56 III: Let's get banished from yet ANOTHER city!!

[demonlei]

OOC, I don't want to slow down our adventures any further by trying to negotiate with the dark dwarves (who would just kill us on sight anyway. -20 to all diplomacy checks!). IC though, Valletta has vowed to find some way to give them a chance at survival.

Furthermore, if we can somehow restore or re-create a Staff of Transmutation, we'll need their dimension empty of living beings for the seal to be safely restored for the indefinite future.

So, the idea I have is to inform Morbirgan's government, possibly using Sorely as a liaison, of all that has happened. It would be in their own self-interest to find a place for the dark dwarves in their society, as their armed forces have recently suffered attrition from war with Jal'Nareth and the dark dwarves would make excellent soldiers.

Valletta is inclined to donate her share of Jana's wealth to Morbirgan's government for the purpose of aiding the transition of dark dwarven refugees. (I'm guessing Zalajin cannot make such a donation since 1/5 of the dark dwarves are evil.)

But... a side effect of Morbirgan accepting any dark dwarf refugees would be that the city would become hostile to us. Morbirgan has next to no chance of persuading the dark dwarves to join them unless they denounce and banish us. Plus with level 10+ dark dwarves roaming Morbirgan's streets, it wouldn't be safe to sleep in the city anymore.

One other factor to take into account is Kiel. Getting him out of jail would be difficult once Morbirgan's government banishes us. Perhaps the time to free him has come; he might not want to join us, and we might not be able to keep him alive if he did, but if he went his own way we might be able to find him with Discern Location when he is needed once more.

Our last enemies are in Kojin-Ro (probably) and Jal'Nareth anyway... Zagfey kinda sorta likes us still... so what do y'all say? Wanna get kicked out of yet another city?

[Spus]

Because they obviously have no self-survival instinct whatsoever. They'll starve in the wilderness, despite just having a fully functioning society(implying that food didn't just magically appear in front of them).

/end snarky sarcastic comments

[demonlei]

I get your point (this time) but it brings up a question about the lich pocket dimensions...

Do the pocket dimensions we've visited all have a permanent EZ-Exit installed? Were the special procedures for each one only to open the entrance from the Prime Material plane side? If they do, that's great; if they don't, the dark dwarves have no way to get out, without degrazmifying power or high-level clerics and wizards.

[wardragon]

I was under the impression that their food did just magically appear in front of them, Spus. If not, we should have gotten Sense Motive checks when Jana said they couldn't survive without her.

And... if they can survive in there, let's just leave them, and dispel all the entrances to Jana's lair. I like Morbirgan...

[Spus]

Something is making that artificial realm work like the outside world...Would be some sort of Transmutation magic, wouldn't it?

[demonlei]

I like Morbirgan too... ah, the downside of being a goodie-goodie.

Jana was almost certainly telling the truth about sustaining life in the artificial dimension, since it has no sun and no self-sufficient ecosystem.

Operating under the assumption that *some* of the dark dwarves have a leftover survival instinct (definitely not Jana's elite, but we have seen plenty of the lesser fodder muster enough self-protective desire to flee for their lives) and that the dimension has permanent, one-way EZ-Exit, it seems to me that the one thing to do is to tell Morbirgan government, Ricel, Sorely, and all goodie/LN temples about the dark dwarves, and then let the two civilizations work everything out for themselves.

Valletta will send several informative letters to various individuals and government services in Morbirgan before we embark on our next plan, whatever it is.