Events of the early Hero Wars, 1621 ST
The following are notes of adventures that take place shortly after the huge naval battle between the Imperial Lunar Navy and the Wolf Pirates, known as the Battle of the Rozgali Sea.
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by Adam Manning
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Captain Elzibar, Aslak and Ladfet went ashore at Karse, ahead of the invading Imperial Army and managed to make their escape before the city was taken. They travelled to Whitewall to meet Wieldar and Cosank. Wieldar Goodwin had been causing some controversy amongst the nobility of that capital city of Heortland for all knew that he was the son of the former King, Urtenal II. Yet, as King Broyan's Marshall, Otgar Kinnaldsson, explained, Broyan was himself descended ultimately from Heort Lawspeaker, Vingkot and finally to Orlanth their god. During the interview in which Wieldar had informed the Marshall of the impending Lunar incursion, the Marshall had recounted Broyan's bravery at the Battle of Northag's Bliss in 1617 S.T. which had stalemated the superior Imperial forces, the new King's acceptance amongst the populous of Royal Voslaxia, his mastery over the Air Rune and his piety, for he was even now writing a poem in praise of Orlanth Rex. The interview in Azutann Castle, placed on the highest point in Whitewall, had taken many turns as his intelligences suggested an attack on the Heorti and Sartar border rather than on the coast of Kethaela. This conclusion had been largely based on the movements of the Crimson Bat. Even if an attack was provable, the Marshall had stated, the King had little time for the upstart foreign adventurer Richard the Tiger-Hearted and his blasphemous ways. He also doubted the credibility of such an attack by the Lunars. A large scale movement of troops by sailing vessel was to the Marshall an easy way to achieve large scale suicide.
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Nevertheless, Goodwin had been successful in persuading the Marshall to loan a company or the King's irregular mercenaries that were attached to the regular standing army. They were generally Orlanthi (led by a Storm Buller named Ivark War-Snarl). Whilst in Whitewall, Goodwin was contacted by one of the former King's priests who informed him that he still possessed many of Urtenal's treasures in an abbey in the mountains near Whitewall. Goodwin also regained the friendship of Solosarn Merkiss, one of his father's most trusted allies and currently the captain of Whitewall's guardsmen. A Wind Lord of Orlanth Thunderous, he had been present at Urtenal's death at the Battle of Northag's Bliss. He told Wieldar that he feared the attack on Karse was a mere diversion from an attack on Heorti lands from Sartar and that he had heard that Jar-Eel had been active near this area.
Whilst spending a season in devotion to his god at the temple to Orlanth, Wieldar swapped stories with another Wind Lord named Lurimal Chargosson. Lurimal had heard of Balengarsaga, an ancient tale of a hero who had faced an enormous monster and beaten it bare-handed. Inspired, Lurimal had ventured into Larnste's Print, an area to the east ravaged by Chaos monsters. There he had found the underground waterfall referred to in the old saga and, calling upon his magical powers of the Air Rune, had explored underwater for many hours. He had found a ring which he believed belonged to the old Hero which had engraved on it the two Runes Wieldar recognised as being of the Rune Wolf, the shadowy resistance to the Lunar Empire in Sartar. During this time, Cosank gained membership of the Huntsman's Guild of Odayla in Whitewall. A band of the Hunters had slipped into Sartar to the north and made their way to Malkinodarstead, the hearth of a tribe of Orlanthi that had magically tamed the famous Thunder Beasts. They had been contracted to do this by the Ernaldan priestesses in Whitewall. They made their way round the Aldranodar Woods, said to be inhabited by the Lussvalodali, a tribe of Brown Elves. The Hunters managed to take some of the eggs of the Thunder Beasts, but only escaped by chance when the enormous reptiles tried to run them down. Cosank was able to keep one of the infant Thunder Beasts when it was born, though his was the smallest of the litter. His reptile also had a longer neck than the others and, unlike all the other Thunder Beasts they had seen, sharp teeth.
