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Since your description of what MG summoned and my own description were different...I'm tempted to RP this as MG saw what I described but everyone else awake to witness it saw what you described!
As the great worm crashes to the ground Marigold collapses to her knees, the combination of adrenaline and the after-affects of her burst of power proving almost too much for her. It's not until she hears JJ's groan that she attempts to move, knowing that her friends still need her.
She shakily gets to her feet and moves to inspect both Ryan and Kikinnin. Thankfully the dwarf's bleeding had already stopped thanks to JJ's intervention but she could see Ryan was still bleeding heavily. First, she uses one of the small minor magics she still has at her disposal to stop his bleeding. Then she pulls out the powerful healing wand they'd found what seemed like ages ago, one charge remaining. Resolving that having Ryan on his feet first would mean that it would be easier to get everyone else's wounds mended, she gives him a tap and expends the last of the wand's energy...
With Ryan now back in the land of the living, Marigold next takes out her one remaining healing potion and tips it down Kikinnin's throat...
...and finally everyone is at least conscious again, though they're all most definitely worse for the wear.
"Th-That's...I'm almost out of p-power, b-but there's still a little l-left..." she gasps as she expends the rest of her spell energy to mend what wounds she can.
"N-no m-more...I'm d-done..." Marigold finally says, huffing as she simply flops down on the hard stone floor of the cavern.
______
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Abadar, preserve them! is the last thing to cross Ryan's mind as the huge worm crushes his arm dropping him lifeless to the ground.
Darkness enveloped him, thoughts leading him towards the endless night spent fighting the rising waters, unfortunately this time he was failing and his friends were being swallowed up in those waters, first Kikinnin fell at his side, then as the wand no longer responded the water passed him by seeking the ever present JJ, always visible in the midst of the fight. Frustration mounted and the blackness increased.
Slowly at first but growing in intensity and warmth, a yellow light enveloped the cleric's soul drawing him back into the shell he begun to leave behind. Opening his eyes, Ryan sees a reddish-brown halo and the most beautiful green eyes. "I guess I was really stupid wasn't I? Thank you."
Sitting up a moment and gathering his thoughts and his strength, Ryan channels the last grace he has for the day, to heal those around him.
hp
Before helping Kikinnin, "Find anything interesting in there?" he ask cracking a weary smile.
Looking next to JJ, he touches the young man's shoulder,
Looking from Maxim to Juraan and finally back to his own savior, Ryan sees that they are tired but OK, so spends another 1st level spell to heal himself.
As the poison works its way into him JJ sags to the floor.
"This poison... it's not something I can fight... but come closer for a moment. " gasps JJ.
"There is still a spark within me.."
His body wracked by the venom, JJ struggles to take off the breastplate that failed to protect him from the worm, and now threatens to stop his breathing.
Weak as a kitten JJ smiles to Marigold. "Wanna arm wrestle little sister?" he gets out, trying to make light of the situation.
"I thought that damn thing would never die!"
Juraan goes to where Kikinnin's axe is sticking out of the worm.
He does what he can to try getting Kikinnin out of there.
As the beast falls, Maxim allows himself a hard grin;
Hell's Teeth... We darn well did it...
The area is littered with the worm's remains, and his companions - those who have fallen, or like his pistol - empty and spent.
As Juraan identifies Kikinnin's familiar axe in the behemoths remains, Maxim's brow furrows in concern for his bror;
:
"Rouradont's are as tough as stone! Get him out o' there!"
The tired dwur moves slowly to help retrieve his comrade as around him Marigold administers healing and aid...
:
... but can barely muster the strength to wipe ichor from the warrior's axe.
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Ryan sympathetic to JJ's plight from the poison moves to help the young man remove his armor, his brain clearing a bit more remembers.
"JJ, I can't cure the poison just yet but I can take care of some of the damage it caused."
