"I don't feel blessed.." Krackle would reply under his breath as he examined the nearly empty coin purse. "Guess I wont be buying tools anytime soon.. let alone a house for mom and dad..." He would mutter aloud as he places the moonstone back inside the purse and closes it tightly. The tiny kobold would let out a cough and wipe his snout  before looking to the others and letting out an exhausted yawn. "So we gonna see the wizard?" he would ask with a smile.

"Krackle, I'm going to be honest with you, it takes years of hard work or one lucky break to make enough money to buy a good house. Maybe for now, you could focus on buying your parents something less expensive that'll improve their lives, or just sending them some money to help them get by." And having given Krackle a lesson in economics, Vesper will lead the way to Dundragons.

"This is good to know, thank you, Callum. If you wouldn't mind, could you let Ehrland know we need to talk to him? We'll be at Dundragon's place. If you can recommend an inn, we can get rooms there and he'll know where to find us. Also, is there a temple to Selune in Yartar? Perhaps we need to let them know that Shar's been meddling."

Turning to the rest of the group, he says, "shall we head to Dundragon's? I'd love to sleep, but if there's a chance we can destroy this before it messes with our dreams, we should take it."

"Yeah, let's get to Dundragon's. He should be able to do something."

Callum bids you farewell as you turn to leave the temple. “I will let him know you’re looking for him, but as I said, you’ll likely find him at The Golden Eagle, which is, to answer your other question, a rather fine place to dine.”

(That’s where you ate & stayed last time, it’s the place with the expensive food and wine.)

”If you’re looking for a tavern that’s a little less expensive, I would recommend The Howling Wolf. It’s also right off the main square, and a very close walk from here.”

”Good night, Lumen and company. I hope to see you all again, if that’s what fate holds. And remember: To be bold is to live.”

With those last words in your ears, you exit the temple and weave through the streets under the dusk towards the merchant quarter and soon find yourselves at the building where Master Dundragon lives. By now, you’re all feeling the increasing tiredness of the long day; your feet are complaining and your stomachs are grumbling, longing for a meal.

After a short pause, Dundragon opens the door and greets you with surprise as he tugs briefly on his silver goatee.

“Well hello, Pie Pals! I see you have returned! Were you able to complete your errand?”

"We were, my friend. The goblins are no longer a threat. We did find another threat, one that we could use your guidance on. It's been a long day of travel to get here and we're exhausted. Can we come in?"

Once inside, Lumen will tell him about everything in reverse -- starting with Krackle's curse removal at the temple, the hard journey from the temple of Shar to Yartar, and then specifically about the mask being broken but still having an effect. He talks about the dreams of the others, and how no one has touched the mask of fragments apart from Krackle. 

"We have not eaten or rested all day, hoping to get your help in eliminating the threat of this mask tonight. Can you help Chrys destroy it? Or help us put it in a place where its influence cannot reach us? I've heard of bags that are portals to another extra-dimensional pocket. Do you have one, and if so, perhaps we could store the fragments in there, if you cannot help us destroy it here and now?"

"Why yes... please do come in!" Master Dundragon says with an urgent tone as he steps aside and lets you all inside.

He listens to your story with keen interest, occasionally nodding with a concerned expression, especially at the motion of Shar and the mask.

"It sounds like you all have had quite an adventure, which appears not to be quite over yet. Such is the life of an adventurer, though, I do know that. Endlessly tying up loose ends and attending to matters that you have uncovered."

"Regarding this mask, it appears that you have unwittingly discovered a rather peculiar item. I am glad that Krackle here has been freed from its influence, he seems like a rather good lad, and I will admit, I am rather fond of him, but I agree, such an item must be destroyed. Unfortunately, I do not possess that kind of power. As I may have mentioned, my area of expertise lies in the field of transmutation, but I do not possess the necessary skills to remove the arcane properties of a particular item."

"Without knowing how it was created, or who fashioned it, I'm afraid that the exact method is a mystery to me. I do know enough about arcane lore, however, to know that it's not easy to destroy enchanted items like this. There are a few sure fire methods, at least that's the common lore, such as dropping it into a volcano or an acid pool, or putting it under the acid or fire of a very large dragon or under the club of a giant."

"Of course, there are no volcanos very close to Yartar, although there is Most Hotenow, located at the southern end of The Crags north of Neverwinter. That's probably the closest, but to get there, you'd have to travel through Neverwinter Wood, which is always full of monsters and other beasts. But of course, I suppose that all dark corners of Faerûn are."

"And seeking out very large dragons has its own inherent dangers. If you did mange to find one, you stand a good chance to be eaten before you could ask it for a favor. With giants, you  may stand a slightly better chance. If you could possibly survive having a few large rocks thrown at you, it's possible that you could try and bargain with it. Many giants like lavish gifts, especially stone giants. They're easier to find than the bigger giants, and not quiet as violent as most of the other ones."

"Finally, you could seek out a very power cleric or wizard, one much more powerful than I, and have them cast an antimagic spell on it. Once that's done, you might be able to destroy it by normal means. Those are the best ideas I have.... I'm sorry if I cannot be more helpful, but magical items are quite powerful and getting rid of them is not an easy prospect. And I'm also sorry to say that I do not have any kind of extra-dimensional pockets or bag in my possession. I don't believe that I have anywhere to store it that's especially safe."

