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.
Those shields don't passively benefit from the runic upgrades to the shield Angrka is holding though, I'd expect. Snorri's advantage is that he effectively has four mythic items rather than two.
My Guy, Mhorni is a big stone thing that grows by accumulating nearby rocks. It doesn't benefit from BA either.
Check the actual mechanics, Mhorni doesn't double the power of BA or SA or its bonus wouldn't be less than either seperately.
Snorri Base: 20 + 15 Karugromthi + 15 with BA Zharrgal + 20 Barak Azamar + 15 The Earth Shadow + 25 with BA Skarrenbakraz + 15 Set bonus +10 Eye of the Ancestors = +135, Tireless, Regenerating, Unbreakable, Breaking
It doesn't double snorri's effectiveness it increases it by 30% (approximately, less on wounds healing and DC). Still very good, but you're overselling it by 70%.
And if you don't think that the oldest and most powerful Runesmiths who could have been our mentors aren't capable of pulling out BS that massively exceeds Snorris, I have an NFT to sell you.
hmmm future project master rune of travel on a set of chimneys, one in each hold, so that snorri can travel sneakily into each hold every snorrisday to deliver toys to the little children who were good which his ranger hearthguards will give him a list of while they have been stealthily guarding the children
Nah, it wouldn't be rune based... and definitely not master runes.
It would be a massive organization, with logistic chains spread across Karaz Ankor that ensures that every child in Karaz Ankor gets a present on Snorrisday.
That means that fighting Snorri doesn't just mean fighting Snorri, but a giant stone golem wearing a copy of Snorri's equipment, so he effectively gets double benefit from his gear.
Where did the Aqshy come from?
I could understand why you thought Azyr maybe.
I do also think it was one wind spirit (I'm not sure if they're proper incarnates until they manifest in the material realm, if its a specific technical term then we'd just be talking about high grade spirits)
Where did the Aqshy come from?
I could understand why you thought Azyr maybe.
I do also think it was one wind spirit (I'm not sure if they're proper incarnates until they manifest in the material realm, if its a specific technical term then we'd just be talking about high grade spirits)
Behind it, a Daemon of stone and wind and fire forms itself out of the rocky floor and picks up where its master left off, destroying her guardians' trapped weapons with a hammer of molten rock and a hammer made from lightning
Nah it comes from the forging description.
I think I misremembered the sequence. As it turns out, there where three spirits, two 'watchers' of Chamon and one 'Charred One' of Asqy.
With each toll of his star-bright hammer the curtain of Chamon and Aqshy shifts and distorts, fraying at the fabric of that which is. Through flame and light a world parts, granting glimpses of burning, ash cloaked, men and their blazing spears tearing at clockwork figures. During one such occurrence, the Runelord and his chamber is noticed, and two-headed things with sunburst crowns and wide, circular golden eyes peer out from a place beyond. Watching, observing for an eternity and not, before one dares to reach out. Their finger pokes at space and time until it appears as if its symmetrical hand is stretching the very firmament of reality. At last, it rips and tears apart. The first Watcher steps through using its hand and foot to widen the tear into reality as if it were a drawstring bag until it can step through in a single, inhumanly perfect, motion. The first half through is obviously male, or at least harkens to it, with chiselled features and rippling with muscle. But as the rest of it passes through, with its soft curves and evident breast, it becomes clear that this creature is an amalgamation of both masculine and feminine. Stitches of silver connect its seemingly disparate parts in a way that ought to be grotesque, yet isn't.
Incomprehensible sentences composed of harmonious anagrams and deliberate ratios of letters fill the chamber as another otherworldly watcher languidly steps through. They are terrible and awesome to behold. Behind two perfectly sculpted, inhumanly human, sunburst facemasks four bright eyes stare out and analyze the world. Two wings, one shaped like the sun and the other the moon, made of blades, gears and symbols that click and clack to the heartbeat of the world, flutter with robotic symmetry. These beings of Chamon shift and change like molten metal; changing species, shrinking and growing from the height of a Bloodthirster to the most diminutive Halflings, even switching which side is man and woman, all to the tune of some incomprehensible pattern.
