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The Glory of Clan RockCrawler
I write this now to record the memory of Clan RockCrawler.
Their tale has been around since the War of Humanity, though few in this day and age can honestly say that they have ever heard of the Clan. And yet, without Clan RockCrawler most of history as we know it would have a vastly different ending.
I know this story only due to the fact that I slumbered within the WorldForge and one of Lord Phaestus's memories leaked through the Forge and gave me this vision.
While it might remain incomplete and some details remain vague, I have written it down as clearly as I can recall with my mortal mind. Shock still flows through me at the emotions I felt as I relived the glory of Clan RockCrawler. I will remain forever changed by the knowledge I have gained from this story, and I hope that it has the same impact on all who might read this account.
The trumpet was sounding the wrong call.
Even in the midst of the bedlam surrounding me, I knew that. As I slashed down and split the forearm of a crystalline being we were told were known as Kx'Khrah, I knew that something was deadly wrong. A quick glance to my side caught the eye of my best lieutenant, Grandor, and I knew that he heard it too. Calling out commands, we formed a defensive line and pulled in the flanks. As our Dwarven charges formed a shield wall before us, I had a quick meeting with my captains and lieutenants.
"It must be serious, if they are already blowing that sound." said Grandor, as he ducked an arrow flying over the shield wall. "Indeed" chimed in Captain Bodle even while he signaled the left flank to close in tighter against the charging enemy. Drembdrol just grunted a bit, furiously chewing on the ends of his beard.
Taking a moment to survey the battle scene, I could see a glimpse of what must have caused the uproar. While the shield wall was holding up well considering the numbers throwing themselves against it, other areas were not doing so well. The banners of the Shattered Stone and AxeBreaker Dwarven clans still flew, stretched out to our left, but the numbers around them were not as large as I would have liked. Our own troops were actually the reserves and support troops due to the diminutive size that we RockCrawler Dwarves had compared to the enemies we faced. And here we were, on the front lines against crystalline warriors and some sort of beast with six legs and a fierce aggression. On our right were elements of the mercenary army who appeared to be doing well if the blood coating their shields was to be believed. However the screams and roars that were heard from the far flanks indicated that the Aldar magic had assisted the catlike enemy forces far too well. As I stood measuring the scene, a sudden charge by the enemy began to overwhelm the shield wall. Hastily we pulled back and began a professional backwards march towards the sound of the trumpets in the rear.
Whirling to slash three of the six legs of the beast that leaped over the shield wall, Bodle snorted in disgust. "Retreat? Bah, what Dwarf ever retreats!" A low grumble rose from the ranks in agreement at this, even as more Dwarves fell to the furious attack. "Hush!" I called out in my sternest voice, stepping forward into the shield wall and smashing my axe down to shatter a crystal being. "Gargalant will be there as well, and he will lead us true. Trust that." At the name of our God's most trusted warrior, a cheer broke out among the Dwarves and they laid to their task with even more eagerness than before. Steadily we advanced, for Dwarves are always advancing even if the direction is backwards, until we arrived at the main bulk of the gathered armies.
Even as we arrived and sorted ourselves out so that our defensive shield wall was firm against those of the Arcanians and bolstering the ranks of the mighty unicorns, another trumpet rang out with an even more dire message. Shock trembled through my Dwarven units as the impact of that trumpet sank in. Immediately my commanders called out to hold and stand-fast, stepping up to steady the greener lads, and ensuring that the wall was still strong against the onslaught.
Signalling two of my captains to take charge, I nodded to Grandor and we hurried towards the banner of clan Shattered Stone. As we came within distance, a Stone clan Dwarf pointed us towards a circling of Clan Chieftains. Coming within earshot, I realized that the rest of the Chieftains were as surprised as I was with the way that things had changed.
"We had them, I was just about to charge!" Grumbled a Chieftain whose armour was coloured in the pattern of Clan OrcSplitter. Muttered assent followed that sentiment but was quickly silenced as the great Chieftain Gargalant arrived with a worried expression. "Where is Brugnor?" He asked as he scanned the gathered Dwarves. "He charged," explained one of the AleSwiller Dwarves, apparently Brugnor's successor, "Said that death is better than retreat and just flat out charged." A few grunts at that, though none were surprised. "May the Lord receive him well," said another Chieftain as he arrived, "Brugnor and his fifty took nearly a thousand with them to the Halls. Bought us the time to regroup and get back". Nods of approval greeted this statement before Gargalant signaled for attention.
Looking us each in the eye, Gargalant explained that things are very dire. A new enemy has appeared that has completely changed the battlefield. The Gods were surprised and not sure how to handle this threat. The new enemy appears to be some demonic force, and is stronger even than the immortal Aldar. The Gods have signaled retreat and in fact most of the other forces are in full flight. A few Chieftains nodded at this and explained how they saw Qui'anar and Horkvali forces being shredded as they ran for their lives.
