|
You each received a missive from Sir Jorsal of Lauterbury, along with a small cloth pouch containing 100 gp labeled “For Tolls.”
So off to Janderhoff you've traveled. Janderhoff, the a dwarven Sky Citadel and settlement in southeastern Varisia's Mindspin Mountains, north of Korvosa and south of the Cinderlands. You arrive at it’s surface entrance—a pair of massive iron gates emblazoned with the hammer of Torag— the guards seem to be expecting you.
They gruffly welcome you, Come on in you Pathfinders. You're welcome here.
As you move through the city, you find Janderhoff’s people—mostly dwarves but some humans, halflings, and gnomes—bustling about the prosperous mountainside citadel, tending its many forges and bringing in carts of copper, iron, silver, and black marble from the nearby mines. The tall chimneys of its forges let forth a constant stream of gray smoke into the blue sky.
The duergar are ancient enemies of the dwarves. They are clannish, hateful, and malevolent creatures that believe themselves superior to all other races.
Once dwarves themselves, the duergar stubbornly refused to join their brethren in the Quest for Sky, and were forever cursed when they turned to a dark god to save them. Duergar see themselves as the true masters of the dwarven race, and typically seek to kill dwarves on sight rather than enslave them. It is unusual that they would take their ancient enemies as captives unless they had some worse fate in mind. These slavers are likely to be the only ones on the Long Walk with a large number of dwarven prisoners.
The chief god of the duergar is Droskar, god of toil, slavery, and cheating. His worship among surface dwarves is extremely limited, and to say that it is greatly frowned upon would be an enormous understatement.
If the duergar have a large number of dwarven prisoners in tow, it is unlikely they will be allowed inside any major duergar settlements such as Fellstrok or Hagegraf. This is either a rogue faction of duergar or a group with a particularly mysterious agenda.
Nar-Voth is the uppermost region of the Darklands, descending nearly half a mile beneath the surface. The region consists of countless twisting passages and interconnected caves, and is home to derro, duergar, mongrelmen, troglodytes, and innumerable vicious subterranean beasts and hazards.
While not the most numerous sentient race in Nar-Voth, the duergar are arguably the most organized and possibly the most powerful. They control the Long Walk, a tunnel stretching from the duergar city of Hagegraf under the Five Kings Mountains, to the stronghold of Fellstrok in the Hold of Belkzen. It passes directly beneath the city of Janderhoff.
One of Nar-Voth’s most dangerous features is the nature of the terrain itself. Sharp drops, unstable ground, slippery surfaces, and cramped
passages make navigation difficult, which is why so many people are willing to take the Long Walk despite its heavy tolls and disagreeable stewards.
Finding Sandricaan is a not a difficult task. You are directed to his home, and find the him in his study pouring over some sort historical text. Sandricaan invites you into his cramped study.
Come in, come in, I have been eagerly anticipating you arrival! And now here you are!
|
"So the duergar are unlikely to find refuge in their own cities with dwarven slaves in tow," Ansha notes quietly. "Thanks. I'll make it up to you later," the elf nods to the man she is whispering to, slender fingers trailing tantalizingly across the man's forearm. With a wink, she slips away into the city's streets. She meanders idly, browsing street vendors and flirting with passersby until she finally arrives at Sandricaan's house. Slipping inside, she notes the others' presence and offers a warm smile.
Tall and slender, the elf woman is achingly beautiful, with long pale blond hair that cascades over her shoulders like a cloak. She is dressed in a green bodice and underbust corset, a matching long-slit skirt, black leather boots and lacy fingerless opera gloves. Of note, too, is the elaborate silver-and-gold choker at her throat, which sports a large emerald; a silver chain extends from the emerald's mount down to a small gold disc enscribed with the Elven rune for the first two letters of her given name ('An'), and from there, another silver chain draws the observer's attention to her cleavage.
