NQM#41, "The Kalmieri"

[PPS_Dougseacat]

Been surprised I haven't seen anyone mention this so far and it occurred to me that perhaps our Trollblood fans either don't know about it, or were too excited by other content that they forgot about it, so consider this a friendly nudge. Issue#41 (p. 48) of No Quarter Magazine includes "The Kalmieri," an epic saga describing some of the incidents around the great Molgur trollkin chief Horfar Grimmr and his legendary axe (now belonging to Madrak Ironhide). Darla Kennerud put a tremendous amount of work into this piece and did a great job bringing this ancient saga to life. I enjoyed working with her to detail some of the historical aspects of this era and the effort she invested really paid off in an exciting and evocative story, one that trollkin chroniclers in our setting would continue to relate around kriel campfires. In addition to the opening art by Mariusz Gandzel (showing just such a campfire retelling), the epic also includes two great B&W drawings by Chris Walton, one of Horfar Grimmr and the other of Priest King Golivant.

While I expect Trollblood fans to get the most out of this, the saga is a great read and merits attention from any of our readers with an interest in the ancient history of our setting, particularly regarding Horfar Grimmr, Rathrok's origins, the Molgur, the foundations of the Menite religion, and the Calacians, the civilization that predated Caspia and Cygnar.

It is possible the "epic poem" format has intimidated some folks, but I assure you it is quite accessible and worth your time. Anyhow, check it out and tell us what you think!

[Lanz]

I knew about this, but the newest NQ isn't out here so I haven't had a chance to read it :/

[Goris]

I've known I just didn't have a chance to pick up the Mag yet though, this has certainly been of great interest to me.

[Cannotcope]

I'm just worried that someone will mistype the title of this epic saga as the story of the Kalamari and we will be looking at the return of the Leader of the Krill.

[vagabondaeon]

The one thing that surprised me about the whole thing was the appearance of what I assumed to be the Old Witch.

Cripes, just HOW much influence does she have over Immoren's matters? Moreover, what else does she have her talons in?

[Keeler]

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I need to reread, but it seemed like there might still be more to the origin of the Axe than was presented.

Having read most of the previous Warmachine/Hordes fluff, Golivant in particular never really popped to me - but the artwork and some of the description of the Calacians were particularly interesting, even as primarily a Troll Supporter. Detailing some of the Kuor Dueling was also pretty interesting.

I think the format requires more than one read to really let it settle in - might be why there hasn't been much talk thus far. Everyone is in a period of deep reflection on the faction / History...

[SlapHappySid]

I agree with Keeler. I have read it, and I am trying to let it all sink in, and reflect on all the events. I am trying to figure out why the Old Witch is dabbling in all the affairs of Western Immoren, even in Troll affairs. Why would she give such a powerful weapon, that she supposedly knows intimately since this is the first recorded incident where Rathrok has been used? Is she trying to bring about the Great Wurm through her own plans and schemes? It seems irresponsible to give such a weapon to Trolls who at the time thrived on constant conflict.

[Space Donkey]

I agree with Keeler. I have read it, and I am trying to let it all sink in, and reflect on all the events. I am trying to figure out why the Old Witch is dabbling in all the affairs of Western Immoren, even in Troll affairs. Why would she give such a powerful weapon, that she supposedly knows intimately since this is the first recorded incident where Rathrok has been used? Is she trying to bring about the Great Wurm through her own plans and schemes? It seems irresponsible to give such a weapon to Trolls who at the time thrived on constant conflict.

What I wonder more is whether she made Rathrok or if it was something that she had collected from some other being during her travels. If she made Rathrok then I could easily see why she gave it to Horfar; where better to field test your new weapon than in the hands of the most violent race at the time?

[brotherscott]

Thanks for the nudge Doug.

It was a fun read, and I always appreciate some IK history. Iam still letting it sink in as well, and playing Protectorate and Trollbloods (among other factions), Golivant seemed as intriguing as the story of Rathrok.

In some ways the ending reminded me of the closing scenes of Braveheart...

I am sure to go back and read it again. Much thanks to Darla for her hard work.

[The Happy Anarchist]

Come on mail. Get that NQ here faster!

[PG_Warsmith]

Not to be a nah-sayer but I thought it was kind of boring, difficult to read and understand at times because of the way it was written and didn't really hold my attention. Oh well. Clearly not for everyone. I'd vote leave the epic poem form out in the future.

[PG_Draxos]

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I need to reread, but it seemed like there might still be more to the origin of the Axe than was presented.

