Ethan was excited and happy. He had never delivered a non-human baby before. He watched the new mother cradle the infant to her breast, a smile underneath his surgical mask. A part of his mind was making mental notes on the similarities between his race and that of Dwarves but that was more sub-conscious reaction than actual effort on his part. No, he was just enjoying seeing the tender moment, especially knowing that he had helped to bring it about. He looked at his wife, wondering what her thoughts were of this scene before turning away, stripping off his gloves in the careful manner he had learned long ago, that kept all blood away from touching anything. He disposed of them in a plastic bag taken from his kit, along with his mask. When he had secured the bio-hazard trash, he looked at the priestess. “Mother and baby should be just fine from this point. Thank you for letting me assist,” he said humbly.

OOC – I’m thinking was too busy delivering a baby to notice Kalista hitting her head.

Looks up from cards realizing Doc is gone.

Polk starts the search for Doc.

Arulas, Doc, Polkatain, and Nyx

"What of your world, Master Geraldo?", asked Nyx, seeing in it echoes of his own parent's home, "Is it your whole clan who came here? How?"

"And what is a First Guardian?", he added as he sipped on the mead carefully

The Dwarf, after taking enough ale to loosen his tongue, answers more questions. "My parents did come from another world, but it had no name. It had no name before I was born but they lived in a geographic region widely called the Old Kingdoms. That is what we have taken to call our old world as a whole when we do speak of it. It was a troubled world, still recovering from terrible war hundreds of generations ago, but our home in the Old Kingdom was safe and comfortable under sturdy bedrock. That home was a small mining colony far away from any army or king. The colony had only recently converted to new religion when a rift found us. One bitter cold solstice, the entire colony and a good portion of the stone surrounding it was carved out and swapped places with a slice of dirt from this world. Peace was made with the natives of the New Kingdom; we adopted their language and they took on our faith. Our parents endured the change and maintained our home in this new world, our New Kingdom."

"First guardian simply means that I am responsible for watching the tower during the first shift. If something were to happen, the other guardians would listen to me for instructions. I've not often had to use my chain here, but it is an important responsibility. All able bodied civilians take their term serving as a guardian for one year every few years."

"Here come the other guardians now." Two more guards emerge from the underground. They are somewhat more armored than Geraldo and armed with spears. They merely nod acknowledgement of the Lumberjacks' presence and pour themselves some ale.

The elves have enough drinking experience that they know when to stop themselves before they get stinking drunk. The sun is getting low. Kalista and Ethan have been gone for a long time now. Polkatain is easily able to sniff out Doc's location (maybe he was outside answering the call of nature).

Kalista and Ethan

The priestess smiles for the first time. "We appreciate what you have done, physician. It was a blessing that your group came here when you did. The sun drops low outside, however. You two and your people are welcome to spend the night in our guard tower. Humans do not find the stone comfortable, but it is sturdy and secure, better than sleeping in the jungle. I will send up warm meals and furs for sleeping. You may both explore Harl Hall if you wish provided that you submit to a guard escort."

"Doc ! uhmmm oh your busy." Polk walks away giving Doc his space.

Doc laughed, "Nah, I'm good. Just needed some air. What's up Polky?"

Polk looked to Doc, "What do you think of our new short friends ? I think I have heard of this Old Kingdom while I was in my shell."

Kalista shrugged but knew it was the real reason they had come. "I'd like to look around." She remarked in a thoughtful way.

Doc nodded, "They are just tryin' to live like everyone else. Dwarves ain't my kinda folks, but they're not vampires. So they're ok in my book. Keep it to yourself Polk, the Old Kingdom is on the planet where Nyx and I come from. I dn't know what would cause a whole settlement to get pulled here... but it cain't be anything good."

Polk nods.

"Ok I will keep a poker face."

Inside, with the Guardian explaining themself,  Nyx chuckled, “We May have come from the same place, Dwarf. Our people were pulled here much the same as you. Well, taller perhaps”

  "This is true. The brothers and I were all kids when the Rift brought us here. Maybe we were all brought here for a reason First Guardian. Maybe...." he trails off as if a stray thought was waiting to happen. As if all he could do to not voice some errant thought was trail off.

