Continuing the struggle to see the Karaz Ankor restored to its former glory
The High King Returns
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The High King Returns
A Silver Age has been proclaimed, and their arch-rivals, the Dawi Zharr, humbled in a grand campaign. The Dawi stand proud as the head of an alliance spanning a continent. Yet, their memories of former greatness gnaw at them as they gaze upon the echoing, empty halls—the remains of a once far greater realm. Their holdings, however, lie shattered. More danger than highway now, in these troubled times. Their holds are under constant threat of assault by a horrifying number of foes, all poised to strike. They also watch the growing power and numbers of humans, wondering at the promises of such fleeting creatures—and whether interfering with the affairs of this younger race will ultimately be their downfall, despite the benefits it has brought thus far.
The Dawi have emerged from their isolation, more powerful and united than they have been in generations. But now, eyes turn to watch them. To the west, mighty Ulthuan floats, its kingdoms possessing wealth, numbers, and power that make a mockery of the High King, no matter what the Dawi may publicly say on the matter. Ulthuan's trustworthiness extends only as far as the length of their beards. The Dawi Zharr have been bled, but they have also been humbled. Their anger burns as brightly as their forges, and their axes are surely being sharpened in the dark. The winds of chaos swirl ever greater as the ancient infrastructure that has always held it back slowly crumbles, stone by stone. And ever waiting outside the gates of their own holds are the ancestral foes of the Dawi: the Urk, the Grobi, and the Skaven. Watching, waiting for the Dawi's defenses to falter, even for a moment.
The High King has returned to the world at large. But will the realm he forges be strong and enduring, like Azul? Or will it fall again, like the golden age before him? Only this time, if their fall should happen, it would be as everlasting as their realm was not.
Welcome to the High King Returns, a continuation of the long on hold High King Acts I was unsatisfied with the war that concluded the last quest and have changed it somewhat while maintaining the essence of what that war managed to achieve. (Namely the capture of Uzkuluk and the Bastion of Ulgash). I have placed the timeline of events below to allow anyone to catchup or revise on what occured, and will be using a revised ruleset going forward especially in regard to conquest and wars.
Below is a history of the quest thus far
The Dawi have emerged from their isolation, more powerful and united than they have been in generations. But now, eyes turn to watch them. To the west, mighty Ulthuan floats, its kingdoms possessing wealth, numbers, and power that make a mockery of the High King, no matter what the Dawi may publicly say on the matter. Ulthuan's trustworthiness extends only as far as the length of their beards. The Dawi Zharr have been bled, but they have also been humbled. Their anger burns as brightly as their forges, and their axes are surely being sharpened in the dark. The winds of chaos swirl ever greater as the ancient infrastructure that has always held it back slowly crumbles, stone by stone. And ever waiting outside the gates of their own holds are the ancestral foes of the Dawi: the Urk, the Grobi, and the Skaven. Watching, waiting for the Dawi's defenses to falter, even for a moment.
The High King has returned to the world at large. But will the realm he forges be strong and enduring, like Azul? Or will it fall again, like the golden age before him? Only this time, if their fall should happen, it would be as everlasting as their realm was not.
Welcome to the High King Returns, a continuation of the long on hold High King Acts I was unsatisfied with the war that concluded the last quest and have changed it somewhat while maintaining the essence of what that war managed to achieve. (Namely the capture of Uzkuluk and the Bastion of Ulgash). I have placed the timeline of events below to allow anyone to catchup or revise on what occured, and will be using a revised ruleset going forward especially in regard to conquest and wars.
Below is a history of the quest thus far
4305 The city of Bilbao fails to pay for the walls it had commissioned from the dwarves of Karaz Izor. Distracted as he is by the wars against Thaggoriki and greenskins, the king of Karak Izor instead sends to Karaz - A - Karak for the high king to redress this wrong.
4309 - High King Proudbeard dies after nearly two centuries on the throne. Leaving his son to take up the mantle of High King, a task he has long been prepared for. Near immediately, king Bardin sets about examining his realm, especially in regards to the military of the Dawi, and many dwarves hear a great deal of grumbling about the lack of true craft in the art of war.
4320 - With the arrival of king Redbeard of Karak Azgarad, who swears oaths of fealty to the High King. The Karaz Ankor can be said to be united for the first time since the time of woes began. Though for many this great achievement only shows how far the dwarves have fallen since their elder days.
4327 - A grand announcement goes out across Araby and Tilea, that the High King of the dwarves has promised great sums of gold and dwarven arms, should mercenaries of quality and skill come to serve in the foothills of Barak Varr. Many despite having never heard of this High King flock to the promise of regular pay from the famously exacting dwarves. When they arrive, however, they soon discover that the length of the contract is essentially for life, and the vast majority balk at the requirements. Leaving little over a thousand to try and take up the dwarves on their offer.
4330 - A grand conclave of all the warrior clans of the Karaz Ancor meet in Karaz - A - Karak. Few speak for many years of what went on in the great hall save that they have been invited to join the throng of the High King, but many joyous songs of remembrance and vengeance are sung in the drinking halls over the coming days.
4332 - The Engineers Guild finally approved the dry dock plans and instructions to be disseminated throughout the Karaz Ankor. And dozens began construction within the docks of Barak Varr. Gadrock Seamane, the king of Barak Varr is said to have gone so far as to give a brief chuckle at the thought of the grand ships he would be able to build with these new facilities.
4334 - "The battle of the red cliffs" A great fleet of Orks and Grobi launch off from the distant badlands to try and attack the island of Sartosa, wreaking havoc on the shipping of all civilized races nearby. They are eventually met by the fleets of Barak Varr, Remas, and Sartosa off the coast of the island, and battle is joined for two days. By the time the smoke of the dwarven cannons has cleared, the cliffs of sartosa have been stained red with the blood of a hundred thousand orks. Though bands of survivors scatter across the black water to plunder and reave until they are hunted down one by one. Notably, thanks to the Gnolumgi, the human mercenaries of Barak Varr, none ever get within eyesight of the city.
4338 - Druin Gundrank, heir to the throne of Karak Ungor gathers a throng of sixteen thousand from across the Karaz Ankor in Karak Kadrin, and marches to reconquer his ancient birthright. Using 6 great cannons purchased from Zhufbar, he gradually defeated the gates of the city which had so stymied every prior attempt at reconquest, and moved in to claim that which is rightfully his. Once the throng had moved within the hold however, it was never heard from again and later scouts in search of the throng found the gates of the city closed again. With some very poorly made repairs indicative of who still holds the Karak.
4343 - A formal grudge is declared by the High King against the corsairs and Sultans of Araby for their continual harassment of dwarven shipping throughout the Black Gulf. The sultans however pay this announcement with little mind. The dwarves are stretched thin between their many commitments throughout the sea, and who is this High King anyway? They know and respect Barak Varr, but what can one city hope to do against their great nations.
4346 - Waagghh Stonesplita rampages north out of the badlands in a green tide and wipes away the stolid human tribes that had survived there for generations. Now their crude settlements are littered with the bones of the fallen, and though Stonesplitta shattered his wagghh ineffectually against the walls of the everpeak. The foothills of Karaz- A - Karak and Barak Varr can no longer be described as safe in any meaningful way.
4349 - The Engineers guild finally accepts that Rivalt - Ricket can be used as a construction material, and builders across the Karaz Ankor rejoice. The fact that some immediately begin using the material on ongoing construction projects before the designs and specification actually reach their holds goes studiously unnoticed by many of the more senior members of the guilds.
4351 - Ships and traders with unfamiliar accents and icons have reached our shores. Claiming to be from far off Estalia. Several enterprising dwarf merchantmen eventually report that seemingly overnight forts and cities have sprung up. Inhabited by a hardy and tempestuous folk who nonetheless pay good coin for dwarven goods.
4355 - The last of the arms and armor commissioned for Bardin Hardaxe's high throng are finally completed and they march to their final destination of Zhufbar, openly singing the great dwarven marching songs of years long passed. On the march, they do come across a band of perhaps fifteen thousand urk and grobi who challenge the high throng on the mountain passes. The fact that three dwarves died in the eschewing battle was considered a disappointment by the Thane of the new throng, who insisted that the axe still needs further sharpening before it is ready.
4356 - While many of the lesser ships of the High Fleet have been put to sea already this year marks when the Gimazul-Gronti emerges from its drydock and makes a tour of the nearby realms. Many of the Sultans of Araby begin to realize exactly who this "High King" is and wonder if perhaps they should have paid more heed when that grudge was declared over a decade ago now.
4358 - Runelord Varfor the elder returns home to Zhufbar on the tail of the high throng, mind abuzz with the runic knowledge he has gained over the last few decades pouring over the designs of elder days. When he returns home, however, he is immediately struck by the similarity to the Runic arrays of activation upon the long deactivated torrent of Zhufbar to those he had just installed on near a hundred axes and hammers of the throng. With merely a few months of preparation and a few quiet conversations with the king. The runelord reconnects the falls to the great flows of runic power which thrum beneath the world's edge mountains.
With a great shudder, the iron bulwark across the blackwater begins to slide open, and billions of gallons begin pouring into the depths of the hold. Cunningly redirected to smash into the mines at the base of the hold, drilling through rock and excavating mines that would take months to dig through with the force of a flash flood. After an hour of their activation the gate is closed once more and the water is allowed to wash into the foothills below. But the wealth that they have dredged up in that time does not go unnoticed by the King of Zhufbar, or indeed by the wider Karaz Ankor as a whole.
Runic skill 10 reached
(Runic level 3 unlocked)
(DC reduced on all runic works)
(Torrents of Zhufbar re-activated - 1 runic power, +2 wealth per turn)
Heavy Mining Runework Unlocked
4309 - High King Proudbeard dies after nearly two centuries on the throne. Leaving his son to take up the mantle of High King, a task he has long been prepared for. Near immediately, king Bardin sets about examining his realm, especially in regards to the military of the Dawi, and many dwarves hear a great deal of grumbling about the lack of true craft in the art of war.
4320 - With the arrival of king Redbeard of Karak Azgarad, who swears oaths of fealty to the High King. The Karaz Ankor can be said to be united for the first time since the time of woes began. Though for many this great achievement only shows how far the dwarves have fallen since their elder days.
4327 - A grand announcement goes out across Araby and Tilea, that the High King of the dwarves has promised great sums of gold and dwarven arms, should mercenaries of quality and skill come to serve in the foothills of Barak Varr. Many despite having never heard of this High King flock to the promise of regular pay from the famously exacting dwarves. When they arrive, however, they soon discover that the length of the contract is essentially for life, and the vast majority balk at the requirements. Leaving little over a thousand to try and take up the dwarves on their offer.
4330 - A grand conclave of all the warrior clans of the Karaz Ancor meet in Karaz - A - Karak. Few speak for many years of what went on in the great hall save that they have been invited to join the throng of the High King, but many joyous songs of remembrance and vengeance are sung in the drinking halls over the coming days.
4332 - The Engineers Guild finally approved the dry dock plans and instructions to be disseminated throughout the Karaz Ankor. And dozens began construction within the docks of Barak Varr. Gadrock Seamane, the king of Barak Varr is said to have gone so far as to give a brief chuckle at the thought of the grand ships he would be able to build with these new facilities.
4334 - "The battle of the red cliffs" A great fleet of Orks and Grobi launch off from the distant badlands to try and attack the island of Sartosa, wreaking havoc on the shipping of all civilized races nearby. They are eventually met by the fleets of Barak Varr, Remas, and Sartosa off the coast of the island, and battle is joined for two days. By the time the smoke of the dwarven cannons has cleared, the cliffs of sartosa have been stained red with the blood of a hundred thousand orks. Though bands of survivors scatter across the black water to plunder and reave until they are hunted down one by one. Notably, thanks to the Gnolumgi, the human mercenaries of Barak Varr, none ever get within eyesight of the city.
4338 - Druin Gundrank, heir to the throne of Karak Ungor gathers a throng of sixteen thousand from across the Karaz Ankor in Karak Kadrin, and marches to reconquer his ancient birthright. Using 6 great cannons purchased from Zhufbar, he gradually defeated the gates of the city which had so stymied every prior attempt at reconquest, and moved in to claim that which is rightfully his. Once the throng had moved within the hold however, it was never heard from again and later scouts in search of the throng found the gates of the city closed again. With some very poorly made repairs indicative of who still holds the Karak.
4343 - A formal grudge is declared by the High King against the corsairs and Sultans of Araby for their continual harassment of dwarven shipping throughout the Black Gulf. The sultans however pay this announcement with little mind. The dwarves are stretched thin between their many commitments throughout the sea, and who is this High King anyway? They know and respect Barak Varr, but what can one city hope to do against their great nations.
4346 - Waagghh Stonesplita rampages north out of the badlands in a green tide and wipes away the stolid human tribes that had survived there for generations. Now their crude settlements are littered with the bones of the fallen, and though Stonesplitta shattered his wagghh ineffectually against the walls of the everpeak. The foothills of Karaz- A - Karak and Barak Varr can no longer be described as safe in any meaningful way.
4349 - The Engineers guild finally accepts that Rivalt - Ricket can be used as a construction material, and builders across the Karaz Ankor rejoice. The fact that some immediately begin using the material on ongoing construction projects before the designs and specification actually reach their holds goes studiously unnoticed by many of the more senior members of the guilds.
4351 - Ships and traders with unfamiliar accents and icons have reached our shores. Claiming to be from far off Estalia. Several enterprising dwarf merchantmen eventually report that seemingly overnight forts and cities have sprung up. Inhabited by a hardy and tempestuous folk who nonetheless pay good coin for dwarven goods.
4355 - The last of the arms and armor commissioned for Bardin Hardaxe's high throng are finally completed and they march to their final destination of Zhufbar, openly singing the great dwarven marching songs of years long passed. On the march, they do come across a band of perhaps fifteen thousand urk and grobi who challenge the high throng on the mountain passes. The fact that three dwarves died in the eschewing battle was considered a disappointment by the Thane of the new throng, who insisted that the axe still needs further sharpening before it is ready.
4356 - While many of the lesser ships of the High Fleet have been put to sea already this year marks when the Gimazul-Gronti emerges from its drydock and makes a tour of the nearby realms. Many of the Sultans of Araby begin to realize exactly who this "High King" is and wonder if perhaps they should have paid more heed when that grudge was declared over a decade ago now.
4358 - Runelord Varfor the elder returns home to Zhufbar on the tail of the high throng, mind abuzz with the runic knowledge he has gained over the last few decades pouring over the designs of elder days. When he returns home, however, he is immediately struck by the similarity to the Runic arrays of activation upon the long deactivated torrent of Zhufbar to those he had just installed on near a hundred axes and hammers of the throng. With merely a few months of preparation and a few quiet conversations with the king. The runelord reconnects the falls to the great flows of runic power which thrum beneath the world's edge mountains.
With a great shudder, the iron bulwark across the blackwater begins to slide open, and billions of gallons begin pouring into the depths of the hold. Cunningly redirected to smash into the mines at the base of the hold, drilling through rock and excavating mines that would take months to dig through with the force of a flash flood. After an hour of their activation the gate is closed once more and the water is allowed to wash into the foothills below. But the wealth that they have dredged up in that time does not go unnoticed by the King of Zhufbar, or indeed by the wider Karaz Ankor as a whole.
Runic skill 10 reached
(Runic level 3 unlocked)
(DC reduced on all runic works)
(Torrents of Zhufbar re-activated - 1 runic power, +2 wealth per turn)
Heavy Mining Runework Unlocked
4361 - Seeing how much lore of the ancients was recovered, and how useful they are in battle, Baidin Hardaxe orders another ten thousand sets of Runic equipment to assist the oft besieged Barak Varr
4362 - Night falls on Karaz Bryn: Gadrock Umdraklindoc, heir to long fallen Karaz Bryn becomes suddenly interested in reconquering his fallen homeland. His family and clan are elated at this and don't think to dig too deeply into what has caused this change of attitude. Within six years, a force of over twenty thousand dwarves departs for the highest peak of the worlds edge mountains.
Encountering next to no opposition, on their way to the mount, the dwarves are first stymied by the walls of their old fortress, which closed to them, they begin setting up cannon to blast down. On the first night after their arrival however, Gadrock goes missing, and tens of thousands of skeletons, ghouls, and other foul creatures rise up and beset the throng.
They defend themselves stoically for a dozen days before dwarven stubbornness finally fails and the six thousand remaining journey back to Karak Vlag, their every step hounded by dire wolves and undead bats. As well as the mocking laughter of the queen of darkness.
4365 - 4395 - The dwarves of Karaz - A - Karak descend in a mighty throng to destroy the greenskins who would think themselves safe at the foothills of the Everpeak itself. Whittling them down through a series of lighting battles and ambushes, High King Baidin finally kills all the greenskin of the Everpeak Foothills save those who hide within the forest of gloom, nestled into the base of the black mountains.
4369 - Unfortunately, while much of the throng of Karaz - A - Karak is away, the orks take this opportunity to raid and raze many of the minor holds along the eastern borders of the Everpeaks kingdom. Eventually, word does reach the Everpeak of what is happening and a hastily assembled throng rushes to assist. Fighting the orks and the battle of the bitter peaks. They do see the orks off, however, nearly half a dozen minor holds lie in ruin, and by the time the last is accounted for, over nineteen thousand dwarves have lost their lives.
4371 - 4383 Rise of the Reman Empire
The origin of the City of Remas is shrouded in myth, some say it was founded as a nehekharan colony, others say that it was where the goddess of strategy Celestasia, first taught her children Rema and Rondal the arts of war. However, since then it has grown into a great and mighty city. With fully fifty thousand souls calling the city home and near half a million in the surrounding farmlands. Mightiest of the feuding states on the Tilean peninsula. So when the call came from the north that Bilbao was under assault from the Skaven. The Remans deployed an army to help resist the vile ratmen. Forming a league of northern Tilean states to coordinate the defense.
The battles waged for nearly half a decade until the Skaven were finally driven back into their lairs. But the smaller cities of the league had suffered greatly, and could barely support themselves let alone an army. So Remus provided an offer. Pay Remus tribute, and the great city would use that to pay for the defense of the combined league. The other cities agreed, however, the new order soon began to chafe as Remus began making requests to centralize the league. Rather than holding meetings in the most central city, why not have them in Remus, the strongest and most fortified. Where else would the league treasury be kept but Remus as well. At first, there was resistance to these demands, but as professional Reman soldiers were moved toward the dissenting cities, their protests were swiftly withdrawn.
Thus within only thirteen years of the league's creation, it was dissolved and remade into the Reman Empire, headed by First Citizen Augustine Caestra. Who quickly turned his newfound wealth and power against the feuding city-states of southern TIlea, which folded one by one as individually, they could provide little resistance. After only a few years of conquest, merely one part of human-owned Tilea remained out of Remas's hands. The island of sartosa. So an army was dispatched across the seas, only to meet the combined sartosan navies halfway across the strait. The battle was bloody and brutal with no quarter given, but at its conclusion the Reman eagle was the one which sank. Another army was quickly gathered to try again, but word from the north came of another attempted Skaven invasion. So the Sartosians would have to wait.
4374 - while the torrents of Zhufbar have proven incredibly profitable for the kings of Zhufbar, within only a few years the Skaven had realized how it could be used to their advantage. Somehow anticipating where the torrents were to be aimed. they dug tunnels to the point where the water would cease its excavations and prepared breeching tunnels. And once the water flowed away, the Skaven flooded in. Chittering through the mines, some twelve thousand dwarves died before the vermin were pushed back. Afterward, the king ordered enhanced security over the schedule of the torrent. Though so long as clan Eshin remained, nothing could be considered truly secure.
4379 - Formation of the Estalian League
Little is known to the dwarves of how the Estalian league formed. Much as little was known of their cities before the trading ships arrived in Barak Varr. All that we have gathered is a legend of one Francolo Miraglio. The man who rode day and night through hordes of orks to carry the message of the unification to the cities of the west as well as a call to arms. Seven kings heard the call and marched their armies to the aid of the countrymen, but each would fall one by one in glorious battle until the armies of Estalia were about to rout. Only for the messenger, Francolo Miraglio to pick up the banner of the greatest fallen king and lead a one-man charge against the greenskins. A charge that the retreating Estalians rallied behind and ultimately won the battle.
Of the fate of Francolo, little is known. With many saying that he fell in battle after that suicidal charge. Myths and stories have already sprung up that he survived the battle, and was spirited away by either the elves or the dwarves (sources differ). To be garbed in the panoply of war by either of the elder races to lead them in battle against their foes. What is certain though is that the people of Estalia have taken this battle to show that it is the people who should lead Estalia rather than any individual king, and now a council of 54 rules the nation from the city of Magritta, on the southern coast of the peninsula.
4387 The dark night of the Stancati - The newly risen Stancati on the eastern flank of the vaults burn in the twin fires of war and famine as gifted dwarven grain dries up and they turn their steel pikes on each other. It is only six months later and after half a dozen cities burn to the ground that the dwarves purchase more food from their neighbors and slowly wean the Stancati off of their overreliance on dwarven generosity.
4394 - Wagghh Ironbeak rampages along the southern flank of the grey mountains. With the human tribes both north and south of Karak Angaraz wilting before the might of greenskin aggression. The waggh after firmly dominating the regions it had conquered finally attempts to break Angaraz itself. But while the gatehouse and the first redoubts fell to the orks. Eventually, they were driven back after six cannons were filled with the assorted detritus of the mines and fired point-blank into the charging waaggh. Eviscerating Ironbeak himself and his most powerful lieutenants. In the ensuing confusion and infighting, the dwarves quickly ejected the Orks from their hold. Though once all was tallied they were six thousand fewer than they had once been and their entire southern border now contained nothing but greenskins.
4395 - Battle for Gloom Forest
Wielding the axes of his throng against the trees themselves. King Bardin gradually shrinks the hiding places of the Orks until they are forced to give him the fight he has refused until now. Though the Orks do come in great numbers, the High Throng waits. And meets the fury of the ork with the might of true dwarven resolve. And in such a contest only one outcome was certain. So it was that the Everpeak Foothills were finally cleared of greenskin taint. Even if it did cost slightly over five thousand dwarven lives.
4398 - The chieftains kneel
After the battle of Gloom Forest, Bardin is left to organize the newly conquered territory. But his people's homes in truth lie in the mountains. So he instead turns to those tribes who crossed south from past the black mountains as his throng cleared the greenskins from the land. Asking these Sud-Brigundians to kneel and be named owners of these lands by the reckonings of the dwarves. So long as they in times of war gave their horsemen and chariots to the throng. In turn, the throng would march to protect their hamlets. They agreed unanimously and a new chapter was written into the histories of the Dwarves and Humans.
4362 - Night falls on Karaz Bryn: Gadrock Umdraklindoc, heir to long fallen Karaz Bryn becomes suddenly interested in reconquering his fallen homeland. His family and clan are elated at this and don't think to dig too deeply into what has caused this change of attitude. Within six years, a force of over twenty thousand dwarves departs for the highest peak of the worlds edge mountains.
Encountering next to no opposition, on their way to the mount, the dwarves are first stymied by the walls of their old fortress, which closed to them, they begin setting up cannon to blast down. On the first night after their arrival however, Gadrock goes missing, and tens of thousands of skeletons, ghouls, and other foul creatures rise up and beset the throng.
They defend themselves stoically for a dozen days before dwarven stubbornness finally fails and the six thousand remaining journey back to Karak Vlag, their every step hounded by dire wolves and undead bats. As well as the mocking laughter of the queen of darkness.
4365 - 4395 - The dwarves of Karaz - A - Karak descend in a mighty throng to destroy the greenskins who would think themselves safe at the foothills of the Everpeak itself. Whittling them down through a series of lighting battles and ambushes, High King Baidin finally kills all the greenskin of the Everpeak Foothills save those who hide within the forest of gloom, nestled into the base of the black mountains.
4369 - Unfortunately, while much of the throng of Karaz - A - Karak is away, the orks take this opportunity to raid and raze many of the minor holds along the eastern borders of the Everpeaks kingdom. Eventually, word does reach the Everpeak of what is happening and a hastily assembled throng rushes to assist. Fighting the orks and the battle of the bitter peaks. They do see the orks off, however, nearly half a dozen minor holds lie in ruin, and by the time the last is accounted for, over nineteen thousand dwarves have lost their lives.
4371 - 4383 Rise of the Reman Empire
The origin of the City of Remas is shrouded in myth, some say it was founded as a nehekharan colony, others say that it was where the goddess of strategy Celestasia, first taught her children Rema and Rondal the arts of war. However, since then it has grown into a great and mighty city. With fully fifty thousand souls calling the city home and near half a million in the surrounding farmlands. Mightiest of the feuding states on the Tilean peninsula. So when the call came from the north that Bilbao was under assault from the Skaven. The Remans deployed an army to help resist the vile ratmen. Forming a league of northern Tilean states to coordinate the defense.
The battles waged for nearly half a decade until the Skaven were finally driven back into their lairs. But the smaller cities of the league had suffered greatly, and could barely support themselves let alone an army. So Remus provided an offer. Pay Remus tribute, and the great city would use that to pay for the defense of the combined league. The other cities agreed, however, the new order soon began to chafe as Remus began making requests to centralize the league. Rather than holding meetings in the most central city, why not have them in Remus, the strongest and most fortified. Where else would the league treasury be kept but Remus as well. At first, there was resistance to these demands, but as professional Reman soldiers were moved toward the dissenting cities, their protests were swiftly withdrawn.
Thus within only thirteen years of the league's creation, it was dissolved and remade into the Reman Empire, headed by First Citizen Augustine Caestra. Who quickly turned his newfound wealth and power against the feuding city-states of southern TIlea, which folded one by one as individually, they could provide little resistance. After only a few years of conquest, merely one part of human-owned Tilea remained out of Remas's hands. The island of sartosa. So an army was dispatched across the seas, only to meet the combined sartosan navies halfway across the strait. The battle was bloody and brutal with no quarter given, but at its conclusion the Reman eagle was the one which sank. Another army was quickly gathered to try again, but word from the north came of another attempted Skaven invasion. So the Sartosians would have to wait.
4374 - while the torrents of Zhufbar have proven incredibly profitable for the kings of Zhufbar, within only a few years the Skaven had realized how it could be used to their advantage. Somehow anticipating where the torrents were to be aimed. they dug tunnels to the point where the water would cease its excavations and prepared breeching tunnels. And once the water flowed away, the Skaven flooded in. Chittering through the mines, some twelve thousand dwarves died before the vermin were pushed back. Afterward, the king ordered enhanced security over the schedule of the torrent. Though so long as clan Eshin remained, nothing could be considered truly secure.
4379 - Formation of the Estalian League
Little is known to the dwarves of how the Estalian league formed. Much as little was known of their cities before the trading ships arrived in Barak Varr. All that we have gathered is a legend of one Francolo Miraglio. The man who rode day and night through hordes of orks to carry the message of the unification to the cities of the west as well as a call to arms. Seven kings heard the call and marched their armies to the aid of the countrymen, but each would fall one by one in glorious battle until the armies of Estalia were about to rout. Only for the messenger, Francolo Miraglio to pick up the banner of the greatest fallen king and lead a one-man charge against the greenskins. A charge that the retreating Estalians rallied behind and ultimately won the battle.
Of the fate of Francolo, little is known. With many saying that he fell in battle after that suicidal charge. Myths and stories have already sprung up that he survived the battle, and was spirited away by either the elves or the dwarves (sources differ). To be garbed in the panoply of war by either of the elder races to lead them in battle against their foes. What is certain though is that the people of Estalia have taken this battle to show that it is the people who should lead Estalia rather than any individual king, and now a council of 54 rules the nation from the city of Magritta, on the southern coast of the peninsula.
4387 The dark night of the Stancati - The newly risen Stancati on the eastern flank of the vaults burn in the twin fires of war and famine as gifted dwarven grain dries up and they turn their steel pikes on each other. It is only six months later and after half a dozen cities burn to the ground that the dwarves purchase more food from their neighbors and slowly wean the Stancati off of their overreliance on dwarven generosity.
4394 - Wagghh Ironbeak rampages along the southern flank of the grey mountains. With the human tribes both north and south of Karak Angaraz wilting before the might of greenskin aggression. The waggh after firmly dominating the regions it had conquered finally attempts to break Angaraz itself. But while the gatehouse and the first redoubts fell to the orks. Eventually, they were driven back after six cannons were filled with the assorted detritus of the mines and fired point-blank into the charging waaggh. Eviscerating Ironbeak himself and his most powerful lieutenants. In the ensuing confusion and infighting, the dwarves quickly ejected the Orks from their hold. Though once all was tallied they were six thousand fewer than they had once been and their entire southern border now contained nothing but greenskins.
4395 - Battle for Gloom Forest
Wielding the axes of his throng against the trees themselves. King Bardin gradually shrinks the hiding places of the Orks until they are forced to give him the fight he has refused until now. Though the Orks do come in great numbers, the High Throng waits. And meets the fury of the ork with the might of true dwarven resolve. And in such a contest only one outcome was certain. So it was that the Everpeak Foothills were finally cleared of greenskin taint. Even if it did cost slightly over five thousand dwarven lives.
4398 - The chieftains kneel
After the battle of Gloom Forest, Bardin is left to organize the newly conquered territory. But his people's homes in truth lie in the mountains. So he instead turns to those tribes who crossed south from past the black mountains as his throng cleared the greenskins from the land. Asking these Sud-Brigundians to kneel and be named owners of these lands by the reckonings of the dwarves. So long as they in times of war gave their horsemen and chariots to the throng. In turn, the throng would march to protect their hamlets. They agreed unanimously and a new chapter was written into the histories of the Dwarves and Humans.
4303 - 4336: The Klad Karu are formed over the next three decades as the King of Karak Angaraz forms a mighty shield of dwarven steel and human bodies to defend his realm. Armed with lances, greatswords and longbows, they refer to themselves as the mailed fist of the north.
4312: We have heard from traveling traders of Estalia that the land of the Brettoni has acquired the rudiments of civilization at least in the far-off lands of Mousillon and Bordeleaux. Who's maps which eventually make it to Barak Var gives us a rough but informative view on the entire region.
4318: Similarly, north of the vaults, many refugees have fled Tilea in the wake of the expanding Reman empire. With most making their way to these far off lands. Here separated from the empire by two full mountain ranges, they have founded a series of cities along the many rivers that crisscross this region.
Orks have assailed some of your Vlags human neighbors, northwest of the hold, and have slaughtered the tribes that live at the gateway of peak pass, forcing the rest to migrate to the south and west. Some of the tribes of the far north that now come into contact with Vlag however, speak a strange and archaic form of Khazalid and talk of mountain spirits of great might and craft in the ice-ridden northern mountains.
4319 - 4338: Estalia colonizes their northern shore.
The Estalian league gradually colonizes the northern shore of their peninsula, including everyone who speaks an intelligible facsimile of the estalian tongue. Though there are points of conflict this spread is largely concluded peacefully, and by the end of the exercise, the Estalian palace of princes has 33 more seats added to its chambers.
4321 - 4326: In a series of lightning attacks and devastating ambushes, the Dwarves successfully liberated the north west coast of "Brettonia", so named after the humans who dwell within this realm. And in the shadow of elven ruins countless grobi are slain by the throngs of the dwarven High King. after which (vote pending)
4328: Out of the darklands come a streaming horde of barbarians to assail Karak Vlag. Orks numbering nearly half a million assail the gaits and the keeps that line peak pass day and night. They dig tunnels within the mountain to try and work around Vlags defenses, while again and again the tens and thousands launch themselves through the battered defenses but are ejected again and again by stout dwarven defenders. Eventually, the attacks cease, as a tribe of horsemen comes sweeping from the direction the Orks came from to assault the Orks from the rear. The dwarves rally and sally forth from the gates culling the orks and moving to thank the humans. Only to see the 8 pointed star of chaos upon the Umgi banner. Instead of thanks, the dwarves give them crossbow fire until the horsemen to run, screaming curses in the fetid tongue of the far north. After the whole event had concluded the final tally was made and over thirteen thousand dwarves died in the siege and all they can do is look to the east.
For It seems the darklands to the east of Vlag have a new master, one that the dwarves cannot help but feel is worse than the one which came before.
4331: The Grudge of the axe
Long ago, during the war of the beard. The king of Karak Vlag wielded an axe of incredible potency. However, he fell in battle against the high elves and the axe of stars was lost forever. Or so it was thought. The city of Brazev, east of the vaults have an eerily similar axe upon its coat of arms, which is a copy of the one which their ruler wields in battle. After allowing an examination from the reckoners, there can be no mistake. A petty lord of the Stancati wields the axe of stars. However, the man is unwilling to give it up, and the king of Vlag, especially considering the recent tribulations in his realm has requested that the high king do all in his power to return the axe to its rightful owners.
+1 shame until grudge is resolved
4333: The Reman Empire Conquers Sartosa
With the legions of Remas bleeding from their on and off war with the Skaven, it took them nearly three decades to launch another fleet in order to annex Sartosa. An invasion they handily with as the Sartosians are divided on whether to accept Reman overlordship or contest it thoroughly. Ultimately leading to them discovering that they have no choice either way.
4335: Cities in the Everpeak foothills.
After two generations of working with the tribes, cities have started to develop in the shadow of the Everpeak. Fractured and feuding they nevertheless know that their lord is the high king of the mountain under which they sit. Just as they know that despite their dislike of their neighbours, it is the greenskins to the south who are their true enemy.
4337: Death of the High King
High King Bardin breathes his last, a strong and firm king; he revolutionized the way that the Dawi made war, to the grumbling of thousands of longbeards. Adopting humans into the military of the Dawi for the first time and creating the High throng, his personal professional army of dwarves. But he also for the first time, created a human vassal of the Karaz Ankor, to act as a shield against the oncoming greenskins in a way that no basion or fortress could. He is succeeded by (vote pending)
4312: We have heard from traveling traders of Estalia that the land of the Brettoni has acquired the rudiments of civilization at least in the far-off lands of Mousillon and Bordeleaux. Who's maps which eventually make it to Barak Var gives us a rough but informative view on the entire region.
4318: Similarly, north of the vaults, many refugees have fled Tilea in the wake of the expanding Reman empire. With most making their way to these far off lands. Here separated from the empire by two full mountain ranges, they have founded a series of cities along the many rivers that crisscross this region.
Orks have assailed some of your Vlags human neighbors, northwest of the hold, and have slaughtered the tribes that live at the gateway of peak pass, forcing the rest to migrate to the south and west. Some of the tribes of the far north that now come into contact with Vlag however, speak a strange and archaic form of Khazalid and talk of mountain spirits of great might and craft in the ice-ridden northern mountains.
4319 - 4338: Estalia colonizes their northern shore.
The Estalian league gradually colonizes the northern shore of their peninsula, including everyone who speaks an intelligible facsimile of the estalian tongue. Though there are points of conflict this spread is largely concluded peacefully, and by the end of the exercise, the Estalian palace of princes has 33 more seats added to its chambers.
4321 - 4326: In a series of lightning attacks and devastating ambushes, the Dwarves successfully liberated the north west coast of "Brettonia", so named after the humans who dwell within this realm. And in the shadow of elven ruins countless grobi are slain by the throngs of the dwarven High King. after which (vote pending)
4328: Out of the darklands come a streaming horde of barbarians to assail Karak Vlag. Orks numbering nearly half a million assail the gaits and the keeps that line peak pass day and night. They dig tunnels within the mountain to try and work around Vlags defenses, while again and again the tens and thousands launch themselves through the battered defenses but are ejected again and again by stout dwarven defenders. Eventually, the attacks cease, as a tribe of horsemen comes sweeping from the direction the Orks came from to assault the Orks from the rear. The dwarves rally and sally forth from the gates culling the orks and moving to thank the humans. Only to see the 8 pointed star of chaos upon the Umgi banner. Instead of thanks, the dwarves give them crossbow fire until the horsemen to run, screaming curses in the fetid tongue of the far north. After the whole event had concluded the final tally was made and over thirteen thousand dwarves died in the siege and all they can do is look to the east.
For It seems the darklands to the east of Vlag have a new master, one that the dwarves cannot help but feel is worse than the one which came before.
4331: The Grudge of the axe
Long ago, during the war of the beard. The king of Karak Vlag wielded an axe of incredible potency. However, he fell in battle against the high elves and the axe of stars was lost forever. Or so it was thought. The city of Brazev, east of the vaults have an eerily similar axe upon its coat of arms, which is a copy of the one which their ruler wields in battle. After allowing an examination from the reckoners, there can be no mistake. A petty lord of the Stancati wields the axe of stars. However, the man is unwilling to give it up, and the king of Vlag, especially considering the recent tribulations in his realm has requested that the high king do all in his power to return the axe to its rightful owners.
+1 shame until grudge is resolved
4333: The Reman Empire Conquers Sartosa
With the legions of Remas bleeding from their on and off war with the Skaven, it took them nearly three decades to launch another fleet in order to annex Sartosa. An invasion they handily with as the Sartosians are divided on whether to accept Reman overlordship or contest it thoroughly. Ultimately leading to them discovering that they have no choice either way.
4335: Cities in the Everpeak foothills.
After two generations of working with the tribes, cities have started to develop in the shadow of the Everpeak. Fractured and feuding they nevertheless know that their lord is the high king of the mountain under which they sit. Just as they know that despite their dislike of their neighbours, it is the greenskins to the south who are their true enemy.
4337: Death of the High King
High King Bardin breathes his last, a strong and firm king; he revolutionized the way that the Dawi made war, to the grumbling of thousands of longbeards. Adopting humans into the military of the Dawi for the first time and creating the High throng, his personal professional army of dwarves. But he also for the first time, created a human vassal of the Karaz Ankor, to act as a shield against the oncoming greenskins in a way that no basion or fortress could. He is succeeded by (vote pending)
4342 - Triumph of the Gnolumgi
For the first time, the Gnolumgi are forced to stand against a foe against whom they could achieve no easy victory. Greenskins flooded out of the badlands, a tide of blood rending monsters that would stop at nothing to reach the Dwarven gate to the sea.
Against this horde stood ten thousand in iron and silver. Manning a seemingly endless line of walls, forts, redoubts and trenches. Each of which the Gnolumgi would man in turn, hold until there was little more that could be done before falling back to the next. Hundreds of thousands of crossbow bolts were expended as they punished the Orks for every step they took. But mistakes were made. Especially as days turned to weeks and the assault continued. More and more men were caught as they attempted to sprint to the next line, or a wall of pikes slowly withdrawing would falter for just a moment and be overwhelmed. Their final warcries and screams echoing around the hills that they defended.
Eventually though there was no further to retreat to and Varr itself was placed under siege. But the hoard itself had been brutally depleted by the retreating throng. Only three times were the Orks able to assault the gate and by the third assault they broke completely, leaving behind a mildly battered but defiant Barak Varr.
With only two thousand lost from the population of the hold itself, the Gnolumgi are toasted in every drinking hall of the city, and the hesitancy that the dwarves for a century had kept in regards to keeping the humans out of the hold proper evaporated. From then on, every winter, the Gnolumgi would make their homes within the depths of the hold, safe from the winter chill coming down from the west and north.
4344 - 4376 The umgi of the north civilise
In the lands north of the black and grey mountains, civilisation continues to spread, with cities and towns now seen along the length of those mountains, all the way from the black water to the norscan sea. There is little room further for these men to spread, however, for the rest of their country is occupied by the grobi who dwell in the great forest to the north. Or at least separated from their kin by hundreds of miles of greenskin tribes. Whether these petty kings manage to put aside their differences and unite against the greenskin menace is yet to be seen, though it is the high kings hope that he can find an ally in one of these lowland city-states.
4347 - Meeting with the Norse Dwarves
Sending out an expedition into the frozen north, it is not long before the dwarves of the Karaz Ankor reunite with those of Norsca. Great contests of drink and song are made in the coming days to celebrate the meeting, and though both share dark tidings of the times that have gone past, each also gives the other tools to help withstand the long night, with many oaths of fellowship and friendship sworn between the two Dawi nations.
4354 - The Dark Night of Karak Vlag
Out of the east again comes a foe against Vlags walls, so soon after the last assault that the repairs have only really just been finalised. Over a thousand warriors in black plate which could only have been forged in the fires of Zharr Naggrund come storming from the north, and these champions of their dark gods lead a host of tribesmen against the diminished throng of Karak Vlag.
Though they do not attack with the barbarity of the Ork horde, they have their own terrible weapons to wield against the Dawi. Six enormous cannons, screaming with malign energies are wheeled forward to the extreme range of dawi cannon. And as one, they fire.
Screaming purple projectiles fly into the sky, trailing fire that twists into a dozen separate colours behind it before they finally crash into the face of Vlags bastions. Detonating as the bound demons within vent their fury on the stonework in a titanic explosion before withdrawing into the ether. Vlag, of course, returns fire and as the days continue, one by one these demonic cannon which your demented couins have created are smote by your own gunpowder weapons. Until eventually the last is destroyed, and the battle truly begins.
First into the fight are the marauders which their masters have corralled into an army, who charge up the ramp that leads to the gates of Vlag. A charge that should have seen tens of thousands slain, instead sees only a tenth that number as the proceedings weeks bombardment has knocked out the vast majority of the watchtowers which once watched the entry into Vlag.
Once they reach the gatehouse though, they begin to realise their folly. They had battered the first layer of Vlags defences yes, but now they found themselves caught within the dwarves home, where they found bastion after bastion, redoubt after redoubt, and behind every wall there was another clan of dwarves grimly waiting and ready to throw them back.
The battle would last for months, as migrating tribes came upon the battle at Vlag and swore themselves to the battle. But increasingly Chaos found they could make no headway, the battle lines had been drawn, the kill zones were established and finally, the dwarves would not step back another step, not that they were much more willing to do so in the beginning.
So finally, these champions of chaos began to move and make their way up the mountain pass to break this deadlock and shatter the dwarven morale. Only for the rampway, hundreds of metres above the pass to detonate beneath their feet. Instantly killing hundreds of these most favoured of chaos. As the avalanche which followed dropped a thousand tons of rock and ice upon the survivors. Those tribes which had not yet thrown themselves into the breach fled. Their faith in their gods shaken or even shattered as their greatest warriors fall in a moment before the dwarves of stone.
The celebration within the Karak is short-lived, however. For as Vlag re-establishes contact with those minor holds which surround it. They find that nearly a quarter don't respond. Indeed all those that lie nearest to Neferatas realm are stripped bare. Not only of the goods and valuables but also of any sign of the inhabitants. Of which not a one is ever seen again.
4366 - Reclamation of the axe of the stars.
As the Reman empire closes in on the city of Brazev, the city is saved by the impositions of the Dawi. Not for any love of the Stancati or of the city itself. But because they desire the axe that is within the city's possession. An ancient and mighty weapon once wielded by the kings of Karak Vlag.
However, while he had sent the emissaries after the axe of the stars, the Dawi high king also saw the opportunity that presented itself and allowed the city to seek refuge within lands that he had influence over. Eventually settling the people of brazev at the mouth of the mighty river that stretches all the way from the world's edge mountains to the coast. A river that the Stancati named the Bogat and upon which the port city of Fluviului began to take shape.
4375 - In the lands of the Brettoni it is tradition for the mightiest of soldiers and warriors to be equipped by the people of their village so that they can act as chief protectors of their people. The Klad Karu however, have somewhat broken this arrangement. Establishing guard posts throughout the length of the province recently liberated by the Dawi, the tribes of the region have gradually formed around these isolated stone towers and begun taking on the rudiments of farming and tithe. Providing grain to the soldiers of the Klad Karu in exchange for protection.
In time it has become tradition that when members of The Klad Karu have completed their thirty years of service they 'retire' to occupy these guardhouses permanently, sometimes using their wealth and reputation with the dwarves to have walls be built around them to be made a truly fortified strong point. And the small villages slowly growing to become towns and cities as they form around these fortified castles. Which seem to multiply with each passing year in the shadow of the mountains.
For the first time, the Gnolumgi are forced to stand against a foe against whom they could achieve no easy victory. Greenskins flooded out of the badlands, a tide of blood rending monsters that would stop at nothing to reach the Dwarven gate to the sea.
Against this horde stood ten thousand in iron and silver. Manning a seemingly endless line of walls, forts, redoubts and trenches. Each of which the Gnolumgi would man in turn, hold until there was little more that could be done before falling back to the next. Hundreds of thousands of crossbow bolts were expended as they punished the Orks for every step they took. But mistakes were made. Especially as days turned to weeks and the assault continued. More and more men were caught as they attempted to sprint to the next line, or a wall of pikes slowly withdrawing would falter for just a moment and be overwhelmed. Their final warcries and screams echoing around the hills that they defended.
Eventually though there was no further to retreat to and Varr itself was placed under siege. But the hoard itself had been brutally depleted by the retreating throng. Only three times were the Orks able to assault the gate and by the third assault they broke completely, leaving behind a mildly battered but defiant Barak Varr.
With only two thousand lost from the population of the hold itself, the Gnolumgi are toasted in every drinking hall of the city, and the hesitancy that the dwarves for a century had kept in regards to keeping the humans out of the hold proper evaporated. From then on, every winter, the Gnolumgi would make their homes within the depths of the hold, safe from the winter chill coming down from the west and north.
4344 - 4376 The umgi of the north civilise
In the lands north of the black and grey mountains, civilisation continues to spread, with cities and towns now seen along the length of those mountains, all the way from the black water to the norscan sea. There is little room further for these men to spread, however, for the rest of their country is occupied by the grobi who dwell in the great forest to the north. Or at least separated from their kin by hundreds of miles of greenskin tribes. Whether these petty kings manage to put aside their differences and unite against the greenskin menace is yet to be seen, though it is the high kings hope that he can find an ally in one of these lowland city-states.
4347 - Meeting with the Norse Dwarves
Sending out an expedition into the frozen north, it is not long before the dwarves of the Karaz Ankor reunite with those of Norsca. Great contests of drink and song are made in the coming days to celebrate the meeting, and though both share dark tidings of the times that have gone past, each also gives the other tools to help withstand the long night, with many oaths of fellowship and friendship sworn between the two Dawi nations.
4354 - The Dark Night of Karak Vlag
Out of the east again comes a foe against Vlags walls, so soon after the last assault that the repairs have only really just been finalised. Over a thousand warriors in black plate which could only have been forged in the fires of Zharr Naggrund come storming from the north, and these champions of their dark gods lead a host of tribesmen against the diminished throng of Karak Vlag.
Though they do not attack with the barbarity of the Ork horde, they have their own terrible weapons to wield against the Dawi. Six enormous cannons, screaming with malign energies are wheeled forward to the extreme range of dawi cannon. And as one, they fire.
Screaming purple projectiles fly into the sky, trailing fire that twists into a dozen separate colours behind it before they finally crash into the face of Vlags bastions. Detonating as the bound demons within vent their fury on the stonework in a titanic explosion before withdrawing into the ether. Vlag, of course, returns fire and as the days continue, one by one these demonic cannon which your demented couins have created are smote by your own gunpowder weapons. Until eventually the last is destroyed, and the battle truly begins.
First into the fight are the marauders which their masters have corralled into an army, who charge up the ramp that leads to the gates of Vlag. A charge that should have seen tens of thousands slain, instead sees only a tenth that number as the proceedings weeks bombardment has knocked out the vast majority of the watchtowers which once watched the entry into Vlag.
Once they reach the gatehouse though, they begin to realise their folly. They had battered the first layer of Vlags defences yes, but now they found themselves caught within the dwarves home, where they found bastion after bastion, redoubt after redoubt, and behind every wall there was another clan of dwarves grimly waiting and ready to throw them back.
The battle would last for months, as migrating tribes came upon the battle at Vlag and swore themselves to the battle. But increasingly Chaos found they could make no headway, the battle lines had been drawn, the kill zones were established and finally, the dwarves would not step back another step, not that they were much more willing to do so in the beginning.
So finally, these champions of chaos began to move and make their way up the mountain pass to break this deadlock and shatter the dwarven morale. Only for the rampway, hundreds of metres above the pass to detonate beneath their feet. Instantly killing hundreds of these most favoured of chaos. As the avalanche which followed dropped a thousand tons of rock and ice upon the survivors. Those tribes which had not yet thrown themselves into the breach fled. Their faith in their gods shaken or even shattered as their greatest warriors fall in a moment before the dwarves of stone.
The celebration within the Karak is short-lived, however. For as Vlag re-establishes contact with those minor holds which surround it. They find that nearly a quarter don't respond. Indeed all those that lie nearest to Neferatas realm are stripped bare. Not only of the goods and valuables but also of any sign of the inhabitants. Of which not a one is ever seen again.
4366 - Reclamation of the axe of the stars.
As the Reman empire closes in on the city of Brazev, the city is saved by the impositions of the Dawi. Not for any love of the Stancati or of the city itself. But because they desire the axe that is within the city's possession. An ancient and mighty weapon once wielded by the kings of Karak Vlag.
However, while he had sent the emissaries after the axe of the stars, the Dawi high king also saw the opportunity that presented itself and allowed the city to seek refuge within lands that he had influence over. Eventually settling the people of brazev at the mouth of the mighty river that stretches all the way from the world's edge mountains to the coast. A river that the Stancati named the Bogat and upon which the port city of Fluviului began to take shape.
4375 - In the lands of the Brettoni it is tradition for the mightiest of soldiers and warriors to be equipped by the people of their village so that they can act as chief protectors of their people. The Klad Karu however, have somewhat broken this arrangement. Establishing guard posts throughout the length of the province recently liberated by the Dawi, the tribes of the region have gradually formed around these isolated stone towers and begun taking on the rudiments of farming and tithe. Providing grain to the soldiers of the Klad Karu in exchange for protection.
In time it has become tradition that when members of The Klad Karu have completed their thirty years of service they 'retire' to occupy these guardhouses permanently, sometimes using their wealth and reputation with the dwarves to have walls be built around them to be made a truly fortified strong point. And the small villages slowly growing to become towns and cities as they form around these fortified castles. Which seem to multiply with each passing year in the shadow of the mountains.
