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The newet creation from the Dwarf Factory: Thrór, King Under The Mountain. Thorin's grandfather. I wanted to build Thrór on his throne, like a mountain himself. The head was built on January, probably, but I had to wait until I got my LUGBULK with all the sand green. Tricky parts here included the frame around the Arkenstone (which lights up, naturally) and the layering of the angled details on the cloths (the upper part of Thrór is held on the rest with a single ball joint). More photos on the blog. Enjoy.
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See the previous tales: Wyndor's Saga: Chapter 1 -What Has Past- Chapter 2 Part 10: A New Home Part 10.1:Blunted Edges Part 10.2: Cramped Spaces Part 10.3: Enthusiastic Worker Part 11.0 Part 11: Mysterious Death Part 12: Dark Meetings Part 13: Warm Yourself Part 14.1: Sisterly Visit Part 14.2: Proud Farmer Part 14.3: Mitgardian Household Part 15: Another Mysterious Death Part 16.1: The Council Meeting Part 16.2: Meeting with Wyndor (made by Glorfindel) Part 16.3: Feud in Teridyan Part 16.4: Great Elk Longhouse (made by Glorfindel) Part 16.5: Traveling Partners Part 16.6: Mitgardian Throne Room (made by Glorfindel) Part 17: The Cemetery Part 18: Home Part 19: Crowded Market Mayhem Part 20: Shooting Straight It had been a long trip from the capitol to Dalig Ulv, but Wyndor was finally coming home. He was just entering the city limits when he heard the sound of swords clashing coming from across the river. He rushed over the bridge towards the lumber mill run by one of the local dwarves. What he came upon was not the sound of battle but two men training with Liam. “You couldn’t hit a cow with a swing like that!” he was shouting that the two men crossing blades. Wyndor stopped running and grinned to himself. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Liam’s training. He also knew there was no better weapon’s trainer in Mitgardia. “Ho there, Liam!” he called out. “Ah, Wyndor, you’re back. It’s about time too. We need someone more skilled with a sword around to help protect us from attack” he replied. “Have there been problems still?” Wyndor asked. “Is Valanice okay?” “Ah, everyone is okay, Valanice included. It was a close one though, which is why I’m here training with these nincompoops!” answered Liam. “But I’ll let Pjeter fill you in on the details. Come, tell me how you are my friend.” “I am well and have many stories to share, but first and foremost I need to get to my home to see my wife” said Wyndor. “But before I go, I have a gift for you from my travels.” Wyndor pulls out a set of shoulder pads and hands them to Liam. “I was given these by a fellow cyclops I helped on my travels. I thought it fitting that you should have them.” “Thank you Wyndor. This is a mighty gift indeed” replied Liam as he took the shoulder pads. “I can see that they were made by a skilled cyclops craftsman. Our technique is recognizable to those who know what to look for, and these look like they were made by the master craftsman Oblique.” “After all you’ve done for me, it is a small token of my gratitude” answered Wyndor. He turned to leave when a dwarf approached him. “Good day Wyndor” the dwarf said. “Hello Rothgar, how goes the machinery today?” answered Wyndor. “Ever temperamental. Machines and water do not work well together. But it is worth the effort to be able to harvest the power of the river” replied Rothgar, one of the council members. “But my work woes are not what I stopped you for. I have already told Pjeter and Lief this, but since you are on the council also I thought you should know that the dwarves of Dalig Ulv will be marching soon against one of our greatest enemies. There is an unseen enemy here in the city that has been feasting on the lives of my people. We are powerless to stop it. But, we received word from the dwarf elders that we have a chance to strike a blow against the drow that could cripple them forever. I will not give you more details for I do not wish for you to get in trouble with Valholl. Our actions may not be sanctioned by Sir Chorian. We cannot take the time to convince them that our actions are right, we must act.” “I have known you for some time now Rothgar,” responded Wyndor. “I trust your judgment. If you say it is right for you to do this. Then I stand with you. I also pledge that by the time you return to Dalig Ulv, I will have stopped the terror that has been killing your people, or will have the answer to how to stop it. Farewell my friend, and may the ground be ever strong beneath your feet.” Here are some other pictures showing off the mill:
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Upon finding out the secret location of a cave the dwarves had hidden from the outside world, Edward von Graystar and Sir Gareth sent their best spies to infiltrate the cave and find out as much information as they can. In the darkest depth of the cave one such spy found a stockpile of weapons amassed for the war against the elves. This is the second part of a collab story with Sir Gareth and myself The goal was to show men spying on dwarves on a 16x16 base with minimal overhang. I'm quite proud of this build as this is the first time I've use snot rock work, but seeing as this is for a challenge I've decided to push myself to see what I can achieve All C&C welcome and all the best to everyone participating in the challenge!
