Vark's mouth hangs open for a moment in surprise. "Oh... oh wow... uhm o-okay. I can meet her. Uhm, where is Wydrioth?" 

The Lady smiles softly at Vark's innocence, giving the boy a kind, but condescending look.

"Wydrioth lies twenty leagues to the north, where the forest grows dark and dense. It is a fortress town - the linchpin of south-east Eldren. Proud as we are of Hyarantar, we are but a single village of Wydrioth March, and as such are beholden to its Lady."

"Stay a night," Keltin proposes, "consult with Peldirion and his books. We will bring this matter to the Marquise' attention, and perhaps in the morning we will know more."

Feeling that the Lord and the Lady of Hyarantar has ended their little audience with them Thurston bows his head to them and says

"You are very generous. We will enojy the festivities and tend to all this matter in the morning. If you allow us we will retire now so you can attend it as well..." 

As the meeting closes, Jex positions himself next to Lord Keltin as they make to leave. 

"My Lord, a moment of your time for a matter of personal interest if I may?"

Jex summons the politest, most respectful tone he can manage, but continues with the confidence of someone who can assume agreement. 

"I hear you have an interest in noble sports, particularly those involving animals, falconry and the like. I have need of a breeder of magical beasts and would consider it a great favour if you could help put me in touch with the right person?" 

Keltin gives Jex an intrigued look of surprise.

"That's an unusual request," he remarks with grin, "but I might be of assistance. What manner of beasts are you looking for? I know a man in the Skymark Reaches - a specialist of sorts, by the name of Hamben. Be it he, or another, have no doubt that the finest creatures in all Eldren are bred in Cavaroc."

Jex nods. 

"Thank you. Does he travel here to offer his creatures for you, or do you journey to him? I am looking for a pair of goats, mighty enough to pull my wagon with no difficulty." He gives a little grin as though delivering the punchline of a joke. 

"Oh, Hamben prefers not to leave his homestead," Keltin explains with a smile. "He keeps a number of rare specimens that it's best not to leave unattended. Nevertheless, if anyone can find what you're looking for, it's him. Would you like me to send word of your interest? He has a select clientele and doesn't do business with just anyone. He'll likely contact you to discuss your needs, before asking you to make the journey north. You'll need at least a week on the road each way."

Jex smiles in gratitude. 

"Thank you. That would be most kind of you to make the introduction." Jex can't help but rub his hands together in excitement as he leaves. He bids goodnight to everyone and returns to sleep on his wagon. 

Val remains quiet, content to watch the Lord and Lady with an innocent smile of contentment upon her face as others speak of things well beyond her ken... until word of her home mountain is brought up at which point she becomes keenly interested as she feels a slight thrum coming from within.

Seid also seems very interested in the situation with this Paramount and how Vark's situation seems to bring a much more serious note to his concern. As they are dismissed Seid smiles and bows very politely to the Lord and Lady. Just before he takes his leave he speaks to them in the elven tongue, a little haltingly as if he is somewhat out of practice, but quietly well pronounced given his accent. "I wish to thank you for you hospitality. I will gladly seek out Peldirion. I look forward to the day when our paths shall meet again."

Seeing that Seid is talking in elven to the lord and the lady Thruston mumbles

"Well, that's it Rikkazarik! We will learn to speak that language. And then we will learn how to forge things in this incredible material. You'll see!" 

He then stops Peldirion and asks

"Drink with me my friend. You see I have a favor to ask you. "  Thurston pass a glass of mead to the elf and they drink together. Before he speask again he seems a little bit ashamed. " Everyone seems to know your language except me... and if I want to blend here and to show you all the same respect you've showed me I think I should learn it. Would you help me with some book or something?" 

Once Lord and Lady Fairfax have bid their visitors farewell, Peldirion also makes to excuse himself until the morrow, sensing that they have much work ahead of them. However, Thurston's invitation gets the better of the wizard, and he agrees to join the Norscan for a drink or two at the Silver Tower before turning in. He spends another couple of hours chatting with Seid and teaching Thurston the odd word of elvish before heading home when the moon is still high in the sky.

The festival continues through the night, until the first rays of sun filter through the canopy the next morning, bathing the village in green and gold. The cheerful dawn chorus of the first spring time birds calls the last tired elves home, while elsewhere the changing of the guard and the scent of freshly baked bread mark the beginning of a new day.

For the first hour or so of his day, Vark sits in bed cradling his face in his hands. He isn’t conflicted about telling his companions, well at least Seid, about the dream he has just had. That much is a definite. But the boy is confused as to how exactly he feels about Matthew’s words. The being’s whole manner really, was confusing. It had been almost paternal, and the reaction to Vark’s accusations was so... sensitive. He had taken his friend’s words as truth, that Matthew was evil and had made Vark do some evil thing. But now he doesn’t know what to believe, or even how to feel. Once he has wrestled with this for awhile and come to no conclusion, he rushes from his room and scours the Silver Tower for the wizard. Once he finds him, Seid can immediately see that the boy is quite flustered. “S-seid uhm... I need to talk to you. Alone... please.” 

