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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 1967873" data-attributes="member: 5203">Problems at the MineHello readers (assuming I have any);Just a quick note to say that although I'd hoped to continue updating this story hour on a weekly basis, I'm going to have to drop down to every other week for a bit.&nbsp; Not a huge change, but I figure better to say something.But now, without further ado...------------------------------------------------&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Though it seemed as though the day would never come, at long last the group crested a rise and saw the broad plateau of the city of Laeshir spread out before them, white limestone and marble structures gleaming with a pinkish hue in the early morning sun.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I never thought I’d be glad to see a dwarven city,” said Osborn.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I hope that sentiment stays with you, Osborn,” said Tolly.&nbsp; “We may be here for some time.&nbsp; I must spend time at the forges of my church, crafting a new suit of armor as befits my new purpose.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn rolled his eyes behind Tolly’s back.&nbsp; Ever since being brought back from the dead, the Ardaran priest had been droning on and on about his ‘new purpose’ – something about being Ardara’s scalpel, or bread knife, or her lemon zester… something like that.&nbsp; Frankly, he didn’t see how anyone could be that serious about something for so long – sure, Osborn admitted to himself, even he could buckle down when he had a particularly clever trap or complex lock to handle, but that was what, two, three minutes tops?&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The group moved on, eager to finally sleep in real beds and take real baths.&nbsp; On the way down, they saw Arrie take out a leather cord and tie it around her neck.&nbsp; The cord had five small, rough gemstones braided into it.&nbsp; Tolly glanced at the necklace.“That’s the kind of necklace that dwarven children wear to show the level of respect they have earned from their elders,” he commented.Arrie smiled.&nbsp; “Yeah, most dwarves really don’t see me as ‘grown-up’ yet.”They passed through the gates fairly quickly after a rather unremarkable interview from the town guard, and found a pleasant-looking inn called the Uncut Emerald just off the main trade road before it dropped into the tunnel leading to ur-Laeshir, or “Lower Laeshir” as Tolly explained it.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Most large dwarven settlements here in the Confederate have at least half their city underground,” he explained.&nbsp; “Most of the surface structures are there to cater to non-dwarven merchants, travelers, and residents.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The group was lucky enough to be able to take up most of the rooms of the Uncut Emerald, laying out a large sum of gold to rent them for the next two months.&nbsp; The innkeeper, a plump dwarf named Burbark Hammerhand, groused a bit at the prospect of having so much space taken up by the party, but his protests eased when Lanara promised to perform in his common room at least twice a week.&nbsp; They rented a total of five rooms; each shared one room with another member of the group (a considerable improvement from sleeping four to a tent in the woods), and a smaller fifth room was rented for Kyle to use as an alchemical lab.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After changing clothes and bathing, the group set about taking care of long-overdue business.&nbsp; Tolly went to the temple of Ardara to report to his superiors and request access to their forges, while Lanara, Autumn, and Arrie went down to ur-Laeshir to try to get a good price on the treasures they’d found in the ogre mage’s possession.&nbsp; Kyle and Kavan went to a local alchemist’s shop to stock up on potion-making supplies, while Osborn volunteered to sample the nearby bakeries, butcher shops, and eateries to find out where the best places to eat were.&nbsp; Xu remained behind at the Uncut Emerald.&nbsp; “I wish to take advantage of your absence and meditate in solitude,” she said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara laughed.&nbsp; “I’ll bet you just want a chance to do all your bendy exercises without worrying if Kyle’s spying on you from behind a bush.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle opened his mouth to protest, but shut it when he realized he’d never come out on top of that kind of exchange with Lanara.&nbsp; The cansin saw this, and winked at Kyle to let him know he’d made the right choice. Xu, for her part, said nothing either way.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It was late in the evening before the group saw each other again.&nbsp; They sat at a corner table in the common room, watching Lanara’s performance for the sizeable crowd.&nbsp; The bard rejoined her friends after receiving thunderous applause from her audience.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So, how’d everybody do today?” she asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, the room’s set up,” said Kyle, referring to his makeshift lab.&nbsp; “I can get started tomorrow on those potions with Kavan’s help.&nbsp; It’ll be a long stretch, but we should be able to finish well before Midsummer.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We did sell some of the jewelry we found,” said Arrie, “but as we suspected, a couple of the pieces were more interesting.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, that crown we found?” Lanara chimed in, “you know, the one I thought was so interesting?