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The Loyalists (Led by Pan)

The Revolutionaries (Led by Grimnir)

The Radicals (Led by Brewster)

[Pan]

Soon. Tomorrow.

[Pan]

I know you're all sick of excuses, so I won't even try to explain why I couldn't keep my promise. Had to do with a girl. One more day. I'm half done editing.

I'm going to die from those thinking this was an update 

[Brewster]

I know you're all sick of excuses, so I won't even try to explain why I couldn't keep my promise. Had to do with a girl. One more day. I'm half done editing.

I'm going to die from those thinking this was an update 

PAN! 

[Lt_Alfred]

Stop yelling guys! he said it will be soon so just be patient.

[Pan]

Entry 10 - Mid Moonstone

“Are you done yet? How long are you going to take?” Pan looked at Tirion, exasperated.

Tirion was on all fours, tapping at the floor, and had been doing so for what seemed like almost a month, though more likely it has been an hour. They had searched everywhere, all of Blackdiamond Hall, behind the green glass statues, under tables, the execution chamber… even the empty hallway that had seemed so promising. This was the second check-up – there HAS to be something.

The lengthy inspection had taken it’s toll: a single Blackdiamond had begun to watch them, a helmet obscuring the dwarf’s face as he sat, unmoving as stone, on a chair in the dining hall.

Tirion did not even deign to reply to the latest of Pan’s inane outcries, continued meticulously tapping, his frustration only showing through the amplitude of his strikes on stone. The soldiers of Grimnir's squad were silent as they stood by the doors of the room, as they listened, perhaps anxiously as well, to the sound of hammer upon stone.

“Perhaps it is time to give up.” The watching Blackdiamond soldier said, a hint of amusement in his voice. ‘As you can see, our Hall is perfectly… secure.” Pan could feel a smirk under the shadow on his helm.

“Safety of Hammerscar first, fellow citizen.” Pan swallowed his anger instead, smiled diplomatically. How he wished to kill that dwarf.

“Why, but of course!” the Blackdiamond soldier nodded, uncapping a waterskin and taking a long draught. “Well, do enjoy. Off to the range I go.” He picked himself up, grabbed his crossbow by the bronze stock, leaving the dining room.

“Unlikely they will put it in the dining room.” Tirion muttered. “Areas of low traffic are crucial to secrecy.”

“We’ve already checked the execution area where Brewster uses prisoners for practice.” Pan said, a hint of frustration in his voice. “The Blackdiamond left us, too. He knows there is nothing here. We should search elsewhere.”

“Your thoughts on the soldier’s casual disposition is based on the assumption he knows we’re looking for a secret passage.” Tirion countered, moving onto a wall with his hammer. "That's hardly reliable. I'm checking this room again."

“We’ll have to base ourselves on that assumption.” Pan grimaced. There were so many uncertainties. What if they find nothing? This is the last chance they have. It is unlikely Brewster will depart from his lair. All the Blackdiamonds are away or practicing in their archery range…

“The remaining Blackdiamonds are all practicing in the range!” Pan said, with sudden clarity. Tirion did not reply, merely wiping sweat off his brow as he continued to paw at the wall in silent frustration.

“Tirion, we have not checked the archery range.”

“You are mistaken, we have.” Tirion said, eyes not lifting off wall.

“Brewster made ditches to catch falling arrows. Have you deigned to look there? The Blackdiamond are all there. They know, the passage is there.” Without turning to look, Pan strides towards the main training hall of Blackdiamond Hall.

Tirion thought for a second, and followed.


_____

“All done, Captain.” Bim hauled the plucked Elk Bird by the feet over the shoulder. ‘This ought to be sufficiently impressive. A big plucked chicken, almost.”

Shinn gave an absent nod. To Bim and the recruit, they had been too used to the avian of the overland skies. The creature of the depths had become alien to them for all the time they spent outdoors. Still, Hammerscar was mostly above ground, and the citizens will be adequately impressed, and this could feed half the fortress in a meal.

