"The Outlands might limit a lich used to relying on magic," Joshua muses, "near to the Spire leastwise"

(I'm not sure how private the current conversation is, so please correct me if I'm mistaken here)

"I'll be happy to add something to this discussion," Nilis says quietly to the others, "if we can have it somewhere other than the middle of an Ysgardian mead-hall."

Joshua looks at Nilis, her desire for secrecy warming his heart a little,

"I'll ask the Ring Giver" he says

and going over to Abbica asks, "can you tell me about nearby portals, world doors I think they call them here."

Nilis can hear Dunn and Emfrid talking just fine, and the factioneers acknowledge her greeting with their own.

Abbica knows of three portals nearby: One that leads to Skeinheim (Ring-Giver HQ), one to Pandemonium (a plane one tick past Limbo, just on the evil side of Chaotic Neutral), and one to Nidavellir (the third layer of Ysgard - an underground realm of dwarven, gnomish, and drow petitioners).

Edit: That's three portals.

Joshua considers finding the half-drow and apologising for Morlan having killed him, but thanks Abbica for her information

returning to the group he says "our options are deeper into Ysgard, the Ring Givers home or the underground realm of dwarves and ... drow," he stumbles over the name, "Pandemonium, or the Infinite Stair"

Mel looks at Nilis' obvious discomfort of discussing travel plans so openly, and finds that it is something good to consider.

"Maybe it's best to discuss this elsewhere, so that if Tam comes looking, he cannot interrogate anyone to find out where we are going." He nods in the direction of the infinite stair.

"I'm not sure that being svartalfar is quite the same thing that a Prime means when referring to 'drow.' Perhaps our friend here," she nods to Emfrid, "can tell us more."

If and when she realizes that the second 'skulker' is a Taker, the tiefling tries to hide her discomfort. She had usually found the Heartless fairly simple to deal with -- until quite recently. That faction, and her own non-faction faction, often have much in common, especially in contrast to those factions that have little or no focus on the individual. She asks a few questions, phrased as innocuously as possible, to try and find out the man's interest in being here.

While she's actually in agreement with Mellonion, Nilis asks the Ring-Giver a few more things. "Could you tell us a bit more about these portals? What are their keys, for example? Where exactly does the portal to Pandemonium lead? And could you share a bit more about Skeinheim? I appreciate your helpfulness."

While everyone is milling about, whispering furtively or discussing plans more openly, Morlan settles himself on a bench with a flagon of the vikings' mead and quite openly appraises the Ring-Giver.

He idly wonders how far her giving nature extends...

Emfrid nods. "I've heard about the enmity toward drow," she says. "But only really eyed it with Morlan in Delhumide."

She shrugs.

"Them svartalfar turned up in Ysgard when they died, so they can't be all bad - but they war constantly with the dwarves down in the old holes."

Asked why he's here, Davur seems a bit put out. "I, like Abbica there, am here to serve as an adviser to King Hammergriff and ambassador from my faction. I am a safeguard against the machinations and influence of the Ring-Givers. You will find a Fated in virtually every hold in Ysgard."

Abbica is happy to answer Nilis' questions. The portals are all within a quarter mile of the hall, and she provides directions to each. The portal to Skeinheim is keyed to cupping your hands and making a drinking gesture. The portal to Nidavellir is keyed to blinking twice while thinking of darkness. The key to Pandemonium is opened by walking through it backward.

The portal to Pandemonium connects to the wreckage of a galleon in the first layer, Pandesmos. How the galleon got there and what other locations might be nearby are unknown to Abbica, as she discovered the portal quite by accident and has only had a quick look around on the other side.

Box, Gelon and Emfrid all follow Mellonion back to the stairway for the travel plan discussion.

An elf is an elf Joshua thinks to himself, but these distinctions seem worth killing over

He joins the others on the Stair, interested in seeing the Underground Realm and Pandemonium, but also willing to go wherever the Stairway takes them.