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 think the post that most showed this was that one where Snorri and his brother discovered they were amongst the oldest of their clan, we don't see any notion of time flying so much but Snorri is over a millennia old now
Among long-lived, near-immortal being, Dwarfs are obsessive with their skills and hobbies, and Elves have a wide variety of ways to entertain themselves. Most notably, they represent the height of decadence and luxury. Dragons, ofc, love to sleep for entire decades if not centuries.
I propose the reason Vampires are so emo is simply because they don't have anything they like to do to fight off the ennui of that long a life.
The Great Stew of Valaya is a famous artifact of the Everpeak Valayan priesthood. Which attracts thousands of pilgrims a day to try it themselves and contribute their own ingredients to the perpetual stew.
The stew itself despite being the allegedly holy part is the overshadowed by its Cauldron and what it says about dwarf psychology. After several thousand years of being eaten and replaced it is very safe to say, there is nothing of Valaya's cooking left in this stew if there ever was any. Although dwarves who have tasted it have been quite taken this is likely due to the religious experience, most humans who have tried have described it as middling or passable.
The dwarf refusal to acknowledge this obvious fact likely reflects on the trauma of not only losing the Ancestors but also the gradual loss of their artifacts. Gazuls Brazier may never be found again, and most dwarves will never lay eyes on the Throne of Power, however the stew can be endlessly replenished and many temples across the dwarf realm and even some temples in the Empire also serve Valayan stew which has allegedly been seeded from the great stew.
This means it is not only something they can never lose, and is within the day to day lives of most dwarves.
Its notable that the stew wasn't served in the temple until some years after the latest possible disappearance date of Valaya, making it questionable if Valaya ever even cooked this, this may hint at the traumatic repercussions of the disappearances to dwarf society and the need to still feel close to the lost gods.
There are ongoing internal theological debates as to whether other stews in Valayan temples are also Valaya's stew or if it is only when served from the main temple that it is holy. There even exists a radically conservative faction that claims the true holy stew is only served from a particular break room used by the night shift started by Valaya and which the great cauldron was originally filled from.
The cauldron which is large enough for ten dwaves to lie end to end along the rim and was reportedly created by Angkra Thirty Loops a favored -great-granddaughter of Valaya. The decoration is unusual for it depicts a wide number of scenes of no particular consequence and several other inexplicable oddities that are generally thought to be in jokes among the immediate friends and family of Valaya which have been presented without context. From an artistic point of view has been interpreted to Valaya the mother and grandmother as a person rather than the Mother as an aspect of her divinity. Given that the cauldrons first known attestation is within a century of Valaya's disappearance and visual deciptions of it also carry these unusual scenes, it is hard to imagine dwarves who were contemporaries of the Ancestors would have allowed this sort of forgery or made up stories to stand unchallenged were these false, it marks a unique and frustratingly opaque insight into the lives of the ancients. Historical records seem to suggest that even at the time a great number of pilgrims were confused by some scenes.
Whom so ever runed it is currently unknown.
Despite the age and importance of this relic the runecraft on it is remarkably simple, it demonstrates a rarely seen spatial effect that allows it to contain far more than its already prodigious size would allow and prevents spillage, as if dwarves jostling the holy relic ten thousand years old was a genuine concern. Of interest is that it doesn't carry any of the obvious choices that might be used here such as the Rune of Hearty Soup or the Rune of Seasoning. While it is claimed that this was done as even basic runes to maintain heat could potentially affect the flavour, this is transparently false, if they cared about the taste then the stew would be maintained according to a recipe passed down for millenia as some taverns have achieved rather than allowing any random passerby to throw in their own meat or vegetable. Instead this likely suggests that the cauldron predates the invention of those runes.
I don't think I can really do a Leandra Agua voice, but this is my own attempt at a skeptical scholar. There are more than a few mistakes in this text, some of which I even intended.
I figure after a couple of millenia, Valaya must have had a lot of silly stories that she might have told to her grand kids, but probably didn't make it into religious texts.
Will note on the discussion of non Dwarf runesmiths from a few pages back, first edition WHF does have the Runemasters, who are wizards that apparently learnt to do some runes by either learning from (their version of events) or torturing a runesmith(Dwarf version of events) and the Dwarves kept hunting them down. But at least it theoretically implies some sort of rune magic doable for non Dwarves, at least first edition wise which is a bit of an oddity in a lot of places xD.