&nbsp; Turns out it’s from pre-Dwarven Confederate days, during the time of the old Targethi Empire.&nbsp; It belongs to one of the minor kings who ruled in this area.&nbsp; Most likely wiped out during the orcish invasions from the Haran Desert a millennium ago.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Which means that it’s probably going to fetch a higher price if we find someone interested in that historical period,” said Arrie.&nbsp; “We’ll look around for a local sage or historian, but we may actually fare better if we take the crown into Targeth.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, I’m sure we’ll make it back that way some day,” said Kavan.&nbsp; “What else?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “This ceremonial knife was also interesting,” said Autumn, as she pulled the knife out from her cloak.&nbsp; “At first I thought it was just a knife dedicated to Bail*.&nbsp; But we learned that it’s actually a dwarven oathbond.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What’s that?” asked Kyle.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Whenever dwarves sign treaties, they will forge a special blade commemorating the event and present it to the other side as a token of the strength of their oath,” explained Arrie.&nbsp; “The implication is sort of ‘if we break our promise you can stab us with this knife’.&nbsp; This knife was made as part of a trade agreement between the Dwarven Confederates and Tlaxan.&nbsp; The reason Bail is featured so prominently in the design is that her church was the main arbiter of this agreement.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Okay, so… what’s that mean?” asked Osborn.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It means that this blade belongs to the Elven Court of Tlaxan, and should be returned to the Court in Noxolt as soon as possible,” said Autumn.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Tlaxan?” Osborn moaned.&nbsp; “But we just came from there!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I didn’t say we had to go now, Osborn,” said Autumn. “We can journey that way once we’ve finished our business here.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Hey!&nbsp; Maybe when we leave we could head east and cut through the Peca Provinces to get to Noxolt!” Osborn looked up hopefully at Autumn.&nbsp; Lanara showed interest as well; a healthy dose of travel through the gnomish provinces would be a welcome remedy from their long exposure to dwarven stuffiness.&nbsp; Her only fear was that the party might be infected by the gnomes’ love of water and decide to take a boat to Tlaxan.&nbsp; On the other hand, there were the gnomish bathouses…&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That may be a possibility,” Autumn replied.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Okay, so that’s two bits of shiny stuff that we’ll need to cart around a little longer,” said Lanara.&nbsp; “Now, what about you, Tolly?&nbsp; You got that armor finished yet?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “No, Lanara, I haven’t started yet.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The bard rolled her eyes.&nbsp; “Why not?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Because such things take time, Lanara.&nbsp; Mithral is challenging to work with, and one cannot just ‘whip up’ a suit of field plate even when working with common steel.&nbsp; There are precise measurements to make to ensure the armor fits properly on me.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Oh,” said Osborn, “then I guess you won’t be ordering any pie tonight, will you?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly didn’t answer, though the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.&nbsp; “However, I have been informed by my superiors at the church of a situation at a nearby mining town that requires intervention.&nbsp; I thought I would bring the matter to you, as it is the kind of work we specialize in.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So, long journeys in dark places with sporadic bursts of violence?” asked Arrie.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Precisely.&nbsp; In addition, should we prove successful it may result in the work on my armor taking far less time that I anticipated.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Okay, so, what’s going on?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Three days from here is the town of Lisk, which supports a respectably-sized copper mine.&nbsp; The church of Ardara received word from the local priest there that about a week ago a stonebreather got into the mine.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Stonebreather?” Lanara asked.&nbsp; “You mean those big metallic-looking bulls that can turn you to stone with their breath?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “The very same.&nbsp; The priests here in Laeshir were about to send someone to investigate, but when I arrived they asked if we could intercede on their behalf.&nbsp; They have stated that I may take the stonebreather’s hide as reward if we succeed.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Excuse me,” asked Xu, “but how does defeating this creature speed your work?&nbsp; We shall have to leave this city in order to deal with the stonebreather.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “The hide of a stonebreather can be rendered down and alloyed with any other metal,” explained Tolly.&nbsp; “This alloy retains all the properties of the base metal, but it becomes far easier to work into the proper shape when heated, thus requiring less time at the forge.