After a visit to see Bliss, Grim popped over to the colony of Mount Vir and swung by one of his favorite bars. Walking up to the counter, He looked at the barkeep, " Hey, Maxxie, hear anything good lately? Hear of anyone looking for a change of scenery? I’m looking for some people that won’t mind some hardship for a chance to be the first in a new place. I and a few others are working on setting up a settlement on the far side of the nightmare moors. If you see any of my nieces or nephews, let them know I think that this would a good opportunity for them. Also, some of the younger Kiou Smiths that are looking for a place to setup their own shops. If you can find some let me know, I can provide transport for some. Just give me a heads up when some are ready. I’ll be back around every so often."
Grim's Recruitment Drive
An old K’iou battlemaiden smiled a big grin showing off teeth embelished with diamonds. She said, “Ahh Grim, most infamous of the Daggagoa, you always end up doing something mischevious in the Earther and Olgog lands. I have a pair of nephews, Sonnah and Zaphophiah, and they have just completed their apprentice ship to a well respected Forgemaster. But neither wants to work here in Mt. Vir.
Sonnah is a good boy and a hard worker. Zaphophiah should have been born a bastard instead of a K’iou. All he cares about is experimenting with things that go boom.”
[Grim must choose if he will accept the brothers as a package deal. Sonnah Journeyman Forgemaster FS4 Fire 4, Earth 4 no artificing ever. Zaphophiah Journeyman Forgemaster FS 4 Fire 4, Earth 4, General lvl 2. Unknown to all, half of all artifacts made by Zaphophiah will be cursed. However they can build new structures and expand stoneworks without any negatives]
Looking at the battlemaiden, Grim nodded. “I’ll take them with me if they agree to go. For the most part right now, they will be helping to expand the camp into to a full town. If you know any youngsters who work the gardens here that might like to move. I plan to set up underground gardens as the surface is mostly frozen.” With that, Grim paid for his drinks and bought the Maiden one before leaving to collect the smiths and teleporting back to base.
[ Sonnah Journeyman Forgemaster FS4 Fire 4, Earth 4 no artificing ever. Zaphophiah Journeyman Forgemaster FS 4 Fire 4, Earth 4, General lvl 2. Unknown to all, half of all artifacts made by Zaphophiah will be cursed. However they can build new structures and expand stoneworks without any negatives.]
Zaphophiah smiled at Grim shaking his hand vigourously like an Earther might. Sonnah gave a deep and respectful bow, using traditional High Falos hand gestures to signify their thanks for the opportunity.
The battlemaiden grabbed Grim’s sleeve before he left saying, “Now remember, keep good care of my family. Once you have some success out there, bring me back a story or two showing the great honors my family has won. Then I guarantee more folks will be flocking to join your expedition.”
Grim was suprised when he got a call on a commcrystal from an old friend at Mt. Vir. Teleporting over to her bar, Grim could see Maxima Felldraught, looking pretty angry and overwhelmed at the same time.
"Grim, I got word from my nephews Zaphophiah. Apparently he wanted to show off, but his showing off just got me worried. He told me you are facing Doomwyrms. That Annihilation dragons are makiing weekly hit and run attacks on Jemison Post.
I am not going to be happy if me family is annihilated."
Grim knew not to anger the old barkeep, she had crushed a Quall’s Skull in her right hand back in her day. Grim smiled a calming smile and was about to say something when a K’iou dressed in heavy brass armor walked over. His armor looked like it had steam running from its shoulders, and there was a large armored section on the shoulder that almost looked like a second head.
The K’iou said, “Ahh Calm yerself. Me name is Glorious Grandcloak, and me and my buddy will handle your dragon problem for you.”
Grim had been around and never heard of any Glorious Grandcloak, and except for that weird second head on his armor, Grim didn’t see any buddy around this K’iou. But at that moment the second head spoke and Grim realized it was a tiny Kumfei riding the armored K’iou like a tank.
"Don’t fret Grim, Glorious and I used to work as freelancers for the VLAD agency too. Even saw you out in the field at a few big battles during the Border Wars. I’m Waszhy Springlash, and I used to be a WarGiant pilot. Glorious used to be a Hydraulic Knight under the real McMurphy.
But since the real McMurphy was replaced by Mac, the agency is going downhill fast. So Glorious decided we should go back to his home, here in Mt. Vir. Its been good, but there ain’t much work for mercs like us down here.
If you are looking for people trained in taking down Dragons, that would be Glorious and I."
The K’iou gave his kumfei friend a thumbs up and said, “You are Grim, and yer legend preceeds ye. If you want Waszhy and me on yer side, I want my choice of parts from any Doomwyrm me and the little one kill. And some other sort of payment, but you can figure out a good offer I’m sure.”
Grim could tell that hiring on Glorious and Waszhy to protect Zaphophiah and Sonnah’s smithy would go a long way to assuaging the barkeep’s fears about her nephews. But he would have to decide what sort of payment to offer them to sweeten the deal.
Grim looked at the Mercs, “well, it is hard to figure out what people you have just met might want. I once worked with an Earther that only wanted his pay in 10 pound bags of something called ‘coffee beans’. So what do you fellows like?”
Waszhy Springlash said, “Okay, so on top of the corpse of any DoomWyrm we kill, we want payment. But Glorious and I have no use for any…coffee beans?”
Glorious said, “Are they be magic beans?”
Waszhy cut him off saying, “No Glorious, coffee beans are one of those plants the Earthers brought from Earth. They are addictive, and some Earther have to make a tea out of the beans every morning or they get headaches.”
Glorious snuffed a bit and said, “That’s almost as bad as my old love of Voho powder.”
“No voho powder for you Glor,” countered Waszhy, “You know that stuff is illegal right?”
“Aye and it makes my heart beat fast and my blood pump like fire,” roared the K’iou.
“And that is why no voho for you,” insisted Waszhy.
Glorious sighed and then mopped for a moment before saying, “Im needing a place to build up a Mercanery Company.”
Waszhy’s eyes lit up, “We have people who want to learn from Glorious but Glorious doesn’t have a place to train them. So you build us a training dojo and a Merc Guild Hall and we will accept that as payment.”
“Aye the Glorious Merc Guild it is,” agreed Glorious.
Grim didn’t think it a half bad idea, having someone who could train and organize groups of clones in defense of Jemison Post could be a benefit.
Grim’s only worry was that Mercs go to the highest bidder, so he would need to negotiate a deal by which Jemison’s Posts enemies like Boriel I’tash couldn’t simply buy themselves an army already located in Jemison Post.