The only thing that is out of proportion to the huge convoy is the driver, who is not a giant that is one size larger than a human, but a dwarf that is one size smaller than a human.
This contrast makes these dwarfs look more elegant and their vehicles larger.
Dwarfs and halflings are two large and intelligent races in Faerûn. The former possesses the most inventive creativity in the world, while the latter possesses the wisdom to adapt to survival.
In terms of body shape, halflings are smaller, just like their racial name. Not only are their height half that of humans, but their dimensions in all aspects are reduced by the same proportion as humans, just like humans who have used the shrinking technique.
Dwarfs are taller, with an average height of more than one meter, but few exceed one meter.
Unlike halflings who are reduced in the same proportion, gnomes are not as tall as humans, but have larger heads, hands and feet than humans. The other bodies can only be crumpled and squeezed into a relatively small size, which makes them look... He looks like a deformed short human being, which is where the name dwarf comes from.
Dwarfs are truly long-lived species. Although their lifespan is not as long as that of elves, it is comparable to that of dwarves. The average dwarf can live for at least three centuries.
Anthropologists in Candlekeep call gnomes a forgotten race, because they always intentionally avoid wars in Faerûn's history, or disasters that make other races shine, although they were once conquered by powerful forces such as Netheril and Calishan. ’s empires enslaved them, but they were never conquered.
The entire race of dwarfs has the characteristic of escaping from the world. They live in inaccessible forests and mountains, far away from humans, elves and dwarves who are also intelligent races. In their eyes, these intelligent races are far more dangerous than those monster tribes. .
The reason why they are able to survive in an environment surrounded by monsters is related to another of their racial characteristics. They are born experts in the use of illusions. They will use a large number of illusions to protect their villages, settlements and farms, away from those monster tribes. of harassment.
Many of them are believers of Gond, the god of invention, and respect him no less than Garg, the god of their own race. They not only inherit Gond's love of invention and creation, but also inherit his aversion to joining large groups. By nature, they like to form small groups with common ideas and inventions, rather than using their inventions to change the entire society.
This characteristic caused a serious internal friction in the inventive and creative talents of the dwarfs, because many inventions and creations were thrown into the warehouse to gather dust after being invented instead of being promoted and utilized. Many of them were lost in the dust of history due to the death of the inventors, and some others The local gnomes will go back to the old path and continue to create and invent creations that have been created countless times in this world.
The alchemy shooting weapons such as the dwarf bombardment cannon and the dwarf hand cannon on Lantan Island are outstanding representatives in this regard. They are also one of the few places in the world where a large number of dwarfs gather. The dwarfs in other places live in relative seclusion. Life.
This dwarf convoy came from a dwarf village named Querose, which was very close to the dwarf statue city, less than thirty kilometers away. The giant farm that Blood Claw mentioned belonged to this village.
The place was not defenseless, but shrouded in heavy illusions. What Bloodclaw and the others saw was not necessarily the true form of the dwarf farm, but the phantom reflected by the illusion. If they really rushed over, they would probably get nothing.
When Gavin occupied the dwarf statue city, it was not they who came to the village of Querose, but the dwarf village who sent envoys to express their goodwill to them. They also sent a team of envoys to take the initiative to send gifts for the founding of the city.
Establishing friendly relations with powerful local forces, especially those relatively close to their own villages and towns, is also one of their means of survival. I believe that before this, their relationship with the Troll's Wailing Dwarf Kingdom was also ambiguous. Maintaining this huge gigantic farm at the door of the trolls is proof of this.
Even though Gavin and the others had already destroyed the troll kingdom, in fact, when I thought about it afterwards, I still felt lingering fear. The dangers involved could not withstand careful analysis.
If it weren't for Gavin's amazing speed in doing things, he would have done enough things in Tethyr in just one month, accumulating more power for himself and postponing the migration. , if it weren't for some strange combination of circumstances that brought the Blood Claw Legion here... these conditions would be the same as anything else.
Even if the entire migrating army is not folded in, there will still be heavy losses.
The two moves of the noble two-headed troll named King Kodikoli were both brutal and ruthless, typical of a lion fighting a rabbit with all its strength.
Without knowing the strength of the migrating army, they used the most brutal demon blood sacrifice, used monster vassals to consume them, then used the demon army to counter them, and finally the troll army harvested them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this tactic. Not to mention a civilian army, even an elite army would be difficult to withstand. It can only be said that Gavin and the others have an absolute advantage in combat power, and it is not a crime of conspiracy.
In the Kingdom of the Wailing Dwarves, the same is true for the killer trap set by King Kodikoli. If Gavin had not had the special ability to transform his former enemy the six-armed snake demon into a night shadow, even if the one who rushed in before was a The Legend Team will probably also suffer heavy losses.
How could such a character casually allow other forces nearby in his kingdom, unless it is good for them and can continuously provide food for his kingdom, and the trolls in the wailing dwarf kingdom are all fat and strong? , the dwarfs of Querose Village are indispensable.