Laying his hands on JJ's shoulders
spending a hero point for recall
Brow furrow the cleric continues to petition Abadar for continued strength
"There that's all I can do till morning through divine magics. Let me see if natural healing can help any.
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Kikinnin's eyes flutter open, likely against his will, for the sight of his surrounds. Shaky from the recent bone mends and flesh knits, he begins to slosh around in the bile. He looks for the body of the fae, to recover it at least, for its friends, should they still be able to locate the Grey-Face clan still about.
Eventually, he uses his masterwork throwing axe to hack his way through the tough hide of the worm from its insides out. He takes the first hand he can see or feel, and allow himself some leverage to pull himself from the slick.
"That... was unpleasant." As he turns back to take in the full size of the creature, his knees loosen, and he sits hard, his back against the dead thing, as he takes in his surrounds. Elbows on knees, he looks about, glad to see the others still drawing breath.
"I've never had more respect for an infant newly born. We all alright? I suppose we need to camp here, and pray to Abadar we don't get ambushed so shortly after this slaying. With shriekers and worm, let's hope we'll have some sign of the Grey-Faces before they gain some sign of us."
Juraan notices the glitter of Kikinnin's handaxe on the side of the dead corpse and runs to the place followed by Maxim and JJ.
While the casters try unsuccessfully to bring him out, JJ finds the dwarf hand inside the body and calls for the now familiar celestial energy.
Kikinnin opens his eyes.
Meanwhile, Marigold runs to Ryan and tries to keep him alive, while fixing the cleric's shield arm. Applying healing after healing energy the things become better, but the scars on the place the arm was tore up are still bleeding.
Next to the body, Kikinnin makes his work with the axe, and helped by his three companions, he eventually makes it out of the worms corpse.
By then, it results obvious JJ is also in ill condition and normal healing is not helping. Despite Ryan applies restoration to the young man, he keeps becoming worse and worse. Only when the cleric opens the sting gash and starts to clean the venom from the wound, the poison effects seem to come back to a halt.
Ryan watches JJ's reaction to his work on the wound, apparently it was helping but still needed more work. Using both hands to pull the wound edges apart additional purple venom pockets could be seen below.
[B]"Sorry JJ, this is going to hurt. Juraan, it seems more remains to be done. I need you to pull the wound apart so I can dig a bit deeper. More poison is still there just below."[/]
+4+2=27
JJ starts to breath stable, but still very weak. At least his health seems not worsening.
Ryan then prays to Abadar, recovering most of JJs strength.
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"Looks like that should do it! Nasty business, poison."
"As if the size and strength of that worm weren't bad enough!"
"Dear me! This is an ideal time to talk about all that MONEY you owe me, JJ!",
which Juraan concludes with a mischievous laugh and light pat on JJ's shoulder.
"I'm glad we're all alive! Shensen would be some mad with me otherwise!"
"Joking aside, though, we're all in a sorry state after that dust-up."
"Maxim, JJ, and Marigold: you three should be the first to sleep."
"Ryan, Kikinnin and I are also knackered. But not bad."
"I'm also going to try and see if our faerie friend survived."
"The gods have blessed us with a victory that legends are made of."
"Perhaps they were also just as kind to our little friend as well."
Juraan will then go and do whatever he can to try and find their unfortunate faerie friend in the dead worm's carcass.
"Anyone got anything to cut this massive lump open?"
Dead or alive.
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Ryan petitions Abadar to restore JJ's strength, certain they would need him at full strength, even more since they'd been on a wild goose chase. Time was beginning to play against them.
"Abadar, restore strength to this scion of Surabar Spellmanson, selflessly he stood to defend others from this overgrown spawn of the darklands. We shall need that strength in the days to come before we return to Cauldron's lighted halls."
With the help of his companions axes and swords, Juraan slowly makes a path into the viscera of the worm. After a couple of hours, the area has become a total slaughter of worm's meat. Juraan finds out what might be the remains of the deceased faerie.
