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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cinerarium" data-source="post: 983017" data-attributes="member: 9349">The Long Awaited Vengeance Soon enough my companions agreed, though Toth with some trepidation.  “I couldn’t care about giving up this sword,” he grumbled, “but this whole thing stinks like a week old loincloth.”The spirits moved to embrace us, one for each of us.  As the lead one embraced me, I felt chilled to my core, and an icy blackness spread up in front of my vision.  Like a dark fog, swirls formed in my eyes and my stomach turned.  I saw my aunt Arabelle and uncle Welthan, dead seven winters now.  I moved towards them, and they disappeared in a fog, only to be replaced by my mother, dead when I was only six.  Then, in the shadows, another figure appeared.  I moved towards the shade, unsure whom it could be.  Suddenly my vision cleared, and I knew the previous images to be but a dream.  I stood over the body of a slain dwarf.  Looking around, I saw twelve other dwarven bodies, my companions standing over three of them.  I knew that we had been betrayed by him, the son of Durgeddin, that his mercenaries, supposedly hired to help us drive out the cursed orc hordes, had themselves turned on us.  They were coming.  Bursting through the double doors at the end of the hall, they poured in.  First, a massive ogre, bellowing with rage, quickly followed by a half orc clad in the skin of a bear and armed with a greataxe.  Lithely stepping through the door was a wood elf, a pale scar marring his fine features.  Behind him, a small, doglike creature dressed as a troubadour bound in to the room, his finger cymbals clanging.  Finally, with an air of unholy menace, a black-robed priest of Myrkul strode in, his grinning skull holy symbol dangling from his neck, and a morning star ready in his hand. Toth charged the other half orc, and with a bellow of rage sliced the man in twain with his axe.  I called upon Deneir, summoning his whirling glyph to fight with me.  The ogre strode to Toth, and just as Toth had cut down his foe in one blow, was similarly gouged himself.  A cold shiver of fear ran from my gut to my eyes, seeing our mightiest felled so easily.  Fin danced back out of the way, laying low his opponent while Kazir fired off spells.  The priest was stunned while I moved into a defensive posture, firing my crossbow while my spiritual weapon attacked the ogre to little avail.  Finally Fineon killed the ogre, Kazir dispatched the kobold, and all of us finished off the elf and priest.Toth’s body lay cold on the floor.  He was beyond healing, his spirit quickly slipping from his body in this odd place.  We hastily rifled the bodiesof our foes, then resumed our positions over the dwarven bodies that we appeared over, Fineon carrying Toth’s inert form.  Once again, a sense of nausea washed over me.  Soon enough, we were back in the great hall with the dwarven spirits, their faces looking more kindly upon us now.  Fin gingerly placed Toth’s body on the cold stone, his ribs still visible and slowly oozing the last of his life essence.  I moved to speak, but the gammhedrel stepped forward into the breach, eyeing the lead ghost.  “Our friend lies dead.  What was the purpose of that?”“To save us.  To right a wrong.”  The ghost seemed empathic yet distant.I moved forward to stand by Fineon.  “That is not enough.  We have paid dearly, and would know a bit of the story behind this.”The ghostly dwarf sighed softly, his eyes suddenly old.  Somehow he – and all the spirits – seemed more tenuous than before, more translucent.  They were leaving, ebbing away slowly before our eyes.  “Durgeddin had a son who was raised in hatred.  Hatred for orcs and ogres, hatred for those who would defile our bastion.  In his hatred he sought mercenaries to aid our cause, for the tide was against us.  Yet those he brought were more interested in Khundrakar treasure than dwarven dreams; they turned upon us, attacked us from behind via a secret passage only our dwarven nobles were aware of…”Kazir nodded, stroking his chin with one finger.  “The dwarf ghost we saw on the lower level… he was Durgeddin’s son?”“Aye,” whispered the lead ghost, even as some of his ethereal companions began to dissolve from sight.  “He is Malgudon, firstborn and only-born to Durgeddin.  He was slain by the very mercenaries he brought with him.  He is cursed to guard those lower halls until the sun smolders into nothingness.  It is no less than he deserves.”Fineon shook his head and ran a hand through his tangled locks.  “You spoke of payment –““Indeed.”  The ghost raised both arms in supplication.  “Speak now the weapons or shields you wish forged, and it shall come to pass.  Then we shall go into the Great Caverns, and tarry no more upon this world.”I laid a hand on Fineon’s elbow, staring hard at the ghost.  “What if we asked for another boon, a favor in place of the items?”The ghost appeared bemused.  More of his companions disappeared.  “What would this ‘favor’ be, Man?”“Would you… could you raise our slain friend?”The old dwarven spirit thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.  “If you and your companions so desire, that can be done.  But it is that, or the weapons of yore.  You may not have both, and we will hold you to your promise not to carry Durgeddin’s wares from these Halls.  Choose quickly, before our grip on this world is gone.”I turned to Fin and Kazir, and we shared a thoughtful glance.  I turned to the spirit, stalling for time.  “While we consider this, let me ask.  What was the point of what we did though?  It could not have changed the past, or the present would surely be different.”The ghost nodded.  “A good question, Man.  You answered a need for vengeance and did what we could not, but Khundrakar still fell.  The deed was not without merit, but it was isolated as a boulder in the current of time.  Malgudon remains a traitor, Durgeddin remains slain.  You have given us peace.  This must be enough for you, for it is enough for us.”In typical Kazir fashion he waited patiently for his turn to speak, hearing from all sides and points before responding.  “Good dwarves, I have heard that you value plain speech so I will not mince words.  You have read our reasons for being here correctly.  We sought out Durgeddin’s lair of old to search for his legendary arms.  You have also tested our hearts and we have done you a great favor.  If you do indeed have the power to return our friend from the dead then I ask that for MY reward.  I have no need of steel weapons, no matter how fine.  My friends have earned the choice of arms you promised them.“As for your restrictions on Durgeddin’s artifice leaving these halls, I ask why?  In the hands of heroes, how many more orcs could be slain?  Ten?  Twenty?  One hundred?  Certainly more than lying lost and unused in some forgotten cavern.  If Durgeddin were here would this not be his wish?  His weapons, his revenge, could be eternal.“I stand by my word and will leave them untouched if that is your desire.  But others will come eventually and you will be gone.  Shall you depend on their honor, or ours?”I looked at Kazir, in awe.  Again our quiet monk cut through all of the questions surrounding us to deliver a masterful response.  I have so much to learn from him.  There is more to him than greed, and I regret writing such.The lead ghost nodded, once, curtly.  “So be it.  We shall raise your friend as you ask, but he shall be marked.  The passage from life is not an easy one.”  As he continued to fade away, the dwarven spirit waved a hand toward the body of Toth.  His wounds closed in front of our eyes as the hammering of the forge grew louder.  The half-orc coughed repeatedly and weakly opened his eyes to glance around in confusion.  The ghost, now just a barely visible whisp, eyed Kazir.  “You have spoken eloquently and your words show truth.  Any of our wares you find on the lowest level, that inhabited by the Lost Son, may be taken from there.  The items on this level, however, must remain within Khundrakar.”With a last glance to Fineon and me, the ghost spoke one last time.  “Speak now your weapon or shield of choice, and you shall find it beneath the statues in the outer room.”Quickly I asked for a buckler, and Fineon for a spiked chain.  We left the dwarven hall with a last glance, collected our items in the anteroom, and again retired to the elemental room for rest</blockquote>

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