A young Mouseling enters the room with a stack of boxes. Each of you is presented with a lacquered container filled with sandwich-like constructions. Wraps filled with pod rice and a variety of vegetables, seared fish, roasted sow, and savory spiced egg.

The Duke listens to Toots' chatter as the food is served and drinks are poured. An icy refreshing drink that has just a hint of tartness you are unfamiliar with (citrus is rare in Cliffside).

"Ah little one you are quite talkative and such an inquisitive mind!" he chuckles and demonstrates how some people prefer to add sauces to the bites before you. "Please eat and drink, I can already tell by the lack of pole arms that I may have been mistaken at least about the trident, Wave."

OOC: GDI Wysp, now I want a lemonade. 😉

Tommary despite being the Unworthy is definitely making his share of the spread his, dual wielding lemonade and sandwich rice wrap, or maybe two of the latter in one hand so wraps.

Unless she has noticed any deception on Bul’s part, Toots definitely puts the cookie down on her tray, puts the plate back in her purse, takes Mece out to join the feast, sips the drink, and with a delighted look on her face starts to dig in with her usual excess of gusto and lack of manners. With a wrap in each hand she has quickly overstuffed her mouth and has to chew for a while, allowing their host to speak. Soon however she remembers the beverage and looks disappointed when she realizes she will have to put a sandwich down to pick up her drink. With the food washed down, she half stuffs her mouth again before asking: “Is there any more?” Her trey already half empty.

OOC: I took a gamble that this elf was alright because Layla and everyone else was too, there really weren’t any “bad guys.” I’m really glad he didn’t punt Toots (but wouldn’t he have been surprised when 🦀Toots were to suddenly try to rip ‘im in half if he had 😜). Now our characters are hobnobbing in Silverthorn with Duke Gangahn Bul of Northern Fire . That’s kinda cool.

By the way, I’m assuming Silverthorn is the forest and “Northern Fire” is the Duchy, or is it something else?

OOC: Silverthorn is the primary enclave of Elves and Forest Furlings. There is a population of other races in the city but they are generally not allowed to live in the pyramid. 

Politically speaking, There are four major houses in the Elf nation, each corresponding to the cardinal directions. The houses are divided into clans associated with the elements of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. So the Duke is a high ranking member of the Fire Clan in the North house.

OOC: Thank you.

Elyona’s eyes grow wide at the food presented.  She eyes it carefully—not suspiciously, though; she’s obviously “feasting with her eyes” before digging in.  Picking up a wrap, she takes a bite, and chews slowly and appreciatively, savoring the tastes.  As she continues to eat, she tries a bit of each of the sauces presented on various bites of the wrap, enjoying the tastes and textures, and stopping occasionally to sip at the drink. At an opportune moment she says, “The list of items we were sent to retrieve do not match the list your team was after; I think it’s safe to say there are not attempts to steal or co-opt going on here.  We did not encounter any elves during our time in the mountain.”

"Just to be sure, as I know where I sent my warriors," he looks at you in a calm curious manner, "you went to a great mountain, a volcano, in the middle of a grand swamp? You obviously survived many of its ordeals, and did not find the trident. What of a great rune carved Dwarven warhammer? Or a sword with a blade that looks as if it were a slice of night sky?" eyebrow raised.

"Was it that you didn't explore the entire place? I will reequip you, and give you additional aid if needed. Those weapons are very important to us."

He sips and takes healthy bits of the sandwiches while awaiting your answers.

Ilyara was a good bit more decorous with her food than Toots was, keeping a hand free as she started working down one of the sandwiches.  "Almost feel bad eatin' something so pretty while I'm so filthy," she said, "but far be it from me t' turn down a meal.  And this tangy juice...mm!  Could drink a gfallon of it an' not get tired of it."

Wiping a bit of crumb from her muzzle, Ilyara nodded her agreement with Elyona.  "Aye.  I...wasn't there for all o' it, or at least all'a this team's 'it'.  I was with the first team..." she said, growing somber.  "These guys found me after my team was captured an' struck down.  We didn't even get to th' mountain.  Something hit my team, fast and brutal hard, out in the swamps and moors between th' mountain and Cliffside.  Could be whatever's lurking in that hole is spreadin' its reach, or that my team just got powerful unlucky.  Either way, no sign of elves.  Lot of bones, lot of corpses, but I don't know if any of 'em were elvish and we never saw any sign of fancy elven gear."

Tommary the Unworthy murmurs something that sounds like, "Trident ... Henry ... did we miss something there or lose it in the flush."  Then more conversationally, "Well, that's sorta the crux of the matter, you're offering us a hustle to keep at it in there when we were in the process of thinking about leaving....  One thing will get me to buy in: is there a reactor port or something that will bring the whole Volcano down.  I want to end this mountain, it's become personal. Plus it'd be cool."

