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Reaching the isle, the adventurers rode across the mighty causeway and drawbridge, then through the first massive gates and into Skaven Castle. Wall after wall, gate, bastion, tower and portcullis they passed. One courtyard held stables, and their horses were quartered there. The escort was also requested to wait there, and they left the soldiers making their acquaintance with the native troops - a well-integrated mix of human and lizardfolk, Surya noted. They were walked through the halls of the inner castle. The decor was an interesting indicator of the sort of man they were to meet; where Reital Castle had been rather grim, and the Imperial Palace at Thornal had been majestic and decorative, this place was baldly functional. Simple furnishings and undemonstrative tapestries adorned the halls, and occasional stands of armour and hangings of weapons appeared ready for immediate use rather than purely ornamental. Clearly, this was a working fortress first and last. Finally they were led through a pair of doors into a meeting hall, where several people were seated at a long table made for rather more. Tyrkor was easily picked out. A head taller than all the others, he was clad in plain brown leathers and worn armour, with the hilt of a sizable sword jutting over his shoulder. Easily the most human-looking Kin they'd ever seen, Tyrkor could have passed for human with just a little disguise work. He had a long, thin face - just a little longer than human - with just a trace of scales to the skin. His body was sinewy and muscular. Rising to his feet, he welcomed each of the travellers by name, and gestured them to seats before introducing his other guests. These comprised two humans - and two orcs! One of the humans was the New Tellaran ambassador to Enning, Danguld, and was known to Surya already - although, looking at him, the thought popped into the Tellaran's head that this man had been selected by Skufruss. Was he trustworthy? Next to him was a short, stocky human, Tyrkor's field commander Erealdan. Seated opposite him were two orcs, well-equippd for their kind and wearing the marks of considerable rank. These Tyrkor introduced as Ramphag Thunderslayer and Shuumash Death Tongue, Clan Lord of Clan Euroz. Both were apparently from Kishshul - something which made Hildraft's eyebrows shoot up, for the return of orcs to that destroyed fortress meant trouble for the dwarves. Both these two had eyes for no-one but Sack as the group were introduced, and Death Tongue shot a glance of approval and acknowledgement at Tyrkor, as if the Kin had been proven right in something. Tyrkor opened the proceedings by telling Surya that he knew well why he was there. He wanted an alliance with Enning, and loan of cavalry for the inevitable war in the spring. Surya protested rather weakly that he hadn't wanted cavalry, rather breeding horses and cadre to train his own, but both knew that in reality there was not time to raise bloodstock before the spring and that Tyrkor was right. The seer folded his arms and gazed on Surya. "My problem is this," he continued. "If you find yourself fighting the Elves, my purposes will also be served; but if you choose to side with them against my brother Skufruss, I shall be breaching my alliance with him. And I do not want to be the target of the Lord of Dragons' ire." Surya debated this, and the conversation worked its' way around to the infamous letter. Tyrkor had been unaware of this, and considered it. "It seems unlike the King of the Elves to do such a thing.'' he said. ''Have you asked if he did send it?'' Hildraft and Surya stared at each other in shock. They never had asked. There followed some sharp negotiation, culminating in Tyrkor and Surya striking a deal for ten squadrons of cavalry (2,000 men) plus cadre and bloodstock, in exchange for a pledge of return loan of infantry to Enning in the event of Tyrkor being attacked by the Kordasa, the Elves - or the Orcs, all of which he seemed to feel likely. Repatriation was promised if the alliance were to sour. Questions about Tykor's Sight began to come up, and he explained some more. "I do not see absolutes when I see what is not yet; I see a myriad threads of probability running this way and that, with some brighter - more probable - than others. Generally, the most likely result is easy to pick out. However, the involvement of certain powerful individuals tends to warp things, to make them harder to judge. Such people - the Fateless - are less subject to destiny than others. You three are such people; all Kin are to some extent, most notably Skufruss and the Firstborn. As a result, much of what I see concerning the likely war to come is tangled and confused." The question then arose of what Death Tongue and Thunderslayer were doing there, and should they be hearing all this. Tyrkor yielded the floor to Death Tongue, who rose and spoke directly to Sack. "We orcs have lived in alliance with the Empire for centuries," he said, "and we have prospered. But the alliance was forged as a defence against the Dragon, curse him, and he is no longer alive. Orcs are not meant to live in alliance with humans. It is not natural." "The shamen Thend was sent a vision by our Gods that a descendant of the lost orc clan Vorzau, kings of Gadûhvrás, would emerge to lead the ma-" he coughed, "the orcs to freedom, and back to their ancient homes in the mountains, to return to the proper path of warriors as ordained by One-Eye. He has tried to show the rightness of this objective to our King," there was dripping contempt in his voice as he says the word, "but the craven lover of humans will not believe the truth." "During your quest for the dragon-slaying sword, Thend's scrying eye stumbled upon what he believes is this ordained one - the Kalákrah. He sits among you." He indicated Sack with a (for an orc) graceful gesture. "The Kin Tyrkor has great fame as a seer and master of prophecy, so Thend sent secret word to him asking his counsel. His response was to tell him to send emissaries here today. Now we know why. He says he cannot say for true if this is the Kalákrah, but Thend believes it, and so therefore do I." "Kalákrah! Come with us! Throw down the false King of the Orcs! Lead us back to our ancient fortresses! Make you people great again." While Sack continued this discussion, Surya and Hildraft asked Tyrkor if he minded them working a little communication magic in his castle. He replied that he had a special room set aside for visitors to work spells in. A servant was summoned to guide them there, and they found themselves in a small, cylindrical stone room, heavy with the resonant essence of magic. Once alone, Hildraft began casting Sendings. First, he contacted Cardinal Axeedge in Kobur and requested he send scouts to investigate the possibility of more Returned Orcs in Kishshul. Then he worked another, contacting Elverandil the mastersmith in Belamir. Quoting some passages from the letter, the dwarf asked the smith whether King Doronond had sent the letter, and had it confirmed that he most certainly had not. This was a show-stopper - or rather a war-stopper. Working a Commune spell, Hildraft queried Kord, to try and find out who had written the letter that had caused so much trouble.
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