Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on May 13, 2008 8:54:56 GMT -5
Bruenor is a somewhat of an middle aged dwarf pushing into the older years, unusual age to see a dwarf away from the Lodestone tunnels and even more unusual to see a dwarf wearing the symbol of the Silver fist on his necklace.
The Silver Fist clan usually is a small clan that has a long tradition to being connected with the law and order of the Lodestone kingdom, and normal, senior dwarves of this clan usually have high status as judges, who usually out rank clan leaders often, and reaching this status is high wanted. But Bruenor didn't actually take in any personal interest for the Judges seat, nor did he wish to stay in the capital for much longer, Bruenor was always a story teller and a man who teaches moral and lessons to everyone to stomach his harsh attitudes and loud mouth remarks, but Bruenor has gained some name for being a day dreamer and a acknowledged dwarf, and knowledge is one thing highly prized in the Kingdom.
Long years ago, Bruenor used to be a guard for the Council of Elders, part of the elite that accompanied and protected Nfalgar Silver Fist himself, but since the downfall of the council, Bruenor has been retired with no life goals or prospects for his future besides sharing his knowledge. And on a particular night in a Tavern, Bruenor was yelling out a lesson of war and glory to a large audience that were a costumed to him and enjoyed his tales, on this particular day, he was shouting out the heroic king Carrum Kel'Grath.
-BACK to BACK! They dive in after the elves! After such a successful push in the mines, the King sought more power and tried to fatally crippled the elves from one side! But out of the mines and straight tunnels, us dwarves we're the weaker ones, MILLIONS of elves swarmed the swamps and BARELY managed to pick off and cut down the brave king who SINGLE HANDEDLY won the war for us! And may his fallen hammer in the murky waters of the now named Kel'Grath swamp serve us as a reminder of that! *Bruenor speaks in Dwarven, so no need to type down the accent*
-The Hammer? *A curious young dwarf replied while Bruenor was drowning in more ale in this pause*
-You motherless goat! Part of the Shieldsar clan itself And not even YOU know of the Hammer that could fell an army or shake the ground with its smash? The mighty Hammer of Carrum?!
*The dwarves look around, they value their relics.. it serves them as memories of times passed, but they were confused about mentions of the hammer.*
-AND you call yourselves bearded dwarves?!
((to be continued))
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Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on May 13, 2008 12:00:52 GMT -5
Bruenor would spent long hours describing the battles and wars the hammer had been, detailing its many legendary powers and the fact it was crafted by dwarven gods, all exaggerations that gave the story more flavor, and then he finished by saying...
-...And now it lies somewhere lost in the swap or seas, no doubt one of the best dwarven craftsmanship in its lifetime!
a single voice, from a baby dwarven lad pops out from near his mothers side
-Then why don't we go get it?
A long moment of silence as that infants words set the loud mouth veteran dwarf in a silent trance of thoughts... why not get it? what would he have to lose? For a long time Bruenor doesn't have any family, nor relatives, nor many people he could call true friends... why not set his name in the history books as he who found Carrums lost hammer? He sat back down on his chair, rubbing his long beard as he thinks over it repeatedly.
In a single tenday, Bruenor left the Silver Fist clans Headquarters, as he never did have a home of his own, with his old and broken down great axe by his back and his shield and hammer by his bely and arm, he places on his horned helmet and slowly walks the long tunnel that leads to K'a Khaazk Lara, not a single person was there for him to say goodbye to, but in higher hierarchy of the Silver Fist clan they did notice the veteran dwarf leaving, and they did not find his behavior particularly amusing... as this was one more action from Bruenor Kharmarum that went against their ways.
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Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on May 25, 2008 10:37:54 GMT -5
Bruenor spent a long time walking in the desert, and in the jungle, following the historical path of where he knew the dwarven army marched a long time ago, before he reached Kvinne.
He walked south east, towards Livro's Deep, the ruined stronghold that serve as shelter for the army while they waited for re enforcements, as just a few days earlier, the elves once again attacked from both sides, crippling the dwarves some in a surprise attack before they retreated with minimal loses.
Bruenor remembered well how the story went, as soon as the dwarves reached above ground, the element of defense and all the tactics dwarves knew on defense where off edge, and the first battle against the elves forced Carrum to re think strategies better.
Bruenor reaches Livro's Deep, a gigantic fortress in ruin, preserved by the dry desert, the stout dwarf takes heavy steps as he looks around for anything... a clue or a hint... he reaches the center of the fortress where a large platform six feet from the ground was, a platform that likely served as a place for Carrum and his generals to place up tents as they discussed the new strategy, in the center of their army, and yet high enough to see and be seen by all of them. Bruenor walks to the center of this platform, where a pillar and an altar were, he found some dwarven runes on them that made Bruenor happy.
