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“There is no guile in you,” Pappy ‘Shieldbreaker’ Felsbrocken had to crane his neck up a bit to see the bruised head of the young man he was tending. The dexterity of his blunt, Dwarven fingers seemed odd. His skill at healing was the result of a lifetime of practice. “You’re lucky the lass didn’t crack your gourd for you.”
“She wasn’t serious, mein papa,” the human replied, “We were just playing.”
“Common, son. It will be hard enough to make your way in the outside without you constantly reminding them that you were raised Dwarf.” The Dwarf gazed down his impressive nose through thick spectacles at his handiwork. “As for Trudy, she is never just playing. She sees past your physical frailty and unfortunate beard to the qualities underneath. But old Jargen will see her married off to his benefit and to the honor of his clan, as is proper. You can’t help being human, but even if you were born Dwarf, you’d not be a match for Trudy. Jargen has loftier goals for that marriage than a Priest’s son.”
The reality of Dwarven life is not exactly a secret, but seldom discussed with outsiders. Only about half of Dwarves are fertile, and only about three in ten Dwarves are born female. Female Dwarves are closely guarded and worth a small fortune, both financially and politically. They are never given to marriage to a non-Dwarf. And Trudy was no common Dwarven woman. Her pedigree makes her suitable to marriage to the highest echelons of Dwarven society.
“It’s okay, Pappy,” the lad said as if comforting the old man. “Trudy is very pretty, but we are like brother and sister. She takes pity on me because I’m so ugly.” There was no bitterness in the young man’s voice. Rollender was never bitter about anything. He always saw the rich vein in the rock. “In any case, I will soon be following my path by the grace of Moradin, and she will follow hers. I can’t say I’m anxious to leave Unterberg, but I want to be the best possible return on his investment, and I am excited to see some of the world too. I just feel guilty that my leaving might make this place less important in my way of looking at the world.”
“All Dwarves feel the longing you describe, Sohn. Do not worry. A vein of mithril does not diminish the vein of gold beside it. When the time comes, you will return, if the Soulforger wills it. I will miss you Sohn, and that is the honest truth.”
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