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Here's my theory.

Dum isn't actually in the chaos wastes.

You can only reach it and exit it via the wastes, but the actual location is somewhere in the south, its just that the roads to and out of Dum are in the wastes.

The beastmen are an illusion, and we can't tell because the magic is the illusion is happening elsewhere and we are only seeing the results.

My strongest pieces of evidence are the fact that the temperature is weird, I think I remember Mattie seeingsomethin weird about the actual spatial distance between us and the Beastmen, and that the Beast men demigod showed Bored affection.

Even if Hotel was a literal demon in disguise, we wouldn't see affection from this specific Beast men, its not capable of it That's another Dwarf.
That makes a lot of sense, especially in comparison to what we saw in Karak Vlag.

So, first of all, given these clues:
- Morghur is said to have been 'born' three hundred years ago, but there's stories of beings identical to him stretching back throughout recorded history.
- From your very limited knowledge, Morghur was last seen being pursued by High Elves in Bretonnia shortly before the Great War Against Chaos.
This is absolutely not the Morghur that was in Brettonia, but some other creature, likely made in his image by Karag Dum. The beastmen, on the other hand, are absolutely real.
That, in and of itself, is a dangerous game.
So: mad Speculation:
Karagt through secrets only the Sith new, created Karag-Cor, our asffectionate little friend here, to be their personal slave beastman-god. Likely they are trying to use his influence to warp them straight out of the Chaos wastes and into better regions.
This must have been an old plan: more than old enough Borek knows of it, which is, remember, more than 200 years old. Likely, then, its excution is similarly old.
This is likely a hint of longstanding and increasing corruption.
Despite this, I think that at the moment they are onlyu argaining with chaos, not openly worshipping it. OTOH, their fall will be swift, irretreivable, inevitable, and quick. What do?
Run, probably: they are still certainly wrves which worship the ancestors, so killing them is likely not legal or to be approved of, but we have absolutely much much much much much less than no desire to talk to these people: perhaps the best we can do is let them rot until it is fair to kill them.
IF not that, we may have to destroy a dwarf hold. Pray we do not get Grudged.
 
Guys why don't we investigate and talk with the other tribes for info first and also the chaos trail? We still have t8me to burn before meeting the Dolgan so just grab info while stealing the trail while the expedition waits around.
 
Maybe we can scout around the crater for clues (both physical and magical), and try to derive more information from what we find? Maybe asking the surrounding Kurgan tribes what the fuck happened here, in a not-too-obvious manner?
 
So. OK. This is absolutely A, but not the only, 'Shadowgave'. It is certainly not Morghur.
Aura threw 1 6-faced dice. Reason: AAAAAAH! Total: 3
3 3
 
There is precedent for the succesful enslavement of beings aligned with chaos. Even by non chaos factions.

Krell, a great champion of the chaos gods who helped destroy Karak Ungor, and nearly broke Karak Kadrin before the birth of the Empire was successfully raised and bound by Nagash.

It stuck until he was obliterated by Sigvald the Magnificent in the End Times if I remember correctly.

If the first Van Hall could beat back the Skavan by resorting to the magics of Nagash, then I can see something like this happening in opposition to chaos.

It's hard to imagine dwarfs ever accepting something like this... but it's not as though it hasn't happened before.

Before this quest, I wouldnt have though something like the Slayers of Slaanesh possible for dwarfs, but the reality is undeniable.

Honestly, a lot of this quest has been outlining the degree to which it's possible to bend dwarfs.
The things that Belegar accepted to retake Eight Peaks seemed like they were killing him, but in the end, he got what he wanted.

I think that's what happened here.

The dwarfs of Karag Dum knew it was possible to enslave and dominate considering how much exposure they had to the Chaos Dwarfs.

And they finally resorted to similar methods.

It seems that it worked for them, though, unless they've found a way to accomplish this without the use of the runic system of chaos, I cant see it lasting very long.
 
Wait. Why exactly Mathilde thinks that that is Morghur? She knows very little about Beastmen, and of Morghur, yet immediately jumps to that conclusion:

As far as we, the players, know, Morghur is more of a force of nature than beastman, with mind constantly chaotically reforming. He hardly could be considered sapient being. He shouldn't be capable of actions like ruffling Borek's hair with his hand.

I can't formulate a full theory here yet, but I think that being we see here isn't Morghur, but some "stone is an excellent insulator of magic"-kind effect tells everyone (including Kurgan going to fight here) that it is. Yes, there's seemingly no illusion, there are beastmen of flesh and bone standing here, but there's an induced misdesignation.
That would be an effective way to control beastmen. Make a sort of leader puppet.
 
We could try to get more info from the present Kurgans. The southern front was open to us, so it makes sense they would be to the north. Maybe that? Idfk. It just does not feel we have enough info to really do anything else but turn and go.

The Dawn-Zharr have done it with Daemonweapons.
The Elgi and Dwarfs did it with Bok. Morghur could theoretically be bound elemental.
 
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Here's a potential proposal.

Go up to the edge of that ring and call Borek out.

If their bad guys .... weirdly, even Chaos respects the calling someone out thing and doesnt interfere with it, and Borek would be obligated to respond or be thought cowardly/weak which will not fly in that environment. If they aren't evil ... Borek owes us enough that as long as he isn't absolute scum he's still obligated to poke his head out for a converation.

[] Action: Go up to the edge of the ring and shout out a demand that Borek come out and meet you or prove himself a traitor and a coward.

If he comes out, ask him what the hell is happening, what he says/does decides what we do next.
 
I mostly agree with this, except i think that it is Morghur. in which case, actually getting close or looking at him too hard is not really a valid plan.

Maybe we should ask Deathfang if he has ever seen anything remotely similar?
He looks like Morghur and has a weird reality-altering aura like Morghur, but we know Morghur was born to humans 300 years ago. So if Dum had a hand in its creation, then it's some similar but distinct sort of being from the Shadowgrave.

Oh, here's another one:
[ ] THEORY: The Kul and other tribes have been testing themselves against Morghur for years, and are in fact doing it right now. But Morghur isn't even on those two battlefronts. He's here. Are they also fighting Morghur(s) right now?
[ ] ACTION: Visit Kul battlefront to see what the fuck.
 
This seems extremely hubristic to assume that Matty can't be fooled by illusions ever.

Our senses were good enough to do something Teclis failed to do, and whilst that was in part due to circumstances I don't think it's hubris to acknowledge that, also quite frankly dwarven rune work isn't something I can imagine being good at illusion work.
 
The sensible response: Go home. Now.
but if this state of affairs continues (if the perception we have of it is true), it portends doom (heh) for the old world.
So that makes the Responsible Response: Investigate and intervene.
What we're really weighing here is between Dereliction of Duty and Potential Death.
Ah, it seems our Loyalties are being Divided. Imagine That.
 
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