[Jean] Chapter 15: Capital of Drugan, Kherngolarr, Last City of Dwarves

Throndir · June 08, 2019, 12:17:10 PM

《Chapter 15: Capital of Drugan, Kherngolarr, Last City of Dwarves》

When you neared the structure, you noticed grooves in it that attempted to disguise itself as part of the rock itself. It was expertly done, however, the grooves were indeed noticeably through inspection. Not only that, the stone wasn't as cold as you would have expected. With how cold the weather was, there was some warmth from it as well. It was at that moment that the grooves started to move.

QuoteOne round of actions here if you would like, but moving the scene on.

A slab of the stone moved out of the way moving downwards, and you realized it was a door of some sort. Once the stone was removed, it revealed a room inside that radiated warmth and heat. In front of you was a short girl. She had pointed ears, though, they were short and didn't look like elven ears. She sported pony tails that were curled up and well-maintained. A dress of primarily white and pink. But what caught your attention the most was the large right gauntlet she wore. Along with a giant axe that was just about her size strapped to her back.

"Sae ye mist be th' fallen hero everybody's bin talking aboot. They ca' me Lili Seadhg, princess o' th' dwarven kingdom o' Drugan. Come wi' me wa dornt ye."

pringerbeam · June 08, 2019, 01:39:43 PM

Jean was taken aback by the appearance of the girl but was relieved by her surprising hospitality and even more surprised by her seeming to know who he was. "Oh... Well I got to say I didn't expect to not have to murder another giant aggressive monster of some kind..." Remarked Jean as he stepped into the shelter. "So... Princess? Thank you for the hospitality." He looked around to get a bearing on the new surroundings. He relaxed his grip on Ren's shoulder to let his arm circle around her hip. "I'm Jean Valois: a hero that hesitates to refer to himself as fallen, dead a few times over sure, but maybe not fallen. And this is Ren: one of my companions. He motioned with his free hand at Ren. "So uh... Where exactly are we?"

Throndir · June 08, 2019, 06:46:37 PM

"That's reit. A'm a princess. 'N' yer th' fallen hero. Bit lik' it or nae, that's whit oor priests hae bin cawin ye. Th' fallen hero o' th' win` priests." She strode over to look examine Ren. "Your companion is a wee bit streenge... Whit's she?" After a full circle around the two of you, she eventually was back in front.

"But come in. Normally a'd say 'make yersel' welcome'... Bit... Ye'r nae exactly welcome. Ah didnae pure git a' body's blessing tae come up 'ere. Bit ye'r a hero, sae ye cannae be that bad. Ye'r suppose tae be th' hope o' th' world, aam nae gonnae pass judgement til ah git tae know ye."

The room inside the tower like object wasn't very large. However, there was an elevated platform nearer the back end of it, about a 5 ft. by 5 ft. square area, along with a table and a chair in the cramped room. There didn't seem to any stairs that went down however. She eventually sat in the chair. Once you came in, the door behind you started to shut itself. The only light in the room came from a few crystals embedded in the ceiling. They shone brightly so you could still see well.

"Th' rest o' th' kingdom know ye'r up 'ere. 'N' tae be honest, thir's a ruckus back home wi' deciding whit tae dae wi' ye. Hauf th' dwarves wantae gie ye oor treasures tae fight against th' demons. Th' ither hauf, th' priests, wantae murdurr ye. Come sit, tell me, how come th' goddess angry at ye?"

QuoteAlso let me know if you want an actual translation, lol

pringerbeam · June 08, 2019, 07:27:57 PM

"She's not from around here." Said Jean with a pat on Ren's rump. He watched the door close behind them and seeing the only chair taken by the princess he sat down in the middle of the floor, still keeping Ren close by his side. "Home? Where exactly is that? And how do you know about me? Whoever your people are, I'm pretty sure I haven't met any of them to make that bad of an impression. I mean so far I haven't even restrained and stripped you and even when that's happened before things seemed to work out." Jean looked around the sparsely furnished room. "What is this place anyways? Hardly seems like the home of a beautiful princess like yourself. Not that I'd prefer to freeze too death outside. Oh that reminds me. Let me know when the moon is at its highest. I have another companion on the way and she's much less resistant to the cold than we are."

Throndir · June 09, 2019, 01:08:55 PM

When you decided to sit on the floor, Ren transformed her own tentacles into a chair, and with that gave yourself a place to sit on.

