((What an excellent mayor belgium is going to make)
From the Journals of Aban BrothertreatiesSo, I knew right away that we had nothing made of fine pewter, and certainly no fine pewter bars. I mean, I keep the stockpile records, they're about the only thing that makes sense here. No pewter of any kind, anywhere. And that means resigning ourselves to whatever it is this mayor considers a punishment.
But not yet, because human merchants have arrived! Amazing timing, really. They arrived just after we lifted the siege. And just when we had actually got up to the surface again, and could see them approach, know that they were human, and not try to kill them! Luck, or something else? Or I guess that humans could have been coming for months, and it's just that all the other caravans were massacred while we were stuck inside the caverns.
I hope they aren't angry with us... Balnash is out there letting them in right now.
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"I don't like this, Balnash. What if they aren't humans? What if they're just... I don't know, elfs dressed up in the skins of humans?"
"If that ain't a frightenin' picture i don't know what is, but come on, Di, look at 'em. They're human. Elves don't look that dirty or tired, or... normal. Tell 'em to lower the gate."
The human merchant looked surprised when the gate finally did come down, as it almost did so on top of her. She jumped back, and said, "By the spirits! Dwarves!" To her guards, she said "Put the crossbows down, men. Turns out that they are still alive." There were six guards, Balnash noted, but they were poorly armed and had even worse armor, which looked like it had been made out of cast offs. The merchant herself wasn't much better off, dressed in what could only be described as rags. She brushed at them, and then to Balnash said, "Greetings to you, still living dwarfs. I am Satheth, also still living. May we enter the safety of your walls?"
Balnash nodded and shook her offered hand, saying, " Yeah, of course. But you need to tell me that you're still alive?"
The human nodded, as she motioned for the rest of the caravan to follow her in. "These days, of course. The walking dead are everywhere, speardwarf. Though not around this place, strangely. Perhaps your home lands are protected by yak spirits, as ours are. We had assumed they were not, and that you had all perished."
That wasn't strange, he thougt. "Wait, if you thought we were dead, what were you comin' here for? That would mean no one to trade with. Were you here to steal or something?"
"Oh my, yes. We were just going to loot the place and move on, my friend. No offence meant, of course. But since you are still alive, might we trade with you?"
His first instinct was to say no. His second, and much brighter instinct was to remind himself that the humans were the first non-evil living things they had seen in a long time, dear gods, let them in and buy all the booze and food that they've got, what's wrong with you?
The second though won out.
They had just closed the gate behind him when a group of goblins sprung out of ambush and fired a few arrows in the direction of the fort.
The humans at least were startled, and became even more so at what happened next.
"My word! That goblin just exploded!"
Balnash looked up, and saw a pillar of smoke where the ambush group had been. He shrugged. "Yeah, that happens. So, we got some nice mugs here if you want to take a look..."
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Next: In the Tunnel
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Topic: Oceanbridge - A Fortress Defense Community Fort: Reclaimed, Again! (And Again) (Read 182843 times)