A small village in the mountains

The sun was high, lighting the peaks of the mountain pass. As Ililith climbed higher, the thatched roofs of dwarven houses came into view. Despite the clear weather, snow still covered the pass, becoming denser as she ascended.

Drawing closer, Ili opened her master's notebook and read the first entries:

 "As I traveled the mountain pass, I saw a small dwarven village ahead. The locals are good people, though heavy drinkers, as expected of the Iron Gates dwarves. I think I'll stay a few days..."

--Lexius Season, Year 4078, Day 37 (1)

Ili closed the notebook and put it back in her pouch as the climb finished, leading into a softer path, through a small valley. Along the road, not too far away, a dwarven village stood, built on the two sides of the path. The village's entrance drew nearer, marked by two tall, ornate logs, with a few decorative carvings and flowers placed along the wood. Despite the village's small size, it was full of joy and noise. Dwarves, humans, elves, and others mingled as merchant carts passed along the single road, the only direct route through the Northern Iron Mountains.

Ili stepped aside to let a cart pass by, surprised by the village's liveliness. As she approached the ceremonial logs, a small wooden sign in Dornohyan (2) caught her eye, placed between the logs on some rope.

"It says 'Welcome to Heidal,'" a voice spoke.

She turned to see a dwarf, not much shorter than her, with a braided beard and traditional dwarven attire. He appeared to be in early adulthood (3), judging by his muscular build and dark hair.

"Name's Kaeldor," he said, extending his hand.

Ili, surprised by the sudden introduction, smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Ililith. My Dornohyan isn't great…"

"You're not from around here, are you, Miss Ililith?"

"No, not really," she replied, smiling sheepishly.

"And I take it you don't have a place to stay?"

Ili nodded. "I was thinking of camping somewhere along the road later on."

"If you like, I have a cousin here in Heidal. I'm sure he'd let you stay at his house. A roof and a warm bed beat the forests, don't you think?"

Seeing Ili's hesitation, Kaeldor added, "Come on! The Dragon's Festival is in two days. We have a tradition of inviting travelers to stay with us until the festival ends. It wouldn't be a problem!"

"The Dragon's Festival?" Ili asked, clearly unaware.

"Wait, you didn't come for the festival? What do you think all these people are here for?"

Looking around, Ili noticed others setting up camp or being invited into dwarven homes. It finally made sense why the small village was so crowded. She considered continuing her journey but remembered her master's words: 'The time you take to finish your journey, and the things you do, are up to you.' With a sigh, Ili's face brightened.

"Alright… I guess I could stay for a few days and watch the festival!"

"Great then! Let's go, my cousins' house isn't too far from here."

Ili smiled as they entered the lively village. She was fascinated by the small dwarven settlement, so different from the big stone cities she had seen in her travels. Unlike the imposing stone walls and massive buildings of those cities, the wooden houses with thatched roofs here felt warm and welcoming, full of joy that was rarely found elsewhere.

"Kaeldor" Ili finally muttered, breaking the silence between them. "What is the Dragon's Festival?"

The dwarf smiled excitedly, as if he was waiting for her to ask that question.

"Well, it's said that many centuries ago, a dragon was ravaging these lands. He would burn down villages, destroy cities, and wreak havoc anywhere he went. That, until the great Arch-Wizard of the Six Lights came to fight him! After a long battle between the two, the wizard was able to defeat the dragon, which fell right here in the Iron Mountains, leaving a massive crater! The dragon's body slowly decomposed with time, but its massive rib cage is still visible, surrounding the crater fully."

The girl listened to him, in awe of his story.

"For three hundred years, every twenty years, this battle is celebrated here. People from all around the lands come here to see the celebration, gathering in the center of the crater and waiting for it to turn dark. When it does, fireworks are fired into the skies, recreating, in a way, the battle between the Arch Wizard and the Colossal Dragon. It's truly a sight to behold!"

Kaeldor's eyes filled up with nostalgia. Ili was even more excited for the festival now that he told her about it, but something still bugged her out...

"Kaeldor... What are fireworks (4)?"

