Post by brian333 on Apr 17, 2007 15:55:53 GMT -5
The nation of Amn claims the Cloudspeaks Mountains, but with civil war raging and the remaining economy focussed upon it's enterprises overseas, the northeastern ranges have all but seceded, blending into the random mix of wilderness and small independant communities of The Western Heartlands. Far from the caravan routes, the roads and trails of this region wind northward connecting the mines and smithies of the mountains to the farming settlements out on the plains.
At the southern tip of one such road stood the doors of a mining community of perhaps 250 dwarves and their children, and before the stone doors stood a dwarf in a grey uniform. Solitary on the empty mountainside, save for the goats that cropped what green patches there were, his gaze travelled up and down the seven switchbacks in the road which climbed up the bare rocky slope from the green valley below. North of the valley another ridge cut the horizon with hazy blue teeth that merged into the grey-green of the distant plains of the valley floor, but the dwarf dutifully maintained his attention on the road.
His mind was in turmoil that contradicted his outward calm. Today the masters were meeting. Apprentices were to be considered for promotion, among other less important matters that occupied those who ran the mine. The gossip of the morning was that Kasur was on the list, but he had never seen the list, and the gossip had only generated anxiety in the young dwarf. His afternoon watch at the outer door left him isolated even from the release of talking with his friends, who shared his anticipation, or dreaded yet another year of apprenticeship before the masters met again.
Smiling he allowed his mind to drift to yet another anticipation: when his apprenticeship was ended he could ask for the hand of Bellin. His mind's eye recalled her grace and beauty, exaggerated far beyond her actual appearance, but he saw her through the lens of love. Each feature, her voice, her smile, the way she walked, to him was perfection. And today the masters met to decide his fate. If he walked the boards tonight and awoke tomorrow a journeyman he could finally ask for Bellin's hand...
As his four hour shift dragged on his mind followed this circular path, so that when Tokke arrived to relieve him it caught Kasur by surprise.
He turned and stood at attention as Tokke said, "Anything to report?"
"No movement on the road during my watch, no special orders. The Door is Secure, sir," replied Kasur in the old ritual of the changing of the watch.
"Very well, I relieve you, sir," answered Tokke, then added, "Congratulations, Kasur."
"I made it?" Shock, relief, and pride warred to control his facial expression as the older dwarf grinned.
"Don't let anyone know you heard it from me, now go get ready for tonight's reading of the lists!"
Kasur started toward the door, stopped, tuned to Tokke and saluted, "I stand relieved, sir." He headed inside as the older dwarf chuckled.
Beyond the complex of defenses the halls of the settlement were broad and orderly. A long tiered gallery connected the various segments of the community, spread out through several miles of tunnels, shafts, and shaped natural caves. The halls used by the clan were well lit and hummed with activity. Orderly, organized, this community was a place of security, but not vast wealth. The decorated stonework was native stone, not imported marble, but the love of the community for their home showed in the embellishment of the otherwise plain building materials.
Through the gallery moved dwarves on their various businesses, but each had time to greet one another as they passed, and many stopped Kasur along the way to congratulate him on his anticipated promotion, "... but you didn't hear it from me."
He made his way to the barracks, cleaned, polished, and stowed his gear, then hurried to meet with his friends before the banquet, to share in a last round of anxiety before the formal, official, announcements.
...
Kasur sat among the other apprentices at the foot of the long table that led up between the journeymen of the various crafts to the Master's Table that crossed it like the top of a T. With the exception of those dwarves on duty the whole holding had turned out for the rich banquet. Those not represented on the various crafts sat at tables flanking the long center table. The hall buzzed with cheerful conversations as the community shared the banquet, but the head of the apprentices' table was unusully quiet as they awaited the judgement of the masters.
Then came the older boys and girls to clean away the mostly emptied dishes and pass out polished stone cups of beer to the gathering. As they completed this task the Seneschal of the Hold stood from his place at the Master's Table and when he rapped the table with his staff the crowd fell silent.
He stepped up onto the table and tuned to the assembly. "To begin," he said in a projecting voice, I would like to offer the thanks of the community and of the Masters to our Lord Rumnahek for this magnificient banquet." The crowd applauded untill he again rapped his staff upon the table, then he continued.
