A Grudge Carved in Stone and Iron

[Riot 743]

Spoiler

The initiation fire burned low in the hall of the Starbreakers. Iron rang softly as tools were moved aside and the gathered kin watched the newest initiate stand before them, ready to swear their oaths.

 

Dorin Starbreaker stood near the table, arms folded across his chest as the ritual began.

 

Across the hall stood Grand King Ulfar Starbreaker.

 

At first, Dorin thought little of it. The king had stepped away from the gathering, standing near one of the stone pillars that held the ceiling of the hall. Yet something about it felt wrong.

 

Ulfar was staring into the corner.

 

Not watching the ceremony.

 

Not watching the kin.

 

Just staring.

 

His lips moved faintly, muttering words Dorin could not make out. Broken fragments of speech slipped from him, low and incoherent, like someone speaking in a dream.

 

Dorin frowned.

 

He stepped away from the ceremony and crossed the hall, boots heavy against the stone floor.

 

“Grand King?” Dorin said quietly as he approached.

 

No answer.

 

Ulfar continued staring into the corner of the hall, whispering beneath his breath.

 

Dorin reached out and placed a firm hand upon the king’s shoulder.

 

“Ulfar, what—”

 

The reaction was instant.

 

Ulfar spun with terrifying speed.

 

For a moment Dorin saw something in the king’s eyes that he had never seen before.

 

Rage, Malice.

 

And something else… something deeper. Something ancient and wrong.

 

The look struck Dorin like cold iron in the gut.

 

Then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

 

Ulfar blinked.

 

His expression softened, confusion settling across his face as though he had only just realized where he stood.

 

“…Dorin?” the king muttered. “Where… where am I?”

 

He looked around the hall, as if seeing the ceremony for the first time.

 

The fire crackled. The initiate still stood waiting. The clan watched in silence.

 

Ulfar exhaled slowly.

 

“War preparations,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his brow as if pushing away a headache.

 

Without another word, the Grand King turned and wandered from the hall, his mind already drifting back toward the coming war.

 

Dorin remained where he stood.

Watching, wondering what, exactly, he had just seen.

[!]CARVED INTO THE WALLS OUTSIDE URGUAN FOR ALL TO SEE[!]

 

Let this be recorded in the stone.

 

Let this be etched in iron.

 

Let this be remembered long after the mountains swallow the bones of kings.

The dwarves have watched as Emperor Hadrian the Third cast aside blood and honor alike — calling for the death of his own daughter, the death of his own sworn vassals, and ruling through fear rather than loyalty. Such a creature does not lead men.

 

He consumes them.

 

And now five realms bind themselves to him.

 

Idunia.

Norland.

The Empire of Man.

Kuri-Kuni.

Caurost.

 

Each has chosen their side.

 

Each has willingly yoked themselves to tyranny.

 

Each has placed their banners beside a crowned monster and called it righteousness.

 

Let it be known — your names are carved now.

 

You march upon Urguan thinking the dwarves soft. Thinking the mountains old and slow. Thinking that if you press us long enough, we will bend.

 

You know nothing of dwarven pride.

 

We are not reeds in the wind.

 

We are the stone the wind breaks upon.

 

For every dwarf you strike down, another grudge is carved.

 

For every life you take, another oath is sworn.

 

For every banner you raise against us, another realm is marked for ruin.

 

You wish to destroy our freedom?

 

You wish to break our prosperity?

 

You wish to choke the mountains and call it justice?

 

Then understand this:

 

 

We will not merely fight you.

 

We will hollow you.

 

We will tear at your alliances from within.

 

We will grind your armies into dust.

 

We will scar your realms so deeply that even your grandchildren will remember the cost of marching against the sons and daughters of Urguan.

 

And let no realm think itself innocent.

 

Those who agree in whispers.

 

Those who say nothing.

 

Those who nod along and claim neutrality while tyranny grows.

 

Hear this clearly:

Ignorance does not equate innocence.

 

Spineless cowardice will be remembered just the same as open hostility.

 

When this war is done, the mountains will still stand.

 

The question is whether your realms will.

 

This furnace was not lit by dwarven hands.

 

But you have stepped inside it willingly.

 

And we are the fire.

 

 

[Vertigo_Round 328]

The bleeding tongue looked to the stone, a twisted grin of fangs given - "I will be there, when ruin is planted and oaths come to light. And I will bask in the glorious offers to Brir  they shall give"

 

[Crevel 7557]

Meanwhile in the Holy Empire of Man, the halfling Arthur Littlewood frolics in the newly liberated land from unjust Dwarven hands now under Imperial protection. There, he would envision a new halfling village that would be free from undue corruption and improperness. No more would a weefolk village be unceremoniously blown up at the expense of the halflings living there.

[Werew0lf 24179]

"Hadrian the Third? Who was the first and second?" The Emperor questioned. 

[Riot 743]

4 minutes ago, Werew0lf said:

"Hadrian the Third? Who was the first and second?" The Emperor questioned. 

Spoiler

MY Typos are cannon now noooooooo

ment to be mad but ill go 3rd lol (im leaving it in)

 

[The Vulgate Cycle 577]

"Funny, coming from a dwarf. Who willfully worked with the same race that displaced whole peoples on Aevos." The Blood Royal of Angrenost remarked. "Oh, and the Bandit Republic too."

Then he went back to looking after his newly born daughter and his sons.

[Reckless Banzai Screamer 15456]

"I hate you, let's die together stout," Admiral Ena spoke when a marine read to him the wall for he was a """blind""" man. He was prepared for the long hyper-war. It was about time the dwarves were punished for murdering the Tanoshiling, harboring dissidents and pirates and being overall plotting scoundrels from his perspective. There would be only one industrial country.

[Hom 1987]

4 hours ago, Riot said:

 

Each has chosen their side.

 

Each has willingly yoked themselves to tyranny.

 

“Do they know? By that I mean, are they aware that they helped win the war which created the Empire?” A Petran scholar questions to his confused assistant, who’d handed him a transcription of the message. “A victory which, very notably, resulted in the capitulation of all other powers?” The assistant is distressed. They can’t tell if this is a rhetorical question.

 

“Then again, we haven’t fared too poorly. Perhaps Urguan will find better treatment as an old enemy, instead of an old ally.”

[xo31 3979]

Some gold and black cloaked man grimaced. Graffiti was plastered next to such a carving.

"YOU CHOSE YOUR SIDE WHEN YOU BETRAYED HAENSE."

"WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND."

[Coronate 5519]

Can we ban AI generated posts?

 

 

[media 75]

2 hours ago, Coronate said:

Can we ban AI generated posts?

 

 

 

 

 

[Riot 743]

 

To clear up some confusion in the comments. None of the writing in this post was AI-generated. I wrote the entire thing myself in the Main LOTC Discord Screensharing 

A lot of people have literally watched me working on this in VC or seen me preparing pieces of the post while talking about the RP leading up to it.

Secondly, all of these events DID happen and were again not generated 

BUT! Grammarly does help me refine my work. And I will never claim that AI is never used in the process, as Grammarly is an AI writer's assistant
https://www.grammarly.com/
 

[Tabby64 1464]

On 3/12/2026 at 9:00 AM, Coronate said:

Can we ban AI generated posts?

 

 

Ai checkers or detectors are not reliable 

[PanicZealot 648]

On 3/12/2026 at 6:00 AM, Coronate said:

Can we ban AI generated posts?

 

 

sybau