Matters of Perspective [Lost Age]

[IshCong]

"Thus a proper understanding of all peoples under one's rule is necessary to ensure proper governance."
--Erevenai Hurenal

---

Eldellum Viscept looked down from her balcony to the sprawling city before her. Helfenar had been born on the eastern shores of Farcheen Lake as little more than a humble fishing village. Centuries later it was one of the most populous cities in the nation, with hundreds of thousands calling it home. Yet, the years had not only brought growth and prosperity. Trolls walked among broad streets flanked by towering buildings as they had for centuries, but among their feet milled listless and weary dwarves. Their eyes were dead to the world, gazing out for into an endless abyss, their steps ragged, broken, and devoid of purpose. Clothes and hair were dirty and in disarray and the withering touch of hunger was everywhere.

They had come from the east, passing north of the Evandell Mountain Range rather than risk the heights. To be sure the dwarves were hardy folk, but even they were unwilling to risk their supply wagons in mountains with few readily accessible routes. Those wagons and what they could carry on their backs were all they had left. Anything else had been unable to be carried during the flight from the Fremen and their Jihad. Though the Anantereth had not directly intervened there had been broad support for opening the borders to any dwarven refugees and so they had come like a flood.

On the one hand, Eldellum Viscept was more than happy to be able to use her position as leader of Helfenar to assist such old friends of Anantar by opening the city to the refugees. On the other, as the refugees continued to pour in it had becoming increasingly obvious that they simply could not remain. The reports had not taken long to sour after the first refugees began showing up. Crime had soared, food shortages were beginning to mount, and tensions between locals and refugees were festering. Eldellum Viscept understood this, understood that the dwarves' status was one that did not lend itself to law and order. She understood this, but that did not mean she could tolerate this situation to persist. Some solution to the refugee problem had to be found, both for the sake of the city and for the sake of the refugees, before the situation worsened further. Helfenar was not unique in this, border towns all across Anantar were struggling under the mounting stresses of years' worth of refugees.

Fortunately, in Helfenar at least, there was one obvious option. The city lay right on the very edge of the formal borders. The other side of the border was largely wilderness marked only by a few Anantereth settlements near Helfenar and scattered sea dwarf villages, mostly along the ocean coastline. The rest was open to new settlement and so Eldellum Viscept had taken care to meet with the refugee leaders, had helped them organize and muster some of the supplies they would need, and had jointly laid out plans for the refugee dwarves to move west and make new lives there.

The scene below began to change. It was subtle at first. One who was unfamiliar with the city would not have noticed it, but Eldellum Viscept had grown up in this city, had taken in this view week after week. She could easily spot the way the foot-traffic among the dwarves shifted. New faces showed up and if they were no less ragged than the rest, if their gait was still tired and weary, they moved with a discernible purpose to a single destination. Gradually their numbers grew as they massed just outside the city limits, the banners of Anantar flying above. Thus far the Fremen had not spread their Jihad to Anantar and thus it was hoped its flag might provide a measure of protection to the dwarven refugees. If that was insufficient, Eldellum Viscept had managed to persuade members of the National Service to escort the refugees with the promise of new and abundant lands that would enrich their families. They were not the only Endri lured by such promises either.

Slowly the mass of people gathered, slowly it began to organize, at least as much as any such group could organize. Finally they began to move, a long column headed to the west.

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Part of the Lost Age RP. I'd suggest going to the app thread to sign up. If you're already part of that RP, I have no objections to anyone posting here so long as it is relevant.

[IshCong]

"The gods test us. Always remember that. They must send misfortune and judge how we suffer their trials that they might determine whether or not we are worthy of their favor and all the rewards it brings."
--Arutek Serend, Theologian

---

Endun

Kelean Kuranen had been the Anantereth ambassador to Derruden for almost twenty years now. She had been there when the Fremen Jihad began to sweep over the Derrud defenses to the north, she had been there when King Dendrek IV Greanhom had finally and with terrible reluctance ordered the evacuation of the capital of Redraun, and she had been there during much of the resulting flight before her path finally diverged from that of the dwarves. She had fled to Anantar, to report all that had occurred in greater detail and to receive whatever assignment her superiors deemed fitting. It had turned out that they had decided to send her back.

Their reasoning was simple. When most Endri living in Derruden had begun to flee to Anantar, Kelean Kuranen had made a point of staying. When the first battered remnants of a Derrud army arrived in Redraun she had appeared among them with reassuring words and simple gifts. To those who had either been impoverished by the war or lost bread-winners she had given much of her own wealth. As the Derrud began to seek a safe haven she encouraged Anantar to open her borders and relieve the refugees as best as they could. During the evacuation she had personally helped carry and pack provisions for others. Kelean Kuranen's bearing and actions during the downfall of Derruden, coupled with her already long history of service as an ambassador, had managed to preserve her good standing in the eyes of Dendrek Greanhom's court, a court that had been...displeased by Anantar's refusal to join Derruden's fight against the Fremen.

