Mits hugs Rai.  "SO glad to be back in the land of sunshine.  Even underground is less gloomy than outdoors there."

She glances at the inactive portal.  "My guess is this one is out of juice."

"I hear voices," the familiar voice of the Happy Beggar's proprietor can be heard saying from somewhere outside the room, "It sounds like the adventurers."

Footsteps approach.

Raichel hugs Mittens back, but upon hearing the footsteps, her ears perk up. "I feel so warm just hearing his voice." she says, her words half-choked.

May marches for the door and yells cheerfully, "Prashant! It's us! The kobold with hair, the three kitties and the big-jawed guy who hangs out with such an odd bunch!" before opening the door.

Timothius hugs Mitts' other side, sighing long and relaxed like he had been holding his breath the whole time.

  <brown>"I would not believe a portal that would cause us inconvenience to stay off, if left alone."<brown>  you are safe back in your home realm, what do you do?...  Of course you check your crossbow, Kyle.

Mits from the SW d6 game would approve of Kyle's OCD.

More kitty cuddles and cheek kisses for the twins!  ^.^

"Good point," Mits agrees, "Just pointing out we won't need to worry too much if we wanted to get some rest first."

The paladin couple arrive with a small group of city guards who are astounded to discover what lies beneath this establishment.

"Good to see you well.  We were worried when you didn't return.  So we pestered the authorities until they agreed to come take a look."

"What in blazes?!" a guard comments, staring at the prisoners.

Another is cautiously poking his spear through the still active teleportation circle.

Raichel smiles a little when the guard says "what in blazes" and says, "Heh... nice to not be the one provoking that kind of response for a change. Yeah. These prisoners are from the shadowfell. The big boss behind all this is a man by the name of Sarshan. From what we were able to find out between discovering his magic-made army of experimental beasts, is that he is an opportunist who believes the Prime Material is about to be felled by someone else and he's just taking advantage. Couldn't get any names from him on who, where or when."

May says, "Though he did offer the CLASSIC villainous offer;" she then puts on her best impression of Sarshan. "Join me! Combat skill like yours can not be ignored; it would be wonderful to have you working for me! We can RULE the planes together!"

May then glances at the kitties and says, "I'd hug you all too, but spiky armor. Maybe when we hit the hay." then looks at Kyle. "You love your weapon. I like that about you."

Timothius says, "It's good to be home again... can we trust the portal to be taken care of so we can go sleep somewhere?"

  Kyls nods to May,  "They do not keep just me alive, after all."  He doesn't voice his concerns about putting hard working bloodthirsty Shadrakai mercanaries out of work with vat grown monsters in front of the local guards.

  "But yes, this the owners of this establishment are wonderful and all.  But they really should look into their clientele... and their basement, more often.  On that note, I do hope noone was injured on death spores on the way in if those were not cleaned out."

Mits reads the skeptical looks on the guards faces and says, "And if you need any proof, you can interrogate these prisoners.  In fact, you should question them either way for what they know about Sarshan's plans."

Mits takes a knee to huggle May with a big smile.  "I have chain armor, May."

One of the guards taps his nose and answers Kyle, "We know how to deal with those deadly shrooms."

With their religious background, Ausma and
Prashant can give the PCs more information on
the white shrine, since they recognize it as a place
of ancient demon worship. They conclude that the
dark power that created the specters has festered
within both sides of the Shadowfell archway all this
time—a potentially grave danger to Overlook that the
PCs have eliminated. The teleportation portal is still
operational, but it can be shut down by representatives
of the Council.
The discovery and destruction of the Shadowfell
gate makes the PCs heroes in Overlook, especially
when Sarshan’s connection to the recent orc raid
is revealed. The shadar-kai’s warehouses will be
raided, but in the aftermath of Modra’s treachery,
Sarshan has been careful to clean up any evidence
of his recent activities. Though his operations are
shut down for good, no further information on the
shadar-kai’s presence in Overlook can be found.
The PCs have plenty of time to rest up and plan
their subsequent moves.

((OOC: But plot will put them back on the rails soon enough.))

