Ori
They had left the Green Dragon Inn just before dawn. Tharkûn had told them that they wouldn't be able to find the place they were going to now without his help, so they had met him in The Shire. They had also met their King there. He had come back from the meeting of The Clans in a foul mood and with foul news. They were on their own. No one else was coming.
Which made their need of a burglar all the more important. Without one, Ori wasn't sure what they would do. Quit the Quest? Carry on regardless with only thirteen Dwarrow and a Wizard? As confident as he had seemed the night before, he had had a quite bit to drink and was trying to seem tough amongst his older and battle tested kin. Ori felt rather embarrassed thinking back on his outburst with a clear head. Dwarvish fire up it's jacksie indeed. How would he do that, with only his trusty slingshot at his side?
So they trundled down the Great East road on pony-back, trying to ignore the Hobbits staring at them as they passed. Ori thought Hobbits were interesting. They were so different from Dwarrow, with their little houses built into hills and their green thing growing all over the place. They grew food in fields and flowers in gardens and in boxes on windowsills and even down the sides of the road there were yet more flowers. Ori spent most of his days trying to draw their surroundings and his nights between Dori and Nori as he tried to get used to sleeping outside.
He was sleeping much better than when they had first started out from Ered Luin. He had found himself tensing at every sound until Nori told him to relax and sleep already. He had to trust in his brothers. Nori travelled alot and Dori had wandered with their Amad before they settled in the Blue Mountains and he came along. Still, the sounds of the Bywater river had kept him up for a while before he managed to ignore it. They travelled down the Great East road for two days before turning south instead of following it to Bree. Gandalf said that they were in a part of the Shire called Buckland and that they would have to follow to road to Haysend but they were to turn off before that.
The King's mood had not improved since The Green Dragon and at the end of the third day, as they were setting up camp for the night, he began to question Tharkûn on where exactly they were going. Tharkûn gave a round about answer that did little to actually answer anything. His evasion didn't sit well with any of them and a few murmured as much to their kin.
"Bet its a thieves guild or something of that sort." Nori murmured as he sat down beside Ori, sharpening one of his many knives. "Although, I ain't heard hide nor hair of such a thing out this way. Just Halflings in these parts as far as I know."
"What!" Ori spluttered. "Tharkûn wouldn't bring us to a place like that."
Nori turned to him, raising his eyebrows as if to ask 'really?'
"We're looking to employ a burglar, are we not? Plus people don't live off the road without reason." He turned back to his knife but Ori was pretty sure most of his attention was actually on Thorin, Balin and Dwalin who were talking in rapid-fire Khuzdul.
It wasn't until the next morning that they finally got some answers. Tharkûn told them to pack their things but proceeded to lead them into the forest they had camped beside the night before instead of down the road they had been following. They were forced to lead their ponies by the reins, traversing the dense trees on foot.
"Some twenty years ago there was a disturbance not too far from here. I, of course, went to investigate." Tharkûn began as if someone had prompted him. "What I found was like nothing I had ever seen before. The winds howled, the sky clashed with thunder and lightening and then, before my very eyes, the air before me seemed to rent itself apart."
Ori gasped, wanting to pull out his journal and take down Tharkûn tale as he had never heard anything like it.
"Then what?" Kili called out.
"Then, out of the split, stepped an unfamiliar being, soon followed by others of his kind. They were fleeing persecution in their world and had used ancient magicks of their world to escape to ours. I helped them set up a home here within these woods. That is where we are going now." Silence followed Gandalf's statement.
"You mean that there has been a completely new people in Arda for the last twenty years?" Fili asked sounding shocked.
"And we're the only ones who know?" Kili added, eager as ever.
"There is a burglar to be found among them?" Thorin inquired, cutting off his nephews.
"Before they came here, they lived with much hardship. I have no doubt that some of them have stolen to ensure their survival before. But more importantly, they can naturally avoid notice quite easily and their scent will not be familiar to Smaug."
Most began muttering to each other after that but Ori found himself encouraging his pony forwards so he walked beside Gandalf.
"How many of them are there, if I may ask, Master Gandalf?" He looked over his shoulder to see that while Nori was still talking to Bofur towards the back of the group, Dori had unsurprisingly followed him and was struggling with his pony just behind them.
"Oh, when I passed through a while ago there were maybe eighty but I'm sure there are a few more of them by now."
It took Ori a moment to understand what Gandalf meant.
"Oh! There'll be babes there?" Ori had actually only ever seen one baby his whole life; a neighbour had had a boy seven years previously and had asked Dori to babysit once or twice.
"Indeed Master Ori. The Tieflings have been quite busy since arriving here." He chuckled again.
Ori continued to question Tharkûn for the rest of the morning. He didn't answer all his questions, or even very many, seemingly having decided that it would be better if their hosts did some of the explaining. It was just before noon, as Ori had summoned up the courage to ask what the Tieflings looked like, when he got his answer.
From a tree a few feet in front of them dropped what Ori thought had to be a Tiefling. He was as tall and slender as an Elf or a Man but that was where the similarities ended. For one his skin was a deep dark midnight blue colour and for another his eyes were solid green that quite literally glowed in the shade of the trees. His ears were pointed but much larger than elvish ears and were a very different shape from the sketches he'd seen. His hair was a deep red, almost black and he wore it cropped short to his head. Six, five-inch horns stuck up from the top of his head and Ori found it hard not to stare. He was just so... So... Foreign.
He wore much more familiar leather greaves and vambraces with what looked to be metal spikes fitted down the centre of them, a hauberk that finished high on his thighs and a pauldron with intimidating spike designs jutting out from each shoulder. Under that he was wearing simple grey trousers, an off-white shirt and worn leather boots.
"Valron! How pleased I am to see you again, my friend. I trust you receive my message about our party heading your way?" Tharkûn greeted.
At first, the Tiefling said nothing, only looking to each of the dwarrow before him, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword strapped to his hip. It was a fine sword from what little Ori knew, not Mannish, Elvish nor Dwarvish in design. Something from their Homeland perhaps? Finally he looked again to Tharkûn.
"We receive word." His accent was thick and gravelly but understandable.
He nodded slightly, not relaxing from his intimidating if not directly aggressive stance, which was vaguely reminiscent of Dwalin. Ori wondered if this Valron was a guard too. It would make sense that he would be the one to meet them if he was.
