Fruitful Endeavors
"I thought Serrig was already surveyed and all, what with it being closer to Karak Skarrenruf?" Johanna asked Urtol, while Aghon clicked his teeth at the mule pulling the kart they'd gotten in Sonnefurt. It had taken a week to really settle things in her home town, and even with the new Solland Trading company barge taking the various samples and sealed copies of notes from both dwarves, a message they'd received made the two dwarves rent a cart from the town to use. Aghon in particular had been very huffy about the matter, muttering about 'damn overgrown shrubs will just get in the way'.
When Johanna tried to ask, all the Longbearded herdsdwarf had done was give her a squinty eyed sidelong look and puff of his pipe, which Johanna's growing experience with the dwarf translated roughly to 'not something of legitimate concern but I will eat my beard before admitting it.'. So the woman had shrugged, left the dwarf to his driving and continued her lessons with Urtol, which had included reading and writing far beyond her limited priest taught letters. Yes it meant a paycut for the time of the lessons, but if Johanna was going to help her family with their inn business as well as start her own in fishing, she was going to need to know more than sign her name. If there was one thing that Urtol had taught her, is that assumptions could bankrupt businesses, and slaughter holds. 'If you do not know what you are signing, it could well be the death sentence of your future or your life' was the adage he'd used with a very uncharacteristically serious expression.
The dwarf in question was copying some information from previous papers onto a new set, after a heated but muttered 'conversation' with Aghon, and looked up with blinking eyes, "It was, tis likely to be a town dedicated to exploiting the forests around it...well, once the the greenskins are driven out of the region. Have to build the walls to make sure it can't be as easily burned down as it was before. Why do you ask?" Johanna admired Urtol's ability to keep writing even if he wasn't looking at the page. The one time Johanna had tried that in private...Johanna immediately burned it lest some wandering witchhunter take her for a cultist of some sort.
"Well, why are we goin' back if the work was done already? Don't know the area as well as I'd like, so not sure how much help I can be." Johanna confessed with a shrug, as Urtol gave a small 'ah' of understanding.
The blonde and silver bearded dwarf capped his quill and inkpot after writing a few more lines, and after a sneaking look at their elder cart driver, whispered, "We're picking up a-"
"Pile of excess baggage!" Aghon bellowed out, before descending into some rather sulfurous grumbling, and Urtol just shook his head at his dwarven fellow's antics.
"We're picking up another Dawi, from Karak Norn. Turns out there's more to survey for than we thought and with the recent...agreements between our holds, it was deemed prudent that Karak Norn send a specialist along our survey efforts. Needless to say Aghon has...strong feelings about the matter." Urtol's explanation was punctuated by a fulsome '
BAH!' from Aghon was mentioned but otherwise was able to continue uninterrupted, "We just need to pick him up in Serrig and then we can continue on our way."
Aghon actually turned around and glared nigh ferociously at Urtol, "I still want to look over those scribblings beardling! I won't have some Nornish...shrub minder, getting a peak at prime Angazhar pasture criteria." to which Urtol merely held up the papers he had been working on when Johanna had spoken.
"You can look at them right now if you want, I gave you my solemn oath that any proprietary information is either omitted or rewritten to ensure that nothing that could be used to find out Husbandry Guild secrets is exposed." Aghon didn't say a word to the younger dawi's reassurance, only reaching over to snatch up the sheaf of papers and scan them over with a monocle the ancient pulled from a vest pocket. To Johanna, the air was tense as that time she'd had to hide from a gang of river goblins, but Urtol seemed cool as a cod. Minute after minute passed where nothing was heard except the call of birds and a distant conversation from further up the road, their journey halted before Aghon's exacting scrutiny.
Eventually, when Johanna's nerves felt like they'd snap from the wait, Aghon gave a deep and reverberating '
humph' and passed the sheaf back to Urtol, "Fine. Your word was true and what remains is what that bush botherer will need without their Dawi getting
my clan's secrets." Aghon turned around and with a swish of the reins, got the mule moving again. Johanna didn't give a sigh of the relief she was feeling, her time with the Dwarves giving the woman enough insight to know such a thing could be construed as implication that she'd thought Urtol's record keeping was shoddy or rushed, or that she had no faith in his skills. From what she could tell, the vast majority of accomplishments in dwarvish society were seen as 'matter of course' and praise and relief were for exceptional situations.
It was a hard method Johanna thought, and reminded the woman of some of the more stricter Sigmarites she'd had pass through the village, but twas more fitting for the dwarves when she reflected on the matter. Expectations were high for their race, and they held all to it equally.
