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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Plane Sailing" data-source="post: 812906" data-attributes="member: 114">Early the next morning they make their way to the dwarf market – two huge stone doors lead into a dark chamber filled with very low tables which have metalwork and jewellery strewn over them. There are quite a number of surly looking, stumpy folk wandering around, and a scattering of humans who tower over them.As they approach there is a sudden altercation near the entrance. A human cries out “you cheating liar!” to one of the dwarves, who without a moments hesitation bursts into a furious rage and swings his axe murderously, gutting the man and then taking two more swings at the body for good measure. The most strange thing about the entire action is that nobody else seems to be taking much notice… The dwarf spits and rasps something in his harsh language then stumps off deeper into the marketplace.“Touchy people” muses Trajan. “I think we had all better be on *best* behaviour”.After a short time wandering around and getting the feel of the market place, Trajan leads them to the table of an artisan who is surrounded by stone carvings. Going down on bended to knee to observe the artworks, Trajan broaches a conversation, asking about Grishnak the king of the dwarves and explaining that they have a delivery to make to him.The merchant warms to them, especially under Trajans delicate flattery, and introduces himself as Kazrak, a dwarven fighter and merchant. Business has been slow this week, so he proposes to cut his losses and take them underground to the dwarf city. He has connections with the royal family, and he should be able to arrange them an audience. Just as he is stacking his things away Dala notices some exquisitely jewelled masterwork daggers near the back of his stall, and decides to purchase one of them “for luck”.Kazrak warns them that it will be a days march into the underdark to reach the city, so after a short break for them to purchase some food for the journey, they set off together.It is eerie walking in the cold silence of the mountain passages. The light from their lanterns illuminates a sameness in the floor and the walls. Kazrak states with a hint of challenge in his voice that the dwarves have never bothered to spend the time putting proper carvings in these passages because they only lead up to the humans at Moradin’s Call. During the march Kazrak starts to tell them more about the dwarven temperament. Fierce warriors, loyal and full of honour is the way that they describe themselves. Their honour must be defended at all times, and under the treaty with Moradin’s Call (he is at pains to point out) the dwarf Trazkan was perfectly within his rights to cut down that human who levelled a deadly insult at his honour by calling him a liar. Apparently he can’t have been a local man, since all the local people “know how to treat us with respect, you understand?”. Another thing that they notice, although they don’t question it at the time, is that Kazrak only speaks with Trajan and Dala, not with Anne-Marie or Arilyn. They don’t think twice about it at the moment, as the monumental charisma of their two friends mean that they tend to dominate all conversations with other people anyway!After many long hours of walking, they start to become aware of a rhythmic thundering sound coming from up ahead, and as they draw nearer the ringing like giant anvils being struck starts to mingle with the sound. Arilyn asks whether this is anything to do with the “Pipes of Air” which she has read about while researching Arkon the Stormlord. Kazrak raises his eyebrows in surprise and responds to Dala “How interesting that someone from the surface should know something of dwarvish history. Indeed our city used to use the Pipes of Air to power our machines many centuries ago, but our agreements with some of the sources fell into dispute, and because no one could, no one could… go to that place there was no chance that it could be reinstated. That is why the kings grandsire created our waterwheels here.  You’ll see them in a minute”.</blockquote>

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