Chilling Adventures in the North

Qinfaren smiles as the lights change on the lantern.

"This is quite pretty," Qinfaren says. "I wonder if they would consider selling it. It would really cheer up a campsite at night."

He picks up the lantern, and then slips the dark crystals into his pouch.

"We can take a closer look at the crystals later, maybe," Qinfaren adds. "But we should probably get going so we don't get trapped back here."

He peaks over Muharg's shoulder and looks at the note.

"I'll have to get you to teach me dwarvish some day." Qinfaren says as he looks at the incomprehensible markings. "Now, how is everyone. Are we well enough to explore the rest of the fort or should we get outside a safe distance and take a breather."

"I'm good, Qinfaren," Arogna tells the druid. "I wanta see if they got more gold an' things in here. I can go in front if it ain't safe like."

Qinfaren nods at Arogna. 

"Okay. Let's look around a bit more. There was another passage that led out of the main chamber."

He thinks for a moment, scratching his head then his beard.

"I'm no good with directions underground like this, but it was kind of opposite the side I came in as a spider."

As Qinfaren moves to follow Arogna out, he looks over at Shad.

"What was that word you said? Chardalyn?" Qinfaren asks. "Anyone ever heard of that?"

Arcana?: 2  

Shad looks to the door that you have all come through but he hears no footsteps and sees no movements in the air.

Qinfaren thinks for a moment trying to see if he can recall anything about chardalyn, but he remembers nothing.

As you head back into the main chamber you hear a voice call out to you.

"Let me out of here!"

Looking around, you can see that the duergar known as Nildar as woken up.

"Not so fast. What are you doing here? Why are you stealing from the townsfolk? And what is chardalin?" Inquires Muharg as he approaches the cage, stopping about ten feet from it.

Nildar sneers at Muharg's questions, “My father is more powerful than any of you filthy creatures could imagine. You don’t understand the glory of it, the power found in the ice. None of you do. But you will learn soon enough when my father unleashes his terror upon Ten-Towns! Your doom soars on dragon’s wings!”

(Oh, I just realised that last Friday was the one year anniversary of this campaign.)

"Muharg's questions are good ones, Nildar. If you want us to even think about releasing you, answer them," Shad says. "Dragon wings? Sure. Dragon wings. Who is your father, anyway?" Intimidation 7

He will let Qinfaren know that he is healthy and interested in exploring the rest of this place.If he hasn't been able to find evidence of the dwarves themselves, he will look for evidence that they have fled, perhaps to Nildar's father, as they explore. 

(OOC: A year! Awesome. Really enjoying it.)

Nildar scoff at Shad, "Your attempts at intimidation are feeble at best. As for my father you must have a memory like a gold digger's pan. My father is Xardorok Sunblight."

Qinfaren crouches down by the cage and looks at Nildar.

"Your father sounds very powerful," Qinfaren says with a smile. "You must be very proud. Xardorok. That's a interesting name."

He then looks over at the goat and then down at the lantern.

"I am curious though. Why would such a powerful family steal goats and a colourful lantern from poor villagers?"

He pats his pouch and then fishes around in it for a moment before pulling one of the crystals out.

"Is this related to your power from the ice?"

(Awesome on the one year - this is a great campaign).

(OOC: Happy anniversary!!)

As the party questions Nildar, Arogna folds her arms and scowls at the dwarf. "We ain't about to let you out," she mutters. "You got as big a head when you're this size, ain't you."

When Nildar sees what Qinfaren has pocketed, his eyes light up, "Give that back. You don't know what that is, do you?

If you are not careful it could explode, and what remains of you then won't be very pretty."

"Why would we believe anything you say? You're saying it will explode to try and get out of your cage. To frighten us," Shad says. As he says this, Shad will try to gain Insight into Nildar. Does he really think the crystal will explode? 10

"What could you say that will show us you're worthy of our trust. Reveal the location of traps here. Or tell us were everyone else has gone, the other duergar. Or answer our questions. What are you doing here?"

Qinfaren turns one of the crystals over in his hand and holds it up to the light.

"That would be something to see, wouldn't it?" he says and looks at the others.

He looks back over at Shad and then to Nildar.

"You should really answer our questions. The villagers aren't going to be happy with you after all the stealing."

Qinfaren then moves down to the door to the south of the chamber and listens for any noise on the other side.

Perception: 13  

Shad can clearly tell that Nildar is lying through his teeth about the crystal exploding.

"The other duergar?" Nildar responds. "We're all here. All five of us. What do I care what some humble villagers think?"

Qinfaren listens to the south corridor but hears nothing.

"Sounds quiet this way," Qinfaren says to the others, gesturing at the door he listened at.

He takes a couple of steps back towards the others,

"Now what?" Qinfaren asks. "Nildar here is really not a nice guy. All the stealing, and then that not-so-dead dead ogre. That's not nice guy stuff. I think we keep him locked and tied up for now."

Qinfaren then gestures with his head back towards the door he listened at.

"Check out that way?"

This time he waits for Shad's, Arogna's, Muharg's and Bjorn's input before setting off.

"He is lying about the exploding crystals; I'm pretty sure," Shad says. "The cage is a good place for Nildar." Completely unimpressed with Nildar and his fibbing, Shad is ready to move on and is happy with Nildar knowing. "Let's leave him there. Forever." He turns towards Qinfaren. "That way looks great."

"Yeah, leave him there an' we look round," Arogna agrees. She glances at Shad, and adds in a low voice, "An' then I'm gonna need my rope back, like."

Bjorn nods in agreement, "Leave him. We can tell the villagers about him, and they can deal with him as they see fit. If we let him out, he will probably just go rejoin his dad for whatever he is planning.

Anyway, we've got the goats and the lantern back. Let's give the rest of the place a quick look then we should return back to town."

Outside the fortress, you begin to hear the sound of wind whistling and looking outside through the still open main doors you can see a heavy snowfall begin.

"We want to get back before the weather gets worse."

Qinfaren listens to the sounds of the wind that Bjorn has pointed out.

"That would be a nice sound to listen too next to a roaring fire with some hot wine in a mug," Qinfaren says. "If it's going to get worse, you're right, we better get moving."

Qinfaren looks back to make sure Muharg is along with them and then he goes back to the door he listened at before. He nods his head a few times, then opens the door and takes a look at what's on the other side.

Qinfaren opens the door to find a chamber. This chamber appears to be a cellblock lined with stone doors that have small, barred windows set into them at dwarf’s-eye height. Snow and wind enter the room through a barred window in the northeast corner that looks out toward the snow-covered bunker that guards the main entrance.

"Well, did you find anything?" Bjorn asks.