Underdark
"Elder Butland, you just said you wanted to take us to meet that human lord and establish a stronghold in the area he designated. What exactly is the situation?"
"To be honest, although everything you told us was very tempting, we still have reservations about going to a human territory."
"Is that human lord truly reliable? We are an ordinary tribe. We have neither powerful military strength nor any prior contact with that human, and we know nothing about him. You are an elder, widely traveled and knowledgeable, and you have met this human before. Tell us, will he truly not harm us? What if we go there and fall into a human trap?"
This was a small cavern within the Dwarf Kingdom. It had been kept exceptionally clean and orderly, with a long table, rows of chairs, stone tiles across the floor, and a map of cave markers hanging on the wall. It was clearly a place for holding meetings.
At this moment, more than a dozen Dwarves had gathered here. They sat around the long table, discussing something.
One Dwarf with a short black beard looked troubled as he gazed at the Dwarf seated at the head of the table and asked those questions.
The other Dwarves began talking all at once. What they meant was no more than this: was that human truly worthy of their trust, and could Elder Butland give them a clear answer?
So long as Elder Butland showed even the slightest uncertainty, they would not choose to go.
"Yes, Elder Butland. Can you truly guarantee that this human will not deceive us?"
"There have not been many times when Dwarves and humans lived together peacefully. Humans are arrogant and cunning. They have always regarded us as an inferior race. When our ancestors