OOC: Anyone see Spy Racers Season 4: Mexico City?  Tommary wants something like that, but not thwarted by a bunch of teenagers with wild rides coopted by the national security establishment.

“Warriors…?” Toots asks choking down enough food to form the words. “Layla!” Toots glances back the way they had come. “When’d ya send ‘em?!? I mean, there’s good people in there slaved to the jerk wiz and it wouldn’t be right if they had to kill your people. It’s be even wronger if her people killed them.”

He gestures with a wrap in hand, "Ah, so if the Trident and Elves are a mystery to you, then tell me, why was it you were at the mountain of steam?"

"Why did Cliffside send their famous Waywatchers way out there?"

"Ok, lemme drop some science on that poetry you're piping.  It isn't a mountain of steam, it's a mount of smoke, sulpherous stench smoke, smoke that comes from rock cooked so hot it's lava.  I think I've only been in it for three days, but I'm sick of the place and have decided to just bring the whole thing down if it's the last thing I do.  As for what we were doing there in the first place.  Most of us were sent basically on a recovery mission.  <Points out Ilyra> her team had gone in first and hadn't reported back so we were 'Plan B: Find out what happened to them, but more importantly bring their important kit back.'  Not sure if her team was the original quest or they too were on a recovery mission; but I'm sensing a pattern here.  Frankly, when I bring down this damned mountain, if the lava flow happens to cut a big channel through corridors of power of Cliffside, no love lost there."  Tommary the Unworthy looks around at the well appointed space, "I don't supposed you're in the market for buying into a proxy revolution?  Of course in my pattern sensing recognition that's probably just meet the new boss same as the old boss.  Apologies, it's been a few strained days, showing the cards on my sleeves is the only way I can play with a full deck at the moment."

Quote from IamSposta >>

“Warriors…?” Toots asks choking down enough food to form the words. “Layla!” Toots glances back the way they had come. “When’d ya send ‘em?!? I mean, there’s good people in there slaved to the jerk wiz and it wouldn’t be right if they had to kill your people. It’s be even wronger if her people killed them.”

"Today would make it close to eight months now. I honestly had given up hope of their return. It would seem I was correct that they met some fatal end." The Duke lets out a heavy sigh, "The door you used was entrusted to my most favored aid and he would not let it out of his possession while he yet lived. I presume from the lava on the other side," he points "that you made it quite a way into the mountain? If the door was there, then that was where he fell."

OOC: Re: Kaza'ghul, Khaza the Ghoul, Kazarathanas, Kaza the Betrayer, and other names

One of the most powerful wizards of his time. He was instrumental in the construction of the Human city, Skyholt. During the Siege, his presence bolstered allies and gave much needed support against the waves of demons spreading across the land. Many major battles were won, and lives saved by his timely appearance to blast the foul creatures back into the darkness or shield those that needed protection.

Then came a time when outposts fell one after the other and Kaza'ghul did not show. He was missed, and the demons took advantage of his absence. It was when Skyholt was under attack by giant flying nightmare creatures that he showed up again. The soldiers and citizens cheered when they saw him but their cheers turned to cries of terror as he proceeded to drop the anchor chains of the city so land demons could gain access to the floating fortress. While not confirmed, some say he was also responsible for stealing the primary etheric crystals that kept the city aloft. Skyholt was doomed. When it fell, thousands died on impact, the rest perished when the demons overran the streets.

Hundreds of years passed, his name becoming something to scare children into behaving. Then he or someone taking his name, apparently stole powerful artifacts as a punishment or insane practical joke. 

ooc: etheric crystals = reactor core. Tommary will stay on target

"We encountered a number'a guardians, cleared out a goodly chunk of the hell-dungeon buried in the mountain," Ilyara confirmed.  "Managed to treat with a few of th' miserable place's denizens an' at least partially disarm a few of the place's traps.  Turns out the jackass who built the place has been offerin' folks deals, danglin' rewards they can't refuse in front'a them if they spend a few years working as dungeon monsters.  Some'a the guardians were...less amenable to truce, but we managed to make some kinda peace with a few.  Th' lava chamber was full of giant fiery hell boar though, that one we put down.  Nearly did for our holy warrior though.  I didn't see any corpses near th' door on the other side, but...in that place, they might not'a lasted long.  Sorry, yer Dukeness."

OOC: Were the two Wights way back in the mud room elven? Did 9 and the other golems look like they were made of elf parts?

OOC: I was thinking the "leathermen" were the remnants of Ily's party, but could have been the elves.  Maybe the scrotblind walkers were transformed from a less sack headed species....