“You talk to the serpents!” The small man said. His voice was low and full of rocks.
“Why wouldn't I?” I asked innocently, though I knew that almost anyone would say it was stupid to talk to snakes.
“They be of evil sorts.” He said, it wasn't hard to imagine how this small man could think that.
“Really? I just kinda walked into their city, I even talked to the queen and king. They didn't seem evil.” Of course by this time I was just having a little fun. It is not often you make friends with a serpent race that everyone thinks are abominations from hell.
The small man must have decided I was crazy because all he said was, “Well it's probably best if I get back my dad is waiting for Adalbor’s axe.” As he was backing away, he grabbed a large metal case that was leaning against the wall.
Dad? He is a child? “You don't mind if I tag along, just to the city, I’m afraid I will get lost in these tunnels.”
The boy? Anyway, he led me for about five minutes, and after a few turns, the tunnel opened up to a grand chamber. It seemed as if they hollowed out the entire mountain, In some places there were grand columns and arches that lifted to the ceiling, as if they were holding the mountain up. In the center there was another column but this one was round, and, well, it was the biggest structure I have ever seen. Large stone supports came off the sides from about four hundred feet up. They bent down at 30ft and plummeted to the ground. The column itself was about 120 meters in diameter and stretched to a height unknown. Well probably known, but like the other smaller columns they hit the top of the mountain and I could not see it. About a thousand meters up the column seemed to change from stone to glass, inside I could see magma, this magma, along with some strategically placed mirrors, lit the entire cavern. It was an architectural marvel that would stand the test of time for millenia.
The rest of the city was not quite as grand, but still so intricate, there was not a building over fifteen stories, and they decreased in height the farther away you got from the center, with a few sporadic taller building mixed about. It was clear that the city, at one time, had a rigorous and thorough structure, but over time, it had been changed in a way cities do.
“It’s a grand sight, the three best inns in the city are down that street, the oldest one is actually the first one you will come to, after that they get flashier, and pricier.” Manchild left without another word. I chose to follow his directions, oddly there was not a single soul on the streets, it was a little eerie. Sure enough I came to an old inn, but by no means did it look run down, it had detailed carvings on the stonework, and it was lear why no one was on the streets, they were all here.
When I entered the inn, the boisterous noise abruptly halted, and everyone eyed me. I ignored their gaze and promptly approached the bar. It was not long before conversations started again, and there was this annoying scratchy sound. “Don't get to many of ye surface dwellers down here.” Another manchild asked me, this one had a much lower, and gravely voice than the previous, it became clear this was a dwarven city. I should have known, but I guess I was too distracted by the artwork the buildings provided.
“Aye, I am not from here, I my hoe is very far away. I was hoping to get a room, but I am lacking in coin.” It was a foolish hope, but it would be better than sleeping on the rocks again.
“Well, normally I would turn you out, ever since old Berin died, giant of a dwarf, no one has been able to play his instrument, and I have had a deal that anyone who could play the thing would get free drinks. I suppose i could change that to free lodging, I always have some rockmuncher trying to play it every night, it would be nice to get a someone to play something.”
I looked at the far wall where the innkeeper was pointing, and I found the source of the annoying scratching sound, the instrument was a cello. I only knew that because my mom had played the instrument, and I decided to learn how. It seemed like my mother could help me from beyond the grave,and dimension. I stood and made my way towards the cello, the whole room got quiet again, except for one voice. “Hey Götz get yer arse off the damn thing, you've been tryin’ fer fifty years now and you still sound like a dying skitter.” The innkeeper shouted, “Let the uplander have a go, maybe he can bring some blasted peace to me ears.”
I wordlessly sat down on the stool behind the instrument, I pulled the bow across, tunning it. After it was tuned I spoke. “In the land I come from, the dwarves have a song, a solemn one about their fight to regain their home under a misty mountain that was stolen from them by a desolating dragon. My voice is not as deep, it does not fit the song, but I hope you all will like it.”
There was not a sound till I started, and it was only a short gasp. I started to sing the song in as low of an octave as I could, but I have a feeling I didn't do it proper justice. At the end of the song, the inn was still quiet, I looked at the innkeeper.
“Aye lad, you earned yer free room, but why don't you play that grand song again. I think we all would like to hear it again.”
I went back to playing the cello again, satisfied that I had achieved lodging, after I played the same song again, I played miscellaneous music I remembered, when I could see things winding down, I played the same song once more, then placed the cello down in the case that was near it. Afterwards the dwarf named Götz approached me, now sober, “Can you teach me how to play Berin’s instrument?”
“I can teach you to play the cello.” The dwarf was big for dwarven standards, at five and a half feet tall. He seemed truly eager to learn how to play, instead of just trying to get free drinks.
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“The cello, cello, cello,” he repeated, trying out the word, “yes I shall learn how to play it.”
The innkeeper walked over and handed me a key, “Thank you for that, you may be an uplander, but you did us dwarves right. People are going to remember, treat you as a friend.”
You reputation with the Dwarves has increased to Popular.
“It was nothing, I do have a question though, did Berin have any other instruments?”
“Yes, one just like the one you played only smaller, and he held it under his chin.”
“A violin, could you bring it here, I would like to start teaching Gotz tonight.” At this, the aspiring musician perked up. He ran over and picked up the cello and sat down on the chair, we spent the next hour going over chromatic scales. Gotz had natural talent, and n excellent memory. In the span of an hour he mastered all twelve. The only conceivable reason he had not figured out how to play on his own, was because he was drunk every time he tried.
