Turn 54 Results Pt. 1:
- Location
- Edmonton
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Winning Vote said:
(Roll, Prods: 3 +2 =5)
━<><><>< 445 A.P. ><><><>━
Deep beneath the rock and earth, hundreds of meters from the baleful gaze of sky and sun a party of Dwarf miners walked through the labyrinthine caverns of the underground.
Their paltry band was not a right and proper mining expedition, with dozens on dozens of Dawi and the great mass of material and equipment they brought to hew out the riches of the world, but rather they were prospectors. The ornery and rugged bunch who, out of curiosity, bravery or simple foolishness, struck out to search for the next great seam of ore or precious gems ripe for the taking. Their band was from Kraka Drakk, clothing bearing the mark of the Dragon Hold out of pride and the grim practicality of making their bodies identifiable if worse came to worst. Another trait that marked them out as Kraka Drakk Dawi was the comparative bevy of Runecraft they carried; each member of the band had a Rune-inscribed digging tool and a lamp that glowed without fuel, and half of them even possessed a rucksack that carried many times more in weight and volume than its size would suggest, with a few more trinkets unique to each party member.
They had been on the march for several ten-days now, about halfway through their expedition into as of yet uncharted parts of the tunnels beneath their home. Exhaustion and good sense mean they aren't singing with as much enthusiasm as they normally would be, the surveying has gone poorly and a run in with a giant spider nest meant they lost their good cheese in the escape.
"You hear that?" Dagrum mumbles, drawing confused looks from his fellows, "heard something to our right."
They pause their march and strain their ears, each member well aware that they were far from the safety and surety of properly Dwarf-held rock and all too cognizant of the tales and experiences of their colleagues and forebears to dismiss Dagrum's words.
Things lurked about down here, dangerous things. Hiding, resting, hunting, in places older than time and untouched by the light of the sun.
For minutes they hear not a peep out of place, but then Mulgrum raises his hand and points it westward.
Another two prospectors, Filli and Finn turn their ears in the direction Mulgrum points and listen for several moments before grimly confirming Dagrum and Mulgrum's words.
"Coming towards us." Filli says.
"Quickly." Finn tacks on.
"Chance we can move out of its way?" Bardin asks.
Another moment of silence, the other two mentally calculating in moments.
"Nai, too fast," they whisper, shaking their heads.
A round of cursing ensues.
"Lights out, picks ready." Old Grimbolg murmurs, right hand reaching for the handle of his weapon while the other fishes around in a sac hanging from his belt.
Each and every last member of the band moves into action, reaching for their belts and keeping their ears open in the direction that the four members had agreed the sound was coming from. Eventually Grimbolg and several others find what they're looking for, grunting as they pull out pyramids of inscribed stone that glow softly with magical light.
Runecraft.
Apprentice work to be true, but were they not from Kraka Drakk even the scraps from an apprentice would be beyond their means or station to afford. Instead it is merely a notable expense, but one well worth the price.
As one the Dwarfs tossed their pyramids away from them in a massive circle, whispering the activation key as they did so, and as each stone sailed through the air they began to glow like miniature suns. Fourteen balls of light flew and stuck to whatever they landed on, illuminating the area in a sterile white light.
The miners raise their weapons, mattocks, picks and even a hammer and face the oncoming creature, its trundling close enough that the ceiling shook loose dust and pebbles with each step.
"Grimnir, Grungni and Valaya, Ancestors watch over me."
"Gazul put a Hearthstone out and warm my seat."
They clench their weapons as the trundling slows, a few gulp as they see the silhouette in the distance finally become visible, and some curse as it continues to grow with every step it takes.
"Hullo there!"
They blink.
A drak that speaks to them in the tongue of their mothers emerges from the dark.
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Your traditional correspondence with Myrion continues as it ever has, and in recent years the contents of your letters have wandered into asking Myrion about the Kingdom of Caledor.
