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RHUNRIKKI STROLLAR (Warhammer Fantasy Golden Age Dwarf Runelord Quest)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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Discord.

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.

Please endeavour to be cordial. :^)
 
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soulcake said:
Because of the previous Trial, you didn't expect anything to happen to you when you pulled this ingot from its pedestal, and that laxness is what damns you. Almost the moment you peel it from its pedestal the Rune reacts, and begins to glow with brilliant and dazzling light.

Then your mind is forcefully dragged away elsewhere.
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Okay, this is slightly worrying me that either this was wrong or the previous one was but not sure.
soulcake said:
Why teach these Masters instead of taking on more apprentices? They weren't mutually exclusive paths. What benefit did you gain limiting yourself to just one?
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This doesn't entirely ring true to me? Snorri's had 7 apprentices and by most accounts that far above the average, Vragni Apprentice-Teacher who taught 1000 beardlings is a statistical outlier and should not have been counted.
Lorna didn't have one before becoming a Runelord and seems to have sworn them off since.
E: If you feel like telling me that this was Snorri's self doubt not Alric and Thungi actually appearing before Snorri in a dream and telling him to take more apprentices or he's a hypocrite... Please don't I know that and other people already have.
Alectai said:
Center's definitely out, I think. I feel like the Right is the way to go here. Though the Left can make sense too.
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Soulcake cackling "Surely they won't pick left three times in a row."
 
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Regarding Rune choice, these are all phenomenal.

Right would be my preference.

Center gives a mind untouched by the depredations of the world and foes, our mind a fortress against the twisting plague of doubt that Daemons inflict or the words that others try.

But at the same time, it also creates someone stubborn beyond all reckoning. Mental resilience, or willpower, that no argument can break? No plea can bend? That doesn't create someone who can learn if they were wrong. That is not overcoming, that is merely enduring to all measures. Dawi must be able to stand on their own and stubbornness is a valuable and valued trait but utter inflexibility, utter rigidity simply means that once the load become the great it snaps.

I think Right is the choice here, because it is drawing power from Dawi stubbornness and endurance. In resisting we endure, in enduring we overcome, in overcoming we grow stronger.

To be Dawi is to be unmoving in the face of foes but also always curious and seeking to learn and explore. And Right provides a static support network via Willpower, functionally adding it directly to our Strength and Stamina in World of Darkness terms.

With the first Rune, we can resist the blows that fall upon us, never letting the same strike hit as hard as the one before it.

With the Second we can see and overcome all the powers that try to influence our mind.

And if we take Right, then so long as our Will endures so functionally can we.

I say Right is the best option here.

soulcake said:
It will damn the Guild, it will damn the Karaz Ankor, when the day comes that you push too far everything shatters in your hands. And I want to tell it to you plainly, because either you don't know, or more concerningly, you do and you do not care.
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I can't help but think these are also the reasons for the Ancestors themselves leaving as well. Because until they left, the whole Karaz Ankor was an empire of Apprentices, always beckoning at their Master's calls and following.

Snorri does have the problem of being overbearing and protective, not without good reason but all the same he despises allowing those he cares for or considers his responsibility to endure pain or loss. As much of a curmudgeon as he can seem Snorri cares for a lot of people.

The prior scene I think was also showing that Snorri fools himself in thinking that things are better if he does not indulge in all the joys of having his daughter around or having a family.

Yes, the vision played on his original wife, but I think it was showing Snorri that he is also no immune to deceiving himself.
 
Dark as Silver said:
This doesn't entirely ring true to me? Snorri's had 7 apprentices and by most accounts that far above the average, Vragni Apprentice-Teacher who taught 1000 beardlings is a statistical outlier and should not have been counted.
Lorna didn't have one before becoming a Runelord and seems to have sworn them off since.
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That is Snorri whose wife survived and he had a daughter, but I guess it goes to the same root. And either way, that is Snorri's internal thoughts.
 
Dark as Silver said:
This doesn't entirely ring true to me? Snorri's had 7 apprentices and by most accounts that far above the average, Vragni Apprentice-Teacher who taught 1000 beardlings is a statistical outlier and should not have been counted.
Lorna didn't have one before becoming a Runelord and seems to have sworn them off since.
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Doesn't matter, this is not a comparison against other people. Snori is spending some time teaching, the traditional way would be to teach apprentices in that time. He refuses to do so and instead teaches masters because that is more efficient. So intrinsically this is a conflict with and a critique of tradition.
 
soulcake said:
You do not trust them.
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This whole segment was hard to read, in a good way. Congrats to soulcake for giving Snorri some more trauma, it's been a while since last one.

For trail hammer is all good but I just hope Snorri will be able to push through these doubts in a healthy manner and grow better both as a person and runesmith too. I feel like even for a trial that is "supposed" teach contestants some humility that was a bit too harsh. Tho Snorri himself said it wasn't like Thungi to go for a "An inelegant method of doing it" I wonder if he is letting his own biases get in the way and learning not the wrong lesson but not the right one either.

For the vote, I think both left and right seems reasonable but going left for 3rd time is giving "several questions have c as an answer in a test" vibes which I guess triggered some long forgotten high school PTSD for me :V
 
Thematically it's definitely Right. But dear sweet god the functionality of the Left when combined with Barak Azamar.

I'm definitely going to choose Right because it's pretty clearly the correct choice. But it's gonna sting to give up the Left.