"Oh, you'll see! I don't want to ruin the surprise for you, but what I can tell you is that they are spectacular! You won't regret it!"

The girl sighed, but then, her smile returned to her lips. "Alright! I guess I'll have to trust you then!"

After a bit more time, the two were drawing closer to the house. It was the last house in the village, at a little bit of a distance from the others, elevated higher on the small valley. It was a small, wooden house with a thatched roof, same as the others in the village, with a stone chimney at the right side of the roof. A small, cobblestone path was branching from the main road, leading to the house. Besides the road, thick snow was covering the long and dense grass that usually grows at this altitude.

In front of the house, on a wooden chair, was a very small and old dwarf. His feeble body and thick, white beard were showing that he was way past his better days. He was sitting there, holding onto a wooden staff with both his hands, his eyes barely open, looking at the light blue sky. 

"Old Man Kal!" Kaeldor smiled with excitement at the sight of the feeble elder.

The old dwarf slowly turned his head down towards the road, seeing the two people that were approaching him. As he saw Kaeldor, the elder's expression brightened.

"Kaeldor boy!" the old man said, in a voice matching his feeble appearance. "You finally came back! How was the war?"

Looking at Kaeldor, Ili finally noticed the weapon on his back, which seemed to not catch her eye before. A large battle axe, with dwarven symbols on its handle and edge.

"Oh, nothing much. We were sent on a campaign to The Other Half (5), but we didn't go in too deep. Besides, the Dark Legions there weren't much of a problem. Kaeldor had a very proud expression on his face, as he straightened his back and closed his eyes, his head tilted upward.

The old man smiled, but didn't say anything. Kaeldor's prideful expression faded soon, as he opened his eyes and looked at the old man, a bit disappointed in the lack of reaction.

"Uh... Old man?" Kaeldor snapped his fingers in front of his face.

A quiet snore was heard from the elder, making Ili chuckle at the whole scene. Kaeldor smiled, but this smile had a hint of sadness. His tone got softer.

"Old Man Kal has been in this village for longer than anyone else. It is said that he was one of the strongest mages in our lands, a couple hundreds of years ago. But he's never been the same since his wife died... I was once standing here, at my cousin's house, when we were kids. His dad left to hunt in the forest. He came home very late, carrying on his back an old man, no taller than a child... My cousin's dad said that he found him deep in the mountains, in a field of flowers, looking at the sky, all alone. He wouldn't respond to anything, nor did he have any food or water with him. So, my cousin's father decided to take him home to us and give him some food and something to drink. As time passed, the old man started to grow accustomed to our village, starting to get along with the locals and us, and even started talking a little. And, well, I guess he has remained here ever since…"

Ili's face saddened after hearing the story, glancing back at the old man, seeing him in a different light now.

"Well, don't be too sad for him. He may not look like it, but the old sack of bones is a lot tougher than you may think!" Kulhun chuckled. "Alright, enough talk. Let's get inside, shall we?"

Kaeldor went to the door and knocked a few times. After a bit of time with no response, Kaeldor opened the door himself.

"Well, it seems that my cousin isn't home. But don't let that stop you, come inside!"

Ili followed Kaeldor inside. Despite its small size, the house was way more spacious than Ili first thought. On the warm cobblestone floor, from the window to the chimney, a dwarf-sized bed stood. Next to it was a small bedside with an unlit candle and a book on it. On the other side of the room was yet another dwarf sized bed, with a few wooden steps next to it, most certainly made to help the old man get in it. This bed was right next to a slightly bigger and clearer window, to let the old man gaze at the sky even from his bed, as that seemed to be what he enjoyed doing the most. Along that wall, on the opposite corner, was a long and spacious chest, made for storage.

On the floor was a big red carpet, decorated with traditional dwarven symbols. And on the walls, many weapon stands were placed, each with their respective owner's names. One of the stands was empty, with the name "Kaeldor GreyThorn" on it. Kaeldor approached that one, and placed his weapon back in the stand, with a slight smile of relief.

"I am back..." he said, touching the weapon stand with his hand, moving it along the metal handle of the battle axe. "Well, what are you just standing around for? Make yourself at home!" Kaeldor smiled, turning to Ili, who was just weirdly standing at the entrance.

