Introduction: This tale was based loosely on a little known Christian children's tale that attempted to preach obedience. Although Therrilliar's player disliked the tale, the idea of a story about ants germinated therefrom.

In the ages long ago, before the world was as it was today, there was a very ancient clan of Dwarves who lived in the Erinjihar Mountains, far to the east beyond the seas and now sunken beneath its waves.

And one of this clan was named Thrombard, for in the Dwarvish tongue 'Throm' means 'ant' and 'Bard' means 'lover of'. And Thrombard got his name because he was enamoured of ants.

He admired their unceasing obedience to their queen, their perfectly ordered ways, their prodigious strength, and their untiring labours.

To him and his Dwarvish mind these were the paragons of all virtues, and ants, small though they be, were a thing to be looked up to.

And he loved them so much that he set honey and sugar down in his abode so that the ants, who in those ancient times lived above ground always....and made shelter as best they could in hollowed trees or under piles of leaves, could have shelter from the weather and predators of the outside.

And the ants swarmed over his cave and nested in his beard, which was often crawling with the little creatures.

And the other Dwarves were estranged of Thrombard because of his behavior, and when the ants began to spread to other parts of the Dwarven caverns, his neighbors threatened to kick Thrombard and his ants out into the wintry cold.

This Thrombard could not endure, so when an early thaw came he took his ants outside and endeavoured to build them a home. Being a Dwarf, he sought to build for them a home in his own fashion, and so he began to dig a hole for the ants.

But the churning of so much dirt and the uplifting of rocks frightened the ants, who fled from him in terror at his great clawing and rending of the earth.

Thrombard was saddened and frustrated, and he cried for a time and in his tears he prayed to the gods for a way to help his formian friends.

One god or another heard his pleas, for he was of a sudden taken into a deep sleep and when he awoke he found the world around him had changed...or so it seemed at first!

In fact, he had been turned into an ant! Though is own thoughts and mind he still bore. And in his new form he began to dig an ant-sized tunnel.

As he dug some ants nearby saw what he was doing and were puzzled by this very un-antish behavior. They ran and summoned their queen, who came with her retinue of warriors. "What are you doing subject?" said the queen.

"I am granted from the gods themselves O queen to build you a new kind of home, one that is worthy of so proud and ordered a race." said Thrombard-ant.

"A home where you will be safe from rain drops that can drown your workers, one safe from spiders and hornets and from the tromping feet of men and Dwarves. I bid thee O queen come and watch me build and learn and teach your kindred".

And the queen did bid her workers to watch and learn from Thrombard-ant. And he learned them the tunnel-making lore of the Dwarves, until the ants had become masters of such art on a tiny scale.

And Thrombard-ant was honoured greatly and small gardens of fungus were planted in the tunnels to honour him.

Finally, his task completed, Thrombard-ant spoke to the queen and told her that he was leaving to return from whence he came, but that he would watch over them from on high and see that no ill befall them.

With that he left the ant tunnels and awoke as if from a dream back in his bed, a Dwarf once again.

Thrombard has long since joined his ancestors in the halls of Truffenyi, but those ants to whom he gave Dwarven lore prospered and their lore spread to other colonies of their kind, until all the ants that refused to learn the lore died out.

And so it is that even today we can see the amazing tunnels of ants. And now you know how it came to be that ants dig tunnels.

Script of the Tale [any bard may use this script as long as Therrilliar is credited]

#Tale-Thrombard and the Ants

put say I shall now tell ye the Tale of Thrombard and the Ants, as told to me by Therrilliar d'Onlor

pause 5

put recite In the ages long ago, before the world was as it was today, there was a very ancient clan of Dwarves who lived in the Erinjihar Mountains, far to the east beyond the seas and now sunken beneath its waves.

pause 15

put recite And one of this clan was named Thrombard, for in the Dwarvish tongue 'Throm' means 'ant' and 'Bard' means 'lover of'. And Thrombard got his name because he was enamoured of ants.

pause 15

put recite He admired their unceasing obedience to their queen, their perfectly ordered ways, their prodigious strength, and their untiring labours.

pause 15

put recite To him and his Dwarvish mind these were the paragons of all virtues, and ants, small though they be, were a thing to be looked up to.

pause 15

put recite And he loved them so much that he set honey and sugar down in his abode so that the ants, who in those ancient times lived above ground always....

pause 12

put recite and made shelter as best they could in hollowed trees or under piles of leaves, could have shelter from the weather and predators of the outside.

pause 18

put recite And the ants swarmed over his cave and nested in his beard, which was often crawling with the little creatures.

pause 12

put recite And the other Dwarves were estranged of Thrombard because of his behavior, and when the ants began to spread to other parts of the Dwarven caverns, his neighbors threatened to kick Thrombard and his ants out into the wintry cold.

pause 24

put recite This Thrombard could not endure, so when an early thaw came he took his ants outside and endeavoured to build them a home. Being a Dwarf, he sought to build for them a home in his own fashion, and so he began to dig a hole for the ants.

pause 20

put recite But the churning of so much dirt and the uplifting of rocks frightened the ants, who fled from him in terror at his great clawing and rending of the earth.

pause 15

put recite Thrombard was saddened and frustrated, and he cried for a time and in his tears he prayed to the gods for a way to help his formian friends.

pause 15

put recite One god or another heard his pleas, for he was of a sudden taken into a deep sleep and when he awoke he found the world around him had changed...or so it seemed at first!

pause 24

put recite In fact, he had been turned into an ant! Though is own thoughts and mind he still bore. And in his new form he began to dig an ant-sized tunnel.

pause 15

put recite As he dug some ants nearby saw what he was doing and were puzzled by this very un-antish behavior. They ran and summoned their queen, who came with her retinue of warriors. "What are you doing subject?" said the queen.

pause 18

put recite "I am granted from the gods themselves O queen to build you a new kind of home, one that is worthy of so proud and ordered a race." said Thrombard-ant.

pause 12

put recite "A home where you will be safe from rain drops that can drown your workers, one safe from spiders and hornets and from the tromping feet of men and Dwarves. I bid thee O queen come and watch me build and learn and teach your kindred".

pause 20

put recite And the queen did bid her workers to watch and learn from Thrombard-ant. And he learned them the tunnel-making lore of the Dwarves, until the ants had become masters of such art on a tiny scale.

pause 15

put recite And Thrombard-ant was honoured greatly and small gardens of fungus were planted in the tunnels to honour him.

pause 12

put recite Finally, his task completed, Thrombard-ant spoke to the queen and told her that he was leaving to return from whence he came, but that he would watch over them from on high and see that no ill befall them.

pause 15

put recite With that he left the ant tunnels and awoke as if from a dream back in his bed, a Dwarf once again.

pause 12

put recite Thrombard has long since joined his ancestors in the halls of Truffenyi, but those ants to whom he gave Dwarven lore prospered and their lore spread to other colonies of their kind, until all the ants that refused to learn the lore died out.

pause 20

put recite And so it is that even today we can see the amazing tunnels of ants. And now you know how it came to be that ants dig tunnels.

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