Dragon's Egg - Act II

[Ireth]

I look down at the stone knife, then up at Baldhart. At the mention of my hand I unconsciously shift to hide my severed arm from her sight. "I was not troubled by it in the same way you were, if that is what you ask. My dreams then and last night were quite different. But this... there is certainly something wrong with it. As there is with this place."

 

[SeverinR]

When everyone begins to wake and the Dwarf begins to talk, I move silently behind them:

I wait to see if they mean to cause trouble.

With the mention of my name and the one dwart seems to be reasonable, for a dwart that is, I will go with Burnbrit. Making sure the dwart see me put my blade away silently.
"Archery is good, you can hit targets at good distances, Elves are really good at hitting small targets." I say loudly as I pass them.

 

[Steerpike]

Elves are really good at hitting small targets." I say loudly as I pass them.

Bren glares over his shoulder as Aliron walks away. "If they weren't, they couldn't take a piss!" he calls.

Darin sighs heavily. "This is fruitless."

Nevertheless, he drops his pack on the floor, then sits beside it. He fishes inside of it again, this time retrieving a pipe, which he fills with some dark leaf." Once the pipe is lit, he puffs out a few heavy clouds of smoke, and begins his tale.

 

[Steerpike]

Darin looks around at the group, gives Burnbright a wink, then begins:

"It's no secret we dwarves no longer leave our holds as often as we once did. After the Great War, we turned inward, exploring the depths of the earth, unconcerned with the affairs of surface-dwellers. The Great War cost us much, and we determined to stay away from such entanglements.

"So it has been at the Drimmen-delve, from which I hail. Ours is the largest of the northern holds, but there are others - some active, some long abandoned. One of the abandoned holds, the Verstenn Hold, lies deep within the Taint itself. It is an older, smaller place than the Drimmen-delve, and not many of our folk remained there even before the Taint. Once the Taint came, the last of us cleared out. And so the Verstenn Hold remains abandoned...or so we thought.

"Some weeks ago, one of our runecasters began to have visions of the Verstenn Hold. Disturbed, he joined with other runecasters to perform a viewing. What we saw was shameful. Goblins and less savory creatures in our ancient halls, where no goblin should dare to tread. Too, they felt some malign presence deep within the hold. Verstenn Hold was active again, though not at the hand of dwarves.

Darin shrugs. "Still, it was a viewing, and we had to be certain. Thus set out five of us some weeks past, to make the journey to Verstenn Hold and report our findings. When we set out however..."

Bren grumbles. "This dishonors us, Darin!"

"It does no such thing, Bren. Peace!" Darin turns back to the group. "You no doubt know of the legendary earth-sense of a dwarf. Once we have traveled a path, above ground or below, we cannot forget it. Though we might return decades later, we remember as though it were the day we first made the journey. Still, within the Taint, we became lost."

Bren spits into the snow.

"It took a full week longer than it should have for us to gain sight of Verstenn Hold," continues Darin. "We confirmed the viewing, and worse. Some dark magic visits that place. We dared not linger near it. Our journey back to the Drimmen-delve has instead lead us here. Again we lost our way, and there is no sun, are no stars to follow, within the Taint. Two days ago, the first band of warg-riders attacked. We slew them all, though one of our number fell. The howls of wargs filled the very air around us, and we hurried through the Taint. We fought twice again, then broke free of the Taint, finding ourselves here at this temple, where we rested some nights past.

"By then we were well late in returning to the Drimmen-delve, and skirting the edge of the Taint would have cost us weeks of travel. We resolved to gain our bearings here, then to move back into the Taint, attempting to hold our course as best we could.

"It was no use. By the end of the first day, we were again lost. On the second day, they were waiting for us in ambush. We fought and won again, but at the cost of another of our number. We had no suitable burial grounds, and so we carried him with us. The warg-riders dogged our movements, always just out of sight, as we struck out again, across the Taint. We then reached a landmark we knew was just north of this temple. We moved faster, and south, seeking to be free of the Taint. The warg-riders came with a vengeance, then, perhaps fearing to let us escape back to this temple. We plunged ahead, and it was thus that you saw us in yon field.

"With some argument, Albin ordered me away from the battle, that one of us might live to return to the Drimmen-delve with the new we carry. I was resigned to do just that, until I realized you had come to our aid. Then I, too, joined the battle. But it was too late for Albin.

"And so, that is our story. But I am more curious about you. Elves, women, a child...I mean no disrespect, but you must concede it is a strange group. What are you doing so near this accursed Taint?"

