The governor leans back after a brief examination of the charts.

"I thank you all for your candor. The wizard Hexten Grenn resides in his tower still. The force barrier unbreakable, unpassable even by a spirit. Negligent to his dealings with us the Dugderann he none the less was a remarkable and powerful wizard. We are the architects of his imprisonment. One brought on himself by his crimes of selfishness. If you wish to learn the secrets he holds in his tower then you will need to do two things, one, kill the giant who hovers over the tower and two, destroy the tortured undead soul of Hexten Grenn himself."

Precisely what they'd already planned on doing, one way or another, it seemed.  "Regardless, it won't be a feat we accomplish today, so we can set aside the Tower for the moment.  There's a lot more involved in all that - as well as your people's history with Hexten - that I'd like to cover before we set out on some kind of raid."

Zoccola set to tidily refitting her maps once they were returned to her.  "In the meantime, we still do need to handle arrangements when it comes to security and supplies.  Returning to our anchoring camp is implausible so we need a forward base of operations." she gestured broadly about their surroundings, as was the obvious choice.  "So, tell us about this request of yours?"

"If you wish to open the tower and defeat Fornoxmyn you will need Glimador's Hammer. The giant searches for it endlessly but we have been leaking false information for years to keep him off its trail. I know of its whereabouts deep within our vaults."

"The hammer can be used not only to open the forcefield surrounding the tower but if done properly it is a means to lure Fornoxmyn out of his castle and away from his defenses. Give him the chance to take this himself and his grand ego won't allow him to remain behind his walls while another takes the glory and possibly the tower. This we can help you arrange but yes, I have a task to ask of you."

"The passage that connects our two tribes in Urngor Jool and Fearnor Jool has been compromised," he points to the map indicating the mountain where you now are and the volcano. "Two purple worms have burrowed into the great passage and journey through is impossible. If you could clear them for us we would be able to reach the vaults located in the Great Underhall. The hammer is there. With the worms defeated I would be able to make the case to the chiefs that you possess the skills to enter the tower and destroy the lich-wizard once and for all."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:46, Sat 04 Dec 2021.

The mention of Purple Worms got a barking laugh and a sharp clap out of Zoccola.  "Hah!  Called it!" she indulged in a momentary bit of self-satisfaction and glanced back at her companions each.  "Remember that Cyclops camp we tracked down, with the giant circular divot in the middle of it?  I knew it had to be a Purple Worm to leave that kind of track."

Spotting a Purple Worm and dealing with one, let alone two, was a whole other matter though.  That would need a bit more planning before they tried anything.  But surely they'd have all the assistance they could want since it was in the Dwarves' best interest that they succeed.  Strategy could be handled another time, however.  The Governor's mention of Hexten as a 'Lich-Wizard' furrowed Zoccola's brow.  "Hold on a second.  Are you positive Hexten's become a Lich?  You aren't just saying that colloquially, are you?  Not a Demilich or some other form of Undead?  That's a very important thing to be precise on."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 03:27, Sat 04 Dec 2021.

"No one knows what lies within the walls of that tower to be precise but common lore speaks as such."

"Hm... I knew it was a possibility, but still. He'd need a source of souls to fuel himself with for all this time, otherwise the process would collapse in on itself eventually.  Unless he found a way to subvert the ritual to draw energy from the same source powering the force field?" The Goblin shifted into thoughtful muttering as a thread of investigation was dangled before her, though she was quick to shake her head and realign her attention.

"If he is a Lich, then opening the field is definitely something we need to postpone until we're more than over-prepared and we don't have Fornoxmyn breathing down our necks.  Without knowing what Hexten's mind is like, there's no way we could risk letting a Lich out onto the world at large.  It'd be a catastrophe." she scratched her cheek anxiously.  It'd be best if they could find a way to open a small gap in the force field rather than drop it completely, but that would be a matter for later exploration.  Every new turn had something for Zoccola's scholarly mind to latch onto and the prospect of so many avenues of research were downright tantalizing!  But, for the present moment, there were more mundane issues of importance.

