THE FALL OF URGUAN

[squakhawk 14038]

Dame Johanna Magdalene Enswerp stood before the massacrefield as dwarven men and women, combatants and not, wiping away another flit of Urguan's blood off her blade. The war was won, but was she any stronger for it? Any greater? Any more a hero? Another wipe of the bloody rag swiped down her dirtied blade, another imperial soldier tossed a dwarven corpse to the side. She considered the thoughts in her head - though it was easier to not think about such matters, what was the price of loyalty?

 

She pondered for some time as she stared into the face of a hammerer, the soldier's face in anguish as his final moments were spent sliced and cut by blade and mace alike. The latter had caved in his pauldron, shattering bones that pierced his innards. His breastplate was remarkably clean - how fruitless.

 

She remembered then who she fought to protect, and what she stood for. She considered if she'd killed him - she could hardly recall in the fervour of battle, anyway. She couldn't quite recall. The crushing blow wasn't hers, but neither was the blade she'd finished the battle with. 

 

Hardly a price to protect the integrity of man. Hardly a price to pay to display the superiority of man, she thought.

 

Yet one nagged at her. 

 

Had they swallowed their own pride - could this have not been avoided?

 

She wiped the last lick of blood off the silvery steel, it's dull sheen glimmering in the faint torchlight as another corpse was added to the pile. She placed the sword against the pile, leaned up upon the urguani legion who it may have once belonged to. She had no further business here.

 

Perhaps that was the price of pride.

[Areon 947]

A Lorraine Guardsman, brought into the war as a child many years before stood within the throne room of the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, his heavily lidded eyes and somber expression betrayed his outwardly devoted look as a sign of the war's effects on the young man's psyche. As his gaze turned to the entryway where the last loyal Legionnaires lay fallen, determined to defend the chamber by all means, he pondered the end to their means.

Would this lead to further peace, or conflict?

What did a peaceful Empire even look like?

 

He thought briefly upon the three Saints he had aimed to mold his life after. What would Peter or Thomas think at his momentarily weakness of mind? Did the Chivay dynasty and the legendary Order of the White Rose stumble upon reaching the finish line, did they question what they had needed to do? What of Saint Edmond? Is there chivalry to be found written in the blood of elder dwarves, veteran in their status and years, too aged or important to have fallen in previous battles and charged with the guard of women and children?

 

His thoughts wandered, away from the halls of stone, metal, and blood. To a place where golden fields flowed across an open countryside. His eyes fluttered shut momentarily, opening upon the pin-drop sound of a small metallic broach hitting the floor beneath him, a flutter of green cloth following in it's descent as the small cape born about his shoulders had fallen off from the previous fighting movements. He stooped, picking up the broach gifted to him, staring for a long moment at the White Rose decorated upon the silver token before replacing his helmet and moving along to rejoin the rest of Lothar d'Amaury's retinue.

[JudgeTrudy 610]

From the hospital of Riviense, Lukas von Theonus celebrates the victory alongside other wounded soldiers. Having nearly fallen to a thrust lance during his climb over the walls, Lukas grips at his side as a rack of laughter sends pain coursing through his body. "I only wish I could have looked the Dwarf in the eye, he who hit me." he grunts as he looks to his bandaging. "I'd have liked to know the face of the one who nearly felled me, to have tried to learn his name. Instead, I'll forever be faced with a ghostly enemy, overtaken by a sea of Imperial knights and infantrymen just like all the others. Did my mace strike at him? Did my shield block any further thrusts of his weapon? I may never recall, may never know such truth. But I know this," he says, raising a cup of water at his bedside into the air, "we have all lived! We have all come home to our wives and husbands, our children, and our countrymen!!" With a round of cheers across the ward, Lukas smiles, and leans back in his bed. He may not have held any hatred toward the Dwarven people, but, that did not quell the pride he felt in his heart this day. If not for the Empire itself, then for his own brothers-in-arms, and himself.

