"Well, I suppose I'll have to stay for a little bit," Master Yorri grumbles from the bed next to you.
"Your legs are broken in six places and Elder Moira is on record for threatening us both if we even think of moving before we've healed Master," you reply.
"Aye, she did," Yorri replies.
A groan echoes from the corner of the room, drawing both sets of eyes towards the almost-mummified form of Otrek, covered as he is in bandages.
"Is this the Underearth?" he mutters through the cloth wrappings.
"Nai Rikki, just the Temple of Valaya," Yorri replies.
"The wall?" he asks.
"Held. Grimnir led the charge out of the gates with his companions and your son," you answer.
"Wait, the Ancestor is?-"
"-Gone, headed north days ago. Not rightly sure of the details meself but He and His group wasted no time. Course he left both you and young Snorri something before he did," Yorri replies.
You grunt in agreement, staring at the tablet glowing faintly by your bed before picking up on Yorri's phrase fully.
Seeing your confused look your Master snorts.
"Maybe you can't see from your position over there, but I can see the glint of gold on the Rikki's bedside there. Wasn't there til only
after Grimnir came by," he explains.
"You were awake?" you ask.
"COURSE I WAS! You think a concussion, four broken limbs and who knows what else can keep me down?" Yorri rumbles.
Otrek doesn't seem to listen to your banter, his one uninjured hand is desperately grasping blindly for whatever it is Grimnir left him. Yorri notices first and helps direct Otrek's hand towards the item on his bedside counter.
"What is it?" Otrek says, raising the object in his hand for the both of you to see.
"A ring/ring," you both reply, eyes wide.
It is no Runic masterpiece, no great ward or weapon of woe, but a band of simple, if finely engraved with beautifully stylized mountains, Oathgold inset with a small ruby.
Beautiful.
…
With Otrek conscious, if bedbound, he can return to his duties at least somewhat. Moira dares any dwarf with business for the King to go through her, which makes the situation of Otrek a tad bit bearable. Those duties that Otrek can't take up, either due to his injuries or because of Moira's terrible glare, are handed off to Gloin. Who, while still injured, is capable enough to go through the grim task of cleaning up the enemies, leading sallies out, and tallying the dead alongside his father.
The total losses are enough to make you grind your teeth in anger.
Two in five Kraka Drakk Dwarfs dead, the number only so
low because your hold housed far more refugees at this point than it did natives. Speaking of, the rate of attrition among the refugees made yours seem palatable. One in two refugees will be buried never seeing their homes again. By the reckoning of the Loremasters, only a
third of every hold in the far north has survived going by various sources of information.
As for the south, none have yet heard news from even Vlag or Ungor.
It will take centuries for your people to recover, but at the very least,
they will.
…
(Roll, Dolgi: 4 +5[Omake] =9)
(Roll, Griffon Friend Reroll: =55)
(Roll, Snerra: 20)
When you ask after your fool apprentices, you were told both were injured in the final struggle to kill Kholek. Snerra having been blasted off the wall by the bolt of a Shaggoth when she pushed an unsuspecting dwarf out of the way. As for the beast responsible, it was immediately slain by furious members of clan Bryggeroot and Winterhearth in retaliation.
Dolgi survived the tunnels well enough given how much of a hellhole you've been told they were, but got his fool self nearly killed
again when he charged out with the dwarfs following Grimnir. Getting saved by a Griffon before he was crushed underfoot by a falling Dragon Ogre. Seems like his work armouring them was paying off from what you could tell given that they seem to always be there to stop him from getting his fool self killed.
You wish Klorah well.
"Snorri!" Yorri calls from the bed next to you.
"Yes Master?" you reply.
"What's this about not using Troll Tongue on your apprentices?!" he rumbles.
You sigh, having dreaded this day.
The things you do for them.
...