"It sounds like this is all at something of a stalemate though.  Fornoxmyn can't overcome your defenses, the Hammer can't be reached with the Purple Worms in the way, and Hexten can't be confronted without the Hammer.  Sounds like we've got some time to work with, at least.  All this aside; we still need to address our supply needs.  May we have your permission to stay here among your community for the time being?  We have gold and personal skills to offer as well to earn our keep."

"Such an arrangement can be made. I will secure you quarters in one of the guest homes. I'm sure you will find all you need in the way of supplies amongst our artisans."
This message was last updated by the player at 03:44, Sat 04 Dec 2021.

"Fantastic.  Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to have any arcanists or places of study around as well?  I've been developing quite a few prototypes I'd like to work on, but lack the facilities myself." Zoccola shifted about in her seat to look among the rest of her companions.  "Anyone else have something they'd like to ask?"

Tauroak listened to the stories and job details as they went back and forth, considering whether to speak or not. The governor knew the location of the hammer, and that was very valuable information, indeed. He did not care what happened to Fornoxmyn, which was bad as much as it was good. If he did not care that a tyrant ruled over people in the area, then he was a less trustworthy ally than he could be otherwise. However, if they were to fail in dealing with Fornoxmyn, or with Hextyn, the information he possessed would need to be carried on by someone else.

"The hammer is a key, but not to the forcefield. Nothing can penetrate that field. The lever that turns the field off and on, however, is also magically sealed, and that is the what the hammer unlocks. The lever itself is what will bring down the forcefield."

"Finding the hammer is my personal reason for being here. That I might use it to find some way of bringing an end to Fornoxmyn's tyranny. There are many items of magic waiting in that sealed tower, which could aid in defeating a cloud giant. If we can lure him out with it as well, all the better, but gaining access to tower itself is the biggest value it holds."

"Strategizing on this sort of thing definitely needs to happen, but I'd rather we do it when we have the full scope of our available resources.  Surely there must be those within these various communities who'd like to see Fornoxmyn dealt with, right?"  Just because the Governor was dismissive of the Giant's threat didn't mean he necessarily spoke for everyone.

"Still, if we are going to confront Fornoxmyn sooner or later, I'd think it would be best to not involve the Hammer.  That's the key he's after and we'd be at risk of delivering it right to him, or having him nipping at our heels and get ourselves stuck between a Cloud Giant and a Lich if we tried to enter the Tower without dealing with him first.  Best we plan out some alternatives."

"I have been meaning to ask, because I admit it's a gap in my education," Elodie said, piping up, "But when you say 'cloud giant', how exactly is that distinct from other giants? And what kind of powers is he supposed to have? Because on the way in here, we have fought several types of giant and ogre and other beastie, and each of them fell easily enough."

That sort of question was likely better suited for Zoccola's lecture hall where she and Jurassic pondered arcane matters some evenings, but the Goblin still pulled out her tome for the sake of reference.  The pages were thumbed through before she came along suitable notes on the topic.  "Well, to give a broad strokes kind of explanation; 'Giant' is a species and all the various classifications thereof are either subsets of that.  Goliaths, like Jurassic here, are a cousin-species to Giants the same way Goblins, like myself, are a cousin-species to the Fey." she tried to keep a very large topic as simple as possible for the moment.  "A 'Cloud Giant' is just one of the various subsets as differentiated by physical traits and abilities.  You've got Storm Giants, Cloud, Frost, Stone, Fire... and that's not even going into the many cousin species that branch even further out.   Just... tons of them, really.  All very diverse from one another and thus resulting in an extremely stratified social hierarchy.  They're big on pecking order and chain of command, so it's not unusual for someone like Fornoxmyn to be wanting to accrue power to climb the social ladder.  The higher a Giant is on the pecking order, the more powerful they are individually.  Comparing an Ogre to a Cloud Giant would be like comparing a kicked pebble to an avalanche."

