Dragonlance Chapter 8 Thorbardin

 Dragonlance Chapter 8 Entering Thorbardin

Having returning to the refugee's, who are now flourishing in a lush valley full of game, the party discussed the plans to enter Thorbardin.  The spirit of Grallen Winterseed tells Flint his father Derkin, The High King of Living Stone is likely dead by now and he does not know which of his brothers will have taken the throne.  Flint realises that after 300 years it would like by the children of those brothers.

Without knowing how long the valley will remain safe a decision is reached to talk to the leaders of each of the different groups and convince them to gather as much food as possible and then take the journey to the secret mountain entrance.

Convincing Elistan and his true believers as well as Brooke Stonemason and Gilon Majere of the Townsfolk were the easy conversations.  The other three factions would be trickier.

Caramon sat around the fire with Briar the tribal elder from Qué-Teh who now leads the Plainsfolk, the largest faction amongst the refugees.  He was very happy with the valley; life was very similar to their old life.  Caramon made an impassioned speech to all those gathered about the dangers of the approaching Dragon Army.  Some, like Brightdawn who had found the grove of fruit trees, seems convinced but many agreed with their leader that remaining in the fertile valley was the best option.

Tanis had an awkward conversation with Bregan the Minotaur but eventually got to speak to Marcus Shatterstone who represented the Free Folk at the small council meetings.  It was clear that Marcus was prospering but convincing him to move on to a place where there might actually be commerce and trade turned out to be easier that expected.

That left just the Seekers and Highseeker Locar, not one who liked to have his orders questioned, was not having any of it.  Fortunately Caramon was able to talk with Cpt Orin Woodwind and Highseeker Darius afterwards and they were more forthcoming about getting some of their group to come to the Dwarven stronghold.

Overall it seems about two-thirds of the refugees, some 400-500 people, would travel.  The party headed off early the next morning leaving instructions with Elistan and Laurana to have people spent a day collecting as much food as possible and then follow them.

A day and a half of travel they reached the hidden door which Flint opened following the instructions from Grallen's spirit.  They had been told to expect a contingent of around fifty guards to meet them but instead the dark passageway was filled with bones and melted armour.  Was everyone in Thorbardin dead?  If so who had closed the door...

Further exploration found that the entire north complex was deserted.  There was still wells that had fresh water at the inns but all the furniture that was not carved from stone had been removed.  It seemed after the war ended with no need for commerce with the outside world this part of the Kingdom of Thorbardin has been abandoned.  While the area was small having only been built for two units of guards and some travellers, maybe 150 people at most, given the lack of carts and horses it should be possible to house the refugees here at least temporality.  Food would be a problem but at least there was water.

Tasselhoff unlocked one of the large doors.  Leaving Goldmoon and Riverwind to watch for the first of the refugee's to arrive the rest explored further finding another dark and abandoned complex a mile deeper into the mountain.  There was the faint sounds of machines moving and a drip of water.  Thanks to the wizard the brave Kender was turned invisible and explored deeper.  He found a group of armed dwarves who were looking for something.

Rushing back he let his friends know and Flint stepped forward and spoke to their leader.  He was Arman Kharas and was here to rescue his brother who had been kidnapped by the Theiwar clan.  After some discussion he agreed to take the party to the Life-Tree of the Hylar if they helped him recover his brother.

Given he was the only Hylar who spoke the human tongue Arman came with the party while the rest of his companions took a different route.  Finding the prison a brief battle ensured.  After a successful rescue everyone had to flee as reinforcements came and jumped onto moving platforms that lifted them up to different levels and allowed them to evade their pursuers.

Pick, the rescued dwarf, heads home with the guards while Arman accompanies the party back to Northgate as they want to gather their other companions.  As they travel Arman explains some of the politics and that Thorbardin has fallen into civil war in the three hundred years since the last High King died.  It takes a vote of five of the eight Thanes to elect the new High King but only six Thanes remain making almost impossible for anyone to assume the position.  The Seventh Kingdom was that of the Neidar who were banished when they started the Dwarf-gate war and with all the priests having died during the same war there was no Thane of the 8th Kingdom either.  It seemed the Dwarven Clans were, or at least had been, a fairly rigid caste system.