Vlarn arrived in the mountain-city of Arranius on a pale and rainy day, not exactly the best time to come and do business. All the merchants and trade lords were inside their homes by their fireplaces and the shops were shuttered. Vlarn saw a few humans moving about the streets but at second glance he noticed that they were either blind, crippled or maimed had had to beg for a living. He had compassion on them and gave them all a few coppers. "Aye Dwarf, thank yes kindly, want some advice? I was once a thriving merchant here but I made this mistake in not paying off the right people and so the hired thugs came and maimed me for life. There is more theft and crime in this miserable city than anywhere else in this land. Don't settle here. Leave, this city sucks the very soul out of you." said the crippled man. Vlarn merely shook his head and walked on, he had heard that story before in many places and so far no-one had ever dared to accost him or falsely accuse him.
He walked the stair-streets up to the highest level where the inns were and looked around to see if anyone had posted an ad for property for sale. Upon seeing nothing of interest, he walked into an inn and found it full of well-dress patrons, men playing dice, drinking and female elves playing their harps and singing in their extremely difficult-to-understand language. A fire roared in the fireplace while serving maids, humans, dwarves and gnomes, all scurried about either serving ales and food or clearing tables. The Innlord was a huge and burly man with no hair anywhere on his body with a fixed glaze of toughness that wasn't unfriendly. Vlarn came up to the counter and sat down at a chair. "Welcome to the "D'Argossa's Dragon's Bane Inn"" said the Innlord. "Keep your eyes open and your ears open and you might find a business opportunity." said the Innlord. "And, if you are interested, I am looking to sell this dump and start a new Inn somewhere else besides this mountaintop city." said the Innlord. "What is the matter?" asked the dwarf. "Dimroy the Hitter, he shakes down all the merchants. He has most of the criminals in the city working for him and every time the King tries to imprison him, he escapes. Say, since this useless King of ours won't do anything, why don't we think of something. You look strong enough." said the Innlord. "I didn't get this far by being a fool and a companion of fools." rumbled Vlarn. "You are right. I work for Dimroy the Hitter. Just testing you." said the Innlord. "Dimroy owns most of this city right now, if you were smart little dwarf, you would be wise to leave." said the Innlord.
Vlarn left the city that day without paying the elvish King a visit. He was wiser than that. He was just wandering at this point. He would set up camp in the woods near rivers and fish for his food and began to enjoy the solitary life. He found some nice, hidden spots where he would camp for weeks at a time so he could avoid bandits. On one such day, he saw a man mounted on a horse come into his camp. "Hail dwarf! A certain King renders payment to you for services rendered." said the courier. He dropped a bag of gold at the feet of the dwarf. "The King also gives you the manor of Farstride and confers the status of noble upon you. Congratulations." said the messenger. Vlarn was shocked. "Tell his lordship that I am grateful." said Vlarn. The messenger turned and rode off while the dwarf made plans to find his new home.
He rode hard for several days and after asking dozens of merchants and peasants, he found the manor of Farstride and was greatly delighted to team up again with his old friend. The Fairie
offered his insight in exchange for a forever home and Vlarn agreed.
"The whole village is a wreck, the manor itself is a shack and most of the peasants ran off. I need to get some peasants to come back here." said the Dwarf to no-one. He traveled to a nearby city that day and posted "labor wanted" posters all over in the hopes that men and women that were "down on their luck" would agree to come live and work at his manor. He traveled back to the village and rounded up the remaining peasants to tear down the ramshackle manor and build something nicer and warmer. Soon a flood of sixty new families arrived and swore fealty to him and he got them into tasks and assigned them plots of land to build their huts. He finished the manor and built a new barn all before the winter hit.
Spring and Summer came after a long and unproductive winter and the Dwarf made sure that everyone was plowing and planting and the remainder were working the beehives and tending to the cattle. Vlarn received a messenger dwarf from his hold. The Thane was dead and his clan wished him to return and assume his place as the head of the clan but he shook his head and sent a message that he was happy here as a vassal of a certain human king but he did ask that his fiancee Moira come to him. They reunited and married that year at the manor temple. Life was good but fate would soon throw in a curve ball.
More to come.....
He walked the stair-streets up to the highest level where the inns were and looked around to see if anyone had posted an ad for property for sale. Upon seeing nothing of interest, he walked into an inn and found it full of well-dress patrons, men playing dice, drinking and female elves playing their harps and singing in their extremely difficult-to-understand language. A fire roared in the fireplace while serving maids, humans, dwarves and gnomes, all scurried about either serving ales and food or clearing tables. The Innlord was a huge and burly man with no hair anywhere on his body with a fixed glaze of toughness that wasn't unfriendly. Vlarn came up to the counter and sat down at a chair. "Welcome to the "D'Argossa's Dragon's Bane Inn"" said the Innlord. "Keep your eyes open and your ears open and you might find a business opportunity." said the Innlord. "And, if you are interested, I am looking to sell this dump and start a new Inn somewhere else besides this mountaintop city." said the Innlord. "What is the matter?" asked the dwarf. "Dimroy the Hitter, he shakes down all the merchants. He has most of the criminals in the city working for him and every time the King tries to imprison him, he escapes. Say, since this useless King of ours won't do anything, why don't we think of something. You look strong enough." said the Innlord. "I didn't get this far by being a fool and a companion of fools." rumbled Vlarn. "You are right. I work for Dimroy the Hitter. Just testing you." said the Innlord. "Dimroy owns most of this city right now, if you were smart little dwarf, you would be wise to leave." said the Innlord.
Vlarn left the city that day without paying the elvish King a visit. He was wiser than that. He was just wandering at this point. He would set up camp in the woods near rivers and fish for his food and began to enjoy the solitary life. He found some nice, hidden spots where he would camp for weeks at a time so he could avoid bandits. On one such day, he saw a man mounted on a horse come into his camp. "Hail dwarf! A certain King renders payment to you for services rendered." said the courier. He dropped a bag of gold at the feet of the dwarf. "The King also gives you the manor of Farstride and confers the status of noble upon you. Congratulations." said the messenger. Vlarn was shocked. "Tell his lordship that I am grateful." said Vlarn. The messenger turned and rode off while the dwarf made plans to find his new home.
He rode hard for several days and after asking dozens of merchants and peasants, he found the manor of Farstride and was greatly delighted to team up again with his old friend. The Fairie
offered his insight in exchange for a forever home and Vlarn agreed.
"The whole village is a wreck, the manor itself is a shack and most of the peasants ran off. I need to get some peasants to come back here." said the Dwarf to no-one. He traveled to a nearby city that day and posted "labor wanted" posters all over in the hopes that men and women that were "down on their luck" would agree to come live and work at his manor. He traveled back to the village and rounded up the remaining peasants to tear down the ramshackle manor and build something nicer and warmer. Soon a flood of sixty new families arrived and swore fealty to him and he got them into tasks and assigned them plots of land to build their huts. He finished the manor and built a new barn all before the winter hit.
Spring and Summer came after a long and unproductive winter and the Dwarf made sure that everyone was plowing and planting and the remainder were working the beehives and tending to the cattle. Vlarn received a messenger dwarf from his hold. The Thane was dead and his clan wished him to return and assume his place as the head of the clan but he shook his head and sent a message that he was happy here as a vassal of a certain human king but he did ask that his fiancee Moira come to him. They reunited and married that year at the manor temple. Life was good but fate would soon throw in a curve ball.
More to come.....
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