[b]the Goldmar and Brashiron Brothers- Underdeep Mustering Hall[/b] "I'm tellin' ye, lad, 'twas damn near 10 foot tall. Taller'n me, anyways." "Eh? We're dwarves, almost everythin' is taller'n us." The response garnered a few chuckles in an otherwise quiet room. A few stragglers had trickled in- a half giant and an orc- but they had mostly kept to themselves. Not like the two pairs of brothers- numbering six in total, three for either family- wanted to converse with the likes of either of those two, anyway. Between dwarves, half giants, and orcs, there weren't many stories to be told. Especially from the golden-haired brothers- Goldmar was their family name, and they were of the Vakt caste, the society of dwarves dedicated to filling the population. While many were unemployed- most jobs put an individual into the Arbetare caste- there were those that worked the occasional odd job if it meant good pay, and the chance to work for Dain Lionbeard himself had been enough to attract these three. They were practically triplets, save for minor variations in their faces and hairstyles: long, greasy and generally dirty blonde hair with the typical braided beards. The three wore serviceable clothing for the job, though in terms of armor it probably wasn't very protective. Just a few leather scraps here and there. Probably homemade. Sat across from them on the other side of the rectangular table were the Brashiron brothers of the Krigare Caste- the society of dwarves dedicated to guarding Underdeep and serving as its militant arm. These three showed much more variety- the middle brother was significantly larger than the two that flanked him, though all three wore squat metal helmets, so specific features were difficult to discern. Each of these three held shortswords at their sides, and the middle brother also had a buckler loosely slung around his back. In addition to their helmets, they wore the standard Krigare uniform of chain and leather garbs with a blue tabard draped over the configuration. Interestingly enough, however, the Brashiron brothers' tabards lacked the normal Sigil of Underdeep. "Whassat giant-kin doin' allaway up 'ere? He should be luggin' stones! I've got a couple'a big ol' stones he could carry." Said one of the Goldmar brothers, his face a shade of pink, and he gestured towards his pelvis. "Drunk as usual, are ye'?" replied one of the Brashirons with a giggle. "Better pipe down, bet that fella' could rip you in half." "Well I'd-" The Goldmar was interrupted by the door opening once more, though this time an interesting patron walked in. A young woman in simple clothing- one of the Brashirons noticed she had a scar on her mouth. "She don't stand a chance." "Could be one'a those mage types, for all you know, lad. She's clearly been through..[i]something[/i] and lived." The brothers sat in silence once more, sipping their ale and occasionally whispering to one another. They were beginning to grow antsy, anxious to see Dain. Two more would enter before a brother spoke once more- the new arrivals were an elf and a much more formidable looking human. "Talkative lot." The bigger Brashiron brother said, to no response. It was another elf entering that broke the silence. Neither of the pair of brothers made much sense of his praise. The Brashiron brothers queried if it would be better if they didn't intermingle with the odd assortment of "adventurers", as the second elf had called them, and stuck together as a smaller group of six. The Goldmars agreed. [quote=breathing_towers_to_hell] “It´s hardly a suitable time to be elaborating on who we do or don´t know, I think. We might as well become familiar with one another while we´re here…“ she paused for a moment to think. “I´m called by Puafria Aupa, and just so there´s no bad blood later, I am indeed attuned to the Chasm of decay.“ [/quote] Both pairs of brothers perked up when they heard that. As if on cue, the wood elf's quill had also snapped. The six jabbered away among themselves as the wood elf said something and introduced himself as Deliv; the six had only caught the latter half. "I'll not be workin' with somethin' like that." a Brashiron had said. The other two grunted in approval. The Goldmars remained speechless, though the stern looks on their faces told a tale all their own. "The Brashirons do nothin' but defend our home from your kind, we'll not see that changed today. You'll find little welcome in Underdeep, witch." The three of the Krigare caste left the mustering hall, not giving the young woman another glance. They were soon followed by the drunk Goldmars, who each gave the scarred woman one last hateful look before exiting. -- [b]the Deep Pits[/b]- [i]*clink*[/i] [i]*clink*[/i] The sounds of hundreds of pickaxes hitting rock consecutively resonated in the large cavern. Occasionally one could hear a sharp [i]pang[/i] as a miner "accidentally" hit at their shackles; just today almost a dozen had to be sent back to the small living area (comprised of cramped depressions in the rocks where beds could be laid) to be treated for crippling their own legs with the things. The Krigare Caste guards didn't know why they bothered doing such, the shackles would still remain, and in most cases they would be back on the line within the hour, chipping away at the great rocky chasm. These guards were placed at various sections within the chasm itself- their number totaled about fifty, but there were barracks stationed along the route to the Deep Pits that carried reinforcements, if need be. "What in the name of Thorbr is that?" Hundreds of sets of eyes turned towards where the commotion had come from. No sooner had a miner struck a rock than it started to ooze a black, gelatinous liquid. It slowly poured from the hole onto the dwarfs feet. Guards gathered around and pulled the miner back behind them as the gelatinous mass grew larger- something in the middle of the ooze glowed purple. The mass continued to grow until it suddenly burst with a loud [i]pop[/i] sound, and black worm-like larvae spurt forth into the surrounding troop. There were four of them- one for each guard that had placed himself near the ooze- and compared to a dwarf, they were almost the size of one of their legs. The four all yelped in unison as the larvae gnawed at the weak points in their armor- at the neck, under their arms, and at the face. Catching them by surprise, the four worms made quick work chewing through their first victims, who now lay in a crumpled and bloodied heap. Around the Deep Pits more and more of this black ooze started to permeate the very rock- pouring out of every small crevice and crack and onto the floor. The guards quickly ushered the miners away and sent them back into the shaft that acted as the entrance and exit to the chasm. Krigare Sergeants barked orders and soon a shield-wall was formed as more worm-like larvae burst from the ooze-eggs. One Sergeant called out, "Someone send a message back to Dain! The evil rises once more!" [i](Additional info: Since [b]Aupa[/b] is attuned to the Chasm of death and decay, she can feel these creatures' presence, though at such a distance away it would be incredibly slight, such as her scar having the slightest tingling sensation or something. Nothing that would really scream "Something is wrong". The [b]Mortugals[/b], being just as much a product of the Chasm as these creatures are, would also have a slight sense of them, though since they lack the control of the Chasm that Aupa pertains, it would be an even lesser sensation. They probably wouldn't feel anything, at this distance.)[/i]