"And you decided to meet us. How kind of you. It's not too far from here if memory serves." Gandalf took a step forwards and Valron turned his back to them, leading them further into the wood.
Ori regretted straying to the front of the party as he followed Tharkûn but felt better when Nori caught up to him and Dori. The trees began to thin slightly and it became easier to lead their ponies through the brush. Before long Valron stopped and pointed off to the left of them.
"Leave horses here." He told them and Ori saw a rope tied between two trees that was long enough to tie all their ponies to.
They hesitated for a moment before they began securing their ponies to the rope. He could tell that most didn't want to leave them anywhere especially since they carried some of their supplies, but Ori didn't think that they would do them much good in the forest. Valron stood straight and strong as he watched them, his hand never straying from his hilt for all he did not look likely to draw it.
"Now, when we get there we will have to go through a small ceremony. I'll introduce you and each of you will be offered a sip from a communal chalice. Then you will each receive a mouthful of bread which you will eat. In doing so you will each be granted protection while we are guests here. The word they use for it loosely translates as 'guest right'. An agreement that even should talks go disastrously, you would be expected to leave without bloodshed and they would let you go, likewise unharmed." Tharkûn informed them in a loud voice, his eyes moving from one dwarf to the other. "This is very important to them. If you were to break this right and intentionally hurt our hosts then it is likely to end in a full out massacre."
Ori gulped, looking again to the Tiefling leading them closer to his home. He was well within range to hear every word Gandalf spoke although he gave no reaction.
Moments later they were crossing into a clearing with a large wooden house in the middle of it. To their right was another smaller structure that was probably a small barn as he could see through the open doors to the straw filled floor and stalls inside for livestock. To his left was a garden growing mostly food, some he recognised but others he didn't. All this was surrounding a open square courtyard with an unlit fit pit at its centre. The main structure had two stories and was as wide as five full-grown horses stood nose to tail, with a set of double doors standing open in the middle. Just in front of the open doorway were four more Tieflings.
Ori had expected them to look not too dissimilar to Valron but it turned out he was wrong. There were two males. The older looking one had copper coloured skin and thick black hair that was braided simply, pulled back from his face and he had thick side-burns but no beard or moustache. Two great, dark brown horns protruded from the top of his forehead, curling back before turning again to point towards the sky. Across his face, over the top of his cheek bones was a tattooed single black line stretching from pointed ear to pointed ear. It was again different from the facial tattoo Valron had sported, which looked to be two swords under each eyes in dark red ink. Ori also couldn't help but notice that he had what could only be a tail, at least three foot long despite it clearly missing a chunk of its end, while the others were tail-less.
"Welcome." He said, crossing his arms over his chest, placing his fists at opposite shoulders and giving a slight bow from the waist.
He then nodded to the two women who were standing on his right. The first, holding the heavy looking, bowl-like cup, had white hair pulled up into a bun that sat between two mauve coloured, deer-like antlers. Her hair was decorated with small dark beads threaded into the strands. Her eyes were more Manish, but the shade was such a bright blue he doubted a Man could ever be found with eyes that matched the exact shade. She too had facial tattoos but they were dark purple flowers that sat under each eye, curving to frame her mauve cheekbones.
The other woman, who held a loaf of bread between her delicate hands, had identical tattoos under her eyes but her skin was the pale pink of a sunrise and her eyes were jet black, with small golden pupils. Her hair was black and intricately braided and she had large white horns growing from the top of her head, tipped with what he could only describe as decorative horn-caps made of red brass with pale pink ribbons hanging from the ends, matching the accents of her mostly white clothes.
Both women wore dresses but not in a style he had seen before. They were short, stopping mid-thigh and would have been considered frightfully scandalous if they were not also worn with trousers that hung loose around their legs, puffing out, before coming to an end in a tight cuff mid-shin just above the boot. The dresses themselves were sleeveless, showing their long slender, hairless arms.
The last male Tiefling was the only one to look anything like Valron. He stood off to the left of the Tiefling who seemed to be in charge. He was so similar Ori wondered if he was Valron's son or maybe a younger brother. His hair was the same reddish-black, his eyes the same eerie green, his skin the same deep dark blue, the horns that all Tiefling seemed to have were the same six short horns sprouting from the top of his head. He was standing as Valron had, strong and straight. Battle-ready. But it was also unmistakable that he was the youngest of them there, as his face seemed slightly more rounded and unfinished, but clearly he was a boy no longer.
"Xoros, The Undefeated, Speaker of his people," Tharkûn began. "May I introduce you to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield. First we have Bombur, son of Balfur,"
As Ori turned to the dwarf in question, he caught sight of other Tieflings, four or five, standing almost idly behind them. His eyes went wide at this, matching Bombur's as he looked to Tharkûn, obviously surprised at beginning the first to be introduced. Looking at Thorin, who stood between Balin and Dwalin, he had also noticed that their party had been flanked.
Tensions picked up as he felt Dori and Nori shift closer to him on either side. Nori had his hand close to one of the hidden throwing knives Ori knew he kept there. Bombur seemed to have missed that though, or maybe he was a better actor and much braver than Ori thought he was, as he went up to the two Tiefling women as they stepped forwards, taking a sip from the chalice and eating the offered bread.
"Bifur, son of Baldur,"
Xoros the Undefeated offered Bombur his hand and after a slight hesitation on Bombur's part, that Ori put down to misunderstanding, they shook hands. Bifur followed his cousin's example, took the drink and bread and shook their leaders hand before standing to one side with Bombur. Ori couldn't help but feel slightly better that the two of them could watch the rest of their backs from their position. Ori thought the only thing stopping them from grabbing at their weapons were Tharkûn's assurances and the knowledge that their were at least eighty of them (how many of that number were adults; they had no idea,) and they could only see a handful.
"Bofur, son of Balfur, head of the Ur clan," Bofur looked at Tharkûn as he stepped forwards, probably wondering how Gandalf's had known that.
As Bofur was sipping probably a little too much of what Ori now suspected to be alcohol, Ori realised that he would probably be the next called up. Nori seemed to come to the same conclusion as his brother gave a twitch and the two of them shared a look.
"Ori, Son of Ró of the clan Ri," Ori stepped forwards and got about three steps before Nori was following. "Hum... And Nori, son of Ró of clan Ri,"
For a brief moment Ori worried that his brothers' over protectiveness might cause a diplomatic disaster. Dori seemed to think so too, as he made a sort of frustrated/worried gargle. But Xoros gave a chuckle and the woman offering him the chalice gave him a sort of knowing smile as if she knew that they were over protective to the extreme all the time. Ori couldn't help but blush and took great pleasure in hiding it as he took a sip.
