Spears of Redriver

Part Four - Morside

"Lead the way then" the young warrior said.

"Oh, it won't be just me..." she replied with a nod and turned quickly to a small group of Rytari laughing as they put up a spit over a fire, "Arceln!".

The tall man who stood from the group gave her a nod and came over quickly. He had a square face with unkempt stubble and slightly graying hair that was worn braided back. His half plate was gray and dull and covered in dents and scratches.

"How did you take the journey?" Atora asked.

"It went over well, I think" Arceln replied. He scratched his head.

"Our new friends want to see the city and we shouldn't let them wander alone, come with us" Atora smiled at the big man. Carthus was not sure who was taller, Oro or Arceln.

"Of course, I'll be glad to accompany you, let me grab my sword and shield" Arceln nodded and ran back to a tent that likely belonged to him. Carthus watched, now amused at the tall Rytari, as he carried a sword and shield larger than any the young warrior had ever seen. He was sure now that Arceln was bigger than Oro, both in height and in the shoulders.

As the group of five left the camp of the Rytari and followed along the rough dirt road toward the gates, Carthus got a chance to examine the walls closer. There were carvings of warriors along the length of the great wall. Several warriors were almost as tall as the wall itself but most were smaller bearded people wielding spears and axes. Carthus knew the carvings depicted dwarves. He had seen many dwarves back near the clan lands.

"Those are giants," Atora explained, she too was looking at the wall, "these walls are said to have been built by the giants long before they went extinct...around the time of the Great War...these carvings were later added by the dwarves to honor those who died". Carthus walked on, still in awe. He now noticed the horned and winged creatures that the dwarves and giants were fighting. Each one was almost as big as a giant and wielded what looked like flaming swords.

"What are those? With the horns?" Jeden asked.

"Ferdag," Atora replied, "they were the demons that threatened to destroy all life...enemies of the Bradha".

"The what?" Oro asked. He gave her a confused look before trading glances with his friends.

"The Bradha is what most people call the giants" Atora smiled.

"What happened with the war? Why are the giants...er, Bradha extinct?" Jeden asked, now seeming more relaxed. Carthus knew him to be more at ease when learning something new, it was his environment.

"The Bradha won the war, with the help of the humans and other allies...the rest is a long story for later" Atora replied. She fixed her gaze ahead and they continued on to the gates.

Carthus eyed the tall gates now as they drew nearer and wondered how many dwarves were needed to open and close them daily. They sat opened now, letting a throng of people in and out. There were armored dwarves in blue cloaks walking about and several more stood guard at the gates. Among the crowds were men and women of all colors as well as dwarves. Carthus was surprised, he did not expect to see other humans. He even caught sight of other Maad clansmen before they disappeared through the gates. Their dreaded hair with small bones and stone charms tied in, much like his, stood out to him.

"You saw them too?" Oro asked. His gaze was sharply fixed ahead.

"What if the Nadaens are here?" Jeden asked worriedly, his fear had returned to him as he looked around nervously.

"Don't worry, we have friends now" Carthus joked, pointing at Atora and Arceln.

"Stay close, you don't want to get lost now" Atora jerked Carthus by the arm as their group began to mix into the crowd entering the city. He stumbled but managed to catch himself and gave her a sideways look to see if she noticed. Her attention was elsewhere and he was glad.

"Does Prince Cadan know that we are out here wandering around?" Jeden asked from behind Carthus.

"The prince rode into the city before the camp was set, he's been with the king since" Arceln was the one who responded. He had been quiet the entire walk before.

"I thought he wanted to parade the spies before the dwarf king" Carthus said jokingly.

"He decided you are not spies...and wants to see if you are of any value to him" Arceln replied.

"And he knows everything...he told me to give you a tour before he left us" Atora laughed. Jeden seemed slightly eased by the answer but Carthus knew he was worried about the Nadaens now. He turned backwards to face Jeden as he walked to reassure his friend that the Nadaens would not find them.

"Don't worry..." Carthus began, but at that very moment, he caught sight of the green and yellow paint on the otherwise dull breastplates that belonged to their hunters. The Nadaen Maeli were there and they were forcing their way through the crowd, eyes fixed on Carthus.