Post by Baethor on May 12, 2008 0:37:20 GMT -5
Authors note: There is to be continuing storyline, but i wanted to flush out my old story first.
For many miles we ran in the darkness, laughing and joking as we weaved through another open passageway. My brothers calling me to keep up. Breathlessly I wove between low hanging stalactites and newly growing stalagmites. A forest of stone, far from our home. I had begun to wonder if my brothers truly knew where we were going...
"S'not much further now Vitr. Trust me brother, your going to be AMAZED!" Falard continually exclaimed, but now i was beginning to wonder if it was all worth it. Falard was the eldest of my brothers, the very image our father if he was younger, taller then myself yet slightly thinner, short blond hair with beard to match. "Hah! Lookit 'im! To much time in yer books, not enough time in the mines Vitr!" My brother Doric slapped me on the shoulder hard as i caught up to himm, breathing in the thinning air as i caught my breath. Doric was the second in our family, flaming red hair, wild and unkempt, his beard woven in complex braids of which he was very proud. Tall as i, but nearly twice as broad at the shoulders, a mountain of a dwarf to be sure, taking after our grandfather. "He has to learn his history if he wishes to pass his trial's Doric...You barely did if I remember right." "Pah! I passed well enough...Besides I made up for it in my combat trials, remember?" "Right..." Falard smiled and clapped me on the shoulder, pushing me along. "Not much further beardling, come on.
My brothers had a look of smug satisfaction, perhaps this was all a joke they planned to play on me. Or, maybe they're right, and this will be good for me. They joke on behind me as the tunnel that had once been curling downwards, now took a sharp angle upwards. "Climb on brother! You can't stop here!" Doric let out a bellow that echoed through the tunnel and charged the wall, making it a few paces up and grabbing onto a handhold further up the wall, Falard right behind him. I followed suit, finding easy hand and footholds, not wanting to get left behind again. Reaching the top of the wall, my brothers sat and helped me up, setting me down. They were right.
Beyond the wall, a huge expanse of cavern, cracks in the roof letting a small amount of sunlight through. A series of lakes, clear and glimmering reflected the light against the walls, geodes and expanses of glimmering crystal and rainbow stone reflecting it back out. The experience was breathtaking...more so the fall as My brothers pushed me off the wall, onto a slide of stone, sending me spinning into the nearest lake. Sputtering i rose up and crawled out from the lake to catch my breath. I could hear my brothers raucous laughter. "Ya can't breath water beardling! Haven't ya learned that already?" Doric slapped his leg at his own joke, before Falard nudged his brother off the wall as well, Doric splayed out and caught Falard boot, sending them both reeling into the water. The pair burst out, wrestling each other in an attempt to hurl the other in. I began to burst out laughing, and before long, they noticed, and re-doubled there efforts, to toss me in the lake again as well...
Later that night we made our way back home through the dark caverns. Stomachs rumbled as we all complained of weakness, and were ready for a hot meal. My brothers continually teasing me for never getting to have any fun anymore, my trials soon to be held in front of the council of nine. We walked and spoke for ages, my brothers advising me on the tasks i would have to accomplish, eventually making our ways back through the mines towards our home, the Dwarven city "Karak Azboferg"
Nine Dwarven clans, the Silverpalm, the Hillkiller, the Slatebreaker, the Trollcracker, the Gemcrusher, the Deepsteel, the Oathbellow, the Fireale and our clan, The Thunderblood, all rallied under the banner of the cheifclan, the Thunderfist. As one we had built the single most united Dwarven city, petty squabblings of the past were forgotten as new bonds of trust and friendship were forged in rock and steel. For the past hundred years or so, we had even begun peace with neighboring clans of Dokkalfar, elf like people with dark skin who would rarely travel to the outside world, The northmen called them Dark Elves, or Drow from time to time... Though the peace was fragile, we were certain that by allying with the Dokkalfar we could protect all of the mountain dwellers better, from both forces outside, and in. Trolls had begun to move in strange patterns, rallying and even organizing at times, a single troll is hard enough to take down...but if they somehow formed together? Dwarves shudder to think of it...
As we wound our way secretly past Dwarven digging teams, it finally dawned on me that perhaps my brothers were not supposed to take me exploring that day...The first clue was the extents that they were going to to keep up from being seen. The second clue came from the glare of a very broad dwarf blocking the entrance to our home...Our father, Magnus Thunderblood, a dwarf that our bards were writing tales and songs of for heroics in battle, a Dwarf who was poised to take up the title of "Chieftain" of clan Thunderblood, standing a head taller then any of us, and as broad as Doric with long braided golden hair and golden beard tucked into his belt, now stood between us with a gaze that could have melted stone. My brothers and I stopped dead in our tracks, and proceeded to gaze intently at our boots, as though they had suddenly sprouted legs and were trying to crawl away.
"Boys..." Cold and jarring, like a mountain wind, our father towered over us, we could hear the soft thud of his boots as he approached us. "Where have you three been? ...You two said you were going to help with the mining crews...and YOU" I could feel his fiery gaze fall on me now. "You are supposed to be preparing for your trials..." "Father its our fault, we convinced him to come with us, he needed a break." "Ai, the boy's been cooped up for weeks now studying for his trials, a little breather isn't gonna ruin him." My brothers each edged in a little closer to me, our father closed his eyes and lowered his head. But to our surprise he started laughing to himself. "Fine, fine..I suppose I have been pushing your brother a little much these days...Come on, yer mother has dinner ready." My brothers and i shared a collective sigh as our father stepped aside to let my brothers pass by, taking my shoulder in his grip as we stepped inside....
