Severin finds himself led by Gretchen away from the mesa into the surrounding scrubland. As they walk, she gives Severin a rambling account of her unpleasant marriage and shoe-leather divorce. She has a lot of negative things to say about the personal and intimate habits of the Riverhoppers, life in Stralwald and the Southern Ranges generally. After a short walk Severin finds himself in a sheltered dale where the halfling scouts have made a camp. There are a few tents and a campfire where a few of the scruffy-looking halflings are roasting some birds. They give Gretchen and Severin a knowing grin. Gretchen mostly ignores them and pulls Severin into her tent and she rummages around a pile of clothes and belongings before pulling out a bottle. She pulls out the cork and takes a long pull before handing it over to Severin. "Good stuff, from the boss's private stores. All the longshanks that come and scrape before the boss bring him some ta curry favor. He don't miss a few..." The wine packs a heck of a punch.

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If there's any information you'd like to get out of Gretchen about Sol or Northdale or the area in particular, let me know, she is in a chatty mood. But she does seem to want company for the night.


Gabriele and Harman find themselves ignored by Beauregard once Vorgrimler heads out. With the hard stares of the guards behind them, they leave the mine behind. A few hours later they head up to the Millstone Inn to meet with Vorgrimler. True to his word, he has the old woman bring out warm bowls of stew and bread to everyone, as well as mugs of pulque. "I have been thinking about what you said," he tells Harman, "The clans of dwarves are as different from each other as the nations of men are, much as they would deny it. I think the dwarf-lords of this region believed that they need to be buried with what they used in life... craftsmen their tools, warriors their weapons, and the like. Their caste system persists even in death..."

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If there's any information you'd like to get out of Vorgrimler about Sol or Northdale or the area in particular, let me know, he is willing to talk. He does want Harman to tell him everything about the apparition he saw. If there's anything else you two want to do in the afternoon as well, let me know, and if Gabriele wants to do something else, let me know.