It is still not
enough.
Nowhere near enough to restore his lord. Not even enough to forge an Avatar from the body of the daemon bound before them.
His magic falters, the spell beginning to fade as the power it so desperately required runs out. Even with the essence of that foul servant of the Changer and the infusion of so many other willing sacrifices, the losses incurred are too much for Hogrimm to overcome with even his prodigious arcane might. Around him his apprentices falter, their bodies slowly but steadily calcifying into stone as the power of the ritual loses cohesion and begins lashing out at them.
He pushes on, forcing more and more magic through his body and into the spell, fueling it and bringing the guttering flames back to the brink of life.
He will succeed.
He must.
He does not notice the Dwarfen Party that breaks into the chamber.
(Roll, a Desperate Gamble: 41,51,55 +55[Power Unending] -25[Winds Denied] =71,81,85, DC 90)
Said it before, but ye flippin' ancestors am I glad we went hell-for-leather after the ritual from the start. This could have been very, very bad, even with Gazul around.
But before it can even begin to walk towards him the wall of the ritual chamber is destroyed in a shower of rock and metal. Hogrimm blinks as the other prisoner bodily slamming into the Greater Daemon with a trumpeting cry that temporarily deafens him.
I wonder why the Father of Mammoths decided to go after the bloodthirster instead of Hogrimm? Was it a tactical decision, knowing he was the only one around on the Bloodthirster's level? Did he hate Chaos on a similar level to his captors?
He crouches down for a moment, muscles tensing with magical strength before leaping off from the top of the pyramid and towards the stunned gaze of the Runelord.
"DIE!" Hogrimm screams.
Heh. Yeah. 'Bout that.
the weapon's edge finds no purchase in the face of the Adamant plates however, simply skidding off.
When he realizes that blunt force trauma will do no more than his axe he resorts to holding you down with one hand while conjuring a gout of flame hot enough to melt stone and aiming it square at your face.
Your free hand grabs his arm and squeezes down on the offending limb. You hear the groaning of metal, the squelch of flesh and finally a bellow of pain before he ceases his assault to grab at his ruined hand.
Feh.
you push the rock and rubble off of yourself with purposefully casual movements, taking your time to dust off your armour as best you could before looking up and matching the loathsome gaze of the prophet.
"Now," you mutter, flicking Zharrgal and setting the hammer alight with furious golden fire, "Let me show you how it's done, beardling."
Gods,
Barak Azamar is just
nuts. It really feels like a mythical item. This entire campaign we've just been utterly unhindered by enemy action beyond getting thrown around a bit. Combined with Snorri's anti-magicness, it's freed us up to plunge directly into the middle of the action. Which is weird, because I always pictured Snorri in a support role, but I'm not going to complain.
He shifts his grip, swinging his Greataxe farther out than usual, cutting a jagged line across his opponent's chest plate. The flare of the axe's Runelight clashing against the dull red of the armour's enchantment. Reversing the weapon's momentum through brute force Gimli swings the great axe back around, only this time he releases it such that it's sent flying towards his foe like a saw blade.
The shadow disappears without fanfare, the only trace of his existence is the glow of the blade in his hands.
The prince doesn't bother to see if the weapon flew true, instead unholstering his other two axes and charging forward with a battle cry on his lips.
Gimli is very much taking after Gramps, I see. We should make him some armour of his own, given that he's shaping up to be a lead-from-the-front type. I'm sure his huskarls will thank us.
The prophet stares at you hatefully but wearily, his arm a ruin and his staff looking more and more like a warped piece of metal with every blow from Zharrgal.
He is tense.
You are serenely furious.
He is apoplectically angry, enough that he's slowly become sloppier and sloppier.
You are so furious that your mind is working with crystal clear clarity.
@soulcake, I think this last sentence would work better if you cut the middle 'clear' - "crystal clarity" - but I love this contrast.
"There will be no magic without my say so beardling," You shout loudly enough for him to hear.
A swing from Zharrgal meets the spell head-on and detonates it early while you simply walk through the conflagration of flames no worse for wear.
The prophet bellows once more and charges towards you.
