Zoom 2022-02-01 21:00

Summary: 
Holy water will be effective against rune-inscribed Lizardmen. We investigate the forge which is fascinating, but nothing particularly useful is learnt - other than that you shouldn't look at major artefacts whilst under the influence of CinderOak. After our visit to the forge, we decide to leave Vendor well alone, and go back to the clan campsite.
==Lizardmen:==
The runes on their chest can be removed with Univesal holy water: it kills the Lizardman, and stops their Wraith (which is their their Totem/Avatar) from emerging. They are GARM religious fanatics, on a holy quest for 'rebirth' - which involves them dying of starvation (unless they get killed by other means first.) There were 36 of them who were left behind when the 'hand' was excavated - they were told to hang around Vendor (with a few around other towns) and if people went in there, to try and keep them there, or to kill them and throw their bodies back in if they managed to get out. (Difficult, since the Lizardmen couldn't get any closer to Vendor than they were.)  Hence their attack on us, and why, once we had left the immediate area around Vendor, the others didn't press the attack but hid in the trees instead. They were recruited for their quest by a Lizardmen that we determined was 'Fred' - he is one of three 'Holy Ones' in the group, but not the leader. Fred's mission was to recover the hand. The 3 stooges that Fred used to ambush us were Acolytes, who use, inter alia, wands of Fireball. These Lizardmen fanatics do seem particularly stupid (according to our clan interpreters) - so we wonder if they are being treated like telephone sanitisers while the others leave for home. They won't say anything about the Golem or the Dark Temple/DarkStar - though hopefully Joshua will have learnt a little about reading their body language.
==The Forge:==
All the forges are of Dwarven manufacture, and of extremely good quality. However, the 'legendary' forge and anvil appears to have been 'grown' out of the rock - with the anvil fused into the stone. This forge is needed to work with Mithril - and though it can be used for some other materials, iron cannot be worked on it. Nothing shows as magical, but there are runes (both Dwarven and Elven) all over the tools and forge (and some on the lesser forges as well) - they are all forging/making/creating/working type runes. We try placing the drumkit pieces on the anvil, but nothing happens.
Anatol is an extremely accomplished metal worker and produces very high quality stuff - as do some of his apprentices. The whole place seems to help them with their forging - even for basic items. They are mainly making spearheads - even better quality than the 'superior +1/+1' weaponry that we have seen (though they will lose their edges even quicker). Dougal has a basic hook prosthesis made for him by one of the less experienced apprentices.
We continue exploring and investigating the forges, tools, caverns and anything/everything else over the next few days, including Caradoc's dextrous fingers feeling up the anvil. We use Comp Lang on all the runes - resuming our efforts to build up a Runic dictionary, but not learning much more than that. Det Traps show nothing. We finally decide to use some Salve of Divination combined with Detect Magic to get a good look at the runes. Garaf sees that there are runes in the body of the cave beneath the surface of the walls - runes of concealment/protection/shielding etc, which explains how this place has remained hidden. However, when Garaf turns his cinderoaked gaze upon the anvil, he is overwhelmed by the runic radiance from it - layers upon layers of runes laid down on each 'growth' layer of the anvil - and it knocks him out cold for the next couple of hours. 
[Note: We would have had four days of spell learning at the forge. Well, three days for Garaf who spent the fourth day with a migraine.]
==Swanfeather's symbol:==
We discuss Swanfeather's holy symbol with the clansfolk: Though a useful item, it is not something 'of consequence' to them. They do say that it is not a 'clerical' holy symbol - ie it would not be used for priestly duties, or to hold an Avatar. It's just a basic holy symbol that was given a major enchantment at some point. We also find out that the Speaker is not actually a cleric - though the Shaman must be one.
==Leaving the forge:==
On the 4th day we are delivered a sapling in a hessian bag. It should be taken to any Wildwood pilgrimage shrine - but preferably to Tobar. The next day, the clanfolk are done forging, and start departing - apart from Anatol and Goatswan who stay to tidy up and close everything down properly. We accompany Thagoaner away from the forge, and discuss going back into Vendor - which Thagoaner strongly recommends against ("you'd be mad to go back in"). After some discussion, sanity (or at least a sense of self-preservation) prevails. We decide to leave Vendor alone, and go with Thagoaner back to the clan campsite at the north tip of the forest.
==Back at camp:==
At the campsite, Quercuis continues her attempts to learn more about herbs and potions from the clansfolk, and in particular asks about 'mithril leaf'. Nobody know anything about it, other than from myths and legends, but they do have more to say about Silverleaf: It is a herb that enhances the connection to the Spirit world. It can be used to summon more powerful totems/familiars/avatars, but there are problems with its use: It can just sever the link, but it can also go further and open a link to the Undead world - and you might accidentally summon a demi-lich/lich or worse. There are also other stories of Toscin (eg he was simply an outsider who terrorised Vendor before he was 'disposed of'), but nothing useful or definitive. There is no further information about the origins or possible causes of the lights over Vendor, except that they 'came on gradually'. Nor is there any further information on the gaudy dwarf taking the 3 pieces of drumkit from Vendor.
We discuss what to do with the Drumkit pieces: Joshua feels that we should either leave them here, or have some definitive idea as to what with these artefacts. However, a combination of avarice and apathy means that we don't come to any conclusion.
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We now have to decide what to do and where to go next. We can stay here at the north of the forest  in the camp with the Speaker, or go to south of the forest where the Shaman is camped. We can mooch around, or try to strike out to deliver the sapling or go ..... wherever. Decision required by the weekend.