The Longbeard sat on his granite seat of judgment, glaring down his broad nose at Olgrim, who stood at foot of the Longbeard's tall podium. Olgrim tried to rub his swore wrists; the iron shackles had long ago worn away at the skin. The Longbeard turned the thick parchment page of his great tome.
"Olgrim Kjorzam Ulv-Durikhson, you have brought heavy shame upon thine own clan by your rebellious and treasonous behavior! By the laws set down by Dorûn Khazad-Dinün and the sons of Dorûn, your punishment is Khnalr-Burzuli*, and the Breaking."
The dwarves sitting in the hall gasped, Olgrim's mother sobbed into her handkerchief.
The Breaking was a severe physical punishment devised by Dorûn the Conquerer to subdue resistant clan chiefs; it involved beating the dwarf in public, breaking the dwarf's fingers, tying his hands to a sword hilt, and forcing him to fight against wild beasts until he dropped dead.
Olgrim's father, a respected Iron Helm**, Ulv-Durikh stood up, armor rattling, and called out in his booming voice,
"Honored Uldîn Khazad-Dinün, Longbeard, mine son has dishonored his family, his clan, Kjorzam, and it's chief, Hrothdi the Dark-browed. Khnalr-Burzuli is to be expected; but please, Wise Longbeard, I could not bear to watch mine only son be beaten and slaughtered like a goat before mine own eyes!"
Uldîn furrowed his imposing, white brow.
"You may be a respected member of your own clan, Thurngson, but the law of Dorûn is final: either your son perishes in the Breaking, or he may always choose to become Nameless."
Olgrim looked at his father, the elder dwarf tugged on his peppered beard, eyes downcast. Olgrim turned his sullen gaze to his weeping mother, his sister, aunts, uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers. If he stayed he would bring burzuli on his family and entire clan; being a high-ranking member of a clan came with heavy responsibilities. He furrowed his dwarven eyebrows, biting his lip. He couldn't stay, he would die and bring shame on everyone he knew and loved. But, maybe... no, no one had survived the Breaking; except the legendary Thurdrinn Orzandir, but he was legend, make-believe. Although, to be made Nameless in this Age was very dangerous, what with the resurgence of the Underborn and other creatures of the Deep creeping up into the dwarves' highways. Olgrim, face set, exhaled, chest falling, and looked bleakly up at the Longbeard.
"I shall be declared Nameless, Longbeard." Olgrim muttered. Glaring back, Uldîn banged his iron gavel against his granite podium.
"Summon Chief Hrothdi Ardjornson!" boomed the Longbeard. A guard rushed out the great doors of the judgement room to fetch the clan chief. A few silent minutes later the stone doors burst open; Hrothdi Dark-browed, famed for killing a Thurrloc chieftain with his bare hands, and his retinue of servants and guards strode into the hall. Hrothdi looked Olgrim up and down with his deep, brown eyes, then, armor clanking together, he ascended the the seat next to the Longbeard's.
"So, you choose the Rite of Anonymity? You do know what it will be like, being Nameless?" Hrothdi asked from atop his stone chair, in his quiet baritone voice.
"I do know, Honored Chief, I shall except Clanlessness as a punishment for my actions and to prevent burzuli from coming upon Clan Kjorzam." Olgrim said loudly, standing straighter in his chains. If he was to be exiled from dwarven society, he would still walk away with his dignity.
"You are brave, Olgrim Ulv-Durikhson, and I honor your decision. Therefore: I cast you from mine clan, Kjorzam, you are no longer mine kinsman, mine servant, nor mine clansman. The ring, Olgrim!" Hrothdi said for all to hear. Olgrim, still shackled, plucked the clan-ring off his right hand and gave it to a guard, who passed it solemnly to Hrothdi. The clan chief drew his hammer off his belt, setting the soft golden ring down on the rough granite of the podium. Hrothdi raised the hammer above his head and with an echoing boom, the ring was no more.
"Proceed, Longbeard." was all Hrothdi said.