4382 - 4389: Confederation on the Reik
A great confederation of the cities along the river Reik forms, with the city of Nuln at its head. Uniting in common cause with their immediate neighbors, they see off dozens of nascent wagons that threaten the strength of their new brothers. With such victories under his belt, Prince Leopold looks both east and west to see if his brothers of ancient fellowship will join his kingdom. And a crown of dwarven make is forged of priceless gromril for the young nation.
4389: The Elves and Dwarves make peace
In a day that few save Frorltoung himself truly saw coming. The dwarves of the Kraz Ankor and the high elves of Ulthuan have made peace. Though thousands of longbeards cry out at giving back the crown they had taken in that ancient war. These are mollified somewhat by the sheer scale of the recompense that the Elves pay. And the ringleader of the dissenters, King Baghar of Angaraz, is forced to eat his words. After stating that he would only come to forgive the Elves if all three crowns of his ancestors were returned to him. Only for that exact act to occur merely a week later.
Though the grumbling has become quieter and leaderless, it is nonetheless still present, as many watch with sharpened axes for when the elgi will prove again that they are not to be trusted.
4391 - 4418: Near a year to the day that peace was signed between The Asur and the Dawi, a great arcane event occurs upon Ulthuan, as the magical island is drained of much of its ambient aetheric energy. An event that throws the isle into disarray as the elves attempt to adjust to their new reality. Many questions are thrown at the Phoenix king about how he allowed this to occur, yet he remains silent. As do the nobles who dwelt in his court on that fateful day, though they claim to simply be unable to recall what occurred that evening. Passing it off as anxiety caused by their new situation. It is noted in whispered voices in palaces far from the phoenix throne that the spate of 'suicides' which occurred in the following few years were suspiciously common around those nobles and their associates who had been present that evening . And that the king, who once balked to wear the crown of Aenarion, now wears it openly and proudly upon his head.
4397 - 4411: The princedoms of Estalia suffer a series of plagues and famines over the decades as sightings of the twisted ratmen are seen skulking throughout the deserted countryside. The situation grows so bad over time that after the city of Tidora is found an empty husk of its former self, the council of notables bring it to the attention of those embassies that now sit only a short walk from the capital. As the Elder races debate the issue however it is Remas who is the one to act. Seeing opportunity where others spy disaster.
4399 - 4405 War of the reik
The Confederation of the Reik extends an offer to join to all those who live upon the great river, and their offer is taken up by many in the west. Yet not by all. The greatest opponents of which are those of the Unbergen tribe, whose city, the Reikfort, stands as the greatest of all those save Nuln which rest upon the river. Though both sides reach out to the dwarves to help mediate the dispute, it soon turns to violence. With the king of the unbergen eventually, after years of brutal fighting, defeated and forced to swear fealty to Nuln before his gods of Taal and Ulric.
4410: The siege of Skavenblight
A full fourteen legions are drawn up within the city of Remas itself and march through the streets in a great show of tilean arms. Included are eight of the legions which had been freshly raised for a very different target. However with stars in their eyes and vengeance in their hearts, the legions exit north out the city gates rather than sailing south. The remans instead making for the blighted marches and dread Skavenblight, the fetid, beating heart of the Skaven Under-Empire.
The council of thirteen having foreseen this coming recalls their agents and armies from Estalia and empties the city of its slaves. Flooding the Marches in their teeming multitudes. The Remans are not the Tileans of old however, scattered and divided, and in disciplined lines they number nearly a hundred thousand strong, garbed in iron and ready for battle. Thus they hold, allowing the panicked, starving slaves to waste themselves on their shield walls. While sartosan slings and dwarven-inspired warmachines pound the Skaven rear lines.
Eventually, the Skaven break and run, returning to their sewers and holes. Then for the first time in many an age Skavenblight itself is set under siege, and balls of flame hurl over the walls into the rotting streets of the Skaven capital. The council of thirteen though had played merely the weakest of their cards. And thirteen nights from when the siege began, Skavenblight opens its gates.
Thousands of gargantuan mutated, skaven-like monsters pour from the city's portals, ravenous after not being fed for the entire duration of the siege thus far, and following behind them come the stormvermin phalanxes. Garbed and armored by the best of Skavenblight smiths. Yet the worst was yet to come, for dozens of warp lightning cannons forged by the mad artisans of clan shrike trundled forward afterward. From which eldritch lightning pours into the reman lines. To their credit, the Remans hold as best they can. But against this tide of the under empire's finest, this is a fight they cannot win. Quintus Venticose, seeing the futility of the fight. Extricated what few legions he could and marched in haste back to the northern city of Bilbao. Behind whose walls he hoped to make a valiant final stand.
The attack he was waiting for did not come, however, save a few thousand opportunists. And by year's end, Quintus is joined by six newly raised legions. Filled with young men who have never lifted a sword in anger. But they will not have to, for the north is quiet, yet full of terrors.
4413: Angaraz relieves the siege of Fluivuli
To the North of Karak Angaraz stands the city of the Stancati, Fluivuli. And over the years it has grown large and prosperous. Its harbors and canals service hundreds of ships and even the occasional dwarf ironclad that passes through their vassals port on the way to visit their cousins. However, it has also grown large enough to attract the attention of the orks of the Drakwald, who poured forth in a tide of green.
The Dwarves of Angaraz, knowing of the oaths that they had made with those on the estuary below readied their throng. But Giles Angar, of the Klad Karu, stayed their hand. This was a human matter, he said to the dwarven king. And it is time that they prove their name and showed the Urk why they were no longer welcome in these lands. So alone, the Klad Karu marched down to the sea, and stood upon the walls of that newly forged city.
Songs would be sung of that day, as the longbowmen of the Klad Karu fired volley after volley into the horde that assailed its walls. Tales would be told of the valiant swordsmen glad in dwarven half-plate who held the northern gate to the last man, killing so many that by the time the last swordsmen fell, the job was done. As Orkish bodies now stood in place of the gate which had once barred entry to the city. And Tapestries would be woven, of knights whose armor gleamed in the light of the sun, swept around the battle, and crashed into the Orks from behind. Cutting them down by the thousand as they fled into the forest. By the time the day ended it is said that one man remained for every two which had marched forth. But if such was the price to pay for honor they said, they would march forth again and again.
4414: The forging of a bond
Prince Leopold eventually turns his eyes southward to the cousins who ventured through the black mountains in ages past. To them, he offers to join the cities that have formed between the two mountain ranges into a single nation and drive back the Orks who have despoiled their ancient homelands. To the Dwarves, however, he also offers an alliance. For with near the whole river Reik under his control and seven of the 13 great tribes who had migrated to their lands in ages past with him. He now felt worthy to extend to the High king such an offer.
The High King, seeing strength, pride, and honor in the humans in the shadows of his mountains. Agrees to Leopolds terms. And relinquishes the vassalage he holds over the humans of the Everpeak foothills, letting them freely rejoin their Northern cousins. Feasts are called across the human realm as word arrives and Leopold is granted the title of King of the Reik by his new ally. Across the Karaz Ankor though, the decision is met with a much more muted reaction. Many are those who see promise in the humans and especially these humans. But many too are those who see the fires of ambition in their new partner's eyes. And they make promises that no matter how friendly their realms become. The bastions that watch the passes to their holds from the human kingdom will remain manned and maintained. for centuries to come.
4414 - 4419: The battle of the peaks
the greenskins come, not in a single wave but in a thousand tiny bands over the course of nearly five years. Forcing the defenders of Karaz a Karak to sharpen their watch and mashal their throngs. But the orks for once in their miserable lives fight with wit and cunning. Laying traps and ambushes throughout the peaks and paths of the worlds edge mountains, rather than besieging or assaulting any hold specifically.
Though the bleeding is slow, it is fatal as over years thousands of dwarves die in burned caravans or succumb to avalanches launched by whooping goblins. Seemingly powerless to deal with the issue, Yarig Frorltounge defers to a council of Thanes to resolve the problem. Who deploy the rangers to the eastern and southern mountains around the everpeak. Eventually locating the lair of the warboss who seems to be launching this attack.
Yarig gathers a mighty throng to take the fight to the Orks who would threaten the heart of the Karaz Ankor. But when he eventually arrives within the valley his prey was hiding in, he finds only a crude sculpture of a dwarf with a spear through his chest. As the goblin led wagghh descends upon the throng from all sides.
The dwarves are pushed hard as avalanches fall upon them and great trees are rolled into the valley where they make their stand before the greenskin tide surges forth to do battle. The battle rages for hours before the dawi finally manage to escape the ambush but when they do, nearly twenty thousand of their number lie slain upon the battlefield and the warlord who launched the attack never tastes the blade of a dwarven axe. The dwarves hang their heads low in shame as they return to Karaz - A - Karak. But of the wagghh that beset them… they are never seen or heard from again.
4420: The...Passing of the King
Yarin Frorltounge sinks into a deep and bitter sadness for years after the battle of the peaks. Being so easily outwitted and outpaced by greenskins weighing upon his mind. Yet it still comes as a shock when one day, tree years after the battle he walks into the council of Elders and informs them of the unthinkable. That he is abdicating Grungis throne and leaving it up to their wisdom to choose his successor. So saying, he leaves the Karak in the shadow of the night. His name never again appearing in the annals of the dwarves.
Though it is said sometimes that an elder, with a great sadness in his eyes and an immense weight upon his shoulders, will arrive from the cold. Only when one of the many holds of the Karaz Ankor experiences a time of great bitterness and strife. He will offer words of sage wisdom and great insight to the bickering parties who will inevitably toast to the others' health by night's end. It is said that on these nights the elder's shoulders will lighten slightly and the faintest trace of a smile will touch his features beneath his silver beard. as a shame of enormous burden is lifted from his shoulders. If only for an evening.
When the shock finally wears off and the time comes for a new High King to wear Grungis crown, the custodians of the kings' hall find a single item left upon Grungis throne. A singular tome written in a neat hand. Detailing every lesson High King Yarrig learned over his long years as the most diplomatic high king since Snorri Whitebeard.
Tome of Greetings - High King Frorltounge is a controversial figure in dwarven histories. Skilled in only one aspect of rule and bringing equal parts shame and pride to the dwarves. Yet that single art, that of presenting the Dawi in the best light possible upon meeting, is one he has attempted to immortalize in this tome. +1 for the first diplomatic action taken with a faction.
A great confederation of the cities along the river Reik forms, with the city of Nuln at its head. Uniting in common cause with their immediate neighbors, they see off dozens of nascent wagons that threaten the strength of their new brothers. With such victories under his belt, Prince Leopold looks both east and west to see if his brothers of ancient fellowship will join his kingdom. And a crown of dwarven make is forged of priceless gromril for the young nation.
4389: The Elves and Dwarves make peace
In a day that few save Frorltoung himself truly saw coming. The dwarves of the Kraz Ankor and the high elves of Ulthuan have made peace. Though thousands of longbeards cry out at giving back the crown they had taken in that ancient war. These are mollified somewhat by the sheer scale of the recompense that the Elves pay. And the ringleader of the dissenters, King Baghar of Angaraz, is forced to eat his words. After stating that he would only come to forgive the Elves if all three crowns of his ancestors were returned to him. Only for that exact act to occur merely a week later.
Though the grumbling has become quieter and leaderless, it is nonetheless still present, as many watch with sharpened axes for when the elgi will prove again that they are not to be trusted.
4391 - 4418: Near a year to the day that peace was signed between The Asur and the Dawi, a great arcane event occurs upon Ulthuan, as the magical island is drained of much of its ambient aetheric energy. An event that throws the isle into disarray as the elves attempt to adjust to their new reality. Many questions are thrown at the Phoenix king about how he allowed this to occur, yet he remains silent. As do the nobles who dwelt in his court on that fateful day, though they claim to simply be unable to recall what occurred that evening. Passing it off as anxiety caused by their new situation. It is noted in whispered voices in palaces far from the phoenix throne that the spate of 'suicides' which occurred in the following few years were suspiciously common around those nobles and their associates who had been present that evening . And that the king, who once balked to wear the crown of Aenarion, now wears it openly and proudly upon his head.
4397 - 4411: The princedoms of Estalia suffer a series of plagues and famines over the decades as sightings of the twisted ratmen are seen skulking throughout the deserted countryside. The situation grows so bad over time that after the city of Tidora is found an empty husk of its former self, the council of notables bring it to the attention of those embassies that now sit only a short walk from the capital. As the Elder races debate the issue however it is Remas who is the one to act. Seeing opportunity where others spy disaster.
4399 - 4405 War of the reik
The Confederation of the Reik extends an offer to join to all those who live upon the great river, and their offer is taken up by many in the west. Yet not by all. The greatest opponents of which are those of the Unbergen tribe, whose city, the Reikfort, stands as the greatest of all those save Nuln which rest upon the river. Though both sides reach out to the dwarves to help mediate the dispute, it soon turns to violence. With the king of the unbergen eventually, after years of brutal fighting, defeated and forced to swear fealty to Nuln before his gods of Taal and Ulric.
4410: The siege of Skavenblight
A full fourteen legions are drawn up within the city of Remas itself and march through the streets in a great show of tilean arms. Included are eight of the legions which had been freshly raised for a very different target. However with stars in their eyes and vengeance in their hearts, the legions exit north out the city gates rather than sailing south. The remans instead making for the blighted marches and dread Skavenblight, the fetid, beating heart of the Skaven Under-Empire.
The council of thirteen having foreseen this coming recalls their agents and armies from Estalia and empties the city of its slaves. Flooding the Marches in their teeming multitudes. The Remans are not the Tileans of old however, scattered and divided, and in disciplined lines they number nearly a hundred thousand strong, garbed in iron and ready for battle. Thus they hold, allowing the panicked, starving slaves to waste themselves on their shield walls. While sartosan slings and dwarven-inspired warmachines pound the Skaven rear lines.
Eventually, the Skaven break and run, returning to their sewers and holes. Then for the first time in many an age Skavenblight itself is set under siege, and balls of flame hurl over the walls into the rotting streets of the Skaven capital. The council of thirteen though had played merely the weakest of their cards. And thirteen nights from when the siege began, Skavenblight opens its gates.
Thousands of gargantuan mutated, skaven-like monsters pour from the city's portals, ravenous after not being fed for the entire duration of the siege thus far, and following behind them come the stormvermin phalanxes. Garbed and armored by the best of Skavenblight smiths. Yet the worst was yet to come, for dozens of warp lightning cannons forged by the mad artisans of clan shrike trundled forward afterward. From which eldritch lightning pours into the reman lines. To their credit, the Remans hold as best they can. But against this tide of the under empire's finest, this is a fight they cannot win. Quintus Venticose, seeing the futility of the fight. Extricated what few legions he could and marched in haste back to the northern city of Bilbao. Behind whose walls he hoped to make a valiant final stand.
The attack he was waiting for did not come, however, save a few thousand opportunists. And by year's end, Quintus is joined by six newly raised legions. Filled with young men who have never lifted a sword in anger. But they will not have to, for the north is quiet, yet full of terrors.
4413: Angaraz relieves the siege of Fluivuli
To the North of Karak Angaraz stands the city of the Stancati, Fluivuli. And over the years it has grown large and prosperous. Its harbors and canals service hundreds of ships and even the occasional dwarf ironclad that passes through their vassals port on the way to visit their cousins. However, it has also grown large enough to attract the attention of the orks of the Drakwald, who poured forth in a tide of green.
The Dwarves of Angaraz, knowing of the oaths that they had made with those on the estuary below readied their throng. But Giles Angar, of the Klad Karu, stayed their hand. This was a human matter, he said to the dwarven king. And it is time that they prove their name and showed the Urk why they were no longer welcome in these lands. So alone, the Klad Karu marched down to the sea, and stood upon the walls of that newly forged city.
Songs would be sung of that day, as the longbowmen of the Klad Karu fired volley after volley into the horde that assailed its walls. Tales would be told of the valiant swordsmen glad in dwarven half-plate who held the northern gate to the last man, killing so many that by the time the last swordsmen fell, the job was done. As Orkish bodies now stood in place of the gate which had once barred entry to the city. And Tapestries would be woven, of knights whose armor gleamed in the light of the sun, swept around the battle, and crashed into the Orks from behind. Cutting them down by the thousand as they fled into the forest. By the time the day ended it is said that one man remained for every two which had marched forth. But if such was the price to pay for honor they said, they would march forth again and again.
4414: The forging of a bond
Prince Leopold eventually turns his eyes southward to the cousins who ventured through the black mountains in ages past. To them, he offers to join the cities that have formed between the two mountain ranges into a single nation and drive back the Orks who have despoiled their ancient homelands. To the Dwarves, however, he also offers an alliance. For with near the whole river Reik under his control and seven of the 13 great tribes who had migrated to their lands in ages past with him. He now felt worthy to extend to the High king such an offer.
The High King, seeing strength, pride, and honor in the humans in the shadows of his mountains. Agrees to Leopolds terms. And relinquishes the vassalage he holds over the humans of the Everpeak foothills, letting them freely rejoin their Northern cousins. Feasts are called across the human realm as word arrives and Leopold is granted the title of King of the Reik by his new ally. Across the Karaz Ankor though, the decision is met with a much more muted reaction. Many are those who see promise in the humans and especially these humans. But many too are those who see the fires of ambition in their new partner's eyes. And they make promises that no matter how friendly their realms become. The bastions that watch the passes to their holds from the human kingdom will remain manned and maintained. for centuries to come.
4414 - 4419: The battle of the peaks
the greenskins come, not in a single wave but in a thousand tiny bands over the course of nearly five years. Forcing the defenders of Karaz a Karak to sharpen their watch and mashal their throngs. But the orks for once in their miserable lives fight with wit and cunning. Laying traps and ambushes throughout the peaks and paths of the worlds edge mountains, rather than besieging or assaulting any hold specifically.
Though the bleeding is slow, it is fatal as over years thousands of dwarves die in burned caravans or succumb to avalanches launched by whooping goblins. Seemingly powerless to deal with the issue, Yarig Frorltounge defers to a council of Thanes to resolve the problem. Who deploy the rangers to the eastern and southern mountains around the everpeak. Eventually locating the lair of the warboss who seems to be launching this attack.
Yarig gathers a mighty throng to take the fight to the Orks who would threaten the heart of the Karaz Ankor. But when he eventually arrives within the valley his prey was hiding in, he finds only a crude sculpture of a dwarf with a spear through his chest. As the goblin led wagghh descends upon the throng from all sides.
The dwarves are pushed hard as avalanches fall upon them and great trees are rolled into the valley where they make their stand before the greenskin tide surges forth to do battle. The battle rages for hours before the dawi finally manage to escape the ambush but when they do, nearly twenty thousand of their number lie slain upon the battlefield and the warlord who launched the attack never tastes the blade of a dwarven axe. The dwarves hang their heads low in shame as they return to Karaz - A - Karak. But of the wagghh that beset them… they are never seen or heard from again.
4420: The...Passing of the King
Yarin Frorltounge sinks into a deep and bitter sadness for years after the battle of the peaks. Being so easily outwitted and outpaced by greenskins weighing upon his mind. Yet it still comes as a shock when one day, tree years after the battle he walks into the council of Elders and informs them of the unthinkable. That he is abdicating Grungis throne and leaving it up to their wisdom to choose his successor. So saying, he leaves the Karak in the shadow of the night. His name never again appearing in the annals of the dwarves.
Though it is said sometimes that an elder, with a great sadness in his eyes and an immense weight upon his shoulders, will arrive from the cold. Only when one of the many holds of the Karaz Ankor experiences a time of great bitterness and strife. He will offer words of sage wisdom and great insight to the bickering parties who will inevitably toast to the others' health by night's end. It is said that on these nights the elder's shoulders will lighten slightly and the faintest trace of a smile will touch his features beneath his silver beard. as a shame of enormous burden is lifted from his shoulders. If only for an evening.
When the shock finally wears off and the time comes for a new High King to wear Grungis crown, the custodians of the kings' hall find a single item left upon Grungis throne. A singular tome written in a neat hand. Detailing every lesson High King Yarrig learned over his long years as the most diplomatic high king since Snorri Whitebeard.
Tome of Greetings - High King Frorltounge is a controversial figure in dwarven histories. Skilled in only one aspect of rule and bringing equal parts shame and pride to the dwarves. Yet that single art, that of presenting the Dawi in the best light possible upon meeting, is one he has attempted to immortalize in this tome. +1 for the first diplomatic action taken with a faction.
4421: The lost invasion of Araby
The Emperor of Remas, bitter in regards to his failure to rid the world of the fetid tumour that is Skavenblight, turns his attention down south, to the coasts of Araby. Sending a vast fleet of triremes on a mission of conquest against a far less capable opponent. In the hope that the resources of Araby will give his successors the means to achieve that grand and ancient ambition of the Tileans where he had failed. Or at least that is the reasoning he gives to his countrymen.
Alas for the Reman ambitions, a vast storm sweeps into the black gulf as they are mid-way through their journey. Overturning dozens of ships with their full complement of men and scattering the rest across the seas. The admiral of the largest group of ships that survives elects to return home instead. Realizing that to push onwards would be the height of folly.
4423 - 4453: The Great purge
The Dawi of The Karaz Ankor march to war in a way not seen since the elder days. With Runic weapons and allies, they carve their way through an enormous portion of the old world. High King Erbor, overseeing the culling of millions of greenskins in exchange for so very few of their own. Ultimately, laying claim to a vast region of the old world for themselves. At least, so goes the plan, until they can find stewards who would be suitable governors of the lands they have claimed.
4424 - 4456: The Skaven War
Thirteen times thirteen months after the attack on Skavenblight, the Skaven complete their preparations for revenge. And on one twisted night when the green moon hangs high in the sky. Thousands upon thousands of Skaven rise up throughout the cities of the Reman Empire. Having dug tunnels and cities beneath the empire over hundreds of years. The city guards attempt to hold, but they are swiftly overrun as they are completely unprepared for the foe they face.
All available legions save those guarding the northern border are recalled back to the cities and bitter street fighting ensues. Hundreds of thousands die on both sides as bodies pile up in the street. And the grand imperial palace at the heart of Remas's empire is placed under siege more than a dozen times over the years. Only to be relieved again and again by valiant charges of the legions.
Days turn to weeks, which turn to months and eventually years, as the grinding war of attrition continues. Eventually, though, individual cities manage to purge their sewers of the infestations that nest there and are able to move to help their brethren. Ultimately leading to a final cataclysmic battle for the heart of the city of Remas itself.
Though the empire is saved from this catastrophe, it is sorely battered, and it will be some time before the emperors eyes look further afield.
4427 The battle of the Wuppertal Hills
With the dwarves clearing out vast areas of land surrounding the confederation. King Dinwall attempts to redress the wrong that the confederation suffered when their kinsmen among the Brigundians rejected their offers of confederation. Electing to solve this issue at the point of the sword, he martials his levies, and calls his chariots, spearmen, and horsemen to the fore in order to conquer the upstarts who had rejected his predecessors.
His hopes are quashed however when after several quick and successful sieges, he finds a unified Brigundian army waiting for him among the hills of Wuppertal. Though he outnumbers the Brigundians, he hesitates to attack. For they have anchored their flank upon an ancient stone castle that has watched these parts for centuries. And his chariots would prove useless upon the sharp rises and falls of the hills. In his arrogance though, he declares that he will see the Brigundians humbled here or he would die upon the field. An oath he saw through as his defeated army carries his remains back to Nuln.
In his wake, he leaves the newly forged kingdom of Brigundy, who seeing how long they would likely last against a strong confederacy, look to the north with avaricious eyes to find the strength to resist their adversaries.
4431: Along the southern coast of their peninsula, the Dwarves of Kraka Drak have interacted with the Norsii tribes for generations. Though never before have their minds turned to how those tribes could potentially be helpful beyond trading for fish or pelts, to their own safety in these mountains. Hundreds of dwarves go out to the various tribes who fish and hunt to survive in the harsh northern landscape. And to a select few of these tribes, instruction is given in regards to smithing and construction. As well as pointers in regards to sustainable aquaculture and animal husbandry. A process that took some time to be accepted, but eventually saw the population of these selected tribes explode over the course of several decades. Solidifying their hold over the lands they had claimed.
Claims that were upheld by the king of Kraka Drak who extended his hand in friendship toward those tribes he considered good and trustworthy.
4432: Karak Kadrin fights an extended battle with an Orkish Waagghh attempting to push down the pass. The battle rages long and hard as they fight to protect the three great runelords of Karak Kadrin. Who work feverishly with knowledge taken from the frame of the Gronti Duraz to restore the ancient mechanism of Grimnirs third axe. Such great personages call for a suitably grand escort and the runelords are safely evacuated from the site of the great powered blades, but not before twenty thousand Dawi are slain in a relief mission to extricate them.
4435: The dwarves of Kraka Drak report that the chaos dwarves have stepped up their naval efforts and that their own attempts at interdiction, funded only by their few holds, are sorely inadequate. With their small flotilla of steamships bound to its harbour lest they risk their own destruction. Now chaos dwarf convoys sail by on a nearly weekly basis, sailing just out of range of Kraka Draks formidable defenses, and openly flaunting their power as they trade with tribes all along Norscas coast.
4443 - 4455: Within the lands of the Brettoni, a change has come about. One of the counts of the land named Lyonesse began a series of conquests against his neighbors. Having gathered the loyalty of nearly two thousand of the discharged Klad Karu who had recently returned from campaign. WIth these dread veterans of wars greater than any of his neighbors could easily grasp. He moved from castle to castle, town to town, and crushed all those who would rise up to oppose him. Naming himself duke of Lyonesse by the end of his campaigns. A realm that was swift to offer its protection to those around it. An offer (wisely) not taken up by its immediate neighbors. But which was accepted by those counts of southern Bordeleaux , who considered themselves too distant to be absorbed into this new realm.
A thought that was proven false as once invited in. The veterans of those Orkish wars were extremely difficult to get rid of, and the coercive power that they wielded was enough to push those feudal rulers ever closer into the realm of Lyonesse. Until by the end of the second decade of the arrangement, where despite being officially independent, all knew to whom Bordeleaux actually answered.
4449 - 4452: The Brigundians move north against the cities of the Asoborn. Quickly dismantling the small leagues that rise up to oppose them. The irony that they are seeking safety from the confederation by invading their neighbors is not lost upon the young kingdom. But such is mostly noted by those with a particularly sardonic sense of humor. To all others, it is little more than one of the harsh realities of the world they dwell within.
4453: Karak Izor suffers a probing attack from the Skaven. Likely attempting to pin down the Dawi so that the dwarves cannot assist the Remans in their plight. The battle lasts merely 6 hours but its fury is immense and over four thousand of the Dawi lose their lives before the throng is able to properly gather and shove the interlopers from their halls.
4457: The Purge of the Drakwald and meetings with Lauralorn
With a new heir to the Reik came a new sense of priorities. And now bolstered by veterans of the dwarves campaigns against the orks, he turns his gaze to the north rather than the east. And asks his soldiers for one last push to see the entire land of the twelve tribes freed from the greenskins.
So once again the army moves and strikes against their true foes. The geenskins of the drakwald. Long and hard is the conflict and in one battle on the fens only slightly north of the Reik, the army comes within moments of destruction. Only to be saved as their courage failed them by a band of elves emerging from the forest. Garbed in the ancient armor and weapons of a war lost long ago, they stride into the battle with a fury matched only by the high throng of the dwarves. Routing the orks with the might of an elder race.
When the battle is finally over. The young human king Freighard, meets with the king of Tor Lithanel, Curuzel. Eventually agreeing that the elves would march with the humans to liberate this land of the greenskins, so long as their own territory within "Larelorn Forest" is respected by the humans who would call the remaining realm their home.
4458: The Great hold of Vlag finally finishes the construction of a series of runic reinforcements upon its, walls and battlements, as well as the depths of its mines. In addition to the weapons of the high throng, which were replaced by those received as tribute from the Asur. Gifts that its king is humbled to receive from the high king, but knows is necessary to resist the forces that have been levied against the hold of High pass. And especially considering the increasing interests their fallen kin have in the area.
4459: On the western edges of the darklands, a massive crouched shephard moves from cave to cave. His dwindling heard of great beasts following him as he seeks a home not occupied by the ravenous hordes that saw him cast down from his heights oh so long ago. Climbing a nearby peak, he spots several great mounts where he could make a home. But only a few were occupied by those with which he would want to make a deal. Those 'Dawi' whose dark kin he had fled from and hunted in turn for centuries. Only a few he imagines, as he effortlessly lifts a gun large enough that most would mount it on ships. could offer him protection in exchange for what he could give in return.
The Emperor of Remas, bitter in regards to his failure to rid the world of the fetid tumour that is Skavenblight, turns his attention down south, to the coasts of Araby. Sending a vast fleet of triremes on a mission of conquest against a far less capable opponent. In the hope that the resources of Araby will give his successors the means to achieve that grand and ancient ambition of the Tileans where he had failed. Or at least that is the reasoning he gives to his countrymen.
Alas for the Reman ambitions, a vast storm sweeps into the black gulf as they are mid-way through their journey. Overturning dozens of ships with their full complement of men and scattering the rest across the seas. The admiral of the largest group of ships that survives elects to return home instead. Realizing that to push onwards would be the height of folly.
4423 - 4453: The Great purge
The Dawi of The Karaz Ankor march to war in a way not seen since the elder days. With Runic weapons and allies, they carve their way through an enormous portion of the old world. High King Erbor, overseeing the culling of millions of greenskins in exchange for so very few of their own. Ultimately, laying claim to a vast region of the old world for themselves. At least, so goes the plan, until they can find stewards who would be suitable governors of the lands they have claimed.
4424 - 4456: The Skaven War
Thirteen times thirteen months after the attack on Skavenblight, the Skaven complete their preparations for revenge. And on one twisted night when the green moon hangs high in the sky. Thousands upon thousands of Skaven rise up throughout the cities of the Reman Empire. Having dug tunnels and cities beneath the empire over hundreds of years. The city guards attempt to hold, but they are swiftly overrun as they are completely unprepared for the foe they face.
All available legions save those guarding the northern border are recalled back to the cities and bitter street fighting ensues. Hundreds of thousands die on both sides as bodies pile up in the street. And the grand imperial palace at the heart of Remas's empire is placed under siege more than a dozen times over the years. Only to be relieved again and again by valiant charges of the legions.
Days turn to weeks, which turn to months and eventually years, as the grinding war of attrition continues. Eventually, though, individual cities manage to purge their sewers of the infestations that nest there and are able to move to help their brethren. Ultimately leading to a final cataclysmic battle for the heart of the city of Remas itself.
Though the empire is saved from this catastrophe, it is sorely battered, and it will be some time before the emperors eyes look further afield.
4427 The battle of the Wuppertal Hills
With the dwarves clearing out vast areas of land surrounding the confederation. King Dinwall attempts to redress the wrong that the confederation suffered when their kinsmen among the Brigundians rejected their offers of confederation. Electing to solve this issue at the point of the sword, he martials his levies, and calls his chariots, spearmen, and horsemen to the fore in order to conquer the upstarts who had rejected his predecessors.
His hopes are quashed however when after several quick and successful sieges, he finds a unified Brigundian army waiting for him among the hills of Wuppertal. Though he outnumbers the Brigundians, he hesitates to attack. For they have anchored their flank upon an ancient stone castle that has watched these parts for centuries. And his chariots would prove useless upon the sharp rises and falls of the hills. In his arrogance though, he declares that he will see the Brigundians humbled here or he would die upon the field. An oath he saw through as his defeated army carries his remains back to Nuln.
In his wake, he leaves the newly forged kingdom of Brigundy, who seeing how long they would likely last against a strong confederacy, look to the north with avaricious eyes to find the strength to resist their adversaries.
4431: Along the southern coast of their peninsula, the Dwarves of Kraka Drak have interacted with the Norsii tribes for generations. Though never before have their minds turned to how those tribes could potentially be helpful beyond trading for fish or pelts, to their own safety in these mountains. Hundreds of dwarves go out to the various tribes who fish and hunt to survive in the harsh northern landscape. And to a select few of these tribes, instruction is given in regards to smithing and construction. As well as pointers in regards to sustainable aquaculture and animal husbandry. A process that took some time to be accepted, but eventually saw the population of these selected tribes explode over the course of several decades. Solidifying their hold over the lands they had claimed.
Claims that were upheld by the king of Kraka Drak who extended his hand in friendship toward those tribes he considered good and trustworthy.
4432: Karak Kadrin fights an extended battle with an Orkish Waagghh attempting to push down the pass. The battle rages long and hard as they fight to protect the three great runelords of Karak Kadrin. Who work feverishly with knowledge taken from the frame of the Gronti Duraz to restore the ancient mechanism of Grimnirs third axe. Such great personages call for a suitably grand escort and the runelords are safely evacuated from the site of the great powered blades, but not before twenty thousand Dawi are slain in a relief mission to extricate them.
4435: The dwarves of Kraka Drak report that the chaos dwarves have stepped up their naval efforts and that their own attempts at interdiction, funded only by their few holds, are sorely inadequate. With their small flotilla of steamships bound to its harbour lest they risk their own destruction. Now chaos dwarf convoys sail by on a nearly weekly basis, sailing just out of range of Kraka Draks formidable defenses, and openly flaunting their power as they trade with tribes all along Norscas coast.
4443 - 4455: Within the lands of the Brettoni, a change has come about. One of the counts of the land named Lyonesse began a series of conquests against his neighbors. Having gathered the loyalty of nearly two thousand of the discharged Klad Karu who had recently returned from campaign. WIth these dread veterans of wars greater than any of his neighbors could easily grasp. He moved from castle to castle, town to town, and crushed all those who would rise up to oppose him. Naming himself duke of Lyonesse by the end of his campaigns. A realm that was swift to offer its protection to those around it. An offer (wisely) not taken up by its immediate neighbors. But which was accepted by those counts of southern Bordeleaux , who considered themselves too distant to be absorbed into this new realm.
A thought that was proven false as once invited in. The veterans of those Orkish wars were extremely difficult to get rid of, and the coercive power that they wielded was enough to push those feudal rulers ever closer into the realm of Lyonesse. Until by the end of the second decade of the arrangement, where despite being officially independent, all knew to whom Bordeleaux actually answered.
4449 - 4452: The Brigundians move north against the cities of the Asoborn. Quickly dismantling the small leagues that rise up to oppose them. The irony that they are seeking safety from the confederation by invading their neighbors is not lost upon the young kingdom. But such is mostly noted by those with a particularly sardonic sense of humor. To all others, it is little more than one of the harsh realities of the world they dwell within.
4453: Karak Izor suffers a probing attack from the Skaven. Likely attempting to pin down the Dawi so that the dwarves cannot assist the Remans in their plight. The battle lasts merely 6 hours but its fury is immense and over four thousand of the Dawi lose their lives before the throng is able to properly gather and shove the interlopers from their halls.
4457: The Purge of the Drakwald and meetings with Lauralorn
With a new heir to the Reik came a new sense of priorities. And now bolstered by veterans of the dwarves campaigns against the orks, he turns his gaze to the north rather than the east. And asks his soldiers for one last push to see the entire land of the twelve tribes freed from the greenskins.
So once again the army moves and strikes against their true foes. The geenskins of the drakwald. Long and hard is the conflict and in one battle on the fens only slightly north of the Reik, the army comes within moments of destruction. Only to be saved as their courage failed them by a band of elves emerging from the forest. Garbed in the ancient armor and weapons of a war lost long ago, they stride into the battle with a fury matched only by the high throng of the dwarves. Routing the orks with the might of an elder race.
When the battle is finally over. The young human king Freighard, meets with the king of Tor Lithanel, Curuzel. Eventually agreeing that the elves would march with the humans to liberate this land of the greenskins, so long as their own territory within "Larelorn Forest" is respected by the humans who would call the remaining realm their home.
4458: The Great hold of Vlag finally finishes the construction of a series of runic reinforcements upon its, walls and battlements, as well as the depths of its mines. In addition to the weapons of the high throng, which were replaced by those received as tribute from the Asur. Gifts that its king is humbled to receive from the high king, but knows is necessary to resist the forces that have been levied against the hold of High pass. And especially considering the increasing interests their fallen kin have in the area.
4459: On the western edges of the darklands, a massive crouched shephard moves from cave to cave. His dwindling heard of great beasts following him as he seeks a home not occupied by the ravenous hordes that saw him cast down from his heights oh so long ago. Climbing a nearby peak, he spots several great mounts where he could make a home. But only a few were occupied by those with which he would want to make a deal. Those 'Dawi' whose dark kin he had fled from and hunted in turn for centuries. Only a few he imagines, as he effortlessly lifts a gun large enough that most would mount it on ships. could offer him protection in exchange for what he could give in return.
4462 - The wild hunt rides forth:
The beastly god of the forest elves has ridden forth with thousands of his most able followers behind him. Culling orkish host after orkish host in a flurry of gore-soaked violence which few of any race could hope to equal. Bowstrings sing and swords flash as the seemingly tireless and endlessly bloodthirsty Orion culls hundreds of thousands of Orks over the course of a season. So savage is his bloodletting that by the end of the cull not one in a hundred of the grobi who once called this region home remain. Those few human tribes who had managed to hide away from the marauding wagghhs and dodge the attention of Orion and his kin cautiously raise their head after the elves return to their wood. Quickly spreading to reclaim the dominion they once had in the shadow of the grey mountains.
4464 - 4492: The castle wars
Over the course of thirty years, a throng of the Karaz Ankor gradually extends layer after layer of potent dwarven fortifications into the countryside to the west of Angaraz. Pushing back the orks back through a tide of stone and concrete. Until eventually the orks are pushed out of the realm entirely. Having never really noticed that they were under true attack at all.
4465 Mousillon forms.
Surrounded to the north and south by those who swore themselves to Lyonesse, few gave the counts of Mousillon much of a chance to see out the century. Indeed when war did eventually come to the land of a thousand gardens, Dozens of counts fell to those veterans of the Klad Karu. Who now, by tradition, formed the vanguard of the Lyonesse army. Sweeping through dozens of castles and forts until they eventually came to Mousillon. That ancient elven city of glittering spires and high walls. Here, the Lyonesse found themselves stifled. Their ballistas and onagers, proving little effective against those walls that had withstood dwarven arms for decades at a time.
But the pride of the Grand Duke was great, and rather than submitting to the indignity of a siege. He, leading the charge, ordered an assault upon the walls. The army swelled forward, and like waves breaking against white cliffs, they shattered against the gleaming walls. The defenders reaping a terrible price against those who would assail their fortress. Twice more would the Lyonesse launch their assaults, and each time they pressed closer and closer to victory, as their exhausted enemy was slowly ground down just as that self-same tide can wear down even the mightiest cliff face. Even if for every one of them that fell so did five of the enemy army.
In the last days of the siege, however, the last of the knights of Mousillon formed up, barely more than a hundred heavy cavalry based upon the Klad Karu style. But each was vengeful and determined as a dwarf who has been deeply wronged. So when the fourth wave gathered and were committed to the assault, the gates were opened and the knights charged forth in all the pageantry that Mousillon could still muster. and they rode for the grand dukes banner, merely several hundred metres from the wall and they rode for death, or glory.
Those guarding their lord made a valiant stand as the hammer of armoured horseflesh and lances struck home. But they could not hope to withstand the pent up fury of those they had assailed for weeks on end. Within minutes, the head of the grand duke was lifted into the air by his killer, and cheering erupted from the battlements. While among the soldiery of Lyonesse, despair sunk into their bones. Those peasant levies which formed the majority of the Lyonesse army began to break and crack. Hundreds and then thousands beginning to stream north to get away from these demigods of battle.
Only those veterans of the Orkish war maintained their discipline. But numbering only several hundred, they had no hope to salvage the battle. Thus they formed a wall of steel between them and their fleeing fellows and repulsed charge after charge of the knights, until finally, they managed to withdraw into the northern plains and slink back home.
In the aftermath, the viscount of Mousillon would hunt down and slaughter the few garrison forces that remained in their stolen castles, handing them over in turn to the knights who had so valiantly defended their home. In the end, the twenty-seven of those knights who eventually survived the whole campaign of reconquest would form the round table. The masters of Mousillon, who answer to no one but the one to whom they also give council, the newly ascended duke.
4468 - 4499: The Withdrawal of Remas
Following the invasion of the ratmen, Remas entered into a period of isolation, as they busy themselves repairing and restoring the damage that befell their empire, while also repopulating the entire region after two of every five people who once lived in that nation fell to the fury of the wronged thaggoriki. Remas looks to the north with fearful eyes as they find their hubris shattered upon mountains of their own dead. the phrase memento mori comes into frequent use and is used to chastise those who would attempt to seek that which is beyond their reach.
4470 - 4490 The tribesmen of Couronne have held to their ways stubbornly in the face of increasing adversity, With the Stancati beginning to bite at the fringes of their territory to the east and the ascendant Lyonesse to the west. Still, they have stuck to the ways that they have always known. Their farming till now has always been rudimentary and traditional. While their ways of fighting remained the same as they had been centuries ago. But the flow of ideas is uncontestable over the course of human generations. And slowly what was once utterly forbidden, becomes conceivable and finally accepted. To the point that cities and castles now dot the hills and rivers of that fertile land. And the men at arms that they use to fight in their wars could be considered near equals to those of their neighbours.
4473: Deep within the halls of Barak Varr a runelord has become inspired. Dromon Granitebeard has, working over the centuries, with new knowledge and skills learnt from forging the fortifications of Vlag and even working upon the rune weapons that the high throng has turned those skills toward a new kind of rune. Those of the naval cannon.
Working upon a titanic weapon once mounted as the heaviest cannon upon the Grimazul Gronti. He has spent nearly a quarter of his life refining and preparing for striking the runes upon this masterpiece, as well as the speacialised ammunition it would bear. Eventually, on a dark night filled with thunder and lightning, the runelord brings forth one of the two anvils of doom that Barak Varr still possesses, and sets up upon the greatest peak of the holds nearby mountain range.
Here he waits and works as he pulls the lighting of the sky into the anvil itself. To begin inscribing HIS master rune into the thick black steel of that titanic cannon. Requiring the steadiest of hands and the charge of a full lightning storm, he etches the rune deep into the skin of the cannon, imbibing it with the power to fire bolts to the very edge of the horizon and with a speed that not even elves could follow.
Finally, the work is complete, and the runic arrays of hardening and true sight seem uncorrupted by their new and mighty neighbour that pulses with the power embedded into it. He then sets about teaching his three apprentices the methods to be used in order to create these incredible weapons
4476 - 4493: Across the whole of the Karaz Ankor there has been a notable reduction in the number of skaven assaults over the last several years, to the point where rather than the endless series of battles and ambushes which normally marks the war for the deeps. It seems to become almost dull, with major battles occurring every few months rather than every few weeks. Though counterattacking does show the Skaven have still maintained and kept manned the defences. As only a couple of their fetid warrens fall to costly Dawi counterattack over the period of their withdrawal.
Eventually, after more than a dozen years, the tunnels return to being that maze of darkness and danger, just as teeming with rats as they have ever been. But the ironbreakers are thankful for the brief respite nonetheless. Even if they do grumble about the lack of experience the beardlings have had.
4477: After a series of great battles during which the grobi are gradually driven back from the frozen provinces to the north, great trains of civilians make the trans-continental trip to eventually arrive in their new home. Tens of thousands perish upon the journey to their new home as they are ravaged by orks, beastmen and simply privation. However, when they eventually arrive it would be hard to say that they were overjoyed with the vast tundra plains that greetthem.
They had been adequately prepared however by the dwarves who funded their expedition. And wearing thick coats of fur, they set about creating several towns in the region which would hopefully grow into large and proud cities a task in which they were not considered entirely inadequate by the observing Dawi. Indeed towards the end of their first decade, a grand council is held to determine exactly how they are to be ruled. Ultimately deciding that a similar process to their cousins to the south would be appropriate, where a ruling prince would be elected by the cities that they ruled over. Thus was the principality of Kaltnord founded. A name chosen with the same dry and dark humour for which their people would eventually be famed.
4479: The Estalians are a peaceful sort, who in general turn up their nose at unnecessary conflict. (They have enough of that in the palace of princes) However, this does not preclude a penchant for colonisation. And though no official attempt was ever made, and outside of adventurous nobles, very little active effort was committed from any portion of the actual government of Estalia. They have gradually colonised the region of Carcassonne. Who though they speak with a strange manner, and wear truly base fashion, they are now considered an integral part of the Estalian Nation.
The uproar from many of the counts and dukes of the Brettoni has been incredible at this announcement. But with their army so mauled by conflict with Mousillon, the greatest of the rulers, that of Lyonesse, can do little but issue viscous protests. The settlers themselves fail to see the issue, the vast majority of people in the region are of Estalian origin and have lived here for generations. What does it matter that the Brettoni used to live here after all. There was another tribe here before them and before that likely another, what claim, they say, do the Bettoni have over that of say, the Asur, who dwelled in these lands before any humans made it their home.
4483: The eyes of Grungi open
All along the portion of the silver pass that Karaz A Karak controls, runelords and runesmiths have been hard at work. With intuition and knowledge gleaned from their work on that ancient golem of Dawi make. They have managed to understand the sensors that it used to perceive the world around it. Hideously complicated and limited in the colour spectrums that it can see. The runelords have nevertheless found similarities in ancient runic workings found throughout the silver pass, all linked to a room of clear quartz crystal sheets within the deepest halls of the Everpeak. Through which the operators of those quartz panes can see through the sensors of these "watchposts"
Years of effort goes into restoring these connections and reactivating those which had simply fallen silent over the years, until the connection is re-activated and the eyes of grungi open to perceive the world once more. Giving the Dawi of the Everpeak sight of every single activity which takes place around that great mountain. And giving the grobi no place to hide where the Dawi would not be able to find them.
The second discovery was that of the ramp which leads up to the great doors of that ancient hold. Whose motive runic works allow the great shelves and pathways to either sink into the ground or into the mountain itself which it has been placed alongside. Meaning that if a hoard wished to attack the Everpeak, they would have to find their way to and then up one of the highest peaks of the worlds edge mountains. Having to battle the elements for days to even get to the point where they first meet the first Az of the Dawi.
4485: Throughout the years, as the dwarven is assembled and then moves toward Uzuluk. The fire dwarves have been active themselves. Forcing thousands of Hobgoblin wolf riders into the mountains to the west of the chaos dwarf port. Mountains which the hobgoblins have made their own. Taking tens of thousands of human slaves from the land that they have been forced to colonise and sending them east to the city from which they came.
4493: Beneath the ice at either side of peak pass have lain two enormous sheets of steel, reinforced by enormously potent rune work throughout their entire frame. Over a hundred metres tall and multiple metres thick, they are decorated in the style of the ancient and famed axes of Grimnir. Legends as well as several ancient dwarven documents state that these, powered by the currents of energy running through the core of the planet, would rise up and block access from either side of the world's edge mountains.
In time, however, the great keys that were required to activate these workings were lost, broken or stolen and have remained so to this day. Despite many raids and adventures in the quest to find them. That is until this day. The high runelord of Karak Kadrin has spent the better part of his life studying the activation mechanisms for the axes of Grimnir, and spent a vast amount of energy and material in learning how to craft the precise and secure runic algorithms to unlock the secrets of the gate. Finally upon his ninth attempt. The failsafes, do not lock him out, the passcodes are accepted. And with a heave of strength, the key that is the size of a greatsword, turns within the lock.
The ground trembles and quakes as upon the eastern side of the pass, the massive gromril-reinforced blade smashes through centuries of buildup of snow, ice and rock. Causing avalanches to be heard from miles around. Yhetees roar into the sky and greenskin tribes emerge from the darklands to see what has occurred. Only to find an enormous metal blade blocking the only major access point onto peak pass. The pass will open, the gates seem to say, only when the slayer king wishes it and will close when he demands it.
4492: Nine tolls in the night
Some great magical occurrence has occurred south of the Everpeak as Sakhmet surpasses Neru in the night sky. One which was felt by nearly every runelord as far away as Karak Hirn. and also supposedly felt by the elven traders currently making birth in Barak Varr. eight tolls sound throughout the aether like the ringing of an enormous bell, one after another, each toll coming faster than the last. Until the last two occur merely two dozen minutes apart from each other. The currents of the Aether seem to cool for some time before a ninth bell rings greater than any which had come before, whose reverberations are felt as far as ulthuan. Where Bel-Khordranis is said to frown in confusion and perhaps a hint of fear. Then the toll fades, leaving the aether quiet, and as still as the grave.
4495: The Karaz Ankor blockade Uzkulak
A grand armada of more than eighty ships ventures forth from Barak Varr, leaving only the formidable fleet of that city within the black gulf. And they make their way north, first stopping in Lyonesse before making final port in Kraka Drak. Here they now lie in wait and begin ambushing those ships of the Dawi Zharr who emerge from that city. Effectively placing the entire empire of the chaos dwarves under blockade.
4499:The battle for the isle.
North of Uthuan, three black arks gather, with the largest, the "Veil of midnight" being one of the original keeps that split off from the shores of Nagarythe so many years ago. A vast fleet of pirates and corsairs come with them as they sail for the blighted isle, seeking perhaps the shrine of Khaine which lies at its heart.
Coming to meet them is the Hydra fleet, the premier force in all Ulthuans navies and captained by her most fearsome admiral. Reinforced by elements of the east and west fleet, as well as bearing dozens of the dragons of Caledor. They rush to intercept the dark elven armada. Though unfortunately, they have not the time to prepare one of the irreplaceable dragon ships. One of the only vessels capable of bringing down a black ark on its own.
