The consensus among the companions was that Toran Goldfinder had been after the Shadowdancer blade, but Dermot and Shanni both wondered how he would know it had been part of the hoard. Shanni was eager to get out of the citadel and suggested they talk afterwards, a sentiment echoed by Dermot, who said he didn’t like the sound of Toran’s “dangerous” talk about having possession of valuable items outside the clan walls. Rahnee excused herself to get into her armor for the journey, then joined the others in heading for the dwarven citadel exit. (I understand why the company believed that Toran was after the most valuable - and dangerous - magic item in their possession, yet the logic is not sound. How indeed would the clan treasurer know of its existence, since they had not shown it to anyone within the citadel walls? Yet intuition can play a valuable role in guiding one's actions, where facts are not fully available. Certainly Toran wanted something out of their conversation and his dissembling manner was not convincing. --C)
When they reached the chamber leading to the gates, Clan Greeter Rumnaher offered a brief salutation and then asked Darrow for a word, pulling him aside for a conversation in dwarven. Shanni, somehow ending up last in the marching order, had the chamber door shut in her face and had to bang on it, a little panicky, to get Rahnee to open it from the other side. As the conversation between the dwarves went on, Dermot took the time to ready his weapons. Shanni, at first relieved not to have been locked in the citadel, became impatient and started edging for the outer door, asking if they could go now. However, a few moments later the conversation ended and Rumnaher wished fair travels to all.
Once past the inner gates, Shanni became cheery again, even waving good-bye to one of the dwarven defenders as he saluted them. Darrow saluted back and then, after the guards were out of earshot, told the others to wait up after they passed the outer gates. As they walked by the guest cave, Aerikoth’s raven familiar Zeluth winged out of it and took up a position above them. Soon, they were through the outer gates and at the Ironhelm valley entrance.
There, Darrow called a halt and informed them that Helrud had left them something buried in the corner of his tent in the hills; that was what Rumnaher had wanted to talk to him about. Shanni thought it was suspicious and suggested they just keep going. Rahnee countered, saying that it was not suspicious, and they were dwarf friends. Darrow reiterated that Helrud had buried something for them and had asked Rumnaher to tell him. Aerikoth queried when exactly the dwarf scout had done this and Darrow said he didn’t know, as Helrud was apparently still recovering and not up for talking. Having provided her vote on the matter, Shanni spent the rest of the conversation in the treeline, watching and looking for any threats. Rahnee urged them to detour to pick it up, since it was not too far, and the others agreed.
The five adventurers trod the now-familiar path into the mountains, hiking the ridgeline trail and roping up to the plateau as they had done before. As she had the last time on the way back, Shanni said she needed to go and went into the nearby cave for a short period, before returning with an impish grin on her face. Aerikoth failed on his first attempt at ascending the cliffside, but managed the second one well enough, and there were no further incidents during the journey to Helrud’s campsite in the Giant's Peak area.
Darrow immediately went for the tent, tucking his axe and shield away as he began looking in the snow at its corners. Rahnee called to him to let Shanni check things out, before he pulled anything out of a hole. Shanni explained that there might be a trap, but the dwarf said there was no trap and pointed to a patch of disturbed ground. He nevertheless backed away, grumbling, as Rahnee told him that she wanted to have Shanni check it. She reminded him of the fire bomb heads at Hallton’s manor, which had nearly claimed Darrow’s life. The dwarf poo-pooed the danger as Shanni, having looked the ground over carefully, informed the others that it just looked like someone buried something.
Shanni, still cautious, hacked a long stick off a nearby tree, then poked at the disturbed earth with it. As the ground was frozen and resisted her probing, she swore under her breath and started chipping away at the earth with her sword. Darrow protested the delay, saying that Helrud would not have trapped something and then told them to go dig it up, a point with which Aerikoth agreed. Just then, they all heard a thunk as Shanni’s sword hit something solid.
