Abberthorn

One Step Closer

Entering the Hollow palace, the group was met by beauty that went unrivalled in all the land. Every piece of furniture was decorated with silver and gold. It looked so elegant that one might even be mistaken for having entered the heavens themselves. The gold and silver adornments were not limited to the furniture. They were on picture frames, columns, doors, and even decorating the very ceilings of the palace. The majesty of this place was clearly unmatched by any other place in all the lands of this world. Everywhere they looked servants were polishing the precious metals, cleaning the floors or wiping and dusting any and all surfaces. It was abundantly clear that this kingdom had a strong dislike of dirt and untidiness.

'Was this place always like this Aramore?' asked Daemon awestruck by the beauty.

'For as long as I can remember the beauty of this city could not be matched by any other' answered Aramore drinking it in.

'And what of the constant scores of people cleaning the city everywhere you look?' asked Leakly having never seen anything like it.

'That came about partly because of the first King's hatred of filth, and secondly as a need for employment. As you have seen this is an incredibly large city, with an enormous populace. So there simply weren't enough jobs to keep the people fed and seeing as this is one of the wealthiest kingdoms in all of Abberthorn, they decided to employ people to keep the city clean at all times. The cost of the cleaning crews would be countered by levies and taxes on the sale of goods in the city' answered Aramore.

'This is clearly quite an enterprising city then?' said Durane as he marvelled at the majesty of the palace.

'Dwarfs themselves are enterprising people. They can find ways to make money from just about any means' answered Aramore.

Walking down the large entrance hall, they soon came to a sizeable round fire pit. This pit was surrounded by two half circle staircases, which led up to an elevated area. A long red carpet stretched out before them to the platform where the King sat on his throne. The throne was so large that it made him look only three inches tall in its wake. Approaching the King, there were two tables on either side of the carpet, each had two empty chairs. Behind each table was an oversized statue of the First King, each taking a different pose. When they finally came before the King, they all took a knee in greeting of his majesty.

'Your majesty my name is A...'

'Your name is Aramore correct? If I recall accurately, it was your advice to my grandfather when I was just a child that led to us powering this city by steam?' said the King appreciatively.

'I merely remarked to your grandfather about the astonishing power that heated water could wield. He drew his own conclusions and came up with the idea of powering the city by steam.'

'That is not quite as I recall it, but I thank you for your modesty, and allowing my grandfather's idea to remain his own. I understand that you have a matter of great importance to bring before me Aramore, is this true?' asked the King.

'It is My Lord' answered Aramore.

'Okay then, Wolfrick has briefed me on this matter. However, he was very vague about the particulars. So, I guess that he will be leaving it to you to give me all of the details?'

'I can do that Your Grace, I am sure that by now you must have gotten word that many of the smaller settlements that are scattered around this kingdom, and in fact all others in the land have been being raided, pillaged and in some cases even razed to the ground?'

'I had heard that some of the local villages were being raided, but I had simply assumed that it was localized, that we might be dealing with a band of raiders?'