The first thing Myrion hammers into your head, both jokingly and not, is that Caledor is synonymous with two traits: pride and dragons respectively. While Myrion didn't quite describe it as such, her retelling of Caledor's founding leaves you with the impression that the Kingdom was a side effect, rather than the goal, of the Elf it was named after.
Myrion's description of life in Caledor paints a picture that altogether seems fantastical even for the Elves. Deep, rugged and towering volcanoes rich with the wealth of the earth darkened by the shadow of innumerable reptilian wings. Cities and citadels of granite and marble decorated in precious gems and metals where the nobility and their mighty steeds lived dotted the landscape, surrounded by the homes of the many servants that fed, equipped and fought for them. A society that to you, seemed built around supporting the individually most deadly warriors in Ulthuan. Among these myriad places, the two greatest sites in the Kingdom are its capital, Tor Caled, and the temple of Vaul's Anvil. The latter you already had some familiarity with, and to compensate Myrion spent most of her time writing about the city of Tor Caled, a fortress and monument of both the skill and power of the Elf that the Kingdom held with almost religious reverence, Caledor Dragontamer. Walls of volcanic rock, surrounded by a moat of molten stone and decorated with the greatest treasures dug from the Dragonspine, home to thousands of Elves and built on a scale so large that even a Dragon could walk down its avenues or enter several of its buildings easily.
It is, Myrion seems to admit with great difficulty, one of the grandest cities in Ulthuan, second only to the ones of her own home she assures.
Much as you found that knowledge fascinating, and could appreciate that there were yet more Elves understood the value of living near and in solid stone, you were far more interested in Caledor's relationship with the Dragons that inhabit the land they claim as their own, if only to compare and contrast with your own experiences.
Funny how fate turns out.
Centuries prior you thought it the height of madness for anyone to ride, let alone live alongside a drak of all things, and now here you are not only lodging three Shard Wyrms in the bowels of your home, but actively raising and providing opportunities for them to develop and grow.
Though admittedly most of the actual credit undoubtedly belongs to Karstah and your retainers in that regard.
Myrion is, unfortunately, not quite as knowledgeable in that area as you had hoped, but she can at least tell you that the Elves of Caledor hold their dragons in the highest regard. As both the source of their temporal power and out of healthy respect for creatures as dangerous as a drak, the Elves work hard to ensure their allies remain comfortable. Guarding both the physical location and knowledge of their lairs and nesting sites, feeding them, armoring them in enchanted equipment and providing gifts to grow their hoards and the like. For all that you could draw similarities between the Caledorians relationship with their draks to your own people's and the Branakroki, there were a few differences you find.
Maybe its just the nature of Myrion's sources, but from the looks of things the Elves revered their allies in a way yours didn't? Myrion mentioning how Caledorians are ever boastful of their mastery of the skies and their Dragons, and then mentioning how they toil to feed, arm, protect and supplicate their mounts made you wonder who exactly served who in that relationship.
Like how one of Jorri's friends spent far more than was necessary caring for his prized herd of ponies, except if the ponies could talk and breathed fire.
But then again who knows? Perhaps that was what was simply required to stay on a drak's good side, wouldn't surprise you.
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Grimbolg can't help but wonder if they've all stepped into a cloud of mad-gas someway back and they're all in the throes of a shared hallucination, because this felt all too surreal.
"As you can see good Elders, I am not at all a threat," the drak replies pleasantly.
No more than a few moments prior Grimbolg was making peace with the fact that not everyone in his band, himself included, may not come home, and now?
Now he and his second were looking over not only a leaflet of gold that bore the insignia of The Gift Giver and the Guildmaster declaring that this "Izgrom," was operating with the permission of both the Miners Guild and the King, but an honest to goodness prospecting permit signed by the Guildmaster himself.
He turns to look at Alric, who looks back at him with as much confusion on his face as his own.
"It is authentic," Grimbolg ultimately mutters, noting with no small amount of disbelief that all of the hidden symbols and indentations that should be on the real Guildmaster's seal are there.