"Ah personally dinnae know aboot ye. Tis th' priests o' mah kingdom that dae. Oor goddess o' earth communes wi' thaim, 'n' thay commune wi' her. Thay wur tellt that yin o' th' heroes... Ye specifically... Ur th' enemy." She waved her hand around the room as she giggled.

"This room is juist an outpost. Usually we hae a guard up 'ere, bit ah hud him tak' a break sae that ah kin speak wi' ye. Ah kin shaw ye th' rest o' th' kingdom if you'd lik', bit a'm awready in hot water juist talking tae ye."

pringerbeam · June 09, 2019, 02:03:38 PM

"The earth goddess... So then you're allied with the treants? I guess that makes sense then as to why your priests may have a problem with me. In fairness though, they attacked first. I was only standing my ground in a fight I didn't start. For all I knew they were feral monsters out to kill the people under my protection. That was something I could not let happen... Oh, thank you Ren..." Jean got up off the floor and sat back into the embrace of Ren's chair, sliding his hands up and down the armrests as he thought about the princess's words. He leaned one arm on the rest to set his temple against his fist while the other hand's fingers absentmindedly tapped on the other armrest. "Well I'd like to say I'm not the enemy of any of the people of this world, only the demons. You see your highness, I am highly motivated to settle an old score with them and I would take the help and friendship of anyone willing to aid me. It's hardly advantageous for me to go and make more enemies when I have such a vast horde of foes to kill first. Did your priests tell you why I am supposed to be your enemy? I have no idea what I could have done to offend them beyond this quarrel with the treants. Though... I don't seem to get along well with my summoner's priests either. It probably comes from the world I was summoned from. I had long relegated the idea of gods and magic to nothing more than myth and fantasy when I was brought into this world and it seems the clergy don't appreciate my views on their religion."

Jean's eyes searched the room for a window with which he could view the moon. "The craftsmanship of this building is interesting. From outside at a distance it seemed almost as if a natural part of the mountain until I got closer and even then it didn't look like a building I would recognize that easily. Not to mention the door. Is your whole kingdom built in such a fashion? That would explain why we didn't see anything that might look like a civilization from the sky. I would love to see the majesty of your kingdom but if you find it politically problematic then I can sit here. We were only seeking safety from the treants that were chasing us and planned on moving on after resting ourselves. First though, regardless of what you decide, I would like to wait for my other companion. After that we can leave if you need us to. You have already probably saved out lives letting us come here. Do you mind if I ask what made you go out on a limb for us? I'm not much of a hero. My kill to death ratio slants hard in the negative direction so I don't know if investing me with your treasures is the greatest idea but I would welcome the resources if only to help the people that summoned me."

Jean was beginning to feel relaxed in this place. He had not realized it until he sat down but he was growing tired from the long day. Even with his break to bathe earlier, he felt weary from the near constant exertion. "I hope Dalina and Gust are alright. The last time I separated from my summoner like this I wound up dead... Of course, that may still be in the cards." He said with a wink and a nod to the princess and her axe. "How are you holding up Ren? Does making a chair like this tire you? If it does you should take a break. It's been a very long day and I would like to think that both of us should take advantage of our host's hospitality. Maybe you could use me as a chair instead? Or at the very least I could give you a place to rest your head."

Throndir · June 09, 2019, 08:05:49 PM

"Tis more than that. Thare is a prophecy that hud bin debated fur centuries. That prophecy states 'the hero o' th' win` priests shall bring ruin'. 'twas aye vague, bit in th' bygane few weeks many o' th' priests hae bin clamoring fur us tae break oor isolation. Then... Juist earlier th'day whin one o' th' priests spoke wi' th' dryads... Weel, that made it fur sure fur thaim. Personally, ah think tis awfy much o' an accusation tae pure condemn someone, much less a hero. Bit people o' faith are difficult tae convince.

This outpost would be whit oor buildings look lik', back whin a lairge portion o' oor kingdom wis above ground at least. We weren't in these parts o' th' mountains either. Mah faither tellt me oor lairgest cities 'n' civilization were far tae th' east, bit... All of a sudden thay disappeared, replaced wi' lands full o' demons. Anyways, if ye lik' howfur this outpost looks, ye wilnae believe whit tis lik' underground. Us dwarves are more advanced than th' humans or th' elves in magic engineering.

