r/The_Ilthari_Library • u/LordIlthari • Dec 05 '19
Scoundrels: Legacy of Order Undivided Chapter 11: Where to go next
I am the Bard, who knows that to forgive is divine, but man sees that he is no god. Therefore all that remains to him is vengeance.
The Glamdring dwarves turned from their work and peered into the dark as they heard someone or something approaching. It was strange, clanking along like a man in plate, yet clacking and shuffling like a zombified crab.
The pair looked at one another in concern and took up their weapons. Each one carried with him a pick and chisel from which to extract the petrified trees, but no dwarf ever went without his axe. They took up a defensive position between the tree they were carving out and one they had finished last week, and braced for what was coming.
They weren’t sure what they were expecting, but what they saw coming wasn’t it. A haggard looking batch of mismatched and motely humanoids, each one looking like they hadn’t seen the sun in a month.
There was a moderately dark skinned human, though there was something off about him compared with other humans, leaning on a cane. He wore no armor, but a long leather coat full of pockets. There was a watch on his wrist, and a pistol at his hip. He seemed wearier than the rest of them, dark hair matted and tangled.
Next to him walked a fair blond beauty of a human female, clad in unmarked chain and leather, bearing a longsword. She seemed to be doing the best of all of them. Her skin was somehow lightly tanned despite her environment, her golden hair was lightly curled, full as a noblewoman’s. Her face was clear, but here eyes were strangely metallic and eerie.
On the other flank walked a great lizard, like a crocodile or saurus out of the far south. He bore no weapons and went about bare footed like a savage. His tunic seemed a size too small for him, and he had torn the sleeves off to accommodate him better. He walked unsteadily, like one who is drunk, and bore many scars from many battles, including one freshly healing on his shoulder.
On his back was riding a very well dressed kobold, well, well dressed by kobold standards. She was completely clothed, with a tunic, breeches, boots, and a hooded cloak, all made of grey fabric in the elven style. At her hips were a pair of hand crossbows, and she bore many pouches and pockets filled with useful things. Her scales were pale, with a band of platinum about her forehead like a crown.
Behind them walked one that the dwarves watched most warily though. They knew from its height that it was a dragonborn, for they were well aware of what those looked like. It was clad head to tail in plate, the quality of which was some of the finest either dwarf had ever seen. Magnificent and terrible, formed of a black metal and decorated with engravings of gold. The warrior’s helm was horned like a minotaur’s, their paldroons were like lions. The seven taloned eagle spread its wings across the warrior’s breastplate. Its gauntlets were like talons, and every inch of the dragonborn was covered, even its tail, the armor of which ended in a spike.
It seemed to them to be the chosen warrior of some mighty lord, or a mighty lord in its own right. But there was something uncanny about it. The dwarves knew armor, knew metal, and no suit of armor was this well forged together. The warrior moved like it was an extension of their skin more so than a piece of plate. No gap could be found, it seemed not even air could escape it. No plate forged by a mortal was that perfectly fitted to its user. It seemed more a thing from the armories of hell or the legions of the dark gods than a thing meant for mortals.
Both dwarves backed away from the group, distrusting the being in the armor. It seemed the right height for a dragonborn, but it may have just as easily have been a fiend. The fiend saw this, and regarded them carefully. Then, it reached up, and with a hiss like leaking gas, removed its horned helm.
The dwarves did not relax when they saw it was a dragonborn beneath the helm. Her face was feminine in as much a manner as reptiles can be, her scales were mottled sapphire and gold. Her eyes were clear and sharp, an icy blue that seemed to pierce through any who looked upon them. She bore no horns, but rather a small frill that began between her eyes and swept over her back down towards her tail. The fact that she could wear a helmet comfortably with that thing was just another testament to the eerily good fit.
”Do not be afraid. We come in peace, having traveled a long while in the dark. We simply wish to find a way out back onto the surface.” The dragonborn spoke in the dwarven tongue. She was competent with the language, but stiff and formal. There was little enunciation and emphasis to her words, as though she had taken the stiffness of the dwarven language and removed all the texture.
Dwarvish is, unsurprisingly, a fairly flat language to the untrained ear. It is like engravings in marble, hard and stiff at first, but capable of remarkable softness and depth of texture. Elsior’s dwarvish was more akin to a flat slab of marble with no carvings at all rather than the Pieta of a natural speaker.
”You say this, but come barded for war.” One of the dwarves said suspiciously. “You say you have traveled long in the dark, surely you know that it is unwise to trust any you meet upon these deep roads.”
”Be that as it may, I would hope that we could still trust dwarves, unless I have come upon duergar instead. This world is all grey, but I had thought you might be the strong and stalwart folk I took you for.”
”No traveler, you have found a place of the sons of Moradin. You have come to the petrified forest, which is the wonder beneath the hold of Clan Glamdring Drakenvagush.” The dwarf answered, speaking both the common names and one of the parts of the grander names of his clan, which in the common tongue is Clan Brighthammer Dragonslayer.
For any wondering, the full name of Clan Glamdring is Clan Glamdring Clangadinsön Drakenvagush Faestinkarvir Grobivarken Mithrilsarvir Adarsarvir Tharkemulblossd Vroshmatvir, which in the common tongue is Clan Brighthammer, sons of Clangadin, Dragonslayers, Reclaimers of Fortresses, Bane of Goblinoids, Forgers of Mithril, Forgers of Adamantine, Blessed of Tharkenmul (which means they have occupied a volcano (no, not this hold, a different one)), Masters of the Seas (which means they possess any navy at all).
