“People come in many types. Just because they’re nobles doesn’t mean they’re an exception to this.” - Old folk saying.

In the end, it was on the sixth day of Aideen’s stay in Knallgant that Angus Harscape, Graf von Bærengant, arrived in the royal capital like the King told her. The Graf from the northern region was a spry young dwarf, also similarly risen to his position within the past century like his peer, Graf Lloyd McBaine von Meergant, of an age with the king and queen at around two and a half centuries.

He was also an easy-going man who easily agreed upon Aideen’s request and gave her the permit without much fuss. This time the materials were already prepared beforehand so Aideen got the last permit she needed from Knallgant on the same day she met with Graf Harscape. She naturally didn’t reject it when the dwarven noble also invited her group to dinner so he could hear some of their tales of their travels while they dined.

It was a small price to entertain the young noble with tales of their adventures in exchange for such a smooth process in obtaining the last permit they needed. Though Aideen suspected that it would have been an easy process regardless, given how she already had the permits from the other Graf and the King, making more friends didn’t hurt.

The young Graf von Bærengant himself proved to be a more adventurous sort, who had also served in the army before, and given his position by the kingdom’s most volatile border, likely remained a military man even now. Aideen’s group got along quite swimmingly with the man and his family that he introduced over the dinner.

As a result, the quick trip intended to get permits to smoothen up their planned migration in the future ended up netting Aideen some acquaintances with high status amongst the dwarven kingdom’s nobility. Something that would likely aid her even more than the permits themselves when the time came. It was an unexpected boon, but also one she was all too happy to accept.

While they were at it, Aideen also procured an introduction letter from the king that would allow her to visit the inner parts of the Kingdom Down Under further east. The more reclusive underground kingdom was in a period of good relationship with its at times friend, at times foe rival kingdom, so the letter would likely help her. It had been one of the things that nagged at her from the last time she was in Alcidea.

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Heading east also meant that she would be able to visit Ostmauer on the way and see how Ginnie’s descendants fared, so that was another bonus. After another two days of stay in Knallgant, Aideen’s group eventually departed and continued their travel, this time headed eastwards.

Aideen had ascertained while she was in Knallgant that Henrietta Stahlfaust – Ginnie’s daughter – was still the current Markgraf von Ostmauer, though her brother who moved to a different position in the capital back then after abdicating in her stead had since retired and lived a quiet, pleasant life in his old age. It was a good thing, to have familiar people still around.

The group tackled the journey from Knallgant to Ostmauer more quickly than their previously meandering journey, partly because the introduction letter they received for the Kingdom Down Under was more time sensitive. It was not like the letter itself had an expiry date or the like, but it would have been rude to meander after having asked for it.

From Knallgant they took the main road east, this time on a carriage, as there was quite a distance between Knallgant and Ostmauer. It was a two and a half week long trip by carriage to reach the latter, which was at the easternmost reaches of Knallzog, and there was no reason not to travel in a bit more comfort and leisure along the way.

Given the importance of the eastern fort city, carriages traveled there on a regular basis, bringing with them supplies, trade goods, and people. The main road leading to the east was especially broad, particularly suitable for large-scale military mobilization, Aideen thought. It was no surprise, as in Knallzog’s long history, their own fellow dwarves further east was the one neighbor they clashed with the most often.

In comparison, while Knallzog also clashed with their other neighbors, those conflicts tended to be much smaller in scale or seriousness. Three of the biggest wars in Knallzog history were all fought against the Kingdom Down Under, so their vigilance and preparation was something that was far from unexpected, given their past.

The carriages for long-distance traveling that were commonly used in Knallzog differed somewhat from those common in other nations in Alcidea or Ur-Teros. They tended to be shorter and broader, much like the dwarves themselves, and had eight wheels instead of four. In fact, some people have pointed out the similarities in the design of the carriages and the infamous dwarven war chariots.

Inside, however, the carriages were roomy and quite comfortable, each easily capable of holding up to a dozen dwarves – or up to twenty humans – inside its interior. There was less leg room than what Aideen would have preferred, but otherwise plenty of room for a passenger to lounge and relax on, with reasonably comfortable seats and a smoother ride compared to many such vehicles.

People who were unused to traveling long distances often complained of pain in their thighs and butts after being seated for a long time. Typically carriages had rather hard seats and shook pretty badly as it traveled, which made the situation even worse. The dwarven carriages avoided most of those issues with its setup, though people with long legs like the elven siblings had to contort themselves quite a bit and share their seating area with each other to truly get comfortable.

That part couldn’t be avoided, given how the carriage was tailored for people who were short but broad instead of tall, lanky individuals like them.