Neither noticed as the walls around them shift once more and release a Charred One that silently stalks out from its very own tear in reality, charging forward as silently as smoke as it runs its spear through the downed Watcher's back and lifts its dying form into the air. The other Watcher, finally drawn away by the dying screams of its companion, finally sees the enemy that has slain one of its own. With a wordless scream its body erupts into a tornado of blades, gushing molten metal it leaps in a perfect arc onto the Aqshy Elemental. A mirror to the metaphysical clash they represent.
That's probably more of a Memorial Day, not a day of celebration but a day to remember what was lost and who was lost. Though I suppose the Dawi might see it differently, come to think of it. Maybe @soulcake can weigh in on that?
Dwarfs have several holidays dedicated to remembering the past. Nothing for specific events like the end of the Incursion, itd just get rolled up into the existing ones as a story.
Brodag: A mix of memetic oktoberfest. storytelling, celebration and a lot of hard drinking.
First Quaff: Initial tasting of new kegs of beer, seen as foretelling the future prospects of the hold depending on the taste. "An entire system of divination has developed for this tasting, and thus, the hold's runelord and king are always the first to sample the year's yield."
Geheimnistag /Ar'Uzkul: Spooky warhammer Halloween when Morrslieb and Mannslieb are out.
Keg End: Year end celebration, emptying that year's beer and retelling that year's events in stories and stuff.
Navnsdeg: Celebration of a Dwarf's official life beginning, when they are formally inducted into the Clan and given a name as a newborn and given stone soup.
Saga: "Saga is an important and grim holiday of the Dwarfs. Songs of the trials and epic battles of Trollslayers, Longbeards, and Ironbreakers fill the Halls of the Dwarfs. The Ancestors are revered during this holiday as their exploits are told over numerous tankards of ale. Humans, particularly those who live in areas with large Dwarf populations or near the Worlds Edge Mountains, often take up this celebration as well."
Second Breach: "The third major holiday of the Dwarf calendar, Second Breech (33rd Day of Brauzeit) is the time when the family beer kegs are opened and tested once again. As before, songs and tales of Ancestors and heroic battle are the norm during this time."
They're multipurpose holidays really, but centered alot around drinking. 1st ed
Rune of Elgi While foolish, frail, and trusting far too much in the unstable power of magic, most Dawi will grudgingly admit if pressed that Elgi do posses some virtues. This rune imbues the bearer with those qualities.
This rune makes those bearing it more nimble, flexible, and lightfooted, as well as providing a minor boost to eyesight and hearing. None of these effects are especially potent, and its full potential would likely require a combination with suitable runes to draw out. This rune has no effect on Elgi, should any come to bear it.
Rune of Dawi Stubborn. Stalwart. Reliable Unyeilding. Stone-like. There are many, many positive attributes possessed by the Dawi, and this rune shares them with other races.
This rune makes those bearing it stronger and more durable, as well as increasing their ability to survive injury and withstand mental and physical stresses. None of these effects are especially potent, and its full potential would likely require a combination with suitable runes to draw out. This has rune has no effect on Dawi, rendering it little more than a foolish curiosity to most.
Rune of Brana The Brana are trusted allies of the northern Dawi, and have shed blood alongside them for centuries. This rune is designed to honour that partnership, by imbuing the wearer with some of the Brana's qualities.
This rune makes those bearing it stronger, faster, and lighter, sharpens their teeth and fingernails, and grants them an instinctive affinity for wind and heights. None of these effects are especially potent, and its full potential would likely require a combination with suitable runes to draw out. This rune has no effect on Brana, should any come to bear it.
Master Rune of Humility/Kazrik Pleasurebane (Armor): Since He first sullied the world Slaanesh has claimed all mastery of artistry. So that something so artistic, so beautiful, like the Runecraft can exist that He has no power over, not a jot, distracts Him; and as above, so below. The Daemons born of Him, the Beasts crafted by Him, and Mortals corrupted by Him alike find that their evil touched weaponry, no matter how mighty, quite simply fails to break through the armor, such was the disdain poured towards that most hated foe by the Servant of Thungni and Supplicant of Grungni in shaping this Rune.
Though Slaanesh's greatest servants were cast upon Ulthuan, enough of such might were dispatched to the Karaz Ankor that Kazrik has lacked no opportunity to test his armor; and finds it worthy.
