Part IV: The Pawn of Prophecy
Chapter 6: The Great Awakening
Timeline: Drokka History
Now recall – when I came back from Illusia in AO 225 and first learned about the dagger Dagaal (that was made for the purpose of killing me!), I had a lot of work to do to protect myself.
After pondering my options, I realized the whole Drokka-Derkka rivalry offered me an opportunity to not only feed my ever hungry soul with souls, but it also offered me the chance to get information about Dagaal without Gwar (or Baalzebub) knowing about it.
You’ll remember that I was at first miffed at Gwar for wasting time overseas in Hyperborea, but as is usually the case with me, I took a moment to examine the situation and realized what I thought was a negative was actually a positive.
Gwar being away from TerrVerde was a good thing. A very good thing. First off, the lummox was keeping himself occupied which meant I didn’t have to waste time babysitting him.
Secondly, it also meant he wouldn’t stick his nose where it wasn’t wanted. In short I was unfettered to completely focus on myself for a bit. I just needed to keep it that way. That’s where my idea for Baldur’s peace treaties came from – so long as the Drokka and Derkka were NOT fighting, Gwar would have no desire to come home.
It wasn’t easy to change the mindset of the war-mongering Drokka at first. Thankfully men have short lifespans and it’s easier to brainwash the mind of children than it is to change adults’ viewpoints [The modern day downfall of America is another great example of this].
In addition, money cures a lot of things too. As the generations changed and the fiercest warriors died off, I quietly influenced the Drokka scribes and academia to teach a doctrine that touted the benefits of international trade over war. It was a de facto way for the Drokka to diversify themselves, and this shift in mindset among the glitterati of society was called the Great Awakening. [It’s got a nice ring to it, eh?]
Baldur’s rise to power was a key part of this. As a new king who’d been ‘awakened’ by his advisors towards pursuing ‘higher’ goals, Baldur implemented policies that touted the benefits of trading with a diverse variety of partners and invested his resourcing into mercantile ventures beyond just war. I made sure every one of Baldur’s international trading partnerships paid off – in spades. Baldur Derkillez and his new class of elites got rich faster than ever before and the king’s trickle down politics even threw some scraps to the common people.
The result – most of the Drokka men abandoned their desire for war [after all, who wants to fight when you can sit at home and drink, smoke, and chase women while the money just keeps rolling in?].
After seven decades of this the Drokka armies dwindled in size. Tradition saw them retain a military, but without war their men lost their edge. Oh I kept a small faction inside the dwarves’ community focused on their historical goals of “Religion, Ragnarok, and Rhokii,” however Baldur’s wildly successful secular policies made the Drokka elites and middle class foolishly apathetic towards the gods – causing their society to further degrade – exactly as I planned…
The Apocrypha of Azazel 