Half out of hope and a touch out of spite, Rhogar took the gauntlet for th etime being. "We know of its course. Saw the map of it above. But we'd yet hope that -- wait. Why would the codical know why it works? Was it not the dwa-er-duergars invention?" He asked initially, only to then shake his head and wave a hand in dismissal.

"Nevermind. I believe Krom already sent you a message about us securing it already. But, for now we need to tend to this civil war. Perhaps in pronouncing Xardarok's death and presenting the gauntlet, those of waning loyalty will quit the battle altogether, leaving only the true loyalist to deal with. But for that to happen we need to move. Now. Before any allies we might have are too thinned out. We can worry about the statue and so on afterwards." He explained, and assuming Kazri and Oli took that as their cue to move out, the Dragonborn is hot on their heels.

(OOC: Rhogar still has ze book.)

"Outstanding Mr. Rhogar. When you are ready, please follow me." Kazri indicates that when the group is ready to leave the room, she will go first. She also ask Oli to guard the Dragonborn.

"Yes, I send you a message when we obtained the Codical, we studied it, but it is not a sentient artifact. Maybe are you referring to the Professor Orb?" asks the dwarf to the wizard before adding "Anyway, as Rhogar just said, we have to take care first of this civil war otherwise we will have to fight room by room and we do not have the time to do that."
"Lead the way Kazri!" says Krom preparing himself to follow the paladin into the other room.

Chill nearly laughed out loud, but there was a smirk on his face.

"Rhogar, my good friend, if you accidently call these duergar dwarves again Krom may actually become offended. I do not think his people who calls themselves dwarves like the duergar very much."

Chill takes up a rear position.

"Grab your stuff Vellynne. We'll get to the bottom of this and get you out safely."

(Making a small retcon here.) Kazri pets Oli on his head. She asks him to stay close the lady they just rescued, and guard her. Oli nods excitedly, waddles to Vellynne, and licks her face to show he is very fond of her.

When everyone is ready, Kazri readies her shield, opens the double doors, and goes to where the sound of fighting is coming from. She tries to look for Drek, and tries to determine who's friendly and who's foe.

Perception (if needed): 3

Looking around you see that Dreck is no longer with you.  He slipped away at some point.  Vellynne gathers her gear that was set aside in the room and you give her the time to get herself ready.  Wand in hand she looks to you all.

"My many thanks for saving me from the torture.  I'm sorry if you wished to learn anything from Xardorok, but in my anger and pain I lashed out and killed him.  But it seemed to me he was under the influence of something.  Perhaps that fiend was the answer.  Let us see what else is happening in this place." she says

You follow Kazri as she leads you out into the hallway.  A short way up it splits and you find another room to the south.  A quick peek inside and you see that no one is within.  Two beds stand against the south wall of this room, one of them with a yeti hide draped across it. At the foot of each bed is a stone chest next to a stack of five sealed copper kegs. The room is heated and illuminated by glowing coals in stone braziers. If you stop to check the chests, they are empty.

To the north a hallway runs west that leads to an overlook over the forge area.  Doors to the right side of the hallway are closed.  To the left are open doors and to the further north another hallway goes west and at the end open doors to what looks like barracks.  As you approach Dreck steps out of the barracks, several soldiers behind him.

"Ah, there you are.  We took the opportunity.  We thought you were confronting Xardorok and the time was ripe to gather our forces and take over.  Where is Xardorok? Is he dead?" Dreck asks.

As the group leaves the room, Krom says "Kazri, we do not know how many devils are hiding as duergar, we should be on our guard. The next time we encounter a large group of duergar and when we are at the presence of Grandolpha, could you try to detect fiends again?"

After reaching the barracks and regrouping with Dreck and his soldiers, the dwarf nods in reply to Dreck's question. "He has been taken care of. Have you defeated all his other followers?" asks back Krom.

Though still a touch sour faced over the subject of Xardarok's demise, Rhogar accepted the apology with a curt nod before it came time truly move on in their explorations...

"Indeed. He's dead." Rhogar presents the gauntlet for showing, but pulls it back if Dreck tries to take it. "And I wouldn't be so sure just yet, Master Krom. Though we figured a rebellion was well in hand when heard fighting a bit ago. I... I don't suppose you've already spread word throughout the entire complex to kick things off already at least? If not, we're ready to assist in that so we might properly return to the matter of our mission." 

"Yes Master Krom. If I sense one of those creatures again, I shall take care of it personally." Replies Kazri, and also she makes sure that Oli sticks close to Vellynne.

Chill of course does check the chests and is disappointed that they are empty. As the continue north he heads down the hallway that leads to the lookout over the forge area to see what is going on.

Dreck grins, "Yes, the uprising is well under way and we have the numbers to win.  We just put down those in the barracks that were on Xardorok's side and we move to confront Xardorok.  If he is indeed dead than most of the work is done." He then turns to the duergar with him, "See that for forge is taken and the rest of the fortress as well.  And spread the word, Xardorok is dead, the newcomers are our allies.  The word of Xardorok's death should end this quickly."

Looking back to you, "We will take your aid if needed, but for now let us see what is happening." he beckons for you to follow and leads you towards the place that Chill has gone.

Chill, and any who follow Dreck, step onto a guard tower but there are no guards on this one.  Looking out you see that smoke fills this warm cavern, which has a ceiling that ranges from forty feet high down to twenty feet high along the south wall. The source of the smoke and heat is a ten-foot-tall stone forge shaped like a pyramid with its peak sheared off. Ripples of heat and flashes of firelight spew from the top of the forge, which emits a deep, pulsating heartbeat. A five-foot-deep trough extends east from the forge, with rows of black anvils on either side of the depression.

