in camp

Kelyn paces around the room muttering to herself. She spins, thwaps Volkrak across the head and growls. “When I put up a Wall of Fire to protect you from an army of derro, you do not walk through it. How in the nine hells am I to keep you healthy?” She resumes her pacing. 

on the positive side, Volky is clean "shaven", as well as bald and without eyebrows...and he smells a bit like ham.

Volkrak mumbles something to the effect of "but...wizard derro..." and concedes the point whilst assuming his position in the proverbial dog house.

Kelyn notices Volkrak's hangdog expression.  Some of the tension lifts and she softens.   "I'm sorry."  She kisses him and settles next to him with her head on his shoulder.  "I can't lose you."  Once Kelyn is still, Brinley lays down with a sigh and put her head in her lap.

Svenn sets watches and settles down by the small fire he builds and begins to mumble, his voice falling into a droning cadence as he recites ancient tales of the dwarf cities of Underfalun and Mithralia. "The rich city and the poor city stood  above and below a vein of 'true silver', as the rich dwarves caused the destruction of the lower city."

turning to sven volkrak curiously enquires "The architecture here is incredible,why would anyone leave a place like this derelict? what do the stories say about this city?"

The stones tend to keep their council, but like most falls, pride and avarice led to the fall. They used more and more from the surface, and their wealth made others jealous.

"Svenn, if you know something then tell us.  It is not the time for cryptic messages.  What happened to the dwarves who built this place?  What are we going to find as we continue down?"  she shivers a bit at the thought of going deeper.  

a stern crease crosses volkraks brow "It seems were in deep here eitherway, if they hoarded gold or gems there cant be trouble far off" his creases loosens momentarily and once again furrows deeply "what did your father tell you of this place knuckles?"

Svenn shakes his head, Malor and the Stonecrushers came for the copper, only by studying the old texts have I learned what little I know, the Dwarves of Mithralia sought true silver, they had dreams of wealth beyond their dreams of avarice, and they fell to the Derro and the Duergar, the Illithids and the Beholders and to disease and folly. Our people are prone to greed and recklessness, look at the carvings in the walls here, they are Old Dwarf, they speak of a "City Eternal" of masters of the Underworld, of pride and greed and a superior race. The Derro and Duergar are just Dwarves who fell to their greed, they are Mithralians, after all, just as the Drow turned away from the light of the sun, traded the smell of flowers for dark secrets and power. I think they are the same as you Kelyn Brambleton, if you let darkness into your heart of hearts. Better to fall trying to bring light into the dark places than find ways to lord over the darkness. As you look into the darkness, the darkness peers into you.

a solemn look crosses Volkraks face as he sits staring into the middle distance forlornly, addressing no one in particular he sighs and says "to think these beasts were once like us..." and he starts to consider if he really needs all the wealth he's accumulated or if it could serve a better purpose. also in his thoughts are those of whether he's measured up to be the dwarf he set out to be yet and how long that might take..and if it'll take his life in the process. with one final sigh before he takes a nap after eating,he muses "perhaps my journey of adventuring is nearing its end" as he goes to sleep he dreams of the quiet life in the grove he now calls home.