"We did not ask for this fight, I know." Gargalant's statement was quiet yet clear. His eyes boring into each Chieftain until we stood even straighter under his inspection. "But our Father needs us. His allies need us. Those fighting beside us are being shredded. They bore the bulk of the fighting in the first, they were the front ranks. Now it is the Dwarves' turn. We must protect them, hold the line so that they can retreat. This is our duty, and our honor. For Lord Phaestus!" At the end of this speech, every Dwarf felt the presence of our God wash over us with warmth, love, and gratitude which caused us to shake with renewed passion. Shouting His name, we pounded weapons against shields, butted heads together and let steel helms ring out with fervor.
Quickly Gargalant gave us our assignments, sending each Clan to protect a certain area or guide allies to safety. Turning to me, he paused for a moment and then clasped my shoulder tightly. "Rundail" He softly sighed. "I ask a great task of your RockCrawler clan." Nodding towards a particularly thick section of fighting he continued, "We must use the mountain paths to get some of these people through. The demons have cut off the left portions, and the Aldar have made those cat-beings very powerful. Rajamalan, I think they are called. We have not found a match for them yet. Lord Thoth managed to hurt them with His Quisalis Assassins, however those that remain are being strengthened by their Gods and are destroying the Scula and anyone else that they can find."
His clasp on my shoulder turned into an embrace as Gargalant gruffly spoke into my ear "I am not sure that we have an answer for them, they are ruthless and showing no mercy. They will slaughter anyone they find, be it wounded, female, or even a babe." This caused me to think of my own wife and child in the back of the lines, desperately praying for a victory. Slowly letting his embrace drop, Gargalant gave me the orders for my clan. "Take your noble warriors, Rundail. And find us a way, protect the retreat of the Scula and Horkvali on the left. Show them the secret passages through the mountains. You will have to fight the Rajamalan forces and probably the undead. It will be fierce, but only you could I entrust with such a difficult task. I must stay here and buy time." As he turned to walk away, we shared the eye contact of battle hardened warriors and knew this would be the last time we spoke.
Lifting up our weapons, Grandor and I made our way back to our Clan, watching as the Captains rotated men through the defense wall and tried to find a moment for rest. Sighing deep in my heart at the orders I would have to give, and the good soldiers and brethren I knew I would lose, I began to call out the commands and signal our Clan to move out.
The fighting became fierce, as our opponents felt the thrill of victory and crowed at the retreat before them. Several smaller bands of our allies streamed past in haste, all discipline gone. Soon we found out why, as imps and demons darted through the sky firing flaming missiles into our midst. A few of the Dwarves flung their shields up to deflect these missiles, only to find themselves burned by the lasers of the Kx'Khrah.
Grimacing at the smell of burnt flesh and wincing against the cries of our wounded, I yelled out orders to form teams of three. "One keep a shield in front, anchor the wall. Second Dwarf keep a shield up to the sky and protect from attacks up high. Third Dwarf needs to be your weapon, attack through the gaps. Hit them hard. For Phaestus!" Again the mention of our God brought renewed strength to our limbs and Dwarves scrambled to follow the orders. Quickly we reformed again and were able to advance through a path of slain enemies.
A mighty roar caused us to stop in consternation, the source of it eluded us until Bodle began to hop about excitedly. "Chieftain!" He bellowed, "The earth is coming to eat us!". And indeed, it appeared true. A wall of moving earth was rolling towards our position, smashing everything beneath it's brute strength, ripping trees from the ground and adding them to the chaos at the base of the massive danger. Being wiser than I, Grandor figured out the cause quickly. "Its those damned Elementals." He muttered to me, as he tightly gripped his axes and crouched low as if it would save him. Understanding dawned just as an answering tremble passed beneath our feet.
Struggling to keep my balance, I shouted out calm to my Clan. Letting them know that Lady Gaia was fighting for us. Only after I called out the words, did I pause to realize that I had no idea who Lady Gaia was, and received a Divine chuckle in my head as return for my amazement. To give proof to my words, the two earth tremors met with a mighty clash of destruction and the moving wall of earth ceased to be a threat. Encouraged, we continued our advance and finally reached our target area. Seeing the slaughter that was transpiring, the Dwarves quickly forgot their discomfort of being on falsely moving ground, and charged into the fray. Quickly smashing through the ranks of the undead, slicing decaying limbs apart and making sure to smash skeletons in half, we came to a sudden halt against a far fiercer foe.
