Ineth I, Part II - Turn 139Kosothducim Will Rise Again - The Adventures of Ineth Relicheart1st Felsite 1066In fact, many years have passed since that fateful day. I settled into a comfortable life here. I became an adequate glassmaker, of all things, and even found a wife, although she was a strange dwarf of The Page of Tiredness. One day my wife left, to search for new adventures to the north, leaving me behind. I didn't know what to do, then I remembered the backpack full of metal spikes. It seems destiny was calling me finally. And so, on the 1st Felsite in the year 1066, I set off on my journey.
I begin my trek northwards from the imposing citadel, towards old Palacework and the lands of the humans and dwarves beyond. A strange feeling to find wind in my hair once more. I must see what has become of my ancestral home. They tell me that nearly a thousand years has passed since the conquest of Palacework by The Yellow Syrups, in the year 121. I can scarcely believe it. The dwarves of the Book of Dreams supplied food and beer, and a stout axe. My mission begins in earnest. I meet a travelling scholar, Limul, just as the forest makes way to tundra. He is travelling from the Citadel too, keen to spread the word.
I spend an afternoon drinking kaniwa beer and wrestling foxes, until I can feel my old reflexes return to me. Onward to Palacework - I must see my old home. I fall asleep atop the haunted glacier of The Fated Frost, dreaming of home.
2nd Felsite 1066Shortly after dawn I come across a strange scene. A clearly undead human is locked in combat with a polar bear. Sensing my presence, this Hollow Zombie turns on me! Its bearing is unfamiliar to me, but the symbol on its helm is of the Nations of Honoring... this wight is far from home! My blistered metal axe bites deeply in the humans chest but it seems to shrug off a seemingly mortal wound! Again and again my axe bites deep, but no blood flows from the wounds. Finally, the axe shatters the undead monsters skull and it falls suddenly in a heap.
I am no stranger to the threat of undeath, but this thing was no mere zombie. I study its corpse. It seems a good old fashinoned head strike is what is needed to fell it. Useful information. I am attacked by another white bear near a squat icy structure resembling an egg. A dwarven fortress? Inside I find a skulking goblin, who I quickly strangle. His socks are less tattered than my own and fit just as well. There are goblin skeletons here too. This place looks mostly abandoned? As I leave, the heavens open, and it rains red slush - frozen human blood! How disgusting. I spot movement from the corner of my eye - a dwarf! It is the performer Thikut Helmedpriests of The Walled Dye. She tells me of bone chilling horror and skulking vermin, but offers no directions. For a travelling entertainer, she has little knowledge of these surrounds.
I spend the night in Pillarclapped, a monastery. This place is known to me - Palacework is not far.
3rd Felsite 1066I am awoken with a start. Someone is here. I creep from my bedroll and look out into the forest - a dwarf! He is one of the undead it seems, though not hostile. A hammerdwarf it seems, Zuntir Lancedthunder. His hammer has seen some use, a slick of elf blood smears its face. His body bears the marks of old wounds. This dwarf appears to be incredibly old. He must remember old Palacework. Perhaps he was a defender like me, fallen to the hands of the undead. Perhaps I knew him, once. I leave him to his silent patrol.
Finally, fair Palacework. It is eerily quiet. I find a pile of salvaged arms and armour in the corner of the abandoned inn. Perhaps some adventurers had used this place as a safe haven? There is little sign of battle on the surface. Oh how the battles raged. The hordes of Cog Wildnesswork... the horrific writhing undead armies of Glazedriven. Its hard to think it was nearly a thousand years ago - it feels like yesterday. I descend the familiar steps, rolling at the shrines of the gods of my people.
In the first residential level, I again hear movement, and encounter another undead dwarf. This one has a helm bearing the blueberry bush of The Walled Dye, and is missing a hand. It eyes me quietly, offering no threat. I find little else in Palacework. None of the noise and vigour of the olden days. Deserted and ruined. Clenching my fist, I resolve that it will live again.
The Fort is well protected from the north and east by an enormous rolling mountain range, a good defensible position. Now that Glazedriven is toppled and human merchants have taken the lands, perhaps Kosothducim might have a chance to prosper. I will retrace my steps south, then east across the plains.
