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Message: <blockquote data-quote="shilsen" data-source="post: 2960852" data-attributes="member: 198">Handled over email between sessions:After discussing the ‘meeting’ with Naxaliyen a little longer, the alienists and druids turn in, with Gareth joining Six on watch. About an hour before dawn, Six sees movement in the moonlight. There are about a dozen human-shaped figures heading towards the camp, currently a little over a hundred feet away. Six quickly tells Gareth that they have intruders and then calls more loudly to awake the others. While they are arising, he grabs a continual flame torch and hurls it in the direction of the figures, who had slowed slightly as he gave the alarm. The torch hits the ground some fifty feet from the edge of the magical enclosure the group is in, about thirty feet ahead of the figures. The torch is too far away to illuminate them clearly, but they seem to be armed and armored hobgoblins and perhaps a couple of bugbears. Some have bows in hand and raise them when the torch hits, but another waves them down. Luna, whose low-light vision helps her see more clearly in the torchlight and moonlight, can see that there are ten of them, two being bugbears. The one who waved the others down is female and looks a little older than the others. Nameless calls loudly, “So you are here to help us against Naxaliyen?”The female hobgoblin turns to exchange some quiet words with one of the others, who seems to be disagreeing with her. Then she steps forward, until she is well-illuminated by the torch, which shows that she is middle-aged or older, with gray-streaked hair that hangs down in two long braids over her fine chain shirt. Unlike the others, she has no evident weapons on her besides a dagger at her belt.She says aloud, “I cannot see you. Would you emerge from your shelter and speak to us?” Then there’s a slight pause and she adds, “Who is Naxaliyen and why do you need help?”Nameless emerges from the shelter. “Ah, forgive me. We have encountered a number of your people, or what remained of them after they had been warped by the aberrations who rule Yarkuun Draal. I assumed you were here seeking our aid against them.”The female hobgoblin steps forward and says, “Yes, we know you have been in Yarkuun Draal. And no, we had not come to ask for your aid, though that might be something to discuss later. We come to ask what you - and your companions - do in our land and in our ... our former, if you will ... city.” Her voice and manner are reasonably friendly and her tone is frankly curious. “We come seeking knowledge. There is much that was lost here and we wish to rediscover it. Also we have a survey for you to fill out.”“Survey?” asks the female, clearly puzzled at that part of the response. A big male behind her, the one who’d said something to her, steps forward with a scowl. “So you come to loot and steal from the city?” Meanwhile, inside the spell hemisphere, Trillia says quietly to the rest, “Don't do anything impetuous. Especially you, Luna. We’re in no state to get into a fight now, with most of us out of spells.” She then steps out of the hemisphere to join Nameless. Korm also steps out of the shelter, groggily rubbing sleep from his eyes, half-naked but still wearing his big sword on his back. “I greet you. I am Korm’akhan,” he says in Goblin. “We need no help with Naxaliyen,” he says, glaring at Nameless, “For we have agreed to parlay peacefully and we will keep that oath.” Turning to the big male, he says, “We do not steal, and I must thank you for that accusation. Do you have others you’d like to make?” Nameless simply looks at Korm, taking mental notes of Korm’s apparent insanity in trusting a mindflayer and believing he has anything other than malicious intent.Gareth walks out thinking, What oath have we taken? He says, “My name is Gareth Byron Deneith, paladin and Sacred Exorcist of the Silver Flame. We are here to deal with this scourge, what we call from my land as mindflayers. Would you tell us your story?”At Korm’s words, the big hobgoblin  steps forward, pulling out a heavy flail that he has had a hand on. As he does, the two bugbears heft the greatswords they carry, and a couple of the hobgoblins (there are six besides the two leaders) quickly nock arrows. The big male growls, “You are in my land, orc! Speak with res…,” but is cut off in mid-speech by the female, who barks, “Peace!” She quickly turns to him and speaks urgently and softly. It is very obvious that he is not happy with what she says but grudgingly agrees. He lowers the flail and the others follow suit.She then turns back to the group and says, “Please, let us not be hasty. But I am forgetting my manners. I am Tuneer Dhakaan, dirge singer of Dhakaan. This,” she indicates the glowering but quiescent warrior, “Is Reskiit, one of the warchiefs of our tribe.” The Angels notice there is a little extra emphasis on the word ‘one,’ apparently more for Reskiit’s benefit than theirs. After what Gareth says is translated for her by Trillia, she says, “You must understand our wariness. This is a dangerous land, with the darkness that haunts the city