The Council were waiting for the group, sat in the main hall behind a large desk bereft of adornment. Chairs had already been placed out for the group and Valino and a dwarf in dull plate mail stood to one side of the room, with Beltak the scribe sat in the far corner behind a small desk, parchment and quill at the ready.

Tymander was sat in the middle of the Council trio, with His Radiant Servant, Tremak on his right, and Barghest on his left. ‘Please, be seated,’ offered Tymander, smiling at the group. ‘Can I offer any of you refreshments?’

The party slowly sat down, although none of them took Tymander up on his offer.

‘It looks as though you have had a most, uhm, interesting tenday since you arrived on our shores, wet, bedraggled, and within inches of your lives. Just what hardy adventurers are made, of, eh?" said Tymander openly.

‘You have helped us find two of our sons, repelled a goblin and kobold force, brought our smith back safely from a folly of an expedition, and now, if rumours are to believed, found hidden chambers that even our own well-trained guard could not find,’ the merchant continued, drawing a scowl from Valino.

‘You are to be congratulated. These are just the sort of heroics that we hoped adventurers would bring to these lands. Before long, we may be able to stretch our horizons beyond our small settlement and really strike out into the wilderness.’

Tymander continued smiling, and even Barghest looked pleased. Tremak, however, remained impassive throughout.

‘Now, to business,’ Tymander continued. ‘I believe you have found many items and discoveries of importance. Discoveries that may indeed tell us much more about our lands.’ He looked from each adventurer to the next, with a hopeful look, expecting someone to speak up and tell their story.

‘We will send a group to investigate this cellar, or forge, now that you believe it’s safe,’ said Barghest, speaking up for the first time. ‘We’ll clean it up a bit and see if we can determine what went on there. I’m sure Caldring would be most interested to…’

At that point the door behind the party burst open, with an apologetic guard trying desperately to pull Caldring back out of the room. ‘She wouldn’t listen, sir!’ implored the guard to Valino. ‘I told her it were private, like, but she kept on coming through.’

‘Why the interruption, my lady smith?’ quizzed Tymander as Barghest nodded for the guard to leave her, lest he get injured in the process of holding on to her.

Caldring shrugged off the guard and walked firmly up to the table, depositing the chain mail from the forge on the desk, almost reverently. ‘This!’ she uttered. ‘I think I know where it has come from!’ She seemed both exhilarated and agitated, drawing deep breaths and fidgeting.

‘Would you care to expand?’ asked Barghest.

‘The links are exceptionally fine, do you see, and the metal is an alloy that I have yet to fully fathom, but would require great heat to combine. It might be the earth fire forge that helps in this instance — the heat would allow the molten metals to more fully‘’

‘Yes, yes, yes,’ interrupted Barghest. ‘We’re not here for a metallurgy lesson. What of the origin of the mail?’

She blushed somewhat, not sure whether to continue. After a moment she spoke, but quietly. ‘It’s from the Feywild,’ she said, almost apologetically.

‘The Feywild!’ blurted Tremak, his demeanour changing for the first time. ‘That is but a fairy tale.’ He laughed heartily, and looked over to Tymander and Barghest.

Tymander ignored his comrade’s mirth and asked Caldring to continue, ‘Go on, m’lady.’

‘Amongst the elves we believe there is another plane of existence, one that mirrors this one but is more verdant and wild. One that can be crossed to at certain points from this world.’ Her eyes glassed over slightly as she continued, reciting as if from childhood memories of stories.

‘Towering forests sprawl for a thousand leagues. Perfect amber prairies roll between pristine mountain peaks soaring into the flawless clouds. Emerald, turquoise, and jade green seas crash along endless beaches. The skies are a perfect blue, not seen in the mortal world — until storms come, coal-dark thunderheads boiling with fierce winds and torrential rains. In this world, arcane power thrums through every tree and rock. All existence is magical. Our elven cousins live there, the Eladrin, and they perform great works or art from architecture, to music, to smithcraft.

‘My head cannot explain the smithcraft that has gone into this mail, but ever since I have touched it my heart has known the answer, it has been constructed by Eladrin hands.’

There was silence for a moment and Caldring just stood in front of the Council, her chest rising and falling to her deep breaths, her cheeks reddened by her embarrasment.