"At the command of our Thain, Lord Rumnahek, the Masters have gathered for the purpose of reviewing applications for promotion. The matter having been decided and approved by our gracious Lord, he orders the approved applicants be hereby granted the honors and duties of their new position."
He turned to face the Masters, "High Priest Azhkaal, does the Temple call any to it's service?"
The robed ancient dwarf stood and answered, "The Temple of Moradin is well served by Rumnahek Mines. None have been called since the last meeting of the Masters."
As he returned to his seat, the Seneschal said, "Master Alchemist Hern, does the Hall of Brewers call any to it's service?"
A dwarf in rich robes, bejeweled and adorned with gold and other precious metals rose. "Seneschal, Thunna, son of Orak is called to begin his apprenticeship."
As the crowd applauded, Orak escorted his young son to the long table, beaming with pride as he hoisted his son to the foot of the apprentices' table. The boy walked up the long table to stand before the Seneschal.
"Do you vow to undertake the study of your new craft, to perform the tasks to which you are assigned, and to obey your master?"
As the boy timidly answered in a high-pitched voice, "I do," Kasur recalled his own walk down the table years before. Then the young boy was sitting at the foot of the apprentices' table. The ceremony proceeded, the Masterminer and Mastersmith both had long lists, both of new apprentices and apprentices promoted to journeymen, and one promotion to Mastersmith, with each promoted dwarf walking the boards to take his oath, then returning to sit among his new peers.
Finally it was the Seneschal's turn to call the promotions in the Household Staff. Kasur had to call upon every ounce of his discipline to avoid fidgiting, but his mind roiled with anticipation and worry. What if, what if, what if...
"...Kasur, Apprentice Carl...," and there he was walking the boards to the applause of the community. Discontinuous pictures remained in his memory, shaking the hand of the Seneschal, the playfull jostling of the other new journeymen, the look of pride Bellin cast his way from her seat at her father's table, each a distinct moment in time unconnected to the flow. But then the beer-mugs were refilled and the cheering crowd applauded the promotees, and the hall became a party for the rest of the evening. Kasur joined the other young folk in the crowd, danced with Bellin, and, as the crowd dwindled and Bellin's father called her home, Kasur promised her that tomorow he would speak for her.
Greatly daring, Bellin quickly gave him a kiss that caused him to flush. The tingling in his fingertips and toes, and on his lips, and the sight of her smiling face as she followed her family home prevented him from seeing the scowl on the face of her father.
...
His morning duties discharged and his afternoon watch still hours away, Kasur washed, dressed in his fines clothes, and went down the gallery to the Merchant's Hall, where Bellin lived. He waited outside the door as the servant went to inform Bellin's father. And waited.
And waited.
When finally the servant returned, he said nothing, only gestured for Kasur to follw him. The office of Master Merchant Kezzahl was richly appointed with red carpets and tapestries and polished wooden furnishings, and a massive stone desk placed a distance between him and Kasur as the young dwarf faced his future father-in-law.
Scowling, the old dwarf said in a gruff, dismissive tone, "State your business."
The speach rehearsed over the days and weeks of anticipation faded from his mind as he stumbled in his attempt to speak. finally he managed to say, "S-sir, I've come to ask for the hand of your daughter..."
"I have better than you in mind for her, now go away and stop wasting my time."
"But...," Kasur's dreams crashed around him as he stood immobile. "Sir, I love Bellin, and she loves me. We,"
"You nothing," he interrupted. "I've already told her she's not to speak to you again. Now I'm telling you. Face it, you're just not good enough for her."
Crushed, like a dwarf under a rockfall, his breath comming short and fast as he desperately sought another way, he discovered he was being escorted away by the servant.
"Her bride-price!" Kasur shouted, "I have the right! What is her bride-price?"
Invoking an old, but still honored tradition, Kasur's demand could not be refused, but it was a slim hope at best.
"You WHAT?!" Shouted the older dwarf. "You insolent twerp! I'll tell you her price! She is worth her weight in gold! Now get out of my sight, and if I catch you sneaking around behind my back to get to her before the price is paid I'll have you cast out!"
