The Ballad of Balyn the Bold
History:
The Ballad of Balyn the Bold is an old Dwarven song told of ages past, and recounts the conquest of a valiant Dwarven King and his conquest into the Bloodfields. Translated into Common as well as can be done while maintaining the lyrical integrity, it goes as follows:
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
"I shall smite the fiends until the end of time!"
Upon his beard he swore
He left his throne, down to the mines,
Beneath the cities, beneath the scores
Of temptations to Dwarven-kind,
Unfazed by Mythrite Ore.
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
An iron pickaxe he did find
And into the stone he bore
He delved beneath the mountainside
For weeks or months or more,
Into the rock, his hands rawhide,
His clothing ripped and torn
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
"To Hell I march, 'til this beard of mine
Rests upon the floor!"
For years it seems he did mine,
Until he stood before
A gateway to evil Divine,
Malavach's burning door
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Without pause he strode inside
This realm of Demon hordes
His hammer rang time after time
As through the fiends he tore,
Countless Demons he did grind
Beneath his boot and roar
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Marched to the land of endless strife
And fought like none before
He fought years without rest or tire,
Enraged to his very core,
Imbued with Torach's holy ire
Unseen by fiends before
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
His beard grew to impressive size
And trailed behind his form
"My oath I have upheld with mine
Blood and sweat and more,
Oh Torach, mightiest of Divine,
Your blessing I implore!"
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
A champion Torach did find,
And blessed him with a sword
The King, now wielding holy might,
Rejoiced, then said with scorn,
"A Demon Prince lies within my sight,
I cannot leave before!"
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Torach's will personified,
A Champion reborn
The Ballad of Balyn the Bold is an old Dwarven song told of ages past, and recounts the conquest of a valiant Dwarven King and his conquest into the Bloodfields. Translated into Common as well as can be done while maintaining the lyrical integrity, it goes as follows:
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
"I shall smite the fiends until the end of time!"
Upon his beard he swore
He left his throne, down to the mines,
Beneath the cities, beneath the scores
Of temptations to Dwarven-kind,
Unfazed by Mythrite Ore.
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
An iron pickaxe he did find
And into the stone he bore
He delved beneath the mountainside
For weeks or months or more,
Into the rock, his hands rawhide,
His clothing ripped and torn
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
"To Hell I march, 'til this beard of mine
Rests upon the floor!"
For years it seems he did mine,
Until he stood before
A gateway to evil Divine,
Malavach's burning door
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Without pause he strode inside
This realm of Demon hordes
His hammer rang time after time
As through the fiends he tore,
Countless Demons he did grind
Beneath his boot and roar
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Marched to the land of endless strife
And fought like none before
He fought years without rest or tire,
Enraged to his very core,
Imbued with Torach's holy ire
Unseen by fiends before
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
His beard grew to impressive size
And trailed behind his form
"My oath I have upheld with mine
Blood and sweat and more,
Oh Torach, mightiest of Divine,
Your blessing I implore!"
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
A champion Torach did find,
And blessed him with a sword
The King, now wielding holy might,
Rejoiced, then said with scorn,
"A Demon Prince lies within my sight,
I cannot leave before!"
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Torach's will personified,
A Champion reborn
Variations & Mutation
History:
The original epic actually continues, but over time the popularized version has opted to leave out last verses of the song, for obvious reasons. You'd likely find the original among old Dwarvish literature, but generally the last part is left out. Originally, the song was meant to be both an epic retelling of a Dwarven hero, as well as a cautionary parable regarding the danger of giving in too fully to wrath or pure vengeance whilst exacting Torach's retribution against the forces of evil. The ending of Balyn the Bold's tale makes this abundantly clear:
To the Demon's Palace he did climb,
Through endless demon hordes,
Old King Balyn left behind
A path of blood and gore
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
With each Demon he felled, in time,
A madness began to form
When the King did arrive
To the Prince's throne of yore,
A Demon Prince he did not find,
But an empty throne, forlorn
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Stood alone in halls of fire,
Of untold wrath and roared:
"Where are you Prince of vice,
of violence and vengeful scorn?!"
Old King Balyn shouted once, thrice,
Shouted 'til he could no more.
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Raged with endless, burning ire,
Until he saw his form
In a reflection of the flames
Stood a Dwarven King no more,
Before him stood a Demon Prince,
With a crown of twisted horns
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
His heart corrupted, a fiend of war,
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
A Demon Prince reborn
The original epic actually continues, but over time the popularized version has opted to leave out last verses of the song, for obvious reasons. You'd likely find the original among old Dwarvish literature, but generally the last part is left out. Originally, the song was meant to be both an epic retelling of a Dwarven hero, as well as a cautionary parable regarding the danger of giving in too fully to wrath or pure vengeance whilst exacting Torach's retribution against the forces of evil. The ending of Balyn the Bold's tale makes this abundantly clear:
To the Demon's Palace he did climb,
Through endless demon hordes,
Old King Balyn left behind
A path of blood and gore
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
With each Demon he felled, in time,
A madness began to form
When the King did arrive
To the Prince's throne of yore,
A Demon Prince he did not find,
But an empty throne, forlorn
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Stood alone in halls of fire,
Of untold wrath and roared:
"Where are you Prince of vice,
of violence and vengeful scorn?!"
Old King Balyn shouted once, thrice,
Shouted 'til he could no more.
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
Stout of heart and born for war,
Raged with endless, burning ire,
Until he saw his form
In a reflection of the flames
Stood a Dwarven King no more,
Before him stood a Demon Prince,
With a crown of twisted horns
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
His heart corrupted, a fiend of war,
Old King Balyn of Dhorak'heim,
A Demon Prince reborn
