These Morits probably thought that DOM was not going to put up a fight.  Eliason must have read our minds as he shouted out "don't give them a reason to flush us all out.  Let me deal with them."  This seemed to be the approach that all of DOM was taking, I wanted none of it, but I really did not want to step beyond my mission.  But if we just hid in the borders wouldn't be just be cowards?  What is DOM actually waiting for?  All of this went though my mind as the drunken Morit revellers entered the Shade.  OUR Shade.  Singing songs in a language that I did not understand.

"Gif us a trink ol man" one of the Morits said in very bad Domish.  The others echoed the call.  There were seven of them, each as drunk as the other.  "Tey said dis fud be fearful place.  Not look so fearful, yes?"  "We are just a tavern" answered Eliason.  I could see sweat beading up on the old innkeepers brow.  Not from fear, mind you, but from contained rage.  I saw that look before. Dontley the Dirk had tossed a Keldrun onto the floor to pay for his ale once and goaded Eliason into picking it up.  Dontley and Loud Nick Farting were notorious when they got together, the former was always eager for a reason to unsheathe his dirk and Loud Nick was always eager to help him find that reason.  It's too bad Dontley was not here now,

The Morit noticed the sweat on Eliason.  "You not look so fearful too" he said with a drunken grin.  "You look like you vil have vet pants, yes?  Little man vit vet pants?"  The Morits apparently had entered that stage of a drunk when entertainment was essential, and poor Eliason became the supplier.  It was impossible to watch.  This is the part for which I later regretted getting so drunk.  I do not know why I suddenly decided to give them a different diversion.  Actually I do know why.  These bastards had invaded my town, made me trek through snow, killed off people I knew, invaded my bar and now were actually making Eliason into a fool.

"Good EVENING gentlemen" I said and walked out of the darkness.  I did not actually decide to do this, or to speak so loudly, it just happened  Eliason flashed me a look, and I felt regret, but it was too late.  I could just keep walking right out the door, but I had opened a flood gate and suddenly all of the hidden inhabitants of the Shade marched out.  The Morits then went into a drunken panic and began pulling swords.  Fools.  The underground was not a place for longswords.  And if they expected us to make a stand and give them a chivalrous chance they would be mistaken.  We scattered to the usual places.  "No" cried Eliason.  "Put away your weapons."  But at this point one of the Morits cut himself rather badly on a friendly sword as the Morits prepared for an attack from us that never came.  The sad bastard held up his hand and the blood ran down his arm.  This sent them into a blood frenzy.  A big one near the bar took a swipe at Eliason, who ducked at the right moment.  The old innkeeper dropped down behind the bar, that meant he would be coming up with his hand axe.  The big ugly Morit leaned over the bar to take another swing but did so with a dagger planted in his back, a flying gift from Japes who never missed in the dark, let alone in a lit tavern.  As drunk as they were, the Morits had to know that we would take them down from the dark recesses of the Shade if they did not do something.  One of them shouted something in Morit that sounded a lot like "let's get the hell outta here."  They gathered up their fallen; the big guy at the bar, and another with a ripped ear from another one of Jape's flying daggers and backed out.  We let them go.

Next: The Lay of the Land

I could hear a crowd as I slipped into the Black Horde Inn, but I was not expecting to see what I saw.  The Horde is a four-story tavern.  It's the largest and tallest building in Dorgat besides Domcastle.  The top floor contains six rooms for overnight stays, next floor down has a great hall, used for lots of things.  The Hamala Lightner troop entertains there on Moon Days, Hamala herself is a fine singer, and she is accompanied by musicians and acrobats.  They put on a fine show, but I digress. The main floor is the main tavern.  Rich merchants mostly, but not as rich as those that frequent the Bailey.  Nor does the Horde cater to Knights or Lords as the Bailey does - or rather the Knights and Lords do not generally give the Horde the chance.  too working class to their liking,  Well-to-do though it might be.  The Lower Horde was a different story again.  This was the Inn's gift to the underground.  A lower class tavern with good prices.  The Horde is as patriotic a tavern as there is, which is why I was completely surprised upon entering to find the room packed with Morit soldiers.  Luckily I had not made a big entrance, and they were roaring drunk, singing and swaying.  I really wanted to stay.  I consider it an act of patriotism if I was to remove a purse or two.  It would be the one time I would probably be commended by old Mr. Gatts for committing a heinous act in his grand establishment.  Then I thought of Sir Forcellus and my mission.  Then I did it anyway.

