The Retirement of Dhaen Grandaxe

[Dhaelena 589]

The Retirement of Dhaen Grandaxe

-~x~-

Above the halls of the Grandaxe Clan, in a dimly lit room, Dhaen Grandaxe stood up, a satchel in hand. Her hair no longer bound into her traditional braided buns, Dhaen slung her bag around her shoulders and began to make her through the city. As festivities from the recent coronation died down, the sound of her worn traveling boots echoed through the dwarven halls of Kal’Evraal. Eventually her trek paused as the shadow of her chosen replacement and surrogate son appeared in the doorway,

 

“Walk with me, Nabrick” 

 

“Do you know the story of how the Grandaxes got their name?” The Clan Mother of the Grandaxes began, the dusky glow of lava lighting their pathway.

 

 “Bogrin, the first Grandaxe, spent time chopping wood for his kin. One day, a group of traveling orcs came upon his work and threatened him…” Nabrick’s gaze slid to the dwarf at his side in curiosity. Dhaen continued on, her eyes kept forward.

 

 “Without weapons, only courage and the honor of the dwarven kind, Bogrin took his axe and slew the orcs where they stood, saving his kin and beginning the line of Grandaxes.”

 

The two dwarves stepped together onto the lift to the surface. As a symphony of gears sound in the background, lifting the platform they step on, Dhaen cleared her throat, intoning the final part of the story.

 

“But at the end of the day, Bogrin’s axe was still an axe - a tool for cutting wood - wood to be burned in cooking fires, wood to be used in building the houses of our people, wood that will help to make fine weapons and walls to protect us.”

 

Dhaen and Nabrick walked off the lift as it came to a shuddering halt. Dhaen pushed onward, out of the gates of the Grand Kingdom, into the sun for the first time in many years. She turned back to face the dwarf she came to consider a son, ginger curls haloed around her head as the light of dawn illuminated her face. Dhaen looked down at her worn hands with pride,

 

 “I am the first Clan Mother to the Grandaxes, the Iron Baron, the Leader of the Medical Clinic, the Guildmaster of the Brewing Guild, and the Steward of Urguan. I may not have the strength to wield an axe against my foes as Bogrin did, but by Yemekar himself have I done my best for the dwarven people.” 

 

The two stand for a moment in comfortable silence until Dhaen said with a soft smile,

 

“Ordar will take my place in the Tavern, I leave Dverga ownership of the Medical Institute, and I  believe Uldraek will handle the work of Steward just fine...To you my lad, I give you my place as Kathaikaz Kazamar’ Ka’az, lead them honorably and guide them as best as you can, for I have watched over my clan as a mother would her child. Now they will need to grow with the kingdom on their own. If I continue working for the lives of the dwed, I may not understand what it's like to ever live myself”

 

Dhaen Grandaxe set a key to the Grandaxe vault of relics into the palm of Nabrick’s hand  before pressing a kiss to the forehead of his bearded face. Finally, she turned and readjusted her satchel, making her way out into the world under the light of the dawning sky.

 

 

-~x~-

 

 

Hey y’all! This isn’t technically a pk post since Dhaen hasn’t died, but I made it with the intention of having it serve in place of one. Ever since I joined in early 2019, I have played Dhaen and Dhaen alone. I was unhappy with myself and with my situation at the time, and lotc offered an escape. When I was sad, Dhaen was happy and cheerful. She always perseveres through hard situations and I fell in love with the character because of it. Eventually, I found that Dhaen and I had switched places. Where I finally learned to be happy with myself and didn’t need an escape anymore, Dhaen was tired and temperamental. She had gone through too much  and I was burned out from her story. Suddenly I realized playing lotc wasn’t fun anymore. 

 

I always wanted Dhaen to have a happy ending, so I wrote this up for anyone curious. It’s been a great time on lotc. Farewell to everyone.

[JokerLow 1317]

Spoiler

cya monkey

 

[Willstertheking2 1110]

Levian’Tol would be sitting alone in The Grand Brewery reviewing the finances for the week when the memory of Dhaen’s retirement returned to him. A small smile slowly grew on his face despite the sadness in his eyes. He would mumble to himself slowly, “... Finally she may enjoy teh sun.” He would release the hold on his reports sagging into his seat as the memories of his long awaited return to Urguan began to flood his mind. He recalled being greeted by an unassuming barmaid who, after thoroughly out drinking him, would help him establish a place amongst his kin. Levian’Tol would reach up to his face placing his finger tips on his cheek before examining them. A sigh would escape his lips before his face hardened again, “’Et’s been a long time since t’at’s ‘appened.” He would rub his hand off on his pants before returning to the reports.

OOC: Thanks for all your help. I am glad its a good reason for leaving Lotc. See you around.

[D3F4LT 1026]

Will be missed greatest clan mother there was!

[DrHope 609]

Somewhere in the aged halls of the Remembrancers sat the brown robed dwarf, Kazrin Starbreaker. Sitting comfortably atop a brown chair in his office, he mused over the students he had taught for the 100 years he has been High Remembrancer. “Thulin, Norli, Jorvin...Hekkaes, Balin, Balrog, Jurul, Utak, Bjor, Bryldryn “ A dozen names he muttered, each their own memory and stories given freely to teach. Not all were good, some were soured over the deeds they committed and yet, some still he was proud of. “Thorolf, Gronmil and Dhaen...” A small smile formed on his features as he kindled a pipe ablaze and sat back in his chair. Peering down in thought he remembered several decades ago as a smoke ring rose from his mouth and watched as the wisps faded away.

