Pip relaxes, he didn't realize he was so tense.  "Uh, Timothy?  What is the forge of spells? What does it do?" Pip looks around looking for evidence of spell components, beakers and other things that he attributed to his knowledge of spells.

Investigation 20

Mixum tries to control his glee with being given access to a workshop. He too looks for things that he can use for tinkering and modifying Charlotte.  He might have forgotten the reason that they are here for.

Investigation:  23

Seeing the others quickly get engrossed in what they're doing, Ordrin hangs back by the door and watches and listens carefully. After a few minutes he becomes interested in the stonework of this building, considering its age and for what purpose it may have been made.

Perception: 4

Intelligence, with Stonecunning trait: 22

OOC: Gonna go a bit backwards in order for this, but here goes:

To Ordrin: You have to strain yourself a little to hear over the small din of your peer's exploration of the shop, but you're fairly certain nothing has been attracted to the party's position. Yet. Any ongoing worry aside, you eventually find yourself studying the building, and... its weird. While you can certainly pick up on elements of dwarven craftsmanship in the design of the building, there were also some superflous elements tied to it as well in the form of strange etchings along the outerwalls. Something you might've missed had you not take a moment to brush off the soot and dust from the surface. As for the stone itself, it too was not something normally used dwarven construction, or any civlized beings arcitech as far as you can remember. Perhaps this too is a genuine relic of the past? You'll need more time to study it, and -- while it might hurt your dwarven pride a little -- perhaps consult kin more actively involved masonry at the very least when you have the chance.

To Pip: Although it clearly kept an eye on the part through the eye stalks, Timmothy appears to just ignore the question in favor of messing with some barrel in the southeast corner. So while waiting on him to finish.... again, whatever it was he was doing, you have a look around the shop. Unfortunately, most of what you had hoped to find has long since been destroyed in the fighting or eroded over time. But, you find at least a few possible spell components that you can perhaps salvage and use as substitutes for anything you might be low of at the moment. You also find a small diamond that had to be maybe worth 75 to 50 gold pieces just by spit balling.

As your search takes you over to the southeastern table still standing, you notice a glint of metal far too still polished and fresh despite years of neglect. As you are beginning to brush away the debris, you hear Timothy finally speak up into everyone's mind. "Sorry, what? The wat now?" Timothy turns to Pip, and it is then that anyone looking his direction can see what looks to bread crumbs all around his mouth. "Forge of Spells? Ya givin' me a tug? Naw, ya don't strike me as the type despite being a gnome." The creature chuckles. "Ya passed it by not a second ago. See that weird fire and braiser? That be it right there. Which according ta regulars of t'is 'ere establis'ment, it is meant to help channel all magic naturally wrapped up in 'is place into a single point for enchant'n. Along wit... doin' some o'a magicky transmutin' to improve o'er things, from what I can remember." He explains, then looks over to the table Pip had been about to investigate.

"Can't say I'm too sad to say d'is 'ere next bit, as the bloody f'ing practically kept me blind for a bit there, right. But, fire's gotten a bit dim over time from waning magic 'round 'ere. So, might wanna tell Vargimmley so he can tell'em dwarves to get crack'n on find'n a richer vein if this whole operations gonna keep goin' for another century. Oh! And to deliver those orders too 'fore there client comes marchin' up here." It is with that the creature focuses one of its eye stalk's attention on the table. In a swirl of dust and debris, the scattered contents on the table fly off the table, revealing a gleaming breastplate with a gold dragon motif on the front, and a mace with the head of a sunburst.

To Mixum: At the same time Pip is exploring the room, you and Charlotte had done much the same. Perhaps even going so far as to check out the presumed Storage Room for anything that might've been secured during the fight, and thus escaped destruction. Unlike Pip, your eyes and sense for salvage is a bit more nuanced than your fellow gnome. Enough to where that some of the things he blithely cast aside or ignored, you think you can maybe re-purpose with a bit of time and effort. But even so, there was hardly much to speak of worth the effort.

Just as you are about to lose hope, you find a dusty, cracked open box nestled between the northeastern table and wall. Inside of which upon closer examination is something you had not quite at all expected to find in the workshop, let alone upon this plane of existence! As you take a moment to marvel at what a layman might describe as 'some gold and black device made of wiring, clogs, pipes and other "stuff"', you come to realize that something is missing from it. Several things, in fact. But, you think you can alter and somewhat simplify the design so it can at least serve at least one purpose to fit some ideas that had begun floating around in your head after Timothy's explanation on the Forge of Spells. Yet between the diminshed power source and limited supplies, you have the feeling that whatever you make of it over the next ten or so minutes, you won't be able to alter. Not without far more time, research, assistance, and improvement of the forge's condition.

