Falnic, Belinswae. Autumn...
"Which one have you mostly been talking to?" asks Baedin Kraelin the dwarven chieftain "That young one, the wizard Sammacin" replies the dwarven chieftain Lomi Galve, who then adds "He's the only one speaking any sense".
The head of the Kraelin clan nods his head in agreement, then his fellow clan chieftain from the Stone Hills says in a slightly dry tone "Which is kind of odd, considering the times I've meet him in the past, that young justifier was a shit heel of the highest order".
With that, the hammermaster Baedin Kraelin definitely agrees. For the times he's previously done business here in Falnic over the last few years. The youngest justifier in the coastal city, the wizard Sammacin was easily the worst to deal with. Infact the chief of clan Kraelin thought there was something seriously wrong with the young wizard.
But during this visit to the largest city in the region of Belinswae, the young justifier Sammacin has been the only voice of reason amongst the justifiers. Who rule Falnic and Belinswae as if they were nobleborn.
Infact they rule it more thoroughly than most nobles of various kingdoms, on both sides of the equator.
"That Parquet El and Kaellin are the worst of the lot" says chief of clan Galve "Aye that's true" says Baedin Kraelin in agreement, the hammermaster continues with "Kaellin because he's in a shit because the elves of Maladimbáh refused his plan to station part of his army in the principality to attack the nomads in the plains, not just once, but twice now".
"Those bloody leaf eaters wouldn't want another nation's soldiers there no matter how much he offered them" mutters Lomi Galve, who then snorts, and says "Bloody humans, don't they know they're the same people, both tribesmen and townsfolk?".
"They'll never realise they're the same" quietly says the chief of clan Kraelin, who like pretty much all dwarven kind north of the equator, on this western side of the continent.
Knows that the townsfolk of Belinswae, and the tribal nomads of the hot, arid plains to the east. And for that matter, those called half bloods or half breeds who live on the edge of Belinswae society. Are infact the one people.
Originally from the plains where they lived tens of thousands of years ago. Where those who moved towards the coast, and eventually settled there. Became the people of Belinswae. While those who remained on the plains became the tribal nomads.
There was also a third distinctive group of the same people. Who left the plains and headed south tens of thousands of years ago. What happened to them, dwarven lore is not exactly sure of.
Though there's rumor that they set up their own society in lands far, far away to the south of the equator. In lands not too dissimilar than their original homeland the Nomad's Plains. Though a land that's supposedly even more inhospitable. With short hot summers, and long freezing winters.
"Aye, they'll never bloody learn" says Lomi Galve with a shake of his head, then the chieftain of the Galve clan adds "As for that Parquet El, that justifier is a sour fucker through and through" the chieftain of clan Kraelin nods in agreement, and Lomi Galve tells him "I've never meet a more disagreeable individual" he pauses for a moment, then adds in a slightly dry tone "And that includes you too".
The hammermaster Baedin Kraelin chuckles at that as the two of them stand near a corner of the small courtyard at the back of the dwarven owned tavern near the docks, where they meet each other yesterday.
"I don't know what it is, but they're spoiling for a fight for sure" quietly says the hammermaster who has been the chieftain of clan Kraelin for the last eighty years. Having taken over from an uncle, who got himself killed in a battle against clan Galve.
And though Baedin Kraelin hasn't exactly liked clan Galve over the years. He doesn't hold it against them for killing his uncle. Who was an asshole of the worst kind in the opinion of the hammermaster. Who believes his uncle got what he deserved in that battle.
"Aye, something's got up their arses for sure" says Lomi Galve, who is silent for a few moments, and glances to the back door of the tavern, where stands Varl the swordmaster of clan Galve, and Karne aka Axe Thrower of clan Kraelin watching the two chieftains from the Stone Hills.
The Galve clan chief nods for the swordmaster to step inside, after a moment, and after a glance sideways at him from his fellow chieftain, the chief of clan Kraelin nods for the Axe Thrower to step inside too. Karne does so, closing the door behind him. Leaving the two clan chiefs out in the small courtyard by themselves.
