Mantic Fanatics
March 29, 2024, 08:16:29 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: First photo's of the Corporation sculpts are shown. See them in the Corporation subforum.
 
  Home   Forum   Help Search Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

Krag Morndower (Backstory for my army)

Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Krag Morndower (Backstory for my army)  (Read 255 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Llew
Administrator
Mantic
*****

Mantic Points: +115/-1
Offline Offline

Current Army: Dwarves, Undead, Elves. Orcs soon I'm sure.
Posts: 375



View Profile
« on: August 10, 2011, 04:01:41 am »

On a misty spring night, Keln the Hopper stood on his good leg atop the battlements at the gate to Krag Morndower.  He puffed his pipe wistfully as he watched the army file out into the moonlight, heading for war.  He turned to the young dwarves gathered around him.  He studied their bright eyes and could read in them how badly the youths wished to be heading out on the expedition.  I still feel that every time I see the host stir. If I could grow a new leg, I'd be back out with them.  He sighed, ran his hand across his bald pate a few times, then addressed them.

“Lads.  Your time will come soon enough.  When you turn 50, you'll join the host too, assuming you've grown proper beards by then.  I see you're willing to fight, and that's good.  But know that when you leave the doors of our beloved Krag Morndower, it's not enough just to swing your hammer, or if you've been blessed by the Lord of Drink, your axe.  You have to know the traditions you carry with you, so you understand the gravity, understand the honor you hold as a member of the host. 

“Look first at the soldiers, and see the cloaks that some wear.  Those are the Campaigner's Cloaks, worn only by a dwarf who has participated in 20 campaigns.  Originally, our ancestors used to daub swatches of white cloth in the blood of foes they slew on the battlefield.  When they had enough, they were sewn into a red cloak that could be worn as a badge of honor.  Over time, we abolished the practice, primarily because the blood tended to turn brown and the elders felt that the symbolism was lost.  So the red cloak was granted after 20 seasons of fighting.  As the Ironwatch and Artillerists could not always reach the bodies of their downed enemies to take the swatch, they were allowed to wear a Campaigner's Cloak of black or grey.  Each of you should take note of the dwarves who wear those badges, as they have served long and loyally.

“Next, you should note the shield.  Each dwarf who swears to defend our beloved home can bear the shield.  He is not required to wield it in war, but he always bears it even if only in his heart.  A Shield Dwarf is a full member of the clan, and in time you will become members, as your fathers and their fathers before them for generations.

“The shield is not picked merely to be interesting to look at, but it is a symbol of a dwarf's commitment to the clan and to Krag Morndower.  The field is red, for the blood he has sworn to shed, whether his own or that of our enemies.  On it appear the Peaks of the Three Kings and the gate and path down to our lifesblood, Loch Dorren.  Who can tell me the significance of the icon on our shields?”

One youth shot his fist up a fraction of a second before the others.  Keln nodded at him.

“The sacred mountains are only visible within the vale, and never seen by outsiders.  Each of us swears that, while he lives to bear the shield, that shall be the only view that a foe will ever have of the sacred mountains.”

“Very good.  It's nice to see some younglings pay attention when oldlings speak.  Now, you shall all tell me what service you aspire to, and I'll tell you why you should be honored to be found among them.  You, Gorrem.  You answered my question, so you get the honor of answering this latest one.  Speak.”

“My father always said that a good, honest dwarf should be able to go from the mine directly to the battlefield.  Therefore I think I'd prefer the Ironclads, oldfather.”

Keln smiled.  “A wise choice.  Your father has the truth of it.  The same hammers we swing in the mines to strike the wedge, to cleave the rock, to mine our ore – they serve equally well to sunder our foes.  It is the noblest calling a dwarf can follow, to set aside his work and go shed his blood in defense of the clan.  And when the battle is over, he returns to once again take up his craft and enrich our hold with his labor and artistry.  Often, I think I should have aspired to be one of the warriors behind a shield.  Perhaps it would have saved my leg, had I kept a board to block the fiend's blow.  You'll earn the red mantle, and should you fight long enough, you'll earn a red Campaigner's Cloak – a rare honor.”

He turned to the youngest dwarf present, a sharp lad with a gift for intricate mechanical devices.  “I think I know your choice, Barden, but I'd like to hear it from your mouth.”

