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Chapter 302: The Descendant of Emberforge

🕑 Added 2025-05-18 14:00:04 +0000 UTC

Comments

Michael

“Might it mean that her control of these minions could be disrupted or even usurped by a powerful mage?” I suspect that because Ali’s goals usually align with her minions’, that this risk has been reduced. Before [minion ego], taking control of a minion would have been a battle of spell power between the enemy mage and Ali. Now it will usually be a battle between the enemy mage and Ali plus the minion. I don’t know how resistant to mind magic trolls are, so perhaps that will only be a small additional factor, but it should usually be on the plus side of the ledger. Of course, this is also a reason not to use minions who would have opposed her in life like Joraa unless she can reconcile with them (as she seems to have done with Mok’freja).

Tim Burget

I'm super excited for this chapter based on the title! > There was a muffled thump from the back, and splinters of glass and clouds of smoke billowed up from under a table. The soot-stained face of the Gnomish alchemist appeared, announced by a long and inventive sequence of dwarven profanity. LUL. > Alchemist – Gnome – level 89 > Even she is getting close to her class evolution. Interesting... > Ali carefully cradled the small green frog in her hands, not wanting to drop it or have it jump in response to the noise. Not that she could physically hurt him, he was far too durable for that. Heh. > “Hi, Aliandra,” Morwynne said, as she untangled herself and decided she had appropriately conveyed how she felt about the accident in the back. She left the debris with a kick and a parting word of particularly scathing intent and then her gaze flickered across Malika, Mato, and Calen. LUL > searching the alchemy lab for a clear spot of sufficient size Do those even exist here? :P > “Maybe step back a bit,” Ali suggested. > Morwynne glanced at her in surprise and backed away uncertainly. “Why does that frog identify as a level one hun…” > Ali dispelled the frog hex her witch doctor had been maintaining on Tol’brekk. The giant troll was suddenly present, his full magnitude revealed in an instant. He bowed his head to avoid the ceiling that was clearly not made with giant trolls in mind. > “Maybe step back a bit,” Ali suggested. Morwynne glanced at her in surprise and backed away uncertainly. “Why does that frog identify as a level one hun…” Ali dispelled the frog hex her witch doctor had been maintaining on Tol’brekk. The giant troll was suddenly present, his full magnitude revealed in an instant. He bowed his head to avoid the ceiling that was clearly not made with giant trolls in mind. > Morwynne yelped and then covered up her startled embarrassment with a second long string of profanity. LUL > “I want you to listen to him,” Ali said, grinning. Then she switched to trollish and looked up at the giant, “I’d like you to practice your poetry on her.” > “Yes, Seeker,” Tol’brekk grinned, the mere power of his voice rattling a few precariously balanced glass vials. Then he launched into a powerful stream of impassioned oration, complete with gestures, aimed at the tiny Gnome. > But rather than be intimidated, Morwynne stared at the monster, her eyes growing wider and rounder by the second. > “That was incredible! Do another one!” Morwynne exclaimed the moment he finished, hopping up and down in delight and clapping her hands. LOL > “Aliandra, you must teach me this exquisite language!” Oh no. Morwynne's gonna be adding *Trollish* to her repertoire of swears! > magic. Kavé assisted with a skill of shining quicksilver mana while Tarek supplied more and more ore and materials for the blacksmith to combine. The sense of progress and understanding through her Sage of Learning was electrifying, climbing rapidly toward a crescendo. > Suddenly, Thuli froze, and from the expression on his soot-stained face, she knew he had finally made a breakthrough. A moment later, Sage of Learning clenched, filling her mind with a burst of sudden pressure as it rearranged the experience. > Variant: Eimuuran Steel added to Imprint: Metal. Yes! > “Seeker?” Tol’brekk’s deep voice rumbled through his massive chest, somehow soft and gentle, questioning, and yet it made Ali’s bones shiver. Half of the library patrons froze, glancing over in apprehension. Heh. > They had relocated from the alchemy lab up in town to take advantage of the Grand Library Arcana’s grand circle, the domain tithe, and Ali’s Teaching Sage – the result of which had Morwynne cursing fluently in Trollish after a little more than half an hour. LUL > “I wish to learn the language of the humans,” Tol’brekk said. Well, that's a surprise. > I am but a summoned memory of myself, but if Aman Rak is to remain among the humans, I wish to be understood, also. Huh. I didn't expect him to be so... open minded. > Might it mean that her control of these minions could be disrupted or even usurped by a powerful mage? That was the case even before Minion Ego, Ali. That one Shadow Mage was able to take over one of your minions. > Besides, after learning what ‘poetry’ meant to the trolls of Aman Rak, she guessed she knew what the giant berserker would use it for – and, if nothing else, it might be amusing. Heh. > I could never be a stealth class, could I? she mused as she found a Glitter Dragonet circling the forge down below and teleported there. > Ali probably would never know the depth of what he must be feeling at this moment, but she knew he held in his hand the crowning achievement of his life-long quest. Heh. > Blacksmith – Dwarf – level 100 (Ember) Nice! He's ready to level up! > Flame Blade of Mastery – level 93
