[A] Ancient Hatreds - A Dwarf Campaign

Argent Dawn
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Ancient Hatreds

More than a hundred years ago, an expedition set out from the town of Thelsamar to the distant mountains of Alterac, seeking a cache of relics left by the Makers. As Madran Stoenbrow, captain of the 4th Regiment Royal Dragoons, stood upon a snow-blown peak, he spied the glittering hold of Clan Goldgrin, whose lord was the avaricious and quickly-angered Barnabus Goldgrin.

What transpired in the granite halls beneath the Fangs of Helfykke remains a point of great dispute among the book-keepers of Ironforge, but both sides tell the same tale in one regard: through whatever means, whether theft or sorcery, it was Captain Stoenbrow that held an unassuming teal shard of glass that fateful night, and it was their gracious hosts that tore the dragoons rider from ram not four days later.

To this day, the gleaming shard that spelled the end for many a dwarf in that ambush remains unclaimed by the lineage of Barnabus. The relic that he risked his sons and his honour for remains in the hands of the Thelsamites, and the knowledge and power it safeguarded remains hidden and secure.

That knowledge and power, however, cannot remain concealed for long. As the line of Barnabus prepares to reclaim that which was lost - through means of peace, not war - selfish eyes watch the roads and bide their time...

Hello and welcome to what is essentially a guild recruitment post (heh, get baited kiddo :sunglasses: ). In all seriousness, however:

What is this campaign?

Essentially, it is the IC introduction and backbone to the Stormpike Vanguard guild, which there won’t be a thread for or anything like that until the end of the campaign (for various IC and OOC reasons). For this reason, unguilded dwarves are preferred (see below). There is, however, no obligation to join anything at the end of the campaign, and if your dwarf is already in a guild then you may join the campaign anyway through means that we can discuss.

The premise follows the story above and the subsequent quest to gain access to the vault of relics collected by the Mountain-King Midas, the King of Whispers.

Who are we looking for?

The players participating in the campaign will fall into three categories or groups:

  1. Members of the Stormpike Vanguard (formally the 1st Regiment Hearthguard of the Stormpike Brigade), under the command of Balrune the Elder. These will consist of either existing members of the Stormpike Brigade, stationed in Hillsbrad, or volunteers that have travelled to Corrahn’s Dagger to help the brigade deal with a major yeti problem. Poster related to the latter: tinyurl.com/spvanguard

  2. Members of the Fingers of Midas, following Hogni Half-toe, son of Barbarus Goldgrin, who seek to restore the glory of Clan Goldgrin.

  3. Members of the chaotic Dark Iron cabal known as the Sons of Smolderon, whose purposes for aiding the Bronzebeards in their quest is unknown to all but themselves.

Members of the Stormpike Vanguard /Sons of Smolderon may be uniformed depending on their class (this primarily applies to melee combat characters).

As of this post, we have spaces open for the following:

  • Stormpike Vanguard (2 spaces available)
  • Sons of Smolderon (2 spaces available)

These spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, but if there’s considerable interest for some reason then there might be some sort of waiting/reserve list (see below for reasoning).

Dwarven characters only atm.

What will the events consist of?

The events will make use of the Dicemaster addon, and the system will be loosely based on DnD 5e rules, meaning there’s realistically a limit to how many players I can manage before my brain literally melts.

If you have never played DnD before, don’t be put off - myself and others will help you get to grips with it (which is made very simple with the aforemention addon), as well as to help you make your profiles.

In some special situations there may be NPCs played by the DM /others. These will typically be for parts of the quest that are dialog-based or for bosses.

When will the events take place?

The preliminary events (i.e., each group receiving instructions and setting off on the quests) are scheduled to take place this weekend, Jan 15 - Jan 17, with the three groups assembling and setting off on their adventure w/b Jan 18.

The exact dates of events aren’t currently set in stone, but none of the events will fall on a Wednesday or a Sunday.

What can I do to sign up /for more info?

For more info, check out the suspiciously player handbook-esque document that I’ve made: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/LIsQPylFmXMi It also contains a much more fleshed-out story of the Conflict of Black Ice Pass, written by Halftoe.

If you are interested in taking part, message me in-game on either Ortellus or Balrune, or message me on discord at ortellus#4526. Bnet: Ortellus#2312. Alternatively, if you have any questions /comments /unwarranted flame, just reply to the thread.

okay cheers
Contrary to popular belief, Ortellus Falheim is not a dwarf.

