Apemantus and I were smiling and nodding agreement as Dani told Dedra in great detail the story of her wedding to Dorf, (I didn’t have the heart to inform Dedra  not a shred of this tale was true.  It would only add to the woman’s grief and Dani’s fable had accomplished the goal of calming Dedra down) when the door to the slave quarter’s flung wide and Begdemagus and one of the enchanted slaves trampled into the hallway.

“Alright, where is my money? You said you would pay me back the gold you cheated from me if I followed you!”  Demanded the slave.

“I most certainly did not!  If anything you cheated me!”  Countered Begdemagus.

I traded disapproving looks with the fire mage, for I suspected it was the slave who was in the rights.

“Dierf!”  Dedra ran up and embraced the slave.  I realized this was the other brother she had spoken of. “Oh it feels like I haven’t seen you in months!”

“Madam, I have no idea who you are.”

“Dierf?”  Blinked Dedra.

I put my hand on Dedra’s shoulder.  “He’s enchanted like you were.  I can disenchant him but it will take a few hours.”

“In that case, you and your party are probably hungry; I think I can do something about that.”  Dedra went back into the slave quarters and pulled a basket out of a trunk.  “I don’t remember much about our time here but I do recall this.”  She put her arms around the basket and said something in dwarvan.  Behind us on the table a giant turkey feast appeared.

I noticed that Begdemagus was trying to suppress a chuckle.  “What?”  I asked him.

“Apparently that basket has a wicked sense of humor:  She just invoked it to produce a feast worthy of her new sister Dani and her dearly departed brother Dorf’s love for each other.”

I actually laughed out loud but luckily only Begdemagus heard.

“Do you think  Dierf will remember he owes me money once you take the enchantment off of him?”

“No, I really don’t think so.”

“I just remembered why I really dislike you.”

While the rest of the party ate and I purified Dierf, Dedra explained that she and her siblings had been acolytes at the Temple of Moradin at Winterhaven when they were kidnapped.  I noticed something odd about this:  Siblings, as a rule, are not sent to the same Temple to train.  I wondered if this was the reason they were chosen to be enchanters.

It took me another three hours to disenchant the last two slaves, at which time Regdar decided to send them all up to the surface.  Dedra hugged Dani and told her they would have to get together soon, before she left with Dierf who was ecstatic to be “reunited” with his sister.

Regdar was ready to press on.

We walked out onto the catwalk, where Dorf had met his fate.  We could see an ornate door on the other side of the ore pit, it was being guarded by three goblins, they seemed to be more interested in their own conversation than maintaining their post.  However, it would take some climbing to reach the door.  While we were trying to decide our next move, a man dressed as a Paladin of Pelor climbed onto the catwalk just in front of us.  He was carrying a hot bucket of ore.  Regdar seemed to recognize him.

“Gunthor!”  Regdar called out but the man ignored him and continued on down the catwalk and around the corner.  “That was my cousin Lord Gunthor”

“Should I go after him and try to disenchant him?”

“No, we don’t have time for that.  The way I see it we have two choices:  Either we go back and try to get through the bugbear door or we try to reach those doors on the other side of the ore pit.”

At the mere mention of the bugbear I could see that Apemantus was becoming tense.  Fortunately the consensus seemed to be the ornate doors and Dani had already transformed into an owl and was flying over to a small outcropping near the doors.

The rest of us started to climb and somehow I was the first to reach Dani’s position.  The three guards still seemed to be wrapped up in their own private banter.

“Do you think they see us?”  Dani asked me.

“No, I don’t think…”  Before I could finish my sentence, Dani had walked over and was engaging the goblins.  “Well I guess they can now.”

“I’m sorry guys; I was looking for the pit boss.  I must have gotten lost.”  Dani was saying.

“Who are you?”

“I’m what you call a decoy.”

“A what?”

Dani drew her dagger and stabbed the first goblin while I walked up behind the second and ran him through with my short sword.  We turned our attention to the last goblin just in time to see an arrow go through his heart courtesy of Iva.

Slowly but surely the rest of the crew joined us on the marble floor just outside the ornate doors.  Begdemagus expressed concern about entering but Regdar decided to go inside and Dani followed close behind.  The rest of us stayed outside.  The room seemed to be some kind of chapel with benches and a marble altar.  Regdar called Begdemagus in to help him examine the altar.  The mage determined that the marble seemed to be imbued with some kind of life.  Regdar decided the best course of action would be to allow Begdemagus to fire bomb the room.  Once the chapel was cleared, Begdemagus threw in several bombs.

Phisssft!!!

“Did you see that?!”  Asked Begdemagus.

“I did.”  Said Regdar.

I had seen it too.  The blasts must have disrupted a field that was projecting some king of an illusion in the room.  Regdar Dani and Begdemagus went back in to examine the altar again.

