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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ilgatto" data-source="post: 9749234" data-attributes="member: 86051">Duergar & Daemons Part XI: Back and ForthNight 103, continued: An hour later, around seven o’clock in the morning on the surface and thus at the end of the day in the Underdark, our noble heroes reach “The Single Man” again. They knock on the door, which opens forthwith, and they are ushered into the common room.“Bon-jou-ou-our!,” the chevalier sings to the innkeeper and five other duergar in the room, none of whom our noble heroes have seen before.“The usual, if you will, landlord!,” Navarre hollers. “Some of your roasted fungi and viands, and some of that cheese, if you could be so kind. And don’t be stingy with the gnome blood!”“Messieurs,” the chevalier greets the five duergar, doffing his hat. “De Sarazin. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”The duergar shift in their seats for a bit before they inform the chevalier that they were part of the king’s army.“A-ha-ha-ha!,” the chevalier laughs. “Et alors! How good of you to come! And what of the army?”After a moment’s hesitation, the duergar inform him that the army has disbanded on account of the generals returning to their clans to start the process of electing a new king.Navarre has been exchanging pleasantries with the innkeeper, who, once again, proves to be quite amiable for a duergar. From the ensuing conversation, he learns that the innkeeper isn’t much impressed with female duergar, the matriarchy, and, indeed, duergar priests, to whom he persistently refers as madmen, poisoners, and/or assassins.“I say, chaps,” Navarre says to his noble companions after the innkeeper has left and he has enjoyed some of the food and gnome blood – once more, he has been the only one to do so. “What about this business with the chevalier’s little friend? Is this to be done now or never – and en plein public?”The chevalier rises, gestures to the innkeeper, and then he, Sir Eber, and the innkeeper repair to a private room, where some food is brought in.“Eh, bien,” the chevalier starts. “Ces hommes dansants… one of them, he suffers tremendously! A regrettable situation! We simply have to do something! Perhaps you can be of assistance? Would you have any suggestions for a solution to the problem?”“Dancer have no clan,” the innkeeper says. “He worthless.”“Excellent!,” the chevalier exclaims. “We shall take him off your hands this very instant and without further ado! We will feed him, clothe him, give him a roof over his head! All costs will be ours!”“No, no, no,” the innkeeper says. “Is not what I mean worthless.”“Not at all, cher ami, not at all,” the chevalier says modestly. “Avec plaisir!”“Dancer no value, but he make money,” the innkeeper says.“But you can buy a new slave, non?,” the chevalier says. “Excellent! Let us shake hands on a deed well done!”“New slave cost much gold,” the innkeeper says.“Nonsense! The new slave will pay for himself and the dancer! A worthy investment!”“This takes much time. I will suffer.”“Eh bien!,” the chevalier says. “Perhaps une petite geste? A token of our agreement? Disons… twenty copper?”“Thirty,” the innkeeper says. “Thirty thousand copper.”“I meant twenty,” the chevalier says somewhat unhappily.“Twenty buys plates,” the innkeeper says, gesturing at the table. “Dancer make thirty thousand in one year. You pay thirty thousand.”“Twenty thousand,” the chevalier says. “Juste!”“Twenty-five thousand,” the innkeeper says.Now, Sir Eber empties a bag of two hundred gold pieces on the table.“Two hundred gold,” he says. “Take it or leave it.”“Two hundred and twenty,” the innkeeper says.“No deal,” Sir Eber says, picking up the bag and rising from his seat.“A-ha-ha-ha,” the chevalier laughs uncomfortably. “Two-twenty it is. I shall put up the rest.”Back in the common room, Navarre decides to call it a day and retires, which, unfortunately, seems to have been the chronicler’s cue to stop making notes.When he wakes up again, at around three o’clock in the afternoon and thus well after midnight on the surface, his noble fellows are also in the room, as is a chubby, rosy-cheeked duergar carrying a small backpack.