“Shame we had no luck with the magma.” The recruit commented, disappointed. She grabbed onto the elk bird’s head as Bim held the feet

“Perhaps Reaver had.” Bim suggested. “I just wish we caught more of these. I thought these things were flock creatures?”

“This was a lookout.” Shinn explained patiently. “It watches as the others grazes. It’s death throes have alerted the others. No doubt they are far from here by now. Elk birds are notorious sprinters.”

“Their legs must be damn tasty.” The recruit mused wistfully, licking her lips.

‘We'll find out when we get back. Now, put your back into it! One… two… three… Haul!” Bim counted, lifting the corpse.

KRACK KABOOM

__________

“Our orders,” the Blackdiamond soldier said defiantly, his crossbow cocked and unfired from his interrupted training. “Our orders state that we are to train. To defend Hammerscar! Our Captain Brewster ordered us to train, and we will not stop.”

“I am your Overseer and I have with my a mechanic of great renown throughout Hammerscar.” Pan said, a voice of authority. “Put your weapons away, or Grimnir and your Captain will hear of this.”

They had interrupted the four remaining Blackdiamonds at training, and they were not pleased. Pan and Tirion faced the four defiant soldiers, with most of Grimnir’s squad. However, the Blackdiamond seem dead set, not budging from their position. Pan was uncomfortably aware of their still cocked and unfired crossbows.

“Orders are orders.” The Blackdiamond soldier repeated. Pan looked at each of their faces. One was helmeted, two were defiant. The last, Husk, looked hesitant but just as determined.

“Stand down.” Nav spoke up, the muscled smith’s hands drifting, unconsciously, to his weapon. “In the name of Grimnir.”

The lead marksdwarf was shaken, but not stirred, surprisingly. His stubborn jaw continued to jut, but twisted into a condescending sneer. “Grimnir holds no power here, old timer. We have our orders.” His companions were less firm, Pan noticed them exchanging glances, though they did not move aside.

A new voice piped up. “What’s the matter in here?”

Lt Alfred strode in from behind, two of his soldiers trailing, copper scale mail gleaming. “Grimnir sent us to check up. How’s the structure support holding?” He glared at the Blackdiamond recruits.

“Last area.” Tirion said. “Just got to look at the bolt collection ditches.”

As if sensing their outnumbered, the Blackdiamonds stood down. Without Brewster, they break like reeds.

__________

Tirion and Pan shoved past the defeated Blackdiamonds. Tirion tapped and scraped at the wall. They were silent, and only faintly could they hear the shuffling of feet in the Hall above them. They listened intently to the hammer blows to the wall.

Thud thud thud thud… thud thud thud

Then, they saw it, even before the hammer fell.

Thud… Thuddud

       

“We found it.” Tirion said simply.

KRACK KABOOM

__________

OOC: I'll edit this tomorrow and the rest and add the rest of this update in. I'll also label the pictures tomorrow. Basic synopsis: Pan and Tirion finds the secret passage Brewster used to sabotage the human caravan while Shinn plucks an elk bird. Both are interrupted by a loud crash caused by a cave in somewhere. Anyway 3am good night folks.

Oh wait, got a Math report due in 12 hours  Back to work!

[Brewster]

Ahhh.... Blackdiamond, how I've missed you.

[Brewster]

Blackdiamond!

[Tirion]

PAN! 

[CaptainLambcake]

i think it's time for a new turn.

[Pan]

You know I'm not a professional author, right? That I have a life?

... Who am I kidding. Heh. I'll get right back at the update  (have been for a few hours now, too.)

[NAV]

It has been your turn for over 4 months. Maybe you could hurry just a bit?

[CaptainLambcake]

please next person go.  you have been stalling WAY too long.

[Pan]

Entry 10 (part 3 of 3) Mid Moonstone

Shinn raced back to find a hellish atmosphere of magma mist, cave dust and smoke. The magma, disturbed by the cave-in, had unleashed it's own magma mist, drifting up to the ceiling as if in deadly retribution, made worse by the smoke and rock dust that had been stirred by both the fiery air and the cave in, obscuring the entire area.