While they were doing this, Apemantus pulled me aside to show me something he had found earlier in the bookcase of the enchanter’s room.  It was a letter, and I saw immediately what had caught his eye: It was a letter to Numbilung from a gold merchant but besides that I saw little value in it.  It had been written 26 years ago.  He also tried to talk me into going back to the forge and try to disenchant the bugbear while the others were preoccupied,  As much as this might have appealed to me, I thought it was more prudent to stay here.

My armor was tingling.  Something big was happening in the entire complex.  Regdar came out of the chapel with Dani and Begdemagus.  Regdar was holding some kind of crystal ball.  (I found out later that the group had been looking for this orb for quite some time.)  This was what had been holding the enchantment of the slaves in place, or so we found out a few minutes later as we crossed back over the catwalk.  Lord Gunthor ran up and embraced Regdar obsequiously.  Regdar was not amused.  Other slaves began to meet us on the catwalk (in particular, a female dwarf named Tessia who seemed to latch onto Begdemagus, but he didn’t seem to mind it at all).

“If these slaves are disenchanted, that probably means everyone in the complex is as well, including the bugbear!” Shouted Dani.  “He could be ripping the slaves in the forge to pieces, as we speak…We have to kill it!”  Dani locked eyes with Apemantus and he took off running in the direction of the forge.

“Revlis!”  Shouted Regdar.

I heaved a sigh and took off after my apprentice.  As I ran down the catwalk I could tell that the rest of the crew were running right behind me, so I ran faster trying to catch up with Apemantus.

The slaves from the forge were milling around outside the door which Apemantus had just rushed through.  I pushed past them and stepped inside.  The bugbear was now pounding on the door he had been guarding.

“You betrayed me Fraudrick!  You betrayed my people!  I will kill you when I find you!  This Gortuck swears!”  The creature was yelling.

Apemantus was standing in the middle of the forge giving me an imploring look when Dani bounded into the room and saw the bugbear pounding on the door.  Now that the creature was clear of the enchantment I decided I could finally employ a power I had learned at the Temple.  I pushed the hilt of my short sword into the small of it’s back and invoked the Ensnaring Smite, then I wrestled it away from the door.

“Why are you doing this?” asked the bugbear.

“Yes, why did you do that?”  Echoed Dani.  “He was actually trying to break down the door we’ve been trying to get through all night!”

“Sir I have a vague memory of you giving me aid and comfort last night.”  The bugbear related.  For that I heartily thank you.  Can you please release me now?”

“Forgive me.  I only wanted to make sure that in your agitated state you didn’t hurt yourself or anyone else.”

“I can assure you that the only one I want to hurt is Fraudrick and that usurper, King Grotnuck.

“See I told you he was a good bugbear.”  Apemantus was saying to Regdar.

“That still remains to be seen, but it does seem that…What is your name?”

“Gortuck Sir.”

“It seems that Gortuck and we share a common enemy so for now we will fight with him.  However Apemantus, if you and your mentor are to continue with the Bloody Blades you must learn some decorum.  If you give me a chance I think you will find me a fair leader.”

“I can attest to that.” Piped up Lord Gunthor

“Then may I ask Gortuck a question?” I asked Regdar.

“You may.” Said the Captain.

“Have you ever heard of a goblin named Numbilung?’

“Let me see, my minds still a muddle, but I think that was the name of the goblin who was helping  King Grotnuck hide the position of  his army.  He had some kind of statue…Kordian I think it was.”

My jaw was on the floor.  So I told the group my story, ending with how I was afraid to tell the Captain about the statue.

“If the statue rightfully belongs to the Temple we will help you get it back for them.  Now this Numbilung; you say he is the one who stole the statue from the Temple.”

“Actually it was me and my friend Refrus who stole the statue from Lord Valum’s vault.  He had bought from a…”

Gold Merchant!  Why hadn’t I seen it before?  I would have to read the letter Apemantus gave me in more detail.  This gold merchant might be the key to finding Numbilung!

“Can we please try to get through the door now?!”  Shouted Dani exasperated.

“I’m afraid the only way to open the door is with the key.”  Said Gortuck.

“Key?” asked Regdar.

“Yes, it fits in this square hole.”

“Square hole?  Could THIS be the key?”  Regdar reached into his cloak and pulled out a cube.  It seems he found it earlier in the same trunk as Dedra’s basket.

“Yes! That’s it!”

Regdar inserted the key into the lock and the door opened.

“Now that we’re in this part of the complex I know a short cut to Fraudrick’s chamber.”  Said Gortuck.  “It’s through the kitchen.  He loves his midnight snacks.”

The chamber was empty when we got there so of course Dani wanted to loot it.  The rest of the crew complied with her wishes, while I found a quiet place to read.