The voyage to the dwarven coastal mountains is actually rather peaceful, however it was discovered that Alaroc had managed to get into the Sailors’ supply of rum and had himself a small little party.
After the rest of the group discovered this mistake of his, they made a conscious effort to make sure that Zilo didn’t know. Despite his way with words, his timing with them could use immense amounts of work.
Eventually the ship came to dock alongside a gigantic cliff many stories below the top at a small flatland made of solid rock that seemed to be carved into the side of the cliff face. The top of the cliff looked craggy and unstable, but the flat carved platform was indented to avoid any debris.
Zilo marched off of the ship with a spring in his step, He found the entire voyage fascinating as he had never sailed before, and he had been inspired to write a new ballad during the trip. He was overjoyed to be on land however, as his time writing at sea would lead him to seasickness.
Zilo and company walked into the indented platform and spotted a short, stocky man with a scraggly beard in front of a tunnel blocked off by a large iron door. He had never seen a dwarf, but had seen pictures before, but those dwarves took far more pride in their beard care.
“Hello good dwarf, my compatriots and I seek entrance to your tunnel city.”
“Whats duh password?” Said the unamused man.
The men from the ship carting in the wood stopped in their tracks at that.
The Captain came forth and said, “Password? Ain’t never been no stinkin password last month when we came through.”
“Is now.” Abruptly responds the doorkeeper.
Zilo motions to let the others try their guesses first. The group one at a time, goes through most of the things they think they know about the dwarves and the dwarven kingdoms such as the words, Iron, Miner, Coal, Smith, and none of them were correct.
“You’re the last one slim jim.” Says the dwarf referring to Zilo.
“Darn, I was hoping one of them would get it… um drat… it's gotta be something right under my nose… Wait…” Zilo looks to the dwarf and his eyes light up.
“Beard.” says Zilo smiling large, while those behind him throw up their arms in failure.
“No, but I like that.” Says the dwarf finally cracking a smile.
“Can we enter then?” Says Zilo flashing his giant smile.
“... Only cause my new password is now Beard, go on ahead.” says the dwarf motioning Zilo through and giving him a heavy pat on the back as he passes. The rest go along as well.
After walking for ten minutes into the tunnel the area opens up to a section with multiple mine cart tracks and carts. Maldrek comes forward and translates the words on each mine cart.
“They seem to say different parts of a city, must be some sort of transportation system.” Says the wizard.
The paladin looks back down the way they came for the crew of the ship who got left behind hauling the wood and says, “We should wait for the captain, he may already know how to use these contraptions.
“It doesn’t look that tough.” Says Zilo, hopping into one of the carts that has a sign saying town Plaza.
The rest of the group put out their hands to stop him, but Zilo releases the brake before most of them can grab him. Only Zigger managed to grab his shirt and come along for the ride.
Before either one of them could do anything the cart was shot at high speed down the track ahead of it.
Zilo and Zigger were immediately sent hurtling through corkscrews and Zigger went full horizontal hanging onto Zilo’s shirt. Slowly the goblin pulled his way forward to the cart’s seat.
The two of them shouted as the cart whirled and zoomed, smashing them both into the sides as it went along the sharp turns before a wide open room expanded out around them.
The room was more of a chasm that stretched underneath a gigantic mountain with a huge crystalline topaz gem that looked the size of a village.
The sun can be seen shining up and reflecting through the topaz and making the giant gem simulate sunlight to the vast cavern.
The entire hollowed out mountain spreads out for miles like an encapsulated countryside underneath the surface.
Off in the distance is a magnificent city of metal and majesty. Surrounding the metal city are farmlands and marketplaces much like any other metropolis of the times, but that sends Zilo into a question.
Zilo would have liked to make his thoughts known, but the speed of their travel was so intense that as he opened his mouth the wind shot his lips back and exposed his teeth to the goblin.
Zigger then proceeded to sock Zilo in the face as he interpreted the face as an insult to his entire race, at least from the looks of it. The bard was unable to remain conscious.
Zilo was awoken with a flip and a crash into a building before sliding down the wall and hitting his head on the ground.
“Incredible. I can now see why you are the crappiest of our little band. Even now my jaw feels dislocated as I speak.” Said Zilo as his body remained upside down.
Zigger nursed a head wound from a sudden stop in the cart as he walked out and said, “ How the heck are you still talking then?”
Zilo straightens up, still on his head, saying, “Umbral Bards are trained to continue a performance no matter the pain, Once I continued dancing even after my fingernails were removed… Ah graduation day, what memories”
As Zilo opened his eyes he realized that Zigger was already wandered away to somewhere else, and Zilo was left to his own devices.
Zilo used Message to contact Maldrek and was ordered by him to find a place for them to rest their heads, and to use his cut from the dragon’s hoard to pay for it.
“Say no more my friend, I’ll get right on it.” Said Zilo as he turned off the spell and waltzed toward the nearest building. Unfortunately the bard wasn’t fluent in the language of the mountain dwellers and walked into a different sort of shop.
A Sad Beardless dwarf at the counter looked up to see the tall grey-skinned man walk through his door, Which he admittedly was not prepared for as he hadn’t had a customer for his musical instruments in weeks.
“Um hello sir, are you looking for an instrument today?” Said the surprised dwarf.
Zilo stopped for a moment and looked around at the walls of the store, which was lined with instruments as far as the eye could see. The quality of the instruments looked to be that of Umbral royal Court performers, saved for those that played for the lordly dragons of his realm.
Zilo immediately forgot he was in search of an inn and instead began to fantasize about how beautiful his tones would be through one of these instruments.
“Yes kind dwarf, I was looking to find a new set of instruments, and from the looks of these, you know your melodic tools, tell me do you happen to have dancing shoes as well?”
The dwarf thought for a moment then retrieved a small pair of shoes with what looked to be metallic soles made to clack against the ground and emit a tapping noise. Zilo had never seen such innovation and thought put into the art of dance.
“I’ll take those, also a shoulder drum, of better quality than this one.” Said the bard as he dropped the drum of Bardy Mcbardson on the table.
"I was hoping to learn to play on a set without such sad memories.” Said Zilo, remembering his first friend of this realm. As Zilo turned to look back to the instruments then he saw it.
A gorgeous viola with a base of a blue tinted platinum and strings that looked to be strands of angel hair. The designs engraved in it looked rigid in contrast to the lean elegant frame. The piece was so glorious that it nearly brought Zilo to tears. It even already came with a bo latched to it by a band, just as Zilo preferred.
“That as well, such a magnificent masterpiece.” Said Zilo holding back the tears.
“Ah yes, that one Is an old favorite of mine. I worked with an elven crafter to design the base then solidified the chamber frame and details myself, it may just be my finest creation. I call her Harmony.”
Zilo retrieved Harmony from the wall and walked her over to the counter before saying, “And she is quite a beauty, how much for her and the whole lot?”
“Thousand gold pieces.” Zilo was taken aback, he had the money, but that was effectively his entire cut from the dragon hoard. Any smart man would have maybe negotiated a different price, put back one of the three items, or maybe just not made the purchase until later when they had money.
But if you’ve read this far, then you know that, that is not what Zilo did that day.
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