More initial commit

.editorconfig

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+root = true
+
+# Unix-style newlines with a newline ending every file
+[*]
+end_of_line = lf
+insert_final_newline = true
+indent_style = tab

anti-refugee-protests.txt

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+―Nikki, follow me, emergency!, Vaughan yelled as he passed Nikki's office without stopping.
+She sighed, and jogged to catch up with him.
+―What's up?
+―Meadowlark protesters, they're threatening to burn down some of the Barns. We need Calvin to make a decision on it.
+Nikki groaned.
+―Goddamn religious fanatics.
+
+Adam was going through some files, and protested as Nikki walked by his desk and made for Calvin's door.
+―He's busy, Nikki. He said to keep everyone out.
+Nikki stopped, and gave Adam a firm glare until he dropped eye contact and retreated to his busy work, leaving Nikki and Vaughan to walk into Calvin's office.
+
+Calvin started when they walked in, and set down the book he had been reading.
+―There's a protest by the 

firstcompact-dwarrow.txt

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+Tale of first compact according to the dwarrowfolk:
+When the dwarrowfolk still resembled their Fourth Race ancestors, they lived on the soil in the valleys.
+They saw the mountains around them crack, and great beasts, descendants of the Fifth race stormed their towns, great herds destroying the dwarrowfolk's homes.
+They drove the dwarrowfolk into the mountains, and the great beasts turned to steal the dwarrow land.
+But before they could leave, a powerful dwarrow called the stone to grow over the beasts' feet, weighing them down, and they fled (slowly).
+Eventually and with great effort the beasts returned to the dwarrows in their mountain hideouts and asked forgiveness.
+The powerful dwarrow forgave them and changed the stone to stone hooves, aiding the beasts.
+In repentance they used their last connection to the mountains to forge a new stronger bond between stone and dwarrow, giving the dwarrowfolk a true home in the mountains and the Voice with which to speak to stone.

firstcompact-yak.txt

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+Tale of the first compact according to the yaks.
+The Lord of Beasts walked over the mountains, each foot so large the highest peaks only reached the Lord's ankles.
+At one point, He stumbled and tripped over a peak, breaking it and revealing yaks incubating within.
+They emerged and found the mountain unsuitable, but used the mundane meadowlark and slowly turned the mountains into habitable dwellings.
+At one point the dwarves came seeking refuge, for they feared the open land.
+Hearing of the grass in the valleys and prairies a trade was proposed.
+The yaks finished sculpting the mountains and in exchange the dwarves used their own magic to fasten the hooves of living stone, so that the Free Yaks would remain ever Unshod and Unyoked.
+Thus the first compact between yak and dwarf.

meadowlarks.txt

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+Meadowlark
+The mundane meadowlark of soil and hoof
+Allows some ancestral memories like prayers, heightened sense of how to use grazing to shape land long term like Fifth Race ancestors
+
+The nascent meadowlark of seed and Tendon
+Can speak the language of grass and hear the secrets of the insects
+
+The unyielding meadowlark of stalk and bone
+Health and authority over the herds, coax growth from farms
+
+The shining meadowlark of leaf and eye
+Can see the shapes of wind and memory. Immune to illusions and steadfast in resolve
+
+The celestial meadowlark of sky and skin
+Use of the weather to sculpt the land

newcompact.txt

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+The New Compact
+The powerful celestial meadowlark had driven the dwarrowfolk to their deeps, and the yak king, the most skilled meadowlark, demanded tribute.
+The dwarrowfolk burrowed deeper until an Elder (mountain goat of the Fifth Race), came to their aid.
+The goat used her power to safely hide the dwarrowfolk in the earth and asked the insects to arrange a summit with the yak king.
+There, the goat pointed at the dead dwarrowfolk and yaks and asked the yak king for an accounting of the lost lives.
+Guilt beat his brow and he abdicated on the spot.
+A peace was proclaimed, the dwarrowfolk created a circlet of their secret metal which looked gold silver and firered in turn, and was worked so fine as to be a wig of metal hairs, such that the yak who wore it would always look with open face but have a stronger circlet than any helmet.
+
+In exchange the yak priests gave the dwarrowlord seeds and carefully prepared earth, which gave the dwarrowfolk wood, grass and oxygen. The magic wood that grew from the soil of the Trust was incredibly light and powerful.

