Chapter 37

“Right. I have a new mission for you, my Darras,” Erren announced.

“Thenarron?” Darras enquired.

“No, not yet. The forces are building up, but aren’t all in place and won’t be for a month yet.”

“Ah, OK,” Darras replied with a smile.

“I want you to investigate a Dwarven settlement. I suspect they are interfering with the forces supplied by Sorrak and Dobra as they make their way to Thenarron,” Erren explained.

“Shadows?”

“Possibly, but not openly. There’s nothing else of note happening there.”

“The smithy there reports a rash of petty thefts from the travelling units,” Pelegard added. “Both Human and Dwarven.”

“That’s not a common Dwarven trait,” Crannok noted with a frown.

“It isn’t,” Pelegard confirmed. “Dwarves tend to opt for overcharging for their products, not taking them by theft.”

“The settlement is called Halgard, a fairly new city built when the Dwarven explorers discovered large amounts of copper,” Erren carried on. “It’s being used by the forces of Sorrak and Dobra as a way-post on their journey with both sets of forces having paid for supplies to be available.”

“And you want me to see what, if anything, is going on?” Darras asked.

“Yes, the priests at my Temple are stumped as they are aware of the thefts but cannot find out who is doing them or where they are being sold on.”

“Seems somewhat petty,” Darras mused.

“Normally I’d ignore it,” Erren agreed. “Only whoever is doing it also appears highly interested in their travelling orders.”

“Ah, you suspect a potential ambush might be planned?”

“Possibly. The Dwarven infantry of Sorrak are superb and will be a massive boon to the forces gathering near the border of Thenarron. The mounted Knights of Dobra, are not so great, but are welcome anyway.”

“I see,” Darras nodded. “You’ll need good infantry to hold the ground once it’s taken, something Knights can’t do.”

“Yes, Sorrak is the only Dwarven nation taking part. The others aren’t interested in what is ostensibly an ‘Elven’ issue.”

“Is this to do with the influence of your priest, Gemoldus?”

“Yes, he’s the real power in Sorrak and persuaded the King to take part,” Erren replied. “Something which will greatly enrich Sorrak by way of influence and trade, should things go to plan.”

“Ah, you suspect the Human Kingdoms will buy their armour and weapons?”

“Weapons mostly, Dwarven armour is very good, but far too expensive for ordinary Human infantry,” Erren explained. “The real enrichment will come by their increase in influence, as they’ll be able to act as middle men in various deals between nations.”

“Even the Elven ones?”

“Yes, Leandomus of Iversirion as well as King Ismil of Rossaris will come to appreciate the Dwarven abilities and will tolerate their bluntness in order to get their forces equipped with the superior mithril products the Dwarves of Sorrak can get for them.”

“And will no doubt supply various Elven products in return that certain Elven nations won’t sell to their Dwarven neighbours,” Pelegard chuckled.

“Yes, I do wish both races would get over their petty stupidity towards each other,” Erren sighed. “But one works with what one has.”

“It’s definitely better than the days after the collapse of the Elven Empire,” Crannok pointed out.

“That’s true, the Elves won no friends at all after they invaded various Kingdoms to get at dark kin settlements.”

“That’s mostly in the past now. Humanity has largely forgotten ... other than historians,” Crannok noted. “The Dwarves, not so much, however.”

“Their grief and anger over the murder of Harranis drove them to extremes,” Erren explained. “It had to be, though the result caused society as a whole to fracture and the healing process with some has barely begun.”

“Had to be?” Darras asked.

“The Empire of Harranis was the ultimate creation of Elvendom and totally dominated the other races of the world,” Erren replied. “Its collapse enabled those races to grow stronger and begin the path to matching the Empire’s heights, rather than be second class subjects of it.”

“Ah, the cycle of growth and collapse,” Darras nodded.

“Yes, though the achievements of the Empire have yet to be matched or even approached. Much suffering by both Elves and the other races resulted from its fall.”

“I take it the Dark Lord and his followers thrived during this ... fall?” Darras grated out.

“They did indeed, my Darras. They did indeed.”

“A necessity, however,” Crannok sighed. “The progress of the races requires a cycle; a rise then fall and rise again.”

“Something he intends to put a stop to from what he informed me,” Erren added. “His followers tend to live out their lives at the lowest common denominator.”

“And those who support him, even if they don’t follow him, tend to have grudges against Erren’s followers?” Darras queried.

“They do. However, for now relax and enjoy,” Erren replied with a happy smile as dinner was floated out for all to enjoy.