Leaping the shield wall with amazing displays of strength and agility the feline Rajamalan forces proved to be a different fight than we had faced before. Snapping whips ripped battleaxes out of the hands of the sturdiest of warriors. Dodging pointed strikes, the Rajamala darted and dashed while slowly carving lines down the Dwarven ranks. Roaring in outrage, I took up my own battleaxe in both hands and began beating back the foes inside the shield wall. Bodle leaped to join me and we ended up back to back as the Rajamalan inside the shield wall circled us. Furiously we fought, as our brothers struggled to keep more enemies from breaking past the line. As the battle wore on, the corpses around us began to pile up but more and more enemies circled around. Suddenly there was a massive roar from the shield line, cries of anger and sorrow mingled together. Distracted by the sound, our enemies turned in that direction and Bodle and I lunged to finish them off.
The last of the Rajamalan inside the line was finally slain and so I looked up to see Grandor gently closing the eyelids of solid Drembdrol. "May the Lord Father forever remember your sacrifice" Grandor softly whispered. My heart was heavy and sad, having just lost one of my most tried and true Captains. But his death saved my life and the lives of many, and in fact the strength of the backlash from the Dwarves had pushed the Rajamalan forces back and given us a moment to breath.
We were close to the entrance of the mountain paths by now, and I pressed the families of the Clan warriors into service. Seeking out the WarMaidens, I had them select the wisest and strongest of the Dwarven wives and children and guide them through the paths to the other side of the mountain. "Head for the main encampment, regroup there" I instructed them and watched as they rose to their duty and stilled trembling hands lest they show weakness in front of our allies. As my brothers set up the shield wall again and experimented with long range fighting to keep the enemy away, streams of wounded and frightened allies flowed past. Even more than I could ever expect to have seen, as word of our passages to safety spread like wildfire.
Just as I was about to say the orders to have my people begin heading down the paths themselves, a grizzled Horkvali captain stopped me. "Son, you have done a good thing here" he began before wincing and continuing" but we are being wiped out. The Rajamala have found out that people are heading here and are just camping outside of your shield wall and hunting down those trying to get away. Lost around three hundred of my band just now, most of them not even able to hold a weapon in defense". Though he meant the words to be empathetic and informational, all it did was burn at my heart.
Quickly I called my leaders together and explained what I had heard. Sadness gripped the hearts of all of us, though few had any answers for what to do. That is when my sweet wife Grimalda stepped up from where she was heading the evacuation efforts. "Oh, Rund." She said with a tearful but determined expression. "You know that letting all of those folk die while we run to safety is not our way." At this Bodle grunted "Aye, lass, but we be small folk best served by our defensive discipline. If we charge out into the open, those cat-things will surely destroy us". Widened eyes gazed at me from the face of my beloved as she continued "I know. I know what it means, but we would not be the Dwarves of Lord Phaestus should we turn our backs on them." And with that, she gave me a quick kiss and turned and headed back towards her post.
Hearing the words of my wife, I felt my heart twist as my own thoughts and feelings were confirmed. Still, my heart was roiling with mixed emotions. We had already given so much, done so well against such immense odds. How could we be asked to do any more than we have? And yet, I knew that the calling of Lord Phaestus could not allow me to turn my back on the suffering around me. My God had pledged His eternal devotion to Creation and protecting the work of Lord Proteus. That pledge was what allowed me to even have this internal conversation, to have these feelings and know this success. To make up my own mind and follow my own path. And because of that, I would serve that pledge as if I myself made it.
Turning to the WarMaidens, I informed them that I would not be using them on this raid. And even as the grunts of protest began, I quickly told them why. "I need you to form the main shield wall here, why the boys and I go attract the Rajamalan attention. This line must hold so that we can make it back into the mountain on our return. Keep the entire Clan here, keep guiding people until the very last moment. No RockCrawler will escape to safety until there is nobody else we can save. Understood?" Fiercely the WarMaidens agreed and went to work assembling the shield wall again and passing orders to the remain part of the Clan.
Gathering the remaining RockCrawler Dwarves, we struck out to where the enemy had been reported. Coming over the hill, we witnessed a terrible slaughter. As nearly a thousand refugees were caught inside a circling band of Rajamalan. Laughter mixed with the screams, as the horrific beings played with the surrounded captives. A snarl broke across my face as I watched a demon swoop down from the sky to pluck a babe from it's mothers arms and tauntingly throw it back and forth with another demon floating just over the mother's head.
Pounding our weapons against what remaining shields we had, Clan RockCrawler charged. And what a massive battle ensued. Smashing into the backs of the unsuspecting enemy, we managed to make it right into the circle and clear a way for those inside to escape. Relentlessly we hammered away, every Dwarf going into berserk mode and creating space against the enemy by cutting through any foe near us. At first the enemy retreated in shock, but soon they gathered their wits and pressed the attack back upon us. Seeing that we had their full attention, I ordered the retreat and we began heading back towards the mountains.
While we were busy fighting for our lives, a sudden primal roar tore through the chaotic noise of the battle and stunned us all for a few pristine moments. Echoing from every mountain top, we heard the voice of our Lord God in an anguished shout. "GARGALANT!" And with that shout, we felt the passing of the greatest Chieftain we had ever known. A wave of sorrow crashed through every Dwarf, but following that was a feeling of such invincible strength that what seemed like a suicide run became an earnest fight.