The trolls in the Wailing Dwarf Kingdom have become a thing of the past, and the dwarfs in Querose Village have not taken direct action against the migrating army. Gavin will not delve into the ambiguous relationship between them, but accepts the instructions of these dwarfs. good.
For the establishment of a city, a stable source of food is very important.
What's more, the city Gavin wants to build now is no longer one, but two cities. The population will exceed tens of thousands in a short period of time, which requires more survival materials.
The hobgoblins in Blood Gorge City can also maintain their relationship in a short period of time by going to the monster tribe in the Giant Plains and collecting tribute.
The same cannot be said for the Dwarf Statue City. The main focus of the kobolds is mining, and most of the food must be obtained from the outside. These dwarves came to the door on their own initiative, saving Gavin a lot of trouble.
As soon as Gavin showed up, a dwarf mage from the dwarf motorcade rose into the air and flew towards him, with an exaggerated and funny smile like a clown on his face and said: "You are Baron Gavin, the Troll Destroyer, right? It is my greatest honor to be able to meet you, I am Jinbao*Quirose, the village chief of Queruose Village, you can just call me Jinbao."
Gnomes also have another characteristic that is also very famous. They have a very similar personality to the copper dragon. They are obsessed with verbal games such as jokes, puzzles and stories. Many of them are masters of it. Some dwarf villages have a close relationship with the copper dragon. It is not uncommon to be neighbors and live in harmony.
The dwarf in front of me is a typical dwarf, with a big head, thick neck, short legs and big feet. The whole person looks funny, and his clothes are even more funny.
He wears tight black breeches, an orange waistcoat, a white mage pointed hat, and orange clown pointed hook shoes on his feet. His chin is cleanly shaved, and with an exaggerated expression, he is unknowingly Man, I thought he was a circus clown.
"Village Chief Jinbao, welcome to your arrival. I didn't expect you to be so efficient. Your messenger just left three days ago, and you are here today." The efficiency of these dwarfs' actions was indeed a bit beyond Gavin's expectations. He thought he needed to wait until the migrating army was on the road, and they would stop by the dwarf village to visit and reach an agreement.
"The reason why our action efficiency is so high is thanks to Lord Baron." Jinbao had a sincere smile on his face.
"Thank me? What should I say?" Gavin didn't react for a moment.
"Your extraordinary road construction team has built a wide road directly to the gate of our farm. We have never seen such a wide, flat, and solid road. Our vehicles cannot walk on it at all. The vehicles will move forward by themselves as long as the animals exert their strength. It usually takes at least one or two days to walk, but it only took us less than three hours." The head of the dwarf village was beaming with excitement and his expression was extremely exaggerated. All body movements are used.
Those who knew knew that what he said was the truth, while those who didn't knew thought he was bragging. If he could have such a unique counter-effect, this guy could be considered a talent.
"It is our greatest honor to be recognized by you." Gavin said with a smile, "In a few days, when our team is ready, we will continue to go north. This road will run directly through the entire Giant Plains, reaching Ivanso on the Dragon Coast, when the time comes, you can go directly to the Dwarf Statue City or Blood Gorge City along this road. Not only is the road easy to travel, but the safety is also guaranteed. Anyone who attacks the merchants on this road is doing us harm. , declare war on the Blood Claw Legion, we will make them pay with blood for their stupidity."
Behind the plainness, there is deep confidence.
The humorous smile on the face of Village Chief Jinbao couldn't help but freeze for a moment. When he laughed again, he said somewhat dryly, "I believe that in a short time, there will no longer be such an idiot in the Giant Plains."
Because such idiots have already been used as fertilizer by the Blood Claw Legion to nourish the plants in the Giant Plains.
It has been more than a century since their family moved to the Giant Plains. They have gone through ups and downs here, but the turmoil they witnessed in the previous century was not as great as the past month.
Ever since the hobgoblin army appeared out of nowhere - at least when they first appeared, no one knew their origins.
They originally thought it was a wandering hobgoblin legion, a passerby in the Giant Plains. It won't be long before the news comes back that they have been wiped out by human forces.
Who would have thought that after just a few days, they would come back with more sophisticated equipment, going back and forth from south to north, and then from north to south, killing repeatedly. Not only did their strength not The more we fight, the weaker we become, but the more we fight, the stronger we get.
Then their master also came to the door. With a turn of his head and a wave of his hand, he wiped out the Dwarf Wailing Kingdom, the most powerful force in the Troll Mountains and Giant Plains that had existed longer than the village of Querose.
Now which force or tribe in the Giant Plains trembles after hearing their name. Not to mention causing trouble for them, they would like to hide as far away as possible so that the other party will never find them.
"Don't worry, Village Chief. Although the main body of Dwarf Statue City will be kobolds and the main body of Blood Gorge City will be hobgoblins, I guarantee that they will abide by the most basic moral laws of mankind and uphold the principles of peaceful coexistence, equality and mutual benefit." Gavin patted his chest and promised, "So, I want to establish a long-term food purchase agreement with you. The price is 30% higher than the daily price in Ritawen City. What do you think?"