  ”Yeh should go en teach t’em,  t’eyll nee’ t’e wise Kazrin to go en show em w’at it means t’e beh a dwarf” Norli said, standing by a pillar with his arms crossed and his hairline ever receding even then. 
”evereh studen’ ah teach, alwehs forgets mah lessons. T’ere isn’t a reason t’e continue, ‘ave been at it for over 80 years nothings changed.” A rather bitter Kazrin spoke, grizzled and tired of all his work put to waste.  ”It doesn’t ‘urt t’e try” Norli said, smiling even.  “Ergh” Kazrin walked over to the trio of gingers that stood chatting at the entrance to the tavern. ‘one last time, I’ll try’ he softly muttered as he made his way to them. 
“OI!” He stood to his full height and narrowed his amber gaze to look upon them,  naive, curious and young. “do yeh know w’at it means to beh a grandaxe?” Each of them shook their heads. “would yeh care t’e learn t’en? “ The three nod their heads and quickly walked over. “Good, per’aps you’ll  make fine dwed afteh all”  And so they sat around, with a listening ear and a careful eye, like the hundreds of dwed before them who sat by the High Remembrancer.
“Bogrin, the first Grandaxe, spent time chopping wood for his kin. One day, a group of traveling orcs came upon his work and threatened him…”

OOC: Well thats the three of you then, I can say all three of you were very memorable students when it came to my lectures. Always paying close attention and actually enjoying my rambles.  Seeing as your the last of em, its sad to see you go but I’m comforted that you and Dhaen will finally be happy. It has been a fun few months Dhaen, from listening to me ramble in voice chats about the lore to comparing the yee haw accents of Cordial and the texan. After reading this post, I’m very proud to see one of my stories made it in and that Dhaen the character turned out somewhere.  For once, its good to see a person leaving the dwarf community in a more positive light. 
Till next time – The best pineapple man.  

[SimplySeo 6999]

From the highest chambers of Kal’Evraal, the Lord of Gotrek’s folk and Grand King of Urguan broods. It is something he does often whene’aer his mind turns bleak. Does it help? He wasn’t always certain, but it was necessary. It was a duty now, to commit the comings and goings of his folk to memory, to inscribe them upon word-stones, so their time in Arcas would never be forgotten. But nevertheless, it was a duty that welcomed dark thoughts to surface.

 

He remembered when he first met Dhaen, how bright-eyed she was then. Him and Gimli found the eager and friendly lass as they came ashore, having spent the afternoon fishing out on the Nerrovarn. “Gods...Even the lake has dried up.” He thought.

 

He recalled with admiration how even when exposed to the dregs of Dwarven society...The drunks, the perverts, and the good-for-nothings, that she did her work dutifully. Simple tavern work as it was, there was something to admire in that. It was a simple life, one Jorvin had not had in a long time. He remembered how her fortunes changed, and how with Thorolf’s growing sickness of the mind, she was forced to take action and lead her clan.

 

Thorolf...That name hurt to think about as well. Jorvin recalled his last moments amidst the Atheran expedition, the memory of his friend’s death stung like a dagger to the heart, despite his...many flaws.

 

It is with that thought the Dwarfen monarch realized something. Among his friends and family, so few remained now. Dhaen was another to the tally, a finer lass there never was, and certainly not from the line of Bogrin, which before her coming he regarded with disdain. She and her brood changed his perception of a clan he held nothing but contempt for previously, that was a feat itself.

 

”So few left...” He muttered to himself. His iron-clad grip on the railing tightened, as he looked out to the city below. The fluttering banners of Urguan always brought pride to his heart, but that did little to quell his musings. Dhaen herself was a loss, he’d formed a friendship with her over the years, and it pained him to watch her struggle balancing life and duty, she deserved better.

 

“Perhaps in another world.” He thought with a scoff as a thought came to mind. He didn’t have a mind for...that, but the girl deserved better than what she got, that much he knew for certain. His thoughts turned to the final conversation he had with Dhaen, within the temple...

 

”Our curse is not greed, it is duty. Our stubbornness to relent until a task is done. I do not know what the gods have in store, but I know this.

I will not falter from my task until I take my last breath, my duty will be the death of me,

and I have already resigned myself to that.”

 

His thoughts dwelt on his own words then, and he shook his head. He wiped his face, and his expression hardened. He was Grand King of Urguan, and Grand Kings do not let melancholy stand in the way of duty. For all his troubles, he knew the day would come where the last Dwarf he truly counted among his circle would leave. He accepted that fact with grim determination, knowing that even once that day came to pass, he would remain here. Despite his talk of duty, it pleased him to know at least Dhaen would escape it. She deserved happiness, and a family. Not to watch what she loved turn age into something unrecognizable, and certainly not what she got.

 

The Dwarfen King turned from his perch, and descended the stairs until he reached the throne hall. Before his throne sat a tome. Not a Grudgebook or treatise, but a record.

 

So passed Dhaen from our realm, First and Last of her Line of unknown parentage.

Clan Mother of the Elder Clan of Grandaxe, Lady of the Ruined Runesmith Tavern, and friend of the Commonfolk.

May she find her fortunes elsewhere.