Noting a few familiar faces, she finger-waves and takes a seat. "I would have been here sooner, but there are so many interesting people here!" she says by way of explanation--the elf is chronically tardy. "Oh, I do hope I have the chance to look around a bit more later. I owe Hanegraaf an ale or two, anyway."
Enora was super happy to travel with you all again! And look Menas joined them as well!
”Team, I still have fond memories of our last mission together as many of our tasks could be solved through diplomacy and intelligence! Menas and I were recently on another mission where diplomacy played little role and we actually lost two fellow Pathfinders because of the dangerous environment! It is great to travel with you again! I just hope we find these poor kidnapped dwarfs!“ Enora says with concern.
|
The shadowy half-elf brings his copy of the letter. "A mission of stealth and guile, venturing into the Darklands to liberate slaves. I am in."
He gives a slight nod to Ansha as she enters the room. She does draw attention to herself, doesn't she? By contrast, Ranalus is rather nondescript with his cloak and rapier. If you look at his cloak closely, there are runes of some sort, though your eyes seem to slide off of it.
The Feysworn cleric makes some attempts to gather rumors, and is surprisingly successful.
Ranalus relays what he finds to the others.
"The Duergar follow a god of slavery, but they normally seek to kill their dwarven brethren on sight rather than enslave them. So if these captives are not to be slaves... sacrifices to Droskar? Or converted into Duergar by some foul ritual? Whatever the case, we must free them."
He raises an eyebrow at Enora's comments.
"Cleverness is often the solution, and our group will have ample magical might to bring to bear. Though sometimes skill at arms is needed. On this mission of you and Menas, did the two of you survive by being exceptionally tough, or lucky, or realizing that discretion is the better part of valor? (I would not fault you for deciding that.) Or were your comrades particularly unlucky or foolish?"
Enora is silent fo a second and then looks at Menas.
”Well, I think we were lucky, brave and exceptionally resilient. Menas here defeated a Sphinx which later transformed into a powerful Protean in personal combat. I think at the end two companions died because of the viciousness and trickery of the opponents we faced!“
|
|
Ansha shakes her head at Ranalus. "They won't find a welcome in any of the larger duergar settlements with so many dwarven prisoners in tow. Either a splinter faction is behind it, or they have an agenda. Could be sacrifices, but probably not to Droskar. I suppose we'll just have to find out what their mysterious agenda is, no?"
|
Wembly smiles as he rides along, atop Whiskers, his green cat.
This is great! I mean the traveling together part. Not the sacrifices and prisoners and slavery part. I am not saying I like any of that!
The gnome looks from face to face to see if he offended anyone.
I don't think I have ever been to the Darklands. I mean I have been underground, and it was dark. But there were no signs saying 'Welcome to Darklands' or anything like that.
|
|
Once you are all assembled in his cramped study Sandricaan waves his hand over a map.
If my calculations are correct, you should be able to intercept the slavers somewhere near the duergar stronghold of Fellstrok. The duergar there have waged constant war against the mongrelmen in that area. Mongrelmen are a peculiar people, but also the most friendly—well, least unfriendly—folk you are likely to find in all of Nar-Voth. You should be able to come to an enemy-of-my-enemy agreement with them, one way or another.
|
|
The elf bites her lip, pondering. "Is there a surface entrance near where we're going, or are we heading out from here and making our way through the Darklands?" She waves one hand idly and continues, "And just how unfriendly will these mongrelmen be? I mean, I can make friends with anyone"--she winks insouciantly--"but it'd be good to know just how much effort I need to put into it."
|
|
Any surface entrances in that area either don't exist or aren't know. Yeah you'll need to go below ground here and make your way through the Darklands. Now I would follow the Long Walk, it's the quickest and surest way to intercept the slavers. However, it’s also the easiest way to get yourselves caught before you ever reach your destination. I suggest you follow the side-tunnels near the road. It may take longer, but I’ve factored that into my calculations. Ansha, I suspect you possess a particularly silvered tongue, and you disguise any dwarves among your group, you might brave the Long Walk itself. In any case, it is imperative to move quickly. If you reach your destination too late, you will not have much time to find allies and prepare. And I absolutely recommend against trying to teleport there! Nothing good can ever come
of teleporting in the Darklands. Sandricaan says thoughtfully.
