The Underdark

[Shin]

The lightless depths of the Underdark, with it's maze like tunnels that lead adventurers miles below the surface winding and twisting. There was no light, no wind no noise except for perhaps the dripping of watter in some stagnant pool. An echoe that to untrained ears would sound like it came from every direction at once.

Even the hardiest of travelers would find the Underdark an unhospitipal place with none of the luxurys of the surface world. Running water was more valuable then a kings ransom, food was near impossible to find and to taste the wrong mushroom that grew in the dark damp corners was to invite death to your doorstep.

Of course, the Underdark was native to it's own races, things that had adapted to survive in this place or even worse yet...things that came from the lowest portions of the Underdark, where it crossed with the realm of shadows. Beings found only in the worst of nightmares and horrible abominations not yet even imagined.

Not all of the Underdark was untamed, caverns that proved large enough sometimes ended up being homes to the more sentient and powerful races. One such race was the Druegar, Kin to the dwarfs, but with skin that looked like charcoal and eyes as dark as the the Underdark itself.

Within their mighty kingdom of Rudeckg, a dwarf kingdom that served as a trading post for the many races of the underdark, they built weapons and armor that rivaled their surface dwelling cousins. The very air around the kingdom was several degrees warmer because of all the forges, and unlike the underdark the kingdom was constantly in motion. Dwarfs worked at their smithy and ran their shops, goblins and other races set up their respective shops. Another day was about to begin..

[luciandevine]

Damek Niall walked slowly and quietly through the long and silent tunnels of the underdark. "Such a fitting name." Damek said to himself. He had no idea how far down he was, or even how large the underdark was. In truth he had only been alive for a sparse couple of years.

The story of Damek Niall was a unique one to say the least. For starters he was a stonechild, of which there were so few, that almost nobody even remembered the name of their race. In addition to that, Damek had had no childhood. He had simply woken up one day in the underdark, fully clothed in earth tones, knowing nothing other than his name and what it meant. His name meant "earth's champion".

Damek had met very few people on his long and winding trek through the underdark, and of that few, even less had been friendly. Most of the things he had encountered in the underdark were monsters seeking to make him their next meal. Most of the humanoids he had encountered had taken one look at him, and even before they knew who and what he was, decided they wanted to try to take him captive and make a pretty penny by selling him into slavery.

Damek had woken up with no knowledge of civilization, and no knowledge of which peoples he could trust. As such, he learned quickly to always be prepared to defend himself. It was for that reason that he had chosen the weapon that he had, an adamantine quarterstaff. The staff itself was great for both offense and defense, and similarly, the adamantine it was made of was more than hard enough to stop most blades. In addition to his abilities with the staff, Damek had also woken up with a keen knowledge of unarmed fighting techniques, made especially effective by the extra pair of arms he had been "born" with. Inwardly, Damek had always wondered about that, more as to who had created him, and what was their reason for doing so and making him as they had. Damek had however learned, that such differences weren't widely accepted in the few towns that were in the underdark, so he went to great lengths to hide his extra pair of arms. In fact, he had had a specially made cloak with pockets inside the inner linings in which he could comfortably rest his arms, while still keeping them completely concealed as long as the cloak was drawn tight about him. The only other thing that Damek wore aside from his clothes were bracers on each wrist, each made of adamantine like his staff. They further added to his defense, allowing him to block swords and quickly counter attack.

The last group of friendly people Damek had met, an a mining party of svirfniblim, deep gnomes, had informed him of a trade city here in the underdark that they had left not too long ago. Damek had thanked them and quickly started heading towards it. He had no knowledge of the passage of time, made especially so by his lack of a need to sleep. IT seemed to him that whomever had created him, had made to be very defensive and very adaptable. He needed very little food, and just as little water to survive, which served him very well in the underdark.

Damek felt the change in the rocks and dirt around him long before he heard it. He knew then that he was approaching the town the svirfniblim had told him about. Yet he continued to walk slowly and carefully, knowing that any number of beasts might be lurking nearby, hoping to catch a travel-weary wanderer unaware. He gave a small sigh as he rounded the last bend in the tunnel and saw the trade city. Damek knew that the city had many varieties of people living in it, and he was wary of so many strangers. Deeper than his wariness however, was his want to be rid of this underdark, and hopefully reach the surface. With that thought in mind, Damek hiked up his backpack, made sure his staff was secured on his back, and hiked the last little bit to the town. He wasn't sure what he would find in a town such as this, but one thing was for sure. Things surely couldn't be much worse here than out there in the untamed underdark.

[Shin]

The steady hum of the cities forges, caused by the banging of smithy hammers, combined with the constant mining that took place not more then a dozen yards under the city and out in all directions sent many, many vibrations all throughout the large cavern that housed Rudeckg. That in itself was enough to tell Damek the cities direction, unfortunately, the same vibrations that Damek was intune with would become overpowering at such a close range. The city itself would seem to be a large creature in constant motion.