With the rage of our God filling our bodies, we were able to make it back to the mountain paths and join the shield wall of the WarMaidens. As I looked back upon the path we had just trod, I saw it littered with friend and foe alike. Many of my greatest warriors had breathed their last. Turning towards the enemy, I realized that our raid had accomplished much more than we expected. For it seemed the entire might of the Rajamalan forces were arrayed against us. Even more demons and undead had joined them and now they stayed a few hundred paces away, considering our small force and how best to devour us.
Realizing that it was time to go, I had my men prepare the passage ways for closing them behind us and we began to file backwards into the mountain. A roar greeted this move as the enemy saw our strategy and began a thunderous charge. Crashing into the shield wall, they quickly overwhelmed it and my heart nearly burst as I watched the WarMaidens die en masse. Hurriedly we backed into the corridors and set the fuse burning. Just as the first wave of undead reached the mouth of the central passage, the explosives went off and sealed the entrance on top of them. A muffled roar went up from the remaining RockCrawler, and wives and children went to hug family members. I gave Grimalda a brief hug, but my thoughts were turned toward a comely lass sobbing as she leaned into the wall face first. "Ceri, I am so sorry." Knowing my words were useless, I had nothing further to say as I gave a gentle squeeze to the wife of my lieutenant. "Grandor was my right hand, he was the best that I have ever known. His sacrifice saved so many lives, I know that Lord Phaestus has created a special place for him." Her only response was to sob harder and turn her face away from me even more.
Before I could attempt to console her any further, a startled shout of alarm filled the cavern. Whirling, I saw everyone looking at my son as he staggered into the room with a look of horror upon a face that had barely started to grow fuzz. Drawn to his eyes, I could not see anything else as I watched the life in them slowly drain and vanish completely. Horrified, my gaze crawled down his body until I saw the unmistakable marks of a lich weapon through his heart. Grimalda let loose with a terrible scream that rocked me to my core and flew across the room to grab our son. Bodle following her and then dashing past to dart into the passageway that my son just came from. "Help!" He immediately shouted and then there came a great clash of weaponry.
Unable to move, I remained rooted to the floor in utter anguish even as the remnants of Clan RockCrawler were swarmed by the Rajamalan forces that had somehow broken through into the mountain. As my entire Clan was taken off guard, weapons left scattered on the ground, I realized that I had only one real choice in this matter. Turning down the passage that led to the heart of the mountain, I began to run with all of the strength that I had left. Tears and blood splashed down to fill my footprints as I cried out to my God. "Oh Mighty Lord Phaestus. Hear me now. Do not forsake Your child. You know my heart, know my prayer. Answer me, Oh God. Let not Your children die in vain."
As I ran, I held out my hands before me and slowly a shimmering light filled them. Pulsating with power made of pure Divine essence, the light solidified into a massive Warhammer. So large that I should not be able to lift it, but it felt light in my hands. Hands that knew they had one last task left. Hearing the scrambled pursuit behind me, I knew that all that I cared for was gone. And that nearly all that remained of the Rajamala were chasing me even now.
Turning the corner and approaching my destination, I realized that two RockCrawler Dwarves remained. Young babes, barely two decades between them, they had been assigned to point the last step of the way to the evacuees. "Run ye brats, run!" I yelled between gasps for breath. One began a protest about orders to stay until the last. "He is the Chief, just do it" yelled the other and together they disappeared into the tunnels. If they survived, I can not say, for my journey had just about reached the end and my vision was beginning to blur.
My legs began to falter and my heart was beating so erratically that I could barely keep moving, but I arrived at the center portion of the mountain. Knowing that I had just a few moments before my enemies were upon me, I lifted up the Warhammer and steadied myself as best that I could. Raising my voice in a bellow that only a Chieftain can obtain, I shouted out unto my God. "Oh Father, receive unto You the RockCrawler Clan. Let this day serve as one of gladness, as we earn the right to sit at Your feet in KongolDrak forever. Strengthen me now, Oh Lord, and guide my arm. Punish those who would harm Your children."
And with those final words, I swung the Warhammer with Divinely guided strength and smashed through into the core of the mountain. Chain reactions rumbled throughout the cavern and with a steady groaning sound the walls began to buckle. Rajamalan cheers of victory quickly turned to howls of terror as they realized what was occurring around them. Hardly had a single enemy began to turn and flee when the entire mountain fell in upon itself, burying everything within it's greedy grasp. Dwarf, Rajamalan, Undead, Demon, all that were in or near the mountain passage ways perished in the single blink of an eye.
Clan RockCrawler might have perished, but Creation lives on. Serving the call to protect Creation and serve Lord Phaestus continues to be our greatest strength. May all Dwarves forever remember and recognize the sacrifices of Clan RockCrawler.