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, I’m in,” said Lanara.&nbsp; “Not that I’m all that excited about crawling into a mine, but any excuse to get out of the city, I’ll take.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Same here,” said Osborn.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Others began to nod their agreement.&nbsp; “Just give me some time to cap off my beakers, and I’ll be ready,” Kyle said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As the talk turned to other matters, Kyle scooted his chair next to Autumn’s and put a hand on her shoulder.&nbsp; “Hey, sorry about that knife,” he said to her.&nbsp; “I know that you were wanting to hang onto it because Bail’s your patron.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn looked at Kyle and smiled.&nbsp; “No, it’s all right, really.&nbsp; I’m very much looking forward to returning this blade to the Elven Court.”&nbsp; As she spoke, a strange gleam appeared in her eye.&nbsp; Kyle almost questioned it, but decided against it – the question would probably come out all wrong anyway.-----------------------------------------------------*Bail is a minor god of trade and the honest accumulation of wealth and privilege.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 1967873, member: 5203"] [b]Problems at the Mine[/b] Hello readers (assuming I have any); Just a quick note to say that although I'd hoped to continue updating this story hour on a weekly basis, I'm going to have to drop down to every other week for a bit. Not a huge change, but I figure better to say something. But now, without further ado... ------------------------------------------------ Though it seemed as though the day would never come, at long last the group crested a rise and saw the broad plateau of the city of Laeshir spread out before them, white limestone and marble structures gleaming with a pinkish hue in the early morning sun. “I never thought I’d be glad to see a dwarven city,” said Osborn. “I hope that sentiment stays with you, Osborn,” said Tolly. “We may be here for some time. I must spend time at the forges of my church, crafting a new suit of armor as befits my new purpose.” Osborn rolled his eyes behind Tolly’s back. Ever since being brought back from the dead, the Ardaran priest had been droning on and on about his ‘new purpose’ – something about being Ardara’s scalpel, or bread knife, or her lemon zester… something like that. Frankly, he didn’t see how anyone could be that serious about something for so long – sure, Osborn admitted to himself, even he could buckle down when he had a particularly clever trap or complex lock to handle, but that was what, two, three minutes tops? The group moved on, eager to finally sleep in real beds and take real baths. On the way down, they saw Arrie take out a leather cord and tie it around her neck. The cord had five small, rough gemstones braided into it. Tolly glanced at the necklace. “That’s the kind of necklace that dwarven children wear to show the level of respect they have earned from their elders,” he commented. Arrie smiled. “Yeah, most dwarves really don’t see me as ‘grown-up’ yet.” They passed through the gates fairly quickly after a rather unremarkable interview from the town guard, and found a pleasant-looking inn called the Uncut Emerald just off the main trade road before it dropped into the tunnel leading to ur-Laeshir, or “Lower Laeshir” as Tolly explained it. “Most large dwarven settlements here in the Confederate have at least half their city underground,” he explained. “Most of the surface structures are there to cater to non-dwarven merchants, travelers, and residents.” The group was lucky enough to be able to take up most of the rooms of the Uncut Emerald, laying out a large sum of gold to rent them for the next two months. The innkeeper, a plump dwarf named Burbark Hammerhand, groused a bit at the prospect of having so much space taken up by the party, but his protests eased when Lanara promised to perform in his common room at least twice a week. They rented a total of five rooms; each shared one room with another member of the group (a considerable improvement from sleeping four to a tent in the woods), and a smaller fifth room was rented for Kyle to use as an alchemical lab. After changing clothes and bathing, the group set about taking care of long-overdue business. Tolly went to the temple of Ardara to report to his superiors and request access to their forges, while Lanara, Autumn, and Arrie went down to ur-Laeshir to try to get a good price on the treasures they’d found in the ogre mage’s possession. Kyle and Kavan went to a local alchemist’s shop to stock up on potion-making supplies, while Osborn volunteered to sample the nearby bakeries, butcher shops, and eateries to find out where the best places to eat were. Xu remained behind at the Uncut Emerald. “I wish to take advantage of your absence and meditate in solitude,” she said. Lanara laughed. “I’ll bet you just want a chance to do all your bendy exercises without worrying if Kyle’s spying on you from behind a bush.” Kyle opened his mouth to protest, but shut it when he realized he’d never come out on top of that kind of exchange with Lanara. The cansin saw this, and winked at Kyle to let him know he’d made the right choice. Xu, for her part, said nothing either way. It was late in the evening before the group saw each other again. They sat at a corner table in the common room, watching Lanara’s performance for the sizeable crowd. The bard rejoined her friends after receiving thunderous applause from her audience. “So, how’d everybody do today?” she asked. “Well, the room’s