Performed on the night of Guyekoni 15, 997 during the Convocation of the Axebearer.
| Apprentices | |
|---|---|
| Ryde Noldi | Durin Thangadrim |
| Agha Indrafang | Hirdu Nauglath |
| Raia Bodruith | Fundin Berenhir |
| Haidu Dairon | |
| Priests |
|---|
| Priestess Adalgrim (the Holy) |
| Master Aglarin Noldi |
| Master Besso Nauglath |
| MasterZunu Berenhir |
(RYDETELLION NOLDI and DURIN THANGADRIM are working at a forge, they are making brass wire. They have very short false beards on. RAIA BODRUITH enters stage left. It is winter.)
Ryde- Hi.
Durin- Hi.
Raia- Hi.
Ryde- We are working.
Durin- Yes.
Raia- (Looking at DURIN) I noticed. (She plays with something ostentatiously)
Ryde- What is it Raia?
Raia- I have something interesting, look. (Holds up a black lump, the boys look at it)
Agha- What is it? Bread?
Raia- Don't you know? It is iron. I found it in the temple middens. No one ever notices if a GIRL is around.
Ryde- (recoiling) Iron? You aren't supposed to touch that. It will make you unpure, I think.
Durin- (scared and titillated) Iron? Really?
Raia- Yes really. It is only a little piece. It won't hurt you - it didn't hurt me either. Here hold it. I know where some more is too.
(They all look at the little black lump, they hand it around)
Ryde- Big deal. And it looks like iron ore, not real iron anyway, dummy.
HIRDU NAUGLATH (with a small beard) enters stage left. RYDE hides the lump behind him.
Hirdu- Who is a dummy? Why aren't you working Ryde?
Ryde- (tossing something into the forge) Well, I -
Raia- (stung) Because we are looking at something Hirdu Nauglath, now go away.
Hirdu- (becoming concerned) What is a girl doing in a forge? You are a trouble forger Raia.
Durin- (bristling) Is this your forge Hirdu the Bossy? No? (makes a fist) Why don't I -
(HIRDU and DURIN start to square off with each other)
Ryde- Hey! Iron ore looks really pretty when you heat it.
(Everyone freezes and looks at him)
Hirdu- Iron? Did you say iron ore?
Durin- (scandalized) Ryde!
Ryde- What?
PRIESTESS ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) enters stage right (wearing lots of shiny gold bits). She is a younger adult dwarf that wears a white tasseled cloak with a broad gold stripe. She is very pretty. She is with another short bearded apprentice AGHA INDRAFANG)
Adalgrim- (curiously) What is going on here? I don't hear any hammers.
(RAIA ducks behind the boys)
Ryde- We were just making some copper foil Priestess Adalgrim when -
Raia- (jumping up) Oh THERE you are Priestess Adalgrim! I was just trying to find you when -
Adalgrim- (Angrily grabs RAIA) REALLY! Unshriven gIrls in a Forge?
(She grabs RAIA by the neck)
Raia- I was going to explain that!
Adalgrim- None of your stories Bodruith! BOYS! Throw all the fires out right NOW and re-lay them!
Agha- But she didn't touch any metal, Priestess.
(RYDE starts shoveling the coal and coke into a bucket while HIRDU and DURIN trade glares)
Adalgrim- You know what the Orowe Malle says, and now you will be striped also young Indrafang for questioning my redes.
Hirdu- But - (ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) looks at him and he shuts up)
Agha- Not questioning, Priestess, clarifying - the text specifies a punishment, but it also says one can volunteer to take a punishment if he accepts double. (AGHA looks at RAIA) I will take Raia's stripes.
Adalgrim- (pausing, mollified) Fine, then Thangadrim, Nauglath, and Noldi are all to be striped double - you other two for not speaking up. You know that if it wasn't me it would be much worse. You can thank Agha for your not being punished Raia.
Raia- (looking at AGHA worshipfully from ADALGRIM (THE HOLY)'s grasp) Thank you Agha.
(RYDE and DURIN make smoochy faces at each other, AGHA ignores them)
Agha- Priestess Adalgrim is correct, this is the lesser punishment.
Adalgrim- Come with me to the lower temple boys.
Ryde- (looking up from making faces) Huh? Now?
