57 The Dokkalfar

The sun was setting, and our long shadows preceded us as we approached the stone walls. The farms had been abandoned for the day and all the Dokkalfar were inside. 

I couldn't take my eyes off the ramparts in front of the mountainside entrance. They weren't just built from stone; they were carved from the mountain itself. Behind the walls was another stone gate with metal portcullis.

Fire pits decorated the walls and the courtyard where a few Dokkalfar will wandered. We held up our hands as we approached in pairs and we got our first close up look at the Dokkalfar.

They were not dwarves from snow white, nor Tolkien or anything I was familiar with. They were shorter than the Svartalfar, and their colours varied from a dark grey to a dark blue. They wore large goggles over their eyes and the guards were dressed in light chain with patches of plate on their chest, elbows, and knees. They wore little skullcaps and wielded crossbows, hammers, and axes.