The Kings of the Brass Fortress: An Extra Chapter for "Little Rag Who Doesn't Eat Fish" Brothers (2930)

Just as the gnolls were joining forces for battle, something similar was unfolding at the Brass Fortress.

This wasn't because some sage in the dwarven city had foreseen that it would become the main battlefield of the Black Calamity. It was simply because an outsider of unusual status had stirred up some unexpected waves here.

The Brass Fortress was not only a military stronghold from which the dwarves defended the Dark Mountains; it was also the main city of the Brass Dwarves.

Going by the dwarves' usual rough-and-ready naming style, Brass Castle would have been a more fitting name. But given the important military role it served, calling it a fortress better reflected its significance.

When Murphy had traveled to Hunger Mountain earlier, he had once looked out at this mountain fortress from afar. It stood like a wall between the Dark Mountains and the Genoa Peninsula, blocking the Black Calamity from spreading.

Though this wasn't the only route from the Dark Mountains to the peninsula—there were plenty of small trails over the mountains—those trails weren't suitable for a large army, as the name "small trails" suggested. Triss had traveled along them during her wanderings around the world.

"During the first four Black Calamities, small bands of gnolls tried to infiltrate the peninsula along mountain paths and cause trouble. But the dwarves built other small fortresses in these mountains, too. They made full use of their dwarven nature, and with the blessing of the Earth Mother, turned these mountains into a place of protection.

"As far as I know, the halflings of Chardo Port have another name for the Brass Fortress. They call it the 'Protector'—though they do exaggerate a little."

Inside a watchtower at the highest point of the Brass Fortress, Lord Paine, clad in robes and a blood-red