Blovo Allow me to introduce you to Blovo, and all that is known about his past. this is just part of the story, put together after some investigation and time spent talking to Blovo and the Ephenbald, his adopted human family, during my travels around the realms. the Ephenbald “Blovo” is a Hill Dwarf. he has been raised by a farming human couple (Krogg and Portclia Ephenbald), living quite far away from other towns or settlements. the couple lived in a long and narrow glen, a dead-end valley surrounded by tall mountains, about a 4 hour walk through hard terrain from the end of the valley. life was hard there and the weather extreme at times, but for some reason they decided to settle there and were usually left alone. they were not unfriendly but were mostly self-sufficient and didn’t visit the closest village (really just a sparse group of farmhouses) often, perhaps 4 times a year. the visits where mostly just Krogg meeting other farmers to barter and keep in touch. one night after a week of heavy Winter storms, the Sun finally broke through and they woke up to find a landslide occurred on one of the furthest slopes, not putting in danger their settlement, their crops, nor the main stream of water for the valley. Krogg was worried though about a shed where he kept his traps and some tools, as well as a minor stream of water which crossed that slope and could have been affected. it was not a very important stream, but it was one of the main sources for drinking water when he went hunting around that area. expecting the weather to stand for a couple of days, Krogg decided to investigate immediately, packed some tools and overnight gear, and approached the head of the landslide. he made his way higher up to check the shed and the nearby terrain. when he got there, he saw the shed partially covered but it seemed to be in place and not toppled over or opened, mainly due to it being right on the outskirts of the affected area. he worked a bit to clear the entrance and surroundings, and to make sure there was no damage. once he confirmed everything was ok and the structure was not in danger of rotting or falling down (or being broke in), he decided to call it a day (he could use springtime to better clear the area) and took refuge in a cave. the shed couldn’t be entered yet, and although it had space for the material and a good amount of storage it would be very wet and probably muddy inside. instead of risking going back at night or keep shovelling soil to enter a damp shed, he preferred getting further up the slope and starting a campfire for the night. he was reading while heating some rations using the light of the campfire, like he used to do. the night sounded a bit strange that day, pregnant with the same animal sounds as usual but more cautious even than when he was hunting, some animals clearly unsettled but perhaps also on the prowl, or just afraid and nervous. nothing that should worry him (there was no lack of food and prey in the area, he was far from burrows, dens or breeding grounds, and anyway had his trusted bow with him). but there was another sound… the sound of someone falling and weeping, trudging through wet soil at times. some metal clanking. then what seemed like two words muffled, uttered out of breath and energy: “de?” (mother?), “pai?” (father?). also some sharp yelps. a somewhat high-pitched voice, albeit hoarse, the noise becoming closer and clearer. carefully, finding cover behind some rocks, Krogg approached the lip of the cave, his bow at the ready, but not charged nor raised. squinting into the dark he saw a child, wrapped in furs, wearing a belt with some metal reinforcements, and a chain with a golden pendant hanging from his neck. looking tired, dirty and clearly in distress, the kid he was limping a bit, all limbs on the ground for purchase, scrambling up towards the light. \page Krogg turned back to the cave quietly, rested his bow against the wall, grabbed a burning stick to use it as a torch, and went back to approach the kid openly. as soon as he appeared again on the lip, this time clearly visible and noticeable (“hey, kid!”). the kid (“Blovo”) froze, unsure, his eyes darting around in emergency. Krogg showed his hands and said, using his calmer voice: “hey, kid. do you need help? are you ok?” “where are your folks?”. seconds of silence. 10 meters away, the kid looked frightened but also marginally hopeful, needy. “de? pai?”, some other words (perhaps help? hunger? dirty?). Krogg moved closer, the kid startled, moved to scramble sideways, slipped and fell hurting his leg further. he fell down crying, with some words in what sounded like Dwarvish (Krogg didn’t know the language, but that’s how he thought a Dwarven child would sound). Krogg got closer, slowly, the torch held up to one side, so that it lighted his path, his face and the kid. speaking reassuringly and constantly, friendly and with calm cadence, he got close to the kid and stretched one hand, extending it towards the kid. the kid was shivering, probably thirsty and hungry. from this distance, the leg didn’t seem broken but there were some damp blood stains on his clothes. “it’s ok, I can help, there is water and food up there, in the shelter. let me help you.” the kid seemed a bit calmer, his eyes inquiring, not fully trusting the grown up human in front of him. sobbing, the