We found Pax where we left her, in the infirmary.  While she was healing the gnomes, she had heard widely varying opinions about Burrow Warden Kargien.  The most negative of these came from Jalless, the infirmary chief.

 

“She kept saying Kargien obviously wants the crown for himself but she thinks he’s unworthy of the honor.”  Pax explained.  “But then there’s this other healer named Pingtu who seems to think Kargien walks on water.”

 

I didn’t know what to think.  Kargien was my father’s contact with the Blingdenstone expedition, and he was the one who had asked my father to find the ruby blade.  I wanted more than ever to talk to Talabrina Duskryn. 

 

Ultimately, we decided to keep it a secret that we had found the crown in the House Center, for now.  What really cemented our resolve was meeting the man himself.  Kargien, who was dressed immaculately and wore a necklace adorned with an outsized emerald, strode into the infirmary and greeted us obsequiously.

 

.“My friends, I am so glad that fortune saw fit to sweep you here to our shores.  I’ve just conversed with Briddick and he told me that as soon as you heard about our difficulty with the orcs you were chomping at the bit to rid us of their infestation.  How is that progressing?”

 

“The upper caverns seem to be clear of orcs.”  Grizzlegar told him.  “We searched them several times to make sure.”

 

“Excellent. Now I don’t know if you’ve heard, but part of the objective of this expedition, dare I say the most important part, was, and is, to retrieve the Crown of the Kings of Blingdenstone.  For generations our Deep Gnome Kings ruled from the House Center Cavern.  But a vile and evil presence has taken up residence there and I have yet to find anyone with the courage to assail the walls of that once proud structure.”

 

“We can search it for you.”  Said Grizzlegar.

 

“Excellent, and you will let me know what you find?”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

As soon as Kargien was gone, Jalless could no longer hold her tongue.

 

“Now do you see what I was saying?  That man is an unmitigated glory seeker.”

 

“He’s a @#$$%$%!”  Said Jerro.

 

“I can’t argue with that.”  Said Jalless.  “If you do find the crown, I beg you, do not let Kargien know.  Pingtu, the other healer that Pax spoke of, has been trying to awaken the Speaking Stones since we arrived.  Of course, he thinks they will speak the name of Kargien.  But I think he’s in for a big surprise when the Stones reveal the true heir of Blingdenstone.”

 

“And who do you think that is?”  I asked her.

 

“I’d rather not say.”  I could tell she did have someone in mind.

 

“Do you know anything about this Ogremoch’s Bane?”  Grizzlegar must had been wanting to bring this up for sometime.

 

“Ah, did Henkala offer you her usual stash of treasure?”  Jalless asked with a twinkle in her eye.

 

As an answer, Grizzle just smiled.

 

“Well, I’ll tell you if you’re going up against the Bane, you will need the help of the pechs.  Henkala’s right about that.  Confirmed Jalless.  “They can create a ward to protect you from the dust cloud that is  Ogremoch’s Bane.  But if you’re going to court the pechs, you might try to look a little less warlike,”

 

We all looked at her puzzled.

 

“Here, take these gunnysacks and hide your weapons in them and I might add to that your armor.”

 

While Grizzlegar, Pax and Jerro were making ready to leave, Jalless pulled me aside.

 

“Take care that your barbarian friend doesn’t get you killed.”  She said as she helped me stow my weapons and armor.  “And if you succeed in staying alive, I know another bard by the name of Gurmadden who could use your help.  He’s been trying to awaken the Singing Stones. 

 

“And is that as important as waking the Speaking Stones?”

 

“Maybe not, but I figure only another bard like yourself could appreciate that.”

 

I knew what she meant.

 

 

As it turned out, we never had to use the pech’s help, even though they agreed to give it to us (All they really wanted was and audience with Kargien and to be left alone in they’re section of the caverns).  Grizzle had chosen to actually talk to the Bane and the story he unfolded painted the Deep Gnomes in a bad light.

 

According to the Bane the gnomes had enslaved his brother, Entermoch’s Boon and the other lesser elementals to help them in their mining endeavors.  If this was true I only hoped that it was Kargien’s doing.  But at the very least the Deep Gnomes were turning a blind eye to slavery and as far as Grizzle was concerned he was going to put a stop to it.

 

We found the cavern where the Boon was being held and knocked down the pillar’s that were holding him.  He and the lesser elementals were freed.  Ogremoch’s Bane would trouble the Deep Gnomes no more, but would they think the cost was too high? We at least knew we had done the right thing.

 

We were being followed.

 

Actually we had been followed by someone the whole time we were here in Blingdenstone.  She had been skulking in the shadows of the House Center and in the Orc Caverns and now Entermoch’s Cavern.  But this time I had her in my sights and I knew who she was:  Talabrina Duskryn.

 

“Talabrina!”  I shouted.  She turned and looked at me from across the cavern.  “Why have you been following us?  I’ve wanted to talk to you this whole time.  Your sister Leore is free!”  She blinked absently as if this meant nothing to her and then she vanished.  I didn’t understand.