The lad shifted uneasily.  “It's not that I'm scared to fight, but I think I'd prefer the Ironwatch, oldfather.”

“A wise choice.  I wouldn't think to doubt your desire to fight  Quite the opposite, in truth.  You'd likely see more battle than any other that stands here.  Whether you take up the crossbow or the rifle, your service will always be needed.  And for every battle, you will almost certainly be called up.  Look at the troops as they parade out.  Which units have the most Campaigner's Cloaks?”

Barden surveyed the army below him.  His face brightened.  “Why, the Ironwatch do!  Almost half of them wear the cloaks!”

“That's right.  As I said, you'll be called up nearly every battle.  20 campaigns, and you get the cloak.  Anyone who would think you join the Ironwatch to be safe is a fool.  Some of the bravest souls I've ever known have carried a rifle or crossbow.  The Ironwatch tend to be fine artisans, but the finest arts are often least essential to daily life here in the Krag.  So the Ironwatch go off to war while other citizens take turns maintaining the hold.”

His eye fell on Craddoc.  “And you, lad?  Where do you wish to fight?”

The lad was one of the older dwarves, and would be eligible to fight in 3 more years.  He stood up straight and looked the elder directly in the eye. “Shieldbreakers, oldfather.  I wish to be a Shieldbreaker.”

“A wise choice.  You've got the arm for it.  Your strikes in the mines show you can strike strong and true. But I fear you may not be subtle enough for the task.”

“Forgive me, but I don't understand why crushing an orc's skull would require subtlety.”

A touch too direct, this one. But there's still time. “Of course you don't, and therein lies the problem.  When you wish to crush an orc's skull, he is aware of it.  And you can't just rely on strong strokes to solve the problem.  He's stronger than you.  He's faster than you.  He's more mobile and has an inborn viciousness that gives his blows wings. But even if that did work, how would it fare against an elf?  You'd get blows near one of their warriors, certainly. But merely because it's in their nature to dodge only as much as they need to to set you up for a counterstrike.  Let me counsel you.  Apart from the great hammers, what sets Shieldbreakers apart?  What makes them unique in all of our army?”

Craddoc thought for a moment and answered with certainty, “They don't carry shields, oldfather.”

“Ah, but they can and the Peaks of the Three Kings are graven upon their souls.  No.  It is their gauntlets.  Fine, supple, and crafted of white leather.  They are utterly unique in this, and only they may wear them.”

“I don't fathom why white gloves should matter so, oldfather.”

“The gloves encompass the art of the Shieldbreaker.  And in Krag Morndower, they fight like no other dwarves.  The style is fluid, and they have subtle techniques to distract the opponent and make him let his guard down.  In battle, the foe will always be aware of those gloves, and before long, he'll be more aware of them than he is even of the head of the hammer.  A foe expects the Shieldbreaker to wade in for a quick kill, but his endurance is amazing, even for our people.  From his first motion, he plans to kill his foe 40 strikes later, much as a chess master might.  Clever misdirections will make his opponent react to the gloves, and where he thinks the hammer should be, but he'll be wrong. And eventually, orc or elf, he'll be felled by a blow.  For sheer savagery, none can match the orc warrior.  For astounding grace, no one can outdo the elf spearmaster. But for methodical and deadly cleverness, the Shieldbreaker is unsurpassed.”  Keln took a long drag off his pipe.  “And he's good at crushing heads,” he said with a wink.  The youths all laughed.

“Murgen.  Your turn.  Where do you wish to fight?”

“I'd like to be an artillerist, oldfather, although I can't decide whether to man a cannon, an organ gun or a fire belcher.  Our artillery is the finest example of our superiority in the mechanical arts.”

“A wise, if daring choice, no matter which you choose.  The cannon makes our foe regret not closing with us.  An organ gun makes him reget not staying further out, and the fire belcher, well...the fire belcher makes him regret not having stayed home.  Our enemies fear our artillery, so if they get to you, you can expect no quarter.  It is a valiant arm to serve in.”

One youth remained, a clever and adventurous dwarf named Bowen, and already nicknamed 'the Bold'.  Keln the Hopper turned “At last we reach you.  How would you serve?”

