Pendents of Abated Sorrows

Pendents of Abated Sorrows::

Dergious grins as Rowen arrives and is seemingly ignorant of the furtive glances of the nervous children. He stomps over to the girl and speaks in a voice like gravel. "Took ye long enuff, girl. I be needin ye."

Dergious gave 1 Pendent of-Abated-Sorrows to Rowen.

Rowen gives Dergious a distainful look "I got better things to do than be runing after you all day, you know Dregs!"

Dergious scowles at the girl, "Ye will doin whut I be tellin ye!" the dwarf howls and slams his fist down upon the desk. The sound silences the room, and the fearful eyes of the children turn as one to the red faced dwarf. He looks about, angry at himself for spoiling any chance he had of earning the trust of the waifs on his own. Like it or not, he now needed the girl. He closes his cruel eyes and takes a breath. When he opens them again, he sends just a bit of his will into the crystal embedded within Rowen's skull. He does not cause pain, but instead sends a wave of helplessness. The waves wash over the girl's mind and the dwarf regards her cooly.

Rowen begins to cry a little and is very embarrassed about her tears. "Sorry dad. I know I need your help" she mutters...

Dergious nods and releases the girl, feigning sadness as looks upon her. "Gah girl, ye no be makin it easy on an ole dwarf!." He turns, stifling a grin when she cannot see his face. He turns back to the girl and looks upon her once again. "I be too hard on ye. Ye be a good lass, an more den not ye be doin me proud." He reaches into a pouch and pulls a rather heavy bag from it and passes it to her. "I be needin ye te be helpin me wit dem." he says, nodding to the pouch. "I be bringin gifts fer da wee ones, an dey no be taken em from me."

Rowen smiles slyly, "Ok Dregs, you keep back. They will trust me I have been a geat babysitter, telling stories, tending the brats when they were ill! It makes me sick ti think of what I did, but it worked well." She grins evily and heads over to the younglings "Auntie Rowen has some pressies for you all, my dears."

Dergious nods and watches the girl carefully, sending a bit of pleasure through the link and rewarding her for doing his bidding. He ponders the nature of the new pendents, which should fuse themselves to the children's skin making them nearly impossible to remove without killing them. He steps back, well away from Rowen and the gathering children. It would not do for them to hesitate to take the "gifts".

Rowen smiles at the trusting younglings. She also gives out chocolate muffins which she knows they love. Each of the kids proudly puts on their shiny pendent. Rowen feels happy, I must be going soft she thinks to herself, if the brats can make me feel happy.

Dergious says nothing, but sends his will to Rowen. He speaks in her mind, something she has grown accustomed to over the long months they have been together. "Nobody be needin te be knowin bout em. Tell em if anyone be knowin bout the pretty pendents dey wud be taken em away."

Rowen explains to the children the importance of keeping their pretty gifts a secret, then walks over to her father, hiding in the shadows and grins "The brats belong to us now dad!" Then she pauses realising that she too wears a similar pendent. She would remove it (hers at least can be removed) but each time she tries she feels so depressed and useless that she must replace it within a few minutes. She knows it gives her strength, but what does it take?

Dergious stomps over to Rowen and smiles, "Ah lass, ye dun good. Here, go buy yerself sumthin perty!" He hands her a bag of gold.

Rowen is a typical teenager and does not even thank Dergious for the huge bag of gold. She just puts it away, dreaming of the armour she can buy with it.

Dergious falls to a knee, momentarily overwhelmed at the influx of emotions from the children through the link between the pendents and the Crystal Crown upon his head. Stolen from the children is their guilt and loneliness. Gone is the longing for their loved ones. Gone is the sadness, the fear... the bitterness that has been their constant companion. For the first time in their lives they feel nothing but happiness and wonder. The dwarf scowles with the effort of containing all of the terrible emotions taken from the children. He is dizzy and shakey. The dwarf is strong of mind however, and soon stands once again. He surveys the children who now play happily... perhaps for the first time since coming to this place. He nods... and grins