stretching out around it. We have fought it since before your people came to these shores, as he,” she indicates Korm, “Can tell you. And your speech confuses me. Some of you speak of fighting the aberrations. But you, Korm’akhan, say that you have given oaths to parlay with them. You slew the runehounds from the city, did you not? But you let the flying beast from it enter your camp and leave peacefully. Do you oppose the aberrations or not?”Gareth wonders, Why, by the Silver Flame's grace, would he want to parlay with someone knowing he does nothing but offend them? While Tuneer is speaking with Korm and the others, Gareth detects evil and then detects thoughts on her. While doing so, he says, “We are against the aberrations, but sometimes we have the ability to choose when to fight. We had such an opportunity and that was not the time to fight. There is information they can provide us.” Meanwhile, Korm smiles and laughs heartily (not in a mocking manner, but one of camaraderie). “I give you my respect, Reskiit. My people have opposed the aberrations since the times when your ancestors built empires of tall cities, and we will continue to do so until all the humans’ cities crumble like all those that came before them. Make no mistake. But the flying creature came to speak, and we will meet with their messengers. Later we may slaughter them like diseased cattle, but I will not attack messengers I have promised to meet in peace.” He turns to the shelter. “Will you come eat and drink with us? We may yet chop each other into little bloody pieces, but first we must talk and break bread.” Listening to Korm try and lighten the situation, Gareth cringes as his laugh sounds like a mocking blow at the other warriors in the group. He also turns his head and raises a large eyebrow when Korm says, “We will continue to do so until all the humans’ cities crumble like all those that came before them.” Yes, he thinks, I will have to speak with Korm later to see what his motivations are.Gareth continues to concentrate and discovers that one each of the bugbears and hobgoblins are faintly evil, but neither Tuneer nor Reskiit are. When he reads her thoughts, he picks up intermingled emotions of curiosity, concern and hope. Her surface thoughts are - “These newcomers may be more than they seem. If they entered Yarkuun Draal and returned, they must be powerful. Perhaps they can aid us, but what do they really want? I hope Reskiit does not mess this up. I will speak to them. What if I‘m making an error? I must be careful about risking my people.”Reskiit glares at Korm for a long moment when he finishes, and then the scowl slowly fades away and he laughs. He slides his flail back onto his belt and says, “And I give you my respect, Korm’akhan. You have honor. Dhakaani and Marcher have fought before and perhaps you and I will fight later, but your people know the aberrations as do mine. I shall break bread with you and we shall speak.” He looks at Tuneer and nods, before walking forward to clasp Korm’s shoulder in a traditional Dhakaani manner and head towards the shelter. The other goblinoids follow, though more warily and keeping a careful eye on the adventurers. Tuneer, who looks openly relieved, reaches into a pouch and produces what looks like a pebble with a green continual flame on it. She turns to her right, raises it and moves it in a complicated manner. After a second, a similar light appears in the darkness approximately a hundred feet away, revealing the short figure of a goblin with a bow strapped to his back. As he covers his light, there’s a split second when you can still see his figure in the moonlight and then he disappears. “A scout,” says Tuneer in explanation, as she follows her companions.When everyone is in the shelter, Reskiit and Tuneer take a seat, as do some of the others. Once they have done so, Tuneer says, “Now tell me, what exactly are you here for? I assume it is not only to gain things from the city, though I see you have found something there.” She points at the Raven Skull Rod, which lies next to Trillia’s bedroll.Walking in the hemisphere Gareth speaks in an effort to belay her fears, using his best diplomatic behavior. “Please tell us what it is you would like. Not only from us, but of the situation you must deal with. We are not here to attempt to harm you or your people. In fact, we had no idea you or your people are here, but maybe we can help each other out.” Trying to relate a little about the group’s prowess, to let them know they are capable of helping, he adds, “We have taken down many powerful creatures in our time. This is not to say we cannot lose a fight, but we are confident we can help bring down these mindflayers, or at the very least hurt them significantly enough to make any innocent person’s life that much easier.”Trillia, who hasn’t said much other than doing most of the translating, conveys Gareth’s message and then adds, “I hadn’t expected to meet you, but I knew there have been minor encounters with your people in these highlands and theorized that a Dhakaani clan existed here. I didn’t know whether you were descendants of the city’s original inhabitants