Having read most of the previous Warmachine/Hordes fluff, Golivant in particular never really popped to me - but the artwork and some of the description of the Calacians were particularly interesting, even as primarily a Troll Supporter. Detailing some of the Kuor Dueling was also pretty interesting.

I think the format requires more than one read to really let it settle in - might be why there hasn't been much talk thus far. Everyone is in a period of deep reflection on the faction / History...

I actually had to reread that part because of how surprised I was to see here in there.

Also I really hate the epic poem form. I just can't stand it so while the story itself was amazing it was a difficult read for me.

[PG_machine007]

Honestly, I did kind of forget it came out since our LGS usually gets stuff a few days late. Should be plenty left for me to pick one up though. Thanks!

[wargrim]

Oh, I thought this thread would be about a tentacle-troll

But thanks for the nudge, that's probably the first NQ i'm going to buy.

[Flindo]

my store unfortinatly doesnt sell no quarter, but I may have to pick it up next time I am at a tornument or something.

[Largi]

Just finished reading it on my lunch hour.
Absolutley loved it.

When does the Audio Version come out as read by Stone Scribe Chronicler Seacat?

[PG_somnicide]

Haven't picked it up yet but I am looking forward to it!

[PG_thegreatblah]

Been surprised I haven't seen anyone mention this so far and it occurred to me that perhaps our Trollblood fans either don't know about it, or were too excited by other content that they forgot about it, so consider this a friendly nudge. Issue#41 (p. 48) of No Quarter Magazine includes "The Kalmieri," an epic saga describing some of the incidents around the great Molgur trollkin chief Horfar Grimmr and his legendary axe (now belonging to Madrak Ironhide). Darla Kennerud put a tremendous amount of work into this piece and did a great job bringing this ancient saga to life. I enjoyed working with her to detail some of the historical aspects of this era and the effort she invested really paid off in an exciting and evocative story, one that trollkin chroniclers in our setting would continue to relate around kriel campfires. In addition to the opening art by Mariusz Gandzel (showing just such a campfire retelling), the epic also includes two great B&W drawings by Chris Walton, one of Horfar Grimmr and the other of Priest King Golivant.

While I expect Trollblood fans to get the most out of this, the saga is a great read and merits attention from any of our readers with an interest in the ancient history of our setting, particularly regarding Horfar Grimmr, Rathrok's origins, the Molgur, the foundations of the Menite religion, and the Calacians, the civilization that predated Caspia and Cygnar.

It is possible the "epic poem" format has intimidated some folks, but I assure you it is quite accessible and worth your time. Anyhow, check it out and tell us what you think!

Haven't yet received my NQ and am chomping at the bit for it. This is the one piece in this issue that has me the most excited.

[PG_joedj]

Purchased the NQ 41 yesterday, read it last night. Kalamieri first.

It's a great Trollblood epic, with freakin' really OLD Witch, Menites, and bogrin! and Ogrun fighting alongside Trolls.

Alas, no full-blooded Trolls included. In that respect I like 'modern' times!

I'm looking forward to the L&L history/cosmology/state of the factions classes!!

[Sergeant Bus]

Not to be a nah-sayer but I thought it was kind of boring, difficult to read and understand at times because of the way it was written and didn't really hold my attention. Oh well. Clearly not for everyone. I'd vote leave the epic poem form out in the future.

I actually had to reread that part because of how surprised I was to see here in there.

Also I really hate the epic poem form. I just can't stand it so while the story itself was amazing it was a difficult read for me.

I wanted to post up a thread the second I finished reading it last week but i am not a fan of the story and didn't want to start a nay say thread before anyone else had gotten theirs. I did not like the "epic poem" format. It was like reading scripture. I struggled greatly with it. And then the old which shows up and hands it off? That was such a disappointment. It doesn't tell us anything about the axe but that its even older then we thought. If the old witch created it the story itself is so vague it tells us nothing of how it got its dark powers.

And the fight with the priest king. "they fight a bunch of times and Horfar eventually loses." ....

I was so excited for #41 because of this story. I felt let down with the story and then the format made it to much like work. I mean if each verse needs a small intro to explain what you are about to read then it needs a rewrite. *steps off soapbox*
-End Rant


-Sergeant Bus

[SOUPlex]

I, for the most part REALLY liked the story. The epic poem format sisnt phase me, as I am a fan of old literature to begin with, and a huge fan of Beowulf (and not that god aweful movie with Angelina Jolie). I especially like how, even though I'm not a fan of the Devourer Worm from a reader's standpoint (He's evil, as are his followers, present day trollkin follow Dhunia and are therefore awesome), I was rooting for Horfr. I really wanted him to triumph, though I knew he was doomed to fail. Great job in generating the connection to the reader there.