“Ah, mon cher!,” the chevalier says. “Allow me to introduce Rodlu, also called Peska!”Navarre formally introduces himself, and then a lengthy conversation with the duergar follows, in which it turns out that the creature knows nothing of mining – the chevalier suggested putting him in charge of the operation at Diamond Castle at some point – nor, indeed, of anything else. The plump duergar remains quite timid throughout the entire episode, answering questions as succinctly as possible and obviously expecting a beating or worse at any moment. What does become clear is that, as a clan-less slave, he is of no consequence to duergar society – a creature to be done with as one desires and certainly not one to be trusted with any kind of knowledge whatsoever.After this, our noble heroes spend some time discussing what to do next. The duergar of the Red Cave are clearly reluctant to allow them passage further into the Underdark, and they decide that waging war on the creatures would, perhaps, be a bit much, what with them having two hundred armed soldiers. Sir Suvali’s suggestion to return to the egg is also rejected, since this would still leave our noble heroes with a lot of time on their hands – they’d have to wait for a night of the full moon, which is, they believe, the only time there is a connection between the egg and the river room.And so, with the Red Cave preventing them from further exploring the Underdark, our noble heroes decide to return to the surface and prepare for the battle with the traitorous Mim. Navarre cannot believe that he actually feels some regret for not being able to venture further into the Underdark.Moments later, our noble heroes, once again in the company of a dwarf – albeit a duergar this time – leave “The Single Man” and start their journey back to the surface.Night 104: An hour after midnight, five or six hours down the road, Sir Suvali’s dogs – yes, still there – start barking and whining and then a weak tremor happens.“What is that?,” the chevalier asks his new friend. “Is this normal?”“Is often,” Rodlu says.“How old are you, Rodlu?,” the chevalier asks. Apparently he has lost interest in the subject.“Seventy-five.”“And what languages do you speak?”“Gaelic, Duergar, Undertrader, Silent Tongue.”“Well, mon ami?,” the chevalier asks Navarre, when the duergar has moved to the fore again. “What do you think?”“I think we should have used the money you paid for him to honor the agreement you made with the queen,” Navarre replies stiffly. “I remind you that we are still to come up with a considerable amount of coin for your plate armors.”“Excellent!,” the chevalier says, nonchalantly waving a hand. “I say we let Rodlu deal with the Underdark end of the operation, what? Ah, yes, I can see it now! We will help him set up an inn in the mine!”“I think we will have to see about that,” Navarre replies, unconvinced that the duergar can be trusted in such a capacity or, indeed, at all.“Nonsense,” the chevalier says. “He will be parfait for the job. He has no reason at all to betray us. The duergar will never consider him as anything more than a slave.”“That is precisely what I am worried about,” Navarre says. “Not to mention the impact such an ‘inn’ would have on the trade of ‛The Dancing Pig’.”The company reach Stalag some two hours later, where Sir Eber collects his slaves from somewhere and the whole shebang boards the folding boat. Sir Eber’s slaves are as lethargic as ever, only showing signs of life when given explicit orders. When asked about the slaves, Rodlu says that he thinks the duergar have been collecting and breeding slaves for over three hundred years. Eventually, after some pressure to that end – and when Sir Eber is not around – he also admits that he ‛suspects’ that the slavers lace the porridge they feed their slaves with a ‛powder’ that ensures that they remain sedate, compliant, and wholly bereft of free will. When asked if there is something that could be done about this ‛powder’, the plump duergar indicates that he knows nothing of the subject.“Duergar feed slaves long time,” he says, shrugging.Meanwhile, Sir Eber has instructed his slaves – his ‘team’, his men – to start rowing and so the boat passes Fire Beetle Island four hours later, at the end of the day. When he hears the hammer at work, the chevalier announces that he wants to have a look at the contraption and so he and Rodlu disembark at the jetty. When they enter the cave, five duergar immediately vanish into thin air.