Hemlock accepts some of the oatmeal like concoction and eats quickly once he has acknowledged the kobolds who bow to them all.

When Sebastian comes to speak to them, he simply replies, "You are welcome, your path is your own to make now". He doesn't try and engage him further.

When Hássan finally comes over asking them about leaving, he quickly gets up. "Yes, we are eager to be on our way. It has been an honour to spend time with your clan, and to meet Hamza, but we have much to do. There are many more answers to find now than when we arrived".

With that, he collects his belongings and prepares to leave the cave system and the mine.

"Do you have kobolds watching the entrance to the mine? Are we sure the path is clear?", he says, turning back to Hássan.

Saoirse is still not used to be treated with such high regard by the kobolds, and she returns their bows with her own a little awkwardly at first but with a smiling face in the end. Their culture is very different to her own, and while she does not really feel entirely at ease among them - as opposed to how she felt in Village Tree - she does appreciate all they've done to honour and care for them. 

This strange journey that started the day they escaped from Coldwater is teaching the fire genasi many things, and she realizes that they aren't only painful truths - as  Gareth Dayne's true nature - but she's also learning about the nature and cultures of so many different people she didn't know about before. She likes to think that the balance is being positive, despite the heavy weight of the less nicer ones. 

She smiles in appreciation when they are offered breakfast, and drinks the root concoction and eats a little bit of the egg meal. If they weren't in a rush, she would have eaten a little more, but she prefers to have a lighter meal and take a few hard-boled abyssal eggs to eat on route.

When Sebastian approaches for a moment she doesn't know what to say, still remembering how badly he reacted the day before just as we has freed from the collar. But when he turns his back to leave she reacts:

- Wait. Wait, please. - and moving to stand just in front of him, she says - I ... well ... yesterday was hard, in many aspects. But I was told something that I believe will help me in the days to come. I think it could help you too. "The sun exists always, even when our days are dark". - she stays silent for a moment, once again pondering Hamza's words. Saoirse then nods to herself and offers a confident smile to Sebastian - Be safe, Seb.

"We can do this. Both of us. Each on our own specific journey", she thinks to herself.

Following his friends’ lead, Lam bows back to the kobolds who have bowed to him. He knows he mostly still doesn’t understand this society, but appreciates all of the hospitality they have offered. Lam gratefully accepts the breakfast and downs a bowl of the root concoction in one gulp. He also accepts a few eggs to go.

When Sebastian comes and talks to them, Lam allows Saoirse to do the talking with her childhood friend. He stares at Sebastian, relief in his eyes that the man’s will to live has seemed to at least partially return. When Hemlock talks to Hássan, Lam turns his attention there and nods along. He does his best not to look antsy to leave as the HMC’s imminent arrival stays in his mind.

Sha-gravis eats quietly avoiding the eggs, drinking his fill of water and refreshing his water skin.  Seeing Sebastian he nods at his thanks, glad to hear from him.  Sha is anxious to be on our way.

At Saoirse's words, Sebastian slowly pulls his gaze up from the floor and meets her eyes. His eyes are wet with tears as he gives a slight nod. He turns and walks away, following some kobolds towards the underdark entrance to tend to the flock of abyssal chickens.

"Yes," Hássan answers Hemlock, "Of course there are people watching the mine exit. Come, I will escort you back through the mine to the surface." As you walk through the mine and approach the surface, you can see that there has been some cleaning work done. Deceased kobolds are all gone, the spaces cleaned up, and the bodies taken for proper funeral rites. At the mine entrance, you find two kobold guards, the duergar who ate with you at s one of the people being honored at dinner the night before, and the dwarf captive, hands bound together, with a rope leading to the Duergar. When she sees you, she smiles and asks "so, can you ask them to let me free now? Gorm here explained that he's happy to let me go, but that the kobolds had promised to hold me until y'all left again. I'm actually kind of grateful to you - I met Gorm and the other duergar through you, and I think we can bring them back to the light, in a literal way. I'll probably stick around for a bit so's I can help with the negotiations when Jonah shows up."

