"North dwarves?" Darkus asked again, this time using the Khazalid language he learned from Malekith. He suddenly found that he had learned a lot from Malekith. For example, magic...no, such as the martial arts skills that have always been unable to defeat Malekith, political nonsense, military knowledge, deviant history, and Khazali German with the wrong accent, etc.
Khazalid is the language of the dwarves. Due to the War of Revenge, Khazalid became a taboo language in Assur in Ulthuan. It is only spoken in the library of the White Tower of Hoth or in a few large libraries. Mages will.
However, the situation changed again when it came to the Druchi in Nagaroth. Khazalid became an option that could be learned. It became a must-learn option for some Druchi with special status, because the dwarves were in the Nagaroth. As slaves, those slave owners or slave merchants and foremen with dwarves under their command must learn. There is no translator in this world.
Let the dwarves learn the Eltharin language of the elves? Forget it, Eltharin's complexity and changes and past history prove that dwarves can't learn it at all. Just like the "Book of Walaya" that Belloda once read in the White Tower of Hos, it is very simple for Khazalid to translate it into Eltharin, but the other way around is impossible to talk about.
The dwarf in front of Darkus was not tall. He was only 1.5 meters tall, which was considered a normal height among dwarves. His beard was formed into four short braids, but it looked very scattered. Perhaps it was because the ring made of gold was tied up by the group of people. The undead slumped down, with a look of exhaustion on his face. It seemed that the journey on the Black Coffin was not good for him.
"Yes, I am a North dwarf from Karak Crow Roost City." The dwarf was stunned for a moment, and then said. He didn't expect to see elves on the ship that was previously full of undead, and the elves also spoke a language he was familiar with in a weird accent.
"Why are you here?" the dwarf then asked.
"This is not the place to talk, and you are also very tired." After receiving the confirmed information, Darkus no longer focused on the dwarf, but continued to look at the map, and then he said nonchalantly, "I can feel that the ship is sinking. Keep looking for valuable things. Be careful of those bottles and jars. Ren, you are responsible for entertaining him." "
He is valuable to us as a North dwarf! He may be very important. ? The whiskey on our ship might be able to calm his nerves." After Ren nodded, Darkus continued to say nonchalantly.
Like the elves, in general the dwarves are divided into three branches. The main branch is the Mountain Kingdom, led by the High King of Karazha-a-Karak, and is mainly found in the mountains of the old world.
The other branch is the "Zar Dwarves" who have ruled the northern region of the Dark Land for thousands of years, also known as the Chaos Dwarves. They have been separated from their declining Western kin for a long time, and they dedicated themselves to the Darkness. Lord Hashut allowed Chaos to carve the twisted horror into his mind and soul, transforming himself into a cruel and calculating creature. They are proficient in witchcraft, obsessed with controlling the hellish power and the fire deep underground, combining dark knowledge with metal processing and industrial skills. As a result, the Chaos Dwarves create dazzling, bizarre, hellish war machines, weapons that bind daemons within, and deadly armaments.
There is also a group of dwarves living in Norsca. They call themselves "Northern Dwarves". Of course, there are many subdivisions, like the shadows of the elves in the mountains of Naggaroth and the Aenir living in the forests of Nordland. There are also some isolated dwarf tribes that do not live in the mountains, but live with them. The humans of the Empire live together, in the various cities of the Empire.
After everything settled, the three falcon ships began a careful internal inspection, searching inside and outside from the personnel, masts to the lowest cabin to make sure that no strange passengers visited the ship during the melee just now.
Barely an hour after dawn, the fierce storm lost its force and the dark clouds faded into the sunshine of early spring. The three falcon ships continued to sail north, while the Black Coffin behind them slowly sank into the water under the watch of foraging sharks.
Due to the need to discuss the next journey, Maranur and Colonia temporarily stayed on Darkus's falcon ship. Anyway, they can fly now... It was not a grand event, but it left the Druchs baffled. The reception breakfast started.
"Kaldor?"