Their tale has been around since the War of Humanity, though few in this day and age can honestly say that they have ever heard of the Clan. And yet, without Clan RockCrawler most of history as we know it would have a vastly different ending.
I know this story only due to the fact that I slumbered within the WorldForge and one of Lord Phaestus's memories leaked through the Forge and gave me this vision.
While it might remain incomplete and some details remain vague, I have written it down as clearly as I can recall with my mortal mind. Shock still flows through me at the emotions I felt as I relived the glory of Clan RockCrawler. I will remain forever changed by the knowledge I have gained from this story, and I hope that it has the same impact on all who might read this account.
The trumpet was sounding the wrong call.
Even in the midst of the bedlam surrounding me, I knew that. As I slashed down and split the forearm of a crystalline being we were told were known as Kx'Khrah, I knew that something was deadly wrong. A quick glance to my side caught the eye of my best lieutenant, Grandor, and I knew that he heard it too. Calling out commands, we formed a defensive line and pulled in the flanks. As our Dwarven charges formed a shield wall before us, I had a quick meeting with my captains and lieutenants.
"It must be serious, if they are already blowing that sound." said Grandor, as he ducked an arrow flying over the shield wall. "Indeed" chimed in Captain Bodle even while he signaled the left flank to close in tighter against the charging enemy. Drembdrol just grunted a bit, furiously chewing on the ends of his beard.
Taking a moment to survey the battle scene, I could see a glimpse of what must have caused the uproar. While the shield wall was holding up well considering the numbers throwing themselves against it, other areas were not doing so well. The banners of the Shattered Stone and AxeBreaker Dwarven clans still flew, stretched out to our left, but the numbers around them were not as large as I would have liked. Our own troops were actually the reserves and support troops due to the diminutive size that we RockCrawler Dwarves had compared to the enemies we faced. And here we were, on the front lines against crystalline warriors and some sort of beast with six legs and a fierce aggression. On our right were elements of the mercenary army who appeared to be doing well if the blood coating their shields was to be believed. However the screams and roars that were heard from the far flanks indicated that the Aldar magic had assisted the catlike enemy forces far too well. As I stood measuring the scene, a sudden charge by the enemy began to overwhelm the shield wall. Hastily we pulled back and began a professional backwards march towards the sound of the trumpets in the rear.
Whirling to slash three of the six legs of the beast that leaped over the shield wall, Bodle snorted in disgust. "Retreat? Bah, what Dwarf ever retreats!" A low grumble rose from the ranks in agreement at this, even as more Dwarves fell to the furious attack. "Hush!" I called out in my sternest voice, stepping forward into the shield wall and smashing my axe down to shatter a crystal being. "Gargalant will be there as well, and he will lead us true. Trust that." At the name of our God's most trusted warrior, a cheer broke out among the Dwarves and they laid to their task with even more eagerness than before. Steadily we advanced, for Dwarves are always advancing even if the direction is backwards, until we arrived at the main bulk of the gathered armies.
Even as we arrived and sorted ourselves out so that our defensive shield wall was firm against those of the Arcanians and bolstering the ranks of the mighty unicorns, another trumpet rang out with an even more dire message. Shock trembled through my Dwarven units as the impact of that trumpet sank in. Immediately my commanders called out to hold and stand-fast, stepping up to steady the greener lads, and ensuring that the wall was still strong against the onslaught.
Signalling two of my captains to take charge, I nodded to Grandor and we hurried towards the banner of clan Shattered Stone. As we came within distance, a Stone clan Dwarf pointed us towards a circling of Clan Chieftains. Coming within earshot, I realized that the rest of the Chieftains were as surprised as I was with the way that things had changed.
"We had them, I was just about to charge!" Grumbled a Chieftain whose armour was coloured in the pattern of Clan OrcSplitter. Muttered assent followed that sentiment but was quickly silenced as the great Chieftain Gargalant arrived with a worried expression. "Where is Brugnor?" He asked as he scanned the gathered Dwarves. "He charged," explained one of the AleSwiller Dwarves, apparently Brugnor's successor, "Said that death is better than retreat and just flat out charged." A few grunts at that, though none were surprised. "May the Lord receive him well," said another Chieftain as he arrived, "Brugnor and his fifty took nearly a thousand with them to the Halls. Bought us the time to regroup and get back". Nods of approval greeted this statement before Gargalant signaled for attention.
Looking us each in the eye, Gargalant explained that things are very dire. A new enemy has appeared that has completely changed the battlefield. The Gods were surprised and not sure how to handle this threat. The new enemy appears to be some demonic force, and is stronger even than the immortal Aldar. The Gods have signaled retreat and in fact most of the other forces are in full flight. A few Chieftains nodded at this and explained how they saw Qui'anar and Horkvali forces being shredded as they ran for their lives.