stoneshodtravelers.txt

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+Travelers to the Temple of the Rock were, while not common, at least heard of.
+Even Stoneshod travelers occasionally made the pilgrimage.
+Unheard of in Chief's village, however, was eight great Stoneshod warriors, one wearing dwarrow treasure, seemingly unaware of the Temple at all.
+Brother Kab stubbornly insisted that this was indeed the situation waiting in the village entrance hall, so Chief reluctantly made his way up to meet them.
+
+―I believe believe the leader is called kala pini, or something like it, Kab said as they walked. I don't speak the Open Tongue well enough to understand him.
+
+― The one who speaks Border?
+
+― No, that's the thing. Proper Dwarrowspeak, too pure for me to follow. None of them speak Border though, which is why none of us have gotten through to them.
+
+― And the dwarrow treasure?
+
+― Made of truesilver, the only adjective I can come up with is legendary. Kab grimaced as Chief gave him a look. I swear, it's something out of the vaults of legend.
+
+Chief hummed pensively, letting the tunnel walls resonate with his intrigue.
+
+They entered the entrance hall, where to his dismay Chief saw Brother Jod glaring at the visitors, who seemed distinctly uncomfortable with him.
+Even Chief was uncomfortable with Brother Jod.
+The eight Stoneshod were large even for their kind, the largest almost fifteen feet tall.
+That one was one of two carrying a spear, which would not have helped Jod's mood.
+The leader caught Chief's eye, however.
+Slightly smaller, twelve feet from toe to head, a head on which he wore a thin circlet off which threads seemed to flow, through his hair down to his chest and back.
+The circlet and the many threads flashed a rich gold, or a pure silver, or if the light caught it perfectly, the red of sunset as Chief walked, so the truesilver was real, and some deep part of Chief's mind urged him to reach out and feel the metal.
+Truesilver worked this finely, each thread no thicker than each hair of the Stoneshod's brown fur, would have taken a master to make, and Chief wondered if his village was worth as much as even one of those threads.
+
+Chief shook himself out of his admiration of the circlet.
+
+― Welcome, friends, Chief said in the Open Tongue. Kab says you're not seeking the Temple of the Rock?
+
+At this, the tall one with the spear grunted and said to their leader
+
+― What else would you expect, talking to a dwarf?
+
+― Coming from a one of the Herd, no less! Brother Jod shouted, starting to reach for his spear, but before Chief could process the sudden flurry the tall Stoneshod had raised his spearpoint to Jod's throat.
+
+― Stop! rumbled their leader. His voice echoed painfully loudly in the hall, deep as thunder, and the warrior with the spear seemed to shrink back.
+
+Hell, Chief thought, I'd flinch at that voice too even if it weren't from someone twice my size.
+Their leader glared at the tall one a moment, turned to Chief and said, in proper Dwarrowspeak,
+
+― I beg forgiveness twice, once for my guard's insult to your people with his word, and once for his insult to your hospitality with his spear.
+
+Jod looked shocked to hear the holy language in the great Stoneshod's mouth, which Chief made a note to relish later.
+
+― Well met friend, and I hope this hall provides you shelter, Chief said in reply in the little Dwarrowspeak he could manage. Switching to the Open Tongue, he continued:
+
+― Your guard is forgiven, Chief said. At this the guard bristled slightly, and Chief noted that their leader gave the guard a pointed glance.
+
+― You speak our tongue beautifully, better than anyone in this village, I would say. Chief caught a glimpse of shame in Jod's eye, so this day was improving rapidly. I'm the Chief of this village, and you can go ahead and call me Chief. We're used to travelers passing this village for the Temple, so it's surprising to see Stoneshod headed anywhere else.
+
+― I have studied Dwarrowspeak, yet I find myself embarrassed not to know the languages here. As I tried to tell your man there, the Stoneshod said, gesturing at Kab, I am President Calvin of Galvarelli. I seek passage to Mountberg, and aid from the dwarrowfolk to find an end to the Witchfen Meadowlark.

the rock.txt

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+It is said by those with any wisdom that the views from the Rock are unparalleled, though few brave the climb. The Rock does not distinguish itself compared to its neighbours at first glance—though it does not embarrass itself by any means—and the priests live comfortably in the temple not far above its base. Villagers from the nearby valleys often find celebrate joys and endure grief at the temple, but on occasion a pilgrim from further off will come to the Rock to attempt an ascent.
+
+The path up begins unassumingly, and climbers have little trouble following the carefully maintained path up to the small shrine where every week a priest anoints a bolt of silk. The silk is then only to be used for those fearful of an uncovered head under open sky along the path to the summit.
+
+Past the shrine, however, the trees give way to shrubs, and the air grows biting. Soon even the bushes disappear, leaving only pebbles. Though birds have long avoided the mountain range, vultures have been seen far overhead, which some see as proof that the Aery survives, hidden even to the rest of the Hidden Lands.
+
+Here the pilgrim might look back to glimpse the hard fought view from the Rock. For most peaks, as one climbs they can see across a further distance. This relationship is nearly universal: altitude offers better views of space. However, it is known to the priests that the Rock offers better views across time.
+
+Scores of pilgrims come to the Rock catch a glimpse of their futures, while others come to revisit some moment of their past. But like all mountains, none can control the view from the top, for it is only the Highest Power that can place a mountain and paint its views.