[Completed] Orrin's Tale - Finger of Doom/April 27, 1 VC

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin's voice is scarcely a whisper. "I do."

The moment stretches out between the two. Finally, Orrin breaks the silence. "Originally I came here seeking knowledge of this clan's fate. I had found some signet rings that I determined belonged to perhaps the Thane of this kingdom, I even managed to convince those around me to delay fencing them to the nearest caravan in hopes we could learn of their origins. It was this quest that brought me to the mountain. By my own stupidity, I and members of my party were overpowered and captured by the unspeakable evil that now resides above us. One of us, or what's left of him is behind you. Jem was his name."

He pauses.

"What are your plans in this place?"

[Keehnelf]

The dwarf's lip curls. "Found? Fencing? Tell me, did you loot the Hall of the Nine Kings yourself, or did you hire someone to do it for you?" An edge of cold fury is filling in the spaces in his speech that sorrow had left empty.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin holds up a hand, urging calm. "You misunderstand me. We came upon a goblin lair, and it was there amongst the goblins' possessions we found a collection of nine rings. They had already been stolen. As I said, some among our group wished to sell the rings straight off...I had hoped to convince them of their cultural importance. I eventually spoke to the centaur Xavro who enlightened me with some of the history of these rings and their lineage. It was never my wish to get rich from them. I suppose I was secretly hoping I would eventually find their rightful bearer."

[Keehnelf]

The dwarf laughs harshly. "There is no rightful bearer of those rings. Only meaningless corpses. You say that you were captured--what became of the rings at that time?"

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin shakes his head. "I woke up in a cell after the battle. My wounds had been tended to, but I had been stripped of everything I was carrying. I was later brought to the one responsible for my incarceration and I saw that he wore at least some of the rings on his fingers. He is truly evil. Zyggmaur is his name. It is he who rules above us."

"What might I call you, friend?"

[Keehnelf]

The dwarf stiffens and his lip curls. "Impossible..." He strides toward Orrin, covering half the distance quickly and noisily, his macabre retinue a step behind. Pointing an accusing finger toward Orrin, he says: "You lie! Zyggmaur was banished to eternal darkness ages ago--he could not have returned!" He begins pacing back and forth. "I will need you to tell me everything you can of the creature claiming the dread name of Zyggmaur for itself, but my task seems now more urgent than ever. I must make haste."

The dwarf motions for Orrin to stand aside from the door, then fishes a black metal key from under his breastplate. It hangs on a leather thong with two others of similar design. The dwarf steps forward and turns the key in the lock, which seems to make no visible impact, but the dwarf nods in satisfaction. "Come--you will talk as we walk, and if you give me what I seek, I will give you your freedom."

With that, the dwarf turns and strides back the way he came, the undead filing out of the chamber ahead of him.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin finds he has to walk swiftly in order to keep up with the mysterious dwarf, and describes his audience with Zyggmaur as best he can. He takes pains to give a full description of Zyggmaur's physical appearance, the story of his captivity by Judarr and subsequent escape, as well as what little he knows of his future plans.

"He wished me to submit to him as his thrall. I resisted. He tried to coerce me with threats of violence to those I cared for, but I continued to resist. He had me thrown back in my cell. Today a guard came and brought me down here on what errand I do not know. When the ghouls approached us, I seized the opportunity to escape."

Orrin thinks a moment as they walk, details churning in his mind.

"You are of the Firedeep clan, then? There are dwarves held in thrall above us. He calls each and every one of them Judarr after his nemesis."

[Keehnelf]

"Aye, I am Firedeep--the last of my line, the last of my people. And from your description of the meeting with this beast, it must be Zyggmaur, though not of the same form. For Zyggmaur, as the legends of my people tell it, was a dragon of aspect and temperament most loathsome and foul."

The dwarf does not look back as he walks, confident despite his apparent blindness, along twisting halls and down steep flights of stairs into the very bowels of the mountain. For a time, the air grows warmer and there is an insistent clanging of metal on metal echoing to Orrin's jars from distant halls, but the dwarf pays them no mind and eventually both fade. They encounter no sign of life as they descend, but any life would likely flee before the gang of undead that precedes them quietly down the halls.

Finally, the bizarre retinue reaches the base of a steep flight of stairs that opens out into a long, straight passage that descends on a gentle grade beyond the range of sight.