“Tomorrow morning, I will teach you a few songs, for now I have to go to sleep, I have some things I wish to accomplish during the day.”
Gotz nodded and put the cello away, he didn't say anything, but I didn't expect him to. He learned a lot today, anyone would be mentally exhausted and desire to stew in one’s own thoughts.
I climbed the stone stairs that led to the rooms. Because of the lack of visitors inside the mountains the inn was more of an apartment building, only the second floor had temporary rooms for renting. I had been given the key to an apartment however, on the third floor. It made me wonder what the innkeeper expected of me. I again was asleep by the time I hit the pillow.
The morning came early, a thin dwarven girl knocked on my door and informed me that the bath was ready and that my attire could be washed. I thanked her and asked for directions to the bath, she told me that it was in the basement, I would just continue down the stairs. I did so, and the girl followed me, when I asked why she said so she could take my clothes to be washed, and that they would be done by the time I was done with my bath. The first room was a changing area with bathrobes lining the wall. It was clear which robe was mine. A simple case of which one is not like the others. One robe was twice the size of all the others.
I quickly disrobed, hehe good pun, and donned the bathrobe. Growing up as a spy, then as an orphan took away any abashed feelings about being naked in front of anyone. The girl however, was kind enough to turn her back until I was finished. “There are stalls behind you.” She said without a hint of embarrassment.
Sure enough there were, the doors were open and I could see my reflection in the mirror inside the stall. The robe was a bit garish, but it was usable. There was a sliding door leading to a communal bath, it seemed clothing was optional. Off to the right there were showers, again it was communal and clothing seemed optional. I inspected the shower.
Dwarven communal bath and shower
Bathing or showering for five minutes gives you the Clean status effect. Using soap adds the Pleasantly Clean status effect. Wearing a bathrobe has no affect on gaining the aforementioned status effects, it merely protects personal modesty.
I disrobed, literally this time, I prefered to not have a wet bathrobe. And if no one else cared, then it didn't bother me.
Sure enough when I returned my clothes were on hanger, and my skivvies were folded on the floor. I dressed again and headed up to the main room for breakfast. Gotz was already there, he was practicing his scales, he was getting better. The music had more feeling, even though they were just scales.
“I an Ryder Roarke, I am afraid I did not get your name.” I said to the innkeeper
“That stodgy old rockmuncher is Bartholomew, uplander name if you ask me.” Gotz spoke for the innkeeper.
“Aye I be Bartholomew, but that skylover should keep his mouth shut about things he don't know, I can very well answer for meself. People call me Bartho”
“Do you have a pencil and paper?” I asked
“A what?” The dwarves for all their marvels had not made pencils.
“A linear graphite dispenser with a reverse actuated, self mitigating, vulcanized mitigation device, and a blank, white, planar arborous filament.”
“Oh, I can see why you call it a pencil, we have them, but the mitigation device is separate, paper is one of the few commodities we get from the surface world. We call it paper though, ha ha!” Bartho seemed to think it was funny, I did not see the humor, but I didn't see any harm done either.
Bartho retreated underneath the bar for a few seconds and appeared with a stick of graphite, and a piece of paper. I sketched out a bar with a treble clef and one with a bass clef, I drew out all the kinds of markings on the bars and called Gotz over. I explained the meaning of each one, and I taught him the song I played last night. The news of my performance spread, and it had already been called the Bergbarheim Anthem. I left him practicing, and I went to find a blacksmith, I needed a tinkerer.
As I walked through the city, I received many stares. Most were friendly, they had heard of my musical exploits, the rest were just, curious. I entered the first blacksmith shop I saw, but I soon realized they made goods that required many different tools to make, meaning they were made so only they could repair them, and field repairs are much more difficult. Every shop was of similar style. I was looking for a smith who made things to last, the kind of things that could be used for anything and never break, and if they did, you could fix them with tape and a wrench.
It took a bit of asking around, but I finally got the address of a smith who still did things the old fashioned way. It was on the edge of the city, not too far from where I entered it. It was about noon when I arrived at the doorstep. There was a tall dwarf at 5’5” swinging a huge hammer onto an anvil. “Excuse me master smith, I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m not buying anything.”
“Fantastic, how does that affect me?”
The dwarf looked up. “You are the man that both my son and daughter won’t stop talking about. A snake charmer, bard, and a pervert.”
“They are serpents, very kind ones, I am a musician, I tell no tales, and I have never been disrespectful to a lady.” I spoke calmly but was actually confused about the last one, and quit a bit miffed.
“I would say being unclothed, beholden to a girl is disrespectful.”
Oh! “I apologize, your son was the first dwarf I met, I did not know the age of your daughter, and I did not see the stalls, I also grew up in places where modesty was a commodity, an expensive one.”
“Very well, what is yer proposal?”
The dwarf seemed very understanding, but also very dangerous. “A trade of information, I know of many things that are technologically advanced, you do thing the old fashioned way, build things to last, instead of a way to keep taking money from a lazy client base.”
“You teach me the old, true dwarven methods of smithing, I will teach you the ways of making wonders that you have never seen.”
“It sounds like yer trying to play me for a fool.”
“Hold up that shield in front of you, away from your body.” The dwarf complied and I pulled out my pistol and shot it, the armor piercing round blew a large hole in it. The dwarf seemed convinced.
“I have need of an assistant, me son is too busy swinging that axe of his, he can't be bothered to help. I accept, but on one condition, you find someone to replace you when you leave.”
“You have a deal, let's start with repairing that shield.”
“Aye that be me idea as well.”
That started the my first day with the Tinker.