Hemlock walks over towards the dwarf guard and motions to Hássan, "Tell them to release her please".

He looks down at the dwarf, their height difference very obvious but he is not standing in a threatening way at all. "I am happy you found your time here worthwhile. I know you have your opinion of us, and it is unlikely to change, but we are not indiscriminate murderers. The guards assigned to watch us back when the elves attacked tried to make us stand, unarmed, between themselves and the elves as living shields. When we refused to get involved, the guards attacked us and we had to defend ourselves from them. From that moment on we determined to leave, and tried to do so peacefully. We gave both the winged one and the goblin chances to stand down, and it is unfortunate that they did not. We all have decisions to make, and some are not easy", he says sadly.

"My name is Hemlock. Please tell your captain Jonah that I am empathetic to you all, and wish no further violence between us".

He holds out a hand, "I have seen people in these lands shake hands as a sign of respect. I offer mine, and ask your name, though I will not be offended if you deny me either".

He stands for a moment, waiting to see what the dwarf does.

Watching Sebastian walk away, Saoirse is left with a sad feeling, but somewhat optimistic at the same time. There's still a tough way in front of him, and a lot of healing that needs to happen, but at least everything looks a bit brighter than the day before. She prays to see him in much better shape next time they meet.

With a sigh she also turns her back and returns to her friends just when Hemlock is speaking. As she is in agreement with his every word, the genasi stays silent and awaits the guard's response before adding anything else.

"I am Sigrid. The fog of war can lead to many bad decisions, and I believe from what I've seen that when you killed my friends you believed it was the only way. So I do not hate you, and I will the same to Captain Jonah. But he has a very hard-line interpretation of justice, was a close personal friend of Grommit's, and has an almost paternal need to take care of all of us Hammerstone workers. Some local teenagers killed another of us several days ago, and he's been calling the lot of them savages and readying us to fight ever since. I don't think I'm going to be able to convince him that you're anything other than violent criminals. If you turn yourselves in to him, maybe. But if you're not planning to do that, you better not be here when he gets back."

- Glad to make your acquaintance, Sigrid. My name is Saoirse - the genasi says, nodding to the dwarf - What you say is most unfortunate. For what you describe, Captain Jonah is an honorable man, and one who would make an incredible ally against people like Strixwell. Sha has told you what they are doing, and we won't just accept it. We won't turn ourselves in, either. So I guess this leaves us in a position where we can do no more, but just say our goodbyes and leave. Take care, Sigrid. I am happy that, at least with you, things turned out differently than when we left Coldwater. We really wish it could have been the same with Aerar and Grommit...

She gives her a sad look, but quickly looks at the rest and adds:

- We need to get going.

Sigrid is released, and stands now at the mine entrance a free woman, choosing to be there. "Well-met. I do not hate you, but I do not like you either. Aerar and Grommit were good men, and friends. Make the freedom their lives bought you worth something."

Hássan bows deeply to the four of you. "May your journey be safe and true, and may accomplish the great task Hamza has given you. Return to us whenever you wish, and you will be given a hero's welcome."

When you leave, you can hear the sound of an approaching HMC wagon along the road. It is still a couple hundred meters away, and there is time to hide or to take the forest path before they get close enough to see you. The Artificers tower is to the north. The sun looks to be about 2 hours above the horizon, there are scattered clouds but otherwise the weather seems quite favorable. A light wind ruffles the leaves of the canopy. The brightness of the surface has you all squinting for a few minutes as your eyes readjust. Hássan pointedly keeps his eyes either down or back into the cave, having lived in dim.light and darkness all his life.

Hemlock inclines his head to Hássan in response to the kobold's bow.

"I hope the stars guide our path back here in the not too distant future", he says, before cocking his head and swivelling his ears to listen to the sounds of the approaching wagon.

"I guess we should be on our way with haste", he says and gives the others a pointed look before setting out, one that hopefully warns against speaking of their next destination. He will look to head away from the arriving HMC folk, but not directly North. He doesn't want Sigrid to know which way they are heading and to where.

