1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:08,480 Vander's Pride, written and performed by Owen Staton, 2 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:16,079 Chapter 2. The lead, Belcher Vander 3 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:22,120 Einfury, the second son of the Lord of Zafbah, grinned fiercely 4 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:27,400 as the stale, twisting depths of the ancient mine shaft blossomed 5 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:33,320 with the rich, earthy aroma of dwarven pipe smoke, a scent that 6 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:38,280 had not graced these forsaken halls for untold centuries. 7 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:44,240 Before him loomed the lost hold of Karaksagar, A glittering 8 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,880 prize of legend, its reclamation a dream that had burned in the 9 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:53,200 hearts of his clan since the days of his Grandsires. 10 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:58,640 Grandsires victory was not merely within reach, it 11 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,440 thundered in his blood, a promise of glory to his kin and 12 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,880 mountains of gold to fill the coffers of Zafbah. 13 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,760 The mountain itself seemed to tremble in anticipation of its 14 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:18,680 rightful master's return. Perched upon a jagged, damp 15 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:23,440 boulder deep beneath the Black Mountains, Vander ran a 16 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:28,400 calloused hand through his iron grey beard, his mind ablaze with 17 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,200 the trials his expedition had already conquered. 18 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:37,760 The collapsed mine Shafter Head was but a trifling obstacle 19 00:01:37,960 --> 00:01:40,720 compared to the horrors they had endured. 20 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,600 The gruelling March through the festering beastman haunted 21 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,480 forests where the air reeked of rot and the trees themselves 22 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,480 seemed to claw at their armour. The treacherous ascent through 23 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:59,600 the wind lashed foothills where icy gales howled like the whales 24 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,120 of the damned. Many of his stout hearted 25 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,600 warriors had faltered, some turning back in despair, others 26 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,080 claimed by fates too grim to recount. 27 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,120 Yet Vander bore the cost with a grudging nod. 28 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:20,680 The prize was no less than the restoration of a great hold, a 29 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:27,480 beacon of ancestral pride. Around him, his dwindled band of 30 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,760 warriors stood resolute. A group of engineers, their 31 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:36,320 faces smeared with soot and grit, hammered the final stakes 32 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:40,400 into a web of explosives encircling the block tunnel. 33 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,720 Nearby, Rangers and Thunderers lounged in stoic silence, 34 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:50,880 wreaths of pipe smoke curling from their lips, while the groan 35 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,960 of an ancient winch pierced the stillness. 36 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:57,880 Above them swayed their pride, their arsenal. 37 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:02,640 A massive, ornate cannon, its barrel etched with ruins of 38 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:06,200 vengeance, It had been hauled leagues across. 39 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:11,840 Perilous mountains and valleys Under Vander's unyielding 40 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:17,120 command, it dangled 6 feet above the cavern floor, its crew 41 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:21,600 leaping to steady its descent as the ropes creaked under its 42 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,760 weight. A sharp gesture from the lead 43 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,120 engineer snapped the group to attention. 44 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:32,400 Down he barked, and Vander dropped to a Crouch, muttering A 45 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:38,480 gruff ick as his hand sank into a slick, unidentifiable ooze, 46 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:43,040 coating the stone. The cavern held its breath, the 47 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,560 only sound the strained squeal of the cannon's winch. 48 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,360 The engineer struck a Flint, igniting a fuse with a hiss that 49 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:56,240 spat across the gloom. The flickering light danced over 50 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,680 the tunnel walls, revealing a riot of glowing fungi and 51 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:06,400 grotesque mushrooms, alien Sentinels of this buried realm. 52 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:11,000 The Engineer sprinted past Vander and dove behind a slab of 53 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,560 rock just as the world erupted. A blinding flash and a 54 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:19,839 thunderous roar tore through the shaft as a barricade of fallen 55 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:25,120 stone exploded outwards, hurling a Tempest of shards and dust. 56 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:30,320 The dwarves flattened themselves against the earth, hands clamped 57 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:33,440 over ears as the caverns shuddered and groaned. 58 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,880 Fragments of rock reigned like the wrath of the mountain itself 59 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,400 as the old dwarven adage rang in their minds. 