Before adding, Well the Mongrelmen should be reasonable enough I think. Especially, if you tell him them you oppose the duergar, they should listen more.
"Yes, I am ready to go!" Enora says.
|
|
Sandricaan traces his finger on the purposed route to you one last time, letting you commit it memory. As you pack up to depart a messenger arrives with a missive for Wembly and Menas Red.
Sandricaan leads the way through Janderhoff’s interconnected rooms, stairways, and tunnels, following a complex route that boasts increasing numbers of surly dwarven guards as the path descends toward Nar-Voth. Eventually, he stops at a massive gate bearing the same hammer symbol as all of the city’s entrances. He speaks briefly with the captain on duty, and the heavily armed dwarf pauses before giving a slow nod and reluctantly commanding the guards to open the gates. Sandricaan does not follow you past the gates of the city, he offers a farewell wave. Good Luck and Torag's blessing upon you! He calls out as you depart.
You find yourself on the Long Walk headed north by northeast. The party can chose between two methods for navigating the Long Walk. The first is to take the road itself, talk their way past the duergar, and pay exorbitant tolls or stick to the side tunnels that run along the road in order to avoid duergar patrols and outposts. The first method could be faster, but but possibly more expensive. The second method likely slower unless you are adept at navigating the tunnels.
|
|
"I am fairly swift on my feet and would be comfortable trying the side tunnels. However, as I've seen how persuasive Ansha is, I assume we'd have success on the road itself. Either way is fine with me."
"If this paladin has been forced to fight for the Duergar, we should make sure we can bring him back to our side. Perhaps he is under an enchantment, or perhaps a drug."
|
|
Ansha graces the room with a crooked grin at Ranalus' words. "Let's take the direct route through the Long Walk. I'm a 'hearts and minds' kind of girl, and I wouldn't mind collecting a few more on the way. Time is short, anyway."
A predatory gleam comes to her eye. "Too bad, too--'cultural exchanges' are always so interesting, and I've never had an encounter with a duergar before," the enchantress says. After a moment's pause, she adds suggestively, "Ah well. I'm sure I'll find some downtime later."
|
|
You travel for several days and all is fairly quiet, you occasionally see other travelers but they keep to themselves and you feel good about the progress you are making. Ranalus provides the food and most partake, although Menas Red seems to always have a bowl of rice handy when meal time comes. As you are travelling underground it is nearly impossible to know whether it's night or day, morning or afternoon. But sometime on the fourth day you reach a duergar outpost, it seems fairly large and the duergars seem well-armed.
They call you to a halt as you approach and look you over.
What business do you have passing through here? An all business duergar, who you assume is some kind of sergeant of the guard calls out, before adding.
Strange bunch of surface dwellers I see, not a dark elf among you, but also at least no dwarves. The sergeant spits on the ground. Out with it what's a bunch of topsiders doing down here in our tunnels?
"Oh hello! I hope you are well! We are traveling to rendezvous with friends of our boss and thus need to pass. So thanks a lot for guarding these tunnels. I heard you are doing a great job!" she says smiling.
|
|
For her part, Ansha is quietly chatty the entire journey, from the point the party exits the dwarven stronghold's gates into the Darklands on. Genuinely curious about her companions--"So what kind of cat is Whiskers, anyway?"--her banter inevitably turns flirtatious--"You know, I do like to sample new cultures. Even humans have so many surprising variations!"--but in the end, it always comes back to the most important subject: herself--"So then I said, 'If you're going to jostle the wizard, at least ply me with brandy and a nice dinner first!'"
