How much stone? How deep? What if I find ore? How long till lunch?
Questions he had been hearing all too often since the relocation to Essalonia.
The journey across the ocean had taken its toll on the mountain people of Argost. Arnyn had wagered half the townspeople had never seen the open ocean in their lives- let alone sailed across it.
Safest bet he's ever made, Dothrak thought to himself.
The sea winds had calmed as they passed the sun-scorched coast of the Essalonian South, or so the captain had told him. It all felt the same to him as he had lain in the quarters below deck, swaying and bobbing like a night of heavy drinking.
Thankfully, the arrival had been far less unpleasant than the journey. Construction had already begun long before their arrival, the gate almost finished as they put boot to the soft sand of Essalonia.
That was months ago. Now, the gates of Argost stood proud, banners of rich sapphire blues and glimmering silvers billowing defiantly in the breeze.
Dvorin would be proud.
"Reminiscing?" said a voice behind him, audible even against the clang of pickaxes and the groaning of pulleys and dwarven engineering.
"Overseeing. And you?" Dothrak asked back, neglecting to turn away from the sight of the workers.
"Eating" said the Ailor as he leant against the balcony to see the build crews.
"Fresh game by the gate. You should try it, when you have time." he continued.
"I will… remember that." Dothrak replied, focused on the schematic laid out on the cracked stone table in front of him.
"How are the crews doing?" he asked.
"Making progress. Hungry."
"All the more reason for you to try that game."
Everyone had changed since the departure from Hadar, in their own ways. Thara spent increasing amounts of her time at work in the forge, tinkering and sketching designs long into the night. He'd seen the wall of schematics on occasion-, sprawls of yellow parchment against grey walls, etched with designs and notes for armour and weapons to tools and children's toys. The guards trained harder, at work dawn to dusk in any available open area, and the miners dug deeper. He suspected William had changed the most.
The Ailor had spent unusual amounts of time out in the wild since the resettlement- even for him. The time spent inside the newly constructed hold he devoted mostly to training, pushing himself harder than ever against the guards.
Perhaps he should say something. Eventually.
Dothrak saw him turn towards the excavated space from the corner of his eye, as he gestured towards the work crews below.
"Almost done?" he asked. Though, Dothrak had a feeling he wasn't here to discuss architecture.
"The entrance hall and vaults are complete, but the main hall…" Dothrak trailed off as he looked over the incomplete schematic in front of him.
"Well, at least now we can design our own." he finished.
"Bad blueprint?"
"Bad blueprint. Any news to report from the frontier?"
William considered that as he inspected the masoned stone of the balcony.
"Well, that's why I'm here. Remnants of Insani have established themselves to the west, with new leadership."
"New leadership? Who?"
"Didn't wait around to ask for his name."
The Ailor drew a curved knife from his right side as he continued to speak, sheath hidden beneath the folds of the cloak around him.
"I've seen this before, Dothrak. In this place, I mean. Out with the old, in with the new. New never seems to benefit anyone."
Dothrak considered that. If a warlike presence were making themselves known this early on the continent…
Bad blueprints for Argost indeed.
"To war?"
"To war. If you haven't forgotten how to use an axe, that is."
Dothrak laughed, in spite of the serious circumstances.
"Any allies in Essalonia?"
"The ones we have are not prepared to enter open war. For now, we are alone."
Arnyn placed no small amount of faith in Argost's fighting force. He hoped the gamble would pay off.
"They should be notified, regardless. And stop sharpening your knife on the railing, unless you want the masons after you."
William stopped as he said that, twirling the knife as he thought, before shrugging slightly.
"This? This is for you. A gift, I suppose, though I don't think the original owner intended it to be."
He didn't know what to say to that, looking blankly at the Ailor's face in the slight gloom of the cavern.
"Bandits on the road. Seems Essalonia has lost none of its murderous charm."
"You should be more careful. Wouldn't want a Lord of Argost waylaid by vagabonds."
William laughed at that, placing the knife on the table before turning towards the entrance he'd come from. "He wasn't."
"Where to now?" Dothrak asked as William exited.
He could hear the Ailor stop upon hearing his question.
"Somewhere dangerous."
Tl;DR Argost declare war on Insani, as well as their allies. If you are allied to Insani and Argost, chances are you've been enemied by us. Make a choice.
Also trying to restructure my character a bit to make him less emo and serious all the time.
Oh ye and Mazzr makes dank build schematics as you can see from the post xx
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