Of course, Kelean Kuranen knew that the King's displeasure was also moderated by necessity. As Keerai Hedeirn had pointed out, necessity was a powerful thing. In this case, necessity in the form of Derruden's new-found reliance upon Anantar had blunted Dendrek Greanhom's anger. With the loss of almost all of their land, the Derrud were presently relying on food and other goods imported from Anantar in addition to certain relief efforts spearheaded by the Anantereth. To be sure, Anantar's acceptance of the dwarven refugees hadn't hurt relations any. Still, the situation was delicate. Not only was there the matter of strained relations, but the Fremen now lay dangerously close to Anantar and the last lands remaining to the Derrud.

For a while Kelean Kuranen had only had to focus on the former matter. Her days had been dominated by coordinating relief efforts, helping with trade matters, generally trying to improve Anantar's image. Recently, however, things had gotten somewhat more complicated. Dendrek Greanhom knew full well that if the Fremen decided to continue their assault on his people there was nothing he could do to stop them any longer. He was a proud king but hardly an idiot. Shie, like Anantar, had not hastened to Derruden's aid, though for understandable reasons as Shie was separated from Derruden by the goblins and centaurs. However, that also meant that Shie was presently incapable of protecting Derruden from future Fremen depredations, even if they were so inclined. Which left Anantar, not yet attacked by the Fremen, as the only nearby friendly state with any semblance of strength capable of extending its protection to Derruden. Both Greanhom and Etonmar knew that Derruden needed protection from the Fremen and that Anantar was the only entity capable of providing it.

But, as with so many other things, the difficulty lay in the precise details of how (and if) to arrange Anantereth protection of Derruden. That was the matter that now dominated Kelean Kuranen's thoughts and efforts. She had spent many days of late embroiled in meetings with displaced Derrud nobles and courtiers trying to firstly discover their feelings on the matter and then sway those feelings to something more in line with Anantereth desires. All in preparation for a round of negotiations with the proud King Dendrek IV Greanhom.

[IshCong]

"Great feats can only be accomplished by inspired individuals undertaking dire risks."
--Elmoreth Daganer, Explorer

---

Although the dwarves had initially left Helfenar in a single group of thousands, it had never been the plan to remain in a single mass. Such a body of people would soon grow to be unmanageable and it was not as if they were all going to settle in the same singular location. While that may have been a safer route, it was simply impractical. Food shortages demanded new farms and the refugees, who came from all corners of Derruden, naturally settled into smaller groups comprised of those families who had lived near each other before taking flight. As a result, there would be several settlements, mostly smaller farming communities, spread out between what had been the western border of Anantar and the coast. Some among the Derrud looked to the south as well, spreading out even more into new and largely untouched lands. More daring dwarves, on the other hand, began looking northwards again, though these were few and still desired to keep away from the Fremen border.

Along with these more enterprising Derrud were most of the National Servicemen who had gone west. These would begin setting up lesser outposts along the new borders of Anantar, in order to clearly mark where their lands were. There were not nearly enough of them to withstand a concentrated military assault, only a few hundred at present, though their numbers were expected to grow. As such, these outposts were not intended to be daunting military fortifications so much as a clear and present reminder that foreign military incursions into this area would very likely lead to war with the whole of Anantar. It was the threat of such a war that would hopefully protect the Derrud settlers, more than the few swords and spears the National Service had in the area.


Eventually the fastest moving groups began to make renewed contact with the sea dwarves of Huraden. This had been expected, of course. Though most of the Hurad lived on Delwa, Undan, and the lesser islands surrounding those two, some Hurad had formed smaller settlements on the coast of the continent, usually small fishing villages. Though the Anantereth had long traded with the sea dwarves, much of this trade was by means of dwarven boats rather than overland, the coastal villages were largely left to their own affairs. With the influx of Derrud, that would probably change. Although the Derrud refugees sent assurances that they were not here to displace their Hurad cousins their proximity to the new settlements meant that they were already dealing with the settlers, usually trading fish to hungry refugees.

However, that was hardly the most important of the Hurad's dealings with the refugees. Back in Anantar the Aneton and Anendur had discussed the rather prickly matter of the Fremen and their expansion at length. Indeed, it remained a major focus in their meetings. Kelean Kuranen had been sent to what remained of the Derruden in Endun to smooth over the transition of Derruden from a sovereign nation to an Anantereth protectorate. That was a good sign for the Derrud, but the reduced fates of that nation and people meant that it did not provide much more support for Anantar in the event of a war with the Fremen. In the interests of strengthening their position Dureck Hurrenhan, a former powerful Derrud noble whose lands had long since been claimed by the Fremen, and a small delegation had begun marching south to the great port of Heidiran where they would meet up with Teerak Londoren, a Anantereth diplomat. From there they were to take a boat to the island of Delwa, and then to the Hurad capital to meet with their king and begin negotiating a military alliance between Anantar and Huraden to serve their mutual interests in guarding against further Fremen expansions to the south.