Adrom walks towards the man and stares at him.

"Are you crying like a little kid now? You didn't seem to cry when you tortured that poor lad over there or tried to kill us. Be grateful for the kindness of the dwarves. Now if you want to recover the use of that hand you better cooperate with us and perhaps I would pray to Moradin to heal you. Am I clear?" 

"Couldn't 'ave put it better meself!" Karl comments in response to Adrom's questioning of the mage.

Though at first willing to do what needed be done, once the man awoke and begun struggling, and already regretful Vondal grudgingly powered through the rest. But afterwards, he almost rather hurriedly stepped away from the man, shuddering as the echoes of his actions played back in mind. "I... I would do as he suggested. If not, other fingers also... also be paid similar attention. And noone wants that now." Vondal expressed after whipping the sweat from his forehead.

"We have few questions. Answer them honestly, and all will be well. Don't and fingers pay price. Try to escape and there may be more consequences .. N-nod... *ahem*... Nod if you agree." The hill dwarf asks, forcing his face into a more stern countenance. Once they extracted an agreement, even if albeit a grudging one, Vondal made a point of closing the door and locking if possible first, before signalling for someone to remove the gag.

"First question... Are you glasstaff?" He asks, gesturing to the staff currently in hand. "Secondly, who was the drow? And what were they after here? Why did you kidnap our friend?" He adds, pausing in between each question to give the man time to muster the strength of will to think and answer.

The bearded man does nod. First to Adrom and then to Vondal. As the gag is pulled from his mouth, he takes a deep breath. His eyes are red, and his face is wet, but he looks more angry than sad.

"Are you glasstaff?

The bearded man stops fidgeting and locks eyes with Vondal. After a couple of seconds, he looks at the other three dwarves standing over him, his look of anger softening. "My reputation precedes me," he says to the monk, a smile playing at the sides of his mouth.

"Who was the drow? And what were they after here? Why did you kidnap our friend?"

Glasstaff's eyes shift again, this time looking alarmed. "'Was'? You mean ... " He stops and bears his teeth in a grimace before spitting an expletive. "I don't know who he was. I was hired to babysit the dwarf. That was it. And I didn't hit him." He briefly struggles against his bonds. "Look, I don't really know what's going on here. I'm sorry I attacked you, but we keep getting attacked by undead creatures — mostly dwarves! Can we go?"

 Vondal squints and looks Glasstaff over once. "Mn. Perhaps it true you did nto hit him. Nundro will tell us later once recovered for sure." Vondal admits, his expression softening for just a moment. "But, do you seriously want us to think you were hired to simply babysit alone? That you don't know the drow's name, and not just moniker used when he sent you those goblins reinforcements?" He asked incredulous, giving glasstaff a knowing look.

"You've been warned once about being duplicitous, yes? Anything you wish to reconsider saying, because you don't have many fingers left you know?" Vondal ask, pausing at least long enough for a response. No matter how much of what might be said rings true, Vondal soon after just "hms" and nods as if in faint acceptance to the points. Thist time however, a closer eye is kept on the mage.

Insight: 22.

"I still have few more questions. Then, we get to your fate. I'd say rejoice that so far your future will see that you live, but... perhaps that is cold comfort, yes?" He grimaces. "Either way, next questions... What do you mean by keep getting attacked by undead? From where within the cave? And in what numbers? And just how frequently?" He asks, again pausing where appropriate with but the exception about the undead. "Now to the more... academic questions. This staff of mines." He gestures to crystalline focus. "Safe to assume it is more than fancy stick, yes? That it is enchanted, yes? If so, what are its properties, hm?"

"Bullshit" scoffs Adrom "We do not look like undead, dwarves or not no way you could have mistaken us for undead creatures. Start telling the truth and be clear. There are more bones in your body than fingers.." he says grabbing his warhammer.

Nif, simply keeps one eye and both ears on the proceedings as he continues to sit with Nundro.

The reminder and renewed threat upon his person has Glasstaff cowering a little. "Ok, ok." He glares at the party. "The Black Spider. He was called the Black Spider. That's all I know. He hired me to keep Phandalin distracted while he searched for Wave Echo Cave and the Forge of Spells. Dwarves and gnomes of the Phandelver’s Pact used the magical forge to fashion powerful magic items. It's here, but ... it's not right. He was having trouble harnessing the energy. The whole place is haunted by undead. They're not anywhere specifically. You just run into them. Or they run into you. It's very disconcerting."

Vondal glowered at the man for a few moments, before sighing and shaking his head. "We were warned that there were some added dangers by Gundren prior to his own departure from area. Could be these undead are one, wandering at time from unexplored portions of mine thus far." He grudgingly admits. As the thought of the dwarf hits him, a look of worry crosses his features before Vondal muttered something in dwarvish underbreath.