“Have no fear!,” the chevalier yells. “Bonjour?”But the duergar do not return and, when the chevalier inspects the contraption, he finds some powder on the block underneath the hammerhead – crushed fire beetle shell.“Mes excuses!,” he sings, after he has had another look around and starts back for the boat. “Nous sommes déjà partis!”Back on board, Sir Eber has announced that he will fabricate a drum so that he can beat time for his rowers. Navarre cannot help but raise an eyebrow at his noble cousin seemingly having no qualms about setting the slaves he has just freed to work at the oars.When Sir Oengus weighs anchor, Rodlu addresses the chevalier in what is the first time he speaks without anyone having asked him anything.“Down water is Refuge,” he says. “Place for strange duergar, rogues, bandits. Not of duergar society.”“Très bien!,” the chevalier replies. “We shall also pass some poisoners down there. Do you know anything about them?”“Is who I mean,” Rodlu says stoically.“A-ha-ha-ha!,” the chevalier laughs. “N’est-ce pas? They tried to poison us there.”“Maybe that happen many times since you here?,” Rodlu says, with a furtive glance at the chevalier.“Sans doute,” the chevalier says. “Is there something we can do about these poisons?”“Not so much. Duergar immune. Poisons is priest business. Refuge is last outpost of duergar.”“Any other duergar settlements you can tell us about?”“Spider men. After Red Cave.”“And after that?,” Sir Suvali asks. He has expressed his belief that there is nothing beyond the Red Cave on multiple occasions.“Wild lands,” Rodlu says. “Grottoes, broken lands. No clear way for many collapses.”“And what is out there?”“Is maybe maze.”“And who lives there?”“Duergar.”“Any of the other creatures of the Underdark?”“No. Is duergar realm.”“And what is that curtain over there?,” Sir Eber asks, pointing at the black ‘opening’ in the wall the boat is just passing.“Is dwarven door. Gate. Duergar use to travel big distance. Also take duergar to other places.”Three hours later, the boat approaches the quay of Refuge. It looks as deserted as when our noble heroes first found it.“You leave me there?,” Rodlu asks, a glimmer of hope, perhaps the inkling of a sly smile, on his chubby face.“Aber Rodlu!,” the chevalier exclaims. “We have only just met!”“No hurt to try,” Rodlu says ruefully when the laughter has died down.The boat passes the quay without incident and then the tunnel gets narrower and narrower, the pull of the river gradually increasing, albeit still without too much effect on the vessel’s progress. When the ceiling gets lower as well, Sir Oengus orders the mast to be lowered.Some two hours later, the boat reaches the point where the entrance to the egg must be. There is no quay.“Curieux,” the chevalier says.“Quite,” Navarre agrees.The noble duo have been on the bow for the past couple of hours, sipping the last of the Lillac.“I somehow expected the river room to open onto the quay, not the whole quay not existing,” Navarre says.“It’s okay,” Sir Suvali says, approaching. “We know how to get to the egg from the other side.”The journey continues until Navarre and the chevalier, still on the bow, notice a faint light in the distance. The boat has been moving at some speed for some time now and presently Sir Oengus starts yelling at the oarsmen.“Heave-to!,” he hollers. “Heave-to!”The boat starts to slow down but apparently not as fast as Sir Oengus would like.“Put yer backs into it, ye scurvy dogs!,” he hollers. “Heave-to, by thunder!”When the boat has eventually come to a halt and the anchor is dropped, Sir Oengus calls his noble companions.“I don’t like it as to be sure, lubbers,” he says. “Stream be far too strong for me liking and she be fighting the anchors like a fury. This be as far as we’ll take her.”