Master Rune of Sanity/Kazrik Pleasurebane (Weapon): The weapon bearing this seems to drink in the energy of the enemy, taking in the mystic influence their works, and their wizards, and their gods force upon the field of battle. Not undoing them, but examining them, learning them, growing to comprehend them and what is their strength. And then fed by thus, looking the same as it ever did, it will strike out and cleave them in twain, unmaking the mortal and unyoking the energies and restoring reason to where reason was lost.
The best way to deal with some Wazzock tossing about "shaped" magic is not to disspell it. It is to Destroy it and its shaper.
(Multiple Wounds)
Master Rune of Stillness/Kazrik Pleasurebane (Banner): No flight, no running, no hiding. Stand and fight, as a creature with honor should! Showing some mettle of spirit and steel in spine, the enemy is so filled with the urge to test themselves that rather than disengaging and reengaging they will stand and fight like warriors brave. A strong soul is required to suppress the effect, a strong soul or to see the results of contending the Dwarfs on ground of their choosing.
Forcing the enemy to face you in the manner of your choosing is the best way to face them at all, short, perhaps of, a Grudge Thrower.
Master Rune of Energy/Kazrik Pleasurebane (Structural): A Dwarf bearing the effect of this Rune will fight as much skill and ability as ever but will move quicker, much quicker, in at least attacking if not in other ways, striking with a haste and speed that seems almost out of character for the normally somewhat...erm, reserved Dawi. The effect is limited to the structure on which it was built.
"If I'd killed the Daemons before they could do their magic, then maybe my son wouldn't have had to recover for a year in Valaya's hospice."
-Kazrik Pleasurbane upon finishing the creation of the rune, as recorded by his apprentices
Dwarfs have several holidays dedicated to remembering the past. Nothing for specific events like the end of the Incursion, itd just get rolled up into the existing ones as a story.
Brodag: A mix of memetic oktoberfest. storytelling, celebration and a lot of hard drinking.
First Quaff: Initial tasting of new kegs of beer, seen as foretelling the future prospects of the hold depending on the taste. "An entire system of divination has developed for this tasting, and thus, the hold's runelord and king are always the first to sample the year's yield."
Geheimnistag /Ar'Uzkul: Spooky warhammer Halloween when Morrslieb and Mannslieb are out.
Keg End: Year end celebration, emptying that year's beer and retelling that year's events in stories and stuff.
Navnsdeg: Celebration of a Dwarf's official life beginning, when they are formally inducted into the Clan and given a name as a newborn and given stone soup.
Saga: "Saga is an important and grim holiday of the Dwarfs. Songs of the trials and epic battles of Trollslayers, Longbeards, and Ironbreakers fill the Halls of the Dwarfs. The Ancestors are revered during this holiday as their exploits are told over numerous tankards of ale. Humans, particularly those who live in areas with large Dwarf populations or near the Worlds Edge Mountains, often take up this celebration as well."
Second Breach: "The third major holiday of the Dwarf calendar, Second Breech (33rd Day of Brauzeit) is the time when the family beer kegs are opened and tested once again. As before, songs and tales of Ancestors and heroic battle are the norm during this time."
They're multipurpose holidays really, but centered alot around drinking. 1st ed
Yay one of my favourite things #Rune-Ideas time.
Neat Ideas, can't add them. The effects are fine, just the names mostly for reasons I cannot divulge.
Humility and Sanity added.
Stillness sounds like Taunting, is there anything that differentiates that Im not seeing?
Energy Added
I suspect that it's because those runes are something similar to the ancestor runes in nature, but rather than the encompassing the values of an ancestor, they do so for a whole race.
@soulcake Idly going through the list after belatedly remembering I never actually posted the modified Drak Gronti plan despite remembering to change it, I noticed a terrible lack of a certain type of rune. So (#Rune-Ideas) while I fiddle fart with that.