60 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:46,080 Nobody moves until the mountain stops moving. 61 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:52,920 When the storm subsided, Vander rose shaking off dust and 62 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,880 silence. The cannon's squeaking grew 63 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,240 louder, its bulk swinging wildly above. 64 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:06,040 But a new sound, a sinister grating clatter, drew his gaze 65 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:08,800 into the freshly blasted passage. 66 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:16,000 His blood turned to ice. 50 yards ahead a gang of scrawny 67 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:21,440 loincloth clad goblins scurried with malicious purpose, dragging 68 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:28,840 an abomination into view. A dwarven 3 barrelled organ gun, 69 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:34,720 its once majestic craftsmanship defiled by crude goblin hands. 70 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:40,880 A grotesque trolls flayed face was lashed to its shield, its 71 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:45,400 empty eyes glaring as if the weapon itself were a snarling 72 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:54,400 beast reborn to spit death charge Vander Rd. hoisting his 73 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:59,160 rune forged warhammer aloft, its head glowing with the fury of 74 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,000 Grangy's forge. His warriors surged to their 75 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:07,600 feet, 50 iron shod boots pounding the stone in Urison. 76 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:13,080 They war cry, a deafening avalanche of defiance that shook 77 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:17,320 the caverns roots. Pride swelled in Van Der's chest 78 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,400 as they Thunder down the slick corridor towards the monstrous 79 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,440 engine. They resolve A blazing furnace 80 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:31,360 against the dark. But the goblin's wicked Glee 81 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:36,440 betrayed his hope. A squat, yellow toothed Wretch 82 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:41,600 capered atop the gun, its grin illuminated by the fiery brand 83 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,600 It thrust towards the fuse. Get down. 84 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,400 Vander bellowed, diving to the ground, arms shielding his head. 85 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,560 Too late. The organ gun unleashed its 86 00:06:55,560 --> 00:07:00,960 fury, a cataclysmic volley of flaming lead and jagged iron 87 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,680 that screamed through the air like the breath of a vengeful 88 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,640 dragon. The shaft became a Crucible of 89 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,040 chaos. Smoke choked the lungs. 90 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:17,640 Stone splintered, and dwarven screams mingled with the shrieks 91 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,600 of ruptured steel. The barrage tore through 92 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:27,000 Vander's ranks like a landslide through brittle timber, leaving 93 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:36,400 a trail of blood and ruin for a heartbeat, A cavern drowned in 94 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,880 haze, pierced only by the goblin's triumphant cackling. 95 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:46,160 Vander hauled himself upright, his hammer's grip A lifeline. 96 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:52,640 The toll was grim. Over half his force lay dead or 97 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,160 maimed, their armour rent asunder. 98 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:01,280 The survivors staggered, eyes wide with shock as the tunnel 99 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:06,040 reverberated with the ghosts of that unholy salvo. 100 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:10,560 Yet surrender was not in Vander's blood. 101 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:16,280 Clutching his hammer tighter, he strode forward, his heart a 102 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:20,560 forge of Moat and hatred for the desecrators of his people's 103 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,880 legacy. Behind him, his brothers 104 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:27,600 rallied, their boots striking the stone once more. 105 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:33,280 A drum beat of vengeance. The goblin smug jeers faltered 106 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,840 as they fumble with their weapon, realizing too late that 107 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:43,159 a second shot would not come. With a chorus of panicked 108 00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:47,800 squeals, they abandoned their prize and fled deeper into the 109 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,880 dark. Vander's spirit fled. 110 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:58,040 A victory beckoned anew. But as he crested the gun's 111 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:03,240 position, the sight beyond snuffed his fleeting hope. 112 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:09,400 The shaft widened into a vast cavernous chamber, and within it 113 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:14,120 seethed a nightmare tide. A horde of goblins. 