Bell looks to Gwen and Rose.  "I'm halfway decent at making friends... I can at least help when we approach it, but you two have more experience with this mine than the rest of us.  Anything we should know, or bits of info that would help us fool it?"

 Gwen thinks hard on it but mostly comes up blank. Outside of what we've been told and found out I can't really think of much. Afterall, this place was lost almost five hundred years ago.... so I'll lay down whatever I can think of and maybe we can formulate a plan from that.

Gundren hired us to find the mine, that had been lost four or five hundred years ago. He didn't exactly give us much details other than it was a great historic place and if it could be brought back to life that Phandalin could prosper once more. Since then we've found that atleast a few others, mainly drow and .. some creatures that can pretend to be other creatures appearance. There's been the bodies of Dwarves... Bugbears (which we think came here with the drow so have no historical relevance - Same with drow as far as we know) but we also know the skull was a wizard, sacrificed by other wizards to become a guard...

We know they have a temple here, and that humans, dwarves, and halflings were the primary, if not the only controllers of the mines.

We've seen evidence that some of the undead here are dwarves... so chances are either there was a rebellion, or some curse happened long ago. And we don't know exactly why the mine shut down, but... we can assume it was due to some attack, maybe an orc raid or some evil wizard or another -which would explain the curse- perhaps a warlock?

"Hmm... we could pretend we bought the mine... through I don't know who'd have authority to sell it to us... we could always try being honest, too.  Like... 'hey so it'd be nice if we could use this mine... why don't you just let us?' ...but that seems unlikely to work just on principle.  Arrgmmm," Belle grumbles as she scratches at her head.  She lifts her jug to her lips and takes a few gulps in frustration.

Rose ponders for a moment before finally shrugging. I don't see us having much to loose. We can try to convince it we work for the mine owners perhaps. Claim we are Smith or miners. Hopefully it will ignore us. But it may still be a problem as we plan on having people occupy these mines. Killing it may be simpler. Either way I'm eager to get this over with. Let's decide quick.

"I'm ok with killing it if it's easier than that damned flame skull." Fallan visibly shivers when thinking about it. "I am also ok with trying to bluff our way past it, but I'll defer to you other silver-tongued folks to do that talking".

(I will post in 3-4 hours, moving towards the 'eye thing' so any final replies will be allowed between now and then)

“All this talk about making friends. I am with Fallan we should just fight it all this pu ssyfooting is making my blood boil. I could lead but ultimately it’s a group decision.” Root sighs in frustration.

"If it means not risking death, talking our way past it is worth a shot.  And it's not like it's some seasoned warrior I can do honorable battle with anyways.  Let's give Gwen a shot at placating it, and if it goes south, I'll open by trying to restrain it.  That sound okay?"

Gwen nodded, though she was both concerned and amused with Root's reactions Well, I get that you want to fight Root, and we did rest.. just in case it came to that but if we can complete this with little to no risk to ourselves, I think it would be best to try. Violence isn't always the answer.

I will proceed about midday tomorrow, which is roughly 12 hours and 10 minutes from this post. (barring roomate issues)

Rose nods and cracks her knuckles. I'm inclined to agree with Root, killing it may be for the best. But ill give you a chance hun, if you can convince it we work in the mine or perhaps own the mine now then great. But let's go in expecting its not keen to talk. With that Rose puts her hammer over her shoulder and goes to follow Fallan.

With everyone more or less set on giving it a 'shot' the group pressed forward with Fallan leading after Rose gave her final vision blessing, allowing everyone to see as they walked down past the echoing tides that periodically racked the caves with noise. Following her up the curved stairs, where everyone got to where they were going to be and prepared themselves for whatever they were going to do.

The group continues up the slope, and the side door is still closed. It's more or less exactly how Fallan had left it. Fallan moving off to the side after giving Gwen the simple explanation of what she had seen before they went in. Rose, Gwen and Bell move around the courtyard area in front of the Forge while Root joins Fallan near the side entrance.  Gwen swallows for a moment as she collects herself, since if she failed, the group would be in yet another fight, Rose and Root likely not minding, but she would like to avoid dying.

As the trio move around the front of the building, scores upon scores of bodies that had already been undead before joining true death once more lay blown apart, melted, festering, or disintegrated to varying degrees.  the floor had marks of powerful magics scorching and destroying in streaks that all seemed to come from the door in a battle that was already over. The front door -the one Gwen was heading towards- seemed to be belted onto its hinges, though open enough to allow passage. Fear crept through gwen, as whatever they were about to face was no ordinary monster. But.. all the more reason to try to  talk their way out of this instead of confronting it. But will it even allow us to talk to it before it blasts us to nothing? she thought, and unintentionally sending the thought to Fallan who was still learning to control their 'abilities.'

As Gwen approached the door, with Bell next to her.... they would see that this large workshop was badly damaged by the ancient spell battle that laid waste to the mine. Worktables taking up two corners of the room are scorched, and the plaster has been burned off the masonry walls. In the middle of the room, a stone pedestal holds a small brazier in which an eerie green flame dances and crackles. The brazier and its pedestal appear to have been untouched by the forces that destroyed this area. It seems it had seen combat since Fallan had last been here.

