Temple Docks

In the dim twilight of the undermountain air she saw - to her amazement - that one of the figures was the Allarian Knight and another was a dog, surely Velus the Accursed! The other two figures were men whose faces were unknown to Astra.

"Fredrigo!" she yelled.

"Princess Astra!!" responded Fred as he waived his arm.

Once the skiff was moored to the dock the Princess had many questions of the Knight, including: "What happened with the library? How did you come to be here?"

Fred explained how he had entered the lair that was filled with books, some full of dust, others with the look of recent perusal. He told of how he had heard noises and discovered a man-sized ventilation shaft, how he had pryed it open and had begun to investigate. He spoke in whispers how he fell some many yards but came to a stop at a crossroads of sorts. Upon prying out through another grate he found himself in a brewery room and had come upon Adz, a brewer from Califie and prisoner of the Dragon. Together they made their escape and soon discovered Felix, a tailor from MalBoncton who also had become prisoner.

Though Astra instinctively distrusted all who hailed from MalBoncton she kept her opinion to herself. Instead she said: "Did you learn anything of the MageDragon's Lair?"

Adz broke in then, saying: "Ah, my dear, the Shreken-Dragon sleeps on a bed of gold in the center of this most terrible maze of tunnels."

"But," interrupted Felix, "If we make our way to the Bazaar and drop therefrom underneath the mushroom fields, we may just find it faster."

And then, to Astra's complete amazement, Velus spoke: "Arf! But we gotta, growl, be careful of the kobolds, gnomes, and orcs down there, rowr!"

"You SPEAK!" cried Astra. And thereupon Fred explained how, in the library, he had found a few books on spells. Though Fred himself refused to use such distrustful arcane devices, Felix was more than happy to try the hex he took to mean - "Undo". Though Velus was still in the form of a dog, he now had the power of his vocal cords!

"But how did you get here?" asked Astra of Fred.

"We, um, got lost," he answered.

"And I say," said Adz, "I have never seen this mighty Temple before. I think we should investigate."

1. The group agrees, and they do... investigate, that is.
2. The group does not agree and tries to find the way to the Bazaar, or the mushroom fields, either of which would lead them, ultimately, to the Dragon's Lair.

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