OOC: If your character commits the next 10 or so in game minutes to further developing the strange device, he will unlock ONE of the below bonus feats. Your choice. Feel free to go into the process and design of this upgrade.

Alert
Mounted Combatant - Watching the Gobs fight alongside Worgs
Skill Expert (Your choice)

Mixum stumbles across a gold and black device made of wiring, clogs, pipes and whizbangs. It is in disrepair but he had heard about such a thing in ancient schematics of yore. He becomes engrossed with the flux capacitor as he begins to see the missing pieces in his minds eye. He begins filling in the blanks with the parts that seem to call to him. He realizes that the new "Fluxum" will increase his efficiency and aptitude. 

Once he finishes he snaps it onto his wrist and it thrums to life. 

(Skill expert)

"Who's the client?" Ordrin asks, his interest drawn from the stonework to Pip's conversation. He steps cautiously up to the green flame, peering at it as if he can read something in it. Then he tips his chin up and carefully plucks a hair from his beard. Like threading a needle, he slowly slides the hair into the dancing flame.

Pip gathers the spell components that he finds that he thinks may be useful, pocketing the diamond as he does so.  As Timothy explains the Forge of Spells he is almost a bit disappointed.  The forge was like a literal forge, endowing power to pieces of equipment.  Armor and maces was not something he was interested in.  This really wasn't the magic he hoped the forge would be.  

"Well Ordrin, this equipment here might be something you are interested in." He says referring to the armor and the mace.  "Or Anton if he was here."

Taking some time while Mixum works on his project Pip casts Identify as a ritual to see what he can learn of the two items.

To Ordrin: Timothy squints at the ground for maybe a second or two before letting out a chuckle. "'ells if I know, or can remember. Just know that de, uh, mace was for some priestly order wit' a bit of an undead problem, ya see? Which I guess is pretty nifty. Also! Makes for a nice night light if'n ya don't mind 'avin to Praise the Sun whenever ya wanna turn it on." As the creature prattles on about the breastplate next, stating it was for some 'git in Neverwinter for helping to fight Dragons', an idle curiosity gets the better of you. With a care a practiced weaver, you slide the hair into the flames perhaps half still expecting it to burn, if only from the sheer intensity of the magic. Instead, something stranger happens....

16.

The hair began growing to an extraordinary length easily ten to maybe even fifteen long. And when you go to test its strength, it would feel as if you were trying to pull apart a length of steel chain reinforced dwarven techniques! After the shock of the transformation wears off, you find yourself thinking back to your people, and to your own condition. If the Forge of Spells could do what it did to a simple hair follicle, imagine what it could do to more medicinal ingredients with further experimentation. Or if a richer vein was somehow tapped in the area, perhaps you might even create greater panaceas! 

To Pip: While Timothy's vague description about the clients and items could be considered helpful, they could hardly be compared to bending the weave to make clear the truth of the item's nature. What if they had been cursed in some way from that whole 'Mire' business Firnat talked before!? So, over the course of the next 20 minutes or so of focus, you learn not only the properties  and names of the items, but can swear you can hear the somewhat distorted voices of their creators throwing out snippets of details of the items; Such as how they were intended for great heros, and the the creator's perspective on the client. Overall, enough details are given that if the group decided to, they could perhaps return them to their respective client, their surviving family, or whatever organization they might've belong to for some reward.

The two items are: 

Lightbringer:

Dragonguard:  (When worn, the draconic image turns gold. Small tidbit I messed up earlier)

 "Great Dramyn's Dracht!" Ordrin gasps. "Me chin hair has turned to Moradin's mighty braid!" He turns to the others with a dwarven glee normally only seen from those that are five pints in. "Friends, the forge is real! The flame must be the breath of Moradin himself!"

OoC: can I do a religion check on the mace to see if Ordrin has read of it before and knows something of its history? If so: 13

To Ordin: Although your primary dedication has led you in the past to place more chief concern on your own people's deities, you are aware of Lightbringer being more than just a singular item; but, rather a title granted a weapon that has been enchanted and dedicated to deity of the "light" or the sun. While you do not know the exact process one might be made, it is unusual to find one having been made by smith's not dedicated, if not closely to any Order of the Sun. Which might speak even more volumes about other possible alliances the former owners of these might've had. Furthermore,  it is uncommon to see one even among the Order, as the construction and distribution of such a weapon  is done so rarely, and usually gifted in need or as a reward to true champions of such Orders. 