The battle is long and terrible. As eldritch beasts of the blackest abyss war with the dragons of Caledor. While hundreds of ships move and dart between the three massive structures that bear down upon Ulthuans navy. Seemingly unchallengeable by the hydra fleet. Their massive stone hides bear arrow fire, catapults and bolt throwers as well as any fortress of elven make which sits on proper stone rather than the ocean. Running out of options. The Asur admiral resort to an unsubtle and costly strategy. boarding dozens of complements of the sea guard upon the walls of the arks. Whose walls are suppressed with Dragonfire as the boarders are given every chance to make it upon the Ark proper. Once aboard the arks walls, the Asur warriors begin to push their way onto the vast palaces of despair.
Thousands of Asur give their lives in this way as whatever fell dreadlord commands the Veil realises that he doesn't have the numbers to contest the endless stream of warriors the hydra fleet places upon his fortress. So in increasing panic and desperation, he begins withdrawing north from the battle. His companion's forces coming alongside as each is locked in combat with thousands of Ulthuans greatest warriors upon their vessels. Warriors who Ulthuan would have to abandon to their deaths as the corsair fleet left behind by their guiding fortresses continues to fight against the nearly expended Asur fleet, until as evening breaks both withdraw into the coming night.
As the hydra fleet limps home, its complement of ships and soldiers needing thorough reinforcement and repair. The dragon fleet's commander is tapped to move north. With the hopes that the far smaller armada will be able to cover for its much larger cousin while the druchii also lick their wounds.
Runic Level 4 achieved. WIth runic skill reaching 19, you have finally achieved a level of understanding of runework that you would not be utterly embarrassed to present to your ancestors. Though, now the road becomes more difficult. For there is far less pr-trod ground than there used to be. ANd the fundamentals of runework are now so basic to your understanding that there is little more to learn from them.
Several new runic options are unlocked.
1 shame removed from the "How far we have fallen grudge"
all runic works now produce 1 less runic skill than they once did.
Unlocked the eyes of Grungi
- these ancient and powerful watchposts cover the entirety of the mountain range around Karaz - A - Karak. However, they sit thickest upon the silver path. Using them it is possible to monitor the area as if you were there presently. WIth hundreds of viewpoints giving advanced warning of any oncoming assault. Coupled with the ability for the Everpeak to raise and lower the ramp that leads to their hold at will, it justifies the myth of the Everpeaks impregnability
(Colossal reduction in frequency and severity of invasions)
Uses 2 runic power
Unlocked the axes of Grimnir
Vast underground metal blades, hundreds of metres tall with ramparts and bastions affixed upon them can be raised and lowered at will at either side of peak pass. Effectively sealing off any attack coming from the Lowlands that would wish to bring harm to Karak Kadrin
(Karak Kadrin cannot be invaded from provinces 57,43 and 44.
uses 2 runic power.
The beastly god of the forest elves has ridden forth with thousands of his most able followers behind him. Culling orkish host after orkish host in a flurry of gore-soaked violence which few of any race could hope to equal. Bowstrings sing and swords flash as the seemingly tireless and endlessly bloodthirsty Orion culls hundreds of thousands of Orks over the course of a season. So savage is his bloodletting that by the end of the cull not one in a hundred of the grobi who once called this region home remain. Those few human tribes who had managed to hide away from the marauding wagghhs and dodge the attention of Orion and his kin cautiously raise their head after the elves return to their wood. Quickly spreading to reclaim the dominion they once had in the shadow of the grey mountains.
4464 - 4492: The castle wars
Over the course of thirty years, a throng of the Karaz Ankor gradually extends layer after layer of potent dwarven fortifications into the countryside to the west of Angaraz. Pushing back the orks back through a tide of stone and concrete. Until eventually the orks are pushed out of the realm entirely. Having never really noticed that they were under true attack at all.
4465 Mousillon forms.
Surrounded to the north and south by those who swore themselves to Lyonesse, few gave the counts of Mousillon much of a chance to see out the century. Indeed when war did eventually come to the land of a thousand gardens, Dozens of counts fell to those veterans of the Klad Karu. Who now, by tradition, formed the vanguard of the Lyonesse army. Sweeping through dozens of castles and forts until they eventually came to Mousillon. That ancient elven city of glittering spires and high walls. Here, the Lyonesse found themselves stifled. Their ballistas and onagers, proving little effective against those walls that had withstood dwarven arms for decades at a time.
But the pride of the Grand Duke was great, and rather than submitting to the indignity of a siege. He, leading the charge, ordered an assault upon the walls. The army swelled forward, and like waves breaking against white cliffs, they shattered against the gleaming walls. The defenders reaping a terrible price against those who would assail their fortress. Twice more would the Lyonesse launch their assaults, and each time they pressed closer and closer to victory, as their exhausted enemy was slowly ground down just as that self-same tide can wear down even the mightiest cliff face. Even if for every one of them that fell so did five of the enemy army.
In the last days of the siege, however, the last of the knights of Mousillon formed up, barely more than a hundred heavy cavalry based upon the Klad Karu style. But each was vengeful and determined as a dwarf who has been deeply wronged. So when the fourth wave gathered and were committed to the assault, the gates were opened and the knights charged forth in all the pageantry that Mousillon could still muster. and they rode for the grand dukes banner, merely several hundred metres from the wall and they rode for death, or glory.
Those guarding their lord made a valiant stand as the hammer of armoured horseflesh and lances struck home. But they could not hope to withstand the pent up fury of those they had assailed for weeks on end. Within minutes, the head of the grand duke was lifted into the air by his killer, and cheering erupted from the battlements. While among the soldiery of Lyonesse, despair sunk into their bones. Those peasant levies which formed the majority of the Lyonesse army began to break and crack. Hundreds and then thousands beginning to stream north to get away from these demigods of battle.
Only those veterans of the Orkish war maintained their discipline. But numbering only several hundred, they had no hope to salvage the battle. Thus they formed a wall of steel between them and their fleeing fellows and repulsed charge after charge of the knights, until finally, they managed to withdraw into the northern plains and slink back home.
In the aftermath, the viscount of Mousillon would hunt down and slaughter the few garrison forces that remained in their stolen castles, handing them over in turn to the knights who had so valiantly defended their home. In the end, the twenty-seven of those knights who eventually survived the whole campaign of reconquest would form the round table. The masters of Mousillon, who answer to no one but the one to whom they also give council, the newly ascended duke.
4468 - 4499: The Withdrawal of Remas
Following the invasion of the ratmen, Remas entered into a period of isolation, as they busy themselves repairing and restoring the damage that befell their empire, while also repopulating the entire region after two of every five people who once lived in that nation fell to the fury of the wronged thaggoriki. Remas looks to the north with fearful eyes as they find their hubris shattered upon mountains of their own dead. the phrase memento mori comes into frequent use and is used to chastise those who would attempt to seek that which is beyond their reach.
4470 - 4490 The tribesmen of Couronne have held to their ways stubbornly in the face of increasing adversity, With the Stancati beginning to bite at the fringes of their territory to the east and the ascendant Lyonesse to the west. Still, they have stuck to the ways that they have always known. Their farming till now has always been rudimentary and traditional. While their ways of fighting remained the same as they had been centuries ago. But the flow of ideas is uncontestable over the course of human generations. And slowly what was once utterly forbidden, becomes conceivable and finally accepted. To the point that cities and castles now dot the hills and rivers of that fertile land. And the men at arms that they use to fight in their wars could be considered near equals to those of their neighbours.
4473: Deep within the halls of Barak Varr a runelord has become inspired. Dromon Granitebeard has, working over the centuries, with new knowledge and skills learnt from forging the fortifications of Vlag and even working upon the rune weapons that the high throng has turned those skills toward a new kind of rune. Those of the naval cannon.
Working upon a titanic weapon once mounted as the heaviest cannon upon the Grimazul Gronti. He has spent nearly a quarter of his life refining and preparing for striking the runes upon this masterpiece, as well as the speacialised ammunition it would bear. Eventually, on a dark night filled with thunder and lightning, the runelord brings forth one of the two anvils of doom that Barak Varr still possesses, and sets up upon the greatest peak of the holds nearby mountain range.
Here he waits and works as he pulls the lighting of the sky into the anvil itself. To begin inscribing HIS master rune into the thick black steel of that titanic cannon. Requiring the steadiest of hands and the charge of a full lightning storm, he etches the rune deep into the skin of the cannon, imbibing it with the power to fire bolts to the very edge of the horizon and with a speed that not even elves could follow.
Finally, the work is complete, and the runic arrays of hardening and true sight seem uncorrupted by their new and mighty neighbour that pulses with the power embedded into it. He then sets about teaching his three apprentices the methods to be used in order to create these incredible weapons
4476 - 4493: Across the whole of the Karaz Ankor there has been a notable reduction in the number of skaven assaults over the last several years, to the point where rather than the endless series of battles and ambushes which normally marks the war for the deeps. It seems to become almost dull, with major battles occurring every few months rather than every few weeks. Though counterattacking does show the Skaven have still maintained and kept manned the defences. As only a couple of their fetid warrens fall to costly Dawi counterattack over the period of their withdrawal.
Eventually, after more than a dozen years, the tunnels return to being that maze of darkness and danger, just as teeming with rats as they have ever been. But the ironbreakers are thankful for the brief respite nonetheless. Even if they do grumble about the lack of experience the beardlings have had.
4477: After a series of great battles during which the grobi are gradually driven back from the frozen provinces to the north, great trains of civilians make the trans-continental trip to eventually arrive in their new home. Tens of thousands perish upon the journey to their new home as they are ravaged by orks, beastmen and simply privation. However, when they eventually arrive it would be hard to say that they were overjoyed with the vast tundra plains that greetthem.
They had been adequately prepared however by the dwarves who funded their expedition. And wearing thick coats of fur, they set about creating several towns in the region which would hopefully grow into large and proud cities a task in which they were not considered entirely inadequate by the observing Dawi. Indeed towards the end of their first decade, a grand council is held to determine exactly how they are to be ruled. Ultimately deciding that a similar process to their cousins to the south would be appropriate, where a ruling prince would be elected by the cities that they ruled over. Thus was the principality of Kaltnord founded. A name chosen with the same dry and dark humour for which their people would eventually be famed.
4479: The Estalians are a peaceful sort, who in general turn up their nose at unnecessary conflict. (They have enough of that in the palace of princes) However, this does not preclude a penchant for colonisation. And though no official attempt was ever made, and outside of adventurous nobles, very little active effort was committed from any portion of the actual government of Estalia. They have gradually colonised the region of Carcassonne. Who though they speak with a strange manner, and wear truly base fashion, they are now considered an integral part of the Estalian Nation.
The uproar from many of the counts and dukes of the Brettoni has been incredible at this announcement. But with their army so mauled by conflict with Mousillon, the greatest of the rulers, that of Lyonesse, can do little but issue viscous protests. The settlers themselves fail to see the issue, the vast majority of people in the region are of Estalian origin and have lived here for generations. What does it matter that the Brettoni used to live here after all. There was another tribe here before them and before that likely another, what claim, they say, do the Bettoni have over that of say, the Asur, who dwelled in these lands before any humans made it their home.
4483: The eyes of Grungi open
All along the portion of the silver pass that Karaz A Karak controls, runelords and runesmiths have been hard at work. With intuition and knowledge gleaned from their work on that ancient golem of Dawi make. They have managed to understand the sensors that it used to perceive the world around it. Hideously complicated and limited in the colour spectrums that it can see. The runelords have nevertheless found similarities in ancient runic workings found throughout the silver pass, all linked to a room of clear quartz crystal sheets within the deepest halls of the Everpeak. Through which the operators of those quartz panes can see through the sensors of these "watchposts"
Years of effort goes into restoring these connections and reactivating those which had simply fallen silent over the years, until the connection is re-activated and the eyes of grungi open to perceive the world once more. Giving the Dawi of the Everpeak sight of every single activity which takes place around that great mountain. And giving the grobi no place to hide where the Dawi would not be able to find them.
The second discovery was that of the ramp which leads up to the great doors of that ancient hold. Whose motive runic works allow the great shelves and pathways to either sink into the ground or into the mountain itself which it has been placed alongside. Meaning that if a hoard wished to attack the Everpeak, they would have to find their way to and then up one of the highest peaks of the worlds edge mountains. Having to battle the elements for days to even get to the point where they first meet the first Az of the Dawi.
4485: Throughout the years, as the dwarven is assembled and then moves toward Uzuluk. The fire dwarves have been active themselves. Forcing thousands of Hobgoblin wolf riders into the mountains to the west of the chaos dwarf port. Mountains which the hobgoblins have made their own. Taking tens of thousands of human slaves from the land that they have been forced to colonise and sending them east to the city from which they came.
4493: Beneath the ice at either side of peak pass have lain two enormous sheets of steel, reinforced by enormously potent rune work throughout their entire frame. Over a hundred metres tall and multiple metres thick, they are decorated in the style of the ancient and famed axes of Grimnir. Legends as well as several ancient dwarven documents state that these, powered by the currents of energy running through the core of the planet, would rise up and block access from either side of the world's edge mountains.
In time, however, the great keys that were required to activate these workings were lost, broken or stolen and have remained so to this day. Despite many raids and adventures in the quest to find them. That is until this day. The high runelord of Karak Kadrin has spent the better part of his life studying the activation mechanisms for the axes of Grimnir, and spent a vast amount of energy and material in learning how to craft the precise and secure runic algorithms to unlock the secrets of the gate. Finally upon his ninth attempt. The failsafes, do not lock him out, the passcodes are accepted. And with a heave of strength, the key that is the size of a greatsword, turns within the lock.
The ground trembles and quakes as upon the eastern side of the pass, the massive gromril-reinforced blade smashes through centuries of buildup of snow, ice and rock. Causing avalanches to be heard from miles around. Yhetees roar into the sky and greenskin tribes emerge from the darklands to see what has occurred. Only to find an enormous metal blade blocking the only major access point onto peak pass. The pass will open, the gates seem to say, only when the slayer king wishes it and will close when he demands it.
4492: Nine tolls in the night
Some great magical occurrence has occurred south of the Everpeak as Sakhmet surpasses Neru in the night sky. One which was felt by nearly every runelord as far away as Karak Hirn. and also supposedly felt by the elven traders currently making birth in Barak Varr. eight tolls sound throughout the aether like the ringing of an enormous bell, one after another, each toll coming faster than the last. Until the last two occur merely two dozen minutes apart from each other. The currents of the Aether seem to cool for some time before a ninth bell rings greater than any which had come before, whose reverberations are felt as far as ulthuan. Where Bel-Khordranis is said to frown in confusion and perhaps a hint of fear. Then the toll fades, leaving the aether quiet, and as still as the grave.
4495: The Karaz Ankor blockade Uzkulak
A grand armada of more than eighty ships ventures forth from Barak Varr, leaving only the formidable fleet of that city within the black gulf. And they make their way north, first stopping in Lyonesse before making final port in Kraka Drak. Here they now lie in wait and begin ambushing those ships of the Dawi Zharr who emerge from that city. Effectively placing the entire empire of the chaos dwarves under blockade.
4499:The battle for the isle.
North of Uthuan, three black arks gather, with the largest, the "Veil of midnight" being one of the original keeps that split off from the shores of Nagarythe so many years ago. A vast fleet of pirates and corsairs come with them as they sail for the blighted isle, seeking perhaps the shrine of Khaine which lies at its heart.
Coming to meet them is the Hydra fleet, the premier force in all Ulthuans navies and captained by her most fearsome admiral. Reinforced by elements of the east and west fleet, as well as bearing dozens of the dragons of Caledor. They rush to intercept the dark elven armada. Though unfortunately, they have not the time to prepare one of the irreplaceable dragon ships. One of the only vessels capable of bringing down a black ark on its own.
The battle is long and terrible. As eldritch beasts of the blackest abyss war with the dragons of Caledor. While hundreds of ships move and dart between the three massive structures that bear down upon Ulthuans navy. Seemingly unchallengeable by the hydra fleet. Their massive stone hides bear arrow fire, catapults and bolt throwers as well as any fortress of elven make which sits on proper stone rather than the ocean. Running out of options. The Asur admiral resort to an unsubtle and costly strategy. boarding dozens of complements of the sea guard upon the walls of the arks. Whose walls are suppressed with Dragonfire as the boarders are given every chance to make it upon the Ark proper. Once aboard the arks walls, the Asur warriors begin to push their way onto the vast palaces of despair.
Thousands of Asur give their lives in this way as whatever fell dreadlord commands the Veil realises that he doesn't have the numbers to contest the endless stream of warriors the hydra fleet places upon his fortress. So in increasing panic and desperation, he begins withdrawing north from the battle. His companion's forces coming alongside as each is locked in combat with thousands of Ulthuans greatest warriors upon their vessels. Warriors who Ulthuan would have to abandon to their deaths as the corsair fleet left behind by their guiding fortresses continues to fight against the nearly expended Asur fleet, until as evening breaks both withdraw into the coming night.
As the hydra fleet limps home, its complement of ships and soldiers needing thorough reinforcement and repair. The dragon fleet's commander is tapped to move north. With the hopes that the far smaller armada will be able to cover for its much larger cousin while the druchii also lick their wounds.
Runic Level 4 achieved. WIth runic skill reaching 19, you have finally achieved a level of understanding of runework that you would not be utterly embarrassed to present to your ancestors. Though, now the road becomes more difficult. For there is far less pr-trod ground than there used to be. ANd the fundamentals of runework are now so basic to your understanding that there is little more to learn from them.
Several new runic options are unlocked.
1 shame removed from the "How far we have fallen grudge"
all runic works now produce 1 less runic skill than they once did.
Unlocked the eyes of Grungi
- these ancient and powerful watchposts cover the entirety of the mountain range around Karaz - A - Karak. However, they sit thickest upon the silver path. Using them it is possible to monitor the area as if you were there presently. WIth hundreds of viewpoints giving advanced warning of any oncoming assault. Coupled with the ability for the Everpeak to raise and lower the ramp that leads to their hold at will, it justifies the myth of the Everpeaks impregnability
(Colossal reduction in frequency and severity of invasions)
Uses 2 runic power
Unlocked the axes of Grimnir
Vast underground metal blades, hundreds of metres tall with ramparts and bastions affixed upon them can be raised and lowered at will at either side of peak pass. Effectively sealing off any attack coming from the Lowlands that would wish to bring harm to Karak Kadrin
(Karak Kadrin cannot be invaded from provinces 57,43 and 44.
uses 2 runic power.
4502: The SIlver Age is declared.
Erbor Steelarm declares a new age of the Dawi now that they have recovered at least in part from the damage wrought upon them by the time of woes. Celebrations echo across the empire though longbeards grumble as they look deep into the lorebooks of the glories of the golden age if perhaps these announcements of a "Silver Age" are somewhat premature.
4504 - 4531: Kaltnord gradually extends south, displacing those tribes which have lived there for generations or absorbing them as brute labour for the growing towns. The vast wave of settlement is made haphazard and hazardous by the great number of terrible beasts that dwell within the frozen north, however, Kaltnords dedication to the task could little be called into question and within only a scant few decades border towns and crossings are established with their cousins in the northeast most regions of Reikland. Even if vast tracks of land within their supposed territory could scarcely be called inhabited
4505 - 4537: The Anvils of Doom are reforged
A great host of the Dawi marched forth from Karaz - A - Karak, with the runelords stating that enough of their lore has been recovered that they believe they can restore the mighty anvils of Doom. Potent artifacts that multiply the abilities of runelords far beyond their mortal limits. However, to do so they must be forged within the voltaic inferno at the heart of Thunder Mountain.
The battles, deeds, triumphs, and disasters that occurred within the heart of that soot choked volcano are near too numerous to describe, with the Dawi at great cost even managing to evict the great drake Azorgorgon from his lair after he was awoken by a slayer that chose a beast great enough to have grimnir grant him his doom.
Yet when the blooded, wounded and depleted throng finally returns from the molten heart of the volcano, they do so in victory. For in the carts that they pull at the center of their soot-covered throng sit dozens of anvils, the contained power within near bursting to be used upon the Dawi's enemies. With the full complement of each hold now restored (including those fallen holds) the cult of Thugni lifts many of the restrictions, they had placed upon the anvil's use. Allowing the full might of runecraft to again follow the Dawi into their battles against their many foes.
4507: while searching for the location of a new potential hold prospectors come across a huge deposit of gromril in a vast crater at the foot of a mountain. Congregating quickly, the prospectors strike two more gromril veins and multiple of lesser metals. The location of the new hold is confirmed as soon as the High King Hears the news and he dispatches dozens of "colony ships" to settle the site of "Karak Akrak".
4509: In a campaign of lightning conquest the dukedom of Couronne has formed with lord Robesper Le'paur crowning himself duke soon after. He finds himself in great difficulty, however, as those he conquered are restless beneath his rule. Finally, he submits himself to Dwarven judgment to be determined worthy of his new crown. The king of Angaraz after months of deliberations charges him with a mighty task to test his worth. If he can prove himself as a true protector of the people and not merely a greedy tyrant, Angaraz will grant the young lord a crown and title worthy of the deed. Finding the lands of his birth without any truly mighty foes to oppose or destroy, Robesper instead sails to the north with his best companions to find and slay those who would threaten the world of men.
4509: A force of chaos warriors land on the northern edges of Norsca, they, armed with the best weapons of Chaos Dawi make assailed Krakka Drak for several months. Eventually fended off through a combination of the Norse dwarves stalwart defense and the navies of the Ankor annihilating the stream of incoming refugees. They nonetheless managed to do substantial damage to our northern kin
4514: The Norscan rebellion
It was near inevitable in the eyes of the Norse dwarves that they would struggle to maintain their hold upon the Norsii who developed and multiplied beneath the Dawi's watchful gaze. For how could any nation rule another which outnumbered them more than ten to one. At least, they said, looking to the east, without embracing the darkest parts of their natures.
So when many of the Norssi chafed at the constraints the Dawi had placed upon them and the most aggrieved by dwarvish overlordship marched to the gates of Kraka Drak. Harold Alrikson was shocked that his arrival and declarations seemed nearly anticipated by the great king of Kraka Drak
"Yours are the way of Stone" He said "and we are of the Sea. We cannot sit and be fixed as you and yours are."
"Then go as the Sea commands you." Returned the Great Dwarf King, "And if the currents of your fate bring you back to my halls, know that you will be welcome in peace. Fare you well Manlings."
So it was that the friendship between their realms has been preserved, Even if perhaps it were not in the manner that Kraka Drak would most desire.
4511: Legate Martella Lucherell leads a campaign against the Orks of the coastal badlands. Wresting from them a thin stretch of coastline from the Varenka hills to the Dragonback mountains, an effort for which she is rewarded sainthood a decade after her death. Supporting her came fully half the throng of Barak Varr, marking the first time the Dawi and Remans have fought together in any significant way for the duration of the young empires existence
4511 - 4531: The absorption of Carcassone and the nearly half again growth of the nation has brought with it a series of growing pains. The Estalians bicker and argue with their so-called cousins and the mansion of magistrates is gridlocked in determining what they will do in the face of the growing Lyonesse threat. With such pandemonium within the halls, Magritta is largely still upon the international stage save for the defensive alliance that they forge with the Dukedom of Mousillon in the face of Brettonian posturing.
4514: Duke Leopold of Oswin
A band of several dozen dawi transporting a sizable quantity of silver was attacked only several dozen miles to the west of Karak Kadrin by a band of 'outlaws'. Several years of investigations by reckoners have found substantive evidence that the ultimate culprit is likely Duke Leopold of Oswin. The greatest landowner in the Margarvirate short of the Margrave himself. However, without the strongest of evidence, the ruler of the human realm is unwilling to act against those that have taken Dawi lives. Of course, such a grave offense against the laws of hospitality cannot go unresolved, and a grudge has been levied against the vassal kingdom until the perpetrator or his heirs have been appropriately punished. Where appropriate is considered as requiring the bladed edge of an az.
(+1 shame until resolved)
4515 - 4537 The 'rule' of Freidrick Wissenoft
For the first time, a truly disastrous leader has been voted by the princes of Reikland to serve as their King. Freidrick Wissenoft spends his days largely tending to his gardens and menagerie of beasts that have been gathered from across the Reiks vast territories and beyond. Sparing only an hour or two each day to the actual affairs of the state he supposedly rules.
Rumour has it that he wasn't even aware of the Ostmarks rebellion until nearly a month had already passed and haphazard responses had already gone out to try (and fail) to put down the vainglorious Reiksgovernor who declared his kings distant rule forfeit. The other princes of the empire increasingly realized the error that they had made and though they enjoyed the benefits of a disinterested king, a collapsing Reik was not to their interests. Thus they gathered a mismatched force to put down the rebellion without the permission of their supposed ruler.
Alas that their efforts were too little too late, for the errant Reiksgovernor had mustered his defenses to the west, against the hosts of Reikland. Leaving the fallen hold of Karak Ungor all the opportunity the craven grobi desired, who descend upon the Ostmark in a storm of grobi flesh beyond all counting. The disintegrating mark lasts for little more than a few months before the army of the princes comes to find their prize a ruin beyond all saving, and they must content themselves with preventing the green tide from spreading further into the Reik.
4517: After nearly a decade of absence Robesper Le'paur returns from his great crest upon a longship of Norsecan design. The ship itself is something else though, for it has seeming been crafted of a great red Drake. The sails of the vessel are crafted from the beast's wings while its enormous scales coat the ship like a kind of armor. The head of the beast itself has been used to frm the figurehead of the vessel and its gaping maw terrifies more than one child at the harbor it sails into. Near immediately Le'paur makes his way to Karak Angaraz and tells the story of his adventures to the holds king and thanes. Where he describes him and his knightly companions journeying throughout Norca, slaying trolls, dire wolves and even a manticore, however none they believed would truly demonstate their skill and honor until they came across the tribes of the Wyldsh. Who though numerous were ruled over by a great red drake that extorted harsh tribute from the humans. Le'paur and his knights though, challenged the drake, and though many lost their lives to its great strength and terrible flames. Eventually, Le'paurs lance found purchase in the heart of the beast and it fell silent at last.
So thankful tells Le'paur were the Wyldsh that they immediately fell to their knees and rebuked the false four idols which they had hoped would eventually deliver them a reprieve, and instead sought a new leader for their tribes. Thus the Wyldsh crowned te duke their king, and swore to join their realm to his.
The King of Angaraz though perhaps dubious of some of the specific claims that Le'paur makes holds that indeed a great deed was done, and after confirming the duke of his title, he also awards the now mature man the title of dragonslayer and has his greatest smiths forge a crown worthy of such a name and its accompanying deed.
4521 The city of Al Rahid has grown in prominence over the last several generations. Its primary claim to fame being that the Tomb King of Zandri has conceded his right to ownership of the city as its construction dates to after his own time. Though not perfect protection, the most dominant tomb king of Zandri has changed several times over the last several millennia after all. It has been enough for Al Rahid to flood with merchants, traders and refugees who like all in eastern Araby constantly worry that one day the desiccated hosts would come to topple their proud cities.
This growth and wealth has allowed Al Rahid to bind those cities around it ever closer with commercial ties becoming stronger and stronger between those lesser cities and their soon-to-be master. Until eventually the defacto relationship became de-jure and the reigning sultan was acknowledged as the ruler of the easternmost Arabyan realms.
The Sultans attempt to then expand his hold further west has been rebuffed however, the arabyans are not a warlike people outside of the tribes of the outer dunes or the corsairs of the seas. and the militia and feudal levies that Al-Rahid could call upon were repulsed as they splashed against the city walls of their countrymen. This has only delayed the Sultans ambition however and already his vizier has turned those of a mystical persuasion to crafting efrite demi-legions to serve as the backbone of their armies if mortal men prove insufficient.
4519 Within the council of kingdoms a throne of marble carved into the likeness of the base of a flowering tree has been placed. And every year one of Lauelorns' wardens sits upon the amber throne. In addition, within the expansive embassy grounds that has developed over the century, a small copse of forestry has emerged out of which streaks a single ivory tower of singular beauty. Representative of Tor Lithanel which dwells within the heartland of that great wood in the distant north.
4521: When one looks upon the Norsecan cities of Svarlhome and Djorisford it is shocking to think that less than a century ago their ancestors were scraping out a meager existence as mammoth hunters and primitive fishermen. Now their longships prowl the sea of claws in great numbers. As beloved in the cities of Reikland as trading vessels as they are hated and feared as reavers by the far more exposed fishing villages. Still, thanks to Dawi tutelage those of the latter kind have gradually become rarer and rarer as time has moved onwards. The increasing commercial bonds between those Norsecan cities and the Reik causing crackdowns on those who would damage such a blossoming relationship. With the most egregious offenders being exiled to the west to join their more warlike and less… settled, brethren.
4527: Night of crooked knives
A night of butchery is had in the varied citadels or Tor Elyr as dozens or hundreds (the count is never finalized) of druchii assassins unveil themselves and begin murdering the upper echelons of that great city. though the greatest damage is dealt on the first night, the last of the killings only finally conclude at least a month later, leaving the nobility of Ellyrion utterly shattered. Investigations found no evidence that the assassins were hidden among any of the known pleasure cults (and they were very thorough) and no Drucci ship has managed to make port in any kingdom save Naggaryth in decades. So how they actually came to be in one of the inner kingdoms remains a mystery.
4531: The Battle Of Crooked Fang
For the first time since the high throng was forged by Bardin Hardaxe, it tastes defeat. WIth the Greenskins of troll country able to withstand the might of the Dawi by hiding behind the inhospitable terrain of that far northern realm. A mighty battle is fought where hundreds of thousands of orks fall. However, there are endless more where they came from, and come the second day of battle the Dawi are forced to bloodily withdraw from their campaign. Leaving half a dozen members of the high throng to go slayer in shame and thanks to their centuries of experience, being some of the most capable examples of their kind in recent memory.
4532: Above the great mines that have been forged at its base, a Karak has grown to match the scale of the prospectors find. Named Karak Akrak for the luck that brought the Karaz Ankor the first great gromril mines it has seen in millennia, it stands as a tribute to the growing union between the Dawi and their northern cousins. For near a third of those that settle within its halls are of the northern kindred, who have marked their influence throughout all the statuary and even the structure of the young hold.
4535: The great drake Azorgorgon has been evicted from his lair in Thunder mountain. Alas, he does seem particularly embittered by his method of awakening and has instead found a new lair somewhere within the mountains between Zhufbar and the Everpeak. From which he raids the passess seemingly endlessly. A series of atrocities and crimes that Erbor writes within the Dammoz Kron and swears that he will not allow to go unavenged
(+1 Shame until avenged)
4538: An attack apparently long in the planning. It seems that those sworn to Zharr Nagrund have created a hidden port somewhere in the far frozen north. For in hindsight it is obvious what has occurred. Every few years they would sail west with a fleet of great enough size that the Dawi would deem it too risky to face them. In a season or two, these ships would return a few ships less than they were last time. Perhaps some of these were actually losses but it is clear that those were not the majority.
In the cold light of dawn, a fleet emerges into the patrol routes of the Northern fleet and begins annihilating the far-flung escorts guarding the vast northern stretches of Norscan coast. It is only some time later that the Dawi even notice their ships silently going missing and they gather the full might of both the high and north fleet to scare off the Dawi Zharr as has happened several times over the past few decades.
This time, however, as the combined fleets move to attack, the Dawi Zharr do not back off. In fact, they steam directly towards the ships coming to face them. Releasing dozens of sea monsters from their holds, eerily reminiscent of those the Druchii supposedly make use of. Great leviathans of the sea and deepwater hydras wreak havoc among the dawi fleet even before the black-hulled vessels move to engage those garbed in gromril plated silver. Within half an hour though, the fleets have stabilized into great parallel firing lines and numbers begin to tell against the chaos dwarves. Even as their daemon weapons and sea beasts cause calamity upon the vessels of those faithful to the ancestor gods, only for the observation balloon hanging above the Grimazul Gronti III to report smoke coming from the eastern seas. As a second fleet sworn to Uzkuluk crests the horizon.
Immediately the dwarven admiral realizes the trap that he is caught between and orders the fleets to disperse. The high fleet will sail north while paradoxically the North fleet will sail south and hug the coastline. Both forces hoping to evade the pincer which is rapidly closing upon them. Alas that the Dawi Zharr seemed almost prepared for this and they allow the High fleet to withdraw while their armada begins to collapse on the Norsecan Northern shore.
Little can be done to save the Dawi of the Northern Fleet and the crews of the balloons report the slow dismemberment of their cousins, who end up beaching themselves upon the rocky shoreline and using their ships' mighty armored hulls as makeshift fortresses to attempt a final doomed defense. Three days after the High fleet limps into the port of Kraka Drak, smoke is seen rising to the west and the fleet of Uzkulak begins blockading the dragon port. Allowing no ships in or out of its fortified harbor.
4538 - 4545: The War of the Norther Holds
After an insulting set of Terms is offered to the High King from The Dawi Zhar. THe Karaz Ankor, Klatnor, The Reik and Remas are all marshalled to wage war against the dark Dawi of the East. Yet at first the war goes poorly for the alliance. The Zharr have struck quick and ruthlessly and by the end of the month have place Vlag under siege. Yet over time the weight of the alliance begins to tell, as over the course of several years the armies of the Zharr are pushed back all the way to Uzkuluk at the cost of tens of thousands of human and Dawi lives placing the seaport of the Zhar under siege.
Meanwhile in the south a war of raids has been carried out as the hoboblin khanates pushed through the worlds edge mountains south of the Ankor and made their way to the everpeak foothills. Where they set the realms of both Remas and the Reik ablaze and causing a stampeding set of wagghs throughout the south of both empires. of course. Not all goes well for the Dawi Zharr and after a set of feinting raids and sguerella strikes. The bastion of Ulgash is left underfended and a force of Dawi is able to force the walls and separate it from the mainland. Establishing a shaky fortress of the Dawi in the southern seas for the first time in history.
Eventually with Uzkuluk about to fall. The populace manages to escape from the doomed fortress. Though leaving sapping charges behind in their withdrawal, they are able to render the prize almost worthless and infested with chaotic horrors left over from their twisted experiments.
The Fortress taken however, the Zharr must come to terms. Ceding the ruins of Uzkuluk and the Bastion of Ulgash and allowing Dawi Caravans to traverse the darklands to Cathay unmolested by their forces.
4543 - The Dragon visits
Zhao Ming, a celestial dragon of the far east. Master of several Cathayan provinces has heard of those who battle against the forces of the Dawi Zharr, and upon conferring with the High King has arranged for a caravan route to be created through the darklands in order to maximise the gain for both Empires. Distant though they are from one another.
Erbor Steelarm declares a new age of the Dawi now that they have recovered at least in part from the damage wrought upon them by the time of woes. Celebrations echo across the empire though longbeards grumble as they look deep into the lorebooks of the glories of the golden age if perhaps these announcements of a "Silver Age" are somewhat premature.
4504 - 4531: Kaltnord gradually extends south, displacing those tribes which have lived there for generations or absorbing them as brute labour for the growing towns. The vast wave of settlement is made haphazard and hazardous by the great number of terrible beasts that dwell within the frozen north, however, Kaltnords dedication to the task could little be called into question and within only a scant few decades border towns and crossings are established with their cousins in the northeast most regions of Reikland. Even if vast tracks of land within their supposed territory could scarcely be called inhabited
4505 - 4537: The Anvils of Doom are reforged
A great host of the Dawi marched forth from Karaz - A - Karak, with the runelords stating that enough of their lore has been recovered that they believe they can restore the mighty anvils of Doom. Potent artifacts that multiply the abilities of runelords far beyond their mortal limits. However, to do so they must be forged within the voltaic inferno at the heart of Thunder Mountain.
The battles, deeds, triumphs, and disasters that occurred within the heart of that soot choked volcano are near too numerous to describe, with the Dawi at great cost even managing to evict the great drake Azorgorgon from his lair after he was awoken by a slayer that chose a beast great enough to have grimnir grant him his doom.
Yet when the blooded, wounded and depleted throng finally returns from the molten heart of the volcano, they do so in victory. For in the carts that they pull at the center of their soot-covered throng sit dozens of anvils, the contained power within near bursting to be used upon the Dawi's enemies. With the full complement of each hold now restored (including those fallen holds) the cult of Thugni lifts many of the restrictions, they had placed upon the anvil's use. Allowing the full might of runecraft to again follow the Dawi into their battles against their many foes.
4507: while searching for the location of a new potential hold prospectors come across a huge deposit of gromril in a vast crater at the foot of a mountain. Congregating quickly, the prospectors strike two more gromril veins and multiple of lesser metals. The location of the new hold is confirmed as soon as the High King Hears the news and he dispatches dozens of "colony ships" to settle the site of "Karak Akrak".
4509: In a campaign of lightning conquest the dukedom of Couronne has formed with lord Robesper Le'paur crowning himself duke soon after. He finds himself in great difficulty, however, as those he conquered are restless beneath his rule. Finally, he submits himself to Dwarven judgment to be determined worthy of his new crown. The king of Angaraz after months of deliberations charges him with a mighty task to test his worth. If he can prove himself as a true protector of the people and not merely a greedy tyrant, Angaraz will grant the young lord a crown and title worthy of the deed. Finding the lands of his birth without any truly mighty foes to oppose or destroy, Robesper instead sails to the north with his best companions to find and slay those who would threaten the world of men.
4509: A force of chaos warriors land on the northern edges of Norsca, they, armed with the best weapons of Chaos Dawi make assailed Krakka Drak for several months. Eventually fended off through a combination of the Norse dwarves stalwart defense and the navies of the Ankor annihilating the stream of incoming refugees. They nonetheless managed to do substantial damage to our northern kin
4514: The Norscan rebellion
It was near inevitable in the eyes of the Norse dwarves that they would struggle to maintain their hold upon the Norsii who developed and multiplied beneath the Dawi's watchful gaze. For how could any nation rule another which outnumbered them more than ten to one. At least, they said, looking to the east, without embracing the darkest parts of their natures.
So when many of the Norssi chafed at the constraints the Dawi had placed upon them and the most aggrieved by dwarvish overlordship marched to the gates of Kraka Drak. Harold Alrikson was shocked that his arrival and declarations seemed nearly anticipated by the great king of Kraka Drak
"Yours are the way of Stone" He said "and we are of the Sea. We cannot sit and be fixed as you and yours are."
"Then go as the Sea commands you." Returned the Great Dwarf King, "And if the currents of your fate bring you back to my halls, know that you will be welcome in peace. Fare you well Manlings."
So it was that the friendship between their realms has been preserved, Even if perhaps it were not in the manner that Kraka Drak would most desire.
4511: Legate Martella Lucherell leads a campaign against the Orks of the coastal badlands. Wresting from them a thin stretch of coastline from the Varenka hills to the Dragonback mountains, an effort for which she is rewarded sainthood a decade after her death. Supporting her came fully half the throng of Barak Varr, marking the first time the Dawi and Remans have fought together in any significant way for the duration of the young empires existence
4511 - 4531: The absorption of Carcassone and the nearly half again growth of the nation has brought with it a series of growing pains. The Estalians bicker and argue with their so-called cousins and the mansion of magistrates is gridlocked in determining what they will do in the face of the growing Lyonesse threat. With such pandemonium within the halls, Magritta is largely still upon the international stage save for the defensive alliance that they forge with the Dukedom of Mousillon in the face of Brettonian posturing.
4514: Duke Leopold of Oswin
A band of several dozen dawi transporting a sizable quantity of silver was attacked only several dozen miles to the west of Karak Kadrin by a band of 'outlaws'. Several years of investigations by reckoners have found substantive evidence that the ultimate culprit is likely Duke Leopold of Oswin. The greatest landowner in the Margarvirate short of the Margrave himself. However, without the strongest of evidence, the ruler of the human realm is unwilling to act against those that have taken Dawi lives. Of course, such a grave offense against the laws of hospitality cannot go unresolved, and a grudge has been levied against the vassal kingdom until the perpetrator or his heirs have been appropriately punished. Where appropriate is considered as requiring the bladed edge of an az.
(+1 shame until resolved)
4515 - 4537 The 'rule' of Freidrick Wissenoft
For the first time, a truly disastrous leader has been voted by the princes of Reikland to serve as their King. Freidrick Wissenoft spends his days largely tending to his gardens and menagerie of beasts that have been gathered from across the Reiks vast territories and beyond. Sparing only an hour or two each day to the actual affairs of the state he supposedly rules.
Rumour has it that he wasn't even aware of the Ostmarks rebellion until nearly a month had already passed and haphazard responses had already gone out to try (and fail) to put down the vainglorious Reiksgovernor who declared his kings distant rule forfeit. The other princes of the empire increasingly realized the error that they had made and though they enjoyed the benefits of a disinterested king, a collapsing Reik was not to their interests. Thus they gathered a mismatched force to put down the rebellion without the permission of their supposed ruler.
Alas that their efforts were too little too late, for the errant Reiksgovernor had mustered his defenses to the west, against the hosts of Reikland. Leaving the fallen hold of Karak Ungor all the opportunity the craven grobi desired, who descend upon the Ostmark in a storm of grobi flesh beyond all counting. The disintegrating mark lasts for little more than a few months before the army of the princes comes to find their prize a ruin beyond all saving, and they must content themselves with preventing the green tide from spreading further into the Reik.
4517: After nearly a decade of absence Robesper Le'paur returns from his great crest upon a longship of Norsecan design. The ship itself is something else though, for it has seeming been crafted of a great red Drake. The sails of the vessel are crafted from the beast's wings while its enormous scales coat the ship like a kind of armor. The head of the beast itself has been used to frm the figurehead of the vessel and its gaping maw terrifies more than one child at the harbor it sails into. Near immediately Le'paur makes his way to Karak Angaraz and tells the story of his adventures to the holds king and thanes. Where he describes him and his knightly companions journeying throughout Norca, slaying trolls, dire wolves and even a manticore, however none they believed would truly demonstate their skill and honor until they came across the tribes of the Wyldsh. Who though numerous were ruled over by a great red drake that extorted harsh tribute from the humans. Le'paur and his knights though, challenged the drake, and though many lost their lives to its great strength and terrible flames. Eventually, Le'paurs lance found purchase in the heart of the beast and it fell silent at last.
So thankful tells Le'paur were the Wyldsh that they immediately fell to their knees and rebuked the false four idols which they had hoped would eventually deliver them a reprieve, and instead sought a new leader for their tribes. Thus the Wyldsh crowned te duke their king, and swore to join their realm to his.
The King of Angaraz though perhaps dubious of some of the specific claims that Le'paur makes holds that indeed a great deed was done, and after confirming the duke of his title, he also awards the now mature man the title of dragonslayer and has his greatest smiths forge a crown worthy of such a name and its accompanying deed.
4521 The city of Al Rahid has grown in prominence over the last several generations. Its primary claim to fame being that the Tomb King of Zandri has conceded his right to ownership of the city as its construction dates to after his own time. Though not perfect protection, the most dominant tomb king of Zandri has changed several times over the last several millennia after all. It has been enough for Al Rahid to flood with merchants, traders and refugees who like all in eastern Araby constantly worry that one day the desiccated hosts would come to topple their proud cities.
This growth and wealth has allowed Al Rahid to bind those cities around it ever closer with commercial ties becoming stronger and stronger between those lesser cities and their soon-to-be master. Until eventually the defacto relationship became de-jure and the reigning sultan was acknowledged as the ruler of the easternmost Arabyan realms.
The Sultans attempt to then expand his hold further west has been rebuffed however, the arabyans are not a warlike people outside of the tribes of the outer dunes or the corsairs of the seas. and the militia and feudal levies that Al-Rahid could call upon were repulsed as they splashed against the city walls of their countrymen. This has only delayed the Sultans ambition however and already his vizier has turned those of a mystical persuasion to crafting efrite demi-legions to serve as the backbone of their armies if mortal men prove insufficient.
4519 Within the council of kingdoms a throne of marble carved into the likeness of the base of a flowering tree has been placed. And every year one of Lauelorns' wardens sits upon the amber throne. In addition, within the expansive embassy grounds that has developed over the century, a small copse of forestry has emerged out of which streaks a single ivory tower of singular beauty. Representative of Tor Lithanel which dwells within the heartland of that great wood in the distant north.
4521: When one looks upon the Norsecan cities of Svarlhome and Djorisford it is shocking to think that less than a century ago their ancestors were scraping out a meager existence as mammoth hunters and primitive fishermen. Now their longships prowl the sea of claws in great numbers. As beloved in the cities of Reikland as trading vessels as they are hated and feared as reavers by the far more exposed fishing villages. Still, thanks to Dawi tutelage those of the latter kind have gradually become rarer and rarer as time has moved onwards. The increasing commercial bonds between those Norsecan cities and the Reik causing crackdowns on those who would damage such a blossoming relationship. With the most egregious offenders being exiled to the west to join their more warlike and less… settled, brethren.
4527: Night of crooked knives
A night of butchery is had in the varied citadels or Tor Elyr as dozens or hundreds (the count is never finalized) of druchii assassins unveil themselves and begin murdering the upper echelons of that great city. though the greatest damage is dealt on the first night, the last of the killings only finally conclude at least a month later, leaving the nobility of Ellyrion utterly shattered. Investigations found no evidence that the assassins were hidden among any of the known pleasure cults (and they were very thorough) and no Drucci ship has managed to make port in any kingdom save Naggaryth in decades. So how they actually came to be in one of the inner kingdoms remains a mystery.
4531: The Battle Of Crooked Fang
For the first time since the high throng was forged by Bardin Hardaxe, it tastes defeat. WIth the Greenskins of troll country able to withstand the might of the Dawi by hiding behind the inhospitable terrain of that far northern realm. A mighty battle is fought where hundreds of thousands of orks fall. However, there are endless more where they came from, and come the second day of battle the Dawi are forced to bloodily withdraw from their campaign. Leaving half a dozen members of the high throng to go slayer in shame and thanks to their centuries of experience, being some of the most capable examples of their kind in recent memory.
4532: Above the great mines that have been forged at its base, a Karak has grown to match the scale of the prospectors find. Named Karak Akrak for the luck that brought the Karaz Ankor the first great gromril mines it has seen in millennia, it stands as a tribute to the growing union between the Dawi and their northern cousins. For near a third of those that settle within its halls are of the northern kindred, who have marked their influence throughout all the statuary and even the structure of the young hold.
4535: The great drake Azorgorgon has been evicted from his lair in Thunder mountain. Alas, he does seem particularly embittered by his method of awakening and has instead found a new lair somewhere within the mountains between Zhufbar and the Everpeak. From which he raids the passess seemingly endlessly. A series of atrocities and crimes that Erbor writes within the Dammoz Kron and swears that he will not allow to go unavenged
(+1 Shame until avenged)
4538: An attack apparently long in the planning. It seems that those sworn to Zharr Nagrund have created a hidden port somewhere in the far frozen north. For in hindsight it is obvious what has occurred. Every few years they would sail west with a fleet of great enough size that the Dawi would deem it too risky to face them. In a season or two, these ships would return a few ships less than they were last time. Perhaps some of these were actually losses but it is clear that those were not the majority.
In the cold light of dawn, a fleet emerges into the patrol routes of the Northern fleet and begins annihilating the far-flung escorts guarding the vast northern stretches of Norscan coast. It is only some time later that the Dawi even notice their ships silently going missing and they gather the full might of both the high and north fleet to scare off the Dawi Zharr as has happened several times over the past few decades.
This time, however, as the combined fleets move to attack, the Dawi Zharr do not back off. In fact, they steam directly towards the ships coming to face them. Releasing dozens of sea monsters from their holds, eerily reminiscent of those the Druchii supposedly make use of. Great leviathans of the sea and deepwater hydras wreak havoc among the dawi fleet even before the black-hulled vessels move to engage those garbed in gromril plated silver. Within half an hour though, the fleets have stabilized into great parallel firing lines and numbers begin to tell against the chaos dwarves. Even as their daemon weapons and sea beasts cause calamity upon the vessels of those faithful to the ancestor gods, only for the observation balloon hanging above the Grimazul Gronti III to report smoke coming from the eastern seas. As a second fleet sworn to Uzkuluk crests the horizon.
Immediately the dwarven admiral realizes the trap that he is caught between and orders the fleets to disperse. The high fleet will sail north while paradoxically the North fleet will sail south and hug the coastline. Both forces hoping to evade the pincer which is rapidly closing upon them. Alas that the Dawi Zharr seemed almost prepared for this and they allow the High fleet to withdraw while their armada begins to collapse on the Norsecan Northern shore.
Little can be done to save the Dawi of the Northern Fleet and the crews of the balloons report the slow dismemberment of their cousins, who end up beaching themselves upon the rocky shoreline and using their ships' mighty armored hulls as makeshift fortresses to attempt a final doomed defense. Three days after the High fleet limps into the port of Kraka Drak, smoke is seen rising to the west and the fleet of Uzkulak begins blockading the dragon port. Allowing no ships in or out of its fortified harbor.
4538 - 4545: The War of the Norther Holds
After an insulting set of Terms is offered to the High King from The Dawi Zhar. THe Karaz Ankor, Klatnor, The Reik and Remas are all marshalled to wage war against the dark Dawi of the East. Yet at first the war goes poorly for the alliance. The Zharr have struck quick and ruthlessly and by the end of the month have place Vlag under siege. Yet over time the weight of the alliance begins to tell, as over the course of several years the armies of the Zharr are pushed back all the way to Uzkuluk at the cost of tens of thousands of human and Dawi lives placing the seaport of the Zhar under siege.
Meanwhile in the south a war of raids has been carried out as the hoboblin khanates pushed through the worlds edge mountains south of the Ankor and made their way to the everpeak foothills. Where they set the realms of both Remas and the Reik ablaze and causing a stampeding set of wagghs throughout the south of both empires. of course. Not all goes well for the Dawi Zharr and after a set of feinting raids and sguerella strikes. The bastion of Ulgash is left underfended and a force of Dawi is able to force the walls and separate it from the mainland. Establishing a shaky fortress of the Dawi in the southern seas for the first time in history.