4th Felsite 1066Mosshill, the Mines of Iron? Another fort I am unfamiliar with. Within the fort is a statue of durian trees - symbol of the Staff of Kissing. Now I have visited forts of all three of the surviving clans. This place looks long deserted, though. I find no living dwarven brethren. I press on, south easterly, skirting the mountains. I stumble across an abandoned tent near a shallow river, and make camp for the night.
The next fort I see nestled into the foothills is Watchfulpalace. The Equivalent Citadel rule from here. I meet a baroness consort, Mistem Ironname. Sadly she knows nothing of this place and on closer inspection it appears that Watchfulpalace is little more than an abandoned camp. Animal skeletons are scattered around, along with some grizzly bear bone crafts from some other adventurer - the name Muthkat Mothcat the Morsel of Beards is inscribed upon some. A sheriff and militia commander are the only other living souls to see and they have little insight about the surrounding area. I must press north, towards the human lands of the High Confederacies.
7th Felsite 1066Three days of travel takes me to the twin forts of The Pit and Climaxringed. A colossal corpse of twisted ash lies in the broken ruins of the Pit... some beast from hell unleashed on the earth. I find nothing of value here, nor in its twin. I am ambushed by wolves as I enter the Tundra of Heroes. The axe of blistered metal from The Eternal Citadel makes light work of them. The remaining trek is uneventful.
The towns of Pricerings and Growlsuppers are near here. I stumble into a compact fort called Stasimanors, and am greeted by a necromancer scholar. I am immediately wary. I do not trust those who seek power over death. He greets me warmly, and there are no undead minions in sight. I allow myself to relax a little. He is Atir Tombrapid of the Violet Glazes. Strangely I find an elderly human militia commander, Domas Callmines. I find little else here, but get directions towards the nearby human capital, Growlsuppers of The Creamy Confederacy. I will seak out the law-giver there. Pricerings is a short distance north, and I find the central keep strangely abandoned. No matter, I will claim this site in the name of The Matched Hame! Perhaps I can use this abandoned city as a temporary base of operations, until I can rustle up enough support to launch a true expedition to retake Palacework.
The nearby town of Seedwatch seems to be in the hold of goblin bandits. I quickly deal with them. I politely explain that I am in charge now, and the bandit leader runs for the hills. Comical cowardice from the goblin scum.
I sneak away and return later, strangling all three of the goblins silently. There is no reward for cowardice.
11th Felsite 1066In Growlsuppers I am attacked by a human justiciar. He slavers and foams at the mouth as he lunges wildly with a boning knife, his skin an unnatural sickly hue. Yet more undead infesting this place? There is no sign of the law-giver of the Creamy Confederacy. I burn the foul ghoulish corpse and head north west, towards the High Confederacies.
12th Felsite 1066I arrive in Sacklures, the capital of the human civilisation The Armored Confederacy. Instead of a human law-giver though, I find a sinister looking scorpion creature clad in steel armour, its chitin a criss cross of scars. It eyes me warily, and introduces itself as Avolition Crystalcrab the Ruler of Jewels. I enquire about the ruling dynasty of The Eternal Citadel and he seems to have knowledge of them. I hand him a masterwork blistered metal craft and solemnly promise that the Matched Hame will return. He nods in agreement. I must press on.
13th Felsite 1066The castle of Boltspumpkin is famed through the land, or so I am told. So many treasures here. I heard rumours that the spoils of Palacework were to be found here. Of The animal trap the Devil of Questing there is no sign. I present to the staff of the Museum the famed sword Rhythmshowers the Pure Crosses, the artefact that pulled my civilisation back from the mists of time.
There are a great many codices and tomes of varied and wondrous design. Some seem crafted of human or elf leather, others bound in blistered metal. Surely this is a necromantic hoard? I find my will wavering. The knowledge of life over death is laid casually before me. If I drink deeply from that chalice will I be no better than Cog herself?
I have so far to go on my journey across the known kingdoms... to be freed of my mortal woes... would that not make my sacred task more easy? My will breaks... and I am a necromancer. I flee in disgust.