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The main forces of the dwarf army prepare to advance into Avalonia. Meanwhile, scouting parties range through the borderlands in search of drow. Occasionally, they encounter remnants of the ancient dwarven civilization that once stretched across all the North and West of Historica. They pause to pay their respects to the dwarven kings of old, buried as they are beneath centuries worth of earth, stone, and memory. Figless:
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Here's my Category A entry for the Men's side. Glorfindel needed definite proof that the dwarves were planning to march into Avalonia, and he needed details about their plans. Already he had been brought messages confirming that the dwarves were readying for war, but he still needed specific information about when, where, and which of the dwarven clans would move out. To gain this information he turned to Jonathan, a trustworthy boy who served as a page under Glorfindel's command. Jonathan disguised himself as a dwarve and then infiltrated some of their meetings: Then he reported back to Glorfindel: C&C welcome
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Getting into Avalonia was not going to be easy, but dwarves are resourceful....and a brainstorm session can yield some great ideas! Raven Darksight was contemplating how to lead a group of his Dwarven Army into Avalonia, but those elves seem to notice everything. There has to be a way in to get past those elves! Ibun, son Mim spoke up, "I got it! We all know how Elves love the forest and the trees right?" "Aye!" "Well, all we need to do is have Rowyn and Bowyn dress up like a tree. They wander over near those Elves and start yelling 'Oi, Me leaves hurt, me branches hurt! Please help!' We know that those Elves won't be able to resist helping out a tree." "Stupid Elves, they'll probably still be munching on their croissants and sniffing their flowers while rush over to help the tree too!" "Yeah, then we sneak by and we can hold some leaves to hide us!" "Yeah, stupid elves!" They all laughed as they pictured those stupid elves sniffing flowers and helping out the tree in distress. If this doesn't work, nothing will!
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Somewhere, in a dwarven keep in midgardia.... Adummim: Gentlemen, thank you both for coming at such short notice. I have taken the liberty to arrange some refreshments, while we discuss the final plans. Rarroud: Excellent! I have been dying to taste that dwarven ale you talked about! Fimdoum: Some ale and food was an excellent idea sir! Adummim: Well, we should make our stay here as pleasant as possible i guess. But now on to buisness.... Adummim grabs a piece of folded up parchment from under his beard, and unfolds it onto the table... Adummim: This is the final plan for the coming assault on the drow. We will march in three days, under the cover of night. Rarroud and his regiment will pass the border of avalonia trough this mountain pass, and you Fimdoum, will take the path along this river with your troops. I will lead the third regiment trough the forrest into avalonia. There is a possibility the elves will spot our movement, so haste is key. Once the attack has started they will probably declare war on us anyway, but for now we need the element of supprise. Fimdoum: And what if the elves decide to attack us in the rear? Adummim: That is why the first strike has to be a supprise attack. The elves will never engage our troops without the concent of the elven council, that gives us time to hammer those drow, and regroup to counter any elven resistance. Rarroud: Hah, we will kill as many drow as we can, and take as much elven scum with them as well! Adummim puts the map away.... Adummim: Well, now everybody knows what needs to be done, it's time for a refreshment. Eat, drink, feast my friends! We march in 3 days! Upstairs in the attic, there is someone who should not be there.... John: The dwarves are going to war on the drow? I must inform Chorian right away! Once these dwarves are sufficiently drunk, i'll sneak away unnoticed. To be continued.... Well, i hope you like my entry for challenge 3! It was fun building something that wasn't nocturnus themed! C&C welcome! Extra pics: The total build.. Sans figs and furniture... And the rear to show i've stayed within the 16x16 area.