Ori thought it was wine as it was kind of fruity but something about it made him wonder if it was cider instead. Either way it was quite tasty and not at all strong. The other woman gave him a chunk of bread that she had torn from the loaf and he smiled at her as he put it into his mouth. The bread was sweet as well.
Nori sniffed slightly at the drink as he took the barest sip and did the same to the bread, but luckily he ate it all. While Xoros and the women did nothing in reaction to his brothers behaviour, Ori couldn't help but notice that the one that looked so much like Valron was narrowing his eyes.
"Dori, son of Ró, head of clan Ri,"
As Dori moved through the same thing, Nori leant into Ori's shoulder, whispering in his ear. "No almond taste or smell, so that's something."
"What does that mean?" He couldn't help but whisper back as Dori joined them, standing on Nori's other side.
"If it was poison, it's not cyanide." Was Nori's answer.
Ori gasped and Dori hissed at him to shut up as Gloin and then Oin were introduced and called up. Ori's eyes flickered to the Tiefling surrounding them. They all had quite large ears. Large than elf ears. Ori wondered if they could hear everything that they whispered to each other like elves surely would in this situation.
Dwalin and Balin were next but they were introduce not only by name but as the King's personal guard and Chief advisor to the King. The look on the Thorin's face was slowly turning thunderous and Ori couldn't help but wonder why Tharkûn hadn't at least talked to Thorin about telling these people exactly who they were.
Then it was Kili, son of Dis, daughter of Thrain, of the Royal line of Durin and Fili, son of Dis, daughter of Thrain of the Royal line of Durin. The two of them flashed their hosts with huge smiles and extra flourishes. Finally it was Thorin's turn.
"And finally Thorin, son of Thrain, Son of Thror, King Under The Mountain. Leader of our Company." Tharkûn raised his voice as he said it, sweeping his arm.
Their King didn't look at the women as he took the offered food and drink, his eyes staying on Xoros. Xoros, on the other hand, gave Tharkûn a look that so clearly said, why have you brought me a King? He might as well have said it out loud. Still, he turned back to Thorin, crossed his arms once more over his chest, bowing again, noticeably lower than he had before.
"I welcome you and yours, King Under The Mountain, to our home. May this night be bountiful." Around them the Tiefling shifted at the words but it is so clearly non threatening that Ori couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief.
The women moved to give Tharkûn his own 'Guest Right' and the others all moved towards the house. Xoros nodded at Gandalf over his shoulder but was gesturing for Thorin to enter. Dwalin and Balin were quick to fall in behind their King and the Princes bounce somewhat eagerly to look inside and meet new people.
Ori was quite excited himself. As the whole ceremony had passed he couldn't help but feel like he was stepping into a whole new culture. He hadn't imagined when he signed up for the quest that he would have the opportunity to document something as unique as this. The quest was, of course, going to be an epic tale, if they made it there and won back the mountain, but with a whole new race to explore on top of that!
As he went to enter, Dori poked him in the side.
"Be careful. I don't trust this 'guest right' thing." He grumbled into his ear in Khuzdul.
Ori nodded his head, if only to placate Dori, knowing his brother wouldn't let it go if he didn't. His main focus, however, was the sight of the large room they had just entered. The first thing he noticed were the three low archways opening on to stairs that seemed to lead beneath the ground, one on each of the three other walls. There was no visible light coming from the passageways but Tieflings were moving in and out of them, so Ori assumed much of their halls were actually underground and that the house was only the tip of the complex. The Tieflings who had flanked them earlier were all entering the corridor on the right of the room, while food was being brought out of the central archway, which was slightly wider than the other two, by yet more Tiefling and what looked to be a few Manish women.
Ori ignored the food for a moment to take in the things hanging from hooks on the ceiling. He counted seven bows, two of which were child size, five fishing poles, at least nine woven baskets holding all sorts of things including lots of vegetables, a large sun hat with holes missing for horns to fit through and an assortment of mostly wooden crafted objects that might have been toys but might have been purely decorative.
The walls were mostly bare except for six flat stones about as big as his sketchpad, nailed to the walls like one would a picture frame. From across the room he could make out that they had carvings on them but couldn't tell what they were.
The room itself, which was rapidly filling with people, was dominated by a large wooden table. The wood was thick and sturdy and Ori thought that it might take as many as six dwarrow to even shift it's weight. It was also higher than a dwarven table would be, but that just ended up giving it the perfect height for Ori to study the intricate carvings that ran along its sides.
He couldn't see the whole thing as Oin and Gloin were standing to one side of him and were blocking his view of further up the table but that didn't stop him leaning down and running a hand over the bit he could see. There was a spiral shape that connected seven circles that got smaller the closer to the center they got. At the centre there was a shape that looked to be half starburst, half a ball of lightening and Ori couldn't decided if it was meant to be one or the other. Next to that were three swords pointing away from the shape and towards another. That was definitely a star, it's seven points clearly etched. There was a tree after that, then a rope, then two wide swords crossed over themselves. He couldn't help but wonder what they meant. It was too intricate to be nothing and the pattern didn't seem to repeat as far as Ori could see so he didn't think it was purely decorative.
Dori pulled on his arm, distracting him from his ponderings. Everyone else was sitting in the chairs that Ori was sure hadn't been there a moment ago. They were too low for the Company to sit comfortably at the table with, but the Tieflings seemed to have silently added a thick cushion to each of the chairs the dwarrow occupied. Most of the Company seemed to decide to appreciate the added comfort but Gloin muttered in Khuzdul about the lack of seating for people their size.
He ended up at the end of the table, with Dori in the middle so he could keep an eye on Ori and Nori, nibbling at the bread and jams that were in easy reach. He knew he should be documenting Thorin's talks with the Tiefling leader but it seemed as though Gandalf was catching him up on all that had happened to the Wizard since he had last been to the Old forest. Business wasn't going to be talked about straight away it seemed.
The rest of the company was slowly being engaged by their hosts. Fili and Kili were talking to two ruby red Tiefling boys that looked to be in their early tweens. Bofur was laughing with a pale pink female with black hair, white horns and a noticeable baby bump, while he gestured between himself a Bifur, obviously translating something he said. Dwalin was being engaged by a child who was pointing at the axes strapped to his back, or maybe the tattoos on the dwarf's head and face.
