159 Debates (2/2)

The Emerald Palace was a stunning piece of architectural artwork. It was a brilliantly shimmering testament to dwarven ingenuity and to the prowess of the divine. It gleamed and glittered at the heart of a vast and incredibly dark cavern.

Within it lived and worked some of the mightiest leaders of dwarven kind in the world of Torus. Deadly generals, talented tacticians, shrewd politicians, and royalty all lived within the vast palace.

In a tiny chamber near the top of the palace, a small council of dwarves was engaged in furious conversation. Their differing points of view were all carefully articulated and they were all struggling to keep themselves composed. One of them, the very same princess Althos had once helped and saved from an unwanted political marriage sighed in annoyance and began to speak.

”Are you all seriously suggesting we turn our backs on Althos? He is the one who helped me! I am keenly aware of how quickly you've forgotten that...” She said, disappointment seeping into her voice. Princess Rachel was a young progressive, in so far as dwarves could be young progressives. She valued freedom, especially her own, and though she respected tradition she knew whom was responsible for her freedom and it simply was not Morehammer. She respected and trusted the figure responsible for ensuring that she get to live freely.

Some of the people gathered around Princess Rachel lowered their gazes, as the biting edge of her words and her tone touched them. Not everyone felt that way though.

”Althos is a liar!” One of the other individuals in the room, a dwarven general named Abraham shouted. As he spoke he hammered his gloved fist into the table that stood at the center of the room. The impact produced a loud noise, one that reverberated throughout the room. The table was a thick thing made of metal and large enough for every dwarf present to be seated around it. There was a visible rage in his gaze, one that didn't fade even when he turned to face Rachel directly.

”And you... You are selfish! You prayed to that... creature for a way to escape your duty.” Abraham said, his words containing a vicious venom. This time his words didn't go unchallenged though, as he took it a step too far. King Abel, one of several high ranking dwarves reacted to the general attacking his daughter by turning his almost acidic gaze on the warrior.

”Abraham you go too far.” He warned, his gaze harsh as he stared daggers at the general. An awkward silence fell over the room in the wake of the stern and efficient admonishment by the king. General Abraham turned his gaze away from the princess and let his gaze, still containing that same fire from before, fall on the table.

The awkward silence lasted for a full minute. In that time each dwarf at the table considered what they had learned so far. They learned that Morehammer was free, and the historians who lived in the palace and had explored even its innermost depths had confirmed this minutes after receiving that notification.

They also learned that their creator deity was apparently an ancient and deceitful demon-lord. This was something that they were skeptical about, but even the most zealous admirers of Morehammer felt the strange stirrings of Althos' power linger within their hearts.

”Morehammer...” Rachel's aid and handmaiden, Amaris whispered. She had been raised to respect the attitudes that the ancient dwarven creator had instilled in his children. The dwarf was conflicted and her conflict was obvious to everyone in the room. Her instincts, the result of millions of years of evolution, told her to stand by Morehammer. But her heart and mind were fond of the freedom Althos offered, and she wanted to believe him over the ancient god who created her ancestors.

”Althos has helped us. He has helped me.” King Abel told the council after watching Amaris struggle to articulate her feelings. His gaze was still on her, but it was warm now. He himself was fond of the strange god who had protected his daughter from their ancestral enemies, the Dagwood dukedom.

”I understand why you all might choose to protect our traditions but I would hope that you'd be sympathetic to my daughter and to her aide. And to me. Althos has helped my family. He did it freely and has asked for very little in return. I owe my health to him. Rachel owes her freedom to him. It's not an exaggeration to state that anyone who likes the kingdom the way it is now owes at least a minor debt to him.” The king said, speaking softly. His words weren't false, Althos had secured the freedom of Atlantis and he had even healed the king using his powerful healing prowess.

This expression of admiration for Althos did go a ways towards cooling the frustration felt by General Abraham. It was an honest declaration, and an accurate one, and the general was aware of that. Even though he was a traditionalist and wanted to trust Morehammer, he couldn't deny that Althos had been the one to protect Atlantis in ways that Abraham could not have.

The royal family favored Althos. This made sense, as the family was progressive in a way and valued freedom. The other inhabitants of the room were inclined to trust Morehammer and the attitudes that had existed in their people for so long that they were almost hard-wired into dwarven genetics. This discussion mirrored discussions happening throughout the world, as other dwarven communities wrestled with the false idea that Morehammer was sort of deceitful demon-lord who had fed on the worship of dwarves like a vile parasite.