Oswald Manfred (A day after arriving)

Yesterday, I spent my time looking for survivors. There were very few, and even less after a few of the ones on the boat tried to attack me. Clearly the infestation was far worse than we initially thought, if these dwarves were more than willing to try and throw their lives away for mimics. Which made even more sense, given that they were likely here since the time Eclipse was founded. Talking to the Doppelganger revealed there were a total of four queens, if it could be trusted.

The children that it saved were more than happy to cling to it, calling the thing their mother. Something it likely could be, considering the thing was pregnant. To the mimics, doppelgangers might as well be farmers cultivating livestock with their own bodies. I wasn't bothered by the fact that these children would definitely be eaten in their later years. After all, they were raised to trust doppelgangers, and mimics. The only one I could be upset with, was the mimic queen that was doing such. Though that was merely its nature, and it made sense that it would want more flesh to feed itself and others. I ordered the Doppelganger to lead the way, while the survivors followed behind.

The tunnels were absolutely infested with mimics, every third dwarf we found, a bloody doppelganger. Not to mention that's just the one's I've seen walking through the tunnels. Is that a stalactite, or a mimic? Is that rock moving, or did I just look at it funny? I kept my cloak of gas close to me, thick enough to stop fireballs, or even daggers. The survivors of yesterday's little cleansing were sticking close to me. They didn't stare too long at the doppelgangers we gathered with a 'D' cut onto their cheeks for scarring. There was a suitable bubble of space, as I had these 'friendly' doppelgangers leading the way. Those not infected were pulling up the rear with me in the center.

Seeing how bad it all was first hand, was enough to make me consider the magma vein option again. The port I came in on, was destroyed to the point that it would take a couple weeks of work to get up and running properly. A ship would be able to come in with supplies and food, but that was about it. The doppelgangers, and dwarves both kept their distance. The doppelgangers in particular were more than happy to peel away mimics, or kill them before I walked past them. Taking the time to say which ones were theirs or not. Which still bothered me to no end.

The fact that they could accurately locate those within a certain range, meant it was useful to keep them around. Still I made certain to use the wall as a support for my hobbling, in case we turned down the wrong tunnel, where they might try to collapse it. Thankfully the supports were all solid, and none of the walls were flesh disguised as stone. We proceeded down the tunnels, before coming to a branch with considerably less light down one path, and a clear sign that pointed to my home city.

The memories of being dragged away from this sign by armed guards floated across my vision. A young dwarf on the cusp of adulthood, the first blood stain I ever left after mixing my blood with a bit of salt water. The discolored black stone sitting there to mark the home that threw me out so long ago.

The doppelgangers were going towards the darker path, their leader doing a small bow. "We fear that there are those that will respond poorly to us, so we shall wait here until we gain permission. A few of us will head to our Queen, to explain the situation."

I raised a brow, staring at her. "Oh really? Are you trying to run, and hide some doppelgangers in case this doesn't work out? Perhaps, you are suggesting that you can't trust me after all."

The woman slowly shook her head, "No master Oswald, we are uncertain if the other queens have made a move on our tunnels. They are just as dangerous for us, as it is for you. Our Queen is much less aggressive in consuming others and making more of us."

I frowned a bit, my face still hidden under the gas. The Doppelgangers that survived were about ten, with most of them found as we walked these very tunnels. They were able to communicate small simple thoughts to each other, but nothing entirely useful. They were very forward with this information, choosing to not hide it. Still if there were multiple factions of doppelgangers, then it would be easy enough for one to just blame everything on this group. If not, then their numbers were enough to be able to take the blow anyway.

Regardless, I nodded. "Very well, but understand that if there is only one queen, I will wipe the slate clean." It was likely that all the cities were infected. If there were truly multiple queens, then it would help to explain why everything wasn't worse. They were fighting over resources in an environment that was more than happy to take advantage of infighting. It didn't make the job much easier, but it was a starting point, I just needed to be prepared for betrayal at any turn.

The woman nodded, "We understand, and I thank you for giving us this chance. My Queen will do her best to try and make you feel safe enough to visit her. She has read your overviews in the monster manual. We also know better than to cross the one that almost made us extinct." They quickly walked away. I really didn't like letting them go, but this was about saving as many lives as possible.

The same woman from the ship walked forward, "Are you happy now?"

I looked her over, "No, this has made everything needlessly complicated. You are all to follow me, and do exactly as I say. One step out of line, and I will let you either run into the tunnels, or kill you myself. I will not play around with mimics, and I will not allow doppelgangers into my sanitized areas." Naturally the children left with the doppelgangers. There was no point in establishing some sort of trust, without making them think I was willing to give it a shot.

