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| The cataclysmic eruption could be seen for miles in the dark. |
The Doomforge
We had a truly bloody RPG campaign this time. As war closed
in on the Khazid Grimaz from all sides, the campaign was a race against time to
find a new source of power for the clans and defend the hold from it's
most imminent foe - the Bloo Moonz tribe, currently rampaging on the
eastern side of the Grey Mountains in Bretonnia.
This time, rocks fell. Everyone died.
Why did this happen exactly? Well, in practical terms, our
allotted time limit was well past. The Doomforge ran for 18
weeks, which is a large chunk of time for a single game at the Wargate, and if
you add to that all the other sessions played in the last two years, well...it
adds up to a lot of time. Which brings us to the next point...
We had advanced the player party a little fast for the long haul
we gave them. Fluctuating experience levels, encounter strength, and a
large pool of rotating players and the game was simply "out of
balance", to use a nonsensical term. In the end, it was time for
something new, and we needed to move past this. After a few weeks of the
players sitting in the dungeon without a full group to tackle the final perils,
we could wait no more.
Of course our narrative continues on, though now without the
assistance of the Deeping Well...but what happened to them is still very
important. Everyone was aware of what was on the table with what could
happen to the Khazid - after all, this RPG game influences our tabletop battles
in many ways.
There is now an active volcano in the Grey Mountains, where Khazid
Grimaz used to stand. The dwarfs there are tough and resilient, though
their numbers depleted and their families torn. The strongest thane and
the wisest runelord are both gone. Parts of the upper hold still stand,
and the towers above the craggy peaks seem more stable than the land itself,
but can the dwarfs continue to live here? The coming war for Greystone
Pass will be quite different now.
Yet, what exactly happened to cause all this?
The Seal at the Core of the Mountain
So long ago that the dwafs have no recollection of it, the
servants of the Old Slann brought forth a set of mystical artifacts they would
use to control the seismic upheaval of the upper hemisphere of the Warhammer
World. Reptilian warriors fanned out over the world, seeking the areas of
the world most fraught with primordial upheaval. Within the deepest
volcanic vaults, beneath the mightiest glaciers, within the nexus of the
deadliest fault lines, the servants of the Slann used their golden discs to
quiet the elements and promote life in that region.
Wherever these shining discs were raised, they quieted the forces
of the earth itself. These discs were great elemental seals, made of
purest gold and consecrated to the power of the Slann. The artifacts were
sealed away magically, and connected to the elemental threads that run deep
into the heart of the world. From their temples across the world, the
Slann could connect to those threads and manipulate them. In this way,
the natural order we now know began to take shape.
As the Slann began to decline and lose their influence, many of
the temples across the world were destroyed. In the Old World especially,
very little remains to tell of the ancient glory of the Slann. After
centuries of decline and neglect, the mystical connection of the temples to the
elements began to erode. As the world marched on, daemons and other
creatures of chaos were drawn to the secret hiding places of the Slann's
mystical seals, and all connection to the elemental threads were lost. The
world became a place of upheaval and dread, and the elements ravaged it through
and through.
The Lady of Woe
In the year 2522 I.C., the connection to the Elemental Seal in the
deepest parts of the earth under the Khazid Grimaz was severed. A Dark Elf Sorceress known only as the Lady
of Woe had been searching the world for them for quite some time, and her
arcane power waxed so great she could nearly wrench the Seal from its
extradimensional cradle.
Naturally, the Sorceress has many enemies. High Elves of the dragonship The Venger and even the servants of the
Old Ones themselves attempted to halt the Lady of Woe and her plans, which
involve using the elemental powers of the seals to unleash massive destruction
against her enemies in her own homeland.
Prince Spiridane and the Skink shaman sent to ward the seal were able to
join forces, and pressed towards finding The
Tower of Iron Woe, the Black Ark that is the Sorceress’ base of operations.
The Lady of Woe is a master of dark magic, and specializes in
teleportation and extradimensional manipulation. The Black Ark can manifest it’s spires all
over the Old World from the safety of the deep sea, and the Sorceress can
further her plans whenever and wherever she needs.
So, deep beneath Khazid Grimaz, the Sorceress and her enemies met
in mortal combat. The resulting power
destabilized the elemental seal, causing its vast power to well up in an
uncontrollable surge. This surge set the
volcano alight, and the earth trembled.
Raw elemental energy, kept bottled up for countless centuries,
lashed out and destroyed much of the mountain where the Khazid stood. Earthquakes caused the upper city to split,
and molten magma choked the Alderhalls.
Where the Delve once stood, now a great split crag seeps lava as the
cracked and blackened towers of the Khazid keep silent watch.
The volcanic power continues to rip through the Grey Mountains,
causing upheaval and tremors miles away. Nearby Karak Norn and Nuln are abuzz with the tales of horror spread by the regugees pouring in, even as the Storm of Chaos abates. Enterprising individuals are already investigating the tales of the mountain of fire
Ruins of Khazid Grimaz
The ancient dwarven hold sundered and burned, and now the throng
of the Khazid seek refuge in Karak Norn or in refugee camps at the edge of
Wissenland. The military might of this
bastion of good is finally broken, and at much cost to the lawful races of the
Old World. With no more army of the
Khazid to help defend the borders, it will be a short time before Wissenland is
threatened and the Empire must react.
The now ruined Khazid is far from deserted, however. The warpstone beneath the Khazid is active
once more, and all the Chaos worshippers from beneath the Delve have migrated
to the surface following the quakes.
Cultists and beastmen flourish in some of the abandoned halls and towers
all over the area that the Khazid once kept.
Yet there are those who still carry on the fight. Even in this dark time, the thanes of the
throng of the Khazid Grimaz rally their people to persevere and stick
together. Dwarven heroes still battle inside the ruinous Khazid to reclaim some of their ancient honor, yet
none have returned from this perilous place in months.
Perhaps sometime soon, the throng of the Khazid will muster
again. To reclaim their ancient hold
from the dark forces that hold sway there will be an undertaking that will
likely claim countless dwarven lives and last for generations of men.
Fantastic Game, Grim Ending
I want to thank everyone for taking part in our long term campaign. We're going to try to keep the length of time between campaign segments much shorter from now on, so we can stay more focused and keep the same thematics going with each RPG campaign. We got to see how far we could push the advancement system, and all in all it was quite enjoyable.
Thanks for the grim ending! Destruction is winning more and more campaigns these days, and if we have a total party kill on many more of these RPG scenarios there might not be much for our armies of Order to fight for. Now we have a centerpiece for our perilous adventure - the ruined, fiery crag of Khazid Grimaz!
We'll return to the Warhammer World next season for the Greystone Pass War! That will be the first chance to help reclaim the lost Khazid, or make sure it stays firmly in the hands of evil.