or came here from elsewhere. I should also say that I’m the main reason that we’re here.”She hesitates for a moment, and then continues, “I am what my people call an alienist” (she uses the word in Common, since there’s no goblin equivalent) “someone who studies the lore of the daelkyr and their minions. Please understand that I do not have any affinity to them or support them in any way, but simply find their knowledge of other realities and manipulation thereof interesting. I wished to see what lore we could find in the city and my companions are here to help and protect me, since I expected to have to battle the aberrations, as we have. Since these activities are costly, I hoped that we would also recover some valuable artifacts and magic items. We are not simple looters, though I can see that the distinction is a little difficult.”Some of the goblinoids look a little uncertain at Trillia’s words and give Reskiit (who’s taken Korm at his word and produced some food) a look. He frowns slightly but doesn’t say anything. Tuneer listens silently, with no trace of emotion other than attentiveness, and then says, “I understand. You are not the first to come to Yarkuun Draal and will not be the last. And I know the lore of the daelkyr interests some. It is a dark path, but each of us sings the song that we may.”“My people are both of the possibilities you mentioned. Many are descendants of those who once lived in the city, and others came from the land that is now Darguun. We have fought the daelkyr’s minions for centuries and will do so until they are driven from our home and it is restored to its old glory. Though you clearly have power, I doubt that it is enough to break the aberrations’ hold on the city. There are thousands of them there, many of immense power. There are the mindflayers you mention, but there are also the eye tyrants, cloakers, aboleths, and many creatures they have created in the depths of Khyber. Still, whatever damage you do to them benefits us.”She stops to exchange a long look with Reskiit, who nods at her, and then says, looking at Trillia, “Whatever you call it, to us you are people who are taking things from our home. Though they may have been taken from us ages ago, they were made by our ancestors. We would normally slay you or drive you away for this, but since you fight the aberrations we will not harm you. You may keep what you recover, but I would like to know what it is, in case you find anything that is very important to my people. I am reluctant to risk the lives of my people to aid you, but perhaps we can help with information and otherwise. What say you?” Six speaks up, his questions being delivered curtly, with the intention of keeping the conversation focused. “Do you have legends or lore of particular items of people of your past that might still be there? Do you have a short history of your people and what happened with the aberrations? Do you lose many people to the aberrations? Have you heard of the Heart?”Tuneer looks at him with interest and says, “We have seen few of your kind here, master warforged” (it is the first word in Common that she has used). “To answer your questions in detail would take weeks. Yes, we have legends and lore of items that were lost, like the Implacable Blade of Aal’drash with which the general slew four mindflayers single-handed, or the Banner of the Storm’s Eye, beneath which he fell. As for our people who may still be there…,” she pauses and makes a quick gesture with her right hand, touching her chest and making a short sweeping gesture (which all the other goblinoids replicate), before continuing grimly, “…we do not speak of them. When a Dhakaani is captured by the aberrations, we perform the rites and consider him dead. It is better that way.” She adds, more softly, “However close they may have been to us.”Then she smiles a little, though it is clearly strained, and continues, “What happened to my people with the aberrations is a long tale, since it began millennia ago, and now it is legend. Still, my sisters and I preserve the lore, that no Dhakaani may forget.” Her voice takes on a singsong quality and the words resonate strangely, and she is clearly putting forth her bardic ability. “Nine thousand years ago, the daelkyr and their armies came to this world, and Dhakaan stood against them. And they broke us, but though we fell we did not retreat, and in our fall we bought time for the druids of his people,” she nods at Korm, “and those of us who had joined them, to sunder the Plane of Madness from ours and to lock the daelkyr away. But by then the Empire was broken, and Yarkuun Draal had fallen. Thousands …nay, tens of thousands died in its fall. Ever since, the aberrations rule there, and we watch and wait. The time will come when the aberrations will be driven out and Yarkuun Draal - and Dhakaan - will rise again. We wait for that day. That is our story, of glory that was, and that shall be again.”She stops to take a breath and her voice changes from that of bardic narration to normal conversation. “This Heart you mention, however, I do not know of.”Six then describes the red ‘ghost’ that the group freed from the