“I’ll see what that light is,” Sir Suvali says, unfolding the wings of his flying contraption and taking off.Sir Oengus returns to hollering commands at the oarsmen, who have some considerable trouble stabilizing the vessel until Sir Eber hammers some pinions into the tunnel walls and the boat is securely tied to them with ropes.Meanwhile, Sir Suvali is getting closer and closer to what is more and more starting to look like the end of the tunnel. The river is now a gushing torrent and the light has grown brighter, a definite bluish tinge to it. The wind has increased and the sorcerer has to take care not to crash into the ceiling or one of the walls. He advances until he ends up in a cavern-like space with a ceiling of ice, where he must actually take cover in a gully lest the wind blow him all the way to the other end of the cavern and he might have trouble getting back. He gathers he must be somewhere below the Icy Waste and takes note of the fact that this means that there is another entrance to the Underdark, albeit a difficult one to take at the best of times. He has a good look around and starts back for the boat.“Trouble ahead,” he says to Sir Oengus, when he is back on board. “We can’t get there with the ship. This is as far as we can go anyway. The stream is too strong and we can’t turn the ship down there.”“What is down there?” the chevalier asks.“The Icy Waste. Another entrance to the Underdark but no one can use it.”“So what now?,” Navarre asks.“We go back to the tin mine,” the sorcerer says. “Take the tunnel that leads on from there.”“There is another tunnel there?,” Navarre asks in surprise.“Yes,” the sorcerer says.It would be fair to say that the others are at least as surprised as Navarre at this news.Getting the boat to turn around and then back upstream again proves to be as hard as Sir Oengus thought it would be and it takes all of our noble heroes at the oars and Sir Oengus himself behind the wheel. About an hour later, after some hard work, the boat is finally back in calmer waters and, with Sir Eber’s slaves back at the oars, our noble heroes decide to push on until they get back to Refuge. There is a short pause when the vessel reaches the point where the quay to the river room used to be and Sir Eber tries to determine its exact location. Still interested to learn something about tracking and trailing, Navarre assists his noble companion until they succeed in exactly pinpointing the quay’s location (“99%”). Sir Suvali leaves marks in various locations on the walls and the ceiling and then the voyage continues.When our noble heroes reach Refuge again, Sir Eber gives his slaves a good meal and some copper. The creatures still haven’t shown any initiative at all and they must actually be told to pick up the copper and put it in their bags lest they would have left it lying just there.By now, our noble heroes feel like it is way past their bedtime, which it is, and they decide to eat and rest for a while.“You look for Lost Yerichor?,” Rodlu asks, after everybody has eaten.“Do you know something about it?,” Navarre asks in return, emptying his last glass of Lillac.“Is long story,” Rodlu says, glancing at the chevalier.“Not at all, mon ami, not at all,” the latter says. “Je vous en prie.”And so Rodlu informs our noble heroes that there are no duergar wizards and that, one thousand to twelve hundred years ago, there were duergar priests who associated with daemons. One of the most powerful of these even had ‛physical relations’ with one of these entities, which resulted in a son who turned out to be an accomplished wizard. This led to ‛a lot of trouble’ and the wizard was eventually banished from duergar society.“Legends say wizard and followers build or Lost Yerichor,” he finishes. “Or maybe find.”“Quite,” Navarre muses. “Did he run into a dragon?”“Legends say yes,” Rodlu says. “This realm was property of duergar who helped dragon clans of White Wizard.”“I’ve been wondering about this ‘white wizard’,” Navarre says. “Is he a dragon?”“Yes,” Rodlu says. “White dragon.”“Krek,” Sir Oengus says. “What happened to this dragon?”“Big fight kill all dragons,” Rodlu says. “Some duergar survived.”He goes on to say that the battle with the White Wizard was some two to two and a half thousand years ago and that the last dragon was killed around the same time. Which means that the duergar wizard finding a dragon – or, indeed, a dragon’s egg – well over a thousand years later would have been a remarkable event. To put all of this in some perspective, it is good to know that the history of The Forest spans some thousand to twelve hundred years and that it started when the Foresters – not known as such at that time, obviously – had escaped from ‘the darkness’.“You want to surface, yes?,” Rodlu asks, after this.“Possibly,” Navarre says.