Seid is working through some work with the elven sage when he spots Vark rush up to him, appearing very distraught. He frowns as he places a pageholder into the book he was reading and gently closes the cover. "Of course, Vark. Is everything alright? Do you have somewhere specific in mind?"

Sleeping in the wagon, Jex rests well. The quiet comforting presence of Hshimi and her children does much to still his nerves and his heartbeat slows to match that of his cold blooded companions as he lies quietly in the dark. The knife under the roll that his head rests on is in easy reach and he has a foot resting on the door which may seem to an outsider that he was nervous and unquiet, but truth be told this was a comforting habit and he could relax much more this way than in any bed in any palace, a fact he knew from experience. He was a little surprised as he woke in the morning that he had not been woken in the night by Druindar attempting to steal his wagon, something he would certainly have tried were the roles reversed, almost disappointed even at first. 

He raises himself, takes some water from the stream to wash, and empties a trap beneath his wagon to feed his pets. He hesitates a moment, considering leaving Hshimi hungry. Later my sweet, I may have need of you yet and best you are not full when I do. He dresses carefully once more in his merchant's attire, and climbs back into the treetops to take breakfast in The Silver Tower. He finds Druindar already eating and meets him with a cheery grin, joining him at the table for some idle talk of their travels and irritating customers, unusual sales, the easy comfortable chatter of men sharing a trade. As they mop up the final scraps from their plates both Jex and Druindar sit up straighter, the easy casual talk replaced by a screen of careful movements, gestures and tone that both knew to be the false ease of a business man looking to make a profit beneath seeming easy going and fair. Friendliness put on hold it was time for work. Jex leads the way back down to his wagon, his snakes carefully hidden away behind a false back, the front has just a few simple wares and barrels full of simple trade goods. 

Getting down to business Jex removes the lid from some of the barrels and waits patiently as Druindar inspects the contents, both men clearly try to stay silent longer than the other, knowing full well that he who breaks the silence opens the negotiations and is already behind on the deal. Jex has the cooler head though and Druindar begins with an offer. "15 thousand. It's a good supply here, but hard to move in these parts. Obviously I don't carry this much gold though so you will have to take part of it in bonds." Jex hides his surprise at the value of the goods with mock frustration. The easy fake insulted face that all businessmen knew. This was his favourite thing about being Hamza: businessmen could feign offence, accuse each other of cheating openly and none of it was ever really taken personally, it was expected and it was a game that Jex thrived on. "You insult me comrade, you think me a common pedlar? I know these goods' worth and far more I know that the extra distance to collect on this bond will cost me several weeks' travel." He falls to silence again, hoping to trick Druindar into bargaining against himself, but the man is not new to this and laughs it off. "The bond is what you can have, you think it has more value, what do you place it at." The press of the steel of the slim blade hidden at his back tugs at Jex. This man had come here without protection, with bonds worth a fortune and gold to top it off. Killing this fool would be easy and untraceable. Hshimi was hungry and the evidence would be gone before anyone even started a search. The game was still being played though and he had no intention of ending it early. "25 thousand then, for the trouble of taking the bonds." 

Druindar shakes his head, almost looking like he has lost his calm and Jex was at the brittle surface beneath. This is how he knew he was at the best offer. "20 Thousand is all you will get from me. Otherwise you will have to journey to a city yourself to sell it." 

With a smile of agreement Jex holds out his hand. "20 Thousand it is then." Jex pulls him in close with the handshake, fighting every reflex to use the grip to bring his dagger under the mans exposed armpit and take the bonds and the goods. "I like how you do business. Perhaps you would like to accompany me to Sheercleft and join the guild with me?" Jex releases the hand and the two fall back into the friendly relaxed relationship of two companions, business concluded. Jex helps Druindar unload the barrels and takes the bonds from him, checking them carefully. They discuss the possibility of travelling together, but in the end Druindar decides it would be best to restock with supplies before he travels to the town, but that he will return in a week to see that the road is open and advertise the fact to those he meets. 

Middle of the transaction with Druindar, Jex sees Thurston approaching him and his wagon. For a moment he fears that the big Norscan interrupts them and ruin his careful prepared and hard worked deal, but the paladin, who seems to have taken a recent bath at the Silver Tower before going out, goes to check the front of the wagon, leaving the two man conduct their bussines. Once they deal is done he approaches and says. 

"Do you need a hand unloading that? I can carry if for you to yuour place of convinience for no charge sir. " he says to Druindar after winking a Jex.