As you spend the year in bed, you rely on the Huskarls and dwarfs that come and go into your room to have an idea about the outside world. From the looks of things, the final year of the siege is looking to be a quiet one. Well, quiet compared to the last two some decades of conflict. Only sporadic attacks by lesser armies of daemons and monsters. Nothing that could truly instill fear into the hearts of your people, not after what you'd just endured. Halfway through the year, you are told 30 of Grimnir's companions return, holding 10 of their fallen brothers atop their shields. Those not seriously injured hole themselves up in the Temple of Grimnir while their living allies recuperate in the Temple of Valaya and the dead are prepared for travel back to their homes for proper burial.
When a few dare ask for information, you are told that Grimnir's companions will not utter a word of what occurred beyond the bare minimum. Grimnir went north, they followed but were bid to return. Only Lord Morgrim followed his father onward, the rest of them unable to continue. From how the Huskarls tell it, these dwarfs feel shame on a level none could begin to comprehend for their failure.
Beyond that, they only leave the Temple of Grimnir to bring battle and wage war on the few daemonic hordes that dare assault Kraka Drakk. Venting their anger and rage at any that fall within the reach of their weapons.
...
Two-thirds of the way through the year, a Huskarl comes into the room where the three of you are still forced to stay in with messages for both you and Otrek specifically.
For Otrek, it is a request for material aid in fortifying their nests and coming to an arrangement for armouring his surviving flock, the gut-punch of knowing your odd allies were reduced by two thirds to defend your home is a debt that none here can deny. A near-century of cooperation, with your young spending two decades beneath the mountain in preparation for the worst has bound your hold and theirs together. Time will tell if such bonds will extend beyond to the rest of your folk, but the Dwarfs of Kraka Drakk remember her allies as surely as she does her foes. Otrek ordering one of his runners to see the groundwork laid down to begin assisting your feathered companions.
As for you, the King simply asks one question.
Do you want the Suneater's heart? The King has kept the monster's corpse fresh using a type of magic He and his people use to stockpile food. Not exactly Runes, but after everything your people have been through you'll give them a pass for resorting to such a fickle thing like untamed magic.
But back to the topic at hand. The King of The Skies recognizes the kind of works that could be made using the heart of the Suneater as a reagent for a truly powerful Rune array and offers you the chance to use his boon to claim it. If not, he will consume the heart, as he and his kind seem wont to do, and grow in ways straightforward and not. When you ask the Huskarl for clarification he simply apologizes, saying that the King could not explain it beyond that. The best the massive Griffon could do was use allegory and metaphor because he lacked the terminology to properly articulate the phenomenon.
My flock are bound to me as Aspen to the mother root, what I become is passed in some way to them and they to me. Time has seen the ease of such change fall lower and lower. Where once a heart gave me speech and thought, direction for the power I possess, the tides of fate freeze like the sea in deepest winter. Only mighty things can now do what the mundane did before, and mayhaps even that will fail in time.
The Huskarl admits much of what was said is beyond his understanding and the King looks no different, but you and probably Yorri can parse out enough to make sense.
If your interpretation is correct, then whatever twist of magic or biology that made these Griffons so different from the others is fading, or perhaps it's more accurate to say setting, into a final shape. The heart would provide perhaps one more change, though you aren't sure how many more the Griffons would go through, but he'd allow you to claim it as per the spirit of his boon.
You've been toying with the idea of making the King's armour with the very material of his boon, and the Heart of Kholek Suneater would surely make a mighty suit of armour. But the question on your mind is whether that armour would outweigh the benefits of such a change.
The King of the Skies simply asks that you give him an answer by the decade's end.
...
In the final days of the year, near the anniversary of Grimnir and Morgrim's departure the skies clear, and the shadow is pushed back as daemons disapparate and scream in hate. Coinciding with this phenomenon, Kraka Drakk is again greeted by the sight of
Drengi at the gates. Morgrim's terrifying war machine is a ruin, battle damage and scarring evident across its surface. Whatever could have damaged the Pure Gromril plating of the mighty machine left great rents in its armour and melted sections off it entirely. As for Morgrim himself, His armour is half broken and in disrepair, though He is unharmed physically. It is a testament to His skill and technical prowess that He manages to drive
Drengi's hulk into the most secure section of the Engineers Guildhall for Him to repair before it broke down entirely. Or so you are told, still being bed-bound when this all occurs.
None can say what Morgrim's mental state is in, especially not after seeing Him carry His father's axe and tell His tale. Of the final stages of the trek north to seal the Chaos Gate, of the duel with the great wyrm Glammendrin that barred Grimnir's way, its defeat, the ancestors subsequent ritual scarring. Then to the three day battle against Kragen'ome'nanthal, the great spawn of Khorne. And finally to Him handing off of one of his axes, with an order for Morgrim to return home and spread the news of what happened.
Over the coming days, Dwarfs throughout the hold take a moment to pay silent respects and honour Grimnir The Valiant for His final and greatest act. For there is no other reason, at least in their minds, as to why the shadows have been pushed back so thoroughly and why some sense of normalcy has returned to the land.
In your mind, His final message repeats itself over and over.
Fight and live well ... die for something even better than that.
Leave it to Grimnir to set the greatest example of His own philosophy.
In a bit of lighter news, Morgrim leaves the workshop He'd commandeered to announce that, at least for a while, he will stay in the north and see about aiding in its reconstruction. His logic being that, as the closest to the only known entrance of Chaos into the world He will do what He can to prepare you before He must head south and spread the news of Grimnir's fate.
...
- Morgrim Grimnirsson, eldest scion of the Valiant has decided to spend some time in the north to aid in the reconstruction of the region while he enacts repairs on
Drengi. Intent on doing what He can with His limited time to prepare the dwarfs here to face the brunt of Chaos' only known avenue of attack before heading back south.
- One out of Three Dwarf Holds in the North has survived the onslaught. The same can be said for the Griffons who nobly defended the skies of Kraka Drakk at the cost of their own lives.
- In that same vein, Otrek has declared a debt is owed to the Griffons of the Skarrenraz Ankor and already has the council making plans to see it paid in full.
- News from the south has not yet arrived, but given Morgrim's tale, its safe to assume they are beginning the long road to recovery.
…
[ ] Request the Heart: You may use the boon to claim the heart of Kholek Suneater for whatever purpose you deem it used for.
Gain: [T5] Suneater's Heart: The heart of the creature who sundered so many of your homes. It lies inert but twitches frequently as arcs of lightning course through it still.
Activates Boon from the Sky.
Or.
[ ] Refuse the Heart: Allow the King of the Skies to consume it.
Gain standing with the Skarrenraz Ankor and KoTS. ???
You have 5 actions this turn and [Special] Yorri prods x4 which can be used in some actions. YOU NEED TO TAKE THE ACTION AND INVEST ONE ACTION TO USE THE PROD, UNLESS STATED ASSUME YOU CAN ONLY PROD ONCE.
General:
[ ] Odd Places 5/10: Look on Master Yorri's map and try and discover one of his marked locations. The locations will certainly be odd, but whether they'll be useful will remain to be seen.
[Cost: 1 action] Roll for usefulness.
- Prod Yorri: Master Yorri probably knows a few things and secrets. Given he found these parts in the first place.
[Cost: 1 prod] Gain +15 to Odd Places Roll
[ ] Apprentice Hunt: Go out and trawl through the local and regional populace to find a beardling or two worth your time. No stone unturned, no clan unchecked, no record unread, even the Foundling Wards!
[Cost: 1 Action] Apprentice Vote after Turn Results.
[ ] Boon from the Sky: Write-in what you want from the King of the Skies. He can do a lot but be reasonable. In exchange, he expects a suit of armour.