Pip explains the powers of the mace and armor to the others.  "Nothing I have ever been trained to use for certain.  But we can take em and try and make the delivery that Timothy mentions."  

Pip, disappointed the forge isn't the magic he hoped it would be, soon loses interest.  "Ready when you are to move on."

"Chin up, lad!" Ordrin says to Pip. "The forge is a wondrous thing! Look at me whisker rope. Incredible! Thank Moradin. And it's my pleasure to carry the Lightbringer for you. I've faith Sharindlar will pay no mind if I use it a wee bit and give her due credit for my holy might."

After the group make any final preparations in the workshop, they all in their own way bid "Timothy" goodbye, before taking their leave of the place with a certainty of one final great conflict awaiting them in the mines. So it was that they march with a purpose to the southern stairs, and with Riris light helping to further illuminate the southern half of cavern. In many ways the ancient damage done to the surroundings appears almost worse, as the spell battles that once raged there left nearly no stone blackened by fire. A few bones laid scattered about as well, if albeit more as fragmants than anything solid.

Just as Pip, Mixum, Charlotte, and Riris are just about reaching the bottom of the stairs, one of them at least notice a set of footsteps missing from their procession. In glancing back up and towards the eastern wall they see that Ordin diverged at some point, and now stood at a prescipice staring intently at the building further south.

To Ordrin: As you stand there contemplating perhaps the future, you are not hit with any more visions. Nor can you see anything of note about the building, except save like the workshop, it too had been built to accomodate more human sized visitors or residents of the mine. Nothing comes out as well as if in response to groups presence, But the longer you stand there staring at it, the more you're able to pick up on a subtle feeling of both being allured and repulsed by the building. No... By something 'within' it.

 Ordrin gazes out over the southern building, seeing nothing but feeling uneasy or maybe a little vertigo pulling at the backs if his legs. His attention is suddenly drawn to some movement by the stairs, only realizing his companions are not behind him when he recognizes Charlotte. Feeling a little exposed, he quickly trots down to join them. "Ready," he pants.

He looks toward the building to see if the door is open or closed and what might be in the immediate vicinity.

Pip gazes about the room taking a good look before settling his eyes on the doors before him.  "Yes, well, er, I suppose whoever this fellow is, he's in there. Shall we take care of this then?" he says  "Er, I mean someone other than me first of course." he adds sheepishly.  "I'm no fighter with a bright mace or armor."

 "Aye," says Ordrin with a nod. He in front of the group and surveys the scene for traps or ambushes or hidden foes.

Investigation: 12

Content at having seen everything of value, Ordrin advises his companions to stay clear of the door and out of sight of it, in case things should come flooding out after it is opened.

He approaches the door cautiously. A very close friend or maybe the nits living in his beard could hear him muttering quietly to himself, a prayer to Sharindlar and an oath to Moradin. Within arms reach of the door, he gives it a quiet push with the head of the mace. Likely finding it stuck fast, he checks on the position of the others. Then he rears back and kicks the door in with the heel of his boot, spinning off to the side, pressed up flat against the wall and out of sight of the interior.

With a self assurance as only a dwarf blessed by the gods themselves can possess, and in his compatriots being prepared and sidled off to the side, Ordrin kicks the door mightily once; but, not without also being ready to spin immediately out of the way of any danger that might come flooding out of the building. Yet by his might alone, it would actually take two such attempts; the first one, to the dwarf's chagrin, having caved much of the door inward, but not nearly enough for access inside, Pip's familiar included!

The sound of wood cracking, stone crumbling, and metal hinges popping and components scattering echoes for a good long time well after the door finally gives way. As the party waits with baited breath for the noise to dim and something to come of their noisy entry cracking open the 'Heart of the Mire' for at least a solid minute.... Nothing comes of it. Any that dare to look inside see:

Dust and ash coats walls blackened by fire, and heaps of debris beneath the sagging ceiling show that this room was damaged by a destructive blast. The furnishings—tables, chairs, bookshelves, beds—are charred or splintered, but otherwise well preserved. A scorched iron chest stands near the foot of one of the beds in the far south-eastern corner from the door. A feeling of unease permeates the place even for those less spiritually connected. Upon the remains of a bed appears to be the blackened skeletal remains of a human.

Pip screws up his courage after Ordrin has kicked the door in and takes a quick look inside.  He then steps back and reaches up onto his shoulder to pet Archimedes only to realize he isn't there.  A moment later the small owl reappears as he recalls him back from its own little pocket dimension.  "Uh, so now what?  Nobody home?" he whispers.