As fur why ah cam up 'ere tae talk wit ye, weel, a'm waantin' mah people tae break thair isolation. Plus, ye'r th' furst hero that's come near enough tae talk lik' this."

The girl grinned when you mentioned her axe. "Don't worry mah axe is juist fur protection."

"Anyways, we kin wait fur yer companion 'ere then. Ah hud seen ye traivelin up 'ere thro' th' blizzard. Bit ah didnae expect you'd be up 'ere sae quickly. If we are tae wait fur when th' moon is th' highest... That'd aye be aroond four hours fae noo. It shuid hopefully be safe tae have ye tak' a look at th' city if you'd lik'. Ah kin uise mah authority incase we run intae anyone."

Ren shook her head. "It doesn't tire me, master." Ren said. "I want to be able to serve... But..." She paused for a moment. "Where can I rest my head?" Ren said slyly as she licked her lips.

pringerbeam · June 09, 2019, 09:05:07 PM

"Anywhere and anyway you want Ren." Replied Jean with an equally sly grin. "But I guess that will have to wait until later as our host is offering a tour." He said as he got up from Ren's chair. "And I assume that her people don't approve of what you might have in mind occurring in the presence of royalty. Unless I am mistaken?" he said with a raised eyebrow and smirk to the princess. "My apologies if my companion's displays of affection make you uncomfortable. She's not used to the rules of civilization. I try to accommodate her appetites and teach her the ways of society..." He said as he wrapped an arm around Ren's waist and snaked his finger along where her "skirt" met her skin, stopping just below her navel. "But her desire to serve is near insatiable and she still has a long way to go. In the meantime, I think you might just want to think of her as my consort much like what I am sure a lovely and beautiful princess such as yourself must have several of." He withdrew his hand from around Ren, drawing his finger across her skin as he turned away to look back where they had entered the room.

Jean crossed the room back to where the door once was and ran his fingers along what he thought was the edge. "So... How do you open this door? I am guessing from what you said earlier that your kingdom is elsewhere. Entered by some similarly hidden gatehouse? For all I know we walked right by it in the blizzard! How exactly do you construct your dwellings by the way. Is it through magic? The technology back in my original world would have a difficult time replicating such a facade."

Throndir · June 10, 2019, 11:16:34 PM

Ren only licked her lips more, then started to coil herself around you when you wrapped an arm around her.

The princess at first didn't know how to react from it all as a hint of a blush started to appear on her features. When you mentioned consorts she only widened her eyes in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. "A-ah... No ah don't-" She glanced away. "O' coorse ah hae consorts! A'm a princess," she mumbled. Her voice had some uncertainty in it. "Ah do adult things all th' time." When she said this she was blushing fiercely. "A little bit o' affection is not enough tae mak' me lose mah mynd or anythin'!"

She managed to get her blushing more under control, and her hesitance was replaced by a hint of pride when she started to talk about the door. "Th' door is a combination o' magic 'n' engineering. Th' door automatically closes efter a few seconds if tis left open. Bit if ah wanted to, ah kin close it as weel." The princess pointed towards the back wall. "Thir's a control panel ower thare whilk controls th' functions o' this outpost. As fur th' facade, that is a product o' oor craftsmen." She then went towards the platform at the back. She seemed to open a panel in the wall, revealing what looked to be a metallic panel with buttons on it. This was perhaps the first time you had seen something technological in the world so far. "Come step oan th' platform. Ah will shaw ye how it wirks 'n' mibbie ye kin git git glimpse o' oor city. So, fallen hero o' th' win` priests..." She said as she reached her hand out to you to step on the platform. "Whit's yer name?"

pringerbeam · June 10, 2019, 11:33:33 PM

"Jean, Jean Valois." Said Jean as he took the princess's hand to kiss the back of it, taking a knee and bending to better match her height. "A hero of apparently greater renown than I thought." He stood up and walked up next to her on the platform. "So what powers that?" He asked, indicating the panel. "Magic or electricity?"

Throndir · June 11, 2019, 07:31:55 PM

"Well, Jean, and Jean's "

Once you and Ren stepped up onto the platform with her. You realized that the platform was really more like cylindrical mini-room. It had enough space to fit you, Ren, and the short princess, along with perhaps a couple others. The panel was clearly labeled, though, from your glance of it, the fact they quickly changed before your very eyes told you that they were written in a different language. There were a couple of buttons with numbers on them that range from 1 to 6. 1 was placed on the bottom, while 6 was on the top. Along with that, there were other buttons that were labeled with symbols, so the translation didn't take into effect. The symbols was one of something that looked like it was exploding, and then another one with a picture of a door on it.

