I will assume that travel goes without event.
The knife is in a case and pewter wrap. It is protected from bare-skin touch and should hopefully be abated by the wrap.
Once he's gotten info and the dagger, Conrad and Mylbor will leave. He will help get Phryl's taunbird used to Mylbor.
Once on the road for a few minutes, Conraid will tell Mylbor the entire story. He'll start with the Duergar found in the outpost where the pitstop is. Then the ferry house and that whole conversation. Then the Duergar plan in the mountains. And now the appeal to the Battlehammer Dwarves for help.
Then what's in the outpost, including the anvil. Then Tsephekke and the Tscyuenghe. Then introduce Larry. And finally why he wants to use the anvil.
So you see, this is why we're hesitant to commit to helping you with the red yeti.
The entire region has impending destruction on the horizon. These people could use your help, the same
as you helped the other night against the attack on Bryn Shandr.
At the anvil, conrad will take care to setup with the spare tongs and heavy gloves. With Mylbor present, he will strike once. He expect's nothing to happen and for there to be no effect. He'll see if Larry is able to help in any way. Without any kind of apparent traction, he's not gonna mess around with it too long. If they don't need to, they won't stay overnight.
However, if there does appear to be some kind of progress, he will do everything he can to destroy the weapon or at least chip it or break it.
Either way, he will take a few extra minutes to repair the accoutrements of his armor and gear, and properly mount the hammer and maul to his hips. Unless there are glaring issues, he will not repair the actual platemail. He wants to look well geared and practical used, but not shined and polished. Matter of fact, there's a claw scratch across his chest from the Sister Druid Polar Bear that probably needs repair... and will still be visible afterwards.
Conrad will be businesslike. This is the presentation. Like "I'm here for a reason and we have things to do." In the real world I would eqate the attitude to that of a job interview in a detailed profession like lawyer or engineer. I typed that before I realized that this is exactly who Conrad is dealing with. Anyway, it doesn't mean serious, per se, just focused.
Announced as Kheothey "Conrad" Vrathakanavi. He will only speak Dwarvish unless addressed in Common or Giant.
If the meet is in a throne room, with or without court, he will stand and speak at a volume that barely does not dominate the entire room.
If the meet is in something like an office, he will say the same things, but in a more intimate manner.
If the meet is in a work room, with others,
I have information that may not be best in public
and then once in private, or assured that it's fine, he will act accordingly.
I (Darrin) am not going to perseverate on the minutae of the words that Conrad will use. He is infinitely more presentable than I. Suffice it to say that I hope that I've created an image of the demeanor and theme of interaction well enough to make the point.
Conraid will tell only Stokely Silverstream (with his officials) the relevant story. He'll start with the Duergar found in an outpost. Then the ferry house and that whole conversation. Then the Duergar plan in the mountains. Then the backstab plan (including the redirect to an abandoned dwarven hold) by the unfavored Duergar prince, fueled by his desire to just go home.
And now the appeal to the Battlehammer Dwarves for help.
He will share the plan involving the zealot soldiers of Aural, and the soon to be sent emissary to the Goliaths.
He will answer any questions he has answers to. Without answers, he will say plainly "I don't know" with any relevant information, but no speculation.
I expect that he will have to answer to "yeah but you can't trust them" kinda thing. He will explain that it isn't about trust, it's about honor. The eldest felt that this assignment to complete an impossible task was a hairs breadth from outright banishment... the younger for his incompetence, and the elder for his opposition. And then Conrad will show the letters.
If there's one thing you can trust about the dark dwellers, it is that the will take every opportunity
to gain advantage or increase their station.
When asked "what do you want", first he needs to gauge the question.
Is it a helpful or some kind of positive demeanor? Skip to "Negotiations" below.
Is it some kind of negative, like impatient, suspicious, or weary? If so he will snap into a boilerplate and a rehearsed response.
The Ten Towns thank you for your offer of assistance. Any additional services and . . .
And then stop, pause. Look around at other people in the room. Then take a step forward.
Look. Let's say for a moment I'm a liar and the duergar are not a threat. Then the worst you'll get
from minimal agreement is an extra stinky human or 2 per week, and some gold injected into your economy.
On the other hand, consider if I'm not lying... Have you seen the people in the towns? 100 men with
weapons and skill could clear every citizen in the entire county in the matter of a couple of days.
Now imagine what 100 focused duergar with Chardalyn weapons could do.
If we don't stop this thing before it gets out of hand, you will have hundreds of Duergar with
Chardalyn seige engines knocking at your door before you even knew there was a problem.
If this genuine appeal is unable to get attention and put the conversation on a positive track, then you and I can talk about that path.
Conrad will detail the outpost, including the anvil. He will explain that it is clearly of dwarven engineering. He will then explain his legal interpretation of the facility.
The Dwarves non-use and neglect, and subsequent unchallenged squatting by would-be enemies of the
people, should be considered a default on ownership and a standard quit-claim on the property.
My associates and I, having cleared the vermin from the property and secured it from further invasion...
...could claim that we have therefore obtained commonlaw ownership of the property.
However, that the opposite of what I came here for.
We simply wish to continue to use it in respectful good faith, most especially if we can use it together.
In terms of what the 10 Towns could use to defend against an impending existential threat,
Caer Molbrikkur (Fort Hammer) would be an excellent intermediate connecting point. It would allow the
10 towns to buy dwarven goods without the need to enter the mountain, and both of our people can use
volunteers to man it. My friends and I have been calling it "the outpost", but Caer Molbrikkur can become an actual
outpost and a shared embassy between us.
This is where negotiations would have to take place.
I will leave it here. There's several forks in this writing and I have likely gone well past unforseen forks at this point.