When they are hidden from the view of Sigrid and far enough not to be overheard, he will whisper to the others.

"Should we watch, to make sure there is no foul play here? We risk being spotted of course. I could once again become a squirrel if that helps".

During the whole conversation with Sigrid, Lam stays silent and keeps a respectful distance from the dwarf woman, not wanting his presence to be too imposing. He speaks only twice during the conversation. The first is when Sigrid gives her name and he repeats it to himself. The second is when they all turn to leave. He bows his head to both Sigrid and Hássan, and says: “Goodbye. Stay safe.” Then he follows Hemlock’s lead out of the mine.

He squints his eyes, which trail the ground as the group makes their way out of view. He is troubled by some of the developments of the HMC- both that Jonah is likely going to be a problem for them as long as they keep crossing paths, and that the duergar from the mines are maybe going to end up as “indentured servants.”

When Hemlock starts to whisper, Lam looks up at him, stills, and considers the question for more than a few moments. He says in a low voice, “…I would like to leave.” Then he studies the face of his wise friend. “Do you think it will go bad?” He knows that, with his size, it would be harder for him to listen in without being noticed- he is willing to wait and let Hemlock try if he thinks it is best.

Saoirse doesn't answer Sigrid any further, but just gives her a slight nod. That is surely the best answer they were going to get, given everything that transpired between the party and the HMC, so the genasi takes it as a success.

Turning to Hássan, she bows back and gives him a grateful smile.

- I am glad to have met you and your people, Hássan. We've all lived some really tense situations yesterday which I wish hadn't happened, but I believe good things will come from having met. Thank you for everything, and do take care.

To Hemlock's whisper, Saoirse whispers back:

- I also prefer to leave. I'm more worried by what we could cause if we get caught, than what may happen when the HCM and the kobolds begin their talks. They should go smoother now that there won't be Springdawn envoys. But ... I won't oppose to you listening for a while with your wildshape ability. I would suggest then that Sha, Lam and I stay well away to avoid being seen while you listen.

"Let us proceed. Hamza can always get in touch if there are issues, and it isn't worth the risk", Hemlock replies, deciding that getting moving was the better choice.

With that he is ready to move quickly and quietly away from the mine.

You get moving before the HMC arrives. It's just one wagon, with Jonah riding the largest horse you've ever seen just ahead of it, alongside one other warrior in light leather armor. They arrive as you leave, and you would need to stay behind a little longer and risk discovery to see more details.

The forest is calm this morning. Full of life, to be sure, but on the journey from the mines to the Artificer's tower, you don't run into any other humanoids or sentient fey. All manner of beasts, to be sure, and if you were paying attention at just the right moment you might have noticed a flash of Grey or brown fur 50-100 yards away as a wolf or bear incidentally passed nearby, but nothing that demands action. You pass back down from the stony edge of the steep mountains, and the stubble trees and shrubs of that clade quickly give way to larger trees, old growth hemlocks, pines, and birches interspaced with the occasional skyoak, and although these tower above the lther trees and make their own type of forest floor, none of these are nearly as massive or old as Village Tree. The walk takes about two-and-a-half hours, moving at a fairly brisk pace for a hike. After a little while making your own way and pushing through some underbrush, you join up with a trail used fairly frequently, kept clear by foot traffic, foraging, and a little bit of selective planting over decades and centuries. Footprints and scat make it clear that this trail is also frequented by the beasts of the forest. There is time to talk on the way.

For the last 45 minutes of your hike, you can see the tower occasionally through breaks in the trees. It is round, thin, and 4 stories tall before a wide conical roof. The construction is unlike most any other building you've ever seen, mostly stone but incorporating large squares and patches of metal in places. The roof is corrugated iron, which is remarkably strange. The tower sits atop a rise of dark granite stone, and its own height plus the elevation puts the roof above even the tallest skyoaks in the forest. On one side, the slope up to the rise is slight enough to walk easily up, with shrubs and grass on the way. From the base of the tower, smoke is rising slowly. You would all be able to recognize it as about the right amount of smoke for a small cook-fire. Someone is making camp at the base of the tower. You can see the smoke while still får enough away to be relatively sure that they don't know you're here yet.