In the morning, Hurrig walks over to the temple to check on its progress. Seeing one of the foremen, hired by Jex, Hurrig calls out, "Oy! How is it comin' along?" The old foreman turns around hearing the voice of one of his employers call out to him. "Its coming along nicely. We appreciate the help with the clean up. Now we are just going through the logistics of getting the building supplies; stone and lumber, glasswork, the ornate metals." Hurrig clasps arms with the foreman and says, "Good, get them from where ever you need. If ya need ta send someone ta help negotiate the trade let me know, and I will go myself. We need ta open the trade up anyway."

Hurrig meets up with Delg at the ravine to head down into the mines. "I appreciate ya coming down with me Delg, I know I can trust ya to make these mines work well again." Hurrig gives Delg a firm handshake and they begin their way down into the mines just like old times. Hurrig never worked on Delg's crew, but Hurrig knows he led one of the best teams down into those mines. If Hurrig didn't follow his new friends to Hyarantar and the town wasn't over run, he had hoped to make it to Delg's team. "We can begin in the original sections of the mines like normal. I want to get special attention towards those new veins we spotted down in the mines as quick as possible, maybe I will lead the team to get those veins flowing for us. While you begin working in the old sections?" 

Delg nods at Hurrig's suggestion, "'Tis a fine plan there." Delg becomes a little distracted as they make their way deeper into the mine seeing the parts that himself and the other slaves had carved out for the first time since the war. 

Hurrig turns to Delg, seeing the pain on Delg's face. The red haired dwarf places a hand on the shoulder of his elder. "I know this mus be hard for ya, but I am glad it's you by my side, Delg. Together we will make this mine work and better than before. We will honor those lost. Moradin knows it, for I have told him myself, that I will not rest." Delg simply nods again at Hurrigs words. For the rest of the day, the two go over plans for proper fortification of the new tunnels, possible new routes of expansion to consider, and how to go about recruiting new miners to help. The two dwarves return to the surface as the sun begins to set. Hurrig runs his fingers through his hair, which is now covered in a light coating of dust, one that is familiar to the stout dwarf. Hurrig rubs the dust out between his fingers and let's a slight chuckle out. "Ya know, I was starting to think I was done with this."

Delg turns around and says, "You are never truly finished working in the mines till the day you die. They always find a way to draw you back."

Jex smiles at Thurston. "Ah, my good man. Actually I could use your help. I have some more things I need to take up to the village." He smiles at Druindar, concluding their business before loading Thurston up with the armour and weapons from his wagon to take up to the armoury. 

“Uhm... outside should be fine. Just... away from the others. M-maybe we can take a walk to Peldirion’s.” Vark is silent for several moments even after the pair of mages has left the inn and are safe away from prying ears. The soft forest paths and elevated walkways of Hyarantar are quiet this morning, likely do to many of the citizens needing to sleep off the previous night’s revelry. The tranquility is even more refreshing than the celebrations were and Vark’s eyes drift around, longing for a more lasting peace. Finally he turns to Seid after a minute of this reverie. “I... I thought he was gone  for good after what happened but... last night he came back. In... in a dream. It was weird, he- he was so nice. I mean he was always nice but... he said he wanted to repay his debt. He seemed really grateful that I helped him get out of that prison. He was almost... proud of me? But then I was angry at him and I called him a lich and told him to go away and he seemed hurt by it and... not... not even offended just... hurt. He said he ‘had no need for undeath’ and that Spangelhelm locked him away because he was jealous of Matthew’s power. Oh! And he said the Mabinogi were trying to take his power to- to use it for themselves. He seemed happy that we stopped them. I... I don’t know what to think.” He reaches into a pocket and then pulls out the tarot card that he discovered when he woke. “And I think he left me this... I don’t know what it means but... I was holding it when I woke up.” They are nearly to Peldirions by the time Vark has finished recounting his dream. He stops when it comes into view and looks to Seid for his thoughts.

Seid stops and stares at Vark a moment, looking entirely shocked and afraid. "He... spoke to you? Are you sure this was not just a dream?" He stares at the card as a shiver creeps up his spine. "So, according to this Matthew he is what was released in that pit beneath Sheercleft?" He stood there quietly a moment, wracking his brain for the answer and the name Spangelhelm comes up. "Spangelhelm! I know that name! He was an ancient dwarvish lord around this area. We finally know where to begin looking! Come, Vark, quickly now! I have some place to start! Thank you!" He pulls the young man into a hug and plants a kiss upon his forehead, then practically drags him into Peldirion's place. "I need your connection!"

Vark's face is flushed with red from the sudden unexpected embrace. "Uhm ah y-y-yeah ah.. h-he.." he can't even finish his response before he is whisked off into the wizard's home. "O-o-okay!"