The Stone Hills. Winter...
"How's their progress?" asks the clan chieftain Baedin Kraelin "They're moving as slowly as a fat sow that knows it's on it's way to market" replies Lobbie the dwarven warrior. Lobbie is his nick name, because he likes to lob peoples heads off with his axe.
"They stop and start like they're always running to the jakes with the shits" continues Lobbie, who at nearly five foot tall, and a rotund frame beneath his mix of chainmail and leather armour, is considered a large dwarf.
"If they're not bunched up, they're spread out like no bodies business" says Lobbie with a shake of his head, which sends his blond braids swinging, the large dwarven warrior continues with "Three days and they're still going through the foothills" he says that in disgust, as he does when he adds "And they're using our trade road!".
"Aye they're useless buggers traveling for sure" says the hammermaster Baedin Kraelin as they along with a small group of warriors who are following them, make their way through a series of tunnels in the side of a mountain in Kraelin clanhold.
"Doesn't help that the idiots decided to go to war during winter, and in the mountains for god's sake" says the clan chieftain "Aye the fools" mutters Lobbie, who after a slight pause, adds "There's plenty of the fools though".
And that's the crux of the problem, Baedin Kraelin thinks to himself, as he knows that their clan, as well as all the other clans in the Stone Hills, as well as the free folk in the foothills and beyond, are badly outnumbered by the various armies of the justifier's of Belinswae.
Wooden doors are opened as the group approach them, the outside of the doors resemble rock, for that's what the outer part of the doors are. The group consisting of the chieftain of clan Kraelin, the large dwarf Lobbie, and about half a dozen dwarven warriors make their way outside.
Where a biting wind is blowing against the side of the peak they're up. They cross a dry water culvert to an outcrop on the side of the mountain.
Lobbie thumps the rock face of the outcrop with the haft of his axe. A moment later and a section of the rock face slides smoothly open from right to left. The group of dwarves step inside the outcrop, which in actual fact is a lookout position for this particular mountain.
As the hidden rock wall slides close behind them, the hammermaster Kraelin asks one of the warriors on duty in the lookout "Where is he?".
"Upstairs chief" replies the dwarven warrior, who then adds "On the top level" the clan chieftain grunts to that, and followed by Lobbie, he heads to the stairwell, that winds up through the rocky outcrop that's about eighty feet high.
Baedin Kraelin and Lobbie climb the stairs, with the larger dwarf following his chieftain. They pass lookout levels that give a view for miles all around to the east and west, and particularly to the south. The levels are all manned by dwarven warriors, who are looking down into the foothills in the distance.
They get to the top level, and the chief of clan Kraelin and the large dwarf with a battleaxe strapped to his back share a quick look. Before they cross the top level of the watchtower, that's manned by a trio of warriors, and one other.
Baedin Kraelin and Lobbie make their way to the other, who is slightly leaning forward with his arms folded on the sill of an opening, looking away to the south. He's leaning forward so as not to bump his head, which is hooded, on the ceiling as he stands about six foot tall.
The hammermaster comes and stands beside the hooded figure in the cloak, while Lobbie stands a bit back from the two of them. Glancing out of the next window opening along to the right as wind blows in through the rectangular shaped openings.
"Highness" quietly says Baedin Kraelin who has switched to the common language "Chieftain" replies Helbe the elven thief, who briefly glances at the dwarven chief beside him, before he looks outside again.
The hammermaster steps up onto the step infront of him so he can see clearly out of the same opening that prince Helbenthril Raendril of Laerel is looking out of. The clan chieftain looks away to the right, to the southwest. And he soon spots what everyone in the watchtower within the outcrop up the side of the mountain is watching this morning. A justifier's army from Belinswae.
"The lad came back last night with my son Thane and the Axe Thrower" says the dwarven chieftain as they watch the army that's invaded his clanhold, ponderously winding it's way along the trade road, that's like a ribbon through the foothills into the mountains of the Stone Hills.
"So i heard" says the young elven noble who continues with "They got a good close look at them the other day is what i heard". "Aye they did" says the dwarven warrior who is both chieftain and hammermaster.
The elven masterthief nods his hooded head, then he says "And we're expecting some others from the west sometime today i take it".
"Aye Helnd and his war party, who have the lassie with them" says Baedin Kraelin, who briefly pauses then a look passes across his bearded face, as if he's bitten into something extremely sour as he adds "Along with the mad, er the knight and those clanless rebel rousers who run with him".
The elven magic user refrains from laughing, though he does grin as he hears the muttered swearing from the other dwarves in this level of the watchtower at the mention of the knight sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who all the dwarves refer to as the madman. The elven princeling from south of the equator is finally learning the dwarven language, and though he knows some basic commands, as well as greetings and the like. He doesn't know much of it apart from a wide array of swear words, which is often the easiest thing to first learn when you're just starting out learning a new language.
"Not too worry chief Baedin" says Helbe the elven thief, who then adds "At least sir Percavelle is on our side". "I don't know if that's a good thing or not" dryly murmurs the dwarven chieftain who is of the opinion that the knight from south of the equator, sir Percavelle Lé Dic, is as much of a liability as he is an asset in fighting the armies of the justifiers of Belinswae.
The young elven noble does laugh when he hears what the chief of clan Kraelin just dryly murmured, then the elven master assassin says "Like i said, not too worry, he'll be kept well in hand now that he's back with us".
