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.
I don't know if we are still giving runes ideas, but if we are. @soulcake :
Master Rune of Storm anchor, Banner Rune: There are many rune smiths that accompany the Kraka Drakk throng and they very much appreciate the storm cover provided by the Bara. However it seems like whenever the Throng marches against any foe of significance the storm cover gets dispelled but some magical muckery. Which really was to be expected. Not really the Bara's fault. After all the storm itself also magical muckery and everyone knows the reliably problems with that. So the obvious conclusion was to make a Rune to fix the problem. This banner rune causes magical storms to center themselves on the banner and be incredibly difficult to dispel. If by some overwhelming amount of power the storm would be dispelled anyway the banner will suck up the storm into itself and provide an perfect base for reestablishing it.
[X]Plan Chains and Dragons
Snorri/Karstah -[X] A Wonderful Endeavor
--[X] Petition the Hold 45 Kraka Drakk Favor
-[X] [Difficult] Akazit 2 AP ✓ -[X] [Difficult] The Rune Metal Pt. 3b 2 AP
--[X] Brotherhood Expertise Spend 1 [5 Brotherhood Favor + 95 Cult of Valaya Favour]
-[X] [Difficult] The Rune Metal Pt. 5 0 AP
--[X] Brotherhood Expertise Spend 2 [50 Cult of Valaya Favor]
- [X] Egg(s) for your Thoughts Gain variable number of Viable Shard Wyrm Egg(s). 1 AP
-- [X] Write-in: All Three Eggs.
-- [X] Write-in: Use one Charge per Egg.
-[X] Fimir Eyes 1 Bonus Research + 1 Karstah Action ✓
Hot on the heels after coming to a decision about how to reveal the revised Chainforger a messenger bearing the sigil of Clan Thungnisson arrives at your workshop with a Gromril tube inscribed with protective anti-tampering Runes.
Of all the things you expect to be within, a stack of paper as thick as your arm is one of the very last things on your mind, and yet that is exactly what the haggard youngster pulls out after going through a lengthy unlocking process. With a grunt and meaningful nod at a nearby Hearth Warden, you send the fellow off for some well deserved rest while you take the stack into your study and read through it in exhaustive detail.
The first page is a letter from Alric that tells you all you need to know. The stack of papers in your possession is a decennial missive that Clan Thungnisson is responsible for disseminating; the collated messages and writings sent their way by members of the Burudin who intend for it to be seen by all members of the order. Something necessary when the Burudin's ranks began to spread out across the breadth of the realms. Alric's letter helpfully informs you however, that individual members are liable to send messages directly to each other if they wish, or in his own words, "When you do something that gets them riled up enough to let you know what they think about it."
Something you've been made well aware of in recent years.
Putting aside Alric's letter, you stare at the unassuming stack of paper with renewed appreciation.
Here before you are the words and thoughts of the Burudin deem acceptable to be put to page, and though you temper your expectations with a reminder that these are still Runesmiiths at the end of the day you would no doubt find something of value.
With mounting excitement building in your gut, you begin reading.
━<><><><==><><><>━
The format of the package was such that the first half was dedicated to collating the public messages that the Burudin members wanted shared with the rest of the order, and the latter half solely comprised of the official Challenges laid, retracted and taken up at an individual member's discretion
It took you the better part of three hours to finish reading through the entire package, and by the time you were done you aren't sure what to feel about what you read.
The first half was a…you'll generously say, mixed bag.
Your understanding of how the Burudin operated and interacted with each other took a blow when the first half dozen pages was a response to a long running argument about the best aesthetic color combination on black-stained metal. One that was made worse when you realize it had been going on for the better part of two centuries to boot.
It slightly rallied when the next fifty or so pages were the insightful and frank opinions of members led by Angkra twenty-loops who discussed the thematic and practical considerations to adopting newer, more comprehensive and protective, styles of armour without discarding the tenets of the past. It built further when you read the laconic, but meaningful, dissertation of Gottri Hammerspite after he was prompted to offer his opinion on what sort of behaviour he promoted when testing apprentices and journeymen attempting to pass his trials, and the necessity of proper tests that challenged their participants without being unfair. The upward trend in your faith in your Elders building as the wisdom you expected was being revealed before your very eyes.
Then that fragile hope burned and died when, near the end, you read through fifty or so pages of a Runelord describing the best possible way to slow cook a whole lamb, all while not-too-subtly belittling the opinion of another Burudin member by using their cooking method as the ultimate example of how not to do things. Followed by another dozen written from said other member very long windedly and thoroughly calling the previous writer slack jawed, tasteless hermit who hadn't had good Lamb since he moved out of his parent's house. Followed by a long and winding descent into despair as more and more Burudin members seemed to be brought in, willingly or not, onto the discussion by both writers, with no sign of the debate stopping or cooling down either.
If you could liken it to anything, anything at all, it would be comparable to the transcribed conversations of Clan Elders. The mind numbing banality and pettiness of old Dawi with free time and an opinion juxtaposed by the wisdom those same Dwarfs carried and a reminder that their opinions, if ever said publicly, were liable to shift the tone and direction of the Runesmith community in their immense sphere of influence.