Kasur found himself outside the door, having been guided by the elderly servant, who patted him sympathetically on the shoulder before closing the door.
Devastated, he walked aimlessly along the corridors, untill he encountered the Seneschal. With a few simple questions the young dwarf told the story, and his sympathetic commander listened, saying little other than to prompt his former apprentice to continue the tale.
"What do you intend to do now?" he asked.
Kasur answered, "I don't know. I have saved two years' salary, that's what it's supposed to cost for a wedding, isn't it? But that wouldn't be even a sixtenth part of what I need. Even if I never spent another coin my salary wouldn't pay what I need before the decade is done."
"That is true. Kasur, what is your ambition beyond marriage?"
"Sir?" Kasur looked up.
"What do you want out of life?"
"I want? I had thought to continue. To be, You know...,"
"You want my job?"
"Sir! I haven't, I mean, I'm not qualified."
"Yet," grinned the older dwarf. "To be Seneschal many skills are needed, not the least of which is the skill at arms you need real battle experience to hone. It's unlikely you'd ever get such experience here. Do you love this Bellin enough to risk death to gain her? Is your ambition such that you'll place yourself in harm's way to learn what you need to know?"
"I..." Kasur paused, thinking. The mentor was proud of his student. While not the most intelligent student, Kasur was disciplined, dedicated. Thinking in a time of crisis is a difficult thing to do, and given time this young dwarf was likely to develop the ability. "Since I was a young boy Bellin and I have been together. I'd die for her. I'd do anything..." He fell silent when his voice broke.
"Go to the barracks and get ready for your watch, you won't want to be late." The seneschal stood and continued, "Think long and hard, and when you've decided come talk to me." He thumped the young dwarf on the back and walked off, his staff of office tap tap tapping away into the distance. Kasur sighed and made his way to the barracks.
...
He met with the Seneschal in the morning, and after the noon meal was summoned to the Thane's Hall. There, among the elders of the community, stood Bellin's father, red-faced with anger, and glaring as Kaur walked into the chamber.
Masterminer Rumnahek, Thane of Rumnahek Mines, stood on a raised stone platform before the assembly, which quieted as the Seneschal thumped the heel of his staff on the floor.
"Kasur, reporting as ordered, sir," he said to the Thane.
"Good. I saw your name on the promotions lists two days gone, and now you are here in my hall involved in a dispute. Did I make a mistake in promoting you?"
Kasur gulped, looked nervously around the room at the elders, his gaze lingering on the malicious grin of Bellin's father, and he turned to the Thane. "Lord, I cannot answer, other than to say I have ever striven to honor you, your hall, and your people by serving as best I can."
The Thane turned to Bellin's father. "Trader Kezzahl..."
Not Master Merchant Kezzahl, or even Merchant. It was a subtle slight, a signal of dissatisfaction on the part of the Thane.
"Trader Kezzahl, this young dwarf is of age, is of good character, and is an honored member of this clan. He has completed his tests and is now a journeyman of his craft. It is right that at such a time in his life he take up the duties of an adult in this clan, among which are the duties of family. He has asked for your daughter's hand in marriage. How do you answer?"
"He's heard my answer!" the dwarf growled, barely controlling his rage.
"I have not," retorted the Thane.
"Her weight in gold! He came before me demanding his rights, well I have mine, and I name her bride-price as her weight in gold."
The Thane looked at the wagging of dwarven beards; this was an unpopular decision. In such a small community something such as the romantic entanglements of the young cannot be concealed, and the entire community knew of Kasur and Bellin. To openly defy such an obvious love in the name of ambition could bring no good to the halls.
With great displeasure obvious by his expression the Thane said, "And I as Thane have my rights. You have named the price, and tradition allows Kasur ten years to fulfill this. Bellin may not be promised or wed to any other within that time, and thereafter her bride-price may never be less than her weight in gold.
"Kezzahl, your ambition for yourself blinds you to what's best for this hall and for your own family interests. Should Kasur fail of his quest there is a good chance you shall never see the grandchildren upon whom you've placed the hopes of your family."
