On Thread Etiquette:
I'm not going to weigh in on the logic of either side's arguments, but I will ask that everyone read over what they write and really consider if the words they used are polite and won't be inflammatory intentionally or not. You cant account for people's tolerances perfectly but at least try to say your piece without saying things that can be easily construed as overly dismissive of the other side of the argument, thank you.
Reminds me of this joke.
People: Nuuuuu! Warhammer Fantasy is a death world filled with all manner of gribblies waiting to kill, eat, and rape you!!!111
A certain quest: Haha Aron go brrrrr nyooom
The chamber has an orange glow to it. The walls, the ceiling, the floor all emanate that same hue, what air exists creates a hazy effect as the temperatures in the room are more akin to the inside of a forge or volcano. You're currently kneeling inside this literal hell room feeling no worse for wear, your armour shining and hammer burning with magical flame as you pound the Gromril into a wire on your knee. Every so often you have to shift about in place because your hammering steadily drives you into the stone. Because even with the assistance of Runes, it has become ever so slightly soft from the sheer heat involved.
Imperial Threat Assessment
Dwarven Munitions
Type: Dronril stones; Grungi's Wrath; Fryers
By Order of Emperor Magus
History of Dronril Stones:
Modern Dwarven munitions are centuries more advanced than what the empire can field. Thunderers, Organ Guns, to the fearsome Flame Drake are examples of such. However even archaic munitions for the dwarfs baffle imperial scholars. One such munition are dronril stones.
Only the northern hold of Kraka Drakk is known to wield this fearsome weapon. While imperial scholars have long known of the fabulous dronril jewels, ever popular among the social elite, rumors of jewels large enough to be launched from dwarven grudge throwers have always been dismissed as drunken bar stories. That is until the Great War against Chaos.
First reported by imperial scouts setting up communication lines between dwarven defense lines and incoming imperial reinforcements, dronril stones larger than a man's head were seen lobbed deep into packed enemy formations. The stones' natural discharge when broken, mist and lightning, caused entire assaults to falter as the Great Enemy found themselves separated by torrents of lightning that, according to eyewitnesses, fried flesh. Sometimes the dwarfs didn't bother using grudge throwers and simply rolled the stones at the enemy. Wizards who witnessed the weapon during the closing days of the war were astounded by the density of the Azyr Wind unleashed during the attacks.
Imperial wizards began studying the jewel furiously once the war ended. While many mysteries of the jewel allude us, the answers we have found have led to intriguing possibilities. First and foremost, dronril jewels are not gems or minerals. They are in fact tree sap, much like amber. Second, the size of the jewel increases the discharge's strength when broken. This explains why our Elector Counts and their wives have not been fried when a clumsy fall broke jewelry.
This has led to the theory that the jewels are being farmed somehow by the dwarfs of Krakka Drakk, who can apparently control the size of the jewel. Any questions as to the process of the jewels formation have been rebuffed, so for now it is simply a leading theory.
Threat Assessment: High
While the threat of flesh frying lightning is nothing to scoff at, the true terror of weaponized dronril stones is the fact that the lightning lingers. Mist is discharged with lightning upon a jewels break and this mist has proven to be an excellent conductor of lightning. Lightning will travel through the mist for upwards of thirty seconds. For thirty seconds mortal soldiers will not be able to move through the impact site without death. As seen in the Great War against Chaos, correct usage of dronril stones leads to elements of an army becoming horrifically unsupported and easy prey for swift counter attacks.
Should Imperial forces ever face an enemy with weaponized dronril immense care must be taken. Charges proving the bravery and valor of soldiers should be avoided at all cost as that would allow the enemy to easily separate an army into disjointed pieces. Recommend using feints to draw out dronril attacks and maneuvers to slowly close distance. Direct engagement with a dronril equipped force will result in unsustainable casualties.
Future:
Records and stories collected by imperial scholars researching this matter have shown that dronril stones have likely been used as weapons for the entirety of Krakka Drakk's existence. They have remained unchanged during that time. This leads to the conclusion that the dwarfs are not interested in pursuing further development of the stones.
However, the effectiveness of weaponized dronril stones have inspired many imperial engineers and scholars. Research has already begun on an imperial weapon that can fulfill the same purpose as Dwarven dronril stones. Although nothing capable of being used by the Imperial Army has been discovered, progress is steady and one day each Imperial Army may be able to effectively separate enemy combatants with the use of area denial weapons.
A.N
Omake for the Omake throne
This idea came to me while reading the update.
"Gotta energy balls, fly outta slings and splat electricity and goo. Bombad stuff." Jar Jar Binks
Their Boomas. O.K. Dronril stones are Boomas. Now everyone can suffer with this knowledge.