The petite rogue carefully cleared the earth off the thing’s surface, admitting that there was nothing of concern there, although she still argued that someone else could have put it there, or another person could have overheard Helrud's plans. Shanni’s ministrations revealed a little dragon figurine, which Darrow picked up and held out for the others to see. Aerikoth confirmed, at Rahnee’s request, that it was not magical. The black stone it was made of appeared similar similar to the stone in the underground chamber of the hoard, the wizard also observed. Darrow averred that it was not precious, but it might be worth something if they wanted to sell it, although he would probably hang onto it. The dwarf still wondered, though, why Helrud had wanted them to have it.
When they reached the chamber leading to the gates, Clan Greeter Rumnaher offered a brief salutation and then asked Darrow for a word, pulling him aside for a conversation in dwarven. Shanni, somehow ending up last in the marching order, had the chamber door shut in her face and had to bang on it, a little panicky, to get Rahnee to open it from the other side. As the conversation between the dwarves went on, Dermot took the time to ready his weapons. Shanni, at first relieved not to have been locked in the citadel, became impatient and started edging for the outer door, asking if they could go now. However, a few moments later the conversation ended and Rumnaher wished fair travels to all.
Once past the inner gates, Shanni became cheery again, even waving good-bye to one of the dwarven defenders as he saluted them. Darrow saluted back and then, after the guards were out of earshot, told the others to wait up after they passed the outer gates. As they walked by the guest cave, Aerikoth’s raven familiar Zeluth winged out of it and took up a position above them. Soon, they were through the outer gates and at the Ironhelm valley entrance.
There, Darrow called a halt and informed them that Helrud had left them something buried in the corner of his tent in the hills; that was what Rumnaher had wanted to talk to him about. Shanni thought it was suspicious and suggested they just keep going. Rahnee countered, saying that it was not suspicious, and they were dwarf friends. Darrow reiterated that Helrud had buried something for them and had asked Rumnaher to tell him. Aerikoth queried when exactly the dwarf scout had done this and Darrow said he didn’t know, as Helrud was apparently still recovering and not up for talking. Having provided her vote on the matter, Shanni spent the rest of the conversation in the treeline, watching and looking for any threats. Rahnee urged them to detour to pick it up, since it was not too far, and the others agreed.
The five adventurers trod the now-familiar path into the mountains, hiking the ridgeline trail and roping up to the plateau as they had done before. As she had the last time on the way back, Shanni said she needed to go and went into the nearby cave for a short period, before returning with an impish grin on her face. Aerikoth failed on his first attempt at ascending the cliffside, but managed the second one well enough, and there were no further incidents during the journey to Helrud’s campsite in the Giant's Peak area.
Darrow immediately went for the tent, tucking his axe and shield away as he began looking in the snow at its corners. Rahnee called to him to let Shanni check things out, before he pulled anything out of a hole. Shanni explained that there might be a trap, but the dwarf said there was no trap and pointed to a patch of disturbed ground. He nevertheless backed away, grumbling, as Rahnee told him that she wanted to have Shanni check it. She reminded him of the fire bomb heads at Hallton’s manor, which had nearly claimed Darrow’s life. The dwarf poo-pooed the danger as Shanni, having looked the ground over carefully, informed the others that it just looked like someone buried something.
Shanni, still cautious, hacked a long stick off a nearby tree, then poked at the disturbed earth with it. As the ground was frozen and resisted her probing, she swore under her breath and started chipping away at the earth with her sword. Darrow protested the delay, saying that Helrud would not have trapped something and then told them to go dig it up, a point with which Aerikoth agreed. Just then, they all heard a thunk as Shanni’s sword hit something solid.
The petite rogue carefully cleared the earth off the thing’s surface, admitting that there was nothing of concern there, although she still argued that someone else could have put it there, or another person could have overheard Helrud's plans. Shanni’s ministrations revealed a little dragon figurine, which Darrow picked up and held out for the others to see. Aerikoth confirmed, at Rahnee’s request, that it was not magical. The black stone it was made of appeared similar similar to the stone in the underground chamber of the hoard, the wizard also observed. Darrow averred that it was not precious, but it might be worth something if they wanted to sell it, although he would probably hang onto it. The dwarf still wondered, though, why Helrud had wanted them to have it.
End of Chapter VIII of the Chronicles