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Tumunzahar makes Menegroth look like a contract project. Which, the Dwarves assure her, it was. The stonework is astonishingly careful and beautiful, silky to the touch up close while from a distance it gives the impression of stretching on forever above, a sky of stone with crystals for stars. Vast natural cave systems are connected by dozens of perfectly smooth, gently sloped broad stone pathways from which the fall, if she fell, would be several miles down. There are handrails. "We use those to move materials carts," someone explains to her, "we're not going to be reckless."
There's an amphitheater, a place where a hundred of the stone walkways twine around to create space for a hundred thousand people to sit in close proximity, and someone is giving a lecture or a demonstration at the base of it, the seats closest to him filled with eager, tiny, bearded Dwarf-children.
And they spiral down, and down, and down, past waterfalls and egg-sized gemstones left half in the rock and halls of crystal. Everything grows gradually more ornate and more perfectly maintained and the clang of hammers fades behind them. "People say," her guide says, "that we only have a council instead of a single King because there were nine winners of the competition to design the throne so we couldn't just select one person to sit it." And they push open the doors to reveal, indeed, nine thrones so elaborate it would be hard to choose between them, and nine squat bearded people sitting them.
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You really need to prioritize not letting the Enemy get his hands on you more than you currently are.
purposeful_glory
I actually think I have a nonremovable method of suicide.
Not, I take it, one you can share with other people?
purposeful_glory
Nah. I wind up feeling like I'd better heal myself when I'm really pouring ice. I could just not do that.
...this is a cruel thing to say to someone. But. If Thauron captured you at this point I think he'd go to every conceivable length to make sure you did not realize you were in Angband.
purposeful_glory
I also think I'd notice if I were able to subjectively act freely and my mind started behaving unusually in some way.
He nods. "Living on the plains and then moving to a dense city was quite a transition for the Eldar. Are there things we can prepare here to make it easier for Men?"
purposeful_glory
"They're not accustomed to living this densely either, mostly for infrastructure reasons. They know cities are a thing, though, and they're pretty sociable, I think they'll like it when they've had a week or two to get accustomed." Illusions illusions. She consults the blueprints she's carrying now and then for a refresher. "What sorts of local ordinances and whatnot will they have to adapt to?"
"They can't leave without permission - or, really, can't enter without permission that I won't be inclined to grant without a lot of screening and delay to people who sneak out. We'll do drills for evacuation and for hide-underground and if people don't want to participate that's their lookout but if they inconvenience anyone else there'll be a problem. They can handle their own laws among their own people and we'll handle ours and if complaints arise between Elves and Men often enough I suppose we'll have to decide how those are mediated.
Letting them handle everything internally only works if there aren't, for example, children being neglected or starved or people coming to me in desperation because their own people delivered an unjust judgment against them. If things like that happen frequently then we'll have to have them handle disputes under our system, which is very much not equipped for the sport of problems I imagine Men have." He sighs. "Among my people I'd prohibit children."
Letting them handle everything internally only works if there aren't, for example, children being neglected or starved or people coming to me in desperation because their own people delivered an unjust judgment against them. If things like that happen frequently then we'll have to have them handle disputes under our system, which is very much not equipped for the sport of problems I imagine Men have." He sighs. "Among my people I'd prohibit children."
purposeful_glory
"They're managing parenting very well considering the whole lot of nothing Eru gave them and how little time I had to teach them. The species would very likely outright die out if they waited for optimal childrearing conditions, as near as I can tell they're precisely Midgardians without the soul animals. Oh - they have their own language, I can phrasebook it for you?"
"Thank you. I'll tell my people to learn it, they should all be able to do so within a few months. And I wouldn't prohibit childrearing on the general principle about wartime, I'd prohibit it because it's going to delay evacuation by probably a factor of ten, give the Enemy leverage, and would keep every Elda in the city awake except I imagine you can soundproof buildings."
"Yes and yes, people need to be able to hear announcements."
purposeful_glory
"Okay, I'll do that from the air so I can be sure I get every building exactly once. What do you want in your phrasebook?"
He starts listing phrases. "You could also stay here with them for a while, help them acclimate."
purposeful_glory
"If that wouldn't bother you." She writes the phrases side by side in between prettifying buildings. "My Quendi assistants too or just me?"
"They're also quite welcome. They probably do not think very highly of me."
purposeful_glory
"Well, I'll pitch the idea and I can escort any who can't live with it politely back to their host."
"If I expected to be hosting Nolofinweans I wouldn't have made it in the shape of my family's symbol, that's a little obnoxious. I expected I'd just be persuading my father to come and live in it."
purposeful_glory
"Well, they've seen it overflown and didn't snark about it enough that I actually knew that was why the eight pointed star."
"It's also useful for cover fire from multiple directions, and earthquake-stability considerations. But yes. It's on our banners and our armor and so forth. I suppose you haven't seen us march off to an ordinary battle, the only ones were before you arrived."
They've more or less walked the perimeter of the city. "I'll start importing food for your Men. Send someone ahead with notice of when they're arriving, please."
purposeful_glory
"Sure. They'll be able to bring some non-bulky cargo if they're traveling, is there anything besides their magic stuff and personal possessions I should load them up with?"
"Nothing comes to mind. Supplies will be a problem once fighting starts but isn't at the moment."