Berkarak stands back from the group, looking around at their surroundings, taking in the scene.

Inside, he stands, communicating interest and empathy with his face. After Grymar speaks, Berkarak simply reaches out and squeezes his shoulder solidly but shortly then pats his shoulder twice, in a sign of empathy and support for whatever might be bothering him.

Otherwise, Berk continues to keep back and observant throughout the exchange.

Lehmani - Trappis waves his large hand and says, "No, not at all and thank ya for sayin' so." Trappis goes on to tell you the following:

A century ago, Gaelren and his mother managed to escape Khundrukar prior to the orc attack. They eventually made their way to Blasingdell and settled in among the townsfolk there. Trappis came to Blasingdell roughly forty years ago when the mines were opened. He worked the mines and saved his pay until he could afford to start a business of his own, that business being the smithy. It wasn't long after that, that Trappis was awoken one morning by someone working in his shop. He found Gaelren working away as if he owned the place and saw very quickly the innate skill the dwarf possessed. Trappis hired Gaelren with his mother's blessing, though try as she might, she couldn't keep him away from the shop anyhow. The two worked side by side for decades until Gaelren's mother became ill and the time of her passing was near. She feared what would become of Gaelren, not being able to care for himself, but Trappis assured her that he would care for him as if he were his own flesh and blood. And by that time, he may as well have been. Trappis never had kids of his own, sure there were women, but those relationships bore no fruit and the bond between Gaelren and Trappis became that of father and son. After Gaelren's mother passed he moved in with Trappis and has been with him ever since.

Grymar - Trappis' eyes widen at your outburst and by the time you finish he wears a scowl, "What what! You might be a dwarf but you don' know Gael from Adam! The boy don't understand like you an' me. Even after his ma passed, he ne'er shed a tear. He don' smile, he don' hug, he don' talk about 'is feelings. He works, what what. Tha's what he wants ta do and I let him! I been lettin' him do it for the better part of my life now. In all that time, he's ne'er even said my name. He just talks work. Ingredients, materials, measurements." Trappis' eyes are misty again and you hear the pain in his voice as he speaks, "What what... So don' come in here presumin' ya know Gael and what Gael needs, 'cause ya don't!"

Lehmani leans forward, gently positioning herself between Grymar and Trappis. "We may each have our different ways, but I think we can all agree that Gaelren deserves every bit of our compassion, respect and empathy. I will offer my own silent prayer to the Gearsmith on his behalf durning my evening's meditations. I won't mention it to him, of course. Wouldn't want to cause him any distress... But, it's one simple kindness I can easily do for him."

She then straightens and gets to the task at hand. "I want to assure you, we're not here to 'poke and prod' in search of treasure, as you say... All we seek is knowledge. I'm sure you've heard about the scourge of orc raids on northern farmsteads. We have reason to believe these raids might be connected to the legend of Durgeddin's stronghold. With that in mind, we're hoping to learn as much as we can about the legend before we set ourselves to the task of clearing out the bastards. For instance... Does Stone Tooth mean anything to you? It's a place I've seen in divine visions sent to me by The Gearsmith, a potential location of the lost stronghold... and, apparently, it's also where these orcs are hold up. It seems too uncanny to be a coincidence. Wouldn't you agree?"


. 

Lehmani - Trappis bows his head as he says, "Thank ya sister, I appreciate that, what what. The Stone Tooth? Well, I can do ya one better'n tell ya, I can show ya, look here." Trappis stands and walks over to a window that faces the shop outside and draws back the curtain. You see Gaelren pumping a bellows and while manipulating something within the forge and notice that the sun has finally made its way into the sky. "There, that's the Stone Tooth, what what." Trappis indicates a particular peak in the mountain range behind Gaelren, the same peak you saw from your vision. "That's where Khundrukar was 'fore the Orcs came and sacked the place. Now I s'pose they done moved in and been using it as a base or somethin' ta return to in between raidin' the villages 'round here, what what." Trappis scratches at his beard and takes a sip of his tea before continuing, "Now, I'll tell ya like I told all the others, Orcs prob'ly done carried off all the valuables a hunnerd years ago. If there is anythin' left, it prob'ly ain't worth much no more, what what." Trappis takes another sip of his tea, "Now that sword ya brought, that's interestin', what what. Definitely one o' Durgeddin's. Say ya got it off a giant? What what! Ne'er seen't one myself." Trappis makes his way back over to his bed and takes a seat, "I reckon if ya could handle a giant ya might be able ta drive out those orcs squattin' in Khundrukar, folks 'round here would sure 'preciate it, what what."

Grymar bows his had and has a look of consternation on his face when Trappis starts talking, and he rubs his hands through his hair vigorously until it stands on end.  “Aye, aye, I getcha.  It just… well, I see whatcha mean.”  He holds his peace after that and listens as Lehmani talks to the man and gets useful information about the Stone Tooth and the location of the orc stronghold.  He looks up as the pieces of the sword are discussed but holds his tongue, not wanting to cause any further anguish or distress.  

Zubien continues to sip his tea, observing and listening to the conversation. When he hears the orcs may still be there asks, "If I may ask, how many orcs are there? If thay have been there as long as you say, and we know they can breed like rabbits, could it be a good size? Has anyone seen them lately?"

Zubien - Trappis shrugs and says, "I cain't tell ya, ne'er been up that way myself, what what. I agree with ya though, iffin' they been holed up there all this time there'll prob'ly be a fair amount. Well, like sister here said, they been attackin' the villages 'tween here and the Stone Tooth, so folks've seen 'em alright."

Zubien nods. "It sounds like a worthy challenge to me, to remove these foul creatures."