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Hello fellow Eurobrickers! Here's Glóin, son of Gróin, brother of Óin and father of Gilmi, the newest addition to my Hobbit dwarves MOC line! The beard was the first part I built, as usual. I threw it together on the last summer if I remember correctly. Designing the torso invoved both some basic and some more complicated SNOT techniques. Glóin has some packs and bags on his belt as he's the money behind the operation. The arms and hands are posable. The shoulders have ball joints while the elbow joints work with T-bars. The boots are rather simple, but I'm very happy with the round shape. Sons of Gróin. See more on Cyclopic Bricks and photos on Flickr. Feedback would be pleasant.
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Here's the newest dwarf on my series. Kili is one of the younger dwarves, brother of Fili and nephew of Thorin. He has only a stubble, which was quite hard to achieve with bricks. Young and handsome face is more challenging to build than caricature-esque heavy-bearded heads of some older dwarves of the gang. Kili has his dwarf sword (not very sharp here though) and a bow and quiver. The quiver's strap is done using TECHNIC chain links. Check Flickr and Cyclopic Bricks for more. You can see the rest of my dwarves here. Enjoy!
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A while ago I started making unique weapons for Thorin's Company. These then got boxed up when I went to uni, and now I'm back for summer I'm getting round to finishing them off. First up is Orcrist, the Goblin-Cleaver. For this I used a silver ninja sword, blu tack and glue. It was supposed to just be a preliminary version, but I quite liked it. It's a bit untidy and needs work, but I thought it was okay for a mk1 :) And alongside Bilbo and Gandalf. I can't remember what piece i used for Glamdring except it was an unofficial piece I probably bought from firestartoys. Also, a shot of twelve Dwarves feasting in Bag End. And finally, I am looking for someone to share in an adventure.
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Guests were traveling from every corner of Historica for Damaxius' grand celebration and the dwarves of Mitgardia's southern mountains were among the throng. As much as they loved to party, they hated big political affairs such as this one far more. In spite of this, the prospect of forging new trade relationships would have been enough to set their caravan on its way to Kaliphlin but for this trip they had far greater motivation. When the rumors spread that some of the most detestable figures in Historica would be smuggled in for the party it sent shockwaves through many political circles. Many of the elf lords of Avalonia were livid and refused to attend in protest but the dwarves saw in this rare gathering an opportunity. Long had they hated the Drow with a passion to rival the elves and many years they spent sealing the gaps between the roots of the mountains to prevent Mitgardia from being defiled with the countless tunnels that lay hidden and twisted beneath the rest of Historica. Lately, the Drow had been ambushing trading caravans; leaving most of its cargo but taking any surviving dwarves to the Underdeep. With whispers of war brewing in Nocturnus, the dwarves hoped to catch a glimpse into what mischief the Drow were planning and what evils might lay in the deep shadow of the east. Khor went to the party and talked to a few of the movers and shakers of Kaliphlin; finding more than a few overeager to agree to new trade relationships thanks to the strong Dwarven ale. A couple of days later when the city reopened for business as usual, he went about delivering some of the ale he had brought in expectation of a buyer and prepared a timely accident. I had a hose sticking through the ground and coming out beneath the table but I lost it outside somewhere when I went to take pictures... The wagon: The minifigs: As always, C&C wanted and thank you for looking.
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Even dwarves love flowers. This powerful Dwarve lord is no exception. Deep in the mountains of Mitgardia lies his private magnificent private garden. Today he goes there to reflection on if he should aid the men of Mitgardia in the upcoming battle against Revolword. So this is my entry to the Garden mini-challenge. I think it came out pretty well. Another picture. I really like the dwarven feel that the big columns give off. The waterfall flows out of a chamber above. I used slopes for the base and I love how it came out! The dwarve lord. He looks a bit like a character in The Hobbit... Hope you enjoyed this MOC!
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Here's yet another dwarf creation; Dwalin, the muscle of the group, in his reclaimed Erebor chainmail coat. This MOC was inspired by getting lot of those short chain pieces for cheap. The color scheme felt quite beautiful too, so I gave it a try. The axe was probably the hardest part. Weta's design had so odd 45 degree angles so I had to fiddle with it a long tme before coming up with a version that uses some magnifiying glasses and clip-bars to connest the blades. There is more talk on my blog. Enjoy!
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Hello, some time ago dwarven attack boats had been sighted in Tradewind Bay. Noone but the dwarves knew where they were heading. Their destination was a secret dwarf mine on a smaller island in Tradewind Bay. The mine was founded by Gangrosh (The Hammer). A statue of Gangrosh can be found near the entrance. A mechanism to open a secret door is included: What makes this mine special are the long railway paths leading into the mountain. This allows easy transport of mithril. ... and gold. Builder's notes: Building was fun, but photo-editing was an hour-eating nightmare. This is the largest display I have tried to capture. Was not so easy. So this is what has finally become of MOD: 7036 Dwarves Mine. C&C welcome!
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Not everywhere in Kaliphlin is large and beautiful, like Petrea. In the marshlands of the Great Loop lays several fishing villages, Still Water happens to be one. They've been supplying the Desert King's forces with fish, clams, crabs, and even crawfish. This act hasn't gone unnoticed so the First Centurion tasked the Dwarves of the Steel Meridian Mercenaries to occupy the are and make sure not food leaves the town and into the Desert King's possession. The Desert King has learbed of this occupation a few days after the arrival of the Dwarves, so he's tasked some of the Orcs near the area the scout out the area, look for any weaknesses in the fortifications, and neutralize the Dwarves. However, not all Orcs are great scouts. On the archers stationed on a fisherman's shack managed to kill the pest that was lingering down in the swamp. Now the Dwarves are on a higher alert knowing the Desert King forces are beginning to starve in the area. Some additional pictures from my Flickr.
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Help me. Can't... Stop... Building... Dwarves... This one, Balin in his old Erebor coat, was done for a super secret dwarven project with Thráin. I got inspired by the rich color and details of the clothing; dark red is definitely one of LEGO's best colors. The arms are quite posable using ball joints on shoulders and minifig legs on elbows. There are more on my blog. Enjoy.
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In the Rakath Moutanins, the Steel Meridian have restored a lost underground city called Vern Badur. The city was fairly small and was seized by Osric Isentooth and his rats many years ago, when he was in power. Those forces have left that area a while ago to fight for the Desert King. Since the Steel Meridian mercenaries have been hired to fight for the First Centurion, they've been saving their coin for a rather peculiar project. Their inventors have been researching ways to build strong mechanized men. Some old Dwarven scrolls speak of a way to bring life into the non-living. since this project has been financed greatly, one of the leading inventors, Nothek Ironjaw, has forged a 6-foot tall steel man that has interchangeable parts so it can shoot a crossbow bolt in the left arm and wield a sword in the other. The man has cogs on the inside but is powered by a gem that has trapped souls from fallen allies. If they were to use the souls from fallen enemies, that would just defeat the purpose of these fighting on there side. With the war sending the price of Steel up the wall, forging these aren't that easy, especially with having everything so precise and with this being their first build and prototype, it has yet to see it's effectiveness in combat before any streamline production can begin. C&C Welcome and appreciated! Here are some extra pictures:
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This is Dain II Ironfoot, the lord of Iron Hills, The King under the Mountain and the scottish boss dwarf who rode that pig. The challenging part was the legs - All my previous dwarves have been standing still and this guy had a riding pose. It uses some small ball joints that are hidden under the armor skirt. The pig works on its own - Dain doesn't. Kill them elves! More on my blog, as usual. Enjoy.
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Here is my entry for Challenge III Category A: Talking at the Inn. You should always be careful about who are close to you when you spoke at the tavern... Enjoy!
