destroy the foulness that is the Flamecoil. The first thing my dwarven brothers should see when they enter Aerunedar is his cursed bones turned to dust by the untainted light of Clangeddon and Selune.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Velm: *sigh*

"Are you really suggesting we challenge Flamecoil? And you call Van flippant? You were the one 'flippant' enough to live with that lich for three days. Oh, I forgot--there was magic at stake. Now that you've been tutored by the Devil you choose the moral high ground. What confused you, exactly?

"I am here to lift the Curse, not to get us all killed struggling with a lich. If he is, as you say, also a 'cleric for one of the dark gods,' then your plan is doubly foolhardy. I, however, noticed no holy symbol around his bony neck.

"Clangeddin has chosen me to bring his Word to all of you, and it is this:

"Pull together and triumph, squabble amongst ourselves and fail. If you are not willing to do the former, tell me now, because I will not stay and be a party to the latter."

 

[Tom Cashel]

Daziel: "...And once again the important issues are forgotten because the dwarven cousins are too busy arguing..."