“Death is the ultimate arbiter, one of impartiality and fairness like no other. Rich or Poor, Good or Evil, Powerful or Weak, Death pays no heed, anc comes for all the same. Before Death, everyone is truly equal, both the mightiest of kings and the lowliest of peasants.
Why need we fear the natural end, a part of the natural process? For every ending there will be a new beginning elsewhere, as the great cycle of life and death carries on. Fear not the embrace of Death, and rather than weep at the sorrow of parting, celebrate! Celebrate lives that had been lived well, and send off the departed in merriment and joy!” - From a sermon by a member of Tohrmut’s Clergy, Tohrmutgent, Ptolodecca, circa 331 FP.
“Milady knows my late father and me then? I apologize for not recognizing you,” replied Baldr honestly, though one particular word in what he said confirmed Aideen’s worries. “I’m afraid pa passed away a couple decades ago. I took over the smithy, since Sigr’s more interested in arts and the like, and have been in charge since.”
“I see… My condolences,” offered Aideen sincerely. She had expected that many of the people she met back during her first trip would no longer be around when she returned a century later, but having it confirmed at the first place she visited still stung a little bit. “We were just… old friends. Haven’t seen him in over a century so I thought I’d pay a visit since I happened to be in town. Sorry to bother you.”
“It ain’t no bother, milady, and thanks. I guess pa must have had his lucky days as well to know someone as pretty as you,” replied the half-dwarven man. It was not unexpected for him to not remember Aideen, given that their acquaintanceship was limited to a single meeting more than a hundred years ago. They exchanged some more pleasantries before Aideen led the rest of her group away.
They first looked for an inn that was suitable for their needs, which was fortunately easy to find given how the city was set to accommodate travelers of all sorts. Meeting with the person in charge of the city to gain permits and whatnot would be a more complicated process that would take some time, so it was not something they could hurry anyway.
As such, Aideen brought her group and settled them down in the inn first, then had them relax with the help of some local dwarven brew, which were as strong as they were notoriously known for. Rhys, who was the worst with alcohol out of the group, was already looking unsteady in his seat after only a single tankard.
By contrast, the unliving members of the group chugged down the strong ale without showing any ill effects. They had long learned on how to allow the alcohol to affect them only when they wanted it to, and to what extent. It was trivial for the unliving to keep the effects at a pleasant buzz without incurring any of the drawbacks due to their unusual metabolism, which converted what they consumed to mana.
Aideen knew that she would need to clear the plan for the larger-scale migration with the port authorities, and in Knallzog, that likely meant the local noble as well. That said, she happened to have no acquaintance who knew the local noble in question, so all she could do was to submit a request to meet with said noble at the earliest convenience, using a more official identity for herself as an envoy from the Lichdom.
Such a process would typically take a while, however, especially since dwarves did not tend to do things particularly quickly. Without any connections who could speed things up, it wouldn’t be strange for the group to wait for some months to a year or more before their request would be granted. Unfortunately Aideen had not spent much time in Meergant in the past, so she had few acquaintances there and none in particularly high position.
The highest ranked acquaintances Aideen had in Knallzog were easily Ginnie’s children, who should still be serving as the Markgraf von Ostmauer in their late mother’s stead at the present. They were situated far to the east, though, and thus would be of little help for dealing with people in Meergant. At most Aideen might be able to get an introduction letter from them, but that alone would take a while for the message she sent to reach Ostmauer and for the reply to return.
Aideen did plan to send such a message and even had it penned down during that first night of their stay in Meergant, but in the end, circumstances changed in a way she failed to expect by the next day, which rendered the message unnecessary.
The next morning, while Aideen’s group were having their breakfast at the inn, a dwarven couple entered and sought them out, both of them faces Aideen recognized from the past. It was Marivella – cousin to Otto’s wife, who Aideen happened to encounter by accident during her journeys – and her husband Engel, a healer who she taught some techniques during their meeting over a century ago.
A look of recognition immediately spread over the couple’s face as they noticed Aideen and Celia – since the two were the only ones they had met – and approached to offer their greetings. It was a rather unexpected reunion, but quite a joyful one, and the group made some room at their table for the dwarven couple to seat themselves.
As the couple were pureblooded dwarves, they were still in their prime at their third century, which made all the difference compared to half-dwarven hybrids like Otto’s family, for whom three centuries would be the end of their expected lifespan. Either way, Aideen was just happy to see some familiar faces so unexpectedly, under such an occasion. She toasted the couple and drank for their good health, a sentiment the couple returned in spades.
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umbrellluck· Apr 20, 2024
