Verbric crafted many runes and weapons, but only out of necessity for his kin to excel. His real passion was releasing Grimnir in the fire of battle. How many battles he fought around the Firespike Mountains of the Realm of Aqshy, he cannot tell you. All of the Lodges have had to fend off many races who wanted to take the riches within Firespike Mountains. Runefather Voltus, who is Runefather of scores of kin-Lodges, including his own lodge, wanted his lodges to thrive, not just survive, and so Verbric fought many battles for the sake of his kin and Grimnir. He was often sent to battle with his brothers at other lodges, his own lodge other lodges have had his iron defend them. 

Verbric was at a lesser, but not poor, lodge of the Volturung area. He was at the Amberhammer lodge where he often fought at the gates alongside his brothers of battle. He knew this lodge well. He has had to ward off enemies of his kin many times at these very walls. 

Verbric was stationed at the gates of Amberhammer lodge when the great rumbling, the Necroquake brought the countless dead at the gates to… unlife. The very creatures that he and his brothers killed, came back to attack again. Hundreds, if not thousands of ghostly figures and skeletons came to life and attacked without warning and with the massive quake to distract everyone. At first the duardin were surprised and many died in the initial onslaught, but quickly Fyreslayers took control and, despite having very few weapons that could damage the ghosts they call “nighthaunt”, were able to destroy the skeletons and other undead creatures. The enemy had no solid strategy nor teamwork, so they were easy to flank again and again. 

The battle was so easy that Verbric and his battle brothers got cocky and went to kill as many undead as they could, and so got separated. The intense joy of slaying so many undead suddenly became a desperate fight for his life. And without his battle brothers by his side it was not easy. Their tactics changed. Looking around he noticed that the undead surprised all of the Fyreslayers. Something is different. They now had a leader somewhere. Someone had begun leading this army that moments before was leaderless. Midbattle Verbric joined a group of berserkers that he did not know. His chants strengthened all of them and they were strong, but they did not fight as a unit with them as he did with his battle brothers. The battle went on for what felt like a week, but finally the last of the undead were slain. The lodge was almost completely destroyed and only a handful of warriors remained standing. The dead were destroyed – But their numbers were so few. It was a pyrrhic victory. Verbric stood upon the walls and in the distance saw 2 figures, a vampire and a necromancer. They were the leaders. He was sure of it. They had to be the ones who caused so much devestation. Verbric climbed down the walls and ran after them, but they vanished. Who were they?

Verbric walked through the amberhammer lodge to give a report to Runefather Ulridri. On the way to the hold, Verbric found Umgag and Forgung still alive and almost unscaithed. He was so relieved to see them, but he knew something was wrong. They looked devastated. When he looked around he recognised the bloody torn up messes on the ground. He saw grumnor’s lifeless head separated from his body, almost unrecognisable. He saw Lugol’s lucky brace still attached to his arm connected to a body that looked like a his skin was burnt off. He saw all 8 of them. Dead. 

“I saw the ones who did this”, Verbric said. “A vampire and a necromancer did this. I chased after them, but they got away. They just vanished leaving traces of their spells on the ground and air around where they stood”. 

Verbric looked up and saw Umgag and Forgung looking at him. Their expression turned from sorrow to hatred. Without speaking the tree of them had a common goal. Revenge. 

“I must inform Runefather Ulridri so he can send us off with supplies. He would want revenge too.”, Verbric said. Umgag and Forgung nodded. 

Forging, turned to look at their slain brothers, “We will take care of our brothers. You go speak to the runefather.” 

It was difficult to pull himself away to get to the runefather, and the walk to the hold was slow as he saw many dead duardin. Men, women and children. He was exhausted beyond belief. Physically and emotionally. His desire for revenge and his loyalty to his Lodge drove him forward. 

Anger. Pain. Hatred. These were all he felt. Revenge. He will have his revenge. He made an oath to kill those 2 responsible for this slaughter.

Verbric made it to the hold and could not believe the devestanion done so deep into the hold. How did they make it this far into the deep? He found a rune son and asked for an audience. 

So runeson Bronin brought him to runefather Ulridri so Verbric can give a report. “Just so you are informed,” Bronin said, “the runefather lost 2 of his runesons today as well as other family members. Be careful with what you say.”

Runefather Ulridri looked ready to kill everyone in the room. Pure fury in his eye. Other eye was wrapped covered with a bloody rag. Probably lost the eye, Verbric thought.

Bronin introduced Verbric and instructed him to give his report.

Verbric gave the report about what he saw and kept silent, for Ulridi was the essence of cold fury. After a few seconds Ulridi said, “What do you propose, Zhargrimm?”

“On the way here I made an oath to find and kill the Vampire and the Necromancer. I want to do that”

“You need supplies and more axes to do that.”

“Yes, runefather” 

Ulridri turned to Bronin, “Runeson, take 10 warriors and supplies and go with the Zhargrimm. Get revenge. Go meet Jarim, he might have information. He always knows things.”

 

And so, Verbric, Bronin, Umgag and Forgung and 10 warriors started traveling. Bronin knew where to find runegates and knew how to get places. So they went to Hammerhal.

