A Brighthorn Reunion, in the making

The council woman listens to you stories and at the mention of your mothers name you see a reaction before her expression returns to that of mild curiosity and interest. As you finish talking she ponders a moment before asking several questions before answering your own.
Were your parent the only ones taken from your village? What are the circumstance of their abduction? Do you have any other family in the lowlands? What do you know of your parents youth and years before moving to the lowlands?

After listening to your answer she sighs and grumbles before informing you of the local sorcerer. I am sorry to tell you but it seems someone is after your mothers family, though mostly just to harass them. The sorcerer's minions have been snooping around and some time the last coupe weeks started asking lots of questions specifically about any who may have foolishly gone high on the mountains, your family amoung them. We mostly only see the more common and acceptable races but some outlying farmers and hillsmen have reported seeing small bands of goblins in the area around the same time he and his lackeys showed up. As for where they might be . . well mostly up hill. Other than that the best we know is somewhere to the east. I doubt they have been bothering to hide their tracks but if you wail till morning we can get one of the older shepherd boys or a hunter if one can be to found, to guide you closer

You chat a bit longer and learn that other than the sorcerer has two swordsmen and an apprentice that come to town to shop and ask questions about all the mountains legends. It seems clear to all that they are after something specific but have paid well for any new or different tales about the mountains. The few fools who tried to take advantage of the outsiders by making things up always seemed to suffer misfortune within a few days. So while most locals ignore or avoid them there have been others too eager for the coin. The other nearby villages all have been visited but until a couple weeks ago nothing to bad happened, save to those who lied to the sorcerer's agents. The recent harassment on locals who have ascended the mountains, or their families if the person themselves could not be found, escalated with higher pay and threats. As far as the council woman knows your parent may be the first taken in relation to this.

Shale just grins wide, lots of sharp teeth, and adjusts his pack. We best be heading out if you want to get to a good rest place before sunset. and cocks his head at you. So, am I hired?

Shale takes the coin and you bid farewell to McGuf and the council woman. The small kobold sets a hard pace, but less so than the one you set the day before. Still your legs and feet make it all to clear that this is not something you have fully prepared for. Shale begins to chatter.

At first his stories are of his childhood with his clan and you learn that they are predominantly subterranean but Shale had always been fond of the open sky and considered odd by his people for this. His stories then progress to the cover the local area, his exploration and growing didn't fit investigating it's legends. Included in his rambling are a few first hand encounters including a clan of stone giants to the west, roaming ogre fighting a family of trolls, and a rather dramatized recounting of a mountain lion tracking the kobold for days after he suffered an unfortunate injury.

Being patient at first you let him tell the tales, as it does give a bit more background about the mountains and tidbits ring true from the stories your mother used to tell. Then Shale tells a tale that sounds amazingly like one you father told you, only certain aspect do not line up.

On you father's story the band of adventures were selling to restore a list heirloom but in Shale's they were treasure hunters who ignored the locals advice and their warnings concerning entering the Highlands. The party ascends regularly then finally disappears into the Highlands only for a single survivor to return after a weeks, in this both stories agree. The ending suggest though as in you father's tale the line survivor was bereft of any gain while Shale's story indicates he returned with fabulous wealth. Again both agree the man was severely injured and weak and taken in and cared for by some locals down on their luck. The man recovers, falls in live with one of the families daughters and leaves to start a new life. Shale adds that the man's wealth vanished and the family split and the two halves feud to this day but both halves are done of the few locals that regularly have individuals to go adventuring into the Highlands.

Finally you are able to steer the conversation to the sorcerer.

The sorcerer seeks war forge knowledge, of Dawn War. He thinks the storms hide ancient power of that time. He probably correct. Him ask about buildings. I show him some ruins, but he want still intact buildings. I only know one place like that but I didn't tell him. He perhaps use magic to learn I not tell all I know and gets very demanding. Shale sneak away after pretending to agree.