(ADALGRIM (THE HOLY), DURIN and RYDE exit stage left but HIRDU lingers and puts the chunk in a bucket)
Curtain
(AGHA INDRAFANG and FUNDIN BERENHIR are making copper rivets)
Fundin- Maybe the um, bread isn't getting hot enough?
Agha- Maybe but we could not use a great forge, what if we get caught?
Fundin- But if you made something very special, maybe the MASTERS would think it profitable?
Agha- Always thinking about money, Fundin.
Fundin- If it is valuable, it has worth Agha.
Agha- No, the texts would be very firm on that, working, touching or eating off of iron is dangerous and forbidden.
Fundin- Too bad then.
Agha- Although I don't know why. They never explain the why (he looks at his hands)
(RYDE enters the forge stage left)
Ryde- Hey Agha, I had an idea about the... bread (looks at FUNDIN)
Agha- I told him already about the bread.
Ryde- OK. Anyway I think that all we need to do is add more heat.
Fundin- I told you so
Agha- (urgently) No NO NO! We are not going to profane a sacred forge!
Ryde- (surprised) Huh? Who said that!
Agha- (pointing to FUNDIN) He did.
Fundin- I did.
Ryde- No I have a better idea, we will make a crock of some kind to hold the heat in and still use a regular apprentice forge, it can cook faster and better in a smaller space with a forced draft and we will use coke to stoke it!
Agha- Hmmm.
Fundin-How will you afford coal and coke, Noldi Spendthrift?
Ryde- I can't, but we threw some out yesterday and -
Agha- (scandalized) What? You can't use that, ADALGRIM said it was tainted!
Ryde- Well so is, ah, bread making, or something like that, right?
Fundin- That would be cheaper than buying temple grade stock and -
Agha- No, umm, bread is not cursed, it is only impure, therefore bread handlers can undergo purification and ask for forgiveness under the texts.
Ryde- Whatever. So are you in or not.
Fundin- I am in.
(RYDE and AGHA look at him a minute)
Fundin- What?
Agha- If we do this we are all equally to blame under law.
Fundin -But it won't cost us a copper, right?
Agha- (sighs) Right, it is free.
Ryde- Iron must be good for something or why hide it?
Agha- I don't know Ryde.
(They go to the fire stage left and put a big clay vessel in it, RYDE hands the lump of iron to FUNDIN, who quickly hands it to AGHA, who drops it into the fire, RYDE runs offstage and returns with a bag of coal and coke which he and AGHA pour into the forge)
Agha- My ring!
Fundin- Was it your clan ring?
Ryde- (cranking the bellows) I will fish it out with some tongs, don't worry.
(ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) enters with DURIN from stage right. FUNDIN smokes out stage left and RYDE and AGHA hurriedly start making rivets again. ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) watches them a minute and comes over and musses their hair.)
Adalgrim- See a little correction wasn't that bad for you, right? Yes you are good boys.
The Boys- Yes Priestess.
(RYDE and AGHA nervously look at the crock)
Durin- (boldly) I am old enough to marry next season Priestess.
Adalgrim- (shocked) Durin!
Agha- Durin!
Ryde- (cranks the forge some more) We need some more coke
Adalgrim- Well keep working up a sweat and those stripes won't smart too much.
(ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) thoughtfully looks at DURIN for a bit, then she exits stage right)
Durin- (watches ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) leave) Hah, when was the last time you saw a woman make forge sweat?
Agha- She is a Priestess, not a woman. They are forgers of knowledge not brass, and besides you know she can never marry.
Durin- Hmph, doesn't make any sense.
Agha- It is the only thing women can do besides make babies Durin, and---OH! My RING!
Durin- (startled) What about it?
Agha- (taking out some tongs and fishing in the crock) Oh it has all melted down into a grey lump, it is ruined. At least I can cut my truesilver pin ring out of it.
Durin- Your clan ring is in that?
Agha- I dropped it in by accident.
Ryde- Yes but don't worry, the iro- you know, can't mix with truesilver, I think.
(They beat on the lump some, something breaks)
Ryde- My brass chisel just broke!
Agha- (glumly) I think the ring melted. Hey it melted?
Durin- The brass anvil is all dented up too.
Ryde- Hey, maybe the ring alloyed into the iron and thats what made it all... different looking. And really hard.
Agha- My ring.
Ryde- Fascinating. (He beats the lump some) It isn't brittle any more.
