"Dad! Dad! There's a human at The Halfling's Haven who says he has a letter for you. He said it's from Bekhi and Kvalinn!" My son, Rarik, jogged up to where I was hunting in the forest to avoid the paperwork expected of the Thane of Vesturhildrun.
"Botvid's bilge, Rarik. You scared off the deer I've been chasing for half an hour! Now what am I gonna make for dinner tomorrow?" My semi-earnest protests were met with a grin by my oldest son.
"Dad, you forgot to bring any arrows. Now quit stalling and let's go to the tavern, I want to hear how Bekhi and Kvalinn are doing and the human won't give the letters to anyone but the recipients. Apparently he had a hard time getting through Tochka with them still sealed. He said something about a Tzar and nobility that I couldn't quite make out."
"You need to work at your Imperial, son. Especially if you are ever going to take over for me as Thane." I was a little miffed that my bluff had been called, so I lectured Rarik as we walked to the town. "Up here on the surface, the humans are better allies than our kin below the ground. You'll need to make sure that you can talk to them properly if we ever fall on hard times or are attacked by monsters."
"Yes, dad. But with Ekgor's weapons, monsters are the least of our worries." I nodded at that point. Ekgor Blazingbrand, Kvalinn's father, had settled down among us after his son had been kicked from the Weapon Clan for defying the will of the Clan Head and remaining true to my daughter. According to him, there were too many painful memories down in Nurnwuhr, so he was now making weapons for us up on the surface. While they weren't magical runed weapons like Kvalinn used to make, they were still excellent weapons that were far ahead of what our only other smith in town could craft.
"Good point, but you must always remember to keep the short list of your friends and potential allies close to your heart just in case things go wrong. A summoned hero once mentioned a celestial being of his world called Murphy who only had one law 'whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.' I've found that to be the case many times in my life."
"Okay, dad. But let's hurry up. Mom really wants to find out what Bekhi wrote in her letters. It's been a while since they left home." Rarik picked up the pace and I followed close behind.
As we quickly walked through the forest, I counted the seasons since Bekhi and Kvalinn had left Vesturhildrun. It was now just before the harvest, and this spring would be their fourth one away from the mountain. I hoped that the ancestors had watched over them during their travels among the humans. Rarik's words about a 'tzar' and 'nobility' sounded ominous, not that I knew what either of those were but I wasn't about to say that. A Thane has got to maintain his dignity!
As we entered the bar, I saw Humbart talking to a human who was clearly out of place in a bar that had been built at a scale that was comfortable for halflings and dwarves. He had a well weathered face that appeared honest, and many gray hairs that would have marked him as an Elder if he had been born a dwarf.
"Ah, Dak, you're finally here." Humbart waved me over to the bar before calling for someone else to go get Ekgor. "Ekgor didn't want to be the center of attention so he said he'll keep working until you read your letter." He then turned to the human and started speaking in Imperial. "Newman, this is Bekhi's father, Dak. Kvalinn's father is still working in his forge but will be here soon."
Newman stuck out his hand for the human handshake. "So you're Bekhi's father? I must tell you, she is one hell of a warrior who seems to be blessed by Hymladda, god of fighting. Last time I saw her she took down a wyvern single handedly." Shaking his outstretched hand, I grinned at the news of my daughter's exploits.
"That sounds like Bekhi alright. When was the last time you saw the two of them?" Newman stroked his beard in thought for a bit before replying.
"It was the spring of year before last when we split ways. I left them at the Thomboldahr mountains to the north. They said they were going to stick around for something called the Vermogen run, where all the mountains up there send valuables to Vermogen to be sold all over the world. I'll let them tell you about it in their letters."
Newman then handed over three folded pieces of paper that were sealed with a wax seal from the Adventurer's Guild. On the outside, written in dwarven runes, was my name, my wife's name, and Ekgor's name. I handed the letter meant for my wife over to her and she eagerly tore it open and began to privately read through whatever Bekhi had written. I'd wait to open mine until she had finished telling me what was in hers, that way Mubrim would get the satisfaction of telling me everything. It's the little things like that that keep a marriage happy for over sixty years.
Moving with his usual stoicism, Ekgor chose that moment to enter the tavern, alongside his new wife, Hilgi Flamefoot. "Greetings, Thane Thredak. I heard that a letter from my son has arrived?"
