The Brotherhood of Dwarves: Book 01 - The Brotherhood of Dwarves

D.A. Adams

Copyright

© 2005 by D.A. Adams

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be copied or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise, without express written consent of the publisher or author.

Cover art and illustrations: Bonnie Wasson

Cover art and illustrations in this book copyright © 2011 Bonnie Wasson & Seventh Star Press, LLC.

Editor: Sherrie Shuler

Published by Seventh Star Press, LLC.

ISBN Number 978-1-937929-93-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012930665

Seventh Star Press

www.seventhstarpress.com

[email protected]

Publisher’s Note:

The Brotherhood of Dwarves is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are the product of the author’s imagination, used in fictitious manner. Any resemblances to actual persons, places, locales, events, etc. are purely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America

Second Edition

For Sam, who first turned on the light…

…and for Collin and Finn who keep it burning.

Chapter 1

A Rite of Passage

The dwarves of the western mountains are three distinct races, each offering unique physical characteristics, temperaments, and cultures. The southernmost dwarves, known as Tredjards or black beards, live under the rule of one kingdom that has been in nearly perpetual war with the orcs to their southeast. As their name suggests, these dwarves have thick, black hair and caramel skin. As warriors both male and female are fierce and unrelenting, preferring spears and halberds in hand to hand combat, and in a battle, Tredjards become overwhelmed with bloodlust and lose all sense of self. It’s common after a battle to find these berserkers without limbs but surrounded by scores of slain orcs, and in social life missing an arm or leg is considered a high honor. They live almost exclusively underground in fortified lairs of stone and metal, and outsiders, regardless of race, rarely find occasion to visit, for these dwarves prefer isolation and are known to attack strangers on sight. If Tredjards want something from the outside world, they will go to its source.

Conversely, the dwarves of the central mountains, known as Ghaldeons, prefer interaction with other races. For their part, all dwarves are brothers, and they will aid any of the dwarf nations that come under attack. The Ghaldeons cannot claim sovereignty, having been mostly conquered by the Great Empire to the east and existing in disjointed tribes to the west. In appearance these dwarves usually have brown or red hair and fair skin. They are taller than Tredjards by a few inches because they usually live above ground and are considered outstanding farmers, even in the highlands. In warfare, they are skilled with bows and short swords, and like all dwarves they are miners and blacksmiths, their skills with metals being unrivaled. Because of their outgoing nature and fondness for commerce, their three major cities, Kehldeon, Sturdeon, and Turhjik, are strong centers of trade, especially with humans, ogres, and the northern dwarves.

Kehldeon, the unofficial capital of the Ghaldeon tribes not ruled by the Great Empire, is the westernmost dwarf city and the least accessible from the east. The mountains in this region only have passes to the north and south, which means most of the trade in this city is with other dwarves. The foundations of the buildings are carved from the diorite of Mount Kehldeon and have a distinct salt and pepper coloring. Most buildings in the city are framed from large blocks of granite and decorated with palladium from local mines. Because of the steep slopes and difficult terrain, the farmers surrounding the city have built a patchwork of terraces filled with nutrient-rich soil from the lowlands and river basins, and the farms are so efficient that, in a normal season, they completely feed Kehldeon, supply the nearby villages and townships, and produce a surplus for trade.

Sturdeon was once the capital of the Ghaldeon Nation, before the Great Empire seized it. This city lies along the banks of the Yuejdeon River, and its buildings are formed mostly from blocks of basalt and gabbro. Unlike Kehldeon, the buildings of this city are finished with wood that is usually stained or painted to meet a particular purpose. For example, all official government buildings have wooden roofs, doors, and trimmings that are painted forest green. Likewise, any commercial building should be adorned with dull red. According to Ghaldeon lore, this tradition began under the rule of Pertomis the Orchammer, who believed that color coordination was the key to social harmony and who died in a peasant revolt. After taking control, the Great Empire, which is known for eradicating local customs, loved the colorful layout so much they put into law that this custom must remain intact.

Sturdeon prospers mostly from gems mined from the mountains and ore panned in the streams, but the blacksmiths of this region have produced the finest craftsmanship for centuries, which is one reason the Great Empire worked so diligently to conquer it. The economy of Sturdeon demands that weapons and resources be exported to other regions because, despite being somewhat flatter and lower terrain than Kehldeon, the farms of this area do not produce enough food for the city, so Sturdeon relies on the import of grains and vegetables. Because the soil away from the river is too rocky and too leached to sustain intensive farming, most of the land is used to raise chickens, cows, and pigs of good quality, and in many outlying regions, the families that can afford to import Sturdeon meats are considered very fortunate.