Johanna turned to Urtol to ask him another question only for her to be interrupted by a voice that she realized was one of the persons in the conversation she'd heard earlier, suddenly raised.
"Nonono no boy! Use your head boy! Use your head! How are you going to get any degree of crop regularity if you don't pay attention to drainage?!" Johanna kneeled up from her seated position in the back of the cart to look at who was talking, and beheld a most peculiar sight.
A halfling was being bonked, albeit not heavily, on the head with a pipe being wielded by an exceedingly well dressed dwarf. The most notable feature of this dwarf, aside from the large pack of papers and sample jars and his well fitted clothes, was the silver streaked brown beard that was tucked snuggly into his belt. Most dwarves that Johanna had seen, tended to draw their sideburns and jowl facial har into short braids. This dwarf however, left them like frizzled earth colored thunder clouds. An analogy that was made all the more fitting by the way the dwarf seemed to bluster and huff.
"I told you once already that you are not in Bretonnia or the Moot anymore, you can't just plop down an orchard or a patch of berry bushes and just...'let them grow'. This is mountain and hill country and if you don't want a harvest that is bug ridden and measly, you have to take much more care in placement and maintenance. If you are going to pay me for lessons, the least you can do is pay attention so the information doesn't leave this fat head of yours." The fussy dwarf berated the halfling a moment more before giving a 'harrumph', satisfied in his chastisement, and put his pipe away.
The halfling looked up, and Johanna could see a rueful grin on the now revealed halfing man's face, "Cor, you make this all seem so easy, sorry I misunderstood. I'll try to pay more atten-Oh hallo! More dwarves. Hallo there!" the halfing's attention was ripped from his tutor, much to the dwarf's consternation, as the small man? Johanna could never tell, the small man waved to her cart and its inhabitants. The stranger dwarf turned to them huffing and puffing in surprise,
"Whatwhat? Other Dawi- Ah, there you are! You must be my contacts in the surveying team. I have been waiting for two days, had to accept a commission from this halfling to make sure my time wasn't wasted." Aghon's grumbling only grew more deep as the newcomer quickly bustled over to take his pack and supplies and chevy his charge, "No matter, if anything, it's helped me get a feel for what I'll be working with here. Not terrible conditions and plenty of space too."
Aghon stopped the cart, although he waited til last minute to do so Johanna noticed, and allowed the other dwarf and his halfling student to climb aboard. Once they were seated, Aghon turned the cart around to head to the crossing to Scharmbeck they'd passed a mile back. The other dwarf bowed politely to Aghon, Urtol, and Johanna in that order with inceasingly shallower bows, Johanna's bow being more near a nod of the head than a proper bow. Johanna didn't take offense though, that was just their way with someone they didn't know and without title, "I am Akrendragg Amberbrew, of the Karak Norn Horticulturalist Guild, here at the best of my Hold and Karak Skarrenruf to aid in the survey of the Imperial Provincial region known as Solland. This is-"
"Ludwick Sandyhill, but you can call me Luddy, from Solland and nowhere else worth mentioning." Akrendragg's flat expression at being interrupted matched Johanna's own as she heard the typical introduction of someone on the run, but shrugged if off after a moment's thought. If there were folks fleeing the unpleasantness she's heard rumors about between the Empire and Bretonnia...well, they wouldn't be the first bunch of scallywags to settle in the region. Or go respectable if other rumors from the east were to be believed. Introductions were made by Johanna and her companions as their new ones settled in on the cart, with Johanna fielding a question as to what 'horticulture' was. The question made herr Amberbrew gasp in shock, his beard and chest seeming to puff like clouds of indignant shock
"Whatwhat, WHAT? Then I don't suppose you know what- nevermind nevermind, I'm already teaching a halfling, if you are willing to pay I shall provide the same information. Three gold crowns for an introductionary lesson on all non-proprietary knowledge and further payments for each additional lesson. The lesson will not be concluded until I deem that you are satisfactorily aware and able to remember the information on command in good detail. Payment upfront and non-negotiable. Are we agreed?" Akrendragg simply sat there on the cart after making his sales pitch, and didn't look the least bit surprised when Johanna forked over the coins, an amount of money that beforehand Johanna would have been sorely tempted to kill a man and his relations for, but now was able to pay for an 'introduction' into a new field of knowledge so the dwarf in question didn't have to dance around Guild secrets or at least what they considered basic knowledge worth paying for.
A more cynical part of the Sollander native also noted this was likely a way for the Dawi to recoup their financial investment into the region and its people, a coldly mercantile thought but one that fit everything she'd seen. The Dawi could be caring yes, but the differences that remained between her face and theirs meant that methods such as this were never going to go away. The Dawi had invested much in Sigmar's people if the priests were to be believed, but like all investors, demanded recompense plus interest. Johanna wondered a bit if she'd be as blase about it if she were less flush as she was now, but the recollection of the light of hope in her husband and daughter's eyes after years of nihilistic acceptance chased those thoughts away. She would pay near any price to ensure her family kept that light.