kid looked into Krogg’s eyes, under the redish flickering light coming from the improvised torch, the face behind the visible breath. “Blovo” didn’t make a decision as much as just follow an instinct to be helped in dire straits. he grabbed Krogg’s hand as support, Krogg helped the kid up, and they got to the cave (not carried, but helped along), where he ate and drank. Blovo spoke no words at all during all of this, and Krogg didn’t expect any, just talked about how he was safe now, and he would find out what happened after some rest. the kid eyes seemed grateful but also uncertain. with some reservations, he allowed the inspection of his leg. nothing looked broken, but there was a big scrape and some bruising, swollen and red, blood already dried. Krogg cleaned the wound, chewed some herbs, and applied them with some cloth wrapping the leg. the kid collapsed, tired but now warm, and Krogg made plans for the next day. there is more to tell about that night and the following days, but essentially Krogg took the kid back home in the morning (the kid spent the night feverish and only woke up when Krogg greeted Portclia). he had decided to get the kid in as soon as he realised “Blovo” was suffering from some infection. after putting the kid on a bed, and talking to Portclia, Krogg went out again to try to find out what happened to the kid’s party. following the kid steps back from the cave, he got to some boxes and crates of supplies, scattered in the border of the landslide, some partially covered by soil and mud. he investigated further and saw what looked like parts a wooden wagon wheel, some leather straps. also the remains of two ponies, half buried and suffocated, some of their bones broken. Krogg didn’t find the rest of the carriage, nor did he find any other corpse. Krogg understood there was an accident due to the landslide, and a carriage tumbled down and was sepulted, probably still there but under tons of soil and rocks, perhaps with the bodies of whoever was with the kid (his parents, Krogg assumed). recollections “Blovo” has been told all this, he doesn’t remember the night that well as he was 3 years old and traumatised/shaken at the time. plus at 3 year old memories are foggy. back then Krogg and Porclia were on their 30s. it almost took until the beginning of Spring (several weeks) for the kid to recover from the infection and fever. the couple called him “kid” to start with, and “Blovo” later on because of some runes inscribed in the golden pendant (Ylbifin in Dethek). “Blovo” recovered while the weather was still cold. the Ephenbald tried to communicate with him and bit by bit came to the conclusion his name was Ylbifin, even though they would continue to call him “Blovo” regularly. from then, the couple took care of him and help the kid recover. a couple of times he ventured into the forest with the intention of going deep into the glen, to go back in search for his family. Blovo didn’t make it too far. after some conversation, Krogg accompanied him (after preparing for the day out) and showed him what he found, minor wreckage of the carriage (a part of a wheel, some crates with clothes). Blovo cried, hugged to Krogg’s legs. they search around for several hours, and the next morning. finding nothing more, they went back to farm. what Blovo remembers about the days or hours he was alone in the mountains is not clear. he has a blurred memory of his Dwarf mother and father, travelling on a wagon, the smell and touch of ponnies. “de” being “mother”, “pai” being “father”, a couple of additional words, the name of his toy. the couple didn’t stop taking care of him. from then, “Blovo” recovered fully and learnt to speak Common. during the next year, Krogg went searching a couple of times ,trying to find out more (usually as part of his hunting expeditions). “Blovo” stayed with Porclia, who loved him and played with him when she could. after a few years, when “Blovo” was older, he went with Krogg, and then also on his own. never found much, perhaps pieces of wood, some ornate metal work, the carcasses of the ponies. regardless, Blovo grew and helped in the farm, learning from both, helped with light chores (heavier ones as he grew stronger), learnt about the woods and hunting, to read the terrain, to read Common. \page there were not known mountain passes on that valley (that was one of the reasons why Krogg and Portclia settled there without issues), so the provenance of the kid was a bit of a mistery. there were no Dwarf settlements around, no commercial trade over the mountains, there haven’t been any conflict there in ages. Blovo might have been kidnapped, or travelling with his parents (that seems to fit his memory). were they escaping? trading? did they get to this side of the mountains via some tunnel? via a high pass? where were they going? Blovo doesn’t know, and nobody seems to know much. when they went back to the village, they tried to find out if there were any news, or some old lore about passes or dwarfs in the area, but nobody knew anything. with time they introduced “Blovo” as their kid (as an adopted kid), giving a short version of the story, so the rest of the valley was aware “Blovo” was a dwarf and not just a sturdy, shorter human kid. they called him “Blovo” Ephenbald (nobody spoke Dwarvish in the area and “Blovo” didn’t know his surname). he