[Jean] Chapter 16: The Ramparts

[Throndir]

"I'm sure it's part of my duties!" Dalina said smiling as you finished the spoonful.


Location: Kherngolarr - Palace's Throne Room
Date: Day 8 (Jean), Day 10 (Rosalie) - Time: 11:45 AM

During your conversation with the two dwarves, the one in the middle seemed to warm up quickly, being more agreeable than the elderly one. The elderly dwarf seemed to continue standing his ground however.

"Yer called Jean? Hero from th' surface-dwellers... Yer insight is correct. Thir's bin dissent wi' th' younger ones fur at least a few decades now. Yer arrival 'ere only confirmed that." The king glanced towards the elderly dwarf, then back towards you. He sat silently for a few seconds considering his words. "I care aboot my folk, including their wishes. Very weel, we'll dae th' exchange for access ta those ancient ruins if yer to let a team of archaeologists, engineers, scientists, and at least one representative of th' priests to come wi' you on th' Ramparts."

"Throbrir Seadhg!" The elderly dwarf complained, but the dwarf in the middle, Throbrir, simply waved away his complaints.

"This wull appease th' older generation, as ye kin imagine that th' Ramparts have been a thing of wonder to thaim fer decades now. As fur those wantin' ta follow you up ta th' surface... Tis their choice and their right. But ah have me own hands tied on helpin' ye, if yer tae gather up my folk for it, ye'll have ta do so yerself." Throbrir continued even as the elderly dwarf beside him continued to frown. "Further more, expect ye'll have free access to th' city and th' ruins proper. If ye agree, th' announcement fur this will go out right after this audience."

[pringerbeam]

     "I've noticed those duties keep changing."  Remarked Jean as he offered Dalina another spoonful.  "They don't happen to have been written down anywhere?"



     "Your terms are reasonable.  I accept on the condition that everyone..."  He looked once again to the elder dwarf before returning his gaze to the king.  "Behaves themselves and that should any of the research team endanger the Ramparts that I have the right to eject them from the premises and have them replaced.  Otherwise I think we have a bargain.  So what is your tradition for sealing such a deal?  Feast?  Peace pipe?  Blood pact?"

[Throndir]

Dalina stuck her tongue out. "Nyeeeh! I'm the Priestess of the Hero, I very well know my duties!" Dalina said grinning with a look of mischief in her eyes.

"Well... it's my duty to be here in any way you need me to."

"Even in bed?" Telamon chirped in.

"N-no!" Dalina said almost immediately. "I mean maybe if it's for a ceremony, or some kind of ritual, or s-something...!" She paused again, her cheeks flushing. "I m-mean no!"


Location: Kherngolarr - Palace's Throne Room
Date: Day 8 (Jean), Day 10 (Rosalie) - Time: 11:45 AM

"Very well, if any in th' team are not ta yer liking, they can be replaced, n' ah'll personally guarantee and back that up. A feast will do nicely. Ye may invite who ye wish to invite, well, provided they are other dwarves, of course. N' it will be held later tonight at the feasting hall 'ere. Ye kin assume yerselves ta be guests o' honor." The king said. After a moment you noticed he glanced at Lili, then he looked back towards you.

"One maire thing... Ye may not know this o' dwarven families... But they tend ta be bigger and more numerous than of human ones. Including grandfaithers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters, n' cousins, a normal dwarven family kin be aboot 40 members at its lowest, up to aroond 200 with a good generation. Starting wi' me, me queen and ah have not produced many heirs. We have Lili, as the eldest among them, though, still very much young, and her two sisters n' the youngest sibling, her brother. Unfortunately, Lili has never shown much interest... What I mean is..." He cleared his throat, while Lili looked up, confused that the serious conversation turned gears all too quickly with herself being mentioned.

"It will not be forced upon you, but I would like you to take Lili as your wife."

Lili's eyes widened in alarm. Dalina too furrowed her brows. Ren didn't seem to really react, though she seemed to be much more busy with simply glancing around the room. As for Telamon, you noticed she was simply staring at both Lili and Dalina, gauging their reactions.

"Seicond wife, if that green-haired lass next to ye is yer first." The king corrected. "Juist make me lots o' heirs." He grinned.

