1. Into the Frying Pan

In Zuemon, at the start of the month I was finally given a mission of trust by me Dah. He had me act as a Gemporter to the Ithil Elven Enclave in Cadiz. I had to take a series of Ingots and Gemstones from the Spectrum Forges of the Northern Ramparts to be assayed by their smiths and crafters. Few Dwarfkin can tolerate this place - no Dwarves, full of Moon Elves ready to critique the purity of our ingots and gems from their sky piercing towers, all built on a floating city that travels up and down the Western Reach Coast. All the things we don’t like - in one place.
 
I arranged the security with the Fourth of the Fourth Traders - a Trading Company with Thieves Guild Connections in Pavia Riverrton. The journey there by boat was largely eventless, with my stomach contents seeming to be continually sacrificing themselves to the Ocean as we followed the coast by Carrack.
 
On arrival I handed over my precious charges to the Elven Gemfondlers and Ingottesters giving myself time to seek out the local Thieves Guild, only to be told no such Guild existed in Cadiz. As expected, I could feel the city move with every wave and gust of wind, initially it was like being a piece of lard being melted in a frying pan = tossed about everywhere.
 
Three nights later, whilst atop one of the spires, I witnessed the shattering of the Moon. The entire city was pushed below the waves upon which it was suspended, with many children being lost in the first few moments, the force of the weight was as if the entire moon had been suddenly placed upon my back and I was driven to my knees, and passed out. Within moments I awoke to a sheer agonizing pain as my left eye was suddenly wrenched from it’s socket, and I passed out once more. Many dwarves are blessed to be born with only one eye - as is our lot to replace the Cyclops at Hephaestus’s forge. Long has my father wished that this would befall me and so I was grateful for the blessing until I saw the remnants of the city. Some had been literally pulped by the forces brought to bear on their backs, my knees had been broken, and my shins cracked by the force of the blow.
 
It took three days and three nights of continuous labor to find the dead, and injured. I worked tirelessly helping strengthen weakened structrues and salvage both bodies and belongings from the disaster. The Ithil Elves - the people of the moon were in shock - with some priestesses of Artemis hurling themselves from their towers in grief. The mountain of the moon in the East stood silent and glowing in red for all of this time.
 
On the fourth day Moonshards fell among the City spires glittering and clinking as they fell like crystals, yet none harmed a single individual when landing in the city. I still have a handful of them in my pack to this day. On the fifth day a cloaked Elven scout approached me and gave me a new deck of cards - a sign that I had been accepted into the Cadiz Elven Thieves Guild, which they call House Lesheraith, here I was the first Dwarf ever accepted into the rumored 13th House of the Elven Race. I left the city later that night after my initiation, carrying what remained of my ingots and gems along with the fee that had been promised for what they had wanted.
 
Ten days later I was in sight of Pavia Rivertton - and slept a deep sleep, only to awake and find everything gone - no gems, no ingots, no honor, no future with my clan until my worth is returned in some way.
 
I met with the Fourth and they could do nothing, the Pavians had been hit by the Moonstruck event even harder than the Elves and I joined the guild to at least have a roof over my head.