Of the three cities, Turhjik is the most unusual because it was taken from orcs hundreds of years before the Ghaldeons were conquered and divided. As such, the oldest parts of the city are carved deep underground, but the newer areas have spread across the mountain side. Turhjik serves two main economic purposes: the mining and the smelting of iron ore. Without these industries the city would have little to offer the outside world, but because the mines are so rich, Turhjik must defend itself from orcs routinely. Farmers in this region joke that they plant and harvest by the signs of raids, not by the signs of weather, and the soldiers of Turhjik are reputed to be as seasoned and cunning as Tredjards.

While the southern and central dwarves are known for their skill in warfare, the northern dwarves – known as Kiredurks locally but called white beards by the outside world – have lived peacefully for hundreds of years. Their military experience is usually limited to sending soldiers to other nations in need. Their own nation is located far to the northwest and their only neighbors are the Ghaldeon tribes not yet part of the Great Empire and the ogre clans, with whom they share close friendship and deep economic ties. Consequently, the Kiredurks have focused for centuries on art, music, craftsmanship, and poetry. While their axes and hammers are mediocre, their songs echo down from the mountains like melodic thunder, and bards from every land, even orcs and goblins, travel to the capital, Dorkhun, to study. Kiredurk tapestries and paintings adorn the halls of many wealthy estates, and their jewelry surpasses all others in beauty and craft.

In appearance, Kiredurks generally stand four feet tall, have pale skin, and grow hair and beards that range from sandy brown to light blond. Physically, most are slimmer than the other two races, but they are more nimble and swift, often able to outrun the snow leopards of their mountains. While they are slimmer than other dwarves, their chests and arms are still thick with muscle, and they are astonishingly strong for their size, capable of pressing twice their body weight above their heads. Without much military service required, most Kiredurks stay fit by competing in athletic events, and being known as a champion hammer slinger or an uphill snowplow winner raises a dwarf’s social status considerably.

Because their winters are long and harsh, they live almost exclusively underground in complex cities that connect through hundreds of miles of tunnels, and they have developed systems of mirrors that allow sunlight into the deepest caverns, which allows them to farm miles below the surface. In turn, Kiredurks almost never face famine and have the most populous nation despite covering the least amount of surface land. Because of their love of art and skills with crafts like masonry and carving, their cities are marvels of beauty and engineering, humbling even the magnificence of Kehldeon.

Kiredurks also pride themselves in knowledge of the world and of history, and much time and energy is spent educating the young and continuing the education of adults. Even the lowest and least industrious families in the kingdom can read, write, and perform simple math, and in the most physically demanding professions, pride is taken in having knowledge of societies outside of their own mountains. This focus on education and passion for knowledge helps the country remain safe and peaceful, for carved above the door of the Hall of Gronwheil is a quote from Erycke the Just, founder of the First Kingdom: “Peace starts and ends within.” For the most part, the dwarves of the northern mountains embody this ancient belief – each individual doing his or her part to keep the local and national peace; each township maintaining efficient operations to keep taxes at a minimum; and each parent striving to instill this philosophy in their children. Of course there are Kiredurks who are outlaws and renegades, dwarves who steal from the granaries or drink too much ale too often, but they are the exceptions and are expelled from society if they show no willingness or ability to reform. In general, however, most Kiredurks seek peace, art, and beauty in their lives.

But there was one Kiredurk who did not yearn for peace and had grown to loathe the art and beauty of his home in Dorkhun, the capital city. This dwarf, first son to the king and heir to the throne, craved adventures and dreamed of glorious battles in which he would vanquish his enemies and become a legend. His desire for conflict began in his teens and was scoffed at by the elders as a phase, but the feelings lingered into his early twenties until even the most loyal of subjects began to whisper that the king’s son was mad. Most believed that the problem was that Roskin of the Dark Beard was not wholly Kiredurk, his mother being a wild elf of the Loorish Forest. The elf in him needed to live above ground, they would say. However, the elders remembered that King Kraganere had also been adventurous in his youth, which was why he had married a wild elf in the first place. Getting married calmed down the young king and helped him settle into the duties of his position, but their marriage had been brief – wild elves do not like living in densely populated underground cities – and the young woman had asked for and been granted a divorce shortly after Roskin was born.