They met with Jarim, the human, at Hammerhal. Jarim knew about what happened before they even arrived. It was his job to know things. He was an information broker. For a price he can tell you anything. Bronin and Jarim were not strangers it seemed.

“The Necroquake they are calling it” Jarim said. “Nagash’s doing, I hear. Every realm felt it. But those guys you saw, I dont know who they are nor what they want, but your lodge is not the first lodge they have targeted. I have precious little info about them unfortunately, only news of what they did to other lodges. Their goals are unknown, and their identities are unknown. I hate that I dont know. But there is a little something I do know…”

Bronin handed him a little bag with some glass contents inside. Probably vials of Aqua Ghyranis inside the bag, Verbric thought.

“They are part of an unnamed Nagash following cult. A rather large cult. Very secretive. I only found out about their existence a few months ago, but they have been around for a while. Some of my eyes and ears have told me that they have had dealings with skaven and tzeentch. To what ends, I know not.”

Jarim then wrote a list of lodges and towns that have reported sightings of people matching the vague description.

So the group left and traveled, moving from lodge to lodge, from group to group, from village to village. Looking for more information on this cult and those 2 enemies. They found information about them. Some locations were just dead ends.

While at a little village named Hotbread, an aelf came to them with a message from Jarim, “The latest reports regarding the men you seek are at Birech village.”

The group immediately left and made it to Birech town, or what was left. As they arrived, the village was in ruins. What could they have possibly wanted with this place? The group split up to investigate and as they were looking around looking for clues, a blue-green light appeared all around the village and ghosts came out from the ground. Too many. 

A voice was heard loudly saying, “Welcome. Join us” And the army of ghosts attacked. In the distance the 2 they were looking for were seen standing. Cowards.

There were too many ghosts. This was the end. Verbric saw Bronin die. Ghostly swords pierced through him. He saw a sword go through him as well and while on the ground dying he saw the death of his 2 battlebrothers. This was a trap. Then Lightning struck. And again. And again. And… “those are stormcast fighting the ghosts!” Verbric thought. 

“You are too late” Verbric yelled at the StormCast fighters before passing out. 

Verbric saw the Necromancer and vampire turn around and flee to his dismay and he passed out.  Days later Verbric awoke in a place he did not recognize. A little fyreslayer lodge named Scowlvault lodge. 

He got up. In pain from being stabbed. Confused. “How am I still alive?” He mumbled to himself.

 “Stormcast brought you here. They said you were the only survivor of Hotbread village. But you are not from Hotbread.”

 Verbric looked at the old fyreslayer to his right. 

“I am the only survivor?”

“Yes, sorry”

“I need to go” 

“Go, but before you do, this belonged to a runeson that was with you I believe.” The old duardin gave him 3 keys and a hand axe. “You should return this to the lodge it came from. We will keep the ur-gold that your group had as payment for taking care of you” And so the old fyreslayer left.

So Verbric left the lodge with little supplies and the keys and axe. Defeated. Angry. He finally made it back to Amberhammer lodge to deliver the axe, keys and news.

After Runefather Ulridi heard the full report he was quiet for a while he slowly said, “What do you want to do now, Zharrgrim?”

 

“I want to kill them. And Jarim. He betrayed us.”

 

“Jarim did not betray you. I know Jarim. These people you are after are crafty.” Ulridi sighs a long heavy sigh and then looks at you. “I cannot spare more warriors and my son Bronin is dead. I dont want to lose more Runesons.”

 

“I can go alone”

“No… Have you heard of the soulbound, Zharrgrim?”

“Yes”

“One of my brothers became soulbound. He is very strong. Very strong.” 

The runefather turned to Verbric. “If you want to fulfill your oath, you should follow in my brother’s footsteps. Go to Hammerhal and join the soulbound. Fulfill your oath”

Verbric nodded. He nodded again. Yes. This is it. This is how he can fulfill his oath. Verbric suddenly had hope. And determination. He had a goal and a means to the goal. 

Ulridi continued. “Thank you for bringing Bronin’s belongings. I have something I want to give you that will help you. My brother, Fyrgridri, learned that he needed to change his fighting style as he did not have a unit of fyreslayers to fight beside and he was given this shield. He gave it to me because he got given another one. I think it is enchanted with something, but I never cared to find out what the enchantment is, because I dont fight with shields. You should.”

Verbric takes the shield, very surprised and bewildered. “We dont fight with shields.” he thought. 

As if he spoke aloud runefather said, “I suggest you learn to fight with this.”

Verbric nodded. 

“One more thing, Zharrgrim. Take this” Ulridi hands him a forge key. 

“What is this?” 

“It was forged and blessed to help my son to survive. It is blessed to give it’s holder defense. You should take it”

Verbric took it and thanked the Runefather saying, “I will fulfull my oath. I will kill them and whoever else was involved. I will find out who the leaders of the cult is and that entire cult will die.” And so, Verbric left the lodge to go to Hammerhal to become soulbound.

This is his oath: To kill them.