At this turn of events shock finally penetrated the scowling dwarf's mind. "Lord, I...," he began, and was interrupted by the Thane.
"Do you wish to make a more reasonable offer?"
"For him?" Kezzahl looked at Kasur's formal, stoic expression and his resolve hardened. "Never! My only daughter is worth her weight in gold to me!"
"Then so be it. Let the decision be recorded. This session is ended." The Thain turned to the arch leading to his offices and the crowd in the audience chamber dispersed, clumping into small groups, but leavng an empty circle around the master merchant.
The Seneschal escorted Kasur to his office in the barracks, and once inside he opened a locked cabinet. He placed two small stone cups on the table, and poured a brown liquid from a stone jug. He kicked a chair from the corner towards Kasur and took a seat for himself.
"It went about as I expected, but I don't think Master Kezzahl really thought things through. Kasur, the Thane was right: it's unlikely Bellin will marry if you can't meet her price. You can always release her, you know, but her father, that stubborn fool, has set his daughter apart now."
"I have to try," Kasur said. "No matter the price." And after a moment, he continued, "I just don't know how... how I'm going to get..."
"Drink!" The Seneschall raised his cup and sipped. Kasur followed suit, then gasped as the powerful brown liquid flowed down his throat. The Seneschal grinned and asked, "First taste of Fortitue? You have to sip mushroom whiskey. Now, what have you been thinking?"
"I have a few ideas," Kasur said when his breath returned. "I could hire onto a caravan as a walker, or hire out as carl to a wealthy house."
"Have you considered soldiering?"
"Yes sir," Kasur replied, "but I need gold, and I hear that all the gold goes to officers, and promotions in Amn go to the one with the gold. It would cost a bride's-price to gain the position I'd need to get the gold I need for her bride-price."
"I agree, the army of Amn isn't a good choice. There is another option, though. Cormyr."
"Sir? The forest kingdom?"
"Their King is said to be a man of honor, and they fight among the ruins of the ancient elven kingdom where hidden treasures are found fairly often. If you find a good place in their army, when it comes time you may have earned what you need. I think East offers a better chance than South. Think about it."
...
Within a month Kasur had managed to work his way noth and east along the caravan highways, around the Storm Horns, and into Isenhold, bearing his new Adventurer's Charter which allowed him to enter the Kingdom of Cormyr.
At the southern tip of one such road stood the doors of a mining community of perhaps 250 dwarves and their children, and before the stone doors stood a dwarf in a grey uniform. Solitary on the empty mountainside, save for the goats that cropped what green patches there were, his gaze travelled up and down the seven switchbacks in the road which climbed up the bare rocky slope from the green valley below. North of the valley another ridge cut the horizon with hazy blue teeth that merged into the grey-green of the distant plains of the valley floor, but the dwarf dutifully maintained his attention on the road.
His mind was in turmoil that contradicted his outward calm. Today the masters were meeting. Apprentices were to be considered for promotion, among other less important matters that occupied those who ran the mine. The gossip of the morning was that Kasur was on the list, but he had never seen the list, and the gossip had only generated anxiety in the young dwarf. His afternoon watch at the outer door left him isolated even from the release of talking with his friends, who shared his anticipation, or dreaded yet another year of apprenticeship before the masters met again.
Smiling he allowed his mind to drift to yet another anticipation: when his apprenticeship was ended he could ask for the hand of Bellin. His mind's eye recalled her grace and beauty, exaggerated far beyond her actual appearance, but he saw her through the lens of love. Each feature, her voice, her smile, the way she walked, to him was perfection. And today the masters met to decide his fate. If he walked the boards tonight and awoke tomorrow a journeyman he could finally ask for Bellin's hand...
As his four hour shift dragged on his mind followed this circular path, so that when Tokke arrived to relieve him it caught Kasur by surprise.
He turned and stood at attention as Tokke said, "Anything to report?"
"No movement on the road during my watch, no special orders. The Door is Secure, sir," replied Kasur in the old ritual of the changing of the watch.
"Very well, I relieve you, sir," answered Tokke, then added, "Congratulations, Kasur."
"I made it?" Shock, relief, and pride warred to control his facial expression as the older dwarf grinned.
