Lady, it is simply a courier offering clothes and guidance to someone he says can hide us.

He turns and calls towards the fearful fighter and then returns his attention back to Skogg, "Sometimes they get a trifle upset. I am quite glad that that is not for me but concerning which ward I came from I am afraid I have quite lost my bearings around here, could you explain this system of wards to me while we travel?

He carefully took one of the garments from Skogg but waited to put it on until the others had caught up, and even then stayed a short distance away from Skogg while changing. Once he was done, he adjusted his single quiver, picked up his crossbow and stood patiently keeping his eyes on Skogg and away from the others while they changed.

The shifty Skaggs makes no secret of staring at Corinne as she dresses. It's a miracle her skin doesn't crawl from his lecherous gaze though blind to it.

He narrows his eyes as Maulim speaks, appraising and reassessing, then finally nods. We should go; unwelcome, though noisy, company follows you. Not a one of the party can hear a thing however.we'll have to wait on adding light until we lose them. Follow and do not speak for awhile.

Once everyone is satisfied with their garb, Skaggs picks the tunnel to the immediate right and sets a quick, hunch-backed pace through it, his shortsword out in front of him. He unhesitatingly takes an occasional turn, leaving everyone lost in no time at all. At some point he speaks in that low, raspy voice of his. The city of Bellows has three wards, yes? The outer ward which protects against giant bloods. This ward makes the outer walls nearly obsolete. The second ward which rings the inner city from the outer and keeps out the undead. And then, of course, the third ward, which keeps all the unfaithful out of Moradin's Forge shrine...or almost anyone, it seems. Perhaps for a little coin, you can share to Skaggs how you breached it, yes?. There is a light hiss, and a small flame materializes in Skagg's hand. The tinder twig light is applied to the wick of a candle.

Merroda follows after their 'guide' while simulateously pulling Corinne and Ming-Na through the darkness. At no point does she let her eyes leave the ugly little man - following him was a choice made in desperation and she would not be caught unready when his inevitable betrayal came. When Skaggs finally produces light she blinks a few times before tugging her tail back form the monk.

"Well this has all been very pleasant; I adore crawling through sewers with two blind annoyances clinging to me the entire time. So you ready to actually tell us things now little creature? Who is Koli and why is he expecting us? Why in the nine hells did he think we'd need clothes? Also exactly how much coin are you talking about when you say 'a little'?"

Maulim smiled as Merroda asked most of the questions he might have, and then moved closer to Skaggs to whisper to him in a properly timorous voice:
By the way, please don't get her more angry. I don't want to end up as a blood splattered goo on the wall like three of the last five dwarves she encountered. She seems to have a short temper and never seems to take more than one hit to kill someone, or knock them unconscious.

Skaggs nods at Maulim knowingly, then addresses Merroda. "Koli sent me to fetch you. He knows people who knows things. Even Skaggs tells him things that need hearing. But Koli is rich in pocket and in dress. Usually if Skaggs does him a favor, it is through betweeners. This time, Skaggs saw Koli face to face, so you must be important.". Seeing that his answer hasn't been satisfactory, he adds, "Koli is rich and a former Cudgel. He woud not risk his place with scandal. Unless the scandal was worth more than everything he has...?"


He continues down yet another passage and sniffs the air. He suddenly stops and reverses direction, backtracking about ten yards to a different junction. He sniffs again, then sets off with purpose down this new passage.

Maulim also ran in order to keep up with the man. He discovered that he thought he might dislike the area but found the reference to "Cudgels" interesting. He suspected it might refer to a position of power and decided he was definitely going to have to sit down and sort out the local politics of where they were dumped into. It sounded like he and the others had just jumped right into the middle of a theocratic state. As he jogged, he wondered how well traveled these areas were and started looking around for clues.

Merroda simply rolls her eyes and continues following Skaggs - annoying and useless as the man seemed to be it would probably be wise not to get lost down here. At the very least she certainly didn't need more enemies right now.

The recent fugitives continue their journey through the sewage tunnels of what must be a very clean city above. The sewer tunnels have become increasingly, more...sewer-like. Smaller pipes interconnect smoothly with larger ones, which in turn join larger tunnels such as the one the party is moving through. It's hard to appreciate the fact that these tunnels must get regularly cleaned based on the strays and even flow of excrement, foodstuffs, and unidentifiable liquids.