14th Felsite 1066Night falls though I feel no weariness. I press on. I discover a lair of sorts, and some twisted night troll attacks. My axe lodges in its heart but still it comes, before I crush its skull with a morningstar I found on my travels. It seems there are more of these fiends abroad. The lair appears to infact be an abandoned Minotaur labyrinth! The place is infested with Howling Freaks, vicious scaly winged monsters who rain blows upon me. My armour saves me from the worst of it. One lucky beast strikes me in the face tearing my lip. Wiping the blood from my face, I sever its head from its filthy shoulders. The freaks scatter as dawn breaks but I am determined, and I chase a half dozen down before the sun rises.
I travel north, towards the human kingdom of The High Confederacies. The first town I encounter is Embracedonkeys, where a lady cowers in the mead hall from the onslaught of elven ghouls. I quickly dispatch them. She tells me that the ruling council are to be found in Clenchportents to the north, near the ancient city of Incenseorder. I head on my way, rubbing at the scar on my lip and neck.
Sculptarches is the next town to the north and it is crawling with undead monstrosities. Blighted thralls and hollow zombies, slavering for the warm blood of the living. My axe bites deep. There is a church here with many priests. The lady of the town is a slavering ghoul and strangely the beast ignores some of the priests, leaving some unmolested when others are attacked. How curious. Vampires! The thralls all die, and the vampires fall next. By the time I am finished I am battered and bruised, and the church is slick with the blood of the ungodly.
15th Felsite 1066The surrounding villages are similarly afflicted. Vampires and ghouls abound in what was once a prosperous human valley. What has happened here? Will no righteous folk stand against the creatures of the night? I slay as many as I can find, heading steadily northward to imposing Divedact. Clenchportent is further north, near Incenseorder. I hope to speak with the law-giver there, but I am not filled with hope at the sight of all these abominations.
17th Felsite 1066Divedact, great city of the High Confederacies and the site of the greatest library in the known world. I meet with the Lord Innah Finderpainted in the keep. She tells me that the Raven-Guard of Secrets has ruled here for nearly two centuries, since the efforts of the Witch Hunter Kothvir Shadowstar to rid the lands of the blighted plague. I inform the lord that, from what I have seen, this plague of undeath has returned. I learn of the Blight, a disease which twists the minds of those it infects. It is passed on by biting.
Something else is curious about Innah. In his hand he fumbles with a small coin - a Sastpesor Gebdum Ostsitogi gold coin. Strangely enough, every vampire I have encountered so far was also found with these coins on their person. Could Innah be a creature of the night too? He does not deny it. The priests gathered here are horrified, despite my pointing out he was a bloodsucking fiend!
I don't know why there are so many vampires here. And what do the coins have to do with it? Something sinister is happening here. I suspect I might be able to gain some insight if I talked to this famed Kothvir. On the outskirts of town I find a dishevlled drunk in a makeshift tent. She bears the marks of old wounds. Perhaps she could tell me of this vampire cult? It transpires she is the wife of the vampire-apologist priest I met in the keep!
I find Kothvir Shadowstar the Black Raven in the Tall Curl of Metalspread as sun sets. He is a tall and imposing man with long bone-white hair. He looks ancient but powerful. On his chest is a breastplate of the same blistered metal as I was gifted in the Eternal Citadel, set with a black diamond. A masterful black opal amulet hangs around his neck. I enquire about the troubles.
He tells me of a strange travelling duo who passed through these parts some years ago, peddling a cure for the Blight. They scurried off when he challenged them, but since then, there have been reports of vampires and creatures that howl at the moon. He is recalcitrant when I ask him why he has done little to quell this new plague. I suppose he has sat in this mead hall for centuries, and has lost his place in this world. He tells me of a new fort to the south, beyond even The Eternal Citadel, where dwarves and angels live in harmony - Lightningrope. I am unconvinced this has anything to do with the vampires.
I tell him I will travel to Clenchportent, slay any ghouls I can find, and seek audience with the Law-giver, whomever that may be.
On the outskirts of Clenchportent I am accosted by a strange being - a mountain gnome dark one. It attacks with vicious fervour, but is quickly put down. I put its odd little mangled corpse in my pack. Clenchportent is in chaos. Zombies and slavering ghouls are attacking the ruling nobles. I do not immediately find the law-giver here, nor is it clear which of these humans has raised the corpses now ransacking the hall.