"A bit o' both." She said, grinning.

She then pressed the lowest number, and the entrance to that mini-room closed up. At the same time, the crystals that were aligned at the top of the cylindrical room started to glow brighter. Once the door was closed it started to move, it was the same sensation as an elevator. There was a whirring sound coming from somewhere, and for a brief moment you felt like you were floating in free fall. Ren actually had to reach out to grab you with her tentacles once she realized you were simply headed straight towards the ceiling.

"Whoa that doesn't normally happen... Ye a'right?"

pringerbeam · June 11, 2019, 08:04:10 PM

Jean pulled himself closer to Ren after she stopped him from floating off from the elevator platform and hitting the ceiling. He kept an arm snugly around her as they descended. "Not normally, no it seems to be a side effect of trying to push my powers a bit too far. I should be fine. Thank you Ren." He said as Ren pulled him down to the floor. "For now, don't let go of me. In fact, go wild with those tentacles as long as you don't restrict my movement." He said as he took one of her tentacles and wrapped it around his waist. He then proceeded to wrap one around each of his legs to give himself a feeling of being grounded.

After letting Ren get a better grip on him, Jean set his free hand on his hip and looked around the walls. "Man... Central heating, elevators... It's almost like being back in my world. And you said it uses some electricity? I guess I jumped the gun when I was talking to Karn." He stopped looking around to stare ahead at the elevator door as was used to doing back home. "So, while we wait, why don't you tell me about your people?" He said, looking to his side at the princess. "It sounds like your people know an awful lot about me so I think it's only fair that I get to know about you. You said that you've been isolated for a long time. Do any of the other inhabitants of the land know of your existence? You said your priests were talking with the dryads but their treants didn't seem to be that talkative."

Throndir · June 12, 2019, 12:18:12 AM

"Aye, th' electricity is a mix o' air 'n' fire magic. We have mana crystals to charge thaim, 'n' have lines connecting thaim to each crystal cluster nodes. That's whit powers this lift. It goes at aboot 70 feet per seicont. " he princess explained with a hint of pride in her voice. "The people o' th' stone, th' dwarves, have some relation with th' dryads who are th' protectors o' th' forests. We both worship th' same goddess, th' Goddess o' Earth. Bit aye, we've isolated ourselves fur a hunner years aboot. We used to have our kingdom far to th' east... Bit th' mountain ranges disappeared replaced by th' demons. Efter that, we went into hiding. We dug deeper into th' lands... Dug farther than we ever did before... 'n' that's whaur we found somethin' interesting...

It's whit helped us figure oot all o' this in the last few decades." She said making a sweeping motion towards the panel and the elevator.

"It'll be anither minute or two til we mak' it to our destination. Ah have loads o' stories, whit dae yi'll want to hear?"

pringerbeam · June 12, 2019, 12:47:09 AM

"Fire and wind to make electricity... Interesting... I guess I can see the logic but I don't know if I would have figured it out on my own." Mused Jean. "I would ask for whichever story you normally like to tell visitors but it sounds like you don't usually have those. So I guess I'll ask about the only thing know much about: you. Tell me about yourself. How old are you? If you're the princess, who's the king? Where in the succession are you? How often do you get to use that axe?" He asked with another nod to the weapon that seemed oversized on her petite frame.

Throndir · June 12, 2019, 01:59:21 PM

"A'm 38 years auld. Now, afore ye stairt saying something about me age, ah know ye folk live only hauf as lang as we do. Ah'am not that auld! Howfur aboot yersel'? And yer companion here. Ah don't even know whit kind o' monster- person she is. A'most reminds me o' some o' th' monsters down in th' deepest caves." Lili said glancing at Ren.

"As fur th' king, that wid be faither, Goran Seadhg. Ah don't have any ither siblings, so mibbie ye cuid say ah'm next in line. N' as fur th' axe, thir's dangers in th' deeper bits o' th' world. Us dwarves aren't as dainty as th' queens 'n' kings o' th' surface-dwellers. Ye bet mah faither and ah are along with our ither warriors at th' front protecting whit remains o' our land." She reslung the axe back on her shoulders easily.

"Tis gotten a lot o' uise."