"We did not ask for this fight, I know." Gargalant's statement was quiet yet clear. His eyes boring into each Chieftain until we stood even straighter under his inspection. "But our Father needs us. His allies need us. Those fighting beside us are being shredded. They bore the bulk of the fighting in the first, they were the front ranks. Now it is the Dwarves' turn. We must protect them, hold the line so that they can retreat. This is our duty, and our honor. For Lord Phaestus!" At the end of this speech, every Dwarf felt the presence of our God wash over us with warmth, love, and gratitude which caused us to shake with renewed passion. Shouting His name, we pounded weapons against shields, butted heads together and let steel helms ring out with fervor.
Quickly Gargalant gave us our assignments, sending each Clan to protect a certain area or guide allies to safety. Turning to me, he paused for a moment and then clasped my shoulder tightly. "Rundail" He softly sighed. "I ask a great task of your RockCrawler clan." Nodding towards a particularly thick section of fighting he continued, "We must use the mountain paths to get some of these people through. The demons have cut off the left portions, and the Aldar have made those cat-beings very powerful. Rajamalan, I think they are called. We have not found a match for them yet. Lord Thoth managed to hurt them with His Quisalis Assassins, however those that remain are being strengthened by their Gods and are destroying the Scula and anyone else that they can find."
His clasp on my shoulder turned into an embrace as Gargalant gruffly spoke into my ear "I am not sure that we have an answer for them, they are ruthless and showing no mercy. They will slaughter anyone they find, be it wounded, female, or even a babe." This caused me to think of my own wife and child in the back of the lines, desperately praying for a victory. Slowly letting his embrace drop, Gargalant gave me the orders for my clan. "Take your noble warriors, Rundail. And find us a way, protect the retreat of the Scula and Horkvali on the left. Show them the secret passages through the mountains. You will have to fight the Rajamalan forces and probably the undead. It will be fierce, but only you could I entrust with such a difficult task. I must stay here and buy time." As he turned to walk away, we shared the eye contact of battle hardened warriors and knew this would be the last time we spoke.
Lifting up our weapons, Grandor and I made our way back to our Clan, watching as the Captains rotated men through the defense wall and tried to find a moment for rest. Sighing deep in my heart at the orders I would have to give, and the good soldiers and brethren I knew I would lose, I began to call out the commands and signal our Clan to move out.
The fighting became fierce, as our opponents felt the thrill of victory and crowed at the retreat before them. Several smaller bands of our allies streamed past in haste, all discipline gone. Soon we found out why, as imps and demons darted through the sky firing flaming missiles into our midst. A few of the Dwarves flung their shields up to deflect these missiles, only to find themselves burned by the lasers of the Kx'Khrah.
Grimacing at the smell of burnt flesh and wincing against the cries of our wounded, I yelled out orders to form teams of three. "One keep a shield in front, anchor the wall. Second Dwarf keep a shield up to the sky and protect from attacks up high. Third Dwarf needs to be your weapon, attack through the gaps. Hit them hard. For Phaestus!" Again the mention of our God brought renewed strength to our limbs and Dwarves scrambled to follow the orders. Quickly we reformed again and were able to advance through a path of slain enemies.
A mighty roar caused us to stop in consternation, the source of it eluded us until Bodle began to hop about excitedly. "Chieftain!" He bellowed, "The earth is coming to eat us!". And indeed, it appeared true. A wall of moving earth was rolling towards our position, smashing everything beneath it's brute strength, ripping trees from the ground and adding them to the chaos at the base of the massive danger. Being wiser than I, Grandor figured out the cause quickly. "Its those damned Elementals." He muttered to me, as he tightly gripped his axes and crouched low as if it would save him. Understanding dawned just as an answering tremble passed beneath our feet.
Struggling to keep my balance, I shouted out calm to my Clan. Letting them know that Lady Gaia was fighting for us. Only after I called out the words, did I pause to realize that I had no idea who Lady Gaia was, and received a Divine chuckle in my head as return for my amazement. To give proof to my words, the two earth tremors met with a mighty clash of destruction and the moving wall of earth ceased to be a threat. Encouraged, we continued our advance and finally reached our target area. Seeing the slaughter that was transpiring, the Dwarves quickly forgot their discomfort of being on falsely moving ground, and charged into the fray. Quickly smashing through the ranks of the undead, slicing decaying limbs apart and making sure to smash skeletons in half, we came to a sudden halt against a far fiercer foe.
Leaping the shield wall with amazing displays of strength and agility the feline Rajamalan forces proved to be a different fight than we had faced before. Snapping whips ripped battleaxes out of the hands of the sturdiest of warriors. Dodging pointed strikes, the Rajamala darted and dashed while slowly carving lines down the Dwarven ranks. Roaring in outrage, I took up my own battleaxe in both hands and began beating back the foes inside the shield wall. Bodle leaped to join me and we ended up back to back as the Rajamalan inside the shield wall circled us. Furiously we fought, as our brothers struggled to keep more enemies from breaking past the line. As the battle wore on, the corpses around us began to pile up but more and more enemies circled around. Suddenly there was a massive roar from the shield line, cries of anger and sorrow mingled together. Distracted by the sound, our enemies turned in that direction and Bodle and I lunged to finish them off.