Doc nodded and grinned, "Learnin' to talk proper you are Polk, proud of you. Let's go make sure my good for nothin' brother and that do gooder knight friend of ours aren't dead or drunk."

Ethan nodded in agreement with Kalista. "I'd love to look around too," he said to the priestess. "And any guide you care to send us would be a great help. I bet its easy to get lost down here and with a guide we could ask them our questions as they came up."

"Sounds good. Hope they let us in." Polk smiled at the compliment.

Most people would confused e it though but Doc know Polk well enough to know it was a smile.

Polk followed Doc.

Guard Tower
Geraldo stares skeptically at Nyx. "I am the perfect height for my feet to reach the ground beneath me, no more and no less. The great gods should pity elves and trim them at neck height." He ignores the speculation by Arulas altogether.

One of the newer guards picks up the conversation. "I suppose it's not impossible that you strangers came from the kingdoms. I heard talk of Shifters who claimed to have been there, but no Shifter has been to these parts in at least a hundred years."

The final guard offers a small bag with a strong odor. He hands it to Doc as soon as Doc reenters the door. "This is for your animals, Senor. It is garlic and peppers in a special recipe. Rub it on your burros. It will not protect them from the goatsucking vampires, but it will keep away the jaguars."

The guards eyes Polkatain suspiciously when he returns from outside. "I heard mention before I came up that someone was traveling with a talking burro. We have nothing against your burros, senors, but in our experience, mutants are often not to be trusted. Is this your talking burro?"

Harl Hall
The priestess finds a young acolyte to guide the couple around the community. The space is small, no wider than the human village at the river. It is, however, using it's space more efficiently and housing more being comfortably. Everywhere they look, they see examples of Mexican culture which has been copied by the Dwarves. Even the dragon statues have a Meso-American looking aspect to them. The central Dragonwright Temple is shaped more like a Mayan step pyramid in miniature than anything native to the Old Kingdom. The community seems to be living a peaceful if poor life down here. The Dwarves here mostly ignore the two visitors as they go about their chores or parties.

Kalista might feel vaguely as if some minor detail should bother her, but she cannot put her finger on it.

The newlyweds are returned to their companions topside to spend the remainder of the night. Fresh breads (made somehow from mushrooms) and salsa are sent with them.

Unless you guys start something, the night passes uneventfully.

Doc laughs and does as instructed, hanging the bag around Polk's neck.

"Burro ?" looks behind him and around then sees his hoofed feet.

"Hey I am a rather nice burro." Polk makes a said burro sound.

Nyx's tempter flared a little at the veiled threat from Geraldo, but said nothing: the speaker was a dwarf, after all. He smiled at Polk's antics, a part of him jealous at the easy rapport his brother had established with the hatchling. Deflecting it he turned to Arulas, "What purpose do you suspect? You know I struggle with your ... mysticism"

 "Worse things out there cousin than my mysticism and we both know that. As for the purpose I was speaking about I don't know. I just think it odd that two groups of D-Bees be from the same area of a world and need help that only the other group can give. Seems odd is all." he shakes his head as he talks.

"I can protect the other burros and animals even goats. Never heard of a vampire goat sucker. Though animals get nervous around me."

Kalista gave Ethan an odd look. "Weren't we suppose to be doing something?"

Nyx nodded to Arulas, conceding the point but then turned to the hatchling

"Worse kind of leech, Polk", he offered, "You think a regular human-sucking vampire is bad. Wait till you see one that's been forced to live off burro. Crankiest bastards I ever saw"

"Really, what are they like ? Do they look the same as the others ?"

Polk's eyes widened a bit as he listened to Nyx.

"Oh, they're much much hairer, Polk", continued the psi-slinger, stifling a grin, "Hell, I've seen one who had started to become cursed with buck teeth too"

Leaning forward and glancing at the others, dwarf and elf and hatchling alike, he added in a hushed tone, "When you stake them, the braying screams are the absolute worst. True fact"