"Nay lassie, nobody even knew thare wur caves underneath Black Hill 'til Khonnir hud made that surprising wee discovery, nor that it wid be accessed thro' Weeping Pond o' a' places…" Turning to the half-elf, the elderly dwarf explained, but then backtracked on a minor detail as she went, "Now ah dinnae think tis sae wee pure, noo that ah think aboot it."
"Point is, this is pure a' freish 'n' outlandish tae even masell, huvin bin 'ere sin a hunner years ago whin Torch wis foremaist founded." If the crow's feet and various other wrinkles did not betray the woman's age, then she certainly made sure it was known with that last confession, mixed into her admittance of surprise at Khonnir's findings, "Sae a'm feart we pure dinnae hae ony confirmation o' whit's actually under th' Hill tae speak o', muckle less maps o' ony kind."
"All thare is is Khonnir's description o' whit he 'n' his gang fun efter thay cam back fae thair foremaist foray doon below."
As the woman made to sit down at the desk, she near shot right back up onto her feet as Val stepped through the doors, followed by a rather naïve looking android with long golden hair, "Och young lassy Baine! Tis aboot time ye shawed yer coupon!"
Val Only
The elderly dwarven woman you see is councilwoman Dolga Freddert, the eldest of Torch's five councillors.
An odd transplant from the Five Kings Mountains, Dolga helped found Torch and was the first to test the unique properties of the flame erupting from the hilltop.
Since then, she's had a hand in the construction of many of the buildings in town, and is currently also owns and operates Dolga's Foundry in the town's guild district.
"Ah suppose ah kin presume thae 'ere folks ur wi' ye then?" The dwarven woman astutely observed after having briefly sized up each of the group, before going on to answer Val's inquiry. "Aye, yer da's crew back gaed doon beneath Black Hill efter thay brought up that goosed automaton th' foremaist time. Tis bin mair than twa weeks noo, 'n' we haven't heard anythin' fae them."
"According tae Khonnir's report, th' caves ur inhabited by enormous vermin 'n' ither scavengers, alang wi' some streenge humanoids wha hud th' ability tae blend intae th' shadows o' th' cave walls, 'n' a nest o' gremlins." Turning back to the tiefling once more, she slowly sank back down into her chair as she relayed what information she knows, "Khonnir believed this indicated a deeper connection in th' caves tae th' Darklands, bit o' mair immediate interest wis his discovery o' a dyke o' solid metal deep in th' caves."
Her voice betrayed some great amount of surprise as she said this, as though she didn't entirely believe it all herself, "A dyke made o' glaucite. He said 'twas lik' th' kind we mines fae th' hills 'n' surrounding plains, except tis bin put the gether intae a structure wi' doors. 'twas near yin o' thae doors that khonnir fun th' goosed automaton that he brought back efter his foremaist expedition."
At the mention of material assistance, the old dwarf nodded solemnly as she said, "Ah kin authorize ilk o' ye a writ that ye kin shaw tae ony o' th' merchants in toun fur a flat 20% discount oan ony gear yi'll need tae purchase — ah wish ah cuid offer mair than that, bit wi' baith th' town's skymetal wirk 'n' tourism drying up at th' identical time, that’s th' best ah kin dae fur noo."
"If ye guide tae fin' councilman baine however, th' council is prepared tae gie ye a reward o' four thousand gowd fur his return, plus a scroll o' resurrection if ye kin bring him back alive." She said, detailing the promise of reward, "A'm waantin' tae stress that that is th' priority. However wance that is settled, if ye fin' a wey tae reignite th' flame atop black hill, we kin offer ye anither four thousand as a separate reward."
At T'Sarra's surprise about Weeping Pond and the need to swim, the dwarf raised a curious eyebrow, "Aye lassy, as ye hae guessed, th' entrance tae th' caves is flooded, 'n' kin ainlie be accessed thro' Weeping Pond. You’ll need tae swim a bawherr tae git tae th' caves."
"Councilman Joram Kyte haes 'greed he wil cast wat'r breathing oan ony group tae help in entering th' caves — free o' charge, o' course." Her fingers already busy writing, the woman added the final bit of information before handing several sheets of paper to those gathered, a stack of handwritten notes of sorts it appears, stamping a wax seal on each as she dispenses them, "You kin likely fin' him at th' Temple o' Brigh or up at crowfeather palace whin your duin."
