Many Duergar file into the arena area. Quertus focuses his detect magic on the entering duergar and detects various items of faint or moderate strength.
A duergar with a horn stops right inside the entrance and blows loudly on the horn. After he finishes, a second Duergar announces,
“All rise! Prince Horlbar Steelshadow, The Crown Prince of Gracklstugh and his royal court!” The Duergar and the dwarves that are in the audience stand up. Some of the other creatures do not. The duergar that were sitting in the luxury box vacate the luxury box.
Several banners enter the room, one depicting the city of blades. Another depicts a gray axe with a black blade. A third depicts a slain illithid. A fourth banner is that of the fabled Stone Guard of Gracklstugh. The banners are followed by the Crown Prince himself. The only gray dwarf you have seen yet with any kind of ornamentation. Horlbar is a burly duergar with a hauberk of gleaming chain mail beneath an embroidered surcoat of black and gold. A circlet of gold rested atop his bare head, and rings of gold gathered the braids of his beard. A scarred duergar in full plate who wore a tabard marked with a red symbol walked on one side of the Crown Prince and Gradroc Gant, the chief negotiator for the Duergar in Mantol Derith walked on his other side. Guards in full plate wearing black surcoats precede and follow the prince.
Quertus has studied Gracklstugh at some length. He recognizes the black surcoat wearing guards as the Stone Guard of Gracklstugh. The scarred duergar with the red symbol on his tabard is probably the clan laird Borwald Firehand, the Marshal of Gracklstugh’s army. Quertus has heard many rumors regarding the rulership of Gracklstugh, the City of Blades. One rumor suggests that the King is ill, and the crown prince is the real ruler of the city. Another rumor suggests that the duergar do not really rule the city, but instead a secret cabal of Derro Sorcerors are the real rulers of the city.
Quertus is not spending much time thinking about rumors, however, for he was focusing on the Crown Prince’s aura. The Crown Prince wore or carried a magic item of overwhelming power (an
artifact Quertus surmises), and the power of the item caused Quertus to lose his concentration on the detect magic spell.
The Crown Prince and his closest advisors head to the Duergar luxury box.
Half a dozen duergar, carrying two large chests, head to the betting area. They drop the two large chests on the tables. The lids come off and reveal the chests are full of platinum bars. One of the duergar speaks,
“The Prince wagers 400,000 gold pieces on the dwarf to win.”
The odds quickly change from being 3 to 1 in favor of the Drow to being 3 to 1 in favor of the Dwarf.
In Laral’s luxury box, Laral says,
“Sarduel,” and points at the chests. Sarduel dimension doors to the betting area and guards the two chests.
Laral says,
“Kilcif and Jena come with me. I think it is time I paid my respects to the Matron of House Millithor. Then, I think I will play host with the Prince.
“Kilcif, I think House Millithor is ready to hire you now. If not, I’ll hire you. I think its going to be a Gruummsh type of day. Last Orc Standing!”
Laral exits the luxury box, growling at the three guards to abandon their dice game as he does so. One of the guards gets up to follow Laral. The second guard picks up their unconscious cohort and comes along last.
The prince has taken his seat in the luxury box. A few straggling duergar are still entering the arena area.
Laral enters the Drow luxury box with the permission of Lady Yyssiriryl and Kilcif and Jena follow him into the luxury box.
Laral speaks,
“Greetings Matron Ki’Willis Millithor. It is not often that a Matron Mother from Menzoberanzan graces our humble arena with her noble presence.
“Lady Yyssiriryl, I find myself wishing that yourself or other members of your powerful and terrible race would wager more on the outcome of this fight. I will offer you 4 to 1 odds on your drow to win.”
Lady Yyssiriryl responds,
“I have this necklace that has been appraised as being worth 200,000 gold. I will offer 150,000 gold pieces to buy back Jena, since she has been used somewhat and is no longer worth 200,000 gold. I will wager the final 50,000 at 4 to 1 odds on our champion to win.“
Laral responds,
“Agreed.”
Meanwhile, the number of duergar entering the hall has been reduced to a trickle.
Django jumps onto a higher bench and he begins to speak in under common. At first his voice is hard to hear, and then it becomes clearer and louder as he begins to shout.
“My fellow dwarves and lovely ladies and assorted creatures of various races of the underdark. Presenting for your entertainment tonight, a fight to the finish between the champion of Quellar Millithor, Dariel Kront’tane, and my cousin, my Mother’s Sister’s Son.”
Dariel wonders how Django learned his name, especially his last name-- the name of a house that was destroyed, since they were never properly introduced.
A pair of shield dwarves in full plate and a duergar in full plate walk into the hall. The Duergar is carrying a banner of a hammer superimposed over an anvil (which Quertus recognizes as the symbol of Moradin, the God of the Shield Dwarves).
Django’s voice begins to build in crescendo, almost as if he has spoken to large crowds before.
“Slayer of the Wyrm Drekkendoom! The Hammer of Moradin! ”
Quertus thinks
Hammer of Moradin, is that the dwarven equivalent of a Paladin?.
“Endur!”
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