It shocks you, and in some ways leaves you relieved that Master Yorri was more incorrect than correct this time.
Then there were the Challenges that made up the latter half of the package.
These Challenges were, in their own way, as varied and eclectic as the letters of the first half. Many are forthright in their intent, meant to inspire fellow members, cajole others into proving them wrong or otherwise making a competition out of some feat or contest of skill. Admittedly you also see Challenges that seem tailor made for specific members to take up, but are posted here rather than directly both as a means of calling that member out or some other reason. Though one and all seem to offer a reward of sorts for completing them, the kind that Dawi this old and this rich honestly care about.
Runes, knowledge, and connections.
The former two are fair enough, no faster way to get a Runesmith doing anything than to dangle new Runes in front of them, with knowledge that could potentially lead to making new Runes a close second.
Its the latter though, that reminds you that Master Yorri was only mostly incorrect.
There's an unavoidable degree of politics and shoulder rubbing at the highest levels of Dwarf society, and nothing short of becoming a hermit comes close to removing you from it. So while a Runelord willing to put in a good word for you should you complete this Challenge wasn't out of the ordinary and well within acceptable limits you can't help but wonder if the more private communication between members, the direct letters not unlike some of the ones you received after Khazagar for that matter, went beyond even that?
No, its a preposterous idea, and one you can't help but feel is partially fueled by Master Yorri's words running through your mind.
People in such a position, of such skill and talent have better things to do.
As for you? Well it certainly reframes a lot of things and even now you begin reworking how you'll go about benefiting from the arrangement. If nothing else being a part of the Burudin was one of the best ways for you to approach many of the most knowledgeable and skilled Runelords of the Karaz Ankor. Of course you doubt you'd get anything approaching the sort of agreements you had with Brynna or Ogra for instance, certainly not for a long time, if ever. Taking up challenges or entering correspondence with an individual member of the Burudin would however, get your foot in the door and if nothing else gave you a chance at gaining something worthwhile if you won.
Borek's Challenge Create a Rune more destructive than the Master Rune of Zon-dum. Reveal and gain 2 Standing with Borek Starpick and Karak Izril
Borek Starpick, legendary Runelord of Karak Izril, toasts his storied rivalry with the Zornish Runelord Gedrik Sun-touched of Clan Sunderstone on the anniversary of the latter's passing. It has been a half millennium, Borek proclaims, since a Dwarf was so visionary and bold as to wield the power of the Sun itself just to win an argument. He would gladly commend any equally daring Runesmith to his colleagues.
Gottri's Challenge Create a Rune or Combination of Runes capable of breaking Adamant. Reveal and gain 1 Standing with Gottri Hammerspite, gain Master Rune of Shattering Sound
After acquiring Adamant, a result of Kraggi's eternal quest to perfect Old Breaker, Gottri has changed his long standing challenge to his fellow Burudin members. Now, rather than find that which can withstand his Runes, he challenges any to create that which can sunder Adamant. He boasts, in his laconic and brusque way, that no one will manage before he can, and he's willing to bet one of his acceptable Runes over it to boot.
Angkra's Challenge Devise a Means of Creating a Prosthetic that grows with the user. Reveal and gain 2 Standing with Angkra Twenty-loops.
Angkra Twenty-loops has taken an interest in a curious northern invention, Prosthetic Runes. She has come into contact with Snerra of all people, and has been inspired by the young woman's vigorous efforts to develop something that can be used for beardlings and the like. A topic which has captured the daughter of Thungni's personal attention.
Thormund's Challenge Create something that can turn the mountains against our foes. Reveal Standing with Thormund Stalwart-shield and gain 3 Standing with Karak Kadrin
The wandering Runelord Thormund Stalwart-shield muses on the defensive properties of mountains and a subsequent idea that took his mind when he fought alongside the Throng of Karak Kadrin to defeat a wandering army of Khornates. He grumbles that such power is so poorly weaponized. Avalanches, rockfalls and the like are one thing, but entirely too uncontrollable for his taste and the realm of Rangers. No, if someone could literally make the living stone act against our foes, it would be a feat worthy of song and be of great interest to the Peak Pass Hold.
Alric's Challenge Create a method of reliable, quick and secure communication as possible. Reveal and gain 1 Standing with Alric Thungnisson, Angkra Twenty-loops, and Karaz a Karak
As a consequence of his frequent discussions with his venerable uncle, the mighty and wise Snorri Whitebeard, Alric has offered a prompt for any that wish to take it up. A way for messages to be shared across the realms faster than any Runebearer, safer than any road and as reliable as a Master Crafted axe. Such is the sort of goal, the sort of problem a proper Runelord should set their sights upon he reckons, anything less is beneath them.
Durin's Challenges Find the Ankor Bryn. Create a Weapon beyond Karaz-Kazak-Rhun. Create a Runestaff more powerful than Gormwand. Break the Rule of Three.
