It was this development, the Third Golems, that caused problems for the Elves of Winarda and their opponents alike.
Golems of Entropy, of Lightning, of Death, and of Storm. A Golem of Ebon Flame wiped out the labs and community of Winarda when it proved more powerful than the creators had hoped, and the others slipped their own bonds at the same time.
One of those released was a weapon system unlike those others, summoned from beyond the pale to this universe and contained under layers of enchantment to prevent it ever walking free.
Under the management of the kriska, the War escalated even further before all combatants finally turned their attention to the worst enemy they all held. The kriska was believed slain, but even so - the warnings were that any of that enemy might return and begin again.
Shapeshifter. Supplanter. The kriska collective. It would send its worms out, they would tunnel into a human body and eat it from the inside out - making new flesh out of old. The kriska would turn a village into a ghost town within three days, subverting the populace and making them part of itself. In the center would be the queen, powerful and deadly and adapting to the environment and creating new monsters to make its hive secure. Eventually it would spawn new queens.
All powerful it was not though. It had weaknesses. Magic and psionics (except for Queen's telepathy) had been beyond its grasp.
Until now.
"It's because dwarves aren't good at the kind of magic elves and some of the other races throw around," said the dwarf, walking alongside Ranma and Ren. "Runecrafting and divine-magic we can do. Crafting weapons and such, alchemy - that's us too. In combat though - spellslinging - that kind of magic is all shifting from moment to moment. Spell and counterspell, shifting from one manuever to another, trying to block your opponent's attack and find something to go through their defenses."
"Sounds like the martial arts," said Ranma, nodding.
"I'll take your word for it," said the dwarf. "I'm a crafter, not a brawler. Still, that was why we'd first gotten into experiments like that. Dwarves are best for working with hard materials like stone and metal. Elves, though many dwarves will dispute this, are best with softer stuff - particularly things which are or were alive. Enchantments and such, and wood is one of their favorite materials. Elven archmages though - they can spellweave on a moment's notice. So when many groups of elves were on one side, and we dwarves tended to be on the other - we needed a way to even things out. First we used anti-magical wards on warmachines. They figured out ways around it, we responded. Sure that's the case with your Arts too."
Ranma nodded. Find a defense to a manuever, your opponent found a way to overcome the defense. Martial arts.
"Now there was a big debate raging about the creation of these weapons. Not a new thing, people been making that argument since the first golems. Is creating life, binding spirits, summoning elemental forces - is it RIGHT to do so?" The old dwarf shook his head. "Thing is - you can't UNinvent something. If you start working out something, it's going to be finished. Someone'll come along later even if you put the stuff away."
Ranma shrugged. He could sorta understand. Though martial arts were supposedly lost or sealed, they ended up getting reinvented or something or an old scroll turned up.
"Hence the development of two entirely different weapons philosophies," said the dwarf. "There were the edel that we came up with, willing spirits of the elements bound to mortal form for a time to experience a life and existence they couldn't otherwise have. Also the galatea, the living weapons that were a further refinement of the warforged."
"So you're an elemental spirit?" asked Ranma of Ren.
Ren nodded ever so slightly, on the other side of Ranma from the dwarf whom she pointedly did not look at.
"And you're strong with wind, so that means you're not so strong against earth, right?" asked Ranma.
Ren blinked.
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(Posted Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:09)
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