Behind the brazier of green flame floats a spherical creature measuring roughly four feet in diameter. Four eyestalks protrude from its central mass, two on each side. In the center of the body is a large eye that stares at you.

Hello, says a thick, burbling voice inside Gwens and Bell's heads as the creature is already facing them.

The creature floating just about 'eye level' with Gwen as she enters the frame with Bell in tow. Ah-Er hello... You haven't attacked us like the things outside, so am I to assume you are not hostile to everything?

Am I to assume you are not Miners or Wizards? If so I will be -

Nonono,  she said waiving her hands to emphasize it We also met with the undead, so we  er, weren't sure exactly who was left in the mine. It seems there have been attacks in several locations. So we .. were worried about the status of the.. uh,  forge and what was within it. What is the status of the forge?

I cannot give that information out unless you belong  here. Who are you?

I an Gwen... and this is Bellerain. We are newly appointed.. guards. We were sent by the 'masters.'

The creatures eyes narrow a bit as it looks Gwen over... As it does Bell.. mentally chimes in a confirmation while showing off her weapons in a non-hostile manner. The creatures seems to look the pair over skeptically, but after a very long, and tense stare-down, it humphs in acceptance. 

Then does this mean my vigil is over and you are here to take my place in guarding the parcels until their requester has picked them up?

............Yes, exactly. But we still need to know the status of the forge before we uh.. relieve you.

I sense more outside, and another with a tentative telepathy... It seems we finally have more customers. I have done my duty guarding them. The forge's status is weak but functional. It should still allow for the creation of further items, so long as the material components are met. I must inform you that the undead have beset this location many times in the last few months. Some of the bodies have been reanimated after destruction. I would advise caution. With my duty done, I return to my plane. I am bound to inform you that should the requesters return, their items are in the storage room behind me.

With a sudden pop, before any further conversation could be had, the multi-eyes creature vanished in an instant. Disappearing and leaving everyone there, alone.

Rose, ever impatient and curious, stick her head through the door after hearing a pop, half expecting the worst. When she sees the pair standing in the room with no eye monster in sight she can't help but look confused. D-did it work? 

"What was that 'pop'? A tiny explosion? Did someone get turned into a toad, or worse, another eyestalk?" Fallan asks as she edges toward the door she had opened before on the side of the room. "What's the story? Was I dreaming about that 'floating thingie'? I only WISH all the things I have seen were dreams (or nightmares)!" The halfling looks to the party's lead negotiators and gives Gwen and Belle an expectant look. But her eyes keep getting drawn to the brazier and the eerie green glow... again.

With an audible disappointment "Well that was.. great idea to talk to it... I guess. What it tell you? Any good news?" Root comes looking atound the room.

Gwen looked just as confused as everyone else seemed to be, and it took her a moment to come back to composure. Looking around trying to make sure that it wasn't just some trick, eventually .. much to her own terror moving forward, on the off-chance she bumped into it, to atleast prevent a sneak attack... and when her body was met with air and nothing else she collapsed and shuddered. Was that a bloody Beholder?! or one of it's kin? if that thing hadn't been bound by some pact.... we would have been vaporized... she shook but again, not in terror, but in relief and.. a little bit of excitement, her adrenaline had simply disappeared with the threat gone.

Wait.. Didn't it say there was some 'requested items' in the storage room?

“Really, that’s interesting. What about the forge? Did it say where it was?” Root will check the room the door to the next room. 

Despite the best efforts of the dragonborn, there is nothing to see that wasn't already apparent in the  main forge. The area was damaged immensely from the creatures attacks, though it seemed to have avoided damaging the area directly behind where it had been before. As Root goes into the door where Fallan had peeked in before, on a table higher than the halflings head, Root spots as he continues to look around, he see's a Mace lying on the table, next to what appear to be blue-prints or plans, or some other similar sort of paperwork. The mace had a head shaped like a sunburst, tiny spikes in the shape of a drawn-sun in jagged edges. 

 It is made of solid brass, and the entirety of the weapon appears like the rising orange of the early morning sun. On the sheet though much of it was faded, the words "Lightbringer" were written in bold at the top in both Common and Dwarvish.

Next to it, though layered in dust, is an intricate Breastplate, a gold-dragons head  features prominently, in the act of using its breath weapon, surrounded by blackened leather. It left many parts of the body exposed but looked easy to move in. Its sheet said "Dragonguard." Though neither of the items descriptions remained legible enough to read as it was all small scribbles, though an attempt could be made to glean enough to piece it together. There seemed to be other similar sheets but they had faded and rotted away, it seemed these were the last two items made before the mine fell into ruin.

Root will grab the mace, breast plate, and the blue prints bring it to the others “This one said it was Lightbringer and this we Dragonguard.” Giving them to Rose “There’s also these blue prints I thought someone of a smarter mind could understand this dribble.”

 After following Root, Bell eyes the breastplate, recalling that her own armor has some... wear and tear from a recent encounter.  She pokes at the armor, then makes an attempt to discern the writing.