"People would often fight each other over ideological differences. Such a schism took place amongst the dwarves of Alcidea Millennia ago, after the well-documented divine punishment that befell Ulfred Stonehammer, last of his name, the last king of the old dwarven kingdom.
After such a cataclysmic event practically wiped out the dwarven capital of the time, the dwarven populace was torn in two. Part of them wanted to just carry on living in isolation underground, as they had done for ages untold. The other faction sought for coexistence and open relations with other races and nations.
Neither faction managed to convince the other, but eventually they reached a compromise. Those who sought for coexistence would be allowed to leave, to pioneer a land of their own, while the rest would remain and rebuild their underground cities.
These pioneers went west from the old kingdom, and marched into the southwestern wastelands, a mostly uninhabited land due to its poor soil and harsh terrain. Neither of which proved to be much trouble for the hardy dwarves.
There they dug the soil, built cities under the wastelands, and erected forts and citadels, towns and cities, above their subterranean constructions. It was the first instance of the city above, warrens below model of construction now so commonly found amongst dwarven lands.
The nation of Knallzog was founded there, their cities built as proof of their triumph over the wastelands, while their grand capital of Knallgant was built on, inside, and below a mountain all at once." - Elsa Federbuch, Royal Historian of Knallzog, circa 652 FP.
By firstday the next week, Aideen departed from Meergant as she had said. Otto and his family had bid her a fond farewell, and thanked her for the bout of healing she had given them as an afterthought. She was somewhat surprised that they had valued the minor gesture so much, but that also told her more about the land.
Healers in Alcidea were not that rare, but good ones are. Those good healers also more often than not charged rather exorbitant prices for their services. Prices that placed their services well out of reach for the common populace.
It was not much different to how it was in Elmaiya in the Second Empire's reign, where those skilled with healing banded together and formed guilds to monopolize the market and set their prices high for profit.
Things had changed in the Third Empire, due to Khaer Ul and Lucea's reforms, as they did their best to make healers more available in general, having taken Ptolodecca as an example.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
In the lichdom, healers who planned to practice their craft were basically all conscripted. They were remunerated plenty for their services, and their lives were decidedly comfortable, but heavy responsibilities were also placed on their shoulders, and they were expected to work for their pleasant life.
One time, refugee healers from the Second Empire had tried to form a guild of healers in Ptolodecca to enact a monopoly like in Elmaiya. That resulted only in the Bone Lord's ire, and after a very public and gruesome punishment, such talks were never again uttered in the lichdom.
Aideen had learned that while medicine was plentiful, and low-end healers who could at best deal with minor scrapes, cuts, and illnesses were common, the vast majority of the high-end healers in Alcidea were part of the local healer's guild.
Those who were not part of it were either pressured to join them, were ostracized and blacklisted, often defamed as well, or at times… straight up removed if they proved to be too stubborn and became an obstacle.
Aideen had not liked that one bit. As a healer herself, she had always been helping where she could be of use. For her healing was a gift to be shared… not a… commodity to be hoarded and marked up like this.
Most of the information she had heard from Otto and his family, after the first time she did a quick check and removed their lingering ailments because she could. They had warned her to be careful about doing such things, especially in public.
Aideen had later confirmed the situation for herself. Low and mid-end healers were still plentiful and affordable, but they were of little help for life-threatening situation. There were only three high-end healers in Meergant, all members of the guild.
The ridiculous prices they charged almost made her curse out loud in anger.
Such extortional practices were supposedly started at the human lands, she had heard. It had then caught on in other human lands, and even the mixed nations like Knallzog and Clangeddin. Supposedly this guild had little influence in the other lands, though.
Aideen felt disgust and loathing at their practices. She knew this was not her country, not her homeland or the lichdom where she had others to back her. Yet even so, the desire to utterly dismantle such an immoral practice was burning in her mind.
That was when an idea came to her. The guild was strong and influental, she knew that much. They might not have much goodwill from the common populace but their connections with the nobles and upper class of society was obvious.
As a mere individual, she had no real way to act against them. On the other hand… tall tales and legends tend to spread fast amongst the common folk, often like wildfire, especially if it was something that was to their benefit.
And Aideen just happened to remember a bard's song that had become popular in Istria of late… about the Maiden in Silver…
It was a song popularized by a pair of siblings, ones she recognized when their father happened to visit them as she watched their performance, as the children of man she saved during the war between the Jarldoms many years ago.
She had requested the Jarl to keep his soldiers quiet about her, and the Jarl had done as she asked. She had forgotten to ask the man - a hunter if she recalled right - to do the same, however. He had apparently told the tale to his children, and now adults, they had sang about her deeds back then, and the song had become popular in the Jarldoms.
A few bards who traveled from there to Alcidea had even brought the song, as she recalled hearing one sing it an the inn she stayed.
It was not something she had planned, but definitely something she could use for her situation.