Role

Chapter 2

"Now I followed the trail o' them magi, ye see, lad. I followed 'em right to
a crossroads, and there I did have to guess which way they went. I knew of a
gatherin' o' magi nearby, and so I did head that direction. Night came on,
and though we dwarfkin ain't too stealthy-like, I crept up on a group o'
mages, and waited fer 'em to fall asleep."

He had a fresh cup of ale now, of course, and took a quick sip before he went
on. "Lookin' back, I shoulda mebbe realized that this group o' magi weren't
th' ones what had laid waste to me village. Whoever did that woulda been full o'
soot, an' smelled like th' bloody charnel pit, aye? These dainty fellas were
clean as an elven arse on feastday, an' they bloody smelled good too. A smell o'
peaches reached me nostrils. It's all clear as day, now, aye. But at the time,
I had blood an' vengeance on me mind, aye?"

I nodded silently, sipping gently at my wine. He took another drink of ale and
continued. "Aye, and I shoulda looked at what they were bloody gathered around
at th' bloody fire, too. They were nae even eatin' meat! Just some bloody herb
they found nearby, covered in butter an' bloody cheese. So they filled their
bloody gullets, an' laid down to sleep, an' I set about me bloody work. They
dinnae have a flamin' chance, lad, I tell ye true. Caught unawares like that,
I pounded 'em into jelly one by one."

A moment of anguished crossed his face, quickly covered as he upended his mug.

"Turns out th' magi I set upon were nae th' ones who burned me bloody village.
Matter o' fact, they'd been tryin' to track down the bastards what did it, an'
had a lead on 'em, too. But I crushed that, an' dinnae find the bloody magi
responsible. Me bloody blind rage at all magi ended any chance o' flamin'
findin' 'em. Me family, friends...all gone, with no chance o' vengeance, 'cuz
I had to act like a bloody BattleRager. An' that, lad, is why I ain't gonna
be no bloody barbarian, I do speak true."

The long speech had obviously done more to the dwarf than dry out his throat, as
he'd forgotten to even complain of his empty mug. We would not continue our
discourse for some time.