You do not even break your stride, simply preparing Zharrgal for another swing.
I love the
inevitability Snorri's bringing here. Utterly implacable, unstoppable.
"HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TEACH YOU THIS LESSON BEARDLING," you roar, charging forward.
What do you know of suffering Runelord, so sure you are in those who abandoned us," he wheezes out, eyes glaring at you.
You frown.
Her hand falls limp.
You see shrouds carried into tombs.
You see sundered statues.
You see a ruined hold squatted in by the very ones who desecrated it.
You see a beardling's snarling face and hear heretical words.
You see a tired queen and hear a tale of horror.
You see children far too thin, and Dawi far too burdened for their age.
"More than you think," you reply.
And the sorrow interlaced with the anger here. Just, ooof.
Yet here you are, once more embedded into a wall with a single contemptuous swipe. Even when bereft of its weapons, crippled and otherwise on the verge of death, the Bloodthirster's sheer combat prowess has seen you thrown, tossed and outright chucked at all manner of things, from the usual wall, pillar or statue to the novel experience of being used as an impromptu shot fired at the titanic mammoth you fought alongside.
A part of you wonders if you've more hindered this odd ally of yours than you've helped.
I'm glad this is in here - for all his equipment is elevating him, Snorri's still not a Tier 1 fighter. Otrek could likely do a lot better with the same equipment, so long as he had Snorri as anti-caster support in the background.
You stare at the airborne creature, trumpeting angrily, and realize far too late that you stand squarely in the center of its shadow.
You only have enough time to give a scathing glare at the roaring daemon
"YOU WAZZO-"
snerk
"And that's what happens when you turn me into an Ancestors damned railway spike," you grumble, kicking the Bloodthirster's, already disintegrating, severed head.
SNERK
"Your pace could do with some improvement boy, but a none too terrible effort nevertheless" a voice rumbles from behind you.
SIX OF SEVEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, SIX OF SEVEN!
[X]
Zharrvengryn: Ties
This strikes me as the most interesting and versatile option. Particularly as Gazul is someone described on multiple occasions to have
cut his ties.
And,
[X]
Aid: All that you are able to.
A large commitment of material and time towards helping the Dawi of Dum recover.
[Cost: 1 action and 1 retainer action] Locked in for 8 turns. Take on [Simple] Hold Founding: [Cost: 6 actions].
We are the Gift-Giver. It's what we do. Frustrating to lose an action for so many turns, but C'est la vie.
Here too your Hearth Guard distinguish themselves, the advice and presence of their elders doing much to alleviate the condition many of the beardlings suffer. In the end, the site of the Karak is reduced to a heavily scarred mountain. A massive monument erected at the site of its once-entrance covered in the names of the fallen and warnings to leave this place forevermore, a simple message written beneath.
For the fallen, rest.
For the living, retribution.
Retainer Stats and Reputation:
- + Morale, new total: Supreme+ Morale
- Reputation and Trait, Steadfast Guardians: Under my watch no ill will go untreated, no sorrow will go unsoothed, and no foe shall harm my charge. Provides morale bonus to nearby units. The Hearth Guard gain +Defence and Endurance when defending other Dawi.
- Deed, Pillars in the Dark: For a people who have rarely seen an Dwarf over three hundred, the sight and sound of so many unshakeable fonts of wisdom and confidence instilled hope and surety where there was once anxiety and apprehension.
Absolutely perfect. Our Hearth Guard could not be happier or more devoted to their purpose. That trait is perfectly suited to their mission. And
Pillars in the Dark - that's exactly what I envisioned these dwarves to be.
- +5 Wardstones: Runic items carried by the survivors of Dum to shield them from prying eyes. Inscribed with the Rune that allowed them to serve their purpose as well as a Rune to preserve them for as long as possible. [Rune of ???, Rune of Preservation]
MORE RESEARCH!!! AAAAAAAAGH!!!
Cool research, at least.
Traits Gained/Upgraded:
- Winds Denied: All Enemy Spells will suffer -35 automatically if Snorri takes the field.
Does anyone have the exact previous wording of this trait?
