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At the mention of a Drow emissary, chills go down Gumars back and the blood drains from his face, making it faintly greyer than it already is. "Drow...in Fasturvalt!" He splutters. "I won't allow it! I've not survived them all these years to submit to them now! He turns away, but not before you see the tears streaming down his face from the anguish on it. Facing the trunk of a nearby mushroom, he is still for a moment, then simply punches it in sheer frustration, letting out a cry. Composing himself, he turns back to you and says, "Curse me for a dangfool, but if you'll help me rid Fasturvalt of the Drow, I'll help you with your dangfool quest. You got yourself a recruit."
Gnome: "I'm real sorry to hear Geiri died. He was a good king. It's disappointing that Geirni has turned out to be a dangfool, what with his father being such a smart Gnome. These here folk are mostly ok, though some of them are on some dangfool quest that'll get them all killed. Still, they may be of some use in the meantime, since they seem to want to serve some cause. The rest are a trade delegation from the Duergar. Seems they finally decided to open up some of the old trade routes, well good luck I say, and Fasturvalt could do with more trade; least it was that way when I was there last. The old Elf is no dangfool, though that there surface dwarf is. He's the most fervent of these dangfool questers, and likely to offer his help. Don't know what they're like in a fight, but they seem knowledgable enough.
Skis'raal are nasty, but they are smart. Probably figured the Sheriff more trouble than he's worth and killed him outright as a warning to any other dangfool troublemakers. makes it easier to round up the rest. I've not heard of them going far from their homes unless they are working for the Drow. Two on their own wouldn't normally last long enough to get this close to Fasturvalt. I hope that Drow aren't close."
"I been away a long time, and it's been a long road back. Do you know if any of the Brindlespling clan still live there? What do you mean when you left? not a good idea to leave places of safety, you never know what might happen. What's your name girl? You best stay with us, it isn't safe on your own in the darklands. I've seen too many fall to the Skis'raal; I'll not let another die at their hands if I can help it. Which way did they take them? How long ago? What's this about drow? and why was the Sheriff with you?"
"The fungal Jungle, eh? that takes me back. Used to go there a lot with my master when I was apprenticed to him, collecting raw materials. here's a lot of strange fungi only grows there, and it's good stuff for alchemists. That's partly why alchemy is so strong in Fasturvalt. Some of the nearer reaches are quite tame, though of course that was because they're patrolled regularly. Or they were. Don't know how much has changed in the last 10 years. Probably overrun with Skis'raal by now, or chopped down for carts and stuff."
Gumars mood lightens as the days pass - which in his case means only that he gets less grumpy. Part of him dreads the thought that there will be no news of his clan, but mostly he is just looking forward to finding a place that he can hope to call home. So his response to Drogic is not quite as sharp as it normally is. "Well, Smelly Old dwarves and prissy old Elves are better than no company at all, and since they seem happy to put up with grumpy old Gnomes it seems we were made for each other."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I can produce potions readily enough, but they are as expensive as anyone else's. This is a slightly different to standard potions, it is similar to a wizard's spell but in liquid form. In addition to these extracts, an alchemist can create a mutagen which can enhance his physical form and bombs which can affect enemies in a certain radius. On top of all that, an Alchemist can produce standard alchemical weapons, and studies the most effective means to deploy them. All in all, a very versatile package."
"Heh. Always a pleasure to speak of my art. Now, this extract is a fusion of alchemy and magic from my own aura. That's why it has to be renewed every day and will only work for me. The alchemical recipe gives it form and function, tying it to the desired outcome, while the magic gives it power. Each formula is carefully worked out beforehand by the alchemist and bound into a liquid form. When needed, all he then need do is drink, and the desired result will follow. It is just one of the ways that an alchemist can bring his art to bear."
"New things? I've seen enough 'New' things for several lifetimes, thankyou very much. Doesn't mean I want to go see them again. If they come, I'm ready, but i'm not planning to go looking for 'em. There's a big difference between fearing something and courting disaster. And yes, Master Storyteller, I made it meself. Brand new this morning. Just like every morning."
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Always be careful. Never go where you don't have to, always find out what's there and always, always be ready to run. That's why I always have this ready." Gumar pulls out a small bottle with a liquid sloshing about inside it. "This little beauty will give me an extra burst of speed for a few minutes, enough to outrun most things." he puts it away again
Gumar spends much of the day huddling in the caravan, muttering and grumbling, his hood over his head, hunched over against the light. When they reach the caverns that are the entrance to the underdark, he breathes a deep sigh and it seems like a great weight falls off his little shoulders. He unwraps the strip of cloth that he had bound over his eyes and grins. "Now at least, we will get killed by something familiar" he mutters.
"Bah, Think what you like, but I heard some of the locals talk about it. Light-something I think they called it. Lighting? Lightening? like a Blue dragon's breath, they said. Said it hit that tree over yonder. Sure looks dragon blasted to me. If that's what topsiders face every day, I'll stay underground, thank you very much."
" Why would I want to spend any more time out there than I have to? Besides, I hear there is dragons breath in this "rain" sometimes. I'd just be getting myself killed like a dangfooled idiot. You ask me, we should all avoid going out there unless we have to. It was not a good idea to come here in the first place. You'd have to be crazy to live in a place like this. Now leaving is a good idea. On that we can agree. Sooner we leave this place, the better."
Gumar is awoken by the strong light peeping through the heavy shutters of his room. Muttering about the topsider craziness of being awake during the time of the bright light, he dresses quickly and goes in search of breakfast. He is somewhat dismayed to find the dangfool dwarf sitting in the best spot and hesitates, trying to decide whether to skip breakfast, or sit in the great light, or risk sitting near the dangfool dwarf. He eventually decides on the latter, sliding into a seat on the next table.