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After the destruction of Karse, the capital of Hendrikiland moved to Galentor, to the west, and Lakarstang Battle-Fist, the former King's Marshall and a Sword of Humakt, became the kingdom's regent. At the end of Wieldar's season of devotion, the King sent for him personally and the two met for the first time. Broyan told Wieldar, with some sorrow, of the fate of Hendrikiland and suggested his chance at taking a throne lay there, though he would brook no weakening of his own hold over the kingdom of Royal Volsaxia. Though he said nothing, Goodwin realized that Broyan was concerned; Wieldar's claim to the throne of Volsaxia was based on descent from the immediately previous monarch and not to some old legend. The King also reported the sightings of elite Lunar agents on wyvern mounts active in a province of Sartar directly north of Whitewall called Nikdun, in particular around the hamlet of Greshfarm, north of the Nogratarval Forest. He reasoned they were surveying Orlanthi forces in the area.
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After returning with the Thunder Beasts, Cosank and the other members of the Huntsman's Guild were contacted once more by the priestesses of Ernalda the Earth Mother. The holy women explained they had been receiving visions and prophecies from their Goddess in the form of a long song, each of them receiving a portion of verses. Soon they pieced together the entirety of the song and after further divinations, understood the song to refer to a place far to the north known as the Hollow of Chaos. The dreams they received also featured a legendary statue of a daughter of Ernalda named Keran-Turl, who had married Barntar the god of farming. Her powers were connected with raising animals and she was also friendly with the elves, an unusual association for such a spirit. The priestesses divined that they wanted the statue back and said it was taken by either Trolls, Ogres or Giants. They suspected that Keran-Turl herself might be bound into the statue.
The priestesses mentioned that the statue's powers would be of great use in raising the Thunder Beasts and their High Priestess, Erissa Marn, believed it could accelerate their growth. The Odaylan Guild's leader knew of the ancient alliance between his faith and the Earth Mother's in Whitewall and when they also promised the return of some of the magical arrowheads given to them over three hundred years ago by Marotal Broosticker (an Odaylan champion of that time), the Hunters agreed. However, the Hunters noted that only three of their number were up to such an adventure and Cosank persuaded them to hire Wieldar, Aslak, Elzibar and Germanicus as men-at-arms to make up their ranks. Aslak soon realized the priestesses were referring to the Snakepipe Hollow near Tarsh and that the journey would take some weeks. Wielar longed to go there as the glory of such an adventure would stand him in good stead in his quest to become a Wind Lord. Fighting the forces of Chaos was the best way to prove his courage.
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After a few days preparation, the Heroes left Whitewall. The day was breezy, cloudy and mostly grey, yet when the sun broke through the clouds, it lit up the hills around them as if a golden sheen had been wrought over the ground. To the west, the level, rising rock called the Shadow Plateau appeared over the tree of the thin woods that dotted its eastern edge. To the east, they could see the proud Storm Mountains towering up into the sky. At the northern end of these mountains jutted a startlingly tall spire known as Stormwalk Mountain.
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Far off to the north, just peeping out of the haze of the distant horizon, Cosank was able to make out another line of mountainous points. In front of these was a very faint emerald line, probably an extremely far off wood. In the center of their view though was an impossibly tall mountain which all knew as Wintertop. Wieldar also knew of it as Kero-Fin. As always it thrust up beyond the clouds. It was so narrow that some people actually thought it hung down from the sky. Around them the green and pleasant lands of Volsaxia stretched out.
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The day was spent travelling across the lands of Volsaxia, spotting deer and sheep grazing here and there and passing through two small villages. Towards the end of that first day a shower forced them to seek shelter in a larger village called Malranoss. Shortly the shower ended but night had fallen by this time. The village lawspeaker, a learned follower of Lhankor Mhy, chatted to them amiably and pointed out in the sky that the Wagon Star had returned, which to Aslak was Lokarnos, the star of his god.
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This astronomer, Marick the Polite, was intrigued by this and said that it must be a good omen for their journey. The next day the weather had changed and was sunny and bright. Until nearly High Yelm (or midday), the land remained pleasant but as they left the domains of Volsaxia and entered the Creen Downs, the ground grew rougher. Soon the wooded areas grew more frequent and denser.
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Elzibar noted that some of the brush around them had burn marks and then Aslak saw tracks in the undergrowth, larger than human footprints. By the end of the day they had passed the unguarded border of Elmalia, also known as the Sun Dome County. They arrived in the Yelmalion town of Larnak-Tavon. The suspicious city guards only let them after Aslak used all his charms on them and they made it clear the would not tolerate trouble-makers. The guards were particularly troubled by the storm worshippers in their group and directed them to Ranwell's Beer-House, which turned out to be a very run down inn. The adventurers spent the night there, only just avoiding becoming engaged in a bar-brawl.
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