Characters:
Obok Inekol (Champion Wrestler/Captain of the Guard/High General over the forces of Analeshal also known as Agemourn, populated by the Fresh Torch, of Seshsolon, also known as the Socketed Flags)
Shem Melbilusen (Wife of Obok, bowyer)
Azstrog Uksoga Ozudkozzo Akaz (Local Leader/Mace Lord of the Goblin Nation of Zolak Sog, also known as The Sins of Direction)
Date: Late Summer of the year 206, second siege of Agemourn.
In Agemourn, there is a proud tradition of wrestling. To those of the Fresh Torch, there is nothing of greater prestige than to be able to prove oneself capable of handling any foe, no matter the odds, with no more than one's armored body. For ages this practice had held true, though the marksdwarves made up a large portion of the military as well, for they provided an offensive option for when it was necessary to raised the bridge, and the enemy encamped outside. All the same, there was an animosity between the wrestlers and marksdwarves that was totally unseen between other wielders of weapons. The marksdwarves had largely been recruited from the hunter and ranger population of the fortress, seen as untrustworthy to begin with. Their leader was a cut throat brigand who's name has been struck from the records of Agemourn, so great was his betrayal in the end.
Obok was the greatest of the wrestlers. No one could match him in combat while he donned his armor and strode forth into the daylight to slay all who stood before him. None could match him for sheer deadly efficiency, speed, or power in the martial arts. Oddly, though he was the greatest of wrestlers, he held the least animosity for the Marksdwarves, and in fact had married a bowyer by the name of Shem, who he loved greatly, and had a single daughter with. He was drinking friends with the Leader of the Marksdwarves, who had trained with him in the early days of Agemourn's military, founded almost 4 years ago. He always defended his friend, never allowing a word said against him. The Marksdwarf had saved him more than once with his steady aim and eagle eye, placing a shot on an enemy who could've taken Obok from behind. Together they had fought off every raid that had come to Agemourn, striking them down before a single casualty could be taken. Further, it was almost single handedly that these two broke the back of the first siege of age mourn, in the year 205, while the other soldiers had yet to be roused, or were distracted with other things. This siege had been led by the infamous Goblin Mace Lord Azstrog, who had slaughtered a hapless crew of masons building a road on the top of the mountain when he first arrived to besiege the city. He escaped that time, badly beaten by Obok, but not dead, only angered and filled with hatred for this pathetic beardling.
It was the next year, that traps set and readied, that almost all the dwarves succeeded in getting into the fortress, all, bar 3, one was Obok's own daughter, who he had no idea was outside, nor could he have helped, being forced to bring a law breaker to the prison in the midst of a siege to placate the mayor. It is said that seeing the loot on the field of battle caught Obok's friend's eye, and he threw the switch to lower the draw bridge, leading his own men out to take the booty from both the two slain dwarves and the goblins they had shot down, only Obok's daughter lived, cowering behind an archery target until the bridge lowered and she dashed for the exit. Azstrog saw her, seeing easy prey he dashed forward, almost taking her before her mother picked her up, having run from the fortress. She managed to get a few yards before Azstrog's mace took her leg, crushing it, and still she crawled on, trying desperately to sheild her child. Then Azstrog's mace came down on her head, sending Shem to a final rest.
This surly would have been the end for Shem and Obok's daughter if not for the Marksdwarves arriving on the scene, unleashing bolt after bolt. They only succeeded in distracting Azstrog, who laughed, giving the child time to race past the Marksdwarves. Who still moved forward, firing as they did. Azstrog gave a signal, and a hail of Arrows stormed back at the Marksdwarves, who, no longer behind the shield of fortifications, were cut down to the dwarf.
It was then that Obok came charging out, a below of pure and utter fury as he slammed into the Goblin Lines. Azstrog's smile faltered, as rage incarnate tore goblin limb from limb, hurling them the length and breath of the small valley the fort entrance had been tucked into, leaving only bloody smears. Soon he face Azstrog, dealing even more damage, but not before he had one of his arms broken. Azstrog was beaten though, he tried to limp away in the only direction he could, into the fortress, with a snap and a clank, he found himself inside an iron cage. Obok didn't even spare him a glance as the Goblin lines broke and ran, he simply picked up the body of his wife, and brought her to the crypts.
It would only be later that Azstrog, broken and beaten, a goblin Mace lord lain low, his prison housed on the edge of a pit so deep he couldn't see the bottom, simply a strange glow. He would look up, to see Obok, eyes gleaming in the unlit prison. "You took two dwarfs dear to my heart this day you green skinned scum." he spit through the bars. "And so I find it fitting that the Torch Thane(mayor) has decided to offer you as a sacrifice to armok"
"You know if you let me out of here I'll slay you all." the goblin grinned, he was hurt, but not as badly as the Obok, now past the traps, Azstrog could easily kill every dwarf in the fortress.
"Oh, you seem to misunderstand," said as he opened the cage, grabbing the surprised Azstrog by the throat and hurling him out into the pit, "You'll find your own way there."
Azstrog seemed to hang in the air for a moment, a look of shock and disbelief on his face, as he began to fall. Down and down he went, more than a hundred dwarf lengths, before crashing into the alter, armor, weapons, and all, of Armok. The blood god's statue, looking on with bloody tears of Magma, seemed pleased by this offering on his alter.
The total casualties came to more than a full tenth of the population, 13 dwarves dead, 10 of those because the gates had been opened. Obok's marksdwarf friend's name was scourged from the records of Agemourn, despite Obok's protests, so certain was he that his friend had opened the gates only to save his dearest friend's child.
Obok still lives on, though he has not forgotten, the enmity between marksdwarves and wrestlers remains, and the goblin sieges continue, if slightly abated for no longer being lead by Azstrog, but Obok still works for progress between the two factions of the military, and the fortress. He feels he owes it both to his dead wife, and to his dead friend.
((The whole back story of enmity between wrestlers and marksdwarves happened because I noticed that no one seemed to want to stick to being a marksdwarf, and further, those that did never became more than passing acquaintances with any of the wrestlers, except for dear old Obok there. The rest of the story is pretty much exactly what happened. I'm still surprised Obok got out of bed from healing to personally toss Azstrog into my sacrifical pit >_> it's not QUITE to the level described in this story, BUT IT WILL BE! I SWEAR IT!))