The crowd behind me grumbled, calling me a callous bastard. Others wishing that someone more reasonable came along. The smarter ones just kept quiet, realizing just how accommodating I truly was. We proceeded towards the underground city ruled by the Beard Cutters. A place much less sparkling compared to the Underground. All the buildings were muted, without any color, save for signs on banks and wealthy businesses. There was ample light coming from the forge, where a small river of magma was controlled from a deep vent underground made practical with gems and portals. Runes were inscribed on stands jutting out of certain buildings for platforms to stand on to repair and clean other buildings. The runes would give off a dim light, at the cost of not being able to put runes to stabilize the walls or floors more. It had not changed as a kingdom since I was thrown out.

It was just like I remembered, causing me to shake my head. Home was the place you carved into the stone itself, the burrow made for families to gather. I could see thousands of dwarves all going about their lives. Even with so many of them, I couldn't see a single ladder. That pride on full display as every building had stairs carved into their sides. It took me far too long to accept that ladders were useful, but to have an entire population hate them on principle. Truly our race is full of stubborn idiots, making us no better than any other.

In truth, the entire city would fit comfortably inside the Underground, but this place was much more compact and more efficient with its space. Everything was scaled to just a foot above the average dwarf, meaning most creatures would have to crawl, or uncomfortably slouch. Our homes stretched from floor to ceiling, carved and connected to both support the roof above and optimize that space. There were open areas with bridges drawn between them, and this city was the inspiration for the Underground when it was built. It was practical, and efficient. Not one bit of space was wasted, as we enjoyed keeping the walls around us.

Of course, this meant that if an explosion were to occur, or some kind of poison gas seeped up, we would notice very quickly. When you didn't see people moving on one pillar, you knew something was terribly wrong. I looked at the faces of the ones that ruled this city. The beard cutters were surface dwarves by nature, their beards shorter than others. Giving credence to the rumor that the deeper you live, the longer your beard. They began to see long beards as a sign of weakness, and took to cutting their own beards, and tying locks of beard from other families into their own.

There were six faces on the entrance when I looked back. The bastard that kicked me out, likely kicked the bucket. His son inheriting this city and running it, with his son coming next since the new face did not have defined features yet. I smiled to myself, laughing a little at the fact that I might be the first dwarf in history to out live a stable city's leaders for three generations.

The walk itself was a good long hour, mainly due to my hobble speed being half that of the average dwarf's walking speed. We approached the gates of the city, while the guards merely stared at me. I announced who I was, and they saluted me. There were small walkways leading from tunnels, to stairs that could be used as short cuts between different levels. All of them sloping towards the city walls. My home had three main entrances, and likely a hidden escape tunnel built underneath the city itself.

We stood at the gates, as the guards welcomed us. The gate doors slowly swinging outwards. I saw an old Beard Cutter, his face looking just like the one above the entrance we came. Save for the fact that he had three large rings linked together and tied to his beard. One of copper, another of silver, and one of gold. The dwarf himself welcomed me with open arms, his voice low and tired. We were both old men, "Took yer sweet time accepting our offer! My oracles told me what happened with the port. A right shame, and I'm sorry I couldn't send more of my men to welcome you!"

My goggles glowed green for a moment, as I examined the armored dwarf. He was clean, and I bowed formally. "It's for the best that you didn't, they likely would have died as I entered. The crowd behind me have all been crudely tested by myself. I require them to all be put into a room while we discuss matters going forward."

The Beard Cutter stroked his beard, causing the rings to jangle lightly. "Suit yerself!" He laughed, with a warm smile. "I'm just glad to see yer taking this seriously. First thing's first, I'll welcome you into my home with as much ale as you can handle. Then I'll take a lock from yer beard." The crowd behind me gasped, as the guards were better able to contain their shock at this information.

I bowed my head, "Yes, I look forward to calling you my brother. We may as well get the formalities done and over with, before discussing what we're doing next."

"Of course! There is no time to waste, but you kept me waiting. One more day won't kill us at this point." He joked a little, while leading me with his private escort of guards. The crowd gathered and was led towards some barracks. We heard screaming, as a man was attacked by a barrel. A guard promptly impaled it with a halberd. I could see the people were tired of this, and the guard themselves were already pushed past their breaking point. It was impressive that public order was going on this long. Though that likely had more to do with the doppelgangers, than leadership. After all, why risk your food killing each other?

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I checked the guard, confirming my suspicions, but said nothing. Destroying what little trust people had, would only lead to a civil war. The common worker should only worry about the mimics, while I slowly carved out the cancer that was doppelgangers. After another thirty minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the chief's house. The house of a dwarven king, built to protect what was valuable to his people. He was likely the most powerful, given how we had to go through him to trade with the other cities, and their chiefs/ kings.