"Alae." An accented voice came from over his shoulder causing him and Dori to turn. "I am Tamsin, Fourth Daughter of Danira."
Before him stood a Tiefling not much taller than himself, with sky blue skin, blueish-white hair, antlers and large eyes with red pupils. She had a friendly smile on her face and Ori felt himself blush. Ori didn't think a woman had ever talked directly to him before. She was wearing a dress similar in style to the women who had invited them in to their home but hers was a peach colour that complimented her blue skin tones. Her trousers were white and on her arms were what could only be described as long, white sleeves, although they didn't connect to the dress at all and were instead held in place by peach ribbons tying the sleeves above her elbow. They fell half way across her hands and grew wider, leaving every swish of her arm to be followed by the flowing fabric.
"H...Hello, I'm Ori, th...Third son of Ró." He replied, stumbling over the unfamiliar way of introducing himself.
"Ori." She repeated, rolling the R, her smile growing. "I've never seen dwarves before. I've heard your people pass through Bree occasionally but I've missed them every time."
"You've been to Bree?" He exclaimed, his eyes widening.
Ori would have thought someone in the Company would have heard about these people appearing in Bree. It would be hard to miss them. But Tamsin was nodding.
"We trade with the Breelanders when we need something we can't find or make ourselves." Then she shrugged. "I mean, mostly the Elders go, but I've been three times and Mhyra says it's my turn next time."
"We had not heard of your kind until Mister Gandalf said we were coming here. Surely, the people of Bree..?" But he let himself taper off; he didn't want to be rude.
"We have our ways." The smile on her lips twisted into a mischievous smirk, revealing one pointed canine peaking over her full bottom lip.
Ori blinked, not wanting to be rude but also struggling with not staring. He wanted to inquire as to her 'ways' but the tone with which she said it was reminiscent of Nori when he was being 'mysterious'. He searched for something to say but he had so many questions he couldn't decided what to ask first. Dori, surprisingly, beat him to it.
"What kinds of things do you make, Miss Tamsin?" Dori leant into his side, his voice overly polite.
Tamsin smiled, her short blueish white hair flicking out as she turned her head. Ori noted that her hair was unadorned as were her two short antler-like horns. He briefly wondered if that meant something, she did seem quite young, so maybe she wasn't quite of age but Ori wouldn't have said she was a child. Especially with the way her dress was cut, staying close with her obvious curves. The square shape of the neckline was vaguely dwarven but much lower than what a Dam would wear and Ori was careful to keep his eyes on her face.
"We don't really use miss or mister, just Tamsin's fine. But, erm, all sorts. Ezra," She pointed across the room to a male Tiefling with garnet coloured skin, black hair and two horns curving over the top of his head, reminiscent of Xoros. "Is excellent with wood. He did the table and chairs and he's working on cribs for Petra and his Mhyra at the moment. Koresh makes leather pieces and Flo and Ada make all kinds of clothes."
As she listed things, Tamsin pointed to others in the room. Petra is a heavily pregnant, pink-skinned, black haired Tieflings with two great white horns protruding from the top of her head further back than many of the others. She had wooden decorations around her horns, rings fitted firmly to the base of each horn. Ezra's Mhyra, which Ori suspected meant Mother, was the woman who had handed out the bread at the beginning. Petra looked a lot like her, their horns beings almost identical if you removed their jewellery making him think that maybe they were related too. The last two were Manish women. One was standing next to the Tiefling Tamsin had named Koresh, the male who had stood beside Xoros during the guest right, who had his arm around her waist. In her arms was a babe. A midnight blue babe with short dark, auburn hair and six very short horns indicating that the Tiefling holding her had gotten her with the babe.
"How many babes do you have here?" Ori found himself asking.
He forcibly pulled his eyes away from the tiny child across the room and to the girl he had just asked quite an impertinent question to. Dori jabbed him in the side with his elbow and cleared his throat, a clear reprimand. But Tamsin just smiled brightly again and let out a musical laugh.
"Do you want to see the nursery?" She asked.
Ori's mouth fell open and he couldn't help but look to Dori for direction. Dori was blinking in shock as well.
"Erm.. Well, I'm official scribe for our party, you see. I'm supposed to write down everything that's important being said. Especially if one of you is going to help us, as Mister Gandalf thought you might." Ori replied, not wanting to be rude or seem too eager.
Tamsin gave a sort of huff/snort that seemed to translate to a dismissal.
"They won't be talking talking till a bell after Highsun, for sure. We have time." She said as she waved her hand. "Do you want to?"
Dori nudged him again. Ori knew Dori wouldn't want him wandering off but he really wanted to look around. So he was nodding and standing up, ready to follow her deeper into the halls. Dori stood behind him and Ori huffed. It seemed he wasn't wandering off alone after all.
"Mhyra!" She called and the Tiefling woman who had held the wine earlier looked back.
Tamsin then spoke in what could only be their native language. There were similar sounds to Khuzdul but there was also a lot of sound groups he hadn't heard before either. He wondered if he would be allowed to learn.
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Tamsin
"Heart-Mother!" She called across the room, her mother turning to her. "I'm going to show these two around and bring Briza something to eat."
Her mother nodded at her after a moment looking at the two dwarves next to her. Tamsin reached across the table, grabbing a plate and putting three rolls with the cheese she knew Briza liked on it.
"Come on then." She said over her shoulder taking them down the west passage.
The sound of the gathering lessened as soon as they were within the tunnel. Tamsin, of course, could see perfectly fine with only the soft glow of a single candle at the end of the corridor but she wondered if their guests could see as well. They probably could, what with living in mountains and all, she reasoned.
"Everyone is always in and out for lunch." She told them as Ori sped up to walk beside her. "We only sit down all together for dinner."
"In the Blue Mountains, we have breakfast and dinner together but I take lunch to work." Ori said as they turned a corner, nodding to Dori over his should as they passed the open archway that led to the armoury.
She noted that while Ori passed it by with nary a glimpse, Dori's head turned as they walked by. Xerxes was the only one in there, checking over the weapons. On orders from his father to guard the room, no doubt. Valron had been twitchy ever since they had received word from the Celestial about their imminent arrivals.
"And what do you do?" She asked eager to learn about said guests.
"I'm a scribe." He answered, ducking his head into his scarf.
