Path of Exile is owned by Grinding Gear Games, I am just playing in their sandbox.
AN: Beta help by /u/bobbychan193, any errors are still mine as I don't always listen to his good advice.
A Page in the Diary of Jun Ortoi
Date: Second Lunaro of Phreci, 1634 IC
Location: Outside Syndicate Fortification, Atoll
I met a man of God today, and he has left me thoroughly confused. He was an exiled Templar who literally burned with a righteous fire so bright that his foes were set alight merely by straying too close to him. Such conviction is rare to see these days, though others of the Order used to speak of Juggernauts and others who seemed untouched by the flames. Rumors say that many now know the secrets of this skill but I see through their lies. They are just using a corrupt version left behind by the long-lost Vaal civilization, sacrificing some of their very life for a temporary boost to their spells. Once upon a time, I may have dismissed such an action as foolish, but now, to avenge my akhara, I would do that and more... Damn Perandus and his treachery.
I was hoping to find Janus in this fort, but after several days of watching, it is clear that another man rules here, Korell Goya, the Son of Stone. He is a truly fearsome foe, a Redblade who seems to have abandoned his warband and is said to be unharmed by flames, possibly due to his unique, spiky red armour. He never seems to leave his fortifications, leaving me no option but to simply assassinate him. It's better to remove him for a while if I cannot interrogate him-what else could I do? The plan was to wait until dark to slip through the palisade and into the fort. I wanted to face this misplaced Redblade and see if he was immune to cold steel, too.
As darkness approached, a commotion broke out in the distance. I squinted my eyes in its direction. It looked like someone was wheeling a cart with a bonfire on it this direction, perhaps some sort of Redblade parade or ritual? As the light approached, it became clear that the noises were not revelry, but the screams of the dying. The fire was not being pushed on a cart, but it surrounded a man who seemed totally unaffected by it. I cursed my inaction during the last few days. These must be reinforcements for Korell! Had they spotted me and were planning their own ambush? But no, it would make no sense to approach so brazenly like this. I glanced back at Korell's fort; the guards standing on the battlements seemed as confused as I was. Maybe I should just wait to see how this will play out. Someone else could be planning on confronting the syndicate, or perhaps just rampaging through the atoll. Either way, this would distract the soldiers long enough for me to abduct Korell.
As the burning man approached I crouched as low as I could in the bushes, hoping to remain unseen. He charged past me holding his shield out in front of him, totally missing that I was there. I breathed a sigh of relief. The man did not seem to be after me and was in fact headed straight for the front gates of the fort. The guards were hurriedly preparing their ballistae to fire on this abomination of a man. What followed was the most bizarre experience of my life. The man charged straight into the wooden gate of the fort, smashing it open with a single blow of his shield alone, causing a shower of splinters that ignited in the air like fireworks! The guards rushed to turn the ballistae, aiming inside the fort as Korell and the stranger engaged in battle.
I leapt from the bushes, moving closer as it was clear no one would be watching the outside of the fort now. Not with an actual firefight raging in its courtyard. Korell was launching flaming mortars at the stranger who seemed to just stand right in their path. Was he not even going to try to dodge the explosions? Insanity. The smoke from the explosions was thick and I feared for the worst... Was this just some sort of elaborate suicide that would ruin all my plans, or some adventurer who was totally out of their depth? My thoughts were interrupted when a shockingly bright ray of flames erupted out of the smoke, scorching everything it touched and immolating much of the interior of the fort as it chased Korell. Would his mysterious red armour protect him from these mighty flames? No, it appeared not. After only a moment of this show of force, Korell dove behind a small pile of stones and cried for mercy. That was all it took for the other soldiers to drop their arms and flee, and this was my chance! If I could convince this pyromaniac to let me take Korell, I might learn where that traitor Perandus is hiding.
I called out to him, asking him to stay his hand and explaining that I bore no ill will. Alarmingly, the ray of fire swung in my direction. Did he not hear me? Was he still lost in the madness of a combative frenzy? Thankfully, the flames cut off before they actually reached me, but it was almost too close for comfort. Even a dozen feet away the heat from those flames nearly scorched me. I introduced myself and explained what I was doing and a little about the syndicate. Fortunately, he was receptive to my plans and agreed to let me take Korell back to my base so I could extract whatever information I could. Success!
With Korell safely bound and the soldiers gone from the fort, we talked for a time and he told me of his past, of being betrayed by his order and exiled to these harsh lands. I was never fond of the Templar Order, but how could I not feel for this man who, like myself, has had everything taken away from him? His conviction in God carries him through these hard times the same way my duty and desire for revenge does for me. We stripped Korell of his iconic body armour. The red tint seemed to fade, and plain leather replaced it. I shrugged and offered it to the Templar for his help today. I am not sure if it would even fit him... the Templar was actually quite strange-looking once I got close to him, with a very long neck and shoulders that didn't seem to match his body at all. But alas, it is not right for me to judge people on their looks, so I should say no more.
It seems that Korell did not know how to fully utilize his body armour. It was obvious to me that some of its power was still veiled, and I wonder if that would have changed the outcome of the fight. Perhaps the Templar really does have his God's blessing. I was able to see through the veil on the item and could shape the power in one of three ways. I could make it more resistant to fire and chaos, or shift powers to focus on improving the wearer's strength, or could even allow for some of a attack's physical damage to be mitigated and causing the armour to heat up as a result, which was a powerful but possibly dangerous option. what if the hits made the armour so hot that it started burning the wearer instead?
As I explained these options to him, his eyes seemed to glaze over and lose focus. Was he not paying attention? Where was he looking? I followed his eyes, which seemed to gaze off into the distance, occasionally shifting up and down. Then almost at random, he asked for the strength power. This was puzzling, as it seemed to be the least powerful option to me, but he did help me today, so I did as he asked. He took the armour from me then started sprinting around stuffing his pockets and bag full of everything he could pick up in the fort. I suppose looting is a common enough practice, if distasteful, but why would he leave rare weapons and armour he could actually use on the ground and instead pick up common whetstones and the robes of a mage? Perhaps he ran a shop part-time, or knew someone who wanted some cloth.
He turned to leave without even a word of parting to me, which was quite rude. I considered just letting him go but I wanted to at least know the name of this strange deformed man who could burn with devotion to his God one minute and sprint around looting seemingly random items from the fallen the next. He looked over his shoulder at me, smirking as he said XxButtChugger69xX. Then he raised his shield once more and charged off. XxButtChugger69xX. What does that even mean? Was it some sort of joke? Could it actually be his name? Maybe he took it when he was exiled, or maybe his father just hated him.
It's been a hell of a strange day, and I need a nice strong drink. I wonder if I could convince Zana to join me...