"Don't let anyone know you heard it from me, now go get ready for tonight's reading of the lists!"
Kasur started toward the door, stopped, tuned to Tokke and saluted, "I stand relieved, sir." He headed inside as the older dwarf chuckled.
Beyond the complex of defenses the halls of the settlement were broad and orderly. A long tiered gallery connected the various segments of the community, spread out through several miles of tunnels, shafts, and shaped natural caves. The halls used by the clan were well lit and hummed with activity. Orderly, organized, this community was a place of security, but not vast wealth. The decorated stonework was native stone, not imported marble, but the love of the community for their home showed in the embellishment of the otherwise plain building materials.
Through the gallery moved dwarves on their various businesses, but each had time to greet one another as they passed, and many stopped Kasur along the way to congratulate him on his anticipated promotion, "... but you didn't hear it from me."
He made his way to the barracks, cleaned, polished, and stowed his gear, then hurried to meet with his friends before the banquet, to share in a last round of anxiety before the formal, official, announcements.
...
Kasur sat among the other apprentices at the foot of the long table that led up between the journeymen of the various crafts to the Master's Table that crossed it like the top of a T. With the exception of those dwarves on duty the whole holding had turned out for the rich banquet. Those not represented on the various crafts sat at tables flanking the long center table. The hall buzzed with cheerful conversations as the community shared the banquet, but the head of the apprentices' table was unusully quiet as they awaited the judgement of the masters.
Then came the older boys and girls to clean away the mostly emptied dishes and pass out polished stone cups of beer to the gathering. As they completed this task the Seneschal of the Hold stood from his place at the Master's Table and when he rapped the table with his staff the crowd fell silent.
He stepped up onto the table and tuned to the assembly. "To begin," he said in a projecting voice, I would like to offer the thanks of the community and of the Masters to our Lord Rumnahek for this magnificient banquet." The crowd applauded untill he again rapped his staff upon the table, then he continued.
"At the command of our Thain, Lord Rumnahek, the Masters have gathered for the purpose of reviewing applications for promotion. The matter having been decided and approved by our gracious Lord, he orders the approved applicants be hereby granted the honors and duties of their new position."
He turned to face the Masters, "High Priest Azhkaal, does the Temple call any to it's service?"
The robed ancient dwarf stood and answered, "The Temple of Moradin is well served by Rumnahek Mines. None have been called since the last meeting of the Masters."
As he returned to his seat, the Seneschal said, "Master Alchemist Hern, does the Hall of Brewers call any to it's service?"
A dwarf in rich robes, bejeweled and adorned with gold and other precious metals rose. "Seneschal, Thunna, son of Orak is called to begin his apprenticeship."
As the crowd applauded, Orak escorted his young son to the long table, beaming with pride as he hoisted his son to the foot of the apprentices' table. The boy walked up the long table to stand before the Seneschal.
"Do you vow to undertake the study of your new craft, to perform the tasks to which you are assigned, and to obey your master?"
As the boy timidly answered in a high-pitched voice, "I do," Kasur recalled his own walk down the table years before. Then the young boy was sitting at the foot of the apprentices' table. The ceremony proceeded, the Masterminer and Mastersmith both had long lists, both of new apprentices and apprentices promoted to journeymen, and one promotion to Mastersmith, with each promoted dwarf walking the boards to take his oath, then returning to sit among his new peers.
Finally it was the Seneschal's turn to call the promotions in the Household Staff. Kasur had to call upon every ounce of his discipline to avoid fidgiting, but his mind roiled with anticipation and worry. What if, what if, what if...
"...Kasur, Apprentice Carl...," and there he was walking the boards to the applause of the community. Discontinuous pictures remained in his memory, shaking the hand of the Seneschal, the playfull jostling of the other new journeymen, the look of pride Bellin cast his way from her seat at her father's table, each a distinct moment in time unconnected to the flow. But then the beer-mugs were refilled and the cheering crowd applauded the promotees, and the hall became a party for the rest of the evening. Kasur joined the other young folk in the crowd, danced with Bellin, and, as the crowd dwindled and Bellin's father called her home, Kasur promised her that tomorow he would speak for her.
Greatly daring, Bellin quickly gave him a kiss that caused him to flush. The tingling in his fingertips and toes, and on his lips, and the sight of her smiling face as she followed her family home prevented him from seeing the scowl on the face of her father.
...
His morning duties discharged and his afternoon watch still hours away, Kasur washed, dressed in his fines clothes, and went down the gallery to the Merchant's Hall, where Bellin lived. He waited outside the door as the servant went to inform Bellin's father. And waited.
And waited.
When finally the servant returned, he said nothing, only gestured for Kasur to follw him. The office of Master Merchant Kezzahl was richly appointed with red carpets and tapestries and polished wooden furnishings, and a massive stone desk placed a distance between him and Kasur as the young dwarf faced his future father-in-law.
Scowling, the old dwarf said in a gruff, dismissive tone, "State your business."
The speach rehearsed over the days and weeks of anticipation faded from his mind as he stumbled in his attempt to speak. finally he managed to say, "S-sir, I've come to ask for the hand of your daughter..."
"I have better than you in mind for her, now go away and stop wasting my time."
"But...," Kasur's dreams crashed around him as he stood immobile. "Sir, I love Bellin, and she loves me. We,"
"You nothing," he interrupted. "I've already told her she's not to speak to you again. Now I'm telling you. Face it, you're just not good enough for her."
Crushed, like a dwarf under a rockfall, his breath comming short and fast as he desperately sought another way, he discovered he was being escorted away by the servant.
"Her bride-price!" Kasur shouted, "I have the right! What is her bride-price?"
Invoking an old, but still honored tradition, Kasur's demand could not be refused, but it was a slim hope at best.
"You WHAT?!" Shouted the older dwarf. "You insolent twerp! I'll tell you her price! She is worth her weight in gold! Now get out of my sight, and if I catch you sneaking around behind my back to get to her before the price is paid I'll have you cast out!"
Kasur found himself outside the door, having been guided by the elderly servant, who patted him sympathetically on the shoulder before closing the door.
Devastated, he walked aimlessly along the corridors, untill he encountered the Seneschal. With a few simple questions the young dwarf told the story, and his sympathetic commander listened, saying little other than to prompt his former apprentice to continue the tale.
"What do you intend to do now?" he asked.
Kasur answered, "I don't know. I have saved two years' salary, that's what it's supposed to cost for a wedding, isn't it? But that wouldn't be even a sixtenth part of what I need. Even if I never spent another coin my salary wouldn't pay what I need before the decade is done."
"That is true. Kasur, what is your ambition beyond marriage?"
"Sir?" Kasur looked up.
"What do you want out of life?"
"I want? I had thought to continue. To be, You know...,"
"You want my job?"
"Sir! I haven't, I mean, I'm not qualified."
"Yet," grinned the older dwarf. "To be Seneschal many skills are needed, not the least of which is the skill at arms you need real battle experience to hone. It's unlikely you'd ever get such experience here. Do you love this Bellin enough to risk death to gain her? Is your ambition such that you'll place yourself in harm's way to learn what you need to know?"
"I..." Kasur paused, thinking. The mentor was proud of his student. While not the most intelligent student, Kasur was disciplined, dedicated. Thinking in a time of crisis is a difficult thing to do, and given time this young dwarf was likely to develop the ability. "Since I was a young boy Bellin and I have been together. I'd die for her. I'd do anything..." He fell silent when his voice broke.
"Go to the barracks and get ready for your watch, you won't want to be late." The seneschal stood and continued, "Think long and hard, and when you've decided come talk to me." He thumped the young dwarf on the back and walked off, his staff of office tap tap tapping away into the distance. Kasur sighed and made his way to the barracks.
...
He met with the Seneschal in the morning, and after the noon meal was summoned to the Thane's Hall. There, among the elders of the community, stood Bellin's father, red-faced with anger, and glaring as Kaur walked into the chamber.
Masterminer Rumnahek, Thane of Rumnahek Mines, stood on a raised stone platform before the assembly, which quieted as the Seneschal thumped the heel of his staff on the floor.
"Kasur, reporting as ordered, sir," he said to the Thane.