The house itself was large, and built at the center of the city. More like a bank, and vault, merged into a mansion. It was the largest structure in the city, adorned with silken banners that emitted light without having to sacrifice runes on the small palace itself for reinforcement. The chief was in charge of all the excess wealth his city produced, including the excess of other towns, and their offshoots. Emergency barrels of fine ale, and beer were stored in one part, with gems and other riches in another.

It hurt my pride a little, to know so little about something so important. All I truly knew about these small palaces, was that they were the best place to raid for wealth and riches. Potential targets for Eclipse if this kingdom ever betrayed us. Truly they never would have been a threat, since it would have been too easy to starve them. The people here were stout and healthy because we allowed them to be. It was such a far cry from my memories of a skeleton crew of a population, just struggling to find the proper rocks and minerals to continue on.

The guards moved to open the doors for us, as we walked. "You know Oswald, I still keep the salts in one of the vaults. Stocked full to the brim, because my father always warned me that famine would come." I noted the silks hanging from the walls, the gifts my king gave these people. How they proudly displayed the first light runes we learned from Dark Fall. "I was only a child when you were cast out, I saw that anger you had towards my father. How you said words and curses towards your own family, and our city."

I remained silent, only half listening. This was supposed to be the highest honor a dwarf could receive. To be allowed inside such an important and vital structure. The heart of the city, accepted by the family that ran it. People that by all rights could be considered kings of their mountain, or potentially even other mountains. From those cities that braved the icy tundra to hunt fresh food, to those that dug so far down they forged crystals to hold their souls and moved in the magma as golems. They were survivors, who by all rights were the most likely to survive attacks from monsters. Yet, as I walked, gazing at the wealth my kingdom provided this city. I could only taste the bile on my tongue. Compared to those other cities I only heard about, my home was truly disgusting. Led by weak rulers, that sought to follow old customs and destroy any change that might come.

The chief coughed into his hand, "I was there when the famine came for my father. How others suffered, how mothers had to make the choice of feeding their children, or themselves. Every night, I stayed awake in fear that my time would come. I religiously horded the mineral salts that could help my city survive. When Dark Fall fell, I was afraid of the monsters that might come to destroy our way of life. Over the course of decades, I heard the hunters of the tundra talk about how black blood tainted their meat. How creatures that could swim in magma, could shatter golems."

We entered a small room, with a large barrel on the table. Books were stacked on their shelves, paper work neatly filed away. He likely prepared for this once his oracles told him I arrived. The old man, probably seventy years younger than myself looked at me for a second. "Please, feel free to gas the room and ensure there are no mimics. I will have my guards wait out here. Make yourself comfortable."

I stepped forward, closing the door behind me. I did as he asked, catching one mimic that disguised itself as a book. I grabbed it, before letting my dark gas recede back into my satchel. I placed it on the table, as there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

The Beard Cutter entered, before pausing at the sight of the dead mimic on the table. He let out a small laugh, before closing the door. He walked to his chair, taking a deep breath. "I feared the famine so much, but the monsters were already among us. It started maybe right around the time you requested aid from your family. Small groups of guards in this or that town would go missing. They would be gone for days at a time, coming back with their armor shredded. We got your books a few months later, and assumed it might have been grue of some kind."

I put my hands on the table, completely exposed without my gas. The Chief filled my cup first, a sign of deep respect in our culture. Especially when someone in his position did it for another that wasn't family yet. He filled his after, resting it beside my own. Another sign of respect, saying that he would not drink until after I took mine first. Even the way he started talking about his story before we even entered this room. He was making it clear to his guards who needed who. I watched as he lowered his head.

"Your works helped to save a lot of lives here. I foolishly thought it was only right. You came from my city, you owed that to us. You convinced your family to help you, and leave us here. That was nothing, because they were a waste of resources. I truly mean no offense." He looked at his ale, longing to drink. I realized he probably wasn't used to being sober like this.

"There is no offense, they are parasites. I have something to ask of you when you can do such. I will ask at a later time, when you feel your city is safe enough to consider it."

He nodded soberly, "I thank you for your consideration. Anyway, back to my story. We took torches and slowly had paths through the tunnels scouted. We managed to deal with that problem thanks to your book. We shared the knowledge with our neighbors, selling it to them when they wouldn't accept it for favors. I started to feel it was only natural that we were to succeed. That pride I felt was shallow, and basic. We ignored the dead grue we found. We assumed other monsters got to them, or that even our neighbors merely neglected to tell us that they hunted in our tunnels. That gave way to suspicion, and paranoia. Even though they were helping us, they did so to watch us as well."

I took a sip of the brew. Then put a hand on his cup to stop him. I spat it back into the cup as he paled. "Poisoned. Continue."

He looked at the cup, then at me, before slamming it down. His face growing red, before finally calming himself down. "Forgive me, I will drink it and die if you want. The guards outside won't even question it."

I tilted my head at that, before leaning back in my chair. "I said continue, I need to know what I'm working with."