Eventually with Uzkuluk about to fall. The populace manages to escape from the doomed fortress. Though leaving sapping charges behind in their withdrawal, they are able to render the prize almost worthless and infested with chaotic horrors left over from their twisted experiments.
The Fortress taken however, the Zharr must come to terms. Ceding the ruins of Uzkuluk and the Bastion of Ulgash and allowing Dawi Caravans to traverse the darklands to Cathay unmolested by their forces.
4543 - The Dragon visits
Zhao Ming, a celestial dragon of the far east. Master of several Cathayan provinces has heard of those who battle against the forces of the Dawi Zharr, and upon conferring with the High King has arranged for a caravan route to be created through the darklands in order to maximise the gain for both Empires. Distant though they are from one another.
The War of Norther Holds Summary and The Fate of Uzkuluk
I had a lot of fun with the prior quest; however, I was never happy with the outcome of the war as I described it, and that dampened most of the joy I could get from it. Here is an altered summary of the war that was fought. The points are largely the same, but the scale has been brought much, much lower.
The memories of the Umgi are fickle, and their loremasters few, so they are prone to exaggerating the deeds of their ancestors, even after only a generation or two has passed. It is no surprise to the Dawi, then, that the war of the northern holds has become something of a foundational myth for them. Throngs from across their kingdoms came together for the first time in their history at the request of the High King of the Dawi to fight a war against one of the darkest of foes: wolf-riding hobgoblins in their tens of thousands, iron-shod Grobi legions marching with pikes raised, and worst of all, shrouded in smoke and flame, their own dark kin—the Dawi Zharr—in daemonic steel and gunpowder. A war that, even without embellishments, would be clearly marked in the annals of their histories.
But with each passing generation, their memories of not only the deeds of the Dawi but also their own actions have expanded with the telling. It is said among them that hosts numbering in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, formed at the edge of their world and fought cataclysmic battles unheard of since the Time of Woes. That dragon flights beyond number descended from Ulthuan and wiped away the Elgi shame in a storm of fire and scale. That entire regions were culled of Urk and Grobi at the cost of tens of thousands of Dawi. That our foes killed millions of their own slaves to deny them to the Dawi, and finally, that the Infernal Guard was utterly crushed to the point of near extinction. While all these legends contain a kernel of truth, they have grown far beyond the realm of believability, with each human bard adding their own embellishments, heroes, and legends to the battles fought among our cragged peaks at the roof of the world.
Much like the Dawi ourselves, however, our writings, workings, and knowledge are more enduring. It is known by us that in the Age of Erbor Steelarm, the War of the Northern Holds was provoked by the savagery of our debased kin in their destruction of the North Fleet off the northern coast of Norsca. The Dammaz Cron has seen this wrong avenged when our High Fleet, with some small help from Ulthuan, brought a reckoning to an armada of the enemy, sending the hulks of their fleet to the depths and consigning them to a doom of their own making.
In the North, a series of battles took place between the Ankor and its allies, and the slaves of Hashut over the course of years. Several attempts to force the passes at Vlag by the Khanates sworn to Zharr were turned back, at no small loss of Dawi and Umgi life, with the Reik, Brigundia, and Remas supplying the largest contingents of forces, and a not insignificant Elgi presence as well, especially contesting the air under the shadow of our war-blimps. However, unlike the Umgi telling of these battles, where the lines stretched back hundreds of ranks, it was rare for the assembled forces to number over twenty thousand per side. Even at its apex, at the relief of Vlag, both sides numbered far fewer than the figures claimed by their troubadours. Nevertheless, both stories follow the same course, with the Khanates' iron-horned Grobi armies pushing the allies back to the gates of Vlag itself before the drive to Uzkuluk began.
Of course, each step toward the slaver port forced us to clear the passes of the Grobi infestation that marked them and guard them vigorously against the ceaseless counterattacks that poured forth from the passages and mines that dot the landscape. No immense culling occurred, sapping the lifeblood of the Dawi, but neither, as is spoken of in the human realms, were whole regions depopulated of the Grobi. Eventually, though, even bolstered by divisions of the Infernal Guard, the Dawi Zharr were made desperate. Thanks to a daring raid, their Underway route to the hold was blocked and held long enough to render them unable to break the siege of Uzkuluk. The coalition maintained the pressure longer than they could hold out. The garrison and citizenry broke out, detonating the hold as they left and leaving the exhausted, plague-ridden forces of the Dawi to occupy the blasted, monster-infested shell that remained after the Zharr had withdrawn.
Stories also abound of raids struck deep into the enemy's territory, of grand hosts marching, despoiling our dark kin's holdings, and sending them fleeing back to Zharr Nagrund, chastened and fearful of our wrath. The reality, of course, is different. Elite brigades, sometimes numbering only a few thousand, would march to torch the lightly guarded outermost mines and outposts of the Zharr. Hoping to avoid meeting their enemies in force, these flying columns were guided toward their isolated outposts by the aerial auxiliaries provided by our Elven allies. A hope largely, but certainly not always, fulfilled, as the Dawi corpses that now add to the plains of bones can sadly attest to. Struck down by patrols, Grobi, or any of the innumerable beasts that make that dark plain their home.
The greatest of these raids was a lightning strike by the elite of the Dawi, Laurelorn, and the mightiest Umgi realms. They took the lightly guarded and assumed safe bastion of Ulgash, far to the south of any Dark Dawi holdings, overwhelming the stripped-bare garrison there and shattering the peninsula it sat upon with runic might. The allies claimed the now near-sundered but restorable island citadel, which, supplied by the Tower of Dusk, withstood the few punitive strikes sent to retake or sink it.
Simultaneously, in the west and far more painfully for the alliance, the Khaganates were loosed upon the Everpeak and the Reik. Finding Peak Pass closed to them by the artifice of the Ancestors, and the pass at Vlag made inaccessible by the war that raged up and down that narrow passage, the Hobgoblin Khans instead sent their wolf riders along the pass once guarded by the Eight Peaks. They bullied through the watch forts and the gates that watched Skull River and set themselves upon the Everpeak foothills, where the Dawi had first taught humans the plow and the pick. For years, the foothills burned as tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Umgi were dragged off in chains to serve cruel and unrelenting masters. Of course, the High King would march to preserve his allies, as would the Lord of the Reik. But much like in the east, the Khanates struck swiftly and like lightning, leaving the reaction forces too slow to intercept.
Despite these strikes, however, our shameful cousins know when they are beaten. And though their fury is great, it is also impotent. Their Underway was damaged, and they had little hope of being able to marshal the Khans of the north again, now that the knife was no longer pressed so close to the Grobi's throats. Ulgash stands stabilized by a rushed force of Dawi engineers and could act as an immovable mount against their predations in the south. But they also know we could not indefinitely sustain our efforts. Our forts and garrisons supporting the siege were falling increasingly to Grobi raiding, the Reik bleeds in the south, and Remas readies itself for another bout of internecine strife. Our force besieging Uzkuluk found itself struck down by plague, while as ever, the Thaggoraki watch from below as troops are siphoned away from mine watches across the Ankor, and their attacks grow more frequent. While attacking further into the heart of the Zharr could only be considered close to madness. The bull bleeds, after all, but his horns remain.
So it was that when the Zharr dignitary approached with an offer of peace, his eyes burning with both fury and shame, humbly and reluctantly offering the apologies of the Sorcerer Kings and asking if terms could be agreed upon, the offer was accepted—with the caveat that they renounce their claims on the fallen holds and allow Dawi traders passage through their lands for decades to come.
Overall changes
- The war lasted longer, several years instead of just one or two.
- It is also characterized as a war of containment rather than annihilation. Neither of your nations could dare hope to substantially damage each others core.
- General Ulthuani presence was significantly lower, but still enough to balance the air war and help at sea.
- Despite this, overall losses were actually lower as the battles and armies were not beyond the scope of the medieval era. (~ 40000 Dawi perished)
- There were no Kulls that occurred. Only beating the grobi back to their caves to supply the forces besieging Uzkuluk
- The raids into the shattered plains themselves were much smaller, more forcing Zharr to have to garrison its outlying forts than actually threatening their control over their territories.
- Sole exception to this is Ulgash, which (after several diversionary attacks) found its remaining garrison too weak to be able to stop a surprise assault
- Ulgash was supplied by Ulthuan for a couple of years, allowing the seized bastion to survive counterattacks from the Zharr.
- Cost of the war was also significantly lower, roughly two thirds of gold spent on the supply dump thing will be refunded.
- The infernal guard have not been near annihilated
- Uzkuluk eventually broke out of the siege after a relieving effort from the infernal guard failed. They blew much of the mountain up along with them and left an ecology of monsters in the lower level willing to prey on anyone who shows their face down there
- The Dawi Zharr are not a spent force, and sending small armies into the heart of their empire would be a way to throw good armies after bad, so the peace treaty will be much less harsh and will be covered after this.
- As the Remans assurance was based upon them continuing to lend you their armies. The guarantee of their succession is retconned away. As their support was far less important.
- Payments for supply points etc are also largely, though not entirely retconned away reducing the costs substantially. The Estalian payment and guarantee still remain though
- My own accounting of costs leaves you with 49 gold. Making the war expensive but not ruinous
Things that remain the same
- Ulgash remains in your hands, however it is simply the bastion, the Chaos dwarves still very much control the province it was once attached to, the whole Cathay prisoner – Dragon conversation still occurred.
- Uzkuluk was still taken, even if it is a ruin of its former self, you will be given a choice on if you wish to rebuild it or leave it exposed
- The humans did band together to help you, and it would have been a much more hard fought war without them, so the rewards listed are still reasonable.
- The Everpeak foothills were utterly ravaged, and Remas's borders with the Badlands have been challenged by the rampaging khans let loose there. Hundreds of thousands were killed or taken into slavery in the south. The heartlands of both human empires remain largely untouched though.
Now you must decide what to do with your spoils before we move onto the next turn
On the matter of Ulgash
The bastion, once the grand fortress of the Dawi Zharrs south is in your hands. And stands as an isolated Island fortress watching over the souther coast of the darklands... you have spent significant gold to stabilize the island and it will aid in protecting those caravans that wish to make the journey to and from Cathay. However either than that the Island has few uses but as a watchtower and a show of your influence though the expenses are not crippling they are significant.
[ ] Keep the fortress:
Reduces the casualties taken for traders going to and from Cathay. eases the dc for exploring the southlands and further missions to Ind and beyond. Costs 1 wealth per turn.
[ ] Dismantle the fortress:
The costs are too great for what we shall do with it, it is better to see the whole edifice slide into the sea though than leave it to the Zharr. So it must be destroyed as you leave.
On the matter of Uzkuluk
Uzkuluk is a shell of itself, A shattered hold with little but the bare bones of the mighty hold that it once was. Its shipyards are in ruins and daemons and other beasts prawl the halls, ready to fall upon any prey they stumble across. It would take some doing to restore it to what it was and even then in the deepest depths monstrosities would still remain watching, breeding and waiting in the shadows
[ ] Leave it to rot:
Finish the work that brought you here. See to it that the Dawi Zharr can never again send forth fleets from their dread city. Tear it down and sunder its stone. Break the back of the mountain it rests upon and beneath. Leave it a death trap even more than it already is. More hazard than refuge for any who would dwell there again
- Removes Uzkuluk as a hold. If the region were to ever be occupied again by the Dawi or the Zharr a new hold would have to be constructed
[ ] Restore the Hold:
Brace the worst of the damage and send the high throng into the depths. bring in runesmiths to try and cleans the taint that has seeped into these walls like a tar and expunge the worst of the rot. Bring in settlers from Across the Ankor to resettle the mountain and make it suitable once more to the Dawi...Though still some will always mutter at the deeds once done in these halls and proud dwarves will lock their vault like doors in the night lest those things that scritch and chitter in the shadows make their way up into the hold proper.
- Creates the Action Restore Uzkuluk which will resettle the hold for an estimaate of 8 wealth. Uzkuluk would serve as a hold, however would gain the "Cursed" modifier which would increase the rate of attrition form those living within the hold. It would also allow you to easily contact Karag Dum, in order to have them unseal their hold temporarily and be given access to the Ankors more recent innovations.
There will be a 24 hour moratorium on voting. to allow people to catch back up with where we are at and allow for discussion
The memories of the Umgi are fickle, and their loremasters few, so they are prone to exaggerating the deeds of their ancestors, even after only a generation or two has passed. It is no surprise to the Dawi, then, that the war of the northern holds has become something of a foundational myth for them. Throngs from across their kingdoms came together for the first time in their history at the request of the High King of the Dawi to fight a war against one of the darkest of foes: wolf-riding hobgoblins in their tens of thousands, iron-shod Grobi legions marching with pikes raised, and worst of all, shrouded in smoke and flame, their own dark kin—the Dawi Zharr—in daemonic steel and gunpowder. A war that, even without embellishments, would be clearly marked in the annals of their histories.
But with each passing generation, their memories of not only the deeds of the Dawi but also their own actions have expanded with the telling. It is said among them that hosts numbering in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, formed at the edge of their world and fought cataclysmic battles unheard of since the Time of Woes. That dragon flights beyond number descended from Ulthuan and wiped away the Elgi shame in a storm of fire and scale. That entire regions were culled of Urk and Grobi at the cost of tens of thousands of Dawi. That our foes killed millions of their own slaves to deny them to the Dawi, and finally, that the Infernal Guard was utterly crushed to the point of near extinction. While all these legends contain a kernel of truth, they have grown far beyond the realm of believability, with each human bard adding their own embellishments, heroes, and legends to the battles fought among our cragged peaks at the roof of the world.
Much like the Dawi ourselves, however, our writings, workings, and knowledge are more enduring. It is known by us that in the Age of Erbor Steelarm, the War of the Northern Holds was provoked by the savagery of our debased kin in their destruction of the North Fleet off the northern coast of Norsca. The Dammaz Cron has seen this wrong avenged when our High Fleet, with some small help from Ulthuan, brought a reckoning to an armada of the enemy, sending the hulks of their fleet to the depths and consigning them to a doom of their own making.
In the North, a series of battles took place between the Ankor and its allies, and the slaves of Hashut over the course of years. Several attempts to force the passes at Vlag by the Khanates sworn to Zharr were turned back, at no small loss of Dawi and Umgi life, with the Reik, Brigundia, and Remas supplying the largest contingents of forces, and a not insignificant Elgi presence as well, especially contesting the air under the shadow of our war-blimps. However, unlike the Umgi telling of these battles, where the lines stretched back hundreds of ranks, it was rare for the assembled forces to number over twenty thousand per side. Even at its apex, at the relief of Vlag, both sides numbered far fewer than the figures claimed by their troubadours. Nevertheless, both stories follow the same course, with the Khanates' iron-horned Grobi armies pushing the allies back to the gates of Vlag itself before the drive to Uzkuluk began.
Of course, each step toward the slaver port forced us to clear the passes of the Grobi infestation that marked them and guard them vigorously against the ceaseless counterattacks that poured forth from the passages and mines that dot the landscape. No immense culling occurred, sapping the lifeblood of the Dawi, but neither, as is spoken of in the human realms, were whole regions depopulated of the Grobi. Eventually, though, even bolstered by divisions of the Infernal Guard, the Dawi Zharr were made desperate. Thanks to a daring raid, their Underway route to the hold was blocked and held long enough to render them unable to break the siege of Uzkuluk. The coalition maintained the pressure longer than they could hold out. The garrison and citizenry broke out, detonating the hold as they left and leaving the exhausted, plague-ridden forces of the Dawi to occupy the blasted, monster-infested shell that remained after the Zharr had withdrawn.
Stories also abound of raids struck deep into the enemy's territory, of grand hosts marching, despoiling our dark kin's holdings, and sending them fleeing back to Zharr Nagrund, chastened and fearful of our wrath. The reality, of course, is different. Elite brigades, sometimes numbering only a few thousand, would march to torch the lightly guarded outermost mines and outposts of the Zharr. Hoping to avoid meeting their enemies in force, these flying columns were guided toward their isolated outposts by the aerial auxiliaries provided by our Elven allies. A hope largely, but certainly not always, fulfilled, as the Dawi corpses that now add to the plains of bones can sadly attest to. Struck down by patrols, Grobi, or any of the innumerable beasts that make that dark plain their home.
The greatest of these raids was a lightning strike by the elite of the Dawi, Laurelorn, and the mightiest Umgi realms. They took the lightly guarded and assumed safe bastion of Ulgash, far to the south of any Dark Dawi holdings, overwhelming the stripped-bare garrison there and shattering the peninsula it sat upon with runic might. The allies claimed the now near-sundered but restorable island citadel, which, supplied by the Tower of Dusk, withstood the few punitive strikes sent to retake or sink it.
Simultaneously, in the west and far more painfully for the alliance, the Khaganates were loosed upon the Everpeak and the Reik. Finding Peak Pass closed to them by the artifice of the Ancestors, and the pass at Vlag made inaccessible by the war that raged up and down that narrow passage, the Hobgoblin Khans instead sent their wolf riders along the pass once guarded by the Eight Peaks. They bullied through the watch forts and the gates that watched Skull River and set themselves upon the Everpeak foothills, where the Dawi had first taught humans the plow and the pick. For years, the foothills burned as tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Umgi were dragged off in chains to serve cruel and unrelenting masters. Of course, the High King would march to preserve his allies, as would the Lord of the Reik. But much like in the east, the Khanates struck swiftly and like lightning, leaving the reaction forces too slow to intercept.
Despite these strikes, however, our shameful cousins know when they are beaten. And though their fury is great, it is also impotent. Their Underway was damaged, and they had little hope of being able to marshal the Khans of the north again, now that the knife was no longer pressed so close to the Grobi's throats. Ulgash stands stabilized by a rushed force of Dawi engineers and could act as an immovable mount against their predations in the south. But they also know we could not indefinitely sustain our efforts. Our forts and garrisons supporting the siege were falling increasingly to Grobi raiding, the Reik bleeds in the south, and Remas readies itself for another bout of internecine strife. Our force besieging Uzkuluk found itself struck down by plague, while as ever, the Thaggoraki watch from below as troops are siphoned away from mine watches across the Ankor, and their attacks grow more frequent. While attacking further into the heart of the Zharr could only be considered close to madness. The bull bleeds, after all, but his horns remain.
So it was that when the Zharr dignitary approached with an offer of peace, his eyes burning with both fury and shame, humbly and reluctantly offering the apologies of the Sorcerer Kings and asking if terms could be agreed upon, the offer was accepted—with the caveat that they renounce their claims on the fallen holds and allow Dawi traders passage through their lands for decades to come.
Overall changes
- The war lasted longer, several years instead of just one or two.
- It is also characterized as a war of containment rather than annihilation. Neither of your nations could dare hope to substantially damage each others core.
- General Ulthuani presence was significantly lower, but still enough to balance the air war and help at sea.
- Despite this, overall losses were actually lower as the battles and armies were not beyond the scope of the medieval era. (~ 40000 Dawi perished)
- There were no Kulls that occurred. Only beating the grobi back to their caves to supply the forces besieging Uzkuluk
- The raids into the shattered plains themselves were much smaller, more forcing Zharr to have to garrison its outlying forts than actually threatening their control over their territories.
- Sole exception to this is Ulgash, which (after several diversionary attacks) found its remaining garrison too weak to be able to stop a surprise assault
- Ulgash was supplied by Ulthuan for a couple of years, allowing the seized bastion to survive counterattacks from the Zharr.
- Cost of the war was also significantly lower, roughly two thirds of gold spent on the supply dump thing will be refunded.
- The infernal guard have not been near annihilated
- Uzkuluk eventually broke out of the siege after a relieving effort from the infernal guard failed. They blew much of the mountain up along with them and left an ecology of monsters in the lower level willing to prey on anyone who shows their face down there
- The Dawi Zharr are not a spent force, and sending small armies into the heart of their empire would be a way to throw good armies after bad, so the peace treaty will be much less harsh and will be covered after this.
- As the Remans assurance was based upon them continuing to lend you their armies. The guarantee of their succession is retconned away. As their support was far less important.
- Payments for supply points etc are also largely, though not entirely retconned away reducing the costs substantially. The Estalian payment and guarantee still remain though
- My own accounting of costs leaves you with 49 gold. Making the war expensive but not ruinous
Things that remain the same
- Ulgash remains in your hands, however it is simply the bastion, the Chaos dwarves still very much control the province it was once attached to, the whole Cathay prisoner – Dragon conversation still occurred.
- Uzkuluk was still taken, even if it is a ruin of its former self, you will be given a choice on if you wish to rebuild it or leave it exposed
- The humans did band together to help you, and it would have been a much more hard fought war without them, so the rewards listed are still reasonable.
- The Everpeak foothills were utterly ravaged, and Remas's borders with the Badlands have been challenged by the rampaging khans let loose there. Hundreds of thousands were killed or taken into slavery in the south. The heartlands of both human empires remain largely untouched though.
Now you must decide what to do with your spoils before we move onto the next turn
On the matter of Ulgash
The bastion, once the grand fortress of the Dawi Zharrs south is in your hands. And stands as an isolated Island fortress watching over the souther coast of the darklands... you have spent significant gold to stabilize the island and it will aid in protecting those caravans that wish to make the journey to and from Cathay. However either than that the Island has few uses but as a watchtower and a show of your influence though the expenses are not crippling they are significant.
[ ] Keep the fortress:
Reduces the casualties taken for traders going to and from Cathay. eases the dc for exploring the southlands and further missions to Ind and beyond. Costs 1 wealth per turn.
[ ] Dismantle the fortress:
The costs are too great for what we shall do with it, it is better to see the whole edifice slide into the sea though than leave it to the Zharr. So it must be destroyed as you leave.
On the matter of Uzkuluk
Uzkuluk is a shell of itself, A shattered hold with little but the bare bones of the mighty hold that it once was. Its shipyards are in ruins and daemons and other beasts prawl the halls, ready to fall upon any prey they stumble across. It would take some doing to restore it to what it was and even then in the deepest depths monstrosities would still remain watching, breeding and waiting in the shadows
[ ] Leave it to rot:
Finish the work that brought you here. See to it that the Dawi Zharr can never again send forth fleets from their dread city. Tear it down and sunder its stone. Break the back of the mountain it rests upon and beneath. Leave it a death trap even more than it already is. More hazard than refuge for any who would dwell there again
- Removes Uzkuluk as a hold. If the region were to ever be occupied again by the Dawi or the Zharr a new hold would have to be constructed
[ ] Restore the Hold:
Brace the worst of the damage and send the high throng into the depths. bring in runesmiths to try and cleans the taint that has seeped into these walls like a tar and expunge the worst of the rot. Bring in settlers from Across the Ankor to resettle the mountain and make it suitable once more to the Dawi...Though still some will always mutter at the deeds once done in these halls and proud dwarves will lock their vault like doors in the night lest those things that scritch and chitter in the shadows make their way up into the hold proper.
- Creates the Action Restore Uzkuluk which will resettle the hold for an estimaate of 8 wealth. Uzkuluk would serve as a hold, however would gain the "Cursed" modifier which would increase the rate of attrition form those living within the hold. It would also allow you to easily contact Karag Dum, in order to have them unseal their hold temporarily and be given access to the Ankors more recent innovations.
There will be a 24 hour moratorium on voting. to allow people to catch back up with where we are at and allow for discussion
The End of Uzkuluk
Uzkuluk was a ruin, a great and mighty ruin. One that took up nearly a quarter of the face of a mountain and still belched fire from half a dozen rents in its defences. Bombs set off by the last of the fleeing renegades had ignited fuel, furniture, or fabric, causing a black haze to slowly drift into the sky. Still, thirty thousand tired, bitter Dawi, and half that again in humans and elves, watched it in grim satisfaction at the end of their long and aching journey. After placing pickets around the edge of their camp and emplacing a watch, Erbor Steelarm and his commanders came to a final decision. They consigned the ancient, storied hold to the annals of history as the High King gave his last order as commander of the allied hosts:
"Strip it bare and leave nothing but rubble."
The sack of Uzkuluk lasted nearly a full month as the tired forces of the High King bent their fury toward tearing down the citadel of their foe. When the last remnants of Uzkuluk's populace and garrison managed to breach the allied line, they brought with them a vast quantity of wealth. But Uzkuluk was an old hold—ancient, even by the reckonings of the Dawi—and it held the wealth of the empires it had seen rise and fall. Goods from as far off as distant Cathay and Naggarond, and relics of its ancient past, were uncovered. Statues garbed in gold crowns with eyes of rubies were toppled, their accoutrements stolen. Vaults sealed by the best workings of their sorcerers were gradually worn down or worked around as anvils of doom were turned upon them, opening to reveal treasure rooms the envy of any in the Ankor. Even the skins of far-off, exotic beasts were found and plundered in what was once the marketplace of the Dawi Zharr.
All did not go exactly to plan, however, especially as the first few hours turned into days. Traps left behind would kill dozens in fiery explosions. Released dread - beasts, seemingly exploring the now-available living areas away from their squalid lairs, and were found roaming freely, giving battle rather than returning to their chains. Heading toward the waterline, it was discovered that the Zharr had, if anything, been even more ferocious the further down they went, destroying their docks and manufactories as much as they were able, sundering industry, and putting everything to the torch.
Gradually, as the fervor of the conquest waned and caution and good sense were reclaimed by the looters, commanders started to notice that those who strayed too far on their own, armored or not, would occasionally disappear. Sometimes their arms and armor were found sundered and bloody. At other times, they vanished entirely without a trace.
Thus, as they delved ever deeper into the ancient hold, to the levels the Dawi Zharr rarely visited—at least without a whip in hand—the troops were barred from separating into groups of fewer than three, at least to stop the mounting losses. Whispers spread throughout the ranks of feeling watched. The gilded statues, seemingly, turning to watch them as they were torn down to be carried away on the baggage train. Glints in the darkness tempted them to separate from their groups. And an overwhelming sense of malice seemed to permeate even the stones themselves.
Here, they also found the emptied slave pens and barracks that housed thousands of years of untold suffering, where only a few hundred, wailing, half-mad degenerates remained, suckling in vain on the bones of those who had been lucky enough to not survive the years-long siege and the impenetrable hatred that had beat down on their spirits like a blacksmith's hammer. Many of these were put to death on the spot as they, in their madness, attempted to fight their would-be rescuers, seeing the Dawi as the return of their captors, ready to take up the whip and chain once more. But those few who retained their wits and sanity in this despotic pit were carried up to the surface, to see the sun they had long ago lost the hope of ever basking in again.
Finally, they descended into the warrens and caverns at the ancient heart of the hold, sealed by a great silver gate bearing the sigils of the bull. Behind it lay dank caves and slick caverns, sometimes empty, sometimes inhabited by foul creatures, interspersed with the crumbling architecture of what Uzkuluk once was. Defaced statues of Grimnir, Grungi, and Valaya lined these grand colonnades, gradually crumbling into dust. Signs of the battle that once raged here were still evident: broken axes and arrowheads could be found in the darkest corners of the hold, and the ever-present sense of malignancy seemed to recede, though never dissipate, the deeper they ventured.
At long last, they came across a cavern sealed by a rockfall, bearing the name "The Traitor's Tomb" carved into the rock above the entryway. Seemingly abandoned, much like the rest of the cavern, it was eventually decided by an assembled council of Longbeards to unseal the enigma.
In only a few days, the cavern was opened, and a party ventured within. They found the bodies of several hundred Dwarves, still clad in their ancestral armor, guarding Uzkuluk's tombs after thousands of years. Within the mummified grasp of one noble warrior, they discovered a rune-sealed box. Knowing its likely contents after word of its discovery eventually reached him, Erbor commanded it to be opened, revealing near-pristine copies of Uzkuluk's own book of grudges—their Dammoz Kron. After pouring over it with his loremasters, Erbor grimly swore them to secrecy. He ordered stonemasons to pause their work above and be brought down to these halls so that "the last honored dead of Uzkuluk can at last be given a place among their ancestors."
After two months of sabotaging the hold—destroying rooms, columns, and corridors, collapsing the grand throne room, and rendering the mountain itself unstable—the host of the Ankor departed the remains of Uzkuluk. They carried with them tons of gold, gems, and other precious metals, priceless marble ripped from the tables of dining halls, and some small number of artifacts that the runemasters considered both primitive and dangerous, but interesting enough. Cracked bronze statues of bulls were destined to be melted down, and enough furs sourced from all throughout the Darklands to clothe the entire army. They left behind an empty shell, and the grateful spirits of three hundred and eighty-seven Dawi whose greatest shame was, at last, known in full to their High King.
The last of the beams and fortifications are set right as swarms of engineers and craftsmen begin to depart from the great southern bastion. The work of buttressing and reinforcement finally coming to an end, and the bastion stands proudly some three hundred meters from the remains of the peninsula to which it had once been attached. The once-shattered harbor at its base now restored to pristine condition and filled with several large steamers, built for the long journey—half of which would remain to watch the shoreline, scouting for any attempt by the Zharr to resurrect their naval presence in the southern ocean, while the other half returned to Varr for eventual resupply. An elven trading vessel also lies at anchor in the harbor, its elegant lines contrasting sharply with the iron-hulled behemoths moored alongside it. But it isjust as welcome, disgorging tons of food and beer for the new garrison to consume, sourced from one of the closer kingdoms of Ind. The elven sailors handing over the supplies to the newly arrived garrison exiting the steamers.
The permanent garrison, numbering nearly a thousand to fully man the fortress after a near two-month journey, explore their new abodes. Spacious for such numbers, after all the hold still contains dozens of levels built to Dawi standards, even though the lowest levels had to be collapsed at the risk of flooding. Immense storehouses hold years' worth of food in the event of any siege or blockade, or even simply a delay in resupply. While workshops, armories, and even some small subterranean farms give the bastion longevity in the event of privation.
Taking up posts around the battlements, the Dawi wonder at the far-off sights they would never have otherwise a chance to see. The Longbeards among their number making no few complaints however about every aspect of their new home. Even that the beardlings will find little to test their skills with, with no Urk or Thaggoriki to hone their az against.
Erbor leaned back against the stone of the Eternal Throne and looked upon a grateful populace. For the first time since his reign had begun, he was treated to the sight of the great hall filled to its maximum extent with celebrants. Over a hundred thousand Dawi crowded the halls, along with several dozen humans and even a few elves, who had been granted the honor of being allowed within the hallowed halls of the Ankor's capital. The few elves present were watched extremely closely by members of the High Throng—an honor not granted to so many outsiders since before the Time of Woes. Altogether, they represented the gathered high commanders and generals who had assisted during the War of the Northern Holds.
Erbor scanned the galleries of bearded faces as he began to speak. His voice was amplified not only by the clever architecture of the hall itself but also by concealed runework within Grungi's throne.
"Dawi of the Ankor!" he began, breaking the expectant silence that had preceded him. His voice resonated throughout the space, causing the humans to stiffen at the unexpected volume.
"Today, we celebrate our victory," he announced as his voice was drowned out by the cheers that followed.
Erbor smiled grimly as he thought back to the book he had read in the ruins of Uzkuluk—the struggles of those dwarves, lost and alone for centuries, almost within the reach of Chaos itself, striving to survive. Eventually, they had turned away from their ancestors, falling so far as to become the monsters who now dwelled in the east. And Erbor wondered, as he had every night since reading about their deeds, if he had been right to seal that book away, readable only by the High King and his Loremasters. Would the crowds cheer so loudly if they knew the truth? But he dismissed the matter...now was not a time for rumination.
Over the next few hours, Erbor distributed honors. First, to the Dawi who had led and fought in the war. To these stout Dawi, he granted rights to their kin and clan, for deeds done right and for the task seen through to the end. They accepted with solemn gratitude, returning to their clans, bearing with pride the approval of their elders.
Next, the generals and high nobles of The Reik, Brigundy, and Kaltnord were honored. These northern men, who had leapt at the call of the Dawi to assist them in this war at the edge of civilization, were granted blades whose edges could cut through anything, leaving a glow of soft runelight in their wake. Only weapons wielded by leaders of the High Throng could match them and each he was sure would become a prized heirloom for the families these men. A thought all but confirmed as each man, upon receiving his blade, held it in reverential awe before withdrawing to his kinsmen.
Several Princeps of Remas were then called forth, lords of the southern seas whose legions now struck fear into the hearts of the Grobi who dwelled in lands none of these men would ever see again. To them were returned their legions' eagles, enchanted with the runework of the mountain lords, to grant courage and strength in battle—to be an indomitable line of shields that would know no retreat or surrender until the eagle hit the earth. The Princeps accepted these with gracious bows, kind words, and thankful smiles before returning to their countrymen.
Then, to the astonishment of the crowd, three members of Laurelorn's nobility were called forward, including a princess of the blood. Each was granted a bow, spear, and sword, crafted to the most exacting standards of the greatest artisans in the Ankor, so that they might strike true at the hearts of their foes, guiding their arms to the most vulnerable of their enemies' weak points, where they would strike with the searing heat of the forge. The princess and her cohorts accepted the gifts graciously, offering their own in return—a pendant containing the spirit of a great eagle that had fallen in battle over the plains of the Darklands. Should the High King ever wish to call upon Laurelorn once again, he need only summon the spirit, and they would know of his need. So saying, they formally bowed and withdrew.
Finally, the ambassador to Ulthuan, Lord Darelek of Eataine, was called forward. Darelek had served in his role for nearly a century, and Erbor had always found him to disregard the arrogance of Ulthuan when dealing with him personally. However, as grim silence gripped the chamber, Darelek marched forward, as proud and haughty as any prince of the Phoenix Throne. Today he represented the mightiest of that nation as he addressed the High King in the halls of his power as an equal.
"High King of the Karaz Ankor," Darelek proclaimed, "the Phoenix King Bel-Kordanis offers you his most esteemed praise for seeing the scions of the Bull and the Four pushed back. Our shared world has been brought one step further away from annihilation."
Erbor nodded slowly, waiting for the proclamation to settle in the rock walls.
"And the Ankor returns your congratulations, Asur. Space in Varr is being cleared even now to convey the Ankor's gratitude."
Darelek bent slightly at the waist, the deepest he could go while still maintaining his royal dignity. "As the Dawi hold to their oaths, so shall we. May this be the first of a new era of cooperation between our peoples." And with that, he slowly withdrew to where he had stood.
Uzkuluk has been torn down, providing 7 wealth and 1 runic knowledge from what little miscellania they do know that you do not.
Ulgash stands, costing you one wealthper turn and acting as a waypoint between the Ankor and Ind
Your Allies in the war have been rewarded for their efforts.
"Strip it bare and leave nothing but rubble."
The sack of Uzkuluk lasted nearly a full month as the tired forces of the High King bent their fury toward tearing down the citadel of their foe. When the last remnants of Uzkuluk's populace and garrison managed to breach the allied line, they brought with them a vast quantity of wealth. But Uzkuluk was an old hold—ancient, even by the reckonings of the Dawi—and it held the wealth of the empires it had seen rise and fall. Goods from as far off as distant Cathay and Naggarond, and relics of its ancient past, were uncovered. Statues garbed in gold crowns with eyes of rubies were toppled, their accoutrements stolen. Vaults sealed by the best workings of their sorcerers were gradually worn down or worked around as anvils of doom were turned upon them, opening to reveal treasure rooms the envy of any in the Ankor. Even the skins of far-off, exotic beasts were found and plundered in what was once the marketplace of the Dawi Zharr.
All did not go exactly to plan, however, especially as the first few hours turned into days. Traps left behind would kill dozens in fiery explosions. Released dread - beasts, seemingly exploring the now-available living areas away from their squalid lairs, and were found roaming freely, giving battle rather than returning to their chains. Heading toward the waterline, it was discovered that the Zharr had, if anything, been even more ferocious the further down they went, destroying their docks and manufactories as much as they were able, sundering industry, and putting everything to the torch.
Gradually, as the fervor of the conquest waned and caution and good sense were reclaimed by the looters, commanders started to notice that those who strayed too far on their own, armored or not, would occasionally disappear. Sometimes their arms and armor were found sundered and bloody. At other times, they vanished entirely without a trace.
Thus, as they delved ever deeper into the ancient hold, to the levels the Dawi Zharr rarely visited—at least without a whip in hand—the troops were barred from separating into groups of fewer than three, at least to stop the mounting losses. Whispers spread throughout the ranks of feeling watched. The gilded statues, seemingly, turning to watch them as they were torn down to be carried away on the baggage train. Glints in the darkness tempted them to separate from their groups. And an overwhelming sense of malice seemed to permeate even the stones themselves.
Here, they also found the emptied slave pens and barracks that housed thousands of years of untold suffering, where only a few hundred, wailing, half-mad degenerates remained, suckling in vain on the bones of those who had been lucky enough to not survive the years-long siege and the impenetrable hatred that had beat down on their spirits like a blacksmith's hammer. Many of these were put to death on the spot as they, in their madness, attempted to fight their would-be rescuers, seeing the Dawi as the return of their captors, ready to take up the whip and chain once more. But those few who retained their wits and sanity in this despotic pit were carried up to the surface, to see the sun they had long ago lost the hope of ever basking in again.
Finally, they descended into the warrens and caverns at the ancient heart of the hold, sealed by a great silver gate bearing the sigils of the bull. Behind it lay dank caves and slick caverns, sometimes empty, sometimes inhabited by foul creatures, interspersed with the crumbling architecture of what Uzkuluk once was. Defaced statues of Grimnir, Grungi, and Valaya lined these grand colonnades, gradually crumbling into dust. Signs of the battle that once raged here were still evident: broken axes and arrowheads could be found in the darkest corners of the hold, and the ever-present sense of malignancy seemed to recede, though never dissipate, the deeper they ventured.
At long last, they came across a cavern sealed by a rockfall, bearing the name "The Traitor's Tomb" carved into the rock above the entryway. Seemingly abandoned, much like the rest of the cavern, it was eventually decided by an assembled council of Longbeards to unseal the enigma.
In only a few days, the cavern was opened, and a party ventured within. They found the bodies of several hundred Dwarves, still clad in their ancestral armor, guarding Uzkuluk's tombs after thousands of years. Within the mummified grasp of one noble warrior, they discovered a rune-sealed box. Knowing its likely contents after word of its discovery eventually reached him, Erbor commanded it to be opened, revealing near-pristine copies of Uzkuluk's own book of grudges—their Dammoz Kron. After pouring over it with his loremasters, Erbor grimly swore them to secrecy. He ordered stonemasons to pause their work above and be brought down to these halls so that "the last honored dead of Uzkuluk can at last be given a place among their ancestors."
After two months of sabotaging the hold—destroying rooms, columns, and corridors, collapsing the grand throne room, and rendering the mountain itself unstable—the host of the Ankor departed the remains of Uzkuluk. They carried with them tons of gold, gems, and other precious metals, priceless marble ripped from the tables of dining halls, and some small number of artifacts that the runemasters considered both primitive and dangerous, but interesting enough. Cracked bronze statues of bulls were destined to be melted down, and enough furs sourced from all throughout the Darklands to clothe the entire army. They left behind an empty shell, and the grateful spirits of three hundred and eighty-seven Dawi whose greatest shame was, at last, known in full to their High King.
The last of the beams and fortifications are set right as swarms of engineers and craftsmen begin to depart from the great southern bastion. The work of buttressing and reinforcement finally coming to an end, and the bastion stands proudly some three hundred meters from the remains of the peninsula to which it had once been attached. The once-shattered harbor at its base now restored to pristine condition and filled with several large steamers, built for the long journey—half of which would remain to watch the shoreline, scouting for any attempt by the Zharr to resurrect their naval presence in the southern ocean, while the other half returned to Varr for eventual resupply. An elven trading vessel also lies at anchor in the harbor, its elegant lines contrasting sharply with the iron-hulled behemoths moored alongside it. But it isjust as welcome, disgorging tons of food and beer for the new garrison to consume, sourced from one of the closer kingdoms of Ind. The elven sailors handing over the supplies to the newly arrived garrison exiting the steamers.
The permanent garrison, numbering nearly a thousand to fully man the fortress after a near two-month journey, explore their new abodes. Spacious for such numbers, after all the hold still contains dozens of levels built to Dawi standards, even though the lowest levels had to be collapsed at the risk of flooding. Immense storehouses hold years' worth of food in the event of any siege or blockade, or even simply a delay in resupply. While workshops, armories, and even some small subterranean farms give the bastion longevity in the event of privation.
Taking up posts around the battlements, the Dawi wonder at the far-off sights they would never have otherwise a chance to see. The Longbeards among their number making no few complaints however about every aspect of their new home. Even that the beardlings will find little to test their skills with, with no Urk or Thaggoriki to hone their az against.
Erbor leaned back against the stone of the Eternal Throne and looked upon a grateful populace. For the first time since his reign had begun, he was treated to the sight of the great hall filled to its maximum extent with celebrants. Over a hundred thousand Dawi crowded the halls, along with several dozen humans and even a few elves, who had been granted the honor of being allowed within the hallowed halls of the Ankor's capital. The few elves present were watched extremely closely by members of the High Throng—an honor not granted to so many outsiders since before the Time of Woes. Altogether, they represented the gathered high commanders and generals who had assisted during the War of the Northern Holds.
Erbor scanned the galleries of bearded faces as he began to speak. His voice was amplified not only by the clever architecture of the hall itself but also by concealed runework within Grungi's throne.
"Dawi of the Ankor!" he began, breaking the expectant silence that had preceded him. His voice resonated throughout the space, causing the humans to stiffen at the unexpected volume.
"Today, we celebrate our victory," he announced as his voice was drowned out by the cheers that followed.
Erbor smiled grimly as he thought back to the book he had read in the ruins of Uzkuluk—the struggles of those dwarves, lost and alone for centuries, almost within the reach of Chaos itself, striving to survive. Eventually, they had turned away from their ancestors, falling so far as to become the monsters who now dwelled in the east. And Erbor wondered, as he had every night since reading about their deeds, if he had been right to seal that book away, readable only by the High King and his Loremasters. Would the crowds cheer so loudly if they knew the truth? But he dismissed the matter...now was not a time for rumination.
Over the next few hours, Erbor distributed honors. First, to the Dawi who had led and fought in the war. To these stout Dawi, he granted rights to their kin and clan, for deeds done right and for the task seen through to the end. They accepted with solemn gratitude, returning to their clans, bearing with pride the approval of their elders.
Next, the generals and high nobles of The Reik, Brigundy, and Kaltnord were honored. These northern men, who had leapt at the call of the Dawi to assist them in this war at the edge of civilization, were granted blades whose edges could cut through anything, leaving a glow of soft runelight in their wake. Only weapons wielded by leaders of the High Throng could match them and each he was sure would become a prized heirloom for the families these men. A thought all but confirmed as each man, upon receiving his blade, held it in reverential awe before withdrawing to his kinsmen.
Several Princeps of Remas were then called forth, lords of the southern seas whose legions now struck fear into the hearts of the Grobi who dwelled in lands none of these men would ever see again. To them were returned their legions' eagles, enchanted with the runework of the mountain lords, to grant courage and strength in battle—to be an indomitable line of shields that would know no retreat or surrender until the eagle hit the earth. The Princeps accepted these with gracious bows, kind words, and thankful smiles before returning to their countrymen.
Then, to the astonishment of the crowd, three members of Laurelorn's nobility were called forward, including a princess of the blood. Each was granted a bow, spear, and sword, crafted to the most exacting standards of the greatest artisans in the Ankor, so that they might strike true at the hearts of their foes, guiding their arms to the most vulnerable of their enemies' weak points, where they would strike with the searing heat of the forge. The princess and her cohorts accepted the gifts graciously, offering their own in return—a pendant containing the spirit of a great eagle that had fallen in battle over the plains of the Darklands. Should the High King ever wish to call upon Laurelorn once again, he need only summon the spirit, and they would know of his need. So saying, they formally bowed and withdrew.
Finally, the ambassador to Ulthuan, Lord Darelek of Eataine, was called forward. Darelek had served in his role for nearly a century, and Erbor had always found him to disregard the arrogance of Ulthuan when dealing with him personally. However, as grim silence gripped the chamber, Darelek marched forward, as proud and haughty as any prince of the Phoenix Throne. Today he represented the mightiest of that nation as he addressed the High King in the halls of his power as an equal.
"High King of the Karaz Ankor," Darelek proclaimed, "the Phoenix King Bel-Kordanis offers you his most esteemed praise for seeing the scions of the Bull and the Four pushed back. Our shared world has been brought one step further away from annihilation."
Erbor nodded slowly, waiting for the proclamation to settle in the rock walls.
"And the Ankor returns your congratulations, Asur. Space in Varr is being cleared even now to convey the Ankor's gratitude."
Darelek bent slightly at the waist, the deepest he could go while still maintaining his royal dignity. "As the Dawi hold to their oaths, so shall we. May this be the first of a new era of cooperation between our peoples." And with that, he slowly withdrew to where he had stood.
Uzkuluk has been torn down, providing 7 wealth and 1 runic knowledge from what little miscellania they do know that you do not.
Ulgash stands, costing you one wealthper turn and acting as a waypoint between the Ankor and Ind
Your Allies in the war have been rewarded for their efforts.
Reign of Erbor Steelarm (4540 KA)
Across the continent armies return home, militias replenished with a fresh influx of veterans. bearing their loot and experience from a log expedition. The Reik and Remas both immediately re-mobilize these veterans to aid in stemming the bleeding in the south. where both of their frontiers are still constantly harassed by goblin wolf riders. Officially seperated from the Zharrs chain of command, they nevertheless have no home in the badlands and must attempt to find one at the expense of either of the human realms.
In the Ankor however, with the destruction of Uzkuluk and the seizure of Ulgash, there is something of a sigh of relief for the populace. It had felt like the punsihment of hubris for some that the Dawi Zharr would act just as a Silver age were declared. But with the war drawn to a satasfying concusion, it makes the slow recovery of the Ankor feel somewhat more permanant, somewhat more real than it had felt till this moment. The holds now grimly but with satasfaction count their losses and look to the High king to discover where he will take them next in this new era.
(you have 4 actions)
Relevant modifiers, +2 military, - 1 to all innovative actions.
Relevant changes - Actions can have an additional actions committed to them, requiring the price to be paid again. but reducing the dc by d3 per action invested.
Runic Actions dc are increased by 3 for this turn
Martial Actions
[ ] Reclaim a hold:
The Enemies of the Dawi squat in our ancestors' homes. Desecrating the halls of our kin and defiling the work of a dozen generations. But the Grobi and Thaggoriki breed like the vermin they are and fill our old homes more than we did even at our height. We must strike quickly and by surprise to forge a foothold. Before we could even consider clearing out the mines.
[ ] Invade the mountains.
Attack a mountain province held by an opposing faction. These are counted as provinces with a dc of 16
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send an army with attached specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold. Slaughtering anything that would get in the way. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
[ ] Establish a permanent Throng
The weight of fighting the Karaz Ankor has always fallen upon the throngs of the holds. Armies raised at a moment's notice from the workmen of the holds. This has always proven enough for the dwarves, even when placed against the armies of Ulthuan in the war of vengeance. Now, however, we have need of the greatest warriors from the clans to form a bulwark against foes too numerous for the throngs to fight alone. You need an army, funded from the coffers of the high king and paid for by the Karaz Ankor. Trained to perfection in the same way as any master of their craft. And armed with the best plate we can make without access to gromril.
[ ] Build forts for the margraviate (Construction)
In order to preserve their independence, the margraviate has approached the dwarves about building a ring of fortresses around their now reasonably defensible borders. While not a vast sum of money for a dwarf king. It should be easy to accomplish and will be relatively low effort compared to many of the other tasks that take up the High King's attention.
[ ] Recruit Gnolumgi
The practice of recruiting Gnolumgi has been refined to the point where we believe we have a strong understanding of how to go about it. And now that they have roundly proven themselves against the enemies of the Dawi there are some that call for some minor adjustment to be made to their doctrine
[ ] Beat Back the Greenskins: (See Rules on how clearing provinces works)
Clearing the realm of Grobi can be a very dangerous task, however if you want something done right a dwarf will have to do it.
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. And while the new duke remains one of the premier landowners within the Margravirate. his forces could not hope to muster against the might of the Karaz Ankor. What remains to be seen is if the Margravirate would rally against the righteous Dawi who come to extract their rightful vengeance
DC = 3
Cost = 1
[ ] Bring down the Black Drake
After the mission to thunder mountain to reforge the anvils of doom. Azgorgon the black drake was unleashed upon Zhufbar and Karaz-a-Karak. striking at lesser holds, waylaying caravans and causing titanic avalanches whenever he chooses to move to a new temporary nest. A mighty beast, hailing to a time even before the Karaz Ankor was founded. He will be byond difficult to strike from thesky. But the might of an Empire would be levied against him. And if necessary the Dawi will grind him down one scale at a time until nought but bones remain.
DC = 5
Cost = 1
[ ] Establish a permanent Navy
While the Navy of Barak Varr is reasonably available to the high king should the need arise. There are several tasks which the Karaz Ankor may be able to benefit from if a fleet was freely available to use. From exploration to far-off trading missions, there are many possibilities. And it is only our natural distaste of mercurial water that stops us from taking advantage.
[ ] Delve a lost Hold:
Though you would by far prefer to reconquer a lost hold, the Karaz Ankor is currently not capable of reclaiming all that it once had. Instead, a raid of a few hundred - few thousand dwarves could be launched to try and reclaim the wealth of knowledge of the ancestors and deliver it into the keeping of their rightful owners. Though fraught with risk, many such expeditions have returned with lost treasures and long-forgotten lore.
[ ] Establish a series of Midghal (keeps) across the coast of the western Southlands (innovative) (Construction)
The road to the east is long and full of hardships, while the sea route is even longer and perhaps just as dangerous. However, the sea is much faster to travel across than even the swiftest and most durable dwarven runners and much more can be transported there and back than on the carts and wagons which would travel across the dark lands. The route could also be made far safer if we were to establish a series of keeps along the length of the southlands. Small outposts of 50 - 100 dwarves separated by a weeks sail would allow us a series of safe ports for ships to shelter from raiders. It would make the journey significantly easier, even if it would be quite expensive to establish
[ ] Search for an under city.
