While the high elves hastily convened a meeting to discuss how to rescue the little queen, War Leader Tyrion quickly gathered all available forces, taking with him most of Ulthuan's legendary heroes and elite troops, and set off at full speed toward the Old World.
In the Old World, within the World's Edge Mountains, at the Everpeak, in the Ancestral Hall of the dwarves, the Kings' Assembly was held once again after many, many years. The topic of discussion was the same as that of the high elves: the annihilation of the high elf and dwarf envoy delegations and the disappearance of the Everqueen Alarielle.
Beneath the golden spires, under the gaze of the dwarven ancestor statues, the solemn sounds of drums and horns echoed through the grand halls and corridors of Karaz-a-Karak.
Hundreds of coffins were carried into the tombs by Eternal Guards and dwarf priests, chanting prayers. Fine dwarf ale was poured onto the thick stone slabs, and the gates of the Hall of Ancestors opened as the procession continued, until the collected remains of the dwarves were laid to rest.
The dwarves marched in silence. Above the long procession, the final crescendo of drums and horns reverberated through the halls and corridors.
High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer's eyes were filled with tears as he stood before the mutilated body of his distant nephew, Dorin Ironhelm. The dwarf warrior's body had been encased in gold and silver. Thorgrim opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he simply nodded. "You have gone ahead of us, Dorin. You were a true dwarf, worthy of the name."
There were no hymns, no tears—only silence. A silence heavy with suppressed rage and infinite hatred. Every dwarf warrior present clenched their fists, gritting their teeth, their long beards trembling as if engraving this moment deep into their memories.
Marquis Lucien of the Badlands, Marshal of Bretonnia, watched the scene with a complex expression, feeling deeply uncomfortable.
"Never seen such a large-scale dwarf funeral before?" The voice of King Belegar Ironhammer of Karak Eight Peaks came from beside Lucien. Belegar, accompanied by his queen, Kemma, approached. The King of Eight Peaks spoke with a mix of sorrow and pride as he took a large mug of dwarf ale from his Ankorian Oathsworn and poured it over several dwarven coffins. "Warriors, drink deeply in the halls of our ancestors and in the next world! May the living stand tall, and may the dead rest in peace! May the mountains and mines forever echo with our voices!"
"May the living stand tall, and may the dead rest in peace! May the mountains and mines forever echo with our voices!" All the dwarves raised their mugs.
Cheers!
Marshal Lucien and his personal guard, the Varangian Guard, also raised their mugs. These men, who had made their living in the Badlands and mountains, no longer looked like knights but more like a band of fierce outlaws, each wielding a two-handed axe, ready to chop down greenskins with ease!
After the ceremony, the Kings' Assembly officially began in the Everpeak's Throne Hall.
The attending dwarf kings were:
- Karaz-a-Karak, High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer.
- Karak Kadrin, Slayer King Ungrim Ironfist.
- Karak Eight Peaks, the true King of Eight Peaks, Belegar Ironhammer.
- Karak Ziflin, King of Barak Varr, Byrnoth Grundadrakk.
- Karak Azul, King of Karak Azul, Kazador Dragonslayer.
- Karak Hirn, King of Karak Hirn, Alrik Ranulfsson.
- Karak Drazh, King of Karak Drazh, Josef Bugman, master brewer and the most renowned brewer in the Old World.
These were the main dwarf kings in attendance, along with a few kings from smaller dwarf holds (with populations under a thousand), who will not be mentioned further.
In addition to the kings, the assembly also included the Everpeak's Chief Engineer, Grimm Burloksson, and the Runesmiths' Guild Master, Kragg the Grim.
Lucien and Durant sat at the end of the table as vassals of Belegar, seated behind the King of Eight Peaks. To their left were the Eternal Guards, and to their right were the Daemon Slayers of Karak Kadrin. In front of them were the Ankorian Oathsworn. After the reclamation of Karak Eight Peaks, many new faces had joined the Oathsworn, as the young dwarves had proven themselves in blood and fire.
Allowing these humans to participate in the Kings' Assembly was a special reward. Thorgrim aimed to commend and thank the Three Guardians of the Badlands for their recent significant contribution.
Just two months ago, the famous Bugman's Brewery, located at the foot of the Black Mountains deep in the Border Princes, was attacked by a large tribe of nomadic goblins. At the time, Master Bugman was personally delivering fifty wagons of Bugman's XXXXXX premium stout to Emperor Karl Franz. The defenders were quickly overwhelmed, and the brewery was nearly lost.