Additionally, the professor founds in the guts of the worm innumerable rocks the worm must have eaten during its burrowing. Among these rocks, which are consumed in much part, some are gems that have totally resisted the acid interior of the worm.
These are 5 deep blue spinels and 5 tourmalines. In this raw state they are valued only half of what it would be if properly crafted by a master jeweler, 100 gp each gem.
This is the largest Blue star saphire you have ever seen. Properly worked by a jeweler it might reach a value of 5000 gp.
"I'm s-sorry I couldn't b-be more help JJ..." Marigold mumbles as Ryan takes over everyone's care and manages to help JJ fight off the poison that had been ravaging his body. "F-for all my p-powers I m-make a poor p-priest aside from m-mending physical hurts..."
When they eventually locate the remains of the poor dead fairy, Marigold hangs her head in shame. "Our f-fault...if we hadn't t-talked it into riling up those sh-shriekers in the f-first p-place then..." she sniffles.
After the search for the faerie confirmed its sad demise:
"It was a faint hope, Marigold."
"But I wouldn't feel right if I didn't at least try to find out."
"At least the gods allowed us to avenge our little friend."
"There's some consolation in that, I think."
After looking through the shiny items in the worm's immense gut:
"Maxim? Kikinnin? Any idea of the worth of these shinies here?"
"They look valuable, but I'm not trained at assessing such things."
Juraan will then try to find a place to bury the faerie's remains as best he can.
"Not your fault Marigold. I just wan't quick enough to avoid the blow. " says JJ, somewhat recovered.
"And thanks to Abdar and Ryan, I seem to be recovering from the poison pretty fast... although.. I do feel a bit different now. I imagine that will pass."
He eyes up the gems. "I guess we can sell them. I feel for our fae friend though. I think I was just starting the get the gist of his language."
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"I'm s-sorry I couldn't b-be more help JJ..." Marigold mumbles as Ryan takes over everyone's care and manages to help JJ fight off the poison that had been ravaging his body. "F-for all my p-powers I m-make a poor p-priest aside from m-mending physical hurts..."
Ryan hearing Marigold's lament, pats the recovering JJ on the shoulder. Turning around he kneels down in font of Marigold, and gently lifts her chin to a proud defiant pose. "My dear, my skills would have been for naught had you not brought me back from certain death. So in my opinion you are an excellent priest. Always hold your head high and believe in yourself."
one down, any chance for the second?
nope
Studying the gems that they find within the worm, Ryan eyes several appraisingly. "These aren't much to look at now but these have definite potential. Given the right cuts on them perhaps as much as 100gp each."
"Our f-fault...if we hadn't t-talked it into riling up those sh-shriekers in the f-first p-place then..."
Kikinnin gives the halfling a long look, thinking of a way to explain where the fault lay, but the black-beard can't come up with a pleasant way of answering.
"Maxim? Kikinnin? Any idea of the worth of these shinies here? They look valuable, but I'm not trained at assessing such things."
Kikinnin shakes his head. "Never had a mind for rock-specking. I'm sure we can find a trustworthy appraiser in Cauldron, if you're looking to sell them off."
"Right. We hunted Grey-Faces, which led to a worm hunting us. Are we trying to finish what we started? Find the Grey and the Fae? Or are we turning back now, and returning to our original charge?"
"I'd hate to think they fey's death was in vain.." starsts JJ.
But the close encounter with the worm after the long chase has sapped his will to press on. He looks down in the mouth as if the urge to press on is starting to leave.
"I hope there are no more of those worms... We got very lucky there."
Juraan listens to what the others are discussing while burying their poor faerie friend.
Then he clears his throat and tries to suggest what he sees the best way to proceed:
"Like JJ, I also want to carry on and ensure our faerie friend's death wasn't for nought."
"But as fatigued and exhausted as we clearly are, we have to rest."
"We're too slow to narrow the gap, and in no shape to defend ourselves, much less rescue anyone."