"Official scribe of our journey." Dori added in, making Ori flush.
Tamsin wanted to laugh but she didn't think her new maybe-friend would like it so much. Instead she looked to keep the conversation going, knowing it would take a minute to get to the nursey.
"Like Ghissa. She's our only scribe at the moment, although Dhyana seems to have taken an interest. She was the first to learn the Common here and teaches all the young their letters." She knocked into Ori's side. "You'll want to see our library then? Not much in Westron, of course. Mostly Infernal, our language. Books Mhyra and the others brought with them."
"How many did you manage to bring with you?" Ori's voice held obvious excitement. "Mister Gandalf mentioned lightening and high winds upon your arrival."
"About...erm..." Tamsin frowned, trying to remembered the Westron word for such a large number. She shook her head and ended up settling. "Five tens."
"Fifty?" Ori asked helpfully.
"Fifty!" She agreed, the word slotting into place and seeming obvious once more, as she pushed open the door.
The nursery was actually the biggest room in their home, separated into smaller spaces by low half walls and the occasional support beam. There were windows in the ceiling as well, made by subtle magic. Two large fireplaces at either end of the room, protected by thick grates, warmed and lit the place making it comfortable and safe.
At this time of day, the cribs would usually all be empty, nap time not beginning for another bell. But as there were visitors, they had left most of those too tiny to walk about on their own two feet in the nursery with Briza looking over them. That meant that there were thirteen babies all two and under, rolling, crawling and tottering across the thick carpets sprawled across the play area, as Adun and Violet had taken little Varnora with them to see her human grandparents before Violet was too far along with her next child to travel back safely.
Some of the older children were in there too. The ones that preferred the quite to the noise the rest of the place had become. Hallvor and Nezzan sat at their Mhyra's feet, Hallvor playing quietly with her soft doll and Nezzan reading his book aloud. Ottava and Drax, Tamsin's youngest brother and sister were there too, with little Jhago and Koros, building a tower from small wooden blocks. Jalana was laying on Drax's old bed embroidering the new dress she was making for herself, subtly casting an eye to their siblings every so often. Jalana had begun adding to Tamsin's clothes lately as she had finally deemed her sister skilled enough to risk on her own clothes. It was probably Jalana that had enticed Drax into playing in the nursery while their Mhyra was busy, as he had only left it the previous moon after his eighth nameday and had been reluctant to enter it again as he was now 'too big'.
Briza turned as the door was pushed open and Tamsin didn't miss the slight look of disapproval that flickered across her face before she schooled it back to her normal, emotionless look that she had gained through many years of training. She probably didn't scold Tamsin only because she knew she would be overruled later on. While Briza and Valron were against contacting the outside world so soon, Mhyra, Uncle Dasan and Xoros thought that the time was right and the others had sided with them.
Tamsin didn't know much of the outside world. She had seen Brandybuck and the Hobbits who lived there and she had seen Bree and the Men who lived there. But it was all small, small as the land her family lived on. That was why she was desperate to ask the two dwarves behind her why they were here. But that wasn't her place and she didn't think it was Ori or Dori's place to tell her either. They followed the dwarf named Oakenshield.
"Tamsin!" An excited cry pulled her from her thought. "I'm helping Ottava, Koros and cousin Jhago to build a castle like the one from the story!"
"Westron, Drax!" She laughed as she corrected him and he smiled with her. "We're all practicing today, remember."
"Yeah! I remember. I help Ottava and Jhago and Koros build a... a" He scrunched up his nose, trying to remember the word.
"A castle, like the one in the story last night." She filled in, his face shifting to a delighted smile.
Tamsin pulled him round as she turned with one hand, plate of rolls still in the other. The two dwarves were still stood in the doorway, eyes wide as they skipped from one tot to another.
"Look! This is Ori, Third son of Ró and Dori..." She tilted her head, waiting for him to fill in the rest.
"Dori, First son of Ró, at your service." He said with a little bow.
Tamsin smiled having guessed them to be brothers but was pleased to have a confirmation. Drax jumped up and down at the sight of them, letting go of her hand.
"I am Drax, First son of Danira." He introduced himself, puffing up ever so slightly.
His cuteness seemed to win over Dori who practically melted. He was Blood of Beshaba, like herself, Kirunna, Jalana, Ottava and their Mother. Though he looked the most like Danira; he had the same skin colour and his eyes were the same shocking bright blue. The only traits Tamsin shared with her little brother was the antler-like horns and white hair that everyone of their bloodline processed, even if her own was tinged blue.
"Why don't you introduce them to everyone while I give Briza her lunch?" She told him and off he went into a ramble, grabbing Dori's hand and pulling him towards the other three on one of the carpets surrounded by wooden blocks.
Tamsin smiled at the sight and turned to leave the dwarves under the watchful violet eye of Jalana, who while young and sweet-looking, especially with her pure white hair falling in ringlets around her heart shaped face, had a mean hand when it came to throwing knives and would definitely skewer the dwarf if he looked to be making ill moves towards the children. As she walked the length of the room, her footsteps silent, she noticed the much louder sound of Ori following her.
He was braver than she thought if he risked approaching the intimidating Briza. Even surrounded by babies, sat in a rocking chair, with two of her own children at her feet, she was no less the warrior. She was even still armed and armoured, refusing to take it off again until the outlanders had left.
She observed them as they approached. Briza's yellowish orange, pupil-less eyes were as watchful as ever but the fire that always appeared to burn within the glowing orbs seemed stronger than it usually was. Mhyra had once told her that Briza had the spirit of a tiger trapped within her and that she used it to keep them all safe. She'd been quite young at them time, Melina, her oldest sister had been only a little older than Jalana was now, but the image had stuck with her. The huge orange and black stripy cat, fierce and protective, pacing back and forth in front of her cubs. Waiting for the moment to unleash her impressive power.
It was visible then, in the way Briza's strong biceps were tensed, in the way her hands, which sat innocuously in her lap, were sure to move swiftly to the sword laying next to her chair or the knives she had strapped around her waist for all to see. Tamsin wondered what she looked like to Ori. Her skin was a mottled swamp-green and the horns on her head began over her ears, twisting round like that of a ram. Her purplish black hair was cut short like her husbands, if a little longer on top, in defiance of the ways of Thay, where they had all been forbidden to cut their hair. Two swords were tattooed under each of her eyes, marking her a soldier in one of the armies of Thay, commanded by the Red Wizards. Their former Masters.
