It was The Night. The End of the World as we knew it. Armageddon. Ragnarock and Roll. The Promise of an Apocalyptic Finale.
In short, it was every fatalist Dwarf's dream.
We knew that it would be happening late that night and that it would involve defense of our homes. To that end, the races of the world came back from their world journeys in order to be at hearth and home with the fellows they began with.
It was truly impressive to see so many Dwarves, in their colors and varied armors, their new talents and strengths, rally to the crossroads in Butcherblock so they could respond at a moment's notice to any threat, be it to Kaladim, the port, or even to the Elven cities of the East.
I encountered Kiggle almost immediately. After a whooping welcome to one another, we decided to limber up the muscles in preparation for the Great Dissolution and chose to scour the countryside clean of any and all vermin. Naturally, we tackled anything large that we could and stomped over all the old hunting grounds. Here's an image of one of our favorite battles.
They Didn't Stand a Chance
We began to despair that we would not find our friend, Dumatoin, in time for The End. His travels had taken him to nearby Dalgrin's Cauldron and reports were that he had been slain there. There were many false alarms that evening, but eventually a rallying cry was heard across the land. "To Arms, Brothers! Rally to the Crossroads!"
My blood stirred at the sight of armored Dwarves throwing themselves at breakneck speeds across the countryside from all directions to converge on the Crossroads Forge. There they gathered in preparation for what would surely be the Final Defense that would cost all of us our very lives.
The First Gathering
In point of fact, no such threat ever materialized. Despite the recent appearance of Ogres in the land, which had led us to believe we might be being invaded, there appeared to be no threat at all.
Had we been misled? Was this all a false alarm? The dwarves, never being happy-go-lucky by nature, began to grumble fiercely and the force threatened to dissolve under the non-appearance of something to fight.
Then, a voice was heard! An Elven Paladin from Faydark shouted to us all "Come at once, Dwarves! You are needed desparately! Kelethin is being invaded by orcs! 'Tis the last great battle!!!!"
As one, our entire force sped toward the pass in the Butcherblock Mountains. United, we hurtled ourselves toward the Elven forests to protect those we had so often scoffed at. Skidding through the mountains, dodging trees, and fighting through mist, we eventualy all gathered at the tree city of Kelethin.
An Even Larger Force Prepares for the Coming Doom
Word of a fight at the entrance to Crushbone came to us by courier! All hands gripped their weapons more tightly. Spells were cast and defensive magics were readied. Every eye peered through the mist as we began to hear rumors of a giant orc attacking forces at Crushbone. At any moment, we expected to see Crushbone orcs pouring through the trees, attempting to destroy the fragile city of Kelethin.
But the enemy refused to appear.
Steadfastly we waited. And waited. And waited still longer. Reports of how quickly the giant orc had been destroyed led us to believe that the true attack had not yet begun.
It was at this time that Kiggle and I rejoiced due to Dumatoin's arrival. He was in time for the Final Battle! We would depart this world together as we began it! The Brothers Three would face Doom together!!!
We, and a few others that joined us, decided to go to the front lines themselves and await The Final Act at the gates of Crushbone itself. A braver choice has never been made by any.
The Front Line Defenders
This then, was "it". These were the hardy few that would face the great outpouring of Orcs that would surely spell the end of civilization as we knew it. We would all surely die, our blood spilled across the floor, our limbs torn asunder, but our souls valiant and pure.
This is when we saw that the body of the "giant Orc" was none other than the Orc god, Crushbone, himself. A God? Slain by a handful of mere mortals? What was this then?
A Fallen God?
Deciding to force the issue, Dumatoin rallied our group together for a foray directly into the heart of Crushbone itself. Screaming "FOR KALADIM!" from the depths of our lungs, we charged into the heart of the fortress.
But, except for a few lonely guards, there were no orc defenders at all. There was NO orcish army. There was...no...threat...at...all.
Bewildered, we walked slowly back out to the entrance, our weapons lowered for the first time in hours as we dragged them disheartedly through the dust in our bewilderment.
Confused and disorganized, our once proud united army of defenders began to dissolve into chaos. Some despairing souls threw themselves from the platforms of Kelethin, choosing to end their lives by their own hands rather than allow the Gods to merely snuff the world out like a candle.
A feeble last rumor of demigods teleporting the valiant to a Ragnarokian battle in the North Karanas prompted a last glimmer of hope. This turned out to be futile also, as the demi-gods told us "Sorry...the penultimate battle has too many people in it. You'll just have to die unfulfilled."
Ahhh...the gods hate us. Kiggle, Dumatoin, Tharkor, all of us...we ceased to be, snuffed out of existence and cast off with no further thought than one considers an orange peel while eating the orange.
It should have been glorious. Instead...it just...was.
Epilogues
There are two ways to remember this evening. One is uplifting and heroic...the other is depressing and bleak.
The Heroic:
Kiggle and Dumatoin have been constant friends throughout the Beta 4 period. They are always there when needed and are stalwart companions. Many, many images of fights and travels, ribaldry and swapped stories come to mind. And, although we give Kiggle a ribbing many times, this newest addition to the Noble Lions is one of our best. Here is how I chose to remember him from that final evening.
Kiggle at his Penultimate Best
The Bleak:
In an attempt to participate in the final battle, after it was obvious we would never get gated there, I desperately logged back on as my Barbarian Warrior. I began running to the Karanas (I was near there already), and almost got there when Aradune came on line and said "Beta 4 is ending. Thanks everyone."
I screamed "NOOOOOooooo!" (among other obscenities aimed at the Gods), but eventually just sat down and gave up.
This shall always be my final memory of that disappointing night. Alone, in the darkness, with absolutely nothing to fight anywhere.
Halena Braces for the Coming Nothingness