And to be clear, Left is absolutely the Wrong choice, not just for this puzzle but for Snorri himself, because it does exactly what was Snorri just criticizing himself for. Coddling those around himself by overly protecting them. Thinking they can't handle themselves on their own.
 
soulcake said:
As above, but to play Devil's advocate you're a very Old Runelord, virtually unchallenged in your region. Even a small schism is one schism too many.
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From Snori's perspective that would be terrible of course, from my perspective OOC... I'm not sure if the eternal monoculture is desirable. Seems to me that the Ancestors' desire to see the dwarfs reach new paths and grow beyond looking to them for everything inherently contains the seeds of schism. If you break the mold it's not all going to be in one direction.
 
Left is probably the effect I want most. Stacking every suit in the hearthguard with an additional banner source seems useful.
I'm curious how it would stack, presumably soulcake wouldn't let us have 200 elderly dwarves each of whom is gets further increased in toughness for every dwarf in the formation. A reasonable expectation would be a steep dropoff or you only get the effect of the largest single source. However even then given the rescue work the Hearthguard do, it would still be pretty valuable...

However I do think Right is probably the most correct answer.
Gabriel_TFA said:
That is Snorri whose wife survived and he had a daughter, but I guess it goes to the same root. And either way, that is Snorri's internal thoughts.
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soulcake said:
Fears aren't always rational.

As above, but to play Devil's advocate you're a very Old Runelord, virtually unchallenged in your region. Even a small schism is one schism too many.

Imagine being the first guy to make the Karaz Ankor fracture in anyway after the Ancestors leave.
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DragonParadox said:
Doesn't matter, this is not a comparison against other people. Snori is spending some time teaching, the traditional way would be to teach apprentices in that time. He refuses to do so and instead teaches masters because that is more efficient. So intrinsically this is a conflict with and a critique of tradition.
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Yes the story did make that clear, I didn't need three people to repeat this bit of the update back at me:
soulcake said:
You know these are not the words of Alric Thungnisson, that the Rune uses him only as a mouthpiece for another's thoughts and fears. No, these are not his…

"But mine," you murmur, finally taking control of the illusion fully as you fold the letter up and put it to the side.

These are your thoughts. Your worries. Buried deep, so much so that you almost believed them conquered, but the Rune has dredged them up to show you, to pick at these scars until they bleed. An inelegant method of doing it, and nothing like what you expect from Thungni.
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My opinion is that we go right. Left would be perfect if we fought in groups. However, because we mainly fight enemies on our level, where we use everything we have, including the storm, we rarely fight in groups. Those standing next to us being as durable as we are is useless if we stand alone, as we so often do.

Even if we drag along others with the left rune, they're not going to be viable combatants on our level because they'll lack the power we have, and be unhelpful, as their job to take down the lower level enemies around the big guy would already be fulfilled by our storm
 
... unless Thungni kicks us out of the Trial with a Portal, we're taking these runes of stone with us as loot.
Can't let Kazador take all of it.
 
So I guess we gotta go right now given we've gone left and center that seems like the last reasonable rune to look towards.
 
DragonParadox said:
If the guild and the whole Karaz Ankor are one Snori fuck up from being damned than they have already failed far more thoroughly than Snori ever could. The sentiment is itself quite prideful on Snori's part.
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In addition to being a fear he has already seen other Rune Universities pop up to keep him from having a monopoly on this. Formal institutions beget formality especially in dawi, and this isn't a single master but whole emerging factions and areas of influence. This can easily spiral into more formal guilds as found in dawi culture- something which not been done by Thungi.

Cecylene said:
The prior scene I think was also showing that Snorri fools himself in thinking that things are better if he does not indulge in all the joys of having his daughter around or having a family.
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Rather he feels he is failing, and all the ways he should have treated Karstah better if she were his biological daughter.

Aliya said:
Once again, I would ask people to divorce the utility of the runes from their correctness as answers to the riddle.
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The riddle is open ended, and I think meant to be so. One can say that an Ancestor is what the dawi are at the pinnacle, but on the other hand one can say the dawi are a community. To be the thing to aspire to, or be the bolstering example are two different but very valid views on what an Elder should be.
 
soulcake said:
I offer you this wisdom, Snorri, Runelord of Kraka Drakk. No Dwarf, not even those of us you call the Ancestors, can carry the burdens of the Karaz Ankor, let alone all of our people, alone. Woe betides the one whose pride is greater than the back that bears the weight of their words.
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this feels relevant.

I feel left is also a viable answer..

personally I think right is more appropriate
 
wakshazi said:
Rather he feels he is failing, and all the ways he should have treated Karstah better if she were his biological daughter.
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I wonder if he recognises the implication that he failed all his other apprentices, or if deep done he just doesn't care about that. They all presumably deserve the same care and attention from their master, without favouritism to one apprentice above another.
 
I'm going to triple down on left.

One of Snorri's fears that got thrown back at him. That he is overreaching.

No.

He is raising up others.
That has always been his goal.

Pick a place to stand, and stand.
 
I think it's left again, Dawi isn't singular it's a collective.

To claim the Hammer is to claim the seat of one Lost.

To claim the seat of one Lost is to embody Us.

To embody Us is to be Dawi

To be Dawi is to—

—Resist.

Overcome.

Endure.
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What does the Runesmith guild do as a whole? They strengthen all Dawi not just themselves. I think it's left again.
 
Every Ancestor has hammered home that what matters is Will and we've seen every old dwarf will themselves beyond their limits. For the combo it's definitely Right. The left one is perfect for the storm survival banner but honestly doesn't fit with the combo we made. It would fit better with the rune that buffed allies' courage but we chose to focus on a single target combo.
 
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