"Alright then, by Dovarn's beard, what is it?" quietly asks the clan chieftain who is a hammermaster, stepping closer, Lomi Galve who prefers the axe over the hammer when it comes to battle, quietly asks his fellow chieftain from the Stone Hills "Have you lot found a new seam?".
Baedin Kraelin runs a hand through his thick grey beard that goes down to his waist, to stop himself from scowling at the chief of clan Galve. The hammermaster stays silent, and doesn't answer that. And in his silence he's surprised when Lomi Galve quietly tells him "We have, about three years back now" he pauses before adding "Gold mostly".
Baedin Kraelin lets out a long breath, then he says "Aye, just last year" the chieftain of clan Kraelin doesn't mention it's the first new seam in the mines of his clanhold for nearly two decades, but he does tell his fellow chieftain from the Stone Hills "Gold too in our one".
"Aye thought as much" quietly says the chieftain of clan Galve who then tells his fellow chieftain "We aren't the only one's to do so in recent years, clan Mard and clan Omban have too".
Baedin Kraelin nods, for he had heard about clan Mard's new seam, for he and the chieftain of clan Mard are old friends. He hadn't heard about the one in clan Omban, which isn't surprising, as that clanhold is at the other end of the Stone Hills from his clanhold.
"You think these justifiers might know of some of this?" asks the head of clan Kraelin who can see where his fellow chieftain is going with this "Aye i do" says Lomi Galve who continues with "The lads from all the clans drink when they come down here to Falnic, they might of let something slip when they're drunk".
The hammermaster grunts to that, as he knows that's true enough. Then he looks sharply at the head of clan Galve who quietly tells him "Then there's the fact that the bastards are all spellcasters, they can read our thoughts if they like" Lomi Galve then sourly adds "Our delvers don't exactly like traveling away from home to counter the spellcraft of the justifiers".
Baedin Kraelin sourly smiles to that, for that's definitely true. As his cousin Barmil the delver hates leaving the clanhold, let alone the Stone Hills themselves.
Rubbing his chin through his beard, the hammermaster says "What think you?" the chief of clan Galve is silent for a few moments, then he tells his fellow chieftain "What i think is that the justifiers, well most of them at least are planning for war" Lomi Galve looks Baedin Kraelin in the eye and says "And not against the nomads they usually raid against, they've got their eyes pointed north, for a war against us in the Stone Hills".
"Fuck" mutters the hammermaster Kraelin, who was coming to this realisation himself even before he met up with his fellow clan chieftain yesterday. "Aye, fuck" says the chief of the Galve clan who shakes his head.
The two chieftains from the Stone Hills talk for a little while longer, then they make their way inside the tavern. There they gather up their warriors, and make their from the dwarven owned tavern near the docks.
Just outside the tavern, as they prepare to part ways, the two chieftains stand off to one side, and Lomi Galve quietly says "I've got another get together planned with that young Sammacin later today, hopefully he can smooth things over with his fellow justifiers" he then adds "If not, then".
Baedin Kraelin nods to that open ended sentence from his fellow chieftain from the Stone Hills, then the hammermaster quietly says "Well if it all turns to shit, then if they want a war, they'll bloody well get one".
Just then there's a loud roar away to their right, they along with their two parties of warriors, look up the street to their right.
"What the fuck is that thing?" mutters Lomi Galve, who then adds "It looks like a stunted troll, a retarded one at that".
"It looks fucking demented, that's what it looks like" murmurs Baedin Kraelin as they watch a large green creature come barreling down the street in their direction, roaring and yelling out in some totally incomprehensible language, that sounds like it's more growling than it is words.
Whatever it is, the hammermaster Kraelin murmurs to his fellow clan chieftain "That thing has got enough weapons to arm a war party". Then the two of them, along with their respective parties of warriors, grab the hilts and hafts of weapons, as the large green creature, goes to grab a large axe and a large hammer as it runs down the street in their direction.