"Who of us hasthat revive us with a minimal amount of rest?"
"Sadly, I have nothing like that at my disposal."
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Maxim eyes the glittering gemstones, then shoots his fellow dwur a jaundiced look at his reliance on Cauldron jewellers.
"Hell's Teeth Bror... Like to think that in my line o' work I can value a few gems plucked from a worm's gut!"
The gun-mage cleans the gems off, then rummages for a small set of scales. He eyes them closely trying to glean what he can from weight and appearance;
:
Maxim taps the first pile of gemstones;
"What we got here is 5 deep blue spinels and 5 tourmalines. They're uncut, but in the hands o' a master jeweller we could get around 100 Gold Suns each."
He then moves onto the larger gem;
:
And lets out a whistle of approval;
"Ho-ho. An' this here is biggest darn Blue Star Sapphire I been luck enough to clap eyes on. Like her little friends she's uncut, but worked right she's worth 5000 Gold alone."
The merchant's eyes glitter and he smiles wryly;
"Not bad at all eh? Reckon we should go worm fishin' again... We know they like beard bearded bait... God's alone know why!"
Maxim smiles wryly and claps his fellow dwur's broad shoulder with a hard chuckle.
"Just a jest bror. We came this far to put the Grey-Faces into the dirt... reckon we owe it to the little fae and its kin to get the job done."
"Th-thanks Ryan," Marigold smiles weakly. "I'll t-try...at least I'm m-more useful n-now than I once w-was!"
"And I'd like to d-do that t-too...f-finish what we started," she adds. "B-but we need to r-rest first before we d-do anything, whether p-press forward or turn b-back."
She looks around the cavern nervously. "J-just wish we knew if there were m-more of those w-worms around or not. Do they j-just tunnel all th-through there earth d-down here?"
After twenty hours of intense physical exercise and extreme mental pressure, the battle with the purple worm was the brooch that left the party finally broken. With everybody that exhausted, maintaining concentration during the watch shifts resulted to be harder than ever.
The enemy lurked in the shadows for long, and even they made sure the watch was distracted, they took special care to be undetectable on their approach. Such a succulent group of potential slaves was nothing to be ignored.
Some of you remember the feeling of being tied hands and legs, as well as gagged by invisible hands. You tried to shout an alarm, but no sound went out of your mouths. Others were just too tired to wake up. The images are confusing from there on, pale dwarven faces mixing with rocks and stones. It seemed like the cavern ceilings were passing over you, but also like the earth itself was carrying you on. Overtime, you lost your consciousness again into your dreams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Look Shellen, the new ones are waking up" you do hear a young female voice.
"The pretty lips will make for a good miner" answers a second female voice "Perhaps they lets us rest for a while"
"As long as they don't half again the daily food I will be ok" comments the first one.
As your eyes become used to the faint light of the cavern, you do observe the dim light of a candle meters ahead from you. You notice the noise of metal hitting against stone, and see in front of the candle an old gnome and a halfling working the stone with picks. Behind them a pale face controls their workings with a whip in his hands. Between you and them solid metallic bars bar your pass.
Slowly you gain consciousness of your immediate environment. You feel relieved to see your other party friends around you. You are more surprised to find your hands and legs firmly tied by metallic shackles. You are not gagged, and thus you can easily talk. The night was hard and your unconscious time did not helped you to rest. You all feel fatigued and your magic and special abilities as much exhausted as when you decided to sleep.
Next to you a couple of young girls, ragged and dirty look at you with curiosity. Another man, with tired look crosses his legs and leans his back against the stony cavern wall while sit in the ground.
"Where do you come from? You seem from surface, aren't you?" asks the closest girl.
You find none of your belongings with you, only your softest clothes. They are neither anywhere to be seen.
"Whaa?" stutters JJ as he finally comes to.
He reflexly smiles at the nearby girls, as he comes around, and then tries to put together where he is, and how he got there.
