The bordertownIn Konlimones, Kashi and Takru learnt that they overshot their destination a bit - and they were now separated from Bomrek-Laltur by a frozen delta throwing itself in the big northern sea. That mistake would cost them a couple more days in the north. If it wasn't for the unforgiving weather, the dangerous wildlife and the wandering monsters, the travel wouldn't be all that bad. Moreover, now they had the indication from Lord Athem, they knew precisely where they had to go.
They left Konlimones after a few hours spent foraging for food. Half a day walking alongside the icy shores of the nothern sea, and they arrived to Sinaithev, a border village marking the end of Amegil Kingdom. Although they did not need to stop - the road ahead was still quite long, they heard a commotion in the town and decided to investigate.
Three goblin vagabond were following local amegilian peasants, menacingly. The local farmers were avoidant and tried to sput some distance between them and the drifters, but the goblins managed to corner and bully one of them against a wall.
Kashi observed the situation develop, unsure on what to do. First he tried to reason with the goblins - they gave him a desmissive response, ignoring the man without stopping their racket. Kashi was a natural peaceful and non-confrontational, but he wasn't going to witness a robbery without intervening.
He kept his sword in his sheath - if he can submit them without killing anyone, and grabbed the weapon of the goblin lasher - he identified as the most dangerous. The bandit turned to him, Takru cracked her fingers and then it was
on. Kashi was fully expecting the bandits to assault him with their weapons - a maceman and a hammerman were still fully armed. However, they did not and the fight did not escalate over an exchange of body punches and unceremonial throws.
Kashi and Takru suffered a couple of bruises, and the brawl brutally stopped when the lasher convuled on the floor and die - probably his heart malfunctionning. Kashi felt no triumph, but it certainly did stop the racket. The remaining two goblins backed away and left the village.
The population was in shock - since the beggining of the brawl they took shelter in their houses.
Left alone with Takru and a dead body, Kashi had the time to ponder over his decision. Was he right to act as he did? Transforming a painful situation into a lethal one was it the right thing to do ? Surely, the end did not justify the means - no eathly possession could possibly worth the life he just ended.
A bit bumed up, he went to the local manor to report the events to the local lord.
After a lifetime of war in the service of Amegil, Lady Nique Ubhuthtumwist was one of the best marksmen of the kingdom.
She was very old - old enough to have known Prince Ashthahl personally. Her garment was made of high quality undyed cloth, and was decorated with bones - some of them opalized. Her hair was snow-white and her face was covered in deep wrinckles. However she looked in good health and walked freely in the manor, needing no servent for her daily tasks. All in her person inspired an eery feeling of awe.
Notoriously, Lady Nique and the previously encountered lord Athem are in very bad terms due to a dispute ove rthe ownership of the waters between their village. Though it is not valuable water - unpracticable by boat and with no life in it - the two old people are bickering over them out of principled stubbordness.
"You are truely a pearlite" she said to him. "Starting brawls willy-nilly and flogging yourself with guilt afterward"
"Don't trouble yourself with the death of a bandit, she continued, that will teach the others not to harass my people. And now that I think about it..."
She marked a pause. "Actually, you said there were three of them ? That means the other two are still alive - don't you happen to have some violence in you still ?"
Kashi quickly escaped from the conversation and the travel resumed.
Kingdom of the end of the worldWith Amegil behind, Kashi and Takru truely were in dwarven territory. Snow covered hills sheltered dwarven hamlets and the whites expanses seemed not to end. Everwhere they looked was the same white hilly landscape, making the whole region a gigantic wall-less maze.
Kashi never saw a Bomreki castle - he actually never saw a dwarven stronghold at all ! Somehow, he'd have to find their capitale city...but how ?
After a day of travel and unfruitful search, the two travellers ended up in a dwarven hillock near the icy shore.
There, they asked for hospitality in a very cramped room digged in the dirt - where bomreki dwarves were huddling each other for warmth.
The travellers squeezed themselves in a spot where they spent an uncomfortable night. In the morning they asked for directions ;
"If you're looking for the nobility, they are in Rithrir" a farmdwarf answered. "We don't go there very often in this season- though : it's a long, long walk in the east."
Kashi and Takru spent the day foraging for food and water in preparation of their journey - they slept in a Dencothi village on the shores - and only the day after, they started their long, long walk toward Rithrir.