was raised as a human kid (neither the family nor the villagers had any knowledge of Dwarven traditions), and with time he shaved and drank wine, like humans of the area did. the only things “Blovo” kept from his time before the Ephenbald are a mountain goat toy (made out of wood, leather and some iron, “Ardhmalo”), and the chain with the pendant. he also has a small box with scraps he managed to get together from the accident. nothing that was providing a clear clue about his point of origin (ot not any clue for him or the farmers). the landslide was never cleared fully, it was too big, just the area around the shed was. the forest was recovering and the only remainders were the broken carcasses of the ponies, some downed trees, the slightly altered geography and the slightly more naked slope of the mountain up high (not something you would notice if you didn’t remember how it was before the landslide). ## growing up “Blovo” stayed with the Ephenbald until he was 36 (when they were roughly 63). he really cared for them but also wanted to find out more about his origin and his clan. and, during that time, via some traders that visited the village regularly, made contact with Hill Dwarves (not from his clan) that offered to introduce him to their customs and traditions. he spent some time with them for a couple of months at a time (during several years) and learnt the language and their ways. not as well as if had been raised in that environment from birth but with the enthusiasm of a human teen and the questioning eye of a partial stranger to that culture. he didn’t find any information about his clan at that point, and used Ylbifin Ephenbald as his name with the dwarves. Blovo was his name for the family and valley friends. he would always came back to help in the farm and spent most of the year there. he took care of the Ephenbald as they grew older, but they had been talking about Blovo spending more time with their own, not just a few months at a time, and it was decided that we would do so. the Ephenbald were quite old for human standards (63) while Blovo was 36 (not yet mature enough for dwarves). he was old enough to handle himself and they could still manage on their own, the weather had been kind the last couple of years, the farm was doing really well and trading (as well as visits) were more frequent nowadays due to improved paths and good farming. he did so and went on to spend the next 14 years leaving full time with the dwarves, putting into practice his experience in the forest by acting as a ranger. at the same time he was learning about the Dwarven ways and history, their military practice, their love for tradition and dedication to the clan. he didn’t manage to find his original clan, regardless of the big amount of time he invested talking to visiting dwarves, or reading the chronicles. messages were sent, enquiries made, but no positive response was received. or not yet. he also took some interest in Gnomish narrative, learning their language to read their stories and treaties about nature while he was out in the wild. this, woodcarving and playing the shawm are his main hobbies. once a year or so he would go and visit the Ephenbald to stay with them (they were his adopted “clan”). it wasn’t the shortest of journeys, but it wasn’t a hard trip though, and it gave Blovo a chance to explore some other areas and paths on his way to the valley, as every time he chose a different trail, getting to stay a couple of days in new towns, trying to get some new information about his past (perhaps) and obtaining some money on the way, honing his skills. the Ephenbald were still doing well, staying strong even if a bit weaker and less energetic due to their age, but still taking care of the farm and foraging. Krogg didn’t go hunting as often now, and didn’t spend that many nights in a row away from the house (14 years later, when Blovo was 47, they were 77). it is not that he couldn’t, but that he preferred to spend more time with Portclia in the farm, reading his books by the warmth of the hearth. Blovo was still carving and working with wood due to his upbringing in the forest, and didn’t take much interest in brewing or working the stone (fascinated about the history though, but perhaps more anthropologically than feeling it in his blood). he had been growing his beard for the last couple of years, and was able to appreciate beer now, just not as much as a “proper” dwarf. he still preferred wine, something he could carry easily in a wineskin when in the woods or on the road. \page it was the beginning of Fall and the harvest season, time for a belated visit, after not being able to visit the previous year. he had not received any news from the Ephenbald for many months (they didn’t correspond too often, but they did at least for his “birthday”, really the anniversary of this recovery, at the end of Winter). while he was not worried, it was a bit strange. so now Blovo was on the road back to the valley. {{wide}} {{wide}} {{wide References: game: D&D 5e 2014 Dwarvish language reference: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Dwarven_Language#:~:text=The%20Dwarven%20Language%5Bedit%5D,they%20have%20in%20those%20languages Dwarvish script: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Dwarvish Dethek: https://www.fonts4free.net/dethek-stone-font.html }}