“For me, oldfather, only one service will do.  I wish to do as you did and serve in the Dren Guard.  It seems to me that free run of the brewery and no camp duties while on the march is a pretty good way to go.  Besides, an axe feels better in my hand than a hammer.”

Keln chuckled.  “That may not be a wise choice. It's not as easy as all that, mind you.  Certainly, once you are a member you have no camp duties, but becoming a member is tricky.  And the duties in service to the brewery are dangerous enough.

“You'll have to start in one of the other services, probably the Ironclads, and then be bold enough and liked enough to petition as the Dren Guard musician.  After all, the musician is always a man from another unit.  He gets to wear the red surcoat of the Dren Guard, but he can't wield an axe until he's made a full brother.  And until he's a full brother, he bears the camp duties that would be borne by the Guard.  He can't be a full brother until he distinguishes himself in battle, and that is trickier than you might think armed with a war horn.

“But should you impress and be elevated, once home you'll face daily danger.  You'll escort the brewers of Dren Dorren down to the falls at Loch Dorren to gather the water that makes our beers superior to all others.  You'll need your axe, as you face the tentacles of the Creature that dwells beneath the falls.  Swing sharp to sever them, but you must never kill the beast, for it is believed that it's presence at the falls is what gives our brew it's amazing regenerative power. 

“So avoiding camp chores after doing them for the entire regiment for a while, and spending each day in danger may sound fun to a young dwarf, but it's not as grand as you may think.”

“Fairly said, oldfather.  But as you served for so long, let me ask you this: how did you find service as the commander of the Dren Guard?”

Keln smiled again. “I found it all I could have hoped for.  From the first day of service to the last.”

Bowen grinned.  “That tells me all I need to know.”

Craddoc raised his fist.  “Forgive me, oldfather, but there's something I was curious about.  Why do the Dren Guard only use axes?”  At least he's beginning to think enough to ask the question, if not to guess the answer.

“First, it is a symbol.  The hammer is a tool in the mines, and can be used for many purposes.  The same hammer that pounds steel can pound a foe, drive a wedge to split wood or pound a tent stake.  But the axe – the axe is only for fighting.  So the axe symbolically excuses the Dren Guard from their camp chores.  Second, hammers don't fend off the Creature's tentacles.  It is indifferent to them, but an axe can sever them nicely.  And lastly, should you fail to fend off the tentacles, the axe may still serve.”

Keln tapped the stump of his leg with his pipe.  His leg ended just below the knee.  “One blow...impressive given how fast it was pulling me towards the water.  Even when I retired myself from duty, I did it with skill.”

The old man turned back to the battlements and gazed upon the troops as they marched away.  I'd still be out there if I could move better than just hopping.  They all stood quiet until the army disappeared from view.  Then Keln the Hopper turned back to the lads.

“Barden.  I have a project for that keen mind of yours.  I'll meet you at your forge in the morning.”
Report Spam   Logged

No good deed goes unpunished.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Darsc Zacal
Keeper of Rumours
Administrator
Mantic Fa
*****

Mantic Points: +1010/-0
Offline Offline

Current Army: Elf(mostly painted), Dwarf(being painted), Undead(not painted). Orcs on preorder.
Posts: 524



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2011, 05:04:59 am »

Well done Llew. I wasn't expecting something like that from you! Smiley

Great idea and great reasoning for all the units to exist. Tying it in with your paint schemes worked quite well.

I also liked the nod you gave to Dren/Da Eavy. Cheesy

 Speaking of, where's he been lately? I know he's still around cause he just posted on Mantics blog, but I haven't seen him around the forums in ages.
Report Spam   Logged

Sometimes, stealing candy from babies is the only way to find good candy.
Llew
Administrator
Mantic
*****

Mantic Points: +115/-1
Offline Offline

Current Army: Dwarves, Undead, Elves. Orcs soon I'm sure.
Posts: 375



View Profile
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2011, 06:17:21 am »

Thanks, Darsc.  Actually, the concepts came up first and I designed the paint schemes to fit.  Well, all except the shield device.  I was winging that.

I wanted to develop a few things for my dwarves to fit a slightly different concept.  For example, if you have a race that is known for being prone to grudges, it would make sense that they'd tend towards politeness.  Most folks have dwarves as fairly coarse and quick to provoke others -- that doesn't make sense to me.  So I thought I'd play around with my own little clan a bit.