"Yes, Kaldor Lotharson, the "Raven" from Karak Crow Roost City!" After Kaldor finished speaking with a heavy breath, he pressed down the food in his mouth with whiskey. Then he devoured it again.
"If my Khazali German is okay, it seems like he hasn't said thank you from just now?" Colonia frowned and swallowed the broken bread into his mouth and said.
"Let these dwarves say thank you. It's better to kill them directly and ask something useful from their mouths." Darkus said nonchalantly.
"I care more about this than this. Where will we go next? Will we be like our ancestors next?" Maranur, who was eating, spread out his left hand that was temporarily unused and said.
"Don't worry, my brother, that is not within our travel goals." Darkus comforted him, knowing what Maranur was expressing.
After Malekith came to the old world, he discovered the dwarves who were cutting wood not far outside the city. He took his two followers, one Alandrian and the other Isil, into the dwarf camp. , of course there are many elven archers hidden in the woods that the dwarves have never discovered.
The subsequent story is very simple. Alandrian mastered the Khazali German language in a very short time and acted as a bridge of communication between Malekith and the dwarves. It would be a long time until Malekith learned the Khazali German language. It's a matter of time, and Alandrian has been acting as the translator before. After that, he began his journey into the mountains until he met Snorri Whitebeard, became friends, and signed a treaty of friendship between the elves and dwarves.
If Darkos remembers correctly, the underground channels in Karak Crow Roost City have not been completed at this time and can only accommodate the entry and exit of longships. The Falcon Ship can't get in at all now, so the question arises. I can go to the North Dwarves as guests, but where can I put the Falcon Ship? You can’t let Kislev’s Erengrad go, right? If it is left alone for two or three years, what will happen to the personnel, cold lizards, war horses and equipment? Whether it should be transported by long ship or placed in Erengrad was all within his consideration.
The reason why Darkus let the Falcon ship enter the storm pursuit and ram the Black Coffin was because the journey on the sea had reached its end. Anyway, he won't need the ship anymore, but he just built it. Visiting the North dwarves is not within the scope of his travels. It might take several years to go back and forth. Although he, as the Hand of the Witch King, has great authority, such as being able to go wherever he wants, he knows that Malekith actually does not want him to come to the old world now, but to return to Naggaroth.
"I feel relieved to hear you say that." Maranur's tone relaxed, and he started eating again after speaking.
"But!" Darkus stretched his voice. After all the dining members turned their attention to him, he continued, "We have to go to the north." Then he talked about the prediction he got in his dream.
This thing is like doing a mission. Some branches are long-term and can be put aside first. For example, going to the North Dwarves, even Darkus doesn't need to go, just let Ren go. Some branch lines have windows and must be done immediately.
"It seems that saving the world is indeed an accident. This is our normal state." Maranur complained.
"At least for now, but it may not be certain in the future." Darkus said casually, then looked at Ren and asked, "How is your Kazalid, Ren?" "
Sir, can you tell me? I can write and communicate normally with dwarves." Renn put down his work and said cautiously.
"Do you mind telling me about your previous experiences? For example, why you appeared on the undead ship." Darkus didn't say anything, but nodded. He knew that Ren had understood what he meant, and then looked towards Kaldor continued to ask in Khazalid.
Darkos had a slight impression of the name Kaldor Lotharson in his mind, the famous Yonko of the Claw Sea, the human Captain Jago Ross, the dwarf butcher Captain Lon Dro, the Norscan Raven Captain Frick and Commander of the Skaven Fleet, Veris Ironmark. What is interesting is that of the four, only Ulfric is active in the Sea of Claws, while the others are usually active in Tyrell and the Blackwater Bay.
In addition, no one is certain that there must be only four Yonko. In a sense, Arinasa Anya Salty, who was born in Norska, counts. Jago Ross can also count. Arinasa Salty There is no reason why grudges should not be ignored, and the other one is Kaldor Lotharson of the North dwarves.
Just like the Hellscourge family in Karakrond, the surname Lotharson is also known in Karak Crow Roost City. With Kaldor's rambling and unorganized introduction, it was also indirectly confirmed that Dark Impressions of Us.
