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No message that would help the situation came to her, so she shook her head. Lord Percival already suspected Grimley was dead or injured from their first foray, so hopefully he would see through the message. Perhaps just asking for the stick on incense would tip him off that she was up to something.

"May I be of assistance with my light with clearing the firedamp?" she asked, curious how much freedom of movement she would be allowed, plus hopefully learn her way around better just in case a good opportunity to flee with Fr Michael presented itself.

"We'll send the dwarf back with our list of supplies" says Ursa, "then just to see the reaction to the bad news that Grimley is dead. Meanwhile, yes, a decent light would be of help - we dwarves can see in the dark but not very well, just red blotches where things are hot."
He take Galiena along the railway, and to the coalface. This is cut between the two tracks. Dwarves are inspecting the surface of the coal - Galiena isn't quite sure what they are doing, but they seem to be checking for gas emissions. There is another area of activity, where dwarves are applying pickaxes to the ceiling and bringing rocks down.
"We've got some light, might help you comrade Dalgo" says Ursa, and leaves you alone with someone who appears to be the dwarf foreman.

She's starting to get her bearings in the maze of tunnels better now. Enough that she might even find her way back to the shaft without a dwarf to lead her, she thought.

"Where can I stand with the light to be of the most help?" she asked Dalgo, letting him direct her so that the light helps the dwarves take care of whatever they need to do.

"Would extra ventilation shafts or something similar make the business of coal mining less dangerous?" she inquires, wondering if that might be another angle for negotiations. Perhaps Lord Percival may be willing to fund upgrades for the mine.

"Shine the light on the surface of the coal" says Dalgo, "we're checking for any deep fractures caused by the earthquake. That's where the firedamp escapes."
"An extra shaft would give us an extra escape route" he says in response to Galiena's suggestion, "and also a through draught for ventilation. But now comrade Ursa has taken over, we're not going to mine coal anymore. Diamond mining is a lot safer, and more pleasant."
They work for some time.
"Are you going to stay with us now, sister?" he asks.

"Only for a short time," she said to him as she pointed the light where Dalgo needed it. Not that Rorik would ever think to look for me here... she pushed that thought away, done with her self-imposed imprisonment.

She nodded to his words. "Forgive me if I offend, for I'm still learning of Dwarven culture, but why not let the Dunstan dwarves mine coal while the McCains mine diamonds?"

"That would be ideal," says Dalgo, "If comrade Ursa allows it. Somehow we've got to get out of Dwarf Mine - even dwarves can't stay here forever".

Galiena begins to feel tired. It's been a long night, and the work at the coal face goes on for a long time.

"It seems a solution that would make all parties happy," she agrees. Perhaps she could plant that idea in the heads of a few more dwarves.

She kept holding the light for awhile longer, though it was getting more difficult to remain alert. She blinked a few times and shifted her weight from foot to foot to help stay awake. On top of the long night, she'd had a long day riding before that. "Dalgo, do you still need the light? I fear I won't be able to keep my eyes open much longer."

"I believe I remember the way back though... straight up this tunnel, right?" she said, wondering if she might finally find herself without a chaperone.

"You get some rest" says Dalgo, "we've nearly finished now anyway, then the lamps go back on. Follow the rail track, then turn left - don't miss the turning or they'll think you're trying to escape. I don't know where you'll sleep - we've got to kip down in the machine room. Ask comrade Ursa."

Pint had had an early night in the Azure Lion Inn, not wanting to mix with the working dwarf clientele. He is woken by a commotion. One of the bar maids steps into his room.
"There's been an explosion at the colliery, sir, all the dwarves are going to see if they can help."

"AAAAH!!" Pint awoke with a startle as someone entered his room unannounced. The dwarf reflexively hurled an axe at the intruder but managed to veer it out of the way when he realized it was one of the bar maids, the hatchet sticking to the wall next to her. Unlike what one might think, he was fast asleep and hadn't been bothered that much by the commotion.

"Bloody hell, woman! Donna just walk into me room like that!" Yelled the dwarf before he rolled out of bed. "Bollocks, so just 'cause I'm a dwarf I gotta check on wot's going on at the mines, ey?" He rubbed his eyes though, at the end of the day, he /is/ a dwarf and it was in his nature to go help his kin. "Ugh.. I'm going, lemme get me gear.. sorry about the axe."

