Kaori cocks her head and chirps softly, slowly removing her hand from her sword.

"Talking is ... hard ... Only mimic."

She closes her fist and brings it to her chest in a salute.

"We are not a threat ... Only want to ... go home."

Caelius smiles a thin smile and bows his head,

 Taran gestures to the sorcerer, "H-He s-s-said i-it is g-g-god to m-meet y-you, an-and r-r-reminded m-me h-he c-c-can't h-h-hear, b-b-but h-he is v-v-very s-skilled a-a-at r-r-reading l-lips. An-And h-h-he o-offered t-t-to h-h-help a-a-assure y-you w-w-we a-aren't m-minds s-seeds."

Akuma eyes the duergar up and down for a minute before reluctantly offering a wave. "I suppose you're better than the inspired." She crosses her arms in thought. "Whatever you need to not attack us is fine with me I suppose."

The duergar's eyes flick over the rest of you, and she inclines her head to Caelius and Kaori. "My apologies to both of you. No need to translate to me," she adds to Taran, her hands moving in quick thieves cant as her blade momentarily dissipates into white light.

Thieves cant:

Her blade reappears in her hands as she adds, "And while your offers are appreciated, we've got a curse sensitive back at base. They'll clear you. And if you just 'hunker down' in a cave, you'll be dead in two days," she tells Taran. "An aukarak, a reality storm, will get you, or just a normal blizzard. And if the Inspired send anyone after you, they'll be Dor Maleeri who know the Tundra better than you. Fortunately for you, southerners," she gives a sharp smile, "we'd love the chance to stick it to the Inspired a little more. If they hate you as much as you claim, that makes keeping you alive as strong a blow against them as raiding a crystal mine. So let's get you to base and introduce you to the warlord."

“Sure. I’ll update our Trailblazer later that we’ve taken refugee with you. I won’t give away your location since I doubt you want that but I’ll let them knew were safe with you until our backup to get us home arrives.” 

Taran bows, "Th-Thank y-y-you f-f-for th-the aid. I-If y-you w-w-wish, I-I am a m-medic an-and kn-know s-s-some a-alchemy. I-I c-can w-w-work t-t-to h-help p-pay y-you b-b-back f-f-for your h-h-hospitality."

The duergar chuckles as she turns and starts loping across the tundra. "You weren't listening, were you? We keep you alive, we're messing up the Inspired's plans. This isn't kind hospitality, it's a military choice. And all due respect, I doubt that even if you're cleared we'd let you near our wounded. Trust doesn't come easy out here." She glances at Vishal. "I assume your trailblazer's your superior. You can tell them as soon as we've determined you're not spies. I wouldn't suggest casting any spells before that, though."

 Taran follows her, still keeping an eye out for danger or signs of the other Akaik trailing them, "F-Fair e-e-enough, b-b-but I-I c-c-could st-still m-mix m-medicines o-or o-other a-alchemical i-items," he explains, "I-I-I... I un-underst-stand that y-y-you s-s-se k-k-keeping u-us al-alive an-and fr-free a b-b-benefit t-t-to y-your c-c-cause, b-but i-i-it is a b-b-bigger b-b-boon t-t-to us at-at a c-c-cost to yourselves, an-and I-I w-w-would l-like a w-w-way t-t-to r-repay y-y-you f-f-for y-your k-kindness. I-I d-d-don't h-have m-many s-skills th-though t-t-to r-repay y-you w-w-with."

Taran sees signs neither of danger nor the other Akiak.

The duergar chuckles. "Bring it up to the warlord and see what she says. And let us decide how big of a boon and cost it is to us versus you."

"Ap-apologies," Taran says, skirting around a slick spot, "I-I s-s-suppose I am st-still w-w-wishing w-w-we c-c-could h-have p-paid the Y-Yeti's b-back f-for th-their k-kindness, an-and i-it i-is m-making m-me p-pushy."

The Akiak merely chuckles again and continues moving.

Soon, you stop outside a massive rock formation. The Akiak raps on the stone face in a complex set of taps, and a moment later, a rock rolls aside to reveal a pair of dwarves (not duergar) with long hair braided in the same style as your guide standing in a stone tunnel. One of the dwarves has red hair and a long beard, while the other is clean shaven with blond hair. They both give the six of you weird looks. "Curse detection and then I'm taking them to Jade-Lin," your guide says briskly. "They're running from Inspired." Both dwarves nod and step aside to let you in, the blond one's eyes glowing white. He looks at each of you in turn as you pass him and gives your guide a simple nod. As he does so, five other duergar suddenly become visible in the tunnel behind you. They're all dressed in hide or leather armor and carrying crossbows, evidently the Akiak who had bows on you. They all head off down a side tunnel with a nod to your guide, while your guide heads down the main tunnel.