A relic, one kept out of respect for the founder of the order. Many have tried, all have failed. Since Durin's death none have made a serious go at the first, and only the Brotherhood makes longstanding attempts at the last. These are considered the final goals of Runecraft, ones that shall one day in the nebulous future.
Completing one of these Challenges will make it easier to enter dialogues with and deeper relationships with the corresponding Burudin Member.
━<><><>< 392 A.P. ><><><>━
You stand alone in the inner sanctum of your Workshop, having sent everyone, even your guards outside the door, away for the moment.
The prosthetic eye in front of you is the end result of a long, winding path that has taken you the better part of two years
When Karstah entered your study later that same night you got the package from the Burudin and handed you her completed report on the Fimir Eyes your only thought at the time was relief you could put off yet more fruitless work with Adamant.
You did not expect to end up here.
Karstah's notes had been thorough, and in reading about the structures she encountered dissecting examples traded for with other Runesmiths and reviewing her theories as to how Fimir viewed the world and the Winds of Magic you came to an idea, one egged on by the constant thorn of Durin's Consternation and your own difficulties with Adamant at the time.
Why not give yourself that same vision?
Rhetorical obviously as you knew full well why. It was one of the earliest paths taken, one that has led to continued failure and was discarded early on by many Runesmiths attempting to overcome the Consternation.
But the Runesmiths of that age did not know what you did, having to work off of theories they could neither prove nor disprove; stumbling blindly in the metaphorical dark, but that isn't the case for you. You had a working theory on the Winds of Magic, amateur as your understanding of it may be, contact with two peoples capable of seeing and manipulating the winds, and an understanding of how Runes interact with the mundane senses.
So you got to work.
The first hurdle was finding out exactly what you were aiming for, and so for the better part of a year you spent the evenings secretly interviewing various Brana Spellcasters and poking Menlinwen to build a comprehensive understanding of what proper visualization of the Winds entails, then, with the help of your armour, you spent the mornings toiling away to find a method of transferring those sensations into a form comprehensible to the Dwarf mind. You won't say you completely forgoed your daily routine and duties, but there were several stretches of time where you simply spent the entire evening talking, interviewing and writing down what your interviewees say then heading home and spending the entire day working on the eye project, kept lucid and alert solely through Barak Azamar.
All to make this.
The eye is a hollow Gromril orb polished to a mirror sheen. The outer face of the eye has a hole in it where light can enter and where you've situated a miniscule mechanism made up of eight Gemstones, each one representing one of the Winds, framed in gold and silver to act as the sclera. On the inside of the sphere, opposite of where you put the hole, is the result of your labour. Not the only one, as you had improved the Rune of Brotherhood and devised a Master variant of it during your work, but this was by far the most significant.
A single Rune, not even a Master Rune.
But one that may change everything.
You have tentatively called it the Rune of Windsight, a lofty name for a lofty purpose.
Tenderly, carefully, you remove your existing prosthetic, not flinching even as the Rune's connection is severed and your vision is reduced to a single eye for the time being.
Perhaps a more permanent arrangement for switching out your eyes, odd as that thought sounds, is worthwhile. At the very least it's something to-
-You're dawdling, again.
Why? Fear, anxiety?
It doesn't matter why, you tell yourself, such worries cannot, should not, rule the actions of a Runelord.
Crushing the anxiety and fear into a ball you close your eyes and take the proverbial plunge; putting the prosthetic into your empty socket and waiting for the return of sensation. A little pit of anxiety forms in your gut when nothing immediately happens, but it fades when you begin to hear the click-clack of the mechanism at work, sliding the gemstone slides until your new "pupil" until it matches its organic counterpart.
Nothing new so far, but you expected that. Part of the Rune's functionality, or perhaps a limitation, was that you would need to focus your gaze on a specific item.
You force yourself not to gulp, and tentatively move your gaze towards the object you would test the Rune on.
A bar of pure Lead sits innocently on a pillow, the dark metal illuminated by the Runelight and you feel that same trepidation at the thought of activating the eye boil up and out of your stomach once more.
"Oh for Grungni's sake Klausson if you're wrong, then you're wrong and have to try again, but enough of this bellyaching," you hiss to yourself and without any fanfare activate the Rune.
Gold.
The Lead bar glows Golden, an aura of glimmering yellow radiating from it. You don't breathe, you don't blink, instead you reach for your notes and desperately read through the section you've compiled on Lead. For what feels like an eternity you flip back between looking at your notes and the glowing bar of metal, never noticing that you've slowly ended up on your knees with your face less than a foot away from the glowing bar.
Its not perfect, far from it, no examples of the minutiae you've heard that the Brana and Menlinwen see are not present, but the foundation is right. The colour, the gold of Chamon, is correct, the shine and the intensity is correct. You grab the bar, put it in a crucible, and move it to the forge and put it on the coals. You stand there for minutes, watching, marvelling, as the Lead melts and the gold aura partially mixes with and is joined with the ruby red glow of Aqshy.
