Death of a Leader

Clang. Clong. Clang. Clang. Clong.

"Shut that noise! I am trying to sleep," moaned a very hungover Barrel.

"Uh oh. Those are the bells of mourning. I read about them. This is serious. Get up, Barrel," said Throw Down.

We had had a lot to drink the night before and we were all a little groggy. We decided to check the noise out. Pitter picked up Barrel and dunked him into a barrel of water. That woke him.

"Let's gather our stuff. I don't like the sound of this," Throw Down suggested. We agreed.

We found A Brick. He was busy, even more weary than usual. A stocky dwarf he might once have been, but he was wasting away with his burden of leadership.

"Ah, friends. It is good you have come to see me. Today is a sad day for our clan. Our leader, Carrot, is dead. This is a time which is closed to outsiders, particularly in these times of war. You must go and go now. Contact me in a couple of weeks and I will tell more. I will let All Grins know you have left when I see him again. I think he is currently with the Hoarders."

We looked at each other and nodded. We were ready to leave. We filed out, but A Brick pulled me back.

"Mord, you need to be very careful. I have done some research. It looks like there are elements in our clan that had quite the grudge against Core and are distrustful of worshipers of other gods, even such a good god as Kord. I think you have been a target of theirs for some time. They could not do much with Carrot in charge, but they are a powerful faction. Be careful."

"Thank you, A Brick. Yes, me thoughts that I was done here. The world beckons. Best of luck to you A Brick. Expect to hear from me when you hear from me."

And so we parted. I knew not whether we would ever see that place again. The beautiful gems hanging over the main cavern, the dark quiet old tunnels, the cold river, the narrow catacombs, the frothy ale, and the fun wrestling, all of these were now a fading memory. Out into the fresh air, the cold winds, the unforgiving mountains, this was our destiny. I could feel that our fate was waiting on the winds.

As I joined my friends outside, we trudged off to the north and decided to explore the mountains thoroughly. We all became one with the wind and flung ourselves at those distant mountains.

Mords of Wisdom: The past is best left behind.