At a Glance

• Appearance: Lithe figures with pointy ears and long streaming hair
• Weapons: Slingshots
• Leader: The Dwarven Elder
• Guardian: The oversized Dwarven Champion
• Challenge: Defeat the champion
• Secret word: Elisabeth

Dwarves Who Look Like Elves

The dwarves of this region overturn nearly every expectation outsiders bring with them. They are graceful, long-haired, pointy-eared, and armed with slingshots rather than mining tools and axes. They are also deeply tired of explaining this.

The Amphitheater Ambush

Roddy Squires and Grimblewaith enter a stone amphitheater and are immediately surrounded by dwarves emerging from the earth in a perfect ring. The tallest and most magnificently haired among them serves as elder and demands an explanation before the slingshots fire.

The Dwarven Champion

The guardian of the second clue is at least twice the size of the other dwarves. His long dark hair reaches the ground, and his weapon is a whole tree stripped into a club. He defeats Grimblewaith with one blow before challenging Roddy.

Roddy does not win through strength. His dreadful dancing distracts the champion, and one misplaced foot lands on an enormous hangnail. The champion stumbles into a statue and knocks himself unconscious.

Clumsiness as a Gift

The Dwarven Elder recognizes what Roddy cannot yet see: his ungainly movements can overcome fear and produce results that conventional heroes would never plan. The dwarves proclaim him victor and reveal their portion of the Great Secret: Elisabeth.

The defeated champion later awakens with an entirely different personality and begins building a sanctuary for warm and fuzzy creatures, proving that even a head injury can lead to unexpected vocational clarity.

Chronicler’s note: Beandom dwarves do not dig, swing axes, or appreciate being described by imported folklore.

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