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Wyndor's Saga: See what happened prior to this: The Laughing Dwarf At one of the passes through the mountains that stretch along the border of Avalonia and Mitgardia, a small band of elvish guards had been alerted by their spies to the fact that reneged dwarves would be trying to enter their green land to wage war and wreck mayhem. These elves were not used to the cold weather that came down from Mitgardia and filled the pass with snow. They often spent the day huddled together waiting for the evening when the next shift would take over for them and they could continue their huddling by a fire. That day had they had seen very little activity on the road. Finally a wagon made it’s way up the trail and past the guards. “Ho there!” shouted one of the elf guards. “What are you bringing into Avalonia?” The oversized man pulled back on the reigns and brought his team of horses to a halt. “Not’in here but beautifool trees from Valholl” the man said through his beard. The elves looked the cart over and under before letting the oversized man pass. “Alright, you may continue you on your journey” they said. “And may we say, these are some most magnificent trees you are transporting. It’s nice to meet someone else with good taste.” The oversized man picked up the reigns and prepared to continue. “By the way” the elf guard asked, stopping the oversized man before he could go. “Did you see anyone else behind you on your way up the pass?” “Uh… no, I was the only trooveler I could see” he answered. “Noo one was behind me.” “Alright boys,” the elf guard turned to say, “Let’s turn in early to the fire. If there was no one behind this gentleman then it will be at least an hour before a traveler would pass by.” The elves turned to head towards the camp and left the pass. The oversized man waited till the elves were far out of sight and then took off his overcoat. “A brilliant plan Rothgar!” said the upper half of the man. Three other dwarves popped their heads out of the logs and one of the asked, “Are we there yet?” “Almost,” answered Rothgar. “We’ve made it past the hardest part. Now we just need to get to the cliff so we can fire on the Drow in time!” OoC: Hopefully you'll caught that the oversized man was really two dwarves standing one on the other's shoulders. But just in case, I'll mention that here And yes, that is a Brian Regan reference in the title.
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Wyndor's Saga: See what happened prior to this: You Need Logs? As soon as they had made it down from the pass, and the border dividing the two guilds, Rothgar and the other dwarves made their way through the forests just below the mountain pass. They traveled due west, following the border of the guilds toward Tradewind Bay. They had to travel mostly at night to avoid Avalonian patrols. The dwarves were worried by the frequency of the patrols. No-one should have known that there were dwarves making their way out of Mitgardia. But the amount of armed men and elves seemed to show that someone had found out about the dwarves’ plan to attack the drow. When they were about a mile from the coast, Rothgar stopped his band of warriors to go over the final aspects of their plan. The dwarves of Dalig Ulv had received word that the drow had been shipping troops and supplies up and down the ill defended coastline. They also had information showing the traveling schedule of a certain drow general who would be accompanying one of the shipments. They decided the best course of action would be to attack the boats from land. After all the details were decided on, Rothgar gave some final words. “Men of the earth!” Rothgar began, getting cheers from his fellow dwarves. “Brothers! We are but a stone’s throw from the border of our lands. But simply because we are dwarves, the ruling council of Mitgardia says we can’t be here! Well, I say we are a free people! I don’t care if a bunch of tight-wearing elves are worried about us befouling their land. We have as much right to travel the land as they do! We won’t let them stop us from attacking the bane of our people! We will pursue these drow to the ends of the world!” The dwarves were really in a frenzy now. They quick marched the rest of the way to the cliff and prepared the ballistas they had been building. The drow ship soon came into view. “Steady brothers!” Rothgar shouted. “Wait until they are within range before you attack!” Telchar, a dark haired dwarf who shaved the sides of his head, ran up to Rothgar and said, “The drow have a captive on the boat. Look!” Rothgar peered out and saw that there was indeed a poor elf chained to the mast. “If we fire on the boat, we are sure to kill the elf as well!” exclaimed Telchar. Rothgar squinted his eyes in deep thought. After a few moments he said, “We cannot let that stop us. Elves still frequent these ruins and our presence will soon be known. We must strike the drow now. Fire!” The drow were armed with short bows crafted from the horns of mountain goats. They were powerful bows when used by someone strong enough to pull them, but they were still no match for the dwarves artillery fire. Two drow fell to the first two bolts fired before Rothgar ordered the next bolts to be set on fire before being launched. The boat soon collapsed from the flames and sunk into the shallow waters with all on board. OoC: Time. I wish I had more of it to give to this contest. I would have built 2 or 3 more MOCs for Cat. C depicting more of this story. I also would have made the boat bigger and put it in more water. As it is, it's kind of scrunched together. I hope you like what I had time to build though. Here are a few more pictures:
