[Archive] The Keys of Rebirth and Eternity

Fuggit Khan:

Imperial Year

-4000


Contact is lost.

-3666

Mining an iron vein, Rahk-Shardstone unearths a prophetic obsidian tablet.

Its inscription, written in veins of living liquid copper, states:

�?oHell has 664 portal gate keys. With them, your hands shall forge the final two, the keys of Rebirth and Eternity, and I, Hashut, shall name you my Son.�?�  

-3500

Dwarfs of the Dark Lands start worshipping Hashut.

-2700

Sorceror Prophet Rahk-Shardstone guides the raising of iron and obsidian from the ground, the foundations of Zharr-Naggrund.  

-2666

Whispers of the Sorcerors Curse. No, Rahk-Shardstone thought�?�not a curse.

Rebirth and Eternity. Flesh rots. Stone is eternal.

He smiled.  

-1666

Rahk-Shardstone�?Ts lifeless petrified stone body is placed on temple grounds.

2666

The stone statue of Rahk-Shardstone steps off its pedestal.

His heart was iron ore, lungs of molten magma. Liquid copper coursed through his stone veins. Black obsidian eyes, with copper pupils, looked at his stone hands.

Glowing hotly, both hands held a key, each forged with the souls of 332 daemons.

The final two keys: Rebirth and Eternity.  

As those about him bowed in fear, Rahk-Shardstone looked to the statue of Hashut. Smiling, he spoke�?��?�Hello, Father�?�.

:hashut

Dînadan:

I’m impressed that he lasted over 2000 before turning to stone, didn’t think Chaos Dwarfs lived that long.

Fuggit Khan:

I'm impressed that he lasted over 2000 before turning to stone, didn't think Chaos Dwarfs lived that long.

Dînadan
In the original version I wrote (before I chopped up the story to make it shorter), his long life was explained as coming from a pact with Hashut himself.
Rahk-Shardstone was to be the first "prophet" of Hashut. His preaching of Hashut among the other Dwarfs in the Dark Lands was rewarded with a longer lifespan...a precursor to the prophecy of his Rebirth in stone.
There were other bits of story continuity that I had to cut out as well...

Dînadan:

Well how’s your chance to publish an expanded version :wink:

Admiral:

This timeline had my vote. Very clever and mystical, befitting Chaos Dwarfs. I like it a lot!

And do please publish the full version. :wink: