The Second Servant

"...and she came like a Fury, down from the north, and the land quailed at her coming" - Tome VII "The Legends of the Ironfists", Azanulimbar-dum II 2805

Turn13.

Tewo's Legend

As Meraina guides her horse slowly into the yard of the only tavern in Buhr Criocha, a new sound comes strongly over the general sounds of the recovering village - A bell. A dull, monotonous but regular clanging comes from somewhere up towards the center of the village. Not knowing its meaning, the southern woman steps down from her mount tying it to the railing and makes her way into the common room where a group of assorted mavericks have assembled.
The three Dwarves are present as is the Elven woman, but her compatriots seem to be missing. However, a new individual takes most of her attention from where he stands near to the front door, carefully guarded by the towering figure of Gwalchmai. Upon first impressions it seems to Meraina that the group has captured a Szreldorn warrior but by their strangely relaxed attitude to this person, it cannot be the case as he is not tied or hindered in any way.

Froin is the first to spot the woman. "Ah, Meraina. Welcome once again. So you left us hurriedly only to finally return. Well, many things have changed since you took flight. I see your look and I feel I should explain, not just to you but to everyone here. This...is Relg of the Fist. Not a Szreldor, by his own admission, but a warrior-lord of the Gargath people. I, personally, have a belief that what he says has some truth to it for us Dwarves in the Iron Hills, have some knowledge out of our own lands. Perhaps Tewo here, being wiser by many years than myself, can explain." Froin bows his head in deference to the older Dwarf who smiles in acknowledgement and stands, tugging his white beard smooth with one hand as he takes a stand before the group.

Pausing to collect his thoughts, Tewo begins his oratory:
"Well! Many of you no doubt know some of what I will mention but for the sake of those who do not, I shall step back with you in time; to the time when man was a simple hunter of these lands and his kingdom was small. His predecessors had come out of the east to settle the rich and fertile lands between the two rivers, that the Elves name Celduin and Carnen, many centuries before - but they were not the first. The Elves had also migrated out of the far east but tarried only within the deep forests and left the plains empty for the Secondborn who would come after. The Dwarves of my own line and of Boldor's and Froin's had delved beneath the Grey Mountains for a time almost as long as the Elves and the lands were divided between the Khazad of Durin and of Thelor, his brother.

It was nigh-on the year of 1650 of this Age, by your own mannish reckoning, that the two Dwarf tribes set their territories firm and Thelor laid claim to the eastern extent of the mountains. This meant that some of Durin's people had to find new dwellings and some of them chose to pass south and claim the hills to the east known to you as the Emyn Engrin, the Iron Hills. These rocky crags can be regarded as straddling the borders of the mannish kingdoms of east and west; the Northmen to the west and the Easterlings to the east. Now..."

Froin interrupts: "Ehum, Tewo. I don't want to interfere but I think you are starting to loose your listeners..." He smiles politely and points to Arekhel who is yawning and looking out of the window.

"Er, hum. Yes." He clears his throat. "Where was I, Ah. Anyway, the Easterling tribes were quite a degenerate society, compared to their western cousins and rumours began surfacing that their religion was dark and un-wholesome." Tewo catches the flash of anger in Relg's eyes and hurries on:
"Now, not all the Easterling peoples were like this, for some had settled the sheltered river valleys near to the mouth of the river Celduin. These people were the Gargath, of whom our friend here is representative, and they quickly turned from a nomadic lifestyle to one of herding and agriculture and traded with Durin's tribe in exchange for metal and stone implements. It was a good agreement and profited both groups but sadly did not last long for more warlike tribes of Easterlings were on the move from the south. One of these, the Szreldor, attacked the scattered homesteads of the Gargath and slowly drove them westwards, taking the land for themselves. It was this tribe that worshipped a great warrior-king from the far south known as the 'Dark Master' and in the years of 1876 and beyond, under their chaotic lord 'Korlana Szrel', ventured across the Celduin into the lands of the sister tribes - the Donath, and subjugated that people with much cruelty and death. The Szreldor were too numerous and had strange powers given them from their king, such that it was not long before the other tribes were wholly under the control of Korlana and his captains. It was then that the vicious lord introduced slavery to his new found kingdom and it has ever remained, feeding off the lives of people to this day."