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Let’s gooo :cowboy_hat_face:

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Signing up for the Stormpike Vanguard Mountaineers!

Let’s geeet eet!

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I knew it…
Also, Stormpike Filth in Alterac? HRRNGH…

Good luck with the Campaign though!

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Drop me a message on discord if you can! :slight_smile:

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Bear in mind, we are still looking for 2-3 more beards to join us on our campaign!
Shoot me a message in game, (@Halftoe), or message Ortellus on discord, and we’ll be sure to get back to you.

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"I come in peace," said Hognifarand, son of Barnabus.

And Balrune, loyal to Madran Stoenbrow all those years ago, went to reply. There came a crack of thunder, a furious yell, and yet it did not come from one elder dwarf, directed to another.

A hundred years or more since they parted as enemies, they did battle in the foothills of Hillsbrad together. A Scarlet scourge had come, boldly assuming passage through the lands of the Stormpike, and when they had fled the Fingers of Midas and the Stormpike Vanguard had found common ground. Perhaps it would the first step on the road to putting the past in the past, where it belonged...
In the depths of Shadowforge City, a cowled scryer burst from his enchanted chambers and charged down the dim hallway. The guards that stood there flinched, but they deigned not to stop him; they knew better than to delay the work of the cabal...

We kicked off tonight with an unexpected visit from roving Scarlets (not quite the event that was planned!). Tenuously working together now, the Fingers of Midas and the Stormpike Vanguard set their sights on a threat of yetis in the Alterac Mountains, in the hopes of convincing the beleagured brigade to lend aid to the quest.

Tomorrow will be the first event proper! We are still on the lookout for more dwarves to join the cause. Message ortellus#4526 on Discord to see about getting involved.

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The Stormpike Guard were a dutiful lot, eternally bound to their conflict against the Frostwolf Clan; the treasure-hunting proposed by the Fingers of Midas was a distraction from the ongoing skirmishes that could be ill-afforded. Not only that, but in these times of relative peace in the mountains of Alterac, the local yeti had become more than just a nuisance.

So the Fingers of Midas set out to help the brigade: Hogni the Half-toe, Lady Bromwynne of Shadowforge, Brugnir Rockbeard of Kharanos, and the enigmatic mage that went by the name of Loxley. With Durggan Kragmantle, they traversed the narrow off-passages of Dun Baldar Pass, seeking out the vicious yeti-lord that had been named Cragcrusher.

High in the mountains of Alterac did they find the beast - or what they thought to be the yeti. Brugnir the Blacksmith stood his ground and dealt a skullsplitting blow to the creature, the junior of a far deadlier, far more terrible yeti patriarch that was soon set upon them in a terrible rampage!

The favour of the Stormpike Clan was earned that night, though, as together the ancient rivals stood side-by-side on the battlefield again, and Cragcrusher's horns were seen in the camp at Corrahn's Dagger later that night. All that remained was to convince the clan to dispatch the relevant forces - those under the wing of Balrune the Elder - to the quest for the Vault of Midas...
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The machinery of dwarven decision-making took it's time to turn, but at last it was the Lieutenant-Commander, Drommun Grinbeard, which gave the order for the Stormpike Brigade to come to the aid of the Fingers of Midas. The secrets of the Vault of Midas, the secrets of the *Makers*, could not fall into the grubby, bloody hands of the Frostwolf invaders!

Their quest, however, was not a clear one; it was revealed that the Vault of Midas had been sealed long ago, and that the keystone which would open it was fragmented. Indeed, more than a century ago, Madran Stoenbrow had somehow come into possession of one such fragment, and had escaped the Goldgrin ambush that followed with both it and his life.

That fragment, known as **the Eonite**, was a secret that Madran had taken to the grave with him, high in the mountains of Khaz Modan, when felfire rained from the heavens and demons walked upon good dwarven ground. In search of the Eonite, the Fingers of Midas and members of the 1st Regiment Hearthguard prepared to journey southwards...
"KINSMEN, COME," boomed the voice through flame and brimstone. The tendrils of magic seeped through the boundaries of reality and into the elemental plane of fire, reaching out to those who listened, who watched, through shadowy lenses in obsidian frames...

After gaining the trust of the Stormpike Brigade, the quest for the Vault of Midas properly begins tomorrow! Still not too late to get involved, so drop me a message on discord (ortellus#4526) and we’ll see what we can do!

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