On a hunch that Aengus’s old friend from divinity school, Skorgithra “Granite” Undergranite, might know something about the “secret society” of clerics subverting King Murgrim’s prohibition against magic, the Rovers went to visit with him. They learned the rumors were true, and also that High Sonnlinor Ammun Amberbranch — the high ranking cleric who opposed Aengus at his trial — had not been seen for a long time. When they asked if the king’s recent behavior seemed strange, Granite cited common gossip that the royal bloodline was a bit inbred and that his judgment had always been questionable. Granite also let slip that Aengus’s estranged fiance was banging some lord at Highgate.
Next they went to speak with the king himself to learn more about the reasons for his edict and whether his mind could be changed. Even before their conversation began, the king was pacing frenetically around his court. Aengus’s return to Clefthome was no cause for celebration, and the king laid the city’s woes at his feet. The king claimed he spoke to Moradin and believed the ills that befell Aengus when he was kidnapped and enslaved were signs that he was never in their god’s favor. The king’s manic demeanor aroused no curious glances from his attendees at court nor any words of opposition. One unknown woman watched Aengus closely throughout the encounter. The king was obstinate to the end, and Aengus was just glad to leave with his head still attached.
Deciding their best course of action was to help combat the duergar incursions and ultimately to recover the Highgate Crown, they sought out the local militia. The second-in-command urged them to fall in line moments before the earth erupted beneath them. The emerging duergar used their psionic abilities to turn their enemies against one another, to vanish from sight, and to change their size, but the Rovers ultimately routed the invaders and sent them retreating into their tunnel. Feeling (perhaps overly) confident, the Rovers pursued them by dropping down the steep hole 100 feet or more. They were met with another squad of duergar supported by a pair of young purple worms. Jani made quick work of them, however, with a well placed Fireball and Lightning Bolt.
They sifted through the charred remains and found one encrypted message. They realized they did not have a way for all of them to climb out of the hole, so Aengus sent a telepathic message to Granite asking for him to send help. Just then, however, a strange feeling came over Aengus, and he heard a familiar female voice in his head: “Ah, I see my minion has returned…”