“In 3 days my Goddess’ birth from the void is observed, a birthday in a way.  It is only once a decade a very small ‘moon’ space rock will eclipse with the moon itself when that happens I should emerge from a body of water reflecting the event.  This will be the first time in my life I will be able to do this openly.  I would be greatly honored if you my friends could witness me.  It is not an observance made by the faithful of Selune however as they do not recognize the side of their goddess who reminisces the void as those who venerate Shar do.  I may be the first to accomplish this in the full understanding of my deity.  It would be considered an act of heresy by both sides therefore I only invite you three and I understand if you decline.”  Sha-gravis quietly walks with his friends not expecting a quick response just silently praying they will all be safe and sound as the next few days pass.

Saoirse was grateful to be again in the surface, walking under the sun and among trees and wilderness, feeling the soft wind in her skin. They had spent less than a day in the kobold's colony and though they had been treated as honored guests, it had really been more than enough for her. She wondered how it would affect Sebastian, as he would be spending a lot of time in that dark and closed space, and as an opposed example, how would Hássan react if he were ever forced to walk under such open space as the forest they were currently traversing. 

When Sha talks about the eclipse, she turns to him with interest:

- I would love to see that, Sha. Of course I will accompany you. Does the ritual have to happen in a specific body of water, like a lake, or would any body of water do? The river runs near the Artificer's Tower and Village Tree, but I'm not sure if it is a "calmed river" ? We did hear something about a spirit living in it, right? What I mean is: I hope this is not dangerous for you, Sha.

As they approach the strange tower and they perceive the smoke, she says:

- Cylence mentioned there were mercenaries - surely, Strixwell's - poking in the tower, so that smoke will probable belong to their camp. Let's do as we did when we reached the mines, shall we? Approach them without being seen to try to see what they are up to before doing anything else, yes?

Saoirse fades into the bushes and identifies a path up to the campfire at the base of the tower that should let her approach unseen. You still can't see who or how many people there are there.

Lam marvels as he looks around with bright eyes at the different types of trees. He seems to greatly enjoy the walk. He doesn’t know very many facts about the different plants and shrubs they encounter, but some part of him still feels at home in nature. They are walking briskly, but he enjoys the pace.

He turns to Sha and says in Goblin, “Freund, ich bin glücklich dies zu erleben. Ich verstehe derzeit nicht alles über deine Göttin, aber ich würde dich gerne unterstützen. Dankeschön für die Einladung.”

Then he turns to Saoirse and nods, his movements instantly becoming more quiet and controlled as he indicates agreement with her plan. He does his best to follow Saoirse, but his large stature makes it difficult to go fully unnoticed.

Hemlock walks through the forest far more content being out amongst nature than under the ground. He stops every so often to speak to a plant or flower, always leaving it more vibrantly in bloom. He even whispers some words in druidic whilst looking to the sky, looking to determine what the weather will be like.

When Sha speaks of the ritual of his god whereby he emerges from water, he his enthusiastic in his answer.

"I would be honoured to observe your ritual. I will confess I don't understand the division in your religion, so don't have any worries at all about it being heresy. And you are right Saoirse, the river spirit is not entirely friendly and it may be worth avoiding that as an option. Although to petition the spirit to be allowed to perform the ritual in the river is an interesting thought", he says clearly pondering the notion of conversing with the spirit.

When Lam responds to Sha in a language he does not speak, a very small frown creases his face and he moves away.

When they reach to tower, Hemlock stares up at the structure in wonder. "I did not think one of your buildings could reach as high into the sky as the Skyoak can", he says in almost a whisper.

When Saoirse suggests the camp fire might be that of the Stryxwell mercenaries, he nods gravely.

"I think you are right, we would should proceed with caution".

With that he focusses on the task of concealing himself, not that it helps much.