“Okay, now that we’re all back together again,” Cleatus clapped his paws together as the party all congregated together at the open garden tavern. Shaynen felt his jaws tense for a few minutes as Cleatus stood up from the table grown up from the ground. He stared at the table until Cleatus spread out the map so the party all could see the two trails they would need to take.

“So, I don’t know a whole lot about either of these places. What I know about the mines is that no one who goes in, ever comes out. The pass is equally dangerous but people do come back from there.” Cleatus pointed as he talked. “Last I heard it had something to do with giants.”

“That’s not much to work with.” Odelia said, looking over the map. “I like the idea of the mines, I’m not keen on giants.”

“I’m certainly more comfortable underground.” Haagut agreed.

“Yeah but, the mines; no one comes back. Some people make it through the pass.” Shaynen pointed out.

“Shaynen’s got a point. Why don’t we all split and see if there’s anything we’re missing.” Cleatus said. “I’ll look into the pass.”

“I’ll take the mines,” Odelia said.

“As will I,” Haagut agreed.

“Guess that leaves me with the pass.” Shaynen said. Cleatus folded up his map.

“Let’s meet up back here by dark.” Cleatus said. The party nodded and separated. Cleatus moved through the streets and met the elven guard woman again. Her face soured as she saw him, he nodded politely and moved past. Pulling a pedestrian aside to ask about the pass. But the pedestrian only shook his head and quickly moved on. After a few more people with the same result he looked around and saw the guardswoman close behind him. Her suspicious and disgusted face told him more than anything he’d learned from the other’s he’d pulled aside. There was nothing more he would learn tonight.

Shaynen wandered through the streets. He stopped outside the large tavern, thinking any travellers who came through would go there first. He went inside and there were a few people around the tables. Chatting quietly to themselves. All elven and none seemed particularly well traveled.

Shaynen strolled up to the counter where there was a few people drinking and an older man giving him a suspicious look.

“I don’t think you’re old enough to be drinking, boy” he said.

“Oh no! Nothing for me thanks,” Shaynen waved with a short laugh. “I was actually wondering if you’d heard anything about the mountain pass? Karazan-Kor pass?”

“Not much. Last I heard was that there was a city of giants up in the mountains and the pass goes by it.” The man shrugged. “But that’s all I know. You want to know about whats outside the city? Ask the guards at the gates. They’re the ones who talk to adventurers.”

“All right! Thanks!” Shaynen waved and turned to head for the gates.

Odelia walked very deliberately. She saw a guard chatting with a shopkeeper.

“Hey! Either of you know anything about the mines of Durak-zol?” She said as she stormed up to them. The shopkeeper nearly fell over, and the guard almost jumped out of his armor.

“I don’t know anything,” the shopkeeper insisted. Odelia looked at the guard, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“There’s not much that I know.” He said, “Last I heard was something about the miners breaking through to the underdark. Something about a powerful magic, those that go in can get out the same way.” Odelia nodded.

“Nice talking to you.” She nodded and turned away.

Haagut wandered the streets trying to figure out where to start looking. With only one point of contact; he went to the dwarven man’s home. He spent a few awkward minutes preparing to knock before taking a deep breath and knocking hard on the door. Muttering inaudibly how he hoped he wasn’t home.

Instead, the door opened. The dwarf opened it confused.

“Uh, this is a shop. You don’t have to knock,” he said confused.

“Oh! Uh! I… I am looking for some information about the mines of.. Durak-zol?” Haagut stopped and started many times before getting out the words he was trying to say. The dwarf looked around and then narrowed his eyes at Haagut. His steel gaze softened slightly and then opened his door.

“Come on in, I’ve something to show you.” He said quietly. Haagut walked in and the dwarf closed and locked the door behind him. “I probably shouldn’t be showing you this…” The dwarf passed Haagut and led him back into a sub-ground level room that served as a private bedroom.