As one, they turn to look back at the drak, his claws steepled together and something they can only guess is an attempt at a smile gracing his maw.
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Izgrom returns from his journey happy and covered in the dust and filth one would expect from an expedition into the world below.
From the looks of things, his time there has proven particularly fruitful to boot, even if you can't help but make an unflattering comparison to the saddlebags of a pony when you stare at the full to bursting sacks hanging from his frame.
Unaware of your thoughts, Karstah has something approaching a smile on her face as she watches Izgrom struggle to remove his gear alone before finally agreeing to the Hearth Guards' gruff offer of assistance.
It wasn't a particularly difficult to realize that, of the three Dragons in your care, Izgrom was by and large the most well-adjusted; curious, sometimes bothersome yes, but easily managing to absorb the cultural lessons and norms of your people at a speed and level of enthusiasm that neither of his siblings cared to manage. Zharrok saw what he found interesting and tended to discard the rest, while Grim seemed utterly unaware of anything until she decided to act, at which point she wielded her knowledge in a way that reminded you of a warrior wielding an axe more than anything. But Izgrom? Despite the image he presented with his tomfoolery and line stepping, you and Karstah did both notice that he certainly took the lessons to heart, practicing and remaining cognizant of the little details that would slip by someone who hadn't grown up a Dwarf.
It makes you wonder just how much Izgrom's decision to go on his journey was wanderlust and how much was him wanting to experience something similar to what young Dawi were taught upon their majority.
Regardless, you doubt sojourns like this will be a one time thing, Izgrom seems far too happy with his experience to be satisfied with only one trip down, and with his punctual and safe return you and likely Karstah don't see a reason to stop him.
As Izgrom proudly presents a particularly large node of iron ore to Karstah, complete with a very noticeable bite mark in one corner, you realize he nevertheless has his own little idiosyncrasies.
But who didn't?
Really, the only odd thing about the bite mark was its size, not the first time the Miners Guild turned a blind eye to the errant bite mark on some ore a Dwarf brought back. Old prospectors all had quirks and tricks they used when prospecting, and honestly taking an honest to goodness bite out of rock wasn't even breaking the top five oddest you've heard of.
Admittedly no Prospector you heard of ever took a bite quite as big or out of something quite as hard as Izgrom did.
━<><><>< 447 A.P. ><><><>━
Like his brother, Zharrok's time exploring his interests has proven beneficial to his personal development; the borderline obsession with fire that he's carried for almost his whole life having turned to more towards what could be done with fire rather than creating flame for its own sake. Its something your quietly thankful for, if only because a pyromaniacal dragon wasn't something you cared to deal with.
Instead of bare rock and a hoard of gold in the center, his lair is now more reminiscent of a smith's workshop, complete with a full forge, dozens of specialized tools, and shelves full of odds and ends organized in a system only Zharrok himself knows.
The hoard is still there of course, it's just been moved slightly to the side.
His Brana tutors, a mated pair of Stonebound Brana recommended to you by Blizzardwing, tell you that the young dragon is absorbing the theoretical lessons at breakneck pace. The practical side of his training, however, hasn't been progressing quite as rapidly. The reason why lies in just how the Stonebound shape metal ya see, alongside appropriating a few Dwarfen techniques the griffons also used a mix of their own physical strength and manipulation through Chamon to deform and shape metal. Zharrok, by contrast, has only his strength and an affinity for Aqshy, so half the time he and his tutors are attempting to find a way for him to create an analogous workaround. Its a large roadblock, but if anything it has only inspired the dragon to not only work harder, but look for other teachers as well.
And by others, you almost exclusively mean Menlinwen and Karstah.
The former for lessons in manipulating Aqshy that neither your people or the Brana could provide, and the latter because Karstah was a smith that would actually be willing to teach him as well as a figure he and Izgrom viewed akin to a surrogate mother. When the two of them are preoccupied only then does the dragon even consider going to your retainers, and then you after every other option's been exhausted.