The attached kind-of-not-really omake was the final result of me laughing too hard at Gurren Lagann references as I wrote this down:
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Rune of Spirals:
Weapon (1/2/3 runes, each subsequent level stacks with the previous one)- +1 Strength / +1 Attack, +1 Initiative / -1 Enemy Armor Save Armor (1/2/3 runes, each subsequent level stacks with the previous one) - Enemy -1 Initiative / Enemy -1 Strength / Enemy -1 Attack and negate non-magical armor save reduction. Reduce magical armor save reduction by half. Banner (1/2/3 runes, each subsequent level stacks with the previous one) - +1 Bonus to allied ranged to-hit rolls / +1 bonus to allied melee to-hit rolls / 6+ Ward Save and Magic Resistance (1) to all allies in range Engineering (1/2/3 runes, each subsequent level stacks with the previous one) - +1 on to-wound rolls / re-roll failed wound rolls / The effects of a nat 1 and nat 6 on every d6 are swapped with each other. On a nat 1 or nat 6, the shot will "bounce" in a different direction. Nat 1 it will travel somewhere away from allies, nat 6 it will travel towards allies. Talismanic (1/2/3 runes, each subsequent level stacks with the previous one) - Magic Resistance (1) / Magic Resistance (Upgrade to 2), 6+ Ward Save / Each turn a random Wound suffered, and its associated effects, will be removed from the Talisman-Holder and inflicted upon the nearest enemy as if struck by the Talisman-Holder; make a single To-Hit and To-Wound roll. If there is no enemy close enough, it will hit something that mildly inconveniences the Talisman-Holder. Structural (1/2/3 runes, each subsequent level stacks with the previous one) - Random bouts of competence(?) guide the Dawi and their allies to mildly better outcomes on a regular basis; affects all within range of the Rune. / Random bouts of incompetence(?) mildly inconveniences the Dawi's enemies; affects all within range of the Rune. / ?????????? (Shit got weird enough with a two-Spiral-Rune combo that a three-Spiral-Rune combo has not yet been created)
Master Rune of Grinding/Spirals:
Weapon- +1 Strength / +1 Attack / +1 Initiative. Ignores factors that inflict To-Hit and To-Wound roll penalties (Still subject to "natural" stuff like Strength-Toughness comparisons). Can cause True Death in Daemons/Spirits. Armor - Enemy -2 Initiative / Strength / Attacks. Damages and/or destroys incoming weapons/attacks. Banner - 6+ Ward Save and Magic Resistance (3) to allies. Each successful save restores 1 wound to a random friendly within range. If there are no injured friendlies within range, a random Wound is assigned to the nearest enemy. If there are no enemies close enough when a save is made, the Wound hits a random target nearby that isn't an ally. Engineering - All successful Hits automatically Wound without need for a roll. If the siege engine in question has the Multiple Wounds (d#) quality, you may re-roll the MW roll and choose the better result. Each successful Wound procs another unmodified roll to Wound - this proc only happens once per Wound. If the targeted enemy, whether Unit or Hero, is slain outright, additional wounds are inflicted on the nearest enemy within what remains of the weapon's range. If no such enemy is available, the extra Wounds are wasted. Talismanic - 5+ Ward Save, Magic Resistance (2). Each turn, all enemies who come too close (2" on tabletop) suffer the equivalent of a single Attack from the Talisman-Holder; roll To-Hit and To-Wound accordingly.
EDIT: Good lord, posting this completely fucked my spoilers
EDIT 2: Reworked the mechanics to better match the system I'm using
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In the Karaz Ankor, a great many things went unsaid. Always another enemy in the deeps or the valleys, a sometimes prickly culture of honor and filial piety, the long memories of a people who lived for centuries; successfully navigating the hazards of such a life required a great deal of personal competence and a keen eye for trouble. So it was imperative that beard/plaitlings learn, and learn quickly, how to extract the maximum amount of information from the minimum amount of input.
Which was why the two of them were currently sitting in Yorri's workshop, where Snorri was exceedingly drunk and verging on "black-smashed" as the children said nowadays. And Yorri was most certainly not struggling to not laugh uproariously.
"Blasteeeg STOOL! Stop spinnin! I mae you be-er than thid!"
A master should do his best to teach his students how to keep themselves together at their worst. It was tradition for a reason!
"AArcgh! Betrayal! Betrayal mo voul!"
Ah, there it was.
"Grudge! Grudge on the- on th'...Valaya's tits, stool, gimme your name! I need a name fer'th Grudge!"
Yorri wasn't sure if the Hearthkeeper was inclined to lend the mass of her mammaries to such an endeavor. But then again, a stool that quite clearly pulled itself out from under his apprentice was indeed a foe most dire.