 

Meanwhile, in a secluded monastery in the middle of the woodlands, a half-Dwed later hears word of the Grand Kingdom's fall from one of the visiting traders. Folkvar shakes his head as he thanks the scrawny human for her shipment of salted beef. "The Grand King brought this upon himself, and his people followed. I hope that all who remain, who may have already lived beyond Urguan's borders, may one day recombine to keep our peoples and our ways preserved. Otherwise, perhaps the Dwed are best left to live in the lands beyond Azuras for a time...."

[HurferDurfer1 2978]

"The rapacious greed of the Empire does not end with the dwarves, though that was supposed to be our curse, not Hadrians. There will always be other lands to raze and bring under the Imperial heel. Ill be interested to see  how historians regard this bloodsoaked time. Scholars rarely favor blatant militarism." Murmers Muramir Doomforged into a flagon of ale in some small village where he remained in shame.

[fizzyquack 564]

A "halfling" hears about this on vacation and just stares at the person who told them, with very red eyes. "...whoi yeh sayin' teh obvious shite? I knew tehs would 'appen. Whoi I moved inteh Ulfric's basement and on vacation now!!!" They would grumble, taking a big puff on their triple weed blunt. 

[sam33497 7356]

Maximilian Horen viewed the banners of Man erected upon the Dwarven homeland. To the distant horizon he turned, and he chuckled to himself. 

 

Hadrian I was punched lightly on the shoulder by his brother.

 

"It hasn't been a simple or easy road, but it was never going to be."

 

"Yet, the one who stands upon an unrivaled finish-line is you. From this point on, it is your shadow that others will strive to overcome."

 

"Through your failures and pain, brother - you have led Man to a greatness and strength it had never had... so, rejoice, Hadrian. Let me see some real relief and happiness in your eye, finally."

 

Max chuckled again. Amidst all of this war, pain, tribulation and such, only a gentle happiness for that achievement of Hadrian could be felt.

 

Ave Imperium.

 

@Werew0lf

[ApetheticOrange96 92]

Veyric Vourkehardt manned his trebuchet with his fellow Idunians, only charging in once the mountain fortress was breached...

 

The newly made soldier, helped fell two dwarves before the fighting had ended.

 

He followed the host into the former throne room of the grand king, shouting

 

"GLORY TO IDUNIA!!!"

[ferdaboy 3472]

Owyn was found somewhere beyond the dwarven capital, feasting on a corpse as others fought on…

[xo31 3979]

Inquisitor Notus bit into the heart of a dwarf, pulling his helmet down just over his face.

"Even one's own death is not their own. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust."
"This is the consequence of declaring war on the King Who Is."
 

[garentoft 9265]

Tomasz van ve Karoswald goes on a year long fishing trip to celebrate vengeance over the Urguani scourge. "You reap what you sow," he hummed idly to himself as he cast his line into a lake of the (former) lands of Urguan.

[The Vulgate Cycle 577]

"Now the Horde. AGLAR IDUNIA!" Ser Castamir said.

[TaraJess 2848]

"HE TURNED INTO RED MIST RIGHT NEXT TO ME!"

She recounted the story unto Kusi and Koda as they came to visit. There was a field full of berries to be picked, pies and cookies to be made for spring festivals of Alba and Adria. Still, as she spoke, ripe berries were popped into her mouth here and there, and passed off to the pair to enjoy as well. A few were even thrown upon the jokes of bald egg head.

[Turbo_Dog 3566]

Spuds would do nothing but giggle and draw behind the siege camp. Unaware someone died to look at his work, a dwarf having fallen from the mountain tops to take a peek at his drawings. Even after the fact he didn’t realize until he saw them laying on the ground afterwards 

 

@Daisy

[PanicZealot 648]

"Can't wait for yer son tew 'ear aboot dis victoreh...ah...nevahmind"

[carawithcookies 145]

Elsbeth would be eating an apple while resting underneath a tree on the roads, the proud sons of Urguan had fallen, and the Halfling cannot help but think this war could have ended in a much different way if it had not been for the sake of pride. "And so its done huh...." The Halflings were not beings of extreme pride, power or even great ambitious dreams. "Onwards then...."

The Halfling would tell to herself as she continues her travel, to rejoin her people, to rebuild what was lost.

With a new land and new allies, the future of the Halflings would be one of peace, Knox willing.