When the first Norse dwarf ships were launched in 1070 CE, Kaldor's clan was among the first to enter the Sea of Claws. Like members of the clan, Kaldor went to sea as a teenager and worked his way up through the ranks. He learned how to escort Norse dwarf merchant ships and led raids against the Norse Kasali and Skellin tribes.
Darkus raised his head and glanced at Kaldor's beard. He estimated that Kaldor was in adulthood now? Probably between 30 and 70 years old, but that's about it. Just like Malekith, all dwarves look the same. He is a little better than Malekith, at least he can tell the difference, but it is a bit difficult for him to tell the specific age from the dwarf's older face. He had never had any contact with the dwarves when he was in Naggaroth. Although the dwarves' metallurgical industry was very developed, that was only relative. The inheritance of the dwarven social system was all about hiding something, not to mention humans, even dwarves did the same to dwarves. .
Just like rune magic, if you see the right person, you will be given a bag of tips. There is no reliable apprentice who would rather take the knowledge to the grave. This is probably the case in other industries as well, and stuck-neck technologies such as star iron forging are also hidden. Therefore, Darkus did not place his treasure on the dwarves at all, but chose to believe in the sorceress. Facts also proved that his decision was correct. Druchi developed a metallurgical system suitable for him based on his own system. .
Although dwarves are also immortals, their life span cannot be compared to that of elves. The life course of a dwarf is divided into several stages. The first is definitely the infancy period. After all, dwarves are born, not popped out of stones.
Although dwarves do not live as long as elves, they age more slowly than humans. An elf and a human are fully developed and reach adulthood around the age of 16, while a dwarf reaches adulthood later, around the age of 18 to 20. The lifespan of an average human may be less than half that of a dwarf, and older dwarves are still energetic and will not show an obvious decline in vitality like humans.
Of course, these are all theoretical. Just like the theoretical lifespan of humans in Darkus' previous life was 150 years, humans living in the old world would be considered longevity if they lived to 50 years old.
Although dwarves physically reach adulthood at the age of 20, they are not considered adults until 30 years old in dwarven society. The previous stage is called adolescence, and is usually dominated by apprentices. The most important moment in a dwarf's life is their coming-of-age ceremony. Young dwarves will offer an item to their ancestors and ancestor gods during clan rituals, usually the work of their apprenticeship, a test of their youth in the clan's traditional skills.
For example, a dwarf from the brewing clan will offer a barrel of beer brewed by himself, while a dwarf from the jewelry craftsman clan will offer jewelry carved by himself or a finely cut precious stone. Afterwards, the clan elders will give the newly adult dwarves a set of exclusive tools and a badge representing the clan union. As adults, these dwarves need to establish their reputation within the clan. The vast majority of men will become apprentices to clan elders and continue to learn craftsmanship and knowledge under them.
The Lotharson clan to which Kaldor belongs is good at sailing and naval warfare.
When dwarves reach the age of 70, they will become "Fengsu", and they can have their own young clan apprentices, that is, to bring newbies... Of course, a small number of Fengsu will choose to continue to improve their skills instead of selecting and training apprentices, and Only a few lucky Toyosu are able to marry at this age. When dwarves turn 120 years old, they reach their "bearded" stage. They are respected by others in the clan for their wisdom, skills, and profound knowledge of clan traditions and techniques. Some long-bearded dwarves will continue to accept young tribesmen, or even rich-bearded dwarves, as apprentices, but the general expectation of the dwarves during this period is to pursue the peak of existing skills, rather than spending extra energy to guide apprentices.
You will become an elder at the age of 150. All elders use their age, wisdom and the length of their beards as virtues to enter the clan's council of elders. The Council of Elders will consider all matters that affect the clan and are related to the interests of the clan. In some clans, a council of elders is given the power to decide clan matters. Once a dwarf becomes an elder, he will always live in the clan as a clan elder.
The general lifespan of dwarves is about 200 years old. Those who are over 200 years old are called "Great Beards". They are very few in number and enjoy high prestige in dwarf society. Their precious experience and knowledge are very important to the dwarf clan in difficult times. Extremely important to the guild. Some dwarves at this stage remain in the clan's council of elders, while others continue to refine their craft. The most knowledgeable scholars and master-level runesmiths among the dwarves are almost all "Weixu".
