Long ago elves and humans warred for control of Forostar, and our ancestors did all they could to guard the walls of ArboRea, the noble city. Around the year 14 A.A., the war began to stagnate. Both sides grew weary with their efforts, and the elves took time to regroup and retrain. Our ancient brothers and sisters were glad for the respite, because many of their supplies and weapons had been sabotaged the year before. It was rumored that a race of tiny beings was responsible for this mischief. Tar-Rochtlu, our last king, sent forth scouts into the wild to seek out these little trouble makers and slay them. One of these scouts returned several days later, swearing she had seen an altogether different and very hairy race of beings that lived under a mountain. The scout insisted that these were an ancient and wealthy people capable of turning the tide of the war. A small team of negotiators was sent in secret to the dwarven city to learn more and bring home desperately needed supplies.

The dwarves viewed these newcomers, our ancestors, with skepticism. Nevertheless trade had to be established. Profits were there for the taking. The humans were sent away from the underground city and told that a merchant caravan would travel to ArboRea with supplies.

A few months later, two dwarven ambassadors were sent forth by the dwarven king, one to each race. The ambassadors were given specific instructions before they left. First and most importantly, they were not to involve the dwarves in the conflict. Second, they must discover what supplies were urgently needed, so that dwarven merchants and builders could make huge profits. Their last order was to gather information about the races. The first ambassador, Thilkee, was the son of the king's wife's sister. He was chosen for his noble blood and ordered to visit the human city of ArboRea, where weapons were sorely needed. The other ambassador, Warrenok, was a long time advisor and policy-maker for the king. He was chosen for his skill in negotiation and ordered to visit the newly made city of ElvanDar, whose people needed help in building the walls. They both set out in secret on the day of Honor in the month of the Phoenix in the year 15 A.A. Each ambassador was escorted by thirty armed dwarves plus a huge caravan full of assorted war goods. Masons, blacksmiths, and other craftsmen tagged along, hoping to make gigantic profits. They were under orders to keep silent where possible, but keep in mind these are dwarves we speak of. They sounded like a herd of musk ox trampling a field of dry twigs.

Warrenok arrived in the city of ElvanDar after a short journey. The elves in the city were frantically building walls and temporary shelters, and long before the caravan reached the gate, the dwarves could hear the chaos within. They heard the shouts of carpenters, the hammering of blacksmiths, and the cries of women and children recently driven from the great city of Eal Deliah. The dwarves had known and traded with the elves for hundreds of years. The two races considered themselves allies, if not friends. Warrenok was quickly escorted to an antechamber to await the arrival of Gwenlanea, daughter of the elven king. And wait he did, for many hours. The beautiful elven princess finally entered, her face pale with rage.

"I have been speaking with one of my commanders," she said in low, trembling voice. "They have told me of another caravan that travels to the evil city of ArboRea as we speak. How stupid does your king think we are? Would you trade weapons to the humans, weapons that would slaughter elves?!" Warrenok answered quickly and calmly, knowing that his next words would decide the fate of the mission. His expression remained unchanged.

"You should know, lady, that the dwarves have long considered the elves our friends. The other caravan carries weapons that will break, masons that will build faulty walls, and jewels that look expensive but are really worth nothing. The humans will think we are aiding them, when in reality we will do nothing but hinder their cause."

The answer didn't fully satisfy Gwenlanea, but she knew that the dwarves could build magnificent walls for the struggling city of ElvanDar.

"The elves will give you whatever you want, including gold," she stated after a moments pause. "Just build us the most powerful walls that you can make with the materials at your disposal."

And with these words Warrenok's mission was already a success. He traveled back to the king with a small escort, after several days of overseeing the dwarven building project. When he returned home, he reported his journey to the king.

"The elves," he said, "will give us gold and whatever else we want. However they know of the other caravan, and the elven princess was most unhappy about it."

The second caravan arrived at ArboRea a week later, lead by the idiot son of the king's wife's sister. Thilkee, swollen with pride from his important post, demanded that his soldiers carry him through the city gates on a platform above their heads. Once he got inside, he ordered his soldiers to carry him directly into the king's personal quarters to begin negotiations. The dwarven soldiers did as they were told, but were soon halted by Arborean troops. Thilkee shouted at the top of his lungs in arrogant frustration, and many of our ancient cousins likened the noise he made to that of a dying cat. Our last great king, Tar-Rochtlu, poked his head from the window high above. Looking down with sleepy eyes, the group of dwarves looked like one big mass of fur and metal.

"What creature is it that makes this horrible noise and wakes me up from my nap?" he demanded.

"I am not a creature, but a dwarf," replied Thilkee, "and I demand that you let me into your room to negotiate a trade agreement!"

The king was pissed off but curious, so he motioned the guards to admit the insolent dwarf. Thilkee approached and opened his mouth to speak, but our great king silenced him with a slight movement of his hand.

"I have heard from my scout that you could turn the tide of this war with your great riches and weapons. I have decided to trade with you, bearded one, but on three conditions. First of all, you will not trade or consort with the elves in any way. Second, you will supply sharp weapons at a fair price. Lastly, you will take your personal escort and leave my city immediately. Your people seem kind enough, but I do not like you."

Thilkee, after stuttering for several seconds in frustration, bowed his red face. He was certainly stupid, but he realized that he had something the Arboreans desperately needed. They needed better weapons, and all he had to do was iron out a deal. The two bartered furiously, and just when it looked like no compromise was possible, they were shaking hands, King Tar-Rochtlu smiling broadly.

"I will bring your offer to the great city of the dwarves, and our king will decide what to do," Thilkee said.

By the time his entire caravan returned to the dwarven city, Thilkee realized that he had been stuck with the raw end of the deal. Even worse, he learned from Warrenok that the elves wouldn't condone trade with the Arboreans, so his mission was for nothing. He was steaming mad, and he was even ready to lie to his own king to make himself look better. In his report, he described ArboRea as nothing more than a minor outpost, not even worthy of basic trade. The Arborean king, he said, was plotting to attack the dwarves as soon as the elves were subdued. Thilkee suggested that the dwarven race would be best served if they join the elves and slaughtered the puny humans.

And so the dwarves, based on the advice of Thilkee, made a terrible decision and cut off negotiations with the humans. They strengthened the walls of ElvanDar so much that besieging the city was pointless.

Despite this poor decision, our great city ArboRea was able to prosper and make its own weapons. By the time the dwarves began fighting alongside the elves in 24 A.A., our ancestors were prepared and held off their combined armies until the arrival of the insects. And up until these modern times, when dwarves are welcome inside our city walls, we still can't believe the bastards sided with the elves on that one.

THE STORY IS BY VURDIJAK