The hammermaster grunts in satisfaction at that, as he knows that at least that is true. Then as they watch the enemy army on the trade road, and the wyverns flying over it, Baedin Kraelin asks "How many justifiers with them this morning?". "Just the one" replies prince Helbenthril Raendril who then adds "The other flew off just after dawn, headed west" the elven master archer continues with "They've finally probably got word of their forces to the west getting attacked by Helnd and his war party, most likely gone to check out what's happened".
"That those bastard guards that way got wiped out is what they'll find" quietly says the clan chieftain, the elven magic user nods in agreement with that, then the two of them fall silent as they continue to watch the justifier's army moving slowly through the foothills a few miles to the southwest of the mountain the hidden watchtower is up.
After a while of observing the enemy army, the elven princeling breaks the silence by asking "Is everything in preparation?". "Aye they are highness" says Baedin Kraelin who never thought in his lifetime he would be speaking with an elven prince, and one who is from so far away. And one who has turned out to be such an invaluable ally too.
"With the war party Helnd is bringing back sometime today, it'll be the most warriors we'll have in my clanhold in at least my lifetime" says the dwarven hammermaster who is the chief of clan Kraelin, after a slight pause he quietly adds "Hopefully it's enough to take them on".
"It should be" says Helbe the elven thief, who then silently adds to himself, or so I've been told.
Then as they watch the justifier's army that numbers over a thousand guards, and half again that much in camp followers, not to mention the half a dozen wyverns circling overhead, and again that many ranging out in all directions, looking for signs of the dwarven warriors and free folk fighters who they've been waging war against this winter.
The elven spellcaster who as usual has a shield spell up so that he can't be sensed by other practitioners of magic, asks the clan chieftain "That other matter I've mentioned now and again, any word on that?".
"Nay nothing as of yet" says Baedin Kraelin, who then adds "Word might not of got all the way to the east into The Hills" the hammermaster continues with "Then there's the clanless who live amongst the free folk, could be there too".
The young elven noble nods his hooded head in acknowledgment that, that could be the case in the other issue he's mentioned. "Well keep asking if you please" says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel in the Southlands.
"Aye we will highness" says chief Baedin of clan Kraelin, who after a slight pause as he glances at Lobbie and the other warriors in this level of the watchtower within the outcrop, three quarters of the way up the mountainside, quietly asks the young elven noble "Got a time when we're going to attack that lot down there?".
"Well it was going to be tomorrow morning" replies prince Helbenthril Raendril, who after a moments pause adds in a slightly dry tone "But at the speed they're moving, or i should say, lack of it, it'll probably be early the following morning".
"Aye, they be slow bastards for sure" says the clan chieftain who then adds in a wry tone "Can't even count on them to get killed when we want them too". The elven masterthief slightly smiles, then says "How inconsiderate of them, they really should be more accommodating". Which causes chief Baedin, Lobbie and the other dwarven warriors in this level of the hidden watchtower to chuckle.
After the quiet laughter dies down, the hammermaster Kraelin asks "Still in the same place?" the young elven noble from south of the equator says "Still in the same place, beyond the redoubt, past that last village to the east of the road".
"Aye, good spot that" says Baedin Kraelin, who after a slight pause continues with "Not afraid to admit it, but i would never of picked that area to take on such a large force".
Nor i, then again I'm not a master of battle tactics, prince Helbenthril Raendril thinks to himself, who along with the dwarven clan chieftain look in the direction of the area concerned is. They haven't got a great view of it, even from up here in the mountain watchtower. They can't see the village in question, as it's on the otherside of a foothill below.
"That village has been abandoned since the start of winter" says the chieftain of clan Kraelin who continues with "No doubt they be sending patrols, either from the backs of their flying beasties, or horses, to check it out today".
"No doubt" says the elven magic user who has been in the Stone Hills since the start of winter helping out the dwarven clans who are at war with the justifiers of Belinswae, well almost all of the justifiers of that region.
Next to the elven spellcaster, the dwarven hammermaster slightly shakes with a slight shiver, and as Helbe the elven thief eyes him, Baedin Kraelin explains "Never been fond of that free folk village being so close to our clanhold".
"Oh?" says the young elven noble with a raised eyebrow, who was of the opinion that the chief of clan Kraelin, and his clan in general got along well with the free folk in the foothills close to their clanhold.
"They've got themselves a lich yard there" says clan chieftain, a couple of the other dwarves mutter at that, and another makes a sign to ward of evil "The humans from all around the area bury their dead there" adds Baedin Kraelin who then says "Bury them in the earth, in the soil itself".
He like all the dwarves in this level of the watchtower, and all of dwarven kind, they find that practice abhorrent. As they believe the dead should be entombed in stone, as they do with their dead.
They even find the practice of the elves, who leave their dead to lie on the earth within a forest, more preferable to the human practice of burying the dead in the dirt and soil.
The only time you'll find dwarven kind buried in soil is if others have done it, as is often the case with the fallen in battle.
"A lich yard you say?" says Helbe the elven thief after he blinks in surprise at hearing that "Aye" says Baedin Kraelin the hammermaster, who all of sudden is reminded of something else, why he's not sure. But he asks the elven magic user "By the way, where is he this morning?".
With a twist of his lips, that's the start of a slight smile forming, the elven princeling nods his hooded head in the direction of the village they've just been discussing, and he says "He's checking out that village" . . . . . .
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