Friends in a Foreign Land

The next morning the party headed to table where they had sat with Gito the previous day. When they arrived, Gito was sitting with a woman they hadn’t met. Small talk was made but the lady never introduced herself and seemed content just eating her breakfast and listening to the conversation. Gito let them know that their training had been expanded. "After speakin' wi' ye lot yesterday I got ta thinkin' that ye aren't used to being dwarves. As happy as I am that the gods made ye into the best race, 'cepting you Wendell, I'll not have ye going around not knowing what being a dwarf is all about. You'll spend some time learning our history and culture.

Ye'll no doubt catch wind of murmurs from tha others whilst yer time here, callin' ye Twiceborn or Migrant Spirit. These be tha terms used on Traum fer those who hailed from other worlds. Yet, these words mark ye fer trouble, so ye'll want ta keep that under yer helm as best as ye can. In Kan Ladur, ye'll nae have much ta fear, but once ye step beyond, ah, tha world brims with folk lookin' ta make their fortune off others.”

"Excuse me, sir," Celeste cut in, "Are you saying that it's common for gods to bring people here from other worlds?"

Gito sighed before continuing, "Nay, lass, not common at all. Tha average dwarf will likely n'er cross paths with a Twiceborn, and those who do, will n'er meet more than one. Yet, most claim they know a Twiceborn or that an ancestor of theirs was one. Thieves guilds and other less than reputable organizations train their eyes ta always be on tha lookout for Twiceborn, fer it's believed tha gods bless ye lot with enchanted gear and a hefty sum of coin. I shiver at tha thought of how many Twiceborn may have been brought ta Traum only ta be robbed and slain before finding their footing. Others are killed fer what ye represent. Twiceborn bring change. They are agents of chaos. Ta tha point that many in tha halls of power do whatever they can ta quell any Twiceborn in their realm.

"But that's tha common worry. Ye lot aren't common. We've looked, and nay records exist of a group of Twiceborn bein' brought over together. And from what ye told me last night, ye all are one of three groups brought over.” At this, the lady next to Gito choked on her food and had to grab her drink. Gito paused until she recovered and then continued, “As I was saying, being that ye lot are one of three groups, well… it’s unheard of. By my beard, tis terrifying. Our histories are chock-full of tales of a single Twiceborn bringin' kingdoms ta their knees. Of a single Twiceborn spurin us forward in way we dinnae expect. Tha thought of what tha gods plan ta do with three groups of ye has those in tha know on edge. So we're goin' ta teach ye how ta blend in. Ta behave as dwarves would.

“Wendell, son, ye are welcome in this trainin' as well, fer everyone would be better off if they acted as we dwarves do. Tha Goddess Biliki let me know that ye'll be meetin' a teacher of yer own eventually, so I’ll leave that in yer hands.”

“Who will you have teaching us how to be a dwarf?” Dakota asked.

“That’ll be this lass next to me who’s still learning to chew her food. Probably only at level 3 in her eatin skill.” Gito said in a teasing tone before saying in a more serious voice, “Assuming she’s decided to take the job.”

“Aye you old ram, I’ll take the job and do a might bit better at it than anyone else you have.” Looking to the group she continued in a curt tone, “Name’s Azna. I have on occasion taught others but never this topic and never at tha level that you’ll need. You’re basically children. As a result I’m sure I’m going ta miss a lot of things that adults take for granted. I expect you’ll have loads of questions for me. Just ask 'em one at a time and we’ll get through this.”

Gito looked on with a grin that spoke of satisfaction, “Ye lot are in good hands. She can be gruff but bear with her. Now, git off to class.”

At this, the party all stood and followed Azna. She lead them to another part of the Bloodbeard estate, to a room with a variety of chairs and couches set in a semicircle in front of a blackboard that was mounted on a wall.

“Oh man, we really are going back to school,” exclaimed Wendell as he jogged forward and plopped on one of the sofas in the room.

Once everyone was seated Azna walked over to stand in front of them. No longer hidden by the table they could see that she was shorter than nearly all of them at only three and a half feet tall.

She stood, looking off in space as if trying to figure out where to start.

Without missing a beat, Miguel spoke up, “So what’s the biggest part of being a dwarf?”

Azna grinned and held up a hand with her fingers splayed, “There's five points ta being a dwarf. I'll share 'em with ye now and we’ll break 'em down more ofer time.”

Azna counted them off on her fingers, “

Tha clan's weal above all

In yer labor, pride; through yer craft, legacy

A dwarf's oath, harder than bedrock

From tha stone, wisdom; with tha earth, harmony

United in ale and adversity, Dwarves we be.

“These be tha five guidin' principles that all dwarves follow, whether they be mountain dwarves, gray dwarves, hill dwarves, or even sea dwarves. Learn tha meanin' of each line and keep these words in ye heart and dwarves ye’ll be in truth as well as appearance.”

“Seems simple enough,” said Dakota.

