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Rycekk
The yellow-haired dwarf writhed violently, beads of sweat showing even through his twisted beard. The flat stone on which he lay shook with his twists and pulls as four hands held his limbs to the stone. Above him stood a half-elf, holding a heavy hammer in the air with quivering arms. Tears made streams in the crusted white dust on the half-elf's face.
"There" a booming human voice said from behind the half-elf, "Where his ankle is shackled - lest he forget who he is."
Old stains of blood on the concrete slab came to life as the writhing dwarf's sweat covered them. A fifth set of hands joined the others, bracing the dwarf's shackled ankle. These salt-encrusted hands belonged to other slaves, those who the dwarf considered brothers and sisters. The shaking half-elf lifted the heavy hammer over his head as he mouthed the words 'forgive me'. The hammer came crashing down on the dwarf's ankle, sending him into a world of darkness.
Through the darkness, in the distance the dwarf heard booming words: "And cut off his runty beard."
Seemingly days later, the dwarf breathed in what felt to be his first breath of cool, cave air. Still drifting in darkness he remembered the human who the booming voice belonged to. For long days had the well-dressed human stood at the mouth of the cave in which the dwarf and the other slaves toiled. Indeed, the human thought he stood between the slaves and their freedom - he believed that the stars and the cool night air were what the enslaved miners worked hard for every day. The slaves, however, held something their human master did not know of.
Deep in the salt mines, day after day, the slaves carved themselves out the slightest bit of freedom. The human, having been raised in towers and estates, had never spent more than a few minutes under ground. Deep in the dusty mines they were not watched. The slaves could talk, joke, and in low voices they could even sing. They even began to worship Grumbar, god of the earth. This is where it began, the dwarf and the half-elf, excitedly yet cautiously coming together to read an old, stolen cleric's book. Studying it as much as they could out of their master's sight, the two learned over many moons how to provide light for their brothers and sisters, to stave off the salt lung, and even to cure minor injuries. All of the miners praised and gave thanks to Grumbar for these blessings, but they would not last.
One early morning their master discovered the book, and whipped the slaves for allowing it to remain there. Using the bleeding slaves, their master then broke the dwarf's leg and drove the devastated half-elf to fall on his own pick-axe. All this the dwarf knew before he even opened his eyes.
- - - - -
"Rycekk!" a vaguely familiar voice called out. "Don't ye worry, I brought a bit of water!" Rycekk the broken dwarf heard the scuffing of two feet and then felt cool water pour over his face. Two small hands cleaned the encrusted salt and dust from his eyes.
"Great to see ye!" said the same voice. It was Imari, the hearty halfling who was new to the mines. With her help, Rycekk sat up slowly and winced at the pain in his ankle. He whispered a few healing words as he twisted it back into alignment. Imari, still kneeling over him had a pained expression on her face. Rycekk looked at her without his eyes clouded by dust and salt for the first time. He knew she would not last long in the terrible mines.
"The master wants you working double-time," she said, "but the rest of us have been storing away some extra salt, and we can say you mined it while you heal up."
Rycekk managed to smile. He noticed the dust on his face and felt for where his beard once was, with a new sort of pain.
"You look good!" Imari yelped. "Never saw a dwarf without a beard, but the master's wife would fall for a chiseled jaw like that!" Rycekk looked to her with a helpless look on his face. "Now they might've taken the book, but ye got plenty o' Grumbar's blessings in yer head, and ye can teach others!" chirped Imari. Her look changed to mournful for a moment. "But your companion.."
"Aye, I know.." said Rycekk softly. He watched Imari, radiating her love and the love of all the rest of the others - the slaves, as a broken family - and he realized that they must all be free. Somehow, the lifeless Anauroch would be their liberation.
Imari helped Rycekk down the dimly lit, dusty cave. "C'mon there," she said, "let's get you going. Master'll break all our ankles if ye ain't workin..."
"There" a booming human voice said from behind the half-elf, "Where his ankle is shackled - lest he forget who he is."
Old stains of blood on the concrete slab came to life as the writhing dwarf's sweat covered them. A fifth set of hands joined the others, bracing the dwarf's shackled ankle. These salt-encrusted hands belonged to other slaves, those who the dwarf considered brothers and sisters. The shaking half-elf lifted the heavy hammer over his head as he mouthed the words 'forgive me'. The hammer came crashing down on the dwarf's ankle, sending him into a world of darkness.
Through the darkness, in the distance the dwarf heard booming words: "And cut off his runty beard."
Seemingly days later, the dwarf breathed in what felt to be his first breath of cool, cave air. Still drifting in darkness he remembered the human who the booming voice belonged to. For long days had the well-dressed human stood at the mouth of the cave in which the dwarf and the other slaves toiled. Indeed, the human thought he stood between the slaves and their freedom - he believed that the stars and the cool night air were what the enslaved miners worked hard for every day. The slaves, however, held something their human master did not know of.
Deep in the salt mines, day after day, the slaves carved themselves out the slightest bit of freedom. The human, having been raised in towers and estates, had never spent more than a few minutes under ground. Deep in the dusty mines they were not watched. The slaves could talk, joke, and in low voices they could even sing. They even began to worship Grumbar, god of the earth. This is where it began, the dwarf and the half-elf, excitedly yet cautiously coming together to read an old, stolen cleric's book. Studying it as much as they could out of their master's sight, the two learned over many moons how to provide light for their brothers and sisters, to stave off the salt lung, and even to cure minor injuries. All of the miners praised and gave thanks to Grumbar for these blessings, but they would not last.
One early morning their master discovered the book, and whipped the slaves for allowing it to remain there. Using the bleeding slaves, their master then broke the dwarf's leg and drove the devastated half-elf to fall on his own pick-axe. All this the dwarf knew before he even opened his eyes.
- - - - -
"Rycekk!" a vaguely familiar voice called out. "Don't ye worry, I brought a bit of water!" Rycekk the broken dwarf heard the scuffing of two feet and then felt cool water pour over his face. Two small hands cleaned the encrusted salt and dust from his eyes.
"Great to see ye!" said the same voice. It was Imari, the hearty halfling who was new to the mines. With her help, Rycekk sat up slowly and winced at the pain in his ankle. He whispered a few healing words as he twisted it back into alignment. Imari, still kneeling over him had a pained expression on her face. Rycekk looked at her without his eyes clouded by dust and salt for the first time. He knew she would not last long in the terrible mines.
"The master wants you working double-time," she said, "but the rest of us have been storing away some extra salt, and we can say you mined it while you heal up."
Rycekk managed to smile. He noticed the dust on his face and felt for where his beard once was, with a new sort of pain.
"You look good!" Imari yelped. "Never saw a dwarf without a beard, but the master's wife would fall for a chiseled jaw like that!" Rycekk looked to her with a helpless look on his face. "Now they might've taken the book, but ye got plenty o' Grumbar's blessings in yer head, and ye can teach others!" chirped Imari. Her look changed to mournful for a moment. "But your companion.."
"Aye, I know.." said Rycekk softly. He watched Imari, radiating her love and the love of all the rest of the others - the slaves, as a broken family - and he realized that they must all be free. Somehow, the lifeless Anauroch would be their liberation.
Imari helped Rycekk down the dimly lit, dusty cave. "C'mon there," she said, "let's get you going. Master'll break all our ankles if ye ain't workin..."