I do my best to bring order to the chaos. I kill as many as I can, including a dwarf merchant vampire. As I leave the hall to burn the corpses I find the almost comical sight of a dark gnome viciously attacking a sleeping royal chef!
When the dust settles, I return to the keep. The law-giver is there, alive and well, missing a few teeth and a bit bruised and bashed, but more or less intact. Amongst the debris of this place I find blistered metal arms and armour, including a masterwork gauntlet crafted by Arandil Pagetrades. An unusual name for a dwarf. Perhaps it was traded to the last law giver as a token of respect? I hand him one of my masterwork blistered metal spikes. He accepts it gladly, while boasting of killing a gnome. He recognises me as a lord of the Matched Hame. I bid him and his people good day, and head north to Incenseorder.
In Incenseorder a short travel northwards, I find an old, gray haired wolf man. His body is a criss-cross of scars and he is missing a finger. He claims to be the lord of this place - Maloy Craftsoars the Barricaded. I am confused as to why a wolf man allied to dwarves would rule a human city, but he seems pleasant enough. He gives me directions to a grand fort named Razorbridges, which links the southern land mass to the elven forests of the north.
I head northwest from the city, stumbling across a monastery. I hear some creatures chittering about the sacking of a human town. Night trolls! I am suddenly swarmed by nearly a dozen of these beasts. Luckily I feel the blood of my ancestors flow and my axe strikes true!
I travel north. I see no sign of the Razorbridge - perhaps I have taken a wrong turn. Or perhaps I have been sent on a merry chase by that scheming wolf man.
19th Felsite 1066A curious structure appears on the horizon - a long thin wall, a wooden pallisade?
In the dense forest I meet a dwarf hammerer, Goden. He tells me the Daggers of Myth rules Speechlessshames. He tells me the great wall they are building is to protect the southern lands from the unspeakable horror of the Honey Fiend. He is clearly quite deranged. The wall itself stretches along a vast terrain westward, solid wooden blocks and true dwarven craftship. But why? None of the brothers and sisters here can give an answer. I discover I have in fact come a long way out of my intended direction. I leave southwards, retracing my steps. I am amused to find a small dog following me. My new companion and I travel steadily, retracing our journey back to Incenseorder.
22nd Felsite 1066My new friend feasts on deer meat as we skirt the coast towards the true bearing of the Razorbridge. I spot goblin camps on the horizon. Perhaps we would do better to travel the deep roads? The mountains to the east of the Oracular Hill were long colonised by the dwarves, even before the time of Cog Wildnesswork. We turn south east, to the foothills. As we travel we are attacked by dingoes, and the poor dog is killed. I raise the corpses of the dingos in anger! Not far from where my little friend fell, I am ambushed by a hideous monster.
A huge sauropod wreathed in flame. It is injured, one eye a torn ruin. It shambles slowly, as if its neck is broken, but it is no less deadly for it. Beware its fire!
The dingo corpses leap forward to defend me and are immediately engulfed in unnatural flames. They buy me enough time to land some hits on the beast, tearing arteries in its sinister hide. I feel a sharp pain as its horn pierces my leg, but suddenly the enormous creature grows limp!
I survey the battlefield, and put the remaining dingoes out of their misery. There is a corpse here, of a type of being I have never encountered before. I tread gingerly on my ruined knee - I am sure it will heal in time. I have found the remains of Suril Copperscarred the Bloated, as contested by the notches of many kills on his finely crafted iron pick. I find also his steel armour, and various trinkets.
I gather this treasure and head east, towards the mountains. Before heading to the fort of Stoneclasps, I visit the nearby monastery of The Mine of Ambers, Postdweller, and there I place the equipment and possessions of the strange winged creature of the night.
Stoneclasps is crawling with... humans? I expected to find dwarven souls guarding this place. They hail from The Impervious Towers. The humans huddle together in small groups, seemingly afraid of the dark. Why these lanky idiots would wish to stay in the heart of the earth I will never know.
Having explored this place, I begin my trek through the deep roads.
23rd Felsite 1066I travel through Bolthandled, Abbeyskinny and Pillartraded, then Clawmanors. All seem deserted. When I finally reach the surface again, it is in Roomblunt - another abandoned fort. I head north, to where the fabled bridge should be, hoping to avoid any goblin raiding parties.
24th Felsite 1066I travel by darkness through the goblin lands, stumbling across a small camp of camel leather tents. The goblins are alerted by a lookout with a crossbow, and I wade into battle.
I sneak between Lakemenace and the surrounding pits before arriving in the dwarven hillocks of Brushsack. Scores of goblin corpses lie around and I hear the sounds of fighting from the civic mound! Goblins scream in terror and a few priests try to flee, only to meet my axe. What is going on in there?
There are skeletons and fresh corpses within the mound, and it appears there has been a thrall attack. The offending beast must have been slain by these goblins who claim to be priests. I find an unusual creature - a peregrine falcon man. He silently watches me as I butcher the remaining goblins. He has the look of the Fell about him...
27th Felsite 1066The Razorbridge is truly wondrous. I meet many elves and strange one-eyed tailed warriors who profess loyalty to The Walled Dye. One of the more bizarre sights is a headless kobold baroness. What madness has occured here? In what passes for a forgehall on a thin bridge over unforgiving water, I stumble into a wiry male elf who tells me he is the hammerer. His name is familiar - Arandil Pagetrades, the smith who crafted the blistered metal armour I found in Clenchportents. I have never met an elf who could work a forge before. Things really have changed since we have been gone. Arandil tells me of this place, and his family.
28th Felsite 1066I leave the bridge and head north, towards Drillshrine. Here is the seat of the Nations of Honoring. I arrive to find it in chaos. Goblins, strange devilish and angelic beings are all attacking and being attacked by blighted thralls! I slay them all as quickly as I can. One gets a lucky blow to my axe arm, and I am forced to fight one handed. When all the dust settles, there are a handful of these devilish creatures they call Hands of Planegifts still standing. And one curiously unharmed goblin. Vampire!
He quickly loses his head, to the surprise of the Hands. I rest for a short while, and can use my arm again. I return to find the elven law-giver has survived, and stand surveying the broken ghoulish corpses. I help them burn the mangled remains. I chat to the law-giver, Mawada. She has taken over since Amoya Fernbow was slain by ghouls. I gift her a menacing spike, and remind her that the Matched Hame could be powerful allies one day. She nods quietly. I bid her good day.
I next head to Atticmuffins, where I put down a few vampires. It seems the curse has spread far and wide. I hope Mawada has the courage to do what needs to be done. I head north, towards the elven lands and the coast. I have heard of a human settlement here.
2nd Hematite 1066Harpies! In the sinister mountains to the north I encounter two of these horrible creatures. Thin wings stretch over gangling limbs and they screech and holler. My shield makes a satisfying crunching sound as it crushes their skulls. I head north east, to Flightseas.
3rd Hematite 1066The clearcut forest is the first sign that I have arrived at Flightseas, on the northern shore of the continent. A small lake drains into an enormous chasm, spraying fresh mist in the air. I spot a structure to the northeast.
Near a huge stockpile of logs I find a human who appears to have been slain by a cat... I find a cat corpse atop him with clear signs of the blight! The humans here have excavated a huge cistern and have constructed some strange artifact out of oaken logs. I have never seen anything like it in my life. What could its purpose be?
It looks like a vessel to walk on the sea? A "Boat" or so they say. How odd these humans are. I find a badly beaten elf merchant in the bowels of the boat. I offer him the chance to escape this place - he appears to prefer to stay in servitude of these humans. What is this... fresh elf corpse... and fresh pools of blood, to the west of the boat. Thralls! I engage the guild representative blighted thrall while a farmer runs in panic. Behind him another thrall shambles towards me to meet the same fate. Satisfied there are no remaining threats, I move on.
4th Hematite 1066To the south east, along the sinister mountains, I find the fort of Balancehammer. I stride through a convoluted series of bridge traps until I stumble blindly into a trapped corridor. I would have been minced by masterful steel weapons were it not for the angel-metal armour I wear. My limbs are cut to ribbons and I struggle to stand. I curse my own stupidity! Perhaps there is something of value here which will make my wounded body and pride worth the injury.