The last of the Rajamalan inside the line was finally slain and so I looked up to see Grandor gently closing the eyelids of solid Drembdrol. "May the Lord Father forever remember your sacrifice" Grandor softly whispered. My heart was heavy and sad, having just lost one of my most tried and true Captains. But his death saved my life and the lives of many, and in fact the strength of the backlash from the Dwarves had pushed the Rajamalan forces back and given us a moment to breath.
We were close to the entrance of the mountain paths by now, and I pressed the families of the Clan warriors into service. Seeking out the WarMaidens, I had them select the wisest and strongest of the Dwarven wives and children and guide them through the paths to the other side of the mountain. "Head for the main encampment, regroup there" I instructed them and watched as they rose to their duty and stilled trembling hands lest they show weakness in front of our allies. As my brothers set up the shield wall again and experimented with long range fighting to keep the enemy away, streams of wounded and frightened allies flowed past. Even more than I could ever expect to have seen, as word of our passages to safety spread like wildfire.
Just as I was about to say the orders to have my people begin heading down the paths themselves, a grizzled Horkvali captain stopped me. "Son, you have done a good thing here" he began before wincing and continuing" but we are being wiped out. The Rajamala have found out that people are heading here and are just camping outside of your shield wall and hunting down those trying to get away. Lost around three hundred of my band just now, most of them not even able to hold a weapon in defense". Though he meant the words to be empathetic and informational, all it did was burn at my heart.
Quickly I called my leaders together and explained what I had heard. Sadness gripped the hearts of all of us, though few had any answers for what to do. That is when my sweet wife Grimalda stepped up from where she was heading the evacuation efforts. "Oh, Rund." She said with a tearful but determined expression. "You know that letting all of those folk die while we run to safety is not our way." At this Bodle grunted "Aye, lass, but we be small folk best served by our defensive discipline. If we charge out into the open, those cat-things will surely destroy us". Widened eyes gazed at me from the face of my beloved as she continued "I know. I know what it means, but we would not be the Dwarves of Lord Phaestus should we turn our backs on them." And with that, she gave me a quick kiss and turned and headed back towards her post.
Hearing the words of my wife, I felt my heart twist as my own thoughts and feelings were confirmed. Still, my heart was roiling with mixed emotions. We had already given so much, done so well against such immense odds. How could we be asked to do any more than we have? And yet, I knew that the calling of Lord Phaestus could not allow me to turn my back on the suffering around me. My God had pledged His eternal devotion to Creation and protecting the work of Lord Proteus. That pledge was what allowed me to even have this internal conversation, to have these feelings and know this success. To make up my own mind and follow my own path. And because of that, I would serve that pledge as if I myself made it.
Turning to the WarMaidens, I informed them that I would not be using them on this raid. And even as the grunts of protest began, I quickly told them why. "I need you to form the main shield wall here, why the boys and I go attract the Rajamalan attention. This line must hold so that we can make it back into the mountain on our return. Keep the entire Clan here, keep guiding people until the very last moment. No RockCrawler will escape to safety until there is nobody else we can save. Understood?" Fiercely the WarMaidens agreed and went to work assembling the shield wall again and passing orders to the remain part of the Clan.
Gathering the remaining RockCrawler Dwarves, we struck out to where the enemy had been reported. Coming over the hill, we witnessed a terrible slaughter. As nearly a thousand refugees were caught inside a circling band of Rajamalan. Laughter mixed with the screams, as the horrific beings played with the surrounded captives. A snarl broke across my face as I watched a demon swoop down from the sky to pluck a babe from it's mothers arms and tauntingly throw it back and forth with another demon floating just over the mother's head.
Pounding our weapons against what remaining shields we had, Clan RockCrawler charged. And what a massive battle ensued. Smashing into the backs of the unsuspecting enemy, we managed to make it right into the circle and clear a way for those inside to escape. Relentlessly we hammered away, every Dwarf going into berserk mode and creating space against the enemy by cutting through any foe near us. At first the enemy retreated in shock, but soon they gathered their wits and pressed the attack back upon us. Seeing that we had their full attention, I ordered the retreat and we began heading back towards the mountains.
While we were busy fighting for our lives, a sudden primal roar tore through the chaotic noise of the battle and stunned us all for a few pristine moments. Echoing from every mountain top, we heard the voice of our Lord God in an anguished shout. "GARGALANT!" And with that shout, we felt the passing of the greatest Chieftain we had ever known. A wave of sorrow crashed through every Dwarf, but following that was a feeling of such invincible strength that what seemed like a suicide run became an earnest fight.
