Journeying north was peaceful. It seemed in the days after the near destruction of all life the world had lost it's desire to fight, or at least fight this group of travelers.
They'd rest at streams and rivers in the afternoon and camp around a cozy fire in the evening.
It was also strange to Kanil how quickly they were reaching their destination. To him the elves were a lifetime away and now he was reaching their forests in a matter of days with Nemo showing the way. A smaller world than the bandit turned hero imagined.
They passed the magical forests of the elves and went all the way to the arctic to the dark capital of the goblins. Following the river they wormed their way past the frustrating maze of trenches and towers to the fortress itself. Thankfully the only such building even close to that size and visible from a mile away!
The only damper was that it was warm enough out to be raining, but cold enough to make the rain miserably cold. The party had ample cover in the dark gray to approach without being seen, if there were anyone left to see them, for as Ersi spoke some were convinced the goblins were still around, but hiding. Others believed that their master was the one who had culled them and he waited in the top of his fortress planning dark fates for the world and it's denizens.
Clearly something had happened though for the entrance to the fortress was covered in dead bodies of a battle.
Nemo kneeled down and looked at the rotted goblin corpses "This clearly didn't happen recently"
Ingiz's hands were resting behind his head as he spoke "Took you kneeling down to notice that, eh?"
Nemo shot a glare, but Ersi cut in before the two could argue "Must've been bad if no one has cleaned up the bodies yet"
Pamud lightly dug at the ground with his feet as Kanil scratched his head, "No use sitting out here waiting. Weapons out. We found out what happened and kill what gets in our way," he said bringing the massive sword Cloudfought to bear.
The signs of battle were everywhere as they ascended the slade fortress. Bodies impaled on statues, more than once they found a decapitated head that had been thrust into the wall with such force as to stick there, or even entire bodies jammed into the wall with a titanic force. Hordes of goblins not killed, but entirely crushed like insects. Trolls barred the way up either standing guard or picking from the dead. They were hardly a match for the champions who had all fought the
Cold Hunters of the necromancers. The crimson-stained slade fortress was now stained with blue troll blood as well, although the many beak dogs in the fortress were ignored. The creatures seemed content to scavenge and feast on their dead masters over fighting the wanderers. The stench was unbearable.
Finally, they reached the summit and throne room.
The dead monster before them seemed to be some sort of giant lizard-man, but even looking at it's corpse caused a palpable feeling of dread and caused one's eyes to ache to look upon it: as if it was so unnatural to look upon that one's eyes were rebelling against beholding it. The other three went around the room checking the passages for threats, but Kanil walked up to the beast and fell to his knees.
Here was a beast that had power to challenge the very order of the world and fight it's combined peoples. It was a nigh insurmountable enemy, and here it was already defeated by another. This was a trial he would never conquer. Kanil wrestled with finding any purpose for his existence as a man crafted to fight monsters, who finds deep joy in fighting them, now living in a world where they are almost all gone.Ersi whistled looked around the room "Whatever battle happened here was something else. Reckon rumors of that rhino god are true after all."
Ingiz looked worriedly at Kanil, but responded "Don't like the looks of this place. We shouldn't stay long"
Nemo also seemed visibly anxious as he scanned the floor for any sign of track "I've seen no sign of elves since our arrival."
Kanil leaned on Cloudfought as he stood up "We'll find them, Nemo. Still got a lot of fortress to search"
They cut their way through the rest of the trolls within and having found nothing made their way to the dungeons below. There they found many prisoners. All children taken from homes and tormented. The goblins seemed to have a barbaric method of indoctrination: Lock children in total darkness for prolonged periods and release them to torment them and beat goblin values into them and then lock them back in.
The especially young children could be heard crying from their cells while the older ones had dark shadows in their eyes as they looked upon the heroes.
Some of the children knew each other and comforted one another. One particularly muscular boy, almost 12, seemed a natural leader of the pack.
They found the two elven girls near the bottom of the dungeons. Are and Gica: Nemo's niece and sister.
The elf was known to be pretty stoic in the entire time he had been with the party, but as the elven girls came out of their cells and saw him they began to weep deeply and ran to embrace him. The elf also broke down crying holding his family not knowing what torments they've had to endure in miserable darkness.
None of the others pressed Nemo to hurry as this was a sacred moment for the hurting family. The other children looked on and one boy asked Kanil "Are our families here too?"
Kanil was surprised at the question "No, why would they be?" The boy looked hurt and Ersi interjected "More to say: Getting here was incredibly dangerous, boy. It wouldn't be safe to bring them and as you can see our friend is a warrior like us"
Ingiz walked up and put a hand on the boy's shoulder "Don't worry, lad. We'll get you back home." he turned his head to the rest of the group "All of you"
Playing babysitter didn't sit well with Kanil, but he also understood the abject cruelty of leaving children alone in an artic fortress of monsters and lacking an actual purpose or direction he silently assented to the plan.
The true problem came around the campfire the following evening as five humans children, two elven girls and one dwarf boy huddled around the fire:
Finding where they actually live. Each kid introduced himself and Nemo's niece had actually heard of Kanil and was in awe of the hero of legend.
Are, Nemo's niece, believed her father still lived not far south in a nearby forest retreat. Everyone else believed their parents were in human or dwarven lands far to the south other than one human whose father was living in another nearby forest and one who believed his family was hiding in a nearby dark pit. The heroes had no intention of taking the child to a dark pit regardless.
They reached the forest retreat in two days as they went significantly slower with children in tow. It seemed entirely abandoned though. The neatly grown and guided forests were now overgrown and despite hours of wandering no elves were seen.
Source:
As they approached the last great tree, as if disturbed by the movement of the group, a small landslide of dirt and rock crashed nearby coating the party in dust.
