25 August 2011

Interview - Doug Seacat

Here at the Scrum we like to spend our time doing meaningful important things.  Like pondering the mysteries of the Iron Kingdoms.  More specifically how Trollbloods fit in that universe and if their domination of all things Hordes and Warmachine is a recent development or if Trollblood supremacy is a constant.  While our own knowledge of Trollbloods must be great, or we just think we're smart, it quickly became apparent that we needed to go to the source.   With our many questions we began a quest for answers. With a little assistance from Simon, and a whole bunch of groveling and begging, Doug Seacat has lent us a few bits of knowledge to quench some of the many questions we sent to him.   Our questions were great in number but Mr. Seacat in his infinite wisdom chose the best ones to answer.  Only one great mystery remains and that is whether or not Trollbloods is Doug's favorite faction or not, we of course know the answer without having to ask...

Q: Most of the action around the Trollblood faction storylines has centered on Trollkin from the Gnarls, Thornwood, and in/around Ternon Crag. Are we going to see any of the upcoming fiction showcase Trollkin from more outlying Kriels in the north/south, say in and around the Wyrmwall mountains or up in Borka's stomping grounds?

A: It's certainly possible! Much depends on the specific focus of a given story and which characters are involved, and as expansions come out this is sometimes influenced by the introduction of new characters. The majority of the Trollblood warlocks and other characters are in a region close to the ongoing wars and are connected to the Thornwood and Gnarls kriels. The kriels up in northern Khador and in southern and southwestern Cygnar have not been involved as heavily and therefore haven't had as much time in the story. The introduction of Borka Kegslayer gave us a chance to feature the northern kriels after Madrak trekked into that region looking for support. It's certainly possible there will be other stories in these regions in due time. No Quarter Magazine has been a good place for additional fiction from time to time. It's certainly likely we'll see more trollkin stories there eventually. Aeryn Rudel's story "Prey" in NQM#34 featured a showdown between the Totem Hunter and some trollkin champions, as a recent example.

Q: Any hints about what's going on with Epic Grissel? For example, is the transformation a consequence of the events in Crael Valley, or is it tied to something else that will be revealed in the next book?

A: Sometimes when a character goes epic it is not due to any one specific event, but rather an acknowledgement of their significance to their faction and a change in their role or character arc over time. We've been laying the foundation for Grissel to go epic for quite some time, particularly as we've seen her taking on added responsibilities while Madrak Ironhide deals with the consequences of Rathrok's awakening. In Metamorphosis we saw Madrak realizing the axe was taking him down a darker path, and he took himself apart from both his family and the Thornwood kriels. The only person he trusted to see to the needs of his people in his absence was Grissel Bloodsong. This situation is described in the Forces of HORDES: Trollbloods book under the "Warbands of the Trollbloods" chapter, and this is all setting the stage for her epic iteration. As to what else is going on with her, the story in Domination continues what was set in motion in the Trollbloods force book--Grissel plays a big role in that, as does the new Trollbloods warlock: Jarl Skuld, the Devil of the Thornwood.

Q: Any hints about where Gunnbjorn's nation-building paradigm is going to go? For instance, are we going to see the Trollkin start to try and carve out a real homeland any time soon, or does the diasporas continue?

A: You'll definitely need to read Domination to see what is going on there. Personally I have been rooting for Gunnbjorn's efforts but at the same time I have had apprehensions. Supreme Archdomina Makeda and her entire skorne army just recently returned from reclaiming the Abyssal Fortress. I don't imagine these skorne will be happy to learn that a major piece of their local real estate has been seized. I'd be willing to bet the United Kriels are going to see more hardship before things get better for them. Fortunately they are a rugged people and enjoy fighting; likely they'd just be bored if peace was established. I have a feeling Gunnbjorn will have a lasting impact on the kriels related to the need for military discipline and increasing preparedness and modern armaments. The Trollblood battle engine in Domination suits Gunnbjorn quite nicely!

Q: A while back in the old Call to Arms league fluff, a certain Trollkin whaler/pirate name Rathroar was mentioned. Any chance that we'll see more of this guy in the future, or any other members of the Tidehunter Kriel?

