More bits of Rintar

Rintar’s Companions.

Kajiya: Called Dwelve by most. Born to the Orcite City. His farther was a dwarf his mother an Elf. His half brother is an Elf and Ogre cross, called Uhyre-Alv (Norwegian for Ogre-elf.)[Looks wise he is as tall and broad as an average Ogre. But has much more refined features than any Ogre. Still with canine teeth.] Kajiya was a silver smith and supervisor at the mines. His father was head blacksmith of the Orc nations even though a slave he was much prized by them and in an Orcite raid was their main target but he was injured in the raid and not able to pick up the hammer again. Stupidly the Half Ogre Capitan at the time (Komediach) put him to work in the mine kitchens. After Kajiya’s establishment as a competent smith some runs of Iron ore were found in sections of the expanding mines and he was asked to make weapons. After some basic attempts Kajiya was struggling to make any decent weapons and the orc smiths were producing many more weapons at a faster rate and some were better than his poor efforts. At this stage his half brother Uhyre-Alv came to see him with a message from their mother. He told the delve that his father was a master blacksmith and his work put the others to shame before his accident, and that they had him now back in the breeders pens near the west wall. Dwelve took a chance had spent much of his money in bribes to get his farther brought from the breeding pits to him as his slave. His farther instructed him quickly on how to make first better swords than the orcs and then castings so he could increase speed. Once he started to get more business than a lot of the other newly established weapon smiths, Kajiya with the help of his father started teaching his apprentices to make good basic swords to help keep up the demand. Within a few months most of the smiths had gone back to doing minimal repairs on weapons and armour or the smithing of bronze tools and silver ornaments the Orcite's traded with the outside world. It was here the Dwelve's father Płatnerz suggested he keep his more creative workers on the silversmithing with all it’s fine and fiddle work and those who did average work or were good at strong sturdy work be further trained as true Armourers. Under Platnerz watchful eye soon Kajiya’s business was doing even better than before in the silversmithing and he was now one of just for Armourer’s in town. He was the second busiest smithy. It was at this stage he was approached by Kovar an ailing smith with a proposition. He came to see Kajiya just on dusk after a hard days work and those who weren’t slaves had left the smithy for the day.
“Greetings Kajiya, you have become most profitable you bring much honour. May I speak with you please I have brought decent ale and two fine mugs of silver from which to drink.” Kajiya looked at the old smith he was of undiscerned bloodlines but he had little orc to note. With his studied eye noticed the mugs to be of the finest craft better than he might forge himself. This in itself was an honour from another smith. He nodded his consent and cleared a bench and stool for them each.
“With what do I owe such honour master smith?” asked the Dwelve.
“Well to be honest the sale of my smithy I hope and with it my retirement.”
“Then it is a welcome drink. Who is it your selling your smith to and I admit ignorance as to what you smith?” Kajiya replied trying to see if he had lost competition or gained more.
“Well, that’s why I’m here. I’m to old for this now to do the work myself and any of my good apprentices have now gone to other smithies I’ve only two left and a handful of slaves, and that’s the real reason I’ve come. I got’s myself three slaves that I don’t want seen thrown in the mines or some dastardly thing and their talent’s wasted. Which is smithing, These two mugs are the product of Otrock and close to her best work. Mamutí is big and strong as his ogre blood is predominant. But he is so delicate with the finery he makes the most wonderful finishing touches to even the biggest jobs I get. He has no training in the forging of weapons but he would learn quickly and well. The other slave who I acquired in a card game last week is your mother and she has some interesting tricks with fire let me tell you.” At this the Dwelve made solid eye contact and gave the old smith a hard long stare. “No need to get up set boy. I don’t mean anything but that she keeps the fires going on the forge better than anyone I know. It was she who said you might be interested in buying me forge and slaves to expand some so u can keep one forge for silversmithing the other as your sword smithy.”
“The deal seems sound to me. What is the price to be?”
“Well, to be honest my business as I said is slowly dying any way but the smith is my home I want you to furnish and fix up an old 2story place anywhere in the city and get me three competent house slaves, one better be able to cook and id prefer females don’t have to all be pretty or nothing but I want them to be at least palatable to look at. If u find a real good cook I don’t care weather its male or female or ugly as hell. Good food is hard to get in this damn city with out paying through the nose for it.” Kovar lastly glanced over at the younger smith to gauge his reaction. “Lastly I want a quarter of the profit of whatever business you move into my smithy over the next 5years. If I die before then your to give the profits to Otrock and Mamutí thieve served me well and it might be enough to by their freedom with little other work. My other slaves do as u want with.”
“How long do you give me to think on this Master Smith?”
“I’ll give you to the end of the week before I go offer it to Kalējs.” Kajiya nodded. Kalējs was his biggest competitor already and had contract for the repair of soldiers weapons and armor, though a few of them came to him now with their personal weapons. They were both competing for the new weapons contract for the cities garrison. With the extra smithy he would stand a better chance in getting the contract, if Kalejs takes it he will win hands down his main blood lines are orc and ogre. Here in Orcite having Orc and ogre blood lines meant the opposite to the outside world that’s why Kajiya was used as a merchant for ten years that and his ten years in the mines with a little side business as the merchant had earned him his freedom. With out that contract and the smithy Kajiya could loose a lot.
