Harrow and his retinue rode in relative silence. This was partly owing to the few dozen or so dwarf warriors who had bolstered the group's numbers, along with the dwarf royalty they were escorting. Oh, and dwarfs exist. That was something new they had all learned yesterday. Harrow especially was most silent. Mind, this silence wasn't any born of awkwardness or anger, but of the fact that so much new information was bounding around in everyone's heads. Silence was required to process it all.
Harrow had a very… informative series of talks with King Hrothgar earlier that day and the day previously. A few new things he had learned: dwarfs are a thing apparently, they call themselves Dawi, and their mountain kingdom had been transported here by a sorcerer leading an army of various monstrosities and demons. That was the gist of it! Harrow had so many questions, most of which King Hrothgar had an answer to. Thankfully, "Is this army coming to destroy us?" was met with a resounding "Probably not." At least he didn't have to worry about an army of unholy "Chaos Warriors" showing up on his doorstep to skewer him and every person in Katolis.
Hrothgar continued to confused him by claiming they were from another world entirely. Evidently, they had two moons where the dwarfs were from, one of which was evil apparently? Hrothgar had asked if Harrow knew of any way to get them home, to which the Katolian king dumbly shook his head. Hrothgar had seemed only a little disappointed, and Harrow believed he probably hadn't expected him to know anything about teleporting dwarfs into another world anyway.
After Harrow had asked his questions, Hrothgar had said that he wanted to know more about the world in which they found themselves, in order to protect his people and potentially find a way home. That Harrow knew about. He gave Hrothgar a brief but comprehensive run-down on world history. At least everything he knew about world history. Viren probably knew a lot more, but only the two kings and a few bodyguards had been allowed into the discussions the first day. They were, after all, discussing very sensitive matters. Very strange matters too, Harrow supposed.
Harrow recounted everything from the Banishment of Mankind to the Crowning of Thunder. Hrothgar had remained largely silent and contemplative as he listened. He had paused at Dark Magic, and though Hrothgar and his guards seemed spooked, the dwarf king had asked what exactly he meant by "Dark Magic". Harrow had given him an abdridged version of what Viren had told him for years. Harrow had been afraid that they would be tossed out and or killed then and there. What he didn't expect was Hrothgar to politely explain that what they were doing was NOT, in fact, Dark Magic. Rather, it was something called Death Magic. While apparently all dwarfs disdained magic, as they could not wield it themselves without something called "Runic Lore", Death Magic was particularly disdainful. But, apparently, it wasn't anything worth starting a row over. Harrow didn't know much about magic, so he just went with it.
Harrow had expected a lot of questions from the dwarf king when his history lesson was over. What Harrow didn't expect was for him to start bellowing what he could only assume was an absolute litany of curses. Harrow managed to catch a few things, such as "Thrice damned Elgi!" and "Scaly Drakki sons of Grobi!" and "Can't leave well enough alone, the treacherous Kruti!", but most of it seemed to be in a foreign language.
After this rant, Hrothgar revealed that not only did they have dragons and elves back in their lands, but that the dwarfs absolutely hated the both of them! Elgi (elves) were nothing but treacherous, dishonorable wretches, and dragons were apparently best served in stew! Then Hrothgar did something that Harrow really hadn't expected: he proposed an alliance. He explained that not only did they have no less than two common enemies, but that the dwarfs had been fast friends to the humans of their lands.
Harrow had been dumbfounded. He had been raised to believe most things that weren't human would kill him on sight. Yet here was a non-human, offering him an alliance. Something stirred in Harrow, some part of himself he thought he'd lost when he lost Sarai. The hope that this world didn't have to be humans vs everyone. That maybe things could be better for their children, for Ezran and Callum, and for all the kids whose parents are trapped by their own pasts and upbringings.
Of course, Harrow was no fool. Admittedly he wasn't the best king, strictly speaking. Harrow himself would be the first to admit that. But he knew that alliances, however promising, had terms. He and Hrothgar had hammered those out earlier this day. Quite literally, actually. Hrothgar and his advisors had insisted that the final version of the Treaty of Karak Vlag (as it was dubbed) be engraved into the stone of Hrothgar's Great Hall.
It was a fairly simple treaty, really. It stated that Katolis would recognize the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Karak Vlag over their small patch of mountains. In return, Hrothgar had offered new technologies and military support should the "treacherous Elgi" come knocking. Apparently Hrothgar had a wide array of weapons utilizing black powder, a relatively new form of explosive recently developed by human alchemists. The Dawi apparently have had the stuff for centuries.
Beyond that there were resource sharing agreements, trade negotiations, etc. The details of those agreements would be finalized at a later date. After Harrow consulted with his other advisors back at the castle. He had consulted Viren on the Treaty, of course, and the man had been pleasantly surprise to find the dwarfs didn't want to kill him on sight for being a sorcerer. Granted, they had still grumbled and largely ignored him, but it's better than what the elves would've done.
Now we return to the present. Harrow and his group had just reached Fort Kalik, the closest military installation to Karak Vlag. There they would rest for the night before the journey home. The human horses and dwarf ponies would be fed and stabled, and Harrow could have a talk with Queen Hilda. She had apparently insisted on being the first dwarfen diplomat to Katolis, and from what Harrow had seen of the woman, she didn't seem like she took no for an answer.