The next step is outrageous. A very small number of dwarves over 400 years old are called living ancestors. Dwarves will feel that they are the ones blessed by the ancestor gods and respect them very much. The clan will regard having living ancestors as good luck.
Human elders will age, but the vitality of these living ancestors has not diminished at all. It seems that except for injuries and diseases, nothing can threaten the life of a living ancestor. Dwarves often say in a respectful tone that these living ancestors have more important things to do before they die. These ancient dwarves rarely age until their living ancestors are driven by a thirst for knowledge or a great mission.
For example, in a well-known game, the clan ancestor hero at the beginning of Belegar Hammer is a living ancestor. The great "Ruthless One" Krag Runelord ushered in his 1129th year in the current timeline. The High King Gotrek Starbreaker during the Longbeard War was already 160 years old before the war began, but during the nearly five hundred years of war, he personally led the dwarves in the battle. After the war, he was 655 years old. Passed away and joined the Hall of the Ancestors.
The Kaldor in front of Darkus is a good investment target, because he can live for a long time, and due to the characteristics and unique geographical restrictions of the North dwarves, he will not sail out of the Sea of Claws all over the world. If you run away, you will just wander around in the sea of claws at most. Is there any better investment object than this?
"Why do I feel that he is very..., that kind of..." When Kaldo finished talking about the transition to drinking, Ren suddenly said, but he still couldn't express it.
"Maybe it's because he just came of age? And if I remember correctly, the North dwarves have not participated in the battle of revenge." Belloda, who had been silent, said.
The more Kaldo spoke, the more eager and irritable he became, until finally he began to curse. But Darkos got a lot of useful information from Kaldor's words. For example, recently, a North dwarf warship and several merchant ships were intercepted north of the Blade Bay, and among them was an important figure, Harkon. ·Vikramson, Kaldor's mission was to investigate and determine the location of Harkon. As a result, the timeline was disrupted due to the appearance of Darkus, and Kaldor encountered this point in time when he should not have been active in the Sea of Claws. The Black Coffin, the result was that Kaldor also overturned...
"Who is Harkon Vikramson?" Ren asked, stopping Kaldor from cursing.
"He is the eldest son of King Karak Crow Roost, my good brother!" After Kaldor finished speaking, he raised the glass filled with whiskey and continued, "I like this kind of wine, thank you for your warm hospitality!" Then he drank heavily without waiting for the elves present to raise their glasses.
"I can feel that the rest of our journey is not going well." Maranur pointed his left hand at his head while avoiding Kaldor's eyes.
Darkus didn't know what to say for a moment, what was this? Norse dwarf drinking boy? Norse dwarves are generally considered easy-going by dwarven standards, but will still take note of their grievances and seek compensation. He knew that Kaldor in the future would be the fleet commander of Karak Crow Roost, responsible for the status and deployment of the North Dwarf navy, and also command the battle. In addition, he is also responsible for collecting information about Aislin, other Norscan tribes living in the Sea of Claws, and maritime activities in human ports on the southern coast of the Sea of Claws, and reporting the intelligence he collected and recommended action plans to the King's Council. So that the King's Council could debate and reach consensus.
Harkon Vikramson? If it is correct, according to the dwarf inheritance system, he will become the king of Karak Crow Roost City in the future. Like other Norse dwarf strongholds, the king and queen of Karak Crowroost do not consider themselves subordinate to the High King of the Mountain Kingdom, especially considering the disappearance of Karak Solgon at the beginning of the Great Invasion.
Like the elves, this also involves a long and smelly history. Karak Plateau Castle in the Southland of the Old World is the ancient birthplace of the dwarves, their first city. Its halls are lined with statues of ancestors who have long been lost in history. As for why, maybe you have to ask the three dwarf gods. Maybe the teleportation setting of the ancient saint is wrong? Or maybe something else.
