The two Deep Dwellers looked at him dumbfounded. They have just spent twenty minutes since the caravan packed up and left just dumping water from several casks over a fire that wouldn’t go out. Had their cousins in the Smitehammers witnessed this, they would have built a chapel to Mantarok on the site and charged smiths from around the world to work the forge they would no doubt build atop it.

“Say, are you the champion everyone’s talking about?” Asked the first Deep Dweller.

“I’m Deacon, Champion of Chimera. Nice to meet you. You are?” Deacon asked practicing being polite.

“Oh we’re the Tuskaxe twins, Borrin and Corrin.” Said Borrin pointing to himself then pointing to Corrin. Deacon stopped and took a long look at them. Borrin had hard features with a scar down his cheek reaching into his beard where there was a patch of skin that no longer grew hair. His beard was braided and had two ends. His brother Corrin had no scar, and his hair was braided instead of his beard. His beard on the other hand was a wild mess of reddish-brown hair. They both had the same color hair, but Corrin’s really stuck out.

“Nice to meet both of you.” Deacon said.

“Did you make that campfire?” Corrin asked. Deacon looked at him not seeing any malice, just curiosity.

“Yes, I did, why do you ask?” Deacon asked back.

“Well suppose we knew someone who could use a fire that wouldn’t go out. Would you be interested in making a deal?” Borrin asked.

“You two sure have a lot of questions. Well for one, this is Infernal fire from the demon plane. I don’t think anyone would want to use this for long. Two, what kind of money are we talking about?” Deacon asked.

“We figured it was Infernal, but with the right protections of the church of Mantarok, we think the Smitehammers would love a forge that burns hot and doesn’t need to be stoked. You hear legends about such things but to actually see a fire that couldn’t be put out with water. Amazing.” Corrin said.

“Let’s see when we get to the Shatter Sky. Maybe we can make an arrangement. Lot of talk about Mantarok these days.” Deacon mused.

“Well I’m sure you know this, but House Smitehammer are devout followers of Mantarok. They have the second seat on the Stone Council. I’m sure they could make it worth your while.” Borrin tempted.

“What do you two get out of this? You said you’re clan Tuskaxe didn’t you? Why are you so interested in what I may or may not do for the Smitehammers?” Deacon asked as he watched the caravan slowly moving away.

“Well…” Borrin started to say before Corrin cut him off.

“Let’s say a deal with Smitehammers of this size will get us something we want and leave it at that.” Corrin said.

“Hmm, sounds real sus.” Deacon said rubbing his chin in contemplation while the twins just looked at each other not understanding his lingo.

“But you are right, let’s talk about this some other time.” Corrin waived at Deacon while the twins headed off after the closest Deep Dweller wagon. Deacon took off at an impressive pace, passing them quickly to return to his carriage.

“Did he see it?” Borrin asked looking around to see if they were being watched.

“No it was in my bag long before he came over. I put in the lantern we got from Grandpa; you know the one with the runes that keep the light going longer. I figured there was no better place for magical fire.” Corrin grinned.

“Hey, what are you two doing back there?!” Yelled an older Dweller sitting on the wagon.

“Nothing Quarter Master Bloodbeard, we were just dealing with the campfire.” Borrin called up ahead.

“Took you two long enough. Did you have to hunt some water?” Said the Bloodbeard’s Quarter Master. Getting a hearty chuckle from all the other Dwellers on the wagon. The twins seethed inwardly at the comment as they reached the wagon and hopped on. They were assigned this retrieval mission after failing to hunt a particularly clever giant back home. If House Tuskaxe can’t hunt it, no one can. That’s emblazed on their family crest for all to see. Their failure to bring it down meant they were the first in line for a multi-house endeavor like this one. They looked at each other and grinned knowing now they had a way back into the houses’ good graces.

Arriving back at his carriage, Deacon swung the door wide to see Typhus, Tantus, Ralph, and Amanda all enjoying some lightly buttered bread. Looking around he didn’t see any was left for him. They all looked up, smiled at him, and went back to eating.

“So I just don’t get any?” Deacon asked.

“You weren’t hear when they came by, sorry.” Amanda said finishing her last bite.

“Ok that’s fine. I’ll remember this.” Deacon said sitting between Typhus and Tantus.

“You left kind of fast after you woke up. Everything alright?” Ralph asked.

“Yup, ended up meeting the Tuskaxe twins. Strange dudes.” Deacon answered.

“Oh the boys that didn’t finish their hunt. The Tuskaxes are known for being the Deep Dwellers best hunters. They can hunt and kill just about anything. Sad to hear they didn’t manage to take down that Giant.” Typhus said.

“Giant? Seems like a big challenge for your people.” Deacon said mentally editing his sentence as he spoke.

“It’s that families ultimate rite of passage. The tusk in their name comes from the Giant’s tusks they keep as trophies. Legend says it was one Tuskaxe against a clan of giants and all he had was his trusty double-bladed axe. He killed the lot of them, and their noble house was born. That’s a summary obviously but you get the gist.” Typhus said.

“So why don’t you tell me about the other houses while we are at it?” Deacon asked.

“Well, mine is the Bloodbeards we are the fifth seat on the Stone Council. There is still some controversy surrounding us that’s council business only. Then the first seat is House Hascavir, they are mostly diplomats and mages. Second seat belongs to House Smitehammer. They are crafters and followers of Mantarok. If you’ve ever heard rumors of Deep Dweller smithed gear, they were probably made by the Smitehammers. Third seat goes to House Jinkbon. This a combined Gnomish and Deep Dweller family. They are mostly engineers and tinkers. They have managed to create a city in the clouds above the mountains. Most of our innovations come from that house. Finally, House Tuskaxe has the fourth seat. They provide a majority of the hunted food for the Deep Dwellers. Now I’m not going to go into all the different house feuds that have happened over the centuries but House Smitehammer and Hascavir have been adversaries for as long as anyone can remember. Be careful in dealing with either of them, they are most likely trying to change seats on your back.” Typhus explained.

“Wow. That was…comprehensive.” Said Deacon.

“Almost like you had it prepared.” Chimed in Tantus.

“Yea how long have you had that in chamber?” Deacon asked.

“I don’t know what chamber you’re talking about, lad. But if you mean how long have I been planning on telling you this? Ever since you brought me that tapestry. You see for the first time in I don’t know how long, my house will be changing seats. I’ve had the mages guild protect that tapestry you gave me. I spent that small fortune in gold we found on the best I could afford from Verus himself. I can’t express in words how important this is to me and my house.” Typhus spoke with reverence.

“Now I understand why such a large contingent of both seat four and five house representatives are here. We need to hurry up with our business in the Capital. It can’t be as important as delivering this tapestry. I’m sorry this is taking so long Typhus.” Deacon replied looking sullen.

“We have waited centuries, what’s a few more months. I do feel much better now that my brother and his men are here. But we cannot look past bad faith actors. I’m sure we can expect an attempt to steal it before we get to the Shattered Sky, just so it doesn’t ever see the light of day.” Typhus spoke with his head tilted up staring at the open sky through the window.

“So where is the tapestry now?” Tantus asked.

“There are sixteen large scroll cases. It’s in one of them. That’s all I’ll say about that.” Explained Typhus.

Back at the now abandoned camp, it was eerily quiet. There should have been some birds at least chirping but you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly long black claws dug into a tree on the outskirts of the camp clearing. A long snout peaked out from the tree line sniffing the air. A horned head broke the clearing and lumbered over to the stone circle that ringed the campfire location. It took three short sniffs and bellowed a deep roar into the air following the scent it now has.