Mask Adventure 10e: Dancing with Drow

   At this point the party have either decided to fight things out with the dark elves holding the tunnel complex or they are considering talking with them.

   Sheltan has asked to know the parties reason for passing through the tunnels. She knows that the mountain range up top is uninhabited and that they must be here for some kind of reason.

Note: the party may decide to pretend to cooperate long enough to get past the wall and then attack. If they do that's fine to. Sheltan will be preparing for something like this. She will have "Durgaan" casting spells like invisibility or any of his defensive spells. Dark elves are masters of treachery and will always be looking for it even when none is there.

   If the party is semi-truthful about their intents then Sheltan will show some interest. She will ask questions till they get tired of asking.

   Sheltan will claim that she may be able to help locate such a thing, since she has had the surrounding areas mapped out and explored. She will admit to not having come across any tomb or treasure horde but she states, "My maps may show a thing or two that yours do not." For her cooperation and allowing them to pass unhindered sheltan tells the party she wants a percentage of whatever treasure they are here to claim. She will not believe any claims that there is no treasure since the party has obviously traveled a long way to get here. She is certain they are after something of great value.

   If the party will not accept her help she will offer to let them pass for a bribe, whatever you think is suitable. 200 gp might work well. She is only accepting the bribe to take them off guard. She intends to find out what information she can, get an idea of who and what she is dealing with, and then have them followed through the under dark so she can ambush them after they are weakened or when resting.

   If the party comes through peaceably they will see Sheltan and half of the dark elf warriors and officers. The rest are waiting in the staging area in case of an attack. Durgaan will be invisible and standing near sheltan.

At this point the options come down to 3 things:
1. The party attacks: The dark elves really are not caught off guard and combat proceeds normally; Sheltan will yell a warning to bring the other warriors from the staging area.
2. The party pays the bribe but does not wish to cooperate: Sheltan will study them for a short time; if the party seems very weak she will have them attacked as they approach the southern exit. If they are not weaklings then she will wish them luck and have them followed at long distances by 2 scouts who Durggan will turn invisible. One of these scouts will report back every 2 hours or so. In the meantime Sheltan will be preparing to pack up important gear and lead an attack against the party after they discover whatever it is they are looking for.
3.The party cooperates with the dark elves: Sheltan will have Durgaan's maps retrieved and compare them to the players maps. She will have food and drink brought, since the process of deciphering the maps will take about 2 hours. Some inconsistencies will be noted but Durgaan will notice some symbols on the players maps that he noted in the under dark and assumed were way markers for travelers.
Durgaan will stay invisible but will tell an officer his findings and the officer will whisper this to Sheltan. Once a suitable course is charted out Sheltan will pack up 1/2 of her troops and herself to accompany the party. All the rest of the troops will follow about 4 hours behind with Durgaan leading them.

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