Gavin did not try to use force to overpower others, and offered a fair and reasonable price. The 30% higher price was the cost of transporting it from Ritawen City to this place.
"There is no need to increase the price by 30%, just follow the normal price of Ruitawen." The village chief Jinbao took the initiative to give up the profit, because for them, the grain transaction is just incidental, not the biggest source of profit. They still have greater profits. point.
"Oh? Are there any other conditions attached?" Gavin didn't believe in free lunches. There must be a bigger conspiracy behind this kind of initiative.
"There is really a little thing that requires trouble, Lord Baron, but it should be easy for you. Our village of Querosa is still some distance away from your migration route. We hope that you can help us fix it when the time comes. Not much, about ten kilometers." Village Chief Jinbao smiled and made his own additional conditions.
"This is simple, we can just plan it in advance." Gavin readily agreed. For them, the ten-kilometer road was really a drop in the bucket, but for these dwarfs, it would cost a lot of money. It’s a matter of time and energy. This is a preliminary test by the other party.
"Thank you Lord Baron for your generosity... Hiss, with so many kobolds and such a large scale, the number must be more than two thousand, right? Your action efficiency is really too fast. In just a few days, you have gathered together You have killed so many kobolds, wouldn’t all the kobolds in the Troll Mountains come to you?”
While Gavin was communicating with Chief Jinbao, the dwarf convoy was not idle and was still heading towards the dwarf statue city.
When they arrived here, the Dragon Ascension Conference here was coming to an end. Shanobah had already transformed back into the dragon girl state, while the kobolds were reluctant to disperse and were digesting what they had gained this time.
The scene of thousands of kobolds gathering together is very spectacular. What really shocked the village chief Jinbao was not this big scene, but the speed at which they gathered the kobolds. Especially the appearance of many kobolds, which was somewhat different from what they knew. It's different. Those big kobolds with black dragon wings on their backs don't look like kobolds, but more like powerful dragonborns.
After seeing Gavin return, the black dragon girl Shanobah immediately came up to him excitedly, her brows full of excitement and reverence.
The man in front of her was truly amazing. A random suggestion made her abilities undergo a qualitative transformation. In the blink of an eye, she unlocked three new special abilities and found an unprecedented path for herself. , collecting kobolds from all over the world will be her main job in the future. She wants to see how far this dragon-dog mutual assistance can go. Is it possible that she can really transform herself into a real dragon?
After introducing the two parties, Gavin smiled and said: "Gathering all the kobolds in the Troll Mountains is our initial goal. After that, whether it is the Giants Run Mountains or the Snowflake Mountains, we will be able to gather all the kobolds in the Troll Mountains." We are not prepared to let it go, so, Village Chief Jinbao, the farm in your village can be expanded to try to grow more food."
"It's a good thing to have ideals, but many kobolds are not ownerless, especially in the mountains, where there are often giant dragons active." Village Chief Jinbao put away the smile on his face, "The reason why there are no weak people in the Troll Mountains The reason why giant dragons appear is because this is the territory of an ancient red dragon nicknamed Feiyan. He is famous for being hot-tempered and irritable, and cannot tolerate the slightest provocation. Once he appears, he will bring endless destruction to Feiyan. I I heard that the trolls in the Wailing Dwarf Kingdom maintain a close relationship with him. Every time he appears, the trolls will take the initiative to pay tribute in exchange for peace. If you are making such a big move here, if he knows about it, he will definitely not let it go. , once he appears, it will be a disaster for a city purely composed of kobolds."
"Thank you, village chief, for reminding me. I already know about this matter." Gavin did not show any surprise.
Not only did the kobolds in the Troll Mountains report this matter to him, but he knew the news in his previous life.
Every ancient dragon is capable of destroying cities and countries. His every move will be watched by people, let alone the location of one of his lairs.
Gavin has even almost touched the location of his lair on the Troll Mountains.
This is not to attack this dragon's nest, but to better avoid it and avoid waking up this sleeping behemoth.
Gavin has indeed killed a red dragon, plus a swift roc, but that doesn't mean he has the strength to provoke an ancient red dragon. Let alone an ancient red dragon, even if he encounters one in his prime, the best way is not to kill him, but to kill him. Just avoid him and don't provoke him.
Dragons use age groups to divide their strength. Different age groups have huge differences in strength.
The dragons currently known in Faerûn are divided into twelve stages - young dragon, young dragon, boy, teenager, youth, adult, prime, old, very old, ancient dragon, ancient dragon, ancient dragon.
So far, the oldest age group of dragons that Gavin has come into contact with is only the youth stage.
The adult white dragon of the frost giant white dragon knight was just a glimpse and was not included in it.
Even so, the Hit Dice of a young red dragon are already close to legendary. Once they reach the adult stage, most dragons will have legendary Hit Dice. This is one of the reasons why they are called legendary species.
(End of chapter)