The dwarven wandered went to put his armor on and his weapons, never one to walk around without them. All geared up he walked off his room staggering a bit and mumbling. "Odsblood.. not even some blasted coffee first." He walked the front part of the inn to chomp on some coffee beans before setting off to see what was the commotion all about. This trip here was starting to prove something alright.

Colston colliery is a short walk from the Azure Lion. Fortunately Pint, being a dwarf, can see in the dark, not well, but well enough to find his way. It is a scene of commotion.
"I'm telling you, chief Grimely has been killed" says a dwarf, who is dirty with coal dust, "seems to be the only casualty. Anyway, they want supplies"
"Incense" says a human Lord, who Pint guesses must be Lord Percival, "why do they want that? I suppose we can get some from St Barbara's. Must have some there. But Galiena is staying of her own free will is she? Presumably Fr Michael is also there of his own free will. Very curious."
"Now that chief Grimley has been killed and we know that the explosion has been contained, I'm not so happy about my dwarves going down the mine" says a dwarf chief, "It sounds like something funny is going on, and I'm not sure what."
"Well they've asked for supplies and given us diamonds to pay for them" says Lord Percival, "I suggest that to show good will, we provide them. That doesn't necessarily involve anyone going down, we can put them in the cage and just send it down. But better if we can send a negotiator."
"I've got nowhere with them" says the dwarf encrusted with coal dust.

The babble of conversation continues in this vein.
"Hey brother" says a dwarf to Pint, "are you a McCain? I guess not. What are you doing about these parts?"

Too bad Dalgo had not become the new leader of the McCains. He seemed the reasonable sort, plus obviously had at least some leadership abilities if he was the foreman. How happy was he with these current arrangements?

"Why? What happens if someone leaves without Ursa's permission?" Galiena asked, shaking off her sleepiness for just a few extra minutes. "He told me I wasn't a prisoner..."

Pint narrowed his eyes as everything went black and white within the mine. He had been wandering around in the surface for quite a while and nowadays it took some adjusting whenever he went underground and used his darkvision. Thankfully, his dwarven roots ran deep, and the young dwarf hadn't lost his minesight despite his many adventures above aground.

He stood a ways from the commotion, eyes focused and ears attentive to the various people arguing. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated and he kept his hand resting on the head of his urgrosh spear-axe just in case. But as he had surmised, the dwarves here were surprisingly unwilling to try and solve things through hammer and axe. It appeared these were a town of laborers and craftsmen, not blood soaked warriors like in Pint's homeland.

As he rubbed his beard trying to make sense of the local politics, he looked to the side when a dwarf approached him questioning his motives. It was obvious by the way he was geared that Pint wasn't one of the locals.

"Hm? Nay, I'm from clan Bloodhorns. Ye've probably ne'er heard of 'em-- not from 'round 'ere. Anyways, I'm wot ye can call a professional dungeon crawler. An adventurer." He motioned to the wicked looking spear axe hanging from his belt. "Heard there were some problems 'ere and thought I'd give it a look." What Pint wasn't saying though was that he was rather unskilled at handling diplomatic issues and had been thus far unsure on how to approach the problem. However, now that things were escalating into violence he was hopeful he could put his skills to good use.

There is a slender woman who overhears Pint describe his relationship to the Bloodhorns. She becknos him over to Lord Percival.
"Lord Percival" she says, "This dwarf is neither from clan Dunstan or clan McCain. He is a wandering adventurer. He might be a good go-between. The other Dunstan dwarf doesn't appear to achieved anything."
"I just want the two clerics, Fr Michael and Galiena, back on the surface, safe and sound" says Lord Percival. "We plan to give them some supplies, to cope with the aftermath of the explosion, which by report has killed the McCain dwarf chief, Grimley, and to show goodwill. Who will take these supplies?"
"We'll need several dwarves" says the slender woman, but if they don't come back with the clerics, time to get more hardline with them, your Lordship".

Meanwhile Dalgo says to Galiena, "The committee guard the exit to Dwarf Mine. That's why we're all up here instead of in the living quarters, so there's a long tunnel and it's hard for anyone to leave. We don't want a traitor getting to the surface. He might tell Lord Percival about the diamond, then Lord Percival will try to take it for himself."

Dalgo may just be the cautious sort or perhaps a true believer. Galiena was, by now, too tired to really discern the difference. But, explicitly stated or not, she had to assume she'd be treated as a prisoner now too.