Its coherent enough if you think of it as a sufficiently firm and tested belief...because the Winds of Magic can do that sort of thing even if they aren't running on true runic principles.
A wizard of sufficient potency and (likely misplaced) confidence that it works like that could probably do it. And once its done the students only need to imitate their teacher.
The Great Stew of Valaya is a famous artifact of the Everpeak Valayan priesthood. Which attracts thousands of pilgrims a day to try it themselves and contribute their own ingredients to the perpetual stew.
....
I don't think I can really do a Leandra Agua voice, but this is my own attempt at a skeptical scholar. There are more than a few mistakes in this text, some of which I even intended.
I figure after a couple of millenia, Valaya must have had a lot of silly stories that she might have told to her grand kids, but probably didn't make it into religious texts.
*all the missing ancestor gods sitting in the darkest corner of mundus* "Got any 3's?" "Go Fish." "Can we play something else? We've been playing this Go Fish for 100 years now. How about that new fangled card game that young Snorri made?"
I think it was a fun concept to engage with, providing free meals to the community is pretty Valayan and dwarves wouldn't usually engage with a Ship of Theseus in any sort of way so its an unusual area for them. So ideas sort of just kept popping up.
And we never talk about the non earth shattering artifacts of the Ancestors, like Clan Such and Such who have a heirloom axe where Grimnir after throwing away his axe grabbed one from a nearby huscarl and kept fighting. After the battle he gave it back and ever since its been put in a vault.
Or the wooden pickaxe Grungni once used to prove a point to some beardling miners who immediately afterwards fished it out of the trash after he was done with it.
The Great Stew of Valaya is a famous artifact of the Everpeak Valayan priesthood. Which attracts thousands of pilgrims a day to try it themselves and contribute their own ingredients to the perpetual stew.
The stew itself despite being the allegedly holy part is the overshadowed by its Cauldron and what it says about dwarf psychology. After several thousand years of being eaten and replaced it is very safe to say, there is nothing of Valaya's cooking left in this stew if there ever was any. Although dwarves who have tasted it have been quite taken this is likely due to the religious experience, most humans who have tried have described it as middling or passable.
The dwarf refusal to acknowledge this obvious fact likely reflects on the trauma of not only losing the Ancestors but also the gradual loss of their artifacts. Gazuls Brazier may never be found again, and most dwarves will never lay eyes on the Throne of Power, however the stew can be endlessly replenished and many temples across the dwarf realm and even some temples in the Empire also serve Valayan stew which has allegedly been seeded from the great stew.
This means it is not only something they can never lose, and is within the day to day lives of most dwarves.
Its notable that the stew wasn't served in the temple until some years after the latest possible disappearance date of Valaya, making it questionable if Valaya ever even cooked this, this may hint at the traumatic repercussions of the disappearances to dwarf society and the need to still feel close to the lost gods.
There are ongoing internal theological debates as to whether other stews in Valayan temples are also Valaya's stew or if it is only when served from the main temple that it is holy. There even exists a radically conservative faction that claims the true holy stew is only served from a particular break room used by the night shift started by Valaya and which the great cauldron was originally filled from.
The cauldron which is large enough for ten dwaves to lie end to end along the rim and was reportedly created by Angkra Thirty Loops a favored -great-granddaughter of Valaya. The decoration is unusual for it depicts a wide number of scenes of no particular consequence and several other inexplicable oddities that are generally thought to be in jokes among the immediate friends and family of Valaya which have been presented without context. From an artistic point of view has been interpreted to Valaya the mother and grandmother as a person rather than the Mother as an aspect of her divinity. Given that the cauldrons first known attestation is within a century of Valaya's disappearance and visual deciptions of it also carry these unusual scenes, it is hard to imagine dwarves who were contemporaries of the Ancestors would have allowed this sort of forgery or made up stories to stand unchallenged were these false, it marks a unique and frustratingly opaque insight into the lives of the ancients. Historical records seem to suggest that even at the time a great number of pilgrims were confused by some scenes.
Whom so ever runed it is currently unknown.