Are frantically tried to convince the party to keep looking and they indulged her until the sun was setting and she began to cry for her father.
Nemo, Gica and some of the other children tried to comfort her as the party made fire by the nearby creek and rested.
The next day Are calmed and said she believed her mother was in the dwarf hillocks of Tradeneutral. Where Nemo was when Kanil met him. "I do not know if she still is, but she was before I left it and she had no reason to depart. At the very least the rest of her family is there" he said on the matter.
They reached the next forest on the list within a day and wandered until they found Palath's dad reciting poetry from a tree to onlookers in another.
The child who wanted to go to another dark pit chose to stay with Palath at that forest which was a far better choice. The party spent the evening together so the kids could get their farewells out of the way.
Then they spent more days on the road. Ingiz showed kids how to fish at the stream although more seemed interested in wading and swimming. Kanil showed the stern looking eldest boy, named Mispi, how to swing a sword and proper stance. Ersi would play wrestle and fight with the boys and Nemo attempted to teach meditation to children, which went as well as that could be expected.
Kanil was happy in these days, which was odd to him. His little family of warriors felt more complete and joyful with the children around, and despite not knowing how to behave around kids he found himself connecting. Mispi was struggling the most, as it turned out all his direct relatives were dead, but he was related to one boy named Quinbor in the group.
Mebzuth the dwarf child was polite, but nervous
Are and Gica were kind hearted and compassionate
Mispi was the rough and tumble leader
Quinbor and Ilosp were jokesters and tribals like Kanil and Ersi
They reached Tradeneutral first with Gica's village planned next.
Gica also chose to stay here with Are and her extended family. Nemo shook hands and embraced different family members as the elven militia commander reassured Kanil "We will make sure Gica makes it home to her family of that I do swear!" he bowed to Kanil and the others deeply "You've done something for us we can never repay. For all my days I shall remember and sing of you all"
Ersi, Kanil and Ingiz left with Pamud and the other children in tow only to fight Nemo rushing to catch up "Wait!" he called
"It's okay, Nemo. We can take the rest home without any trouble" said Kanil
Nemo bowed as low as he could "It is as my cousin said. We owe you a debt that could never be repaid" he looked up at them with tears brimming "I could call no finer men my brothers and I would stay with you all to the end"
Ersi scractched his head uncomfortable with the display of emotions "I mean don't they need you?"
"No, my family is safe now, and I'd join you all in whatever adventures the world takes us on. Besides, Tradeneutral is only a day away from where we all live anyway"
Ingiz laughed heartily "Ah! I knew you were a softy elf, hahaha! Come here!" and the dwarf wrapped the elf in a tight embrace. The others joined in too. Even the children and did and Pamud made a sound of affirmation.
The next day they reached the monastery of Abyssplaits. Kanil tried his luck at the shrine they passed.
They found the same gang of new bandits
Kanil almost slew.Quinbor ran in to embrace many of them. They even embraced and hugged Mispi, a distant relative, and Kanil was certain the boy would stay there with.
It was awkward for Kanil and Ingiz to have these bandits walking up to and thanking them so profusely. Both recalling the near killing of this family that would have left Quinbor an orphan.
Despite predictions, Mispi followed them out. "Why don't you stay with your own family, boy?" Kanil asked him
"Barely family really and they don't got much food. Think I'm better off with all of you. About to be twelve anyway which means I'll need to start working. Maybe you could teach me the sword?"
Kanil walked up to the boy and there was a moment of silence as all watched to see what would happen. Kanil extended a hand and the boy took it. They shook "Welcome home" The boy smiled for one of the few times of the whole adventure.
Next was Bonepartnered. Another bandit tribe's fortress like Kanil. It was here that he met Ersi and some others and recruited them for his war on the undead.
Despite also knowing people here Mispi still chose to stay with the party. He and Mebzuth hugged Ilosp before she left to stay with her whole family. The tribe thanked the party and swore to answer their call if they were ever needed for anything.
Finally, Mebzuth. His father was supposedly in
Inkyrouts the destroyed capital and birthplace of humanity. Last they were all here it was a barren hellhole with monsters around every corner.
The town was no longer destroyed, but being rebuilt. Soldiers were everywhere as it turned out the occasional Cold Hunter still haunted alleys at night, but artists and laborers from all over were gathered and restoring life.
Source:
In the tavern a great host of them gathered around to watch a bard recite a poem as the party entered. The same tavern they almost died fighting an elven cold hunter two years ago.
As they entered Mebzuth ran past them crying as he saw his father. The very dwarf the crowds had gathered to listen to.
This heartfelt reunion hit harder than any poem as people went from weeping from joy as the two embraced to celebrating and partying.
All locally knew the adventuring party, and some of the soldiers were actually men Kanil led in the siege of the city.
There were many toasts, stories told, contests had and one of the most fun nights any of them had ever had.
Kanil didn't have a direction anymore, but he was happy. He had friends like family, a land that loved him and a future he could provide for someone else. It didn't as deeply satisfy him as his days fighting great terrors, but there was a contentment upon him. Perhaps he could find peace in the new world he helped to create...
OOC:
First time I've been able to rescue kids from goblins. Normally they're already goblinified and won't leave the fort so this was neat.
Also a wild goose chase as the kids take you to the last location they recall family being in and Mispi having no one close enough to stay with was sad.
Also this was proof for me of a bug in fortress generation. One entire block of the prison was completely impossible to access, no stairs or anything. You just can't get to it, but Are was locked in there. So I flashstepped in and got her and Kanil back out. This is important to note as we enter the phase of genociding entirely generated forts.
It's funny how heart warming this whole sequence was, but on some mental level I'm doing the math of how many of these kids will survive the future plans
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Topic: In Search of Fairy Tales - Adelaathira - The End of Dwarfdom (Read 49755 times)