Prisoner Ally

Trees are good for something, apparently. After the beast fell, while I was taking care of the pests along the wall, Barrel was striding through the trees. I don't know what that means, some sort of hopping from one to another, he said. Very strange. But he saw where the dark elves fled to; there were mages around that were teleporting people away.

"So I saw DieLess," says Barrel. "I saw him getting angry with this other dark elf. I was lining my shot up when a brilliant light shot out from DieLess and struck this other dark elf, felling the elf. When I looked again, I saw DieLess kick the prone elf, join hands with some very nasty looking dark elves, and vanish. It was quiet. The elf was stone cold. I took him back here. Mord, can you help him?"

"Of course, Barrel. This is most interesting. Let's see...,hmm, yes, Kord, with your great power, raise this dark elf so that we might speak with him." And after a time, the dark elf stirred, blurry eyed.

I asked Kord for the power of dark elf speech and to enforce truth-speaking. "I am Mord, I serve my lord Kord, with this greatsword. My friend here, Barrel, brought you to me and my lord Kord has brought you back from that unholy realm you were in."

"Am I supposed to thank you?" the dark elf replied.

"Well, that is customary. But not a requirement," I replied. "What we want to know is, why did DieLess attack you?"

He looked at me darkly. "You are filthy and smelly. I will not talk with you. Send in someone who is not a mongrel." Crossing his arms, he struck a defiant pose.

Barrel grimaced and lunged for him; I threw him back. "As you can see, my friend here does not have much patience. I will be frank with you. DieLess killed his dog and he has been enraged ever since. It really gets on my nerves. So we would like to know where DieLess is. And I am just curious why he attacked you. As for the smell, I cultivate a wonderful fragrance. Hold on, yes, there we go. That should help. Now, listen to me carefully: no one else will talk to you. They want to slit your throat and be done with it. I am your only hope."

The dark elf hung his head and held his nose. "What happens to me when you find out what you need to know?"

"Oh, you can go. I have, just between you and me, freed a prisoner before. I have no allegiance to any other than Kord and you have done nothing against Kord. Tell us what we want to know and I will see to it that you will not be held against your will."

"Alright, Mord who serves Kord with his greatsword. I am FarTolth and I serve Lolth with my great wealth. My house was once the greatest house of the drow. But somehow our leaders became arrogant. And so it was that DieLess and his house, house Emptor," he paused to spit, "started to rise. My house took notice as other houses started to listen to that demon-obsessed filth. But we reacted too late. They had already entered into deals with the demons and power flew out of them, attracting the support of the weaklings in my city. We challenged them to prove their might, to rid this land of the vermin that inhabit it. And it so was that tonight was to be the opening, devastating round to an extermination. Ha!"

"Yeah, that seems to have not gone so well. What are you here as, an observer?"

"Yes. I was here by DieLess's request, his arrogance, to witness not only the destruction of our oldest enemies, but also the ultimate fall and shame of my own house. We have counseled patience over the generations, and if such an attack had been successful this night, our folly would have been shown. Instead, our wisdom has prevailed. And for that, that worm DieLess tried to silence me. That coward did not want a witness to their defeat."

"Um, well, glad we could help. We were the ones that felled the great beast. Actually, this sword killed him just before he turned to dust. That was a satisfying kill, a single blow it was. Me strong! Okay, can you tell us where to find him?"

"I will not tell you where the city is. That would betray my people."

"I already know where the city is. We saw the ceremony with Baphomet's avatar ripping the head off the enlarged elf woman. Very strange. What we need to know is where this House of his is."

"If you take me to the city, proving your claim, I will lead you to the House. And then I wash my hands of you and because of you."

So I agreed to the deal. A hunting we shall go.

Mords of Wisdom: When killing your enemy, make sure that they stay dead.