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Then lead with that, instead of calling other people wrong for being interested in what I've written.

I do find this interesting.

But you kinda screwed yourself with that preview.

I now want to see the drama of that decision unfold more than I want to try and solve this mystery while at risk of certain death or worse.

Like If I didn't know for a fact we had a lot of interesting drama waiting back home That I want Mathilde to live to see, I would probably be a lot more on board with this.
 
No, the closest would be 'Tor' for 'city' or 'settlement'.
...Interesting that it's so close to the closest Khazalid equivalent of Ankor for realm. But that's probably just the creators being lazy in their linguistics.
You know, as someone who built a huge Doom Tower that blew up a massive army, we may have a lot in common with the Dwarves of Karak Dum.
...We've seen giant Ancestor Runes before. And that one wasn't powered by a constantly working Waystone the size of a mountain. Isn't the purification of our belt due to a rune bearing an Ancestor's name which some believe to actually be an outright Ancestor Rune?
 
So whats the deal here guys. I skimmed the discussion but the most recent theory I saw that was Garlaks I believe seems to have a flaw. Why the fuck is Borek so ashamed of the idea of a giant Rune of Valaya. Thats honestly my main concern with all of these ideas that Morghur is not the one out there. Even if it's not Morghur why are the dwarves cosplaying as beastmen? Whatever's going on in Karak Dum is not good. And honestly while it might be worth it to gather some information I don't think getting any closer is good. If anyone should approach it should be another dwarf since that's probably what this defense relies on. Also I don't think we can infiltrate, like Mathilde is good but Dum has been under siege for a long time now, the dwarfs are probably better at this point. Finding out what's going on from other tribes in the area might work, but beyond that we should not under any circumstance approach that forest.

Good odds they're mass breeding Beastmen via runecraft to hold off the angry Chaos Gods if the theory is true.
 
I'm going to repost something I just posted in a discord chat.

ME: I don't know why a dwarf[1] would pat him on the fucking head either. To be honest it read to me like- And I know this isn't actually a thing that would be true in WH, but metaphorically it felt like-

ME: Like when you get to Hell and the devil pats you on the head in greeting in the last gesture of affection you'll ever get. "Settle in chum, you'll be here for a long time."

[1] The context being that some dwarf was controlling "Morghur" and making it do the headpat.
 
I'm going to repost something I just posted in a discord chat.

ME: I don't know why a dwarf[1] would pat him on the fucking head either. To be honest it read to me like- And I know this isn't actually a thing that would be true in WH, but metaphorically it felt like-

ME: Like when you get to Hell and the devil pats you on the head in greeting in the last gesture of affection you'll ever get. "Settle in chum, you'll be here for a long time."

[1] The context being that some dwarf was controlling "Morghur" and making it do the headpat.
So sort of, "Welcome to hell, enjoy the buffet?"
 
[X] THEORY: The Dwarves of Karag Dum did something to burn away the taint of Chaos, much as your Belt of the Unshackled Mountain does, but on a far grander scale. Perhaps it had an effect on the Beastmen here, Cor-Dum included.
[x] THEORY: The specifics are hazy, but this is a known contingency plan that Borek is entirely aware of, but hoped hadn't been enacted. The result breaks all Dawi notions of acceptability, but Karak Dum survives in some capacity and continues to inflict attrition on every local and visiting Chaos force that want to take a swing at them, so it is considered a lesser evil by the pragmatic Karak Dum.


[x] ACTION: I'm going to have to check this out.
 
[X] THEORY: The Dwarves of Karag Dum did something to burn away the taint of Chaos, much as your Belt of the Unshackled Mountain does, but on a far grander scale. Perhaps it had an effect on the Beastmen here, Cor-Dum included.

I dunno what to do for Action but I think this is correct.
 
I think the theorizing is getting somewhere these last few pages. Garlak has some pretty good ideas that are grounded in some of the only clues we have. Im still for investigating stuff, which lines up nicely with his theories. Lets sort out the dwarf politics if its true afterwards :D

