Birthright: The Worm's Supper, Chapter Three

[ewancummins]

Cormac grumbles and bites back a sharp retort. "Yah, yer a genius," he says, pointing in the direction of the tunnel, "Any idea where we're headed?"

It wriggles upright, squeezing in on Cormac's right side and poking its snout over the lip of the cart.
"Fast!" It yips and barks a little and then ducks back down low."Mines."

[steveflam]

Domenica


She learns that the six men she found interesting, the ones at the bar, already have a master. They serve a knight named Gunnar. One of them tells Dominica that if she wants to hire them for exciting work, not shoving crates around, she should talk with their boss.
They state a clear intent to remain here, waiting for the knight to return.

But a good number of other job seekers will happily depart the tavern and go with Domenica right now, pausing only to grab their free meals. And some don't even wait for the food, if she seems ready to depart straightaway.

Domenica doesn't push the issue with Gunnar's men. Looking at both Termelan and Filbert she smiles. "I have work to do it seems. Filbert, we can meet up at the Three Penny later this evening?
After the evening meal would be amenable. Mister Termelan, it was an honest pleasure to meet you. You do have talent. If ever you have need of a job or anything, just come by my offices."

She rises and gesturing to the men and women looking for jobs, exits the Inn with Gimp. They head back to the office.

[ewancummins]

Domenica


She learns that the six men she found interesting, the ones at the bar, already have a master. They serve a knight named Gunnar. One of them tells Dominica that if she wants to hire them for exciting work, not shoving crates around, she should talk with their boss.
They state a clear intent to remain here, waiting for the knight to return.

But a good number of other job seekers will happily depart the tavern and go with Domenica right now, pausing only to grab their free meals. And some don't even wait for the food, if she seems ready to depart straightaway.

Domenica doesn't push the issue with Gunnar's men. Looking at both Termelan and Filbert she smiles. "I have work to do it seems. Filbert, we can meet up at the Three Penny later this evening?
After the evening meal would be amenable. Mister Termelan, it was an honest pleasure to meet you. You do have talent. If ever you have need of a job or anything, just come by my offices."

She rises and gesturing to the men and women looking for jobs, exits the Inn with Gimp. They head back to the office.

Later, at the offices and warehouse...


In between interviews , Domenica notices her workers loading some of her boxed and bagged inventory into a wagon.
She sees a young man who resembles the publican from the hostel, but with a full head of hair and not do paunchy. This man pays Gimp money.

Gimp returns to the office to deposit the money, a purse of copper and silver coins, with his boss.

If questioned, he responds by writing on a slate and by using a modified version of thieves cant ( gestures only, of course). When Domenica offered to pay for all those free meals, it seems Gimp saw that the publican was overwhelmed by the number of eaters. So he passed the man a note with a tip about where to buy food.

Barillia and Associates.

She just recouped half of her gift.

[steveflam]

Later, at the offices and warehouse...


In between interviews , Domenica notices her workers loading some of her boxed and bagged inventory into a wagon.
She sees a young man who resembles the publican from the hostel, but with a full head of hair and not so paunchy. This man pays Gimp money.

Gimp returns to the office to deposit the money, a purse of copper and silver coins, with his boss.

If questioned, he responds by writing on a slate and by using a modified version of thieves cant ( gestures only, of course). When Domenica offered to pay for all those free meals, it seems Gimp saw that the publican was overwhelmed by the number of eaters. So he passed the man a note with a tip about where to buy food.

Barillia and Associates.

She just recouped half of her gift.

Satisfied, she smiles at GIMP in between interviews. "Very well done, GIMP I am very pleased with you this day."

She continues her interviews, but tries to keep an eye on the transpiring events the warehouse.

[ewancummins]

Barillia and Associates



-----
Gimp basks in his mistress's approval for a short while before returning to the warehouse area to supervise operations.

The workers have learned to take directions from the mute by hand signs. He uses a bell to alert them when he needs their attention and they are not looking his way.

[ewancummins]

Hostel in Riverside


Four Watchmen dressed in green cloaks, swords belted on, stride into the common room.

" We are here for the foreign minstrel. Tamerlane. "

The Watchmen look about the room.

[alhoon]

Termelan raises to his feet, warily. "I am Termelan, how I may help you?" he asks.

[ewancummins]

Termelan raises to his feet, warily. "I am Termelan, how I may help you?" he asks.