[pringerbeam]

     "Well that's good to know.  I'll need to remember that if it ever comes up in one of my spells.  A rare few back in my world believed sex to have powerful magical properties.  They were widely regarded as silly or mad but in this world who knows.  It might just be powerful enough a catalyst to save the world."  Said Jean as he finished his bowel of porridge.  "Don't worry Dalina, I doubt it will ever come to that.  Like I said, it's the realm of kooks and madmen."



     "Oh no she would be the first.  Dalina here isn't my wife but that is quite the request nonetheless."  He looked over to Lili then back to the king.  "I will consider your request but first I would like to talk to Lili alone.  To gauge her suitability as a wife.  We have, after all, only just met yesterday.  It's customary  back where I'm from for people to get to know each other a little better before they engage to be wed.  I don't foresee any problems but a proper interview is vital if I plan to give you a response later today.  I don't suppose you could give me some time?  I will be able to announce my decision by the time of the feast tonight."

[Throndir]

Although you explained, Dalina didn't look entirely convinced. "Well, when you first arrived and we summoned you, you did kinda strip everyone... You're better now of course! But that kind of memory sticks for awhile..." More seriously she looked you into the eyes. "If it does come to it... my body and umm... well, you know... compared to the rest of the world? I became the Priestess of the Hero because I wanted to save everyone, so if it so happens that we need to... Okay." She glanced down still blushing. "You have my permission. Just explain after..."


Location: Kherngolarr - Palace's Throne Room
Date: Day 8 (Jean), Day 10 (Rosalie) - Time: 11:45 AM

When you looked at Lili, she had a look of embarrassment. Noticing your glance, she looked back at you, only to blush a deeper crimson and go back to simply looking away and at the King instead with a look of disbelief in her eyes.

"Weel, if it's out of yer own customs, then aye, let me know what is yer decision later at th' feast tonight then lad. And Lili, as ah'd expect ye to be accompanyin' th' hero for the remainder of his time here, however long that may be, don't ye forget about yer own duties to our kingdom."

At this, Lili glanced away, but only nodded meekly.

Finally the king turned back towards you. "If that is all, consider this audience adjourned... Unless ye' have other questions?" The king asked.

As for the grandfather, ever since the king's announcement of potentially having Lili be married off to you, he had simply stood in shock, but it was around this time that he finally got shook himself from the sudden turn of events.

"Throbrir Seadhg! Lili Seadhg! Ah'd rather prefer our line tae cease tae' be rather than.... than having a human, especially one disliked by the dryads, and have dishonored the High Priest intae my family!" The elderly dwarf roared.

[pringerbeam]

     "Dalina, I'm glad you're willing but as you know..."  Jean shot a side eye at Lili.  "Ahem, it probably won't come to something like that."  He looked back to the now decidedly barren cart, only the last couple glasses of barrelstalk juice remained on the cart, the food having been eaten down to the last morsels.



     "Well that sounds like an argument for you family members."  Replied Jean to the elder dwarf's protest.  "If you don't mind we have so little time to get to know each other so Lili and I will take out leave.  If you don't mind m'lady, your highness?"  Not waiting for the elder dwarf to continue his tirade, Jean turned and swept Lili off her feet and into his arms, making a beeline for the exit.  Upon making it through the doors, he waited for the doors to close after his party members exited.  The second the door swung shut behind his party, he moved Lili to an under-slung position under one arm and swept Dalina up under his other before dashing away down the hall.  "Back to the guestroom!"  He said to Ren and Telamon as he ran as fast as he could, whipping through the halls to return to their room from the night before.

     Getting to the guestroom he barreled into the room and threw Dalina and Lili onto the bed before taking out the dungeon core crystal and setting it on the nightstand next to the bed.  "Dungeon core?  I need someplace private so we're coming in.  Can everyone come in there?  I know there's room."  He asked as he looked up and down the hall for any pursuers or eavesdroppers before closing the door and leaning up against it with an exhalation of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Perception check for any eavesdroppers

Rolled 1d20+18 : 17 + 18, total 35

Assuming that he is able to bring everyone into the master room, Jean will proceed to bring the entire party in.