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This is my Category C build for the Dwarves. As per the Challenge, this is a series of discrete builds telling one story, all about a special Dwarven siege engine used against the evil Drow. Part 1: Bregir's Workshop Unlike most dwarves, leading engineer Bregir Breakwall appreciates the fresh air. His workshop is carved into a section of mountainside where the rock is thin and a dwarf can get a view. He is working with his new assistant, a Southron dwarf named Tuval. "Tuval, this makes no sense. These catapults are too big!" Bregir complained. "Master, they have to be. The walls of surface castles are many feet thick. I know you underground dwarves are accustomed to shooting at armies, but up above armies tend to hide behind stone walls." "Ridiculous," Bregir spat. "Yes master, but if the Drow insist on adapting to surface conditions in warfare, so must we dwarves!" "What do you have there, lad?" "This scroll is from the University of Petraeus and discusses wind conditions and drag on projectiles," Tuval explained. "And the the other one is your lunch order from two days ago, master... do you want the same thing?" "Yes, yes. I always have an entire roast duck when I'm working on a new project. Don't forget the gravy!" Part 2: Inspiration A short time later, Bregir and Tuval were passing the Berserker Training Pits where the toughest, craziest dwarves fought each other all day long. "I say, Tuval... this gives me an idea!" Bregir exlaimed. "Quick, write this down!" Tuval noted the intricate, brutal looking armor of the Berserkers. "It may not work against stone walls and nonsense of that sort, but I still think it's worth trying..." Bregir mused. Not liking where this was headed at all, Tuval reluctantly drew a parchment and quill. Part 3: Test Run Dwarves typically preferred to test their ideas in the field. With only the time required to build a prototype and assemble a raiding party, Bregir and Tuval made the trip to the front to test out the Dwarfapault. "But we're supposed to come up with something that is useful against stone walls," Tuval said, gesturing to the black palisade protecting the Drow encampment before them. "Pish-posh, Tuval my boy. This is more fun! Now keep that shield up, eh? There's a good lad." The Berserkers were perhaps more enthusiastic than even Bregir. They are, after all, diplomats at heart. Dwarves are fairly widely known as habitual isolationists, after all. The Berserkers agreed with Bregir that it was important to break down barriers and stretch your comfort zone. Tuval just wanted to go home.
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Dwarves Side. Far beneath the Dwarven realm, a war council has begun. Soon the Dwarves will be leaving their ornate cities, for a time of war is upon them. They must first plan... So the Dwarven generals meet with their supporters... Raagam, who would lead the attack, lead the council. The council seemed to be going nowhere for Sir Infernum, who had been a key supported of the Dwarves. The Drow threat had been treated too lightly by the Guilds, and if the Dwarves wanted to take matters into their own hands, he thought, then good for them! Then an older gentleman, who was wearing ornate green and red armor, stepped forward. In his hand he held a model of a weapon, which he put on the war table. "This weapon will revolutionize attacks everywhere! With this, we can smash straight through the Drow's fortresses!" Two days later the dwarves emerged from their stone halls. Thousands of heavily armored, well trained Dwarves marched toward Avalonia. A Dwarven host like this had not been seen in Mitgardia in an age. And so, two weeks later... The sun rose as the Dwarves climbed over the hill. Their journey was over. With one last push, the ballistae reached the top of the hill. "We made it!" yelled a dwarf. "Our mission is not complete yet... Load and fire the ballistae! Quickly, we have not yet been spotted!" Said Raagam. Suddenly a cry rose out over the hill. It was a shrill shriek, the cry of Drow. "We have little time, hurry!" yelled Raagam to the soldiers, "Prepare to defend the ballistae!" Soon the Drow were upon them... The Ballistae fired, and flew across the battlefield. It hit its target, and produced the crumbling sound of rock against rock as the fortress began to collapse. The Drow scrambled as the fortress began to collapse upon them... But not all were able to escape. As the dust settled, and the Dwarves picked off the last few Drow, the battle was won. The Dwarves were now able to strike into the heart of the Drow threat. With dwarven reinforcements on the way, the war effort was looking bright.`
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Callenge III, Category C - Dwarves Side: The dwarf commander looked at the model of a fortress, deep in thoughts. Dwarfardo, the inventor, approached him: "Sir, I can present to you a model of a siege engine. It will bring us victory against the Drow." The commander turned, unconvinced: "You have come only with a model? How long will it take to build the real thing?" Dwarfanardo smiled: "Oh, the real thing was finished before the model. We can move it back in here in no time." This assistants helped to move the large siege engine. Dwarfanardo applied last touches. Then he was satisfied. So was the commander. "How do you call it?" he asked. "Well", said Dwarfanardo, "Wallbreaker came to my mind." "So be it". The next day saw the "Wallbreaker" in action against the Drow: (Ok, a bit of a "rush build" to make the deadline...) edit/addition: But Dwarfanardo had actually created two more deadly machines: The commander was impressed!