The next day Uhyre-Alv came to visit. “So my little kin what are you to do with Kovar’s offer.”
“I’m not sure as yet Uhyre. What would you suggest and how is it you and mother speak so regularly, when I didn’t even know were she was.”
“I have a regular seat at the gaming table of both our mothers former and current owner. Week meet weekly. Also the slave Mamuti, he is my kin as you know they mark all ogre bloods with their line we are some what cousins. I have strong leanings to have a close family like those not born to slaves do I wish to re-unite my family. I have to leave to guard the main caravan tomorrow and when I get back I will tack over as guard trainer for Slepkava (Latvian for basher). I have a building to use as headquarters and I’m going to be training them as great mercenaries all same weapons same armor same emblem I will be needing from you my brother I have the money and with help from mother she will teach you the spells she taught me one to control the fire one to put fire into your weapon and the last to increase your own speed for a short time makes it harder to be hit and easier to hit others for me. For you it would make you more productive.”
He looked at his half kin they were so different in appearance Kajiya was the size of an average human warrior about 5and a half feet tall and about two and a half foot wide with the big barrel chest of a dwarf or any smith. Strong solid arms and a much smaller waste with little tree trunk legs. Uhyre-Alv was over 7 feet tall with shoulders only 2feet wide his body was much more slender in comparison but still strong and formidable. He had the movement and flexibility common to half elves and the strength of an ogre both honed together with all his training as a guard for the caravan. “The quality of the weapons you can make will increase as well.”
“So it is your plan that I get all this” they had gotten reacquainted in the last 5 years of Kajiya’s stint in the caravan as a merchant. “Then what brother.” Though the words were right there was none of the feeling in them said by two brothers raised together neither the love or hate that can be grown in brothers. It was just a statement of fact.
“There is talk of another city that has been found to the east in the mountains with fertile valleys but close to some human populations. The council wants it brother, scouts arrived today. The humans are happy to trade for our tools they are a little primitive. They grow much food in their valleys and high pastures more than they or we need. They trade to the south with the Koti and are known as the farmers of Arcadia. It is their food that is the higher quality product the Koti never wish to sell to us and the inferior product they do not want they sell to us for the same price we can have the Arcadians crops.” If I am the one to take the new city I will need a good blacksmith, we will need carpenters and builders and well trained soldier’s to hold the city if the Koti attack.”
“Surely the Green hand could hold back the Koti just by showing up.”-Kajiya.
“Yes they could, easily. But do you not get it brother In armor I look like an Irre warrior. You could pass of as a human with your hair out. The warriors and guards I have been training are of similar standings. I have bought many human and closely human or Elven slaves of many skills with promise that if they work hard they will be free. I want to build that second city into the greatest the world has seen.”
“Then why have you not purchased mother?”
“Because it is not seen fitting to buy ones non-Orcite parent out of slavery. It is a sign of weakness and a sign of attachment to their race.”
“So instead you want me to be seen as week and Elvish. Already I have no Orcite blood how much worse will it make me seem having both my parents here as my slaves.”
“Your farther was a risk worth taking. But you should cull his authority in the eyes of the others he is a slave and should not be seen telling citizens what to do. I know of another blacksmith named Grobian(bear-ROMANIAN) of both Orc and Ogre blood that is also part Human. He would be happy to be hired by you and understands your father’s gift. He would be a good intermediate.”
Kajiya shook his head “You can not control my life brother or not.”
“I do not mean to control your life. But to help us both get to a better place. You could assign farther to him as his personal assistant and that way he would be next to him all the time and learning they can speak privately with out any worry and maybe even put him in charge of the second forge. He is a good armourer and could add his skill to your growing company. If we take this city you will be free to come and go as you please from both cities You will be able to open a third or even fourth shop in the new city. Think on it brother freedom and wealth.” Uhyre-Alv had no more to say so he turned and left.
Kajiya could see his brothers point and liked the idea of freedom a lot. He also new what it would mean if he and his brother were the ones to take and control the city once they established themselves it would be to hard for the Orcite council to remove them and any freed slaves of non Orcite blood would have little place to go most would stay and try and ply their trade as best they could in the new city as non that are not born of the city would ever be allowed to leave for the new one. Except perhaps a few personal slaves. His mother may have to live the rest of her days in the place of his birth but at least if she worked for him she would not be miss treated. With his farther and this Grobain he could learn a lot and his mothers skills he could indeed become a great smith. Grobain’s work he had seen he had made new armour from scraps he had bought cheap and melted them and molded them into beautiful pieces for warriors of ogre blood. Maybe he was the one supplying the design for the armour Uhyre wanted. That would mean more coins for expansion should he hire this Grobain. He will send Kess the slave girl to set up a meeting for employment.
. . .