Miguel grinned as he said, “I like tha part about ale.” That drew a chuckle from the guys in the room.

Azna continued on as if nothing had been said. “Tha order of these five be nae happenstance. Tha first one ‘Tha clan’s weal above all’ be tha foundin' bedrock of all dwarven society. Every society 'as rules an' rituals on how things be done. In dwarven society, any strayin' from those rules reflects back on tha clan ye be a part of. As dwarven bairns grow, they be taught 'ow ta behave an' a certain amount of leeway be given ta them until they reach adulthood. That leeway decreases as they get older until it leaves completely once a dwarf be 75 years of age.”

“Wait,” cut in Dakota, “Dwarves are considered children until they’re 75 years old?”

“Aye, Gito let me know that ye were all human afore, so I be aware that this be nearly yer entire lifespan. But for a dwarf, this be typically only a fifth of their lives. An' if yer societies be like that of tha humans on Traum, then yer age of accountability be somewhere 'round a fourth of yer own lifespans.”

“That is correct,” said Liam. “But what I believe we’re all thinking right now is, are we adults? In our world most of us were somewhere between a third and halfway through our lives. We’ve had children, gotten married, and such. So it would be really weird if we were to be treated as children all over again.”

“For now, we’re gonna treat ye all, save for Deandra, as adults. Ta anyone outside of tha Bloodbeard estate ye are adults visitin' from tha south, hence tha presence of a human wi' ye. This be why Gito 'ad ye walk part of tha city yesterday. Yer actions made it clear ta all that ye’ve ne'er been under tha mountain afore an' yer speech let them know ye didn’t grow up near dwarves.”

“I’m glad Gito put so much thought into this for us,” Miguel said.

Azna let out a breath an replied in a slightly lighter tone, “That’s just how Gito is. He can be gruff but he goes out of his way for folks that he cares about. Even when he shouldn’t.”

The next several hours passed by with Azna continuing to explain the basics of dwarven culture starting with things like how to properly haggle for a new axe to dwarven dating habits. The group asked a lot of questions and were very engaged. As it was nearing mid-day Azna started to wrap things up and about that time Gito walked into the room.

“I think we’ve covered enough for today and given you all plenty to think on. Before we part, do you all have any questions?”

Celeste spoke up, “I have one. Do people view Twiceborn as heros?"

Azna chuckled, “No. Most people view Twiceborn as myths. Even I did, before yesterday.”

“Ifin it be alright, I’d be glad ta take a swing at this one,” Gito said to Azna who motioned for him to continue.

"Nay. At least, nae by those in power. Twiceborn be seen as agents of change, oftentimes completely unintentionally.”

“How do you unintentionally cause change?” Wendell asked.

“There's a tale in our history of a Twiceborn walkin' down a city street. He saw a blacksmith replacin' tha wheel on a wagon. This man walked up ta tha blacksmith and simply pointed out how if tha smith would put small metal balls 'tween tha axle and tha wheel, it would stop both from wearin' so much. And then he walked away. The blacksmith just shook his head and went back ta work. That night whilst lyin' in bed, tha blacksmith finally understood what tha man was tellin' him. He jumped out of bed and ran ta his forge and worked fer two days in just his night clothes, never stoppin' until he had created a fittin' with ball bearings that fit 'tween tha axle and tha wheel. Within weeks this changed this man's life. In months it impacted folk all over that city. Within a year, it had altered tha world.”

Gito sighed, “Fortunes made and lost, tha world changed, from a single comment, from a single Twiceborn. And there are three groups of ye? That is terrifyin'."

The party just sat in silence as they processed everything Gito had just said.

Finally, Liam spoke up, his tone serious for once, "Do you know why the gods brought us here? They were vague about many things and just told us to go make the world a better place. To travel around and help people wherever we could."

"Tha answer ta that question is worth all tha gold in a thousand dragon hoards, Liam. If there's one thing I've learned in me 332 years of life, it's ne'er ta waste time tryin' ta figure out tha intentions of tha deities. Take yer trainin' seriously, and let yer friends know ta do tha same. Get as prepared as ye can. But then just live yer life until they tell ye ta do otherwise. Ye may accomplish what they want without ever knowin', or ye might be woken up tonight and sent ta slay a monstrosity from some nightmare realm that ye lot are somehow uniquely qualified ta fight. Tha only guidance I can give is ne'er ta assume they brought ye here fer a single purpose. Tha gods don't waste their power, and they used a lot ta bring so many of ye here. They will want a return on that investment and probably have a list of things they want ye lot ta accomplish. But ye'll ne'er see that list so ye might as well train, prepare, and then just live yer lives. Now, get movin'. Time ta head ta tha forge.”

The party left the classroom and found Branleen waiting in the hall for them. “I’ll lead you to Renir’s.”

As the party left following Branleen, Gito looked to Azna, “Well. D'ye think ye can teach 'em?”

“Aye, I can teach 'em. Can ye actually do what ye claimed?”

Gito nodded, “One way or another.”