"The year is 901 and I, King Kel'grath III march alone in one direction, let it be known that I brought glory to the Lodestones and with me many follow in unity, only seen before in ancient times, times before the Quain."
Bruenor kept reading the pillar, his lips trembling as he does so out loud.
"Under my lead we march, and under My Hammer we march, forth with an army never seen before of three dwarven cultures, and eighteen clans brought to one, to prove independence to the dwarves and peace to our lands, we march! The Elves and all other nations shall know what happens when dwarves are pushed into a wall! Brother by side we march! to Lil'Nekturi we march!"
Bruenor knows he does not mean the current Lil'Nekturi, but the one city that, like the hammer, died in the swamp.
If the hammer is anywhere to be found, the ruins of Lil'Nekturi is the place. Bruenor picks up his gear, and goes south, towards the Shadowluren woods.
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Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on May 31, 2008 13:20:57 GMT -5
Bruenor goes south, spent a day in a desert cavern and soon he would reach the nomad village of Melun to restock on supplies.
After a good dose of Ale, Bruenor packs up and continues south, entering the Western Pearl woods in the Shadowluren with a loud grunt. Bruenor was never a big fan of the elves, even though he always considered the Sillilnyme elves the worst, he disliked everything in general, and just barely likes his fellow dwarves.
As Bruenor walks south towards the fortress of Finnir, the fortress that was built after the dwarvish attack on the year of 901, his mind distracts itself thinking in why is he searching for the hammer in the first place? Ever since the council was created the Lodestone dwarves lost allot of who they were in older times, and then the war with the Belowground republic drove Bruenor to dislike what his people have turned to, greedy to regain the nation they had, willing to do anything for its former glory.. since the downfall of Carrum each dwarf leader has been attempting to be better then the previous leader, and failed at it. The council was, in Bruenors opinion, a quicker way to make five leaders fail in the lifespan of one and even with the new king, he is just trying to not do anything wrong, and also not doing anything right, so there is no real reason for Bruenor to celebrate the arrival of a king.
After losing the Kaladain, after losing Carrum, after losing history, it seems that the only thing the dwarves still have is their lives, with no real glory to backup what they struggled in all these years of existence, the same feeling Bruenor feels of his own life.
Unlike his brothers, who now only seek to build a community in where to live, Bruenor remembers that he is sick and tired of living as a useless fart, and that he is the first one to do the one thing the dwarves gave up on doing, restoring the glory of the Lodestones!
His march quickens, he reaches Finnir in a few days of crossing the woods, a marvel of elven architecture blended into nature giving a breath taking visual of a floating fortress in the trees, something that would impress nearly all except the stubborn dwarf that shared his feelings towards it by saying that the elves were crazy about constructing a fortress where the army could just rush under it to pass by.
In Finnir, Bruenor discovered a curious thing, a piece of news he found way too convenient... a fisherman found a mystical old hammer in the Southern sea, near the Kel'Grath swamp!
Bruenor left that same night towards the East, and hoping to hear more news from this discovery, as what other hammer could it possibly be, then the ancient masterpiece of Carrum?
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Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on Jun 4, 2008 5:19:57 GMT -5
Bruenor goes East, following the elven roads in a quick restless march, his mind set on other things, his mind is the only thing that keeps him company, the only thing that has been keeping him company for over two decades.
He grunts as he looks over his broken down hammer, once enchanted, once useful and a high gear for Silver Fist troopers, now a heavy rock on a stick with more scars then Bruenor.
Bruenor looks over his hammer with a lot of memories, memories of a man that has always been in the army ranks of the Silver Fist clan, learning to be the finest soldier, the general everyone can count on to lead them the way, watching his parents die of old age, and his younger brother die in battle, only the Clan is his family.
After he reached the senior status, after the war within the 'Stones, Bruenor remembers walking away from his responsibilities, not wanting to kill his own brothers for a porpoise he didn't fully understand but was forced to obey.
Bruenor remembers back when he was young, a mere twelve year old, when he, a Steelfire dwarf, came to K'a Khaazk Lara with his parents, joining early in the Silver Fist ranks, with hopes and dreams of greatness and with a love for his people, the Steelfires.
The old dwarf marches the elven road, looking over for the first time the high Valron mountains.