I find a large central mist generator and let the water wash the blood from my wounds. I do find some masterfully crafted sheep wool socks, an adamantine helm and mail shirt, and a spectacular adamantine battle axe. I also take a steel greataxe - too big to hold one handed, but an impressive weapon all the same. I suppose that makes up for a mangled knee and shattered elbow. As I leave I bump into a female dwarf in fine vestments - General Fikod Metalabbeys. She seems to be clutching a wound on her stomach, though no assailants are nearby. She smells.. strange. Almost cat-like. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I talk to her. Something is off here and I do not like it. I am in no state to challenge the general so I curtly bid her good day, crawling out of the fort with my ill-gotten gains.
5th Hematite 1066After washing in a cool river, my wounds look much better and I am able to stand again. Luckily, no signs of infection as yet. My goal is now to head south. There are two remaining human kingdoms whose law-givers I wish to beseech - The Empire of Peaks and The Realm of Silver.
I stop at a monastery and roll the well crafted stone die, and I feel my old wounds and scars wash away, like tears in the rain. I am revitalised!
6th Hematite 1066The journey south is largely uneventful, apart from the interference of a dingo pack. All until I arrive at the dwarven fort of Archquakes and I am ambushed by an enormous horned demon!
A great skinless serpent wih two long spiral horns. Beware its poisonous sting! The emaciated hell beast lumbers towards me, its stinger dripping with poison. I reach in my pack for the adamantine axe I looted from Balancehammer - it is light as a feather and unnaturally sharp. I swing the blade at the enormous demonic neck, and I am rewarded by a gouting spray of thick foul goo.
The beast lunges at me again and I dodge and dodge its attacks, before lopping off its stinger. Finally, the axe finds its mark in the demon's thick skull. It twitches and falls silent. I think to myself the stinger would make a nice trophy but I cannot for the life of me find it. An hour later I spot it, half way up an almond tree... I fell the tree and inspect the stinger. It is massively heavy and will only slow me down. I leave it for now.
A short while later, I spot a fort to the east as dawn breaks. I head in this direction only to be confronted by yet another horned demon. The partner of the one I slew earlier? The beast is huge, and one blow could easily gore my skull or tear off a limb. I stay light on my feet, dodging its attacks where possible. The horned demon eventually succumbs to a similar axe blow to the head. I drag its enormous corpse towards the fort.
A masterful chalk statue indicates this is Archquakes, founded in 733. It is now home to wild beasts - coyotes and kingsnakes stalk its halls. Troll and beak dog skeletons litter the fields around, testament to a great battle. I presume the demons had set up lair here, though it is not obvious how they came to manifest in this realm. How did such foul abominations escape the depths of hell?
7th Hematite 1066I spend some time in Archquakes fashioning the horned demon horn and bones into menacing spikes for my armour, in a hope to deter further such attacks. I continue south and find myself in the foul Waste of Strangeness. Goblin pits pock the bitter landscape. I arrive in Flyrots and find evidence of a goblin massacre.
The only living soul I find is strangely an elf poet named Ana Adorekeepers. I cannot fathom who he is here to entertain - the beakdogs? The strange elf declines my offer to rescue him from this foul pit. I leave him to his poetry, stupid knife-ears. I forge on, stopping briefly in an apparently abandoned cave called the Brutal Gloom. It certainly matches its description. The eastern ridges of the perfect horns spread out before me, ominous in their oppresive size. The next valley over contains the Empire of Peeks and my next destination. I arrive at the foothalls as dusk falls, and I sense a malign presence abroad...
8th Hematite 1066Blighted thralls! They crawl from the cellars of the abandoned hovels of Seerhold and stalk the lands of the living. I hack down as many as I can find.
9th Hematitie 1066I put down a patrolling goblin warrior, before arriving at Faithtalk, capital of the Empire of Peeks. With the number of thralls roaming the foothills to the north, I am not expecting a warm welcome. I am entirely unsurprised when the mead hall is crammed with thralls, including the law giver, Batow Fortunecarmine. I maintain my promise to deliver the handiwork of the dwarves to all the allied civilisations of the world, although probably not in the way Batow had preferred.
The only living untainted noble scrambles out of the door to the north, blood gouting from their leg stump. I suspect they might not make it. I have little hope for these humans. I am quite sure more thralls will soon take the place of those nobles whose sufering I ended. I clean up the mess as best I can. The executioner surprises me by not dying, although they appear a little pale. I find their severed leg and give it back to them sheepishly. She is not happy with me for slaying the thralls for some reason.