[Cost: Start Request, [Difficult] Plated Skies Pt. 1:]
[ ] Prod for Prod: Master Yorri is most certainly more learned and experienced than you are, but mayhaps you have something worth his time as well? The secrets of the Rune Metal Adamant, your discovery of flaming comets?
[Cost: 1 action] Gain x3 Yorri prods
Requests: Denote which simple request will receive the Apprentice Action in your plan.
[-] [Simple] Apprentice work: your not
that young, but still young, charges are now of an age you feel it acceptable for them to do a bit of exploration. Send your apprentices out into the hold and pick up a few tasks from whoever offers it to them. Give them a bit of experience for their upcoming task as journeymen and let them build a reputation in the hold. You'll, of course, critique their work and use it as a learning experience as any good master ought to.
[Cost: variable apprentice actions] Roll for usefulness. 1 Roll per apprentice action. Locked due to no apprentices.
[ ] [Simple] Warded Aeries: The Griffons of the Skarrenraz Ankor suffered terribly defending the skies of your hold. The decade-long siege has seen many an oath of friendship sworn between your folk and theirs. An entire generation of "Clutchlings" as they are called, has been raised alongside your own youth safely within the halls of the Karak. Their nests are high above the world, but they are ill-suited to protecting them from that which can fly as well. Rectify this, at least for the roost in Kraka Drakk, and aid in Otrek's work to repay these odd but dependable allies.
[Cost: 2 actions] Productivity Like No Other will proc.
[ ] [Simple] Weaponized Wings: You can't arm the Griffons of the Skarrenraz Ankor with Gromril, while lesser in population than the hold they make up for it in sheer bulk that needs to be protected. What you
can do, however, is take part in King Otrek's efforts to arm them with Runic weaponry and good solid steel armour. It will mostly consist of you spending time fitting a few select Griffons, likely the eldest and most powerful given your position, with Rune weapons and maybe a suit of Gromril armour if they're important enough.
[Cost: 1 action] Productivity Like No Other will proc.
[ ] [Difficult] A Princely Panoply Pt. 1: Otrek has come to you with a minor request, seeking your expertise in armouring the scions of the King of the Skies in fine Gromril armour capable of keeping the Griffon's legacy alive as a gift to be given. He who Thinks and He who Remembers have different philosophies over the kind of armour they want. The former wants to retain his speed and dexterity while the latter wishes to improve his already formidable endurance and toughness. a multi-work project.
[Cost: 1 action] If a rune you want requires special ingredients that you don't have access to I will alert you. Choose 2.
- [ ] Choose: choose three runes you want on the weapon.
- [ ] Theme: write in a theme for the weapon. (I will roll to see if you find a new combo)
- [ ] GM: Leave it to the GM. (I will roll to see if you find a new combo)
[ ] [Difficult] Write in, A Miner's Brother Pt. 1: Since returning from the campaign you've been reflecting on Grimnir and how he fought, twin axes flashing. Sometimes you found yourself looking at the Miner while these thoughts tumbled through your mind, and now they've all fallen together. You could make it a Brother, a Warrior. A twelve-meter tall Gronti forged from steel polished to a wondrous shine with twin axes of Gromril, mighty and doughty to set before the Inner Gate of Kraka Drakk, whose king is descended from the Valiant One.
[Cost: 1 action] If a rune you want requires special ingredients that you don't have access to I will alert you.
- [ ] Choose: choose three runes you want on the weapon.
- [ ] Theme: write in a theme for the weapon. (I will roll to see if you find a new combo)
- [ ] GM: Leave it to the GM. (I will roll to see if you find a new combo)
[ ] [Difficult] Write In Pt. 1:You've had an idea! This is the template for write in item request! Please put down the name, description and type of equipment/item you want made. Pt 2 of the item will cost differently depending on the number of items and potentially the size of it as well. A base guideline for Pt. 2 costs will be at the bottom of the post.
[Cost: 1 action] If a rune you want requires special ingredients that you don't have access to I will alert you.
