Sorry about Babarossa, apparantly I had put the wrong picture in her file.
Hematite 13th
Rirdest Irkagelu snorted as he tramped over the hard ground, small pebble scatter down the gentle slope for a few feet until they either settled in mud or ran into a narrow crevice. His pinched face was twisted in irritation and disgust as he thought about the duty ahead.
If only that thrice-damned magistrate hadn't panicked when the elven liason had arrived at Onuthupesor. If only they hadn't caved to the druid's insistant demands. If only Rirdest had left on schedule, rather than waiting for the go-ahead from his superiors. He rather liked the silly creatures at Ulolgeshud, after all, and he absolutely hated to be the bearer of bad news.
His begrudging attitude aside, Rirdest couldn't help but smile as he rounded a small cliff face and spotted the towering gatehouse of Ulolgeshud in the distance. It was unique in this world, each structure defying all architectural views from every major human nation (and probably would defy all elven views if they ever bothered to construct buildings). As the caravan approached the two large Istallian Shepards, likely descendants of the ones they had brought three years prior, barked loudly. Stopping as the caravan guards produced small treats of the same kind that Glacies had shown them one year prior.
As the dogs quieted, content with the tripe, a pair of dwarves approached. One in a heavily embroidered silk robe, resplendent green thread darting and dancing out spectacular scenes amidst the russet red cloth, her clear blue eyes glittered in the warm summer sunlight as she warmly smiled and raised her hands in welcome. The other dwarf, smaller male dressed in dusky leather, was gray from a faint covering of dust. His face bore striking resemblance to the woman at his side, but his eyes were a brown so dark that it may as well have been black, and his face was narrower and without the smile.
Rirdest struggled to smile as he returned Rikkir's gesture. His shrewd eyes betraying his distress as he came within two armslengths of the dwarves. "Rikkir, Sukasa." Rirdest nodded to each in turn, the latter smiling at the recognition from the trader. "I bring bad bad tidings, from my government to yours. Please, gather the remainder of your leadership immediately."
Rikkir's vocalized greeting, not even half said, died on her lips as her hands fell. Her smile immediately fading to a more calculated, and slightly hurt, expression. "Of course, friend, at once. Come in, rest, and speak with me while Sukasa gathers them."
Hematite 14thFive dwarves and one human sat in a loose circle inside of Sneakypete's office, shouldered up against numerous racks of Axes, Armor Stands filled with dusty suits, and statues of the years gone by. Of the seven chairs that had been set, one remained conspicuously absent at Feb's side, as he pounded his gavel upon Sneakypete's desk in the too-warm building. The dwarves around the circle continued to shout, unheeding the pounding of the gavel as Rirdest slowly continued to repeat the words that he had been commanded to give.
Mulch's voice rang high above the angry murmur of the others as he slammed the handle of his axe into the tiled stone, his dark features expressing a calm that few of the others could show. "What do you mean we are not to investigate these dwarves?" As he shouted Tirean and Pete voiced their agreement, the latter calling over the crowd with a face reddened from both anger and alcohol, "You've said there were not any of us left, years ago when we asked, Now when we find some other dwarves without you we aren't 'allowed'! What the flaming cat glove is that?"
"Who made you our keeper!?" Tirean shouted, her loose, undyed tunic flopping a bit as she stood with her fist raised in Rirdest's direction.
Rirdest remained composed in the face of the ire of the three dwarves, focusing instead on the much clamer Feb, who had given up on the gavel. "My people and our allies have reason to belive that something... untoward might happen if your people were to travel outside of your settlement for the time being. My magistrate in particular insists that you wait until your population is both stable and livable before you attempt to make contact with other groups, especially the remnants of The Intricate Nut."
Rikkir rose, her eyes glittering in the dim light. "This is outrageous Rirdest." Are you to lock us in our walls then? Stealing key to our gates and destroy our drawbridge winches? To barring our doors and lock our champions inside of the barracks? To keep us from any outsiders that you and your magistrate do not approve!? We are not your slaves human, you have no right!" She punctuated each sentence with a short pause, during which a faint cheer grew with every pass until their voices nearly drowned her out with cheering at the end of the short speech.
"Mother! You know that is out of line!" Feb shouted, his gavel once again bashing on the desk. A faint puff of powder arose from the stone as he struck downward. The entire office was bedlam for several minutes as the desperatly outnumbered and outshouted Feb tried to restore order amongst his peers.
After nearly ten minutes the shouting turned hoarse, faded, and died, leaving the entire assembly listening to the sickly sound of the damaged gavel pounding on the now very-dented desk. Finally, Rirdest stood and bowed to each of the four dissenting leaders in turn. "If that is how you feel, so be it."
Rirdest removed a scroll from his breeches, pulling free the sinew string that held it tight and unfurling the thick parchment that bore several copies of the seal of the Onuthpesor magistrate. With as official and impartial a tone as he could muster he read the distasteful words of the decree to the dwarves of Ulolgeshud.
"By order of the king and magistrate of Onuthpesor, I hearby declare all dwarves found outside of Ulolgeshud not in the company of an elf or human, to be outlaws in ours and all of our allied nations. Any such creature shall be treated as a known criminal or raider, and attacked and put to death on sight. So decrees the law of Onuthpesor."
There was silence for a long moment as the words rang in the empty chamber. Every attending dwarf turning to their fellows with a drained, angry look as Rirdest rolled the thick parchment back up and returned it to his pocket.
"It is done." The trader said sadly, bowing to each dwarf in turn, "I am sorry Rikkir, Pete, Feb, Tirean, and Mulch. I am sorry to the absent Glacies, and all of your people." Rirdest bowed to each in turn, and then turned on his heel towards the door to the office, stopping only once to speak over his shoulder "I wish it could have been some other way"
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Topic: The Last Dwarves in the world. Ulogeshud revisited.[Community Fortress] (Read 6362 times)