'Hello!' Shinn called into the obscuring smoke. 'Who goes there! Are you alright!?' Nothing but a fresh wave of ashes responded, smearing his face. He could see little bits of fire starting from the particles of the air-bound magma, though they were quick to die out from the relatively barren cavern floor. As he looked into the smoke, he heard another crack from the ceiling, and instinctively ducked as a small piece of rock dislodged itself from the ceiling to drop into the magma pipe, several seconds before the hisssssssss of the stone contacting the extreme temperatures of the magma. Could nothing survive that? Shinn had run here as fast as he can, abandoning his two brigadiers with their elk bird trophy, but now he feared his arrival may have been for naught.

Suddenly, there was movement a distance away, and a boulder was pushed off. Shinn saw a shield underneath, and a mailed hand reached out. Shinn realized it must have been the Laborious Skin soldier. As Shinn ran towards it, however, an armored figure appeared from behind a pillar nearer to it, grabbing and pulling the hammerdwarf out of the rubble. The dwarf was none the worse for wear, albeit covered in cave dust. At the same time, out of the smoke, Amist the hammerdwarf emerged, using his hammer as a makeshift walking stick, coughing and hacking, but also unharmed.

'Bloody Armok!' the hammerdwarf who was under the rubble groaned and cursed.

'We need to get out of here.' said the armored dwarf. He turned around and saw Shinn. It was Brewster. Shinn did not care for the look, the oft described look of wildfire that was now dancing within. Shinn cared about Reaver, that he was nowhere to be found.

__________

When the cave-in sounded, Pan and Tirion had continued to work as though nothing had happened. The walls erected to block the way of Brewster's secret passage was thick, and there were two layers. Whoever done this, Tirion knew, had done it well. However, a third layer in, and that's when Grimnir's summons had come, as one of the Laborious Skin soldier peered down at the archery ditch. They had walked out of Blackdiamond Hall in triumph, leaving their 'excavation' site unguarded, as the Blackdiamond trainees tailed them, as the entire citizenry of Hammerscar (save some of Gavakis' surface Chzo's Wraiths sentinels) marched to the Great Speech Hall. Pan and Tirion had expected to give Grimnir - no, all of Hammerscar - the news, the proof of Blackdiamond treachery.

Reaver is dead.

Everything had gone, again, off the tracks. Just when they'd had the Blackdiamond by the stones, the proof that ties them to the tragedy that occured with the human caravan, they'd lost it once more. Pan realized defeat when it came, and it seems that it is drawing closer than ever. Upon the cave-in, it was as though a shock wave had reverberated throughout the fortress. All work ceased. Their work, Pan and Tirion had, at the precise moment, ceased to continue nor be of consequence, for Reaver was dead.

The event, had been the cave-in, which knocked Reaver into the magma pipe, although none of the hammerdwarves with him saw anything, as the cavein stirred up a great cloud of cave dust and the magma caused smoke and sparks from it's dangerous mist. Reaver's lack of a magma mist charred corpse was morbid proof of his fall down the pipe, hardly a comforting prospect either.

The fortress leaders gave their obituaries, to Hammerscar's mourning. Pan as acting Overseer gave a short speech, speaking of a dwarf of great heart and loyalty. However, he could not compare to Brewster and Grimnir's and his speech came out sounding insincere, to the minor discontent and little applause from Hammerscar.

Reaver, Captain of the Laborious Skin and Captain of the Guard, Grimnir's mouthpiece, is dead.

__________

In the night, when the day's work is done, the council of counter-Blackdiamonds is called once more. Tirion's workshop is, as always, a mess, but Pan had seen fit to arrange tables beforehand, and around sat Grimnir, Shinn, Pan, Nav and Tirion. The group, without Reaver, seemed all the less powerful and threatening. The new Captain of the Guard is currently an open position, and will remain so for a month, in respect of Reaver's departure. The new head military presence was Lt. Alfred, whom they had adequately proven loyal to this cause. The most trusted soldiers of the Laborious Skins and Skyfire brigade stood around them, listening and chipping in at will.

The discussion raged, desperation thick amongst them.

'... and with him, the last of our chances are surely fled!' Pan finished. 'The populace are sheep. I doubt any of them remembers the human caravan at all, with Reaver on their minds! The case will no longer have effect.'

'With Reaver gone, all the more reason the citizens rely on Brewster for security.' Amist the Hammerdwarf muttered. 'Especially when word spread that Brewster was personally at the site with aid.'

'This trail is closed. It has led us to a pass, but that pass is now blocked.' Pan said.

'We must try, at the very least!' Grimnir spoke up. The dwarves stared, for Grimnir carried a tone of uncertainty, of desperate, searching hope. Where was the calm and withdrawn dwarf, who spoke only when he had to? Who spoke only after he had come to a certain, inner conclusion? 'The discovery at their archery post. We will exploit it! They will listen to their lord founder.'

'...is no longer an option, I am afraid.' Tirion cut in. 'I visited today. They have sealed it up, and Brewster kindly had me escorted out. They check our every step.' Tirion sighed.

'The masons! Curse them sympathizers and louts!' Nav seethed.

'The nature of Reaver's death is suspicious.' Shinn suggested helpfully. 'I doubt it was a natural cave-in. Perhaps if we can pin it on Brewster...'

'Unlikely.' one of the Laborious Skin soldiers spoke up, the dwarf Littlebear. 'One of the soldiers had gone on about how Brewster had saved him from the cave-in, and now the citizenry agree on that. You'll find little luck pinning it on Brewster.'

'Is there... Is there nothing we can do then?' Pan asked, despairingly. Silence greeted him.

Grimnir spoke.

'Nothing. There is nothing we can do.' He shook his head, his face blank. 'Brewster has beaten us, taken Hammerscar from me and killed Reaver. We have done nothing, we can do nothing.' Grimnir slumped in his seat.

Shock greeted his words. The assorted dwarves, Laborious Skins, Skyfire, Alfred's squad and Gavakis stared at him. Pan felt as though he was a vampire of the old stories with a wooden stake, that was fatal, driven into his heart. Was this it, then?

'Coward.' Shinn spoke up, breaking the silence, a finger accusingly at the Founder of Hammerscar. 'You would give up now, when we are so close? So this is it then, all this effort, all this sacrifice, for nothing?'

Pan waited for Grimnir to flare up and attack Shinn. Grimnir made no response. It is as though the death of Reaver had robbed him of ability to speak with the power that once held so much sway in Hammerscar. Reaver's death had effectively shut down Grimnir, and he merely shrugged at Shinn's accusation.

Shinn continued his attack. 'You think this is a game? That you can just toppled over your king and call it quits?' No response. 'My men DIED! I will not believe this is for nothing! Our alliance -'

'IS A SHAM!' Grimnir all but exploded, surprising Pan, who had thought him broken. 'DO NOT THINK ME A FOOL! I know what you intend, Shinn of Skyfire Brigade, of the Crownland Mountainhome! NOT OF HAMMERSCAR! YOU WILL COOPERATE WITH US, AND CAST OUR ALLIANCE ASIDE AND SHACKLE US BACK IN CHAINS!' Grimnir leaped atop the table and towered over Shinn. 'Hammerscar is different! WE ARE INDEPENDENT FROM YOU!'

'You are not!' Shinn was unfazed 'Your man Reaver was willing to reach consensus with us, but clearly I can see you do not! Our cause is just!'

'You are oppressors!' a Laborious Skins dwarf cried out. 'Down with the Crown!'

'Shut your mouth,' Bim of Skyfire brigade yelled back.

'We'll disturb the sleeping Hammerscar with all this racket... Quiet!' Tirion warned, to the attention of nobody.

