You ignore the warlords as they plead for their loyalty. They seek to use your power to further their plans, but you have designs all your own. Let them battle amongst themselves and pull in your would-be competitors. At the end of it all, it puts you at an advantage.
With the Great Awakening on the horizon, you seek to explore the new lands around your settlement. Who knows what treasures and artifacts await you within the Hungering Steppe?
Though you choose not to ‘Pledge’ to any Warlord, you are still able to fight alongside them in any future conflicts.
Weak, soft, limited – not one of these so-called Warlords could possibly match the power true Chaos brought…but whatever caused the land to stirr, the world to shake and Horgathans blood to freeze like that…maybe it matched the power Horgathan gathered through his devotion to the dark gods. And if it did, it needed to be his. Or Horgthan needed to be part of it. Either way he found his new, true calling. A new god rising, maybe chaotic, maybe still waiting for Chaos’ glorious touch by Horgathans guided hoofs, was calling out for him. And for him alone. Let the small-fry play their games of power and influence, let them give in to their illusions of purpose, structure and order. A hoofed wave of nothing but savagery, chaos, darkness and the pure essence of whatever greater being Horgathan would find beneath the land would show them what power really meant. He just needed to find it… And if he erred again, what if the Dark Gods sent him here to find allies, stepping stones on his way to power? It would not matter. As long as Horgathan himself felt the calling of darker powers, as long as he could taint the world, he would do so, hoofbeat by hoofbeat.
Horgathan pledges to no “Warlord”!
He follows the call of the Awakening and arms his Beasts with whatever part of the “Great Being” he can possibly find. Amber Bone weapons, amulets and trinkets made out of the teeth of the land itself (taken from Ghurs maws) and blades and armor adorned with the basalt pillars of the plains. (He lost no PtG game (yet) and is very, very confident…again. Happend before and he was utterly crushed afterwards).
Chief Diplomat of the Inquisition of Umberspire, Lawgiver Amondenora approaches the gheists of Fortress Librarium. The Inquisition has settled in the Plains of the Hungering Steppe, and wishes to access the Library’s secrets. And wanting no involvement with the warlords of the Steppe, for the time being.
“Salutations, most noble scholars. We have received your invitation, and come for a visit, if you would have us. We… even have a proposition, if your superiors would have a moment for us.” The ghost-woman bowed deeply, and motioned slowly to the stack of documents she carried.
“I represent the Inquisition of Umberspire, magocracy of seers, jewel of the Dawnland and free city in Ulgu. We are abroad in the realms for the purpose of learning and experimentation. We ourselves have a significant library of our own… staffed by shades much as yourselves, I might add, a fascinating coincidence…”
A pause.
The gheists of the Fortress Librarium studied the diplomatic party carefully.
“I must add… that we share none of the designs of your warlord neighbors, who so insistently tried to court our favor. On the contrary…” Amondenora said slowly, her hood tilting slightly to the side. “We would rather side with you, fellow academics. To safeguard this space, against the threat to come. But we can discuss this in more detail with your superiors. What say you?”
Pictures: https://twitter.com/WH_Narratives/status/1498186920068796421
The Inquisition of Umberspire: https://thegreatweave.com/the-inquisition-of-umberspire/
Beldric’s Expedition Fleet – Barak Izrildrakkaz
Beldric Forgehand stood on the deck of his ship and looked upon Ghur. It was always a lovely sight to see the Realms from this height! So much potential above and below him, it made his mind whirl with possibilities. What ancient artifacts might they find? What lost civilizations would they see and discover? But, before he and his fleet could begin exploring in earnest, they needed a base of operations. Before the journey, he had reviewed ancient maps of Ghur to get a feel for where to start. While Ghur was always in motion, some land masses generally stayed in place, if they were big enough. One such location he was hoping to find was an ancient keep, the BanKur Duardin Mining Outpost. It had been created high on a mountain, to increase its chance of survival and allow for ample mining into and below the mountain. Rare metals, bones, and amber were all obtained at one time or another there.
“Admiral, port bow!” Beldric was roused from his reverie and made his way to the port side of the ship. Aha! He could see the old mining outpost now……dilapidated for sure, but they could secure it and fortify it. “Bring her down!” Beldric shouted to his first-mate. As the fleet descended, they got a better look at the old keep and the surrounding area. It was in an area named the Hungering Steppes, but it looked like the mountain was still intact overall. Now to inspect the interior.
The BanKur keep was indeed dilapidated, but its stonework was still impeccable and it was easy to fortify the tunnels into the keep and the keep itself. While the keep itself might be useful later to actually conduct mining operations, his fleet was setting up a different type of mining operation! Various chains would link his flotilla of mining rigs in the sky above BanKur so they could harvest and refine the aether gold and supply the expedition force. When they were done, it would look like a magical city floated alongside this mountain, along for the ride as the continent made its migration across Ghur! It would be beautiful and practical! The advisory crew had already decided on a name, after several long discussions with ale and grub, and their floating stronghold would be called the Spire of the Amber Aether! For now, the fleet would ignore the politics and war-mongering below and get their stronghold established. Then, they would evaluate the opportunities and would make their move.