And so here he was, trying to make casual conversation with the Queen of Katolis' newest allies. Fortunately despite her severe appearance Hilda was quite amiable. They discussed various aspects of the new treaty, asked questions about each other's worlds. Apparently humans could do magic where the dwarfs were from! Well, not Primal Magic, but some kind of magic that wasn't Dark/Death Magic. Viren joined the conversation shortly after, and he had a wealth of questions himself. "Ever the scholar.", Harrow thought.
At any rate, as their conversation wore on they eventually were interrupted by a very low growl. Said growl originated from the stomach of a certain human king, who immediately felt as mortified as Viren looked. Hilda was silent for a moment, before chuckling slightly with a small smirk. "I propose we obtain some dinner, before his Majesty's stomach decides to leap out and bite someone." She joked elegantly. Harrow never knew someone could tell a joke elegantly, but apparently it was possible.
So they decided to pay a visit to the mess. As they walked down the hall, the sounds of a great clamor met their ears. Harrow and Viren looked at each other, worried. If a fight had broken out between the soldiers and the dwarfs, then their alliance may be out the window before it began! Hrothgar had spoken at length about "grudges", and Harrow didn't particularly want his kingdom on the receiving end of one. Hilda, meanwhile, seemed unperturbed. "Ah. The lads are always rowdy at mealtime." She said, then continued on past the perturbed humans.
They eventually came to the door of the mess, and were greeted with a chaotic scene. Not one of battle, but one of merriment. Soldiers and dwarfs were drinking and laughing rowdily, all having a good time. Gurni was atop a table dancing, while Gromad cheered him on, both with stein in hand. The hall rung of laughter and song. In fact, most of the soldiers and dwarfs were singing a rather… interesting drinking tune. "Diggy diggy hole?" Harrow asked Hilda, one eyebrow raised. "Aye. It's a wee bit more dignified in Khazalid, mind." She replied matter of factly. Then without a word more she went to join the feast. Harrow looked at Viren, and they both nodded in agree, and with a smile they joined in as well.
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King Hrothgar sat on his throne, contemplating the events of the past two days. There had been both positives and negatives. For one, they now had a greater understanding of this new world, as well as a new ally. On the other hand, they had yet to prove themselves as allies in the eyes of the Dawi and the Ancestors. The Empire and Kislev both had millenia to prove themselves as fairly upstanding allies. Katolis has had two days.
As he sat pondering, he was approached by Brokk. "You should get some rest, my king. My father always said 'tis a weary king who waxes mad." He said with a smirk. Hrothgar, broken out of his reverie, returned it. "Your father was wise, old friend. But I cannot imagine he was much for late nights." Brokk chuckled a little at that. "Aye, that he was. Never stayed up more than an hour past sundown, he did. Always said it was he never ate enough cheese." He replied, smiling wistfully.
Hrothgar broke into a grin at that. "Are ye certain sending lady Hilda as diplomat was best, my lord?" Brokk asked. Hrothgar fixed his old friend with a knowing, pointed look. "Brokk, you know as well as I she does as she pleases. And I've no objection to that. She's wise as I, and has a wit twice as sharp." He replied. Brokk simply put his hands up defensively as he sat upon the stone steps below the throne. "Aye. She's capable, certainly. But I'm afraid the umgi won't be able to handle her!" He replied, which drew a genuine rumble of laughter from the dwarf king.
As his laugher died down, a more solemn expression slowly took over Hrothgar's face. "What do you think will become of us, Brokk? Far from the Karak Ankor, from anything we know?" He asked, fear and sadness subtly lacing his words. Brokk simply looked pensive. "I don't know, my king. I doubt any in this world or any other do. I suppose only the Ancestors would." He replied, then turned to face him. "But by Grungni and Grimnir, come prosperity or death, you will have my axe, my king." Hrothgar smiled at his friend's solemn oath, and he knew he meant every word. He supposed that was the best answer anyone could give when asked of their fate. "Aye, my friend. Come ill or well, the Dawi must stand together."
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There you have it folks, chapter 3!
Sorry it isn't up sooner, I've been REAL busy!
So, to explain some narrative decisions:
For one, the Dark Magic of Dragon Prince seemed to me a bit more similar to Warhammer Amethyst Magic than to Dark Magic. Calling upon the powers of the dead and such. So that's what I went with. The Imperials practice Amethyst Magic, and the dwarfs are still their staunchest allies, so I figured they wouldn't mind Katolis doing something similar. There are still some major distinctions, but the dwarfs don't know that right now, and they don't care enough about magic to ask.
Also, for their opinions of elves and dragons, the dwarfs won't like them at all. At first at least. Especially since Xadian Elves are even more steeped in magic than Warhammer Elves, and thus the dwarfs would like them even less! They still hate dragons because well… dragons are dragons and dwarfs are dwarfs. The dragon stew bit is also lore accurate! It's called Drongnel, and it's made with mushrooms and dragon meat marinated in ale.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and look forward to the next chapter: Slayers at the Breach!