“Refuge has exit to surface,” Rodlu says with a faint glint of hope in his eye. “Maybe I ask for you?”“Your duergar seems awfully keen on getting to Refuge, old boy,” Navarre says to the chevalier.“Where is this way?,” the chevalier asks.“Don’t know,” Rodlu says, with a cautious glance at the chevalier. “Must ask.”Night 105: It must be about an hour after midnight when Sir Oengus docks the boat at the quay at Stalag. The whole trip has taken some seventeen hours of almost constant rowing, with our noble heroes taking long shifts to allow Sir Eber’s slaves to rest at times – even Navarre has had to pitch in at the end. Although everybody did get some sleep at some time during all of this, our noble heroes still decide to remain at the quay until ‘daybreak’, which would be seven o’clock in the evening on the surface.It is around that time that we find Sir Eber and the chevalier discussing the former’s slaves and their lethargic behavior.“Slaves get poisons in food,” Rodlu volunteers at some point. “Is better for all.”“Will they improve?,” Sir Eber asks.“Poisons will go,” Rodlu says. “Slaves have no poisons since Stalag.”“I say,” the chevalier says. “Perhaps we should buy some poisons down here?”“I don’t like poisons,” Sir Eber says. “They are evil.”“Duergar no problem with poisons,” Rodlu says. “Always much poisons with duergar and priests always make new poisons for very long time. Duergar now immune to poisons.”“Maybe we can trade surface poison for duergar poison,” Sir Suvali suggests. “The duergar may be immune to their own poisons but maybe not to those from the surface.”“Exactement,” the chevalier muses. “Duergar poison might be quite the weapon in the war against Mim.”“Maybe we should try some herbal tea on Rodlu here?,” Sir Suvali says.“I’d say that would rather depend on what Rodlu has to say about the matter,” Navarre says, not at all impressed with the conversation.“Rodlu don’t mind,” the duergar says.Navarre shrugs and leaves. He doesn’t need to witness this.When the herbal tea turns out to have little to no effect on Rodlu, our noble heroes decide to continue their journey to the old tin mine. When everybody is on the quay, Sir Oengus commands the folding boat to fold back into a box and then the long walk to the mine commences.Night 109: The company reach the cavern with the rothmen at the end of the day. The chevalier knocks on the gates, which open after some time. Although reluctant at first, the rothmen eventually agree to let the company spend the night, especially when the chevalier has shown them some coin. When they are let into the complex, the chevalier has a good look at the rothman guiding them. Although he does not differ from regular duergar in general – gray, nasty, disturbing grin, full armor, armed to the teeth – there are some notable differences. He wears leather armor, a wide-rimmed hat against the constant ‘rain’ in the cavern, and he carries a whip and a crossbow smaller than any crossbow the chevalier has ever seen.“How much for one of these crossbows, mon ami?,” he asks the rothman.“Er… Very much expensive,” the rothman says.“Try me,” Sir Oengus says.“Three hundred gold. One gold for one bolt.”“Well shiver me timbers,” Sir Oengus says. “That is very much expensive!”Despite their reservations, the chevalier soon gets the rothmen to talk to some extent. Thus, our noble heroes learn that there is nothing beyond the exit to the old tin mine for about four days, although the tunnel will still take them ‘further into the duergar realm’. After that, they will find three clans living close together – bad sorts, obviously – with about a day’s travel between them. These clans are largely self-sufficient and they do not usually conduct trade of any kind. They produce copper items, rear rothé, breed steeders, and they do not use many slaves. However, since they are located deeper in the duergar realm, the rothmen say that there may be a chance that the clans have access to more exotic goods than those found on this side of the old tin mine. Of course, the rothmen advise against any financial deals with these clans, stating that none of them can be trusted to any degree.After all this, the chevalier orders some rothé steaks and then our noble heroes retire.Night 109-120: The days are spent trawling through the Underdark, with the tunnel continuing to veer left ever so slightly and with the usual smaller tunnels branching off to the left on occasion. The company cover some fifteen miles per day and they do not run into a single duergar nor, indeed, any other creature of the Underdark. When this is mentioned at some point, Rodlu says that it is quite unusual for the tunnel to be deserted like this.