Book 4: Chapter 1: The World and Everything In It
Hi, world! Pete here!
It’s been just over a month since we swept away the title of greatest brewer in the world!
Today’s a day much like any other. The weather’s almost always cool and wet here in the underground riverside city of Kinshasa. That makes it a pretty close amalgam of my own old Beautiful British Columbia come to think of it. The biggest difference being a distinct lack of sun.
And the dwarves and gnomes everywhere. And all the cats. And all the fungi. Though it had at least one fun-guy in common, Nyuck! But you get the picture.
I glanced out a window and up at the bright light emanating from one of the many floating lanterns that lit Western Crack. They didn’t give off any heat, but their light helped beat back the darkness that was always trying to claim back what it had once ruled.
My head swiveled to look around the room, which was the comfortably appointed central lounge of our clan manor. The sunken living space was done up in a more gnomish style, with lots of wood, glass, and plush furniture. There were some nods to dwarven sensibilities, like the weapons adorning the walls, and the sheen of gold here and there, as well as the low ceiling. A pair of casks and some trays of food sat on one of the waist-high bookshelves, and a large table had been moved to the center of the space so we could all sit and snack.
Finally, my gaze swept over the assembled grumble. With the Diggers, Kirk, and Bran added to the mix we were now quite an eclectic group.
We were having a clan Grumble. With the Octamillenial out of the way and two, three if you included Bran, new nobles in the family, everyone had lots of complaining to do.
Our blonde bearded and pink-mowhawked dandy, Johnsson, was angry about the state of the tavern. He claimed it felt more like a fortress than a home these days, and the current mood in the city made it unnecessary. As head of the family, Annie decided that we’d keep it for at least the next century, and that was that.