Suddenly, almost out of no where, a large heavily armoured figure, a human by the looks of it, is behind the big green creature, and grabs the strappings of the harness for holding weapons the angry, roaring green individual has on, and pulls him up short.
The large human in the dark heavy plate armour then hauls the green fellow back up the street, against his wishes as he's kicking and screaming, and yelling incoherently.
Both Baedin Kraelin and Lomi Galve wince when the human punches the big green creature, that isn't a troll, and definitely not a goblin in the face.
There's a dazed look on his face, which disappears and turns blank when another punch hits him in the side of the head. The large, heavily armoured figure then picks up massive green creature as easily as you like, and puts him on a shoulder as he walks up the hilly street that leads away from the harbour.
"The fuck?" says Lomi Galve after a moments silence, then he adds "What the hell was that?" Baedin Kraelin just shakes his head for an answer.
The chief of clan Galve then says "That big noisy bloke must be at least five hundred weight, and that fellow in the full plate carried him around like nothing".
"Over seven hundred weight, easily too" says the hammermaster Kraelin as they watch the large man in the dark, heavy plate armour that covers him from head to toe, carry the big green, unconscious figure, who they can hear loudly snoring, up the hill. Where at the corner of a side street, appears a group of people, who it seems are waiting for them.
Baedin Kraelin frowns, then he glances over at his nephew Thane, who has noticed the same thing as he has. His sister's son nods when he sees him looking at him, for he has noticed the same thing.
"I've seen two of them before" quietly says the chief of clan Kraelin who gestures to the group up the hillside street waiting for the heavily armoured figure carrying the big, bulky unconscious green creature.
"Oh?" says Lomi Galve "That southern ranger there, and that elf in the grey" says the hammermaster who continues with "Saw them the last time i was in Falnic in the summertime" the chief of clan Kraelin adds "Briefly spoke to the ranger, who spoke perfect dwarven".
The Galve clan chief lifts his bushy eyebrows at that, as very few humans here in Belinswae speak dwarven, and the only one's who really do, are the free folk who live north of Belinswae proper, in the pasture lands and foothills of the Stone Hills.
Baedin Kraelin sees the ranger, who he recalls, told him he's from south of the equator, visiting Belinswae. Spot him as he looks down the street, and nod to him when he sees the dwarven hammermaster looking back uphill at him.
The Kraelin clan chieftain nods in return, as his fellow clan chief, and their respective parties watch what's going on. They see the large heavily armoured figure stop and talk to an individual in a white hooded cloak when he reaches the group waiting for him.
The one in the white cloak glances downhill at the dwarves from the Stone Hills, and shakes his hooded head no. Then the entire group up the hill, turn and walk into the side street, and disappear from view.
"Strange" murmurs Lomi Galve, who then shakes his head, and tells his fellow Stone Hills clan chieftain "I'm off" he follows that with "I'll get in contact if something worthwhile comes from my meeting with the young justifier Sammacin" he then adds "Though I'm not counting on anything".
The two groups of dwarven warriors part ways, and with the Galve clan members heading inland in the city, the Kraelin clan members head north along the harbour to where the inn they're staying at is in the north of the city of Falnic.
"I'm telling you, that was an ork" says one of the dwarven warriors who sounds more than a bit drunk, and it's not even midday yet "You need to go back to that tavern and down more ale Helnd, you're brains aren't pickled enough for you to make sense" dryly says Thane Kraelin which causes the other warriors to laugh.
Then Thane adds "Everyone knows the bastard orks live in the snow and ice at the bottom of the world, and they can't stand the heat elsewhere".
Baedin Kraelin nods his head in agreement with his nephew, as does Karne aka Axe Thrower who is walking beside him as they head back to their inn.
Though the hammermaster who is the chief of clan Kraelin does slightly frown as the obviously drunk Helnd slurs "I tell you, that big green beastie looked exactly like what the old tales of orks say they do".
That ranger did say him and at the elf are from south of the equator, maybe that green creature with them is from there too? Baedin Kraelin thinks to himself, the chieftain of clan Kraelin then silently adds, just how fucking south is that green fellow from? . . . . . .
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