Blobbin's Adventurer Camp

Vail rises and watches both Estes and Tauriel move forward with some alarm. When none of the guards raise their weapons at the members move forward, he feels a little more at ease. He listens to the chief intently looks on as the wall seemingly disappears and Mordan passes through it. After a slight pause he takes a step or two towards the wall Mordan went through and makes eye contact with some of the guards.

”do we.... follow?”

"I don't see a reason not to." Saada responds as she cautiously stands and follows Mordan through the wall.

"Excuse me" Estes carefully sets the yarn back and follows. 

Tauriels comment is greeted by a laugh "It's true, not many of my kind speak the common tongue. There are a few of us who do out of necessity. We are mostly self reliant but sometimes we have to trade with others use the common tongue" He waves for everyone to follow.

Walking through the wall you can see now it's an illusion and having passed though you can tell where the opening is but the illusion doesn't disappear. On the other side of the wall the passageway loops around opens into a room that shares the same fire as the throne room. The room itself is empty except for carvings on the walls and a pedestal in it's center. There's a book on the pedestal bound in steel. He invites the party to look at the carvings. while saying "I have a story to tell you that I hope will make some sense. You see, I've bee waiting for you for many years. Well. I didn't know it would be you but I've been waiting for a group of top-worlders and the signs point to you being them."

As you look around at the carvings you see several scenes. There's carvings of a great city with high towers and walls. Scenes of a great calamity. Other carvings of a city that looks a lot like what Okcho looks like now. More scenes of calamity. Scenes of a great war. 

Mordan stands by the pedestal resting his hand on the book. "I'm not sure where to start. This has been coming for so long. I'll start with where we stand now. This room" He spreads his arms "Wasn't built by my kind. Most of what you've seen down here wasn't. It was built by the elves. At least they were considered elves at that time. I think you would now know them now as dark elves or, perhaps, Drow. In times so far past very few remember, or even care, the elvish lands spread far and wide in this area. They were simpler times. Peaceful times. Long enough ago that even my kind were barely a speck in comparison to most races."

Looking to Tordal "You're kind was far behind and under the mountains to the North and there was no love between your forefathers and the elves of old."

He takes a moment to collect himself "The elves with memories of other lives and keen magics found a powerful item here. In this very chamber buried deep under the earth. The one's who found it were corrupted by it's magic. Even I, who have spent my life studying this, don't know all the details because they were dark times but there was a split in the realm of the elves. A sundering so severe it brought civil war. For a time the Drow found refuge here deep underground. Sealing themselves off from the world above."

He starts walking around the room looking at the carvings. "It is said that they made a pact, or a bargain with a powerful being. They asked to be taken from this land and curse to placed upon it until their return. Perhaps you already know that all who have tried to build on this place have failed. We only survive by using what was here before us. Much of it seems protected from whatever curses this land"

He looks to the party. "The time of their return is upon us."

Looking to his companions, Tordal says, "It seems that our problems may be much larger than a few missing trade caravans. Mordan, you say you have been waiting for a group of top-world adventurers for some time. What role do you see us playing in this?"

"Yes, mister dwarf, I'm getting to all your parts in this but it is indeed a bigger problem than missing shipments but it's all connected." He walks around the room as if trying to collect his thoughts. "To answer you directly you're supposed to heal this new rift that is upon us. At least that's what all the writings say. Perhaps you heard me say to my wife that 'their arrival will help knit the future'? There are other writings that speak of a ''brash horned one'. 'the faithful and one who has lost their faith.' It also mentions an unlikely pair who 'follow and nurture the land'" Looking over the party he says "It seems too great a coincidence that you are all here now"

I need to tell you a little more to fully understand what's happening. He walks back to the pedestal and puts his hand on the book. "The elves have known this time was coming. That the drow would return and try to claim this land for themselves. But for all their knowledge and magic they didn't know how to stop it. They couldn't have because they were unable to open this book. It can only be opened here, in this room. So I had to retrieve it. It wasn't difficult to create some holes in the roads and incite the tieflings above to start stealing the shipments. The book was being sent to the Humans to see if their wizards could open it. They would have failed. Getting the book here was the only way to find out all that was written."

"That's...that's a lot to process." Saada released her breath as if holding it in this entire time. She walks up closer to one of the carving. "This being, the one the drow made a pact with. Do you have any idea of what it is?"

Mordan says "I must apologize. I know it's a lot to take in. I've been waiting for so long and am excited you are finally here. I hope I haven't scared you off. I'm sure you all have questions. Please everyone take a moment and I'll answer any questions you all have"

"I have but 1 question. War, invasion, magic it doesn't matter.  Can this land be saved? " Estes looks around. "Really it's all I want"

"That one I can answer now. Yes, it can be saved and I do know the being the pact was made with. How it can be saved and the being are tied together. The being was know as "Death Queen Mother" but you probably know her now as Lolth." Looking at the party he half grins "Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you to kill what many would call a god. There is another way to break to the pact"

He get's a grave look on his face while tightly gripping the book on the pedestal and looks at each party member in turn. "Before I tell you more I must know that you are committed to saving this land. For the information I will give you can also be used to ensure the pact is fulfilled"

"The land is my faith,  my religion.  I'm committed. "

Mordan nods at Estes "Of you I have no doubt! As soon as you sat at my wife's feet and picked up her yarn I knew your heart. There is one here who I am not sure about. One who will betray you all"

I'd like 2 people to give me perception checks with advantage (basically now that you've had a warning the rest of the party is "helping" with the checks)

Estes doesn't look about (no check from me) he simply nods.

Saada turns away from the carving to look at the group behind her.

Perception: 20

Vail looks around and gives a couple of blinks. Could be... me? No, I’m a lot of things and I don’t have much but I do have some dignity. Maybe.

”Sir, if you’ll allow me. I’m not quite sure... I’m not quite sure on a lot of things. I just sort of stumbled into this.

Did I hear that right? You caused the missing shipments? Well atleast that ******* loop is closed” Vail says with a wry grin.

perception: 13

advantag : 7

ooc: oooooh rolling high over here

(way to go guys, we'll definitely catch the bad guy with your all seeing perception rolls hahah)

Ooc: we should just do the scene where Kurt russel figures out who the Thing is with the heated up wire and the blood sample.

"Ooooh that was a really creepy story. Keep going! How does it end, how does it end???" an intrigued and excited Tauriel crosses her legs on the floor in front of the dwarf eagerly waiting for the rest.

(Heh even with advantage lmao)

Saada with the higher perception roll you notice that Mordan seems to be staring at SInjin while he says that last bit.

Answering Vail Mordan nods "Yes, it was the only way to ensure we retrieved the book without our presence becoming known to the elves. We must ensure that doesn't happen. While the elves are generally peaceful folk they would use this book to "cleanse" the whole land of all other races to avoid the return of the Drow. The dark ones are their greatest shame and the high elves are a very proud people."

Turning toward Tauriel "Now that is a good question young one. How does it end indeed! There are 3 things needed to fulfill the pact, destroying one of them can prevent it from being fulfilled. The three things are this book, blood of the first turned, and the token of the queen. The Elves have tried all their means and magics to destroy the book. Nothing has worked. Blood of the first turned runs through the veins of many of the high elves, so short of wiping the elves off the map it leaves us with the token of the queen. Very old legends speak of a golden spider pin that was given to the first of the drow priestesses. It's this pin that must be found and destroyed."

"Do you know where we find this 'golden spider pin'?" Tordal asks, making air quotes, "Searching for a pin sounds like we're hunting for a needle in a haystack."