"Name your purpose half-breed." A gruff dwarvish voice shouted in common from the darkness ahead, even to a creature that could see in the dark the dwarf would not be seen, unless one of course could see invisible creatures. Not known for their hospitility but for their bluntness and straightforward approach to all aspects of life the Druegar shifted slightly, the plates of his armor scraping together lightly roughtly thirty feet infront of Damek.

[luciandevine]

What was usually his greatest advantage, his tremorsense, was now a liability for Damek. The constant thrumming of the city, and the banging of hammers reverberated right through all the stone, and right into Damek's mind, shattering any semblance of concentration. As such he had no chance of seeing, hearing, or even sensing the druegar.

"Name your purpose half-breed."

Damek stopped the second he heard the voice, knowing that though the trade was neutral, the roads outside it were fair game. Despite the very short amount he had lived, Damek was no stranger to misunderstandings and prejudice. His face was stoic as he calmly looked for the speaker. "Just passing through looking for a group who came from, or is headed to teh surface." Damek said calmly. He still couldn't see the speaker, but his senses were still tuned and ready, even if his tremorsense was useless. Despite his calm nature, Damek was ready to defend himself if it became necessary.

[Shin]

There was a long silence between the invisble dwarf and Damek before he cleared his throat and stepped out from the shadows, his form now visible as the innate magic faded.

"If yer looking to get to the surface, yer best bet is with one of them mercenary caravans." The dwarf was dressed in the city uniform, which was composed of full plate mail and a giant warhammer held in hand. He displayed the kind of confidence only a dwarf could, the kind of dwarf who was safely surrounded by allies incase the half-breed tried something.

"Seek Grothar. If anyone can get ye a passage it's him, bet my own beard on it. Now move along." He gestured towards the city, stepping back to the shadows and vanishing again not giving Damek a chance to ask questions.

[luciandevine]

There was a long silence between Damek and his unseen antagonist before he cleared his throat and stepped out from the shadows.

"If yer looking to get to the surface, yer best bet is with one of them mercenary caravans." The dwarf was dressed in the city uniform, which was composed of full plate mail and a giant warhammer held in hand. He displayed the kind of confidence only a dwarf could, the kind of dwarf who was safely surrounded by allies. In response to the dwarf's arrogance Damek held his own composure. His arms hung loosely at his sides, but his shoulders were still squared, and his head held high.

"Seek Grothar. If anyone can get ye a passage it's him, bet my own beard on it. Now move along." He gestured towards the city, stepping back to the shadows and vanishing again not giving Damek a chance to ask questions. Damek sighed softly in exasperation. He was tired of life down here in the underdark.

Damek didn't offer another word to the dwarf. He simply walked forward, entering the city. If there was one thing that wasn't hard to find in a dwarf city, it was a tavern. And Damek certainly didn't have any troubles finding the largest tavern in the city. The tavern was a large and expansive building with a sign out front sporting the name
"Stonehand's Alehouse". Damek walked inside the massive building and moved quietly through the large crowd of people. It took a fair bit of time for him to wade through the large crowd, but when he made it to the bar he found a stool and signaled to the barkeep. Due to the large crowd, it took a while before the barkeep wandered over to him.

"What can I get for ya stranger?"

"Just an ale and some information." Damek responded calmly, laying down a generous five gold, and showing another five gold. "Where can I find a man named Grothar?"

[Shin]

The day was nearing it's end and already the many of the cities inhabitants were leaving the tunnels and their smithys to fill the cities many taverns. All manner of creatures filled the streets and taverns. Ithilids, Druegar, Humans, Trolls and even the occasinal Drow.

Stonehand's Alehouse was large, four stories tall and three deep. The top floor was reversed for those with loose morals and a heavy coin purse, where all manner of pleasures could be bought. The next two floors were rooms to be used, the ground floor and next floor down were for drinking, the next below that served as an 'arena' of sorts where a person could place wagers on who would come out alive and the door to the deepest known floor was locked and guarded by a trio of guards.

The dwarven tender greeidly scooped up the five gold that Damek payed for the drink and eyed the other five in his hand, tugging on his own beard as his dark eyes seeked to penetrate the cowl of Damek and get a bead on the man. He set the ale on the table and tugged his beard, which would have been long enough to touch the floor if he hadn't had it braided , tucked into his belt then ran behind him and to serve like tail coats.

"Grothar,ehh? If it's the leader of the Dwarvenarrow Brigade you seek then i'd check the arena." The tender jerked a thumb towards the stairs that lead downstairs. "But I warn ya, he aint as eager to listen as he is to empty his coin purse." The dwarf let out a hardy laugh at his own joke, then extended his dirty palm to recieve the payment of five gold for the information.

