Dwarves have always lived in the mountains. Humans have always lived on the coast and in the plains. Now, as they both move toward the foothills, the frontier becomes a source of both conflict and trade. +++ The little villages near the mountains get the occasional Wanderer -- a dwarf traveling without obvious agenda, willing to work for a night's lodging, traveler's necessities, or a friendly conversation. In a town too small to have a name, an orphaned human girl offers a wandering dwarf shelter through a blizzard and earns a lifelong friend. +++ Dwarves live in fastnesses, women and children and a single adult man. His position is precarious, depending on his ability to beat out all contenders for his wives' beds. When a Dwarf boy is fully grown, he goes out equipped by mothers and father to travel where he might and grow strong. To Wander until he can defeat a standing father and claim a home. Some of them don't want that. In a Human town too small to have a name, one such Wanderer is given hospitality in a storm.