"No! No' you too, floor! Where di'all this spinning...STUFF...comeabou?!"
Yorri was pulled away from his musings by Snorri hauling himself to hands and knees. He then proceeded to trundle over to the nearest workbench, grab a chisel, and start scraping the floor.
Ah well. He'd be fixing that when he sobered up. But for now...
"Snorri, what are you doing?"
"Magin new rune!"
"What kind of rune?"
"Spinnin rune!"
"Why are you making a spinning rune?"
"CAUSE EVErything SPINNING! imma make iT SPIN OTHER WAY!"
This last statement was punctuated by a sharp creaking noise as Snorri slammed the chisel into the stone. A large chip bounced away from him with a scattering of powder and he blearily reared away - falling onto his back - as he brought the now-bent chisel up to his nose to inspect the damaged tool.
Now, at this point, Yorri was going to stop Snorri there and put him to bed. There were many things that a roaring drunk Dawi in good company could do safely; rune-smithing, much less rune-making, was not one of them.
"MASER YORRI! I NEED NOTHA CHISEL! I NEED MOAR SPIN!"
But then again, this was Yorri's workshop; where could he experiment if not here?
"Remember to wear your protective gear, Snorri. Don't want to be beaten by the spin now, eh?"
"Yesz Mshta!" Laboriously, Snorri clambered up to his feet and waddled over to...the nearest table, where he promptly picked up a bowl of stonebread, overturned it, and placed it on his head.
Well, it would be a great teaching moment if nothing else.
----------------------
Late the next morning, Snorri froze as he exited his room. There were several reasons why; the scratches and scrawled gouges all over the floor and the lower walls, the mess of food scattered about, the general disarray of the equipment hanging askew on racks and workbenches.
But worse than all of that combined was Master Yorri standing there with a dour look on his face, holding a large sheaf of papers.
"Good morning, my dear apprentice."
"...Good morning, Master Yorri."
"How much do you remember about last evening?"
"...Not enough to explain this, Master Yorri."
"Well that is unfortunate. You were so proud of this..."rune"...you developed. Why, you couldn't wait to inscribe it on all sorts of things."
If Snorri's dread actually grew any greater, he was fairly certain it would crush him on the spot.
"Now, here's a list of what needs replacing. Head over to the market, and we'll see about cleaning this up, yes?"
"Yes, Master Yorri."
"And if they ask, feel free to tell them what you wish."
"...Yes, Master Yorri."
As Snorri took the list, his half-downcast half-quizzical look at the rest of what Yorri was holding was countered with a raised eyebrow.
"As for me, I have some work to do. You put so much effort into this Rune of Spirals, it would be a shame to not have it recorded properly."
"Yes Master Yorri."
"Why, this could be a great achievement! My wonderful little beardling of a student, making new runes before he's even completed his Mastery trial! While drunk, even!"
Snorri couldn't even muster up a response to that through the shame. He just turned around and walked out the door to what would hopefully not be his grave.
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EDIT: Epilogue
While Snorri never actually created a rune that night, enough testing was done and notes were taken that Yorri did what Yorri does and expanded a book's worth of drunken shenanigans into a whole suite of runes.
And then promptly rubbed Snorri's nose in it by forcing him to learn all the basic runes. And repeatedly offering to teach him the Master Runes.
And giving Snorri's wife a necklace with three Runes of Spirals as a wedding gift and regaling her with the story.
and that dear plaitlings is how snorri the gift giver developed the toys known as spinner tops which was then eventually turned into the ancient and honorable tunnel defenders known as beyblades
Snorri has a solid talent but not exceptional. He is where he is because of his own master Yorri teaching him in an extremely unorthodox manner, some luck, and a whole double-heaping of backbreaking hard work.
Whereas Snerra?
The first time we meet her and administer the test:
"You chalk it up to luck when she traces the etch marks in the proper order, then grow interested when she does the same for the Rune of Warding and Light. Then you are shocked, internally of course, when you catch her mouth mumbling what looked like the chant almost on reflex. The words are wrong, not even close really, but the tone, the intonation, the rhythm are scarily accurate for an eight-year-old."
She traced, by instinct, the correct order on how to chisel some basic Runes and hummed the correct rhythm for the songs that reminds us when crafting said runes.