The girl was taken aback by his sudden change in tone. Kaeldor went to the bed on the left side, his cousin's bed and took the clothes off it, putting them on the carpet. Then, he neatly made the bed, brushing the dust off it. Then, he patted it once with his hand, in a friendly manner.

"There you go! Good as new!" the dwarf said, inviting Ili to put her things on the bed.

"But... Isn't this your cousin's bed?" she asked, a bit hesitant.

"Ah, so what? He isn't going to mind! You're our guest, after all!"

The confident smile on his face managed to make Ili overcome her hesitation, as she slowly and carefully walked to the bed, trying not to step on the red carpet as much as she could, to not 'dirty' it with her fairly clean shoes. As she got in front of the bed, she took out the small, light brown blanket that she had in her pouch and carefully placed it on the bed.

"You know this isn't the king's palace, right? You don't have to be this careful!" the dwarf said, laughing at the girl's behavior, patting her on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

Ili didn't mind the act, as she curiously looked around the room, at the weapon stands.

"There are so many... Are these all from your family?"

"Yes, indeed. These are all of the weapons wielded by the ones in the GreyThorn family. Back from my great-great-grandfather!"

Kaeldor walked around the room, touching the stands with his hand, making the full circle around.

"It's a dwarven tradition that once a dwarven male receives his first weapon, a stand with his name will be made and placed inside his house. It is a symbol of good luck for when he's away in battles or fighting wars. Once the weapon has returned to its stand, only then can he rest…"

The room was bathed in warm, yellow light as the sun began to set. The laughter and cheers from the outside grew clearer in the quiet room.

"So… want to go out into the village?" Kaeldor finally asked, breaking the silence. "Not much to do inside anyway. I could show you around."

Ili thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Alright, let's go!"

They stepped outside, passing the still-sleeping Old Man Kal, who rested on a bench, clutching his wooden staff. They walked quietly down the cobblestone path to the main road, where most of the visitors were gathered around campfires, talking in small groups. As they strolled through the village, the dwarves began lighting lanterns above their doors.

"Alright now, follow me!" Kaeldor went off the main road, heading uphill through the snow. Ili followed closely behind him, carefully stepping in his footprints to avoid the snow.

Kaeldor reached the top of the valley first, gazing into the distance. 

"So, what did you want to..."

Ili couldn't even finish the sentence, as her eyes grew wide in amazement. In front of her was a scenery like out of a painting. The wide plains, filled with forests of all sorts, all bathed in the orange light of the beautiful sunset. Small villages, no bigger than the grains of sand, could be seen far in the distance. Their lights were starting to shine brighter as the sun was setting, enveloping the world in the cold embrace of the night...

"It's... beautiful," Ili whispered, awestruck.

Kaeldor smiled warmly, patting her head. "It is, isn't it?"

"Thank you, Kaeldor... for showing me this," Ili said softly, captivated by the scenery.

"Don't mention it, little one," Kaeldor replied, pleased with her reaction. "It's been my pleasure."

The sun finally left the horizon, as the night took over. Nothing could be seen anymore on the ground, other than a few yellow lights. However, the sky was bathed in the bright colors of the cosmic lights, beneath the sharp flickers of the stars.

"Alright, let's head back," Kaeldor said after a while, turning to leave.

"I think I'll stay a bit longer, if that's alright," Ili said, her eyes fixed on the stunning view above.

Kaeldor smiled gently. "Of course, no worries!. I'll be waiting for you at the house, then. Take care!"

After some time, she finally decided to go back to the house. Ili got up and shook the snow off her clothes, then began walking back to the village, still stepping in the steps Kaeldor made, to avoid touching the cold snow.

She soon got back to the city. The main road was lit by the lamps outside the villagers' houses, and by the campfires of already sleeping visitors. Here and there, she could see some groups of people, gathered around the fires, eating and sharing stories. The same could also be seen in the dwarven houses, some of which had even invited travelers to their tables. It was a very peaceful night, with a hint of joy flowing around the cold air of the mountain pass.