Satisfied you move it off the flame to cool, and with a growing sense of urgency move to a whole battery of tests you've prepared beforehand. Time loses meaning, is ignored, becomes unimportant, as you are in meticulously experimenting, observing, confirming that this is no mere fluke, that, despite its flaws, this Rune has done it.
When there are no tests left, when there is no doubt that can be dragged up, when your certainty is as sure as Gromril, you are left standing in your sanctum whispering a single sentence to a man long dead yet whose shadow looms second only to his Father's.
"Durin, I have found it..."
━<><><>< 394 A.P. ><><><>━
You only just had the wherewithal to tell Karstah that your schedule had to be cleared for the next year or two before re-entering your sanctum and getting to work.
With Windsight so much becomes possible, and yet still so limited.
The roadblock with Adamant? Fizzles away as direct proof of your theory is there plain as day. You learn that the metal, for all that it glows so brightly with Aqshy, Chamon and Hysh, is itself as inert as obsidian. For all the the Winds attempt to enter, to suffuse the metal as surely as Chamon does Gromril, they cannot. Something stops them, and only through the application of Runecraft, though you cannot actually see the Winds beyond the point that they enter the Rune, does any amount of magic suffuse the metal. Now more than ever you know for certain that magic required, and with the Rune you have a strong idea about how it needs to be applied.
After all, if Adamant was the absence of the Winds in metal, then that may well have been why it takes to Runes so well. Simply put, you believe that Adamant takes to Runes so well is because the energy of Runecraft, demonstrably the Winds yet almost certainly changed in some fashion, flows through Adamant uncontested. Where even Gromril is touched by Chamon, the same cannot be said for Adamant, and with nothing to compete against the expression of Runecraft can simply exert itself all the more perfectly.
Which begs the question, what would happen then if you created a metal that was actively conducive to the Winds?
In your pursuit of that question, almost by accident, your work with Alchemy hits an entirely new milestone as well. Methods of infusing the Winds are still out of your reach, but you do manage to create a Rune that, for all intents and purposes, burns away the physical properties of an item and leaves a pile of sand infused with a single Wind of Magic, most often the one the burned item resonated with most strongly. Of course it wasn't that easy, the Winds were soon swept away or melded with the environment and the ash loses the property it originally had.
It isn't what you want, but its promising.
You're perfectly ready to keep tinkering away at the project until a solution can be found, but are interrupted when Karstah enters your sanctum bearing earth-shattering news.
━<><><><==><><><>━
At winter's end messengers from Karaz a Karak arrive at the gates of every Hold across the Dwarfen realms. The Kings and handful of Queens who rule from the eldest Holds in the south to the farthest reaches of the frontier are given letters written on sheafs of gilded silver, each and every one personally written by the hand and bearing the personal sigil of Snorri Whitebeard.
There is no long winding prose, not extensive explanation, only a simple message that conveys far more than is actually written.
The Ancestors have gone.
I do not speak falsely.
In the name of my Father, I ask that on Matterfran of the four hundredth and fourth year, you come to Karaz a Karak so that proof of this claim can be given, and that a path forward out of this Crisis may be charted.
Snorri Grungnisson, King of Karaz a Karak
━<><><>< Khazalid Trivia ><><><>━
Gormwand - "High Staff"/ Rune staff of Power/ the Runestaff of Thungni
Karaz-Kazak-Rhun - "Enduring War Rune"/ the Runehammer of Thungni
Kuri - Meat stew boiled up by travelling Dwarfs from whatever ingredients are at hand. Traditionally spiced with wild berries.
Materfran - Spring Equinox
Wand - Magical rune staff
Wyrstikul - The Winter Solstice. The turn of the year is a major festival for Smednir, marking the completion of an old work and the beginning of the new.
━<><><><Gain ><><><>━
- Deed Upgraded! Legendary Deed, The Chainwright > Mythical Deed, The Chainwright
-- You have gone beyond even your own wildest expectations; opening up the creation and usage of Gromril Chain to its greatest possible extent and then some, and because of it your people take one more step forward in their efforts to follow the example set by the Ancestors. In your own personal estimation such an act brings you one step closer to standing proudly beside the legends of old; Dwarfs who are second only to the Ancestor Gods in skill, deed and legend. Yours is a name given due acknowledgement for the advancement it has brought to all Dwarfkind.
- Fimir Eyes complete!
-- The eye of the magically inclined Fimir are said to be capable of viewing the Winds of magic. While you can't directly observe that, you do notice that the eyes are…rather terrible? At least for vision.
-- Has no uses in any Runes you yet know. Will likely affect the Rune of Forged Eye, and possibly Windsight.
-- +2 Progress to The Mind of Things Pt. 5, new totals: Complete.
- The Mind of Things Pt. 5 complete! The Mind of Things Pt. 6 and Extra-sensory Unlocked!
-- Rune of Brotherhood improved further. Wearer temporarily assimilates the skills of allies in range.