Despite the age and importance of this relic the runecraft on it is remarkably simple, it demonstrates a rarely seen spatial effect that allows it to contain far more than its already prodigious size would allow and prevents spillage, as if dwarves jostling the holy relic ten thousand years old was a genuine concern. Of interest is that it doesn't carry any of the obvious choices that might be used here such as the Rune of Hearty Soup or the Rune of Seasoning. While it is claimed that this was done as even basic runes to maintain heat could potentially affect the flavour, this is transparently false, if they cared about the taste then the stew would be maintained according to a recipe passed down for millenia as some taverns have achieved rather than allowing any random passerby to throw in their own meat or vegetable. Instead this likely suggests that the cauldron predates the invention of those runes.
I don't think I can really do a Leandra Agua voice, but this is my own attempt at a skeptical scholar. There are more than a few mistakes in this text, some of which I even intended.
I figure after a couple of millenia, Valaya must have had a lot of silly stories that she might have told to her grand kids, but probably didn't make it into religious texts.
You can try but I'm two steps ahead.
The only way to start making progress on our roll bonus backlog, which extends back to Jan 2023 (Unless soulcake stopped updating omakes as USED) is for me to read your mind and preempt all your omakes with worse versions of them in order to ruin both.
You can try but I'm two steps ahead.
The only way to start making progress on our roll bonus backlog, which extends back to Jan 2023 (Unless soulcake stopped updating omakes as USED) is for me to read your mind and preempt all your omakes with worse versions of them in order to ruin both.
Random idea for after we complete the Rune Of Waking Elements (and convert the Master Rune Of Brotherhood) way down the line:
Rune Of Waking Elements, Rune Of Siphoning, Master Rune Of Brotherhood (Engineering) At your call does it come, power drawn from the deepest earth, your very shadow risen from earth and stone.
I don't know how much knowledge or skill the constructs form from the Rune Of Waking Elements typically display, and I'm not sure if Siphoning really does anything here other than help with power limitations, but this feels like it could do something interesting. Maybe it would even let them retain some of that knowledge between instances, though that feels like a long shot.
I could see swapping out M!Brotherhood for M!Fraternity. I don't think regular Brotherhood works because it specifies that a 'dwarf' can temporarily assimilate skills. And we haven't simplified M!Fraternity, so I can't begin to speculate on whether regular Fraternity would work.
Random idea for after we complete the Rune Of Waking Elements (and convert the Master Rune Of Brotherhood) way down the line:
Rune Of Waking Elements, Rune Of Siphoning, Master Rune Of Brotherhood (Engineering) At your call does it come, power drawn from the deepest earth, your very shadow risen from earth and stone.
I don't know how much knowledge or skill the constructs form from the Rune Of Waking Elements typically display, and I'm not sure if Siphoning really does anything here other than help with power limitations, but this feels like it could do something interesting. Maybe it would even let them retain some of that knowledge between instances, though that feels like a long shot.
I could see swapping out M!Brotherhood for M!Fraternity. I don't think regular Brotherhood works because it specifies that a 'dwarf' can temporarily assimilate skills. And we haven't simplified M!Fraternity, so I can't begin to speculate on whether regular Fraternity would work.
Random idea for after we complete the Rune Of Waking Elements (and convert the Master Rune Of Brotherhood) way down the line:
Rune Of Waking Elements, Rune Of Siphoning, Master Rune Of Brotherhood (Engineering) At your call does it come, power drawn from the deepest earth, your very shadow risen from earth and stone.
I don't know how much knowledge or skill the constructs form from the Rune Of Waking Elements typically display, and I'm not sure if Siphoning really does anything here other than help with power limitations, but this feels like it could do something interesting. Maybe it would even let them retain some of that knowledge between instances, though that feels like a long shot.
I could see swapping out M!Brotherhood for M!Fraternity. I don't think regular Brotherhood works because it specifies that a 'dwarf' can temporarily assimilate skills. And we haven't simplified M!Fraternity, so I can't begin to speculate on whether regular Fraternity would work.
The Christmas Singularity is here! A Santa Challenge, laid down by Skadi to all those who've served as Santa over the years, whether Quetzalcoatl, Karna or Nightingale! And our most obvious contender has summoned his most trustworthy help: His daughter and apprentice, Karstah Snorrisdottir, but perhaps more pressingly, Drakksdottir.
