>>5588545>>5588550>>5588579>>5588650>>5588684>>5588730>>5588927Your attention turns to passage making explicit mention of demons. Dwarves are not known to align themselves with fiends, nor have you seen evidence of their presence anywhere in this fortress. More than likely, the dwarves did battle with them at an earlier date, even more ancient than the construction of this ruin itself. Wiping dust from the surface of the obelisk, you set to work translating the runes to the best of your ability.
"W-I-T-H O-U-R H-A-N-D-S T-H-E D-E-M-O-N-S..." another word you have never heard nor seen, though this one is dwarvish. You opt to forego it for the moment. " W-A-S M-A-D-E..." what follows is too difficult to make sense of. Reviewing this statement a second time, you apply what you have learned prior and avoid mistaking its intent. 'With our hands, the Demon's (unknown) was made...' that is what is inscribed here.
Your first inclination is to wonder what it was that the dwarves wrought for the demon in question. But, this seems incongruous with what you can observe in your surroundings. The inhabitants of this ruin were dedicated worshipers of Moradin, and fairly standard specimens of their race by your reckoning. Further reading confirms your suspicions - there is frequent mention of the dwarves utilizing this 'Demon's (unknown),' although you are ill-equipped to exact further context from the writing on the obelisk.
'Demon's (unknown)' is figurative, then. Likely a name given to some sort of relic or weapon, likely magical in nature, created by the dwarves to further an unknown end. Such a project must have been of the utmost import if the stubborn, isolationist stout folk accepted the assistance of the traitors to complete their work, as your earlier conclusion implies. That its completion merits the building of a monument is a testament to the value this artifact held.
Surely, you are at the cusp of unraveling this mystery.
>'Filth, filth...' or perhaps this is 'plague' or 'illness?'>The 'oath' is the key to all of this.>I believe this word here means 'descend?' 