[Throndir]

Perception: 35
These rooms, especially the guest quarters were relatively empty. You had seen some guards on the lower floors, though, they were few in number. The area around your room, and that floor itself was empty.

"Hellooooo! And yup!" Dungeon Core 31 responded as the orb lighted up every time she spoke. "Just place your hands on the orb, and I'll send you right in."

[pringerbeam]

     "Alright everyone in."  Said Jean as he passed the crystal around the party.  Once everyone else was inside he set the crystal back down on the nightstand before also entering the master room.  "Okay, much better."  He announced with a clap of his hands.  "Oh yeah, before we move on, everyone, this is Dungeon Core 31.  31, everyone.  We need to figure out if we want to keep calling you that at some point but right now we just took a trip to crazytown on a train with no brakes so that will have to be figured out later.  For now, can you keep an eye on the room in case someone comes a calling?"

     He finally turned to Lili.  "So uh, potential wife?  How's that sound to you?  I wasn't actually serious when I said I would marry you for your throne but I guess your dad has some other plans.  Plans that I really need to know the specifics of if this is going to not wind up without my head on a pike or something."  He looked around at the vast expanse of darkness beyond the small lit area.  "Can we get some furniture in here?  Or does that require DP?  Fuck! Okay...  Got to figure this out..."  He paced back and forth.  "Look Lili...  What do you think of all this?  Honestly, I never thought about getting married.  This is all a big kick to the balls for me right now...  Not to say you're not a beautiful princess that I wouldn't want to bed but...  Shit...  I didn't think I would have the time for that kind of stuff with all the hero things I need to do...  Now the king that I need the help of to get the Ramparts into the sky just offered me his daughter for the express purpose of producing heirs...  A whole different problem that doesn't seem to be getting solved anytime soon."

[Throndir]

Dungeon Core 31 waved a hand, and a monitor appeared with them, showing the room from the perspective of the orb. "This is all I can do unfortunately... If I had some DP I could make this area my dungeon territory, then I could put up these surveillance everywhere." Dungeon Core 31 said. "But yes, putting furniture in here would take DP too... and I don't have a lot of that." She soon quieted though as you began to talk with Lili.

Lili had been blushing and looking down through most of the trip, especially after you had carried her, and especially when mentioned bedding her. For whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to quite look at you in the eye, but being spoken to so directly, now she did. "Ah... don't know." She started. "I know my faither, he'd be wantin' me tae start looking intae suitors... Always telt me he'd be choosing if I didnae do so. Ah really aven't bin thinking aboot things like this at all Jean."

"Well, isn't it convenient? It looks like your people is split between those of the priesthood, and those that would prefer to go to the surface. If anything, the decision by the king to have you married to my master was as much a political move as it was securing her own line. The existence of heroes... it's their line of ancestry that tend to start kingdoms, and if not that, at least bring about a lineage that tends to be gifted in magic, and potentially other skills. Plus, this kind of announcement to the rest of the people would help bring even more support from the dwarven people to my master's cause."

Lili nodded slowly in agreement as she looked towards Telamon. "Aye... Ah'd be thinkin' th' same when me faither first telt us." Next, she hesitantly moved her eyes towards you.

"Would... Lili Seadhg... be a type of girl ye'd marry?"

[pringerbeam]

     "I...  Well...  You're beautiful and...  I don't think I could say no if you proposed to me but that's not what's going on.  I mean, we just met and well...  You see how I live?  I met you fleeing for my life.  I'm not husband material.  My life is nonstop warfare and I can't just stop that to raise a family...  I can't even give you a family.  I'm impotent."  He said, looking away and into the darkness.  "I was going to ask you to join me actually...  Before all this...  You seemed like you wanted an adventure, to do something other than be a princess chained to your throne.  I was going to offer you that...  give you a glimpse of the world above and a taste of adventure before you had to come back to settle down.  I don't want to tie you down and I can't be stuck in this place either.  I have things I need to do.  I can't stay here and be a prince or whatever."

