“The first time anyone sees a place or a person would inevitably leave the deepest impression.” - Old folk saying.
Aideen somewhat relished the rare sight of seeing the awestruck looks on the faces of the people in her group as most of them – other than Celia, who had been there with her before – beheld Meergant for the first time. The main port city of Knallzog was a grand sight, in its own way, and its unusual mix of architectural elements were indeed quite interesting to observe.
The northern dwarves kept a more practical approach to architecture than their southern cousins, the buildings primarily built with function over form in mind. Even so, the locals had also taken delight in applying various shades of colors to the walls of their blocky, squarish structures, which made for quite a riot of colors indeed.
Compared to the more subdued port city back at Port Lif, the dwarven city of Meergant gave both an imposing yet frivolous impression when one looked at it. Much like in any other port city, all sorts of dock hands and stevedores were busy at work in the port itself, yet even they wore colorful clothes which contrasted strongly with the typical dark skin of the local populace, which gave a similar impression as the city itself.
“Their first time over, eh?” asked Arquivaldo who was clearly used to seeing such looks on people’s faces, which wasn’t unexpected given his profession. “Always got a few of those in every batch of passengers I took over here, their faces always had that same look.”
“Yeah, none of them four had been to Alcidea before. I’ve taken them to the Caliphate before, but it's still a different place compared to here, you know what I mean,” replied Aideen with a smile. She missed that sense of wonder the youngsters still had, the wonderment they received when they visited places they had never been to before. She herself had already traveled a good chunk of the world, with only a few places she had yet to visit thus far. “Will likely take them around a bit too while I take care of business.”
“Ah, youth. Always nice to travel around to see the sights. I guess old folk like us are more used to stability instead,” replied the captain with a chuckle. “Well, anyway, Milady, since you said that you will be staying up north for a couple decades, I will get to dealing with my business first. If you have need of me again, simply leave a message by the port’s administrator here. He’s an old friend by now and will certainly pass on the message.”
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“Understood, and many thanks for the trip, and the feast, for that matter,” said Aideen with a nod. She did return the favor of the captain sharing some of the rare delicacy back then by bringing out some bottles of old, rare liquor for everybody to enjoy, but to give thanks was just good manners. “I hope to see you again in some decades, then, captain.”
“The same to you, Milady. May the deities bless your sails with plenty of wind,” replied the captain with a common proverb amongst sailors, wishing one a smooth journey.
Aideen led the rest of the group to the port and from there into the city proper once they were done gawking at the sights. As they got an even closer look at the sights the city of Meergant offered, the youngsters in the group looked around, not unlike people from the village who visited a city for the first time. To be fair, it was indeed their first time in the northern continent, and Meergant was a rather impactful city, visually.
“Where are we heading to, Aunt?” asked Rhys when he noticed that Aideen navigated through the roads of the city with an obvious destination in mind. They were headed in the direction of one of the side districts near the port, where various businesses that catered to the needs of the sailors and visitors could be found.
“I’m thinking of visiting an old acquaintance, if he’s still around, that is” replied Aideen honestly, though in a slightly wistful tone. The last time she visited Otto was a little over a century ago, and Otto was already nearing his two hundredth year back then. As such, she was uncertain whether he still hailed amongst the living or not after the time that had passed.
Human-Dwarf hybrids like Otto typically had a lifespan around three hundred years, but of course, some lived longer and some passed away sooner, as with any other folk. Due to that variance Aideen could only hope that her old acquaintance still lived, if in his last few decades at best. Either way, she wouldn’t know until she reached his place and saw for herself.
When she reached the location where the Messenbrandt family smithy was back then, she was glad to see that the smithy itself was at least still in the same spot, and clearly still in operation judging from the loud banging noises from inside. Aideen walked into the place to see a familiar half-dwarven man working by the anvil, the face older and more mature than the last time she saw him.
It was not Otto, though, but his son Baldr, who she was introduced to when she visited him the last time. The half-dwarf noticed her arrival and temporarily put the bit he was working on to the side to greet her only to pause with uncertainty as he recognized her but was likely unable to place where he had seen her before.
“Hello, Baldr. Glad to see the smithy’s still around after a century,” said Aideen in greeting, giving the half-dwarf a disarming smile. She could see how some hints of recognition started to creep in the man’s thoughts, though he was clearly still trying to place her in his memory. It was not uncommon for that to happen when the last time you visited someone was a century ago. “Is Otto still… around?” she finally asked after a short pause.