Mountains occupied by Skaven are filled with Fetid nests, lairs and pits, all of which the skaven make their home in. Though they default to the fallen holds taken from the Dawi when they can However, there is always the greatest location in a Skavens mountainous realm. The undercity. The difficulty is of course managing to find it.
[ ] Mount an armed expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Prepare a sizable expedition to go into the heart of the southlands and investigate if our kin still live.
Stewardship Actions
[ ] Restore an underway section (Construction)
The Underway once connected nearly the entire Karaz Ankor into one continuous empire. Enabling safe and quick traffic between the various holds and ensuring each hold could specialize in the one thing that they did above all others. Rebuilding the network would bankrupt even the hoards of the everpeak a dozen times over and would take centuries if not millennia. But one section at a time could be restored without shattering the Karaz Ankor unduly.
[ ]Construct a grand Canal (Construction)
With the Everpeak foothills controlled by your vassals, who are civilized enough to aid in both the contruction and defence of the project, a grand, fortified canal could be established along the skull river. Providing a direct connection between Karaz - A - Karak and Barak Varr. While not as fortified or as hidden as the underway, it would be significantly cheaper and quicker to build than a section of the grand underground highway, and give Karaz A Karak direct access to the wider world. (acts as an underway connection that can be disrupted and damaged if the province is seized by your enemies)
[ ] Levy Emergency taxes:
The High king does receive a small tithe from the various kings of the Karaz Ankor. However, in times of need they can temporarily raise the tax to cover shortfalls that would otherwise occur. Doing so occasionally is seen as reasonable and prudent by the other kings. Abusing the privilege however will make them increasingly recalcitrant
[ ] Commission Undistomez:
The gift of the Norse dwarves, these guard stones create a field that saps the intent to harm from those who would attack the holds of the dwarves. With little that can overcome its inevitable pull, save only the largest or most determined hosts. They are however potent pieces of runework and would require the appropriate power source.
[ ] Commission Runic Equipment: Have the heirs of Thugni work upon the arms and armour of the Karaz Ancor. Have them craft enough weapons of the elder days as to arm 10000 dawi such that they could face down 5 times their number and not take a single step back. Let the Urk, Grobi, and Taggoraki look upon warriors armed with the weapons of our ancestor's days and know that their doom approaches.
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
- DC 6
- cost 25
- requires 3 turns to complete
- causes a small global reduction in attrition
- The first conquest action in a turn receives a reduction to the dc of 2.5
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
[ ] (Cathay) Blades for the dragons (runic)
Cathay has the ability to create enchanted weaponry. Indeed many of the dragon guard who came in the dragons wake carry weapons imbued with magical strength. However, these enchantments wear over time, as the magic slowly degrades with the weapons use. Requiring either a mage to re-imbue the weapon with its lost potency or for the weapon to be reforged entirely. Proper runework however, brought forth by the ancient runelords of the Dawi does not suffer from the same wear and tear as that made by all but the greatest of umgi mages and could still be used even with heavy use for the next millenia.
The dragon of the west has requested that ten thousand sets of Runic equipment be created for the use of him and his personal armies to help bring harmony wherever his forces may march. He also hints that in time, should the equipment be to his satisfaction, he may also be willing to divulge the source to his sister, Miao Ying, the guardian of the great bastion.
DC - 6
- Gives 10 wealth upon completion.
- provides 1 runic skill upon completion
- may provide for an introduction with Miao Ying
[ ] Commission Protective Runework
Runes to harden stone and exhaust attackers line the fortifications. Runes that protect from arrow fire, and harden the resolve of those upon the walls. Or even alarm runes that warn of danger coming from the depths of the mines. Each has its place in ensuring the Karaz Ankor Endures
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
[ ] Commission Light Industrial Runework
Whether self-heating forges, tools that remain permanently sharp, or anvils that make metal slightly more malleable. Industrial rune smithing is extremely useful for the dwarves of the hold to make goods with.
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
[ ] Commission Heavy Mining Runecraft:
Whether utilizing environmental advantages such as the torrents of Zhufbar or the application of crude runic golems to dig out vast chunks of rock. The Dwarves of the Karaz Ankor have mastered the ability to dig out enormous quantities of mineral wealth from beneath their holds.
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: (Innovative)
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. Though unwieldy to use in a fight themselves, they are not worthless as even a single hit on an enemy vessel can be enough to core it. However where this weapon truly shines is its ability to provide support to locations once thought immune to the thunder of naval guns. Or even vesssels such as the dark elven black arks which would consider themselves supposedly immune to near anything that sails upon the ocean.
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: For Ulthuan
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. As payment for playing their part in the War of the Northern holds, a series of ships was promised to Ulthuan. To Aid in cracking the near inviolate walls of the black arks of their most hated foes.
[ ] Commission Runic construction Golems:
The Underway was not built in a day. Indeed it took many centuries for the underway to be built to the level that it was. Yet the time taken would have been far longer if the Karaz Ancor did not have access to construction golems. Massive creatures of rock and stone that can carry extraordinarily heavy weights and are tireless beyond all-knowing. Crude when compared to the Grimazul Groti which formed the apex of golem work under the aegis of the Karaz Ankor. THese slow, lumbering behemoths are nonetheless incredibly well suited for large-scale construction projects.
[ ] Commission Elder runic weapons:
Runic weapons are potent and powerful creations that can enhance a dwarf far beyond the limits of their mortal frame. However, outside of masterpieces created by peerless runesmiths, there are sharp limits to the capabilities of these weapons. Elder rune weapons allow those limitations to be ignored by utlising the vast flows of power captured beneath the holds. With this energy, runic weapons can be empowered beyond the limits of those more petty devices. Enabling the Dawi to perform feats that most would believe to be myths out of the time of heroes.
[ ] Commission singular masterpiece (for a singular hold)
With our knowledge of Runesmithing returned to a shadow of what it once was. The Runesmiths and Runelords have thought up many projects which they are theoretically able to pursue. Ruinously expensive and each is tailored specifically for a singular hold. But the potential abilities that such runework would allow for are incredible.
[ ] Commission Runic Siphon (Innovative)
The method through which the Norse dwarves have been able to power their runic devices. These work on a fundamentally similar principle to waystones, though the methods they use are far cruder and un-refined. The Norse dwarves have found a way to consume a vast quantity of aetheric energy and convert it directly into the power that flows within the heart of the planet. Meaning that individual holds are able to power even energy-intensive runic devices. There are two problems, however, These devices only function in the presence of strong aetheric currents. Meaning that they are near useless outside of the northernmost regions within reach of the Dawi. And secondly, they are incapable of transferring this power throughout the Karaz Ankor
[ ] Construct Runic linkage (Innovative)
While our knowledge of waystones is not quite complete, we have re-mastered the ability to send runic energy from one location or another. Including the ability to transfer those great flows of power along the ranges of the world's edge mountains. Though these creations are at the edge of our capability to make, they are nonetheless mere shadows compared to the artifice that went into the forging of the original dwarven waystones.
[ ] Support The Guilds (may only be taken once)
The guilds have been empowered recently, as the runic skill of the dwarves has been lost over the last millennia. For if anything the skill and ability of their artisans and engineers have only increased as they have refined the arts of steel forging and steam power. Allowing some additional funding for guild projects would allow them to test more ideas and refine their techniques, without worrying how much it would cost the guild.
[ ] Direct the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
The guilds have always been quite independent from the kings of the Karaz Ankor and the high kings especially. However, if you were to offer enough gold to quiet even the most wealthy guild leaders' grumblings, you may be able to direct some of their efforts in more experimental directions. Ordering commissions from some of the more radical or as yet untested engineers and seeing if these more far-flung ideas could be made to serve the Karaz Ankor.
[ ] Overrule the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
Using enough gold to beggar kingdoms to both bribe the guilds to ignore your actions and get the equipment and training needed. you could find those outside of the guild willing to experiment and work on technology too risky for the guilds to ever do it themselves. Handing over such a vast amount of money would give the opportunity for revolutionary breakthroughs from outside of the established system which may solve some of the Karaz Ankor's most enduring issues. However there are reasons that the engineers guild is as conservative as it is, and ignoring that may lead to unexpected consequences.
[ ] Migrate Dwarves
Some holds may be struggling to survive after being isolated for so long. Therefore it may fall to the high king to direct the dwarves to where they are needed most. Uprooting thousands of fiercely proud dwarves may be a difficult task however and hefty sums would be required to ensure that they do leave their ancestral homes.
[ ] Colonise the peaks. (Construction)
Many mountains still lie throughout the realm that would offer great stores of wealth and minerals to whoever could stake their claim there. Some effort would have to be put into flushing out those dark creatures that make those mountains their haunts. But compared to that which the Dawi fight on a daily basis, that is no true threat. And if Successful, a new hold could greatly strengthen the Karaz Ankor. (requires two actions to complete)
[ ] Build Defenses (Construction)
Even the least of dwarven holds are formidable constructions. With dozens of battlements, cannon batteries, and redoubts. This however is taking it to the next level. Destroying entranceways to the hold to ensure that all surface invaders would have to march through one chokepoint. Rigging that path with prepared avalanches and lining it with sentry towers. Reinforcing the defenses proper of the hold, doubling the cannons upon the walls and creating dozens of fallback points throughout the length of the hold.
[ ] Upgrade Defenses (Construction)
Going even further than the fortifications that all of the old holds have pushes the limits of what the dwarves are capable of in terms of fortifications. Carving the one route to the hold into an exposed walkway which runs between a gauntlet of peaks with canon batteries dotting the entire route. Gate houses line the path, each with cauldrons of molten metal kept ready to pour on would-be attackers and each armed with weapons of the finest dwarven make. Finally, the last few hundred meters of the bridge to the hold itself are ready to blow to fully isolate the hold if need be. But keep away all unwanted guests. Only the most powerful of assaults could hope to breach these defenses, and even they would be greatly weakened once they arrive. Of course then they must contend with the defenses of the hold itself...
[ ] Conduct a trading voyage with the east (innovative)
While the route across the dark lands does provide the cheapest route to conduct trade with the east. Traveling by ship would be the most effective to transport actual appreciable amounts of goods. Setting up such a transport fleet would carry significant expense but the returns could be worth it.
Diplomacy
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold, making their way upon the ancient dwarf paths that have hopefully remained hidden to our enemies. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
[ ] Send Expedition to Ind: The other great culture of the east are the kingdoms of Ind. Which are said to be as wealthy as Arabyan sultans and as wealthy as the tubes of humans at the foot of our mountains. Even more mysterious than Cathay we would have to journey there to discover what we could offer them and them us. Send our fleet around the coast of the Southlands to see if we can arrange proper communication.
[ ] (Cathay) Permanant Embassies
Establish permanent embassies both at Barrak Varr and at Shang Yang for your respective empires to speak with each other. These would allow requests and messages to reach your distant realms and also allow you to be aware in the most distant and vague of senses, of the goings-on in the distant east. As well as provide Cathay an observer status on the field of embassies outside of Magritta. Such embassies, required to display the wealth and power of the Karaz Ankor, would however be something of a drain on the treasury. Though not one so extreme as to seem utterly unreasonable.
[0] Send a request to the Phoenix king (Locked for 2 turns):
Now that a more stable if... distant relationship has been established with Ulthuan, the possibility has arisen that we could both benefit from each other...
[ ] See the Dukes hang
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. the Margravirate however will likely act to defend their own in what they would wrongly view as an unjust war. leveraging the wealth of a kingdom however and tasking our greatest loremasters to seeing the umgi brought to justice should result in the whole family swinging from a deserving tree.
DC = 4
Cost = 3
[ ] Send Expedition to Athel Loren (innovative):
The Elgi of the forest have not troubled us for many generations. Though Norn does keep a close watch on the trees. It is recorded in the book of grudges that the people of Athel Loren only drew their blades against the Dawi after we had invaded their home. These grudges though not forgotten could be postponed if we wish to have true peace with the Elves of that dark capricious forest.
[ ] Make available your techonlogy for sale (innovative):
You detest this, The guilds detest this and the Dawi as a whole detest this, but it must be done for the realm to be made secure. Offer the innovation of the Dawi up to the Umgi for the cost of mere coin and watch as they scramble to find any advantage over their rivals by paying you for the privilege. The Dawi might revolt at the thought of doing so for unproven Umgak. But at the very least they have at least somewhat proven themselves over the past few hundred years.
[ ] Send a series of ambassadors to the... courts of the Tomb kings. (innovative)
The Land of Nehekhara is an enigma. A land of death, where the dead do not lie easy. In fact, not only that, but they rule in a macabre pantomime of how they did in life. With great kings competing with each other for the favor of the greatest of these charnel lords, Settra the Imperishable. Who rules with an iron fist over his domain. However, even in his time, his rule over the other cities and especially on the eastern side of the charnel valley is more in theory. For, in reality, bar paying deference to their overlord, and avoiding displeasing him, the tomb kings seem to be able to do as they will. Reach out to contact these grisly kings and discover if any of their interests, whatever they may be co-incide with your own.
[ ] Send an expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Gathering a few sun-crazed dwarves and a few ambassadores, we can mount an expedition into the deepest jungles to discover if our kin still live.
[0] Send Expedition to the Fire (chaos) dwarves (innovative)
The only reason we would reach out to our fallen kin is to get them to cease their attacks on the caravans which cross the darklands near where they have established their cruel realm. To even acknowledge their shameful existence brings many longbeards to day-long bouts of grumbling and what they would ask in return we can only imagine.
[ ] Uplift the tribes (innovative)
We have been surrounded for many centuries by the tribes of men, whose numbers seem to swell with only slightly less speed than their greenskin foes. We have always considered them beneath us, for their craft is poor and though brave, they have little skill in proper warcraft. As the cities of Tilea, Araby and far off Cathay have shown, however, there is hope for the race of men and perhaps they could act as a far more capable shield than they do at the moment if they were given the appropriate tutelage.
[ ] Unify your vassals (innovative)
Though civilized, the human realm that we have beneath us bicker and fight with each other as much as with those we wish them to guard against. Gather the leaders of these cities together, find that which links them and forge bonds of steel between these petty cities to form a nation
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggarond for colonization (Innovative)
Naggarond, the eastern continent beyond Ulthuan is known as the land of chill, and at least according to captured documents, a splinter faction of the elves resides in the far north. Led in those days by prince Malekith. However, of more interest to us is the fact that it supposedly bears no marks of the Orks or Thaggoriki. And possesses a large mountain range along the continent's entire length. Mount an expedition to see if this land could be a safe refuge for us, far from the attentions of our enemies
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggaroth (innovative)
The tower of dread, or so say the elven maps that we have gathered. However, it is home, or at least was, to Malekith. Son of Aenarion and dwarf friend. Who as their histories show, rebelled against the supposedly false phoenix king Bel Shannar long before the war of vengeance. therefore our grudges against Ulthuan would not apply to him. We should send an expedition to see if ancient friendships can be revived with Elgi or their descendants who have never crossed us.
[ ] Mount an expedition to Lustria (innovative)
We know little of Lustria save that it exists and is covered in horrible forest and inhabited by ravenous beasts. Who knows though, perhaps there are surprises within that we may have interest in.
[ ] Attempt to vassalize a region for their good and that of the Karaz Ankor
There are many regions around the Karaz Ankor that are occupied by human tribes who survive at the whims of the orks and other monsters that inhabit the world outside of our mountains. Offer them sanctuary beneath dwarven arms so long as they are willing to respect the word of an elder and more dependable race
[ ] Reach out to a known and nearby civilized faction
There are many realms nearby that we could have dealings with now that we have emerged somewhat from our isolation. Reaching out to them should not be difficult and nor should getting at least our smaller neighbors to do as we wish. Everyone likes gold after all, and who has more than the Dwarves?
[ ] Investigate the Southlands
Upon the map which you were provided are the locations of a dozen places that you have not seen any mention of in the dwarven anals. These should be investigated to see if they remain, and how it is that the Karaz Ankor has seemingly lost knowledge of an entire civilization
Free Actions (can be done at no cost and as often as desired)
[ ] Move a garrison between holds
[ ] transfer ownership of runic weapons
[ ] transfer ownership of elder runic weapons
Memorandum for 24 hours
In the Ankor however, with the destruction of Uzkuluk and the seizure of Ulgash, there is something of a sigh of relief for the populace. It had felt like the punsihment of hubris for some that the Dawi Zharr would act just as a Silver age were declared. But with the war drawn to a satasfying concusion, it makes the slow recovery of the Ankor feel somewhat more permanant, somewhat more real than it had felt till this moment. The holds now grimly but with satasfaction count their losses and look to the High king to discover where he will take them next in this new era.
(you have 4 actions)
Relevant modifiers, +2 military, - 1 to all innovative actions.
Relevant changes - Actions can have an additional actions committed to them, requiring the price to be paid again. but reducing the dc by d3 per action invested.
Runic Actions dc are increased by 3 for this turn
Martial Actions
[ ] Reclaim a hold:
The Enemies of the Dawi squat in our ancestors' homes. Desecrating the halls of our kin and defiling the work of a dozen generations. But the Grobi and Thaggoriki breed like the vermin they are and fill our old homes more than we did even at our height. We must strike quickly and by surprise to forge a foothold. Before we could even consider clearing out the mines.
- Costs 5 gold
- - Which Karak Will we attempt to reclaim for the Karaz Ankor
- [ ] Karak Varn - While now contested for the title it was once the greatest and deepest mine of gromril anywhere within the Karaz Ankor. Lost when the Thaggoriki burst from the deepest shafts in a teeming horde to claim the warpstone that was also buried within the mountain.
- DC = 22
- Owner = Skaven
- [ ] Iron Peak - One of the most recent mines established within the Karaz Ankor, the works upon the mount were not even complete when the Grobi came to seize it. If retaken though, its shallow mines do promise to be at least some protection from the Thaggoraki
- DC = 20
- Owner = Orks
- [ ] Mount Gunbad - With mines so deep and so rich that they did not have to send troops for the war on vengeance. Gunbad was famed for its Brynduraz veins. A gem which glowed with an inner light and adorned many of the finest pieces of dwarven jewelry. It fell early in the time of woes as scores of orks flooded into the world's edge mountains from the darklands.
- Owner = Orks
- DC = 21
- [ ] Mount Silverspear - Another of the lost holds of the eastern worlds edge mountains. Mount Silverspear produced silver of unmatched quantity and quality. Yet it still fell quickly as the hordes of orks pushed in when it was separated from its kin.
- DC = 22
- Owner = Orks
- [ ] Karaz Bryn - Karaz Bryn was once a famed gem mine within one of the highest peaks of the worlds edge mountains. Producing facades and works of art which filled even the most stubborn longbeard with Pride. Their fall however did not come from the Orks or Skaven. But from the Queen of darkness, Neferata. Who in a surprise assault sent a legion of undead into the hold and made it her stronghold.
- Owner = Neferata
- DC = 21
- [ ] Karak Ungor - Almost mined out over the time of its long history. Karak Ungorn had gradually turned into a thriving industrial center and place of learning. Producing some of the finest grudge throwers and crossbows in the entire Karaz Ankor. Alas, it fell while its warriors were concluding the war on vengeance. And when they returned they discovered their ancient home teeming with Urk and Grobi.
- DC = 20
- Owner = Orks
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
[ ] Invade the mountains.
Attack a mountain province held by an opposing faction. These are counted as provinces with a dc of 16
- Which province would you invade (Has to border the Ankor)
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
- cost = 3
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send an army with attached specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold. Slaughtering anything that would get in the way. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
- [ ] Karak Azul dc = 7, cost = 2
- [ ] Karag Dum dc = 5, cost = 1
[ ] Establish a permanent Throng
The weight of fighting the Karaz Ankor has always fallen upon the throngs of the holds. Armies raised at a moment's notice from the workmen of the holds. This has always proven enough for the dwarves, even when placed against the armies of Ulthuan in the war of vengeance. Now, however, we have need of the greatest warriors from the clans to form a bulwark against foes too numerous for the throngs to fight alone. You need an army, funded from the coffers of the high king and paid for by the Karaz Ankor. Trained to perfection in the same way as any master of their craft. And armed with the best plate we can make without access to gromril.
- [ ] In which hold will the Throng be garrisoned
- [ ] What will the Throng be named
- Creates a 10000 strong dwarf throng which when applied to a province conquest action will reduce the dc for that action by 1.
- Reduces occurrence and severity of raids where deployed.
- Costs 8 gold (first one is free)
- Costs 4 wealth per turn once created
- DC = 4
[ ] Build forts for the margraviate (Construction)
In order to preserve their independence, the margraviate has approached the dwarves about building a ring of fortresses around their now reasonably defensible borders. While not a vast sum of money for a dwarf king. It should be easy to accomplish and will be relatively low effort compared to many of the other tasks that take up the High King's attention.
- Dc 3
- builds forts along the border of the Margraviate of the East.
- Provides 6 gold
[ ] Recruit Gnolumgi
The practice of recruiting Gnolumgi has been refined to the point where we believe we have a strong understanding of how to go about it. And now that they have roundly proven themselves against the enemies of the Dawi there are some that call for some minor adjustment to be made to their doctrine
- [ ] In which hold will the Gnolumgi be garrisoned
- [ ] What will this Gnolumgi army be named
- Costs 4 wealth
- Costs 2 wealth per turn
- DC 6
[ ] Beat Back the Greenskins: (See Rules on how clearing provinces works)
Clearing the realm of Grobi can be a very dangerous task, however if you want something done right a dwarf will have to do it.
- [ ] What province (must not be in the mountains)
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
- Costs 3
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. And while the new duke remains one of the premier landowners within the Margravirate. his forces could not hope to muster against the might of the Karaz Ankor. What remains to be seen is if the Margravirate would rally against the righteous Dawi who come to extract their rightful vengeance
DC = 3
Cost = 1
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
[ ] Bring down the Black Drake
After the mission to thunder mountain to reforge the anvils of doom. Azgorgon the black drake was unleashed upon Zhufbar and Karaz-a-Karak. striking at lesser holds, waylaying caravans and causing titanic avalanches whenever he chooses to move to a new temporary nest. A mighty beast, hailing to a time even before the Karaz Ankor was founded. He will be byond difficult to strike from thesky. But the might of an Empire would be levied against him. And if necessary the Dawi will grind him down one scale at a time until nought but bones remain.
DC = 5
Cost = 1
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
[ ] Establish a permanent Navy
While the Navy of Barak Varr is reasonably available to the high king should the need arise. There are several tasks which the Karaz Ankor may be able to benefit from if a fleet was freely available to use. From exploration to far-off trading missions, there are many possibilities. And it is only our natural distaste of mercurial water that stops us from taking advantage.
- significantly reduces piracy in dwarven sea zones
- Costs 8 wealth
- Costs 4 wealth per turn
- DC = 5
[ ] Delve a lost Hold:
Though you would by far prefer to reconquer a lost hold, the Karaz Ankor is currently not capable of reclaiming all that it once had. Instead, a raid of a few hundred - few thousand dwarves could be launched to try and reclaim the wealth of knowledge of the ancestors and deliver it into the keeping of their rightful owners. Though fraught with risk, many such expeditions have returned with lost treasures and long-forgotten lore.
- [ ] Which hold will you attempt to delve
- Cost 1
- DC = 6
- Will reduce the DC of assaulting the hold in question by 3
- Potential to receive lost dwarven lore (likelihood reduces for each runic level achieved)
[ ] Establish a series of Midghal (keeps) across the coast of the western Southlands (innovative) (Construction)
The road to the east is long and full of hardships, while the sea route is even longer and perhaps just as dangerous. However, the sea is much faster to travel across than even the swiftest and most durable dwarven runners and much more can be transported there and back than on the carts and wagons which would travel across the dark lands. The route could also be made far safer if we were to establish a series of keeps along the length of the southlands. Small outposts of 50 - 100 dwarves separated by a weeks sail would allow us a series of safe ports for ships to shelter from raiders. It would make the journey significantly easier, even if it would be quite expensive to establish
- DC = 6
- cost = 15
- 1 per turn
- lower dc for reaching Cathay and Ind
[ ] Search for an under city.
Mountains occupied by Skaven are filled with Fetid nests, lairs and pits, all of which the skaven make their home in. Though they default to the fallen holds taken from the Dawi when they can However, there is always the greatest location in a Skavens mountainous realm. The undercity. The difficulty is of course managing to find it.
- Cost 2
- DC 6
- Undercity location is discovered, a significantly high enough roll will provide a bonus for invading the undercity.
[ ] Mount an armed expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Prepare a sizable expedition to go into the heart of the southlands and investigate if our kin still live.
- Cost 3 Gold
- DC 8
- [ ] What force are you sending (all troops sent will be occupied for the entire turn) (Max 20000)
Stewardship Actions
[ ] Restore an underway section (Construction)
The Underway once connected nearly the entire Karaz Ankor into one continuous empire. Enabling safe and quick traffic between the various holds and ensuring each hold could specialize in the one thing that they did above all others. Rebuilding the network would bankrupt even the hoards of the everpeak a dozen times over and would take centuries if not millennia. But one section at a time could be restored without shattering the Karaz Ankor unduly.
- [ ] Karaz a Karak - Zhufbar (Step 1 of 2)
- Which Route Shall be worked on
- Costs 24 gold
- dc 6
[ ]Construct a grand Canal (Construction)
With the Everpeak foothills controlled by your vassals, who are civilized enough to aid in both the contruction and defence of the project, a grand, fortified canal could be established along the skull river. Providing a direct connection between Karaz - A - Karak and Barak Varr. While not as fortified or as hidden as the underway, it would be significantly cheaper and quicker to build than a section of the grand underground highway, and give Karaz A Karak direct access to the wider world. (acts as an underway connection that can be disrupted and damaged if the province is seized by your enemies)
- [ ] Karaz a Karak - Barak Varr
- Costs 24 gold
- dc 4
[ ] Levy Emergency taxes:
The High king does receive a small tithe from the various kings of the Karaz Ankor. However, in times of need they can temporarily raise the tax to cover shortfalls that would otherwise occur. Doing so occasionally is seen as reasonable and prudent by the other kings. Abusing the privilege however will make them increasingly recalcitrant
- Receive 1 additional gold per (unsealed) hold this turn
- DC = 3 (increases by 2 each time this action is used)
[ ] Commission Undistomez:
The gift of the Norse dwarves, these guard stones create a field that saps the intent to harm from those who would attack the holds of the dwarves. With little that can overcome its inevitable pull, save only the largest or most determined hosts. They are however potent pieces of runework and would require the appropriate power source.
- greatly reduce attrition for dawi in the hold
- Mildly reduces size and strength of invasions.
- DC = 8
- costs 30
- +2 runic skill
- uses 1 runic power
[ ] Commission Runic Equipment: Have the heirs of Thugni work upon the arms and armour of the Karaz Ancor. Have them craft enough weapons of the elder days as to arm 10000 dawi such that they could face down 5 times their number and not take a single step back. Let the Urk, Grobi, and Taggoraki look upon warriors armed with the weapons of our ancestor's days and know that their doom approaches.
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
- DC 6
- Cost 15
- DC 6
- cost 25
- requires 3 turns to complete
- causes a small global reduction in attrition
- The first conquest action in a turn receives a reduction to the dc of 2.5
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
- DC 6
- Cost 15
[ ] (Cathay) Blades for the dragons (runic)
Cathay has the ability to create enchanted weaponry. Indeed many of the dragon guard who came in the dragons wake carry weapons imbued with magical strength. However, these enchantments wear over time, as the magic slowly degrades with the weapons use. Requiring either a mage to re-imbue the weapon with its lost potency or for the weapon to be reforged entirely. Proper runework however, brought forth by the ancient runelords of the Dawi does not suffer from the same wear and tear as that made by all but the greatest of umgi mages and could still be used even with heavy use for the next millenia.
The dragon of the west has requested that ten thousand sets of Runic equipment be created for the use of him and his personal armies to help bring harmony wherever his forces may march. He also hints that in time, should the equipment be to his satisfaction, he may also be willing to divulge the source to his sister, Miao Ying, the guardian of the great bastion.
DC - 6
- Gives 10 wealth upon completion.
- provides 1 runic skill upon completion
- may provide for an introduction with Miao Ying
[ ] Commission Protective Runework
Runes to harden stone and exhaust attackers line the fortifications. Runes that protect from arrow fire, and harden the resolve of those upon the walls. Or even alarm runes that warn of danger coming from the depths of the mines. Each has its place in ensuring the Karaz Ankor Endures
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
- DC 6
- Costs 15
- increases overall survival by a small amount
- Decreases the likelihood and severity of raids
[ ] Commission Light Industrial Runework
Whether self-heating forges, tools that remain permanently sharp, or anvils that make metal slightly more malleable. Industrial rune smithing is extremely useful for the dwarves of the hold to make goods with.
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
- DC 7
- Costs 20
- +4 trade routes per runic level in the hold in which these are placed
- - 1 runic power
- Increases runic skill by 1 on completion
[ ] Commission Heavy Mining Runecraft:
Whether utilizing environmental advantages such as the torrents of Zhufbar or the application of crude runic golems to dig out vast chunks of rock. The Dwarves of the Karaz Ankor have mastered the ability to dig out enormous quantities of mineral wealth from beneath their holds.
- DC = 8
- Cost = 30
- +2 wealth per turn from the hold
- - 1 runic power
- Increase Runic Skill by 2 on completion
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: (Innovative)
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. Though unwieldy to use in a fight themselves, they are not worthless as even a single hit on an enemy vessel can be enough to core it. However where this weapon truly shines is its ability to provide support to locations once thought immune to the thunder of naval guns. Or even vesssels such as the dark elven black arks which would consider themselves supposedly immune to near anything that sails upon the ocean.
- DC = 9
- Cost = 30
- provides +1 to rolls in naval combat
- FIre support - Can provide a -.05 to province or hold conquest rolls
- Siege cracker. - Targets that would normally be considered immune to the guns of your fleet (Black Arks, Sea Holds) can theoretically be cracked by the thunder of these cannons
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: For Ulthuan
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. As payment for playing their part in the War of the Northern holds, a series of ships was promised to Ulthuan. To Aid in cracking the near inviolate walls of the black arks of their most hated foes.
- DC = 9
- Cost = 10
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
- (5 Turns Remain)
[ ] Commission Runic construction Golems:
The Underway was not built in a day. Indeed it took many centuries for the underway to be built to the level that it was. Yet the time taken would have been far longer if the Karaz Ancor did not have access to construction golems. Massive creatures of rock and stone that can carry extraordinarily heavy weights and are tireless beyond all-knowing. Crude when compared to the Grimazul Groti which formed the apex of golem work under the aegis of the Karaz Ankor. THese slow, lumbering behemoths are nonetheless incredibly well suited for large-scale construction projects.
- DC = 9
- Cost = 25
- Allows a free construction action to be taken each turn when active
- Whatever free construction project is taken on is completed at two thirds the cost and at a -2 to the DC
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Costs 2 runic power when active
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
[ ] Commission Elder runic weapons:
Runic weapons are potent and powerful creations that can enhance a dwarf far beyond the limits of their mortal frame. However, outside of masterpieces created by peerless runesmiths, there are sharp limits to the capabilities of these weapons. Elder rune weapons allow those limitations to be ignored by utlising the vast flows of power captured beneath the holds. With this energy, runic weapons can be empowered beyond the limits of those more petty devices. Enabling the Dawi to perform feats that most would believe to be myths out of the time of heroes.
- DC = 9
- Cost = 40
- When equipped, reduces dc of conquering provinces and holds by 1
- significant
- Costs 1 runic power
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
- [ ] To what throng do you attach these weapons
[ ] Commission singular masterpiece (for a singular hold)
With our knowledge of Runesmithing returned to a shadow of what it once was. The Runesmiths and Runelords have thought up many projects which they are theoretically able to pursue. Ruinously expensive and each is tailored specifically for a singular hold. But the potential abilities that such runework would allow for are incredible.
- DC = 10
- Cost = 40
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Costs 2 runic power when active
- Increase Runic Skill by 4 on completion
[ ] Commission Runic Siphon (Innovative)
The method through which the Norse dwarves have been able to power their runic devices. These work on a fundamentally similar principle to waystones, though the methods they use are far cruder and un-refined. The Norse dwarves have found a way to consume a vast quantity of aetheric energy and convert it directly into the power that flows within the heart of the planet. Meaning that individual holds are able to power even energy-intensive runic devices. There are two problems, however, These devices only function in the presence of strong aetheric currents. Meaning that they are near useless outside of the northernmost regions within reach of the Dawi. And secondly, they are incapable of transferring this power throughout the Karaz Ankor
- DC = 9
- Cost = 40
- very marginally reduces the spread of chaos corruption based upon the amount of power consumed
- Allows the collection of runic energy from surrounding Runic currents. The quantity of power is based upon the below map
- Energy collected via this method can only be used within the hold itself and cannot be shared unless additional infrastructure is created.
[ ] Construct Runic linkage (Innovative)
While our knowledge of waystones is not quite complete, we have re-mastered the ability to send runic energy from one location or another. Including the ability to transfer those great flows of power along the ranges of the world's edge mountains. Though these creations are at the edge of our capability to make, they are nonetheless mere shadows compared to the artifice that went into the forging of the original dwarven waystones.
- DC = 8
- Cost = 30
- Allows the province to connect to adjacent provinces runic grids (can be chained to form an effective transmission wire)
[ ] Support The Guilds (may only be taken once)
The guilds have been empowered recently, as the runic skill of the dwarves has been lost over the last millennia. For if anything the skill and ability of their artisans and engineers have only increased as they have refined the arts of steel forging and steam power. Allowing some additional funding for guild projects would allow them to test more ideas and refine their techniques, without worrying how much it would cost the guild.
- DC 3
- Cost 5 Gold
- Provides an extra roll on technological development at the end of the turn
[ ] Direct the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
The guilds have always been quite independent from the kings of the Karaz Ankor and the high kings especially. However, if you were to offer enough gold to quiet even the most wealthy guild leaders' grumblings, you may be able to direct some of their efforts in more experimental directions. Ordering commissions from some of the more radical or as yet untested engineers and seeing if these more far-flung ideas could be made to serve the Karaz Ankor.
- DC 5
- Cost 15 Gold
- Provides an extra roll on technological development at the end of the turn
[ ] Overrule the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
Using enough gold to beggar kingdoms to both bribe the guilds to ignore your actions and get the equipment and training needed. you could find those outside of the guild willing to experiment and work on technology too risky for the guilds to ever do it themselves. Handing over such a vast amount of money would give the opportunity for revolutionary breakthroughs from outside of the established system which may solve some of the Karaz Ankor's most enduring issues. However there are reasons that the engineers guild is as conservative as it is, and ignoring that may lead to unexpected consequences.
- DC - 8
- Costs 25 Gold
- Provides 2 additional rolls on the technology table at the end of the turn
- May cause unintended consequences.
[ ] Migrate Dwarves
Some holds may be struggling to survive after being isolated for so long. Therefore it may fall to the high king to direct the dwarves to where they are needed most. Uprooting thousands of fiercely proud dwarves may be a difficult task however and hefty sums would be required to ensure that they do leave their ancestral homes.
- [ ] From which hold
- [ ] To which hold
- Dc - 5
- Costs = 1 for every 2 dwarf power moved rounding up.
- May not move more than 20 dwarfpower at a time
[ ] Colonise the peaks. (Construction)
Many mountains still lie throughout the realm that would offer great stores of wealth and minerals to whoever could stake their claim there. Some effort would have to be put into flushing out those dark creatures that make those mountains their haunts. But compared to that which the Dawi fight on a daily basis, that is no true threat. And if Successful, a new hold could greatly strengthen the Karaz Ankor. (requires two actions to complete)
- [ ] Pick an available province (one occupied by chaos/orkish beasties which can be reached by going through at worst neutral territory (the sea counts as neutral))
- [ ] From which hold do the colonists come (will take 20 dwarfpower)
- DC 6
- Costs 18 gold
[ ] Build Defenses (Construction)
Even the least of dwarven holds are formidable constructions. With dozens of battlements, cannon batteries, and redoubts. This however is taking it to the next level. Destroying entranceways to the hold to ensure that all surface invaders would have to march through one chokepoint. Rigging that path with prepared avalanches and lining it with sentry towers. Reinforcing the defenses proper of the hold, doubling the cannons upon the walls and creating dozens of fallback points throughout the length of the hold.
- [ ] For which hold
- DC 4
- Costs 8 wealth
- Significantly reduces the strength and threat of invasions
[ ] Upgrade Defenses (Construction)
Going even further than the fortifications that all of the old holds have pushes the limits of what the dwarves are capable of in terms of fortifications. Carving the one route to the hold into an exposed walkway which runs between a gauntlet of peaks with canon batteries dotting the entire route. Gate houses line the path, each with cauldrons of molten metal kept ready to pour on would-be attackers and each armed with weapons of the finest dwarven make. Finally, the last few hundred meters of the bridge to the hold itself are ready to blow to fully isolate the hold if need be. But keep away all unwanted guests. Only the most powerful of assaults could hope to breach these defenses, and even they would be greatly weakened once they arrive. Of course then they must contend with the defenses of the hold itself...
- [ ] For which hold
- DC 6
- Costs 24 wealth
- Greatly reduces the strength and threat of invasions
- Costs 1 wealth per turn to maintain
[ ] Conduct a trading voyage with the east (innovative)
While the route across the dark lands does provide the cheapest route to conduct trade with the east. Traveling by ship would be the most effective to transport actual appreciable amounts of goods. Setting up such a transport fleet would carry significant expense but the returns could be worth it.
- DC = 6
- cost = 3
- If successful, gain 0.5 wealth for every civilised human province in the old world
Diplomacy
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold, making their way upon the ancient dwarf paths that have hopefully remained hidden to our enemies. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
- [ ] Karak Azul dc = 7, cost = 2
- [ ] Karag Dum dc = 5, cost = 1
[ ] Send Expedition to Ind: The other great culture of the east are the kingdoms of Ind. Which are said to be as wealthy as Arabyan sultans and as wealthy as the tubes of humans at the foot of our mountains. Even more mysterious than Cathay we would have to journey there to discover what we could offer them and them us. Send our fleet around the coast of the Southlands to see if we can arrange proper communication.
- Potential things to discuss Dwarven goods, Dwarven Quarters, ???
- Costs 2 gold
- DC 4
[ ] (Cathay) Permanant Embassies
Establish permanent embassies both at Barrak Varr and at Shang Yang for your respective empires to speak with each other. These would allow requests and messages to reach your distant realms and also allow you to be aware in the most distant and vague of senses, of the goings-on in the distant east. As well as provide Cathay an observer status on the field of embassies outside of Magritta. Such embassies, required to display the wealth and power of the Karaz Ankor, would however be something of a drain on the treasury. Though not one so extreme as to seem utterly unreasonable.
- Allows you to remain in (distant) contact with Cathay
- Allows you to hear the most general news of the goings-on in Cathay
- costs 1 gold per turn
- DC = 3
[0] Send a request to the Phoenix king (Locked for 2 turns):
Now that a more stable if... distant relationship has been established with Ulthuan, the possibility has arisen that we could both benefit from each other...
[ ] See the Dukes hang
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. the Margravirate however will likely act to defend their own in what they would wrongly view as an unjust war. leveraging the wealth of a kingdom however and tasking our greatest loremasters to seeing the umgi brought to justice should result in the whole family swinging from a deserving tree.
DC = 4
Cost = 3
[ ] Send Expedition to Athel Loren (innovative):
The Elgi of the forest have not troubled us for many generations. Though Norn does keep a close watch on the trees. It is recorded in the book of grudges that the people of Athel Loren only drew their blades against the Dawi after we had invaded their home. These grudges though not forgotten could be postponed if we wish to have true peace with the Elves of that dark capricious forest.
- Athel Loren changes from suspicious to neutral
- Costs 1 gold
- +1 shame for ten turns as grudges are slowly resolved
- DC 8
[ ] Make available your techonlogy for sale (innovative):
You detest this, The guilds detest this and the Dawi as a whole detest this, but it must be done for the realm to be made secure. Offer the innovation of the Dawi up to the Umgi for the cost of mere coin and watch as they scramble to find any advantage over their rivals by paying you for the privilege. The Dawi might revolt at the thought of doing so for unproven Umgak. But at the very least they have at least somewhat proven themselves over the past few hundred years.
- will receive a substantial amount of gold from the various parties who accept the deal.
- +1 shame for ten turns
- DC 5
- [ ] Choose a technology to offer
- Available technologies: Crossbows, Turtle Ships, Bolt/Grudge Thrower, Picks, Plumbing and Windlasses, Fine Tooling, Matchlocks
[ ] Send a series of ambassadors to the... courts of the Tomb kings. (innovative)
The Land of Nehekhara is an enigma. A land of death, where the dead do not lie easy. In fact, not only that, but they rule in a macabre pantomime of how they did in life. With great kings competing with each other for the favor of the greatest of these charnel lords, Settra the Imperishable. Who rules with an iron fist over his domain. However, even in his time, his rule over the other cities and especially on the eastern side of the charnel valley is more in theory. For, in reality, bar paying deference to their overlord, and avoiding displeasing him, the tomb kings seem to be able to do as they will. Reach out to contact these grisly kings and discover if any of their interests, whatever they may be co-incide with your own.
- Costs 3 (2 is a tribute to Settra)
- dc 8
- establish an understanding of the kings who take an interest in the mortal world and implement protocals for you to be able to talk to them
[ ] Send an expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Gathering a few sun-crazed dwarves and a few ambassadores, we can mount an expedition into the deepest jungles to discover if our kin still live.
- Costs 2
- dc 8
[0] Send Expedition to the Fire (chaos) dwarves (innovative)
The only reason we would reach out to our fallen kin is to get them to cease their attacks on the caravans which cross the darklands near where they have established their cruel realm. To even acknowledge their shameful existence brings many longbeards to day-long bouts of grumbling and what they would ask in return we can only imagine.
- Costs 2 gold
- They are for the moment unwilling to listen
[ ] Uplift the tribes (innovative)
We have been surrounded for many centuries by the tribes of men, whose numbers seem to swell with only slightly less speed than their greenskin foes. We have always considered them beneath us, for their craft is poor and though brave, they have little skill in proper warcraft. As the cities of Tilea, Araby and far off Cathay have shown, however, there is hope for the race of men and perhaps they could act as a far more capable shield than they do at the moment if they were given the appropriate tutelage.
- [ ] Select province to attempt to uplift
- Costs 3
- DC = 6
[ ] Unify your vassals (innovative)
Though civilized, the human realm that we have beneath us bicker and fight with each other as much as with those we wish them to guard against. Gather the leaders of these cities together, find that which links them and forge bonds of steel between these petty cities to form a nation
- [ ] Select province to attempt to unify
- Costs 1
- DC = 6
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggarond for colonization (Innovative)
Naggarond, the eastern continent beyond Ulthuan is known as the land of chill, and at least according to captured documents, a splinter faction of the elves resides in the far north. Led in those days by prince Malekith. However, of more interest to us is the fact that it supposedly bears no marks of the Orks or Thaggoriki. And possesses a large mountain range along the continent's entire length. Mount an expedition to see if this land could be a safe refuge for us, far from the attentions of our enemies
- DC 7
- cost - 3
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggaroth (innovative)
The tower of dread, or so say the elven maps that we have gathered. However, it is home, or at least was, to Malekith. Son of Aenarion and dwarf friend. Who as their histories show, rebelled against the supposedly false phoenix king Bel Shannar long before the war of vengeance. therefore our grudges against Ulthuan would not apply to him. We should send an expedition to see if ancient friendships can be revived with Elgi or their descendants who have never crossed us.
- DC ???
- cost - 3
[ ] Mount an expedition to Lustria (innovative)
We know little of Lustria save that it exists and is covered in horrible forest and inhabited by ravenous beasts. Who knows though, perhaps there are surprises within that we may have interest in.
- DC ???
- cost - 3
[ ] Attempt to vassalize a region for their good and that of the Karaz Ankor
There are many regions around the Karaz Ankor that are occupied by human tribes who survive at the whims of the orks and other monsters that inhabit the world outside of our mountains. Offer them sanctuary beneath dwarven arms so long as they are willing to respect the word of an elder and more dependable race
- DC 7
- cost - 1 (for primitive humans)
- cost - 3 (for tribal humans)
- vassalises a human province of either primitives or settled tribes
[ ] Reach out to a known and nearby civilized faction
There are many realms nearby that we could have dealings with now that we have emerged somewhat from our isolation. Reaching out to them should not be difficult and nor should getting at least our smaller neighbors to do as we wish. Everyone likes gold after all, and who has more than the Dwarves?
- costs 1 cold
- [ ] To which Faction would you like to reach out to
- [ ] What would you like to ask of them (please reach out to the QM before doing this option so I can decide cost and dc)
[ ] Investigate the Southlands
Upon the map which you were provided are the locations of a dozen places that you have not seen any mention of in the dwarven anals. These should be investigated to see if they remain, and how it is that the Karaz Ankor has seemingly lost knowledge of an entire civilization
- costs 2 cold
- DC??
Free Actions (can be done at no cost and as often as desired)
[ ] Move a garrison between holds
- [ ] what garrison are you moving
- [ ] from where
- [ ] to where
[ ] transfer ownership of runic weapons
- [ ] from where (can be a hold or a throng)
- [ ] to where (can be a hold or a throng)
[ ] transfer ownership of elder runic weapons
- [ ] from where (can be a hold or a throng)
- [ ] to where (can be a hold or a throng)
Memorandum for 24 hours
Last edited:
Reign of Erbor Steelarm (4540 KA) Results
The High King Returns Turn 1
- [X] Invade the Mountains. X2
-- [X] Which province would you invade (Has to border the Ankor)
--- [X] 106
-- [X] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
--- [X] The High Throng equipped with their elder runic weapons, and Gnolumgi, equipped with runic weapons from Karaz A Karak.
With Karak Akrak under siege by the hell pit that they have found themselves adjacent to, and with the ability to establish a line of holds from Vlag up to the Norse Dawi, this would mark one step closer to closing off the western peninsula from either the Chaos Wastes or Darklands. Hopefully, this would give the Umgi time to mature and develop as a species before they take the fight further to the Grobi. The fact that it would also remove a thorn from the side of the Dawi in the form of a dangerous breeding ground for the hobgoblins who settled here nearly a century ago does not go unremarked upon near the halls of power.
Thus, in the waning years of his reign, Erbor, as he had spent many of his younger years doing, began planning his campaign. Drawing upon the High Throng and the Gnolumgi to serve as the vanguard of his hosts and alerting the men of Kaltnord about his intentions, he set out with the throng of Karaz A Karak northward, up along the twisting highways of the Reik and into the Frozen North. Acquiring some reinforcements both from the mighty, ancient hold of Karak Vlag and the new beardling hold of Karak Akrak, they gathered in the Halls of Vlag, from whence they would plan and conduct their ongoing campaign. They began a scouring that would see the last gap between the Ankor and the Norse Dawi closed.
These mountains, ancient as they were, had up until decades ago seen few who would brave the chill and frost so far to the chaotic north in order to call them home. The only recent infestation had been that of the Hargrobi wolf riders, who had brought the mountains under greenskin control. Separated from the steppes they had once called their own, however, the goblin forces which had once made up the mainstay of the colonists began devolving back into their more traditional forms. Orc warbosses and shamans seized power over their scrawny khan overlords. Absent the wide steppes of the east, they were waging a bloody war to see the Orcs once again triumph over the Goblins. It was during this wolf war among the mountains that the Dawi began planning their purge.
Trying to take the mountains in one go would be folly. It would see the Orcs gather into a single host and overwhelm the stubborn Dawi with sheer numbers. However, Erbor knew well the nature of the Orcs and developed methods to counter it. Striking from Vlag, he force-marched the High Throng and the Gnolumgi to one of the most striking of the peaks in the range. Fighting through several smaller tribes along the way, he eventually fought up the side of the mountain and established a small fortress of stone on its western flank. Garrisoning this with a few thousand of his assembled hosts, he forged on, establishing mountain fort after mountain fort until eventually a string of holds stretched from Vlag to Akrak.
Then, over the course of decades, Erbor would go to each fort with his army in turn, and with a series of lightning strikes, rile the Orcs into a frenzy. They flung themselves at Erbor's bastions time and again, killing but a single Dawi for every hundred they lost to arrows, shot, cannon and az. Until eventually, the greenskins were spread thin enough that those beasts, forced into the highest peaks of the mountains by the Goblin invasion, began reclaiming their nests from the Urk. This allowed the Dawi to avoid lifting a hammer in the actual storming of the fetid lairs of the greenskins. And for those few lairs that Erbor did need to clear by force, he had the Gnolumgi and the High Throng, runes glowing with power, to do the hardest of the butcher's work in the depths of the mountains.
Gradually, an equilibrium was established. The Orcs were few enough that they could no longer, with ease, overcome the Yhettees, giants, frost frogs, and wyverns whose natural habitat this was. Meanwhile, the Orcs kept the populations of these monsters in check, allowing the Dawi to maintain their string of forts, kept relatively safe from the internecine strife that surrounded them. The garrisons even digging a few exploratory shafts while the Kull was still ongoing, hoping to find veins of ore and defensible locations to serve as the anchor for a new hold.
Losses:
- [X] Bring Down the Black Drake
--- [X] The Klad Karu, equipped with runic weapons from Karak Kadrin.
The Black Drake was a creature out of our own myth, one who channeled the power of Thunder Mountain, and who battled us for centuries for the right to reforge our great anvils. That he withdrew when we awoke him from his slumber was a great boon for us. Perhaps, in time, the Dawi would have even forgotten the ancient wounds this dragon inflicted upon our people. Instead, he took umbrage at our forcing him out of our ancient, rightful peak and harassed the mountains of the Everpeak and Zhufbar. He challenged our trade, taxes, and pride, and even occasionally swooped toward the Everpeak. Even if hewas dissuaded by concentrated cannonfire.