"Ekgor, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Dak? Our kids are practically married by now." I scratched the back of my head uncomfortably. Ekgor had lived here for years now but he still insisted on acting formally with me no matter what.
"You will need to keep reminding me until the halls of the ancestors are no more, Thane Thredak. Now where is the letter from my son?" I sighed to myself and handed Ekgor the letter, that expression was the equivalent of saying never and buzz off.
"Right here," I handed him the letter with a shrug. "Don't forget to tell everyone what it says, he probably included some information that Bekhi forgot to tell us in her letter. She always used to do that when she was in school, right dear?"
Looking over at my wife with a smile, I saw that she was supremely surprised by something in her letter, and was now slowly rereading it while blocking any attempts from everyone else to read over her shoulder.
"Would you mind if I read the letter with you, Ekgor? I've heard so many stories from you about Kvalinn that I feel like I know him already." Hilgi's gentle request caused Ekgor to blush slightly. He was still getting used to married life after living as a bachelor for so long.
I chuckled to myself when I remembered how hard Mubrim had worked in getting those two together. Hilgi was a member of the Lumber Clan, specifically the charcoal crafting branch. She took pride in the quality of the charcoal she produced and when she had heard that Ekgor was using it exclusively to heat his forge fire she had almost swooned with happiness that someone appreciated her work so much. It took a lot more prodding from both me and Mubrim to get Ekgor on board with marrying her, but eventually they seemed to find happiness with each other.
"O-of course, Hilgi. Shall we take a seat over there?" Ekgor half led, half was led over to a table where the two of them broke the seal and started reading the letter. I noticed that my wife was watching the two of them closely as if she were expecting something exciting to happen. The rest of the tavern occupants noticed this and joined her in watching Ekgor's expression. His reaction did not disappoint.
"Hjerouhrdinn's hammer! Kvalinn read books written by Hjerouhrdinn himself! I must go back to the forge to test the information he sent me!" He got up to leave for the door before Hilgi pulled him back down.
"Ekgor, you didn't read the rest of the letter. Kvalinn might have more useful information for you in it."
"Yes yes, you are quite right. Ah, Kvalinn, you've made me the proudest father in the mountain!" The smile on Ekgor's face lasted for less than a few seconds. "What in the ancestors name were you thinking, you rock brained, pebble eating, dunder headed blockhead!"
"At least he tried to be gentle with the news." Hilgi patted Ekgors back as she tried calming him down. They kept reading the letter in silence.
"Do you know what got him so worked up?" I whispered to Newman. He hadn't understood Ekgor's dwarven swearing, but he probably knew what had happened to Kvalinn that had upset his father so much.
"Judging by his reaction, I'm guessing he got up to the part where Kvalinn told him about Gerde." I looked at Newman in shock. Was that dirt chewing idiot two timing my daughter!?
"And just who is Gerde?" I asked in a dark voice.
"His adopted beastkin daughter. Kvalinn and Bekhi found her abandoned in the Eternal Forest and adopted her as their own." Newman whispered back to me.
Huh, an adopted daughter. Well at least Kvalinn isn't trying to date multiple girls like some kind of otherworlder… Wait a second… Adopted daughter!? I tore open my own letter and started reading through it.
"Hi, Dad! Kvalinn and I are doing fine. But his weapons are way too good, and keep ending the fight too quickly for me. I've gotten to kill minotaurs, wolves, bears, ogres, goblins, orks, snow wraiths, yetis, bandits and even a wyvern, but the only time I've gotten a good fight out of any of them was when a pack of yetis attacked alongside a couple hundred humans in Tochka.
Anyway, the biggest news that I have for you is that you're a grandfather again! Tell Rarik that his kid now has a cousin! Kvalinn found a cute little baby girl when we were going through the Eternal forest and started taking care of her. You should have seen him the first time he had to change her diaper, it was hilarious watching him trying not to gag! Kvalinn and I named her Gerde after an adventurer of the same name who was of the same race as her. Oh right, Gerde is part of a race called beastkin. They only live in the Eternal Forest and they haven't been seen outside the forest in nearly a thousand years! Instead of having ears on the side of her head like we do, she has ears on the top of her head that look like a wolf's ears and a tail like a fluffy dog. She's so adorable! The best thing about her is that she can sniff out monsters before anyone else can spot them, letting me fight them before Richard with his stupid bow can shoot them. Since she's so cute and adorable and useful we decided to adopt her as our own. I'm gonna teach her everything you taught me about fighting, Newman says that her race were awesome fighters in the legends so I'm sure she will be great!