-- New Rune Unlocked! Master Rune of Brotherhood, Necessary Ingredients: [T2] White Lion or Mammoth's Brain: Wearer temporarily assimilates the skills of allies in range, will improve the rate that the wearer permanently learns the greatest non magic skill known by one chosen ally.
-- [Master of the Odd!] New Rune Unlocked! IncompleteRune of Windsight: Wearer can see the colors of the respective Winds within, around or associated with a chosen object they view. There is a size limit, no focusing on the sky, but a storm is possible for instance, and Runes mysteriously look no different from before. Prosthetic Only. Incomplete.More like Rune of Color-sight, Bah!
--- Adamant Property Discovered! Despite being incomplete, The Rune of Windsight has revealed to you that Adamant attracts Chamon, Hysh and Aqshy, yet some force actually prevents the Winds from entering the metal.
--- +3 Progress to Akazit
- Akazit complete! Akazit Pt. 2 Unlocked!
-- You think you found a way to burn away all but one of the Winds of magic within an item? Most times, not always, but how else do you describe it? You aren't sure. It's the beginning of something though.
-- New Rune Unlocked! Incomplete? Rune of Calcination: Furnaces bearing this Rune instead burn with magical flame, burning away something from whatever is inside Most times it leaves coloured ash which almost immediately loses its colour after the process ends. The Rune of Windsight reveals the ash is almost uniformly composed of one Wind before being overwhelmed by the other Winds, namely Aqshy from exposure to the environment. Other times more unique reactions occur. Named after the closest process you can think it relates to, the Elves call it Calcination, though there are obvious differences from it.
--- Burning Ore leaves behind granules of constituent metals within
---- Technically useful for metallurgy if the process wasn't so slow.
--- Burning Stone leaves [T2] Obsidian
--- Burning organic material leaves a random ash color, usually green or orange but not always, and is dependent on the species, specific organ or part and freshness of material.
-- +1 Progress to Akazit Pt. 2, new totals [Cost: (14 -1) = 13 actions] You seem to be burning away something, the next question is how you can stabilize this odd ash. Perhaps a medium of some sort? Maybe a better container. The Rune of Windsight at least hints towards what needs to be done. Isolating it from the other Winds will be key.
- The Rune Metal Pt. 5 complete!
-- There is more to Adamant, you're sure of it now. Your fellow Brotherhood members, as do you, believe it will be a process that will involve magic but little else. They do not know the truth about the Winds. You do, and now the work begins on understanding how to get there.
-- Perhaps it is the height of Hubris, but there is a notion in your heart that Adamant feels, transitory? The difficulty in working it, the fact that it allows Lonely Runes to break that which defines their existence but not the Rule of Three… Perhaps the vision colours your view, no, it most certainly does, but you must at least try no?
-- +1 Progress to Understand the Master Rune of Purification [Banner], new totals: [Cost: (16 -14) = 2 actions]
-- +8 Progress to the Rune Metal Pt. 6, new totals: [Cost: (18 - 3[Rollover] -3[Standing procs] -2 [Completing 3b]) =10 actions] Your wondering, if perhaps the key to improving Adamant lies in selectively re-introducing the Winds of Magic. You once believed Adamant's purity made it conducive to Runes, but perhaps its simply the lack of "competition," that allows for Runes to be as powerful as they are on it? What then, if you create an environment perfect for Runes, whatever such a thing would appear like.
-- +2 Progress to Akazit, new totals: (calculated below)
-- -50 Favour with the Cult of Valaya (calculated below)
Trait Upgraded:
- Trait Upgraded! Soul of the Earth: Every 2 research actions used on all minerals, metals or other earthborn things add 1 free action's worth of progress. If 3 research actions, instead add 2 free actions. Work with all metals will be greatly improved.
- Minor bookkeeping error, forgot to update after your specialty ranked up.
-- +1 Progress to Understand the Master Rune of Purification [Banner], new totals: [Cost: (16 -12) = 4 actions]
- The Rune Metal Pt. 3b complete!
-- With your improved understanding of Adamant and Gromril, a process has at last been devised. You have simplified the creation of Gromril Chain to the point that a Master Blacksmith needs only an apprentice Runesmith to inscribe 9 Runes. Something in far easier supply than acquiring the time and skills of a Master Runesmith who would need to know the constituent Master Runes.
-- New Rune Unlocked! Rune Forgeflame: Condenses heat generated in area into a specified space, but requires a constant source of heat to draw from. Structural Only.
-- New Rune Combo Unlocked! Combo, Rouse the Forge: [Rune of Vigorous Furnace, Rune of the Crucible, Rune of Ventilation] Fuel in forges bearing these Runes have massively increased efficiency and efficacy, enough that only a fraction of the charcoal normally needed to work Gromril is required.
-- New Rune Combo Unlocked! Combo, Heat the Metal: [Rune of Forgeflame, Rune of Annealing, Rune of Copper] Rooms store and capture ambient heat generated within and can then transfer that heat to a specific item or defined space inside the room, the melting point of the metal is lowered.
