"Company of the Hardened Anvil" PT 6 v1
Roll # 1 Meeting the Patrol Leader (DC 11) +5 - Result 9 (Fail)
Roll # 2 First Level In (DC 12) +4 - Result 6 (Fail)
Roll # 3 Stairs Down (DC 14) +3 - Result 14 (Succeed)
Roll # 4 - Any other suggestions?
At the appropriate time, the party made their way toward the Tower, trying to ignore all the distractions on the path. There were many, anyone with coin in their pocket or longing in their heart or a dry mouth, could find something to better capture their attention. But the early moon was out, it was early evening and they had somewhere to be. The Tower knights paid them little attention, but a few of the marching soldiers looked directly at them.
A hundred feet outside of the site, a group of well armed and heavily fortified Dwarves, around twenty or so, stood ready, but not in attention, their flag had the markings they were looking for. All of them had very similar weapons, an axe, hammer and crossbow, and their armors mirrored each other in precision. This was not a rag-tag bunch of volunteers = these were soldiers, professional ones. They looked old and rugged and marking of experience across their faces. A few of them looked over, but there were no welcoming shouts.
The party stopped, and Rillo stepped forward, looking for someone who looked different, someone who looked in command. None of them spoke, or lifted a hammer, the most traditional way for Dwarves and their allies to greet one another. Rillo wasn't sure what these men, these Dwarves were told, if anything. 'Is there a Lead in this group?' She waited for a sound, but a few guffaws greeted her, but they all stood silently still, looking at the party.
'Wee're heere to elp ye in yer search.' Rillo spoke again, changing her accent to the Spirelands, the mountains of rock that bolt up from the earth to high above the sky, hoping that this would get a better reaction from them. Again nothing.
The ranger, Caventh came up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. 'First Axe' he said in Dwarven. His people the Jahlen were called Stone Brothers by their mountain Dwarf kin, in many places, he hoped they would recognize him as an ally.
'Ye be Raiders?' came the reply by one of the Dwarves in the same tongue, who stepped out. No weapons in his hand, but his armor semed a little different than the rest.
"No. We're working for Vorrecknos the Bull" A bunch of the dwarves jeered and turned away. The leader said nothing and did not move, at first.
"Your first mission for him?" the fighter asked... Caventh nodded. "Do you know his reputation?"
Caventh hesitated, "We're new...here. We need to get below, he was..."
The Dwarf commander finished his sentence, "The easiest way to get below." The jahlen froze, he could tell the Dwarf disapproved. The First Axe commander turned away, but spoke, "Follow us. Don't get in our way...when we get down to the 20th floor, you'll have five hours, maybe six. Whatever you want done, do it. No slaves, no undead...If we get bounty, you don't get a share."
"Got it." Caventh said slowly. He wanted to go up and shake the dwarves hand, but hesitated. The commander wasn't angry, but his contempt was heavy. So the dwarves weren't allies, probably knew they wouldn't turn them away,
Ennoss stepped forward to speak with him. 'They cast belief spells...they don't trust us.'
Their leader, Rillo said bluntly - 'First steps. We may stumble but we need to get down there.'
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