The Betrayal

By Seara NicCiardha in Dark Ages

I leaned against one of the massive stone pillars deep in Abels crypt, cleaning me traps and tallying me treasure. How proud I was of me loot and again counting in me head the number of dwarves whose demise I had caused. Nasty, mean beasts they were and glad I was that they were gone and given me this chance for rest. I started to doze off when I felt a vibration coming from the stone. A soft tremble at first but it soon became a rumbling.as if the stone itself be alive. I jumped away and stood staring, and wondering would it waken and attack? What strange magic could make a rock grumble so? After a bit I realized me foolishness (Rocks moving, bah). So I stepped closer, putting me ear to the stone to listen, and realized that what was making the stone quiver in such a way was singing… the loud, deep voices of many dwarves coming from below.

Though I knew nothing of their language the song they sang reached into me belly. Strong and vibrant… and yet sorrowful, a hero’s song no doubt, one of lost comrades, and family. A song that gave praise to the dead… I was hypnotized and intrigued. How could such beasts show such heart through song? It was on this day that I became obsessed with the dwarves. I wanted to learn the language. I wanted to know their world. I dedicated me time to improving me hiding and sneaking about skills. I would get close… close yet unobserved. And I did.

It took me many moons to find the hidden cave where the dwarves had sung. But find it I did and huge it was. The cave was at least one hundred paces across and sixty paces wide. On every wall were carvings. Some in a strange alphabet others were pictures. In the center of the cave, carved out of the floor, was a table and in the center of the table was a fire pit. Around the table were long, stone seats, and fur upon these. The cave was empty now but the pit smoldered from use not to long before I had come. I was glad that I was alone this first time. I took out me scroll and quill and began to copy what I saw on the walls. Hours passed, and me hand began to ache from the writing. But I was determined to get all I could before calling it a day. So I wrote, and drew and copied ‘til I could do no more.

It was with these odd engravings that I started me studies. Scouring every word-book and language known to us Aisling’ s for any symbol or writing that correlated with what I had found on the cave walls. Finally, in a scroll written by the dark wizard in Suomi I found a poem written in the dwarves language and it was translated! I used what I learned from this poem to translate what I had found. Many Deochs have passed since that day. But I have learned much of the language and translate here, for ye now, one of the writings, which be no doubt in me mind, the song which I heard on that first day.

Orgundul

Orgundul the king of dwarves, was the bravest and most wise

Until he answered Lord Tenes call and listened to his lies

Offered land from Telanee to the shores of the Rethanu

To dig beneath the castle Loures for Tenes great knights to use

To bring peace upon the land they would travel underground

And arrive in places clandestine, and the song of peace their sound

Orgundul desired peace, and was seduced by Lord Tenes guile

So signed with blood and dwarven sweat in bold dwarven style

And thus was sealed all dwarves fate for a long time to come,

To come

And thus was sealed all dwarves fate for a long time to come

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A decree was made that no dwarf could leave ‘til the deed be done

And so with never knowing we slaved from sun to sun

The work became a lifelong task for many died below

And mothers, ‘neath the earth, did watch their children grow

Rumors spread that Orgundul had signed a pact with Tenes

An unholy pact with evil, and endorsed by many kings

Anger flowed and a council formed for tidings such as these

But Orgundul turned deafened ears to the councils pleas’

So we pitched the shovel ‘neath our feet, and proudly bore the axe

The axe

So we pitched the shovel ’neath our feet, and proudly bore the axe

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The earth we carved had become our home, the place that we now dwelled

And in battle our advantage, and how Tene’s knights were felled

Our battle cry shook the earth, and Loures itself did quake

The bloodied bodies of knights and dwarves mingled in it’s wake

That cry raged for many moons until victory could be sung

All the damage that Orgundul caused would soon be made undone

At last on one cold fateful morn a messenger arrived from Loures

From Ainmeal the message read "what ye now claim is yours"

We buried our dead, raised our heads, and in pride we claimed these caves

These caves

We buried our dead, raised our heads, and in pride we claimed these caves

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So watch ye traveler when ye come down, when ye travel deep below

This is our home ye trample on and our anger quick to show

To show

This is our home ye trample on and our anger quick to show

After I finished with the translation questions bombarded me mind. Telanee… Rethanu? What strange lands were these? Or were they simply dwarven names given to lands I already knew? And what became of Orgundul? Any mention of his fate I have yet to find. So much to be learned, and still so much to translate. So, I return to me studies and continue to uncover the meanings of the writings……

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