Was browsing the runelist looking for what was needed for a Banner rune for company wide stealth tactics and/or speed boosts for that Santa meme when I came across
Rune of Empowerment: Boosts linked Gronti performance for a short period of time, making them sluggish for an equivalent period afterwards
Maybe these plus Rune of Warding would have allowed the princess to be able to activate a Barrier with a cooldown function. To really help prevent another group wipe that burned her limbs off.
Though I guess we haven't seen how the current layout works yet.
IIRC its a old, dead quest in SB which dropped specific pokemon into WHF. I remember participating in it but its been a long time so I don't have the link handy right now.
To be honest, this turn has kinda validated my deep burning desire for Rune Metal 5, and my relative distaste for 1b. It's hard to view that shirt as anything but a vanity project when the return on investment is so bad. The big point in favor was always the fact that no one had ever accomplished it and it would have this massive prestige award, except now we don't even get that until we universalize it. And sure, figuring out a way for the Dawi to more efficiently stretch out limited Gromril resources would be a boon for our race, but that's a lot of actions before we get there, and until then this is just a nice shirt we can't show anyone. Snorri will still be vastly better served by making plate armor for everything, because his time is a lot more valuable than the Gromril that he'd save by making chain.
Last time I asked the thread to explain to me the difficult to understand reasons of why Rune Metal 1b was so popular, the response was mainly the prestige, and this turn had Snorri explicitly turn down the prestige until he has completely finished the entire research chain. And when Rune Metal 5 and Fate and Magic research is just sitting there, I'm feeling the opportunity cost a lot more heavily.
And listen, this is an area where I am just miles away for the mainstream thread headspace, and I wanted to express my disappointed realization that yeah, even seeing the results I still wish we did something else. I'm not going to see the real payoff for this for a very long time, and that inevitable AP investment is still something I'd much rather spend doing something else.
The prestige gave us +1 standing with an order of especially old and powerful Runelords and the acknoledgement of an Ancestor God...
Its likely to give us more with less old and critical Runesmiths however even assuming it only gives that again here are the list of Runelords who are currently 1 Standing below giving us a new reward:
Valma Hilldasdottir: Standing 7
Ogra Wardmaker: Standing 5
Bara Kormasdottir: Standing 7
And possibly assuming that her special reward wasn't decreasing the T10 to a T9 then:
Lorna Dernasdottir: Standing 9
The level he really needs to get the idea is "a sparking connection seems to leave pits in the metal." The rest is just a matter of experimentation and stubbornness. He should get at least that much just from the farmers trying to get the trees struck by more lightning to grow them faster.
I feel you're so close, now, why would Snorri ever see a sparking connection? Let alone one long enough to leave pits? Just studying Lightning and seizing on the idea from just that?
I feel you're so close, now, why would Snorri ever see a sparking connection? Let alone one long enough to leave pits? Just studying Lightning and seizing on the idea from just that?
Judging from how he got much of his information on the electric trees, he'd likely find information on it buried in the absolutely massivepile of reports he traded favor for to shorten his own research. It'd fit right in with how he gets inspiration from random tidbits of information as well.
He's already at the point where he's aggregating research and random observations from pretty much the entire North, at least on certain subjects, and the trees that grow from electricity are one of those subjects, so he doesn't need to observe it directly. If it's not already in the reports, odds are at least a few dwarfs are still on the lookout for anything interesting concerning the subjects Snorri's expressed interest in to try to lessen the perceived debt they feel they owe him.
Judging from how he got much of his information on the electric trees, he'd likely find information on it buried in the absolutely massivepile of reports he traded favor for to shorten his own research. It'd fit right in with how he gets inspiration from random tidbits of information as well.
He's already at the point where he's aggregating research and random observations from pretty much the entire North, at least on certain subjects, and the trees that grow from electricity are one of those subjects. If it's not already in the reports, odds are at least a few dwarfs are still on the lookout for anything interesting concerning the subjects Snorri's expressed interest in to try to lessen the perceived debt they feel they owe him.
I would assume that if a tree evolved to be lightning powered it would also evolve to minimise the amount that lightning blows them up, but thats just me.
I would assume that if a tree evolved to be lightning powered it would also evolve to minimise the amount that lightning blows them up, but thats just me.
Yeah, but the dwarfs trying to get them to grow bigger jewels, or just grow at all in other areas than "don't travel on the surface because by-the-ancestors that is a lot of lightning" valley, are likely to try hooking a live tree up to a lightning rod, or maybe even a while field of them, to augment their ability to do so.
The trees should be fine, the lightning rods and connection to the trees less so, and that's what I'm saying is worth someone mentioning.
Well at least in this timeline Gazul at the very least seems to have sustained a permanent wound of some sort from his fight with Hashut given he was spitting up a bit of blood even some time after the clash.