     Jean stared into the black void that lay beyond the lit area of the master room.  "Look...  There are a lot of things that you need to know about me but this marriage needs to happen for your people and for the world.  I can't say I love you like I do Ren or Dalina, not less than a full day after meeting you.  I can't offer you a family.  But I can offer you an adventure and when the adventure ends you can divorce me if you want.  So I guess...  What I'm trying to say is..."  He turned back around and took a knee in front of Lili.  "Will you marry me?"

[Throndir]

You have gained a new title 『Proposed』
You have gained +1 CHA

"Ah..." Lili began, not entirely knowing how to respond, but turning a deeper crimson much the same, she wasn't able to meet your eye. "Thaire's a lot that won't werk! Yer not going ta like me! Ah'm a shortie. Ah dunnae much aboot humans, my grandfaither hates ye, a lot o' my people hate ye', we only met yesterday. Ah never did like marriage."

She paused as she finally locked eyes with you as you were kneeling. Her eyes softer. "Ah guess... what ah'm tryin' tae say..."

"Yes... Yes Ah'll marry ye'."

[pringerbeam]

     "I guess we should seal the deal.  We can't have our first kiss be at the altar..."  Said Jean as he looked into Lili's eyes.  He put a hand on her cheek.  "Fiance."  He said as a gently pulled her head up to his and softly kissed her on the lips.  "Don't worry about your grandfather or your people.  They are the least of my enemies.  But that is a talk for another time.  Right now I guess we need to be ready for the marriage."  He said as he stood back up.  "I figure the ceremony won't be a problem but...  Tell me uh...  What are the protocols for consummating?  There was a tradition in my old world that the royal...  unification...  was witnessed.  Please tell me that's not something your people do."

[Throndir]

Lili didn't resist when you kissed her. Though, you could tell that the action was completely foreign to her as well, as she didn't quite know how to respond or act in a kiss. She was blushing immensely at the end of it. When you asked your question she stood dazed for a few moments. She slowly blinked as she realized your question. She shook her head and then answered.

"By th' stone, no! If yer talkin' aboot... umm... ye' know, th' things a boy and a gurl do if they really like each other..." She said, blushing still. "That's all kept in private!" Lili covered her blushing face with her hands. "A-ah..." Lili continued, peeking out at you, as her thoughts coming into full, probably realizing that she indeed might just have a similar opportunity with the person before her. Instead, she covered her face again.

Telamon giggled from the show.

"Marriage?" Ren asked, understanding that it meant some sort of social unification, though not really understanding what it meant. The slimeling too only plopped some incoherent noises.

As for Dalina, she was as surprised as Lili at your sudden proposal. "You're... getting married Jean! That's..." She paused for a second. "Kinda surprising..." She finished as Viridio simply ruffled her fiery feathers sitting on her shoulder.

Lastly, Dungeon Core 31 who was still standing and watching the entire thing only smiled.

[pringerbeam]

     "Whew...  Good, I was worried for a moment.  When your dad told us to make babies I was worried there was some kind of provision that I guarantee my virility.  I certainly didn't expect to be getting hitched this early in my life...  Or maybe this late?"  Said Jean as he took a seat down on the floor of the master room.  "I guess this makes you an official member of our little party then so you are going to need to know a few things.  You too Telamon and Dungeon Core.  Oh yeah..."  He flopped down onto his back to stare up into the darkness expanding endlessly above them feeling his pounding heart finally start to slow.  "We need to figure out something to call you other than Dungeon Core 31.  Any Ideas?"

[Throndir]

Once you took a seat on the floor, the rest of your companions did the same, settling around in a circle.

"What's wrong with my name?" Dungeon Core 31 asked, confusion on her face.

"It's... special if master calls you a special name that only you have." Ren responded, trying to figure out what it actually meant to have a name.

"That's true too... But in this case I think saying Dungeon Core 31 all the time is a mouthful."

"Somethin' short 'n easy tae say..."

"Well...! If it's so hard to say, then I guess I can have a different name, too. Is there any way we can keep 31 in there somehow though? That's important to me, too... That was the number I was born with."

"Being called a number is too cold... I think... Like... Varvara, Vera, Zoya, Ilya, Faina..."

"N' names like Ailis, Aynslie, Donetta, Skye..."

When everyone turned to Telamon, she simply shrugged. And finally, they turned their eyes to you.