Axe and The Wolf

Chapter IX: Charcoal and Suet

"When the path grows treacherous and the way forward is unclear, a true dwarf presses on, for the greatest rewards lie beyond the hardest trials." – Explorer Kili Steelbeard

A group of armored warriors clad in dark armor with dark tabards and robes the color of smoke appeared, they were armed with maces, swords and shields and warhammers. They opened the gates of the town, the dwarves saw the symbols emblazoned in their shields and clothing. A skeletal hand with a scale symbolizing justice, meaning their allegiance to the church of Kelemvor, the god of death in other regions of the world. At the forefront there stood a cleric, a large mace caked in blackened blood and a shield with the same symbol at his hands, he swung his mace and cleared off the remains staining it, he hung the weapon from his belt and removed his helmet. He had an angular face with strong but noble features, his skin was very pale and in contrast, his hair was black as onyx.

Kelemvorite clerics and paladins, are well-known for seeking the undead. But they also took upon themselves to comfort those who are close to death, performing last rites, consoling families and ensuring people have a proper burial. The man approached the dissolving wall of dwarven firearms, his facial expression that of a friendly light smile "Greetings, good folk, we are servants of the Lord of Death Kelemvor, we were searching for signs of undead activity when we heard the fracas of combat from here, seems like you found our quarry before us, nonetheless we are happy to have helped where we could." he finished with a nod, Master Engineer Jari stood on his wagon and spoke "We are thankful for the aid, young master, are any of your lads hungry? Light is fading soon and well, if those cold fellows over yonder won't stand back up we could camp here for the night..." the cleric looked to his companions, who in quiet voices agreed amongst themselves that yes, they could use a bowl of something hot, he turned and bowed slightly with a hand on his chest "We'd be honored, though we may need some time to attend to the people who we have returned to the Lord's domain..." his hand motioned to the corpses of the undead.

Ulfrun volunteered to make the food for the warriors as everyone got ready to disembark from the vehicles and began to set up camp. The young smith went near a cart where he was sure some food supplies were stored, he was surprised to see a young gnome woman, she seemed to be bundled under some heavy woolen blankets, she looked at him through sleepy eyes "What do you need?" he blinked somewhat amused "Well, I am making a stew so I need some meat and vegetables..." she nodded "W-W-What kind of meat?" she said through quivering teeth "Chicken, if available" the dwarf said, she handed over a bundle of paper from inside a small bag, it felt cold to the touch and she also gave him a small bundle of what appeared as amber colored jerky "Drop the jerky looking things in the water, it makes broth faster, grab the vegetables and go, I am freezing!" Ulfrun quickly acquired the vegetables from the cart and saw afterwards how a couple of older gnomes beckoned the girl over to a campfire where she huddled close to it, her parents poking fun at her for staying so long in the cart.

From the position where he sat down to prepare the food Ulfrun could see quite clearly the Kelemvorites at work, the raven-haired cleric was standing over a row of graves, all filled with the remains of the villagers who had died and were turned into zombies. He spoke in a practiced tone "Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine,et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Ita sit." A paladin covered some of the corpses in oil, while performing a litany for the death "Kyrie Kelemvor, eleison. In vita est rixa, In vita dolor, In morte est quies, In morte pax est. In amplexu tuo, Domine mortis, pacem et propositum invenimus. Sit haec animabus vestris focis et lucem inveniet, Kyrie Kelemvor, eleison" with a hand gesture similar to a rising spiral done with the hand, the cleric said "Da mihi ignem et lucem" creating in front of him, over the remains a flame that spread with the oil and began consuming the bodies.

The dwarf began to work, peeling and cutting the vegetables, first onions, then carrots, and then potatoes. They went into a bowl, he then set up a pot with water and the miraculous amber colored jerky, that to his surprise, was indeed working and creating a broth. Once the water began to boil he added the chicken, he allowed the broth to boil enough so that the chicken was cooked. He had to wait for around an hour, in the meantime the holy men finished, covering the graves in dirt and making a silent final prayer over them. He tasted with a small spoon the broth, it lacked spices, he remedied this with his spice kit, adding some black pepper, paprika and some dried garlic flakes. Now the vegetables were added, and the lid went back on. Ulfrun went back to the wagon and saw what else he could use, he found the small sack where the chicken was stored, inside was cold, colder than outside. He grabbed a jar that had inside cream, he was confused, from the outside the bag seemed not full with anything in particular, he figured the bag must have some form of enchantement, a bag like that could come in handy when fishing or hunting. He returned with the jar of cream in tow, adding it to the broth and mixing well. Soon the result was a creamy stew of chicken and vegetables bubbling and wafting a pleasant smell.