Reunited with the Porcupine Knight

Twang sheathed his sword and hurried quickly over to Mercurion whom was carrying a mortar out of the collapsing room. Twang nodded to the knight as he shares the weight of the mortar and the two successfully escaped along with the rest of their companions just before the rocks fell. Once they were a short distance into the hallway Twang motioned for the knight to set down the mortar. Once they had done so Twang sat on it and began inspecting/polishing his equipment. He took note of his katana which was now more red than ever before but he made no mention of it. While checking his equipment he spoke to Mercurion.

“I really can’t say I expected to see you again. I thought your Goddess rescued you from this hellish plane and left us to our own devices”

He sighed.

“I suppose you noticed but you we gained some more allies in our pursuit of Strahd. That’s Elias over there, he is a cleric of Pelor, and...”

Twang looked around not seeing Bissandrei and shrugged.

“Well the tall guy with the giant sword is Bissandrei. I saw him leave the room but he must have left down the wrong hallway. He’s mighty useful in a fight but really ain’t so bright.”

Twang paused again and looked the armored figure up and down.

“Well? What the hell happened to ya? Did you upset your Goddess and get sent you back to us as punishment?”

Mercurion let go of the mortar and watched his new companions move to and fro, his helmed, horned head rotating ostentatiously as he followed their movements. "These men are a bit odd... I know not of his 'Pelor,' the canticles of my homeland never mentioned such a god; but this Elias seems faithful and true enough." He looked down at his short companion. "You seem to have changed, friend Twang, yet I cannot put my finger on it."

There was a pause, the knight's armor creaking as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Do you wear your hair in a different style?"

"As for why I vanished... the Mists took me, sure enough. I know the stories of the cloying fog, how it can waylay or kill the foolhardy and unlucky. But I always seem to emerge unharmed." The Borcan sheathed his trusty blade, but his hand came to rest on the heavy grip of his long black powder pistol. "Truly, my continued safety is a gift from Our Lady of the Mist. One I do not intend to squander."

"Truth be told, I do not exactly know where I was. I may have never left Barovia, but I would like to think that perhaps I glimpsed Her land- the realm as it should be. Not untouched by shadow, but not cast into it totally either, a twilight place- melancholy at times, perhaps, but not ignoble or evil."

The spined knight's voice took on a faraway quality, his murmured words scarcely escaping from behind his faceplate:

"I have seen visions of dragons of silver, crumbling tyrant's towers and a new dawn breaking on the horizon. But sadly I have yet to make sense of what I have been shown."

Twang nodded as the knight called the new companions odd, but at the mention of his looks and a possible new hairstyle Twang stared dumbfounded at the knight while scratching his feather beard with his talons.

“Well uh... yes. Something like that. Thanks for noticing.”

Twang quickly quieted himself as the knight spoke about where he had been and what he had seen. He was silent for a moment before speaking.

“I don’t know if a Silver dragon, however there is a Red Drake that we have agreed to help these dwarves destroy. You see, these dwarves have been tunneling under Strahd’s castle with the hopes of causing it to collapse in on-itself one day. Unfortunately Strahd is fighting them at every turn. But, if we were to get rid of this Red Drake then Strahd would have. No choice but to delegate some of his troops to protect whatever the dragon is. Moving the troops around should allow the dwarves to push their plan forward of collapsing the castle. Perhaps the towers in your vision are one and the same with Strahd’s castle...”

Twang stopped talking and pulled out a bottle of wine and and drank from it hastily.

“Could just be a coincidence though. Only one who can say for sure is the entity who provided you your vision.”

He offered the bottle over to his friend.

"A red drake? I have heard legends of such things in my childhood, but never dreamed such a wicked beast existed. Well, certainly not in my homeland, at least." Mercurion carefully removed his horned helmet and placed it on the ground. He downed a few contemplative gulps before handing the bottle back with an appreciative nod.

"But if such a creature does indeed lurk in Barovia, it is surely one of the mightiest of the legions of the night, and I would be remiss unless I found it and did battle. If we find this a beast, I trust I can depend on one such as you, friend Twang." There was no doubt in the knight's voice, and he bent forward to lay a solid but friendly hand on the shoulder of his companion.

"I do not doubt your courage any more than I doubt my Goddess. She guides me in all things. and my trust in her is total. I dream of the day when we can break the backbone of the dark powers that gnaw at this realm. Even if Strahd lays me low, Ezra's will welcome me, and another will be sent to destroy the Legions. She cannot and will not be denied."

The Borcan glanced about at their subterranean surroundings and waved vaguely.

"What do you make of these strange dwarven creatures? I find them to be quite inexplicable, myself."