"Okay then. I guess that we'll be carrying this for a while. We'll get on to your job tomorrow." And if no one else has anything to say to Dundragon, Vesper will head off to the Golden Eagle.

”However, I can see that this is an issue of the utmost importance for you all. And I wish not to see others corrupted by the evilness of Shar, so my dear friend Phelannie in The High Forest can wait. I will spend this evening going through some my maps and personal notes and see if I cannot find a more exacting answer for you as to how you should deal with this item.”

”If you can, please return for lunch again tomorrow at midday and I will let you know what I have learned.”

”How does that sound?”

"That sounds like a deal."

"Works for me. I've heard that lead-lined boxes can limit the efficacy of magic. Is that true, and if so, do you have one to lend?"

Lumen's fine with crashing at the inn.

"One time... my sister told me a story about a wizard that could share rock like it was mud... could you like... put the pieces inside of some big heavy rocks and then bury one really deep... and put the other one in a pond and another one somewhere in the woods?" Krackle would ask as he scratches his head. "then they would be really really hard to find.. and then if you did find them they would be hard to get out.. and it would be really really hard to get them all to put it back together..... " The kobold would add excitedly.

Master Dundragon smiles at Krackle’s suggestion. 

“My young draconic fellow, I cheerfully applaud your inventive mind. You are partially right, there are some wizards who can turn mud into rock, and rock into mud. Unfortunately, even through I am a student of the school of Transmutation, I do not know that spell, not yet, at least.”

”And even if I did, I would not be able to hide the pieces in solid rock, I would only be able to hide them in soft rock, which could be broken open much more easily, were someone to find them.”

“However, burying or hiding the individual pieces in separate locations would certainly be one option to safely rid yourselves of this burden. If you were diligent enough, then it’s rather unlikely that someone would find all of them. And it would certainly save you some gold. As I’m sure you know, it can be quite expensive to hire the spell casting services powerful wizards.”

"And Master Lumen, I do not have a lead-lined box, but as I said, I can see that you are most anxious about the safety of this item. I suppose I can relieve your fears and take possession of it, just for tonight, while you go and get a good, full rest. Perhaps that will ease your tension, and then, as I said, when you come back tomorrow, we can further discuss how best to deal with it on a more permanent basis."

"Is this acceptable to you?"

"I don't like it," Chrys says stubbornly.  "But... I think it's the only way we got to deal with this mask for now.  I've got an idea 'bout that, though.  I think it's in all our best interests, if none o' us know where the pieces of these masks are.  We've got three right now… how 'bout we leave one with you to bury, bury one ourselves, an' take one to someone else ya don't know to bury the third.  That way, nobody will know where all three pieces are hidin'."  As she says this, she thinks of Callum, but carefully doesn't mention his name before Dundragon.

“Now that sounds like a rather practical and economical solution, my dear Chrysoberyl. Let no one say that dwarves only think with their hammers and axes!”

“I am agreeable to this course of action. Leave one of the pieces with me, and I will keep it hidden and safe until such time when I can bury it in a location only known to me. In fact, I know just the place.”

“Now, if that is all, I know five people who are in dire need of a hot meal, a few mugs of ale and a good night’s sleep, and one older gentleman who is ready to sit down with his evening tea.”

”I am sorry that Nicolas is not here to see you at the moment; he would have wanted to greet you, but another time perhaps.“

”At any rate, I am glad that you are all safe. I bid you good evening and I look forward to our next meeting.”

With that, Ander Bran Dundragon sees you out just as the fading colors of dusk are turning to the dim shadowed blues of evening. 

Lumen nods thankfully at Chrys' idea, and is ready to move along to the inn, dinner, and rest.

"I'm really hungry!" krackle would reply excitey as the exhausted kobolds tail sluggishly wags back and forth. As they head to the inn he would empty his pockets of all of the old leftover food.... tossing it into bushes or towards stray animals until his pockets were free of the stale and molding food.

It doesn't take you long to walk from the merchant quarter on the northeast side of Yartar to the main square, and after weaving through the streets for about fifteen minutes, you find yourselves in front of The Golden Eagle. Walking inside, you see that this fine establishment is still rather busy, but being a bit later in the evening, there is certainly room for you, both at the bar and in the main dining room.  

As you look around the front, tavern area of the place, you see a widely mixed crowd of varying races, but most everyone is quite clean and at least somewhat well groomed and dressed. Music fills your ears, and as you look to the small stage at the side of the room, you see a small trio playing upbeat songs; a female elf singing and playing the lute, a young human male on fiddle and a halfling on a penny whistle. The songs are short, most of which are happy jigs, lighthearted ballads and songs about life on the Sword Coast. The singer has a very pleasant and compelling voice, and her two companions do a good job filling the space underneath her vocal style.

You also spot a familiar face at the far end of the bar. Ehrland is standing, enjoying a mug of ale and talking with two other men. 

After a very short wait, the host greets you and asks if you are intending to dine in the restaurant this evening, or remain in the tavern area.

"We'd like a couple rooms at least, and if we could eat near the bar, that would be great. We were hoping to meet a friend of ours, and we're in luck." He points to Ehrland.