500 Zundrbarians (Hymn/March)

The hymn/march- "The 500 Zundrbarians," was written by the poet- Snorri Hornhammer, in +500, to celebrate Baldrick's sacrifice and commemorate the five hundredth year anniversary of Zundrbar.

Origin
In Zundrbar, at around the time period of +500, during the "In-between" period of the First Dragon War (+200 to +500) and the Second Dragon War (+700 to +900), there were many nationalistic feelings in Zundrbar. Baldrick's sacrifice became a rallying point, and was the subject of many hymns and marches to come.

The 500 Zundrbarians march was the only march of this time period focused around the topic of Baldrick's venture from Ironforge to have survived to the modern era. In the song, the usage of the term, "Tyrant," refers to an unnamed Dwarven High King at the time period, just after the Dwarves emerged from the Titan base- Uldaman, in the Eastern Kingdoms. The first verse of the song, when translated, is clearly about the beginnings of Baldrick's rebellion, and the initial reaction of the unnamed High King. The chorus is more focused on a modern day scenario in which a descendent of the unnamed High King returns and invades Zundrbar. The second verse focuses around the venture of the 500 Zundrbarians from Ironforge through Dun Morogh. This time was by far one of the harder periods of the march, and is one of the few areas in which modern Zundrbarian scholars agree was a major point of the venture that actually took place. In the third verse, Loch Modan, a land of many hills and trees, is mentioned. This is the cause of much debate, as many question about whether or not Baldrick Sootbeard did venture to Loch Modan, or whether he ventured into the highlands of Dun Morogh. The question has not been resolved to this day, as there is no evidence for either pathway. The fourth verse, like the third verse, is also subject to this. The fourth verse focuses around the discovery of the Wetlands, an area where the sand is swallowed by the sea, and the strand runs for many miles, as well as on the founding of Zundrbar.

Modern Use
With the increasing modernization and outgoing influence of Zundrbar, the 500 Zundrbarians hymn is largely unused by mountaineer forces marching outside of Zundrbar. This is because the song often refers to an unnamed High King of Ironforge as a "tyrant," which could be seen of as offensive by any other dwarven soldiers serving in the campaign. The march is still actively sung by the defenders of Zundrbar, usually when there are no soldiers of the Kingdom of Ironforge around. It is quoted as being one of Sven Sootbeard's favorite songs, and is one of many unofficial anthems of the Principality of Zundrbar.

Lyrics- Common
First Verse:

In the beginning, our kin emerged from the caves,

There was a tyrant among our number,

Our kin sought to see him in a grave,

For he fell in a deep slumber,

While we had our hammers slam,

We grew tired of his days inactive,

And drew our riding ram,

For his tasks were not tractive,

Our kin gathered in the great halls,

Under the caverns of stone,

Came forth the tyrant after many calls,

Carried forth on a golden throne,

The tyrant gave forth a shout,

"Come forth heathen,

I will gut you like a trout,

For your treason!"

Our leader looked up towards the tyrant,

And the tyrant looked back,

"I shant fall on the battlefield to an aspirant,

I swear on my beard- coal black,

My equals shall leave the hall of the forge,

We shall take our belongings and march,

We shall march by the pass, and under the gorge,

And step beside the arch,"

The Prince- Baldrick Sootbeard,

Looked back towards the crowd,

And heard a great cheer,

Baldrick nodded and bowed,

And kept his oath,

Baldrick and his men were allowed to pass,

Much to the tyrant's loath,

Baldrick emptied his ale glass,

The tyrant gave a glance,

Baldrick returned the gesture,

The tyrant shook his head and returned to his manse,

While Baldrick prepared his vestures,

And the 500 marched on

Chorus:

One day the tyrant will return to conquer our free hearth,

And burn our precious land until black is the earth,

We shall ready ourselves for when this day dawns,

Clad in our armor of iron, steel, and bronze,

In the light of the sky- the realm of the Titan,

The sound of thunder ringing will surely frighten,

And in the sight of the earth- the realm of the element,

We shall form together one ligament,

And in sight of the plane of existence- the realm of Zundrgrim,

Who shall strike the tyrant crown's brim

Verse 2:

Baldrick left the halls of iron, with no doubt in his heart,

The five hundred who supported, joined him in this belief,

None traveled away from the group; none were apart,

The five hundred marched liefly; among the five hundred there was no grief

The five hundred marched day and night,

The five hundred marched through shine and storm,

To escape the plague of the region- the tyrant's blight,

Not a single one accepted the chance to conform,

For the five hundred valued their freedom,

Above all of their other powers, above all of their other powers,

And as they marched, they were looked down upon as heathens,

The serfs of the tyrant gave them many glowers,

Chorus

Verse 3:

The five hundred marched through a land of blizzard and snow,

Few fell against the elements, for the light of the firmament shown above,

How strong those winds did blow,

But the five hundred merely pulled up their gloves,

Afterwards- the five hundred encountered a land of hill and tree,

That seemed to continue for miles and miles,

That seemed to continue for as far as the eye could see,

However, they did not make a single fallacy,

The five hundred stayed away from the serfs of the tyrant, and merely walked along the path,

As there was nothing between the two peoples; and it could not be resolved by a single alchemy,

The five hundred carried on, only stopping to carve pieces of lath

Chorus

Verse 4:

The five hundred marched through a land of trees and hills, a land of trees and hills,

The serfs were more friendlier, and often welcomed the five hundred into their stead,

But the five hundred refused, knowing they were only shallow shills,

Because the tyrant himself, was not brave enough, knowing if entered battle, would lose his head,

Finally, the endless march seemed to come to an end,

And the five hundred reached a largely uninhabited land,

And many explorers, Baldrick did send,

The explorers spoke of a land where the sea swallowed the sand- where for many miles run did the strand,

But Baldrick sought to heard none of their report,

And traveled with the five hundred into the highlands,

And when the explorers gave a nasty retort,

Baldrick Sootbeard defeated them in battle, and send them off to the islands,

And thus in the highlands, the five hundred did reside,

Knowing that they must be always ready to fight,

For the threat of the tyrant would never subside,

Even in the lightest day of light.

Chorus

Lyrics- Hill Dwarvish
((WIP))