Instead, Shinn stood on his chair, the taller dwarf now eye to eye with Grimnir.

'Every dwarf is to maintain the autocratic and just rule the Crown! If you think any different, you are no different from the dog Brewster! You speak of us as tyrants. You believe your cause is just, and noble. But what can you possibly accomplish by rebellion? What you will accomplish is our undoing. If you do win against the Crown, what will you do then? Who will lead? Did you even account trading into your plans? Once you win, who will you trade with? The Humans, and Elves? You know, the ones with the traders you murdered. What about the Goblins, hmm? Do you expect them to stand idly, while we fight this war among us? So perhaps, you still don't care... What about the Dwarves?   Many families are divided on this matter. This war will cause families to fight among themselves. The bloodshed will be great, as well the cost of life. The victor will be weakened, and will be left among hostile nations. Are you fine with causing our doom?'

At that, Grimnir smashed a horn of ale at Shinn's face.

Shinn never missed a beat, grabbing Grimnir's leg and pulled, sending him crashing on the floor, jumping atop him and started landing punches. Laborious Skin and Skyfire brigade came to blows and the world went mad.

__________

Lt. Alfred's squad managed to untangle the fighting dwarves. The workshop was messed up, but Pan realized the meaning of this: Skyfire and Laborious Skins are no longer friends. Both eyed each other warily and angrily from different sides of the room, panting from the scuffle. Pan had grabbed onto Shinn's arm, and was still holding it to prevent it from choke-slamming Grimnir when he could. Shinn lashed free his arm and whirled on Pan.

'You told me this dwarf was willing to work together!' Shinn all but yelled at Pan's face, pointing at Grimnir. 'You said Skyfire and Laborious Skin would fight our common enemy without double cross, without treachery or anger.' Shinn stuck his face right before Pan's. 'You lied!'

'If you're so orthodox, get yourself a hammering for striking the Founder!' a Laborious Skin soldier piped up, the one Zanzetkuken.

'My men have worked and almost died for your damn, useless and failed schemes, Pan!' Shinn continued to rage, then pointed a finger at Tirion. 'And yours, engineer! You promised us success! Revenge! Peace! Reaver had peace, he promised some sort of change, a council... and now hes dead!' He drew himself up and made a gesture. His Skyfire soldiers rallied on him. 'This alliance is over.' he said, walking out the door. 'My soldiers, both alive and dead, will stay in our barracks. You all can burn with the rest when the Crown's retribution is upon you.'

'My squad is now The Thousand Cuts! No longer shall we be laborious skins of Hammerscar!' Grimnir cried on the other end of the room, irrationally, insanely, as if he was broadcasting raw thoughts. 'We have suffered a thousand cuts!'

Tirion shot him a helpless look. Gods save us all... Pan thought, strangely calm.

__________

Somehow, despite defeat, Pan still had a plan, though he wasn't sure if he could recruit the right men for the job. Nevertheless, he followed Lt Alfred with intent, up to the surface. Dawn was approaching, the night ends.

'Lieutenant. Hold up.' Pan stood at the doorway. The barracks of Lt Alfred's squad was on the surface, and it was situated in one of the four corner towers of the arable compound's curtain wall. Within stood Alfred, who was clearly sharing the news to his men.

'My Lord Overseer. Here to share grievances?' Alfred said with a sad smile.

'We need to analyze the situation. We need to win.' Pan said. Alfred and his soldiers stared.

Alfred gave a bitter laugh. 'Win? We have already lost, pardon me. Your alliances break down before your face, my lord. The evidence that you have found... useless. Brewster more powerful than ever. Reaver dead and Grimnir... unsettled. How can we ever win? The political situation has never favored us, but I fear we're scraping rock bottom. I'm just preparing the men here, briefing them and what to do.'

'Perhaps it is time we stopped being polite and political about this.' Pan said.

'Whatever do you mean?' Alfred looked at him, confused.

'We cannot win politically now, and the next Crownland caravan arrives in Autumn, almost a year from now, meaning no outside foreign aid either. Our only chance is to defeat Brewster underhandedly.'

