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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Morrow" data-source="post: 601298" data-attributes="member: 301">Against the Elves - PrologueAn hour later the pair came to the great stone door guarded the last ‘toll booth’ before turning north toward Gulg or south toward Freetown. A moment later the great door slid upwards. The cavern walls blocked the sound of whatever contrivance was capable of lifting the great slab. "Bugbears built this?" asked Thar as they passed the doors and entered the antechamber beyond.The antechamber was more or less square, with a ceiling stretching out of sight above them. The floor was damp and there were water stains on the walls. Did the bugbears have the means to flood the cavern? Thar heard the sound of spellcasting from somewhere above him and recognized a zone of truth as it washed over him once, then twice. He easily resisted its effects, but knew that Rhuun likely had not. "Who are you?" called a voice from above."Thar, son of Ghorn, cleric of Maglubiyet. This is Rhuun.""The other will speak for herself. Who are you?""I am Rhuun." She replied."Why do you come to Gulg?""We had heard that Gulg was a trade city." Replied Thar. "We came to trade, and to meet other goblins who are already here.""Gulg is closed to outsiders. You may not enter there."Thar nodded, it was as Atarax told him to expect. "Then we will go to Freetown and send word for our friends to come to us."The voice seemed satisfied. "To pass you must pay. 250 gold each. Can you pay?"Rhuun looked at Thar incredulously. He grimaced and shrugged. "We can pay."A large bucket slowly descended from above, hanging from a large rope. Rhuun wordlessly filled it with gold and the two watched it raise out of sight.They stood waiting for several minutes. Thar reflected that it might take some time for bugbears to count that much gold. Eventually the door at the other end of the cavern slid open and they pair could proceed. They passed through several more doors, but no one blocked their passage.On the other side the pair met several goblins from Gulg. They spoke to two, Stevearg and Bobarg, and quickly learned that Atarax had become something of a celebrity in Gulg. "Oh, Atarax, everyone knows him."The two also confirmed Atarax’s story that an important bugbear had been killed. Little effort was being made to find his killer or stop anyone from leaving Gulg, but no one was allowed to enter for fear that they were drow spies. Stevear and Bobarg advised that if Thar and Rhuun did enter Gulg, they should stay in goblintown and obey all the rules. Borga, leader of the bugbears was a stern ruler and harshly punished anyone who broke his rules. Thar thanked the two goblins, and he and Rhuun turned south toward Freetown.</blockquote>

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