The next day around the high sun a hulking half ogre knocked on the door. He was only 6’8 rather small for an ogre blood. His face was covered in a some what shaggy beard with here and their large wart’s protruding and his sharp orcish teeth a light shade of yellow with a hint of brown around the gums. His eyes were human though of an almost purplie blue. It was unusual how when ogre and human lines mixed their eyes could take on such vivid colour. He was rather squat he was easy the same bulk as a full ogre just squashed into a 6’8 body. His arms were bare and muscle plainly obvious below the speratic fur and hair of his mixed culture. He was just how Kajiya remembered him. His big hands had small claws on the ends instead of human or Elven nails. He could definitely keep others inline and as Uhyre had said he is a free citizen.
“Welcome Grobain, Honour to your clan”
“Huh, and honour to your forge you of no clan.” Kajiya was surprised at this variant of the common greeting of people not well known to each other it showed that he was indeed intelligent, something not always found in someone more orc and ogre than anything else.
“Thank you. So Grobain how shall we go about this”
“You asked me here for work, so I think you should take me to lunch and pay for my ale while we discuss how important u think I am and what I am to gain from this.” Kajiya gulped his mouth suddenly going dry he hadn’t been expecting this. He thought his brother would have already sorted this out in some part with Grobain.
“Yes, Yes that is a good idea. The Dancing Ogre is just up the street would you care to go their?”
“No, never liked it their.”
“I see, any were you’d like to go?”
“No, were ever we go is fine.” Why was he so difficult? And where’s he going now he just turned around and started walking away from the local taverns. Damn it if this wasn’t going terribly. The Dwelve walked quickly to catch up with him. Just as he reached his side he heard Grobain whisper. “To many people listening in and I find it easier to act the dumb Ogre to go with my looks. I’ve spoken to your brother I know what your after and id be happy to join you on some conditions if you want to know them at the next tavern on the right pull me towards the door it’s the squashed elf.” The squashed elf what a dingy place to go for a meeting like this it was empty during the day and full of trouble makers at night. A little ahead of the Tavern he started to pull him towards the door saying “I’m not walking any further come in here and well talk business I just hope the food doesn’t kill me.” A few passers buy smiled at the last, because truth be known it had happened before wonder if he new that?
Once they were inside what appeared to be a Full blooded ogre was sitting at the bar blurry eyed and obviously intoxicated.
“Klotz, two ales and good meat this one pays” Grobain nodded towards his companion.
Klotz looked them both up and down then belched “You get it. Meat in pot on fire. Beer in Bale behind bar. Now pay.” At the last he staggered up a little my god Kajiya thought hes at least 9 and a half feet tall he walked over quickly and put some coins in his hand the Half ogre half giant put two mugs on the bench and some coins and nodded to the tap. Closest to this end of the bar. “Drink that one.” Kajiya did as he was told. While Grobain went to the pot to get meat. After pouring the ale’s he noticed Grobain was already seated. He went to join him.
“Half giant?” asked Kajiya. To which his companion nodded.
“Always drunk this time of week on this day and when he’s drunk he gets agrivated easy so no one comes in he and I used to be in the guards together. So I know how to treat him.” Here he passed a plate of good smelling meat across the table. “Its good fresh from the forest to the east. So here are my terms I supervise and help make weapons I don’t do your silversmithing that dwarf slave you have will have to know I’m his boss. I’ll listen to what he says though his weapon making skills out way mine I know who he is and well leave it at that. We can work in shifts to better utilize your forge time keep it going all day and all night. All armour I do i keep 75% of the profit your shop so u get the rest my cost is no less than double whatever your paying your best apprentice at anytime. Now your counter deal.” This was better than he had hoped for his brother hadn’t told him of the second forge.
“What about I give you your own forge and your own apprentices and slaves. The dwarf will be your personal slave and we make your pay 40% of profit from store total and you keep 80% of custom armour only repairs or standard goes straight into the smithies coffer.” Now it Was Grobains turn to be surprised. So much that he stopped eating.
“I know you only have one forge but if you can arrange that it would be a suitable deal but I do no silversmithing in my forge. And you provide enough tools for the apprentices and slaves.” That was something Kajiya had not asked Kovar about damn his youth. He nodded if he had to buy the old mans tools so be it. “The deal is good. When do yo wish to start.”
“When everything is ready let me know until then I’m working in Kalējs’ forge and that’s were your likely to find me.” He turned his attention to the half giant.
“Klotz, What confiscated weapons do you have for me this week?” the half giant with out turning replied “go see for yourself” then in ogre “and tell the Dwelve He can meet here when ever he wants. If that’s what he’s happy to pay. I’ll be up to see him soon about some jewelry and a nice sword.” Grobains nodded as he walked to the door near the hearth. It went through to the kitchen area. Gorbain went straight to a back bench and opened a door pulling out a box full of different odds and ends a few daggers a single bent gauntlet and a rusted small shield. He turns and smiles at Kajiya “What do u want for the shield and gauntlet?"
"I'll give you all the armour that comes through for the next year or so and the dwelve can take all the weapons in exchange when u move to the new city so do I."