My words stirred the dwarves into motion. Or at least I presumed it had been my words. They certainly had heard them anyway. It didn't look like they were training their siege engines to aim in my direction either, as far as I could tell anyway. Thus I dared to hope that we might just be able to avoid an actual siege. It felt a little like a waste since we had brought our own siege engines and experts all this way but if the dwarves surrendered it would actually be the best outcome we could hope for. We could still use the trebuchets to improve the defenses back home after all was said and done.

Whatever was going on among the ranks of the city's defenders, they did not seem to be in a hurry. Or could it be that their command structure was in the same sorry state as what we had seen of their army so far? I felt conflicted about that. It could work out in our favor if it was true. It could work against us as well though. Either way it gave some of my men and women time to bring over some furniture. A table and some folding chairs. They brought a keg of wine, some of the really sweet stuff, as well. It wasn't much but it might just make these negotiations go down a little smoother.

I didn't sit down though as we waited for a dwarven delegation. The wind chill made me regret not setting up a tent and Gash'zur probably had similar thoughts but that was only a small price to pay if we could get this resolved without further bloodshed. Finally I was able to spot some movement. A small group left the city through a side gate hidden by the decorative stonework of the main gate, to head our way.

I counted five of them. The one carrying a flag quite similar to the one flapping in the breeze above me walked ahead of the four others. His armor looked, at least at a distance, heavy but mostly utilitarian. The way the flag bearer carried himself, or maybe herself, though made me doubt that they were just some conscript who hadn't managed to duck around a corner fast enough when the delegation needed someone to carry the heavy flag. No, that one reminded me of my father's royal guards.

The rest seemed to be a rather mixed bunch by comparison. They all wore heavy armor, the kind that had to cost a fortune, of one sort or another but only one of these other four carried themselves like a real warrior. The rest might be militia officers. One way or another, I probably would find out soon enough. I wasn't worried that they outnumbered us either. I had little doubt that we could take them or at least get away if there were to be any kind of treachery. It didn't look like that was the case though. Thus I waited in silence at Gash'zur's side, as the dwarves approached.

The flag bearer stepped to the side to make room for the others at a distance that roughly matched my companion's. The three I took for militia officers arranged themselves behind the last one, the one wearing the sturdiest and most expensive looking armor. I had a hard time gauging them as their heavy plate armor concealed them from head to toe. In addition their curious, high helmets even obscured any difference in height that might have existed. Only the ornaments on their armor and their elaborately braided beards as well as the ornate beard clips they wore gave them any form of individuality.

Dwarves geared up like this probably made for fearsome foes on the field of battle, especially if they had the numbers. The three who had stopped at the back of their apparent leader still didn't carry themselves like warriors though. They were definitely militia and not professional warriors. Their leader though, and the guard carrying the flag, those were another matter. I suspected that they had grown up learning the art of war, not entirely unlike me.

After another moment spent in silence, they were probably gauging us the same way I gauged them, the leader of the delegation from Gothol'gathrak finally started removing their helmet.

I was left staring, as the helmet came off, together with what I had taken to be the wearers beard, revealing a decidedly female face. A face framed by braided blonde hair so thick I actually was a little jealous and framed by a simple silver circlet. I couldn't help but breath a small sigh of relief as I realized that their leader, a princess, if I had to guess, was not wearing one of those cursed Arkanium crowns I had come to despise. Unlike to all other dwarves I had seen so far she didn't look malnourished either.

Finally the standard bearer spoke up. “Princess Pirgrimma, daughter of the king under the mountain and marshal of Gothol'gathrak's defenses will be speaking for the city and its people.” He didn't even bother introducing the three others. If the princess had brought them along they had to be of some importance though.

She confirmed that suspicion in short order. “Standing at our side as our advisers are the guild master of the brewers and distillers, master Bartasch, the guild master of the forges and foundries, master Dorram and the guild master of the mushroom farmers and cave fishers, master Schrotom.” Finally she turned to look directly at me.

Thankfully Gash'zur took this as her cue to introduce me in turn. She was no herald but she knew their work well enough apparently. “Slayer of Wyverns and Bane of Ogres, their Doom, Chosen of the Maidens, their Beloved, Lady of Caer'zoth, Ruler of the Domain, King's Daughter, his Beloved. Keza'zoth will be speaking for the army besieging Gothol'gathrak and its people.”

I gestured for her to take a seat but she apparently preferred to stay standing. I sat down though, to make sure I wouldn't be talking down to her. Or at least not too much. “We already took your forward defenses to the east and I expect to hear news from the west at any moment, telling me that those in the west have fallen as well.” I paused briefly to let the words sink in. “Normally what we found there would give me pause. Your alchemical fire ammunition is truly terrifying. I would be tempted to deal with your city the same way I had to deal with Gothol'uin since it was crawling with the unquiet dead.”

The dwarven princess grimaced slightly. “The great earth shaking?”

I nodded. “There is a new lake forming now where that city once sat in the plains.” I poured us some wine and although she didn't accept the cup I offered I took a sip from mine anyway. “Our assault on your forward positions taught us other things as well though. For one your defenses are not as well manned as they should be. Quite possibly because you had no need for them for years or even decades if not more.”

There was some uncomfortable shuffling from the trio behind the princess but I just kept talking. “Your troops, to a certain degree, seem to be lacking in training as well. Probably because too many of them have known nothing but peace so far. The way checkpoints were unmanned and blast doors left open is rather telling. And last but not least, they were not exactly well fed or well supplied with anything but alchemical fire bombs, for that matter.”

I looked her straight into the eyes. “Now, do you have your king's authority to surrender the city and are you willing to do it? To spare us all unnecessary and pointless bloodshed? So we can look into providing your people with relief goods? If we don't need to besiege your city we certainly could spare some of what we have brought.”

The htree officers had grown a little restless as I had kept going. As I finished though they looked more embarrassed than anything else and somehow the same was true for the princess. She cleared her throat before finally grabbing the cup I had poured her and taking a sip, stalling for time.

Finally she spoke up though. “There are … issues … with our king. He is … not well.” The gesture she made suggested that she meant that her father might be mentally unwell.

She took a deep breath before she finished. “He has locked himself away in the royal quarters. No one has seen him in a while, not even me. I can not in good confidence claim that I speak in his name but I speak for my people and that counts for at least as much. Thus I can surrender most of the city. The trade quarters as well as the industrial quarters and the living quarters and of course the defenses. I might be able to help you get into the royal quarters but that probably will not go down without a fight.” She sighed. “My father might not be himself, but many of his guards still will value his orders higher than anything else.”