[x] ACTION: Investigate by following the waystone ley line. It will be your guide through any possible illusion or trickery.
[x] Omegahugger
[x] THEORY: The Dwarves of Karag Dum did something to burn away the taint of Chaos, much as your Belt of the Unshackled Mountain does, but on a far grander scale. Perhaps it had an effect on the Beastmen here, Cor-Dum included.
[x] ACTION: We need to verify if the situation here is stable, or if it's something that will come back to haunt the Karaz Ankor and Empire if left ignored.
[x] -[X] [Action] Expedition: Digs in; Mathilde: Investigates
[x] ACTION: Politely ask Morghur to be granted entrance into Karak Dum.
[x] THEORY: The dwarves of Karag Dum are alive and uncorrupted by Chaos, but have resorted to truly drastic measures to survive, probably undertaken by their controversial "Rune Masters", which involves having these beastmen or beastmen-appearing creatures defending the karak for the dwarves. We can assume that this is all in favour of the dwarves by Morghur's easy acceptance and non-destruction of Borek as well as Borek's mutual acceptance of the beastman. The idea of Rune Masters being critically involved is the certainty that some form of magic was used to create this whole situation, including the odd weather, and the Rune Masters' lack of corruption is supported by the lesser level of ambient dark magic in the area, even directly around Morghur himself.
[x] THEORY: The specifics are hazy, but this is a known contingency plan that Borek is entirely aware of, but hoped hadn't been enacted. The result breaks all Dawi notions of acceptability, but Karak Dum survives in some capacity and continues to inflict attrition on every local and visiting Chaos force that want to take a swing at them, so it is considered a lesser evil by the pragmatic Karak Dum.
[x] THEORY: Through either Pact, Binding or some other venue the dwarfs of Karag Dum have installed Morghur as some form of defensive guardian, supported by the fact that Morghur is treating the mountain as a giant herdstone while to my vision it is not. The confounding factor here is that the energy flowing out of Karag Dum is uncorrupted. Morghur himself would almost certainly be using it for his own ends, so it means the occupants of the hold either don't know how to use it, don't care to use it or still consider themselves part of the Karaz Ankor enough that they let the energy flow uninterrupted.
 
The actual reason for the gesture is obvious, of course. It wasn't someone comforting Borek, it was checking his ID. Some kind of effect to verify he was a valid Karag Dum resident.
 
The dwarves of Karag Dum did what Mathilde and Belegar did, they adapted, similar to how Mathilde convince Belegar to take in the WE spiders, Belegar hired human mercenaries, use normal wizard humans and runecraft to create a death tower, Mathilde use her knowledge of Liber Mortis to fight against the undead as well as gain insight enough to make the Waagh wave backfire on the orcs.

Karag Dum has to be investigated, to determine whether they are a potential threat, or if they have things under control, or if they need reinforcements from the outside to help hold the Karag. The dwarves here may or may not be allied with the elves, this whole thing smells of dawi + elgi cooperation. If nothing else we still have the seed to bargain with the elves if needed. Plus they contain lost knowlege of Runecraft and other secrets that may help team order or even help restore the dwarves to their lost glory.

The wizrds should perform a csi autopsy on skeletons and investigate the enviroment, fauna and forest. to get more clues.
 
What? No. He's not ashamed of a giant Rune of Valaya.

He's ashamed that it's being used to purify a freaking Beastmen boogeyman.

Runes are a divine and holy art. They're not supposed to be given out to just anybody. Mathilde had to get Dwarf rep to get some, and being an Imperial human (an ancestral ally of the Karaz Ankor) helped.

Using an unorthodox, radical and possibly arguably heretical, method of runes to purify a Beastmen demigod and hope that he'll be grateful to you? It's insanity, by Dwarf standards.

That's why Borek is resigned.

Because using Runes like these is... radical and extreme and What-The-Fuck-y.

Even if to somebody like Mathilde, if it were all explained and assured, might go "Oh, makes sense... albeit it IS terrifying."

Culturally and psychologically, this is way way out of the Dwarf comfort zone.

Hence: shame in doing things other than the way your Ancestors did. Shame in using the Runes in such an experimental and risky gamble, and relying on a Beastman's sanity or generosity or whatever.

Borek does not strike me as someone who gets ashamed of doing something radical. You might be right that they somehow purified Morghur and a bunch of beastmen, but why would he be so ashamed, wouldn't this be a triumph proving that the dwarves could take on anything? I don't trust this, asking the ancestors for forgiveness and walking off like Borek just did especially when he was talking to Mathilde who is not exactly an arch-traditionalist is worrying. The local Kurgan might be able to give us a timeline on what happened in the last hundred or so years and if a party from Dum comes to use we should listen, but the assumption that Borek is just ashamed that they purified the beastmen does not really hold water when he comes from the Karak that engages in radical shit on the regular.

Good odds they're mass breeding Beastmen via runecraft to hold off the angry Chaos Gods if the theory is true.

Well in that case I would wish them luck, but creating an army of slave soldiers is both the sort of thing that will inevitably backfire and honestly should backfire, if this is the case then it would honestly have been kinder if Karak Dum had simply been overwhelmed because this is pretty bad.
 
I gotta say, while the last update was very immersive and thus sorta upsetting (hence it doing an excellent job), it was definitely a pretty strange one to read for my (orthodox) Christmas.
 
I am a bit surprised we just let him go kill himself via Beastman (or do what seems to be it until he was allowed to pass unharmed) without an explanation.
 
[X] THEORY: The Dwarves of Karag Dum did something to burn away the taint of Chaos, much as your Belt of the Unshackled Mountain does, but on a far grander scale. Perhaps it had an effect on the Beastmen here, Cor-Dum included.
 