Dobra hadn’t changed much when Darras arrived through the gateway, though the market was much busier and several Dwarven traders were hawking their wares. All this was incidental, however, as Darras had no business to attend to in the town, it was simply the closest place to Halgard, which did not have a gateway. He did, however, call to pay his respects to Amina at the Thieves Guild and see if they had any information on Halgard.

“Not a place we’re welcome,” he was informed by Amina as they sipped wine outside a tavern that the Guild apparently owned. “We have heard about the thefts though and I doubt it’s being done to enrich the thieves.”

“Why would that be?” Darras asked.

“Nothing of great value taken for one,” she replied. “Seems more a nuisance thing, though the one constant is the pilfering of the marching orders.”

“I suspect it’s either information gathering or an attempt to set up an ambush,” Darras agreed.

“Probably information gathering, the route is already known and posted,” Amina shrugged.

“I see, thanks for the update,” Darras acknowledged.

“You’re welcome. Let us know on your return of anything interesting you find,” Amina requested.

“I will.”

Dobra was not a large town, if a prominent trading post for the Dwarves of Sorrak. It was a fairly typical city state, even though there was no city as such, just several large towns based in the various valleys that mostly produced agricultural crops to sell to the Dwarves. This did mean the roads were in fairly good condition for Darras and his sturdy mount to travel along.

There was nothing of real note for Darras on the journey, other than occasionally seeing small squads of Dwarven infantry on the march. This, Darras knew, was deliberate so as not to overwhelm the resources of any of the towns. The road took him ever higher through various mountain passes until he finally reached Halgard, which, unlike the previous Dwarven cities he’d been to, was built around a mountain, not inside it.

The architecture was typically Dwarven in nature, quite sturdy and very regular in appearance throughout. There was no place for adornment, simply a business-focussed whole. Once inside, Darras was able to find lodgings designed for a Human easily enough as the copper mine provided a basis for trade throughout Dobra and the neighbouring Kingdom of Pellach, a Human realm if uninterested in anything going on outside their borders by way of conflicts. Not that they had objections to the Dwarven units passing through their kingdom, so long as they paid their way and caused no trouble.

“Definitely something going on here,” Darras observed to Erren.

‘Yes, tensions are high, though not aimed at you or any of the Humans we’ve seen, ’ Erren replied.

“Dwarf on Dwarf?”

‘Yes, odd as that sounds.’

“I think I’ll visit the smithy that Pelegard mentioned,” Darras replied. “They may know something more by now.”

‘Good idea, though be careful, you don’t want them to become hostile due to a lack of trust of Humans.’

It took a little longer than Darras expected to find the right smithy as there were several in the city, though with Erren’s aid he finally found the one displaying the sigil of Pelegard outside the building. Once inside he found the place to be busy, mostly with minor repairs to equipment and weapons for the various units making a stopover at the city.

“Can I help you, Human?” a stocky (even by Dwarven standards) Dwarf asked.

“The blessing of Pelegard be upon this place,” Darras replied.

“Ah, you honour our god?”

“Yes, he personally crafted my outer garb,” Darras replied.

“A bold claim, to have met him!”

“He meets with the goddess Gilmea whose agent I am,” Darras replied, causing a slight pause in the work of the nearer Dwarves.

“You are the shadow hunter?”

“That’s what I do, yes.”

“May I examine your garb?”

Darras shrugged off his upper leathers and handed it over, causing the Dwarf to pause slightly at its weight that had been hidden by the leathers over it.

“Mithril,” the Dwarf announced to all in the smithy. “And superbly made with contoured plates over vital areas.”

“Gilmea’s original design, but improved upon by Pelegard,” Darras explained. “Has kept me alive on a few occasions.”

“Aye, it would,” the Dwarf nodded, handing the upper garment back. “Seems you are whom you claim to be. How can we help?”

“Pelegard is aware from your prayers of the tensions in this city. Have you any further news as to who is behind it?”

“Aye, though they claim innocence,” the Dwarf replied. “The Metalsmiths Guild are agitating because the units from Sorrak will not use their services exclusively.”

“And this involves petty theft?”

“They are trying to ascertain the numbers of potential customers heading their way ... or so they claim. This has put them into confrontation with the Artisan and Weaponmaker Guilds, as well as the Temples and the King’s administrators.”

“A guild war?” Darras replied thoughtfully. “Seems unlikely.”

“Aye, generally Dwarves argue, I cannot deny that,” the Dwarf nodded. “But there has been violence as well as the thefts as they squabble with each other as they try to gain customers. This is not something we are known to do with each other.”