The only thing that might put Ori at ease, foolishly she might add, was the visible baby bump Briza was sporting. As she only had three months left and as this was her ninth child, her belly was rather large. Large enough that some still joked that she would be having twins, even though Mhyra had confirmed there was only one.
"I brought you lunch." She told Briza once they'd neared enough, keeping her voice low. "I know you didn't take something earlier."
"Hmm." She grunted, taking the meal but saying nothing more and Tamsin was sure she would bring it up once the dwarves had left.
Ori stood off to one side, his focus on the babies and the soft burbling noises they were making. Tamsin decided to crouch down and lift one the of the little ones into her arms. While Koslan and Garros were closest, she didn't feel like pushing Briza by showing Ori one of her grandsons.
"This is Tasina, First Daughter of Melina." Tamsin said with a bit of added enthusiasm as if her niece was some great prize, as she swept her up and brought her over to the dwarf. "She is my oldest sister's second child."
Tasina let out a baby laugh that was half gasp and reached out to pull on Tamsin's hair. She huffed and pulled her hair out of the pale pink fists carefully, hooking it behind her ear, as Ori came closer and distracted the babe with his finger.
"Our neighbour, well, she had a baby about seven years back and Dori would babysit him sometimes. He's... Erm, the only baby I've ever seen." He told her in a half whisper, looking completely in awe of the little one in her arms.
"You're the youngest then?" She asked matching his volume, watching as Tasina grabbed ahold of Ori's finger and waved it around a bit before trying to put it in her mouth.
"Oh yeah, Dwarrow, we erm, well, we don't have many children. And those we do have are usually boys which doesn't help matters none. It's considered quite a good number, three, I mean. Me, Nori and Dori." He glanced up into her eyes and she couldn't help but notice that his were very nice, warm eyes. "You're the Fourth daughter of Danira, didn't you say? And Drax is your brother."
"Yes, Tieflings are quite fertile beings. Mhyra has seven daughters, Melina, Rikku, Thyza, then me, then Kirunna, Jalana, Drax, our only brother and Ottava. She decided to have a break and wait for the little ones to grow up a bit before she had any more." She told him, bouncing slightly to entertain the baby that was trying to grasp her hair once again.
She usually had her hair up in braids, especially when she would be using her bow, which was everyday if she had any say, but most of them had dressed up as though it were a feast day and Melina, Thyza and Jalana had all insisted that she dress up too. Rikku had been the only one of her sisters on her side, if you counted her shouting, 'wear what you want' as on her side.
"Do you-?" But then Ori cut himself off and turned as red as a tomato.
Tamsin burst out laughing, more at his reaction than his almost question.
"Do I have any children?" She giggled some more and Ori joined her.
"I'm sorry." He apologised. "I don't even know if you are of age."
Tasina joined the laughter, although she couldn't understand the cause and Tamsin gave her a kiss on the cheek before putting her back down on her bum, where she proceeded to launch herself at a knitted rabbit she remembered her Mhyra knitting the pervious winter.
"I have seen sixteen cycles." She assured him but after a moment of blankness, his face morphed to surprise and confusion.
It occurred to her that Ori wouldn't know what that meant for a Tiefling. She knew dwarves aged slower than them and lived maybe a hundred cycles longer as well.
"I am of age. Since my last nameday. In two moons I will see my seventeenth nameday." She said as she led him back over to his brother, who was mid conversation with Jalana about what looked to be her dress. "Old enough to decide my mind, not old enough to have a baby of my own. Not for a whole cycle yet."
His cheeks were tinged red once more and Tamsin found herself enjoying watching him blush. It had only calmed slightly by the time they had crossed the room, drawing Dori's attention but he was quickly distracted by Jalana pointing to something and asking his opinion.
The castle had obviously been helped along by the Dwarf as it's foundations had been reshaped and it now stood much taller. Koros, who took after his Mhyra with pale pink skin, black hair, two tiny white horns and eyes as black as coal with golden pupils, was quiet for his age and only watched as the others stacked the block, one chubby thumb in his mouth. Jhago, who was a whole cycle younger at four, was sitting right up against his cousin Ottava, handing her blocks. She placed the blocks with as much deliberate carefulness as she could muster at six namesdays. Drax was coordinating the whole thing, switching between Westron and Infernal as the other children stumbled over the unfamiliar words.
Tamsin sat on one of the other beds across from Dori and her younger sister and Ori joined her. The beds were a better size for the dwarves, their feet still planted on the floor.
"They're so small Dori." Ori told his brother excitedly.
Tamsin giggled at his enthusiasm. "Stalos is even smaller. He's the youngest until either Lenka or Rikku have their babies within the next couple tendays. They're due at about the same time."
She liked babies. They cried and made a mess but she was quite used to that. More importantly they were just... Precious. To their parents. To their families. To her people.
There had always been other children around when she was growing up, Zahra, Edana, Sanir, Thornak and Thoros were all of a similar age to her and she had spent much of her childhood with them as playmates. But it was different now she was older and looking after her nieces and cousins and her youngest brother and sister. They started all little and then they grew and learned and mimicked you, becoming a little more of the person they would be, right before her eyes.
Tamsin couldn't wait to be a mother herself.
"How many families are there?" Ori asked, pulling out a journal, a pot of ink and a quill.
He was already flicking through to a clean page when he seemed to wonder if he should get some kind of permission to write about their people, looking to her in question. This had already been discussed among them when they first heard of their guests. It seemed an inevitability that someone would write an account of what would happen here. She knew they would certainly be taking multiple accounts of everything that happened today. So she nodded to Ori, seeing his eagerness to record his new knowledge, lest he forget as Ghissa sometimes did when she learnt something new.
"There are six Clans." She said after a pause allowing him to write some of what he already knew before answering his question, reading his notes over his shoulder. "Xoros, the Undefeated is the eldest among us. He would be the Voice of his Clan but isn't, as the Speaker must have a neutral voice, leaving Moros, First Son of Xoros to take his place."
Dori and Jalana had stopped speaking, instead turning to listen to her and watch the speed with which Ori wrote, book balanced on his knees. Tamsin could see that it was still exceedingly neat. Much neater than her handwriting. But then again Tamsin wasn't a big writer; she knew enough to get by. The journal she kept, as all her people did, was still pretty sparse when compared to her sister's or even Edana's, which was starting to fill with poetry and herblore.