Man is very bad. No care about action causing problems for others. Shale no great saint but me not that bad. He had two good warrior and two apprentice with maybe ten more who work for coin. They stay in first ruin I show them. It is place near ogre den, though by now ogre are dead or flee. Me not go back that place since I learn he move in there.

Maybe is place he seek, but maybe place he seek is worse. Shale find place, and think to live there but learn place is already home to bad things from war time. Shade leave and never go back. Place not all unbroken but had magic protection, and road. Maybe road to more working places of war. If sorcerer find one he may find other. If he learn to use then war tool come back. and he shakes his head.

Thinking back to the stories you have heard of the Dawn War before the Shattering you shudder at what that power could do. The entire world at war with the outer planes. Armies in the millions, constructs of immense power, engines of war greater than dragons. Such things brought to bear on the world they were created to protect would be devastating and cause great sorrow.

The hike through the mountain trails quickly leaves the roads used by most and at first you complain about the "goat trails" that seem to double back and meander meaninglessly. But after reaching a high vantage point, and recovering your breath, you look back down and can trace that though your climb was hard it also saved miles of travel.

By the third evening you find yourself looking across a small valley at a half collapsed walled keep. With the sun setting to the west and dusk coming on you see a couple traces of smoke drifting up from the small castle. Shale indicates the knows of several ways into the keep and offers to guide you in, but cautions that he will prioritize his life should the guards corner you.

Be big door, easy find, easy guard. Also broken wall but guards there too but is sections easy to climb for me and have rope to help you over wall. Is also small door on back and also access to Deep Gloom of my people. My clan not here but place used to be access to trade with goblin tribe. They live in mountain below. May allow us use passage to keep if we pay or gain other benefit.

At the mention of the goblins you recall all you know of them. They are one of the "warborn" races of the Dawn People and considered to be of the Duende, like yourself. Changed to help win the war they breed fast, are clever, and were used as scouts and marauders. Since the end of the war and the Breaking many goblin tribes have become brigands and most are considered untrustworthy on the whole but the few individuals you have met are much like other races, just with a different view of "ownership" and a harder life due to prejudice of the other races.

Basic options : Front gate, try to sneak in the broken section of wall, try to sneak in over the wall, seek the goblins for their help.

The kobold feigns surprise Me no say we have to go to the gloom. Just . . . me know that place. More options to move and avoid trouble. Inside castle is all rooms and corridors that they know. If we caught, the alarm cause big rukus and it be hard to flee. Maybe we just check the Everdark first, in case we be lucky?

You can do a test to get more of a sense of the kobolds honesty or intentions. This would be an Insight test about a person not Perception on physical situation, so only basic test 2d6

Glancing down you note the floor to only have traces of dirt. A clear wear pattern is seen despite the fact that it has be swept, though rather sloppily. The majority of the traffic is between the table and shelves then the door on the opposite side of where you entered, which seems to have the least use.

Shale moves to the far door and listens for a moment before motioning you to douse or hide your lite as he opens it a crack to peer out. All clear. We go search? he whispers to you, his nerves clearly making him anxious to move on so as to spend as little time as possible in the castle ruins.

Moving over you look though the small crack to see a short hallway. Shale points out a couple doors and indicates "sorcerer", "apprentice" and he informs you that the "captain" and "lieutenant" have similar rooms on the other side of this level near the intact stairway. The middle is filled with a single larger chamber, likely a private dining room or such. The stairs up are at the back of the castle, past the bed chambers of this hallway, in the middle across from the larger chamber.

The kobold stares at you with blatant disbelief. You peek under door. This all for you. Your get reward, you take risk! he hisses and glances around nervously

The man blinks against the light as he peered around himself. The in a flury of movement he quickly rolls away from you and to his feet. In that moment he pulled an amulet from somewhere and brandishes it at you as he scans the rooms again and growls You dare break into my house and demand things of me? And what business do you have with the Brighthorns? The man is large and well built for a mage, more like one of the local mountain men then a scholar. Now fully awake and looking at you the sense of familiarity is even stronger but the exact connection still eludes you though the certainty of some connection lies in your memory.