The main tunnel is about six feet high and carved expertly of unadorned dark stone. The air is significantly warmer down here, and you can pull down your hoods or off your hats without feeling like your ears will freeze off. Your guide takes you to a set of double doors that she pushes open, revealing a room of dark stone with a large, low stone table in the middle. The table is surrounded by half a dozen duergar and dwarves, all looking down at a map of the Tundra and talking in Dwarvish. At the head of the table is an imposing duergar woman with long white hair in braids and glowing red eyes. A band of bronze wraps around her neck, engraved with Dwarvish runes. She raises an eyebrow at your guide. "Fane-Ro, who are they?"

"Sorry to interrupt, Jade-Lin, but I think you'll want to hear what they have to say," your guide replies with an apologetic note to her voice, her hands moving in thieves cant to match what her words are. "They're on the run from the Inspired. And they say they are a part of a...Summit Road?"

Jade-Lin frowns. "Everyone out," she orders, her own hands moving in thieves cant to match what she's saying. The other dwarves and duergar begins to file out. She gives Fane-Ro a nod. "Thank you, Fane-Ro. You were right to bring them straight here. I'll take it from here." Fane-Ro nods and is the last out the doors, shutting them behind her. Jade-Lin turns to the six of you, frowning. "So you're from the Road. You're a long way from home, that's for sure. I'm Jade-Lin, the closest thing we Akiak have to a leader. You were lucky in timing and location, I got here yesterday and I'm leaving soon. So what're you doing up in the Tundra?"

Note: Throughout the conversation, Jade-Lin will be matching what she says verbally with thieves cant.

Jade-Lin:

Vishal stares at the woman for a moment before asking, "What does your neck say there, "...ight of Razor Drea... is that Light of Razor of Dreams? Might of Razor Dreams? Something else?" 

Jade-Lin snorts. "The Night of Razor Dreams. The night the Inspired betrayed and killed or enslaved most of our people after we helped them build the hanbanali monoliths. The reason we hate them. You can have the whole story once you've answered my questions, if you'd like. So I'll repeat my first one. What are a bunch of Adarans doing here in the Tundra? And if it's for the reason I think...do you have a dragon on your tail?"

Caelius makes a "kinda..." hand motion,

Siepha stays quiet at the back of the group, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Jade-Lin nods. "So you are the dragon group. Your Speaker of the Word and I have...conversations every now and then. Our efforts don't overlap much, but we see what we can help each other with when they do. He informed me you might end up coming up here if things went badly. Do you have an extraction team coming?"

"Y-Y-Yes, H-Honored J-Jade-Lin," Taran answers, gesturing as he talks, "Th-They sh-should b-b-be ar-arriving in a f-f-few d-days. U-Um, i-if y-y-you a-are o-offering h-hospitality, I-I w-w-would l-like th-the ch-chance t-to o-offer m-my s-s-services, um m-medical o-or al-alchemical... I-I d-d-don't w-w-wish our pr-prescence t-to b-be a b-burden o-or tr-trial f-f-for your p-people."

Jade-Lin chuckles. "One, no title unless you're planning on taking orders from me. Two, you're not staying here. We're not staying here more than another day or two, and then we have a monolith to destroy south of the border. You can sleep here tonight, and I'll reach out to our Qiku allies, they can send a couple of guides here in the morning and put some scouts out to find your friends. They'll help you keep ahead of the Inspired for the next few days and meet up with your extraction team," she says briskly. "If you can make flash bombs or modify crossbow bolts and want to help with that tonight, you can," she adds to Taran. "We don't have any wounded--yet."

Taran nods, "I-I c-can m-make f-flash p-pellets, I-I have the s-supplies f-f-for t-two more, or..." Taran hesitates, thinking back to the monolith they assaulted before, "I-If y-y-you h-have c-c-casks... I kn-know th-the r-recipe f-f-for Dr-Dragon E-Egg bombs, a-and I h-h-have th-the n-neccesary in-ingredients. I-I c-could m-make t-two, p-possibly. E-Eight hours to t-take it sl-slow, f-f-four if I h-have an assistant. Th-They are d-delicate m-mixtures, b-b-but... i-it m-might b-be en-enough to t-take out the m-monolith."

Kaori chirps from her spot in the group, standing back behind Vishal.

"Will ... stay out of the damn way." She flinches as the abusive voice comes out of her beak once more. "Thank you ... Jade-lin."