Otrin grins and strokes his beard. “We can fashion enchanted weapons and armor, stronger than anything you’ve ever seen. Shields that can withstand dragon fire, blades that never dull, and armor that imbues the wearer with enhanced strength and agility.”
Rilgi pipes up, “I’ve heard tales of dwarven constructs, mechanical beings that can serve and protect. Could your artificers create something like that for us?”
“Those things are expensive and difficult,” Loket nods, “but yes, that’s something we make, for a variety of purposes. We have master engineers who can build constructs to guard your village, assist with heavy lifting, or even tend to the crops. These automata can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks, making them very valuable. It’s likely more than our artificers would offer for some stories, though.”
Frowning, Usurg asks, “What about communication? Our village is isolated, and it takes days to send messages to the nearest town. Is there a way to bridge that gap?”
“Now that’s another thing that might be worth asking the artificers about,” Loket agrees, “We call them Speaking Stones. They’re made in pairs and attuned to each other. These enchanted stones enable instant communication between two points, regardless of the distance. Perfect for keeping in touch with allies or calling for help in times of need. Speak into one stone and the words will come out of the other stone.”
The three men look at each other and nod, before Oso speaks, “If all they want from us is some clan history, I don’t see the harm in it. Sothra might be over the moons if we came back with any of those things. We’ll speak to them.”
“Fair warning,” Otrin advises, “Haggle with them. They drive a hard bargain, but their services are well worth it.”
“How did all of you come to adopt Nia?” Oso asks.
“That’s quite a story,” Gramin grins, “We’ve been friends with her family for generations. We were friends with her great-grandfather, her grandfather, and her mother. Her mama set up deals with each of us to adopt some of her children and any surviving siblings because she didn’t trust her rat bastard of a husband. We didn’t realize that they were overlapping agreements until much later. We got news that one of them might have surfaced here in Harito, we came looking and found Girlie. We’ve all known Girlie since she was in nappies. Even if we didn’t have agreements for her already in place, we’d still take her as our own. The fact that we do have them and that they’re quite old gives us a significant advantage in acting like her parents. According to Dwarven law, she’s our daughter and we’ll defend that with steel, if necessary.”
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“Mining and quarrying can be dangerous,” Dergit explains, “Dwarven parents often set up agreements when the children are born to have someone take them. It’s considered part of being a responsible parent, among us. My father and Loket traded agreements so that all of us kids would be taken care of if anything horrible were to happen. When I get married and have my own children, I’ll be making something similar with one of my friends whom I trust to raise my children. In my forge-sister’s case, her mother set it up so that all of them would take Girlie and all of her underage siblings, even if her father were still alive. That alone should tell you what a sheep-biting son of a troll he was.”
Even Vorlig nods.
“I know her mama didn’t trust him with any of the girls,” Henga says, “Girlie’s friends were always afraid that her father would… do something to prevent her from marrying.”
Atres’s eyes go wide for a moment as he realizes what Henga means. Atres grabs Emlyn up and the pair heads outside, followed distantly by Benger. A fairly intense conversation appears to be taking place as Atres and Emlyn speak.
“Did that sire of yours ever lay a finger on you?”
Frowning, Emlyn looks at him, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Atres scrubs his face, “Touch you in places that he shouldn’t? In ways a father shouldn’t touch his own child?”
Emlyn shakes her head, “No, he never got that forward with me. By the time I was old enough for him to make those kinds of comments, I’d have stabbed him if he’d tried it. I even slept with my weapons. I swore to him that I’d kill him and all my older brothers, rather slowly, if any of them tried it or if anything happened to Arwydd or Myfanwy.”
“Tell me about it,” Atres coaxes.
“It was before we got the Ban Gwyr offer. He said that I was too pretty to be allowed to marry when they could keep me and enjoy me themselves. He accused me of already being ruined and not able to make a decent match because of it. I told him that if any one of them ever tried it, I’d kill all four of them. It wouldn’t be a quick jab with a hair comb, either. I’d make sure that they screamed and cried and begged to die as I took them apart, a slice at a time. That was the first and last time my father ever bothered me like that.”
“Oh, my bonnie lass,” Atres sighs, “I hate that man more than ever. Did your friends know?”
Emlyn nods. “That’s why Nia did her best to keep me at the Terfel keep despite her father threatening to charge me rent.”
“And the boys you were friends with?” Atres asks, “They knew too, didn’t they?”
Emlyn nods, “I couldn’t go to their keeps as much since they were boys, but I’m certain that Nia told them.”
“Weren’t you frightened?” Atres asks, “That seems like it would be scary.”
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The Dwarven Trade: The Valkis cousins are interested in enchanted gear. We’re talking heat-cloaks, "Speaking Stones" (basically rocks that talk to each other across leagues), and even mechanical constructs to guard their village.
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The Four-Father Contract: Gramin explains the legal sorcery behind Emlyn’s adoption. Her mother, distrusting her "rat bastard" husband, signed overlapping adoption deals with four different dwarves. Under dwarven law, she’s their daughter, and they’ll fight anyone who says otherwise.
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The "Sheep-Biting" Sire: We get a chilling look at Emlyn’s biological father. He was a piece of filth who thought he could "keep" his daughters for himself.
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The General’s Resolve: Even as a young girl, Emlyn wasn’t one to be messed with. She told her father and brothers she’d take them apart "a slice at a time" if they ever laid a hand on her or her sisters. She slept with her weapons. That’s the "Storm Crow" I know—sharp as a dagger and twice as dangerous.
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The Tall Obstacle Rating: 5/5 Tankards.
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Review: He handled that conversation with incredible grace. When he realized the horror Emlyn lived through, he didn't just brood—he took her outside for a private talk and let her speak her truth. Calling her his "bonnie lass" and hating that man on her behalf? The lad has a heart of gold under those dragon scales.
That wraps up Chapter 122! A lot of shadows in that one, but also a lot of hope.
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