> A perfectly balanced shortsword made from Eimuuran steel, enchanted with flame.
> Damage: Slashing, Physical, Fire
> Added Fire damage on hit with this weapon.
> +2 to skill level of Sword Mastery skills.
> +22% increased attack speed.
> +12% chance to trigger level 57 Double Strike on hit.
> +17% to Fire damage.
> Requirements: Strength 654.
> Created by Thuli Emberforge in The Dungeon of Knowledge.
> One Hand – Sword Woah! Five enchantments! That should make it a Rare item! There's plenty of interesting stuff in the description that would have really smoothed out getting Silver Cog's attention if they had been able to send this at the time. We've got that it's an item with a crafting signature (which means the crafter is still alive) made with Eimuuran steel, the last name Emberforge, and the mention of "The Dungeon of Knowledge." That would have been worth investigating *properly* (not just asking one person and deciding it was good enough) so they could find the source even if they didn't believe it actually came from Myrin's Keep. That last thing actually interests me personally. It means the item has *two* mana signatures on it: Thuli's and Ali's dungeon's. Not Ali herself's mana signature, though, or else it would have said something about "Aliandra Amariel." This means two interesting things: It's possible to have two mana signatures on an item (possibly because it was created with an artifact with Domain Tithe), and Ali's domain (or at least the affinity biomes) has a different mana signature than Ali herself. > It was the first time she had seen a full name for him, and her own domain mana was present in the signature, appearing as an accent in the background. Ah. Interesting... And right, that is the first time we've seen a last name for him! > “Congratulations!” Ali said. “You earned your name.” > “I… what?” Thuli said, looking at her in confusion. > “Your mana signature,” Ali said. “You earned the last name of your ancestor, Thovir Emberforge.” Nice! > Jaw sagging like a thousand-year-old trapdoor, he gaped at the sword in his hands and then wiped his eyes with the back of a dirty hand, smearing soot across his brow. LUL > “Master! This one offers congratulations!” Kavé said, staring at the sword with awe gleaming in her eyes. > “Master, we must celebrate your naming,” Tarek said. > It took a few moments for Thuli to collect himself. “Oi, none o’ that master stuff…” he said, but he still looked a little dazed as he caught Ali’s eyes. Hehe. > Obliging, Kavé presented an ingot of Bloodsteel and one of Eimuuran steel, and a beautifully crafted shield made from Eimuuran steel which Ali instantly recognized from the armory they had looted in the Ruins of Dal’mohra. The shield bore the mana signature of Kavé Steelscale. Nice! (Although, is the last name for Kavé supposed to be new? She already had a last name when we saw her mana signature before in Chapter 165.) > Then, Tarek presented a pair of bone daggers he had learned, identical to the ones Ali had committed to her Grimoire, taken from Kobold rogues in the library so long ago. Sweet! > “Kavé learned Eimuuran steel immediately, and that shield is clearly of Dal’mohran design,” Thuli said, pausing significantly before continuing. “The anvil teaches them what you know in that book of yours, doesn’t it? And it taught ya what I made.” Interesting... > “Lass, I don’t think ya quite know just how powerful and disruptive this here anvil will be,” he said finally. Oh? > For many, the only reason they teach is because the techniques would be lost after they die. Hmmm... > This anvil is a tool that can exponentially accelerate teaching, but they will have ta give up their secrets to the anvil ta take advantage of it, making them available to you and everyone who uses the anvil after them Sounds good to me. The hoarding of knowledge without sharing really slows down innovation. > “But ya have created a powerful lure. I gained seven levels of mastery.” Woah. > “Kavé and Tarek both learned how ta craft dungeon dropped items. It is unheard of. Ya see, the problem with dungeon drops is they are often poorly balanced with enchantments that do not match yer class perfectly. Ya gotta be happy with whatever ya get. On the other hand, they often have powerful and difficult ta learn enchants – things that have been lost ta time, like the making of Eimuuran steel. This here anvil solves both of those problems. Kavé can make that Dal’mohran shield with any configuration of enchantments she knows. And learning the item taught her a new enchantment.” Nice! > “But perhaps you don’t see the danger. As more people use the anvil, the wealth of techniques, enchantments, and patterns will become progressively more irresistible. Ya should be prepared to defend this room vigorously because I’m serious when I say the anvil may start wars. When Thorel Moldur gets wind of this, you’ll have a Dwarven army on yer doorstep, mark my words.” Oh my. > She appreciated his feedback, but she was certain he was being a bit dramatic about the anvil causing war. How certain are you, Ali? > With the list, he should be able to guide his apprentices to learn each of the specific patterns and enchants, although many of them – like the Heavy Bone Greataxe of Carnage – would be well beyond Tarek’s reach for a while still. Heh.

