"Prisoners?" Grin would say with a mixture of interest and concern... "Does the mud sorcerer have prisoners... where there prisoners in the building we were just in? I would have been willing to help free some... especially if there was a reward or in some way linked to my target..." The shifter would say as he reaches into his pocket and quickly pulls out some information he has recorded on the mud sorcerer. 

"There were," Tibold replies easily.

"However, we rescued them, though with the lack of rations we had for them, they may need rescuing again..." Tibold frowns.

"Really, we should join them as quickly as reasonably possible. But I fear that if we were to be stopped on our way there, in our current state, few of us would survive the encounter..."

Thromkor turns to Renwick. "Do you have any food?"

Renwick looks thoroughly bemused by the question and says "I haven't eaten in half a millenia, which is great for the waistline,  but surely the Monastery's inhabitants must have eaten - No?"

Grin would pull out his backpack and remove ten packs of rations. "I have this food available... I didn't know anyone was in need of it..." He says holding one of the rations in his hand and looking to the group.

"There are almost 20 outside and we don't know how many across that bridge," Thromkor grumbles, first to Grin, then to Tibold and Cole. He looks back at the shifter. "Again, thank you for your generosity, but we have to find some real food." He sighs and looks back at the arch-lich. "Renwick, you have already been helpful to us. But we must get to the prisoners being guarded by gargoyles and we don't know what else. Would you be willing to accompany us?" He narrows his eyes and opens his mouth to say more, but catches himself and shuts up.

Grin would look towards Thromkor and stuff the rations back in his pack. "Sure, sounds like fun." The shifter says with a smile. "I still don't have a clue what I am getting myself into or what is going on... but from what I can tell... the people you were fighting are in some way related to the sorcerer I am searching for.. .so perhaps I will uncover more clues as to his wherabouts while assisting you all with your task" He says as he dusts off his long leather jacket and attempts to straighten his battered and bruised body as tall as he can.

Renwick looks over at Thromkor as he request his help, thinks and then replies  "No! I've got all of this reading to do" waving at the new books that the party has brought up from scriptorium "I was an adventurer once but no longer and in fact not for a long time. That you must do my draconic friend!"

Thromkor balks. "Those books are ours!" the dragonborn exclaims.

(I don't think Renwick is going to be any help. Let's just go out the back garden and check on the prisoners?)

Letting out snort and a stutter as he wakes up, in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, Gotrek looks at the group and asks, "So what's for breakfast guys?" Shocked by how quiet he is, Gotrek raises and eyebrow and tries yelling. "Worked up quite an appetite recently." trying his best to get the groups attention.

The Book

Of all the books that the party has brought up from the Scriptorium and it was an extensive collection only one – the one, that Renwick was referring to when he said "I suggest you read this one, it might give you some of the answers you're looking for?" and which I later described in Post #1054 as "A personal journey of exploration into self-denial and nihilism through greater understanding of the Elemental Planes focusing on that of Elemental Earth" by Marlos Urnrayle of Suzail, Cormyr – will be of use to the Party. The rest is largely fluff and eye candy which will amuse Renwick but not be of any interest to the Party. In Post #1053, Grin offers to read it to the Party. At risk of putting words into a Player’s mouth, in an effort to continue the campaign flowing, I am going describe what Grin found when he opened the book.

As Grin opens the book he quickly determines that it is a written in the form of a diary. As he flicks through the book’s pages he stops about a third of a way in and starts reading in more detail. He looks up at the Party and in a voice which compared to Tibold’s mellifluous voice (not) is all growly and sharp, he reads directly from the book. “This is interesting. On a heading dated “Day 3, First Ten-day, The Year of the Scarlet Witch” (OOC: you know this to be about six months ago) “I felt an irresistible compulsion to make my way deep into the lost dwarvish city of Tyar-Besil; an underground complex I had been exploring for sometime. As I reached a door in an area I had not previously explored, I knew I had to, but why I don’t know, go through the door. Imagine my surprise when upon passing through the door I found myself in a chamber, with only one other door leading out of it, and inside the room was a Tiefling with almost glowing red skin, standing as far as she could from a piratical looking figure covered in barnacles and missing an arm which had been replaced with a crab’s claw and opposite me was a haughty looking elf with what appeared to be wings on her back. I don’t know why but I took an instant dislike to her.” Grin turns the page and…

(sounds good to me, I was under the impression that the book was huge so I didnt know how to make it work. I like your plan)

(This all works for me, but dont expect Gotrek to pick up the book, put on some spectacles and read it aloud!)

(thanks Wreck!. Given that Gotrek is missing an ear, the spectacles would hang all askew anyway!)

What kind of twisted Magic’s would create create those wierd hybrid creatures.  It sounds like something that should be stopped and destroyed.  Where is this dwarves city ?  Do we have a map?

Gotrek raises an eyebrow at Cole's mention of hybrids, "I assume you talk about the winged elf, books are not my thing but even I know winged elves are real. They are almost unheard off but on one my campaigns up in the Spine we heard rumor of a village of them living high up in the peaks, and I swear I saw one fly above us as well." he says with the look of someone remembering an old adventure. He then gives a wink following with, "I am sure I don't need to explain what a tiefling is? And about the barnacle thing, who knows what lives under the waves.. personally it's not my kind of terrain."

He then glances at Renwick and saying, "I am sure Renwick here can back me up."

He then thinks for a few moments (History: 4) (I will let Grant post what Gotrek remembers/knows about a dwarven city as he will tell the group.)F

Finally he says to the group in general, "I think we need to check on those prisoners. I think back over the garden wall is the easiest way." He turns to Grin, "you may need to share your rations, at least until we rest and feel strong enough to return to try and find food stores. I am sure there must be something down there."

Gotrek says to the group, "I remember a long-time ago my Grandpappy tell me when my hair was still short, a bit like today" he says forlornly running his hand over his now much hacked up Mohawk "oh well what's done is done! That over 6000 years ago there used to be a great Shield Dwarf kingdom, called Besilmer whose capital was called Tyar-Besil, located somewhere in what nowadays they call the Sumber Hills. Apparently it was overrun by hordes of hordes of Orcs, Trolls and Giants long ago." He muses for a moment and then continues "you know, if this complex is built on top of Tyar-Besil's ruins, that would explain the quality of the stonework I saw when we went down to that bridge over the chasm where we fought the Gargoyles."

Grin would look from the writings in his hands to Gotrek "Yeah, I can share my rations with whoever needs them... but... What in the nine hells did I get myself into?" the sifter says trying to keep up with the conversations going on as they talk about prisoners and mutant hybrids and flying elves. Grin would take a moment to close the book and sit back against the wall, just looking out trying to go over everything he has heard so far. "Ya know.. Yesterday I was just hunting a mud sorcerer... and today... well... I feel things have gotten much more complicated" he will say running his slender claw-like fingers through his shaggy hair.

(I like it)