“But maybe not now,” he adds with a distinctly straight face. “You make much noise. Duergar have much time to prepare when you come.”Following this, Sir Eber starts looking for tracks and does actually find some of them, many of them quite recent.As the days go by, our noble heroes discuss many things, most notably their plans for the war against Mim. Sir Suvali has calculated that there is quite some time left for them to explore the Underdark before they really have to get back to the surface if they want to be in time for the winter campaign – adding that he doesn’t. And he is not the only one who couldn’t care less about Mim, the surface war and, indeed, his duchy being in the hands of bandits: Sir Eber, too, repeatedly mentions his lack of interest in the subject.“Let Mim and the others fight their petty war,” he says. “We have more important things to do. We must destroy the slaver Underlings.”Navarre sighs.“They are vile creatures!,” the ranger barks. “An affront to nature! They must be dealt with! All of them!”“My dear fellow,” Navarre says stiffly. “Your notions seem to be getting more extreme by the day.”“What of it? Every moment I spend down here pains me! Every Underling we allow to live is a missed opportunity to rid the world of one of the creatures!”“And how do you propose we go about ‘dealing with all Underlings’?,” Navarre asks irritably. “Charge in and start killing them?”“And why not?”“Don’t you think we should at least discuss some sort of strategy?”“Bah!,” the ranger scoffs. “Talk, talk, talk. I take things as they come. It is the way.”“Quite,” Navarre says. “Not much of a way to rule a kingdom, old boy.”Of further note would be that, while the tunnel has been taking them deeper and deeper underground for quite some time, there is a point when it starts rising again, which would make that the deepest our noble heroes have been in the Underdark so far. It was noticeably warmer and much more humid down there, even more so than in the cavern of the rothmen.Night 121: Just after they wake up, our noble heroes notice a light approaching about a hundred yards down the tunnel.“We come in peace!,” Rodlu calls in the language of the duergar after the chevalier has told him to.The light moves closer and then a caravan of fifteen duergar and thirteen steeders appears, the latter each with several packs tied to their backs.“Messieurs,” the chevalier says, when the caravan has come to a halt and with Rodlu translating everything he says on the spot. “Perhaps we can conduct some trade?”The duergar and Rodlu speak for a while.“Traders have iron, copper, tin,” Rodlu says after that. “Ingots.”“Bof,” the chevalier says to this. “Do they have any news from down the road?”“We are Ball clan,” one of the caravaneers says, when Rodlu has translated the question. “Other clans Terrible, Horrible!”“Évidemment!,” the chevalier agrees. “Terrible, horrible. Now… do you have any passages to the unknown, to places of adventure?”“Yes. To Ball clan.”“And then?”“To duergar.”“Mon Dieu!,” the chevalier says. “There is no end to you!”“Four clans after Ball,” the caravaneer says.“Do any of them engage in trade? Specialize in anything?”“One clan trade fish. One clan is robbers, thieves. Make big raids on surface in Dark.”“Eh, bien? And where is it that this clan gets to the surface?”“In forest.”“Ah! And what of the other two clans?”“One have biggest copper mine of all duergar,” the caravaneer says.“Indeed?,” the chevalier says. “Now that is interesting. Do they sell any of it? At what price?”“Big price. Bad sorts.”“And the fourth clan?,” Navarre asks.“Dragon Point.”“An interesting name…,” Navarre muses. “Where does it come from?”“Dragon Point have big lookout,” the caravaneer says. “Big high shaft in mountain. Homes one above other.”“Indeed? A lookout, you say?”“Big view in mountains.”“And what is their trade?,” the chevalier asks.“Make everything. Old clan with much famous school and very old legends. Many priests and savants.”With the others taking this in for a moment, Sir Oengus addresses the caravaneer.