Thus, it was in the 133rd year of his reign that Erbor Steelarm commanded the Klad Karu—those who had helped recapture Thunder Mountain in the first place—to see the deed through, as a Dawi should. The Grandmaster of their order, Bartice de Chevagnon, assembled his greatest champions and announced that they were charged today to forge a new banner. Not the one commemorating their first great effort in saving the Stancati, nor their liberation of Thunder Mountain itself. No, the third great banner of the Klad Karu would be that of the Dragonslayers.
Calling upon the artillery of Zhufbar to assist them in the hunt, the Klad Karu began assessing the patterns that Azorgoran, the Black Drake, had settled into over the last several decades. They discovered that the Drake was unwilling to assault any party numbering over a thousand—apparently not considering them easy enough prey. However, they also noticed that he was almost unceasingly attracted to any caravan hauling goods.
Seeing his patterns and readying themselves for the battle to come, the Knights prepared an ambush. Sending occasional caravans through the major thoroughfares on the way to Karaz A Karak, they waited two decades for the Drake to take the bait. Trap after trap was laid and beaten down by the great dragon. But eventually, after decades of effort, the Klad Karu struck true. Larger than some of the Dawi's frigates, the Drake descended onto what he thought was merely a group of mildly watchful traders. The great beast was shocked though as several of the wagons had their covers whisked away, revealing the mouths of great cannons glaring back at him. With a single command, the cannons were fired, and with a mighty shriek, the Drake's wings were ravaged by grapeshot designed to tear at the sails of corsair vessels.
Roaring in agony but still too prideful to admit defeat, the dragon crashed onto the road, scattering hundreds with his bulk. Lashing about with claws, tail, and unceasing hatred, the dragon killed dozens each minute as the Klad Karu, armed with the runic weapons of the mountain lords, assailed him with all their might. Azorgoran, astonished at the impudence of these mortals, conjured a swirling vortex of purplish malignancy, causing all within its grasp to age and perish within mere moments of being touched by the dread magic.
Seeing himself seize control of the battlefield, the great Drake began tearing at the convoy's wagons, grasping the actual containers scattered around him in his mighty claws, before seeking the safety of the heavens once more. Only for him to hear the dread silence of the winds as the anvil of doom struck its first note. Dismissing his conjured magic as if it were a beardling's folly, the Drake was struck again as a second ring of the anvil echoed through the peaks. The world turned white as lightning struck from the heavens and crashed into the wounded Drake, dazing and blinding him. But more importantly, it ignited the huge containers of gunpowder he had grasped in his claws, packed with gromril ball bearings, which further ravaged the wings of the now-floundering Drake.
Leveling a glare that had once leveled empires, the great beast finally eyed the Runelord nestled in the peaks, who matched his fury with a gaze of unyielding stone.
Scattering the few survivors of the caravan that remained, the great Drake strained and attempted to fly toward the Runelord, struggling for altitude with great effort, leaking black ichor. He was again and again assailed by thunder, lightning, and all the fury the Runelord could conjure from his anvil. But alas, it was insufficient to beat back this titan of the air. Eventually, as the doom of kingdoms reached the apex of the peak the runelord drew forth an ancient runic blade and leapt into battle with his shield-bearers. And though he strength was great and he bore the stolidness that only a truly ancient member of the Dawi can mantle, both he and his anvil met their end in the gnashing teeth of the Black Drake.
Yet, this brief struggle had been long enough for the Klad Karu. Sheltering in several neighboring passes, they began converging on the dragon. Who after inspecting his wounds, was shocked to find the valleys surrounding him swarming with soldiers. Attempting to take to the air, the Drake found his strength insufficient and crashed to the ground amid his myriad foes. Having to now battle through the humans who barred his path, felling hundreds as he, like a great crocodile of Ind, bullied his way through the gnats that assailed him toward the eastern opening in the mountain.
Knights charged the great Drake, impaling him with rune-reinforced lances before being swept away by the raking of enormous claws. Batteries, emplacing themselves up the mountain poured shot into the wounded beast, only to be swept aside by dark magics. Archers fired hundreds of arrows and bolts into the flanks and wings of the beast, only to fall as pale violet beams of energy stopped their hearts within their chests. One could taste it on the wind, however, as the beast surrounded and trapped by a great army, for the first time in many, many years, began to feel true fear.
Eventually breaking through, the Drake traveled for days, incapable of flight with his tattered wings and exhausted from blood loss. He sought the shelter of a great cavern at the heart of a volcano. Insufficient as a lair, but hopefully suitable enough to allow him a chance to rest and plot.
The Klad Karu, however, would not countenance this. Having had their finest scouts trail the beast, they marshaled together their full might. Confirming that there were no other exits, Bartice led his remaining champions and the full mailed fist of the Klad Karu into that deep, black pit. For three days, a terrible battle raged in that hole, and so great were the dragon's screeches that it is said the very mountains themselves shook with his fury. But eventually, the mountains stilled. Bearing the body of their fallen Grandmaster, the Klad Karu, armor blackened in dragon's blood and with great capes forged of his hide attached, emerged victorious. Another banner to be added to their deeds.
Azorgoran, the Black Drake, is slain. His shameful presence among your peaks avenged.
Casualties:
- [X] Establish a Permanent Navy
With the defeat of the North fleet, which was, to an extent, attributed to the lack of proper scouting to detect the incoming trap, orders for the fleet's replacement focused on enlarging those capabilities. The idea was that the new fleet would adopt an alternative doctrine, relying on a screen of small observer ships—large enough to support a moored observation balloon—forming the backbone of the fleet. This would be supported by several much larger cruisers and battleships, which would actually engage the enemy. The bulk of these larger vessels would enable them to withstand all but the enemy's most punishing blows.
This new approach caused some mild consternation among those who had followed the traditional doctrine of the High Fleet for so long. That doctrine had emphasized the battle line above all else, where even the lightest ships were designed to function as frontline combatants, capable of contending with even the heaviest enemy fleet assets. The proposed "scout ships," however, were seen as simply incapable of withstanding the weight of a full battleship broadside and remaining seaworthy.
Of course, this was countered by proponents of the new strategy, who pointed out that the Elgi, who had sailed the waves for millennia, made great use of these lighter scouting elements with considerable success. This argument, however, earned as much scorn as it did wary acceptance. Eventually, Erbor had to intervene in the doctrinal dispute before it could escalate to the point where a grudge would be sworn between competing shipbuilding clans. He enforced his will by stating that the new fleet would be allowed to continue its development along its new path, while the High Fleet would continue its focus on the primary battle line. Erbor declared that when a great battle occurred at sea, both fleets would benefit from each other's strengths. The combined fleet would find an advantage in having the lighter scouting elements of the new fleet, while still benefiting from the formidable battle line of the High Fleet.
With the High King's approval, work continued on the alternate designs, with many novel—but ultimately dismissed—ideas being proposed. One such idea was a ship with several great balloons attached, which could potentially rise above the waves themselves for a time. However, this was eventually abandoned, as while the waves were considered risky enough for a dwarf, to fly untethered into the sky seemed sheer foolishness. What did see more success and eventual acceptance was the idea of placing wheels upon the smallest vessels, to be propelled along rails like an enormous minecart. This system was eventually adopted, but only in very specific circumstances.
At last, the newly christened Vengeance Fleet emerged from its mooring, gleaming in the golden sun, with black smoke belching from their furnaces. They churned the waters around Barak Varr, reminding the newly ascended nations of Araby, as well as Remas and Estalia, that these were dwarven waters and they resided there at the Dawi's forbearance.
New Fleet Created:
- [X] Notes
-- [X] The Klad Karu are to be moved from Karak Angaraz to Karak Akrak.
-- [X] The High Fleet is to be stationed in Kraka Drakk to replace the Northern Fleet lost during the war, and the New Fleet will replace it in Barak Varr.
Trains in The Karaz Ankor Came about from two largely unrelated sources but have converged enough that they are largely understood as being different expressions of the same thing rather than two separate innovations. The first came from the direction of the powered minecarts, only fully accepted at the beginning of the reign of Erbor Steelarm. Which saw the Dawi find ways to transport large quantities of goods for relatively little effort within a hold. This concept was largely innovated on by engineers located in and around Karag Norn, who desired a method to transport materials safely and efficiently, between the main hold itself and the many smaller holds scattered around Norn within the grey mountains. Hopefully avoiding the predations of the urk, grobi and various other beasts that stalk those hills.
Sizing up the engines to the point that it can be placed within the mine cart itself, and connecting further 'mine carts' behind it enables a method to transport goods safely and securely from one hold to another in bulk. And that very bulk means that rather than a score of caravans mustering some few dozen Dawi to guard them being sent out. Several hundred can be sent along with a single train in order to see it protected. Providing Dawi power to repair any open air sections of the track that have been damaged and warding off any force short of an invasion that would attempt to threaten the Ankors Claim to the minerals being taken back to the central hold. As such, small snaking tunnels minimizing exposure to the open air have snaked throughout the mountains of all those controlled by the Ankor. Allowing goods to flow far more readily from those outlying minor holds and thus onward to Karaz A Karak. Even if that final step in the journey would have to be done by traditional carravan portage in lieu of an underway connection
The second point of evolution came from Barrak Varr as they began working on smaller and smaller support vessels in the great steamship fleet that they have been developing as they rebuild the northern fleet. One prominent engineer going so far as to separate the twin waterwheels on either side of the vessel into several smaller sets,replacing the 'water wheels' with steel wheels, taking their inspiration from the work going on in Norn. They fashioned rails and with funding provided by the king of Varr, emplaced these on a short three kilometre section of underway that still saw regular use. With Locomotives the size of a frigate, armed and armoured like one. The Varr railway utterly dwarfs the relatively small examples coming out of Norn. But with Coal reserves of incredible size and engines originally designed to take a ship between continents. The idea of them being able to perform entire trips between major holds in the underway to facilitate trade became conceivable. While their factors of being a rolling fortress, their sheer size and carrying capacity would allow any Hold under siege and connected to the network to be relieved by the most numerous throngs in the Karaz Ankor within a matter of days of an attack rather than months.
On the offensive however, any hold in the Ankor connected to the Network would be able to rely upon leveraging the might of the Empire against their opponents. Building a temporary extension of the Underway as part of the campaign to serve as staging grounds for armies that would be considered implausible before the invention of the locomotive. The Guildmaster Engineers seeing the rise of their eternal rivals in the rune guilds rediscovering their lost might allowing these innovations. Turn a blind eye to the lack of centuries of testing that would normally be required to pass through their inspection. Claiming these new trains to be mere mild extensions of the well established work on both mine carts and steam ships. Ensuring that once these trains were put to use none could argue that the engineering guild played anything less than a primary role in restoring the Karaz Ankor to its former height.
Upgrades all underway connections to contain railroads, these may be upgraded at a cost of 2 gold per connection
- Increases cost of Underway connection by 2 gold per action
- Substantial further reduction in invasion damage from ready access to all connected throngs
- Increases potential trade routes of connected holds by 1
- Increases income of any hold connected to the Network by 10%
- Allows the addition of railheads to any invasion action for any hold containing an intact underway connection
Railheads are a temporary addition to the underway network to facilitate the marshalling of the Ankors forces. Smaller, less durable and lacking any of the spurs that form part of a traditional underway. These nonetheless are likely to form a large part of the backbone of the reclamation. And should a reclamation be successful, may be bettressed into forming a 'true' underway connection. But will be destroyed to preserve the Ankors underway if the Invasion should fail
- Costs 10 addtional wealth as part of an attempt to reconquer a hold
- Allows an additional free 'Action Charge' to be used when assaulting a hold. Applying an extra d3 to the action while also incurring additional casualties.
- Allows an additional two standing army units to be deployed alongside the regular throngs of the Dawi. (superseeds all other logistical advantages)
- Reduces cost of connecting a newly conquered hold to the underway
What to do with province 106
With the mountains pacified THe Dawi could now begin working on the foundations of a hold. Allowing for it to in the centuries to come become a full part of the Karaz Ankor. Or it could be left with no overarching identity. Not requiring any work to sustain. But also being open to any new group that would wish to make it their home
[ ] Occupy the province. Functions as a colony for the next 9 turns upon which a hold will be established. Until then however it will be more vulnerable to attack than a normal province. And provide only 0.5 wealth per turn (before modifiers). Twenty thousand Dawi will remain to see the work begin, taken from VLag, KAk and Akrak
[ ] Leave the province be. It will cause no attrition for neighboring holds, but will be opn to being occupied by nearby chaos, or grobi forces in subsequent turns
no moratorium
- [X] Invade the Mountains. X2
-- [X] Which province would you invade (Has to border the Ankor)
--- [X] 106
-- [X] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
--- [X] The High Throng equipped with their elder runic weapons, and Gnolumgi, equipped with runic weapons from Karaz A Karak.
With Karak Akrak under siege by the hell pit that they have found themselves adjacent to, and with the ability to establish a line of holds from Vlag up to the Norse Dawi, this would mark one step closer to closing off the western peninsula from either the Chaos Wastes or Darklands. Hopefully, this would give the Umgi time to mature and develop as a species before they take the fight further to the Grobi. The fact that it would also remove a thorn from the side of the Dawi in the form of a dangerous breeding ground for the hobgoblins who settled here nearly a century ago does not go unremarked upon near the halls of power.
Thus, in the waning years of his reign, Erbor, as he had spent many of his younger years doing, began planning his campaign. Drawing upon the High Throng and the Gnolumgi to serve as the vanguard of his hosts and alerting the men of Kaltnord about his intentions, he set out with the throng of Karaz A Karak northward, up along the twisting highways of the Reik and into the Frozen North. Acquiring some reinforcements both from the mighty, ancient hold of Karak Vlag and the new beardling hold of Karak Akrak, they gathered in the Halls of Vlag, from whence they would plan and conduct their ongoing campaign. They began a scouring that would see the last gap between the Ankor and the Norse Dawi closed.
These mountains, ancient as they were, had up until decades ago seen few who would brave the chill and frost so far to the chaotic north in order to call them home. The only recent infestation had been that of the Hargrobi wolf riders, who had brought the mountains under greenskin control. Separated from the steppes they had once called their own, however, the goblin forces which had once made up the mainstay of the colonists began devolving back into their more traditional forms. Orc warbosses and shamans seized power over their scrawny khan overlords. Absent the wide steppes of the east, they were waging a bloody war to see the Orcs once again triumph over the Goblins. It was during this wolf war among the mountains that the Dawi began planning their purge.
Trying to take the mountains in one go would be folly. It would see the Orcs gather into a single host and overwhelm the stubborn Dawi with sheer numbers. However, Erbor knew well the nature of the Orcs and developed methods to counter it. Striking from Vlag, he force-marched the High Throng and the Gnolumgi to one of the most striking of the peaks in the range. Fighting through several smaller tribes along the way, he eventually fought up the side of the mountain and established a small fortress of stone on its western flank. Garrisoning this with a few thousand of his assembled hosts, he forged on, establishing mountain fort after mountain fort until eventually a string of holds stretched from Vlag to Akrak.
Then, over the course of decades, Erbor would go to each fort with his army in turn, and with a series of lightning strikes, rile the Orcs into a frenzy. They flung themselves at Erbor's bastions time and again, killing but a single Dawi for every hundred they lost to arrows, shot, cannon and az. Until eventually, the greenskins were spread thin enough that those beasts, forced into the highest peaks of the mountains by the Goblin invasion, began reclaiming their nests from the Urk. This allowed the Dawi to avoid lifting a hammer in the actual storming of the fetid lairs of the greenskins. And for those few lairs that Erbor did need to clear by force, he had the Gnolumgi and the High Throng, runes glowing with power, to do the hardest of the butcher's work in the depths of the mountains.
Gradually, an equilibrium was established. The Orcs were few enough that they could no longer, with ease, overcome the Yhettees, giants, frost frogs, and wyverns whose natural habitat this was. Meanwhile, the Orcs kept the populations of these monsters in check, allowing the Dawi to maintain their string of forts, kept relatively safe from the internecine strife that surrounded them. The garrisons even digging a few exploratory shafts while the Kull was still ongoing, hoping to find veins of ore and defensible locations to serve as the anchor for a new hold.
Losses:
- 28,000 total losses (10,000 mitigated by Gnolumgi)
- Losses spread across Karak Akrak, Vlag, and Akrak
- -1 to number of turns province 106 would need to become a fully fledged hold
- [X] Bring Down the Black Drake
--- [X] The Klad Karu, equipped with runic weapons from Karak Kadrin.
The Black Drake was a creature out of our own myth, one who channeled the power of Thunder Mountain, and who battled us for centuries for the right to reforge our great anvils. That he withdrew when we awoke him from his slumber was a great boon for us. Perhaps, in time, the Dawi would have even forgotten the ancient wounds this dragon inflicted upon our people. Instead, he took umbrage at our forcing him out of our ancient, rightful peak and harassed the mountains of the Everpeak and Zhufbar. He challenged our trade, taxes, and pride, and even occasionally swooped toward the Everpeak. Even if hewas dissuaded by concentrated cannonfire.
Thus, it was in the 133rd year of his reign that Erbor Steelarm commanded the Klad Karu—those who had helped recapture Thunder Mountain in the first place—to see the deed through, as a Dawi should. The Grandmaster of their order, Bartice de Chevagnon, assembled his greatest champions and announced that they were charged today to forge a new banner. Not the one commemorating their first great effort in saving the Stancati, nor their liberation of Thunder Mountain itself. No, the third great banner of the Klad Karu would be that of the Dragonslayers.
Calling upon the artillery of Zhufbar to assist them in the hunt, the Klad Karu began assessing the patterns that Azorgoran, the Black Drake, had settled into over the last several decades. They discovered that the Drake was unwilling to assault any party numbering over a thousand—apparently not considering them easy enough prey. However, they also noticed that he was almost unceasingly attracted to any caravan hauling goods.
Seeing his patterns and readying themselves for the battle to come, the Knights prepared an ambush. Sending occasional caravans through the major thoroughfares on the way to Karaz A Karak, they waited two decades for the Drake to take the bait. Trap after trap was laid and beaten down by the great dragon. But eventually, after decades of effort, the Klad Karu struck true. Larger than some of the Dawi's frigates, the Drake descended onto what he thought was merely a group of mildly watchful traders. The great beast was shocked though as several of the wagons had their covers whisked away, revealing the mouths of great cannons glaring back at him. With a single command, the cannons were fired, and with a mighty shriek, the Drake's wings were ravaged by grapeshot designed to tear at the sails of corsair vessels.
Roaring in agony but still too prideful to admit defeat, the dragon crashed onto the road, scattering hundreds with his bulk. Lashing about with claws, tail, and unceasing hatred, the dragon killed dozens each minute as the Klad Karu, armed with the runic weapons of the mountain lords, assailed him with all their might. Azorgoran, astonished at the impudence of these mortals, conjured a swirling vortex of purplish malignancy, causing all within its grasp to age and perish within mere moments of being touched by the dread magic.
Seeing himself seize control of the battlefield, the great Drake began tearing at the convoy's wagons, grasping the actual containers scattered around him in his mighty claws, before seeking the safety of the heavens once more. Only for him to hear the dread silence of the winds as the anvil of doom struck its first note. Dismissing his conjured magic as if it were a beardling's folly, the Drake was struck again as a second ring of the anvil echoed through the peaks. The world turned white as lightning struck from the heavens and crashed into the wounded Drake, dazing and blinding him. But more importantly, it ignited the huge containers of gunpowder he had grasped in his claws, packed with gromril ball bearings, which further ravaged the wings of the now-floundering Drake.
Leveling a glare that had once leveled empires, the great beast finally eyed the Runelord nestled in the peaks, who matched his fury with a gaze of unyielding stone.
Scattering the few survivors of the caravan that remained, the great Drake strained and attempted to fly toward the Runelord, struggling for altitude with great effort, leaking black ichor. He was again and again assailed by thunder, lightning, and all the fury the Runelord could conjure from his anvil. But alas, it was insufficient to beat back this titan of the air. Eventually, as the doom of kingdoms reached the apex of the peak the runelord drew forth an ancient runic blade and leapt into battle with his shield-bearers. And though he strength was great and he bore the stolidness that only a truly ancient member of the Dawi can mantle, both he and his anvil met their end in the gnashing teeth of the Black Drake.
Yet, this brief struggle had been long enough for the Klad Karu. Sheltering in several neighboring passes, they began converging on the dragon. Who after inspecting his wounds, was shocked to find the valleys surrounding him swarming with soldiers. Attempting to take to the air, the Drake found his strength insufficient and crashed to the ground amid his myriad foes. Having to now battle through the humans who barred his path, felling hundreds as he, like a great crocodile of Ind, bullied his way through the gnats that assailed him toward the eastern opening in the mountain.
Knights charged the great Drake, impaling him with rune-reinforced lances before being swept away by the raking of enormous claws. Batteries, emplacing themselves up the mountain poured shot into the wounded beast, only to be swept aside by dark magics. Archers fired hundreds of arrows and bolts into the flanks and wings of the beast, only to fall as pale violet beams of energy stopped their hearts within their chests. One could taste it on the wind, however, as the beast surrounded and trapped by a great army, for the first time in many, many years, began to feel true fear.
Eventually breaking through, the Drake traveled for days, incapable of flight with his tattered wings and exhausted from blood loss. He sought the shelter of a great cavern at the heart of a volcano. Insufficient as a lair, but hopefully suitable enough to allow him a chance to rest and plot.
The Klad Karu, however, would not countenance this. Having had their finest scouts trail the beast, they marshaled together their full might. Confirming that there were no other exits, Bartice led his remaining champions and the full mailed fist of the Klad Karu into that deep, black pit. For three days, a terrible battle raged in that hole, and so great were the dragon's screeches that it is said the very mountains themselves shook with his fury. But eventually, the mountains stilled. Bearing the body of their fallen Grandmaster, the Klad Karu, armor blackened in dragon's blood and with great capes forged of his hide attached, emerged victorious. Another banner to be added to their deeds.
Azorgoran, the Black Drake, is slain. His shameful presence among your peaks avenged.
Casualties:
- A few thousand dead Dawi.
- Many, many more fallen Klad Karu
- [X] Establish a Permanent Navy
With the defeat of the North fleet, which was, to an extent, attributed to the lack of proper scouting to detect the incoming trap, orders for the fleet's replacement focused on enlarging those capabilities. The idea was that the new fleet would adopt an alternative doctrine, relying on a screen of small observer ships—large enough to support a moored observation balloon—forming the backbone of the fleet. This would be supported by several much larger cruisers and battleships, which would actually engage the enemy. The bulk of these larger vessels would enable them to withstand all but the enemy's most punishing blows.
This new approach caused some mild consternation among those who had followed the traditional doctrine of the High Fleet for so long. That doctrine had emphasized the battle line above all else, where even the lightest ships were designed to function as frontline combatants, capable of contending with even the heaviest enemy fleet assets. The proposed "scout ships," however, were seen as simply incapable of withstanding the weight of a full battleship broadside and remaining seaworthy.
Of course, this was countered by proponents of the new strategy, who pointed out that the Elgi, who had sailed the waves for millennia, made great use of these lighter scouting elements with considerable success. This argument, however, earned as much scorn as it did wary acceptance. Eventually, Erbor had to intervene in the doctrinal dispute before it could escalate to the point where a grudge would be sworn between competing shipbuilding clans. He enforced his will by stating that the new fleet would be allowed to continue its development along its new path, while the High Fleet would continue its focus on the primary battle line. Erbor declared that when a great battle occurred at sea, both fleets would benefit from each other's strengths. The combined fleet would find an advantage in having the lighter scouting elements of the new fleet, while still benefiting from the formidable battle line of the High Fleet.
With the High King's approval, work continued on the alternate designs, with many novel—but ultimately dismissed—ideas being proposed. One such idea was a ship with several great balloons attached, which could potentially rise above the waves themselves for a time. However, this was eventually abandoned, as while the waves were considered risky enough for a dwarf, to fly untethered into the sky seemed sheer foolishness. What did see more success and eventual acceptance was the idea of placing wheels upon the smallest vessels, to be propelled along rails like an enormous minecart. This system was eventually adopted, but only in very specific circumstances.
At last, the newly christened Vengeance Fleet emerged from its mooring, gleaming in the golden sun, with black smoke belching from their furnaces. They churned the waters around Barak Varr, reminding the newly ascended nations of Araby, as well as Remas and Estalia, that these were dwarven waters and they resided there at the Dawi's forbearance.
New Fleet Created:
- The Vengeance Fleet
- DC for creating a permanent navy reduced by one
- [X] Notes
-- [X] The Klad Karu are to be moved from Karak Angaraz to Karak Akrak.
-- [X] The High Fleet is to be stationed in Kraka Drakk to replace the Northern Fleet lost during the war, and the New Fleet will replace it in Barak Varr.
Trains in The Karaz Ankor Came about from two largely unrelated sources but have converged enough that they are largely understood as being different expressions of the same thing rather than two separate innovations. The first came from the direction of the powered minecarts, only fully accepted at the beginning of the reign of Erbor Steelarm. Which saw the Dawi find ways to transport large quantities of goods for relatively little effort within a hold. This concept was largely innovated on by engineers located in and around Karag Norn, who desired a method to transport materials safely and efficiently, between the main hold itself and the many smaller holds scattered around Norn within the grey mountains. Hopefully avoiding the predations of the urk, grobi and various other beasts that stalk those hills.
Sizing up the engines to the point that it can be placed within the mine cart itself, and connecting further 'mine carts' behind it enables a method to transport goods safely and securely from one hold to another in bulk. And that very bulk means that rather than a score of caravans mustering some few dozen Dawi to guard them being sent out. Several hundred can be sent along with a single train in order to see it protected. Providing Dawi power to repair any open air sections of the track that have been damaged and warding off any force short of an invasion that would attempt to threaten the Ankors Claim to the minerals being taken back to the central hold. As such, small snaking tunnels minimizing exposure to the open air have snaked throughout the mountains of all those controlled by the Ankor. Allowing goods to flow far more readily from those outlying minor holds and thus onward to Karaz A Karak. Even if that final step in the journey would have to be done by traditional carravan portage in lieu of an underway connection
The second point of evolution came from Barrak Varr as they began working on smaller and smaller support vessels in the great steamship fleet that they have been developing as they rebuild the northern fleet. One prominent engineer going so far as to separate the twin waterwheels on either side of the vessel into several smaller sets,replacing the 'water wheels' with steel wheels, taking their inspiration from the work going on in Norn. They fashioned rails and with funding provided by the king of Varr, emplaced these on a short three kilometre section of underway that still saw regular use. With Locomotives the size of a frigate, armed and armoured like one. The Varr railway utterly dwarfs the relatively small examples coming out of Norn. But with Coal reserves of incredible size and engines originally designed to take a ship between continents. The idea of them being able to perform entire trips between major holds in the underway to facilitate trade became conceivable. While their factors of being a rolling fortress, their sheer size and carrying capacity would allow any Hold under siege and connected to the network to be relieved by the most numerous throngs in the Karaz Ankor within a matter of days of an attack rather than months.
On the offensive however, any hold in the Ankor connected to the Network would be able to rely upon leveraging the might of the Empire against their opponents. Building a temporary extension of the Underway as part of the campaign to serve as staging grounds for armies that would be considered implausible before the invention of the locomotive. The Guildmaster Engineers seeing the rise of their eternal rivals in the rune guilds rediscovering their lost might allowing these innovations. Turn a blind eye to the lack of centuries of testing that would normally be required to pass through their inspection. Claiming these new trains to be mere mild extensions of the well established work on both mine carts and steam ships. Ensuring that once these trains were put to use none could argue that the engineering guild played anything less than a primary role in restoring the Karaz Ankor to its former height.
- 10% to wealth
- Minor reduction in attrition
Upgrades all underway connections to contain railroads, these may be upgraded at a cost of 2 gold per connection
- Increases cost of Underway connection by 2 gold per action
- Substantial further reduction in invasion damage from ready access to all connected throngs
- Increases potential trade routes of connected holds by 1
- Increases income of any hold connected to the Network by 10%
- Allows the addition of railheads to any invasion action for any hold containing an intact underway connection
Railheads are a temporary addition to the underway network to facilitate the marshalling of the Ankors forces. Smaller, less durable and lacking any of the spurs that form part of a traditional underway. These nonetheless are likely to form a large part of the backbone of the reclamation. And should a reclamation be successful, may be bettressed into forming a 'true' underway connection. But will be destroyed to preserve the Ankors underway if the Invasion should fail
- Costs 10 addtional wealth as part of an attempt to reconquer a hold
- Allows an additional free 'Action Charge' to be used when assaulting a hold. Applying an extra d3 to the action while also incurring additional casualties.
- Allows an additional two standing army units to be deployed alongside the regular throngs of the Dawi. (superseeds all other logistical advantages)
- Reduces cost of connecting a newly conquered hold to the underway
What to do with province 106
With the mountains pacified THe Dawi could now begin working on the foundations of a hold. Allowing for it to in the centuries to come become a full part of the Karaz Ankor. Or it could be left with no overarching identity. Not requiring any work to sustain. But also being open to any new group that would wish to make it their home
[ ] Occupy the province. Functions as a colony for the next 9 turns upon which a hold will be established. Until then however it will be more vulnerable to attack than a normal province. And provide only 0.5 wealth per turn (before modifiers). Twenty thousand Dawi will remain to see the work begin, taken from VLag, KAk and Akrak
[ ] Leave the province be. It will cause no attrition for neighboring holds, but will be opn to being occupied by nearby chaos, or grobi forces in subsequent turns
no moratorium
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The Reign of Erbor Steelarm (4540 - 4580) Timeline
4541 - 4551: The war that never ended
The returning soldiers from the War of the Northern Holds are immediately put to work by the Confederation of the Reik, shoring up defenses against Orkish invasion from the Badlands and reclaiming the Eastern Marches from the Orkish invaders, who still threaten its security. What begins as a mop-up operation turns into a prolonged policing action however as the Orks put up a ferocious and stubborn defense, draining valuable money and manpower from an already overextended Confederation.4543: The Gifts of the King
With the official conclusion of the War in the Northern Holds, the High King of the Karaz Ankor, Erbor Steelarm, grants grand items of runic power to those nations that had aided the Empire in their time of peril. These artifacts are literally irreplaceable for the human nations, whose magical traditions cannot hope to match the dwarven runework. Each is a priceless artifact, and its acquisition is often enough to elevate one to the middle nobility. This is especially true in Remas, where the items are maintained solely for Imperial service and where the eagles are offered to aspiring generals as signs of imperial favour4544 - 4571: Consolidation of Kaltnord
The men of Kaltnord are a sturdy folk, well accustomed to the chill of their homeland. And much like the glaciers that border them in the World's Edge Mountains, they are slow and unrelenting in pursuit of a goal. Disunited, the Orks of what would later be considered Northern Kaltnord stood little chance. There were no earth-shattering battles or carefully planned maneuvers—simply a slow, steady advance. Outlying villages would maintain vast garrisons for their size, paid handsomely from the capital of Kalguard for every set of Ork or Goblin ears they returned with. Over the course of many years and thousands of small skirmishes, the frontier was gradually pushed back. New towns established, and more hunts organized. Eventually after nearly 3 decades of this policy, the Principality of Kaltnord spanned the full gap between the Grey Mountains and the Sea of Chill.4547: The Fall of Mousillon
Upon his ascension to the throne, Grand Duke Robert of Lyonesse pledged that, in his lifetime, he would see the lands of Bretonnia united under a single banner—his own, of course. Seeing the Duke of Mousillon turn to the Isle of Ulthuan and the Ankor for assistance however, he knew he had to act quickly. A military genius equal to his great-grandfather, Robert led a lightning campaign against his neighbor. Seizing the capital within a single campaign season and crushing the last rebellious factions of the small dukedom's exalted nobility within a few years of his conquest. And once his hold was secured, he began turning his eyes southward.4548 - 4571: Claiming the Northern Mounts
Seeking to unite his disparate holds and create a grand fortified chain linking the Northern Mountains, Erbor Steelarm calls upon his throngs and marches north once more. Leading a long and gruelling campaign from mountain to mountain, wielding his Dawi as the chisel rather than the pick he establishes a new balance in the mountains. Where In this new balance, the predators of the mountains keep the Orks in check while the urk ever indomitable in their battle lust serve also to kull the beasts, allowing the Dwarves to become pre-eminent among the warring factions with minimal effort.4550: Long Live the Last High King
Dying a relatively early death at only 34, High King of the Confederation Algard the Younger leaves behind an empire straining under the weight of its military obligations, several needed reforms to decentralize the state, and a young and ambitious heir eager to make his mark on history. Dismissing the need for a regency council, the new 15-year-old High King immediately begins to flex his power, ordering the Margraviate to further support his reconquests in the East and centralizing the administration of the state. Furthermore he requires that all decisions regarding military maneuvers of more than a single capataincy or the establishment of any new laws or obligations that are to affect more than a single township to go through him. As time shows, however, he lacked both the work ethic and brilliance necessary to manage that level of workload.4551: The First of the Ankor Steam Networks
Building on the powered minecarts invented just centuries ago, Karak Norn begins constructing a series of tunnels through which steam-powered engines transport goods between itself and its outlying holds. With Norn's increasing safety and prosperity as a result, many other holds within the Ankor begin constructing their own railway networks through their surrounding mountains.4552 - 4568: Coronation of King Robert the Just, First of His Name
In a series of blindingly fast actions, Grand Duke Robert marches south at the head of a glittering host. Avoiding the seemingly impregnable Massif Orcal, he instead seizes the territory to its south, currently occupied by the Greenskins. Using a series of false retreats and ambushes, as well as the might of the second-largest human state on the continent, the Grand Duke gradually pushes the Orks back into the forests and bogs, establishing guard stations and fortified homesteads to hold any particularly troublesome tribes that might contest his growing power. Finally, moving further east, he rolls back any opposition from the scattered human tribes until he reaches the Grey Mountains. And in both this moment of triumph and his late middle age, he crowns himself King, sole lord of a nearly united Bretonnia.4558: The Come Lately King and the Interregnum
The Confederation groans as High King Luetibold continues to grasp for control over the Imperial administration. Unwilling to trust his most able and trusted ministers, his edicts are increasingly ignored, especially in the North, where it can take months to receive a response from Nuln. Despite the risks, the higher nobles in the North begin pursuing their own ends and forming power blocks, as no timely response is forthcoming from the capital regarding Norscan raids or Greenskin flare-ups. Hope rises after the sudden and inexplicable death of the High King, but no successor is deemed acceptable within any reasonable timeframe by the princes of the Reik. And gradually Imperial administration grinds to a halt as those wiser prices see the writing on the wall and move to secure their own holdings.4561: The Slave Lords
Utilizing legions of slave soldiers from a dozen different nations and races, the merchant lords of Lashiek begin forcing tribute from all of their local rivals. They reach a position of unchallenged supremacy after they defeat a fleet of their eternal rivals in the city of Copher, ending that city's independence and forcing it into vassalage under the Corsair Lords of Lashiek.4561 - 4563: The Great Northern Revolt
Rising up with a mix of helplessness and anger, the northern lords of the Confederation of the Reik issue a formal declaration of independence to Nuln, which is still incapable of governing effectively. Freed from the frozen imperial chains, the northern lords swiftly assemble their forces and manage to repel the shocked, yet apathetic initial counterattacks from Nuln. They then disperse to address the Ork and Beastmen risings that have been spreading unchecked within their realm.In the south, the brazen betrayal is met with outrage. However, it is the shock needed to get the wheels of state turning again. The princes of the Reik assemble, but even in this time of crisis they fail to elect a new High King. After several months however, they do manage to elect a "Regent" who is to be crowned once the rebellion in the North is quashed.
Sending a call to arms out far and wide they manage to gather a force large enough to crush their scattered opponents. However, news then arrives in Nuln that The empire of Remas has sent a declaration of war on the confederation and is even now marching into the Everpeak foothills with their legions, scattering the threadbare garrisons that stand against them. Eventually closing in on blackfire pass itself, the gateway to the Reik basin, and knowing which is the most pressing threat it is against this foe that the regent is forced to march.
It is of course that in this moment of weakness, that the Margravirate chooses to announce to the assembled diet of the Confederation that their king has chosen to not recognize the authority of the regent while acknowledging the rights of the Northern dukes hereto referred to as Thuringia to rebel as a result of a lack of governance. Simultaneously informing the diet that they will allow all remaining confederation in the former eastern Marches to return home. Now that they stand alone and unsupported away from the Reiks core.
Only four months later, after a successful confederate defense at Blackfire Pass, the four involved powers come to the peace tables at the Talks of Nuln, where a de facto peace is established. The Margraviate gains independence and claims any former Confederation territories within the realms of the Taleutans, Asoborns, Ostagoths, or Brigundians, renaming itself the Kingdom of Brigundia. Remas claims possession of the Everpeak Foothills, though they are forced to grant a measure of autonomy to their new subjects to avoid intervention from the Ankor. Thuringia, too, gains independence under a "Teutomeister". The Confederation itself survives, though it is greatly reduced in size, power, and prestige. But it still retains its original heartlands and seethes with the embarrassment of its recent downfall.
4562: The Everpeak Seeths
The mountain itself is nearly unassailable. Its passes are watched by arcane eyes, and its throngs are the most numerous of any in the Ankor. Even its lesser subsidiary holds could rival the younger holds in the west in terms of defensiveness and sophistication.Yet the Orks do not care. A horde of Greenskins emerges from Mount Silvespear and plunges toward the Everpeak, plundering as they go. Forewarned and forearmed, most Dawi manage to escape into their holds before the small Waaagh! descends upon them. However, some caravans are caught and isolated by the Orks, and a few lesser holds are placed under siege. The Dawi hunker down, hoping that Erbor will return with his host to liberate his realm before more lives are lost. This plan is abandoned though when a minor hold is breached by the Orks, and a throng is called up to meet the Greenskins on the open field. Still greatly outnumbered, the Dawi meet the Greenskins at the narrow end of a gorge, where their enemies numbers count for little. Cannons fire into the teeming mass, killing dozens per shot, while Thunderers and Crossbowmen pour fire into the green tide. The battle is horrendous, and by the time the horde is finally driven out, over twenty thousand Dawi have perished.
4566 - 4573: The Great Plagues
Beginning in Estalia, a series of great plagues spreads along the trade routes that have flourished throughout the human realms. Within a year, the disease reaches Bretonnia, and within two more years, it reaches the Reik. Millions die, and suffering is nearly universal among both the rich and poor, with no exceptions save, seemingly, for the petty kingdoms of Norsca where the cold seems to act as protection. Even the Duke of Couronne is eventually weakened so much by the plague that he can no longer enforce his will across the sea. His army, ravaged by the disease, stands useless, and he is eventually forced to concede the independence of the norscan city-states. In the south, however, little attention is paid to such matters, as death stalks the land. And in its wake, the rats follow.4574: The Ratsnake
That the rats would attack Akrak was a certainty. That their festering pit would host horrors beyond dwarven comprehension was assumed. But it was not expected that dwarven resolve would be tested so soon.Emerging suddenly from one of Karak Akrak's deepest mines, in the heart of a gromril seam, a titanic beast burst through the rock wall. Hundreds of feet long, with dozens of stumpy but powerful legs that propelled it forward, the creature was a nightmare. At its front, the furred head of a great, frenzied rat, large enough to consume a troll in a single gulp. And its sinuous body to squeeze into gaps thought impossible for a creature of its size, the Ratsnake became a demon for the Dawi of Akrak. The Ironbreakers could not pierce its hide, and its sheer speed rendered cannonfire ineffective.
Thousands of Dawi died over the next few months as the creature, along with lesser monsters, made its way ever deeper into the hold. Serious consideration was given to sealing the mines and abandoning them to escape the predator's grasp. Eventually, however, a stroke of luck came. A barrel coated in goat's blood and filled with blasting powder was swallowed by the beast. The delayed timer on the barrel exploding inside its gullet, killing the Ratsnake in one fell swoop to the shock of the miners who had acted out of desperation. The beast slain the exausted Dawi to begin a crusade to liberate the mines from the thaggoriki infestation.
4576: Advance of Al-Rahid
His Djinn summoning successful and flanks secured by a fresh treaty with the dead king of Zantri. The Sheikh of Al Rahid moves west. Seizing city after city until at last the Sheiks forces, triumphant but exhausted ceased before trespassing on the lands de-jure if not de facto belonging to the sultan of Al-Haiik. His alleged liege.4577: The Fleet of Vengeance Sails
Built to replace the Northern Fleet. The Vengeance Fleet sails forth from the seaport of Barak Varr. Doctrinal changes seeing it focussing more on convoy raiding and scouting of enemy forces than the primary battleline. Some Dawi fear that these smaller vessels are too small and insufficiently armoured to hold the line in battle. Reman sailors look at these steel skinned behemoths and are reminded why the imperator has a standing order for the execution of anyone who would challenge a dwarven vessel in anything but the most polite of terms.4579: Waagh! Ironhide
The Reman province at the edge of the Wasteland ceases to exist, overcome by a green tide so vast that it is impossible to see its other end. Word of the devastation first reaches Barak Varr when refugees from the fallen provincial capital arrive. The aging High King, Erbor, still yearning for a peaceful rest, reaches for his Az one final time as word is sent to him of the green-tinted doom that approaches.
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The Waaagghhh decends
Carried by his shieldbearers upon their shoulders the throne of Grungi holds an old dwarf. Over a quarter millenia old, Erbor Steelarm still bears his age with power and strength. Even if his motions lack a small amount of the near infinite drive and power that once embodied his every movement. But none could doubt his authority. None in the Ankor would even consider the thought. Here sits the King who had cast the Urk out of the Reik basin. Who had forged for the Umgi a shield out of the Worlds edge mountains. Who had seen the slaves of the bull cast out of their ancient den of Uzkuluk and ground that hold into the dirt. Hhere was the first king to have seen an Expansion of the Ankor in more than a thousand years.
Still though his eyes appeared troubled as he glances down at the map before him, scanning endlessly the figures before him. His military mind calculating the odds, adding one by one the number of Dawi that would be risked no matter which decision he ended up making.
Looking up from the map he marks out Dain Mordrak, his thane of the throne. "Any news from the imperator yet?".
His copper bearded assistant shakes his head. "None yet my lord. We expect that news would have only reached there perhaps a week ago. Not to shake an unsupported shaft, but it will likely be a month before we have any news from Reams outside of their governors".
Erbor strokes his beard and glances at the border that marked where the Reman Wmpire ends and the badlands begin. Before he looks up and stares down the thane of the Gnolumgi. "Four legions of Limitanei on the border and another four of legionnaires at black fire pass. What do you Imagine they do with this news trickling in?"
Recently promoted to his rank Erbor knows the man to be quite jovial. But even he is glowering at the map where in the badlands perhaps half a million greenskins or more were known to be moving. "They arnt beardlings sir, they know they cant hold that frontage against a wagghh of that size. I've had my people look at the old fortresses that stood between the old border of Remas and the Reik. They've been well maintained and would have an extra thirty thousand hands across half the distance." he grimaces then. I'd still pull back to the old heartlands if I were them though, even with the forts its eight to one and the old Tilean borders are the best option they have. Though" he finally adds. "If the Urk attack the pass. I dare say the confederation would be willing to pay them to do their jobs despite the…animosity"
"The fact that they've been staring each other down over fortress walls for a decade?"
"Aye, yes my lord. Even then"
Erbor nods, his assessment matching his general as he traces to where the old lands of the Stancati meet with Tilea proper. The city of Pugna still maintains a vast citadel from before Remas was truly an empire, and with the Apuchi mountains blocking any other entry into Tilea proper. It is the best hope the Empire had. Still, though, pride came into such matters. "You have met the Imperator though, do you imagine he would simply give up half his empire?"
The nod in return is immediate. "Julian is a pragmatic man, he did his time as a legate. He'll cut off his arm to save the rest."
Erbor nods, satisfied, he then turns his attention north on the map. To black fire pass. The confederation had spent the last decade attempting to refresh itself. Reorganising to dispense with the rot they hadn't even realized had set in. And they have to watch for Reman opportunism regardless. Maintaining a significant borderguard and the ability to call upon the militia dienstmen in a heartbeat. If the Urk go north instead of chasing the Remans they would run right into the most fortified pass outside of the Ankor itself. An ideal place to match the Urk and stop them from ravaging the millions who dwelled north of that pass. If only he could be sure that it is the place the greenskins would choose.
Finally, there are the last two options for the Urk to go once they crash into the foothills. Both Barrack Varr and the Everpeak sit on the opposite ends of the plain, and while both he and his counterpart in Varr are doing all they can to minimise the likelihood, there is always the chance that the Urk would be overcome with the urge to go chasing mountains. The holds are objectively the best place to fight the greenskins. Fortified beyond all belief, it is almost a certainty that the everpeak itself would not fall to attack and while Varr could boast of less it was still grand beyond any Umgi imagination. But when he mined his way to the core of his thoughts he knew he would rather see a dozen umgi die for every one of the Dawi who would draw breath instead. And to see a hold wiped out in the last years of his life. He would do almost anything to prevent that.
With slow calculation he looks down again at his maps and sees the representations of what he himself can call upon. The Urk in such numbers are a vast warhammer. Incredibly strong, near unstoppable. But slow to act. It would likely be months before they managed to regroup after smashing the coast. He has time still to decide where he would most like to play his pieces. To decide what his legacy would be.
[ ] Prepare to send forces to aid Remas.
Notify the throngs of Izor, Varr, and Norn. Call up all your standing forces and prepare to march with the host of Karaz A Karak to the aid of the Reman Empire. They are not your allies, you do not owe them anything. If you came to their aid in the event they are attacked however they would be eternally grateful...for the standards of umgi. They are also a stable prosperous power and their lack could potentially set you back centuries in your taming of the continent
[ ] Prepare to send forces to aid the confederation.
Notify the throngs of Izor, Zhufbar and Kadrin, plus that of the everpeak and march to black fire pass. A premier defensive location, your artillery would have a shooting gallery within the confines. However the Confederation is not as prepared as they would have been merely thirty years ago and while their soldiery is undiminished, their quantity certainly is. But if the Urk were to break into the Reik basin, it would endanger Erbors entire life's work.
[ ] Prepare to defend the holds.
The Umgi are numerous proud and strong. Even diminished as the confederation of the Reik is, they still outnumber the Dawi more than ten to one. We have given them the breathing space over the last centuries do develop and grow strong. We have born the brunt of the enemies assaults so that now they may bear the burden. Raise the throngs of Zhufbar and Kadrin, have them make haste to the everpeak while the everpeak marches for fortify Varr. Never again shall a hold fall beneath the gaze of a high king.
Likelihood that the Waagghh will attack
Remas - High
The Confederation of the Reik - High
Barak Varr - Low
The Everpeak - Very low
12 hour moratorium
Still though his eyes appeared troubled as he glances down at the map before him, scanning endlessly the figures before him. His military mind calculating the odds, adding one by one the number of Dawi that would be risked no matter which decision he ended up making.
Looking up from the map he marks out Dain Mordrak, his thane of the throne. "Any news from the imperator yet?".
His copper bearded assistant shakes his head. "None yet my lord. We expect that news would have only reached there perhaps a week ago. Not to shake an unsupported shaft, but it will likely be a month before we have any news from Reams outside of their governors".
Erbor strokes his beard and glances at the border that marked where the Reman Wmpire ends and the badlands begin. Before he looks up and stares down the thane of the Gnolumgi. "Four legions of Limitanei on the border and another four of legionnaires at black fire pass. What do you Imagine they do with this news trickling in?"
Recently promoted to his rank Erbor knows the man to be quite jovial. But even he is glowering at the map where in the badlands perhaps half a million greenskins or more were known to be moving. "They arnt beardlings sir, they know they cant hold that frontage against a wagghh of that size. I've had my people look at the old fortresses that stood between the old border of Remas and the Reik. They've been well maintained and would have an extra thirty thousand hands across half the distance." he grimaces then. I'd still pull back to the old heartlands if I were them though, even with the forts its eight to one and the old Tilean borders are the best option they have. Though" he finally adds. "If the Urk attack the pass. I dare say the confederation would be willing to pay them to do their jobs despite the…animosity"
"The fact that they've been staring each other down over fortress walls for a decade?"
"Aye, yes my lord. Even then"
Erbor nods, his assessment matching his general as he traces to where the old lands of the Stancati meet with Tilea proper. The city of Pugna still maintains a vast citadel from before Remas was truly an empire, and with the Apuchi mountains blocking any other entry into Tilea proper. It is the best hope the Empire had. Still, though, pride came into such matters. "You have met the Imperator though, do you imagine he would simply give up half his empire?"
The nod in return is immediate. "Julian is a pragmatic man, he did his time as a legate. He'll cut off his arm to save the rest."
Erbor nods, satisfied, he then turns his attention north on the map. To black fire pass. The confederation had spent the last decade attempting to refresh itself. Reorganising to dispense with the rot they hadn't even realized had set in. And they have to watch for Reman opportunism regardless. Maintaining a significant borderguard and the ability to call upon the militia dienstmen in a heartbeat. If the Urk go north instead of chasing the Remans they would run right into the most fortified pass outside of the Ankor itself. An ideal place to match the Urk and stop them from ravaging the millions who dwelled north of that pass. If only he could be sure that it is the place the greenskins would choose.
Finally, there are the last two options for the Urk to go once they crash into the foothills. Both Barrack Varr and the Everpeak sit on the opposite ends of the plain, and while both he and his counterpart in Varr are doing all they can to minimise the likelihood, there is always the chance that the Urk would be overcome with the urge to go chasing mountains. The holds are objectively the best place to fight the greenskins. Fortified beyond all belief, it is almost a certainty that the everpeak itself would not fall to attack and while Varr could boast of less it was still grand beyond any Umgi imagination. But when he mined his way to the core of his thoughts he knew he would rather see a dozen umgi die for every one of the Dawi who would draw breath instead. And to see a hold wiped out in the last years of his life. He would do almost anything to prevent that.