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Some years ago . . . "I still don't see why you couldn't have apprenticed with one of our own stonemasons. Dwarves are famous for their sculpture! Famous!" grumbled Hafþór Stronghammer as they strode through the Contemplative Gardens. Ráðgeir kept silent. He'd heard this rant before, more than once. Hafþór continued, "I don't like it! I know, you spent your year in the cold, and so I have no say in the matter, but I don't like it! And I won't have you living among these greedy thieving merchants, worshipping no gods but the gold coin, with no thought of the spirits of your ancestors! No son of Stronghammer will be corrupted! No, you must have your own spirits, proper Dwarven heroes, even in this heathen land." "Yes, Da," mumbled Ráðgeir. They reached their goal: a just-completed Dwarven shrine, carved by Ruadh's finest sculptors to Hafþór's exacting specifications: an icon of the All-Fathers, embodiment of all the warriors that came before. Ráðgeir noticed a few small, scrubby-looking flowers planted at the base. "Edelblau, Da? Really? Surely the All-Fathers deserve something more regal! I know it's the desert, but I'll be here to maintain things!" Hafþór stopped and gazed intently at his son. Ráðgeir was confused by the look of sadness that crossed his father's face, before the old man scrubbed his hands against his face and down his beard. Quietly, he said, "Son. The All-Fathers will always be here for you, even when our people are farthest from your thoughts." Hafþór abruptly turned away and stalked back to the inn, leaving his son to scramble behind him. Present Day . . . The clan had issued a call to war, and Ráðgeir knew he must answer it. Just before he began his journey, he paid a visit to the Shrine of the All-Fathers. As Ráðgeir approached the shrine, he noticed the the small edelblau flowers stretching out from the statue, glistening in the sun, and felt guilty. It had been over four years since Ráðgeir came to Ruadh, and over four years since he had visited the shrine. His father had been right to plant the humble, hardy flowers; they'd thrived on their own, without Ráðgeir's attentions. The icon of the Great All-Fathers, with his piercing lapis-lazuli eyes, loomed over him. As Ráðgeir approached, he noticed the bare feet. Embarrassment flashed in his mind -- Bare feet! How uncouth! -- and then he was instantly shamed. The traditions of his people were old, and worthy, and not deserving of scorn. One felt the call of the mountains, the stone, the mines, through the feet; it was an experience Ráðgeir hadn't felt in a long time, and suddenly he longed for it. He trudged onward, and then stopped abruptly. Ráðgeir stared at the stone statues clustered at the base of the shrine. In the tradition of his clan, he had carved an orante figure to pray in his stead, while he went back to Mitgardia and battle. He'd always thought of this shrine as his own, patiently and beneficently watching over him from afar. This cluster of stone statues brought the abrupt realization that while he had been carousing with fellow Ruadhi students for the past several years, other dwarves had been properly venerating the ancestors, properly attending the shrine he'd pushed out of his mind. These orante figures were a harsh reminder of his neglect to his faith, his traditions, and his people. Ráðgeir didn't look forward to war, but he had grudgingly answered the call. Now, as he gazed upon the shrine, he realized it was past time to return home to his people, to his clan. Notes: The concept of the orante figures is borrowed from ancient Sumer. A few of my favorite Sumerian orante figures are at the Menil in Houston and the Louvre.