“A clan of robbers and thieves, ye says,” he starts. “What about them?”“Mad duergar,” the caravaneer says, looking a little shifty. “Bad sorts.”“They be for hire?”“Maybe,” the caravaneer says, after some hesitation. “Maybe when Dark.”“I won’t be working with Underlings,” Sir Eber barks. “They are evil.”“Scupper that, lubber,” Sir Oengus replies. “I’ll do the working with them for ye.”“Bon,” the chevalier cuts in. “I think we are just about done here, non?”“What is after Dragon Point?,” Navarre asks the caravaneer.“Spider men. Then Red Cave.”“The Red Cave?,” Navarre asks in surprise. “The tunnel runs in a circle?”“And all of it full of nasty little Underlings,” Sir Eber growls.“How long to the Red Cave down this way?,” Navarre asks.“Twenty-two days,” the caravaneer says.“When be the next Dark?,” Sir Oengus asks.“Nineteen days.”“Sails away, lubbers!,” Sir Oengus hollers. “Smartly now! No time to lose!”Night 122: It isn’t long after they have resumed their journey that our noble heroes and their entourage reach another cavern, a hemisphere divided into four sections separated by relatively wide streets. Each section comprises a single, large building and there are many openings in the walls above them – the homes of the inhabitants, no doubt. Most of the walls have been worked quite extensively and feature geometric patterns in the minimalist style of the duergar. In the bedrock at the end of the street ahead sits a large, impressively ornate gate. Or is it a depiction of one? A faux gate?The company follow the street to the crossroads, where they see a large door at the end of the street to the left and an opening in the cavern wall down the one to the right. The settlement is not exceptionally large – smaller than many of the duergar settlements they have seen so far. As usual, the cavern is dark and only very few duergar are seen moving about.“Hello?,” Navarre hollers, when the chevalier doesn’t start one of his eloquent introductions. Instantly, all visible duergar disappear.“We come in peace,” the chevalier cries. “There is no need to be afraid! Rodlu?”“Continue!,” Rodlu says. “Very good!”The chevalier clears his throat.“Mesdames et messieurs!,” he calls. “We have come from the king above as ambassadors and traders. We have traveled far and we are pleased to finally arrive in your splendid village! We are the free humans who have acted against the tyrant king and we are here to exchange news, stories, and pleasantries, and to conduct trade to the benefit of all!”Within moments, a young duergar appears, wearing what seem to be quite expensive clothes.“Allô?,” he says.“Jeune prince!,” the chevalier says, executing an elegant bow. “How may I address you?”“Meagle,” the young duergar says, obviously flattered. “I was sent to speak to you.”“By whom?,” the chevalier asks.“Twelve duergar.”The chevalier gestures to the ornate carvings on the walls and buildings.“Ahurissant!,” he exclaims. “We have heard many stories about your beautiful village and the pleasant demeanor of its inhabitants and we simply had to pay you a visit! Pardieu! We are speechless to find that reality surpasses even the most extravagant of stories! Eh, bien. We would speak with the duergar on behalf of the king above, to meet the duergar, to establish friendly relations. To trade, to meet with your queens!”“Ball offers food and drink for honored guests,” Meagle says. “Humans are welcome to spend gold.”“We could not have wished for a warmer welcome,” the chevalier sings. “Je vous en prie. Lead the way!”Meagle takes the company to a refectory much like the one back in the egg, where food and drink are served. In the ensuing conversation, our noble heroes learn that the opening they spotted earlier to their right leads to the next duergar clans, Horrible and Terrible; that these clans were once part of the Ball clan; and, interestingly, that the dead duergar king belonged to the clan of robbers and thieves. Suddenly, it dawns on Navarre that this fact alone – contact with peoples outside of one’s own world – may well be the main reason for the dead king’s abject behavior.He shivers involuntarily when he realizes that there are some rather striking similarities between the dead king and Albert Murphy – and, indeed, himself.</blockquote>

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