"Ahhh... where is here? And why do I have manacles on?" he asks in confusion.
Quickly the young man looks around, trying to see if his companions are with him. One by one he crawls over, checking them out.
Juraan comes to soon after and whispers to JJ:
"Looks like the sleeping hunters were caught."
Sitting as best he can, Juraan looks at their three new cell-mates.
"Well, yes, we are from above ground."
But is obviously too cranky to be charming at present.
Kikinnin opens his eyes, takes in his predicament, feels the exhaustion, then closes his eyes, and returns to unconsciousness.
Marigold groans as she opens her eyes and sits up, looking around blearily. "Wh-where are we? Wh-what happened?" she asks a bit stupidly.
Maxim groggily comes to, throat dry for a drop of rum.
When the realization of their situation dawns, the dwur grimly spits as he shakes his shackles;
"Skit. We been got Lil' Miss. Gray-Faces got the jump on us I'm guessin'..."
Annoyed at himself, the gunmage angrily shakes his head, before batting a fumbling JJ away;
"I'm fine Surabar... Pride hurt more than anythin'... Give Rouradont a shake to check he's still breathin'."
"We are in the duergar mines" the apparently younger girl answers to JJ and Marigold "Miles away from the surface I guess"
"The darkness is bothersome at first, but you end up getting used to it" comments the other.
"As for what happened... where you not abducted at your home and then sold as slaves at the Life's Bazaar?" adds the first one.
You do recognize these girls, they are Azmi Dresker and Shellen Rycah. Young prostitutes at the Slippery Eel tavern, gone missing months ago.
The bald man is Rikaldo Veskar. A skinner. He went missing from his home months ago. His ransacked home contained blood droplets and blood-encrusted knives.
"Actually, we came down here on a commission to find someone."
"Then we got … sidetracked … and here we are."
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Groggily Ryan opens his eyes at JJ's insistent nudging and the strange girl's voices. I swear he can find women anywhere
"JJ, where did you find a girl at down....here...uhm just where is here?" he ask looking around their new digs and the sorry state of their equipment, or just the pure bad luck of not having any of it currently.
Abadar's grace I feel like I tried to sleep in an ore cart."
"I think we did. Or might as well have."
"No." sighs JJ to the girl. "We were exploring, looking to try and save someone. But maybe this is a blessing in disguise. If he is here, it could be we have been taken to just where we wanted to go."
Lowering his voice he asks the girl "How long have you been here? Were you from Cauldron originally?"
JJ directs an unseen glare at Ryan but bites his tongue.
Ryan has earned his right to make a small dig from saving my life yesterday. And that he is showing good humor is more important than a little dig. Though I'll have to consult with Juraan about a little payback later. Maybe a young lady turning up in his bed.. yes..
JJ grins to himself in the darkness.
"Do we have anything to drink down here?"
"Yes, we are from Cauldron" asserts the girl "I am Azmi, and my friend here is Shellen. That one down there is Rikaldo, and... we have been here years, or perhaps just weeks... Who knows... it's just damn dark here the whole time"
"The water here is just some wet clay... even the Tankard's rum would feel pristine in comparison" points Rikaldo "You should have never came to this hole for your friend. There is only one way out... and you will not like it..."
The black-beard doesn't open his eyes, but he makes noises that can only be construed as keep-it-down woofs, and people-are-trying-to-sleep low thrums.
Slaves need sleep, too. We're no good to them if we fall on our faces.
"We'll get out" whispers JJ.
"And when we do, you are welcome to come with us. Though it may be safer to wait and have us come back to get you. We rescued one lot of slaves from the market a few months ago. So you must have been here at least that long if it was the big room throne. " he pauses
"I don't suppose you saw a big floaty eye thing down there did you?"
JJ lets his hands roam around the captives enclosure, seeking out anything that could be used as either a weapon... or a lockpick.
"Why was JJ smirking at me just now?" Juraan wonders to himself.