chamber with the daelkyr warning. Tuneer and Reskiit again exchange glances when he finishes and then she says, “I have heard of chambers where the daelkyr penned our people as prisoners or simply disposed of them, and it seems you found one such, but I do not know who, or what, it was that you released. If it was feared by the aberrations, then hopefully it will harm them in some way.”Six then asks, “Tuneer, when was the last time warforged were around here?”The bard considers for a moment and then says, “Over a year ago. A group of travelers encountered one of our warbands and they … fought. There were two warforged among them. All of the travelers were slain. It was north and west of here, and they were not going to the City.” She does not make any mention of why they fought.When translating what Tuneer says, Trillia adds, “There has been the odd rumor over the years - and from well before my time - of travelers who disappeared near the Highlands. It’s safe to say that the Dhakaani are not friendly to all who pass this way.”Tuneer then says, “Tell me of this parley that you speak of, and who this Naxaliyen is. Why would you parley with the aberrations? Ones as well informed as you seem to be must know they cannot be trusted.”Korm replies, “Why are we parlaying? Ha - there’s a good story behind that. When we arrived back at our camp yesterday, Naxaliyen sent us a message through the raven-headed rod. We’d heard from an aberration inside that Nax was a mindflayer who was a leader there, so we decided to play the Answering Questions Without Answers game with him, an old Marches riddle game.” Korm detailed coverage of the messages has various effects on the goblinoids, ranging from Reskiit, who at one point is bent over guffawing with laughter, to Tuneer, who remains more dignified but has a broad grin on her face that she has great difficulty removing even after he is done. “You are a very … unusual group,” she says finally, to which Trillia mutters with a smile, “I might use some other words, but yes, they are.”When he has finished recounting the message and they become able to breathe again, Korm goes on. “Then Nax sent the awful messenger you saw. He wanted to find out who we were, and what we wanted. He said he was protecting his ‘people’” (Korm pronounces the quotation marks, with as much venom as he can muster) “and wanted to bargain with us, items and information in return for our information about Snookums and us leaving. So that's what we’re doing. So we’re going to accept his gifts, and in return tell him about the red hobgoblin and spin some terrifying story about it. Then we’ll leave this place, for the day at least; we didn’t say we wouldn’t come back.” “While we spoke, we found out that he was very worried about us trying to go after what he called ‘the heart of the city,’ which he said was very well protected. I do not know what it is, but the aberrations want it safe, so I want it taken or destroyed.” When Korm is done, Tuneer says, “I do not know of this Naxaliyen, but then the aberrations have many leaders. They live in groups across the city, and each one has one or more leaders. Some are mindflayers, but not all. There are tunnels to Khyber below the city, where one or more powerful aberrations rule. I do not know of ‘the heart of the city’ either, but perhaps it refers to the seal your people, Korm’akhan, built here when Xoriat was sundered from us, before the city’s final fall. It used to be in a large courtyard, on the eastern side of the city, but the aberrations have built a structure over and around it now, or so our scouts report. We do not commonly send them into the city now, since it is too dangerous. The place is not too difficult to find, since it is on the fifth level from the river, immediately below three pillars supporting statues of our ancient kings. They broke the statues in half, but the remnants and the pillars remain.” She stops and muses for a bit and then says, “But I cannot see why a mindflayer would wish the seal - if that is this ‘heart’ - to be protected. That is the opposite of what they would want. So perhaps it means something else.”“As for this parley, it is your choice, but I warn you to be careful. The aberrations are treacherous and this might simply be a ploy to try and kill or capture you. We will not help nor hinder in this meeting, but if you return to slay more aberrations or return to the city to do so, we will appreciate it.”“But now we should leave you. Our people dwell to the north, but I suggest you do not search for them.” When she says this, the Angels realize that the large iron deposits Luna picked up with her use of commune with nature was probably the hobgoblin tribe’s location. Tuneer continues, “Before we go, would you show me what you found in the city. As I said, since you oppose the aberrations, we will let you keep what you find, even though there may be heirlooms of my people’s within them. But there might be a thing or two of value that we would be loath to see in the hands of non-Dhakaani, even those such as yourselves. I hope you understand.”</blockquote>

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