"No, he'll be fine for a while yet... unless they think to climb." He said lowly, then looked up to the bearded man. "Last question... for now. Apart from the few bugbear kept nearby, and prior to our arrival, did he have any others exploring the mines?"Vondal asked. Once he had his answer, he glance to the others just to see if they had any as well, Vondal stepped up to stuff the gag back into place. "No need break fingers, but... time you slept, yes. If memory serves right, Sildar and his people have many questions for you. Think promised reward as well for your capture to stand trial for many crimes." He said as he stood back to let someone else do the honors of hopefully knocking the man back out. When that was done, the hill dwarf addresses the party once more. "We take only brief breather. Explore immediate area further. Then when we have recovered..." He trails off for a moment frowning, prior to then looking at Nif worriedly, "Do you think you can reach Gundren and quietly bring him here? Would prefer to alert him sooner than later of things."

Nif replies drily, "I am sure I could quietly get to Gundren, but as for quietly bringing him back here..., I'm not sure he is capable of moving that quietly." He continues more earnestly: "So what would we do with Glasstaff, we could not leave the lads locked in here with him."

"If you want back up young 'un I can tag along" Karl offers to Nif

Glasstaff is a bit vague in his answer, but you get the idea you have seen all of the Black Spider's forces. When you mention Sildar, Glasstaff looks less than happy.

"I thought as much regarding Gundren, though I had to hope. As for Glasstaff-.." He stepped forth and kneeled down, giving the man one final stern look, then following a murmured dwarvish prayer and apology to Marthammor he would strike with the intent to knock the wizard back out again personally the time around. "There. He should be out for hour. Maybe more. Even so, I would not  leave him here." He says as he rose up once more. "Not that I have much choice. I cannot speak for everyone, but... we're all pretty beat to shit. So, unless you and Uncle together think you can get there and get back here relatively safely, best we hope Gundren stays safe. After we have bandaged our wounds, we can then head back to entryway all together with Nundro and Glasstaff in tow, even if we have to carry them. From there... from there we then figure out next best step, yes?" He said, looking to everyone each in turn.

If all are at least mostly in agreement, Vondal smiles tiredly yet looked thankful all the same. "Though I doubt anything might drag off the bodies, or make off their things, I go with whoever to see what's in that other room again, take what might be useful from bodies and then remove said bodies before they attract perhaps those bugger-boos around here." He cannot help but shudder thinking of the flying menace that had come bursting through the door the first time they'd tried to rest.

"Right you are lad. You young 'uns take some rest and I'll stand watch!" Karl says.

You find nothing of value or use on the bugbears, the gray thing that looked like Nundro, or the spiders. On the dark elf, you find a potion of healing, a black adamantine staff with the top shaped like a spider, and an iron key with a head shaped like an anvil. The table is strewn with notes and maps showing the dark elf’s efforts at exploring the mine so far. A black leather sack of treasure is amid the papers. The sack contains 190 ep, 130 gp, 15 pp, nine small gemstones, and a dwarven ale mug made of hammered electrum.

Vondal could not help but glower at the staff. Yet, short of Adrom and the rest suggested being rid of the thing, the hill dwarf kept it among the things eventually gathered to be sorted over the short rest. "Hm... A key to the Forge of Spells?" He questioned aloud staring at the key, before shaking his head. "Might want keep on hand anyways. Other than that, it is not bad hall. Not sure if our business to keep or not coin and cup, as mine claims and all within should go to the Rockseekers. But, I suppose we can sort most of this out with Gundren in a bit, yes?" Vondal suggests.

But apart from that and other side bar comments, Vondal spends his time studying the glasstaff, trying to uncover its secrets with what timed remained(ie. If doing too much after evyerhting else. :P).

---> Short Rest(1 die) Spent: 11.

Treasure Split:(if done so prior to meeting back up with Gundren)

The glass staff is a staff of defense made of glass.

Nif says "Here, let me have a look at that key." He then inspects the key to see if he may have some insight as to its providence. Perhaps it belongs to a hidden chamber in the desk, or is it more likely to be a door or a chest perhaps?

Investigation: 18

It's definitely a door key.

Vondal absently passes along the key, as he'd become more and more enraptured by that point in studying the staff's properties. Almost as much of an accident as it was a product of the attunement, a wave of crystalline toned magic washes over the gold dwarf, surrounding him in a translucent veil of energy that soon faded from existence. Confused, Vondal feels around expecting to be met with resistance, only to find none until tapping himself hard enough to possibly hurt himself.

"Huh! Very neat. But, not so important now." He looks to the rest of the party. "How is everyone feeling now? You ready to head back to entrance with Nundro and new prisoner in tow?"

--> Spending 1 charge from Staff of Defense to cast Mage Armor.

(OOC: As a reminder to all since short resting, do make sure to roll hit die as needed)