A beardlings tale.
For many miles we ran in the darkness, laughing and joking as we weaved through another open passageway. My brothers calling me to keep up. Breathlessly I wove between low hanging stalactites and newly growing stalagmites. A forest of stone, far from our home. I had begun to wonder if my brothers truly knew where we were going...
"S'not much further now Vitr. Trust me brother, your going to be AMAZED!" Falard continually exclaimed, but now i was beginning to wonder if it was all worth it. Falard was the eldest of my brothers, the very image our father if he was younger, taller then myself yet slightly thinner, short blond hair with beard to match. "Hah! Lookit 'im! To much time in yer books, not enough time in the mines Vitr!" My brother Doric slapped me on the shoulder hard as i caught up to himm, breathing in the thinning air as i caught my breath. Doric was the second in our family, flaming red hair, wild and unkempt, his beard woven in complex braids of which he was very proud. Tall as i, but nearly twice as broad at the shoulders, a mountain of a dwarf to be sure, taking after our grandfather. "He has to learn his history if he wishes to pass his trial's Doric...You barely did if I remember right." "Pah! I passed well enough...Besides I made up for it in my combat trials, remember?" "Right..." Falard smiled and clapped me on the shoulder, pushing me along. "Not much further beardling, come on.
My brothers had a look of smug satisfaction, perhaps this was all a joke they planned to play on me. Or, maybe they're right, and this will be good for me. They joke on behind me as the tunnel that had once been curling downwards, now took a sharp angle upwards. "Climb on brother! You can't stop here!" Doric let out a bellow that echoed through the tunnel and charged the wall, making it a few paces up and grabbing onto a handhold further up the wall, Falard right behind him. I followed suit, finding easy hand and footholds, not wanting to get left behind again. Reaching the top of the wall, my brothers sat and helped me up, setting me down. They were right.
Beyond the wall, a huge expanse of cavern, cracks in the roof letting a small amount of sunlight through. A series of lakes, clear and glimmering reflected the light against the walls, geodes and expanses of glimmering crystal and rainbow stone reflecting it back out. The experience was breathtaking...more so the fall as My brothers pushed me off the wall, onto a slide of stone, sending me spinning into the nearest lake. Sputtering i rose up and crawled out from the lake to catch my breath. I could hear my brothers raucous laughter. "Ya can't breath water beardling! Haven't ya learned that already?" Doric slapped his leg at his own joke, before Falard nudged his brother off the wall as well, Doric splayed out and caught Falard boot, sending them both reeling into the water. The pair burst out, wrestling each other in an attempt to hurl the other in. I began to burst out laughing, and before long, they noticed, and re-doubled there efforts, to toss me in the lake again as well...
Later that night we made our way back home through the dark caverns. Stomachs rumbled as we all complained of weakness, and were ready for a hot meal. My brothers continually teasing me for never getting to have any fun anymore, my trials soon to be held in front of the council of nine. We walked and spoke for ages, my brothers advising me on the tasks i would have to accomplish, eventually making our ways back through the mines towards our home, the Dwarven city "Karak Azboferg"
Nine Dwarven clans, the Silverpalm, the Hillkiller, the Slatebreaker, the Trollcracker, the Gemcrusher, the Deepsteel, the Oathbellow, the Fireale and our clan, The Thunderblood, all rallied under the banner of the cheifclan, the Thunderfist. As one we had built the single most united Dwarven city, petty squabblings of the past were forgotten as new bonds of trust and friendship were forged in rock and steel. For the past hundred years or so, we had even begun peace with neighboring clans of Dokkalfar, elf like people with dark skin who would rarely travel to the outside world, The northmen called them Dark Elves, or Drow from time to time... Though the peace was fragile, we were certain that by allying with the Dokkalfar we could protect all of the mountain dwellers better, from both forces outside, and in. Trolls had begun to move in strange patterns, rallying and even organizing at times, a single troll is hard enough to take down...but if they somehow formed together? Dwarves shudder to think of it...
As we wound our way secretly past Dwarven digging teams, it finally dawned on me that perhaps my brothers were not supposed to take me exploring that day...The first clue was the extents that they were going to to keep up from being seen. The second clue came from the glare of a very broad dwarf blocking the entrance to our home...Our father, Magnus Thunderblood, a dwarf that our bards were writing tales and songs of for heroics in battle, a Dwarf who was poised to take up the title of "Chieftain" of clan Thunderblood, standing a head taller then any of us, and as broad as Doric with long braided golden hair and golden beard tucked into his belt, now stood between us with a gaze that could have melted stone. My brothers and I stopped dead in our tracks, and proceeded to gaze intently at our boots, as though they had suddenly sprouted legs and were trying to crawl away.
"Boys..." Cold and jarring, like a mountain wind, our father towered over us, we could hear the soft thud of his boots as he approached us. "Where have you three been? ...You two said you were going to help with the mining crews...and YOU" I could feel his fiery gaze fall on me now. "You are supposed to be preparing for your trials..." "Father its our fault, we convinced him to come with us, he needed a break." "Ai, the boy's been cooped up for weeks now studying for his trials, a little breather isn't gonna ruin him." My brothers each edged in a little closer to me, our father closed his eyes and lowered his head. But to our surprise he started laughing to himself. "Fine, fine..I suppose I have been pushing your brother a little much these days...Come on, yer mother has dinner ready." My brothers and i shared a collective sigh as our father stepped aside to let my brothers pass by, taking my shoulder in his grip as we stepped inside....
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