 

[Ireth]

I listen attentively as Darin speaks, and respond when he asks questions. "We all seek the means to end the Taint, though we all have different reasons for being here in the first place."

I smile. "A strange group we may be, but we have strengths to complement each other's weaknesses. I do not disdain such an alliance for the common good, though it is not often I have dealings with humans or dwarves." If these dwarves choose to join us, I believe they will add an advantage to our group, and we will in turn give an advantage to them.

 

[Steerpike]

Darin eyes, the group thoughtfully, lingering a moment on each member. "Yes, this is plausible. With one exception." He turns his glance over to Burnbright. "Why bring a child to these lands? This is not a normal thing, surely, even among humans and elves?"

Burnbright huffs and mutters "I'm learning to be a shieldmaiden."

 

[Nihal]

I sit again and listen intently to their tale.

"In truth, I don't know these people." I motion to Cadell. "I did not even know his name until now. They had just stumbled on me when you appeared." I wave my hand. "Anyway..."

"No, it's not common to let a child tag along, when, you know, you are hunting for answers about a curse." I turn to Cadell, he looked friendly enough. "Would you be so kind as to tell the whole story, Sir?"

Don't think I forgot her warn, neither what the other knight said.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Ugh, Aliron you just had to…!

"Burnbright is safest with us. The villagers entrusted her with our safety. You say you were being hunted by the warg riders? Burnbright is also being hunted, and our performance in battle convinced those closest to her that she would be safest in our presence.

"Truth be told, I tried to talk her out of coming with us, but… I would die myself before I would let an enemy near her. I'm not the only one here who can back this sentiment with more than words."

 

[Ireth]

I look at Mauve and nod slowly. "I fear I do not know everything there is to know, but I will tell you all I can. You will need to ask others to fill in the gaps."

I explain what has befallen me and my companions, from our time aboard the Bladnir to the things that had happened shortly before the battle against the wargs and goblins. I am careful to leave out any mention of Burnbright's true identity, for safety's sake.

 

[Nihal]

I cross my arms, listening.

You're hiding something. Oh, yeah, "Burnbright is also being hunted", and what the knight said? Some "second reason" he couldn't tell. You really don't know how to not instigate someone's curiosity.

"May I ask something that has been puzzling me?"

I smirk.

"Why so many elves?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"As for our story, five of us are from the south. We all knew of trouble in the north and, either under orders or by choice, we all had our reasons for coming here. That is myself, Sirs Cadell and Matthew, Rydh the healer and…" I smile at Ankari. "…I believe you met Ankari whose arrows aided us in battle. The five of us have only known each other for a week, yet already we have fought three battles together.

"We met Burnbright here and… Alin—I apologize for his words—shortly after disembarking from our ship. As for Mauve and Hiljikki, we have hardly had the chance to properly introduce ourselves.

"Speaking for myself, I believe we were brought together for a reason. The Taint is something evil that must be stopped. It is not luck or coincidence that brings us here, but divine intervention. That or I'm a fool eagerly marching to her own grave. Either way, all of us—yourselves included, Darin and Bren—understand the Taint must be stopped, and we possess the strength and courage to do it. The more of us that work together, the more likely we are to live to tell the tale of our victory. And if we walk away from this, the Taint will only grow stronger until it smothers the earth.

"I'll admit I didn't know exactly what I was getting into when I came here. Now that I've seen what I have seen, I aim to finish what I started or die trying. To surrender to the Taint or fall in battle is death. At least if I fight the battle, death is meaningful rather than inevitable."

 

[Ireth]

I look up at Baldhart with a smile. "Well said."

 

[Nihal]

Did it never occur to you that those gods may be marching you to your own grave, uh, big woman? Gods are hateful bastards with a sick sense of humor.

"Uhm..." I look at the dwarves. "I am thankful for the knowledge you shared with us. I have walked on the dark lands, but not for too long, and I have seen no goblins or wargs. It is always better to not wander far from its borders, some shortcuts actually take longer."

"Your people need to be warned, so, when going back avoid..." I trail off, something else coming to my mind.

"Wait, aren't you good with passages? What do you know about secret doors?!" I grin, leaning closer and barely containing my excitement.

"Could you please help us with something over there?" I get on my feet and walk some steps to the storeroom, "Maybe it was built by your people. It's worthy a try!" I motion to the hacked door.

What the hell happened to the door!

