Morgrym - Ian's Badass Dwarf

 

Morgrym

 

 

Background printed with Ian's permission. 

 

Morgrym Odolson

 

Morgrym was born the older of two boys to a miner and his wife. Odol's family had long been removed from the prestige it had once held in the councils of the Sky Citadel of Janderhoff. Some transgression had made those ancestors pariahs there and now Odol was forced to work in the mines of Kopparberget, his two young boys the last member of a once noble line.

 

Morgrym was still quite young when his father was killed in a tunnel collapse. He was left to shoulder the burden of caring for his mother and younger brother, and since he was considered to young to take up his father' strafe, the three were left to eke out an existence in the wild lands of the north. Morgrym hunted to provide food for the family and trapped in the coldest months to earn enough coin to buy what supplies they couldn't forage for. The harsh existence hardened the boy and taught him to expect little from life without a struggle. What had been a cheerful and pleasant child grew into a grimly pragmatic young man.

His younger brother Narrin, however, could not be more different. Regardless of the hardships of life after the loss of his father, Narrin remained a cheerful and affable child. Nothing seemed able to dampen his spirits and he was the joy of his small family's life. Even Morgrym found it impossible to not be buoyed his younger brother's joy for life and what few smiles he had in those days were usually prompted by Narrin's good-natured ribbing.

A few years later, the boys' mother died. She had never recovered from Odol's death and with her passing went the last ties they had to the small cottage and the harsh life they made for themselves there. While she had lived she refused to leave it because it had been built with Odol's own hands, but now Narrin was able to convince Morgrym that their future could be built in the city. The two decided to make their way to Karlsgard, eager to see more of life than could be found in the wild and hilly lands in which they had grown up.

Once there, though, they struggled to find employment. Although their father had never spoken much of their family's history it was clear that many in the dwarves communities there had little regard for Odol's sons. Soon, desperate to continue to care for his younger brother, Morgrym turned to petty thievery to provide enough coin to keep them fed. Narrin continually protested to his brother that there must be another way,it the objections fell on deaf ears. Morgrym had too long been the caretaker and felt no shame in doing whatever it took to protect his younger brother. Eventually he even found work of a darker sort when his skills as a marksman were discovered by a local gang of thieves eager to dispose of key rivals. Narrin fretted and continued to find a way to convince his brother that there must be another way.

 

He was sure he had found it when he brought Morgrym news of a small mining operation that was willing to hire both young men for work in the mountains near Kopparberget. A small concern of outlanders from Varisia had acquired rights to an old mine and were looking for skilled miners to help them reopen it. They told Narrin They had had difficulty attracting the interest of the more experienced dwarves in Kalsgard because they were from the south but they were sure it would be profitable for all involved. For days Narrin nagged his brother to meet the men and hear their offer. At first Morgrym would hear nothing of it, calling it a pipe dream of easy riches and his brother a foolish child for imagining that term was any success in life that could be gained without hard struggle and sacrifice, but his brother's enthusiasm had always been infectious. Eventually, Morgrym capitulated and met with Ratarion, the chief officer of the mining concern. The offer made was certainly generous and despite his nagging misgivings about the practiced charm of the southerner, Morgrym agreed and the two brothers soon set out southeast with a dozen other workers and a half dozen heavily armed company guards for the old mine.

The ragged and seedy of their fellow "miners" was the first indication that all was not as it seemed with the operation, but their were quickly other troublesome signs. Although Ratarion had said the site was "quite near Kopparberget" they actually swung quite wide of that mine to a location much further south. When asked about the claim, Ratarion was vague and said he that he was was in possession of it on behalf of a third party but offered little other detail. Most worrisome was that he was evasive about exactly what they would be mining for. He would say only that it was a mineral most rare and valuable.

Once they arrived, the state of the mine gave Morgrym even more to be worried about. It was clearly abandoned and some years ago at that. Morgrym had been an apt pupil of his father's teachings about mining and he quickly pointed out the need for reinforcement and repair before the operation could be made safe. Here Ratarion's easy charm disappeared; it quickly became clear that he cared for little but extracting the pale blue crystal that filled the lower tunnels as quickly as possible. In fact, he seemed always alert as if he expected interruption at any minute and constantly exhorted the crews to work faster. He still spoke of the profits to be made but only to use cutting them off as a threat to any who complained.

And complaints they had many: the working conditions were poor, the hours brutally long, and the timber supports frequently gave protesting groans as they bored deeper into the mountain. But the most grave complaint was that all who worked in the mine seemed to be sickening quickly, a strange wasting illness. They each spoke of frequent headaches and trouble concentrating. Days became hazy and more and more the miners spoke less, working ceaselessly but ever more slowly as their mental faculties suffered and their bodies weakened. Morgrym suffered less than most, but Narrin was particularly affected. Some days he even looked at his brother through tired eyes that seemed to show little recognition. When Morgrym protested to Ratarion that work must be halted, the Varisian snarled that if he didn't return to work he would forfeit his share. Regardless of the consequences, Morgrym made up his mind that he would take Narrin and sneak away from the camp that very evening. He had seen the cold look in the eyes of the company guards and was none to sure that he would have been free to leave regardless.

The chance of escape never came, however. That very afternoon, just after Morgrym had commanded his brother to take a final load of the strange crystals up and rest, a rumble shook the tunnels. Seconds later, Morgrym caught a final glance of Narrin at the far end of the tunnel, silhouetted against the westering sun, when the rotten timbers have way and a massive collapse buried the miners.

Morgrym awoke in darkness some time later. A falling support timber had knocked him unconscious but he was otherwise unharmed. The rest of the wretches that had been brought into that pit had fared less well. All around broken and mangled bodies attested to the fact that Morgrym seemed the only survivor of the collapse. He prayed that Narrin had escaped safely on the other side on the wall of rubble, but his immediate concern was escape. Judging that it would take him weeks to shift the detritus on his own, he set about exploring the deeper tunnels that had not yet been probed; possibly there was another exit and the dark held no fear for the dwarf.

Days later he emerged from a cleft some ways north of the original entrance. His hopes of being reunited with his brother were dashed, however, when he found his way back to the mining camp. It was obvious that it had been struck in haste. Rather than making an attempt to rescue him and the other miners, it was clear that Ratarion and the others had abandoned them to their fate. Worst of all, Morgrym could find no sign of his younger brother and feared the worst. If the Varisians were concerned that Narrin might tell others of what had happened...

The trail was old but led clearly for some distance southeast, in the direction of Varisia. Morgrym wanted answers and was prepared to get them, no matter how long it took and no matter what he had to do to get them.