"Loremaster Altervast always told me people who use big words for the sake of them being big are trying to pretend they're smarter than they actually are."

"Sesquipedalianism. And I absolutely am."

Arvel gives Elra a wink.

Which is undercut in that it appears to be coming from Grol.

Ethan shrugs,

"Sorry, if its not about magic, I'm less likely to have heard of it."

"The bards would probably know about it, but I studied with the Artificers, Wizards and Tinkerers mostly."

"My language training just got me enough to start learning Lantanna Technical, and the rest was just Lantanna Technical from there on."

Elra shrugs and goes to check on Gundren again, and explain that the goblins were on their side, along with everything else that's happened if he seems like he wants to listen to it.

Zeke leans his head into the room - 'I've got the Gobbo and some of his friends here - You want me to let a couple of them in?'

and then sotto bocce 'and I can't believe you lot don't know verisimilitude, from verisimilitudo ' or appearance of likeness.'  We need more reading at night in this crew'

Elra's eyes get big, "Bookclub? Really!" She seems very excited.

When Elra mentions Azzinax Yeemik looks like he's a little unsure of how to feel about that.  He looks at the door for a few seconds and then shrugs.  "Didn't see him.  Maybe beasty ate 'em already?"  He pauses, "was that really Azzi?"  When the false Grol calls out he looks startled, looking at Zeke and mouthing something like "oh crap, sorry" as he had assumed the party already dealt with Grol if Zeke was just standing there.  Yeemik hands the rope around the goat's neck to one of his buddies and approaches Zeke and the doorway.  "Coming Great King Grol!"

(since I believe no one actually mentioned touching the shield until Ethan said he laid out all of the items...)

When Ethan goes to touch the shield with the odd hand print it jerks away from him just a bit but hits the side of the chest and can't avoid the artificer's grasp.  Suddenly everyone in the room hears a panicked cry in a slightly echoing, slightly muffled male voice "NO, NO, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

Elra looks to the shield. "Did that shield... just talk?" she asks, moving over to the shield.

"OH NO, PLEASE, NO, I'M SORRYYYY!!!"

"Um... are you alright?" Elra asks, "we don't want to hurt you Mr. Shield..."

"Shield?  You...You...d-d-on't?"

"No, we just found you in a chest and pulled out out..."

"Shield?  Chest?  What about the battle?  Oh.....wait...no, wait... how long.... how long has it been?  Where....?"

"Please don't hurt me!"

The shield seems very confused.

"What battle?"

"I promise we won't hurt you, what's your name?"

"This battle, here, now...wait, no...how long?...when...still? no...a name?"

"Wait... I have a name.  There is a battle.  There was a battle?  How long?  What name?  I was in a battle.  So much death.  I was afraid..."

"Okay," Elra says softly, "one thing at a time. Let's start with your name. Mines Elra."

"Name?  Name?  So much death, so afraid... but no, not now.  No death.  Still afraid?  Yes, but no?  A name...yes... I had name.. YES!"

"Can you tell me what it is?"

"M-my name?  My name...no.  So much death.  The fear.  Nothing but the fear...so long.  Think... can't remember... only the fear...how long?  So long... but..if no fear..then what?"

The voice pauses, his thoughts and sentences slowly become more coherent over time.

"If the fear is done, did it end?  How?"

pause

"Did I...die?"