Kalhala is silent as he listens to the exchange, wondering if there was more to Grymar's outburst than met the eye, but knew now was not the time to ask.  As Zubien talks about it being a worthy challenge, Kalhala nods, "Aye! that's what I'm hear for!"  But he can't stop thinking about the broken blade and what all that meant.

All - Trappis finishes his tea and glances out the window where Gaelren is working before turning back to you, "Anythin' else I can do for ya? Gotta get breakfast goin' here soon."

Lehmani nods. "Of course." She looks to the others. "Unless there's anything else of note you think we should know, or unless my companions have any other questions, we can leave you in peace. Thank you for your time."

To the others she says, "I'm ready to begin our journey, unless you think it would be prudent to check in with the town guard to see what information they've gained from this captured orc."

Zubien thanks him for his information. "I think it is prudent to check with the guards and see what they have learned from the captured orc. Perhaps we could question it and get more information that what the guards have."

All - Conferring with the town guard, you learn that the orc has since passed away. It was gravely wounded and left for dead by its comrades after a village raid, but the local militia managed to capture it in its weakened state and find a local spellcaster to cast charm person on it before it succumbed to its injuries. The only information they gleaned was the location of Khundrukar, Durgeddin's lost stronghold where the orcs are now squatting. The guardsmen mark the location on your map.

Grymar nods as he looks at the position on the map and he hears the situation with the captured orc.  “Well, let’s gohead and lookintoitherenow.  Timesa waistin’.”  He walks outside and pauses beside Gaelren, standing still beside his forge.  He pulls out his war hammer and shows him, lying it on the anvil and looking at him, seeing how he will respond and his thoughts on the weapon.  

After that occurs, he heads into the road and straightens his pack, readying himself for travel to the spot on the map.  He looks down to his pouch and says “Readiez?”  He looks up with a smile at everyone and nods.  

Lehmani nods at Grymar with a proud smile, patting her mace. "Agreed, friend Grymar." Then turns to the others. "Let's show these orcs a bad time, shall we?"

Berkarak adjusts his round spectacles, gives what he hopes is a fierce, determined look, and nods. With his characteristic deep voice and subtle speech pattern of 's' becoming 'sh,' he says, "Let's do this."

Zubien does a final check on his back, checks his quiver and longbow, then draws his longsword, gives it a good look over before returning it to its scabbard.  "Ready," he states to the group.  

Grymar - Gaelren immediately grabs your warhammer and begins inspecting it. You watch his eyes darting from detail to detail as his hands and fingers touch and test various parts. He begins muttering again, listing material components, their amounts, and various other data points related to the forging of the weapon. Gaelren grabs a wire brush and begins cleaning away a bit of rust and other debris that has found its way into the crevices of the weapon. When he's finished, he unwinds the leather braided around the handle and gives the metal underneath a few passes with the brush as well. Gaelren then shoves the hammer into the forge and begins pumping the bellows. He grabs a thickly padded glove and begins rotating the warhammer in the intense heat. After a few minutes, Gaelren pulls the warhammer out of the forge wraps it in a fire resistant cloth before placing it in a vice, "Four point six degrees out of true..." He mutters before slipping a long metal tube over the end of the warhammer. You watch as Gaelren presses against the tube, bending the shaft of the warhammer back into alignment. He then removes it from the vice and places it back in the forge for a bit before bringing it back to his anvil where he begins whacking it with his hammer. As he does so, you'd swear you saw bright blue sparks shoot out from the point of impact once or twice. Gaelren finishes servicing your warhammer by dousing it in oil and wiping it clean before applying another protective oil to it. He then re-wraps the handle with new leather and even brands his signature heron mark into the strap. He does all of this without ever acknowledging you and when done, he simply sets the warhammer on the table in front of you and returns to his previous task. When you pick it up, you feel a small, brief, flicker of magic within. Not enough to discern any effects but enough to know there's a little something in there.

All - As you travel north from the mining town of Blasingdell, you pass through brooding pine forests and deep vales. From where you stand now, you catch sight of a tall, steep hill that rises to a prominent bare knob of rock—the Stone Tooth. A thin spire of smoke rises from some unseen point high on the hill’s slopes, and you can make out a steep, narrow road or track that runs back and forth across the face of the mountainside.

As we proceed along the path, Lehmani, would like to find a private moment to walk alongside Grymar, her eyes never straying from the road ahead as she addresses him in a muted voice.

"Feels nice to be on the road with a sense of purpose again, is it not? Grymar... I hope you know that, after all we've been through together in Frickey and beyond, I consider you a friend. I do not pretend to know the ways of the dwarven clans, even though I hold their traditions in great esteem. I do, however, know when my friends are troubled... And when my friends are troubled, I consider it an honor to lend them my ear, my hand, and my undying support... Now, you have my word. I will never pry into your private affairs... But should you ever carry a burden that feels too much to bear... please know that, as long as I walk beside you, I will gladly share the load."

With that said, she continues walking along beside him in silence, ready to hear anything he wants to share, but just as comfortable enjoying the peaceful ambiance of their journey.

Kalhala watches in silent awe, his mouth open slightly as the dwarf manipulates Grymar's warhammer with such detail and efficiency.  It's over before he knows it and continues to stare at it even when Grymar takes it back and resecures it.  Looking back over the shop, Kalhala gives a low whistle as he admires the place.  Never seen a blacksmith's shop quite like it, or it's smithy.  Social or not, the minotaur was impressed.

He was glad when they started moving towards the mountain, letting the blood pump through his body as he thought about the upcoming battles ahead.  He wondered also about what was said, "Trappis... what was he referring to?  This treasure and what was it.. the legend of Durgeddin?  Is that why you all are here in the first place?"