Relg flinches visibly as Tewo says this last and turns to spit angrily through the open door. His countenance is dark and brooding as he chews over the Dwarf's words for a moment before saying:
"I hear what you say Loremaster, but you speak of things beyond any of our people can remember. What of now and recent years? Why has this not changed for all the centuries that you suggest? I cannot believe in this tale. Tell me more!"

Arekhel adds:
"Yes Loremaster, tell us what all this has to do with the Szreldor attacking us here; so far to the north of their own lands."

"Well, that I cannot say because I am sadly not an advisor to the present king, Korlana. Let me say first however, that the seat of power in the Szreldor lands took root in the year 1951 on the ruins of the Donath town at the mouth of the Celduin and it was named Szrel Arkasa. A frightful place of torture and execution, lavish greed and earthly lust and home to the Szreldor war-captains when not campaigning through the lands - for, as Relg will tell you, not all the Easterlings succumbed to the invasion and fled before them into the west to fight with the resident Northmen for new lands to settle.
So, between the latter years of the 1900's until the years preceeding 2260, The Szreldor of Szrel Arkasa became more settled and more degenerate as the years went on. Inner strifes caused a succession of attempted coups and some were apparently successful. The Szreldor king changed a number of times but there was little concerted action until 2266 when the Szreldor once again rode out of the gates to subjugate their kingdom. It was a similar invasion to the first and the Szreldor pushed on until their borders overran the Northmen in 2291."

The aged Loremaster pauses before his rapt audience and signals for Galgwen to bring him some liquid to quench his storytelling thirst. He then continues:

"You may wonder how I come to know these dates? Well it is because us Dwarves watched all that went on in the warring states. Always careful to show support to those with whom we traded. Thus when the Northmen west of the rivers Uldona and Donu were invaded by the Szreldor, we provided advice and better weapons and armour to the native peoples and the Szreldor forces were eventually thrown back with much loss. We can take a certain pride in this because shortly after, rumours surfaced that Korlana IV had been put to the sword before his own gates and the Szreldor command was in turmoil. His advisor's fled and peace returned once more to the borderlands."

"But Tewo," intergects Relg. "you still haven't brought this tale up to date. All this is fine for history but I want to know what is happening in the southlands now! And I also want to know who or what this Tirana Koresh is!"

"OK, ok. I will swiftly finish this tale; before everyone leaves," says the Dwarf pausing to mentally speed through the centuries. For a moment, a tremour seems to pass through him and he lifts a shaking hand to his brow in thought:

"Uh, Right. After that time the Dwarves know little, for Dragons again began to stir beyond the Grey Mountains and the Dwarves were occupied and had little communication with the lands about and...<he pauses for effect> that is the situation today, except that the Szreldor seem to be once more stirring as the hated Dragons of the north have done, pitching the races of the northlands once more into a war they can never truly win." And Tewo, Loremaster of the Longbeards sits down carefully in a nearby seat, his eyes glittering with the emotion of his tale and perhaps something more.

"A great telling Tewo. Thank you!" says Froin coming over to pat the old Dwarf on the shoulder as the others begin to move once more, relaxing tensed muscles and stretching.

"But one thing fills me with fear..." says Tewo ominously, his voice rising deeply and easily over the general murmur in the room. "It is not the first time I have heard the name, or rather the title of Tirana Koresh. But what that name portends is more dangerous to the northlands than any errant warband. Tirana Koresh is an ancient evil that I thought had died with the overthrow of Korlana IV all those years ago. If that name has returned, it has returned from over eight hundred years!!"

End of Turn 13.