Durin- (holding up the ruined chisel) We are in trouble again. That was our magiked chisel.
(The boys all look at the lump again)
Curtain
(RAIA BODRUITH, FUNDIN BERENHIR, RYDE NOLDI, AGHA INDRAFANG, HIRDU NAUGLATH and DURIN THANGADRIM sit in an arc)
Ryde- What we made was GREAT! Iron & truesilver can hold an edge like nothing I have ever seen! (holds up a small knife with cheese on it)
Fundin- Think of how valuable that is! We could have tools that last forever! WITHOUT MAGIC!
Agha- (glumly) All we need to do is add truesilver.
(ALL groan)
Durin- Only Master Priests work with truesilver. It is too sacred and rare. Truesilver is what makes us, well, US.
Raia- (looks at AGHA) You could take my ring Agha. I don't care about IT. (She bats her eyes at AGHA)
Hirdu- I don't care either. I will throw my ring into the crock if it means we get to make something bigger and better.
Durin- Like a hammer of iron.
Agha- Or an iron spearhead
Ryde- Or a boat of iron! (they all look at him) What?
Raia- Or a pretty helmet of iron.
Boys- Girls can't forge.
Durin- They don't know how.
Raia- (quietly but firmly) If you can work forbidden metal I can learn the mancraft. I don't want to be a drudgy breeding sow or a lonely, old... dried up priestess. (glaring at DURIN) I want something better.
Durin- What?
Raia- Never you mind Durin Thangadrim, just something better - that's all.
(They all pull their rings off except for AGHA. They put them into a bowl. They all stand around the bowl in a backlit tableau. HIRDU takes the bowl and leaves with AGHA and RYDE.)
Curtain
(All the dwarves are making brass chains and manacles, RAIA is disguised with a small beard, helping at the bellows. There is a larger crock in the forge. It is fall outside.)
AGLARIN NOLDI, a large, very fat grim faced dwarf with pronounced eyebrows and a long beard enters wearing a white cloak with many golden bands, he wears gold rings and jewelry-he looks like a walking jewelry store with a staff. He looks briefly at the young dwarves and exits, shaking his head. ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) enters in his wake, she is worried.)
Adalgrim- Whatever it is you are doing, the Orokraters are getting suspicious! You had better stop this mischief at once! Whatever it is.
(She spies RAIA but before she can open her mouth, AGLARIN reenters and walks over to the forge and sees the crock perking away)
Aglarin- What is this?
(The boys look at each other in horror)
Raia- (gruffly) It is some scraps we are saving for later Orokrater. (ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) glares at her audacity)
Aglarin- (looks closer at the crock suspiciously) Okay then.
(He pokes the crock with a small probe, the crock blows up in a big cloud of smoke knocking down AGLARIN with a splash of molten metal - his arm is maimed)
Aglarin- (looking at his ruined arm and his burns) Groan. Iron! You have been working Iron!
Agha- Steel actually, you see - mmph (RAIA clamps a hand over his mouth)
Adalgrim- (running to him) OH! OROKRATER are you alright? Let me help you!
Aglarin- (Cuffs her with his free hand) I am maimed by that, that profane metal! (ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) tries to help him up) Don't touch me underling! (He staggers erect and looks at ADALGRIM (THE HOLY)) Follow me to the temple where I can be healed by a proper Priest and declare the words on these perfidious boys!
Adalgrim and the young dwarves- GASP!
(ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) and AGLARIN leave stage right, AGLARIN is burned and hobbling. The dwarves watch ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) and AGLARIN leave. ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) is sobbing as AGLARIN glares at her)
Aglarin- Stop your moaning priestess! I am only wounded and soiled. (He grabs her by the hair) This is all your fault! Come!
(ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) looks back sadly at the young dwarves as they leave)
Raia- (wails) We are going to be judged
Agha- No more than we deserve. Why do they fear iron so?
Fundin- The fines alone will break us for life.
Ryde- But we have learned so much! (He looks at the large lump of slag and mixed metal)
Durin- No we will fight them!
Hirdu- (glumly) We cannot win, our futures are forfeit.
Fundin- (pitches his hammer into a bucket) We will never become able to sell our work now.
Ryde- We must leave these mountains.
Durin- (looking offstage left) Where will we go?
Agha- Away from here, for all hands will be turned against us here, the laws are clear.