With the rage of our God filling our bodies, we were able to make it back to the mountain paths and join the shield wall of the WarMaidens. As I looked back upon the path we had just trod, I saw it littered with friend and foe alike. Many of my greatest warriors had breathed their last. Turning towards the enemy, I realized that our raid had accomplished much more than we expected. For it seemed the entire might of the Rajamalan forces were arrayed against us. Even more demons and undead had joined them and now they stayed a few hundred paces away, considering our small force and how best to devour us.
Realizing that it was time to go, I had my men prepare the passage ways for closing them behind us and we began to file backwards into the mountain. A roar greeted this move as the enemy saw our strategy and began a thunderous charge. Crashing into the shield wall, they quickly overwhelmed it and my heart nearly burst as I watched the WarMaidens die en masse. Hurriedly we backed into the corridors and set the fuse burning. Just as the first wave of undead reached the mouth of the central passage, the explosives went off and sealed the entrance on top of them. A muffled roar went up from the remaining RockCrawler, and wives and children went to hug family members. I gave Grimalda a brief hug, but my thoughts were turned toward a comely lass sobbing as she leaned into the wall face first. "Ceri, I am so sorry." Knowing my words were useless, I had nothing further to say as I gave a gentle squeeze to the wife of my lieutenant. "Grandor was my right hand, he was the best that I have ever known. His sacrifice saved so many lives, I know that Lord Phaestus has created a special place for him." Her only response was to sob harder and turn her face away from me even more.
Before I could attempt to console her any further, a startled shout of alarm filled the cavern. Whirling, I saw everyone looking at my son as he staggered into the room with a look of horror upon a face that had barely started to grow fuzz. Drawn to his eyes, I could not see anything else as I watched the life in them slowly drain and vanish completely. Horrified, my gaze crawled down his body until I saw the unmistakable marks of a lich weapon through his heart. Grimalda let loose with a terrible scream that rocked me to my core and flew across the room to grab our son. Bodle following her and then dashing past to dart into the passageway that my son just came from. "Help!" He immediately shouted and then there came a great clash of weaponry.
Unable to move, I remained rooted to the floor in utter anguish even as the remnants of Clan RockCrawler were swarmed by the Rajamalan forces that had somehow broken through into the mountain. As my entire Clan was taken off guard, weapons left scattered on the ground, I realized that I had only one real choice in this matter. Turning down the passage that led to the heart of the mountain, I began to run with all of the strength that I had left. Tears and blood splashed down to fill my footprints as I cried out to my God. "Oh Mighty Lord Phaestus. Hear me now. Do not forsake Your child. You know my heart, know my prayer. Answer me, Oh God. Let not Your children die in vain."
As I ran, I held out my hands before me and slowly a shimmering light filled them. Pulsating with power made of pure Divine essence, the light solidified into a massive Warhammer. So large that I should not be able to lift it, but it felt light in my hands. Hands that knew they had one last task left. Hearing the scrambled pursuit behind me, I knew that all that I cared for was gone. And that nearly all that remained of the Rajamala were chasing me even now.
Turning the corner and approaching my destination, I realized that two RockCrawler Dwarves remained. Young babes, barely two decades between them, they had been assigned to point the last step of the way to the evacuees. "Run ye brats, run!" I yelled between gasps for breath. One began a protest about orders to stay until the last. "He is the Chief, just do it" yelled the other and together they disappeared into the tunnels. If they survived, I can not say, for my journey had just about reached the end and my vision was beginning to blur.
My legs began to falter and my heart was beating so erratically that I could barely keep moving, but I arrived at the center portion of the mountain. Knowing that I had just a few moments before my enemies were upon me, I lifted up the Warhammer and steadied myself as best that I could. Raising my voice in a bellow that only a Chieftain can obtain, I shouted out unto my God. "Oh Father, receive unto You the RockCrawler Clan. Let this day serve as one of gladness, as we earn the right to sit at Your feet in KongolDrak forever. Strengthen me now, Oh Lord, and guide my arm. Punish those who would harm Your children."
And with those final words, I swung the Warhammer with Divinely guided strength and smashed through into the core of the mountain. Chain reactions rumbled throughout the cavern and with a steady groaning sound the walls began to buckle. Rajamalan cheers of victory quickly turned to howls of terror as they realized what was occurring around them. Hardly had a single enemy began to turn and flee when the entire mountain fell in upon itself, burying everything within it's greedy grasp. Dwarf, Rajamalan, Undead, Demon, all that were in or near the mountain passage ways perished in the single blink of an eye.
Clan RockCrawler might have perished, but Creation lives on. Serving the call to protect Creation and serve Lord Phaestus continues to be our greatest strength. May all Dwarves forever remember and recognize the sacrifices of Clan RockCrawler.
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