If she works half as hard as we do? By the time she hits a millenia in age, she will utterly eclipse Snorri as he is right now.
And from what we see, she is well on her way.
She is of course not right now our rival, but she's also 600 years younger.
From what we've seen of her, the only thing that might hold Snerra back is ideological; she's shown a few hints that she's willing to over-dedicate herself to causes at the expense of everything else. For example, the eye and limb thing- I can't remember if it was outright stated or just implied, but at the very least I got a strong impression that she was considering abandoning literally everything else to dedicate herself solely to helping crippled dwarves. Which is, you know, admirable, but also not a good way for her to grow her skill or knowledge. If she gets sucked down a path like that it could set her back decades or centuries, and while she's got the talent to be brilliant despite that it would still slow down her growth.
Outside of that possibility, though? I've zero doubts Snerra will eclipse us, and probably not too far into the future (another couple of centuries, maybe).
Storri talent lies on where many dwarfs would go "bah not ortodox gruble grumble grumble" storri would do that but in the end he would go "but hold up i can use that" or "but hold up in the end this may being an massive boon for all dawikind". And all of his students inherit that line of thought.
Outside of that possibility, though? I've zero doubts Snerra will eclipse us, and probably not too far into the future (another couple of centuries, maybe).
yeah. It is worth to remember that our first meeting on turn 7, she wasn't even a decade old. She was given the age of 18 years on turn 8 when her sheer talent is made even clearer.
Meaning, she was born around turn 6-ish. It is now turn 47.
And we are 612 years older (61.2 turns) older than she is.
She is 150 years younger right now, than we were at quest start.
- New Set Combo Unlocked! Set Combo, Grimnir's Burning Wroth: [Meteorfall, Pyrestrike, Relentless Pursuit] When charging at an enemy or specific point, the user rapidly picks up speed and gains a protective shell of flame around them, gathering more and more energy until it can be released as an explosion of heat and power strong enough to melt steel or condensed into the user's weapon, allies unharmed.
So if you do activate the rune combo and drop from the sky. As long as you target your enemy unerringly, this should result in an instakill. The weapon would be at max heat..
Now tagetting a Meargh through a castle ceiling would be difficult even without its magic protections. However we don't need to hit it.
Zharrgal already gets stupid hot and can create lava holes. Can we make bigger lava holes with this combo, flooding whatever chamber we land on?
Honestly it may be harde to eclipse storri than people give think specially if the research on how the winds of magic affect runes bears fruit before his death. The end of the consternation, an center to high learning for runesmiths and even the protesis runes and chainforgers.
Is not about talent as a runesmit but the fact he does a lot of things that extremely usefull to dawikind and let the knowledge scatter to the the winds.
Be an great runesmit is only part of it he is a wierd runesmit.
Even with the spell demanding so much of his attention, he could not help but dwell on the injustice of it all.
He had known from the first that the intruder was formidable. How could it be otherwise, having somehow overrun their defences and breached the sanctum all on its lonesome? It was clear that no individual consort or dirach was its match and that, even in the best case, many lives would be lost in repelling the attack. But that was acceptable, for there was not a single soul inside the sanctum that would not gladly die in defence of the Lady Meargh. So they each set about fulfilling their duty in their own way: warriors to the fore, choristers in support of the Lady and him casting a sharply angled barrier to protect his fellow dirachs from the storm ravaging the chamber. They quickly went on to discover it was an imperfect defence, sufficient to ward off razor winds and choking dust but not to nullify the discharges of lightning intermittently striking the choir. That, too, was acceptable. The storm was whittling them down one by one despite his best efforts, but if he could just slow the rate of attrition, buy enough time then the others could assist the Lady in wearing the intruder down.
(A ground tremor sent one of them stumbling outside of the protective envelope and into the stormwind, blowing with force enough that every stray speck of ash was as an obsidian knife. Within moments, skin and meat were cut away and he was dead as dry bones.)
Their strategy had seemed clear. Their Lady would spend her servants' lives wisely, using them to hinder and delay while she probed for a weakness. Sooner or later she would identify a vulnerabilty of some sort, be it a chink in the invader's armour, an exotic magical attack that bypassed its defences, fatigue or simple weight of numbers, and then it would be dead in short order. No thing of this world was invincible, after all... or so he had believed.