-- New Rune Combo Unlocked! Combo, Malleability: [Rune of Strength, Rune of Smednir, Rune of Forging] Metals are drawn through a drawplate more easily and do not suffer defects or snapping.
-- New Set Combo Unlocked! Set Combo, Grungni's Challenge: [Rouse the Forge, Heat the Metal, Malleability] Siphons the heat from a forge into a miniscule space while both insulating the user and strengthening them greatly.
-- +2 Progress to The Rune Metal Pt. 5, new totals (calculated below)
-- +1 Progress to Understand the Master Rune of Purification [Banner], new totals: [Cost: (16 -13) = 3 actions]
-- -95 Favour with the Cult of Valaya. (calculated below)
-- -5 Favour with The Brotherhood of Dron. (calculated below)
-- +1 Standing with the Cult of Grungni. (calculated below)
- The Rune Metal Pt. 5 complete!
-- There is more to Adamant, you're sure of it now. Your fellow Brotherhood members, as do you, believe it will be a process that will involve magic but little else. They do not know the truth about the Winds. You do, and now the work begins on understanding how to get there.
-- Perhaps it is the height of Hubris, but there is a notion in your heart that Adamant feels, transitory? The difficulty in working it, the fact that it allows Lonely Runes to break that which defines their existence but not the Rule of Three… Perhaps the vision colours your view, no, it most certainly does, but you must at least try no?
-- +1 Progress to Understand the Master Rune of Purification [Banner], new totals: [Cost: (16 -14) = 2 actions]
-- +8 Progress to the Rune Metal Pt. 6, new totals: [Cost: (18 - 3[Rollover] -3[Standing procs] -2 [Completing 3b]) =10 actions] Your wondering, if perhaps the key to improving Adamant lies in selectively re-introducing the Winds of Magic. You once believed Adamant's purity made it conducive to Runes, but perhaps its simply the lack of "competition," that allows for Runes to be as powerful as they are on it? What then, if you create an environment perfect for Runes, whatever such a thing would appear like.
-- +2 Progress to Akazit, new totals: (calculated below)
-- -50 Favour with the Cult of Valaya (calculated below)
- +3 Progress to a Wonderful Endeavour, new totals: [Cost: (24 -6) =18 actions]
-- The Realms know what you intend, and they are not afraid to tell you what they think.
--- +1 Very brief but anxiety inducing letter written on Gromril leaf.
-- -45 Favours with Kraka Drakk. (calculated below)
- Eggs for your Thoughts complete!
-- You now own three small Drakk hatchlings.
--- One with beaten Gromril spines and copper flecked eyes.
--- One with some spines that look as if they were subjected to flames.
--- One that is larger than its siblings with shifting eyes.
-- They seem to like Karstah more than you, but at least they'll eat the jerky you brought them.
- Fimir Eyes complete!
-- The eye of the magically inclined Fimir are said to be capable of viewing the Winds of magic. While you can't directly observe that, you do notice that the eyes are…rather terrible? At least for vision.
-- Can be used
-- +2 Progress to The Mind of Things Pt. 5, new totals: Complete.
- The Mind of Things Pt. 5 complete! The Mind of Things Pt. 6 and Extra-sensory Unlocked!
-- New Rune Unlocked! Incomplete, Rune of Windsight: Wearer can see the colors of the respective Winds within or associated with a chosen object they view. There is a size limit, no focusing on the sky, but a storm is possible for instance, and Runes mysteriously look no different from before? More like Rune of Color-sight, Bah!
--- Adamant Property Discovered! Despite being incomplete, The Rune of Windsight has revealed to you that Adamant attracts Chamon, Hysh and Aqshy, yet some force actually prevents the Winds from entering the metal.
--- +3 Progress to Akazit
- Akazit complete! Akazit Pt. 2 Unlocked!
-- You think you found a way to burn away all but one of the Winds of magic within an item? Most times, not always, but how else do you describe it? You aren't sure. It's the beginning of something though.
-- New Rune Unlocked! Incomplete? Rune of Calcination: Furnaces bearing this Rune instead burn with magical flame, burning away something from whatever is inside Most times it leaves coloured ash which almost immediately loses its colour after the process ends. The Rune of Windsight reveals the ash is almost uniformly composed of one Wind before being overwhelmed by the other Winds, namely Aqshy from exposure to the environment. Other times more unique reactions occur. Named after the closest process you can think it relates to, the Elves call it Calcination, though there are obvious differences from it.
--- Burning Ore leaves behind granules of constituent metals within
---- Technically useful for metallurgy if the process wasn't so slow.
--- Burning Stone leaves [T2] Obsidian
--- Burning organic material leaves a random ash color, usually green or orange but not always, and is dependent on the species, specific organ or part and freshness of material.
-- +1 Progress to Akazit Pt. 2, new totals [Cost: (14 -1) = 13 actions] You seem to be burning away something, the next question is how you can stabilize this odd ash. Perhaps a medium of some sort? Maybe a better container. The Rune of Windsight at least hints towards what needs to be done. Isolating it from the other Winds will be key.
