Falnic, Belinswae. Autumn...
"Well if that's the way they're going to behave, then the bunch of them can go and get fucked is what i say" says Thane Kraelin, Baedin Kraelin the dwarven chieftain and hammermaster winces at that assessment from his nephew, though inwardly he agrees with his sister's son.
It doesn't help that the rest of the warriors around the table, and the one's at the tables to either side, voice their approval with what Thane just said.
And though the hammermaster who is the chieftain of his clan tries to inwardly sigh, it escapes his lips, and he picks up his mug and downs his ale to cover it.
Fuck me, what's the world bloody well coming to, Baedin Kraelin thinks to himself with a slight shake of his head. He never thought it would get to this, but it has, and in a very short time too.
He and members of his clan have traveled down from their homeland the Stone Hills, to the city of Falnic. To get compensation from the justifier's of Belinswae for an attack upon one of their trade caravans on the road from the Stone Hills, to the coastal city of Falnic.
It's not the first such occurrence, there was one at the start of autumn, on a small group traveling down here to Falnic. It happens on occasion, there are road bandits about after all.
But none have attacked in over five years on the roads between the Stone Hills and Belinswae proper.
And the more recent attack on clan Kraelin's trade caravan wasn't perpetrated by road bandits. These were soldiers through and through.
One of whom was caught as some of the others escaped, and after careful questioning by some of Baedin's warriors, which he admits was torture. As well as the prisoner being given to his cousin Olmack the delver. Who read the human's mind, and found him to be a justifier's guard from Falnic in disguise.
The clan chieftain and a band of warriors set off immediately for Falnic to demand compensation for the loss of lives, and the loss of goods from the trade caravan.
They could of gone to the justifier who is closest to the Stone Hills. Parsane, who lives in a town about forty miles south of the Stone Hills. But the chieftain of the Kraelin clan knows that the old wizard is as worthless as tin coins. There's a reason he's posted to the remote north of Belinswae for the last twenty years.
The other justifiers want him out of the way, and out of their schemes. Especially the scheming of the justifiers of Falnic. The largest and most important city in the region of Belinswae.
"I don't like this one jot chief" says Karne, the dwarven warrior who has known the chieftain the longest. Karne who is sitting to Baedin's left, continues with "The justifiers are pissy to begin with, always trying to get the cheapest price, and to rip us off whenever they can" the warrior who favours the axe, shakes his head, and pulls on his beard, before he adds "But this one, and the others backing him, which by the gods is almost all of them, is playing a dangerous game of it".
"Aye" says the hammermaster Baedin Kraelin, the dwarven chieftain who is now grey haired, and grey bearded, though still as strong and robust as was at thirty, now that he's two hundred and forty. Looks at the rest at the table, and says to them "You lads go up and get some more to drink and eat".
The clan chieftain adds "You too Thane" when he sees his nephew is about to protest. His sister's son looks at him then at old Karne, then Thane gets up with the other warriors, and they make their way from the table.
The chief of the Kraelin clan looks at the rest of the party at the two tables to either side of the one he's at. They notice their chieftain looking at them, and all of a sudden they start to get a lot noisier, as is often the case when dwarves drink, even in the middle of the day, as it now.
They're in a dwarven owned tavern near the docks in Falnic. The owner maybe a city dwarf, whose family left the Stone Hills centuries ago. But he still holds to the traditions of the dwarves of the Stone Hills. That's why you'll always find Stone Hill dwarves here whenever they're visiting the port city of Falnic.
"We're not the only ones running into trouble along the trade routes between here and home" quietly says Baedin Kraelin to his old compatriot Karne "Thane and some of the other lads heard talk in one of the market squares this morning, that other caravans have been attacked traveling down here from home".
"By Thaxel's beard, the fuck?" mutters Karne, who got the nickname Axe Thrower in his youth, as he has a tendency to throw them in battle. Even the heavy dwarven waraxe, which he has a pair of, crisscrossed on his back at this moment.
"Aye indeed" quietly says the clan chieftain who is often acknowledged as the best wielder of the warhammer in the entire Stone Hills. The head of clan Kraelin continues with "And not just by the one whose guards we caught out".
"The human fuckers" mutters the old dwarven warrior the other clan members refer to often as not, as Thrower or just plain Axe. "The lads hear what clan apart from ours got hit?" asks Karne aka Axe Thrower.
Before the clan chieftain can reply, the tavern door to outside bangs open. And with the cool air coming in off the harbour enters the tavern, so does the answer to Karne's question.
"Fuck me, it's those Galve bastards" says Axe Thrower as they look at who enters the tavern "Aye" sourly says the hammermaster Baedin Kraelin as they watch the dwarves who are entering the tavern.
"That shit heel Lomi is here himself" mutters Karne, beside him, his clan chief grimaces at the sight of the chieftain of clan Galve. A clan that though clan Kraelin isn't at war with, they don't exactly get along with.