Two days of travel do not seem that long, until you are in the middle of them. It was freezing cold and the road was snow encombered. Only some dwarven constructions - such as a bridge here and there, reminded them they were on the right track.
Then came the dreaded moment when the sunset would reddish the snow and it would be time to camp. The travellers cut some dead wood and made a afire that should survive the night. A fire would give away their position and mark them for robbers and predators,but surely the danger of sleeping without was too great ; not only they would have to pass on the heat, they also could not drink as their water was completely frozen.
Luckily, they did wake up the neaxt morning, alive and missing no piece of their bodies.
Lost in RithvirExhausted by another day of walking in the snow, tne travellers arrived at their destination at last. A large group of goblins with pale green skin and violet hair was travelling in and out of the fortress alongside dwarves with brown skin and taupe gray hair. The sight would be very unusual outside Bomrek-Laltur.
The travellers quickly entered the fortress to try and get out from the cold. The heat of an inhabited place and the prospect of finishing their mission gave the travellers a new energy.
They were at the entrance of the fortress - a place that traditionally Dwarves carve to accomodate their guests. It had a small tavern and a place to commerce. No doubt he could find dwarven iron there !
No dice. Not the smallest shred of metal to sell - mostly trinkets, cloth, food and souvenirs. Nothing that would come close to satisfy the importance of his diplomatic mission.
Over the trade center, the two met a goblin of the same ethnicity as Takru ; his skin was dark green and his hair deep red. He identified himself as the Baron of Athelomet, Lorbam. A dwarven name - no doubt it would take some time to Kashi being used to see goblins named in dwarven language.
Kashi explained the situation to the goblin nobleman who seemed undertanding.
"So you want to check our dwarven iron and possibly ask for a trade agreement ?" he asked. "Perhaps you should go deeper inside the mountain, where the nobles reside and ask them ?"
He took Kashi and Takru down very long stairs which led them very deep below the mountain, where they discovered the real Rithvir : a gigantic and endless stone maze with enough rooms to fit an invasion army. Maybe that is how Bomrek-Laltur manages to fight off the Osme Empire - by combining the architectural prowess of the dwarves and the large numbers and fighting spirit of goblins - and perhaps dwarven iron is just, in the end, a trinket.
There, the group was led to a military depot that accepted to sell them some supplies.
Still, no dice. There was iron, sure, but it was the same quality iron humans can produce - no magic armor piercing dwarven iron.
Kashi left the store, disapointed and very tired. THey walked in the corridors and quickly found themselves completely alone
"No need to stay awake for now, said Kashi while opening an empty room and cramming himself into a bed. "We'll find a better solution with a rested mind"
And they slept.
The murdersEight hours of sleep - Kashi and Takru were now back on their feet. Well, thought Kashi - if they don't have dwarven iron to sell, maybe we can sign up an agreement and have them make some ! Let us find the noblemen and discuss the matter with them.
And so they walked back to the main gathering area and...
Corpses. Two noblemen. The kill were fresh. Something just killed them an hour ago - trails of blood were still visible !
Kashi didn't thought twice and followed the trails. He found more corpses along the way. He didn't count them - but eight dwarves had died at this point. Who killed them...and why?!
The splattering of blood became fainter and fainter, but the clerk managed to follow them to an empty, but very large room.
Alone in the room was a last dwarven corpse, and a gray skinned goblin that introduced herself earlier as a peddler...but most certainly wasn't.
Kashi interrogated her throughly. She swore she wasn't acting on anyone's order and hadn't any plan in mind, but did not denied the murders. She actually seemed pretty proud of them. Inspecting her attire revealed she was wearing an Osmite war gear. She was certainly an osmite soldier. He pike was still oozing the blood of her eight victims.
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Okay, now I'll need some user input. I know it's her. The name of the death are on the pike, she's wearing armor with Osme symbol on it, she brags about the kills when I ask her profession. She wants to leave the place - understandably.
I don't want to kill her - or anyone in this run- but I want to stop the murders. But I fear taking her as a companion would anger the dwarves. ... but so would killing her, as I'm not a policeman, but just a travelling foreigner.
If anyone has a bright idea I'll take anything.
Author
Topic: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls (DF 0.47.05) (Read 254605 times)