Road to Ruin

I would be nowhere, would it not be for friends.

I arrived at the Frontier Gate with my crew.  We rendezvous with Warmaster Riga.  Warmaster.  One day I will be one.  I will be a vigilant and just warmaster.  Not a puppet sent to ruin by a King with an agenda. Not like my father.  Chasing prophecies to appease the people, unprepared and badly trained.  No one knows how far he got, all we know is he never returned.  He was sent by good King Adelbern to end the flameseeker prophecy.  To my knowledge, that prophecy was only a story told to scare children in to eating their vegetables and doing their chores. "Eat your broccoli or the Lich will get you" my mother would say, "Clean the floors or we'll send the lich to take you at night".  We knew he was running in to a fools mission, even I knew as a small child that chasing imaginary monsters would only result in catching air.  And air cannot be caught.  He left us anyways.  A fools mission.   Only Meerak the Shouter, formerly the scribe, who became touched and unhinged during the searing, continues to believe in this prophecy. 

even now he screams of the prophecy.

We take our instruction, head to Surmia.  There is a camp at the ruins, we will be joined by the great Prince there and free our bretheren. Then we will head to the north, through the breach in to the shiverpeaks.  It will be peaceful there, our people will remain safe until we reach Kryta, and set up for a new life.  Dreams.  We will finally be at peace again.

Fort Ranik

Ruin, ruin.

I've been sent on another mission.  Fort Ranik needs to be cleansed.  I am to help push back the charr.  It amazes me sometimes, how much like us the charr are.  Atleast in what they carry.  Dyes, gold, materials.  Things I can use.  Though i'm not sure how good a charr would look in purple.  We massacre them as we go, mindsparks and martyrs, stalkers and bosses.  Grazz the Unforgiving, a corpse in our path. Klaww Featherstorm, may worms feast on him. Master Armin Saberlin stops us when we get to the gate.  His son has been taken captive.  I didn't think the charr took prisoners, but I guess we all change and adapt our ways.  I feel some hope knowing now the charr do take live prisoners.  Perhaps all our fallen are not infact fallen, just taken.  Maybe little Gwen the flutist is alive somewhere.  Perhaps it would be better if she were dead.

In the distance we see cages.  Could the charr possibly have left our people alive?  Trapped like animals?  We spray the charrs blood on the ground until we reach the first cage.  Trooper Deeter Saberlin is inside, son of Armin. He is alive, and he is clear to return to his father.  That is one victory won, atleast.  As we continue, a large healer charr, Rrrack Whitefire stands in our way. Stood in our way.  He is with grenth now.

We find our way to the catapult field. The charr have already set up camp. They've destroyed all our trebuchets, and slain all our engineers.  Standing amidst the wreakage, valiant and brave, is Siegemaster Lormar.  Brave he must be, as he is being charged by Roarst One Eye, master necromancer of the blood legion.  He must have been confused though, as he kept hexing me with a mark of pain, yet he had no team dealing the appropriate damage.  Stolen ascalonian ale perhaps? Whatever his issue was, we made quick work of it.

Siegemaster Lormar is convinced he can fix the trebuchet. We must make haste and find replacement pieces off the destroyed catapults. Seeing the extent of the damage, I am skeptical. This is an advantage we cannot give up though, and I run to being searching.  I find an arming crank, and a release lever. Last is the restraining bolt, and we find that a little to the north east.  It looks as if it will function.  Nothing left but  to test it.

It worked! The near charr camp is all but destroyed, all the charr dead.  A small success.  I see another trebuchet by the wall, where the larger charr camp stands. It seems to be in working order.  The charr are not within blasting range though. Live bait perhaps? Risky, but we must prevail.  I run in to the camp, they see me and come out.  I am too fast for them, I get back to the trebuchet while they stand confused by their crudely build burning effigy.  I hope they never unlock the magic to create moving effigies.

we pick off the smaller groups left and finally we arrive at the hole. Spar the Ravager, master warrior, stands there with only a troop of two.  He seems not to have heard the explosions from the trebuchet or even noticed we are standing behind him.

It is done.  The charr are pushed back.  A great victory for Ascalon.  The Prince joins us, but with a heavy heart.  It seems in the charrs hurry to flee they had taken several prisoners. The Prince is beside himself with grief.  He is done attempting to be diplomatic, we are to go to Surmia and retrieve our taken.  Then we are to go to Kryta.  With or without the Kings permission.  Pray he sees reason.