"Good. I saw your name on the promotions lists two days gone, and now you are here in my hall involved in a dispute. Did I make a mistake in promoting you?"
Kasur gulped, looked nervously around the room at the elders, his gaze lingering on the malicious grin of Bellin's father, and he turned to the Thane. "Lord, I cannot answer, other than to say I have ever striven to honor you, your hall, and your people by serving as best I can."
The Thane turned to Bellin's father. "Trader Kezzahl..."
Not Master Merchant Kezzahl, or even Merchant. It was a subtle slight, a signal of dissatisfaction on the part of the Thane.
"Trader Kezzahl, this young dwarf is of age, is of good character, and is an honored member of this clan. He has completed his tests and is now a journeyman of his craft. It is right that at such a time in his life he take up the duties of an adult in this clan, among which are the duties of family. He has asked for your daughter's hand in marriage. How do you answer?"
"He's heard my answer!" the dwarf growled, barely controlling his rage.
"I have not," retorted the Thane.
"Her weight in gold! He came before me demanding his rights, well I have mine, and I name her bride-price as her weight in gold."
The Thane looked at the wagging of dwarven beards; this was an unpopular decision. In such a small community something such as the romantic entanglements of the young cannot be concealed, and the entire community knew of Kasur and Bellin. To openly defy such an obvious love in the name of ambition could bring no good to the halls.
With great displeasure obvious by his expression the Thane said, "And I as Thane have my rights. You have named the price, and tradition allows Kasur ten years to fulfill this. Bellin may not be promised or wed to any other within that time, and thereafter her bride-price may never be less than her weight in gold.
"Kezzahl, your ambition for yourself blinds you to what's best for this hall and for your own family interests. Should Kasur fail of his quest there is a good chance you shall never see the grandchildren upon whom you've placed the hopes of your family."
At this turn of events shock finally penetrated the scowling dwarf's mind. "Lord, I...," he began, and was interrupted by the Thane.
"Do you wish to make a more reasonable offer?"
"For him?" Kezzahl looked at Kasur's formal, stoic expression and his resolve hardened. "Never! My only daughter is worth her weight in gold to me!"
"Then so be it. Let the decision be recorded. This session is ended." The Thain turned to the arch leading to his offices and the crowd in the audience chamber dispersed, clumping into small groups, but leavng an empty circle around the master merchant.
The Seneschal escorted Kasur to his office in the barracks, and once inside he opened a locked cabinet. He placed two small stone cups on the table, and poured a brown liquid from a stone jug. He kicked a chair from the corner towards Kasur and took a seat for himself.
"It went about as I expected, but I don't think Master Kezzahl really thought things through. Kasur, the Thane was right: it's unlikely Bellin will marry if you can't meet her price. You can always release her, you know, but her father, that stubborn fool, has set his daughter apart now."
"I have to try," Kasur said. "No matter the price." And after a moment, he continued, "I just don't know how... how I'm going to get..."
"Drink!" The Seneschall raised his cup and sipped. Kasur followed suit, then gasped as the powerful brown liquid flowed down his throat. The Seneschal grinned and asked, "First taste of Fortitue? You have to sip mushroom whiskey. Now, what have you been thinking?"
"I have a few ideas," Kasur said when his breath returned. "I could hire onto a caravan as a walker, or hire out as carl to a wealthy house."
"Have you considered soldiering?"
"Yes sir," Kasur replied, "but I need gold, and I hear that all the gold goes to officers, and promotions in Amn go to the one with the gold. It would cost a bride's-price to gain the position I'd need to get the gold I need for her bride-price."
"I agree, the army of Amn isn't a good choice. There is another option, though. Cormyr."
"Sir? The forest kingdom?"
"Their King is said to be a man of honor, and they fight among the ruins of the ancient elven kingdom where hidden treasures are found fairly often. If you find a good place in their army, when it comes time you may have earned what you need. I think East offers a better chance than South. Think about it."
...
Within a month Kasur had managed to work his way noth and east along the caravan highways, around the Storm Horns, and into Isenhold, bearing his new Adventurer's Charter which allowed him to enter the Kingdom of Cormyr.