Raia- Who will have us? We are not Masters.
Ryde- In another twelvemonth I would have become a journeyman. If I passed all the purification rituals, I think.
Durin- (thoughtfully) The lowlands? I heard they are full of, of, unclean folks and dwarf-eating things, and Giants (growing excited) and dragons and elves.
Hirdu- If we stay we will be longbeards and still be unmarried apprentices.
Agha- (looking at RAIA) No. The Path of Dreams says that priest defilers must be disciplined within a twelveday.
Fundin- It was HIS fault for poking the crucible.
Hirdu- (thoughtfully) Doomed here, but a chance if we flee.
Ryde- If we are to go, we can work iron there, right?
Durin- (slightly awed) No priests and no friends.
Fundin- (more excitedly) No forge laws and no restrictions.
Agha- (firmly) Chaos or condemnation.
All- Brass or Iron.
(Pause)
Raia- (quietly) We will be homeless.
(A disheveled ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) enters hurriedly from stage right, there is a large theatrical bruise on her face. The young dwarves look at her, drawing together)
Adalgrim- (sadly) Your families are going to do far worse to you than I ever would. Oh what a day.
Raia- We don't care anymore.
Durin- We could be our OWN family.
Hirdu- (surprised) Yes. We could do that.
Adalgrim- Don't talk nonsense, listen younglings you are in terrible danger now - Aglarin has died, of, of his wounds.
All- (exclamations of surprise)
Adalgrim- His wounds were worse than he thought! He was raving! He said that he was going to have your Clan fathers broken, and then have you each outlawed and, and -
Agha- (horror dawning on him) Thrown off the Plateau
Adalgrim- (distractedly) You were always a good scripture student Agha. Anyway he was in so much pain that he became confused... and he fell down the narrow stair. I could not stop his... fall.
Ryde- If they throw us off that is what we want anyway. Right?
Raia- (quietly) Yes. Aglarin fell. After he struck you. (ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) and RAIA exchange a glance)
Agha- No Ryde. They would THROW us off of the plateau.
Ryde- Oh. OHHH.
(They all look sad a while)
Durin- We must fight our way to the Stair!
Adalgrim- (thoughtfully) You won't get past the wards and guards. Alone.
Raia- You would protect us... Matriarch (The boys are startled)
Adalgrim- (draws breath sharply) Oh, children, no, I could never.
Ryde- (wonderingly) An apprentice may marry, if chosen into a clan. Yes.
Fundin- I would, if it meant us getting away. Good bargain that.
Agha- I would, if it meant us staying together.
Durin- (looking at ADALGRIM (THE HOLY)) Does that mean children too? A real marriage?
Adalgrim- (thinking) Eventually the Priests will find out if I stay.
Raia- We need you, (pause) Adalgrim. To become our Matriarch. (RAIA looks at the boys) Will you have us?
(They all look at ADALGRIM (THE HOLY))
Adalgrim- So much danger now. It could never work. Where would we go?
(She looks at DURIN and looks away)
Hirdu- We must travel to a place where dwarves have never been known.
Agha- Where we would work steel there, far from the Priesthood.
Ryde-We could delve in virgin ground.
Durin- (looking at ADALGRIM (THE HOLY)) Yeah.
Hirdu- And make things no dwarf has ever made before.
Fundin- And keep the fruits of our labors, rather than give them up to fat priests for nothing.
Adalgrim- First we need to get out of here. (Draws herself up) Go and gather your tools and weapons, we need to go on a very long, ah, picnic.
(The young dwarves do not move, they stand still, waiting)
Adalgrim- Alright, I will have you as my line family! As the senior, no as The Matriarch I ask this!
All- Khazad Amenu! (They run off in different directions)
(ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) pulls off her white cloak, starts to put it into the forge but reconsiders, she leaves stage right)
Curtain
(Mountains are in the distance, the dwarves are marching together with backpacks and small wagons. Their beards are longer now and several babies are being carried. DURIN walks with one girl child and RAIA carries a baby. They are wearing traveling clothes and carry steel weapons with them. It is midsummer.)