At this point, the dwarf turns toward Orrin for the first time since they began walking. "Zyggmaur, if he is responsible for these goblins and others infesting my home, is the great enemy of my people. I plan to destroy him, once and for all. And then those who have destroyed what honor remains for my dead people will choke on the same ash in which our memory is coated."

He seems to return to himself after a moment's reverie. "You seem strong, but you are ill-equipped for a journey into danger. At the end of this hall I shall release you. I advise that you flee as far and as fast as you may, and that you do not allow any sentiment you might have for the treacherous men of Vaul to slow your steps."

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin raises an eyebrow at these last words, but says nothing. He thinks for a moment, and then slowly lowers himself down on one knee.

Keeping his head bowed, he addresses the dwarf. "I can never return to my clan, a condition which will pain me to the end of my days. However, I would see yours returned to its former glory were it within my power to do so. If there is any way I can aid you, speak and I will hear. I am yours to command, should you have need of me. I will attempt to regain civilization, for I am unlikely to survive the wilds for long in my undergarments. Once better equipped, I will endeavour to aid your efforts in any way I can."

Orrin feels a kinship with this dwarf, despite his ghastly retinue. Perhaps it's the shared sense of loss, perhaps it's the unyielding strength despite his isolation. Perhaps it's the simple fact they have both been seared by flame yet continue to survive. His heart swells with hope for the Firedeep clan, and comes to realize that the rings he had been carrying around were but mere tokens. Standing before him is the true power behind these people.

[Keehnelf]

The dwarf, still unnamed, lowers his head for a long moment and sighs. "I would ask that you lean lightly on the honor of my people if ever you tell of these events in years to come. You find us in our last gasping tortured moments of breath before we drown. Long ago, we were a brave and noble clan, full of strength and honor and purpose. I do not know what befell us along the way to bring these things to pass, but I do know the agents of our doom: Zyggmaur, the Black Beast, and the men of Vaul--most treacherous among them the Duke and his lackeys Bertram and his remaining companions. If you should find any of them survive my clan's vengeance, strike them down if you wish to render my people a service. All have earned death a hundred times by their actions."

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin starts at the name of Bertram, having heard of him around Vaul yet never meeting.

"The Duke is one thing, but what has Bertram done to deserve such wroth? I do not know him, but you must understand I cannot strike a man down without an understanding of his crimes."

[Keehnelf]

The dwarf is silent for a long moment, formulating exactly the right way to communicate it. "He and his fellows attempted to loot the graves of the honored dead of my clan under my very nose, in the moment of my greatest grief and when I was most vulnerable. They saw my weakness, shown to them because I called them friends, and they desecrated my ancestors for their profit."

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin looks at the dwarf, sadly. "I understand. May your ancestors find the rest they deserve, and may Zyggmaur soon face hs own end. One final thing: the passage to the surface, what side of the mountain will it exit from? I do not wish to wander defenceless in the wilds any longer than necessary."

[Keehnelf]

The dwarf nods. "Many thanks. I had not thought to find an ally or a friend in this place, but if there is aught you can do, you will have earned both titles. My name was once Fangir Firedeep," the dwarf says, extending a hand. "But my vows to Falles have eradicated everything that came before. All that remains is vengeance for the fallen. As for escape, this passage will lead out from the southern base of the mountain. I wish you luck, and someday peace with your people before it is too late." If Orrin shakes his hand, he turns and continues down the hall.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin shakes his hand. "Until we meet again."

He turns, and strides down the hall. As he walks, the name of Fangir Firedeep keep returning to him and the tales he had half listened to in the tavern start to fall into place. He begins to understand the import of what is happening around him, and his own minuscule part in it. He remains uncertain about what he should do if he manages to return to Vaul, but he knows he is forever changed.

[Keehnelf]

Okay, things are about to get pretty complicated, so this thread may be on hold for a few days as another thread catches up with it.

[Zorroroaster]

Ha! No problem. I think I have an idea of what you might be up to!

[Keehnelf]

Maybe, but I think you'll be surprised

[Zorroroaster]

I like surprises!

[Keehnelf]

Actually, I forgot something.

As the group turns to head further down the hall, having exchanged what might be their last pleasantries, a high-pitched wail or shriek echoes down the hallway from ahead of the group. Fangir half-turns back toward Orrin questioningly."I hadn't expected resistance here, but I also hadn't expected it to be easy. Do you have any weapon?"