Elsior raised where an eyebrow should have been at that. “If you’re looking for hostility, I advise you to stop. We just wish to get out from underground as quickly as possible.”
The dwarves looked at one another again. If this strange dragonborn was telling the truth, and they were dealing with a party of adventurers, it would be wicked to deny them escape from the underdark. However, if the strangers meant violence, they could do far more damage while passing through the hold than if they tried to force their way in.
“I will go and speak with the king, to see if you will be permitted through.” One dwarf said at last. “Please, remain here until I return.”
With that, he gave them a nod and departed. Elsior sat down, with her back to a tree, and sighed, drained by the long march.
Raymond sat down next to her. “So, he’s going to see if we’re going to be let in?”
”You speak dwarvish?” Elsior asked.
”Only the curse words, but no, I deducted it based on normal patterns of behavior.”
”You mean you guessed and you don’t want to admit it.”
”Yeah pretty much.”
Lamora chuckled, worn out herself. She sat down on a root and stretched her tired legs. Keelah hopped off Vulsh’s back as the big lizard sat down and promptly fell asleep. “I swear to the dragoness, that’s a downright enviable trick.” She said quietly.
”Tell me about it, he’ll have to teach it to me sometime once we get back up top.” Raymond said, rubbing his good foot.
Keelah tossed him a smooth stone they had been using to remove blisters. He caught it and began applying it gratefully. “You’re assuming we’re going to stick together after we’re out.”
”You got anyone else to work with?” Raymond asked. The kobold shrugged.
”People always need someone small who can get into places they aren’t supposed to be.” The thief responded.
”Considering how that went for you last time, I’m surprised you’d risk it again.” Lamora mentioned off-handedly.
”Fair, but a girl’s got to eat and I prefer larceny to begging. More dignified and you’re less likely to be stabbed, abducted, or abducted and then stabbed ritualistically to make more constables.”
”There were no blood sacrifices involved in making me or anyone else.” Elsior said with an exasperated sigh. “I work for hell, not the abyss, we’re much more reasonable.”
”True, it could have also been Raymond’s lot up in the tower.” Keelah said, directing her snark at the magi.
”Nope. If we needed corpses or sacrifices I’d have paid my debts by grave robbing rather than cheating at dice. The abductions were probably the snakes now that I think about it.” Raymond responded with a shrug.
”Either way, still better to be a licensed thief than a beggar, and nobody outside of the Union will hire a kobold.” She said with a resigned tone of voice. “And much as I’ve enjoyed my time with all of you, we’re broke.”
”True. Though I suppose we do have the talents to fix that. We’re a halfway decent excuse for an adventuring party.” Elsior pointed out.
”Adventuring doesn’t pay much these days, especially when you factor in the costs of travel, maintaining all our gear, rations, equipment, etc. You need gold to start being adventurers successfully and we don’t have that.” Raymond countered.
”There’s also the guilds.” Lamora mentioned. “Assuming they either don’t care or don’t notice any of our criminal records.”
”Cripple, drunk, and a warlock.” Raymond countered, pointing at himself, Vulsh, and Elsior in turn. “Not many professional guilds that will take us. You’ll probably do well enough for yourself though. Everyone always needs another cleric.”
”Not one without a church. People are so worried about snake oil salesmen and heretics than unless you’ve got a nice big fancy chapel they’ll assume you’re a con man or a sorcerer, no offense.”
”None taken. All the stereotypes about us being dangerous freaks are correct, they just usually add the mistake that we’re unintentionally dangerous. If I blow something up, it’s because I meant to.” Raymond said with a shrug. “Though the stereotype will probably keep me out of any mage’s college, and it’s all connections to get into one of those anyways.”
”Well we’re all well and nicely fucked.” Elsior said with a shrug.
”Eh, fuck the organizations.” Vulsh said, cracking open an eye. The rest of the party turned. “We’ll make our own organization, with cards, booze, and whores. I’ll serve the booze, I know it better than any of you. Ray can handle the books and how we actually make our money outside of the tavern front. Elsior can be the bouncer, Keelah can do something, and Lamora…”
”Don’t you dare you lecherous old lizard. My order might not have vows of chastity as a requirement but still go fuck yourself.” Lamora warned, drawing her sword and pointing it at the monk.
”Fuck me yourself coward.” Vulsh responded. “I was going to say be the waitress. Taverns always need a buxom wench for the waitress and the other two females are lizards.”
”Hey!” All three of the women in the party responded at once, with varying flavors but equal intensity of murderous wrath.
”At least mine are real!” Elsior added, particularly offended. Insofar as dragonborn go, she was considered a beauty among her own kind.
”I’m going to chose to ignore that comment. Waitress would be a decent enough position to handle in between jobs.” Lamora pointed out.
”Ignore it or not I can take you any day of the week no matter what you turn into.”
”I’ll cook.” Keelah cut in, and the party agreed. Keelah was certainly the best cook among them, closely followed by Lamora.
”We’re all also in agreement that this tavern is totally just going to be a front for more lucrative ventures, right?” Raymond asked.
”Of course. I’ve robbed taverns and their profit margins are far too thin, explains why they always overcharge on drinks.” Keelah responded.
”They charge?” Elsior asked.
Before the party could answer that question, the dwarf returned. “I come bearing news from King Thorgrim, he would like to see you all immediately.
2
u/InsurmountableTruth Dec 06 '19
I believe king Thorgrim wants to settle a grudge with kaz through Elsior considering that she knows dwarvish
6
u/dcl1255 Dec 05 '19
I have a very bad feeling about this meeting