Can Searches the Shadowlands- Part 2

From Part 1: Can, forgetting all wariness leaves his hiding and steps out towards the dwarfs. "Garoschem - dwarflords" he shouts and stands there motionless.

Can Meets the Dwarves

The dwarfs dash up and turn towards Can, seizing their axes, looking grimly at the human. "No need to get your axes out, my lords" Can says in calm voice " you see my bow sheathed over my shoulder, and if I had any intention to harm or fight you, would I stand here unarmed  and reveal myself to you?"

There is a short silence, dwarfs studying the human and the human watching the dwarfs .... and finally they lower their axes and the smaller one asks: "And who are you, who dares to approach two dwarfs in such a sneaky way ?"

Can Wobbit: "My name is Can, Can Wobbit from Taibreamh, and I came here hoping to get news about the whereabouts or the fate of our Druid King Jaekob and his mate Lady Amethyst, for we are worried.  And who wants to know this, I ask you in return, and what is your business here, for surely this is not a dwarf dwelling?"

The smaller dwarf answers: "My name is Bradni and this is Kadrim my companion, and we are exploring the lands for a new dwelling of our people, for our old home has been destroyed by dragons, and they wasted and occupied our realm. By chance we found this place, though it does not seem to be a very friendly place"

Can Wobbit nods: "Indeed this is not a friendly place but a drow dwelling." Kadrim: "We saw a wounded drow, hiding and stealing away from us, right after we entered here. He seemed to be seriously injured, limping heavily. But we do not know more about him."

Bradni gives his companion a short disapproving look:" Why not tell him your whole family story ...?"

Can looks at Bradni : "This is important news for me to hear , and now I will tell you, why I revealed myself, and called to you openly: I watched you two for a while, and saw what you showed to Kadrim - and this amulet is well known to me ... it is Lady Amethyst´s. So I ask you to tell me how it came to you!" 

Bradni :" We found it !" Can gives the dwarf a suspicious look: "Well .... dwarfs are known to be good in "finding" things, especially if they are made of gold and gems", he says, "but this is a matter of great importance to all people of the Riverlands, so I beg you to tell me more."

Bradni hesitates, but Kadrim bursts out: "When the drow tried to hide from us, he slipped through a very narrow cleavage between two rocks, and there it must have slipped from him, or the chain broke, for we did not find a chain with it." and with these words, he pulls out the amulet from his pocket and shows it to Can.

Ame's Amulet

Can slowly moves his hand towards the amulet, and with a solemn face takes it, looking at it long and closely before handing it back to the dwarf. "This surely is Lady Ame´s" he finally said to Bradni, "and I beseech you, to hand it over to me, so I might bring it back to Riverlands, where it shall be kept safe and in honor, till at least the king and his lady will return or we hear tidings of whatever has befallen to them."

Bradni gives Can a long and searching look:" How can we trust you, Can of Taibreamh, and what proofs do you have for your words? And besides ... this is very precious jewelry and I´m not willing to give it away without some profit"

"The only proof I can give is my word, Bradni, and you do not own this necklace .... it still belongs to Lady Amethyst, either it was taken from her by force or she lost it. You only found it by chance or good fortune! But I will give you as a reward for the finder as much silver as I have with me in my pouch, and if ever your feet lead you into Taibreamh, I give you leave to search the caves there for gems and gold, and you shall take with you then, what you judge as a fair prize for that necklace. There is no more I can offer you."

Bradni nods his head slightly, giving a look to Kadrim, who nods in return, and then looks at Can again. "I will trust you, Can of Taibreamh, and your offer seems fair to me, so I take your word and one day we will come to your land, demanding the price." and with that, he hands the amulet over to Can.

Can takes out his pouch, and empties it, handing the silver and a small gem to Bradni and carefully bestows the brooch in his pouch after wrapping it in a piece of linen.

There is a minute of silence and none of the three speaks a word. After some time Can bowed to the dwarfs:" I am honored to have met you Bradni and Kadrim and may your path be always safe wherever they lead you, but I need to go on now, for there´s still hope to find more news."

"Well met Can" the dwarfs answer in one voice, and with that Can turns away from the scene and walks further along the tunnels of Shadowlands deeper into the mountain. He walks on for hours, or maybe it is days, he does not know, for he lost count of time in here, and it is difficult to find the way in all these tunnels splitting up and some ending in dead ends, others leading back to where they start. He had not met any other living thing, except some frightened spiders, hiding when he comes nearer. He truly wonders what has happened, that took the aggression and the wild madness from them. But there is something else ... his heart is easier than it was during his last visit, as if something is not present, that had filled these tunnels with a dark and depressing shadow.

The End of the Tunnels; the Last Drow House

Wandering slowly and carefully he walks a small and high tunnel and inspects the roof for spiders or bats, when his bare foot suddenly hit something. He stops and gasps in surprise: What he sees there on the floor is nothing else than a honey mead bottle...one of the pottery bottles they make and use in the Shire. Juste ... he thinks at once, and new hope arises in his heart.

He keeps searching, and exploring tunnel by tunnel, but there is no further sign of any of the three missing. Can at last comes to the final drow home, but all the mountain seems to be empty. 

So he returns down the tunnels, heavy of heart, with head hanging down, and makes his way home. Only once he looks back, before he leaves the tunnels … and it seems to him, as if there was a brief reflection of the setting sun that has mirrored on some water surface. He takes it as trick, his eyes play at him, but still wonders.  At least he hopes he can bring some new tidings that might help others to draw their conclusions.