Fundin- We are being followed. (They all stop)
Durin- (pulls out an iron axe) Take baby Adalgrim, Fundin. (Fundin does)
Adalgrim- They are priests, I will talk to them. Go wait atop that small hill. (pointing stage right)
(BESSO NAUGLATH and ZUNU NAXOS come on stage left, they are wearing dark cloaks over their white cloaks, they have staffs and axes. They are fat and have exaggerated expressions of ill intent. The young dwarves watch ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) meet them from atop a small hill at stage right. ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) meets the two Evil Priests near a small river.)
Besso- You must come back Under Priestess Adalgrim.
Zunu- You will not be killed Under Priestess Adalgrim.
Adalgrim- What of the children, Besso Nauglath?
Besso- (looking past her) They must be shriven and do penance. And it is Master Besso.
Zunu- Only a few years worth, the Words have been spoken, you can return home.
Adalgrim- I meant our babies, Zunu Naxos.
(BESSO and ZUNU look at each other)
Zunu- You have made children?
Besso- (indignantly) They were born on unholy ground.
Adalgrim- Yes.
Zunu- (gently) Then you know the answer to that, Priestess Adalgrim.
Adalgrim- I have thrown down my holy orders. By YOUR laws the children will be exposed on bare rock, according to... the Path of Dreaming.
Besso- (sharply) Watch your tongue woman. Only men can say those words. (angrily) Of course the new made ones are unclean. The Redes are crystal clear.
Zunu- (persuasively) They can not have true souls in them. Everyone knows this.
Adalgrim- One of them is mine. He looks just fine to me. No. We will not return to the Golden Plateau.
Besso- (surprised) What? What other rituals have you broken, woman?
Zunu- Let us tell the apprentices what we have told you, rite breaker.
Adalgrim- I will tell My Clansfolk from here. Wait.
(ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) turns slowly and shouts upstage)
Adalgrim- Oh my husbands and wife, you must fly to where none can ever find you! Take the children and find a place where only you and the mountains will know your names!
Besso- (angrily) Silence you unclean woman!
Zunu- (draws an axe) I told you this would happen!
(ZUNU and BESSO throw off their travel cloaks, revealing their white priestly garments and cross the river. ZUNU and ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) fight, ZUNU cuts down ADALGRIM (THE HOLY)and runs past her to the hill where AGHA and DURIN wait for him with Iron Weapons. They fight him and ZUNU is slain, but not before he wounds them both. ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) staggers upright behind BESSO as he begins a spell, she strikes him down with a hammer from behind. Cheering, all the dwarves rush down to her.)
Adalgrim- My family, my clan, I have failed you -
Fundin- No Matriarch! You were wounded while protecting us.
Adalgrim- Go, there will be more to come behind these.
Agha- The Matriarch is right. They will never rest knowing we have slain Priests.
Durin- (gently) I will stay by your side Senior Wife, and protect you until you can travel.
Adalgrim- No. You must raise our child in safety Durin. I ask this.
Durin- (pauses a beat) As you wish Great Mother.
Raia- I will raise her and young Jana Berenhir to know of their mothers great deeds that saved her clan from the evil white priests.
Adalgrim- Leave me now, I will stop any who come behind with my skills. GO now, I give you my blessings and hopes that you seven will find a home in the distant mountains there with the children.
(They each embrace her)
Agha- We gave you banishment and hardship for courting gifts Adalgrim, and you gave us wisdom and protection through the long and dangerous journey. For my second gift to you I will hammer a spear that strikes into the greatest weakness of our greatest foes, that none shall hunt our clan and live!
(He holds a leaf-bladed spear)
Raia- My son and I will make a helm that sees into the hearts of all folk, that no evil will surprise us!
(She holds aloft a silver gilt helm)
Durin- I will craft an axe that no dwarf will stand against, that will protect us all!
(Holds aloft an axe)
Fundin- I will forge a hammer that strikes out wrath, so that only peace will follow it!
(Holds aloft a cruel looking war hammer)
Ryde- I will call from the flames a great craft that can fly across the land and sea, that no one will follow us!
(Brandishes a small metal boat)
Hirdu- I will harness a great gem that protects us from want, that we shall ever prosper!
(He holds out a necklace with a great rosy jewel)
Young Haidu Dairon- And I shall make a great hall where only truth and honor can dwell in safety!
(The curtains backstage open to reveal a very intricate multicolored mural covering the wall, ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) dies and all the young dwarves put ADALGRIM (THE HOLY) onto a bier and they progress off stage.)