Not quite sure what to make of that.
You can appreciate Zharrok's diligence at least, even if his sense of aesthetics is utterly alien to you, a strange blend of Dwarf, Brana, and Elven design principles.
He'll figure it out.
Probably.
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On a more personal note, your research continues its new, steady pace without much fanfare. Be it the Rune research you were chipping away at, with an understandable degree of extra precaution might you add, in between working on less involved projects like exchanging knowledge with Master Yorri, the day to day running of Khazagar, and the Chimera guts you were in the middle of categorizing.
The only particular thing of note over this time was in wrangling out a simplified version of the Master Rune of Runic Amplification.
Keeping the Rune's main function had meant discarding its ability to break down enemy magic, relegating it to simply grabbing errant magic around the wielder and enhancing the casts of nearby Runes instead. A sacrifice you thought was more than acceptable since learning how to unmake sorcerous nonsense was one of the foundational aspects of being a Runesmith, and a task your colleagues and forebears had devised a truly staggering number of ways to achieve to boot.
As a side note, you discovered an unexpected benefit to your work with the Rune of Siphoning, using what you knew with that Rune to help guide the creation of an analogous method for the Rune of Runic Amplification.
Second side note, take a look at the name, you can probably do better than Runic Amplification.
What were you thinking when you decided to name it that anyway?
The remaining few hours you've allotted for personal projects today before going to meet Master Yorri for the afternoon are spent alternating between continuing your autopsy on the Chimera's corpse and trying to brainstorm a new name for the Rune of Runic Amplification.
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When you leave your workshop to go meet Master Yorri, you are surprised to see the serpentine girth of Grimgal silently waiting before you. A brief glance to either side of you is returned only by the shrugs of your retainers makes you sigh.
"A surprise to see you out of your lair girl," you turn to tell her, "how long have you been waiting here?"
"Three hours," the Shard Wyrm says, "the caretaker's terms dictate excursion in exchange for the books we desire, thus we are here."
That…sounded about right actually, though you doubt Karstah meant for Grim to end her solitude just to end up somewhere only slightly more public.
"Well you can follow me to Master Yorri if you'd like, but the meeting between us is private," you offer.
The over twenty-meter long dragon takes a moment to think before nodding their head.
"This is acceptable."
With her decision made, the two of you depart, Grimgal having grown to the point that even while walking meters behind you her neck is long enough that her head casts a shadow down on you. The two of you walk in relative silence before you decide to break it with a question.
"You feel like doing anything like your brothers are?"
"The beast sees no reason to leave our lair, and my desire for books can be satiated from anywhere. Thus, we are content."
On one hand you appreciate that Grimgal's interest is in something that lets her remain rather sedentary. Ancestors know that you, Karstah and your retainers worked hard to coordinate and plan for both Izgrom and Zharrok's desires, but another part of you is well aware that not only is that sort of lifestyle risk Grimgals socialization wither on the vine, but Karstah would appreciate a bit of support given her efforts to get Grimgal to stop being a recluse.
"There's more to knowledge than reading a book," you counter, "Just as an axe is tempered, understanding is strengthened by experience."
Your largest charge does not reply, pondering over your words for half a minute before she speaks again.
"We heed the Elder's wisdom, considerations shall be made. When we are in agreement, we will speak on the topic with the caretaker."
Well, that's better than nothing, so you grunt in the affirmative and let the silence fall once more.
The sight of the doors that connect you to the rest of Khazagar opening to reveal you and a massive Shard Wyrm is enough to make more than a few people pause and blink, but neither you nor Grimgal take heed of their obvious confusion.
The two of you cleave through the crowds in the Karaz-Irkul like a wedge through wood; respect for your role and more likely the dragon's sheer size making people move aside as you both turn and head into the Trogg-Khaz.
A thought strikes you.