Well, that's all I have to tell you for now. Tell mom I love her, and tell everyone else in Vesturhildrun that I said hi! Love you, Dad!"
I reread the letter, and then folded it up into its original folds before calling out to Humbart for a beer. One to set my thoughts in order, and then another to celebrate.
"Humbart! We're throwing a party tonight! I'm a grandfather again! Kvalinn and Bekhi adopted a child!"
"We were going to throw a harvest party anyway, but sure! We're throwing a party!" Humbart shrugged before grinning and translating for Newman, who raised his mug in a cheer that was echoed by nearly everyone in the tavern.
Looking over at the only person who was still silent, I saw Ekgor staring at the letter with a blank face and empty eyes. Whatever Kvalinn had written had shocked him beyond noticing anything. Hilgi was trying not to laugh at his discomfiture and doing her best to bring him out of his stupor. I walked over to Ekgor and slapped him hard against his back.
"Congratulations, Ekgor! Your first grandchild! You are a bit older than I was when my first grandchild was born but I remember it being a life changing experience." This seemed to bring Ekgor back from his thoughts, he shook himself before glaring at the letter again.
"What is that son of mine thinking!? Adopting a child at his age when he isn't even an adult yet! And on a journey through human lands as well! Did your daughter hit him on the head one too many times during their training?! What if they die while protecting her!?" Ekgor cradled his head in his hands while Hilgi patted him on his broad back.
"I'm sure Kvalinn and Bekhi gave the decision a lot of thought when adopting Gerde. I know Bekhi personally, and she wouldn't do something like this without good reason. As for Kvalinn, I'm sure he will be able to keep himself safe."
"Grrr." Ekgor growled in frustration at her reasoning. "I'll be at my forge. Kvalinn sent over several pieces of information on weapon smithing that I need to try out immediately."
"Hold it!" Hilgi stood up as Ekgor did and held his shoulder in an iron grip to prevent him from leaving. She then smiled teasingly at him. "If you're going to be working late tonight, then you need to give me your goodnight kiss now."
"Hilgi! Not in front of everyone!" Ekgor protested with his red face blushing up to his ears. As a dwarf who had been raised underground, he was much more conservative than anyone else in town, and Hilgi loved bringing him out of his shell.
"Com'n, you're not leaving here until you give me a kiss, and promise you won't work through the night again. You aren't young enough to pull them off anymore, and you always end up cranky for weeks every time you do it." After some grumbling about married life that was quickly shut down by Hilgi, Ekgor gave her a quick kiss and rushed out of the tavern to the cheers and laughter of everyone there.
I took a sip of my beer as I reflected that Kvalinn might have a younger sibling in the next couple years. Hilgi had been solely focused on her work since her first husband died to a tree falling on him just after they got married and before they had any children, and this was the first time she had taken an interest in romance for a hundred and twenty years. I just hoped that any future progeny of theirs wouldn't have the same abilities as Kvalinn. Vesturhildrun didn't have a rune testing room like Nurnwuhr did and I didn't want to add a line in the town budget for excessive repairs.
"Humbart! Another round for me, and Newman drinks on my tab tonight for bringing such good news!" I slapped Newman on the back before speaking to him in Imperial. "Thanks for taking the letters to us. Tonight you drink for free, so let's party!"
"Before you get too drunk, what's Bekhi's adopted child like?" Mubrim pulled Newman over to her table, where she and Hilgi started grilling him about Gerde while encouraging him with beers for more information.
"Congratulations, Dad. Another grandchild to your name. Who'd a thought that Bekhi would adopt a kid." Rarik came up to me to toast his unmet niece. "Do you think she will teach her daughter how to fight like you do?"
"She says that she will." I looked down at what she had written. "Although I'm not sure how well the little one will take to the lessons. Bekhi said that Gerde is something called a beastkin, whatever that is, but as long as Kvalinn keeps her safe with runed armor she should be fine."