He took a few breaths, before nodding. "That was when it started to happen. Scouts and guards would start to go missing again. Dwarves were found with their faces eaten, with a rock sitting on top of them. We thought we might have missed a nest of grue, so more were sent out. Patrols sent down certain tunnels would wind up dead, more rocks on them every time. Then months went by with nothing happening. Then it started again. This time with some dwarves flat out being crushed, or torn in half."

I gritted my teeth, shaking my head. "You probably stopped checking whenever it stopped, thinking the problem was solved by someone else."

He let out a shuddering breath, "We thought some kind of monster infected the souls of the Rock Beards. Their golems, and so we moved with the hunters of the Tundra. They fought back, before using their magma vents to seal us off and away from themselves. The battle lasted for years, before we were sealed off from each other. It never occurred to us that it might be some kind of monster that could be anything."

I nodded, "Because it wasn't in the book. I truly thought we exterminated them all, so I never wrote anything about mimics or doppelgangers. They were terrifying creatures, and took months to properly wipe out. I never had time to properly study them, and I thought they were well and truly gone. I am sorry for that."

The chief lowered his head, "Do not apologize, if we were not so stubborn we could have asked for your opinion decades ago."

"I understand, but if this has been going on for so long, what happened? What exactly changed? I need to know everything." I looked into his eyes, seeing a tired dwarf that only wanted to wake up from a bad dream.

The chief swallowed hard before continuing. "The first doppelgangers came after the war. We didn't notice, because we didn't know to look. Dwarves started to disappear again, but then something strange happened. Small groups of our own started to move around at night. They began digging tunnels without permission. Wandering tribes began to join them, slowly digging their way through the sealed tunnels. I allowed this, since we needed to be able to speak to the other cities."

"They made it through, and trade routes opened again, didn't they?" I stroked my beard, recalling when they began asking for more food. To the point that we had to empty our stores, and allow them to trade with the elves.

The chief nodded, getting out of his seat. "Please follow me again. I can't stare at this poisoned ale any longer." I got up, and followed as he led me to a dimly lit room with a table and map of the tunnels. I could see the tunnels he marked, which helped to raise my opinion on him a little. "Do you need a moment to gas this room?"

I nodded, as he left, and I made certain the place was clean. He came back in, to find me memorizing the map and everything he marked. It wasn't perfect, but at least he wasn't sitting idly by. "Continue from where you left off."

"Alright, once the trade routes were open, we ordered as much food as we could. Dwarves were starving, and it allowed us to grow to the power we now held. We traded with the elves, when it became clear Eclipse couldn't provide enough for everyone. Slowly but surely everyone was filling up their food stores, with wandering tribes transporting everything. The tunnels that no one used, were infested with other monsters, but the mimics didn't seem to care what they ate."

"Dwarves saw them fighting other monsters, and eating them. Which gave way to them becoming helpful?" I looked at the piece used to identify the church.

The chief nodded, "I welcomed the new religion, to stop a civil war from happening. To my knowledge there are four Queens, and I have no idea where any of them actually are. Just a rough idea of where they might be based on the tunnels we can no longer go down."

"You did well to get this much information. It is likely the queen closest to your city is trying to negotiate with me. We need to work out plans to use them. They are probably here, if the tunnels grew based on how many doppelgangers they got." I circled a couple of tunnels, just imagining how such a creature might grow if they had enough of a population to work with. It was only natural that they would grow towards their food source, leaving other tunnels barren. Which meant we could effectively cut the Queen off easy enough.

The chief stroked his beard, before pulling out a pair of scissors. "I can see why you'd think that, and am ashamed to have not thought about it myself. What happens if we kill the queen?"

I shrugged, "Considering that the mimics made it all the way here without one, they likely will just try to hide and wait for a new one. So we need to kill all the mimics, and removed all the doppelgangers. Which is why I am considering accepting this one queen's support. I may be capable, but I cannot kill all of them in just a couple days, and wipe away the problem. I'm not a god after all, but I am capable enough to deal with one at a time. Just expect to be betrayed by the queen that is helping us."

He nodded, "May I take a lock of your beard? To afford you the full power of my family, and let you do what must be done? Do you accept me as your family?"

I frowned a little, lifting my beard up, so he could cut where it would not be seen. He took a lock of it from me, tying it to his golden ring. I stroked my beard, feeling a little upset about the whole thing, but it had to be done. "I expect you to make it known to the public, and handle your people, while I moved along the background to do what must be done."

The chief nodded, "Of course, the more you can save, the better. If ye need anything at all, just let me know. You will have it without a second of delay." I could see he was truly happy, that there was someone that could offer him hope. "Please, you should meet my son before going about your task."

"I'll see him later. There is much to do, and so much more to prepare for. Thank you for your time brother." I pored over the layout of the city, considering where the best place to start would be.