After Akrendragg tucked away the Karak Ornsk minted coins in his pouch and took the papers that Urtol had provided in the meantime, he cleared his throat theatrically, "*ahehehem* Horticulture is the detailed science-" a loud laugh from Aghon cut off the Nornish dwarf who merely huffed at the Longbeard before continuing.
"
The detailed science of the care of fruit and nut bearing plants, be they trees, bushes, or grown under ground. To say that there are a myriad of factors that can affect anything from crop yield to pest control would be to say that Manlings are short lived, a vast and profound understatement. Nevertheless, Karak Skarrenruff has asked and Karak Norn has agreed, for my guild to join your survey team in an effort to help plan out potential orchards, berry fields and nut plantations. As you no doubt heard me explaining to the boy here, a key factor of that is water drainage." 'Luddy' beamed at his tutor and nodded along with the long-winded if detailed speech, Akrendragg giving him an approving if patronizing nod "Even on flat plains, water drainage or the lack thereof is a critical part of horticulture, and with hilly country that Dawi are often required to work in that goes double. There are precise levels of terracing, irrigation, even wind breakage that we need to plan and prepare for. If you are off by just a degree, you'll loose an orchard in nigh twenty years."
Johanna had to admit, that was a lot more work than she'd ever thought needed to go into trees...but then again prior to the Dwarves moving in, she's thought that about a lot of things that weren't needed for immediate survival, and listened more to Akrendragg as the pompous but well meaning dwarf kept speaking "Another factor, are what we call 'cover crops'. You umgi might know them as something you use, or
should be using in your fields to keep them from going barren. Clover is a good example. We dawi find them very useful in preventing excessive rains from flooding an orchard as well as focusing wildlife and game that might otherwise eat the crops to feast on the cover crops instead, thus providing a happy byproduct of meat and leather to one's diet. Furthermore, such crops are exceedingly good for maintaining beehives and ensuring that said hives are inclined to spend time around the orchard. Each type adds flavor to the honey, which can affect brews."
Johanna looked to Urtol who gave her a comforting smile as she tried to process all this information. She was glad Karak Norn had sent a specialist, there was too much for her to hope to know, and this was the information they willingly
shared even if it was for a price.
The brightly colored feather in the halfing's cap waved in the air as Luddy nodded excitedly, "That sounds like a lot to keep track of master dwarf, an all that just for apples?" years of parenting came in good stead to Johanna in keeping a straight face and preventing the woman from laughing at the horrified affront on Akrendragg's face at the question and the way he stuttered in response.
" J-ju-j-ju-just for apples?! I beg your pardon? Do you think that
the Nornish Horticulturalist Guild would be called in to set up a few orchards of Nornish Oath Golden Delicious? My boy, I am now doubly glad that you requested my tutelage, if this is the limited scope that you can envision for the region." Luddy seemed a deft hand at Dawi handling, or at least wasn't easy to rile to Johanna's eyes, and just let the bombast sail over his head, although Johanna noticed that while Akrendragg was quick to puff up his beard at Luddy, the dwarf's tone never really took a hard edge that she'd heard dwarves take if they were truly feeling slighted. Well, he wouldn't be the first person that Johanna had met that liked to make much ado about little in their life.
Akrendragg settled down soon after and pulled out several of the pages that Urtol had worked on, that Johanna could now see had leave sketches on them with various measurements and numbers next to them, "These are just a few of the potential crops we can create orchards for in Solland if the conditions are right and the investments are made. With the weather in the region being what it is, and the cleft of the Black and Grey Mountains, there are ample conditions for walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, and even pecans. All these store well, especially mixed with salt, and can even be mixed with cheese and fruit for nourishing meals to take on the road. Now 'Luddy', walnuts grow on trees and some can get up to thirty feet in height, so you will need sturdy ladders if you want to harvest them on your own instead of waiting for them to fall. Hazelnuts come from a nut bearing shrub and are prone to not only being as unruly as an Umgi city, but just as prone to pests and disorganization. They are frustrating to deal with at the best of times." Luddy's eyes widened and he pointed to the sketch of the plant in question.
"Oh, dem's filberts, yeah they can be a mite willful. Get worms a lot too, but thems easy for us to find." Johanna noted that both Akrendragg and Urtol's brows twitched at that, and smiled at the way that Luddy's innocent seeming look was topped by eyes that seemed a bit too clear for being as innocent as he claimed. Johanna would put good money that Sollander hazelnut shrubs would be tended by halfings in the future.