Then the dwarves began to push north along the mountains, some of them going too far. Although blood ties among dwarves are important, they still lead to great conflicts and arguments among the clans. Seeking to harness the powerful magical energies found near the northern Chaos Wastes, these rebellious dwarves moved to the north of the World's Edge Mountains until they came to the Darklands Boneplateau, the previously mentioned Dragon Boneyard.
Fearing this desolate place, many dwarves returned the same way they came, or traveled north to Norsca in search of a new stronghold, while the remaining dwarves who stayed in the Dark Land became Zahath who now worship the Chaos God Suhat. Er dwarf. Those dwarves who went north established the city of Karak Dron in the Giant Home Mountains, which are rich in iron and precious metal veins.
With the arrival of the great invasion, the dwarf fortress in the Mountain Kingdom received notification from Granny and built a huge closed system, blocking the fortress gate and surviving those difficult years. The North Dwarf strongholds, too far away, were not notified and fell under siege by Chaos, their fate unknown to their southern brethren for thousands of years. They suffered heavy losses during this period, but were spared the ravages of the Vengeful War against the Elves and the subsequent Orc Wars. Instead, they fought the warlike Norscan tribes, the beasts of Chaos, and the Skaven of the Rotten Clan.
These North dwarves did not want to sit still and wait for death. They spontaneously found new strongholds in the mountains and opened up territories for their people. Thousands of years later, they developed a culture that was different from the southern dwarves. In terms of clothing, beliefs and behaviors, the North dwarves The dwarves all share a common heritage with the Norscans. Whether this was because the Norse dwarves became more like the Norscans, or whether the Norse became more like the dwarves, is a matter of tedious debate among Imperial scholars.
The Giant Mountains are famous for the presence of a large number of giants and trolls, and have rich deposits of iron, precious metals and jewelry. The area's coniferous forests are also rich in game, forest valleys produce large amounts of amber, and rivers and coastal waters are rich in fish. On this fertile land, the North dwarves built four of their magnificent strongholds, namely Karak Dulong City, Karak Giant Peak Mountain, Karak Eagle Peak Castle and Karak Crow Roost City.
Karak Crow Roost City is not like the other three fortress cities located near the Frozen Sea. Instead, it is located on the ridge of the southwest mountainous area of the Giant's Home Mountains. In the middle of the Claw Sea and the Frozen Sea, overlooking the two major drainage basin. This was the first Norse dwarf fortress to realize the value of access to the sea. The king instructed engineers and miners to use underground flows and caves to build a port under the fortress, and had engineers build a series of underground canals leading to the Sea of Claws. After that, engineers built more canals and redirected the underground rivers in the opposite direction, allowing them to connect the two major river basins at the same time, allowing free access to the Claw Sea and the Frozen Sea.
As we all know, the Hell Pit of the Corrupt Clan is also there... There are a large number of mineral deposits under the fortress. In addition to copper, iron, silver, amber, hematite and various quartz gems, there are also mineral deposits that can be used to carve the portraits of the venerable ancestors and make crafts. Blue-grey solid stone for precious jewelry.
There was a honeymoon period between the Norse dwarves and the Norscans. The Norse dwarves taught the Norscans how to brew beer and ferment honey into mead. After exchanges, the relationship between the two races gradually heated up, their cultures influenced each other, and their artistic styles became similar. Eventually, they discovered that they both had a clan relationship, independent nature, and liked drinking, fighting, and writing long poems.
Unfortunately, Chaos still drives the two races apart. Due to their proximity to the Chaos Wastes, the Norscans came to worship the Chaos Gods. Some Norse tribes resisted wagging mercy to the Chaos Gods, and these tribes were eventually forced to move south to safer lands or live among the Norse dwarves. As the Norscans turned their attention to the soft lands in the south, the Norscan dwarves also learned about the distant world from escapees or captives.
Similarly, the Norse dwarves also learned something from the Norscans. For example, in 1066 of the Imperial Calendar, the engineers of Karak Crowroost learned important shipbuilding techniques by studying several captured Norscan longships. It was at that time that the fortress began to develop its navy, merchant ships and the expansion of underground canals.