Being a Ranger she mostly just kept a record of her skill level and a log of her patrols of the area. The short entries about Bree were almost dull, in her opinion, a description of the Men and what she saw of how they lived, something that was probably in most of the other journals. What filled her journal more than words were drawings. She sketched with charcoal; trees and plants, animals, the tracks they left. Those were the things she thought she could leave her community. Things they would need and want. Things that were important.
"Danira, my Mhyra, is the Voice of our clan. She has an older brother, Dasan, who paired with Ghissa, First Daughter of Xoros and a younger sister, Raxanna, Second daughter of Beless. She speaks for the three of them and all their children and grandchildren, plus her own. Yalina, Second Daughter of Sefris, speaks for her Clan which is made of two of her sisters and all their children." She leant in then, lowering her voice. "Their Mhyra didn't make it through the portal and Yalina was only seventeen namedays when she became a Voice."
Ori paused to look up at her, his eyes mournful. He glanced to his brother and a look passed between the two of them. Jalana bowed her head and whispered a pray to Osirant, the syllables long and drawn out as she spoke the ritual words. Tamsin murmured the words with her in respect for all those who had not joined them in freedom.
"Lenka, Fourth daughter of Sefris became part of Nesta's clan after she paired with Thuruk, Second son of Nesta. Nesta is the Voice for her husband and their children and grandchildren. Tiena's Clan is the smallest with only two of them, with only Tiena and her oldest daughter, having reached maturity. Then, finally there is Valron, Battlemaster. He is paired with Briza, Battlemage." She tilted her head to the woman across the room, Hallvor now in her lap a hand on her Mhyra's stomach. "They were warriors, before. They protect us now, train the young in arms. When Briza has her baby she will have nine children."
Briza had been forbidden to pairbond or bare young in Thay. She was a soldier before a woman and if she had been found to be with child, they probably would have thrown her into a whore house, after a lashing or three. They would have taken her child anyway, as they did to all slave women.
But she had fallen in love with Valron, despite the dangers. Tamsin remembered listening to her sisters sighing as they were told the tale of their battlefield romance. He had been made a commander of his unit, leading a vast segment of infantry, taking orders from the Zulkir himself. She had been showing herself to be a fierce warrior in the few years she had been out of the academy. Briza had saved Valron's life after admiring him from afar. He had noticed her in turn, watched her on the battlefield, began to admire her skill, her strength, her ability to fight with a clear head and not fall into bloodlust as many of their kin were inclined to do.
They had begun meeting in secret, talking of their experiences, their lives, the few dreams they dared to have. Tamsin had always imagined them hidden in the shadow of some building, concealed from the moonlight and watching eyes alike, whispering secrets to one another. Scared that another might see, might hear. Her sisters thought it romantic. Tamsin always found herself too quick to imagine them getting caught. The horrendousness that would have surely followed.
And caught they nearly were. For Briza and Valron, after both nearly dying in a skirmish, lay with one another one night. Two moons later, she knew she was with child. Mhyra said Briza must have been scared out of her mind but Briza never tells it that way. She always says she was full of joy.
When Valron had found them, Mhyra and Moros, smuggling supplies out of the city, it was luck that he was looking for a way out of the city too. If it had been anyone else, the Plan would have been ruined and they would all still be stuck in Thay, if they were still alive at all. Tamsin, herself, wouldn't have been born. Her Mhyra would never have met a Man of Rohan, a man who would give Danira, First Daughter of Beless her fourth child.
Valron had asked for a way to get out of the City, off of the First Escarpment and away from Thay. They had a way, they had told him, and a plan. For the love of his woman, and the love of his unborn son, Valron risked it all to follow them through the portal to another world.
"The Speaker must be neutral? That's what you said. What exactly does that mean? Isn't Master Xoros your leader?" Ori asked, cutting through her thoughts.
Jalana, unfortunately, answered for her.
"We don't have Masters or Leaders, not like your King." She accentuated the words, dripping them with distain she knew the dwarves wouldn't understand.
Dori was already bristling by the time she had formed a reproach. "Jalana! A King is not a Zulkir."
Jalana frowned for a moment before bowing her head, briefly hiding her face behind a thick curls. "Apologises." Then she stood, taking her embroidery with her, and settled on the floor on the other side of the children.
"The Speaker is more of a... Arbitrator." She turned to Ori to answer his question, hoping they would allow her to sweep her little sister's tone to one side; she was young after all. "He makes sure all sides are heard, decides if we should vote on something and ensures our laws are upheld. That's why he took a vow to be neutral during any and all disputes. Now, meeting your people, he speaks for all of us."
Ori scribbles down everything she said but his enthusiasm had dimmed in the wake of the her little sister's tone when speaking about their King.
"The Library?" She asked, hoping to distract him and put the awkwardness behind them.
He was quick to nod, looking to his brother. Dori stood and she called to Drax and the others that they were going. They waved and Tamsin watched the wistful look on Dori's face as they said their goodbyes. She led them both further down the tunnel they had used to get to the nursery, showing them one of the smaller corridors that led between the main ones. They were made to be collapsible, not that she told the dwarves that, in case of attack. They had to walk single file but she kept up the chatter asking Ori about his work as a scribe, telling him things she knew of Ghissa's work in turn.
They passed through the central corridor to reach the Library. The dwarves paused when they saw the ornate double doors, bracketed on either side by alcoves lit by thick white candles, that lead to the Temple. Ten familiar symbols were carved into them, sharp and detailed. Two stood bigger than the others, one on each of the doors, placed just over each doorknob. One is a crook and flail crossed over on another. The other an ankh centred in a silvery disc. Surrounding them, four on each door, was a gauntlet as large as her head, a flaming sword pointing up, a sheaf of grain, a blank scroll, a unicorn head face left, an oakleaf, an acorn and a circle of seven seven-pointed stars. The Symbols of her Gods.
"What's in there?" Ori questioned as he inspected the fine craftmanship.
Tamsin took a moment, struggling to find a word in the Common that might explain. The men didn't worship the Gods here as the Tiefling worshiped their own. She knew no word for such a place, as it seemed the Men had none. She would have to describe what a Temple was.
"It is... The place of our..." But she didn't know the word for gods either, didn't know if Westron even had a word that might translate, so eventually she had to settle. "Of Higher Beings of Great Power and Worship."
They both seemed to recoil instinctively from the door they had almost been touching. Clearly they understood something of what she meant.