"For your crimes which you committed are stated here: murder of a soldier of Khazad-Dinün, stealing from a Khazad-Dinün vault," here Uldîn looked up from his parchment down at Olgrim, "and threatening and abandoning a noble of the Khazad-Dinün clan." Longbeard Uldîn closed his great book and once again held his iron hammer.
"I pronounce you Nameless," he brought his hammer down on the granite, "Clanless," boom went the hammer, "devoid of inheritance," boom, "privileges of dwarven society," boom, "honor or shame," boom, "and are henceforth exiled from all the territory of Khazad-Dinün and the Eleven Clans, and no longer hold the protection of dwarven law. From this day on, Olgrim Kjorzam Ulv-Durikhson shall never again exist in Dorûn's Law. Clan Kjorzam and Olgrim's family are free from khnalr-burzuli. May the Ældrarir watch over you, wherever you go." boom went the hammer for the final time. Olgrim's shackles were undone and he was escorted with little ceremony past his weeping family; the family he would never see again. His father gazed sadly upon his son for the last time; his mother, Surlif, wept into her handkerchief, leaning against her elderly father for support. Olgrim was led to the outskirts of Kjorzam-Khnazlagn, given a suit of chain mail armor, an empty knapsack, and a sword. Hrothdi and Ulv-Durikh watched as the great gates of the city of Clan Kjorzam, solid rock bound with iron and adamant, slowly screeched open. Ulv-Durikh embraced his son wordlessly.
"Farewell." Hrothdi said.
Ulv-Durikh stept back from his son, a tear in his wrinkled, gray eyes as he gazed into the red-lit dimness beyond the gates of the gleaming dwarf metropolis.
"We shall meet again, mine son." Ulv-Durikh whispered.
With one last look at his father, Olgrim, now wiped from all dwarven archives, could bear his own shame silently in the darkness of the Deep. He shouldered the pack, sword at his hip, and, slowly at first, walked off into the darkness.
*"Clan-shame", this includes loss of rank, social respect, and military service. The dwarf who caused Khnalr-Burzuli must shave his beard.
**Iron Helms are elite dwarven warriors, heavily armored and armed, who guard clan chiefs.
"Olgrim Kjorzam Ulv-Durikhson, you have brought heavy shame upon thine own clan by your rebellious and treasonous behavior! By the laws set down by Dorûn Khazad-Dinün and the sons of Dorûn, your punishment is Khnalr-Burzuli*, and the Breaking."
The dwarves sitting in the hall gasped, Olgrim's mother sobbed into her handkerchief.
The Breaking was a severe physical punishment devised by Dorûn the Conquerer to subdue resistant clan chiefs; it involved beating the dwarf in public, breaking the dwarf's fingers, tying his hands to a sword hilt, and forcing him to fight against wild beasts until he dropped dead.
Olgrim's father, a respected Iron Helm**, Ulv-Durikh stood up, armor rattling, and called out in his booming voice,
"Honored Uldîn Khazad-Dinün, Longbeard, mine son has dishonored his family, his clan, Kjorzam, and it's chief, Hrothdi the Dark-browed. Khnalr-Burzuli is to be expected; but please, Wise Longbeard, I could not bear to watch mine only son be beaten and slaughtered like a goat before mine own eyes!"
Uldîn furrowed his imposing, white brow.
"You may be a respected member of your own clan, Thurngson, but the law of Dorûn is final: either your son perishes in the Breaking, or he may always choose to become Nameless."
Olgrim looked at his father, the elder dwarf tugged on his peppered beard, eyes downcast. Olgrim turned his sullen gaze to his weeping mother, his sister, aunts, uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers. If he stayed he would bring burzuli on his family and entire clan; being a high-ranking member of a clan came with heavy responsibilities. He furrowed his dwarven eyebrows, biting his lip. He couldn't stay, he would die and bring shame on everyone he knew and loved. But, maybe... no, no one had survived the Breaking; except the legendary Thurdrinn Orzandir, but he was legend, make-believe. Although, to be made Nameless in this Age was very dangerous, what with the resurgence of the Underborn and other creatures of the Deep creeping up into the dwarves' highways. Olgrim, face set, exhaled, chest falling, and looked bleakly up at the Longbeard.
