Snorri combed his beard, dressed neatly, pinned the emblem representing the rune master's identity on his chest, and accompanied by the guards went to the throne room located in the upper part of the fortress.
Eternal Peak Karaz-a-Karak was the first fortress built in the World's Edge Mountains, and its architectural pattern was copied by most subsequent dwarven fortresses.
The main body of the fortress is divided into four parts. The uppermost layer is the part of the castle exposed outside the surface. Its main purpose is to guard against enemies from the ground and for the lord to work and hold meetings.
The next three parts were built by hollowing out the mountain. The second part is mainly the temples of the three gods, the living areas of the dwarf nobles, the halls of a few powerful clans, guilds, and the storage warehouses of the fortress are also located in this part.
The third part is the main body of the fortress, where the production and life of most dwarf civilians are concentrated. In the third part, you can find workshops, markets, schools, barracks, a large number of settlements, etc. from all walks of life.
The lowest level of the fortress is a winding network of mines and veins. Most of the dwarf fortresses are built on mineral deposits and gradually developed from the original crude mining sites. At the same time, the tombs of the ancestors are also set up on this floor.
The control scope of a general dwarf fortress also includes the land at the foot of the mountain, which is the farmland and pasture of the dwarves, and there will also be a market for trading with other races.
Along the way, Snorri met many dwarves dressed in luxurious clothes. It was obvious that they were going to the banquet like him.
After walking out of the underground, this was the first time Snorri saw the sky after returning to Karaz-a-Karak. There was no time to get emotional about the scene. He stepped towards the grand throne room in the center and highest place.
This is the landmark building of the Eternal Peak, "The King of the Mountains lives here, and the Book of Hatred is read here!" Recalling the introduction of this place in the game, Snorri looked at this magnificent palace.
At the entrance of the hall are the statues of the three main dwarf gods. Their most classic shapes are displayed here.
Granny is in the middle. He has a serious expression, is wearing heavy armor, and his war hammer is on the ground. The god of war, Grimnir, stood on his left, shirtless, holding a battle ax in each hand as if looking up to the sky and roaring. On his right is the mother goddess Varaya. Varaya holds a book in one hand and a wine glass in the other, with a gentle smile on her face.
Walking through the door, Snorri was struck by the splendor of the hall. The hall is twenty meters high, and the walls and ceiling are covered with murals about dwarven mythology and history. At the deepest point is a high platform more than ten meters high, which is the seat of the Supreme King. The throne of power is placed on it. Anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of the High King must look up.
The throne is almost undamaged due to the forging secrets of the ancestor gods, although the ornate carvings on it, such as dragons or big demons that vividly depict the battles of past kings, have been slightly dented.
There are two long rows of tables placed vertically in the center of the hall. In the gaps between the tables are wine barrels with taps one after another. There are already many dishes on the table, but there are still several halfling chefs directing the waiters to make the final arrangements.
Traditionally, the grandest banquets of dwarves are held in the form of buffets to ensure that even the most eater guests can eat and drink well.
(The halflings of the Mutt Territory of the Human Empire are the best chefs in the world. They are indispensable in every high-end banquet. When necessary, these guys who are smaller than dwarves can also transform into deadly stalkers.)
Under the guidance of the waiter, Snorri found his seat - a round table on the right side of the front row. The two dwarves sitting at the table saw Snorri approaching and stood up to express a warm welcome. As they approached Snorri, they discovered that they were the two masters of iron chisels and molten fire.
After saying hello, he sat across from the empty seat. "This is it?" Snorri asked, pointing to the empty seat.
"Master Cragg's seat! It's just that he never attends such banquets. It just so happens that we can sit down faster!" Master Iron Chisel replied with a smile.
After being polite to the two masters, Snorri began to look at the guests in the hall. He found that two-thirds of the seats were full. Considering that there might be some dwarves absent like Master Cragg, the actual guests who could come had already arrived. It's almost done.
Snorri was surprised to see many humans. This was the first time he had seen them since time travel. Most of these humans were sitting at their own table, and they were also very luxuriously dressed, with hats on their heads and medals on their chests.
Snorri also saw a lot of female dwarves, but most of the people who came here were clansmen of a certain age and status. Snorri scanned around and couldn't find any dwarf girls.
Less than ten minutes later, the chefs and waiters withdrew, and High King Thorgrin - the Hater of Resentment appeared at the side door. He walked slowly along the steps towards the throne of power.
The steps of the high platform are extremely steep. This is to remind the previous high kings to think twice before using the power in their hands.
Thorgreen spoke amidst warm applause. He first welcomed every guest present. From his welcome speech, Snorri learned that due to the high standard of the banquet, the dwarves present except for the senior clan officials and Karaz- In addition to the local dwarf nobles and guild leaders in A-Karak, there are also masters and caravan leaders from various dwarf fortresses stationed in Eternal Peak.
The humans present were mainly from the empire, consisting of ambassadors from various electors and heads of chambers of commerce. Only a few of them were from Bretonnia and Tyrell, and they seemed to have low status. Snorri made a secret note at this discovery.
Afterwards, Thorgreen inevitably said some empty words, looking back on the past, looking forward to the future, etc. These words had been spoken by countless people before, and they would be mentioned again and again. When some of the guests present had their stomachs to express their opinions, Thorgreen's lengthy speech finally came to an end.
"Let us give our final thanks to the ancestral goddess for her grace, and then begin to celebrate the addition of a new young rune master to the entire mountain kingdom!"
Amid cheers, Snorri stood up and waved to all the guests, and Thorgreen slowly climbed down the steps. The father and son drank the first and second glasses of beer respectively to announce the start of the party.
Dwarf cuisine mainly includes various barbecues, sausages, stews and cold dishes, and of course there is also a large number of various wines.
Dwarves favor home-brewed high-strength beer and ale, but in order to take care of their human friends present, some fine wines are also provided.
With the main course of the banquet - a whole roasted wyvern being pushed to the center of the hall by the attendants under the command of the halfling chef jumping up and down, the banquet officially entered its climax.
The more powerful the monster, the rougher and tighter its meat becomes. Even if it is cooked first and then grilled, the dragon meat is a bit difficult to swallow. Such main dishes serve more to show the host's financial resources and strength. After all, it is not easy to hunt a flying monster.
As time went by, the guests had enough to eat and drink and began to gather in groups of twos and threes to toast and chat. As the protagonist of the banquet, there was an endless stream of dwarves who came to toast Snorri.
Thanks to book friend 150916065400735 for his monthly tickets and book friends like Lao Luo next door for their recommendation tickets. There will be an extra update tomorrow night.