 

We found Henkala at her magic shop and Grizzle was able to talk her into giving us the bundle of treasure even though we had freed the Boon instead of destroying the Bane.  As we parted company with her, she met my gaze for the briefest of seconds and an unease came over me that I couldn’t put my finger on.

 

I was finally able to seek out Gurmadden, the bard Jalless had told me about.  I found him to be a perfectly delightful person and I would have liked to talk to him a lot longer but I could tell Grizzle and the others were getting restless, so I asked how we could help him.

 

“I need six more singing crystals to complete the array.  Unfortunately, these type of crystals can only be found in the Wormwrithings.  It’s a very dangerous place where kobals have been entering and exiting the city.”

 

That was all Grizzlegar needed to hear. He was itching for a fight after not getting one with the Bane.

 

“Kobols?  Is that all he told you about?”

 

We all had to laugh.  Our guide, Miglin had the same guttural delivery as Grizzle.  We secretly wondered if Grizzlegar had found his long lost father.

 

“Here everyone take a pick you’re going to need it.”  Miglin instructed.  “Kobols, if only that was the worst thing we have to worry about.  What about the purple worms that gave the Wormwrithings their name?  I tell ya bub, if you hear a low rumbling sound you better run like the wind”   And we all burst out laughing except for Grizzle and Miglin.  Miglin didn’t know what was so funny,

 

We found six singing crystals in no time and at Miglin’s urging we helped him seal off the passage the kobols had been using to enter and exit the city.  Along the way we ran into several kobol traps (one of which I playfully tried to get Grizzle to walk into but he wasn’t buying ). 

 

I was sad to have to say good bye to Miglin but happy to see Gurmadden  again.  This time Pintu was with him.  It seems our reputation was growing among the Deep Gnomes.  Now it was the healer’s turn to ask for our help.

 

Gurmadden quickly fit the crystals into the array and the stones obligingly started to sing for him.  The sound was quite like a glass harp.  It was beautiful.

 

After the impromptu concert, Pintu showed us a list of gems he needed to perform the Speaking Stone ceremony.  We realized that we had come across every gem he needed somewhere in the city; they would be easy to round up but one stone in particular was going to cause a problem.

 

“Great the only emerald we saw here was around Kargien’s neck.”  Grizzlegar grumbled.  And the only way he was likely to part with it was if we turned over the crown to him.  “Wait I have an idea.”  Grizzle fumbled through his knapsack until he came across the amulet we had found in the House Center.  “Now all I need is a chest that looks like it might be big enongh to hold a crown.  We’ll tell him we think we found the crown locked in this chest and we need his emerald to unlock it.”  It was at least part of a plan.

 

We knew where we could find Kargien.  He was meeting with the pechs.

 

“Excellent.  This day just keeps getting better and better.”  Kargien intoned as he slipped off the necklace and handed it to me.

With a little slight of hand I was able to make it look like I was giving the gem to Grizzle when I was actually slipping it in my pocket.  Grizzlegar pretended to unlock the chest and flipped it open.

 

Kargien’s eye went wide and he grabbed the necklace out of the chest.

 

“The Sunnis Amulet!  You’ve found it!  This is almost better than the crown!  Do you realize with this I will have complete control of  Ogremoch’s Bane!  He will keep the lesser elementals in check and our mining statistics will augment ten fold, a hundred fold!

 

He rushed out of the cavern holding the amulet above his head.  The pech’s who had been listening to this just shook their heads and disappeared into the walls of the cavern.

 

“Well we know where Kargien’s headed.”  I said.

 

“Yeah, the Ogremoch Cavern.”  Said Grizzle

 

“We don’t have much time we need to get this emerald back to Pingtu now!”

 

With the gems now assembled and placed Pingtu told us he only needed the ancient cache of Drow weapons that had been found in the caverns on the first day of the expedition to complete the ceremony.  He told us Fendrick, the supply manager had them stowed away.

 

Fendrick was only too happy to help us, but when he left to get the weapons we heard him cry out.  We rushed to find several kobols and Talabrina Duskryn, raiding the supply closet.  A fight ensued.  We prevailed, and Talabrina lay dying on the floor.  But it wasn’t Talabrina  at all.  The woman lying on the floor was Henkala Shadowsong!

 

“I shouldn’t have trusted him…” Was her last words.

 

We didn’t have time to puzzle over them.  Fendrick gave us the cache along with the final page of the journal with the placement of the weapons for the ceremony.  I realized the Ruby Dagger that my father had sent me to find should have been part of the cache.  Things were starting to make sense.  Kargien had had my father find the blade so he could try to stop Pingtu from completing the ceremony because it might reveal he was not the true heir of Blingdenstone.  I still wanted to take the dagger to my father but I gave it to Pingtu so could mend it and use it in the ceremony.

 

 

                                                *******

 

“The true heir of Blingdenstone is Gurmadden, Bard of Blingdenstone!”  Rumbled the Speaking Stones.

 

I was thrilled even though I had just met him I felt Gurmadden would be a great King..

 

Suddenly Talabrina (the real Talabrina) appeared before us holding Kargien by the collar.  She had an amazing story to unfold.