“Living in a city like this, you don’t see many smallfolk, like us” The dwarf said. He got into a locked chest and dug through it. “And I can’t let you- in good conscience- go anywhere near those mines blindly.” He pulled out of the chest a small rolled up parchment paper. He untied the leather strap and rolled it out over the floor.

“This is a map of the known mine shafts.” He said. “At the end, where you want to go, there is a riddle to leave the mines.” Haagut looked over the map and nodded.

“Thank you. This- this is very helpful.” Haagut nodded. The dwarf rolled up the map and held it to him. Haagut slowly took it but the dwarf didn’t release it right away.

“You take care down there,” He said very gravely. Haagut nodded slowly. Swallowing thickly. “Us smallfolk need to help each other out,” The map was released into Haagut’s hand.

“Thank you,” Haagut said.

A small sparse crowd of guards rushed past Shaynen in the streets. Out of curiosity he ran after them to the city gates. He squeezed through the spectators and saw a group being led through the city. He recognized one at Edwin. Shaynen waved as Edwin saw him. Beside him Odelia pushed through.

“What’s going on?” She asked. Shaynen shrugged, he turned toward one of the guards and asked what was happening. The guard told him the group was being led to the shaman woman and was most likely fleeing corruption. As he was talking Odelia stiffened. One of the group was a sorceress who saw Odelia and had stopped dead.

“Odelia?” The woman called. Odelia spun and quickly moved away. Shaynen watched Odelia leave surprised and then back to the woman who was still calling after her. Shaynen quickly moved through the crowd and caught up with Odelia.

“I really, really want to ask.” He said, looking at her through the corner of his eye. “But I will not.” He tensed his jaw to stop the thousand of thoughts from tumbling out.

“There’s nothing to tell, just some old friends.” Odelia said. She ran her fingers through her hair and pushed it back. “You wouldn’t want to see any of your old friends.”

“I’d love that actually.” Shaynen remarked. “I haven’t seen any of my friends in nearly a month.”

“We have a different definition of friends, I guess.” Odelia said tiredly.

“If they’re someone you wouldn’t want to see, I would define them as friends.” Shaynen sped up and leaned forward to try and look Odelia in the eye. She looked at him irritably, then scoffed and shrugged in defeat.

“Yeah, guess they aren’t friends.” She said. “Just old schoolmates from the academy.”

“Okay!” Shaynen smiled happy that this was the first time he’d carried a conversation with him for so long. “Can I ask about that?”

“No.” Odelia said definitively. “All I’ll say is that the academy isn’t a place you want to enroll your kids to.”

“Enroll?” Shaynen asked. “You enroll kids in school? I thought you just dropped them off at the compound at school age and picked them up at graduation.” Odelia made a sound that Shaynen mistook for a choke but was really her laughing.

“Well you’re not completely wrong,” she chuckled. “C’mon it’s getting late. Let’s go meet up with everyone else.”

Cleatus was back at the meeting place before anyone else. The elven guard still watching him in the distance. Shaynen and Odelia walked up. A short time later, Haagut appeared as well.

“Okay what have we learned?” Cleatus asked. Each of them took their turns explaining the things they found, ending with Haagut unrolling the map.

“The end has a door with what I would assume to be a fairly difficult riddle at the end of it.” Haagut explained. “I dunno if anyone has any experience with riddles,”

“Well, we have a map. So even if we don’t get the riddle right away, we’d have to get it eventually.” Shaynen shrugged.

“I’d rather not spend the rest of my life puzzling in the dark over a riddle.” Haagut mentioned. “And I do believe some of us will live longer than the rest of us.” Odelia and Haagut both looked at Shaynen.

“So the pass then?” Cleatus said. Staring off in the direction the elven guard had vanished in.

“I feel more confident having a map than not at all.” Odelia said.

“And I’m more comfortable underground.” Haagut agreed.

“Mines then.” Cleatus said.

“Mines it is! Now let’s find a place to crash and tomorrow we head for the mines!” Shaynen said.