As does Rhogar.

Perception: 17

The Ranger chuckles at Folsorm’s greeting and says “Indeed!  You are the Ducon’s men, too!”

He slings his bow over his shoulder and says “Knock three times on the door of the cabin and say “I serve the long of jaw and dim of wit.”  You will be greeted by one of my fellows. 

At that moment, a stern faced dwarf flings the door open. He has a coonskin hat and a beard that has not been combed in some time.  

“What’s all this ruckus?  What’s this about our dear Ducon?  Have you not heard it is a crime to denigrate His Grace?”

He then bursts out laughing.  “Come in laddies, tell us news from the south.”

Digg offers a toothy grin at the sight of the dwarf, letting the hood of his cloak fall back as he moves to enter with the others.D

"Well met, well met," he says. 

Folsorm says "Ho, ho, news from the south, where to start?  Let's see, we were hired by his Grace the Ducon", at that Folsorm chuckles "to check in on a missing priestess down in the catacombs.  Long story short, we save her, and she's a real looker if you know what I mean, tangle with a necromancer that's the Ducon's bastard half-brother, and are now looking for the Arms of the Guardians to get into a tomb, kill a lich, and retrieve an artifact that will make the Ducon, well, smart."  He looks around at his companions, "Did I miss anything?"

"Well dare is one utter ting!  We have recently acquired an tavern.  It is called the Flannel Clover.   You should check it out sometime."

"How could I have forgotten about The Flannel Clover!  When you get there, tell Norm and Cliff we sent you"

Stoopeed mumbles in his corner: ” ...and obviously, I was the only one not in on the fact the Great Ducon was a fool. My family devoted many generations to defend the lineage, and now that it’s my turn, like a fool I am the defender of nothing more than a glorified Jester. My life just lost it’s meaning. “

Lyoko adds, "If this current scheme fails we're planning open rebellion, we'll keep you apprised."

"A Ducon with a whole brain, now that'll be the day..."

The dwarf pauses a moment and says "Where are my manners?  I'm Ulek and long-ears up in the crow's nest is...hahaha...Twinkle-star!"

The elf says "I can hear you with these long ears, you squatty bastard!  That's the translation into common after translating from the Elvish, to Dwarvish, back to Elvish, and into Common.  Why don't you do something useful like figure out where the hair on your chin stops and the hair on your balls starts?"  

The dwarf, clearly accustomed to banter with the elf replies "I would, but I've already got yer ma to figger that out for me!  Ho, ho, ho!"

An arrow from the tower takes the coonskin cap from the dwarf's head and pins it to the cabin's log wall.  The dwarf is quiet for a moment, then he and the elf burst out laughing.

"That's a lovely improvement!  I am pleased to introduce our brand new hat rack!" says the dwarf.  Drying the tears of laughter from his face, he shrugs and says "Not much to do up here but joke.  We are glad to have your company.  If you don't mind, let's take a smoke up on the lofty perch with Twinkles.  He is still on watch."  He produces a beautifully carved pipe and some tobacco.

Digg oohs at the pipe, digging through his pouch and finding his own, not-so-nice version. As they climb, the dwarven mage stuffs his pipe with is at least partially tobacco though more than not grass fillings and other leaf. A pungent, unpleasant smell follows as he puffs along. 

The dwarf sniffs at the swag weed Digg is smoking.  "Guess you bookish types ain't much for getting out and scavenging the good stuff, eh.  Here, it's burley tobacco.  Smells a damn sight better than that shite."  He offers his own tin of tobacco to Digg.  "That offer is good for all of you."

Twinklestar takes his turn to speak:  "It has been quiet of late.  Not so much as an ogre making his way through here.  If it weren't for the dry lightning over the mountain tops, you'd think you were looking at a landscape painting instead of keeping watch.  Do you plan on crossing into Jotunland over the hills and mountains, or taking the caves of the foothills?  It's a rough climb, but 'safer', if you consider ogres and hill giants wanting to fornicate with your corpse 'safe'.  At least you know what degenerates are on the tops of the hills, but the caves are supposedly faster."

Ulek interjects, puffing smoke rings:  "Faster way to hell, I warrant!  My grandpap was part of the miners who opened the mineshaft that ran into those caves.  The prospectors who panned the streams found gold dust running out of the streams from several caves and some clerics helped divine where the ore would likely be.  Seemed too good to be true.  The mineshaft ran into other passages, if they were mined, it was too smooth to be the work of anyone, even the most fussy dwarven miners.  Last grandpap seen of his foreman was a cave fisher chewing his head.  Grandpap ran out of there just before he was lunch for the original miner in the caves: a purple worm!  But, it would save you some climbing and scrapping, I reckon, if you had a lucky run through there."  

Digg happily if somewhat ashamedly takes the tobacco, emptying his pipe and refilling it. 

"Hmm" Folsorm thinks "Well, I'm no expert in mountains or caves, but I'd rather my chances in fresh air"

Lyoko agrees anything sounds better than caves.

Rhogar looks around, somewhat embarrassed, “Yes, and I am how you say...claustrophobic.”

"Probably the better part of valor to take the hills and mountains, then" says Ulek the dwarf.  

"Be sure to watch for ogre and hill giant camps in those hills", admonishes Twinklestar.  "We had a scout find some when he went to reconnoiter the hills.  He wanted to go back for an accurate count to send back to our commander in the capitol.  That was a year ago."

"Don't let that scare ya", interjects Ulek, taking a pull from his pipe, blowing the smoke out of his nostrils, then continuing:  "This job is boring as hell and the pay stinks.  Ole Brandur could have fled for green pastures and ranged east or west when he took to the hills...or he could be a moldering ogre turd."

"In any event", Twinklestar says, forcing a smile in the wake of Ulek's grim pronouncement, "I have watch until dawn.  Short, dumb, and hairy can barely see over the rails here.  Best he make himself useful and show you to the spare pallets in the cabin. 

You get full hp and all your spells back.  Ulek and Twinklestar give you 5 days of rations and an arrow of hill-giant slaying that Twinklestar had been making in his spare time, and a +1 giantslayer handaxe that Ulek had forged out of boredom.  "Don't worry, we have plenty of time to make more.  We are both slightly favored by the gods.  Good thing, too, we need all the company we can get at this damned outpost."  Ulek and Twinklestar bid you a fond farewell from the outpost.       

Stoopeed says: “oh please let me have that axe. If I did it will Belong to whoever takes it from my cold hands..”

Folsorm shrugs when Stoopeed asks for the axe, he's more a sword man himself.  However, he'd like that arrow of Hill-Giant slaying if no other bow-men are interested in it.

Digg admired the axe for its craftmanship, but concedes that it probably is better served in the hands of someone more apt to engage in an actual fight. He looks to the others, puffing confidently on the sweet herb the kinsman had given him. "So, we're off again then? Into the wild...all in the name of destiny?" He offers a toothy grin.