I wrote this for my brother Jay's home-brew setting, Novare. His creation shenanigans have roots within Greyhawk, though they now include a bit of almost every setting published. I wrote it in what is basically iambic pentameter (or close-enough, anyway). It took quite a few hours, and a hell of a lot of reference-material use. Feel free to expurgate it to fit your tabletops.
THE RHAPSODY OF MORADIN, FIRST DWUR
Author Unknown
"Lo' MORADIN first Dwur, 'IN FORT, IN ACT, Giant's Blood!
Though remiss in stature, his sum didst surfeit high wood.
Well low he drew his fellowship, engine born his design,
Pluck death, did he, from fire, 'GRAPE WITHDRAWN FROM VINE.
All washed in envy, Giant's King wend thug in sympathy,
Virile Weaver dryth He; propound accord, meeting Blood with casualty.
Webs bereft of weavers, did MORADIN 'IN FUMES, so leave,
From fire, from stone, ruin made for King's, noxiously received.
'HO, MORIDAN, His pals, themselves inasmuch ill bonded, went gyre!
'CRUSH ME, cryth MORADIN, now miscast to send Blood ire.
Restive MORADIN, without utterance, did abide, and He flew not.
Far away His cry was heard, by Giants bygone forgot.
Careworn Water surged busily, great Fire turned back, Air teemed;
Earth acted, mounts esquire; hundredfold points due Him still agleam.
Took She, wee MORIDAN, to fastness, her bosom, under ground.
A house, none safer, built she; within echoed strike resound.
No wall wields surety for He innermost fraught with chagrin,
The Earth did crook the stone withal vital to win.
Hammer fell and scale took flight, versus shape He knew,
From stone, from flame, mallet strike and cinder, bade anew!
Red stone rose up, 'FOR DOWNS, MORADIN pray them know,
Grey stone rose up, FOR MOUNTS, MORADIN pray them know,
Black stone rose up, FOR HOLLOWS, MORADIN pray them know,
'THEE ALL BE KIN, spoke MORADIN, his hammer still a'glow.
On Red, on Grey, on Black His hammer did wail,
A coronet, He bespoke, for three as one, entitled 'FIRESCALE.
Issued then the Dwur, stone's sons, with MORADIN grown content.
Ages came, His sons strove out and begat; MORADIN slept."
I don't know if you're looking for a critique, but I'll point out that "thee" is the singular, objective form, and what you need here is the plural, nominative form "ye."
I don't know if you're looking for a critique, but I'll point out that "thee" is the singular, objective form, and what you need here is the plural, nominative form "ye."
That's right; thank you, sir. I threw in Old French, Old and Middle English, as well as a mix of others. It figures that I would mess up a friggin' pronoun. I also used some suffixes and prefixes in unorthodox ways, but as I am writing numerical prose, and not grammatical, I think I am in the clear.
Seeing as all I know of iambic pentameter is self-taught, I think I did passably well, especially given its context. D&D, after all, is home to the most historically inaccurate weapon descriptions available in print.
'WORD' means those assembled cry the words out in place of the speaker
When MORADIN is spoken, all assembled take a drink.
If there are representatives of Mountain, Hill, and Dark dwarves, each will respectively shout FOR DOWNS, FOR MOUNTS, or FOR HOLLOWS.
Firescale, btw, is an artifact-crown, split into three pieces, and ransomed by the Giants. If reforged in the caldera of Mount Farghedrekar, where Moradin first forged the dwarves, it is said all the different tribes will reunite again under one king.
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