-Ritsuka Fujimaru "A giant Gronti in the shape of a dragon," Karstah quietly adds, drawing looks from Snorri, Yorri and the two Hearthwardens in the room.
Class: Rider, 5 Star
-The Drakksdottir, first and foremost. The mind that originally proposed Skaudardrengi, the caretaker of Shard wyrms, her connection to dragons is emphasized, double emphasized, and then triple emphasized in this Spirit Origin. Ironically, as the surest sign of her split from her father this is Karstah at her most herself as well in terms of personality, and the one likliest to be summoned, for all she could be summoned as a Caster as a Priestess of Thungni, at the least, or Berserker as Lenasdottir.
Titles: Heir of Klausson, Drakksdottir, Snorrisdottir, Firemane, Lenasdottir
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Attribute: Sky
Parameters: Strength: B Endurance: EX Agility: C Mana: E Luck: D Noble Phantasm: A+
Class Skills: Magic Resistance: A
-She has the intrinsic magical resistance of a dwarf, further refined in training as a Runesmith, however she lacks the sheer breadth, the sheer grasp, of her father in the matter. For all she followed the path of Windsight set out by Snorri, and for all studied with the Brana, she lacks the esotericism required to be really dangerous. On the other hand, she is a longplait of the Golden Age and on that account ruinous to any magic she does not allow.
Drakksmottir: C
-A particular variation of Riding, born of Karstah having been both the original proposer and designer of the great white beast Skaudardrengi and the one who took care of the trio of Shard Wyrms Izgrom, Zharrok and Grimgal, leaving her capable of not merely riding but of influencing dragons to be friendlier to her, though she is not much for horseback riding. Shuten, Mordred, Elizabeth, they all seem to place much more stock into what she says than they "should" though it's far from an absolute. By that same token, however, dragon slaying attacks, from Georgios, Sigurd, or Siegfried, for instance, do more damage than they should, managing to carve through her armor like a wet paper towel, and not the good stuff either. Furthermore, she herself is a catalyst for summoning other Dragons, hearing her call and answering
Divinity: D
-Like all Runesmiths, a distant relation of Thungni Grungnisson, the mythical progenitor of many Clans and founder of multiple Holds who discovered the art of Runesmithing in the first place.
Personal Skills:
Stout Arm of Brutality: C
-Her Journey brought her into conflict with the Beastmen during the same pivotal campaign that saw Snorri Whitebeard cleanse the Black Mountains of them at the edge of ax and the face of hammer, with fire and fury. They were lessons she never forgot, lessons that make her a nightmare for the beasts of the world, lessons she would show again and again during her life and now that she has been summoned. Her blows unerringly seek out and destroy such taint.
Myth Maker: B
-She raised three Drakks, all of them mages of a sort; taught apprentices to boot, many of whom went on to shape the world itself; as well as making mighty treasures for the Hearth Guard which even now endures, protecting Khazagar in the far north. Suffice to say, she has proven herself one who shapes the myths and the events of the world around her, one way or another, usually for the better.
Usually.
Silver Drakks of the Karaz Ankor: A
-Three Shard Wyrms follow her, three Shard Wyrms influenced by her, three Shard Wyrms kin to her and to her father. The connection is strong, but three such beasts require a vast amount of magic to maintain, more than can be easily drawn up (most of the time, anyway). However, by stockpiling magical energy she can slowly but surely and indefinitely summon Grimgal, Izgrom and Zharrok. As three Shard Wyrms, that is a potent force indeed.
Noble Phantasms:
Skaudardrengi
Rank: EX
Anti-Everything
Range: 100
Targets: 1000+
-The Great Silver Dragon Gronti, the great destroyer of armies, the capstone of Khazagar, Daemonsbane, Foefeller, the titles won in victory could be etched on each adamant scale and you would run out of scales long before victories. Karstah can temporarily summon the beast to kill whatever has the audacity to annoy her, breaking it at the edge of its lightning screams and beating wings, however a longer term summon on the same scale as, for instance, the Triplets requires a bit more doing.
