After receiving my new clothes, I had excused myself for a moment to change into them. Wearing them felt just as marvelous as I had hoped, snug without being restraining and pleasantly chill. Just to see how well I could move in them, I started a simple set of martial art-forms, stretching my body to see how well they truly fit. And they stood up to the test incredibly well, fitting like a glove. I even felt the supplemental effect, making it easier to absorb Astral Power, especially compared to my earlier leather-clothes. It made me wonder if I had missed the dampening effect of my clothes earlier, simply because I rarely went around without clothes and when I did, it was mostly while engaged in intimate activities with Sigmir, during which I never really paid attention to my Astral Power regeneration. I made a mental note to check that out, later, when I had some time on my own.

The boots fit quite well, not as perfectly as the clothes but I had a feeling I merely needed to walk with them for a bit and would be completely used to them.

Now dressed, I placed my black, feathered cloak back around my shoulders and looked at me in the mirror. My new look wasn’t quite as imposing as the former, all-black look but the contrast between the flowing, grey-white fabric of my clothes and the deep, matte-black of my cloak worked quite well, especially with the reprisal of the feather-theme on my body.

As I stepped out to show the others, and the dwarven crafters, how I now looked, I conjured up a cloud of icy mist on a whim, wrapping it around me, especially my feet and lower body, while taking out my staff and letting Lenore hop onto the top. Pushing the cloud ahead of me, I slowly walked out of the dwarven building, playing with clouds movement while Lenore added a simple mix of wind and snow, playing along with my show.

The others of my group looked at me with an amused expression, knowing that I liked my showy stunts but, as if to make up for their non-reaction, the dwarves looked at me with expressions stuck between awe and dread.

“Your craftsmanship is truly excellent and I thank you for the work you have performed for us.” I addressed the craftsman who had created the marvels covering my body. At the same time, I realised that the crowd had increased and that the Thane himself was amongst the new dwarves, alongside Gelorin, the dwarven scholar who had been helping me in the library. I noticed that Gelorin had a slightly bemused expression on his face, making me realise that he had gotten to know me quite well, in the three days we had been working together.

“Thane Ashenforge.” I greeted the Thane with a slight bow, not in submission but in respect. “As you can see, the crafters of your clan have proven that the tales about dwarven craftsmanship, legends so famous that they cross worlds, are indeed true. With little time, they have managed to craft masterpieces for each of my party, every item a marvel suited to its wielder. There are few people who could even begin to claim the same, let alone make true on their claims. I thank you greatly and wish fortune to your people.” I told him, using a little magic to let the mist swirl around me.

I could see an expression of pride on his face and he gave me a polite nod in response before speaking. “I thank you for your kind words and, as friends, I would ask a boon of you.”

And now, there was the reason for our excellent treatment, he wanted something more from us. I had been curious when the hook would come out, trying to sink into us to reel us in. The items he had promised us, the treatment and the resources he had given us, they had been incredible, generous to the extreme. Part of it was that we had saved them from losing valued members of their community but I had no doubt that the dwarves would have been able to clear the swamp out on their own, maybe with losses but the experience gained from clearing it would have stayed in-house.

“As a Traveller, you might now be aware but places of power such as the swamp and its focus, the Tzar Bolotnik, are rare and valuable in this world. Quite a few groups want to control their powers, exploiting them for their own benefit and if word were to spread, great harm could befall the Hold.” he explained, still looking friendly.

It was obvious what he wanted so, without making him actually say it out loud, I gave him something. Maybe not everything he wanted, but everything he would get from me.

“Yes, I can see how such places are an important resource and I’m certain that, in the future, the Clan Ashenforge will be able to use it to strengthen its men and maybe even extract rare resources. You have my word, as a Traveller, a Mystic and Disciple of the Stonemother, that I will not tell anyone about the place of power we explored for you. Not only in this world, but also in the world of the Travellers. That, I promise you.” I formally intoned, giving a slightly lower bow at the end. My words were echoed by my companions, each of them giving different titles to formalise their bond. I felt a slight stirring of the Astral River, our words and intent echoing through the world. It made me wonder if I had previously simply missed such stirrings, that the words we said and the intent of our thoughts left an impression on the Astral River and the magic it carried, or if we had only now crossed some sort of threshold that gave our words such power.

Whatever the reason, I could feel that there would be a lasting impression of our words, nothing serious, merely that the words spoken would remain in our mind, with a light compulsion to keep them. Nothing powerful, the stirring hadn’t had enough power to truly force our minds into anything, but a reminder. A curious phenomenon and something that I wanted to explore and understand in the future, but that would have to wait. For now, the Thane looked pleased, if not fully so, by our words but unless he was willing to try to use force to get a better outcome, he was stuck and could see it.

Part of me considered for a moment if I should throw Dargira under the bus, telling the Thane about her loose lips in the other world. It would deflect from us, giving him something else to think about and deal with, while making our silence a lot less valuable and thus, the task of keeping us silent less important. But, after a moment of consideration, I decided against it, feeling that it would be wrong to repay a fan of mine with such a stab in the back, especially after she had made such a nice video about me.

“Your words please me, more than you can imagine. Earlier, you mentioned legends about dwarven craftsmanship, tell me, do they also speak of dwarven hospitality? It is almost as famed as our craftsmanship and I would like to extend it to you, for as long as you like to stay.” he said, adding a bit more bait, trying to keep us here with honeyed words, luxury and leisure.

“There are tales, yes. Alas, there is something I have to do, a task of importance and interest to the Stonemother. And as a disciple, I can only do as my Teacher bids me, everything else would be improper.” I respectfully declined, using a bit of weasley wording to give a false impression without speaking a falsehood.

“Ah, that is too bad. Then I can only wish you the best on your continued journey. Hopefully, your task will be as successful as the one you fulfilled for us.” he shook his head in disappointment, before telling us that he had to return to his duties and bidding us farewell.

With the leave of the Thane and his words of work that had to be done, the other dwarves around our dwelling quickly realised that they, too, had something to do and somewhere to be, quickly dispersing.

“Your words honer us, Lady Morgana, and I think I speak for all of us if I echo the words of our Thane. You are a friend of the Ashenforge-Dwarves and will be welcome in our Hold as long as it stands.” the burly crafter who had made my clothes told me, once the commotion had calmed.

“Thank you. I spoke nothing but the truth, your work truly is marvelous.” I complimented him and after a few more words, the craftspeople had to go back to their work as well, leaving us to our own duty. A day of relaxation and shopping, before we would head back out in the next morning.