Zoccola offered the Governor an inquiring look.  "I can't speak for Fornoxmyn's abilities specifically, but Cloud Giants tend to lean more heavily into magic than others of their kin.  Some can even control the weather itself in a localized area.  Plus, y'know, flying castles sat on clouds." she shrugged.  "Getting the secrets of an invulnerable force field he could pop around his own cloud base, if nothing else, would certainly give Fornoxmyn an edge in conquest, no doubt about that."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:03, Sat 04 Dec 2021.

Jurassic remained still and quiet. He did not want to derail things, his last attempt at talking seemed to boarder on that. He is content to sit and listen.

In reply to Zoccola (msg # 52):

"This is not to mention, of course, how we're even supposed to get up there. You and I could make it, Zoccola, but I don't think anyone else in the party can fly. Perhaps we can tie Booth or Tauroak to a rope and carry him up between us, but Jurassic, not a bit of it!"

"Honestly?  With your help, a handful of gems from our coffers, and a week or two of dedicated focus, I could enchant equipment to let us each independently fly." the Goblin shrugged absentmindedly.  Given the caliber of spells she'd already fashioned or had planned for future development, magical flight was hardly far-fetched by comparison.  "Which, by the way, we should really sort out before dealing with those Purple Worms too.  The best way to contend with earthbound predators is to not be walking around on the earth.

It's preparations of that sort which are most important if we're gonna be taking major moves going forward.  Crafting items, potions, spell scrolls, and that sort of stuff to bolster ourselves with, so we don't burn out our strength too quickly." she counted off on her fingers.  "But that stuff takes time and resources.  Time, we've got.  Resources, we can get if there's work we can do around these communities aside from getting the Hammer."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:41, Sun 05 Dec 2021.

Worms.  Hammer.  Giant.  Wizard.  Check.

Deuxclaw wanted the hammer.  Jurrasic wanted the Giant.  Green wanted the Wizard.  Elodie gets to avoid her kin for another day.  It looked like all the boxes were checked.

He caught something between Jurassic and the dwarf.  Then the Goliath stopped talking altogether.  While the others chatted along, he turned and spoke quietly with the Goliath.

Leaning in to speak to Booth,

A rather tall and lanky elf stands at the threshold of the room for a moment waiting for Gov. Hawkryn to address him.

"Ahh, Eldrin, please see out guests to the west guest manor. Make arrangements for the pantry and see to fresh linens."

The governor turns in your direction. "Please follow my assistant. He will see to your arrangements and needs." The governor sees you out as you make your way into The Root proper. After about 10 minutes of walking you come to a modest sized home. Great vines grow along the solid stone architecture. Inside the warmth of a great fireplace radiates thought he house.

This manor has been constructed slightly differently that the one the governor saw you in. The chairs are larger, the shelving placed higher. It's been furnished for larger folk and you feel comfortable right away. (Except perhaps for Zoccola.) Each of you have a private room, there's a common eating area and kitchen as well as a great room furnished for lounging.

---

what's the plan guys. It's about 9 at night.

"We can discuss more details later then.  Thanks for your time, Governor."  Though Zoccola was actually rather keen to explore The Root and what it had to offer more directly, there was much that needed to be handled before they could just split up and wander.  Especially if they weren't exactly free to go as they pleased.  It hadn't been tested yet, but there was the possibility that the guard might not want them to move with total freedom despite not being detained.

Once shown to what would be their living quarters for the foreseeable future, the Goblin hoisted herself up into one of the lounging chairs aside the den's broad fireplace and slouched back.  Arms tucked behind her head, one leg kicked up over her knee, able to recline in a chair that, to a woman of her diminutive stature, was practically a throne in scale.

"Gotta admit, this was the last thing I was expecting to find around here.  I was certain we'd be dealing with the Fae again coming toward these woods.  Consider me pleasantly surprised." she sighed.  The Hound took a dutiful seat beside his master's place while the Goblin herself regarded the rest.  "Alright folks, team meeting.  What's everyone's take on all this?  There's a lot to swallow here."