'You are suggesting...' Alfred's face darkened as he realized it. His soldiers begin to look apprehensive and one of them started to fidget.

'Daggers in the dark.' Pan confirmed. For once, he knew he was on the right course, this was what must be done. 'The time for civility has ended. Dwarf blood has been spilled, time and time again, and enough I say. Our code, our morals has stopped us from sinking to their level, but only at their level can we best them at the game they have played so well at.'

'You are suggesting... nothing less than treasonous murder.' Alfred finished. 'If Hammerscar knows, we'll be dangling from a tree like an elf by the day's end of the deed.'

'Not if we do it quietly. Not if we kill Brewster quietly.' Pan promised. He looked at Alfred's soldiers.

'You are men of the Crownlands. Solid, steadfast and loyal, good honorable dwarves all. But for this deed, for the greater good, I need murderers. I need sneaks and footpads. Thugs. To end the Blackdiamond, I don't need good and honorable dwarves. They have tried and failed. I need you all to be smugglers and thieves tonight. Every tool a task and every task a tool. I need cutthroats, to cut the head of the snake. Are you with me? Are you with me to kill Brewster?'

Armok be good, they are with him.

__________

Light permeated a cell that has not seen it's like for months. Cobwebs grew thicker than ever, and the door screamed on it's hinges.

'I thought you had forgotten me.' a voice croaked, and laughed, sinister and as a snake.

'I need your help.' Pan said.

__________

The stone and metal chainmail sank beneath further into the dark abyss. The magma had burned the dwarf's flesh away and sizzled the bloodstains on the falling stone that killed him in an instant. Magma proof, the metal armors and Reaver's axe was all that remained. They touched the lava flow, and disappeared forever.

__________

Right, synopsis: Tirion found the passage Brewster used, but somehow Brewster caused a cave-in and kills Reaver. That pretty much ends Grimnir for now, who is sort of in a state of BSOD, and the alliance between him and Shinn is broken. The evidence Pan and Tirion found is useless, since the big news now is Reaver, and with him gone everyone likes Brewster even more, being the last military commander. Shinn breaks off connections, the loyalist-revolutionary alliance sort of ends (more like really, really strained to the point of breaking). Shinn retreats into his barracks, Grimnir too. Brewster is as popular as ever. So Pan decides to hire Alfred squad to just kill him, with the political situation hopeless.

Final update within the week. This is my April break, so I have plenty of time.

please next person go.  you have been stalling WAY too long.

It has been your turn for over 4 months. Maybe you could hurry just a bit?

Anyway not to start any fights. I don't resent you guys at all, and I do admit my updates are slow. The quality beats quantity argument is negated when it takes months. I get it.

But I just get the feeling I shouldn't get all the flak for this. For one, I'd really be thrilled to see more input, since I always get the feeling I'm the only one pitching in, with Tirion and Brewster and AW. You guys helping out would speed things along substantially, since I always have to flesh your characters out for you. Suggestions and stuff is welcome too. I always try my best to weave everything you guys put in into the plot, don't I? Nav's got 1 minor update and I made it a pretty major plot point. So please, you guys help and do your thing and I'll do my thing.

I'd make a bunch of excuses about my work and failed personal relationships but nobody wants to hear them.

Anyway, all that aside. Final update in within the week, especially with Game of Thrones S3 out to pump me up with medieval intrigue and blood.

[CaptainLambcake]

you have good reasons.  i apologise, i wanted a new update.  guys, if we don't explain what our characters are doing, pan will have to spend time thinking of it himself.

[AustralianWinter]

Pan has done more to advance the story of Hammerscar than anyone - myself included. His updates are always incredibly well-written, interesting and although they are infrequent, they have an extraordinarily high quality. He has my full support, and as long as he keeps updating with some persistance, he is very much allowed to end his turn.

I'll be writing something more in-depth about Grimnir as soon as my girlfriend leaves.