Timothius is sure to spend more time with Ausma and Prashant to discuss religion. Now that he's not in a hurry to chase down villains or save the city, he figures he can finally discuss at length what those two started to discuss. Namely the idea of focusing on a deity, what benefits are involved, who would ordain him (since that was actually an honest part of the problem; he had to be a cleric of an ideal because no church wanted to touch a shifter initially). He has no issue with Ausma and Prashant having such a preference for Pelor since Pelor has the closest leanings to what Timothius believes in. But while his strong reverence and respect for ALL of the good (and some unaligned) gods shows, it also shows that he has a higher respect for good in and of itself. Ausma and Prashant will also find Timothius wants to have a nice quiet life raising kids, loves art and music, and tends to be merciful. While the merciful part doesn't quite fit Moradin, the other two do. Granted, Ausma and Prashant's bias for Pelor will likely make them think wanting the quiet life is more a Pelor worshiper's calling.

Raichel sticks with Timothius and Mittens as she can, but will only sit in on religious conversation so long before excusing herself to practice or go on a jog around the city. Of course, she is curious to follow wherever Mittens might go as well, partly because she has learned Mittens has an uncanny knack for finding trouble.

May, of course, is much simpler. She can be found methodically going from one weapon shop/smith to the next with the occasional stop at armor shops/smiths.

  Kyle looks more into that whole Alchemy thing in the meantime, considering how much pain glorified bug spray had saved them all in their latest problems.  Though practicality and cost, like so many things, keeps that line of research short.

  He is sure to help out May when it comes to weapons and armor examination at least.  Magically resizing armor and equipment is on his character sheet, after all.

Ausma and Prashant explain the advantages of being ordained into a single church include, but are not limited to, having a structured establishment that can vouch for you if need be, having fewer bosses than if you tried to please all the churches, having connections with political clout, having a ready resurrection service, having rank, respect, trust, authority to perform ceremonies such as weddings.  They of course state the obvious that if he wants to get married, raise a family, and live in peace he'll have to quit adventuring.  Timothius will have time to begin the ordination process if he chooses to do so.

Mits spends her time exploring the libraries of the Council, the churches, and the occasional private library in search of any clue she can find on the locations of portals to the Shadowfell and other related things regarding the looming threat to the world.  Her notebook fills up quickly, and her frenzied pace gives a strong sense of urgency.  Everyone has frequent opportunity to curb stomp the occasional mugger or other dark denizen of the city too numerous for the city guard to keep in check.

As a result of saving the city not once but twice, the
PCs have become well known in Overlook. This
notoriety sees them approached by Kalad, the dwarf
paladin they rescued in “Siege of Bordrin’s Watch.” In
the aftermath of the thwarted raid, Kalad has taken
up a position as a sergeant in the Overlook watch. It
is official business that brings him to the PCs, where
he asks them to meet with a member of the Elsir Consortium.
At a time of the PCs’ choosing, Kalad escorts them
to a private room in an upscale Elftown tavern.

May sees no reason not to go right away. She has done her shopping, Kyle has done his research, Tim has gotten officially ordained, Rai seems curious as a kitty about this meeting, and Mittens seems to be stir-crazy. So unless Kyle or Mitts object, the kobold and the kitty twins follow Kalad.

On the way, of course, Timothius tries to calm Mittens down a bit. "Have faith, Mittens... so far, we have been rising to the challenge and always just on time. I honestly feel the gods are with us. Try to relax?"

Raichel says, "Relax or no, what did you learn? Anything?"

 Kyle has no reason to turn down the requested meeting with Kalad.  Whatever the reason for it happens to be is still up in the air, but odds are good he will go along if only to help out his friends.

"I know we'll win," Mits says with a faraway look in her eyes, "But considering the fact that a few hours has made the difference between dozens of dead people verses hundreds of dead people, I'm not going to be dragging my feet ever again.  Besides.  While the good gods may be for us, the evil ones will be against us.  So it'll be up to us to tip the balance like we've done before.

"What I've found is that the Elsir Vale is a veritable nexus of links to the other planes.  Legends of portals to the Feywild, the Elemental Chaos, even the Astral Sea abound.  I've also found that the rottenness of this city is...  Something feels off on the highest levels.  It's not quite apathy because they're taking our warning seriously.  I dunno.  Things have taken a recent turn for the worse in recent months, and that's saying something considering how bad they were before we arrived.  Sarshan's hint that something bigger than him is working behind the scenes just fits."

