You answer positively. You want to know where exactly this caravan is going.

You are truly an inquisitive guy. You want to know about the destination where your caravan should arrive.

You tell the dwarf Belknab: “Of course, I know that the destination of our caravan is some city in the Despotate of Yalann... This was said by the merchant back then I was hired as a guard for this caravan... But I'm really interested in detailed information about that the place where our caravan should arrive..."

Dwarf Belknab grins. He takes a sip from his pint.

Then he asks you: “What do you know about the state called the Despotate of Yalann? What do you know?”

You answer: "It's in the north... It's cold there... Mostly dwarves live there... It's a state of dwarves..."

Dwarf Belknab smiles and says: “That’s not bad... Your knowledge is a little greater than that of some human peasant... If we assume that this human peasant lives on some southern islands, has black skin and grows oranges. .. Ha! Ha!"

You say with irritation: “Are you kidding me, Belknab? People who live in Orlania or other neighboring states have only pale skin color! You’re apparently starting to get drunk, Belknab...”

Dwarf Belknab laughs: “No jokes! Ha! Ha! I told you that I managed to travel a lot... You are used to seeing people only with pale skin... Indeed, only such people live in the west of the continent... And in the southern archipelagos of the islands live people with skin as black as tar... And in the east of the continent live people with a yellowish skin tone and narrow eyes... There are many surprises in this world for you, smartass! Ha! Ha! But I digress... Let's get back to the topic of conversation..."

Dwarf Belknab took another bite of the sausage and chewed it.

Then he said: “Our caravan is traveling north. We need to reach the fortress city of Dreygrul. This fortress city is located on the territory of the largest and strongest state of the dwarves. This state of the dwarves is called the “Despotate of Yalann”. This very name reflects ... " special" properties of this state... This is not a kingdom like Orlania, like Morthem, like Kuzos or similar states... In this state of the dwarves, a despot rules, not a king. A despot is a monarch with absolute power. A despot has no vassals like a king Orlania... The relationship between a vassal and a suzerain implies mutual rights and obligations... For example, this asshole Duke of Teinlund, because of whom we paid an increased duty, has the right to impose duties of a local nature... The subjects of a despot have no rights... Despot not constrained by the opinions of representatives of classes when issuing laws..."

You ask Belknab in surprise: “Why do this dwarven state have such peculiarities?”

Dwarf Belknab drank a little more from his pint.

After that, he continued the story: “The reasons are as follows: about five hundred years ago, on the territory of the current Despotate of Yalann, there were many small states. Kingdoms of dwarves, various free trading cities, tribes of humans, tribes of orcs, a couple of troll tribes... Over the centuries, these small states and the tribes fought with each other, made alliances, fought again... However, about 450 years ago, one of the dwarven kingdoms received some advantages over its neighbors... A local dwarven king became an adherent of the philosophy of one wandering dwarven sage... This sage name was Zanevir the Steelsoul... He was a skilled blacksmith, a master of creating enchanted armor and enchanted weapons... He was also a philosopher and writer... Zanevir the Steelsoul wandered through the cities of various dwarven states and communicated with local residents... He loved to communicate... Especially with representatives of the privileged classes of society... As a result, the king of that small dwarven kingdom was so impressed by the philosophical treatises that Zanevir the Steelsoul wrote that this king decided to invite Zanevir the Steelsoul as an important adviser... The order in this kingdom were changed in accordance with the philosophy of Zanevir the Steelsoul... And the point is that, in accordance with this philosophy, it is not rights that are important, but responsibilities are important; It is not pleasures that are important, it is perseverance that is important, it is not desires that are important, it is duty that is important; it is not feelings that are important, it is discipline that is important; it's not the individual that's important, it's society that's important... In fact, the entire population of the kingdom became an army, the hereditary nobility was abolished, state control over trade was established, new laws regarding punishment were adopted... Because of such reforms, the combat capability of this state increased and it began to capture neighboring tribes and states one after another... Over the centuries, the Despotate of Yalann absorbed almost all the dwarf states. Despotate of Yalann became one of the strongest and one of the largest states in the west of the continent..."

Belknab fell silent and looked thoughtfully into the distance.

Then he told you: “Yes... Much in this dwarven state differs from the orders in other states... For example: in the Despotate of Yalann there is no dominant religion, it is allowed to profess almost any religion... But if some priests claim to large incomes or influence in politics, then these priests will very soon be sentenced to hard labor in the mines... I myself was born and raised in one of the small military settlements of this dwarven state... Of course, I traveled a lot in my life.. But I still remember well the laws that regulate life in the Despotate of Yalann... So, understand, smartass, that when we are on the territory of this dwarven state, you should behave carefully and comply with the requirements of the local authorities... Otherwise you're going to get some big fucking problems for your greenish ass...."

Belknab finished eating and drinking. He stood up from the bench and waved his arms a little from side to side to stretch his muscles.

After that, he turned around and left, saying to you for forgiveness: “Enough stories for today... It’s clearly time for you to do something more useful, smartass...”

You finish eating your food. You decide to resume your duties as a caravan guard. You think with a certain sense of pride that you are now not a simple security guard, but you have the rank of corporal. You decide to check how the caravan guards assigned to patrol the territory perform their duties...