"Looks like you've bitten into something sour chief" quietly says Axe Thrower "Aye" mutters Baedin the hammermaster, who after a slight pause, quietly says "I just might have to at that".
There's a brief few moments of silence as those in the tavern, especially the clan Kraelin warriors watch the newcomers, who look at them, in particular in return. The normal flow of conversation returns after Baedin Kraelin nods his head, and makes a beckoning gesture to his fellow clan chief, Lomi Galve.
Lifting an eyebrow in surprise, the old warrior Karne murmurs to his clan chieftain "You alight there chief?". "Not particularly" quietly replies the chieftain of the Kraelin clan as they watch the clan leader of clan Galve and one of his warriors make their way over to them, while the rest of the Galve party find seats at other tables.
The hammermaster Baedin nods for the two Galve dwarves to sit, they do, and as no one says anything. The dwarven tavern owner bustles over with a tray of mugs, quickly putting down a mug infront of the two newcomers at the table.
After the tavern owner moves off, and after he takes a long drink of ale, Lomi Galve puts down his mug, wipes his beard and quietly says "Still got that big bloody hammer of yours i see". "Aye" says Baedin Kraelin, who then adds "It's good for smacking in the heads of those i disagree with".
The Galve clan chieftain stares at his fellow chief from the Stone Hills, then he says "Aye, that it is" then after a quick glance around, Lomi Galve mutters "Might need the big bloody thing to smack in some of the fucking locals heads".
This time the Kraelin clan chieftain does refrain from sighing out loud, and does it inwardly, as he agrees with his fellow clan chieftain. So instead he nods in agreement with the Galve clan leader, and quietly says "Aye, i just might have to".
After nodding, Lomi Galve looks at old Karne next to Baedin Kraelin and says "Axe Thrower, i see you'll still hanging around with this idiot". "Aye chief Lomi" says the old dwarven warrior who then adds "Beats hanging around with my wife" Karne then dryly says "The damn she devil".
The Galve clan chieftain laughs at that, and even Baedin Kraelin chuckles, while the silent, fourth dwarf at the table, cracks a smile.
"Varl" says the hammermaster Baedin to the fourth dwarf at the table "Varl" adds Karne aka Axe Thrower. Both of them surprisingly saying that name with a bit of respect.
Which is answered in kind, by the dwarven warrior named Varl, who says first "Chief Baedin" followed by "Axe" to the two dwarves from clan Kraelin.
Baedin Kraelin looks at the youngest of the four dwarves at the table, who stands nearly half a foot taller than the average dwarf. Who has a dark bristling beard, while most Stone Hill dwarves tend to have brown, blond, or red hair.
Another thing that sets Varl apart, is that he has a sword at his side. Not a weapon that dwarven warriors tend to use as their primary weapon. Infact a lot of dwarves disdain the use of a sword. But not Varl of clan Galve, who happens to be the only dwarven swordmaster in the Stone Hills. A feat unheard of, especially of a dwarf who is only a three decades over a century in age.
"So i gather what's brought you here, is the same reason why me and my lads are here" quietly says Baedin Kraelin as he looks again at the clan chieftain sitting opposite him "Aye, from what i gather, it is" replies Lomi Galve, the chieftain of clan Kraelin nods, then he quietly asks "What happened?".
The hammermaster along with his old compatriot Axe Thrower listen in silence to the chieftain of the Galve clan who tells them about a raid upon one of his caravans transporting iron ore to Falnic from the Stone Hills.
It was no road bandits involved in the attack, for the attackers had a pair of tame wyverns with them. And though some of the wealthy trading factors have wyverns that are battle trained. Those wyverns from Belinswae that are predominantly used in battle instead of straight transport or used for messengers. Belong to the justifiers of Belinswae, who use them to raid into the Nomad's Plains to the east. Where they undertake their ongoing campaign to wipe out the nomad barbarians.
"You know which justifier was behind it?" quietly asks Baedin Kraelin, Lomi Galve shakes his head, and replies with "Could be any of them" the chief of clan Galve continues with "Especially with the way some of them have been acting lately, what with the negotiations with the elves of Maladimbáh failing again as it did in the summer".
The hammermaster grunts in agreement, as he too, along with most of the city of Falnic has heard about the failed attempt last month of one of the city's justifiers to have some of his guards stationed in the elven principality of Maladimbáh so that they can more easily raid into the plains of the nomad tribes.
"Well since the season for raiding into the plains is basically over until spring" quietly says Baedin Kraelin, who pauses for a moment, before he adds "You think they're looking north to us instead?".
"Aye looks like it" says Lomi Galve, who then asks his fellow clan chieftain from the Stone Hills "But after long centuries of peace between them and us, by Thaxel and Dovarn why the fuck would they do this now?".
"Aye, why indeed" quietly says Baedin Kraelin the hammermaster . . . . . .
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