Fortunately, Durant, the Border Baron of Bretonnia, who had been humiliated by the high elves at Barak Varr, happened to be passing by with his few hundred soldiers from the Three Guardians of the Badlands, originally tasked with escorting the little queen. Seeing the rising black smoke, the soldiers of the Army of the Vault quickly decided to aid Bugman's Brewery and, at the last moment, drove off the greenskins, saving the brewery.
Durant and his soldiers likely didn't think they had done anything extraordinary. When Master Bugman returned and thanked Durant by shaking his hand, the Border Baron jokingly said that if he really wanted to thank him, he should be more polite and take him to visit the Everpeak.
The result was Master Bugman's enthusiastic agreement, leading to today's visit to the Everpeak. Even the most human-averse dwarf kings, such as King Baragor of Karak Ziflin, came to express their gratitude.
It seems humans still don't fully understand what fine, thick ale means to dwarves.
After the brief ceremonies and High King Thorgrim's customary opening remarks, the High King addressed the matter that concerned everyone most.
"Based on the available intelligence, we can now confirm that the culprit is the last vampire count, Mannfred von Carstein, and his undead army. They orchestrated and carried out this tragedy. By Grungni, we will have our revenge. The Dammaz Kron will record a new grudge," Thorgrim said, his white beard flecked with ale foam. "This is a heavy blow to the dwarves. By Valaya, a thousand fine dwarves have fallen. This forces us to temporarily set aside our plans to explore Karak Varn and attempt to reclaim Red Eye Mountain."
"Damn the undead!" Belegar was the first to roar. The King of Eight Peaks slammed his fist against his Shield of Defiance, cursing, "According to reports from the Three Guardians of the Badlands and the rangers of Karak Eight Peaks, the undead headed south, past Dragon's Reach, without stopping."
"The undead clearly had a purpose. It's still unclear what scheme they have in kidnapping the pointy-eared little queen," King Byrnoth of Barak Varr asked Belegar, "King Belegar, do you have any leads?"
"Byrnoth, the envoys passed through your territory, and now you're asking me?" Belegar waved his hand impatiently but still signaled his Oathsworn to retrieve a piece of shattered dwarf armor with jagged cracks, showing it to the assembly.
The armor was passed around among the dwarf kings.
"These cracks... it's Krell!"
"Exactly! It's him!"
"That despicable butcher, Krell! By Grimnir, is there truly no way to kill him for good?"
The dwarves had faced Krell, the Chaos Champion resurrected and controlled by the undead, countless times. Almost every dwarf kingdom's Book of Grudges had Krell's name in it.
"Krell's involvement means that besides Mannfred, other undead forces also participated in this attack," Slayer King Ungrim Ironfist held the shattered armor and handed it to his son. The Slayer King pondered for a moment before addressing the High King. "My High King, the dwarves must remember our grudges and fulfill our oaths. We must act!"
"Act? Tell me, Ungrim, how should we act?" Thorgrim Grudgebearer remained deeply troubled. The High King was flipping through the Great Book of Grudges, which contained many settled grudges but also many unresolved ones. "We don't even know where the undead have gone."
"But we know where the pointy-ears are!" King Alrik of Karak Hirn roared. "Let's march on them now! This is all the pointy-ears' fault! If it weren't for hosting their envoy delegation, the dwarves wouldn't have suffered such losses!"
King Baragor of Karak Ziflin was also agitated. "I said it 200 years ago: the pointy-ears are nothing but ungrateful losers who ruin everything. My High King, look at them—what do they do besides playing their阴谋诡计 (schemes) and making things worse? I say humans are better than the pointy-ears."
"Unacceptable!" King Kazador of Karak Azul also spoke up. "Your Majesty, give the order."
"Yes, Your Majesty, give the order. We will cleanse this grudge with hammers and axes!"
"The oath of vengeance must be fulfilled."
"Send envoys immediately to demand an explanation from the high elves. What are their intentions?"
"Blood must be repaid with blood!"
High King Thorgrim lightly tapped the table, signaling for silence. "Quiet."
"..." The dwarf kings stopped arguing and looked up at Thorgrim on the High King's throne.
"Petty grudges and meaningless disputes will only bring ruin to the dwarves," Thorgrim shook his head. The High King addressed the assembly, "I ask you a few questions, kings of the dwarves."