A: Rathroar is a great character that has been around for a long time--he dates back to the Iron Kingdoms World Guide, where he was first described in the entry for Port Vladovar. I have a fondness for him and it'd be great to hear more of his exploits. I always enjoy when we have the chance to go beyond the playable models with our fiction and I hope we'll continue to find ways to do so as time goes on. The league fiction is one of the best places for this to happen. Often these tales and personalities will remain on the fringes and will allow us to provide small glimpses of what is happening elsewhere in the world, but that's not to say we won't return to some of them. 

Q: How are mercenary Trollkin like Boomhowler and Bull viewed by their more traditional Kin, and does it differ in any way from how they view non-Trollkin mercenaries? Speaking of Boomhowler, he has been quiet as of late. What are he and his company doing now?

A: Attitudes toward mercenaries and less traditional trollkin have shifted as time has passed and the kriels have suffered. While the traditional elders of the wilderness kriels look down on those who have left them to join human society or sell their fighting services for coin, they are also eager for any help. Such people as Boomhowler and Bull are still looked on with some disdain by the traditionalists, particularly when they demand payment for their services. A trollkin kriel might expect human mercenaries to haggle with them and squeeze them for coin in exchange for services rendered, but having a kin do the same is seen as distasteful. It's probably most accurate to say that trollkin like Boomhowler and Bull are still seen as "outsiders" but are tolerated so long as they are willing to help out. The more pragmatic elders and war leaders know that such people have every right to ask for compensation to help strangers, even if those strangers are also (troll)kin.

We haven't had an opportunity to get back to Boomhowler and his company in the recent story line. They were last seen helping Magnus with some of his schemes during Superiority and Legends. In Wrath we updated the situation with Magnus, and given the money Magnus was seized from a Cygnaran military payroll shipment in that story, I wouldn't be surprised to see Boomhowler hired to join him again soon. Magnus has served as a reliable employer for Boomhowler as well as a number of other mercenaries and we can expect the Warlord will be hiring again. Magnus is probably a lot more generous with his coin than the elders of the United Kriels.

Q:  Can you tell us any more about Rathrok and Madrak's relationship to it? Any insight you can provide regarding the Tartarus/Horfar Grimmr link?

A: That's a rather complex and far-reaching question! Be prepared for a lengthy reply... 

Rathrok is a fearsome and ancient relic and weapon dating back to Horfar Grimmr, who was one of the last great chieftains of the Molgur barbarians. Almost three thousand years before the present timeline, Horfar Grimmr wielded this axe in battle against the Menite humans fighting for Calacia, which would eventually become Caspia. This was one of the first big clashes between armies of civilization versus those of the wilderness. Horfar went up against the ancient priest-king Golivant at the Wall of Thrace and was defeated in a horrific battle there. The discipline and strategy of the Menites won over the savage Devourer-worshiping Molgur, and Horfar was captured and tortured on the wrack before death claimed him. After Horfar's death, Rathrok was recovered by the trollkin kriels and passed down from generation to generation with warnings about taking it up in battle again. Its name means "World Ender," after all. In the centuries after the Molgur scattered, the trollkin put aside Devourer worship and returned to Dhunia. Rathrok was seen as a reminder of a dark time, and the bitter end of Horfar as he was wracked by the Menites added to the legends that the axe was cursed. 

No one had much cause to think about what happened to Horfar after his death until the onset of the banes and a certain extremely powerful one named Tartarus was pulled from the cold oblivion where they dwell. Lich Lord Tenebrous apparently summoned the soul of Horfar Grimmr from this Void and gave him unlife as Bane Lord Tartarus. Apparently his soul had been lost in the gap between Caen and Urcaen due to the torments inflicted on him by the Menites and therefore he never reached the afterlife he was probably hoping for as a Devourer worshiper. The bane soul of Tartarus/Horfar was bound into new flesh, likely the corpse of a powerful warrior, and he has been serving Cryx ever since. Whether he is itching to get back his axe is uncertain, since we have no clear indication if he remembers anything about his past life. It seems likely that if he had remembered it he could have gone and gotten it the intervening centuries before Madrak Ironhide went to get it. 