I am a bit surprised we just let him go kill himself via Beastman (or do what seems to be it until he was allowed to pass unharmed) without an explanation.
You don't stand in the way of a dwarf who's committed to going slayer. The ones who are wavering can be talked out of it, but the ones who've settled on it? Not happening, and all trying will do is earn you an axe to the face.
 
I've had another thought on this. Though it's more like a synthesis of things.

I think that... Well. It's both the "contingency" and "burning off Dhar like our belt does" options.

Namely -- I think they took up Apparition-binding, Daemon-binding, Kadon's Scrolls of Binding, whatever you call it...

... And took to using the Runes of Valaya to burn away all the ambient Dhar from doing so.

So. That's the reason Morghur is here and friendly to the Dum Dwarfs, maybe to Dwarfs in general. They've bound him, maybe other Daemons too (maybe that's how/why the Yasuk lost the Chaos Gods favor; all their Daemon pokemon got yoinked), and probably put Dwarfs on the FOF recognition, and are using the Karak-Runes to burn away all the Dhar. Maybe the FOF is just as simple as "somebody who has Valaya's Protection", which would include any Dwarf born and blessed with that protection. (And maaaybe anybody carrying a Rune of Valaya's?)

So. Snorri might be safe to approach. Mathilde, maybe, if her belt counts. Anybody else, probably not.

I think Morghur might have been bound like an apparition or daemon -- the FOF probably set to "Has Valaya's Protection/warding/blessing, Yes/No?" -- and views Dwarfs as a friendly (views them like Beastmen maybe?) but anybody else is screwed.

So, Morghur, Cor-Dum, is bound by them. Maybe Karag Dum has taken up Daemon-binding or Kadon's Scrolls, as applied to Beastmen demigods.

But because they're not assholes or bastards or insane or evil, they're also using Valaya's Runes to burn away all the Dhar.


This differs from the "Maybe they purified Cor-Dum?" theory, because in that theory, it speculates that maybe Morghur was taken away from Chaos. In this scenario, he hasn't been purified per se... Instead, the Karak-Runes are doing all the purifying. Morghur is still as radioactive as a nuclear reactor. It's just the local mountain is burning away all the Dhar.

It's literally like the theorized "Are you safe to use Necromancy or to do Daemon-binding, if you've got the belt?" To which the answer is probably "You probably want more than 'just' Kragg's knowledge and expertise; you'd want Karag Dum's levels of knowledge and expertise." Because they know way too many things "that others would prefer that they did not know." Like what the risks and costs of binding Daemons are, and how to do it """safely""". Or at least, how to leash them in an area and burn off all the taint coming off them, with fire.
 
Don't the runefang's have chaos purification effects?
Death is purifying.

Outside of that, no.


What the Runefangs are are impossibly sharp, unbreakable swords. A few novels have flirted with them having more powers (in an End Times novel, for example, Troll Cleaver, the Ostermark Runefang, is shown to shut down a troll's regeneration), but the only mechanical effect they've ever been given is causing guaranteed wounds if they hit.
 
Mathy kicked up the beginning of this adventure rescuing a group of dwarves from a sinking ship. A shocking event that could have escalated into full on War, had she not insured the senior most Dwarven leaders were saved.

She then *repeated it.* A mountain, a colossal sinking tomb of rock, was pulled from The Warp with a horde of Dwarven lives rescued from a fate of unparalleled horror.

If what the thread is deducing is true. If this is going the direction that signs point to, then Mathy may once again be in a position to rescue a horde of dwarves from an isolated doom. A doom not simply of chaos, but the social rejection of a society that views using Ancestor Runes to Control Demons a horrific heresy.
 
Gain more information how exactly?

This is stupid and pointless.

Who cares?

The job is done, lets go home and get back to our girlfriend and our attempts to obtain ultimate cosmic power.

Instead of continuing to risk a pointless death in this hell hole.
Thr Kurgan don't know shit about what happened to the dwarves and will probably just tell us that morghur killed them all ages ago if anything.

Even if that isn't the case, The kurgan have no reason to believe otherwise.

Our job here was to ascertain Karag Dum's fate, its still there, it's messing around with shit it shouldn't be. We are in no position to do anything about it if they actually are a threat.

Job's done, smashing successm, we even saved a different noncorrupt Karak along the way!

We've gone above and beyond, lets turn around, fulfill our end of the deal with the ice witch, and go home to do actually interesting stuff.

I wanna see the whole "Now legally a dwarf" thing! Damnit!

Ok, seriously, do you have to be aggressive and/or trolling every other time you turn up in the thread? (and I'm saying this as someone who does get hated sometimes.)

I'm just going to say it, I dread seeing your avatar pop up when I'm catching up on the posts. because its a crap shot whether you're going to be in a fun mood or a piss on everything mood.

I really don't like how often you try to drag down the mood of the thread.
 
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