- The Fixing of Things complete! The Fixing of Things Pt. 2 Unlocked for Turn 49!
-- Ogra's research is of course entirely building focused, and depends on drawing upon existing material surrounding the structure to fuel its repairs.
--- It's of no use when upgrading the Rune of Repair, but it gives you enough information to realize the Rune of Repair isn't worth upgrading. Whoever created it, Valaya or Thungni, seemed to have made this Rune as a mere proof of concept, a way to introduce someone, like say whoever received the metal basket it was inscribed on, about this path.
-- In other news, some of Ogra's notes can be incorporated into your secondary Gronti project at least.
--- +1 Progress to the Movement of Things 5b, new totals: [Cost: (14 -8) =6 actions]
- The Secrets of Storage complete! The Secrets of Storage Pt. 2 Unlocked for Turn 49!
-- Ogras notes are enlightening. While the direction of her research was aimed towards expanding the internal volume of buildings, some of that knowledge is still applicable to the Rune of Storage.
--- Admittedly they seem to appear to tackle the issue at completely different ends of the spectrum.
--- However, like the Rune of Repair the cost is frankly not worth the effort and points to deliberate action to make it so. An entirely new Rune needs to be designed you reckon. After that, you're certain that you'll reach an impasse of what exactly your focus should be though.
-- +1 Progress to the Secrets of Storage Pt. 2, new totals: [Cost: (14 -1) =13 actions]
- Supplies ordered!
-- x1 [Ingredient] T4 Elder Magma Wyrm Heart Ordered, received Turn 50
-- x1 [Ingredient] T4 Elder Wyrm's Gas Sac Item Ordered, received Turn 50
-- x2 [Ingredient] T4 Elder Magma Wyrm's Brain, received Turn 50
-- x1 [Ingredient] T3 Flawless Solar Ruby Ordered, received Turn 49
-- x1 [Ingredient] T3 Dirach's Eye Ordered, received Turn 49
--- -40 Favours with Kraka Drakk. (calculated below)
--- -25 Favours with Kraka Grom. (calculated below)
- Princely Hunting complete!
- +1 [Corpse] Ancient Greedy Troll
-- +1 [Ingredient] T4 Ancient Greedy Troll's Heart
-- +4 [Ingredient] T4 Ancient Greedy Troll's Blood
-- +1 [Ingredient] T4 Ancient Greedy Troll's Stomach
- -10 Favours with Kraka Drakk. (calculated below)
Retainers:
- Waywarding Complete!
-- +10 to Waystone Rolls.
- Glimmering Steel complete!
-- +55 Favours with Kraka Krum, +1 [T3] Giant Cave Spider's Venom. Krum produces greater quantities of steel, improves access to and quality of steel across the Far North. While Clan Truesteel's estimates are not incorrect, due to the sheer size of the deposit they effectively have a far higher ceiling than they realized, and fully exploiting the deposit will take time. Though when it eventually does, the effects will be more far reaching than their wildest expectations.
- +1 Progress to Valaya Calls, new totals: [Cost: (2 -1) =1 retainer actions]
- +9 Engineers recruited, new totals: 21
- +9 Huskarls recruited, new totals: 29
9 + 9 = 120/120
Favour and Standing
- -95 Favours with Kraka Drakk, new totals: Favours 315
- -25 Favours with Kraka Grom, new totals: Favours 390
- +55 Favours with Kraka Krum, new totals: Favours 55
- -5 Favours with the Brotherhood of Dron, new totals: Favours 0
- -145 Favours with the Cult of Valaya, new totals: Favours 55
- +1 Standing with the Cult of Grungni, new totals: Standing 8
- Revealed Standing with Karak Izril, new totals: Standing -2, Favours 0
-- You are the one who dares claim to carry Durin's torch, his Will? With this farce? Arrogance and disrespect of the past shall be met with derision and disdain by the Glittering Lords.
- Revealed Standing with Karak Brynduraz, new totals: Standing 0, Favours 0
-- Kraka Drakk clearly attempts to assert its strength, and they see you as an extension of this too-young Hold who wishes to prove itself a rival worthy of the Brightstone Hold.
━<><><><==><><><>━
Ugly as sin but I release this before midnight as I swore to the Discord I'd do. I shleep now. Goodnight goodbye! Don't forget to C&C, hope its still legible.
All while Snorri is doing something utterly insane. Again. And plans to go even further. The fact a multitude of the Burudin's challenges may be completed just as a side effect of his search is rather funny.
Alric's Challenge Create a method of reliable, quick and secure communication as possible. Reveal and gain 1 Standing with Alric Thungnisson, Angkra Twenty-loops, and
It's kinda fitting to me that it's the apprentice of the apprentice of Durin who is paving the path to the answering of Durin's Consternation.
Snorri is at the fore front of a whole new avenue of Rune research that I reckon if he shares his discovery will light a fire in the other Runelords so hard that we might get a new big boom in the art of Rune crafting.
Sad that Thungi has gone though based on the text. Wanted him to come and personally see the Rhuniveristy. Though he may just appear and disappear through some Divinic dohecky.
