Birthright 2: Promises to Keep

[Varrus the Ethical]

PENCHALLIN

Roald draws a dagger, ready to enter the mine. "I can lead the way with my friend here, but I'll need someone to hold a light for me."

[VAN]

The kitchen

Filbert looks at the other halfling, it was his chance to live and not be eaten but alas he cannot do that to Ugo even if he doesn't really know him.

"Well I can cook but I'm sure Ugo is better than me. But I'm a joker if you are intrested, I can tell you funny stories, joggle and make you laugh. What's best combo than have a meal watching a joker in act!"

[alhoon]

The kitchen
Ugo yelps when his life suddenly and unexpectedly is on the line. He should have gone with his instinct instead of his heart and cut the throat of Filbert when he had the chance.

"I can sing! And I am a practiced cook! This one doesn't work as a cook, I have experience! I know how thee like thy meals already!" Ugo pleaded his case.
Then it occurred to him that he may just delay the Masters enough for the other Big Ones to come and save him along with that wretched Filbert that will have him in the cooking pot.
"This one works for a too-big named Deke Dulvin from another place. A place where they have horrid food." Ugo makes a disgusted face to make his point. "My Masters would never be happy with food prepared by a cook from Deke Dulvin's place. They don't even know what honey is over there! Ask him! I was out to retrieve honey for thy hot pie when he ambushed me. He didn't know how to collect honey, because they don't have honey in his place."

[ewancummins]

THE KITCHEN


Lord Runcible frowns, looking back and forth between Filbert and Ugo.

His stomach rumbles.

[ewancummins]

SEARCHING THE GARDEN

DEVLIN

Devlin runs after the enemies who have carried off the priest.

He loses sight of them when they turn round a big, sickly looking bush with pale yellow flowers.

Rounding the comer, Devlin sees the path runs straight into a thick hedge, where it appears to stop.There's no hole in the hedge, no sign of recent passage like bent branches or broken twigs.
He prods the bushes with his sword--not too hard, lest he injure a friend if the priest or the Halfling hides within the foliage.
Nothing.

[ewancummins]

THE KITCHEN



"No honey? Ugh. It's been a long time, but I could swear they had honey back there... I say, my memory is getting as rotten as the contents of the larder. Bah!"

Lord Runcible kicks Filbert's cage.

''You've caused enough trouble already, bringing those horrible murderers here! Into the soup pot you'll go, and that right soon, you little vagabond!"

He steps and lunges for Ugo with speed out of character with his flabby body, grabbing the Halfling cook by an ear.

"Sweet Ugo, you know I won't ever eat you. Well, not so long as other provisions hold out."
He licks his lips, releases Ugo, and leaves the kitchen.

The door slams shut.

[VAN]

Filbert sighs, Ugo's comments allienated Lord Runcible and his chances to learn more about the masters and survive get more slim. Listening carefully in order to make sure Lord Runcible cannot hear him he whispers:

"We need to work together Ugo, he said that he will not eat you, but I don't think he can be trusted and you don't know what the other masters might do...Anyway, can you hand me my backpack, I'm your best bet to get out of here and my friends will be here soon, I know Duke Devlin he will not go away without me. And please tell me what does this collar do?"

[alhoon]

Ugo, still shaken by the near-death experience, turns to Filbert and whispers back angrily "Thee've caused me enough trouble already! I have no idea what the collar does. I tried to help thee already. I can't give thee thy backpack. If the Masters return and see that thee have it, I'm going to the soup pot for sure! And where would we go even if thee got the backpack?
All I can is try to delay the soup. When the masters come to ... well, make thee from living flesh to raw flesh, I'll tell them that the soup isn't ready and stay thy execution, trying to buy Deke Dulvin more time. Now shush and try to let me think of something fast, tasty and fulfilling to prepare for the masters to eat, instead of thee, so they'll have patience to wait. All I can do, is buy thee and Deke Duvlin some time.
Still, I suggest thee make peace with thee Gods while there's still time. Thy chances are not very good."

And with that, Ugo turned back and started making a bitter-sweet carrot pie, knowing his very life hangs on the balance. Trying to trick the Masters? Is it even possible? But the magics and swords of the too-bigs meant there's a chance, that the Masters are not invincible.

[Adam]

Penchallin

Cormac mumbles a quick prayer to Aeric, causing the tip of an arrow to light.

"After ye," he says.

[VAN]

The Kitchen

Filbert thinks for a moment and then asks:

"I get your point, do you know anything you can add in this pie that make the Masters sleep or a similar effect? This could buy us some more time."

[alhoon]

The Kitchen

Ugo looks at the other short one shocked at the suggestion. Before he whispers. "Thee are crazy! Even if I had such a herb or drug, I could never do that to the Masters. They will not fall prey to such a trick and they would skin me alive. "

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

THE MINE

Renn slings his bow and checks his blades, reckoning they'll have close-in work to do. "Look at those beams," he says to Roald and Cormac. "Bet they'd go up in a flash, were somebody to set them afire."

[VAN]

Filbert realizes that Ugo was too afraid to try anything and maybe he was right who knows for how long he was in this sinister place.

"I understand you are right you know the Masters better than me. How long are you here and can you tell me anything about the Masters, maybe a detail might be useful against them. For example do you know why they are wearing these masks?"

[alhoon]

Kitchen

Ugo seems to become agitated talking about the masters. He whispers to Filbert "Keep your voice down. I'm here since I was a little childe. I was brought here by the masters from "The City of the Iron Ring" but I have few memories of that place. I work hard to prove to the masters that I should be cooking, not cooked. Thee nearly cost my life as thee saw. Thee may still cost me my life." Ugo said
"The Masters own the garden of Darlkling delights. They aren't afraid of anything and they paralyze people and bring them here for me to cook. I survive on vermin I catch and weeds I gather from the garden. It's also very lonely but if I get a pet, it will probably get cooked as soon as the masters see it. If I ask the Masters for another slave, that one may prove a better cook and I would end up in the pot. It's not a good existence but it's the life I go through and I prefer to keep it.
Up until know, I haven't seen anyone driving back the Masters. Deke Duvlin, the giant and thy magicks-bearing friends are the first indication I ever got that the Masters can be defeated. Now shush and let me work on the pie to buy thee some time. Thy friends may be very powerful, but they have to navigate through the garden, that's no easy feat."

[ewancummins]

THE MINE DEVILS' TUNNEL



The henchmen remain with the mounts, outside the tunnel entrance.

Cormac, Roald, Foerde, and Renn enter to explore the tunnel. The diminutive monster walks ahead on a rope lead.

The druid mutters a spell over an arrow plucked from his quiver. False fire leaps from its iron head, illuminating the excavated surroundings like heatless torch.
The light reveals scuffs and drag marks along the tunnel’s dirt floor, marks that look as if they were left by something bigger than one of the knockers.

The knocker stops walking about twenty feet into the tunnel, where the downward slope steepens into a rough staircase cut from the earth.
It says in Elvish, “ We closed the hole. We never want to go back there.”

Peering down and over their guide, the explorers see that the stairs drops about ten feet into a roughhewn chamber big enough to hold a small wagon, with a couple of side tunnels only big enough for a dog to enter. Rubble and heaps of upturned earth cut off what looks like a larger tunnel mouth in the rear of this lower space. A few dirty sacks, a busted chest, and an assortment of bones litter the floor of the room.

“Our place now” the knocker says.