Ravindra Gregor spent three days in the cave with status somewhere between guest and prisoner, not bound or confined but also with clear understanding that attempting escape before Ravindra was satisfied with information given would be the last decision he'd make in a life already long enough and full of bad decisions that somehow hadn't killed him until now though some came very close. The old man spent most time sitting near the small fire always burning in cave corner, recovering strength from days of torture and forced march through mountains with bandits who didn't care whether their prisoner could keep pace or not, and while recovering he told about the world beyond Frostreach with details making Ravindra realize how little he actually knew about places he must one day enter if wanting to achieve goals still vague but already beginning to crystallize into something more concrete than just desire for revenge or proving worth.Auratigris observed these interactions with eyes miss

Ravindra Iron Valley smelled different than Frostreach in ways that went beyond obvious contrasts of forge smoke versus clean mountain air or unwashed humanity versus sterile cold. It smelled of complexity, of lives layered upon lives in density that created its own ecosystem of scents marking territories and hierarchies and purposes that Ravindra's mountain-trained senses struggled to parse into coherent categories. Near processing facilities the air carried sharp metallic tang that coated tongue and made breathing feel like swallowing copper dust, while residential areas mixed wood smoke with cooking smells that ranged from appealing to nauseating depending on what was being prepared and how recently previous meal had been consumed. Everywhere underneath was smell of too many humans living too close together, sweat and waste and the particular odor of bodies that washed irregularly because water required effort to obtain and heat.Ravindra walked ma