114 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:19,120 Great goblins towering with brutish might, Night goblins 115 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:25,160 skulking with venomous cunning, lesser goblins swarming like 116 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:29,360 locusts and snotlings gibbering in their wake. 117 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,720 They filled every inch of the ancient hold. 118 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:39,000 Their eyes blazed like 1000 malevolent stars as their ragged 119 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:44,480 weapons, Spears, clubs and blades scavenged from forgotten 120 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:50,960 battlefields rose as 1A guttural, earth shaking war cry 121 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:57,320 erupted from their throats and the hoard surged forward, an 122 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:05,600 unstoppable flood of malice. Vander planted his feet, hammer 123 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:10,000 raised high, its runes flaring brighter than ever. 124 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:16,360 Behind him, his dwindle band formed a wall of steel and fury. 125 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:21,480 Their voices joined his in a defiant hymn to their ancestors. 126 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:27,840 The mountain trembled as the two forces hurtled towards 127 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:29,760 collision. Dwarf. 128 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:35,160 An honour against goblin savagery, a clash to echo 129 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,200 through the annals of Carrick Cigar. 130 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:45,200 Here, in the shadow of his greatest triumph or his final 131 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:52,080 stand, Vander Iron Fury knew the true battle for the Hold had 132 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:56,240 begun. A saga worthy of the Halls of 133 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:03,440 the Ancestors to be carved in stone or sung in blood. 134 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:12,440 Hello my friends, this is Owen. Thanks for listening to another 135 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:17,600 episode of Vander's Pride, A dwarven saga based on the 4th 136 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,480 edition dwarf book and something that's been going on in my mind 137 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:26,000 for as long as I can remember. As some of you might know, I'm a 138 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,880 long time dwarf player and Vander was always in command of 139 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:34,360 my armies. He's based off a small marauded 140 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,680 war figure with a bald head and a big hammer which came out back 141 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:42,640 in or the early 90s. I've got to thank Timothy from 142 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:48,000 Canada actually, who recently sent me his Vander figure as I'd 143 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,560 lost mine, although he is just on an adventure somewhere and 144 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:54,800 will surface again, of that I'm sure. 145 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,800 These stories in an earlier form appeared in the first couple of 146 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,640 issues of the Hero Hammer fanzine from a few years ago. 147 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:06,080 I've given them a bit of a Polish. 148 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,960 I've added some of the words from the Dwarven dictionary from 149 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,680 the 4th book, 4th edition book, and just tried to give it a bit 150 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:16,320 more character. If you'd like to hear more of 151 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,360 Vander's adventures, why not drop me a line? 152 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,880 You can find me at my website at welshstoryteller.com or drop me 153 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,680 a line at owenstanton@aol.com or you can find me on Discord. 154 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:30,720 Obviously I enjoy doing these, I enjoy writing them, I enjoy 155 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:33,960 performing them for you and sometimes I find they provide me 156 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,440 with a little bit of inspiration when it comes on your painting, 157 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:41,760 just to hear adventures of characters you've invented, and 158 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:43,680 I feel that's a big thing in Warhammer. 159 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,880 If I can create the character, a story, a background for the 160 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,200 armies I'm playing, it makes a big difference to me. 161 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:56,360 You can support me by buying me a coffee at ko-fi.com/owen 162 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,600 Statement or if you visit and listen to my podcast Time 163 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,360 Between Times. That would mean a great deal to 164 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,640 me as well. It's a podcast all about stories 165 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:10,560 and folklore and ghosts and things like that, and I think a 166 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:12,880 lot of people have said it's good background listening if 167 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,600 you're painting. I want to thank Josh as well, 168 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:19,440 who's been a great supporter of mine and publishes all these 169 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:23,760 things that I do, and it's a wonderful thing We have here the 170 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:27,600 Crown of Command community. If any of you have any ideas or 171 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,880 stories you'd like to hear me read or anything like that, just 172 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,080 be in touch. And it's good to be around here. 173 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:38,320 It's good to be doing this. And let's see where Vanda goes, 174 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,120 eh? Let me know if you want to hear 175 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,640 more about him. Would mean a great deal to me. 176 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:45,440 Take care my friends, no stop.