During their last evening on Alfi’s island, Aengus identified Urs’s grotesque bodily distortions as a curse from the fomorian that killed Desmond. He prepared to cure it, but the malady faded overnight on its own.
After communing with Moradin, Aengus magically reforged some mithral armor into an ornate saddle for Cryxis so that the Rovers could arrive at Clefthome in majestic style on the back of the copper dragon. They elected for a cautious approach to Aegnus’s home stronghold in case the sight of a dragon, regardless of color, might lead to hasty violence. The Rovers were greeted by a small band of dwarven guards, some of whom recognized Aengus. With only a little condescension, the guards permitted them entrance to the stronghold. They walked to the home of Aengus’s sister, Ailsa, and her husband, Lennon. Over fine ale and meat pies, they exchanged tales and discussed the recent goings-on of the city.
The city was at war on two fronts. Along frequented trade routes and other locations in the external world, clashes broke out between the two dwarven clans, Capfield and MacGyver, wherever their members crossed paths. The theft of Clan Capfield’s most cherished artifact, the Highgate Crown, earned Clan MacGyver its undying enmity. No explanations that Aengus and other enslaved MacGyvers stole it under the influence of duergar mind control magic blunted their rage.
At home, duergar slaver raids occurring at random times and locations were on the rise, and the city militia scrambled to protect life and property.
In what seemed like a counterproductive move, King Murgrim MacGyver decreed that magic of all sorts was banned in the city. The king felt that magic brought only ruin to the clan and should be completely prohibited. It seemed he reasoned that, under the malign influence of duergar magic, Aengus and others started the bloody feud with Clan Capfield, and therefore all magic was bad. Why the king did not reason that defensive magic was the best counter to offensive magic was unclear.
As a consequence of this degree, the city was subdued by the daily grind of manual labor normally aided by everyday spells. Worse, the city militia likely defended the stronghold with one hand tied behind its back. Among those most affected by the prohibition of magic was High Sonnlinor Ammun Amberbranch, the highest ranking cleric of Moradin in the clan. Ironically, it was Ammun who most stubbornly blamed Aengus for his involuntary involvement in the theft that sparked the clan war, and partly as a consequence of his rigid thinking the king issued the prohibition, which curtailed the high priest’s powers. Interestingly, there were rumors of a secret society of clerics who defied the king’s orders and continued to defend the city with divine magic.
As the night came to a close, the Rovers decided to clean up at the bath house, called Throw Out the Baby, before spending the night at The Toothless Grinn inn. Ailsa suggested the king might actually want to speak to Aengus, so they began to make plans to visit with him…