‘Nonsense!’ demanded Tremak, standing up behind the desk. ‘Have we been to this “Feywild”, smith? Have we seen these “Eladrin” on our shores? It is absurd. Pelor would have shone a light to guide our way to these lands should they exist, rather than allowing us to overgrow our Islands. I say it cannot be so!’

Silence rang out once more. Tradden, clearly fuming at the sudden outburst at the smith, started to stand, but a firm hand on each shoulder from Kireth and Khalin stopped him in his tracks.

‘Perhaps you are right,’ Caldring eventually replied, meekly. ‘I’m not sure why I interrupted you — it seemed to be most important at the time. Please, I beg your forgiveness.’

‘Hmpf!’ snorted Tremak, and sat down once again in his chair. Caldring slowly walked towards the exit.

Tremak’s eyes burned as he looked directly at Kireth. ‘You dare to contradict me?’ he spat at the wizard, malice in his voice.

Kireth was taken aback for a moment — he had not expected such ferocity from the priest. It took a few moments to compose himself.

Kireth had chosen his words well, the Council conferred quietly, and he’d managed to get his point across without revealing his translations of the books he had covertly read.

After a long couple of minutes, the Council nodded between themselves, and Tymander turned back to the group.

‘Although we are still skeptical, your argument, and Caldring’s views, hold some sway with us, due to your honesty and help towards this town. We must use all we can from the Tower to see if we can corroborate your theory — Barghest’s men will bring back what they can for further study under the supervision of His Radiant Servant.

‘If, and I say if, your theory is right then we must plan carefully how we defend this town. Goblin, and now Kobold, forces seem to be on the uprise, and we cannot know for sure what is behind them.

‘Perhaps you could help us once more in this regard. We will investigate the Tower fully and share anything we find with you. We will give you free board and lodging at the inn. However, we would ask one small favour in return — please investigate where these Goblins and Kobolds are coming from. We cannot afford for their numbers to grow and we cannot depend on the protective stones of this town for ever.

‘There is a Goblin cave to the south of here, in the cliffs near a waterfall. Gilmorril has staked it out before. I would ask him to join you, but he is away to the east scouting the environs. Rindall here,’ Tymander motioned to the dwarf in dull plate mail, who smiled in anticipation of joining the group, ‘was with Gilmorril, but came back to report on his findings.’

‘If you could ascertain the size of their force from this den it would be of great help to the town. Removing them would be even better.’

Tymander started to continue, but Tremak interrupted. ‘It would greatly please the Council if you would allow Beltak to accompany you.’

The merchant’s jaw dropped somewhat, but he recovered quickly, and just glowered at the priest. Beltak simply dropped his quill in astonishment, fear, and excitement. Rindall, the dwarf, scowled and looked across at Tymander.

‘He is most skilled in recording and transcribing events and with Pelor’s guidance may also be of help to you in the field. I will personally assure he will not be a burden upon you.’

Tremak appeared to be very pleased with himself.

Tymander, now suitably recovered, smiled once more. ‘Yes, well, that’s settled then, isn’t it. What say you, then? Will you assist us once more?’

As Khalin studied the Council waiting for an answer he could see Rindall nodding his head in agreement — it was obvious that the dwarf wanted to accompany the party. Tymander was about to speak, but Tremak cut him off before he could even begin.

‘Beltak is a fine student of martial practices, and is not out of place in such situations,’ the priest replied curtly. ‘I am sure he will be an asset to your, uhm, group. Do not underestimate the assistance that a devout follower of Pelor can provide.’

Barghest began to roll his eyes. Tymander sat motionless and seethed in silence.

‘Excellent, excellent — you leave in the morning!’ said Tremak, standing up. The meeting was clearly over.

‘Essentially the answer is no — for it is not a finished piece and would not serve you well at the moment. It will be my next task, however — I am humbled to be able to work on it. My fervent hope is that I will be able to deduce not only the correct techniques from the books you brought me, but also that I will be able to find a way to actually complete it. It is… an astonishing item.’

The smith’s eyes were drawn to the sack of leather bits that Tradden had brought. ‘As you feared, manling, I have already surmised that they are of no particular value, although they will certainly be used for the benefit of the town in general. We can always use such materials.

Calding sighed. ‘I regret, only that which I spoke of in the Town Hall. Remember Tradden, this is widely regarded as a myth by the many generations that have handed the story down. Some of us beleive it is more than that, but there is little information out there, and my focus has always been on metals and my work.’