Once at the destination, Kalad
introduces them to a well-dressed dwarf wearing
the rich robes of a successful merchant, his golden
beard braided with silver bands.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8Mfy...00/bram+ironfell.jpg

“Greetings, Heroes of Overlook. I am Bram Ironfell of the
Clan Ironfell and representative of the Elsir Consortium.
Your reputations precede you, and for your actions, you
have my personal thanks in addition to that of the city. I
have a tale I wish to share with you, over dinner and drinks
of course.”

Timothius puts an arm around Mittens and says, "It's not dragging your feet to allow yourself a chance to recuperate."

Raichel says, "Yeah... but I have to side with Mittens. Overlook is under attack by multiple obsessed villains. And hearing what Mittens just said, it's no wonder! The place is a nexus to anywhere in existence. Whoever has control of this spot and uses its portals right, could very well have power over entire worlds. Or at least lay the groundwork for later generations to have that."

Timothius mews. "....why the urgency from the villains?"

Raichel says, "Well Mittens said it; this place was already a bit dark before we arrived. I think this is just a fruit that has ripened; a plan whoever set into motion finally coming to a head."

Timothius says, "We're never going to rest. Mittens, if you stress too hard, you will run yourself down and burn out. And then Rai and I will be too down to be effective heroes. And the whole place will come crashing down."

Raichel says, "It'll be OK, Timothius. I think we're actually close to closing this chapter."

Later on, when the group meets Bram, May says, "A tale? Nice. Right up your alley, Mittens!"

Raichel says, "Dinner and drinks sounds good..." of course it does, Raichel. You just did another lap around the city early this morning and at noon just because.

  On the subject of antsy evil "I think it may be something as simple of them not wanting competition."

  Something about Mittens's commentary about the upper class being somewhat off, and being invited to dinner by the upper class a minute later puts Kyle's paranoia above it's usual levels.  Still, best if events don't prove his mixing up and stocking up on vials of Sweet Water to have been necessary.

  "Of course, thank you for the invitation."

Mits headshakes.  "The Book is far from over, and there's several more chapters to go.  Don't worry about me lacking rest, Timothius.  In spite of appearances, I am quite disciplined and know my limits well."

She eyes Bram with a skeptical look but isn't paranoid enough to expect being poisoned.  She listens intently to his tale.

"You're welcome, Kyle," Bram answers.

He then gets into the tale...
The city of Overlook stands at the base of the Stonehome
Mountains at the farthest western reaches of
the Elsir Vale. This age-old redoubt was the center of
the ancient dwarf-kingdom that once dominated the
vale, but which faded into obscurity generations ago.
Though little is remembered of this lost kingdom,
its folk ventured far and wide in their day. One dwarf
clan—the Ironfell—made forays in search of mineral
wealth in the deserts beyond the Thornwaste to the
southwest of Elsir Vale. There, they established a
mine they called the Karak Lode, after the first dwarf
of Clan Ironfell to fall in its defense.
Over long years, Karak became a legendary source
of wealth as its folk pulled rich deposits of gold, silver,
and other precious metals from beneath the desert
sands. A supply depot was established at the desert’s
edge to service the caravans traveling between the
mine and Elsir Vale, but the location of the Karak
Lode was kept a closely guarded secret. Only oathsworn
members of Clan Ironfell ever made the final
leg of the journey across the sands.
Dwarves hold their secrets close, and their grip
is doubly tight where wealth is concerned. So it was
that Karak’s secrecy eventually became its downfall.
Under the pressure of monstrous marauders, famine,
and migrant human tribes, the dwarf kingdom of
Elsir Vale declined. As its resources were taxed past
the breaking point, the kingdom’s borders began to
contract until little more than the territory immediately
surrounding Overlook was left. In time,
sandstorms struck the southern wastes and the Karak
supply depot was abandoned. Soon, all contact with
the mine was lost, and the Karak Lode was consigned
to history.

“The location of the Karak Lode was known to few even
within the clan, and it was thought that all who had such
knowledge were lost when the mines were reclaimed by
the desert. Even within the clan, Karak is all but forgotten.
However, recent events might change that.
“The destruction of Sarshan’s operations in Overlook
saw the shadar-kai’s many warehouses and transit
points raided. In one of those raids, the watch uncovered
documents connected to Sarshan’s operations, including
an ancient fragment of parchment. On it was written a
list of landmarks and bearings for a journey, along with
the name of Clan Ironfell. I had never seen this parchment
before. However, at the watch’s request, I undertook a bit
of research into my family’s archives. If what I discovered
there holds true, this parchment holds the directions to the
Karak Lode.”