Critical Meyhem

I could see Morwynne and Tol' Brekk hanging out creating more and more creative "poems".. A swear off poetry slam in the library.

Michael

Ali has done nothing contrary to her minions’ interest since binding the witchdoctor to the artificial shrine without first asking him to volunteer (which he would likely have done had she understood that he had the awareness to make the decision). She made no further use of Joraa after interrogating him and finding him unrepentant (and therefore unlikely to serve willingly), but it looks like Tol’brekk will become a recurring cast member partially as a result of his desire to make amends. Had Ali been the monster that Mok’freja initially feared (summoning Mok’freja to torture her), or even treating her minions like scrap metal in spite of their awareness, I’d have a very different reaction, but from everything we’ve seen, Ali is behaving like a general who cares about her troops, but cares about her strategic goals more. Humoring Tol’brekk’s desire to learn common strikes me as a sign that she will remain a responsible commander. If her minions end up finding a use for and therefore requesting pay or vacation during downtime to spend on their non-combat interests, I doubt she will object, and that keeps the relationship more like commander and soldier than master and slave.

Andrew Milne

Thanks for the chapter. Nice to see Thuli ready to advance. That said I’m getting very nervous about minion ego. The minions are becoming far too self aware and sapient for my liking. Unless Ali is about to stop using them as her army it’s starting to seem like slavery. Tol’brek says he’s an echo, but the level of remorse and gratitude make it hard to see him as just an echo built around Aliandra’s mind.

Chyre

Oh no, Ali's created a true monster this time. How will the town ever survive Morwynne's enhanced swearing?

Lijwent

Probably not a priority, her situation won't change and she must have an insane amount of work with all the newly evolved people around, the deal with the merchants etc

kreiverin

What about Vivian and her class ?

Alexix

Thank you for the chapter! It was delicious!

Robert Mullins

She needs to study the enchantments on the anvil and learn to make equivalent crafting tools for the other professions.

Michael

She would probably need to have let it respawn twice to get the imprint, that’s no longer possible with the dungeon gone.

f

I wonder if she can resummon the demonic drake and ask it what happened to the forge?

Michael

If she gets enough time before the next crisis, I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts creating magicite powered household appliances and other quality of life improvements. Those would make Myrin’s Keep an even more inviting target for invasion, but the rate at which its defenders are gaining strength probably still exceeds its growth in notoriety and wealth. Later (once the domain extends above ground at full strength) perhaps we can start seeing a mass transit system and minions patrolling to make the city watch obsolete.

Ulsar

tyfc

TheIronDragon

Hell yeah! I love that she made a knowledge accumulating anvil, that's sick! Thanks for the chapter!

CherMi

I think Ali will make a conscious effort to go into sharing knowledge after effects of this anvil become more apparent, like collecting rare enchantments to teach or making similar artifacts for other professions. It'd be really cool to see her set it as a goal for her next hundred level, now that she knows how evolution works.

Weebhunter452

So how long till Ali fixes the runes on the ruined city walls and throughout the city n stuff

Kensyi

Also, more please.

Kensyi

This chapter made me tear up some, I feel bad for Tol'Brekk. But I love her Ego skill. Next chapter she should be grabbing Vivian and Thuli. Can not wait. Ali has basically unlocked this towns growth just being her lovely caring self and I am so happy for her.

Kensyi

I bet it will be something really cool.

JHD

That anvil really embodies the dungeon of knowledge!

Tanj

An exquisite chapter.

Hakiu

I wonder what Class Thuli will have

James Meline

tftc!


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