Reaching the end of the village, Ili turned onto the cobblestone path leading to Kaeldor's cousin's home. The lights were on, and smoke curled from the chimney. Old Man Kal was no longer on the bench, likely brought inside by Kaeldor, the thought bringing a soft smile to Ili's face.

Before she could knock, the door opened, revealing a slightly taller dwarf with light brown hair, green eyes, and a double-braided beard. He smiled warmly.

"Hello, Miss Ililith! I'm Kulhun, Kaeldor's cousin. May the gods be pleased with our meeting!" he said, extending his arm.

"It's the dwarven way of saying 'nice to meet you," Kaeldor explained, seeing Ili's puzzled expression.

Ili shook Kulhun's hand and stepped inside, taking off her shoes at the entrance as she noticed that the others were also barefoot. Kaeldor was at the fireplace, tending to the food. Behind Kulhun, Old Man Kal got closer to Ili, raising his hand like a child.

"Miss Ililith... It is nice to meet you!" he said, his eyes still half-closed. "I am Old Man Kal..."

Ili smiled kindly as she got down on her knees to shake the elder's small hand.

"Nice to meet you!" she greeted, genuinely happy that he finally noticed her presence.

"Come... Eat with us!" the old man said, as he slowly turned and moved to the red carpet that was on the floor, where four wooden bowls were already prepared and sat down. Kulhun looked at Ili.

"I apologize, but we don't have a proper eating table. But feel free to eat in bed, if you prefer, miss Ililith!" Kulhun said, a bit ashamed of his lack of furniture in the house.

"No no, it's perfectly fine!" Ili responded, shaking her hands in front of her in a dismissive way. "I actually like it here!"

Kulhun's face brightened as he saw the girl's genuine and innocent smile.

"The food's ready!" Kaeldor said as he took the metal pot from the fire, placing it in the middle of the bowls. It seemed that the carpet itself was made with the intended purpose of eating on, as it had a small hole in the middle, which perfectly fit the pot. At first, Ili thought that it was only a design choice, but it was all coming together now.

The four of them got down on the carpet, forming a small circle around the pot.

"There you go!" said Old Man Kal, as he handed Ili a bowl of stew.

Ililith thanked him with a bright smile, and waited for everyone to finish filling their bowls of stew. Once everyone had their food in front of them, the three dwarves caught each other's hands, as they waited for Ili to join the circle.

"It's just an old dwarven tradition. You don't need to say the words." Kaeldor explained.

Ili took Kal's hand with her right, and Kaeldor's with her left, as the circle was finally complete. She remained silent as the others closed their eyes and began saying something in dornohyan, which she didn't understand. After a bit, she too closed her eyes, enjoying the solemn atmosphere of the tradition, in the warm house, as the smell of fresh stew was filling the air.

"... Eto dorhi nosorus altus..." (6)

They finally stopped and opened their eyes, letting go of their arms, before finally starting to eat.

It was a calm atmosphere, the only sound being the one made by the clinking of wooden cutlery on the wooden bowls. Despite their appearance, the dwarves seemed much more mannered than Ili made them out to be. It was a calm atmosphere, in the empty embrace of the starry night, seen outside the small windows of the house. It was nice...

Footnotes:

1 - The year in these lands was composed of 20 months, each with 40 days. In this case, Lexius was the 5th and last season of the Summer.

2 - The language spoken in the Iron Gates Kingdom, as well as other smaller kingdoms and dwarven villages.

3 - Between 100 to 150 years, as dwarves usually live up to about 400 years.

4 - The chemical elements in this world are similar to ours, but not exactly the same. Because of a difference in sulfur's composition, it couldn't be mixed with other elements to make gunpowder, making fireworks as we know them impossible to be created.

5 - Referring to the lower half of the world. The lower half of the world is very different from the top half, as it has been completely corrupted by the powers of the crystal of darkness. Using the ever growing Legions of Darkness, the crystal of darkness seeks to corrupt the rest of the world, being met by the strong resistance of the united forces of "The Alliance".

6 - "And so it shall remain forever", common ending to dwarven traditional sayings and prayers.