[luciandevine]

"Grothar,ehh? If it's the leader of the Dwarvenarrow Brigade you seek then i'd check the arena." The tender jerked a thumb towards the stairs that lead downstairs. "But I warn ya, he aint as eager to listen as he is to empty his coin purse." The dwarf let out a hardy laugh at his own joke, then extended his dirty palm to recieve the payment of five gold for the information.

Damek nodded his understanding to the dwarf and pushed the second batch of five gold across the counter. He then settled back a little in his seat, taking a hold of his mug as he thought about his options. He knew very well what would likely happen, and he was torn on what exactly he wanted to do. If he went to the to meet Grothar, he would likely have to prove his worth in the arena. On the other hand, his only other alternative was to spend the rest of his life here in the underdark, and that was most certainly something he didn't want. "I suppose the end can justify the means at least this once." Damek said softly to himself. He then quickly downed the rest of his ale and stood up, leaving his empty mug on the counter.

Damek moved towards the stairs and walked down two flights of steps. It didn't take Damek long to figure out which dwarf was Grothar. One look around the room told Damek what he needed to know. The loud and boisterous raucous coming from him and the group surrounding him were just icing on the cake. Damek walked slowly and confidently through the crowd, moving until he stood right in front of Grothar. "Grothar I presume?" Damek quietly. What would one have to do to convince you to take him up to the surface on your next expedition?"

[Shin]

The tavern, for as large as it was, was hard to navigate with all the bodies moving about. As Damek got to the stairs a handful of dwarfs clan in dark chainmail carrying battle-axes and wearing the colors of the city guard forced there way into the building.

The dwarf in the lead pointed out and sent his men in two different directions. He was an old dwarf, by any races standards, his hair was more gray then black now days, with a beard trimmed neatly to stop at in 'v' shape just above his large golden belt buckle and a scar that went across his forehead that looked like it had been created by a less then steady hand.

Getting to Grothar wouldn't prove as easy as Lucian had anticipated, his movements directly towards the Dwarf would be registered as a hostile action by the guards that not only flanked the trader but to to the ones that were within the shadows. Damek would make it half way through his sentence before an attack, non-lethal, came from several directions at once.

The first, and most obvious, would be a dwarf at Gareths side stepping out to slam his buckler at Dameks midsection, a second and least noticeable would be the adamantine haft of an axe cocked between Dameks legs then pulled harshly to the side to throw the intruder off balance and finally the third would be a powerful tug on Dameks cloak that also came from behind. All attempts were to pull the man off balance and onto his back, where the end of several weapons would be pointed in his direction.

Of course if all failed the weapons would still be present and ready to strike.

Grothar would remain passive during the whole ordeal, his attention fully on the fight at hand, and judging by his demeanor it was a fight his man, a dark-elf, was winning.

[luciandevine]

Damek noticed a slight stir in the crowd around even before he started to talk. It wasn't until he was in the middle of his statement that he better realized his currant situation. Luckily for him, the dwarves that were around him were true to their race and noisy in their approach. Damek's ears picked up the sound of them, even before his near useless tremorsense told him they were there.

Damek had been wary of his surrounding, something that had been more than a little necessary in his life in the underdark. The only attack that Damek actually saw was the buckler coming from the side aimed at his midsection.

Damek's response to all of the attacks was done in one quick flurry of motion. Damek pulled his lower hands free of their hidden pocket in his cloak and shrugged it off at the same moment that a hand grabbed it and roughly pulled it. In that moment, Damek pivoted on his left foot and reached upwards to grab his staff. Meanwhile, Damek lifted his lower left arm, trying to knock the buckler to his side as he pivoted. Meanwhile, Damek brought his staff to bear and brought it around, holding it in both his upper arms, Damek tried to hit the attacking dwarf across the face, not with lethal force, but at least enough to stun him. Also in that moment, Damek felt the haft of an axe hit his leg. Had his weight still been on both legs, it might have caused him to stumble, but with his full weight on that leg, it didn't do much of anything.

Things weren't quite going as Damek had intended, but with the control out of his hands, Damek backed slowly away, in the direction of the dwarf he had hit. Damek's eyes and ears were perked and ready, his full form was revealed now, and things didn't always end well when that happened.

[Shin]

Attention had been shifted from the fight he had placed bets on to the fight a mere few feet in front of him. Grothar raised a bushy brow in amusement. The attacking dwarf with the shield, who had been standing on his left, overbalanced and being as Grothar had been sitting a on a raised platform, fell over the railing to land loudly on some patrons whos attention had been on the fight.

The dwarf who pulled on the cloak simply tossed it aside and drew forth two small throwing axes and prepared to throw, only to be stopped by Grothars upraised hand. The third and final dwarf, the one who had attempted to trip Damek brought his axe around in a quick powerful arc, diverting it's momentum at the last second away from the one leg Damek was standing on and into wooden planks that shattered under it's impact.