But more likely the gradual lowering of the ambient magic in the world due to the Vortex draining it and finding a equilibrium with the inflow from the broken polar gates probably reached a point that the Ancestor Gods could no longer fully sustain themselves and have to enter a slumber.
The elves were also building the Waystone network with the first generation of the stones' design, which would have been draining increasing amounts of magical energy from the world into the Vortex.
Don't forget that they expected to see a failed attempt as well. And Snorri just goes and tells them that "No, can't say I succeeded quite yet because it takes too long".
Yeah, well, that fits for Snorri's character to a T. He didn't try to make gromril chain for prestige; he did it because he wants to figure out how to equip dwarves with gromril chain in a practical manner. He succeeded in making it, but it was only possible because he happens to have a set of armor that allows him to easily withstand the absurd heat (both through heat resistance, infinite stamina, and negating even the need to breathe) and a weapon that is also a smithing hammer that happens to be able to generate and sustain the incredible heat required.
And it still took him years to make, for a single chainmail shirt. For him, he's got a proof of concept, but it's totally impractical and basically impossible for anyone else to do, so he has failed in his real goal: figure out how to practically make gromril chain.
Indeed, he notes how he could have made at least several sets of gromril plate armor in the same amount of time it took him to make one shirt of gromril chainmail, meaning that, from a practical standpoint, he hasn't reached the point where making gromril chainmail makes any sense (other than for prestige, but when it isn't practical, it's a hollow prestige to Snorri).
Also, I love how Smednir crossed out his name for Adamant and wrote Adamant instead--it seems he likes Snorri's name better.
The elves were also building the Waystone network with the first generation of the stones' design, which would have been draining increasing amounts of magical energy from the world into the Vortex.
Kraka Ornsmotek, "The Eagle's Peak Hold": Standing 8, Favours 190
- Standing 5, Warriors Without Peer: Monster Wardens added to potential recruitment pool.
- Standing 7, Mountainfull of Beasties: Chance to reduce turn timer on Monster Part orders by 1. (minimum 1)
- Korr Dorrisson, Stonefist, King of Kraka Ornsmotek: Standing 8 - Dorri Korrson, Monsterbane, Grandnephew of the King of Ornsmotek: Standing 9
Karag Dum's survivors founded Kraka Grom. Unsurprisingly, we have high standing with them.
Standing and Favor for the Hold itself is undetermined still. (Imagine if it winds up a 10 or an 11 *laughs nervously* Ahaha, oh dear, imagine if a group of younglings started seeing us as an Ancestor God for our deed. D: ) At this point, the Kraka still just needs more time to grow and find its feet and fortify, fortify, fortify.
I'll bet that at some point we'll probably see a Commission Request from Kraka Grom about installing Wardstones. So it'd be nice to get that research finished, so we can do it. (Haha, in all our COPIOUS SPARE TIME.)
The North Holds.
Karak Ungor, "The Delving Hold": Standing 5, Favours 80
- Standing 5, Mineral Wealth: Reduce turn timer on Mineral orders by 1. (minimum 1)
- Buradarr Stonehammer, the Goldenbeard, King of Karak Ungor: Standing 6
- Orra Stonehammer, Princess and widow of the Heir of Karak Ungor: Standing 10 - Buradarr Durabarrsson, The Younger, Heir of Karak Ungor: Standing 8
The son of the heir got added. I mean, we had already heard his name before, so this is just record-keeping, but hey.
Local Runelords of the Far North.
Igna Margasdottir, Metalheart, Runelord of Karag Dum Kraka Grom: Standing 8
- Standing 6, Metalheart: Chance to proc extra progress when doing Armour Rune research.
- Standing 8, Kvinn a Klad: Increased chance to proc extra progress when doing Armour Rune research.
Grammar change, basically. Karag Dum is crossed out, and now she is the Runelord of Kraka Grom.
... Oh right, that means the new hold gets a Runelord right off the bat. Good for them! Also, they get a connection to their past. They get a Living Ancestor.
I'm... glad for them. To be able to have that.
Rune Ingredients.
... Well, I mean... Success, troll heart acquired!
In other news, while I'm pointing out stuff, there's this:
[Negaverse] Kadrin Quest, +15 to a Kadrin Roll [USED]
[Non Canon] Like a-, +5 to a Runelord Roll [USED]
Also, there's a hidden blessing/silver lining in all of the Karak Dum horror: now, the people of Karak Dum have relocated to a much safer location, so any future waxing of Chaos won't leave them impossibly far from aid or contact with the rest of the Karaz Ankor (or anyone friendly at all). They're no longer super isolated.
@soulcake : Can you show us on a map of the region/Old World where Kraka Grom is? And maybe the other major holds in Norsca? Just a few dots of different colors in MS Paint would do, provided that there's a key to go with it in the post. It'd be great to get an idea of where the holds are.