With slow calculation he looks down again at his maps and sees the representations of what he himself can call upon. The Urk in such numbers are a vast warhammer. Incredibly strong, near unstoppable. But slow to act. It would likely be months before they managed to regroup after smashing the coast. He has time still to decide where he would most like to play his pieces. To decide what his legacy would be.
[ ] Prepare to send forces to aid Remas.
Notify the throngs of Izor, Varr, and Norn. Call up all your standing forces and prepare to march with the host of Karaz A Karak to the aid of the Reman Empire. They are not your allies, you do not owe them anything. If you came to their aid in the event they are attacked however they would be eternally grateful...for the standards of umgi. They are also a stable prosperous power and their lack could potentially set you back centuries in your taming of the continent
[ ] Prepare to send forces to aid the confederation.
Notify the throngs of Izor, Zhufbar and Kadrin, plus that of the everpeak and march to black fire pass. A premier defensive location, your artillery would have a shooting gallery within the confines. However the Confederation is not as prepared as they would have been merely thirty years ago and while their soldiery is undiminished, their quantity certainly is. But if the Urk were to break into the Reik basin, it would endanger Erbors entire life's work.
[ ] Prepare to defend the holds.
The Umgi are numerous proud and strong. Even diminished as the confederation of the Reik is, they still outnumber the Dawi more than ten to one. We have given them the breathing space over the last centuries do develop and grow strong. We have born the brunt of the enemies assaults so that now they may bear the burden. Raise the throngs of Zhufbar and Kadrin, have them make haste to the everpeak while the everpeak marches for fortify Varr. Never again shall a hold fall beneath the gaze of a high king.
Likelihood that the Waagghh will attack
Remas - High
The Confederation of the Reik - High
Barak Varr - Low
The Everpeak - Very low
12 hour moratorium
Manning the Pass
Much like a steam engine. As soon as the Karaz Ankor found a source of ignition, it began moving all at once. It had not stirred in the regency war, as the collapse of the confederation of the Reik was coming to be known. For the Dawi of the Karaz Ankor, hold their alliances to be above those of the squabbling between Umgi. Nations will rise and vie for dominance. But the mountain lords care little. But as the badlands shake with the steps of half a million marching urk. As the calls of waaagghhh echo through the fallen holds of Ekrund and Iron Rock. As the exarchate of Malusteras collapses beneath a hundred thousand choppas. The Karaz Ankor readies itself for war.
Rivercraft race down the rapids that the Dawi had settled over millennia toward Barak Varr. They carry messages up to the holds of Izor and Hirn, as well as a personal message to the King of Varr itself. They are to call their Throngs and march to the west. Meeting together in the ancient homelands of the Stancati, where they would march to wherever it was found the Remans had chosen to make their stand. Where they are to add Dwarven steel to Umgi bronze and see whether at the end of the month such a combined host could beat back the raw numbers of the Urk. This he ordered for the holds of Izor and Hirn. The King of Varr though would store his throng in the transports of the vengeance fleet, waiting on the king's command and events to unfold.
Held aloft on the Throne of Grimnir, Erbor marches with what members of the Gnolumgi, Klad Karu, and High throng he could gather in haste and adds to them some number of the throng of Karaz A Karak. A host somewhat dwindled over the past half-century, as its seemingly bottomless well of Dawi took blow after blow in battles across the World's Edge Mountains. Still, however, with tens of thousands of Dawi and Umgi at his back, Erbor brings with him a host that can swiftly crush any petty raiding force that would attempt to block the High King's path. Despite this, Erbor takes a much more leisurely pace down the dwarf road than the urgency of his task should have afforded him. Pausing for nearly a week near the mouth of Blackfire Pass, as the withdrawing Limitanae report on the evacuation that is taking place south of here, and the efforts they have made to both slow the horde and ease the escape of their citizens north and west.
Eventually, a ship arrives bearing news of Varr, whose observation balloons have spied the vast horde as it loots and pillages its way alongside the Varenka Hills. Led, as told by several refugees, seemingly by a titanic Urk in black armor, wearing a grisly helmet forged from the bloody remnants of those worn by the legates he has killed. Seemingly in little rush, however, he moves his horde glacially, with its endless bickering only pausing to leap forward and sack each new town that crests the horizon. Erbor nods as he reads the last few Khazalid runes describing the horde chasing a stream of refugees fleeing toward the safety of Blackfire Pass, likely to arrive in but a few weeks.
Austere and proud upon his throne, Erbor quickly writes an answering letter to his brother king in Varr with instructions on what to do next, before handing it to the messenger and bidding him depart with all haste. Dismissing his throne bearers and all other courtiers and dignitaries within his ad-hoc court. He is left to silent contemplation within the small manor he has claimed as his temporary residence.
Then slowly, Erbor reaches with only some small trepidation beneath his woven and oiled beard, and draws forth a small pendant of a jade eagle, glowing softly with an inner light. Bringing it up to his lips, the High King whispers but a few sentences into the artifact, which shatters in a sudden blaze of light. In its place, a great eagle of forest green energy regards the king coolly, occasionally grooming itself as it once did in life before immediately alighting and speeding to the north, soaring on an unearthly breeze and disappearing out of sight faster than any mortal creature.
Silently the king ruminates for a moment. Wondering if this moment too will bear the mark of his legacy before gently rubbing away the faint tracery of stone that mars his fingertips and returns to his work.
Immediately upon receiving news from Varr, the High King acts, his artillery train moving into the pass itself to establish suitable positions while the rest of the throng moves on the nearby Reman border fortress of Lugdennum, which marks the Remans' most northern point of expansion toward the confederation. Forming a blockade against any attempt to flee west or south, the High King near enough begins a siege of the small citadel, hosting a full four legions of Remas's finest, who had not set foot outside the fortress in many days, seeming oblivious to the chaos occurring in the province around it.
Nevertheless, as Erbor requests a parlay, he finds the senior legate in command almost eager to assist his erstwhile enemies in a defense of Blackfire Pass, and though he mourns that he had no authority over the Limitanae withdrawing to Stancatia, he swiftly orders his legions, to the shock of the growing army of Nuln, to assist in manning the defences against the tide that would soon fall upon them all. An order that several Dawi hear causes a measure of grumbling in their ranks, even if a seeming love of their commander drives them to see his will completed.
And so at last, Erbor himself withdraws back into the pass itself, which is quickly gathering to itself quite a host. As Nuln calls upon all it could field within reach. Still though, even if all the soldiers of the confederation could be gathered into a single spot, it would not come close to half the number that the Urk can field. And though the Dawi will form a centre of near indomitable might, it could very well not be enough to stem the tide of Urk that will fall upon them in only a few weeks' time.
Erbor sent a letter to the King of Barak Varr, who has mounted twenty thousand of his throng in both his and the Ankor's ships that could race up the river ahead of the Greenskin host to assist with the coming cataclysmic battle. However, though they could turn the tide of the coming conflict, it is the greater part of a hold's entire throng that Erbor would be risking.
What did Erbor say?
[ ] Come and bring all that you are able, cannon, steel, and runecraft are needed and all in abundance, and not a mote should be spared where we could have called for more.
[ ] Hold fast and hold back. The day of reckoning will come and we dare not risk more than we can bear to lose. This is not the last battle that the Ankor will face, but Dawi are needed to fight them. Stay and ensure a future for our kin.
You yourselves have a force of roughly forty thousand of the Ankor currently. 12 thousand of which are Gnolumgi or Klad Karu
12 hour moratorium
Rivercraft race down the rapids that the Dawi had settled over millennia toward Barak Varr. They carry messages up to the holds of Izor and Hirn, as well as a personal message to the King of Varr itself. They are to call their Throngs and march to the west. Meeting together in the ancient homelands of the Stancati, where they would march to wherever it was found the Remans had chosen to make their stand. Where they are to add Dwarven steel to Umgi bronze and see whether at the end of the month such a combined host could beat back the raw numbers of the Urk. This he ordered for the holds of Izor and Hirn. The King of Varr though would store his throng in the transports of the vengeance fleet, waiting on the king's command and events to unfold.
Held aloft on the Throne of Grimnir, Erbor marches with what members of the Gnolumgi, Klad Karu, and High throng he could gather in haste and adds to them some number of the throng of Karaz A Karak. A host somewhat dwindled over the past half-century, as its seemingly bottomless well of Dawi took blow after blow in battles across the World's Edge Mountains. Still, however, with tens of thousands of Dawi and Umgi at his back, Erbor brings with him a host that can swiftly crush any petty raiding force that would attempt to block the High King's path. Despite this, Erbor takes a much more leisurely pace down the dwarf road than the urgency of his task should have afforded him. Pausing for nearly a week near the mouth of Blackfire Pass, as the withdrawing Limitanae report on the evacuation that is taking place south of here, and the efforts they have made to both slow the horde and ease the escape of their citizens north and west.
Eventually, a ship arrives bearing news of Varr, whose observation balloons have spied the vast horde as it loots and pillages its way alongside the Varenka Hills. Led, as told by several refugees, seemingly by a titanic Urk in black armor, wearing a grisly helmet forged from the bloody remnants of those worn by the legates he has killed. Seemingly in little rush, however, he moves his horde glacially, with its endless bickering only pausing to leap forward and sack each new town that crests the horizon. Erbor nods as he reads the last few Khazalid runes describing the horde chasing a stream of refugees fleeing toward the safety of Blackfire Pass, likely to arrive in but a few weeks.
Austere and proud upon his throne, Erbor quickly writes an answering letter to his brother king in Varr with instructions on what to do next, before handing it to the messenger and bidding him depart with all haste. Dismissing his throne bearers and all other courtiers and dignitaries within his ad-hoc court. He is left to silent contemplation within the small manor he has claimed as his temporary residence.
Then slowly, Erbor reaches with only some small trepidation beneath his woven and oiled beard, and draws forth a small pendant of a jade eagle, glowing softly with an inner light. Bringing it up to his lips, the High King whispers but a few sentences into the artifact, which shatters in a sudden blaze of light. In its place, a great eagle of forest green energy regards the king coolly, occasionally grooming itself as it once did in life before immediately alighting and speeding to the north, soaring on an unearthly breeze and disappearing out of sight faster than any mortal creature.
Silently the king ruminates for a moment. Wondering if this moment too will bear the mark of his legacy before gently rubbing away the faint tracery of stone that mars his fingertips and returns to his work.
Immediately upon receiving news from Varr, the High King acts, his artillery train moving into the pass itself to establish suitable positions while the rest of the throng moves on the nearby Reman border fortress of Lugdennum, which marks the Remans' most northern point of expansion toward the confederation. Forming a blockade against any attempt to flee west or south, the High King near enough begins a siege of the small citadel, hosting a full four legions of Remas's finest, who had not set foot outside the fortress in many days, seeming oblivious to the chaos occurring in the province around it.
Nevertheless, as Erbor requests a parlay, he finds the senior legate in command almost eager to assist his erstwhile enemies in a defense of Blackfire Pass, and though he mourns that he had no authority over the Limitanae withdrawing to Stancatia, he swiftly orders his legions, to the shock of the growing army of Nuln, to assist in manning the defences against the tide that would soon fall upon them all. An order that several Dawi hear causes a measure of grumbling in their ranks, even if a seeming love of their commander drives them to see his will completed.
And so at last, Erbor himself withdraws back into the pass itself, which is quickly gathering to itself quite a host. As Nuln calls upon all it could field within reach. Still though, even if all the soldiers of the confederation could be gathered into a single spot, it would not come close to half the number that the Urk can field. And though the Dawi will form a centre of near indomitable might, it could very well not be enough to stem the tide of Urk that will fall upon them in only a few weeks' time.
Erbor sent a letter to the King of Barak Varr, who has mounted twenty thousand of his throng in both his and the Ankor's ships that could race up the river ahead of the Greenskin host to assist with the coming cataclysmic battle. However, though they could turn the tide of the coming conflict, it is the greater part of a hold's entire throng that Erbor would be risking.
What did Erbor say?
[ ] Come and bring all that you are able, cannon, steel, and runecraft are needed and all in abundance, and not a mote should be spared where we could have called for more.
[ ] Hold fast and hold back. The day of reckoning will come and we dare not risk more than we can bear to lose. This is not the last battle that the Ankor will face, but Dawi are needed to fight them. Stay and ensure a future for our kin.
You yourselves have a force of roughly forty thousand of the Ankor currently. 12 thousand of which are Gnolumgi or Klad Karu
12 hour moratorium
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The Silver Waagghh
Aim… fire… grab a new gun… aim… fire… grab a new gun. Gorim maintains a steady rhythm as he continues pouring fire onto the greenskin throng, which hurls abuse at the fleeing vessel from either side of the river. Abuse, as well as arrows, rocks, and even smaller greenskin cousins, as the ships continue to make haste back toward Varr. Just half a day ago, they had managed to drop the throng of Barak Varr at the High King's behest. Bah! Helping manlings who, if they had any sense (which umgi rarely do), would have managed to fend off a WAAAGH without the Dawi having to get involved.
But he has little enough time to think about that as Thrain passes him a new rifle. After a moment to set his aim, Gorim uses it to nail a particularly large ork that is flinging grobi at their vessel as if they were green discus. And even as he fires he feels from below the rumble of cannon fire shake through the body of the frigate. A full broadside launched against the flanks of the riverbank, smashing through the ranks of greenskins that tear at the edges of the river like an angry wave.
He grimaces as he hears a deep thud and a curse from somewhere down the length of the ship. Somewhere in the tumult, some Dawi has been hit. Thrain pauses his loading for a moment before giving Gorim a stolid look.
"Don't go dying on me, you sun-addled anvil dropper. You still owe me a mug of that swill you like to call ale."
Gorim snorts. "The finest ale you're likely to ever taste," he says, clapping his friend on the shoulder and smirking as he adds, "I'll save you the cracked mug."
So saying, he watches for a split second as Thrain picks up his Az and moves out of sight in the tumult. This had been much easier on the way in, with the throng aboard. Thousands of guns and Azs adding their voices to the din as they sped past the horde. The way back, however, had already seen a cruiser overturned by a pair of giants. Thunderous volleys sounding in the distance as the surviving and isolated crew sold themselves dearly. Little could be done then with the banks teeming green, except hope that the throng as a whole makes this whole ancestor-damned voyage worthwhile.
With that thought, he fires the last shot with his rifle into the midst of the green tide before picking up his own Az. Just a few more minutes, and surely they'll be through.
The entire valley throngs with noise as the stinking avalanche of green flesh seems to leap forward toward the allied lines. The deafening crash of the fronts meeting little more than the clinking of coins in comparison to the deafening "WAAAGH!" that emerges from a hundred thousand throats. Near the front, Erbor sees Legate Ramius yelling exhortations to his men, the Reman pilum sailing in their hundreds to fall down on the packed greenskins, crushing their way into the narrow pass. Meanwhile, scattered throughout the pass, elevated batteries of cannon pour shot after shot into the packed ranks of greenskins. Causing little obvious impact to the naked eye as the great red scars each shot scores into their ranks are swiftly covered by ever more raving, battle-lusted fanatics.
"What I wouldn't give to have some gnolumgi of my own," Count Unfang of Reikland comments as he watches the ebb and flow of the battle. A far cry from the primitives of some centuries ago, the current heir to the Reikfort stands resplendent in custom dwarven plate, his mustache trimmed and oiled into what Erbor considers a ridiculous shape. But a veteran of the battles against Remas in the closing days of the Reik's height and marshal of the pass, he is no princely beardling given hasty command. His well-oiled garrison forces show their worth as they maneuver against the foe below in the pass. Dientsmen, clad in iron chain, ripple around several oncoming enslaved giants, moving to allow them through their own lines of battle before finishing the isolated brutes off. Slingers and other auxiliaries pelting them with enough javelins and slingstones to eventually bring the giants down one by one.
However, Erbor's attention is drawn to the left flank of the host, where the silver of the dwarven host can be seen anchored to the wall of the pass. The pikes of the gnolumgi as noted by the count are foremost among the throng, impaling dozens, hundreds of urks, even as they watch from their vantage point. The silver spears quickly turning red with the slick blood of the greenskins.
"Hmmm, they do serve as a mighty bulwark, eh?" agrees the High King. "It is written in the works of High King Bardin that they were the inspiration for his first kulls. He thought he could have a hundred thousand of them without having to pay a coin. Just empty a field of urks, plant a hamlet or two, and when you turn back, well…" He gestures toward the massed host of the Reik. Still formidable, even after the blows the empire has taken in recent decades.
"Ah," murmurs the Count, as he seems to mull over the High King's words with more thought than Erbor expects. "So the legends are true, then. You would have us fight your wars on the surface while you fight your Ungkazak, your war under the mountains."
"Aye," Erbor replies after sending a messenger to Ungrim Stonefists of Varr, commanding him to shift his artillery fire to the center, where some Remans are beginning to give way under the pressure. A tiny note of shame enters his voice as he notes how very utilitarian his life's work appears to someone who has probably borne much of the consequences of his own long campaigns against the Grobi of the Reik. How many Isolated hamets and towns, only recently set up had been lost simply due to the pace of his wars over the centuries. "We cannot do both, manling. Even a diamond breaks under enough pressure. You umgi will fight this battle, and if we win, in a decade it will be as if it never occurred. Your farms will flourish, and your cities will burst with life." He turns to the count then, eyes as flint as the rock he stands on. "Unlike you, though, the Dawi will lose regardless, even should we win—and win well. Dozens of mines in the Everpeak will have to be filled in, all for lack of Dawi to mine them."
The Count nods, perhaps shamed by his accusation, finger gliding over the hilt of his blade, the pommel itself forged with the rune of Gazul. The two occasionally issue orders as they watch the batteries shift their fire to the center, relieving the legions fighting there long enough for them to be relieved by reserve forces. This gives the Remans time to regroup before they're again asked to return to the front. Where a wall of green without end can be seen winding up the valley until it is hidden behind a curve, gradually, like water against granite, wearing the lines of human and dwarves down one soldier at a time.
"We're tools to you, then. Like the pick or the shovel. Just another instrument in the workshop to craft your empire… or recraft it, rather," the Count says.
Erbor eyes the Count now, seeing the resolve in his eyes, the pain of defeat after defeat in recent years. And he can't fault the manling for this question, as he sees the work of a decade worn down by the greenskins. Not when he's right.
"Aye," he says eventually, staring the Count down. "But I won't apologize, Reiksman. How can I? When I would see Nuln burn to the ground rather than see a single one of our holds fall to the urks or the Rakki. "When I first sat on my throne, I knew the task that lay before me. Tens of millions of greenskins swarmed the Reik in those days, every one of them baying for the blood of my kin. There are those who think that we should hide in our holds, even after the work of Hardin and Frorltounge. Safe behind our walls."
But I knew even then what had to be done. Or else this," he gestures toward the gargantuan mass of green that still bears down on their forces, "would be trying to climb the Everpeak. Or would even now be picking at the bones of Varr. Call me demon, call me monster for it, I don't care, manling. But I sent my throngs out, and I grew the Reik one kull after another for centuries so that one day, when the time came, you could man this line, right here, right now, and be the shield that guards us from turning our back on the world. Do I see you as tools, umgi? Of course I do. And I'm sure that when I reach the halls of my ancestors, they will be sure to ask me to name every man, woman, and child that I sacrifice so that the Dawi may live. And I will be unable to answer them, for I do not know them all."
Will they damn me for it, umgi? Will I be cast out of the Glittering Realm? I do not know. But even if they do, I will be cast out with a smile on my face. I was born into an Ankor on the brink of extinction. Each hold alone and unguarded, and to save it, I have done what needs to be done. A safe centre of human civilisatio now sits where uncounted Urk used to gather. A realm that is safer for Dawi to travel than the roads of our own mountains. And with the Az of a hundred thousand Dawi, I have seen to it that this is the case.
Are you tools to me?" he adds with a melancholic smile. "Of course you are, manling. But any guildmaster will tell you to treat your tools well. And I will guard and protect you, just as you do me, for as long as I draw breath."
The battle ebbs and flows for hours as the greenskin onslaught continues. Trolls, in a grasping rush, break through the Umgi lines, and the Klad Karu assemble a mighty charge of over two thousand lances to seal the gap. Spider-riding goblins scale the mountain walls in their teeming masses, and one by one the Dwarven batteries are spiked or routed after grinding battles on each plateau. A massive charge of boar-riding orks even sees the Gnolumgi crumble beneath their massed weight before the throngs close in. Blunderbuss barrages shredding ork and pig flesh alike, giving the Gnolumgi a chance to regroup after their horrendous losses.
Remas, the Reik, and the Dwarves, like clockwork, manage to plug each hole as it is formed. Their formations snatch rest and sleep when they can as they are rotated out of the fiercest fighting. However, it is not enough. The grim calculus of war tells more and more clearly over the day that, despite the reinforcements from Varr, there are simply not enough troops to balance the scale, with Erbor wondering when he will have to commit the last and greatest of his reserves, and how much time the High Throng would give the rest of the army to regroup before they were overwhelmed.
Then the eagles come.
Swooping in from the peaks surrounding the valley, great eagles come in low among the encroaching horde, clawing at exposed giants or trolls with armored talons, and allowing the champions riding on their backs the chance to drive their enchanted lances into the skulls of their opponents. But they do not come alone. For landing at the High King's vantage point, the prince of Tor Lithanel bows briefly before the Dwarve and informs him that what forces Laurelorn could muster on short notice would arrive within the hour. And they bring with them the Thurrigian garrisons they had passed along the way, force-marching over the last two weeks to arrive just as they are needed.
It would be two hours yet before they would be able to join the front, orders having to be sent and plans redrawn to account for the twenty thousand who would join their numbers to those already engaged. But the Urk must have sensed the change in the enemy, for almost no sooner had the elven spear matched itself against ork choppa than the Urk began to chant:
Their numbers, though diminished over the course of the battle, are still enough to shake the mountains themselves with their chanting. And Erbor knows immediately what this means. Raising a spyglass to his eye, he sees, over the continuing tumult, a mass of darker-skinned greenskins making their way through their lessers, and at the center, to his rising satisfaction, he can see a parody of a legate's plume.
"Summon the High Throng," he calls to his thanes as he grasps Ghal Maraz in his hand. His shieldbearers marching in lockstep around him as he makes his way toward the fighting. "I have an Urk to kill."
Erbor coughs between gasps as he glares at the towering form of his foe, blood spattering his white beard after the terrific blow the monstrous warboss landed on his chestplate. Shattering it and driving the king ever so briefly to his knees. Around him, the battle rages on as the High Throng and his shieldbearers battle the black orc bodyguard of Kulgar Legionbreaker. Runic weapons and unceasing training pitted against the raw strength and low cunning of the monstrous brutes.
That the creature before him was the largest he had ever seen was beyond doubt. Larger by far than the creature he had fought to begin his reign. Yet he also acted with an intelligence that belied his stature, attempting to draw Erbor out again and again with feinting blows and an ebbing, aggressive, and then defensive style that unsettled the dwarf to see in the ork. But the creature had not got all its own way. Erbor's centuries of experience overcoming his lack of height and reach and the great bloody craters along the beast's flesh showed where Ghal Maraz had found its mark.
Still, Kulgar looks eager as he spits out a tooth from a mouth that is missing half a chin. "Alrighty then," he mutters in a low growl as the two circle each other. "Break time's over!" With a leaping stride, the mountain of muscle hurtles at the king and brings down an overhand swing at his opponent, who leaps aside just in time for the stone he was standing on to shatter beneath the ork's axe.
The two warriors strike at each other again and again, though both now act with far more caution than when they began. Erbor's lifeblood stains the ground as he is gradually driven backward up the carcass of a fallen giant, while the warboss, though still eager for the fight, has now felt the weight of a blow from the hammer of Dwarven kings. He too knows that the next blow to strike him will likely lead to his end. He has time, however, when the Dwarf King likely does not, and Erbor knows how likely it is that, despite their reinforcements, the allied armies are likely to soon break and run. So, as he reaches the apex of the fallen giant's bulk, he casts the dice one final time. Instead of dodging the next swing of the monstrous axe, he raises his left arm and feels both runic plate and arm shatter as they absorb the blow.
Grimacing in agony, he takes satisfaction from the look of sudden panic in the warboss's red, hate-filled eyes. The monstrous ork's momentum carriying him forward into the matching swing of Ghal Maraz. The Skullsplitter once again earning its name as Kulgar Legionbreaker's head disappears in an explosion of red mist, the matching red plumes embedded in his helmet scattering in the breeze.
Accepting the wound for the mortal blow that it was, and already feeling his strength beginning to fail him, Erbor Steelarm grins as he hears, in the surrounding beast's panicked shrieks, the greatest WAAAGH in centuries shattering beneath his single hammer blow.
It is three days later that the High King of the Dawi is given his final rights by a priest of Gazul, the lord of the underearth. And is welcomed. So it is hoped, by his ancestors into the glittering realm. In the last few days of his rule however, Erbor did manage to raise enough strength and gather enough lucidity to indicate his preference for his heir. The will of the high king in this mattered going unquestioned. Given his age and experience.
In the end he chose
[ ] A warrior.
[ ] A steward
[ ] A diplomat
In his chambers back at the everpeak. work continued in preparation for the next lord of the Ankor to assume his position. And though Erbor never did make the effort to collate his wisdom in a tome such as Bardin Hardaxe or Yaril Frorltoung. Centuries of writings had been collected over his reign and would grant immense wisdom to he who was about to ascend to the throne.
[ ] The management of Armies.
[ ] Regathering the Diaspora
[ ] Knowing the Umgi
[ ] Bringer of hope
The Wagghhh is defeated, seventeen thousand of the Dawi lie dead on the field. While the High King himself is carried off in a casket. However in the immediate aftermath, the wagghh shatters. Scattering throughout the foothills as it splits into many smaller armies. Who set about sacking the province and destroying all that had been built there in the preceding centuries. Both Remas and the Reik. Exhausted by their recent battles are unwilling to contest this as ever more Orks move in from the badlands, already testing the defences of Stancatia and black fire pass by the years end. But the Reik basin itself lies untrampled, and Nuln itself seems if anything invigorated by this victory. Seeing it as a turning point after the nadir of recent decades.
The High King is Dead
Long live the High King
12 hour Moratorium
But he has little enough time to think about that as Thrain passes him a new rifle. After a moment to set his aim, Gorim uses it to nail a particularly large ork that is flinging grobi at their vessel as if they were green discus. And even as he fires he feels from below the rumble of cannon fire shake through the body of the frigate. A full broadside launched against the flanks of the riverbank, smashing through the ranks of greenskins that tear at the edges of the river like an angry wave.
He grimaces as he hears a deep thud and a curse from somewhere down the length of the ship. Somewhere in the tumult, some Dawi has been hit. Thrain pauses his loading for a moment before giving Gorim a stolid look.
"Don't go dying on me, you sun-addled anvil dropper. You still owe me a mug of that swill you like to call ale."
Gorim snorts. "The finest ale you're likely to ever taste," he says, clapping his friend on the shoulder and smirking as he adds, "I'll save you the cracked mug."
So saying, he watches for a split second as Thrain picks up his Az and moves out of sight in the tumult. This had been much easier on the way in, with the throng aboard. Thousands of guns and Azs adding their voices to the din as they sped past the horde. The way back, however, had already seen a cruiser overturned by a pair of giants. Thunderous volleys sounding in the distance as the surviving and isolated crew sold themselves dearly. Little could be done then with the banks teeming green, except hope that the throng as a whole makes this whole ancestor-damned voyage worthwhile.
With that thought, he fires the last shot with his rifle into the midst of the green tide before picking up his own Az. Just a few more minutes, and surely they'll be through.
The entire valley throngs with noise as the stinking avalanche of green flesh seems to leap forward toward the allied lines. The deafening crash of the fronts meeting little more than the clinking of coins in comparison to the deafening "WAAAGH!" that emerges from a hundred thousand throats. Near the front, Erbor sees Legate Ramius yelling exhortations to his men, the Reman pilum sailing in their hundreds to fall down on the packed greenskins, crushing their way into the narrow pass. Meanwhile, scattered throughout the pass, elevated batteries of cannon pour shot after shot into the packed ranks of greenskins. Causing little obvious impact to the naked eye as the great red scars each shot scores into their ranks are swiftly covered by ever more raving, battle-lusted fanatics.
"What I wouldn't give to have some gnolumgi of my own," Count Unfang of Reikland comments as he watches the ebb and flow of the battle. A far cry from the primitives of some centuries ago, the current heir to the Reikfort stands resplendent in custom dwarven plate, his mustache trimmed and oiled into what Erbor considers a ridiculous shape. But a veteran of the battles against Remas in the closing days of the Reik's height and marshal of the pass, he is no princely beardling given hasty command. His well-oiled garrison forces show their worth as they maneuver against the foe below in the pass. Dientsmen, clad in iron chain, ripple around several oncoming enslaved giants, moving to allow them through their own lines of battle before finishing the isolated brutes off. Slingers and other auxiliaries pelting them with enough javelins and slingstones to eventually bring the giants down one by one.
However, Erbor's attention is drawn to the left flank of the host, where the silver of the dwarven host can be seen anchored to the wall of the pass. The pikes of the gnolumgi as noted by the count are foremost among the throng, impaling dozens, hundreds of urks, even as they watch from their vantage point. The silver spears quickly turning red with the slick blood of the greenskins.
"Hmmm, they do serve as a mighty bulwark, eh?" agrees the High King. "It is written in the works of High King Bardin that they were the inspiration for his first kulls. He thought he could have a hundred thousand of them without having to pay a coin. Just empty a field of urks, plant a hamlet or two, and when you turn back, well…" He gestures toward the massed host of the Reik. Still formidable, even after the blows the empire has taken in recent decades.
"Ah," murmurs the Count, as he seems to mull over the High King's words with more thought than Erbor expects. "So the legends are true, then. You would have us fight your wars on the surface while you fight your Ungkazak, your war under the mountains."
"Aye," Erbor replies after sending a messenger to Ungrim Stonefists of Varr, commanding him to shift his artillery fire to the center, where some Remans are beginning to give way under the pressure. A tiny note of shame enters his voice as he notes how very utilitarian his life's work appears to someone who has probably borne much of the consequences of his own long campaigns against the Grobi of the Reik. How many Isolated hamets and towns, only recently set up had been lost simply due to the pace of his wars over the centuries. "We cannot do both, manling. Even a diamond breaks under enough pressure. You umgi will fight this battle, and if we win, in a decade it will be as if it never occurred. Your farms will flourish, and your cities will burst with life." He turns to the count then, eyes as flint as the rock he stands on. "Unlike you, though, the Dawi will lose regardless, even should we win—and win well. Dozens of mines in the Everpeak will have to be filled in, all for lack of Dawi to mine them."
The Count nods, perhaps shamed by his accusation, finger gliding over the hilt of his blade, the pommel itself forged with the rune of Gazul. The two occasionally issue orders as they watch the batteries shift their fire to the center, relieving the legions fighting there long enough for them to be relieved by reserve forces. This gives the Remans time to regroup before they're again asked to return to the front. Where a wall of green without end can be seen winding up the valley until it is hidden behind a curve, gradually, like water against granite, wearing the lines of human and dwarves down one soldier at a time.
"We're tools to you, then. Like the pick or the shovel. Just another instrument in the workshop to craft your empire… or recraft it, rather," the Count says.
Erbor eyes the Count now, seeing the resolve in his eyes, the pain of defeat after defeat in recent years. And he can't fault the manling for this question, as he sees the work of a decade worn down by the greenskins. Not when he's right.
"Aye," he says eventually, staring the Count down. "But I won't apologize, Reiksman. How can I? When I would see Nuln burn to the ground rather than see a single one of our holds fall to the urks or the Rakki. "When I first sat on my throne, I knew the task that lay before me. Tens of millions of greenskins swarmed the Reik in those days, every one of them baying for the blood of my kin. There are those who think that we should hide in our holds, even after the work of Hardin and Frorltounge. Safe behind our walls."
But I knew even then what had to be done. Or else this," he gestures toward the gargantuan mass of green that still bears down on their forces, "would be trying to climb the Everpeak. Or would even now be picking at the bones of Varr. Call me demon, call me monster for it, I don't care, manling. But I sent my throngs out, and I grew the Reik one kull after another for centuries so that one day, when the time came, you could man this line, right here, right now, and be the shield that guards us from turning our back on the world. Do I see you as tools, umgi? Of course I do. And I'm sure that when I reach the halls of my ancestors, they will be sure to ask me to name every man, woman, and child that I sacrifice so that the Dawi may live. And I will be unable to answer them, for I do not know them all."
Will they damn me for it, umgi? Will I be cast out of the Glittering Realm? I do not know. But even if they do, I will be cast out with a smile on my face. I was born into an Ankor on the brink of extinction. Each hold alone and unguarded, and to save it, I have done what needs to be done. A safe centre of human civilisatio now sits where uncounted Urk used to gather. A realm that is safer for Dawi to travel than the roads of our own mountains. And with the Az of a hundred thousand Dawi, I have seen to it that this is the case.
Are you tools to me?" he adds with a melancholic smile. "Of course you are, manling. But any guildmaster will tell you to treat your tools well. And I will guard and protect you, just as you do me, for as long as I draw breath."
The battle ebbs and flows for hours as the greenskin onslaught continues. Trolls, in a grasping rush, break through the Umgi lines, and the Klad Karu assemble a mighty charge of over two thousand lances to seal the gap. Spider-riding goblins scale the mountain walls in their teeming masses, and one by one the Dwarven batteries are spiked or routed after grinding battles on each plateau. A massive charge of boar-riding orks even sees the Gnolumgi crumble beneath their massed weight before the throngs close in. Blunderbuss barrages shredding ork and pig flesh alike, giving the Gnolumgi a chance to regroup after their horrendous losses.
Remas, the Reik, and the Dwarves, like clockwork, manage to plug each hole as it is formed. Their formations snatch rest and sleep when they can as they are rotated out of the fiercest fighting. However, it is not enough. The grim calculus of war tells more and more clearly over the day that, despite the reinforcements from Varr, there are simply not enough troops to balance the scale, with Erbor wondering when he will have to commit the last and greatest of his reserves, and how much time the High Throng would give the rest of the army to regroup before they were overwhelmed.
Then the eagles come.
Swooping in from the peaks surrounding the valley, great eagles come in low among the encroaching horde, clawing at exposed giants or trolls with armored talons, and allowing the champions riding on their backs the chance to drive their enchanted lances into the skulls of their opponents. But they do not come alone. For landing at the High King's vantage point, the prince of Tor Lithanel bows briefly before the Dwarve and informs him that what forces Laurelorn could muster on short notice would arrive within the hour. And they bring with them the Thurrigian garrisons they had passed along the way, force-marching over the last two weeks to arrive just as they are needed.
It would be two hours yet before they would be able to join the front, orders having to be sent and plans redrawn to account for the twenty thousand who would join their numbers to those already engaged. But the Urk must have sensed the change in the enemy, for almost no sooner had the elven spear matched itself against ork choppa than the Urk began to chant:
Krulgar!
Krulgar!
Krulgar!
Krulgar!
Krulgar!
Their numbers, though diminished over the course of the battle, are still enough to shake the mountains themselves with their chanting. And Erbor knows immediately what this means. Raising a spyglass to his eye, he sees, over the continuing tumult, a mass of darker-skinned greenskins making their way through their lessers, and at the center, to his rising satisfaction, he can see a parody of a legate's plume.
"Summon the High Throng," he calls to his thanes as he grasps Ghal Maraz in his hand. His shieldbearers marching in lockstep around him as he makes his way toward the fighting. "I have an Urk to kill."
Erbor coughs between gasps as he glares at the towering form of his foe, blood spattering his white beard after the terrific blow the monstrous warboss landed on his chestplate. Shattering it and driving the king ever so briefly to his knees. Around him, the battle rages on as the High Throng and his shieldbearers battle the black orc bodyguard of Kulgar Legionbreaker. Runic weapons and unceasing training pitted against the raw strength and low cunning of the monstrous brutes.
That the creature before him was the largest he had ever seen was beyond doubt. Larger by far than the creature he had fought to begin his reign. Yet he also acted with an intelligence that belied his stature, attempting to draw Erbor out again and again with feinting blows and an ebbing, aggressive, and then defensive style that unsettled the dwarf to see in the ork. But the creature had not got all its own way. Erbor's centuries of experience overcoming his lack of height and reach and the great bloody craters along the beast's flesh showed where Ghal Maraz had found its mark.
Still, Kulgar looks eager as he spits out a tooth from a mouth that is missing half a chin. "Alrighty then," he mutters in a low growl as the two circle each other. "Break time's over!" With a leaping stride, the mountain of muscle hurtles at the king and brings down an overhand swing at his opponent, who leaps aside just in time for the stone he was standing on to shatter beneath the ork's axe.
The two warriors strike at each other again and again, though both now act with far more caution than when they began. Erbor's lifeblood stains the ground as he is gradually driven backward up the carcass of a fallen giant, while the warboss, though still eager for the fight, has now felt the weight of a blow from the hammer of Dwarven kings. He too knows that the next blow to strike him will likely lead to his end. He has time, however, when the Dwarf King likely does not, and Erbor knows how likely it is that, despite their reinforcements, the allied armies are likely to soon break and run. So, as he reaches the apex of the fallen giant's bulk, he casts the dice one final time. Instead of dodging the next swing of the monstrous axe, he raises his left arm and feels both runic plate and arm shatter as they absorb the blow.
Grimacing in agony, he takes satisfaction from the look of sudden panic in the warboss's red, hate-filled eyes. The monstrous ork's momentum carriying him forward into the matching swing of Ghal Maraz. The Skullsplitter once again earning its name as Kulgar Legionbreaker's head disappears in an explosion of red mist, the matching red plumes embedded in his helmet scattering in the breeze.
Accepting the wound for the mortal blow that it was, and already feeling his strength beginning to fail him, Erbor Steelarm grins as he hears, in the surrounding beast's panicked shrieks, the greatest WAAAGH in centuries shattering beneath his single hammer blow.
It is three days later that the High King of the Dawi is given his final rights by a priest of Gazul, the lord of the underearth. And is welcomed. So it is hoped, by his ancestors into the glittering realm. In the last few days of his rule however, Erbor did manage to raise enough strength and gather enough lucidity to indicate his preference for his heir. The will of the high king in this mattered going unquestioned. Given his age and experience.
In the end he chose
[ ] A warrior.
- To carry on his works and see the urk banished entirely from this continent, and perhaps if luck were to hold, to see a hold reclaimed by the Ankor
[ ] A steward
- To shore the shaft, and see the holds, now that the lowlands have been cleared. Connected once more in ways that have not been seen since the golden age
[ ] A diplomat
- To solidify the alliances he has made and created from the Reik to Cathay. To continue the work of tying the peoples of a continent together.
In his chambers back at the everpeak. work continued in preparation for the next lord of the Ankor to assume his position. And though Erbor never did make the effort to collate his wisdom in a tome such as Bardin Hardaxe or Yaril Frorltoung. Centuries of writings had been collected over his reign and would grant immense wisdom to he who was about to ascend to the throne.
[ ] The management of Armies.
- It could be argued that Erbors entire lifetime was dedicated to seeing the Urk cleared from the Reik basin, and be gradually became a master of organising concerted, simultaneous pushes across the breadth of the Ankor
- Allows a single free conquest action to be taken each turn that does still cost gold but does not require an action
[ ] Regathering the Diaspora
- Erbor has seen the establishment of a diaspora across the entire Reik basin and beyond of dwarves who do not have a true Karak to call their home for one reason or another. Erbor has at length theorized as to how they could be reclaimed by the Ankor when settling or resettling holds.
- When a hold is either reconquered or settled 1d5 dwarves will be gathered from the dwarven diaspora to resettle it, with their numbers coming from no extant hold
[ ] Knowing the Umgi
- Erbor has at length managed to balance the computing interests of the human nations that have developed and flourished in his lifetime. Using the carrot and at times the stick to ensure that their development does not trouble the Ankor
- Makes it less likely that established human nations will attack the Dawi.
[ ] Bringer of hope
- Though he himself often felt greatly burdened by the responsibility he wore, Erbor was highly effective at conveying a growing sense of optimism about the fate of the Ankor, most materfull was the declaration of a 'Silver age' which despite having no precedent or even factual basis turned a brief spot of prosperity into an enduring symbal of hope
- Very slight increase in overall dwarven fecundity
The Wagghhh is defeated, seventeen thousand of the Dawi lie dead on the field. While the High King himself is carried off in a casket. However in the immediate aftermath, the wagghh shatters. Scattering throughout the foothills as it splits into many smaller armies. Who set about sacking the province and destroying all that had been built there in the preceding centuries. Both Remas and the Reik. Exhausted by their recent battles are unwilling to contest this as ever more Orks move in from the badlands, already testing the defences of Stancatia and black fire pass by the years end. But the Reik basin itself lies untrampled, and Nuln itself seems if anything invigorated by this victory. Seeing it as a turning point after the nadir of recent decades.
The High King is Dead
Long live the High King
12 hour Moratorium
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The Reign of Krag Deepdelve 4580
It was nearly 5 decades ago when Kragg Deepdelve first came to the attention of Erbor Steelhand, High King of the Karaz Ankor. Guildmaster of The Karak Kadrin Iron mining guild, an extremely prestigious position, he had taken only three decades after being made a full beard to have reached his high level of acclaim. He was noted early on for his masterful ability to know the strengths and weaknesses of the dwarves around him even should he have only met them a few hours ago. Such a fine understanding of the dwarven mindset was a cause of much of his early acclaim, not only in the mines where it could mean the difference between a shored shaft and a cave in, but also, once he got to that level, the world of guild politics.
Never could it have been said that Kragg was caught off guard by his rivals subtle manoeuvring or their by brash rudeness. Always he would be one step ahead. Charming his rival's enemies with ale and the prospect of sharing long sought after guild secrets in order to present a unified front. Or knowing the exact time and place to bring a dispute to the reckoners attention, distracting his opponents with the tedious business of grudge - lore so he could take advantage of their indisposition. It could also never be said that the Dwarf was without friends, for his cunning and skill were used judiciously and appropriately. While acting with his allies and peers of good standing he was the epitome of dwarven manner. Maintaining a vast network of connections, not only within Kadrin or even the Ankor, but even extending down into the human realms, where he cultivated friendships with manling lordlings and burgomeisters. So it was that when Erbor began to think of his enduring legacy and the need for someone to quite literally build upon his works, Kragg was the one to whom the king extended his hand.
Taking the guildmaster into not only his confidence but also eventually his Clan, Erbor taught his new apprentice all that there was to know about the arts of dwarven Kingship. Taking Kragg on extended tours throughout the Ankor. Advising him on the running and maintaining of armies, and of his rationales behind the announcement of the silver Age. Lessons that the grateful and eager student took deeply to heart, though it quickly came clear where to two dwarves differed. For despite having done his duty for hold and hearth, Kragg was never going to equal his mentor in his skills on the battlefield or campaign, the haft of his az was not worn smooth with heavy use, nor did he leave a grand legacy of vanquished deeds and foes behind him. But Erbor himself stood in Awe as his protégé manoeuvred through the complex legalities, personalities and precedents that marked the finances of the Ankor as if he had been made for the task.
So it was no surprise when the council of kings was informed that in his final moments, Erbor had requested that in their wisdom, Kragg Deepdelve be named the New High King of the Karaz Ankor. There was some traditional bickering and ruminating on whether to accept the pronouncement of the dying king, the proper forms had to be observed after all. But the outcome was never truly in doubt. Kragg had been working with these kings for the past several decades, many were already part of his vast network of friends and correspondents and many were the debts that the favoured heir could call upon to ensure his candidacy passed into law.
Now as Kragg takes to the throne, many eyes turn to watch the high king. marvelling at the assurance of an elder in one only part way through his second century as well as the deftness at which he seems to handle the affairs of state. The throngs look forward to an era where hopefully their Az's can be laid to the side for a time. While the guildmasters and clan heads near and far make pilgrimage to Karaz - A - Karak to hold council with a high king who will be able to keenly perceive the advantages on offer. Ebor had ushered in a new Era for the empire, making many of the holds safer than they had been in millenia. It now falls to Kragg to see the promise of that age made true, and set the foundations for the return to the golden age of the Dawi.
(The image doesnt seem to load in properly but the link works)
(you have 5 actions)
Relevant modifiers, +2 Stewardship, - 1 to all innovative actions.
Useful Notes - Actions can have an additional actions committed to them, requiring the price to be paid again. but reducing the dc by d3 per action invested.
Martial Actions
[ ] Reclaim a hold:
The Enemies of the Dawi squat in our ancestors' homes. Desecrating the halls of our kin and defiling the work of a dozen generations. But the Grobi and Thaggoriki breed like the vermin they are and fill our old homes more than we did even at our height. We must strike quickly and by surprise to forge a foothold. Before we could even consider clearing out the mines.
[ ] Invade the mountains.
Attack a mountain province held by an opposing faction. These are counted as provinces with a dc of 16
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send an army with attached specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold. Slaughtering anything that would get in the way. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
[ ] Establish a permanent Throng
The weight of fighting the Karaz Ankor has always fallen upon the throngs of the holds. Armies raised at a moment's notice from the workmen of the holds. This has always proven enough for the dwarves, even when placed against the armies of Ulthuan in the war of vengeance. Now, however, we have need of the greatest warriors from the clans to form a bulwark against foes too numerous for the throngs to fight alone. You need an army, funded from the coffers of the high king and paid for by the Karaz Ankor. Trained to perfection in the same way as any master of their craft. And armed with the best plate we can make without access to gromril.
[ ] Recruit Gnolumgi
The practice of recruiting Gnolumgi has been refined to the point where we believe we have a strong understanding of how to go about it. And now that they have roundly proven themselves against the enemies of the Dawi there are some that call for some minor adjustment to be made to their doctrine
[ ] Beat Back the Greenskins: (See Rules on how clearing provinces works)
Clearing the realm of Grobi can be a very dangerous task, however if you want something done right a dwarf will have to do it.
[ ] Crush the Duke
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. And while the new duke remains one of the premier landowners within the Margravirate. his forces could not hope to muster against the might of the Karaz Ankor. What remains to be seen is if the Margravirate would rally against the righteous Dawi who come to extract their rightful vengeance
DC = 3
Cost = 1
[ ] Establish a permanent Navy
While the Navy of Barak Varr is reasonably available to the high king should the need arise. There are several tasks which the Karaz Ankor may be able to benefit from if a fleet was freely available to use. From exploration to far-off trading missions, there are many possibilities. And it is only our natural distaste of mercurial water that stops us from taking advantage.
[ ] Delve a lost Hold:
Though you would by far prefer to reconquer a lost hold, the Karaz Ankor is currently not capable of reclaiming all that it once had. Instead, a raid of a few hundred - few thousand dwarves could be launched to try and reclaim the wealth of knowledge of the ancestors and deliver it into the keeping of their rightful owners. Though fraught with risk, many such expeditions have returned with lost treasures and long-forgotten lore.
[ ] Establish a series of Midghal (keeps) across the coast of the western Southlands (innovative) (Construction)
The road to the east is long and full of hardships, while the sea route is even longer and perhaps just as dangerous. However, the sea is much faster to travel across than even the swiftest and most durable dwarven runners and much more can be transported there and back than on the carts and wagons which would travel across the dark lands. The route could also be made far safer if we were to establish a series of keeps along the length of the southlands. Small outposts of 50 - 100 dwarves separated by a weeks sail would allow us a series of safe ports for ships to shelter from raiders. It would make the journey significantly easier, even if it would be quite expensive to establish
[ ] Search for an under city.
Mountains occupied by Skaven are filled with Fetid nests, lairs and pits, all of which the skaven make their home in. Though they default to the fallen holds taken from the Dawi when they can However, there is always the greatest location in a Skavens mountainous realm. The undercity. The difficulty is of course managing to find it.
[ ] Mount an armed expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Prepare a sizable expedition to go into the heart of the southlands and investigate if our kin still live.
Stewardship Actions
[ ] Restore an underway section (Construction)
The Underway once connected nearly the entire Karaz Ankor into one continuous empire. Enabling safe and quick traffic between the various holds and ensuring each hold could specialize in the one thing that they did above all others. Rebuilding the network would bankrupt even the hoards of the everpeak a dozen times over and would take centuries if not millennia. But one section at a time could be restored without shattering the Karaz Ankor unduly.
[ ] Levy Emergency taxes:
The High king does receive a small tithe from the various kings of the Karaz Ankor. However, in times of need they can temporarily raise the tax to cover shortfalls that would otherwise occur. Doing so occasionally is seen as reasonable and prudent by the other kings. Abusing the privilege however will make them increasingly recalcitrant
[ ] Commission Undistomez:
The gift of the Norse dwarves, these guard stones create a field that saps the intent to harm from those who would attack the holds of the dwarves. With little that can overcome its inevitable pull, save only the largest or most determined hosts. They are however potent pieces of runework and would require the appropriate power source.
[ ] Commission Runic Equipment:
Have the heirs of Thugni work upon the arms and armour of the Karaz Ancor. Have them craft enough weapons of the elder days as to arm 10000 dawi such that they could face down 5 times their number and not take a single step back. Let the Urk, Grobi, and Taggoraki look upon warriors armed with the weapons of our ancestor's days and know that their doom approaches.