"First, were Dorin Ironhelm and the others killed by the pointy-ears?"
"Second, did the high elf envoy delegation and the Everqueen come uninvited?"
"Third, where did the high elf envoy delegation meet their fate?"
None of the dwarf kings answered.
"What? All of you were so fierce and loud earlier, but now you're silent?" Thorgrim let out a cold laugh from deep within his nostrils. The High King's expression softened slightly. "Belegar, you were the loudest earlier. You speak."
"Dorin and the others... were killed by the undead. The high elf envoy delegation... came to the Old World with Valaya's and Your Majesty's permission. They landed at Barak Varr and met their fate in the Border Princes," Belegar said with a sigh. "A tragedy for our people."
"Then the matter is clear. Ungrim, you tell me, do we bear any responsibility in this?" Thorgrim turned to the Slayer King.
The Slayer King muttered a curse under his breath, too low for anyone to hear.
"Ungrim?"
"According to the Book of Grudges, once an envoy delegation enters dwarf territory and is received by dwarves, they are under dwarf protection. If something happens, it is, in theory, our responsibility," Belegar answered in Ungrim's place. The King of Eight Peaks stroked his white beard and shook his head helplessly. "No matter how you look at it, yes, we failed to protect them."
This Belegar is getting more and more arrogant, Thorgrim thought to himself.
But the High King had no time to reprimand Belegar, as the King of Eight Peaks was one of the few dwarf kings who had successfully reclaimed his ancestral hold. Moreover, the Great Vortex required Belegar's maintenance and protection. Thorgrim continued along Belegar's line of reasoning. "Belegar is right. The dwarves never forgive any grudge, but we also never shirk any responsibility. Since we invited the pointy-ears and the incident occurred on our territory, it is our responsibility. Seeking vengeance against the pointy-ears now would be unjustified, both emotionally and logically."
"But..." Kragg the Grim, Master of the Runesmiths' Guild, looked at the High King in disbelief. "Are we just going to let this go? That was Dorin and a thousand dwarf warriors!"
"I didn't say we would let it go," Thorgrim explained to Kragg. "But in this matter, the dwarves were ultimately negligent in our protection. When guests invited into our home meet with disaster, do we blame the guests or the hosts?"
"Yes, but I suspect the pointy-ears may have had some scheme or involvement in this. I will not place my trust in them," Kragg was conservative and stubborn, but it also meant he deeply respected honor and tradition.
"I will send people to investigate this thoroughly," Thorgrim addressed the dwarf kings. "Remember, until the investigation is complete, no one is to take private revenge against the pointy-ears or the undead. The undead are powerful, and the pointy-ears' stance is unclear. What we need now is to be as steadfast and unyielding as stone."
"Yes!" The dwarf kings all nodded.
King Byrnoth of Barak Varr thought for a moment and asked, "But Your Majesty, the pointy-ears will surely not remain idle. What if they come to demand answers or attack us?"
"That is indeed a concern, but the pointy-ears will have to pass through human territory before reaching us," the High King nodded. "Send envoys ahead to inquire if there is anything we can assist with. Let us try to avoid a repeat of the War of Vengeance. But if they want to fight, we will meet them head-on."
The dwarf kings all responded loudly, "We will meet them head-on!"
"Oh, and the knights and soldiers of the Three Guardians of the Badlands should not be involved in this. They should return to Karak Eight Peaks with Belegar," Thorgrim instructed Lucien and Durant. The High King frowned. "I understand the pointy-ears. They must be seething with rage right now. Whatever you do now will be wrong. Stay out of this. This is a matter for the dwarves. Let the dwarves bear the brunt of their anger! You are friends of the dwarves, and we will not put our friends in a difficult position."
"Thank you!" Both Lucien and Durant stood to express their gratitude.
Thorgrim Grudgebearer's gaze turned to the heights of the Everpeak's Ancestral Hall. Beneath the dome, almost identical to that of the Phoenix Court in Lothern, hung dozens of heavy tapestries depicting ancient tales. Many of the tapestries had faded or were damaged, but one could still make out the story of a strong dwarf king and a dragon-riding elven general standing side by side against the tide of Chaos.
Thousands of years had passed. The friendship of old was gone, leaving only endless grudges and mutual decline.
"Ancestor Snorri, guide your descendant, Thorgrim of the line of Drazhklad!"
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