Azrilzhufgotten
Rank: A
Barrier
Range: 1-10 Targets: 1000+
-A banner made of troll hide topped by a troll's skull dipped in silver and marked with the image of fallen Karag Dum and oaths to Valaya to protect the innocent and to take retribution against the guilt. A wreath of bright fire surrounds Karstah's allies, one that offers the best of protection to each individual. Further on the charge her allies are strengthened, and no obstacle may stand before them.
Dwedrakk
Rank: A
Anti-Army
Range: 100
Targets: 1000+
-Karstah summons the three dragons whom she cared for, temporarily feeding them magical energy to bring them to her side. One would be a terrible threat; three makes her a force that can shatter armies and kneel nations if she should so desire. If summoned in such a matter it is deeply temporary taking much of her Contractor's magical energy; if they have been summoned as Servants themselves then they are brought to her position, assuming their master is friendly.
Personality: Not quite a young Karstah, but not really an elder Karstah either. Her rage is still bright and fiery hot, and yet the influence of raising three dragons still shows itself in her. Grasping, acquisitive, desiring to make some mark for herself, that remains the same, as does her loyalty, to her Master and to her newfound Clan, and more beside. Patient and adventurous, wrathful and caring, perhaps the most consistent thing in her is a streak of pity for her fellow orphans and those who ended up without parents, one way or another.
Relationships:
Artoria Pendragon (Lancer)
"Bah! Girl, what in the world are you wearing? Go put your armor back on before you catch your death of the cold!"
"...Very well, elder."
"Turn away for five seconds, and they lose their damn mind, I swear."
Artoria may be the Lion King, may have the goddess Rhongomyniad whispering in her ear--but as certain as night is dark and day is bright, too she has the core of a dragon, and the core of a dragon cannot let her ignore the words of Karstah. She offers more than a little consideration to the words of the Drakksmottir, and allows Karstah to speak to her in a way she would allow few others. For her part, Karstah pities Artoria for casting aside her mortality for the sake of her people, a decision she has seen before and was not overly fond of then, never mind now. She tries to offer advice, council and wisdom to the woman, wisdom she sees as sorely lacking around Chaldea. Why else would an eighteen year old be stuck doing just about everything? I ask the same question, really.
Merlin (Prototype) Lady Avalon
"Unfortunately for you, I haven't suffered severe and irrepairable brain damage unlike the rest of these people. I know exactly what and who you are."
"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."
"A lousy teacher, a shoddy teacher, a shameful teacher. Return to Avalon, now."
To a student of the Gift-Giver, a student of an excellent teacher, the behavior of Merlin from that other world is somewhere between shameful and infuriating. A deep veil of loathing falls on her as both student and teacher alike, having heard from Arthur exactly the kind of behavior she indulged in, abandoning him as a lad to try and figure out how to save his people, and she has no patience for it. It is not simply on sight in most cases, it is even simply to know she is around. This is not entirely unlike her relation with Merlin proper, though whatever one may think of his behavior at the least he never abandoned Artoria in the way Lady Avalon abandoned Arthur.
Of course, she may rage so much she's missed more subtle secrets...
Mordred
"Calm down, give her back the sword."
"If she can't keep it, does she deserve to have it?"
"You sure you want to find out how I'll make you give it back?"
"...Fine."
A house and fire. Mordred wants attention, and Karstah is willing to give it if only out of pity that both her mother and her father refused to deal honorably with her, and that has given her power over the Knight of Rebellion, a power few have ever managed to wield. She is one of the few people who can properly discipline Mordred and make her stop acting like an upjumped delinquent, at least for a time. Mordred, for her part, offers thought to Karstah's advice, and gives consideration to the wisdom of her elder, though as the Knight of Rebellion for all her inner Dragon gives credence to Karstah, she does manage to make considerably more of a production out of the whole affair than any of the other dragons do in listening to her.
Oy @soulcake ! Quick question:
How does civil leadership in Khazid Okraz looks like? figured it unwillingly differs from 'regular' dwarfen Khazid but how so?
Does it have a thane? Do Hearthguard elect a regent, is there a council of Elders? How involved King Gloin gets?
Just something that was not addressed...
-Like all Runesmiths, a distant relation of Thungni Grungnisson, the mythical progenitor of many Clans and founder of multiple Holds who discovered the art of Runesmithing in the first place.