But, I do have one complaint, and I agree with Sergeant Bus:

And the fight with the priest king. "they fight a bunch of times and Horfar eventually loses."

The ending was epic with him defiantly resisting the Menite's torture, but we didn't get to see his final fight. We didn't get to see his capture. It was relegated to an aside note. I was pretty crestfallen over that.

[PG_Goldstep]

Yeah, Sorry Lord High Seacat. I had to wait a few moments to purchase as well.

I'm reading it tonight.

[StinkyJim]

I read it last night. Loaded with good thought provking stuff, although I wasn't that inspired by the epic poem format (a well done epic is a great thing, this sadly didn't quite flow as well as it could have done. The subject matter was awesome though and not to sound too down on it, it was still a very enjoyable read). More annotations would have been good.

So the Old Witch is responcible for Rathrok. That alone made the No Quarter worth getting. Does that mean she's some strange avatar of Dhunia, or in her manipulations to make a stronger Khador she doesn't actually care what race the inhabitants are?

[PG_joedj]

The Old Witch is really a wizened-old Trollblood sorceress, so pruned-up ancient she shrunk.
She's Dhunia's ex.
Oh, and she's Mulg's mom.

[PG_Maeyrl]

No new NQ here as well

[Alex C]

tell us what you think!

For the most part excellent! I enjoyed the Old Witch encounter and the effect Rathrok had on Horfar.

However, I did find the large amount of names dropped into ther story to be confusing at times. This is likely comprehension failure on my part, but I did need to re-read several parts of it in order for me to make sense of who exactly was doing what. I understand the need for names to be recorded and that it's a large part of Troll culture, but perhaps a little more about Horfar and less about his compatriots. That leads into my next issue...

The ending is rather abrupt. From my understanding, Horfar throws Rathrok but it doesn't come back, then he gets killed. For an epic poem about such an important figure as Horfar, I think his loss of Rathrok and his ensuing demise would be a little more lavish. This is somewhat alleviated by the "notes", but I would think the actual poem would contain more about the fall of Horfar. Perhaps Trolls choose to forget or leave out the details, which is understandable, but considering his resolve in the face of death I feel it would serve as inspiration more than anything.

Don't get me wrong, it is a fantastic piece of writing and one that I enjoyed a lot. I hope to see more, whether it is Troll sagas or the tales of other peoples.

[PG_somnicide]

Finally managed to chew my way through this, but it took a couple of readings. I have to say the same of Beowulf or any Viril or Homer so that isn't a bad thing. I like many of the descriptions throughout that really struck the epic style of the poem. In particular things like pebble chinned youth, or boulder jaw. Things like that which really give depth and description of how trollbloods view themselves. I also really appreciated the use of kennings throughout. Overall a difficult, yet very satisfying read!

[PG_petegrrrr]

Liked the content of the story very much.

Disliked the Epic poem format Conceit it was framed in. It was uncessary and distracting from what was otherwise a very nice piece of fiction. It's an idea that, after reading a page or two, someone should have stepped in and said "This story is great but the format just isn't working, lets play it straight."

You are trying to write a great piece of tabletop fluff, not re-invent the telling of Beowulf. There's a reason Sheamus Heaney won so many prizes for deconstructing the epic poem format: It's built around a dead literary tradition and is hard for modern readers to really embrace.

[PG_hisshers]

I saw this title and thought it would be something about the swamp horror....

[PG_somnicide]

Personally I enjoyed it and appreciate the craft of working within the story and informing the story by how the writer chose to present it.

[FakeProblems]

It's an amazing piece. I liked the format. It suits the trolls. Madrak for prez!

[EvilFuzzyDoom]

Don't let it get you down, Doug. I'm sure this piece generated a lot of buzz 'round the office and the format is a bold idea. I haven't read it yet but I intend to enjoy it.

These guys are just a load of old fuddy duddies. :P

[SnakeEyes]

I thought the piece was incredibly interesting because of two things:
1) The Old Witch. wha...? She gave that axe to Horfar? Wow. Really getting an avatar of Orboros vibe from her. Why she has particular affinity to Khador is something I now don't get. And the fact that she seems to be anti-Toruk is interesting if she is indeed the connected with the Devourer.

2) The pic of the priest king was bad arse. I want to field him on the table top!

[PG_petegrrrr]

Don't let it get you down, Doug. I'm sure this piece generated a lot of buzz 'round the office and the format is a bold idea. I haven't read it yet but I intend to enjoy it.