"Are you sure Gerde will be safe with Kvalinn making runes for her? Remember that Rune of Love?" I did a spit take as I remembered the face of that cursed goblin trying to kiss me and hump my leg after getting hit with that dagger. Mubrim had killed that goblin in rage and buried the knife deep in the fields. Once I recovered from my coughing and Rarik stopped laughing, I glared at him.
"I'm sure Kvalinn has gotten better. Bekhi said that his weapons are 'too powerful,' and since she didn't mention any injuries I'm assuming that they aren't backfiring at all like that Rune of Impact." Bekhi had mentioned once that the Rune of Impact would break your arm if you tried holding onto it when it hit someone. So Kvalinn had repurposed the rune to work on throwing weapons to great effect.
"Did she say anything about Kvalinn finding a place to make more weapons?" Rarik asked.
"Nothing about that in the letter. I don't know much about the world past Zaihan so maybe the humans are making things difficult for him. We'll have to ask Newman when he sobers up." Both of us glanced over at Newman, he was only on his second beer but was already half seas over and telling every detail about Gerde, Bekhi, and Kvalinn to the listening tables. Evidently he wasn't that good with dwarven beer.
"Thane Thredak! Thane Thredak! I bring a message for Thane Thredak!" An anxious dwarf wearing sun shields burst through the door waving a black piece of parchment. I recognized him as a merchant friend of Ekgor's named Aundarord.
"Over here." I waved my arm to get his attention and put on my best serious face since he seemed to be in a desperate rush. "What is the issue?" Aundarord didn't proceed with the normal greetings, a clear sign he was pressed for time, and handed over the letter.
"I bring word from King Thralgrorlum, he has called for the throng to assemble to assist in the defense of the southern mountains against a goblin horde." He then took a grateful sip of the beer Humbart passed to him, he appeared to have run all the way through the mountain to deliver the messages. "Where is Ekgor? The Clan Head is calling for all members to assemble in Midfjall to discuss their options."
I nodded for Hilgi to go pry Ekgor away from his forge, if anyone else tried it then they would either get ignored or whacked with his hammer. Hilgi jumped to get Ekgor, she knew that he wouldn't enjoy having his work interrupted, or receiving word from the Weapon Clan who had thrown his son out of the clan, but if the king was calling us to war then I would need the town's best weapon maker to hear the details.
Breaking the seal on the letter, I could see that the runes were written in red ink that stood in stark contrast to the black parchment. I'd heard from my father that they used to write the calls to war in blood, but they stopped doing that by the time I took over his position. Reading through the letter, I could see that it was indeed a call to war. The Throndian Empire had passed on a message from the Gundundukk Mountains to the king calling for aid against a goblin horde of unprecedented numbers. The Empire had added an additional message promising safe passage for any dwarven warriors passing through their territories and an assembly point where they could join the Imperial armies, who would also be moving to fight the goblins. It was stamped with the Emperor's seal so they were either trying to reestablish diplomatic ties or they considered this a serious threat.
"Assemble the Elders." I said to the younger generation who generally volunteered as messengers. Spotting Ekgor making his entrance with brows twice as furrowed as usual, I issued instructions to him. "Ekgor, make as many weapons as you can of the best quality you can, we've been called to war." Aundarord started sputtering something about not doing anything before the Weapon Clan agreed to war but I shut him down with a glare. "The Weapon Clan can kiss the bottom of a beer barrel. The King has called us to war and to war we will go. All that we need to do is make sure the town is left defended and has enough people to take in the harvest in a couple weeks before following his commands."
Aundarord was left spluttering from my lack of decorum, he was generally more relaxed than the average dark dwelling dwarf, but he had limits. I didn't have time to care though, if we waited on the Weapon Clan to come to a decision then we would likely arrive just as the last dwarf or goblin was killed to the shame of our ancestors. Besides, I had sworn my loyalty to the king, not the pebble toothed old dwarf in charge of the Weapon Clan.
The Elders slowly made their way into the tavern, where they were immediately served by Humbart despite the fact that each of them had tabs longer than their beards. Once they had each taken a thoughtful sip of beer I got the war council underway.
Our conversation was brief, and the details were quickly hashed out. They all knew the town just as well as I did, as well as the current harvest and workforce available. So we soon settled that the town of Vesturhildrun would send two hundred fighters from all the clans on the surface. I then got to work on preparing everything for the fight, including some tricks that the damned goblins would never see coming.