“I’m shocked that we can’t hear the scrape of shovels and pick axes. Dwarves aren’t the most quiet bunch even when they’re not digging.” Shae looks around, perplexed. 

OOC: did we see any rubble deposits on the way in? You mentioned the gates were broken… does it look like they have been that way for a long time or are the gates newly broken? (Rolls below just in case)

Perception: 17

Investigation: 8

You did pass rubble piles along the canyon walls on the way to the gates and the gates look like they have been broken for quite some time.

Gymlynn and Sara, as you search through the crumbled remains of the buildings, you don't find any relics just some crushed bones and signs of recent campfires.

As you all are looking at these ruins and talking, your voices echo off of the canyon walls and you hear echoing around you, "Oy! Whos out there?" Followed by a second voice in Dwarvish, this one more gruff in tone, "Shut yer mouth Dazlyn. What if they're Orcs? Now ye given us away."

"Well it seems the dwarves are so missing after all, just spooked maybe," Lilniana mentions to the others. Then she'll call out louder, "No orcs here! You can come on out! We're here to see what's been keeping you down!"

"Oh good, someone's here. Hopefully they can give us some answers, this site should be secured better."

Sara turns towards the sound of the voices and shouts back. "You really should rope this off, it's not good to let random adventurers stomp all over this place!"

Gymlynn quickly moves towards the voices. "Come on out now." She says gruffly, in her native language, hopeful that hearing a familiar tongue will get them to come out. "We aren't here to hurt ya." 

Beyond the outlines of the stone building are two ten-feet tall, partially collapsed, stone walls that separate the ruined settlement from a courtyard like space beyond. Past the walls you can see one large pile of rubble that partially covers carved out steps and evidence of two more piles of rubble. Carved into the back wall of the canyon is a thirty-foot-high temple façade that features steps rising to a stone platform. Cut into this façade is a ten-foot-high open doorway flanked by crumbling, life-sized granite statues of cloaked dwarves. From the east wall step out two dwarves, one slightly taller than the other and both are carrying pickaxes and have on leather armor. The taller of the two says, "Oy, you lot the ones makin' all the racket? Yer the first group of people that have come out this way in quite some time. Most folk avoid this place, rumors about being an evil temple and all. I'm Dazlyn and this gruff fellow is me business partner, Norbus. So, what bring you colorful lot out this way? Ain't here to try nab any treasure are ye?" 

Lilniana raised her eyebrows a bit at the remark. "I think we were under the impression there was something amiss here. Maybe we had better have a look around anyway though, just in case. What is this curse though? I've got no need for cursed treasure for sure, but I can't speak to the rest here."

Norbus says, “Ain’t nothin amiss here, though if ye be inclined to look ‘round we won’t stop ye. Also, never said anything was cursed, just the temple was built to an evil dwarf god.” You see Dazlyn shift in place and say, “Maybe these folk can help us Norbus. They look like they can fight and could deal with that moving mud that spooked us.” 

“Mud? Hmmmm…. Well, first thing’s first. We were contracted by Townmaster Harbin Wester to notify you that a white dragon has been seen in the area and has presumably taken up residence nearby,” Shae proclaims in a very official-sounding tone. “The Townmaster advises the upmost caution.”

“Now, what is this about some scary mud?”

Gymlynn furrows her brow at the dwarves. "I don't suppose you'll fight with us, then? Better in a group." 

"Dwarves afraid of mud? That's interesting." Lilniana shrugged. "Well where is this strange mud then. And I apologize. I hear evil and that usually means something is cursed it seems. But yes, you should perhaps head back to town for now, until this dragon problem is resolved."

Norbus nods, “Thank ye for the warning. Thought I heard wings flappin’ around.” He gives Dazlyn a punch on the shoulder, “See! I told ye there was somethin’ big prowlin’ around. As for the mud. It was in the big room with what looked liked an alter. That’s also as far as we got inside the temple.”

Dazlyn chuckles, “Yeah, I guess ye were right and now I’m out ten gold.” His smile turns a bit more serious, “I’m not sure what ye would call it. It was a big yellowish puddle that dropped from the ceiling and tried to attack us. We managed to get away from the thing and were watching the entrance of the temple to make sure it didn’t follow.” 

Norbus adds in with a grunt, “We really ain’t the fightn’ type. However, if you lot go in and clear out the mud an’ whatever other nasties ye may find; Dazlyn and I will give ye our sending stones and a cut of any treasure we may find later.” 

Shae watched the illusions intently. “Well now, that’s pretty,” she says under her breath. 

Norbus cautiously shakes Kepheus’s hand and Dazlyn chuckles at the illusion as he says, “We ain’t too sure what treasure might be in there, if any. Like I was sayin’ before, Norbus and I didn’t make it far inside; just to the first room. There could be anything from forgotten coins to tomes that might be worth something’ to a collector.”

Having been mostly distracted by the scenery up until this point, Sara's head swivels towards the dwarf at the mention of forgotten tomes.

"I think it's in our best interest to help our new acquaintances. If there are ancient texts in there they should be recovered... and catalogued. They might contain valuable knowledge."

"I think we should help them...regardless of any Dwarven misconceptions some may have..." She lowers her eyes.

"I agree. Let's not let any suppositions about each other get in the way of helping these fine dwarves. If we want to spend more time getting to know each other we can do that later perhaps, but for now we should focus on the task at hand." Lilniana will give them all a gentle pat on the shoulder and then start heading for the entrance.