"What's the idea? Ye think you can just walk up to anyone ye want? Ye four armed demon...orc brained..." Grothar mumbled a few more curses before leveling his dark eyes on the four armed thing that stood before him. "What in the nine hells do ye want?"

He asked, calmly sitting in his chair, a dozen crossbows aimed and pointed at Damek, even the fighters in the ring had stopped their match and began to calmly walk in the direction of the commotion that halted their fight.

[luciandevine]

The attacking dwarf with the shield, who had been standing on his left, overbalanced and being as Grothar had been sitting a on a raised platform, fell over the railing to land loudly on some patrons whos attention had been on the fight.

The dwarf who pulled on the cloak simply tossed it aside and drew forth two small throwing axes and prepared to throw, only to be stopped by Grothars upraised hand. The third and final dwarf, the one who had attempted to trip Damek brought his axe around in a quick powerful arc, diverting it's momentum at the last second away from the one leg Damek was standing on and into wooden planks that shattered under it's impact.

"What's the idea? Ye think you can just walk up to anyone ye want? Ye four armed demon...orc brained..." Grothar mumbled a few more curses before leveling his dark eyes on the four armed thing that stood before him. "What in the nine hells do ye want?"

He asked, calmly sitting in his chair, a dozen crossbows aimed and pointed at Damek, even the fighters in the ring had stopped their match and began to calmly walk in the direction of the commotion that halted their fight.

Despite the drastic turn of events, Damek's face was calm. He turned his emerald gaze to Grothar as he spoke. "I was just wondering when you're next journey to the surface was, and if you had room for one more." Damek said softly as he eyed the raised crossbows pointed at him. He knew that if it came down to it, he didn't have a chance.

[Shin]

Grothar let out a deep rumble of a laugh, his voice echoing in the large room that served has the arena. "Ye want to travel with me?" As if on cue the other dwarfs that accompanied him began to laugh.

"Seeing as ye interrupted my fight I should just have ye killed on the spot." He leaned forward in his chair, reaching to the side of him to the double sided axe that served as his weapon. His grip tightened around it causing it to flare to life and fill the room with a deep purple glow.

"What do ye have to offer me? Or better yet, why should I spare yer life?" Grothar stood from his chair, an even five foot in height. His corded muscles flexing as he brought his double ended weapon infront of him. He took on a threatening posture, an evil gleam in his eyes. Unlike their surface kin Druegars skin ranged from a dusky gray to dark soot. Grothars skin seemed to be more akin to a drows, polished black. Making him appear to be a void of blackness against an already dark background, the lift side of his form bathed in a deep purple light. He seemed to be waiting for Damek to answer before pouncing forward...

[luciandevine]

Grothar let out a deep and rumbling laugh. Almost as if on cue, the entire group of dwarves broke into laughter as well.

"Ye want to travel with me? Seeing as ye interrupted my fight I should just have ye killed on the spot."

Damek watched as Grothar to the side, grabbing up a double sided axe. With the first touch of his hand, the axe started to glow deep purple.

"What do ye have to offer me? Or better yet, why should I spare yer life?"

Grothar stood up then. He was an even five feet tall, his chest and arms impressively muscled. Damek watched as the druegar brought his weapon to bear in front of him. He seemed to be waiting for Damek to answer before pouncing forward...

Damek took up a loose defensive stance as he saw the dwarfs movements, holding his adamantine staff in his upper arms crosswise in front of him . He was still quite aware of all the other dwarfs around him, but he doubted that they would fire if the dwarf initiated the fight. Damek's gaze was still steady, and his body calm and ready as he started to speak.

"I can offer you a front, rear, or sideguard, more expendable to you than another druegar, just as knowledgeable, far more quite, and at least twice as skilled as most any man here. How's that sound?"

Damek wasn't normally one to brag, but this was one situation where not selling himself to the fullest could cause a fight that was likely best avoided.

[Shin]

"You sound very sure of yourself." A voice of a velvet, soft and decivingly calm called out from behind Damek. The dark elf that had been fighting moments ago now strode towards Grothat and Damek. Blood red eyes calcualted the scene, looked over several the dwarfs who were now picking themselves up after so easily being tossed around.

It wasn't until he circled around to the side, staying clear of Damek, that he noticed the extra set of arms on the man who had defeated Grothars guards. He strode to Grothars side, tapping a finger against the bottom of his chin in thought.

"Master Grothar. May I suggest a feat of strength?"

"I am listening boy." Grothar commented to the drow at his side, his body language showing he was uncomfortable with the dark elf so close to him.

"Let him prove himself against Charuizidaielay."

"Old Char?" Grothar smiled wickedly. "What do ye say freak? Fight Old Char?"