"Heh. I know what my next step is. I'm heading for Fasturvalt. I spent so long trying to get there, now my journey's nearly done. But for once, the Dwarf is correct. I get grouchy when I'm tired, so I think I'll find my way to bed. At least the great light seems to have gone. How can you topsiders stand it? a roofless world with a great light. You must all be crazy."
"Oh, no! you're not getting me traipsing off into the Darklands on some dangfool quest without any proper plan. Going off half cocked will just get you killed. Besides, I've given enough for now. I'm going home. Or what's left of it. Find some young goggle-eyed gnome who swallows your dangfool rhetoric to follow you to your doom. Me, I'm going home to plan a proper alliance. When your all dead, I'll still be alive and following through on my plan. But I'll think you all from time to time - just to remind me what a dangfool idea it all was."
"and my point is, we must work together. When I was first a slave of the Drow, each race kept to themselves. Things were pretty bad, lots of infighting and deaths, and the Drow were unhappy with our continual inefficiency and made examples of many." "Then one day some topside dwarves came. The Drow put them with the Deep dwarves, who begrudgingly accepted them. When they had learned to speak Undercommon, they started reaching out to us Gnomes; things improved for us then as we had dwarves looking out for us as well as our own; in return we were able to help the Dwarves in the tasks we were assigned. Soon the Hobgoblins realised that we were on to something and were persuaded to work with us, and finally the Orcs came around. For the first time, I had hope that I might survive. It encouraged me to seek to escape." "Now, you say that Dammerhall has caused the Dwarves to lose their soul. I say No, it's still there; but it's divided. The Deep Dwarves, they have the stubborn pride that makes your people endure any hardship. The surface Dwarves; they have the ability to reach out to others, to make alliances and friendships; only when they are together are they as they should be and only then will we be able to make a New Dammerhall." "Now as to seeking them out, yes he did. he went where there was trouble and sought to overcome it. But I say, we don't need to go seeking trouble; it laps at our feet and seeks to overwhelm us. We can't expect to go to their home unless we first drive them from ours. Dammer Stormhammer started in his home, but his home was only occasionally affected by the dangers of the Underdark. Our homes are already in it. Dammer Stormhammer had to seek out his enemies, but our enemies will seek us out."
"and how has your expertise stopped them? can you defeat them singlehandedly? nice big target, maybe, but one that fights back. Or are you saying that we should just give up? lie down and wait to be captured? or carry on as we have been? fighting as individual cities, tribes and burrows? 'cos that's worked really well hasn't it?"
"It's simple enough. An alliance. Dwarf and Gnome and Orc and Hobgoblin and anyone we can get who will join us. Anyone who stands to lose from the drow. We work together, build together and fight together. No more We dwarves will hold them back or we gnomes can do it or we orcs can defeat them. We've been iving like that for years, and all they've done is divide us up and conquer us. One by one our tribes, our burrows, our cities fall. If you like, we can make it a New Dammerhall, a better one: not just a dwarven one, not just a gnome one or an orc one but one where all are welcome and can trade freely. We gnomes can work stone like no other; we can turn it to clay and grow mushrooms on it, or dig it out for minerals and gems; you dwarves can build in it like no other; noone diputes an Orc's ferocity or a Hobgoblin's Military prowess; each has their own strengths, but alone they are not enough. Only when we work together will we be able to overcome. The irony is, that's exactly what the drow make us do - work together. I've seen them all: Dwarf, Gnome, Orc, Hobgoblin; all working together. That's the real secret of the Drow's strength. They beat you down and break you. Then they rebuild you into something that is greater than the sum of it's parts. What they do forcefully, we must learn to do willingly. Then we will be a power they cannot defeat."
"Dying is dying, it don't make no difference if it's for somethin' or nothin'. Only if you actually achieve something with your death is it meaningful, and what would you achieve by dying? I am sure the Drow are quaking in their boots at the thought that you are dying in search of lost glories and dead kingdoms. meanwhile the rest of us have to actually face them, rally our communities; build our alliances; patrol our territory. Theres nothing in this quest but meaningless death, and when you are gone, our people will still be fighting the Drow and building our world. Maybe my spirit is broken; but I can't let my people die while I go off on some dangfool quest to nowhere. I know the Drow. I know what they can do and what it will cost; I know how to beat them , I done it once already, and I'm telling you, we can defeat them. Won't be easy, mind; but we don't need no long-lost dwarf city to do it. And we don't need no dangfool trek through the darklands neither. Just good old fashioned alliances and the willingness to fight together."
Somewhat dismayed by the dwarves talk of losing their souls, and shadows looing over them, Gumar is nevertheless surprised to hear a dwarf call his own people "Stubborn." He cannot help smiling to himself, well, that's a compliment coming from a dwarf, I must say. He thinks to himself. It has been centuries since Dammerhall was lost, though, and no reports of the black flames have ever been heard again. I don't agree that it's going to be happeniing again and again; there's no sign that it well ever happen again and there is no reason why the dwarves cannot simply rebuild their shattered society without having to reclaim dammerhall first. I doubt if they'll see it that way, though. They're the ones who are stubborn, not us svirfneblin. We're just pragmatic.
Gumar can't help overhearing the dwarf at the next table, and splutters into his drink when the dwarf said that the humans didn't recognise he was a dwarf. Must be the bright light, makes them blind. he thought. Fortunately, noone seemed to notice him spluttering, as they continued their conversation. The whole monologue left a bad taste in his mouth, and he felt like spitting, but wasn't sure of the topside etiquette, so he held his water. Dangfools planning to attack an ancient ruin with likely nothing there. All in search of a lost glory, when there is glory enough for any dangfool already. |