Madrak decided to take up the axe a few years ago after the kriels of the Thornwood were being overrun not only by human armies tromping around in the forest but Cryxian invaders as well. Clearly he felt the need was dire enough, as his people were facing the destruction of their sacred homeland. It also seems clear that at first Madrak did not entirely believe the legend of Rathrok's "curse." The story of his taking up this axe has not been told in detail yet, but clearly he discovered he had found an exceptionally powerful weapon, one he employed enthusiastically to fight his foes. While the trollkin were eventually forced out of the Thornwood despite this weapon, it served him greatly in his battles. Without it, Madrak probably would have died when Omnipotent Ergonus of the Circle Orboros ambushed Ironhide to treacherously try to replace him. 

Madrak has started to regret his decision to take up the axe as its curse has proven to be a real thing. Misfortune follows Madrak now. He has started to have visions of ancient battles that have made it hard for him to tell reality from delusion and the axe has been pressuring him toward increasingly bloody deeds. As the axe has awakened to its deeper powers it has found new ways to preserve Madrak--such as by sacrificing others close to him to keep Ironhide unharmed. All efforts by Madrak to rid himself of the axe or destroy it have failed. For better or worse, his fate seems joined to the weapon now. As we mentioned when discussing Grissel, this has estranged Madrak from his own people.

Q: Will Mulg ever get full?

A: I'm pretty sure there is no word or concept of being "full" among the full-blood trolls or dire trolls. Sadly, Mulg will likely always be hungry. For a very brief time after he eats he is less hungry, but this doesn't last very long. There's always room for desert. Or another ulk, horse, a few people, or a handful of rocks to keep the stomach from grumbling.

Q: I do want to know the tech level of the trolls in comparison to other nations? Do Trollbloods have scientists and researchers or do they simply scavenge Cygnar’s dead?

A: Scavenging Cygnar's dead to pick their brains for lore is generally left to Cryx, although you can't blame anyone for a bit of "salvage" after battle. The trollkin have demonstrated great adaptability and intelligence. They have a long tradition of excellent stonemasonry and smithing as well as other skills, but are not among the innovators of our setting, likely due to smaller populations, more rustic lifestyle, and less of a focus on science for its own sake. There have not been very many famous philosophers, mathematicians, or scientists among the trollkin kriels. 

Part of this could also be that in our setting some of the greatest advances have been linked to mechanika, that blend of engineering and systematic arcane magic. The trollkin have never developed a very systematic tradition for arcane magic. Instead they have a looser tradition of insular sorcery, and this has never gone hand-in-hand with engineering in the same way as the mechanika employed by humans and dwarves or the arcanika of Iosan elves. By human standards much of trollkin "engineering" is robust but simple. Their weapons are well forged and sturdy, and their buildings are quite sound and boast an impressive scale, but more complicated engineering has eluded them until recently.  

Many useful advances have been adopted from outsiders, particularly from humans. Trollkin have proven capable of picking up some of these techniques and making them their own. Firearms are an example of something that has been enthusiastically embraced by trollkin in the last few years. While the Thornwood kriels received a quantity of human-made weapons before the falling out between King Leto and Madrak Ironhide, the kin have subsequently learned to craft firearms and cannons on their own. Blasting powder remains a difficulty, but they appear to be getting by through a combination of trade and pillage. It's likely trollkin sorcerers have been working on producing their own powder, a task that should be within their grasp if they can gain an understanding of the alchemy involved. With the help of their beasts as well as their own supernatural hardiness, the trollkin seem well equipped to stand on equal footing against human nations with access to better technology. 

Douglas Seacat ~ is the lead writer at Privateer Press where he has oversight of narrative fiction and setting continuity for both WARMACHINE and HORDES. He has been writing for Privateer Press for ten years, starting with the second book of the Witchfire Trilogy. Doug contributed to developing the Iron Kingdoms setting through all the books in the Full Metal Fantasy RPG line and many issues of No Quarter Magazine. His writing for Privateer's award-winning miniature games started with WARMACHINE: Apotheosis and HORDES: Primal and has continued through all the books of the Mark II releases. His most recent work can be found in WARMACHINE: Wrath and the upcomingHORDES: Domination.

Many thanks to Doug and Simon for facilitating this exchange in helping further the education of all Trollbloods, kith and kriel.  Next time we are in Seattle (which can't come fast enough) we owe you two some homebrewed Whelp Ale... or at least something from one of the local pubs.

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