The Norse dwarves are connected to the Mountain Kingdom through the city of Karak Tokgo in the far north of the World's Edge Mountains. Not long after, a message came from the High King declaring that the long-lost Norse dwarves should serve him, just as the Norse dwarves had done to the High King before the Great Invasion.
The kings of the Norse dwarves responded that their allegiance was to Grunnni himself, and now their loyalty was reserved only to the ancestors and the ancestor gods. The High King was outraged by this reply from his northern relative, but could not deny the logic.
Interestingly, in 1696 of the Imperial Calendar, North dwarf engineers from Karak Crow Roost and Karak Dugu City arrived in Karak Dugu City, where they learned the black powder technology mastered by the Mountain Kingdom. Until then It was only then that the Norse dwarves had gunpowder.
"Autism in isolation, a classic enclosure for self-pleasure." Darkus sighed after drinking the white grape juice, but he liked the independence of the North dwarves very much. The four North fortresses only have kings, not the supreme king. . Just like the city of Naggaroth only has the Night Governor, but there is the Witch King above his head. On weekdays, we help each other on offense and defense, and if anything happens, we discuss it together. And having never fought against elves in the War of Revenge, they will be more tolerant of elves than their relatives in the south.
"What kind of wine do you usually drink?" Darkus asked after raising his glass, and then drank all the white grape juice in the glass.
"Burp...beer, hiccup...and mead, and occasionally strong liquor from Keith...Reeve." Kaldor said with a wine burp.
"You must be the best drinker among you, right?" Darkus could clearly feel that Kaldor was getting excited, so he continued to ask.
"Of course! I am the most drinkable dwarf in Crow Roost City!" Kaldor slapped his chest loudly.
Then Kaldor stumbled about their drinking celebrations, and it took Darkus a long time to understand that the North dwarves only had this kind of event four times a year, let alone normal.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Maranur said with a smile.
"Indeed." Darkus still wants to have good relations with the North dwarves. For example, after the underground river channel in Crow Roost City is repaired, after everything stabilizes in Ulthuan, and after the operation of Albion Island begins, he can Transport wine to Crow's Roost City to open up trade, and sell goods to the Norse dwarves.
And there are many. For example, for thousands of years, the North dwarves have erected and buried many large rune stones engraved with runes to protect against the corruption of Chaos in the Giants' Home Mountains. The function of these rune stones is very similar to the elves' guide stones and the stone tablets placed by the lizardmen at the spiritual vein nodes. They can guide the wind of chaos from the land of the North dwarves to the spiritual vein network node of Obien, which belongs to Obien's outpost. , located at the forefront of the northern chaotic wasteland.
After the great anti-chaos war in 2302 of the Imperial Calendar, the king of the Norscan Aislin tribe led his troops to attack Karak Dulong City. The 88-year-long battle of the mountains began. King Silverbeard of Dulong City ordered Push up to the peak itself to stop the Aislin Horde's attack. The Norse dwarves resisted bravely, but continued to lose ground. Finally, in 2390 of the Imperial Calendar, Dulong City fell.
Although the fallen dwarf fortress of Karak Dulong City was recovered and reoccupied by the North dwarves after being destroyed for more than a century, Darkus seemed to be of no use. The Aislin tribe attacked Dulong City. There is a reason, because Dulong City is the key to the spiritual node of the Giant's Home Mountain Range!
This is just like the mountain is still the same mountain and the water is still water, but the longan or dragon veins have been dug out. The portal in front of Albion Island opened wide, causing a chain reaction. From Albion Island to the Kingdom of Yrys in Ulthuan, and then to the Maelstrom, they all entered a state of overload.
Moreover, the Hell Pit of the Corrupt Clan is near Crow Roost City. Darkus does not have the energy to deal with it now, but that place will be destroyed sooner or later, so Crow Roost City...
"Maybe we can make an investment for the future! "Dakus said with a smile, looking at Kaldor who had fallen under the table.
Don't worry, I won't go there... Let's lay the groundwork first, make a good relationship, and then proceed with the main plot.