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Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on Jun 9, 2008 11:48:05 GMT -5
Bruenor walks south, the cold temperature is already noticeable as he crosses the Aix river, avoiding the Kel'Grath swamp, avoiding the dangerously famed Kel'Grath is a smart move, by the problem now is that the dwarf is too close to fallen Lurentree city, and most importantly, the d'Valron woods.
The vampire and undead occupation on this region is for ever intense, a thorn in the vast Shadowluren, the d'Valron region divides the Elaisa Peninsula from the rest of Shadowluren, turning Loranek, Athurlhel and Mac'Uni'Bril into hostage towns of the Vampire Lord.
Bruenor had no real interest in entering those woods either, and he kept in mind to try and cross the thin patch of land between Kel'Grath and d'Valron untill he reached the coast, where a tiny village could certainly sell him transport to Kvinne, where the fisherman went as a stop before returning to sea and up to Mac'Uni'Bril.
The path proved not as safe as Bruenor wanted, as he often was ambushed by abominations and monstrosities from the Kel'Grath, and undead from d'Valron. In one occasion, a large dire wolf cracked Bruenors helmet, and on another, A gigantic swamp toad tried to swallow him alive, which didn't turn out to be the smartest thing as Bruenor hacked its way out of its stomach using the axe he found in the toads belly, and with a grunt he realized that sometimes hammer and shield aren't always the best solution to fight monsters, he grabbed the axe handle and with it he slashed his way to the coast, where he was able to trade Giant toad skin for a ride on a fisherman's boat, where he finally reached Kvinne.
Sadly, after he arrived, it didn't take long for him to know that the fisherman was killed and the hammer stolen, last place heard of this was Syrkos.
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Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on Jul 18, 2008 6:24:21 GMT -5
*Bruenor has been on Kvinne for some time now, having a ship available and worthy people to help him go to Skyros.
Bruenor already has several small strings of information about whats going on in Skyros, and he knows enough that the person who has the hammer is trying to get things to settle down, before selling it, at least that's what Bruenor thinks. News on Syrkos speak little, but as soon as he hears anything conclusive, he keeps his pack tightly ready and the boat just as ready.
Often there are dull times in Kvinne for Bruenor, he no longer has an audience that would hear him ramble on about historical facts while sharing ale, he is quite alone in the loud barbarian filled mead hall, thinking about several passes aspects of his life. --
That Bruenor is a Steelfire dwarf in a Lodestone clan, is old news, after the Lodestone invasion over the Belowground republic little was left for his parents there, the capital city known as Hellsbane was striped of its treasure and the Lodestone Empire grew richer with the new addition of exportable goods such as volcanic craftsmanship and the ore from the several mines that surround the volcanic region, this invasion was only so the Lodestones could leach off the Steelfires, to be able to survive the dark hundreds of years the Lodestones had suffered after the death of Yuri Kel'Grath, and it worked. The Lodestones survived and the Belowground republic was reduced to nothing.
Litle was left for the Steelfires, who had little choices after the invasion, many returned to their craftsmanship and the merchant lifestyle, the clan Steelfire (as there is only one clan in the Belowground republic) had lost their army, and many of the dwarves from that clan dropped their weapons so they could repair Hellsbane from the damage of the last battle of the war.
The last choice a Steelfire could do is to abandon their life in the Belowground and join the Lodestones, this choice was frowned at, as Steelfires would see this nearly as treason, or joining the enemy, but in fact was the only way to insure a bright future.
Bruenors parents (Bûrhg Kharmarum and Biel Kharmarum) wanted to give their baby Bruenor a bright future, and thus left the Belowground region under the arm of the only Lodestone clan that didn't join the war, the Silver Fists.
Needless to say, Kharmarum's wouldn't get a happy welcome if they ever returned to the Belowground republic.
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Madcat
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The Azurite Construct
[Crazy, isn't it?]
Posts: 457
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Post by Madcat on Aug 9, 2008 1:45:36 GMT -5
*a Sad day for any who would care for Bruenor Kharmarum of the Silver Fist, the good thing is that there where very few that did.
Bruenor Kharmarum was peacifuly found on the Inn of Bifrost, in his bed, dead.
Reasons why are unknown, but Bruenor was an old dwarf for Steelfire standards and the official report is that he died of old age.
Even though a keen examination on the dwarf would reveal that it seems that he has been poisoned, by who? The list is too vast for anyone to know for sure.
Bruenor was placed to rest in Kvinne, as there was no word from the Lodestones/Steelfires about reclaiming the body, a sad tale for Bruenor, who shows to be the end of the Kharmarum family.*
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