"Well," Elodie said, pursing her lips, "I'm not sure what to make of it all. These dwarves, the giant, that poor jerk stuck up in his tower...I'm amazed it's all been allowed to keep languishing in such chaos for so long. Sooner or later, someone's going to bring a proper expedition to set up a fort and claim this whole area."

She smiled and spread her arms.

"I suspect that once we clear this tower and those cloud giants, we'll come back here to find whole caravans of dwarves moving in. This is prime territory for them, after all. But first we have to win, and that's more easily said than done. Purple worms...their venom is the stuff of legend. Whenever an assassin strikes in a storybook, he uses the venom of the purple worms."

"From some of the things the Governor was saying, it sounds to me like this entire northern region is already inhabited.  With a connecting passage between Urngor Jool and Fearnor Jool running all the way to the volcano, and how he kept on talking about 'the plains' and 'the surface'; wouldn't surprise me at this point to learn there's an entire subterranean civilization sprawling beneath the valley." Zoccola shrugged.  She'd need to revise her maps... scouting revealed surface-level geography, but there was potentially an underground map to create as well.  Something like that would be especially valuable to The Cartographer and future merchant endeavors.

"Purple worms...their venom is the stuff of legend. Whenever an assassin strikes in a storybook, he uses the venom of the purple worms."

The Goblin nodded in grim agreement.  "No kidding.  That stuff can kill just about anyone twice over.  We'll have to come up with some ways to contend with that... and, y'know, dealing with the living avalanches those poisonous stingers are attached to.  Stuff's worth plenty as well, if we can manage to actually kill one of those Worms and harvest the stinger." she murmured with a thoughtful rub of her chin.  Getting poisoned was less of an immediate worry than being swallowed alive or simply crushed to death, but it was still something to factor in.  "Hm... maybe potions to bolster natural resistance to poisons?  We'll need equipment... gotta be an apothecary here, surely..."

"Potions would be a good idea. It's a common enough spell, but I'm ashamed to admit I never learned it. I'll try to focus my efforts in that direction, but until then we should see what the dwarves have." She crossed her arms over her chest and paced.

"...maybe a trap? Find out what the purple worms have been devouring most, and buy some from the dwarves. I've heard the same tactic has proven effective against troublesome wyverns. You put a few fat sheep in a field loaded with soporifics. The wyvern swoops down and devours it, passes out. Then you come in and dispatch the beast at your leisure."

"Maybe.  If nothing else, Jurassic and I can conjure some phantom critters that can lead the Purple Worms on a merry chase while we work.  It'd be easier if we could just evade the Worms but, ultimately, just nabbing the Hammer isn't what's being asked of us."  Avoiding a threat was Zoccola's first desire, but the Governor wanted that connecting route cleared; they'd just be making enemies if they tried to half-ass it for their own sake.  Overcoming a Purple Worm's physicality with poison or the like was no small feat though...

"Worm-slaying strategies aside, that wasn't what I meant.  I'm more curious about what all of you think about this whole affair.  The Governor seems to be on the level, especially if he's got a Buymark like Nalisha and The Cartographer willing to work with him." she sat up more properly to give the matter its proper attention.  "I'm used to cutting deals and building working relationships on the fly, so none of this is really against what I was prepared for.  But I want to hear if any of you have reservations about where this is going or what we'd be dealing with."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:23, Mon 06 Dec 2021.

"You've never led us astray, Zozo." Elodie said affectionately. "If he seems like a good man to cultivate, let's do it."

Jurassic waited until they were alone before taking his helm off. "If you will excuse me, I would like to change out of my armor." He disappeared into his room for a few minutes OOC:while the current conversation is going on, hence he has not heard anything said in the room up till now. Walking back in he heard only Elodie's last point. "Who is a good man to cultivate?" His eyes are wide and his face and voice betray his anxiety. He thinks they mean himself. He thinks Zoccola nd Elodie are conversing about "cultivating" him into what? A boyfriend? No certainly not. Now he seemed just confused, very confused.

My idea of comedy.