"I shall be declared Nameless, Longbeard." Olgrim muttered. Glaring back, Uldîn banged his iron gavel against his granite podium.
"Summon Chief Hrothdi Ardjornson!" boomed the Longbeard. A guard rushed out the great doors of the judgement room to fetch the clan chief. A few silent minutes later the stone doors burst open; Hrothdi Dark-browed, famed for killing a Thurrloc chieftain with his bare hands, and his retinue of servants and guards strode into the hall. Hrothdi looked Olgrim up and down with his deep, brown eyes, then, armor clanking together, he ascended the the seat next to the Longbeard's.
"So, you choose the Rite of Anonymity? You do know what it will be like, being Nameless?" Hrothdi asked from atop his stone chair, in his quiet baritone voice.
"I do know, Honored Chief, I shall except Clanlessness as a punishment for my actions and to prevent burzuli from coming upon Clan Kjorzam." Olgrim said loudly, standing straighter in his chains. If he was to be exiled from dwarven society, he would still walk away with his dignity.
"You are brave, Olgrim Ulv-Durikhson, and I honor your decision. Therefore: I cast you from mine clan, Kjorzam, you are no longer mine kinsman, mine servant, nor mine clansman. The ring, Olgrim!" Hrothdi said for all to hear. Olgrim, still shackled, plucked the clan-ring off his right hand and gave it to a guard, who passed it solemnly to Hrothdi. The clan chief drew his hammer off his belt, setting the soft golden ring down on the rough granite of the podium. Hrothdi raised the hammer above his head and with an echoing boom, the ring was no more.
"Proceed, Longbeard." was all Hrothdi said.
"For your crimes which you committed are stated here: murder of a soldier of Khazad-Dinün, stealing from a Khazad-Dinün vault," here Uldîn looked up from his parchment down at Olgrim, "and threatening and abandoning a noble of the Khazad-Dinün clan." Longbeard Uldîn closed his great book and once again held his iron hammer.
"I pronounce you Nameless," he brought his hammer down on the granite, "Clanless," boom went the hammer, "devoid of inheritance," boom, "privileges of dwarven society," boom, "honor or shame," boom, "and are henceforth exiled from all the territory of Khazad-Dinün and the Eleven Clans, and no longer hold the protection of dwarven law. From this day on, Olgrim Kjorzam Ulv-Durikhson shall never again exist in Dorûn's Law. Clan Kjorzam and Olgrim's family are free from khnalr-burzuli. May the Ældrarir watch over you, wherever you go." boom went the hammer for the final time. Olgrim's shackles were undone and he was escorted with little ceremony past his weeping family; the family he would never see again. His father gazed sadly upon his son for the last time; his mother, Surlif, wept into her handkerchief, leaning against her elderly father for support. Olgrim was led to the outskirts of Kjorzam-Khnazlagn, given a suit of chain mail armor, an empty knapsack, and a sword. Hrothdi and Ulv-Durikh watched as the great gates of the city of Clan Kjorzam, solid rock bound with iron and adamant, slowly screeched open. Ulv-Durikh embraced his son wordlessly.
"Farewell." Hrothdi said.
Ulv-Durikh stept back from his son, a tear in his wrinkled, gray eyes as he gazed into the red-lit dimness beyond the gates of the gleaming dwarf metropolis.
"We shall meet again, mine son." Ulv-Durikh whispered.
With one last look at his father, Olgrim, now wiped from all dwarven archives, could bear his own shame silently in the darkness of the Deep. He shouldered the pack, sword at his hip, and, slowly at first, walked off into the darkness.
*"Clan-shame", this includes loss of rank, social respect, and military service. The dwarf who caused Khnalr-Burzuli must shave his beard.
**Iron Helms are elite dwarven warriors, heavily armored and armed, who guard clan chiefs.
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