With a shrug, Juraan addresses Azmi:
"Just what is the only way out you're talking of?"
"Considering our situation, I'm sure I won't like it."
"But indulge me, all the same."
"Th-The sk-skinner, right?" Marigold asks as she turns to Rikaldo. "You w-went missing m-months ago..." her voice trails off. "Th-this is wh-where all those m-missing people have ended up, isn't it? Or at least m-most of them..."
Though she does agree with JJ's insistence that they escape, she also knows that she's still bone-tired and they're at a distinct disadvantage what with being gearless and in unfamiliar territory.
Time to fix at least part of that.
"S-so they j-just make everyone here m-mine?" she whispers. "Wh-who's in charge?"
"Free us? Can you really do that?" asks Azmi with increased interest in JJ.
Rikaldo looks at your manacles with disdain "The only way you are going to free yourself is when one of those bastards press you to work until death" he answers looking at Juraan, then looks to Maxim and Kikinnin "I am intrigued why those two are still alive. The last three dwarves did not make past the first day"
"A floating eye? How is that possible?" inquiries Shellen "You talk weird things pretty lips"
JJ finds some free stones around the immediate surrounding. Still manacles make it difficult to operate on them.
Rikaldo leans towards Marigold in an attempt to see her better under the dim light of the far candle "Little Marigold? Oh, yes, that is you. You are well grown up. I still remember the old days you would come with Patch to my workshop to pack furs for the orphans"
"Most of us were taken from our homes in Cauldron during the night by strange crystal-like creatures" explains Rikaldo "And yes, they make you mine until you are so exhausted you think your back is gonna break by its own weight. And then, they will fed you badly and take care you never rest enough so you are not going to have enough will to revolt"
"There is Bruthwol, I don't think he is the main leader, but he is the only one who apparently talks Chelish, and so directs the slaves down here" explains Shellen "There is also this duergar female. Brilmara I think. We have seen her only a few times, but she seems to inspire some kind of respect on these brutes. She is always followed by a strange stony creature"
Maxim listens to the discussion, trying to place the girls after Marigold identified the man as Rikaldo the Skinner.
:
He nods to himself then tries to temper JJ's enthusiasm for escape;
"Ladies... Azmi an' Shellen ain't it? Workin' out o' the Slippery Eel?"
The gun-mage keeps a hard smile as he address them;
"Don't you worry none about us dwur Skinner. As for Surabar here ladies, well he ain't all there. Little bit addled an' tired... Take his tales o' floatin' eyes an' such with a pinch o' forge dust eh."
Maxim smile turns to a frown when he hears more details of the duergar and their crystal-men accomplices;
"Huh. Makes sense. They'll break us in the mine, keep us weak. Iffen we're gonna get out we need to do it afore we're weaker..."
:
When Maxim stands up and shows his beard, Azmi and Shellen nod to him in reconnaissance "Good to see you again sweetheart" poses Shellen while Azmi offers a kind smile to the dwarf "The meeting is becoming increasingly interesting. How is your uncle doing? I hope he has found expert hands to treat his torturing back pain?"
Maxim's memories go back to the assault on Ghelve's locks and how the crystal-like skulk's skin shifted and changed mimicking the surroundings.
"You are right, Rikaldo. I don't like that answer! I did ask, though."
"I apologize if I don't recognize any of you. My name is Juraan Uthlatch."
"I also grew up at the orphanage with Marigold and JJ here."
"My sister, Essodydd, and I have a reputation for … *ahem* … japes. As it were."
"Which I'm sure JJ be only too keen to tell you about!."
"What were the last dates you remember being in Cauldron?"
"I'm curious as to how and when you were kidnapped."
"Might be useful to figure out how we can get out of this mess."
. . eventually, anyway
Once, or if, he has some idea of when these other Cauldron captives were abducted, he will try to contact Meerthan again:
"I have some good news and news as well."
