Leaving the Vault

The next day moves slowly. Hours are spent in the Lore Room, gathering valuable records and sorting through scattered scrolls and tablets. Glibstone gathers the most significant records to take with him, and Agar does some divination on the ring that they pulled from the dead dragon.

"Interesting stuff," he says, flipping it in his hand. "Here's what my legend lore revealed:

"Ogremoch decreed
The Man shall command
Those of his kin;
Those of the stone.

The Man was destroyed
The kin were aggrieved
The ring was a gift
It wants to go home."

Agar flips the ring into the air and catches it. "Ogremoch is an elemental prince of the plane of Earth. A real jerk, from what I've heard, and a badass." Velendo eyes the ring.

"If that's what I think it is, it's worth more than we are. And Silissa wants it." He rolls his eyes. "Great."

Agar shrugs as around him, the group prepares to head back into the depths of the vault. "We can discuss it."

Tao interrupts. "One of those beholders is still hiding out there, watching us." She flips up the visor of her clairaudience helm and frowns. "I can see its eyestalk wiggling from behind a block of stone."

"Well, let it wait." Nolin waves one hand around expansively while gesturing with the wine skin held in the other. "It'll be waiting a loooong time. We're taking that earth thing's offer and heading out the other end of this vault, right?"

"Right."

"Good. Then all we have to do is grab the magic and gems, swing by the armory and collect our dwarven ghost, and we're out of here."

Malachite rounds on him, face twisted in displeasure. "I don't think so." Silence fills the large room.

Nolin looks up. "What?"

"I don't think so. That ghost is a liar, a thief. He's been handed a punishment he deserves, and we're not going to deliver him from it."

Nolin looks pained. "And he's undead," he points out unnecessarily.

Malachite's stern expression doesn't waver. "Indeed."

"Who made you judge and jury? He's been stuck in here for hundreds of years. He doesn't deserve that. Besides, he can be useful to us; he knows the caverns, he knows the ghouls, and he remembers the previous quest to destroy them. He could be tremendously valuable."

"That doesn't matter. We don't have the..."

"Of course we have..."

Malachite's voice rises and drowns out Nolin's. "We don't have the right to release him from his punishment." The two glare at each other.

"Well, what if he wants to redeem himself? He could make up for past crimes by helping us. You could help him rise above his sins and reach that redemption."

Tao shakes her head from where she's lounging on a writing carrel. "I offered to help," she reminds them, "and he said he'd do it again if given the chance."

"Sure," says Nolin, "he'd try to steal again. But so what? Big deal! People steal all the time!"

Malachite's gaze is icy.

Nolin blows air up out of his mouth in exasperation, rustling his burning hair. "You know perfectly well that there's a difference between being greedy and being evil. And he's not evil, at least not as far as we can tell."

"It isn't my job to redeem the undead. It's my job to destroy them."

"Yeah? Well, sometimes you have to redeem them, too. And this time, it's going to help us."

The hunter of the dead's voice is quiet and precise. "We all know about your tendency to make moral compromises for the sake of convenience."

"Well, moral compromises is what life is about. Think about what's at stake here."

Velendo rolls his eyes. "Look you two, at least we can ask the new dwarven king what he wants us to do. He might not want us to free the ghost. Let's find out." Nolin and Malachite both stare at each other, let out breaths of air, and agree that this will decide them.

Velendo casts a sending, asking "Found Olum in vault. Is unrepentant but assisted us traversing the vault. Still a ghost. Knows enemy. Shall we free him?"

The dwarven prince responds, "You have permission to take whatever you need that will help you on your mission. Olum is included in that. Use your best judgment."

"Well?" asks Nolin, looking around for support. Splinder nods.

"He needs someone to possess, yes? Well then, he can ride in me." The dwarven defender crosses his arms and nods, pleased with his decision.

Malachite frowns, but accedes. "I'll want reassurances that he isn't evil, and that he won't betray us."

"Of course," says Splinder.

So they gather their gear and their mounts, and in single file everyone heads through the activated portal and back into the vault, where the dwarven ghost is waiting.