One of the Watchman says, " You are to come with us." He shrugs." Come on now, be a good fellow and get your cloak. Cold out."

[Varrus the Ethical]

Roald rubs a bruise left where an Orog's spear jabbed into his armor. The mail had held, and saved him from being scewered, but her was pretty sure he had a cracked rib.

"I'm willing to bet the elves didn't expect us to go this way, so we have that going for us," he says. "And besides, if they're busy fighting Orogs, that's fewer elves we have to worry about searching for us."

[ewancummins]

The Mines


Rolling through the mine tunnels, using switching stations and applying the hand cranks to keep the carts rumbling on, the party searches for a way out--- and tries to keep away from any Orogs!
Some turns would take them back to the melee, so they avoid those when possible. But it soon becomes apparent that they may be forced to circle back or stop and look for other exits.
Some side tunnels deep into the mine have no tracks.

While exploring some of the further chambers and galleries, the party discovers a room that contains a heap of rubble and dwarf bones. There might be a passage out behind the rubble: the Bard sees what looks like a partly covered doorway.
Poking about, but ever ready to leap back in the carts and work the crank levels like madmen, the searchers discover the black bones of a dwarf. Small, maybe a child, and crushed under a rubble slide. The amount and pattern of dust and small rocks suggests the area may have recently been uncovered, possibly by accident. A gold circlet rests on the skeleton's head.

A dagger lies nearby, partly covered by debris.

Noises echo down the tunnel behind the parked carts.

A greenish light suddenly appears near the dwarf skeleton. That dagger is glowing now...

[alhoon]

Termelan

One of the Watchman says, " You are to come with us." He shrugs." Come on now, be a good fellow and get your cloak. Cold out."

"Very well" Termelan said and gathered his cloak. "Is something the matter?" he asked the guard that replied to him.
Turning to the hostess he said "If Madam Safana or Sir Gunnar ask for me, tell them that I was accompanied by the watch."

[Varrus the Ethical]

The Mines, Searchers.

Roald takes a step back and draws his weapon.

"Well, that doesn't look ominous at all."

[ewancummins]

Termelan

One of the Watchman says, " You are to come with us." He shrugs." Come on now, be a good fellow and get your cloak. Cold out."

"Very well" Termelan said and gathered his cloak. "Is something the matter?" he asked the guard that replied to him.
Turning to the hostess he said "If Madam Safana or Sir Gunnar ask for me, tell them that I was accompanied by the watch."

The cloaked watchman shrugs again.
" Orders. Come along now."

The barmaid agrees to tell Termelan's friends that he has left with the Watch.

The men escort him outside into the street. They take him to a wagon and help him into the open back.

Two ride in the back with him, two in the front.

The wagon travels through the River Gate. It passes the Watch House without stopping...

[Adam]

Cormac drops on one knee next to the skeleton, picking up the crown and, hesitatingly, the dagger. "Somethin's gotta go right today," he says, "But keep a blade on me in case it's some foul cursed magick."

He examines all three closely.

[ewancummins]

Cormac drops on one knee next to the skeleton, picking up the crown and, hesitatingly, the dagger. "Somethin's gotta go right today," he says, "But keep a blade on me in case it's some foul cursed magick."

He examines all three closely.

The skeleton does indeed appear to be that of a dwarf. He cannot be sure, but it looks like it could possibly have been a girl or a young boy.
Investigating further, he finds a similar, but slightly larger , skeleton hurried next to the one with the circlet. This one's fingers on one hand almost touch the fingers on the hand of the one with the circlet.
He finds broken and rusty, crudely fashioned iron sword blades in the rib cages of the two dead dwarf children. These look similiar in style to the weapons born by the living Orogs he encountered earlier, but obviously must be much older.

The circlet is beautiful with a simple design. Elegant and suggestive of vines.

The dagger appears likewise to be of fine make. It has a handle of hardwood that was resisted corrosion and scratches, a pommel of brass, and a blue steel blade that shows runes and makers marks etched in the metal. He might not be able to read the runes, but he can at least tell they are Dwarf letters on one side and Elf letters on the other.


Bones that are not dwarf remains, but could be Orog, lie strewn about. A sternum among these non dwarf remains bears a clean puncture that exactly matches the dagger's width.

The green glow fades.

And the noises down the tunnel behind him also fade away.