The best way to enter the Nightshade Inn is with a purse full of stolen cash.  Even better if was Morit stolen cash.  "Japes my friend" I said as I slid next to him at the long bar, "the next one's on the Morits."  Japes was suitably impressed and surprised to see me.  "I thought you were dead" he said.  He was as thin as a man can be and still live.  Few were as good at fleeing a crime scene, which was good as he was not the best at filching coin.  His long thin nose made him sound a bit as if he always had a cold.  "I was just at the Horde" I said.  "You're a crazy man" he replied, but with obvious respect.  "They'll be passed out soon" I added, "we can make another pass".  I actually had taken the purse from a snoring Morit who had been literally under the table, but he did not need to know that.  I dropped a silver coin with some Morit King on it onto the bar and ordered us a round.

The Shade was fairly humming, but there was still an air of vague uncertainty.  Loud Nick Farting (not his real name) was just not up to his usual sarcastic rant, and Ben the Bowyer was not standing to play five-dice as was his custom.  I got a bit drunk then, which I later did regret, but it did not seem to affect my luck at five-dice.  It was quite a profitable evening all around.  I had just scooped up four silvers in winnings when the door of the shade burst open.  "Morits coming." shouted Baines Cockrel as he ran into the tavern.  A lad of some ten years Baines is the cast away child of some whore who earns his bread sweeping the Shade.  From the size of him his father must have been a big man.  Even at ten could outdrink many.  But he was excitable and a bit slow in the head and was bound to think a roaming band of drunk Morits the same thing as a siege of the tavern.  Still, we all drew our weapons.  "Whoah there" intoned Master Eliason "get to the borders."  Eliason Felemer, the proprietor of the Shade spoke with the authority of a Lord in the underground. As wide as he was tall (some Grimdon in him probably) he is as a father to many of us undergound rats.  As we scattered for the many dark corners of the tavern - the "borders" we could hear the Morits singing and winding their way to our lair.

Next: A Little Mayhem

The sound of rushing water marked the Soubridge.  Foul water collected here from drains above and dropped down to the Lake Efrem canal through a hole in the center of the underground passage beneath the bridge. I once left the Underground in a hurry through that hole.  Not a big drop in the spring when the lake is high.  Sometimes not a drop at all.

As I crossed the under-bridge passage I saw a dim glow up ahead.  Lights from the Bailey.  There were no official torches maintained underground, only the dim light provided by shps and taverns, and like moths we flitted between them.  All underground paths are the old Dorcer City roads that used to be the main roads before they built the ones above.  They go from as wide as thirty feet to down to a sideways shimmy in places.  There are lots of side passages and tunnels and as the place is mostly pitch black you can easily get lost.

There was no one around to see me as I entered the weathered door of the Bailey.  These doors could all be sealed during the spring flood and wash.  It was quiet inside the tavern.  Even quieter after I walked in - as all conversation momentarily stopped.  I was duly examined, and found harmless and the conversations resumed.  I ordered an ale. This was not going to be a dry search, after all!  I ended up playing a little five-dice with a tanner.  "Yeah, I've seen Morits down here" growled the man.  There's Morits up there too" he added, pointing up.  "They like the baths they do.  Old master Dorcer can't chuck 'em out, though I know he'd like to."  Lowering his voice he continued, "down here they don't go much further than that door.  For all their swagger, Morits don't seem to like the dark much."

I was vastly disappointed that the Morits had even set foot into the underground.  I kept hoping they would forget about it.  Pretty silly.  Apparently it was mostly Morit officers that frequented the Bailey, and mostly above.  They left any patrolling of the underground to underlings.  "Regular soldiers come in here?" I asked him, trying not to look too interested.  "Nah, Bailey's an officer playground. Closest Morit regular is guarding Lower Sougat."

I resisted the temptation to tell the tanner that I was working with Sir Forcellus Blaad and Lord Tirian and I instead left the Bailey and headed for the Black Horde.  On the way, I poked into all my little hidey-holes.  These are forgotten spots that I have found over the years that generally lead to either a well-concealed nowhere, or a well-concealed underground exit.  I wanted to know if they had been messed with.  I was happy to discover many of my set-ups still in place.  I'd place things in spots where disturbing them would clue me in.  Often this would be done by someone sleeping off a drunk - which is exactly what I found at the tunnel on Jewel St. below Zane the Herbalist.  He was the perfect tunnel plug.  I hoped that he slept there every night.

I was walking north up Armory when in the sparse light of Brenden's underground store ahead, I unmistakably saw a Morit uniform.  I stopped and slowly backed away, ducking down Center Street.  The Morit had been standing at the entrance to Norgat Lower Bridge at the top of Armory.  This made sense if they were trying to control the bar gates and bridges.  Surely they'd want to block passage below as well, cause you could leave the center city of Dorgat that way.  By why had there been no one at the Sougat.  Maybe he had fallen down the drain hole. 

I would pass the Nightshade by for the moment and hang a left at the Market St. passage.  Best to know as much as I could before broadcasting my ignorance of current events by going to the Shade first.

Next: The Horde