(One of the warriors attempted to body check the stone construct, grown monstrously large with materials pillaged from the sanctum. The blow connected - but instead of meeting strength with strength, the construct transmuted part of itself to mud, letting the warrior sink in until he was buried from the waist up in its body. His legs kicked feebly for a little while before falling limp.)
They had been fighting for some time, and the chamber bore the scars to prove it. The floor had once been covered in intricate mosaics exalting the gods, but the intruder made stone flow like water and had by now reduced their iconography to a blasphemous jumble. The walls were scoured by ash-winds and pockmarked by lightning strikes. The roof had literally been blown off some time previously, unable to contain the pressure of the storm that even now was building in power, seemingly without limit. What would all that stone rubble have done as it fell down across the city? Nothing good, he imagined. The sanctum had represented the pinnacle of their artifice and artistry, the sum of all they aspired to, and the attacker had torn it all down in a matter of minutes without even taking a wound.
(One blow from the blazing hammer heated the fimm's daemonforged armour to the point of liquefaction and a second sent his body flying towards the choir. One of the choristers attempted to arrest the impromptu projectile with a telekinetic spell... and he succeeded, after a fashion. The fimm's corpse stopped in midair, but what had once been his armour was now just a coating of liquid metal that separated quite easily and continued under its own momentum. The chorister had a breastplate's worth of molten iron spattered across his face and died screaming.)
If they had been bested by a wizard of superior skill, someone with a deeper understanding of Dhar, then - he would have hated it, would have fought back with all he had, but he would at least have understood. But the dread thing in front of them made a mockery of all he knew. Champion fimm attacked it in complete synchronicity, striking unerringly at its joints and face: it weathered the blows without even deigning to deflect them. Master dirachs cast sorceries at it that should have sufficed to flatten a mountain: it unravelled their spells with its mere presence, through that awful unnatural emanation that, even inside his barrier, took the Winds apart and made the air taste like dust underground. The Lady Meargh cast her own spells with such superb skill they overcame the deadening effect, striking the creature with frost and poison and energies for which he had no name: it accepted them with perfect disdain. All the Lady's efforts struck harmlessly against its armour, finding no purchase, and the Winds thus spent were seized, twisted into incomprehensible knots and used to fuel the intensifying storm. And through it all the monster advanced, faltering not a single step as their best and brightest threw themselves at it. It was implacable. Inexorable.
(An eye shone balefully, and for a moment the meargh appeared cracked, as if she were painted on a broken pane of glass. Then the effect ended and she returned to normal, unhurt - but the amulet around her neck crumbled to dust and released the gibbering daemon imprisoned within.)
The Lady had fought - was fighting - magnificiently, demonstrating superlative mastery of arts both magical and martial, but it was not enough. Their reinforcements had slowed to the point they could no longer fill the ranks of the dead. (And besides, with all of them coming here, who was left to guard the walls? He dared not think the thought to completion.) She was weakening, and the monster was not.
(The remaining warriors abandoned all pretense of martial finesse and bodily threw themselves at the attacker, seeking to immobilise with their combined weight. For a bare instant it seemed like they might have succeeded, might have bought the meargh time for a more complex spell or at least to make her escape - until the storm exploded from within the pile, pelting the walls with metal scrap and bone fragments.)
Was this what would become of them, in the end? All of them, their achievements and learning, trampled underfoot by an uncaring horror, leaving not even a memory? He supposed he would never know, for his barrier was no longer necessary. The choir had dwindled to the point someone of lesser skill was enough to shield them, and his life was better spent standing between the Lady and it, buying a little more time and hoping beyond hope for some impossible miracle that would let her win.
And so it was that he found himself in front of the monster, the abominable, misshapen creature that heralded the end of all things. He wanted - he did not know what he wanted. To leave a scar on it, or an injury. A dent in its armour. Something to prove he had once existed, after the monster had destroyed everything else. He wanted to scream in its face: do your worst, Unmaker! But the storm drowned out his voice, filled his throat with ash. Even his defiance was taken away from him. He lashed out furiously, desperately, with all the power he could muster-
(A single contemptuous axe swing to the weakling sorceror's gut-)
He had not the strength to stand. He felt true despair as he fell to his knees - and then, once the hammerhead made contact with his skull, he felt nothing at all.
