His only hope lay with an alliance of mutual convenience, founded by renegade Dwarves expelled from the glittering caves, home of Lord Golbur. Unbeknownst to Golbur, who controlled the fabulously wealthy jewel tunnels of the Fire, Opals, the son of the former high priest of Parsifal, was protected by Mergin"s influence and those of his Shadows. The Shadows could not enter a Dwarf realm and hope to go unnoticed as Men. Instead, Mergin had them hide in plain sight, posing as merchants and apprentice smiths. The Shadows conveyed a lesser Fire Opal to Mergin to consume every year to preserve his life.
The Dwarf priest, who had been exiled back to the Bastion, researched all that he could learn regarding how and why the Fire Opals extended the lives of Dwarves. This extension, while poorly und
