Chapter 29

Though Dhankwor tried to keep a straight face, he couldn't help but laugh at the good-natured halflings. The "Little Ones," as they were warmly referred to, were an extremely family orientated people known for their friendly manner as well as their constitution. They were shorter than the dwarfs, seldom attaining a height of four feet. Neither were they as solidly built. They resembled humans for the most part and had beards but no moustaches. Like Ghlor Nhor, the halfling city was based on an agrarian economy. They occupied a blue, green and brown tent with the design of a wheat seed scattered throughout the brown portion.

Finally, there were the Sentinels of the Seas from Rheg Nhor. Like a few of the other cities, their blue and white striped tent bearing a black anchor was empty. It was assumed that the knights from the southern port city had gone to the river or lake to pass their time in a more familiar environment.

The brightly colored canvasses of the tents could not, however, hide the gloom that shadowed this Journey of Homage. Rumors concerning Uriel and news of the disappearance of the Rune of Destruction were widespread and the faces in and around the Commons and the capital were, for the most part, as grim as the dirty grey skies above. But there was one among the Warders of the Winds from Sevhert'ah whose demeanor was more intense than the rest of his comrades or those about the capital. The big man with the strange, detached black eyes was focused on the enormity of the task he would be undertaking the day after next and staying unnoticed until the successful completion of it.

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