- [ ] Choose: choose three runes you want on the weapon.
- [ ] Theme: write in a theme for the weapon. (I will roll to see if you find a new combo)
- [ ] GM: Leave it to the GM. (I will roll to see if you find a new combo)
Research:
[ ] Dragon Ogre Autopsy: You've found yourself with a bevy of corpses to study. Dragon Ogres aren't an
unknown foe, but you've never been privy to the results of the few limited autopsies done in the long history of your people.
[Cost: 6 actions] Student of the Odd will proc.
- [ ] Destructive Research: You have very
many corpses. Being a bit more invasive in your understanding will mean more work gets done, but will cost you.
[Cost: 3 Shaggoth Corpses, 9 Dragon Ogre Corpses] Gain 2 Progress, can be taken multiple times.
- [ ] Prod Yorri: See if your master has something in his noggin, he spent a decade fighting these things.
[Cost: 1 prod] Gain 1d3 of progress.
[ ] Chimaera Autopsy: Damn things are odd monstrosities, three heads, two hearts, four brains. Neither one is entirely alike. A part of you wonders how much of this is useable and how much more is tainted krut. You'll have to wear some protective gear when dealing with these bodies.
[Cost 4 actions]
- [ ] Prod Yorri: Your master had to fight these things in his mad dash to Kraka Drakk. He may very well have an insight or two.
[Cost 1 prod] Gain 1 progress.
[ ] Silverwood: An entire forest odd silvery Wutroth is now under your ownership. While a large profit driver as you are well aware, there's an odd feeling in your belly when you look at the stuff. Beautiful like nothing else, and stronger than regular Wutroth as well. You know a few runes that require Wutroth to make, but maybe this has something special to it as well?
[Cost: 4 actions] Student of the Odd will proc.
- [ ] Prod Yorri: Your master never managed to see these trees up close the first time, but in his time spent waiting for you to find him he did manage to do
some digging.
[Cost: 1 prod] Gain 1d2 Progress
[ ] Hearthstones: This deep orange gem glows with never ending heat, never enough to boil water, but enough to sleep comfortably at night and keep a bowl of stew warm long after it's left the stove. You have a few theories about how useful the material will be, but you can't ever be sure. At least it's likely to be a profitable resource when you can get some actual production going though.
[Cost: 4 actions] Student of the Odd will proc.
- [ ] Prod Yorri: Your master worked well with these at least somewhat. See what he knows.
[Cost: 1 prod] Gain 2 Progress
[ ] Voidstones: You have four shards of the material left. You aren't sure
what it is, or if there's even more of it out there in the world, getting gobbled up by other Runelords inconspicuously. You'll have to do a bit of investigation as well as your more normal battery of tests.
[Cost: 5 actions] Student of the Odd will proc.
[ ] Diction Direction: Master Yorri's Rune of Translation is serviceable, but it's in a position that you can very clearly see areas for improvement. This would certainly be easier if you knew Master Yorri was right now, but you have the Rune and seven centuries under your belt, so it's not an
insurmountable challenge for a Runelord.
[Cost: (6 -4) =2 actions] Student of the Odd will proc.
- [ ] Prod Yorri: He discovered the damn thing, maybe he has more insights?
[Cost: 1 prod] Gain 1 Progress
[ ] The Secrets of Light?: That moment with the shield and sunray, the light of your torch glinting off the crystal, both sparked something in your mind. An ember that refused to be burned out. You've done permutations to the standard Rune of Light and a few on Master Yorri's Rune of Reflection, but maybe there could be more?
[Cost: (8 -2) =6 actions] Student of the Odd will proc.
- [ ] Prod Yorri: Master Yorri may have some knowledge he'd be willing to share.
[Cost: 1 prod] Gain 1d3 +1 Progress
[ ] The Movement of things: The Rune of Waking or Animation as some would call it is a rare rune. How Master Yorri knows both the regular and Master Rune could be explained by either a harrowing adventure full of terror, beasties and treasure or by something as mundane as asking a friend, you could never be sure with the man. Still, this was a rune that, to your frustration, you haven't had much chance to tinker with. Maybe just a peak?