set up,” said Kyle, referring to his makeshift lab. “I can get started tomorrow on those potions with Kavan’s help. It’ll be a long stretch, but we should be able to finish well before Midsummer.” “We did sell some of the jewelry we found,” said Arrie, “but as we suspected, a couple of the pieces were more interesting.” “Yeah, that crown we found?” Lanara chimed in, “you know, the one I thought was so interesting? Turns out it’s from pre-Dwarven Confederate days, during the time of the old Targethi Empire. It belongs to one of the minor kings who ruled in this area. Most likely wiped out during the orcish invasions from the Haran Desert a millennium ago.” “Which means that it’s probably going to fetch a higher price if we find someone interested in that historical period,” said Arrie. “We’ll look around for a local sage or historian, but we may actually fare better if we take the crown into Targeth.” “Well, I’m sure we’ll make it back that way some day,” said Kavan. “What else?” “This ceremonial knife was also interesting,” said Autumn, as she pulled the knife out from her cloak. “At first I thought it was just a knife dedicated to Bail*. But we learned that it’s actually a dwarven oathbond.” “What’s that?” asked Kyle. “Whenever dwarves sign treaties, they will forge a special blade commemorating the event and present it to the other side as a token of the strength of their oath,” explained Arrie. “The implication is sort of ‘if we break our promise you can stab us with this knife’. This knife was made as part of a trade agreement between the Dwarven Confederates and Tlaxan. The reason Bail is featured so prominently in the design is that her church was the main arbiter of this agreement.” “Okay, so… what’s that mean?” asked Osborn. “It means that this blade belongs to the Elven Court of Tlaxan, and should be returned to the Court in Noxolt as soon as possible,” said Autumn. “Tlaxan?” Osborn moaned. “But we just came from there!” “I didn’t say we had to go now, Osborn,” said Autumn. “We can journey that way once we’ve finished our business here.” “Hey! Maybe when we leave we could head east and cut through the Peca Provinces to get to Noxolt!” Osborn looked up hopefully at Autumn. Lanara showed interest as well; a healthy dose of travel through the gnomish provinces would be a welcome remedy from their long exposure to dwarven stuffiness. Her only fear was that the party might be infected by the gnomes’ love of water and decide to take a boat to Tlaxan. On the other hand, there were the gnomish bathouses… “That may be a possibility,” Autumn replied. “Okay, so that’s two bits of shiny stuff that we’ll need to cart around a little longer,” said Lanara. “Now, what about you, Tolly? You got that armor finished yet?” “No, Lanara, I haven’t started yet.” The bard rolled her eyes. “Why not?” “Because such things take time, Lanara. Mithral is challenging to work with, and one cannot just ‘whip up’ a suit of field plate even when working with common steel. There are precise measurements to make to ensure the armor fits properly on me.” “Oh,” said Osborn, “then I guess you won’t be ordering any pie tonight, will you?” Tolly didn’t answer, though the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. “However, I have been informed by my superiors at the church of a situation at a nearby mining town that requires intervention. I thought I would bring the matter to you, as it is the kind of work we specialize in.” “So, long journeys in dark places with sporadic bursts of violence?” asked Arrie. “Precisely. In addition, should we prove successful it may result in the work on my armor taking far less time that I anticipated.” “Okay, so, what’s going on?” “Three days from here is the town of Lisk, which supports a respectably-sized copper mine. The church of Ardara received word from the local priest there that about a week ago a stonebreather got into the mine.” “Stonebreather?” Lanara asked. “You mean those big metallic-looking bulls that can turn you to stone with their breath?” “The very same. The priests here in Laeshir were about to send someone to investigate, but when I arrived they asked if we could intercede on their behalf. They have stated that I may take the stonebreather’s hide as reward if we succeed.” “Excuse me,” asked Xu, “but how does defeating this creature speed your work? We shall have to leave this city in order to deal with the stonebreather.” “The hide of a stonebreather can be rendered down and alloyed with any other metal,” explained Tolly. “This alloy retains all the properties of the base metal, but it becomes far easier to work into the proper shape when heated, thus requiring less time at the forge.” “Well, I’m in,” said Lanara. “Not that I’m all that excited about crawling into a mine, but any excuse to get out of the city, I’ll take.” “Same here,” said Osborn. Others began to nod their agreement. “Just give me some time to cap off my beakers, and I’ll be ready,” Kyle said. As the talk turned to other matters, Kyle scooted his chair next to Autumn’s and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, sorry about that knife,” he said to her. “I know that you were wanting to hang onto it because Bail’s your patron.” Autumn looked at Kyle and smiled. “No, it’s all right, really. I’m very much looking forward to returning this blade to the Elven Court.” As she spoke, a strange gleam appeared in her eye. Kyle almost questioned it, but decided against it – the question would probably come out all wrong anyway. ----------------------------------------------------- *Bail is a minor god of trade and the honest accumulation of wealth and privilege. [/QUOTE]

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