Ulfgar Fireaxe, the chief of the Fireaxe clan of Berador, lives in the Fireaxe compound on the north side of Berador proper. The clan holds a large parcel of land that straddles the Blue Wash and encompasses the smithy, a great mill and a handful of houses. Ulfgar's stern leadership and strict adherence to family and community values ensures that the people of Berador hold the Fireaxe clan in high regard. The people of Berador honor and respect the Fireaxe clan for their useful contributions to the needs of the neighborhood as well as the dwarfs' honesty and loyalty.
The Carnival
Ulfgar's head jerks up from his work at the sounds of cheering and children yelling outside. Sweat pours off of his forehead and dribbles off the end of his bulbous nose. He drops his massive smith's hammer onto a nearby work bench, and tosses a red-hot horseshoe into the quenching bucket. His one good eye squints behind his monocle, and the puckered flesh around his missing left eye twitches. He strokes his luxurious gray-brown beard from chin to mid chest.
He ambles over to a window and pulls aside the heavy leather curtain. A train of brightly colored wagons rolls into town from the west. A great red boxy wagon pulled by four draft horses rumbles over the wooden bridge across the Wash to settle on the village green. A green wagon follows closely behind along with a yellow one, a blue and more. Children scream in delight, and dogs yelp, as they all chase the Traveling Carnival into town. Even men and women, some of the town pouring from their houses and their shops, and some following on horseback or ox-drawn cart, call excitedly as the Carnival comes to a halt at its customary place.
Ulfgar quickly, but reservedly, discards his thick work gloves and heavy leather apron. He splashes some water on his face from the washing basin, doing his best to clean away the sweat and soot. He pulls on a respectable-looking overcoat and exchanges his work boots for a cleaner pair of soft doeskin. He brushes out his beard and long hair. Finally, he attaches the chain from his monocle to his overcoat and deposits the looking glass into his breast pocket. With the chain exposed and wearing his fine coat he knows he exhibits the proper level of elegance, but his massive arms and wild beard speak of strength. Maintaining necessary appearances is essential to commanding respect.
Ulfgar makes his way out to the Carnival.
The Brother
Ulfgar strides hurriedly but maintains his dignity. He nods politely to those he passes and waves to a well-regarded acquaintance here and there. People step aside as he nears his destination, making way for an esteemed elder on an important mission.
Ulfgar marches to one of the larger, and certainly less colorful, wagons. The great brown and green box hulks mightily behind a team of eight great oxen. The portside wall is split open horizontally, providing both an awning to shade shoppers and a countertop from which the proprietor can do business. The proprietor looks up from his work as Ulfgar approaches. His work instantly forgotten, he bellows, "Ulfgar, brother! Greetings and Moradin's blessings on you."
Ulfgar strides over to his brother and extends his right hand. They each grip the other's forearm in the traditional dwarfs' greeting. "It is good to see you, Jalkar," Ulfgar. "Moradin is kind to see you through your journeys." As quick as that the brothers, who have not seen each other in nearly a year, return to business. Jalkar tends to his customers' needs, and Ulfgar pitches in, fetching goods and evaluating trades offered by the villagers.
The Trade
As the afternoon sun dips behind the trees to the west the press of villagers at the Carnival begins to thin. Most of the important trades have been completed and people make their way to the side shows and games. For the next two weeks or so the wagons of the Traveling Carnival will spill forth with laughter and tales and foreign foods and drinks. Some people may come along to buy a new pot or a bolt of silk, but nearly all of the trading ends the first day of arrival.
Even the big trades will close before dawn. Ulfgar and Jalkar discuss matters for some time, dithering over the value of this item and that, but they quickly come to agree on the task at hand. Ulfgar sends his son Bracken back to the Fireaxe compound with thorough instructions. Jalkar's son Rurik leaves to make the rounds to the other wagons.
As the bonfire blazes near the Maypole, and the villagers 'ooh' and 'ah' at the latest extravaganza from the Strake Brothers Spectacle and Variety Show, the Fireaxe brothers meet with merchants from far and wide in the privacy of Jalkar's great wagon. Bracken and others of the Fireaxe clan have led a team of mules with a couple of carts over from the Fireaxe compound to Uncle Jalkar's wagon. Meanwhile, Rurik has brought together the chief merchants and traders in the Carnival to talk business with Ulfgar.
By midnight deals are struck and goods exchanged. Ulfgar offers ground meal and flour from the Fireaxe mill, worked steel and iron goods from the Fireaxe forge and other crafted goods from the Fireaxe compound. The Traveling Carnival will leave behind a great many luxuries and necessaries that the Fireaxe clan will have for their own use and for trade through the winter months with other villagers. Ulfgar knows that he will have items to offer to the needy and for the good of the community in later months. Respectability and honor both come with a price. And it's a price Ulfgar is willing to pay for the good of the clan.
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