Timothius says, "Sooo... you want us to find a mine that can't be used and was destined to scare people away? I mean, I know it has personal value to you, please don't take what I said wrong. But why awaken old ghosts?"

Raichel says, "I'm sure there's more to it than just re-opening a mine... right?"

May tail-wags and eats as she seems to listen eagerly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:29, Fri 25 Apr 2014.

  "I assume you want us to look into if it even exists, and this parchment is accurate before committing to the hard task of reopening such a place.  However, even if we were properly compensated such a trip would be wasted unless you are ready to spend the time and resources recovering it should it prove true."  Even more, if Bram wants to beat any competition to it and hopes to lay claim to the whole place himself.

Mits doesn't have anything to add yet.

“Discovering what became of my kin would end a sad
chapter in Ironfell history, but that is not my primary
motive in seeking your aid. If the Karak Lode can be found,
its wealth offers the means to shore up the defenses of
Overlook and the Elsir Vale. However, it is anyone’s guess
what manner of creatures might lair there, or what defenses
the last of the clan left to guard the mines. This is not a job
for the city watch, I fear.”
Bram offers the PCs 1,000 gp (half in gold, half in
gems) as an upfront payment for undertaking the
search for the Karak Lode. In addition, the PCs can
claim any other treasure they recover along the way.

May says, "Shore up Overlook's defenses? Now that's something to make the trip worthwhile. If we find it, that is."

Raichel says, "With the stuff Mittens has been finding and the information we learned in the shadowfell, while money coming to Overlook sounds great, I hope you'll understand if I answer with this: For now, my team and I will take and and all information you may have about this place, talk it over, and then have an answer for you by morning."

Timothius is silent also.

May says, "Well, I'm on board anyway. Though I won't go without my team. I'm kinda anxious to test out my new arsenal of weapons. And those monsters driving everyone out makes me wanna kick them out. But at the same time, if we find Overlook has a serious threat that only we can deal with, we'll have to do that instead. I'd welcome finding old ruins as a break from constantly fighting whole armies, but my team and I may not have a choice."

  "I would ask about mine profit percentages, but I somehow doubt you are that desperate and would settle for second best if we stuck it out for such." Kyle, your 8 Charisma is showing.

  "Still, if the resources would actually go to something so practical I would likely go along with them."

"We should go and go soon," Mittens urges Raichel, "There's a settlement down there, and I bet they need urgent help considering recent events cutting them off from Overlook.  All I'm getting here in Overlook are dead ends, and well... May has a point.  If getting a source of money is the only option we have for shoring up Overlook right now, then we should pursue it."

Mits gives Bram a stern look, "Though if you flip-flop on what you're telling us and try to use the mine for merely your own personal gain, the Council will hear about it.  Including the mine's location."

Bram headshakes.  "What good is gold to one in a fallen city, hmm?  I'm not so foolish as to think everything will simply work out.  I plan to recoup my expenses, divert the rest to the city defenses until the threat is passed, then use the mine for profit.  Acceptable?"

May says, "Alright, everyone. Let's get going."

Raichel says, "A settlement?! I thought the place was ancient and abandoned generations ago."

Timothius says, "Come on now, people... the guy is our host, invited us here and treated us to dinner. Please don't antagonize him when he hasn't been anything but nice so far?" and there goes Timothius' 17 charisma. He looks at Bram and says, "I appologise, Mr Bram... we have been through some pretty horrible things and seen some of the darker side of people. Please forgive the abrasiveness..."

  "I can not fault anyone for covering their expenses." So long as, you know, they are actual expenses.

  Kyle is now surprised that Bram has made little to no mention of the settlement himself.

"The only settlement I'd heard of was abandoned long ago," Bram says.

Mits nods to Timothius then answers Raichel.  "Dunesend.  Abandoned by Overlook, but not its people.  Unless they all just mysteriously vanished without a trace since the most recent record.  I'll bet they're trapped by there by the Thorn Waste."

Bram shrugs.  "Thanks for your courtesy, Timothius.  Don't worry about abrasiveness.  You all are the Heroes of Overlook, not the ambassadors.  Believe me when I say I can appreciate your forthrightness."