And two-handed troops are usually the "let's go smash" types, so I wanted to break that up some.  The premise behind the Ironclads was based on the U.S. National Guard, where my dad served until his retirement.  Regular soldiers deserve massive amounts of credit as is, but they have a certain predictability in their service.  There's a certain adventurous streak about it.  The citizen soldiers who go about their regular lives, but can have all that totally disrupted like Guardsmen can -- well, I hold them in even higher regard.  So it let me spout off about the concept a bit.
Report Spam   Logged

No good deed goes unpunished.
gaarew
Evil Overlord
Administrator
Mantic Fan
*****

Mantic Points: +1019/-2
Offline Offline

Current Army: All of them...
Posts: 698


Big Evil Bastard


View Profile WWW
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2011, 07:45:42 am »

Well done Llew. I wasn't expecting something like that from you! Smiley

That's very...  diplomatic of you D.   Tongue


Good stuff Llew, yet another string to your multitudinous bow.  The narrator perspective jumps about a bit, but that's me just being overly pedantic.

[/English teacher]

As for Da Eavy, he is currently awaiting the arrival of baby number 2, who is running behind schedule.  I've sent him a text to see if he has any news, so I'll keep you posted.
Report Spam   Logged

Studio gaarew; Gaming armies, by gamers, for gamers.

You take yourself very seriously for a grown man playing with toy soldiers...

BMAAWOM I - Orcs - 0/42 complete.
Darsc Zacal
Keeper of Rumours
Administrator
Mantic Fa
*****

Mantic Points: +1010/-0
Offline Offline

Current Army: Elf(mostly painted), Dwarf(being painted), Undead(not painted). Orcs on preorder.
Posts: 524



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2011, 08:04:04 am »

Ha ha. Roll Eyes

It's just I can't recall Llew having posted any fiction before.  Grin

Good to hear Dren has a good reason for being off the boards. Creating more Fanatics is certainly a worthy pursuit. Cool
Report Spam   Logged

Sometimes, stealing candy from babies is the only way to find good candy.
Llew
Administrator
Mantic
*****

Mantic Points: +115/-1
Offline Offline

Current Army: Dwarves, Undead, Elves. Orcs soon I'm sure.
Posts: 375



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2011, 12:59:00 pm »

I'm not usually a fan-fic kind of guy and reserve most of my writing skills for songs.

It's hardly a finished piece.  I threw it together in about 90 minutes when I was taking a break from painting.  Little more than a first draft really.  (For example, there's a germ of an idea early on about Keln's injury that gets totally ignored and it switches over to something else.  A final would probably put it all as a question and answer session between Keln and the younger dwarves.

I was just up last night and realized I didn't have any energy to edit, so I thought I'd throw it up there.

Report Spam   Logged

No good deed goes unpunished.
The Dwarf
newb
*

Mantic Points: +1/-0
Offline Offline

Posts: 33



View Profile
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2011, 12:02:25 am »

Nice piece of work man... And you depict dwarfs as i imagine them too: proud, honoured and polite. Hey, you give me some inspiration, thanks...
Report Spam   Logged

GENERATION 8: The first time you see this, copy and paste it into your sig and add 1 to the number after generation. Consider it a social experiment.

No sir, i will not quit 40k, GW had done some nasty things, but the game is still fun. Perhaps, i will quit GW, there is a lot of companies out ther
sasheep
M
**

Mantic Points: +5/-0
Offline Offline

Current Army: Orcs and Dwarfs.
Posts: 88



View Profile
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2011, 12:30:03 am »

That was a really interesting read mate, well done! Smiley I like the way you tied your colour schemes into the background. Have made any more progress on a final draft?
Report Spam   Logged

Wavering's for wide-eyed girls with ribbons in their hair and elves.
Llew
Administrator
Mantic
*****

Mantic Points: +115/-1
Offline Offline

Current Army: Dwarves, Undead, Elves. Orcs soon I'm sure.
Posts: 375



View Profile
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2011, 02:40:52 am »

Not yet.  Between trying to find time to paint, recovering from yet another bout of summer illness and trying to work on ideas related to my wife's business, I haven't gone back to do the edit yet.  I plan to someday though.  For now it's a holding area until I get more time.
Report Spam   Logged

No good deed goes unpunished.
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum

Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy