CXXVII. Legend Lord

General Summary

After the Battle

The Ring & Wren stood in the ruined throne room of Hammerhead Keep. The large hole in the wall where the Leviathan had wrecked through allowed a spray of ocean to toss over the walls and spread along the floor. Jäger and Regen looked at each other, each knowing what would happen next.

"Bring out the drums."
-Jäger Ironbeard

The remainder of the day was spent preparing for a huge celebration to be held in Hammerhead Keep. All of the castle's beer stores were rolled out, pigs and the biggest fish you've ever seen were roasted over open flames. A massive amount of food would be needed for not only all of the Ironbeard soldiers, but also for the Storm Giants warriors who had come to the party's aid. The celebration began that night. King had planned to be be dour the entire evening, but Jäger forced him to drink, telling him it was what Ragnar would have wanted. Kohi and Wynna drank a polite amount, which left them quite intoxicated anyway. The four danced energetically with the Ironbeards, while Amari and Soora stood off to the side, sipping their drinks (though Soora did tap her foot to the beat).

The Docks

Leaving the noisy room for a bit, Jäger went outside to bring Roak a plate of food. He found his brother sitting on the edge of the docks, facing the water.

"You're not trying to go back to your master, are you?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

Roak looked up toward him, unseeing.

"...Thank you brother, for everything."
-Roak Ironbeard

"I'll never leave you to the darkness."
-Jäger Ironbeard

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"I don't think I can stay here."
-Roak Ironbeard

"What will you do?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

"I still have much to learn. What I've done here is too shameful. Don't know how much good I'll be in a fight now."
-Roak Ironbeard

Jäger waved his hands in Roak's face.

"Yeah, you're right. You'll have to be guided by the wind. I'll make sure you have permission to go on your journey."
-Jäger Ironbeard

"It's time I stopped resisting the tide."
-Roak Ironbeard

They were silent a moment more, before:

"...Do you know what Dhor is planning?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

"He is amassing all his forces. Of which the Ironbeards were only a small fraction."
-Roak Ironbeard

"Well, he won't have them now. And he's down an officer, too. Thank you for the shard, by the way."
-Jäger Ironbeard

"It wasn't a gift. Be careful with it, brother. It's intoxicating, the power. It felt like it was wielding me as much as I was wielding it."
-Roak Ironbead

"I held two in my hand at once. I think I know what you mean. I felt something in my mind."
-Jäger Ironbeard

"Be very careful. I know what it's like to have something in your mind that's not you. They aren't some simple relic of power, they're something greater than that. I fear what will happen when they come together."
-Roak Ironbeard

"Well, you don't have to worry about that now."
-Jäger Ironbeard

Jäger got up to go back inside, though Roak elected to stay at the docks. They promised to speak in the morning, with Regen and Captain Callistan as well.

The Shore

Meanwhile, Amari had slipped out of the celebration and down to the shore. He waded in the cold, dark water, lying down and allowing the waves to wash over him as he held his breath until his lungs burned. He thought of Ragnar being pulled into the depths of water just like this. We did it, he thought, wanted to tell Ragnar. Tears flowed from his eyes, mixing with the salt water. When he surfaced, King was waiting on shore for him. King read Amari's face, taking in his reddened eyes.

"...Saltwater, huh?"
-Drayton King

"Aye."
-Amari of the Ring & Wren

King stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Amari's waist in a comforting hug.

"Every time we meet these Ironbeards, more blood gets spilled. It's good we get to relax, but everything we've worked so hard for has almost come to fruition."
-Drayton King

"...work's not quite done. We've got a lot left to do."
-Amari of the Ring & Wren

"..I have to tell you something. I've thought about it a lot. ...I've died many times now. We're reaching points of power and influence I'd never thought possible. This isn't necessarily what I thought I'd be doing when we started this whole thing..."
-Drayton King

"I just inherited an old building. Fate had other plans..."
-Amari of the Ring & Wren

"After this is all over, I want out. But if you'll allow it...the Ring & Wren is my home. I'd like to stay. Will you let me train some new adventurers?"
-Drayton King

"I've put a lot of money into building that magic school. I, too, would like to teach. It's more rewarding than this."
-Amari of the Ring & Wren

"Imagine all the purposeless elves and pigheaded halflings that need guidance."
-Drayton King

"You knew Lee and Andrick just as well. Its as much yours as it is mine."
-Amari of the Ring & Wren

"Remember my leg is broken?"
-Drayton King

Amari laughed, and the two went back inside.

Inside

Back inside, Lady Kohinoor and Wynna had been dancing with the Ironbeards for quite a while. Jäger approached them, clearly deep in his cups.

"I know you're new, but I'm the strongest in this group. I see you use that big sword, but have you ever seen anyone do this?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

Jager punched one of the nearby Ironbeards, who went flying across the room, accompanied by the sound of cheering. Kohi raised her eyebrow at the display. Waythe muttered loudly, encouraging her to take up Jäger's challenge. Kohi, who had also been drinking and was somewhat tipsy, felt the urge to humble the posturing braggart and so answered his goading with an uncharacteristic lack of grace:

"I think I know someone who could beat you."
-Kohinoor Sattari

"Yeah right! YOU? Look at me!"
-Jäger Ironbeard

Waythe shouted in protest. Kohi frowned, but continued.

"Not me. A friend of mine. She single-handedly slew a dragon and kept its head as her trophy."
-Kohinoor Sattari

Jager clearly didn't know who she was talking about, but King, who had returned in time to witness the conversation, did. He perked up at the description, a business opportunity forming in his mind...

"Are you talking about The Shield of Ivargrad?! You know her??"
-Drayton King

"Yes. We adventured together before."
-Kohinoor Sattari

"Who is that?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

King laid into him, incredulous that Jäger wouldn't know who the most famous arena champion in the empire was. The two begged Kohinoor to write to Achilla and issue a challenge from Jäger to come fight him in the King's Court. Kohinoor was unconvinced that Achilla would be willing to fight in such an unknown venue, but conceded that she might show up to best a challenging monarch. The party partied late into the night, going to bed one-by-one, wherever they could find space.

The Next Morning

At their meeting aboard the Leeward the next morning, Callistan arrived nursing a hangover.

"I haven't drunk like that since I was...a much younger lad."
-Captain Callistan

Jäger saw fit to gift four ships from the Ironbeard fleet to Callistan, who had already been paid in advance for his aid in the Siege of Ironrock, to replace the ones he had lost in the battle. Callistan remarked that since they had been able to save most of the crew from his lost ships, they would have no problem manning them, and thanked Jäger. During their talk with Roak and Callistan about Dhor's plans, Jäger asked Roak if Dhor's followers had any more shards in their possession.

"I know he sought them, but as far as was in his possession? It was just what I had. There was a time of course that the Drow possessed the second."
-Roak Ironbeard

Lady Kohi's attention was piqued at that, having encountered the Drow making moves against the empire in her own adventures. She asked for clarification about the shards, since she had never heard anything about them, and was filled in on the party's quest to find the pieces of the Astral Diamond, which could make a god, kill a god, save a god, or empower a god. The party explained that they planned to use the diamond to kill Dhor and bring back Wynna's goddess, Enki Adda. They mentioned that they had found one of the shards in the Heart of the Empire, which Kohi was familiar with. She couldn't help but wonder if all they had done separately was in fact related. At this point, the party realized just who they had given this information to.

"Lady Kohi, I need you to promise me on your honor that you won't tell the Hounds of Stal about the Astral Diamond."
-Amari of the Ring and Wren

"...I can give you my word that I will not tell them unless I find it necessary to do so. For the safety of the Empire."
-Kohinoor Sattari

The party was uneasy about such a vague promise, but after a bit of questioning they accepted it nonetheless and moved on. Having learned what they wanted to know from Roak, the party figured their next objective should be to locate another shard. Jäger reached out with a message to Torryn to inquire about his search for what they supposed to be the shard of intelligence.

"We hold the strength shard and Ironrock is free. How is your search going? Anything new to report, or should we hunt con shard?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

"My search has taken me to Mont Briller. I'm close. I know it. I will send word soon. I'm heartened to hear of your victories, friends."
-Torryn Songheart

Before they teleported back to Felstadt, the party sent off Roak aboard the Leeward with Ten Men Clay. Roak insisted on helping on board.

"Can he follow orders?"
-Ten Men Clay

"He can't see shit."
-Jäger Ironbeard

"I don't have eyes!"
-Ten Men Clay

Jäger also made a point of talking with the Quintessant Rota Sturmdottir before he left, thanking her for her aid in the battle the morning before.

"It was your insight, Jäger, that made all of this possible. You freed me from my prison, you aided our people, and saved our city. We owe you much."
-Rota Sturmdottir

"We owe each other."
-Jäger Ironbeard

"This is the beginning of a new era of cooperation."
-Rota Sturmdottir

Before the Storm Giants returned to Durssundrr, they paid tribute to Regen as the new leader of Ironrock. They were already quite familiar with him due to his previous duties as envoy, which boded well.

Back in Felstadt

After teleporting home, the party spent a week mustering troops--as did Dhor. Jäger arranged for a special unit of Ironbeard Húskarls to join the party's forces.

Amari (Arcanist)	King (Smart Mouth)	Kohi (Captain)	Jäger (Chief of Security)	Wynna (Prophet)	Soora (Master Assassin)
Special Aerial Unit: Skyrvrannir's Brood	Special Heavy Infantry: Arram Deepguard	Tier III Human Heavy Infantry: Crimson Guard	Special Giant Unit: Azka	Tier I Undead Light Infantry (Mummies)	Tier I Elven Light Artillery (Longbowmen)
Tier II Orcish Heavy Artillery: Bone Bows	Tier III Orcish Heavy Infantry: The Unbreakable	Tier II Elven Heavy Cavalry: Elk Riders	Special Unit: Ironbeard Húskarls
Tier I Elven Light Artillery (Longbowmen)	Tier I Dwarven Light Artillery (Crossbowmen)	Tier I Human Light Cavalry	Tier I Dwarven Light Infantry

Meanwhile, Wynna and Amari did more research into Primordius Mons in preparation for their upcoming journey. Wynna in particular used the spell Legend Lore to supplement her previous inquiries. The effects of the spell made words seem to float off of the very pages of the books they were using. Through their efforts, the party learned that Primordius Mons was referred to as the Sire of All Mountains, and that it was inhabited by the Hierotitan and something called the Astral Terror. No mortal being had ever been to Primordius Mons except in fits and or dreams, though the myths of Giants described heroes travelling there to try and earn the Hierotitan's boon by scaling the mountain, a feat which could only be accomplished through proving truly themselves, as no flight or magic would carry them to the top. Hearing this, several members of the party prepared themselves for the climb in the Ring and Wren's gymnasium. The next morning, the party linked hands in a circle. Amari tapped his staff on the floor and everything began to vibrate, afterimages of their surroundings shaking as Amari cast Plane Shift.

Primordius Mons

A crack of thunder was the first thing the party heard upon arrival to this strange new place. They found themselves on a narrow ledge that looked over a bottomless pit, seeming to crawl up from the abyss itself. The lightning bolt they'd heard had crashed down into a massive mountain, so large that the top was not visible. The sky behind it was purple-painted, swirling with black twisting patterns and glowing with the starlight of the Astral Plane. Several large rocks dislodged from the mountain's craggy slope, tumbling down and shaking the ground. The cliff they stood on gave out, and the party began to fall into darkness...