This is the first step anyone has made in figuring out Durin's consternation, quite likely since Durin himself... We also have shit Windsight. A wizard, even a bargain basement hedge witch can see more than just the colors of the winds emanating from things. We need to be able to see the interactions between them and the environment before we can move on to the holy grail of 'how do runes work'.
Your understanding of how the Burudin operated and interacted with each other took a blow when the first half dozen pages was a response to a long running argument about the best aesthetic color combination on black-stained metal.
Clearly the answer is silver? Hows it taken them two centuries to see this? You should clarify this Snorri.
And you can explain why troll jerky is superior to either lamb while you're at it. Finally we'll see the Burudin united.
Angkra's Challenge Devise a Means of Creating a Prosthetic that grows with the user. Reveal and gain 2 Standing with Angkra Twenty-loops.
Angkra Twenty-loops has taken an interest in a curious northern invention, Prosthetic Runes. She has come into contact with Snerra of all people, and has been inspired by the young woman's vigorous efforts to develop something that can be used for beardlings and the like. A topic which has captured the daughter of Thungni's personal attention.
Awww, although this does bear asking, how many of the Burudin know the prosphesis runes. I doubt they've come to study but it might be flowing upwards from their apprentices and grand apprentices
Alric's Challenge Create a method of reliable, quick and secure communication as possible. Reveal and gain 1 Standing with Alric Thungnisson, Angkra Twenty-loops, and
As a consequence of his frequent discussions with his venerable uncle, the mighty and wise Snorri Whitebeard, Alric has offered a prompt for any that wish to take it up. A way for messages to be shared across the realms faster than any Runebearer, safer than any road and as reliable as a Master Crafted axe. Such is the sort of goal, the sort of problem a proper Runelord should set their sights upon he reckons, anything less is beneath them.
-- New Rune Unlocked! Master Rune of Brotherhood, Necessary Ingredients: [T2] White Lion or Mammoth's Brain: Wearer temporarily assimilates the skills of allies in range, will improve the rate that the wearer permanently learns the greatest non magic skill known by one chosen ally.
Trait Upgraded:
- Trait Upgraded! Soul of the Earth: Every 2 research actions used on all minerals, metals or other earthborn things add 1 free action's worth of progress. If 3 research actions, instead add 2 free actions. Work with all metals will be greatly improved.
Oh dear. You know how Albert Einstein had an annus mirabilis, a miracle year where he published four papers that redefined the entire field of Physics?
This is, without a doubt, Snorri Giftgiver's Annus Mirabilis.
Oh dear. You know how Albert Einstein had an annus mirabilis, a miracle year where he published four papers that redefined the entire field of Physics?
This is, without a doubt, Snorri Giftgiver's Annus Mirabilis.
Red! Reds a highlight as best, I gave up thinking it was the best combination with black when I grew out of my edgy beardling years.
You may as well suggest any neon colour. Horrifying.
How about we compromise on gold, every dwarfs favourite colour.
Well I am hype for us finally figuring out how to combine magic properly into our runecrafting. Now we just have to wait for the entirety of dwarf society to stop having a meltdown now that the Ancestors are not there to hold their hand.
The floor and walls of the Anvil chamber slowly morphs, showing flashes as first but then longer and longer vignettes of a glittering world; a cavern so large and grand that it stretches beyond the horizon, its ceiling so high as to be obscured by clouds of metallic mist, megalithic spires and columns of gemstones glow with energy, lighting up the dark to reveal seams of ore and jewels larger than buildings, rivers of gold and other precious metals flow in channels wide enough to engulf entire holds, particles of gems, gold and silver glint and float through the air like motes of dust in such numbers that it appears as if the air sparkles. So great is the concentration of energy that the veil between reality and the Realm of Thought and Emotion is more a sheer curtain of silk.
This is the first step anyone has made in figuring out Durin's consternation, quite likely since Durin himself... We also have shit Windsight. A wizard, even a bargain basement hedge witch can see more than just the colors of the winds emanating from things. We need to be able to see the interactions between them and the environment before we can move on to the holy grail of 'how do runes work'.
Our perception of the Winds will likely be quite standardized, because Snori is a dwarf, but that will not change what they are. Odds are our way of looking at magic would be quite recognizable to a member of the College of Light since that is the most Ordered of the Winds.
The timing of this is fit to drive a Dawi to madness, considering an Ancestor contacted Snorri to say that judgement on his Runiversity would be forthcoming ... only for them all to vanish
In the name of my Father, I ask that on Matterfran of the four hundredth and fourth year, you come to Karaz a Karak so that proof of this claim can be given, and that a path forward out of this Crisis may be charted.
The timing of this is fit to drive a Dawi to madness, considering an Ancestor contacted Snorri to say that judgement on his Runiversity would be forthcoming ... only for them all to vanish
The timing of this is fit to drive a Dawi to madness, considering an Ancestor contacted Snorri to say that judgement on his Runiversity would be forthcoming ... only for them all to vanish