These guys are just a load of old fuddy duddies. :P

Framing the story in the equivalent of a literary inside reference didn't add anything to the story. The story could have stood on it's own without losing anything, and while gaining a lot of accessibility and clarity.

The craft of actually making an epic poem was very nice, and clearly took a lot of effort and is a feat not many writers would be able to pull off, but at the same time...it just wasn't the right choice.

Picasso is a great artist, but he would make a terrible website designer, with vibrant but incredibly hard to comprehend layouts. Likewise the epic poem was a great example of literary craft, but it just wasn't the right choice for the fluff (IMO of course).

[Lanz]

2) The pic of the priest king was bad arse. I want to field him on the table top!

This x(insert absurd number here). The whole Lion motif would look so amazing on protectorate a unit or solo. Something along the theme of the 'old ways'.

[The Happy Anarchist]

Framing the story in the equivalent of a literary inside reference didn't add anything to the story. The story could have stood on it's own without losing anything, and while gaining a lot of accessibility and clarity.

The craft of actually making an epic poem was very nice, and clearly took a lot of effort and is a feat not many writers would be able to pull off, but at the same time...it just wasn't the right choice.

Picasso is a great artist, but he would make a terrible website designer, with vibrant but incredibly hard to comprehend layouts. Likewise the epic poem was a great example of literary craft, but it just wasn't the right choice for the fluff (IMO of course).

Have to disagree with you there. I think it added quite a bit, and let me get into the fluff of how Chroniclers work and what their tales sound like significantly more than a more straightforward style of writing. If this was introductory fluff for our faction, or the fluff at the start of the Forces book or something, I would 100% agree with you. As a bit of fluff in a magazine, I think this is just the place to do something a little bit different to really get across the feel of Trollblood storytelling.

For the most part excellent! I enjoyed the Old Witch encounter and the effect Rathrok had on Horfar.

However, I did find the large amount of names dropped into ther story to be confusing at times. This is likely comprehension failure on my part, but I did need to re-read several parts of it in order for me to make sense of who exactly was doing what. I understand the need for names to be recorded and that it's a large part of Troll culture, but perhaps a little more about Horfar and less about his compatriots. That leads into my next issue...

The ending is rather abrupt. From my understanding, Horfar throws Rathrok but it doesn't come back, then he gets killed. For an epic poem about such an important figure as Horfar, I think his loss of Rathrok and his ensuing demise would be a little more lavish. This is somewhat alleviated by the "notes", but I would think the actual poem would contain more about the fall of Horfar. Perhaps Trolls choose to forget or leave out the details, which is understandable, but considering his resolve in the face of death I feel it would serve as inspiration more than anything.

Don't get me wrong, it is a fantastic piece of writing and one that I enjoyed a lot. I hope to see more, whether it is Troll sagas or the tales of other peoples.

The name drops is a style from Nordic tales, as the aforementioned Beowulf - names and feats of legend are fairly common in that style of writing.

As for the other bit, he did get Rathrok back after that - he bids the axe to return to his hand and they have several confrontations throughout the day and eventually he gets brought down.

[D.Vader]

I enjoyed the poem quite a bit but admit it was a bit difficult to process at first. I loved the feel of the epic tale but like anytime you read something in a different format, it takes a couple of times to porcess it all.

IMHO it makes complete sense the old witch gave the axe to Grimmr. The circle works to delay the appearance of the devourer and do so by keeping the gifts of Menoth at bay (ie keeping civilization in check). Grimmr seems like a perfect tool for the Old witch to use.

Also, loved the art sketches. I especially liked the Grimmr sketch.

[HandsomeDan]

I read it and thought it was great. I also really liked the Golivant art. I'd love to see it turned into a mini somehow. Although that's probably even more unlikely than that hierarch voyle mini ever getting cast and distributed.

[hackdZ]

I just finished reading the piece last night.

I must say, I thought it was very good. PP have some very talented writers.
The whole "epic" theme I found to be very fitting for the Trolls. Made me imagine a Chronicler, standing round the camp fire (Just like in the artwork) weaving a tale to inspire the War-band to greatness, and I'm sure the Troll's find that particular tale quite emotionally provocative.

My only quibble is that rather than write the Final confrontation out, it got regulated to side notes...
I understand that in magazines and the like, you are constrained by space, etc. But it was as if the whole tale built up this final confrontation, which then sorta never happened...

Overall though, a VERY good read.

Personal favorite: The duel between Lokan and Fox. Very cool.