While the group has a little downtime on the lush forest level in the tower-out-of-time of Nodden-Torr, Alexis muses out loud.
“Something’s been sitting with me.” He waits a moment. “The orcs that tore through Nodden-Torr had black veins running through them. Unnatural. Shadow infused in them, or some-such. Clearly altered by Shasherak. And that shadow creature we fought under Nodden-Torr, same thing: Black veins.”
He glances at the group.
“And Bandesingh uses orcs too. Different mark, same foot soldier.” He glances back. “Why orcs for both of them? Not stink lizards, not hobgoblins, not gnolls. Orcs.” A beat. “Did Bandesingh learn that from Shasherak? Is there a connection between them, or did two men arrive at the same answer separately?”
Another beat.
“There’s a spellbook tied to Shasherak that nobody’s seen in an age. I’d very much like to know where it is. I wonder if it’s being held by the Dark Hand.”
Rask starts to ask a question, “Zrth” starts to form on his lips. He shakes his head. He looks puzzled and starts to speak,
“Split throne… Half-Orc gliffs, Half Elf scrip… Back in Noddin’ Torr you talked about Bandesing and said some thing about ‘Born of Two Hatreds? What Bandesing is trying to bring back? Could it be connected to this? The Dragon and Sahserak? The orcs? That… thing we fought in the room with the columns and lightning?”
Alexis is clearly trying to follow Rask’s train of thought. He angles his hat back while listening and discerning.
“A shadow of Shasherak was the creature we fought in the room with the lightning and columns.” Alexis answers confidently, although there’s an uncertainty about whether this is what Rask is actually asking about.
“A shadow of the shadow” Alexis attempts the weak joke.
“Perhaps you’re getting Bandesingh and Shasherak confused?”
Rask looks back at Alexis, clearly still puzzling out his own thoughts. Alexis’ confirmation that they fought a shadow of Sasherak is clearly helpful.
“Is Bandesing trying to bring Sasherak back?”