11th Hematite 1066Treatyseed, capital of the most prosperous dwarven brotherhoods - The Walled Dye. I wonder if a mountain king still resides here? I bump into a handful of dwarves to the north of the fort. They immediately gasp and fall to the ground, stone cold dead. How bizarre.
The first living dwarf I see has the rather splendid name of Kol Brassluck the Quiescent Orbs-Silkiness of Treason, Baron of Bodiceblunt. I suspect this place is going to be full of fat pompous nobles. He tells me the king does reside here.
I noticed a fidgety priestess playing with some foreign coins. A vampire if I am not mistaken. She does not deny it, and quickly loses her head. The other fat nobles pretend not to notice. I finally find the king, wandering the corridors. When I catch up with him he has returned to the surface and is chatting to a muscular elven spearmaster baron, Romimi Clashedglades the Sienna Knot of Admiring.
I gift the king a masterwork spike and I tell him I solemly intend to return the Matched Hame to the rightful place in this world, as a fourth brotherhood of dwarves. We argue the value of co-operation, though he is naive to believe that endless war is not on his doorstep. I leave Treatyseed, however, content that my mission is nearly complete.
I have one last law-giver to meet. The humans of The Realm of Silver, ruled for a century by the House of Anthad. The journey south across the frozen wastes will be arduous.
15th Hematite 1066I pass through the snowy spire of Stockadeoutrage, and find there Queen Sodel Openroad, a venerable necromancer queen bedecked in silver armour. She graciously accepts my offer of co-operation and a menacing spike.
16th Hematite 1066Swordgleamed, on the outskirts of Silverthrone. This place is crawling with undead freaks! Some fool has ressurected the skeletal remains of night trolls here. I slay a couple and the rest flee into the night. Someone elses problem I guess. As I turn to leave one of the undead night trolls glances at me and gestures. I feel a burning in my spine as if hot coals had been thrown down my back. My spine is rotting! I cleave the beast's head from its shoulders, wincing in pain.
I arrive at mighty Silverthrone. Many peasants roam the streets and few strong warriors guard the walls. In the central keep I find Umci Gloryage, current ruler of the kingdom alongside her mother, who appears to be the law-giver of the Creamy Confederacy! It seems the line of Gloryage has saught to combine these two kingdoms. I argue the merits of co-operation and war, and gift them both the handiwork of the dwarves. They accept these gifts graciously. The Matched Hame are returned.
18th Hematite 1066I travel west, arriving in Scarletbronze under a sinister full moon. I hear the sounds of battle from the central keep! When I arrive there is a scene of carnage - an enormous were-cat abbot is tearing their fellow priests to shreds! I leap to their aid. I slice off the werecats arm. To my horror, the werecat abbot is also a necromancer and reanimates their arm. Bathed by the pale moonlight, the arm regenerates into an entire human instantly. I hack at Bujrit's right arm's head after quickly dispatching its original owner.
A reanimated vampire lunges at me. What is going on in here? When the dust settles I butcher and burn as many corpses as I can find. I scoop a slurry of Thefin Playhay's human vampire blood mixed with werecat blood into a steel flask. Surely nothing bad could happen were one to ingest this? Night is falling as I leave the city, having cleaned up the remains of the werecat-vampire-necromancer death orgy.
19th Hematite 1066I continue westwards, occasionally harried by packs of dingos. I arrive at a cluster of dwarven hillocks surrounding a strange structure - this must be Lightningrope, site of an ancient Vault. Within I find Bralbaard Hammerfishes, Worm Spawn. He claims to be a simple peasant but he has a shimmering knowledge in his eyes that belies his years. I find myself giving him the last menacing blistered metal spike.
My task is complete. I will return and claim Palacework!
New Forts Visited:
1. Watchfulpalace
2. Fortressbranded
3. Risewinds
4. Speechlessnames
5. Flightseas
6. Coverashes/Lightningrope
Museum Submission:
74:
Rhythmshowers the Pure Crosses, Artifact adamantine longsword This sword was once wielded by Tirin Nightwhisper in defence of the Eternal Citadel. It was gifted to merchants of Dalzatèzum, allowing them to return from the mists of time and reclaim Kosothducim, Palacework.
