The Three Peaks: Part 5 - Stellarim’s Calculation
The News Arrives
The messenger who brought the rumors was not one of Udil’s people—it was a dwarven trader from the east, one of the routes that connected the distant settlements. He arrived with supplies and goods, and with news that set the fortress buzzing.
An artifact. Hidden in the mountains where Urist McForgemaster was building. A legendary artifact of power that predated the known fortresses.
Udil heard the rumor in the market district from a quartermaster. By evening, she had confirmed it through three independent sources.
She did not immediately panic, which was, perhaps, a sign of how well she had learned to manage her emotions over decades in fortress politics.
Instead, she requested a meeting with the fortress nobility.
The Council of Stellarim
The council chamber in Stellarim’s administrative quarter was a room of carefully measured power. The noble families sat at a long table of polished marble, their beards trimmed to precise angles, their expressions calculated.
Udil stood before them, no longer a merchant but functioning in her capacity as chief administrator—a role that gave her authority to speak on matters of fortress policy.
“We have reports from the eastern expedition,” she said without preamble. “Apparently, during the survey phase, the team discovered a sealed chamber containing a legendary artifact.”
The nobles’ expressions shifted. Some leaned forward with interest. Others exchanged glances.
“What kind of artifact?” the Duchess of Stellarim asked.
“Unknown. The expedition master—Urist McForgemaster—has not sent detailed information. But the preliminary reports suggest an artifact of considerable power and age.”
“And he didn’t send it back to Stellarim?” Baron Ironforge asked, his tone suggesting that this was not only strange but deeply insulting.
“Apparently, he felt it was strategically important to keep it at the settlement site,” Udil said carefully. “To ensure the settlement’s security and establish its importance.”
The nobles exchanged more glances. The implication was clear: Urist had made a decision about a legendary artifact without consulting Stellarim’s authority.
“This is rebellion,” someone muttered.
“It’s pragmatism,” Udil said, and the room quieted at her tone. “Urist is legendary. He doesn’t think like fortress administrators—he thinks like a founder. To him, the artifact is a tool for establishing his settlement, not a treasure to be shipped home.”
“But that’s exactly what it should be,” the Duchess said. “Stellarim funded the expedition. Stellarim supplied the resources. Any artifact discovered belongs to Stellarim.”
“Technically, yes,” Udil agreed. “But practically? Urist has already decided otherwise. And we can either accept that decision or we can force his hand—which would mean withdrawing support, recall, or military action.”
“We should do that,” Baron Ironforge said immediately. “No dwarf, even a legendary one, has the right to—”
“That would be a mistake,” Udil interrupted. She had not been given permission to speak, but she did anyway. The nobles leaned back, expecting to hear her explanation. “Because if we force Urist to choose between Stellarim and his settlement, he will choose his settlement. And an expedition that includes a legendary smith and a legendary artifact is a settlement that will grow very quickly. Within five years, it could rival Stellarim in power.”
“It could never rival—” the Duchess started.
“It could,” Udil said quietly. “With Urist’s craftsmanship, with a legendary artifact, with the resources we’ve already invested? It could become greater. So we have a choice: we can be petty and demand the artifact, lose Urist’s loyalty, and create a rival fortress that will spend decades resenting us. Or we can be strategic.”
“Meaning?” the Duchess asked.
“Meaning we acknowledge the artifact’s discovery. We congratulate the expedition. We send additional resources and support—not as enforcement, but as partnership. We establish Stellarim as the patron of this new settlement. And five years from now, when it’s thriving, when it’s producing legendary crafted goods, when the artifact is generating benefits… we share in that success.”
The nobles were quiet.
“That’s not how legitimacy works,” Baron Ironforge said finally. “That’s submission.”
“No,” Udil said. “It’s vision. It’s understanding that power isn’t about owning things. It’s about controlling relationships. The settlement will succeed with or without our approval. With our approval and support, we ensure that it succeeds as an extension of Stellarim, not in opposition to it.”
The Decision
The debate continued for another hour, but Udil had already won. The Duchess was practical, and pragmatism always wins in fortress politics eventually.
The council voted to send additional supplies and support to the eastern settlement. Not as reparation, but as investment. And Udil was tasked with composing a letter to Urist that was warm, congratulatory, and carefully worded to imply that Stellarim understood the strategic value of his decisions without actually saying so.
After the council dismissed, Udil sat alone in her office, looking out over the marble halls of Stellarim that she had helped build and maintain. The fortress was still the greatest in the known world. But for the first time, Udil felt the weight of a new era beginning.
The golden age of Stellarim might still be ahead of her. Or it might be behind her.
The only certainty was that things were changing.
The Unexpected Visitor
That night, a message arrived from Irondelve.
It was not a message. It was a presence. An official envoy, dressed in the martial colors of that fortress, with an escort of soldiers.
The envoy requested an immediate audience with the fortress leadership.
Udil, still dressed in her administrative finery, received him in the throne room.
“Greetings,” she said formally. “I am Udil Sparkstone, administrator of Stellarim. What brings the representative of Irondelve to our halls?”
The envoy was a hard-faced dwarf of middle years, his beard braided with military thread. “I am Captain Hargrim, envoy of Commander Thorgrim Battlemaster of Irondelve,” he said formally. “I come with a formal question on behalf of my fortress.”
“Ask,” Udil said, though something cold was settling in her stomach.
“There are rumors,” Hargrim said, “of a military expedition from Irondelve moving toward the eastern mountains. Of a potential conflict with a settlement in that region. We would like to know: where does Stellarim stand on this matter?”
The words hung in the air like a threat.
Udil chose her response carefully.
“Where does Irondelve stand?” she asked.
“That is not your concern,” Hargrim said. “Your concern is to answer the question I asked.”
“Then I answer this,” Udil said. “Stellarim has invested resources in the eastern settlement. Stellarim has partnered with the settlement. Any action against the settlement would be considered action against Stellarim’s interests.”
It wasn’t quite a declaration of war. But it was close.
“That is noted,” Hargrim said. “It will be reported to Commander Thorgrim.”
He turned to leave, then paused at the threshold.
“For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “I wish your fortress well. Irondelve respects strength, and you have shown strength in declaring your position clearly. But that doesn’t mean we won’t do what we must.”
And then he was gone, leaving Udil alone in the throne room with the marble pillars and the weight of a decision that might have just started a war.
Next in the series: The Three Peaks: Part 6 - The Military Mind