 

[Ankari]

As the dwarf speaks, I lean forward, intent to absorb every word. A hall caught in the curse? Seemingly disjointed bits of information come together to form a frame of a complex structure. The dimensions are obvious, and the intentions, but the final manifestatioin is as obscure as ever.

When he finishes, I allow the strange woman to talk. Why haven't I addressed her sudden appearance? "Strange lady, who are you and by what act have you earned your say in our affairs?"

I'm suddenly aware of the number of strangers in this room. The druid, I trust. I edge closer to Burnbright and my hand close to my waist. It is said the burden of a mentor increase with every word he utters, for he has to live up to this lofty ideals. I promised my life in protection of the girl. The unseen shackles connecting us ensures that I meet my obligation.

 

[Phietadix]

"Her name is Mauve. I 'invited' her along to keep an eye on her. I don't trust her and don't want to risk her interferring with our mission. Perhaps she will be helpful as well, only time will tell. While I have nothing against magic, and am glad of Rydh being with us, she seems to lack the skill in it to truly wield it as her primary weapon."

 

[Sparkie]

Introductions are nice, but not neccesary if one picks the right side of a fight. So I make my introduction short. I walk toward Matthew, grab the book from him, and walk over to Darin.

"I'm Rydh, like Baldhart said. Pleased to meet you, Darin. Now, I must ask a favor of you. We found this book here in a secret compartment in the cellar. It appears to be of dwarven script. Can you read it? What does it say? Why would this book be kept so far from those who wrote it?"

 

[Nihal]

I narrow my eyes when the elf ranger and the knight talk.

Humiliating. Oh, but you will to pay for this, you will.

"Aye, as your gallant knight stated I am you prisoner, guilty of the crime of merely existing." I put on my sweetest, most innocent smile. "I guess I should be thankful for you have not yet murdered me for witchcraft, that was unexpected."

"You ask why should I have any voice in these matters. First, they are not your affairs." I walk slowly around Ankari, my hands tucked behind my back, teasing him and his protective gesture.

Too easy.

"It seems I am not oblivious to the point of bringing a child to such place, and it would never occur me to drop her, unconscious, on a place where she would be easily harmed during a battle."

I raise a finger, as if enumerating. "I also have better sense than provoking these noble dwarves, whose knowledge may be the better aid I have in this quest. You are an elf, you are supposed to be old and wise."

 

[Ankari]

She named herself a witch. How fitting. "And you are a witch. Your lack of wisdom evident by the mysteries you think you can master. And your absence on the battlefield attests to your lack of courage. Think of this, witch. Had you but provided one successful spell, maybe these dwarves wouldn't be burying so many of their dead."

I dismiss her and make my way to Rydh and the dwarves. Before I engage, I turn to offer one more warning. "From what I hear, my arrows are truer than your magic. Don't give reason for us to test that claim."

Turning back to the dwarves, I say, "Dwarves, what do you know of a rune lock? Why would such a thing exist and how does one unlock it?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Nissa, why do Sir Matthew and Ankari mistreat Mauve? They are no better than the men on my mountain!

I don't know what to tell you, Baldy. The men in my village were also very angry after I... was in my first battle. My only... never mind. I'm sure you can repair the damage done here with your words. You always find the words.

There are no words to combat this idiocy! One drops his spear to pet a wolf then openly tells Mauve he does not trust her! The other claims to be our commander, then repeatedly insults the dwarves and threatens a woman! At this point we have proven that we cannot be trusted, and words of disagreement can be answered with an arrow. Why do the dwarves even talk to us at this point? For entertainment purposes?

Baldhart, standing there looking angry is also not helping.

No, but the words I wish to speak would make things worse than they already are.



I walk over to Bren. "We have so many questions, but I can't get a word in over such... noise." I gesture in Ankari's direction. "I have some homemade bread in my pack." I point to my pack, which isn't very far from the group, but far enough from Ankari that his words won't get shoved down his troat with Bren's fist... though at the moment, I think I would enjoy that. "On my mountain, it is considered polite to talk while you eat."




Chewing food gives the speaker time to think, right?

It also makes it easy for aggressive loudmouths to choke on their words. But... how did you know that?

I'll tell you later.



((If Bren agrees to follow Baldhart, she turns to Mauve...))

"Mauve, I'll provide the food if you'll provide the drink!"

I gesture her to follow me.

 

[Phietadix]

. . . One drops his spear to pet a wolf then . . .

((Next one to mention this will be attacked.))

"You're crime Mauve is not existing but attacking us. You've done nothing to earn our trust but much to earn our distrust."