[Cost: 8 actions] Student of the Odd will proc.
- [ ] Prod Yorri: Master Yorri, by his own account, has a good idea about how gronti and their ilk function.
[Cost: 1 prod] Gain 1d2+1 Progress, can be taken multiple times.
[ ] The Rune Metal Pt. 5: You've done it. Adamant is now, slowly, being made from your forge! It is an achievement of your lifetime by the reckoning of most dwarfs, but yet the glittering white stays in your mind. There is
more still.
[Cost: 12 actions] Student of the Odd and Mind for Metal will proc.
[ ] Understand a Master Rune: The same idea as studying any rune in theory, in practice it takes a lot longer and there's often a large chance of explosions.
[Cost: 16 actions] Depending on the choice, Student of the Odd and/or Mind of Metal may proc.
[ ] C-c-combo Tester!: Write-in format for a Rune Combo you want Snorri to test. Format is as follows: [Placeholder Combo Name] Equipment type: [Rune 1, Rune 2, Rune 3]
[Cost: 1 action] If a rune you want requires special ingredients that you don't have access to I will alert you.
Order: You can Order 1 new item a turn, but can have as many orders ongoing as you want. Don't hoard mats.
[ ] ORDER: Write-in
- [ ] Kingly Authority: You may petition King Otrek to flex his political muscle to expedite the process.
[Cost: 5,10,15, Favour from King Otrek, depending on tier] -1 turn taken on order.
[ ] Kingly Authority: You may petition King Otrek to flex his political muscle to order something for your use.
[Cost: 5,10,15, Favour from King Otrek, or Buradarr depending on tier] +1 Order.
[ ] Princely Hunting: It would be ridiculous for you to ask your King to go gallivanting around the North to find something for you to make a Rune out of, but a Prince or Princess? Well that's just you helping them build their legend through the slaying of monsters and aiding their elders.
[Cost: 5, 10 Favour from Prince Gloin depending on tier] +1 Order of T2 or T3 monster mats only.
Write in Equipment Action Costs:
1 Action - 1 standard piece of equipment.
2 Actions - Multiple pieces of equipment or Large individual items
3 Actions - Very Large individual items or a full/near full set of items.
How to vote on Multi-Piece Difficult Requests.
[Y] Dowry Pt. 1
- [Y] Choose/Theme/GM: For Item 1
- [Y] Choose/Theme/GM: For Item 2
- [Y] Choose/Theme/GM: For Item 3
Adamant Costs, General Guideline:
1 Piece of equipment or hypothetical Rune requiring Adamant - 1 bar
1 Suit of Armour for a Dwarf - 3 bars
1 Suit of Armour for a Human or Elf sized being - 4 bars
1 Piece of Ogre sized Gronti equipment - 2 bars
1 Suit of Ogre sized Gronti armour - 6 Bars
Anything larger just ask me, it will also appear in applicable actions.
Remember to vote by plan. There will be a two-hour moratorium for discussion.
EDIT: WORD OF GM. GIVING HIM THE HEART IS NOT A MONKEY'S PAW.
AN: So, this took longer than I thought. Sorry for the delay, but seeing as I start work tomorrow this one update every 2 days thing may become the new normal. Always knew I couldn't keep up the pace forever, but at least I got through the Great Incursion! Anywho, any questions relating to Morgrim's stay and your ability to speak with him will be met by radio silence. I roll for that stuff, seeing as Morgrim will be busy and despite your affinity for engineering runes, you won't be his first choice to speak with. As for Yorri, I can at least say I will roll for whether Wanderlust overtakes him, and then he'll run off again. It might be 2 turns or 3 or may even just be this turn! So thanks for reading, and dont forget to C&C :^)