When the duergar patrol shows up, Ansha affixes the duergar sergeant with a disarming smile. "What do topsiders usually come through here about?" she asks, genuinely curious. Regardless of his answer, she continues, "We're just passing through. I've got some...business dealings to attend in Fellstrok, and I didn't want to deal with the side tunnels. You know how it is--why deal with a cave full of tentacles when you could just walk up to your client's door, no hassle?"
The elf waves one hand idly. "Anyway, we should be on our way. Wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting," she says, making no move to depart until the sergeant gives some sort of indication they're allowed to pass.
|
|
Ranalus keeps quiet. He smirks a bit at the Duergar's observations.
No 'Dark Elves'? No drow, maybe, but there are other elf-kin who dabble in darkness... though I must confess I prefer shadows to pitch-black.
He watches Ansha.
They're going to remember her, at least. I wonder if she can - or would - use magic to disguise herself as a road-weary vagabond on our way out. People may be looking for us.
|
|
Ansha is convincing, but the duergar are hard and not quite as susceptible to her charms as most people from the surface, still you are able to get past this and several other checkpoints as quickly as a surface dweller could ever expect to.
The common refrain at the end of each encounter is Well let ya pass, but ya gotta pay a toll.
It's now day 13 and the good news you've become much more accustomed to being underground, the bad news is you've each incurred 200 gp worth of tolls to this point, dipping into your own pockets, double that of the amount Sir Jorsal of Lauterbury had provided.
But at last you have reached the point in your journey when you must navigate slightly away from the Long Walk in order to enter the territory of the mongrelmen, your potential allies in the battle to come. Sandricaan’s directions lead you through a series of caves toward to find the mongrelmen.
You reach a large cavern arches to a height of forty feet at its center. It extends about sixty feet from east to west and one hundred feet from north to south. The floor consists of tightly packed dirt and gravel, and strange furrows in the earth crisscross the room. Patches of luminescent fungi cling to the floor, walls, and ceilings, and the sound of water dripping into several shallow pools echoes through the chamber. You arrive through a ten-foot-wide tunnel lcoming from the south, while a broad, roughly hewn steps lead to a similar passage heading to the northeast.
Impy becomes invisible and flies all around the entire cavern. After that he returns to Kalangkang and reports.
|
|
After the first checkpoint Ansha, is aware the duergar are tough to convince. As each checkpoint is approached after that, she casts Aura of the Unremarkable. This seems to make the things go smoother. When all is said and done each of you have to pay 100 gp in tolls, equal to the sum provided.
----------------
Now back in the cave, with some help from Impy, Ansha doesn't detect any magic. But she does have a recollection about those furrows. These distinctive furrows were almost certainly made by the dorsal fin of a Bulette. These creatures, often called landsharks, typically patrol hilly terrain near the surface. Bulettes are intensely territorial, and each bulette commands up to 30 square miles. They often burrow deep underground, especially to breed.
|
|
”Those duergar are tough customers...although we are not really selling them anything. I am sure glad we have Ansha to convince them. Their tolls are oppressive. Almost like trolls. Did you ever wonder if trollls and tolls rhyme is more than a coincidence? I do. Well, maybe not all the time but when I hear the word toll I always think of trolls. “
he looks at the burrows but does no recognize them.
”I am familiar with many burrowing animals, especially badgers. But these don’t look natural whatever they are. Well, the dirt looks natural but just not the way it is furrowed.“
|
|
The elf's eyes widen in alarm, and her already-porcelain skin seems to grow a bit more pale. "I...I think this is a bulette mating ground. At the very least, it's a bulette's territory--a landshark. If we're going to walk across that cavern, we'll need to be ready for attacks from below," she says. A pause. "Well, quite possibly from all angles, really. We are already 'below.'"
|
|
Menas puts his hands together and focuses Ki throughout his body, "Hard style qinggong.". His skin noticeably becomes far tougher. He also pulls out a scroll and reads it.
He then turns towards Ranalus, "A challenge I believe I would be better suited for, but I won't take this chance away from you to better yourself unless you allow me to take your place."