Skaggs stops at a ladder that looks no different than any others that have been passed. Without a further glance at the half-naked women, he nearly scampers up the "U-"shaped rungs and, with surprising strength, lifts up a manhole cover with one hand and slides it over to reveal stars in the night sky. Up he goes, and then peers down, "All clear," he whispers, "Koli is here with his coach; you may wish to shake off some of the larger pieces of refuse that cling to your legs. He is picky that way.... Skaggs scoots out of sight.

"...Thank you for your assistance," Corinne says hesitantly. "...Skaggs, was it? We are in your debt. May we meet again under less trying circumstances... and farewell."

Corinne brushes the largest of the detritus off her legs. She pulls up her hood, tucks her spear under an arm, and begins to climb.

Maulim paused for a moment and did a quick assessment of his appearance. He brushes off what he can from his legs and then begins to climb out. As he approaches the top, his grasp on the crossbow becomes more and more awkward, leading one to wonder if he had ever held such a weapon before. When he reached the top, he blinks and glances around while doing some final dustings to his legs apparently having some difficulty handling the heavy crossbow but far more concerned about his terrible appearance and his surroundings.

Merroda waits for a moment in the tunnel as Corinne and Maulim and, upon not hearing the sounds of inevitable ambush from above, slowly makes her way out of the sewer - stopping just short of emerging to peek up and get a quick look at the area they are entering into.

As the group goes topside, they see that they are in a narrow alley, right where it opens up onto a major road, both of which are cobbled. The buildings to either side are smooth seemless stone the color of brick, windowless at the ground floor, though shutters and a window ledge of wood are visible about eight feet up. Farther down the alley, there are rainbarrels and crates neatly stacked against one wall. Even the rubbish is predominantly contained in one large barrel.

The air above is relatively dry but cool enough to raise bumps on arms. Somewhere, maybe a block away comes of the hubbub of multiple voices in conversation, most of them gruff and deep. The opening to the main road is currently blocked by a rather nice coach with lacquered wood of green and gold with depictions of a hawk with rose in its talons tastefully drawn over the door. A large lizard with six legs is apparently tethered to pull the cart, though it's proximity to the ground makes one wonder how the coachman uses a whip with any effectiveness. The driver himself is, strangely, a goblin dressed in a dark green overcoat and macthing coachman's hat. The door to the carriage is open and a dwarf with an elegant, (and trimmed!) beard leans out for a bench within. His shirt is a well-made, velvety material of jade and he wears gloves of crimson. He finishes placing a small pouch in the cupped hands of Skaggs, and your former guide bows and squishes around the back of the cart and into the Main Street. He spares a grateful, and slightly less lascivious smile to Corinne before taking his leave.

The man inside waves a hand to the party to enter. He has a pair of fine rings on each, "Please, get in. I am Koli, but lengthy introductions may get us caught by The Gargoyles or...worse.

Maulim steps up to the open door and bows.

Thank you good sir, I agree entirely.

He then moves to hold the door.

Ladies, your carriage is now ready.

Merroda inspects the coach for a moment before inspecting the rest of the alleyway and the exits it may provide. After considering her options she shakes her head and hauls herself into the coach. "Well this is all very pleasant. Beat the sewer at any rate. So how is it you know who we are and what do you what?"

Ming-Na pauses as the others enter the carriage. "I will find you later; I will find answers on my own for now. Someone needs to make sure that what...benefactors tell us is true." Without another word, the monk closes the door behind the others and, presumably, takes off.

Koli looks shocked and shakes his head, but he raps his knuckles on the hard wood of the carriage roof and it lurches forward along the road. He looks to Merroda and nods his head, Directness then...Understandable as we don't know each other. Maybe you've seen me about in the city, but I have a feeling you're not from Redwall or anywhere else on Forge. I'd never heard of you until only a day ago, and even then, I only knew that some people would emerge from the third ward and that if they needed help I should provide it and, in return, they might help me.

Koli peers intently at Merroda, "you are with the Empire, I assume? I am not in favor of their grip on Forge, but I recognize the necessity of having their good will."

Merroda frowns as she listens to Koli's story. "Wait roll back. You only heard of us a day ago? You knew some people would emerge and need help eh? So you mind telling me exactly how you knew all this? You seem to be hilariously well informed about all this - makes me wonder exactly how much you actually know, ya know?"