While the fight at the Seed Fort is occurring, Blix, Chandra, HerrHjeen, and Pim are on a mission to recruit the Mafoni:

Dekar 3rd Wyvernday. The very Early Hours. Blix, Chandra, HerrHjeen and Pim all hop into the secret passage in the SeedFort storeroom/ utility room (the exit conveniently located under the stone stove that pivots away), and climb down a steep stair/ladder to a tunnel. The tunnel is wide enough for two average dwarves to pass, but still low of ceiling for Chandra. The passage is very clean, dry, and straight (except for a few jogs), and leads for 100’s of meters, coming up in a rock outcropping among a dense stand of bushes. Blix pops the secret door open, and looks around, relieved that no one is nearby. The Parlay Party sneaks off into the darkness, towards the ford where they entered the valley.

Before dawn, they arrive at the MoFoni camp. Blix looks at their Standards, and decrees that they are a sept (numbering 250) of the Black Goat MoFoni- as untrustworthy and squalid a band as he’s ever seen. The BG’s are led by Gwqtfx Prizee, their huge, ill tempered WarLeader. Last he had heard, the BG’s were in feud with the White Sheep (his and Pim’s tribe), but even if that still holds, he’s confident that he can set up a safe parlay, under the threat of the Lighting Spirits if the Law of Parlay is broken (looking up at the eerie green lighting up in the dark sky). If we all don’t get struck by uncanny lighting first. Blix grabs some cloth from his bag, adds some animal skins (muttering under his breath “let’s see, it’s a waning moon, so we need fox tails and a scorpion stinger…I guess this wyvern one will do”), and lashes the concoction to his NagaNotta. He approaches the camp, singing something at the top of his lungs in Plainstounge.

A party of BG Stalwarts ride up and look surprised that a Dirtman (aka Civilized Person) knows how to speak Plainstounge, and even, Spirits-be-buggered, knows the Holy Parlay song. There is much shouting, some more song that sounds like a SaddleCat coughing up a hairball, and spitting (Chandra doesn’t know if the later is Ritual or only due to an upper respiratory infection brought on by the strange weather (the former, Blix knows)). Pim is mostly quiet, staring intently at everyone’s gear, and occasionally carrying on a conversation under her breath. Whatever it was that Blix and HerrHjeen told her on the way over, she seems to be less than her usual homi/sui-cidal self. Perhaps she’s simply feeling a tad fragile without the Ruby Sword.

After some tense times, the Parlay party is lead into a rather large richly appointed tent. There are fabulous embroidered rugs on the floor, and tapestries adorn the “walls”, or in some cases create partitions. Food and drink is brought. Blix warns “Don’t refuse anything, and try not to barf too soon- try to wait until everybody is drunk.” A few of the tribe’s women serve and dine with you for a bit, until Gwqtfx himself shows up. He is almost 2 meters tall, over 120 kilos, has immensely weathered pale skin over an impressive array of muscles and scars, strong epicanthic folds around his eyes. Long, lank dark hair is drawn into a ponytail, and a wispy beard runs down his chest. His eyes are brown. His expression is slightly peeved.

I will assume that Blix does most of the talking, consulting with the rest, as well as translating from time to time. He explains that the Parlay Party represents powerful people within the Kingdom who wish to be friends and allies with the Black Goats. In particular, the Parlay Party wants the BG’s to stop working for the DirtMen of the Fort, and start working for the Parlay Party. He suggests that there would be payment of cattle, cash, treasure, tools, and trade goods. And not getting smote by the Parlay Party’s friends. By prior arrangement, he does not mention that the Royal Army is surrounding the valley.

Gwqtfx growls that he will not decide without giving his Council a chance to test your words, so he brings in a bunch of Barbs, who mingle and eat and drink with you all. Chief among them:

Tag. He is in his 50’s, bulky and hard featured, with grey hair and light colored eyes. Very suspicious, he will try to get as much information out of folks by repeated questions.

Rolix. Handsome, tall and wiry, in his 40’s, fine featured with light hair and blue eyes. He is fairly friendly, personable, and richly dressed. He flirts with the ladies, and doesn’t seem to ask too many deep questions.

Brightling. Tall and wiry, in his 50’s, with a slight paunch, with a sort of distracted look in his brown eyes. He is either bald, or has shaved his head. He asks the most questions- but they tend to be odd. Most are about Signs Seen, and Portents Observed.

Longgenes. Hard to remember much about him. You know you talked to him about…something, but he left very little impression on your memories (although Chandra has a better sense of him- short, stocky build, brow hair & eyes, early 40’s, real great speaking voice). The oddest thing is that you aren’t too upset about the effect he had on you until after you’ve left.

The results….The BGMF don’t change sides. They also don’t kill you, and in fact, are fairly hospitipal to you-all. Gwqtfx politely growls that you are to be the honred guests of the BGMF for a little while, and that they consider you-all to be fine folk (for DirtMen). However, the FortFolk are here, and many, and paid in good coin up front, while you are mostly not here, and have not actually paid out too much (there were a few gifts given but you guys were short). They even give HerrHjeen & Chandra some jewelry as a token of friendship

The don’t let you leave until after the fun starts at the fort, but you are then given an escort to a safe place outside the main battle.

You see the battle unfold, with the RA Serpentine Cohort elements riding into the valley under cover of illusions. MoFoni move to stop them, but are harrased by Hyung’s Pioneers. At some point, the MoFoni break off, and the Serpentines seem more intent on getting to the SeedFort than in killing MoFoni. The RingFort fights back hard, and you can see that a team of sneaky sorts have made their way towards your secret door into the SeedFort. Eventually, some folk shoot some black globes that hit the wall of the RingFort, and while the defenders are falling over or fighting black things that flap about, some enterprising heavy dragoons run up to the gate and smash it with a somewhat glowy black hammer, while more troops pound the gatehouse with magical siege weapons (green, blue and grey beams of light). About now, something inside the center of the SeedFort glows up into the predawn sky with a fierce golden light, as smoke curls up from somewhere in there, and a loud rumble and crash rolls across the valley.

Eventually you hook up with some Royal Army 3rd Legion types. While traveling with the 3rd Legion, Chandra helps patch up a group of wounded troops. They all were wounded by one valley fem (reddish-brown hair, dusky skin) armed with a red sword. She left the field (don't have the direction written down) a wyvern was later seen leaving from the same direction. Chandra's interpretation is that she has the ruby sword. Finally you are escorted into the Fort a little after the fun is done (about two hours post the battle.)