" 'gal," you begin, "where exactly will you go while I'm talking to Master Yorri?"
"We do not understand," they reply, "we would wait until you are finished, are we meant to go somewhere else?"
"People use the hallway."
"We are using the hallway, and we are people."
You grunt, unimpressed.
"We will abide," Grimgal concedes.
Karstah's efforts to socialize her either weren't as effective as either of you thought, or she decides to be smart with you. Both were troublesome, and with Grimgal you frankly couldn't tell.
"Just try not to clog the hallway or block any of the doors," you say, looking up and ahead at the parts of the ceiling not obscured by her head.
Sometimes deciding to build on such a large scale has benefits outside aesthetics you suppose.
━<><><>< Gain ><><><>━
Snorri
- +3 progress to Drakk Rearing, new totals: [12/?? actions]
-- Each sibling is effectively capable of acting in Dwarf society largely unsupervised, with any escort being there more to calm down anyone than any fear of them going on a rampage, yes even Grimgal.
-- Grimgal, length 22m by 454 A.P.
--- Will occasionally ask for copies of books.
--- Largely content so long as you and Barak Azamar stay within Khazagar
--- You asked if they had any requests on a level similar to their brothers, they'll get back to you on that.
-- Zharrok, length 18m by 454 A.P.
--- His training, while stymied by his unique circumstances, progresses. The challenge only excites him
--- Has begun adding some of his favourite creations to his hoard.
-- Izgrom, length 18m by 454 A.P.
--- Goes out on regular expeditions into the depths beneath Kraka Drakk, returns with whatever he finds interesting.
--- Occasionally gives Karstah precious gems and ore as repayment for raising him apparently.
--- Has begun growing his hoard with the wealth and material gained from his expeditions.
- Coronation Gift Pt. 1 complete! Coronation Gift Pt. 2 Unlocked!
-- in regards to the Rune choice for the commission, you basically have a pair of 2/3s, if that makes sense.
- +1 progress to Chimaera Autopsy, new totals: [Cost: (4 -2) =2 actions]
-- Master of the Odd [11/15] > [12/15]
- New Rune understood! Master Rune of Valaya
-- +2 Research drip banked.
-- Talent for Talismans [12/15] > [13/15]
- New Combo compressed! Hearthward
-- New Rune understood! Master Rune of Hearthward
-- +2 Research drip banked.
-- Talent for Talismans [13/15] > [14/15]
- New Rune simplified! Rune of Runic Amplification [Talismanic]
-- Talent for Talismans [14/15] > [16/15]
- New Runes/ Combos unlocked!
-- Master Rune of Hearthward, Complexity: 0, Necessary Ingredients: [T2] Hearthstone: The user has greatly improved resistance to both mundane and magically induced fatigue and disease, while their body temperature remains relatively constant and feel comfortable regardless of most weather conditions.
-- Rune of Runic Amplification [Talismanic]: Dispelled spells around the user are converted to improve the casting of Runes around the user.
Orders
- +1 [Tier 4] Radiant Pegasus Blood, arriving Turn 56
-- Order Expedited -15 Favours with Kraka Dorden, new totals: (calculated below)
Favour and Standing
- -15 Favours with Kraka Dorden, new totals: Favours 35
Trait(s) Gained/Upgraded
Snorri
Master of the Odd [11/15] > [12/15]
Talent for Talismans [16/15] > Talent for Talismans [1/18]: Every 2 research actions used for Talismanic Runes add 1 extra progress. If 3 research actions, instead add 2 extra progress. Understanding a [Talismanic] Rune has a 40% chance to produce extra research drip.
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AN: Didn't wanna be more late than I already am. Hope you enjoy the sausage-centric nature of this part at least, rest of the socials later and junk. Anyway, insert obligatory patreon shill here and please don't forget to C&C! :^)EDIT: Oh right, a gif to encapsulate the first part of that update with Izgrom and the miners.
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