A world in which the ogres take their rightful place," Ornux assured him, underpinning his words with the magic of the shadow that vibrated softly in the air.
A moment of silence enveloped the plains.
"I will take your words to the council, Ornux. If Erwight keeps his word, the ogres will stand by his side. But he should be warned: The loyalty of the ogres is like our wrath, powerful and unrelenting."
With those words, the conversation ended, and Ornux knew he had taken a significant step towards realizing Erwight of Entorbis' dark visions. The ogres of Wahmuter, once wild and untamed forces, could tip the scales in the coming storm. That night, under the starry skies of Fallgar, the foundations were laid for an alliance that would shake the world.
It was not very long before Gromak, who had been conferring with the council in a tent, came forward again, swung his great club in the air and led the Wahmuther clan northwards.
Once again, the heavy breeze caught Vrenli and took him northeast. He flew over the hilly landscape of Kirbun towards a high mountain range. Hundreds of small caves had been carved into the dark gray, steep, smooth rock faces, from which small shadows roped themselves down to the ground on ropes a hundred paces long. Huge trenches, fifty paces across, lay at the foot of the mountain.
Vrenli got closer to one of the trenches, which led many hundreds of steps down to Ingar. Slowly the wind died down, allowing him to glide down into the deep branching tunnels of the gray dwarves.
In the gloomy shadows, deep beneath the mighty peaks of Kirbun, where the passing wind whispered old stories through the barren tunnels, Ornux and Brumir Ironfist, the indomitable leader of the gray dwarves, stood face to face. This was an encounter that would decide the fate of the races.
"Brumir Ironfist, it is with the deepest respect that I come to you, on behalf of Erwight of Entorbis," Ornux began, his words interweaving with the cool tunnel air.
"A shadow that wanders to the gates of Ingar never brings glad tidings. What does the emissary of Erwight of Entorbis seek from the gray dwarves if not that which he cannot possess?" replied Brumir, his eyes reflecting the depths of subterranean lakes, in a firm voice.
"Erwight seeks an alliance, Brumir. An alliance that will not only turn the tide of battle but shape the future. Even if the mines of Ib'Agier never belonged to the gray dwarves, we offer something more valuable: a promise to create a new order together once Wetherid is united under our influence," Ornux replied, emphasizing the gravity of his proposal.
Brumir laughed so loud that an echo reverberated in the cold stone walls.