"I fear keeping your own people essentially prisoners down here will not be maintainable for long," she said. "Like you said, even dwarves tire of being under ground." She shook her head and started back so she could find somewhere to sleep.

Now this was something Pint could work with. He cracked his knuckles as he heard the woman that beckoned him over lay out the first sound strategy he's heard in a while.

"Aye, I can do that." He said once he heard that there might be some people he needed to rescue along the way. "Ne'er send a cleric to do a fighter's job, it's wot I've always said, heh." The dwarf chuckled.

"I can lead some blokes down there and make sure the supplies get there. Wot can I expect from these clerics? They human or dwarves or somethin' else? Also; anythin' down there that I should be wary 'bout besides dwarves? Goblins, kobolds.. mindflayers? I hate those basserds." Pint asked the human Lord as he was eager for some action and his Urgrosh was thirsty for blood. As a whole, Pint disliked the idea of having to kill his kin-- even slaying Durgear wasn't as pleasant-- but if those dwarves attacked he'd certainly have to defend himself. And, well, at the end of the day, dwarves are good fighters and Pint knew it'd be a good fight which is what mattered the most to him. More than riches and glory he loved nothing more than a challenging battle.

Galiena goes back down the tunnel, and turns off into the machine room. There's a dwarf pedalling away on the fan, and more dwarves kipping down in blankets at the side of the room.
"What do you want, sister?" asks one.

Meanwhile Pint and four Dunstan dwarves, including Adan, descend the main shaft, bearing the supplies, including a huge tureen of hot stew. The four dwarves load all the supplies onto a cart, and push it up the railway, towards the coal face.

"This is hard work" mutters one of the dwarves, "especially after a night's drinking. Imagine being stuck here for our living. Let's hope this strike is sorted out quickly".

"Just to get some rest," the cleric responds, unaware that Adan, Pint and the other dwarves are making their way down the shaft right this minute. "There fine?" she asks, pointing to where the dwarves are laying down. It didn't look overly comfortable, but after being up for probably 20 hours by now, she was ready to go without a soft bed.

Pint was a little annoyed that Lord Percival neglected to give him more information about the mines or the clerics he's supposed to rescue. But, this is by far not the first time he doesn't get enough details about a mission, and probably won't be the last time either.

Thus he trudges on and helps the Dunstan dwarves push the crate with supplies. They looked a little tougher than the rest of the dwarves, or so Pint thought until one of them started complaining about how difficult it is to push a cart. Pint rolled his eyes a little, though there was something worth noting about the Dunstan dwarf's complaint. If they thought that this was tough work then that means they weren't doing it themselves and it was the other dwarves who did it exclusively. Where they not taking turns? This whole thing reeked of mistreatment.

"Ey mate, I'm new in town." He said to one of the other dwarves. "Mind filling me on why is it exactly that these blighters are on a strike?"

"You shouldn't have to be sleeping with the comrades, sister" says the dwarf, "it's not right. Comrade Ursa will get you your own chamber. Where is he? I believe he's on guard duty down the tunnel to the main shaft." He gestures vaguely in the direction of one of the tunnels (there are two, with the coalface and diamond pipe going between them).

"The McCains discovered a diamond pipe" says one of the dwarves to Pint, "So naturally, they started mining it, much nicer work than mining coal. They sold a few diamonds, with Lord Percival taking his cut. Then the story went out that the diamonds were unlucky. So Lord Percival said he wouldn't accept them any more, and could they go back to mining just coal? That was the point at which they went on strike. So we Dunstans have been drafted in to break the strike."
"Now it was about two days ago that Lord Percival sent a longshanks cleric, Fr Michael, down the mine to negotiate a last minute settlement. He didn't come back. Then Adan here and another longshanks cleric, a female one called Galiena, went to try to get Fr Michael out. Adan was fobbed off with excuses, whilst Galiena said she wouldn't return to the surface at all without Fr Michael. So now instead of one, there's two longshanks clerics lost somewhere down the mine."
"Finally, there was a big explosion of firedamp down the mine. Now that's curious, I know you get mining explosions from time to time. But the timing is curious. We sent dwarves down, and the McCains reported that Griimley McCain, chief of the McCains, had been killed in the explosion. Which changes the situation totally."

Pint and the dwarves trudge on. Being dwarves, they can stand in the tunnel upright, but only just. It's too short for men to stand, which means that if it came to a fight, Lord Percival's human soldiers would stand no chance against dwarf defenders.