I Go to Malleon’s Gate—Yes it was a Stupid Idea

Lharvion, 997 YK

There really is SO much I could talk about in Sharn. Suffice it to say I got around most of Upper, Middle and Lower Menthis. Never got up to Skyway. Found a few of the different shrines to the Traveler and paid my respects. Had some interviews with adventurers from the Wayfinder’s Guild who wanted info on Xen’drik. I gave them my dad’s info and apparently, he turned a pretty copper getting them around with their treasure hunting there. I met a Droaamite expatriate, an Ogre named Karg. He was at MU studying Xen’drikan history and I found out he had come here after he had found a Dhakaani cache a few years ago. He fled Droaam knowing that it would just be stolen from him and he enrolled at MU. He only kept one item from the cache he’d found and thankfully was willing to show it to me. His sword is the only piece of the hoard that he kept: it was a beautiful blade designed for a Dhakaani champion during the war against the daelkyr, and the phrase “‘A giant’s hand, a wall of steel” is inscribed in Goblin along the length of the blade. He told me he thought he’d discovered a possible entrance to the Dhakaani ruins of Ja’shaarat, the ancient hobgoblin metropolis that Sharn is built upon, in Lower Dura. However, he’s terrified Daask and refuses to travel to Lower Dura or the Cogs. Daask is an aggressive criminal organization led by immigrants from Droaam and they run in Lower Dura or the Cogs. Sid, Jhanni, and Kat wanted nothing to do with this since I was planning to go to Malleon’s Gate.  I managed to find a “guide” who would take me down there (1/2 pay up front) and would direct me on how to find Margaash, the Ja’Khor (Black Bloods) war leader. I know, I know. I’m supposed to be smarter than this, but I have this thirst for learning that sometimes overpowers my wisdom. Anyway, we get to Lower Dura and my guide gives me directions to the Bloodstone Inn in Malleon’s Gate. I head in. The good thing is that I’m 6’-6” and with a properly beat up cloak padded to give me some bulk (thank you Sid and Jhanni and the MU theater department), a big two-handed axe (a prop, so not as heavy as it looked) I can look pretty intimidating. I actually make it all the way to the Bloodstone Inn. There, I lower the timbre of my voice, and in fluent goblin ask the tough-looking Goblin at the door where I can find Margaash. He gives me a nasty look and I slip him a piece of silver (rather deftly if I do say so myself). This appears to do the trick and he tells me I should go to the table in the back, closest to the bar. I give him a grunt and head in. The Dhakaani I traveled with on Xen’drik, even on the hottest, sweatiest day, never smelled as nasty as this whole place. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I saw a large hobgoblin at the back table. Two huge bugbears to either side. About a dozen other goblins and hobgoblins were scattered at tables between me and the back. My wisdom decided to kick in here. I’ve made a mistake. Well, I slapped that bit o’ wisdom down with the intellectual argument that I was already here so I might as well go talk to the guy who might be able to get me to Ja’shaarat. I march across to the back ask if he’s Margaash. He asks who wants to know and I tell him it’s me, Silence, and that I have a business proposition. That’s when I place a small bag of silver on the table. That’s when he takes the bag, tosses it to the bugbear on his left, and tells him to kill me. I run. I know. You think, “Silence is dead” but then you remember, “well, he is fast.” And that is the only thing that saved me. Luckily, my speed surprised almost everyone, and I was out the door before anyone else even had a chance to get off their chairs. Well, there was one that appeared ready to react but let me go. I didn’t really notice her when I walked in since she’d had her hood up and her back to me, but as I was darting out, I caught a glance at her face. It was Jhazaali and she just let me go past. I didn’t pause, I knew I had to get out or it was all over. Once outside I then did another unexpected thing. I shed the padded cloak and my axe and started climbing straight up the side of the building. Fearing for your life can be inspiring and that’s pretty much all that saved me that day. When I got back to the upper levels, I found that I’d been hit in the shoulder with what was probably a thrown dagger. Ouch! Lucky for me the University has a top-notch infirmary and my story of exploring some of the bars and taverns in Lower Menthis and running into a bar fight went over well enough.