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
[ ] Create a vast armoury of runic equipment:
It is said that in the heights of the golden age, entire throngs of the Dawi marched to war garbed in rune forged equipment. Proof against near any mortal weapon and enabling the bearer to battle even the mighty legions of Ulthuan without any fear of being overmatched. Forging again such a vast quantity of runic equipment would greatly ease any attempted conquests, or reconquest that the Dawi might aspire toward. while spread throughout the realm when not in use would go some way toward reducing the endless threats that all holds face
- DC 3
- cost 25
- costs 3 wealth upkeep per turn
- requires 3 turns to complete
- causes a small global reduction in attrition
- The first conquest action in a turn receives a reduction to the dc of 2.5
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
[ ] (Cathay) Blades for the dragons (runic)
Cathay has the ability to create enchanted weaponry. Indeed many of the dragon guard who came in the dragons wake carry weapons imbued with magical strength. However, these enchantments wear over time, as the magic slowly degrades with the weapons use. Requiring either a mage to re-imbue the weapon with its lost potency or for the weapon to be reforged entirely. Proper runework however, brought forth by the ancient runelords of the Dawi does not suffer from the same wear and tear as that made by all but the greatest of umgi mages and could still be used even with heavy use for the next millenia.
The dragon of the west has requested that ten thousand sets of Runic equipment be created for the use of him and his personal armies to help bring harmony wherever his forces may march. He also hints that in time, should the equipment be to his satisfaction, he may also be willing to divulge the source to his sister, Miao Ying, the guardian of the great bastion.
DC - 3
- Gives 10 wealth upon completion.
- provides 1 runic skill upon completion
- may provide for an introduction with Miao Ying
[ ] Commission Protective Runework
Runes to harden stone and exhaust attackers line the fortifications. Runes that protect from arrow fire, and harden the resolve of those upon the walls. Or even alarm runes that warn of danger coming from the depths of the mines. Each has its place in ensuring the Karaz Ankor Endures
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
[ ] Commission Light Industrial Runework
Whether self-heating forges, tools that remain permanently sharp, or anvils that make metal slightly more malleable. Industrial rune smithing is extremely useful for the dwarves of the hold to make goods with.
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
[ ] Commission Heavy Mining Runecraft:
Whether utilizing environmental advantages such as the torrents of Zhufbar or the application of crude runic golems to dig out vast chunks of rock. The Dwarves of the Karaz Ankor have mastered the ability to dig out enormous quantities of mineral wealth from beneath their holds.
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: (Innovative)
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. Though unwieldy to use in a fight themselves, they are not worthless as even a single hit on an enemy vessel can be enough to core it. However where this weapon truly shines is its ability to provide support to locations once thought immune to the thunder of naval guns. Or even vesssels such as the dark elven black arks which would consider themselves supposedly immune to near anything that sails upon the ocean.
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: For Ulthuan (4 turns remain)
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. As payment for playing their part in the War of the Northern holds, a series of ships was promised to Ulthuan. To Aid in cracking the near inviolate walls of the black arks of their most hated foes.
[ ] Commission Runic construction Golems:
The Underway was not built in a day. Indeed it took many centuries for the underway to be built to the level that it was. Yet the time taken would have been far longer if the Karaz Ancor did not have access to construction golems. Massive creatures of rock and stone that can carry extraordinarily heavy weights and are tireless beyond all-knowing. Crude when compared to the Grimazul Groti which formed the apex of golem work under the aegis of the Karaz Ankor. THese slow, lumbering behemoths are nonetheless incredibly well suited for large-scale construction projects.
[ ] Commission Elder runic weapons:
Runic weapons are potent and powerful creations that can enhance a dwarf far beyond the limits of their mortal frame. However, outside of masterpieces created by peerless runesmiths, there are sharp limits to the capabilities of these weapons. Elder rune weapons allow those limitations to be ignored by utlising the vast flows of power captured beneath the holds. With this energy, runic weapons can be empowered beyond the limits of those more petty devices. Enabling the Dawi to perform feats that most would believe to be myths out of the time of heroes.
[ ] Commission singular masterpiece (for a singular hold)
With our knowledge of Runesmithing returned to a shadow of what it once was. The Runesmiths and Runelords have thought up many projects which they are theoretically able to pursue. Ruinously expensive and each is tailored specifically for a singular hold. But the potential abilities that such runework would allow for are incredible.
[ ] Commission Runic Siphon (Innovative)
The method through which the Norse dwarves have been able to power their runic devices. These work on a fundamentally similar principle to waystones, though the methods they use are far cruder and un-refined. The Norse dwarves have found a way to consume a vast quantity of aetheric energy and convert it directly into the power that flows within the heart of the planet. Meaning that individual holds are able to power even energy-intensive runic devices. There are two problems, however, These devices only function in the presence of strong aetheric currents. Meaning that they are near useless outside of the northernmost regions within reach of the Dawi. And secondly, they are incapable of transferring this power throughout the Karaz Ankor
[ ] Construct Runic linkage (Innovative)
While our knowledge of waystones is not quite complete, we have re-mastered the ability to send runic energy from one location or another. Including the ability to transfer those great flows of power along the ranges of the world's edge mountains. Though these creations are at the edge of our capability to make, they are nonetheless mere shadows compared to the artifice that went into the forging of the original dwarven waystones.
[ ] Support The Guilds (may only be taken once)
The guilds have been empowered recently, as the runic skill of the dwarves has been lost over the last millennia. For if anything the skill and ability of their artisans and engineers have only increased as they have refined the arts of steel forging and steam power. Allowing some additional funding for guild projects would allow them to test more ideas and refine their techniques, without worrying how much it would cost the guild.
[ ] Direct the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
The guilds have always been quite independent from the kings of the Karaz Ankor and the high kings especially. However, if you were to offer enough gold to quiet even the most wealthy guild leaders' grumblings, you may be able to direct some of their efforts in more experimental directions. Ordering commissions from some of the more radical or as yet untested engineers and seeing if these more far-flung ideas could be made to serve the Karaz Ankor.
[ ] Overrule the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
Using enough gold to beggar kingdoms to both bribe the guilds to ignore your actions and get the equipment and training needed. you could find those outside of the guild willing to experiment and work on technology too risky for the guilds to ever do it themselves. Handing over such a vast amount of money would give the opportunity for revolutionary breakthroughs from outside of the established system which may solve some of the Karaz Ankor's most enduring issues. However there are reasons that the engineers guild is as conservative as it is, and ignoring that may lead to unexpected consequences.
[ ] Migrate Dwarves
Some holds may be struggling to survive after being isolated for so long. Therefore it may fall to the high king to direct the dwarves to where they are needed most. Uprooting thousands of fiercely proud dwarves may be a difficult task however and hefty sums would be required to ensure that they do leave their ancestral homes.
[ ] Colonise the peaks. (Construction)
Many mountains still lie throughout the realm that would offer great stores of wealth and minerals to whoever could stake their claim there. Some effort would have to be put into flushing out those dark creatures that make those mountains their haunts. But compared to that which the Dawi fight on a daily basis, that is no true threat. And if Successful, a new hold could greatly strengthen the Karaz Ankor. (requires two actions to complete)
[ ] Build up the Colonies. (Construction)
We already control the mountains in this province but none of the small fastnesses or fortresses could be said to come close to equaling the grandeur of a true hold. Establishing a proper city for the Dawi would serve as a strong central position that we can spread our influece over to eventually claim full mastery of the province.
[ ] Build Defenses (Construction)
Even the least of dwarven holds are formidable constructions. With dozens of battlements, cannon batteries, and redoubts. This however is taking it to the next level. Destroying entranceways to the hold to ensure that all surface invaders would have to march through one chokepoint. Rigging that path with prepared avalanches and lining it with sentry towers. Reinforcing the defenses proper of the hold, doubling the cannons upon the walls and creating dozens of fallback points throughout the length of the hold.
[ ] Upgrade Defenses (Construction)
Going even further than the fortifications that all of the old holds have pushes the limits of what the dwarves are capable of in terms of fortifications. Carving the one route to the hold into an exposed walkway which runs between a gauntlet of peaks with canon batteries dotting the entire route. Gate houses line the path, each with cauldrons of molten metal kept ready to pour on would-be attackers and each armed with weapons of the finest dwarven make. Finally, the last few hundred meters of the bridge to the hold itself are ready to blow to fully isolate the hold if need be. But keep away all unwanted guests. Only the most powerful of assaults could hope to breach these defenses, and even they would be greatly weakened once they arrive. Of course then they must contend with the defenses of the hold itself...
[ ] Conduct a trading voyage with the east (innovative)
While the route across the dark lands does provide the cheapest route to conduct trade with the east. Traveling by ship would be the most effective to transport actual appreciable amounts of goods. Setting up such a transport fleet would carry significant expense but the returns could be worth it.
Diplomacy
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold, making their way upon the ancient dwarf paths that have hopefully remained hidden to our enemies. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
[ ] Send Expedition to Ind: The other great culture of the east are the kingdoms of Ind. Which are said to be as wealthy as Arabyan sultans and as wealthy as the tubes of humans at the foot of our mountains. Even more mysterious than Cathay we would have to journey there to discover what we could offer them and them us. Send our fleet around the coast of the Southlands to see if we can arrange proper communication.
[ ] (Cathay) Permanant Embassies
Establish permanent embassies both at Barrak Varr and at Shang Yang for your respective empires to speak with each other. These would allow requests and messages to reach your distant realms and also allow you to be aware in the most distant and vague of senses, of the goings-on in the distant east. As well as provide Cathay an observer status on the field of embassies outside of Magritta. Such embassies, required to display the wealth and power of the Karaz Ankor, would however be something of a drain on the treasury. Though not one so extreme as to seem utterly unreasonable.
[0] Send a request to the Phoenix king (Locked for 1 turn):
Now that a more stable if... distant relationship has been established with Ulthuan, the possibility has arisen that we could both benefit from each other...
[ ] See the Dukes hang
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. the Margravirate however will likely act to defend their own in what they would wrongly view as an unjust war. leveraging the wealth of a kingdom however and tasking our greatest loremasters to seeing the umgi brought to justice should result in the whole family swinging from a deserving tree.
DC = 4
Cost = 3
[ ] Send Expedition to Athel Loren (innovative):
The Elgi of the forest have not troubled us for many generations. Though Norn does keep a close watch on the trees. It is recorded in the book of grudges that the people of Athel Loren only drew their blades against the Dawi after we had invaded their home. These grudges though not forgotten could be postponed if we wish to have true peace with the Elves of that dark capricious forest.
[ ] Make available your techonlogy for sale (innovative):
You detest this, The guilds detest this and the Dawi as a whole detest this, but it must be done for the realm to be made secure. Offer the innovation of the Dawi up to the Umgi for the cost of mere coin and watch as they scramble to find any advantage over their rivals by paying you for the privilege. The Dawi might revolt at the thought of doing so for unproven Umgak. But at the very least they have at least somewhat proven themselves over the past few hundred years.
[ ] Send a series of ambassadors to the... courts of the Tomb kings. (innovative)
The Land of Nehekhara is an enigma. A land of death, where the dead do not lie easy. In fact, not only that, but they rule in a macabre pantomime of how they did in life. With great kings competing with each other for the favor of the greatest of these charnel lords, Settra the Imperishable. Who rules with an iron fist over his domain. However, even in his time, his rule over the other cities and especially on the eastern side of the charnel valley is more in theory. For, in reality, bar paying deference to their overlord, and avoiding displeasing him, the tomb kings seem to be able to do as they will. Reach out to contact these grisly kings and discover if any of their interests, whatever they may be co-incide with your own.
[ ] Send an expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Gathering a few sun-crazed dwarves and a few ambassadores, we can mount an expedition into the deepest jungles to discover if our kin still live.
[0] Send Expedition to the Fire (chaos) dwarves (innovative)
The only reason we would reach out to our fallen kin is to get them to cease their attacks on the caravans which cross the darklands near where they have established their cruel realm. To even acknowledge their shameful existence brings many longbeards to day-long bouts of grumbling and what they would ask in return we can only imagine.
[ ] Uplift the tribes (innovative)
We have been surrounded for many centuries by the tribes of men, whose numbers seem to swell with only slightly less speed than their greenskin foes. We have always considered them beneath us, for their craft is poor and though brave, they have little skill in proper warcraft. As the cities of Tilea, Araby and far off Cathay have shown, however, there is hope for the race of men and perhaps they could act as a far more capable shield than they do at the moment if they were given the appropriate tutelage.
[ ] Unify your vassals (innovative)
Though civilized, the human realm that we have beneath us bicker and fight with each other as much as with those we wish them to guard against. Gather the leaders of these cities together, find that which links them and forge bonds of steel between these petty cities to form a nation
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggarond for colonization (Innovative)
Naggarond, the eastern continent beyond Ulthuan is known as the land of chill, and at least according to captured documents, a splinter faction of the elves resides in the far north. Led in those days by prince Malekith. However, of more interest to us is the fact that it supposedly bears no marks of the Orks or Thaggoriki. And possesses a large mountain range along the continent's entire length. Mount an expedition to see if this land could be a safe refuge for us, far from the attentions of our enemies
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggaroth (innovative)
The tower of dread, or so say the elven maps that we have gathered. However, it is home, or at least was, to Malekith. Son of Aenarion and dwarf friend. Who as their histories show, rebelled against the supposedly false phoenix king Bel Shannar long before the war of vengeance. therefore our grudges against Ulthuan would not apply to him. We should send an expedition to see if ancient friendships can be revived with Elgi or their descendants who have never crossed us.
[ ] Mount an expedition to Lustria (innovative)
We know little of Lustria save that it exists and is covered in horrible forest and inhabited by ravenous beasts. Who knows though, perhaps there are surprises within that we may have interest in.
[ ] Attempt to vassalize a region for their good and that of the Karaz Ankor
There are many regions around the Karaz Ankor that are occupied by human tribes who survive at the whims of the orks and other monsters that inhabit the world outside of our mountains. Offer them sanctuary beneath dwarven arms so long as they are willing to respect the word of an elder and more dependable race
[ ] Reach out to a known and nearby civilized faction
There are many realms nearby that we could have dealings with now that we have emerged somewhat from our isolation. Reaching out to them should not be difficult and nor should getting at least our smaller neighbors to do as we wish. Everyone likes gold after all, and who has more than the Dwarves?
[ ] Investigate the Southlands
Upon the map which you were provided are the locations of a dozen places that you have not seen any mention of in the dwarven anals. These should be investigated to see if they remain, and how it is that the Karaz Ankor has seemingly lost knowledge of an entire civilization
Free Actions (can be done at no cost and as often as desired)
[ ] Enforce your Will on the Ankor
- costs one gold per unsealed hold
- provides one free action
- may be taken additional times, but each subsequent attempt costs one additional gold per hold.
[ ] Move a garrison between holds
[ ] transfer ownership of runic weapons
[ ] transfer ownership of elder runic weapons
Moratorium for 24 hours
Never could it have been said that Kragg was caught off guard by his rivals subtle manoeuvring or their by brash rudeness. Always he would be one step ahead. Charming his rival's enemies with ale and the prospect of sharing long sought after guild secrets in order to present a unified front. Or knowing the exact time and place to bring a dispute to the reckoners attention, distracting his opponents with the tedious business of grudge - lore so he could take advantage of their indisposition. It could also never be said that the Dwarf was without friends, for his cunning and skill were used judiciously and appropriately. While acting with his allies and peers of good standing he was the epitome of dwarven manner. Maintaining a vast network of connections, not only within Kadrin or even the Ankor, but even extending down into the human realms, where he cultivated friendships with manling lordlings and burgomeisters. So it was that when Erbor began to think of his enduring legacy and the need for someone to quite literally build upon his works, Kragg was the one to whom the king extended his hand.
Taking the guildmaster into not only his confidence but also eventually his Clan, Erbor taught his new apprentice all that there was to know about the arts of dwarven Kingship. Taking Kragg on extended tours throughout the Ankor. Advising him on the running and maintaining of armies, and of his rationales behind the announcement of the silver Age. Lessons that the grateful and eager student took deeply to heart, though it quickly came clear where to two dwarves differed. For despite having done his duty for hold and hearth, Kragg was never going to equal his mentor in his skills on the battlefield or campaign, the haft of his az was not worn smooth with heavy use, nor did he leave a grand legacy of vanquished deeds and foes behind him. But Erbor himself stood in Awe as his protégé manoeuvred through the complex legalities, personalities and precedents that marked the finances of the Ankor as if he had been made for the task.
So it was no surprise when the council of kings was informed that in his final moments, Erbor had requested that in their wisdom, Kragg Deepdelve be named the New High King of the Karaz Ankor. There was some traditional bickering and ruminating on whether to accept the pronouncement of the dying king, the proper forms had to be observed after all. But the outcome was never truly in doubt. Kragg had been working with these kings for the past several decades, many were already part of his vast network of friends and correspondents and many were the debts that the favoured heir could call upon to ensure his candidacy passed into law.
Now as Kragg takes to the throne, many eyes turn to watch the high king. marvelling at the assurance of an elder in one only part way through his second century as well as the deftness at which he seems to handle the affairs of state. The throngs look forward to an era where hopefully their Az's can be laid to the side for a time. While the guildmasters and clan heads near and far make pilgrimage to Karaz - A - Karak to hold council with a high king who will be able to keenly perceive the advantages on offer. Ebor had ushered in a new Era for the empire, making many of the holds safer than they had been in millenia. It now falls to Kragg to see the promise of that age made true, and set the foundations for the return to the golden age of the Dawi.
| Province Number | Dwarfpower | Head Tax | Wealth per turn | Potential Trade Routes | Runic infrastructure | Defensive level (max 2) | Net Runic power generated | Additional info | |
| Karaz Ankor | NA | 871 | 84 | 8 | NA | ||||
| Karaz a Karak – | 63 | 216 | 2.46 | 5 | 7 | Runic weapons, Waystone Eyes of Grungi, | 2 | 3 | |
| Karak Kadrin | 95 | 147 | 1 | 7 | Runic Weapons Waystone, Axe of Grimnir | 1 | 1 | ||
| Zhufbar – | 68 | 102 | 3 | 7 | Waystone Torrent of Zhufbar | 1 | 0 | ||
| Barak Varr – 100 (80) | 56 | 54 | 1 | 14 | Runic Weapons Waystone | 1 | 1 | ||
| Karak Hirn 70 (40) | 54 | 36 | 1 | 7 | |||||
| Karak Norn 40 (20) | 75 | 18 | 1 | 7 | |||||
| Karak Izor 50 (20) | 52 | 25 | 1 | 7 | |||||
| Karak Vlag 60 (30) | 97 | 79 | 1 | 7 | Runic weapons, Protective Runework Waystone | 1 | 1 | ||
| Karak Azul 40 (40) | 59 | 80 | 1 | 7 | Waystone | 1 | 1 | Sealed | |
| Karag Dum 20 (20) | 103 | 23 | 0 (1) | 0 (7) | Waystone | 1 | 1 | Sealed | |
| Karak Angaraz | 76 | 50 | 1 | 7 | |||||
| Karak Drazgh | 0 | Waystone | Fallen | ||||||
| Karak 8 Peaks | 0 | Waystone | Fallen | ||||||
| Karak Ahzhagh | 0 | Waystone | Fallen | ||||||
| Karak Zorn | ??? | 0 | Waystone | Fallen | |||||
| Mount Gunbad | 0 | Fallen | |||||||
| Mount Silverspear | 0 | Fallen | |||||||
| Ekrund | 0 | Fallen | |||||||
| Karak Ungor | 0 | Fallen | |||||||
| Karak Varn | 0 | Fallen | |||||||
| Karak Akrak | 110 | 21 | 1 | 7 | |||||
| Province 106 | 106 | 20 | 0.5 | Colony |
| Current Wealth | Hold income (mines/pop) with Tech bonus applied | Current Tech Bonus | Trade Income | Unique Income | Pass Tarriffs | Total Income | Current Expenses | Turn Expenses | Additional Income | Balance | Final Total | |
| Turn 1 | 49 | 26 | 40% | 12 | 2 | 6 | 46 | 14 | 15 | 7 | +24 | 70 |
| Turn 2 | 70 | 28 | 50% | 11 | 2 | 6 | 47 (51) | 19.66 | ??? | ??? | +31 |
(The image doesnt seem to load in properly but the link works)
(you have 5 actions)
Relevant modifiers, +2 Stewardship, - 1 to all innovative actions.
Useful Notes - Actions can have an additional actions committed to them, requiring the price to be paid again. but reducing the dc by d3 per action invested.
Martial Actions
[ ] Reclaim a hold:
The Enemies of the Dawi squat in our ancestors' homes. Desecrating the halls of our kin and defiling the work of a dozen generations. But the Grobi and Thaggoriki breed like the vermin they are and fill our old homes more than we did even at our height. We must strike quickly and by surprise to forge a foothold. Before we could even consider clearing out the mines.
- Costs 5 gold
- - Which Karak Will we attempt to reclaim for the Karaz Ankor
- [ ] Karak Varn - While now contested for the title it was once the greatest and deepest mine of gromril anywhere within the Karaz Ankor. Lost when the Thaggoriki burst from the deepest shafts in a teeming horde to claim the warpstone that was also buried within the mountain.
- (Some great conflict appears to have occured deep in this former hold, leaving it temporarally somewhat more open to attack
- DC = 20)
- Owner = Skaven
- [ ] Iron Peak - One of the most recent mines established within the Karaz Ankor, the works upon the mount were not even complete when the Grobi came to seize it. If retaken though, its shallow mines do promise to be at least some protection from the Thaggoraki
- DC = 20
- Owner = Orks
- [ ] Mount Gunbad - With mines so deep and so rich that they did not have to send troops for the war on vengeance. Gunbad was famed for its Brynduraz veins. A gem which glowed with an inner light and adorned many of the finest pieces of dwarven jewelry. It fell early in the time of woes as scores of orks flooded into the world's edge mountains from the darklands.
- Owner = Orks
- DC = 21
- [ ] Mount Silverspear - Another of the lost holds of the eastern worlds edge mountains. Mount Silverspear produced silver of unmatched quantity and quality. Yet it still fell quickly as the hordes of orks pushed in when it was separated from its kin.
- DC = 22
- Owner = Orks
- [ ] Karaz Bryn - Karaz Bryn was once a famed gem mine within one of the highest peaks of the worlds edge mountains. Producing facades and works of art which filled even the most stubborn longbeard with Pride. Their fall however did not come from the Orks or Skaven. But from the Queen of darkness, Neferata. Who in a surprise assault sent a legion of undead into the hold and made it her stronghold.
- Owner = Neferata
- DC = 21
- [ ] Karak Ungor - Almost mined out over the time of its long history. Karak Ungorn had gradually turned into a thriving industrial center and place of learning. Producing some of the finest grudge throwers and crossbows in the entire Karaz Ankor. Alas, it fell while its warriors were concluding the war on vengeance. And when they returned they discovered their ancient home teeming with Urk and Grobi.
- DC = 20
- Owner = Orks
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
[ ] Invade the mountains.
Attack a mountain province held by an opposing faction. These are counted as provinces with a dc of 16
- Which province would you invade (Has to border the Ankor)
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
- cost = 3
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send an army with attached specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold. Slaughtering anything that would get in the way. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
- [ ] Karak Azul dc = 7, cost = 2
- [ ] Karag Dum dc = 5, cost = 1
[ ] Establish a permanent Throng
The weight of fighting the Karaz Ankor has always fallen upon the throngs of the holds. Armies raised at a moment's notice from the workmen of the holds. This has always proven enough for the dwarves, even when placed against the armies of Ulthuan in the war of vengeance. Now, however, we have need of the greatest warriors from the clans to form a bulwark against foes too numerous for the throngs to fight alone. You need an army, funded from the coffers of the high king and paid for by the Karaz Ankor. Trained to perfection in the same way as any master of their craft. And armed with the best plate we can make without access to gromril.
- [ ] In which hold will the Throng be garrisoned
- [ ] What will the Throng be named
- Creates a 10000 strong dwarf throng which when applied to a province conquest action will reduce the dc for that action by 1.
- Reduces occurrence and severity of raids where deployed.
- Costs 8 gold (first one is free)
- Costs 4 wealth per turn once created
- DC = 4
[ ] Recruit Gnolumgi
The practice of recruiting Gnolumgi has been refined to the point where we believe we have a strong understanding of how to go about it. And now that they have roundly proven themselves against the enemies of the Dawi there are some that call for some minor adjustment to be made to their doctrine
- [ ] In which hold will the Gnolumgi be garrisoned
- [ ] What will this Gnolumgi army be named
- Costs 4 wealth
- Costs 2 wealth per turn
- DC 6
[ ] Beat Back the Greenskins: (See Rules on how clearing provinces works)
Clearing the realm of Grobi can be a very dangerous task, however if you want something done right a dwarf will have to do it.
- [ ] What province (must not be in the mountains)
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
- Costs 3
[ ] Crush the Duke
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. And while the new duke remains one of the premier landowners within the Margravirate. his forces could not hope to muster against the might of the Karaz Ankor. What remains to be seen is if the Margravirate would rally against the righteous Dawi who come to extract their rightful vengeance
DC = 3
Cost = 1
- [ ] What Standing armies would you choose to bring? (May choose up to 3)
[ ] Establish a permanent Navy
While the Navy of Barak Varr is reasonably available to the high king should the need arise. There are several tasks which the Karaz Ankor may be able to benefit from if a fleet was freely available to use. From exploration to far-off trading missions, there are many possibilities. And it is only our natural distaste of mercurial water that stops us from taking advantage.
- significantly reduces piracy in dwarven sea zones
- Costs 8 wealth
- Costs 4 wealth per turn
- DC = 5
[ ] Delve a lost Hold:
Though you would by far prefer to reconquer a lost hold, the Karaz Ankor is currently not capable of reclaiming all that it once had. Instead, a raid of a few hundred - few thousand dwarves could be launched to try and reclaim the wealth of knowledge of the ancestors and deliver it into the keeping of their rightful owners. Though fraught with risk, many such expeditions have returned with lost treasures and long-forgotten lore.
- [ ] Which hold will you attempt to delve
- Cost 1
- DC = 6
- Will reduce the DC of assaulting the hold in question by 3
- Potential to receive lost dwarven lore (likelihood reduces for each runic level achieved)
[ ] Establish a series of Midghal (keeps) across the coast of the western Southlands (innovative) (Construction)
The road to the east is long and full of hardships, while the sea route is even longer and perhaps just as dangerous. However, the sea is much faster to travel across than even the swiftest and most durable dwarven runners and much more can be transported there and back than on the carts and wagons which would travel across the dark lands. The route could also be made far safer if we were to establish a series of keeps along the length of the southlands. Small outposts of 50 - 100 dwarves separated by a weeks sail would allow us a series of safe ports for ships to shelter from raiders. It would make the journey significantly easier, even if it would be quite expensive to establish
- DC = 6
- cost = 15
- 1 per turn
- lower dc for reaching Cathay and Ind
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
[ ] Search for an under city.
Mountains occupied by Skaven are filled with Fetid nests, lairs and pits, all of which the skaven make their home in. Though they default to the fallen holds taken from the Dawi when they can However, there is always the greatest location in a Skavens mountainous realm. The undercity. The difficulty is of course managing to find it.
- Cost 2
- DC 6
- Undercity location is discovered, a significantly high enough roll will provide a bonus for invading the undercity.
[ ] Mount an armed expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Prepare a sizable expedition to go into the heart of the southlands and investigate if our kin still live.
- Cost 3 Gold
- DC 8
- [ ] What force are you sending (all troops sent will be occupied for the entire turn) (Max 20000)
Stewardship Actions
[ ] Restore an underway section (Construction)
The Underway once connected nearly the entire Karaz Ankor into one continuous empire. Enabling safe and quick traffic between the various holds and ensuring each hold could specialize in the one thing that they did above all others. Rebuilding the network would bankrupt even the hoards of the everpeak a dozen times over and would take centuries if not millennia. But one section at a time could be restored without shattering the Karaz Ankor unduly.
- [ ] state which holds you would like to connect
- Which Route Shall be worked on
- Costs 26 gold
- dc 6
[ ] Levy Emergency taxes:
The High king does receive a small tithe from the various kings of the Karaz Ankor. However, in times of need they can temporarily raise the tax to cover shortfalls that would otherwise occur. Doing so occasionally is seen as reasonable and prudent by the other kings. Abusing the privilege however will make them increasingly recalcitrant
- Receive 1 additional gold per (unsealed) hold this turn
- DC = 3 (increases by 2 each time this action is used)
[ ] Commission Undistomez:
The gift of the Norse dwarves, these guard stones create a field that saps the intent to harm from those who would attack the holds of the dwarves. With little that can overcome its inevitable pull, save only the largest or most determined hosts. They are however potent pieces of runework and would require the appropriate power source.
- greatly reduce attrition for dawi in the hold
- Mildly reduces size and strength of invasions.
- DC = 5
- costs 30
- +2 runic skill
- uses 1 runic power
[ ] Commission Runic Equipment:
Have the heirs of Thugni work upon the arms and armour of the Karaz Ancor. Have them craft enough weapons of the elder days as to arm 10000 dawi such that they could face down 5 times their number and not take a single step back. Let the Urk, Grobi, and Taggoraki look upon warriors armed with the weapons of our ancestor's days and know that their doom approaches.
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
- DC 3
- Costs 0.33 wealth per turn to maintain
- Cost 15
[ ] Create a vast armoury of runic equipment:
It is said that in the heights of the golden age, entire throngs of the Dawi marched to war garbed in rune forged equipment. Proof against near any mortal weapon and enabling the bearer to battle even the mighty legions of Ulthuan without any fear of being overmatched. Forging again such a vast quantity of runic equipment would greatly ease any attempted conquests, or reconquest that the Dawi might aspire toward. while spread throughout the realm when not in use would go some way toward reducing the endless threats that all holds face
- DC 3
- cost 25
- costs 3 wealth upkeep per turn
- requires 3 turns to complete
- causes a small global reduction in attrition
- The first conquest action in a turn receives a reduction to the dc of 2.5
[ ] To what hold or throng do you assign this runic equipment
- DC 3
- Cost 15
[ ] (Cathay) Blades for the dragons (runic)
Cathay has the ability to create enchanted weaponry. Indeed many of the dragon guard who came in the dragons wake carry weapons imbued with magical strength. However, these enchantments wear over time, as the magic slowly degrades with the weapons use. Requiring either a mage to re-imbue the weapon with its lost potency or for the weapon to be reforged entirely. Proper runework however, brought forth by the ancient runelords of the Dawi does not suffer from the same wear and tear as that made by all but the greatest of umgi mages and could still be used even with heavy use for the next millenia.
The dragon of the west has requested that ten thousand sets of Runic equipment be created for the use of him and his personal armies to help bring harmony wherever his forces may march. He also hints that in time, should the equipment be to his satisfaction, he may also be willing to divulge the source to his sister, Miao Ying, the guardian of the great bastion.
DC - 3
- Gives 10 wealth upon completion.
- provides 1 runic skill upon completion
- may provide for an introduction with Miao Ying
[ ] Commission Protective Runework
Runes to harden stone and exhaust attackers line the fortifications. Runes that protect from arrow fire, and harden the resolve of those upon the walls. Or even alarm runes that warn of danger coming from the depths of the mines. Each has its place in ensuring the Karaz Ankor Endures
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
- DC 3
- Costs 15
- increases overall survival by a small amount
- Decreases the likelihood and severity of raids
[ ] Commission Light Industrial Runework
Whether self-heating forges, tools that remain permanently sharp, or anvils that make metal slightly more malleable. Industrial rune smithing is extremely useful for the dwarves of the hold to make goods with.
[ ] To what hold do you assign this runic work
- DC 4
- Costs 20
- +4 trade routes per runic level in the hold in which these are placed
- - 1 runic power
- Increases runic skill by 1 on completion
[ ] Commission Heavy Mining Runecraft:
Whether utilizing environmental advantages such as the torrents of Zhufbar or the application of crude runic golems to dig out vast chunks of rock. The Dwarves of the Karaz Ankor have mastered the ability to dig out enormous quantities of mineral wealth from beneath their holds.
- DC = 5
- Cost = 30
- +2 wealth per turn from the hold
- - 1 runic power
- Increase Runic Skill by 2 on completion
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: (Innovative)
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. Though unwieldy to use in a fight themselves, they are not worthless as even a single hit on an enemy vessel can be enough to core it. However where this weapon truly shines is its ability to provide support to locations once thought immune to the thunder of naval guns. Or even vesssels such as the dark elven black arks which would consider themselves supposedly immune to near anything that sails upon the ocean.
- DC = 6
- Cost = 30
- provides +1 to rolls in naval combat
- FIre support - Can provide a -.05 to province or hold conquest rolls
- Siege cracker. - Targets that would normally be considered immune to the guns of your fleet (Black Arks, Sea Holds) can theoretically be cracked by the thunder of these cannons
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
[ ] Commission Dromon class siege ships: For Ulthuan (4 turns remain)
Commission several ironclads with massive runic spinal cannons as a central component along the spine of the vessel. Imbued with Dromon Granitebeards master rune of acceleration, coupled with the cannons own inherent firepower, this cannon carries enough force to clear the horizon and crack mountains. As payment for playing their part in the War of the Northern holds, a series of ships was promised to Ulthuan. To Aid in cracking the near inviolate walls of the black arks of their most hated foes.
- DC = 6
- Cost = 10
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
- (5 Turns Remain)
[ ] Commission Runic construction Golems:
The Underway was not built in a day. Indeed it took many centuries for the underway to be built to the level that it was. Yet the time taken would have been far longer if the Karaz Ancor did not have access to construction golems. Massive creatures of rock and stone that can carry extraordinarily heavy weights and are tireless beyond all-knowing. Crude when compared to the Grimazul Groti which formed the apex of golem work under the aegis of the Karaz Ankor. THese slow, lumbering behemoths are nonetheless incredibly well suited for large-scale construction projects.
- DC = 6
- Cost = 25
- Allows a free construction action to be taken each turn when active
- Whatever free construction project is taken on is completed at two thirds the cost and at a -2 to the DC
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Costs 2 runic power when active
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
[ ] Commission Elder runic weapons:
Runic weapons are potent and powerful creations that can enhance a dwarf far beyond the limits of their mortal frame. However, outside of masterpieces created by peerless runesmiths, there are sharp limits to the capabilities of these weapons. Elder rune weapons allow those limitations to be ignored by utlising the vast flows of power captured beneath the holds. With this energy, runic weapons can be empowered beyond the limits of those more petty devices. Enabling the Dawi to perform feats that most would believe to be myths out of the time of heroes.
- DC = 6
- Cost = 40
- When equipped, reduces dc of conquering provinces and holds by 1
- significant
- Costs 1 runic power
- Costs 1 wealth per turn to maintain
- Increase Runic Skill by 3 on completion
- [ ] To what throng do you attach these weapons
[ ] Commission singular masterpiece (for a singular hold)
With our knowledge of Runesmithing returned to a shadow of what it once was. The Runesmiths and Runelords have thought up many projects which they are theoretically able to pursue. Ruinously expensive and each is tailored specifically for a singular hold. But the potential abilities that such runework would allow for are incredible.
- DC = 7
- Cost = 40
- requires 2 actions to complete (can be completed over multiple turns)
- Costs 2 runic power when active
- Increase Runic Skill by 4 on completion
[ ] Commission Runic Siphon (Innovative)
The method through which the Norse dwarves have been able to power their runic devices. These work on a fundamentally similar principle to waystones, though the methods they use are far cruder and un-refined. The Norse dwarves have found a way to consume a vast quantity of aetheric energy and convert it directly into the power that flows within the heart of the planet. Meaning that individual holds are able to power even energy-intensive runic devices. There are two problems, however, These devices only function in the presence of strong aetheric currents. Meaning that they are near useless outside of the northernmost regions within reach of the Dawi. And secondly, they are incapable of transferring this power throughout the Karaz Ankor
- DC = 6
- Cost = 40
- very marginally reduces the spread of chaos corruption based upon the amount of power consumed
- Allows the collection of runic energy from surrounding Runic currents. The quantity of power is based upon the below map
- Energy collected via this method can only be used within the hold itself and cannot be shared unless additional infrastructure is created.
[ ] Construct Runic linkage (Innovative)
While our knowledge of waystones is not quite complete, we have re-mastered the ability to send runic energy from one location or another. Including the ability to transfer those great flows of power along the ranges of the world's edge mountains. Though these creations are at the edge of our capability to make, they are nonetheless mere shadows compared to the artifice that went into the forging of the original dwarven waystones.
- DC = 5
- Cost = 30
- Allows the province to connect to adjacent provinces runic grids (can be chained to form an effective transmission wire)
[ ] Support The Guilds (may only be taken once)
The guilds have been empowered recently, as the runic skill of the dwarves has been lost over the last millennia. For if anything the skill and ability of their artisans and engineers have only increased as they have refined the arts of steel forging and steam power. Allowing some additional funding for guild projects would allow them to test more ideas and refine their techniques, without worrying how much it would cost the guild.
- DC 3
- Cost 5 Gold
- Provides an extra roll on technological development at the end of the turn
[ ] Direct the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
The guilds have always been quite independent from the kings of the Karaz Ankor and the high kings especially. However, if you were to offer enough gold to quiet even the most wealthy guild leaders' grumblings, you may be able to direct some of their efforts in more experimental directions. Ordering commissions from some of the more radical or as yet untested engineers and seeing if these more far-flung ideas could be made to serve the Karaz Ankor.
- DC 5
- Cost 15 Gold
- Provides an extra roll on technological development at the end of the turn
[ ] Overrule the guilds (innovative) (may only be taken once)
Using enough gold to beggar kingdoms to both bribe the guilds to ignore your actions and get the equipment and training needed. you could find those outside of the guild willing to experiment and work on technology too risky for the guilds to ever do it themselves. Handing over such a vast amount of money would give the opportunity for revolutionary breakthroughs from outside of the established system which may solve some of the Karaz Ankor's most enduring issues. However there are reasons that the engineers guild is as conservative as it is, and ignoring that may lead to unexpected consequences.
- DC - 8
- Costs 25 Gold
- Provides 2 additional rolls on the technology table at the end of the turn
- May cause unintended consequences.
[ ] Migrate Dwarves
Some holds may be struggling to survive after being isolated for so long. Therefore it may fall to the high king to direct the dwarves to where they are needed most. Uprooting thousands of fiercely proud dwarves may be a difficult task however and hefty sums would be required to ensure that they do leave their ancestral homes.
- [ ] From which hold
- [ ] To which hold
- Dc - 5
- Costs = 1 for every 2 dwarf power moved rounding up.
- May not move more than 20 dwarfpower at a time
[ ] Colonise the peaks. (Construction)
Many mountains still lie throughout the realm that would offer great stores of wealth and minerals to whoever could stake their claim there. Some effort would have to be put into flushing out those dark creatures that make those mountains their haunts. But compared to that which the Dawi fight on a daily basis, that is no true threat. And if Successful, a new hold could greatly strengthen the Karaz Ankor. (requires two actions to complete)
- [ ] Pick an available province (one occupied by chaos/orkish beasties which can be reached by going through at worst neutral territory (the sea counts as neutral))
- [ ] From which hold do the colonists come (will take 20 dwarfpower)
- DC 6
- Costs 18 gold
[ ] Build up the Colonies. (Construction)
We already control the mountains in this province but none of the small fastnesses or fortresses could be said to come close to equaling the grandeur of a true hold. Establishing a proper city for the Dawi would serve as a strong central position that we can spread our influece over to eventually claim full mastery of the province.
- [ ] Pick which province you wish to upgrade.
- requires two actions to complete
- DC 3
- Costs 15 gold
[ ] Build Defenses (Construction)
Even the least of dwarven holds are formidable constructions. With dozens of battlements, cannon batteries, and redoubts. This however is taking it to the next level. Destroying entranceways to the hold to ensure that all surface invaders would have to march through one chokepoint. Rigging that path with prepared avalanches and lining it with sentry towers. Reinforcing the defenses proper of the hold, doubling the cannons upon the walls and creating dozens of fallback points throughout the length of the hold.
- [ ] For which hold
- DC 4
- Costs 8 wealth
- Significantly reduces the strength and threat of invasions
[ ] Upgrade Defenses (Construction)
Going even further than the fortifications that all of the old holds have pushes the limits of what the dwarves are capable of in terms of fortifications. Carving the one route to the hold into an exposed walkway which runs between a gauntlet of peaks with canon batteries dotting the entire route. Gate houses line the path, each with cauldrons of molten metal kept ready to pour on would-be attackers and each armed with weapons of the finest dwarven make. Finally, the last few hundred meters of the bridge to the hold itself are ready to blow to fully isolate the hold if need be. But keep away all unwanted guests. Only the most powerful of assaults could hope to breach these defenses, and even they would be greatly weakened once they arrive. Of course then they must contend with the defenses of the hold itself...
- [ ] For which hold
- DC 6
- Costs 24 wealth
- Greatly reduces the strength and threat of invasions
- Costs 1 wealth per turn to maintain
[ ] Conduct a trading voyage with the east (innovative)
While the route across the dark lands does provide the cheapest route to conduct trade with the east. Traveling by ship would be the most effective to transport actual appreciable amounts of goods. Setting up such a transport fleet would carry significant expense but the returns could be worth it.
- DC = 6
- cost = 3
- If successful, gain 0.5 wealth for every civilised human province in the old world
- (gold gain decreases for each successful voyage in a turn)
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
Diplomacy
[ ] Check on a sealed hold.
Send specialists in all the fields of Dawi knowledge to a lost hold, making their way upon the ancient dwarf paths that have hopefully remained hidden to our enemies. Allowing them to keep up with the latest technological trends of the Karaz Ancor as well as confirming to the rest of the dwarves that they still exist
- [ ] Karak Azul dc = 7, cost = 2
- [ ] Karag Dum dc = 3, cost = 1
[ ] Send Expedition to Ind: The other great culture of the east are the kingdoms of Ind. Which are said to be as wealthy as Arabyan sultans and as wealthy as the tubes of humans at the foot of our mountains. Even more mysterious than Cathay we would have to journey there to discover what we could offer them and them us. Send our fleet around the coast of the Southlands to see if we can arrange proper communication.
- Potential things to discuss Dwarven goods, Dwarven Quarters, ???
- Costs 2 gold
- DC 3
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
[ ] (Cathay) Permanant Embassies
Establish permanent embassies both at Barrak Varr and at Shang Yang for your respective empires to speak with each other. These would allow requests and messages to reach your distant realms and also allow you to be aware in the most distant and vague of senses, of the goings-on in the distant east. As well as provide Cathay an observer status on the field of embassies outside of Magritta. Such embassies, required to display the wealth and power of the Karaz Ankor, would however be something of a drain on the treasury. Though not one so extreme as to seem utterly unreasonable.
- Allows you to remain in (distant) contact with Cathay
- Allows you to hear the most general news of the goings-on in Cathay
- costs 1 gold per turn
- DC = 3
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
[0] Send a request to the Phoenix king (Locked for 1 turn):
Now that a more stable if... distant relationship has been established with Ulthuan, the possibility has arisen that we could both benefit from each other...
[ ] See the Dukes hang
Duke Leopold of Oswin, is dead, his heirs however have inherited the crimes of their father, and must answer for the Dawi blood that has been shed. the Margravirate however will likely act to defend their own in what they would wrongly view as an unjust war. leveraging the wealth of a kingdom however and tasking our greatest loremasters to seeing the umgi brought to justice should result in the whole family swinging from a deserving tree.
DC = 4
Cost = 3
[ ] Send Expedition to Athel Loren (innovative):
The Elgi of the forest have not troubled us for many generations. Though Norn does keep a close watch on the trees. It is recorded in the book of grudges that the people of Athel Loren only drew their blades against the Dawi after we had invaded their home. These grudges though not forgotten could be postponed if we wish to have true peace with the Elves of that dark capricious forest.
- Athel Loren changes from suspicious to neutral
- Costs 1 gold
- +1 shame for ten turns as grudges are slowly resolved
- DC 8
[ ] Make available your techonlogy for sale (innovative):
You detest this, The guilds detest this and the Dawi as a whole detest this, but it must be done for the realm to be made secure. Offer the innovation of the Dawi up to the Umgi for the cost of mere coin and watch as they scramble to find any advantage over their rivals by paying you for the privilege. The Dawi might revolt at the thought of doing so for unproven Umgak. But at the very least they have at least somewhat proven themselves over the past few hundred years.
- will receive a substantial amount of gold from the various parties who accept the deal.
- +1 shame for ten turns
- DC 5
- [ ] Choose a technology to offer
- Available technologies: Crossbows, Turtle Ships, Bolt/Grudge Thrower, Picks, Plumbing and Windlasses, Fine Tooling, Matchlocks
[ ] Send a series of ambassadors to the... courts of the Tomb kings. (innovative)
The Land of Nehekhara is an enigma. A land of death, where the dead do not lie easy. In fact, not only that, but they rule in a macabre pantomime of how they did in life. With great kings competing with each other for the favor of the greatest of these charnel lords, Settra the Imperishable. Who rules with an iron fist over his domain. However, even in his time, his rule over the other cities and especially on the eastern side of the charnel valley is more in theory. For, in reality, bar paying deference to their overlord, and avoiding displeasing him, the tomb kings seem to be able to do as they will. Reach out to contact these grisly kings and discover if any of their interests, whatever they may be co-incide with your own.
- Costs 3 (2 is a tribute to Settra)
- dc 8
- establish an understanding of the kings who take an interest in the mortal world and implement protocals for you to be able to talk to them
[ ] Send an expedition to Karak Zorn
With its location provided to us by the maps that the Asur have provided. We would be able to mount an expedition into the depths of the southland. Far further south in fact than near anyone but the most crazed had estimated. Gathering a few sun-crazed dwarves and a few ambassadores, we can mount an expedition into the deepest jungles to discover if our kin still live.
- Costs 2
- dc 8
[0] Send Expedition to the Fire (chaos) dwarves (innovative)
The only reason we would reach out to our fallen kin is to get them to cease their attacks on the caravans which cross the darklands near where they have established their cruel realm. To even acknowledge their shameful existence brings many longbeards to day-long bouts of grumbling and what they would ask in return we can only imagine.
- Costs 2 gold
- They are for the moment unwilling to listen
[ ] Uplift the tribes (innovative)
We have been surrounded for many centuries by the tribes of men, whose numbers seem to swell with only slightly less speed than their greenskin foes. We have always considered them beneath us, for their craft is poor and though brave, they have little skill in proper warcraft. As the cities of Tilea, Araby and far off Cathay have shown, however, there is hope for the race of men and perhaps they could act as a far more capable shield than they do at the moment if they were given the appropriate tutelage.
- [ ] Select province to attempt to uplift
- Costs 3
- DC = 6
[ ] Unify your vassals (innovative)
Though civilized, the human realm that we have beneath us bicker and fight with each other as much as with those we wish them to guard against. Gather the leaders of these cities together, find that which links them and forge bonds of steel between these petty cities to form a nation
- [ ] Select province to attempt to unify
- Costs 1
- DC = 6
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggarond for colonization (Innovative)
Naggarond, the eastern continent beyond Ulthuan is known as the land of chill, and at least according to captured documents, a splinter faction of the elves resides in the far north. Led in those days by prince Malekith. However, of more interest to us is the fact that it supposedly bears no marks of the Orks or Thaggoriki. And possesses a large mountain range along the continent's entire length. Mount an expedition to see if this land could be a safe refuge for us, far from the attentions of our enemies
- DC 7
- cost - 3
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
[ ] Mount an expedition to Naggaroth (innovative)
The tower of dread, or so say the elven maps that we have gathered. However, it is home, or at least was, to Malekith. Son of Aenarion and dwarf friend. Who as their histories show, rebelled against the supposedly false phoenix king Bel Shannar long before the war of vengeance. therefore our grudges against Ulthuan would not apply to him. We should send an expedition to see if ancient friendships can be revived with Elgi or their descendants who have never crossed us.
- DC ???
- cost - 3
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
[ ] Mount an expedition to Lustria (innovative)
We know little of Lustria save that it exists and is covered in horrible forest and inhabited by ravenous beasts. Who knows though, perhaps there are surprises within that we may have interest in.
- DC ???
- cost - 3
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
[ ] Attempt to vassalize a region for their good and that of the Karaz Ankor
There are many regions around the Karaz Ankor that are occupied by human tribes who survive at the whims of the orks and other monsters that inhabit the world outside of our mountains. Offer them sanctuary beneath dwarven arms so long as they are willing to respect the word of an elder and more dependable race
- DC 7
- cost - 1 (for primitive humans)
- cost - 3 (for tribal humans)
- vassalises a human province of either primitives or settled tribes
[ ] Reach out to a known and nearby civilized faction
There are many realms nearby that we could have dealings with now that we have emerged somewhat from our isolation. Reaching out to them should not be difficult and nor should getting at least our smaller neighbors to do as we wish. Everyone likes gold after all, and who has more than the Dwarves?
- costs 1 cold
- [ ] To which Faction would you like to reach out to
- [ ] What would you like to ask of them (please reach out to the QM before doing this option so I can decide cost and dc)
[ ] Investigate the Southlands
Upon the map which you were provided are the locations of a dozen places that you have not seen any mention of in the dwarven anals. These should be investigated to see if they remain, and how it is that the Karaz Ankor has seemingly lost knowledge of an entire civilization
- costs 2 cold
- DC??
- [ ] attach a fleet to this action, state which fleet
Free Actions (can be done at no cost and as often as desired)
[ ] Enforce your Will on the Ankor
- costs one gold per unsealed hold
- provides one free action
- may be taken additional times, but each subsequent attempt costs one additional gold per hold.
[ ] Move a garrison between holds
- [ ] what garrison are you moving
- [ ] from where
- [ ] to where
[ ] transfer ownership of runic weapons
- [ ] from where (can be a hold or a throng)
- [ ] to where (can be a hold or a throng)
[ ] transfer ownership of elder runic weapons
- [ ] from where (can be a hold or a throng)
- [ ] to where (can be a hold or a throng)
Moratorium for 24 hours
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