Overlooking the forge are four twenty-foot-tall guard towers with gray-skinned dwarves standing behind their low battlements. Stone stairs provide access to the tops of the two towers nearest the forge.

South of the forge is an enormous, five-foot-tall iron platform fitted with cranes and clamps, with short flights of iron stairs leading to the top of the platform. Surrounding it is a  crew consisting of a female duergar with a horn and six hulking bipeds, their white fur stained with soot. They are surrounded by scraps that they looked to have been tossing into into a cylindrical container. In the twenty-foot-high ceiling above this bin is a wide, rectangular hole.

six hulking bipeds, their white fur stained with soot:

1 of the creatures look to be dead and the female duergar and the 5 others are fighting other duergar.  The duergar that Dreck sent into the forge run towards the fighting and attack the female and the creatures. Other dead duergar litter the floor where fighting has happened.  Occasionally one of the duergar will grow tall and large. 

"This looks to be the last of the hold outs. I thought Thontara and those quoggoths would be the toughest.  We should aid in defeating them." Dreck says.

The group fighting is no more than 90 feet away and in view from your vantage point.

Krom follows Dreck and Chill into the guarding tower overlooking the forge "Impressive forge, almost worth to be used." says the dwarf taking a good look at the structure. "Anyway, let's take care of those creatures first." 
Krom, shield and hammer at the ready, advances 25ft towards the female duergar and her quoggoths. As he moves forward, the dwarf chants an hymn of evocation (Guiding bolt). A flash of radiant light streaks from his hammer towards the nearest quoggoth.

Movement 25ft
Action: Guiding bolt Attack: 21 Damage: 13

"We can certainly help with that, and from the safety of this guard tower as well." 

Chill then leans on the wall of the guard tower and taking Steady Aim he starts firing bolts at the quoggoths.

Attack: 24 Damage: 23

I'll give you a few rounds worth to help the narrative

Attack: 29 Damage: 30

Attack: 27 Damage: 30

Attack: 28 Damage: 30

(OOC: Does anyone else have the image of Krom climbing the outside of the tower to get the action faster?)

Though momentarily astonished seeing giant dueregars, his focus immediately shifts to the hold out upon being pointed out. "The better move for certain Chill. But-..." Rhogar turns to Kazri. "If it is your wish, Lady Kazri, I can get us both into the fray far sooner." He says, offering her a hand after stepping a ways from the others. "But if you would make it your own way, then... un-.... understood. We'll provide what covering fire we can from here."

(OOC: Note, offer is only made if he can get further than 10ft from an allies so they don't get hit)

If his offer is accepted, Gorrah flies over to hang out by Chill, and with an exaggerated stomp from Rhogar, both he and Kazri disappear in a flash of lightning and boom of thunder, only to reappear fifteen feet from the action in another flash of lightning; their bodies still sparking with electricity for a few seconds.

If not however, or the space hadn't allowed to do so without harming an ally, Rhogar changes tactics in unleashing divinely charged breathe weapon upon the ape-ish figures, marking their weak points in glowing points of electricity.

Action: Cast (3rd level)Heavenly Ascent, teleporting both himself and Kazri to within 15ft of the hold out.

OR(if Kazri prefers to make her own way)

Action: Cast (1st level)Divine Breath at one of the ape-ish figures.
(Lethal, Ranged)GB - Attack: 13 Damage: 13 of Radiant. 

Initiative(if needed/wanted): 10.

(Thank you Mr. Nimbatuul, Kazri will gladly accept the ride. I was trying to figure out what's the best way to get to the action.)

Kazri first asks Oli to stay close to Vellynne, then she nods at Rhogar. Upon arrival, she sets her sight at the quoggoths.

Dragon Slayer Attack1: 11 Damage: 13

Dragon Slayer Attack2: 11 Damage: 8

From the height of the guard tower Chill starts firing at the creatures down below.  Rhogar picks his spot carefully and in a thrum of loud thunder, transports himself and Kazri down to the floor of the forge.  Kazri quickly leaps forward and attacks!

Krom, on the other hand, has a choice to make.  Perhaps he misunderstood, but the guard tower they stood on was 20 feet up.  If he wished to move forward he either jumped over the edge or had to go around and follow the way the duergar Dreck sent.  This would take time and he would not be close enough to execute the plan he had in mind. 

Perhaps Krom chooses to do something else?

Meanwhile Kazri can give me another attack action, and I'll use Rhogar's attack roll in his alternate plans unless he wishes to do something else.  

(If allowed, she will instead use her Divine Sense and scan the area for any fiend.)

(@DM: Current attack roll 'n all that works for me.)

(@DM After casting Guiding Bolt, Krom attempts to climb down the tower. Athletics 18, if necessary.)

The party launches their attacks, either from the height of the guard tower or, after sending magic from that height, climbing down to move into melee.  Two of the creatures fall by these attacks and a third follows into death by the hands of Dreck's duergar who are emboldened by your aid.  

In a crash of thunder Rhogar and Kazri appear.  Kazri uses her divine senses and reaches out but senses no celestial, fiend, or undead within the forge. 

2 of Drecks' deurgars fall in the melee before the other's are killed, either by the hands of you or the duergar or the magic bolts of Vellynne who has started sending magic bolts from the guard tower.  Soon it is just Thontara, the creatures around her all dead.  She throws her weapons down and raises her hands in surrender.  Dreck's people quickly grab and bind her with rope.

An occasional sound of fighting can be heard but soon even that dies down as those that stood loyal to Xardorok either are killed or surrender.   Grandolpha Muzgardt had more allies within the fortress than one may have initially thought.

As you stop to clean your weapons of grim and take a breather Dreck's people escort any prisoners they have out.