It seemed that he had only been asleep for a few moments when a soft call made him open his eyes and peer about groggily. Around him several dwarves lay in the dirt, each was now beginning to sit up, some rubbing at gritty eyes.
Overhead the sky was lightening with the first pink fingers of dawn and the air was as cold as Rith could ever remember it being since their arrival, autumn was most definatly here and winter could not be far behind.
As he stumbled to his feet he looked around for the source of the call and spotted Nordak approaching swiftly. "Spotted movement just to the north as the sky brightened, looks like the caravan. Definately some pack animals so I doubt its goblins or anything else unpleasant." said Nordak softly as he arrived at Rith's side.
Rith nodded and strode to the northern edge of the camp. Just as Nordak had said a pair of pack animals were approaching, each with two attendant figures. A little infront of them was a third figure walking alone.
Liaison, thought Rith.
He spun and gave a whistle, the waking dwarves clambered to their feet.
"Lets get this done" he called, "Caravan is coming in, get the bone crafts to the depot ready."
The dwarves scurried off to gather armfulls of Fniff's gargoyle and leopard bone trinkets.
Rith sought out Knarfle and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Liaison is all yours mate," said Rith briefly. "He'll ask what we want next year, dont bother with specific preferences, just tell him a little of everything. Be nice, nod and smile and make a note of goods that the mountainhome wants us to create for next year. Generally just keep him happy and make a good impression, alright?"
Knarfle nodded briskly and scurried off to the camp's boundry just as the sun broke the horizon and bathed the plain in golden morning light.
It was indeed the caravan from Dastducim, as they had expected. A stout bearded dwarf upfront gave a loud call.
"Hail the fort!" "Ducim Esdorzaneg, Liaison of Dastducim".
Knarfle scurried quickly forward to introduce himself and the pair headed for the little shelter from which Morul the invalid's snores could just be heard in the morning air.
The two merchants with their pack animals and a bodyguard each threaded their way between the piles of refuse and food and at last reached the depot where Rith stood waiting.
The taller of the two spoke first.
"Shoreb, trader from The Narrow Works. This is Unib. We're here at the request of the queen to trade for supplies with you, we have many wonderful items for your inspection."
His companion, the shorter dwarf introduced as Unib was eyeing the piles of bone goods with distaste.
Rith stepped forward and made to speak, as he advanced he noticed from the corner of his eye that the nearest bodyguard tensed and laid a hand on the haft of the wicked looking steel mace at his belt. Lorbam must have briefed them, thought Rith with some resentment.
"Welcome to Titthaluzol," he said. "We have need of certain supplies and have goods to trade, please have a seat and we can discuss it."
The trading began in earnest after the pleasentries were completed. Rith inspected the lists of goods the tall trader furnished him with with some impatience. What a load of crap these guys lugged around! I mean really, he thought, who is gonna buy red steel puzzleboxes? At length he spotted the item he was searching for.
"Pickaxe" he grunted.
"Ahhh yes" said Shoreb enthusiastically. "A marvelous item, well-crafted from the finest iron."
Rith scanned further looking for the second thing that his plans required. It wasnt until the final sheet that he found it.
"Anvil" he said at last.
"Mmmmm, trully a wonderful piece, wrought in Black Steel you know!" exclaimed Shoreb.
Rith gave a scowl, this wasnt in his plan at all. In his mind he had envisioned a copper pick and copper anvil, between them cheap enough that their crafted wares would also suffice to stock up on extra supplies such as a little food and drink, perhaps some leather. But Black Steel!?......their meagre gargoyle bone pieces may not even cover the cost of the two items they so desperately needed, let alone give spare value for further trade. Blast these stupid merchants, though in honesty Rith suspected that Lorbam was behind this, probably laughing heartily all those leagues away as he sipped fine ale from a golden goblet.
"Well thats all we need" lied Rith and he gestured to the heap of bone. "Here is our wares, shall we take a look?"
Shoreb raised an eyebrow archly.
"Oh....I had rather thought that you had just built your depot on the refuse pile..."
"Well I suppose we should inspect them at least." he added and nodded at Unib who stepped forward and began raking disdainfully through what amounted to the total wealth of Playfuloiled.
After several minutes Unib straightened up and whispered in Shoreb's ear. The taller dwarf nodded gravely and turned to Rith.
"Im afraid these pieces do not
quite cover your wishes. Truthfully gargoyle bone is everywhere these days and these works are not particularly well crafted at any rate. You have enough for the anvil alone with little left over, or the pick with somewhat more to spare......There really is nothing more?"
Rith swore softly under his breath. If it came to it his choice was clear, the pick was far more important than the anvil, but sooner or later they needed to import an anvil and he had hoped to secure one now, so that they might begin metalworking as soon as they struck ore.
"A moment please." he said and dashed off toward the hut.
As he arrived inside he found several dwarves lounging, they glanced up, surprised to see him here rather than at the depot. At the back wall Knarfle was deep in conversation with the liaison and Morul still snored softly in one of the two beds against the west wall. Rith looked frantically about, a panic beginning to seize him.
Then, suddenly, inspiration gripped him and he rushed to Morul's bedside, grasped the ironwood frame and with an almighty heave tipped the wounded dwarf onto the floor. The rapidly assembling crowd of idle dwarves began to ask questions but Rith cut them off with a sharp wave.
"The furniture.....all of it, to the depot." he grunted and staggered through the doorway with the bed.
The dwarves behind him looked at each other for a few moments in stunned silence before bursting into action.
Knarfle and the liaison were forced to flee the shelter abruptly as the dwarves seized the tables, chairs and remaining bed. Mosus even lifted the glumprong door bodily from its hinges and stomped off toward the depot with it. In less than 20 seconds the hut had been completely stripped, the only item remaining on the floor was a still snoring Morul.
As Rith dumped the bed down besides their bone crafts the other dwarves came staggering up with their burdens, depositing each beside the wares. As Mosus set the door down Rith turned again to Shoreb and Unib who were staring in silent open-mouthed amazement at the ragged group.
"Well?" snapped Rith tersely. The maceman bodyguard edged in closer at this angry tone and Rith also noticed the guard on his other side slide a hand to the haft of a steel axe. Rith's own dwarves had not missed these gestures and somehow managed to loom threateningly and look innocent simultaneously. Mosus managed only the first and cracked his knuckles with a sound of splintering wood, causing the mace-wielder to back up a pace nervously.
Shoreb and Unib gave each other nervous looks and Unib once more stepped quickly forward to inspect the additions to the pile. A few moments later he whispered in Shoreb's ear once more and the tall dwarf spoke again.
"It seems we have ourselves a deal. An iron pickaxe and black steel anvil, traded against two dozen assorted gargoyle and giant leopard bone crafts, a pair of ironwood beds, a glumprong chair and table, the same in ironwood and one glumprong door."
With this pronouncement the dwarf extended a hand and Rith slapped it with his own palm according to custom.
"Deal" he said simply. And with that he seized the pick from where Shoreb had laid it for inspection and sprinted off through the camp in search of DwarfyDwarf the miner.
Behind him the impromptu furniture haulers glared stonily at the bodyguards as the merchants hurridly began packing up their purchases. It appeared that they could sense the mood, as could a blind and deaf cave ogre have done, and wished to depart as soon as possible. Rith really couldnt give a shit, they were in business at last!