Akrendragg conceded Ludwig's point and continued, "Yes, worms are a common issue for hazelnuts. As for fruits, well, that's where we get to why they called me frau Johanna. Based on the climate and the sheer space afforded even with the current Umgi nonsense going about, there are no less than eight to a dozen fruits and berries that can be grown in the region. Apricots, apples, cherries, peaches, pears, blueberries, raspberries, even strawberries can be grown. It takes great care, dedication, and knowledge to tend to all these, but Karak Norn has experience in such matters as few others in the Karaz Ankor and we hope that it will be possible to come to a profitable arrangement with the locals about future ven- Frau Johanna...can you confirm
this tree grows in your forests?!" Akrendragg's sudden departure from his lecture confused not only her, but even Aghon as well, who turned to look back as the Nornish dawi raised a sketch of a five pointed leaf.
Johanna took a good look at it and handed the sketch back to Akrendragg with a shrug, "Yes master dwarf, the sweet sap tree, sometimes when it's winter the children go and cut holes in the trees to drink the sap. It-" Johanna was started when Akrendragg seemed to move to stand right before her and looked her in the eyes.
"I am willing to negotiate a fair deal for the knowledge of these tree locations for myself and my clan and the rights to tap their sap." Akrendragg's offer threw Johanna and she had to think hard before she responded,
"I would be willing to enter negotiations, but you have me at an advantage when it comes to why, and that knowledge is part of the upfront price for their location that I must require." Johanna's counter offer made Akrendragg huff and puff mightily, even if he did give her an almost satisfied look at her bargaining.
"Like you, I would be willing to enter negotiations as to how much knowledge I can provide, but as I did offer lessons on the basic knowledge of my guild and your own race seems to have stumbled upon the basics of maple tree use. I can say that if properly tended to...Maple tree sap can be as useful and valuable as honey and a good deal easier for your race to gather without being stung." Akrendragg sat back down and gestured to Johanna, "Anything more would of course be subject to our impending negotiations."
Mentally Johanna gave a sigh at the idea of
more negotiations with a member of the Dawi race, but if this 'maple sap' was as valuable as the Dwarf claimed, her family could make a fortune once her daughter was married. Like she had thought before, the arrival of the dwarves was proving very fruitful for the region of Solland.
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Hoooo boy, finally done.
I just want to say, I don't expect all the details to show up in the option or reward or w/e, I just wanted to showcase just how much I think that the dwarves would be ironically suited for the subject of Horticulture. I ended up doing a lot more research into the matter in the course of this omake and the sheer amount of stuff you not only have to factor in from how much water is or isn't absorbed, how the number of trees can affect that, wind and elevation and a hundred more things that not only would require both an eye for detail but the willingness to keep to those exact details as well. Their long lives and long view would help with that as well, being able to judge and plan for weather and the changes that setting up the orchard and berry fields would have on the region.
Plus, for those of you that might claim that Maple isn't a thing in Warhammer fantasy, I request that you peruse this
link and in particular this bit
"Wood Elves stamp their coins with leaves, using oak leaves for gold, maple for silver, and leaves from other trees like birch, pecan, or fruit trees to depict bronze or copper coins."
That's right, we got maple, which means...MAPLE SYRUP AND MAPLE SUGAR CANDY!!!...no I am not addicted or projecting that addiction onto my omake, what are you talking about?
Joking aside, even with the Nornish Dawi having honey, maple sugar and candy would make a great addition to the province's sweet cooking and candying options for not only baking but preservation as well.
That aside, Akrendragg is a homage to one of my favorite characters from the disney cartoon movies, Archimedes the talking owl from sword in the stone. I felt his personality would fit a fussy dwarf from Karak Norn that does plants very well.
With him is a halfling member of the recent Bretonnian immigration from
@Kairos 's omake, and I referenced the
@Sir_Travelsalot omake about the 'reformed' bandits in Ummenbach in Johanna's musings.
Finally, I also wanted to show how, despite the cooperation being shown in the region, the dwarves are still in it to make a buck, and deals like what Akrendragg is offering are a great way to do so while not cheating their client. They teach them useful information, but do it in steps that keep the best knowledge for themselves and still require the humans to buy the means to take advantage of that knowledge as well.
Also showcasing how clashing guild secret requirements must be a tightrope walk for many dawi caught in the middle, especially when it comes to common information that both need. The requirements to preserve guild secrets and methods must make information sharing in the Karaz Ankor a tricky business even at the best of times.
hope this appeals
@Mayto and helps the province.
