Anavren nods with a sardonic smile in confirmation of his low expectations of the party's reaction to his reappearance. At this point, Anavren knows it is far beneath him to respond to Steven. He ignores the vermin.

Anavren fumbles in his beltpouch until he can produce his shard of nephelium. Anavren holds the clear metal shard so that all in the party may see it. "This is nephelium. It is an almost unbreakable clear metal. The powers that commissioned, and are watching, our mission felt that this metal may hold the key to our success. That is why they 'summoned' me back to Mitrik. If I am not mistaken, the mine we are entering is a nephelium mine. The gnomish smith, Pordo, in Mitrik, accidentally broke his nephelium sample when absent-mindedly and accidentally flipping a copper coin onto the metal. When we tried to recreate the incident, all our attempts failed to fracture the metal. I theorized that when one wanted to break the metal, it would hold fast, since all attempts to purposefully break the metal failed. My theory failed, so I am open to other theories. I wonder how the miners were ever able to mine nephelium? Perhaps, in ore, it is easy to mine, but what if the metal in this mine comes in pure veins? Perhaps we'll find copper tools lying about this abandoned mine. Also, nephelium may be susceptible to heat if it is metal and must be forged into weapons, but I doubt we'll be able to produce that kind of heat." Anavren shrugs with frustration at a lack of knowledge of nephelium. "We'll have to do the best we can."

"Now," Anavren says with a sigh, "in a show of teamwork and cooperation, I shared what knowledge I had with you. I could have withheld my knowledge so that you'd have had to protect me to preserve my knowledge in order that our mission may succeed, else the mission would have failed. By imparting my knowledge, I have lessened my value to you and have simultaneously ensured that the mission has the greatest possibility of success. I hope that you will now be forthcoming with what information you have gleaned in my absence." Anavren listens patiently to anything the party members may have to offer, but, in light of their already negative reaction to his reappearance, he fully expects them either to tell him nothing, or to withhold much.
Anavren is a tall high elf with typical black hair & green eyes. He stands 5' 5" tall & weighs about 133 lbs. Anavren is dressed in forest colors, studded leather armor, helmet and buckler. He is seldom without his mighty composite shortbow in hand!