"We're so sorry, Miss Tamsin!" Ori burst out but she cut him off with a hand.
"No need to be sorry." She assured him. "I don't think everyone would be happy with you going in, but I'm sure you can look at the door."
Tamsin stepped closer, her fingertips grazing the unicorn carving, which was closest to her. "This is the sign of Khelliara, Our Lady of the Forests. She watches over Rangers like myself."
Tamsin said prayers to her every morning with the rising sun and had done for many cycles now. Ever since she had first picked up a bow and found her calling.
Above the unicorn was the oakleaf which she pointed at next, "Silvanus, Old Father Tree,"
Then the acorn following around the circle, "Shiallia, the Golden,"
The circle of seven stars was too high for her to reach so she could only point it out, "The Hidden One, Lady of Mysteries,"
The Gauntlet stood next to it on the opposite door, with a flaming sword just below, "Torm the True and Tempus, Lord of Battles,"
On the far left was the sheaf of Grain, "Bhalla, The Great Mother,"
Finally there was the blank scroll. She touched that one as she had the unicorn head. "Oghma, Lord of Knowledge. He teaches that though an idea has no weight, it can move mountains. Scribes, Artists and Inventors pray to him for inspiration. It is said he reigns over a Great library that contains all the knowledge of the universe within."
Ori looked interested and there was a definite gleam in his eyes as he imagined a library of such size. It was Dori who spoke first.
"And the two in the middle?" He asked.
Turning back to the door, she traced the symbols with her eyes.
"This is the sign for Nesharia, Guardian of Wealth and Commerce, Protector of the Dead," She pointed to the moon with the ankh centred inside before pointing to the crossed hook and flail, knowing her voice had taken a solemn tone. "And this is Osirant, Reaper of Harvest and Judge of the Dead. Below the place of worship is where we keep our dead. The symbols mark this and protect them. That's why they are bigger."
Below there were empty urns for Beless, her own mother's mother as well as Sefris, who had not come to meet them as she was meant to and had not travelled with her daughters to Arda. The other was the only one to contain the ash of the fallen. The elders had not known Asalla when she had stumbled upon them, her infant daughter clutched in her arms, as they moved through the night, making their way to the site of the portal. They had brought her as they could not risk her raising an alarm. She had been sickly even then, her own mother had told her, weaken by injury and then the birth of her child. She had not lasted two winters before she had caught a fever the rest of them had not even been touched by. She had been the first and so far the only of them to die in this world. Her daughter, Lythra, had been primarily raised by Tamsin's mother and Ghissa after that. Now, she was paired with Josen, Uncle Dasan's eldest and had three sons of her own.
They did find the library eventually, as well as Ghissa with her youngest, Faxxon. He stood straighter when they entered, his hand coming up to rest at the sword at his hip. At only twelve namedays, Faxxon's sword wasn't very big. He couldn't manage the heft of the adult swords even with his Blood of Glasya, giving him wide set shoulders and more muscle than a human child would at his age, much like his Grandfather, Uncle, Mother, cousins and one of his brothers.
"What are you doing with that, Cousin?" She asked, taking on a teasing tone.
He scowled at her, making her smile wider. "I am protecting Mhyra."
She just raised her eyebrows and let her face say how much good she thought that would do. As she knew he would, he took a step towards her from his place next to the large wooden tables they used to study at, his hand clenching around the hilt and his teeth bared. As she was still more or less in the doorway, the dwarves behind her, she knew she had plenty of time to react. She laughed at him.
His answering hiss and the sound of his sword being released from its sheaf was interrupted from a voice within the stacks.
"There is no sparring in the Library!"
"Yes, no sparring, Faxxon." She repeated, a tiny bit smug.
Faxxon of course froze, still baring his teeth but putting his sword back into place with an audible shink. Resisting a snigger that was sure to get her scolded too, Tamsin instead called back to the voice.
"I've brought the dwarven scribe and his brother." Looking over her shoulder, she gestured for them to follow. "Ghissa, First Daughter of Xoros, this is Dori, First Son of Ró and Ori, Third Son of Ró. Ori is the scribe so I thought I'd introduce him to our scribe."
The library wasn't very big when compared to the tales of the place Ghissa used to work, with ceilings four stories high, books covering every wall, ladders to help get to the books shelved higher than any man was tall. But they were proud of what they had built; even if it was only a single smallish room with more space taken up by table and chairs than books. They had smuggled almost fifty books out of Thay, some stolen from the Zulkir, others illegally transcribed, all shrunk down so as not to take up too much room. The rest they had written since their arrival, Ghissa often spending time wracking her brain for anything and everything she had read before they departed their world. They had bought books that looked to be of use in Bree on occasion, once Ghissa had learnt Westron and began teaching the rest of them. Others were journals written by them, recording their lifetimes of knowledge, before and after the portal. There was now something close to four or five hundred books.
Ghissa came out of the stacks to meet them. Like Faxxon, she had copper coloured skin, dark brown hair and two short brown horns growing from her forehead, curving over her head before pointing upwards. Faxxon's' were still shorter than his mother's horns, for now. Once he was fully grown, his would likely grow to a similar size to Xoros and Moros'. Males generally had larger horns. Unlike her son, Ghissa had two quills tattooed under each black eye in dark blue ink that stood out from her skin. It was the brand that marked her as a scribe, working in the personal libraries of a Zulkir.
"A pleasure to meet one who shares my calling." Ghissa greeting them with a bow, her arms crossed in front of her.
The two of them were soon discussing the quality of parchment which led to Ghissa telling Ori about the parchment she made herself, under the watchful eye of Dori. Tamsin spent most of her time subtly needling Faxxon to the point where she was wondering if he was going to actually challenge her to a duel. She'd win, hands down, no doubt, so she wasn't concerned.
It was a little while after that that the bells rang, calling them back.
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Edited 12/10/2020
I'll probably come back and edit bits and pieces as I'm writing this. It's more of a Worldbuilding exercise and exploration of these two cultures primarily, fore all that it is Fanfic.
Edited 19/03/2021
Literally switched the C in Coros and Coslan to a K. C only appears in Ch sounds. This is actually to stop confusion on pronunciations as an English C can make a S sound.
PS, I love reviews and would really like any feedback/constructive criticism you have.
Edited 01/12/21
Some spelling mistakes. It's Tiena, not Tien. Tien, within my slightly AU Tiefling design, would be a boys name.