"In pursuing some Duergar slavers to the point of exhaustion, we were attacked by an enormous purple worm."
"Not only did we all survive the worm, we managed to kill it."
" exhaustion overtook us, and so did those Duergar slavers."
"We are alive, though. And trying to figure out how to escape."
"A bit of a poser, this. If you could tell me about any of the Duergar's weaknesses, this would be a good time!"
"There are also other Cauldron locals here being put to work by the Duergar."
"They told us they were captured by some sort of crystal creatures. And not all so long ago."
"So best, to be on the alert for any more possible disappearances there!"
"Tell Shensen I will do everything I can to get back to her (and not to be too cross with me)!"
"Alert Fario and Fellian to be on the alert for other abductions in Cauldron."
Juraan will include all details he has been able to get concerning this mine and the abductions.
'You got enslaved by duergars? Ahhh... I should have known something like that would happen'
'I would send Fario and Fellian to rescue you, but I fear that might be too dangerous... Let me know about any open opportunities they might help with'
By the answers of the prisoners you deduce they were abducted around 81 days before Jenya called you to investigate the Lantern Street Orphanage disappearances.
"Indeed, slaves kept coming during months, but then..." Shellen explains "They stopped bringing more slaves months ago without any explanation. They have become visibly nervous by the lack of slaves in the last times, but... I have no idea of what are they planning or why did they stopped throwing new slaves to the mine"
"Yes, you are the first novelty in many weeks" adds Azmi.
"Well, that happened before I joined up with my friends here."
To the others, Juraan will whisper: "it sounds likely we're why their slave source dried up."
"I think it would be prudent not to let on to these Duergar about that."
"What did you learn from those disappearances? That was before I joined you."
"It might be relevant to what's happened to us."
"There's no point in sending Fario and Fellian."
"Not yet, anyway. We lost our bearings."
"I'll let you know when we get out bearings back."
"Those kidnappings stopped when the others investigated the orphanage disappearances."
"Which was before I joined their number."
"There must be a connection there."
"I'll let you know if I can find out anything there."
Maxim flashes a smile back at the two young ladies, their playful banter offering a momentary respite from the dire situation they are all in;
"Reckon he misses your gentle touch ladies... An' wish we were reacquaintin' under better circumstances."
The gun-mage scowls before continuing;
"Sounds like the Grey-Faces are still using' skulkers for the abductions. Reckon the slave takin' dried up on account o' our actions... Agree Prof. Best we keep that from the Grey-Faces lest they seek a reckonin..."
He eyes the still sleeping Kikinnin momentarily, then continues;
"Ladies. Veskar... We need to know as much as possible about how an' when they feed you, check on you... Any routines o' the Grey Faces you can recall. No matter how small... might just be the edge we'll need..."
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JJ grins at the name "sweep lips", but in the dark, well, maybe only the dwarves realise that.
"If they have been out of new slaves for a few months now, that might explain why we are still alive. They can't work all their slaves to death, or they will have to do work themselves."
He turns to the girls voices. "What type of tools do they give you to mine with?"
"Well this is a fine mess we're in, sounds like it will be troublesome to say the least, yet JJ's question is valid what are we to use in the daily chore here"
" Mushroom soup before mining, mining in groups of two, one duergar for each group, mushroom soup after mining, then few hours rest and start again " explains Azmin "If you behave well they let you go without manacles, and exceptionally share some meat or milk"
"They give you a miner pick and a shovel to your companion " Shellen plays with her ragged dress while answering JJ "I found that pick soooo heavy, pretty lips"
A sudden explosion from a not far cavern resounds in the air. Neither the duergar, nor the prisoners seem specially surprised by the event.
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"H-have you s-seen the d-duergar bring anyone or anything else in l-lately? Like...like f-faeries?" Marigold asks softly. "W-we ran across one and they m-managed to c-communicate that their f-friends had b-been t-taken...we were t-trying to f-find them and th-that's how we g-got c-caught..."