The Coveted Forge
Chapter 5 - Path of Ruin
The term 'human gods' popularized in the recent age to refer to the pantheon of six divine beings worshiped by humans, was technically a misnomer. Humans were not the first race brought to Tyria by the gods, nor were they the first race in Tyria to worship them. In a time long past, long before the exodus of the gods, there was a period known as the 'Age of Giants', when humans did not yet walk the earth, and there were two races favored by the gods: The Norn and the Jotun. Two separate races of lesser giants, one with beige skin and one with blue skin, both blessed with magic by the gods, claimed domains on the continent. The Jotun made great use of this magic and created all manner of large machines, including enormous observatories that recorded the movements of the stars. They had cities and temples both on the surface and underground.
But when the Jotun's power grew too great, the gods feared that they would betray the gods and stripped the Jotun of their magic. All their runes, all the constructs spanning their ancient temples, all their ancient machines ceased to work, at least for them. A devastating blow to their lives that caused their people to descend into a civil war between rival tribes, each competing for a claim to rule over all Jotun in hopes to reclaim what little glory and prosperity they still could. Eventually, they were driven from their homes and retreated to their caves underground, where most of them reside to this day.
The Commander had a feeling that things were about to speed up for them in Hoelbrak and his instincts proved themselves reliable. When he and Rox went to check in with the Whispers Agents, neither were at the market stands. When they visited their camp, both Sylvari were hastily fetching various things from their storage in the ground and checking off points on a list with a feather and ink.
"What's the situation?" He asked, with a clear idea on what their answer was.
"They're mobilizing today!" Lightbringer Varont answered without bothering to drop the crate he was carrying from the storage. He dropped it near the table in the makeshift camp. He took a second to gather himself. The snowfall was heavier today than in the last two days, and the same went for the cold. The red fiber of his hands was hardening in this condition. "I need gloves. If there's none in our gear, I'm buying pairs before we leave."
Hilas, the green Sylvari, covered in his thick snow-white coat like Varont was, fetched backpacks from the little hut and joined them at the table.
The Commander urged them to settle. "Slow down. What is all this?"
Varont grabbed a crowbar and began to leverage it to break the crate open. "The Lionguard is performing a drill south-east of the lodges. Which means they're moving out later today. Our contacts in the Lionguard never got back to us, but a different one from up north did, so we changed our plans. We're coming with you."
"I'm guessing that's what the crate is for."
When Varont was done breaking it open, he pulled out a large and long case. "Among other things. This is one of our backup crates for a case like this. It has equipment we use for navigating the mountains."
Hilas, the other Sylvari came along with several bags filled to degrees that strained the fabric that held them together. "I bring along components to make camp, including pelts to further cover ourselves against the elements."
Varont continued: "Navigation, camps, even some firewood in case we fall short on trees. We should have everything. We will stock up on provisions before we leave. Commander, help me fill this stuff into bags."
The Commander, baffled by how much they were planning to haul around the place, pointed at the bags hanging off his and Rox' shoulders. "As you can see, we're already loaded, not to mention we need to bring provisions on top. We won't be able to fight if we run into trouble."
The Sylvari already had this accounted for. "We have a friend ready and waiting just a little north from outside the lodges. He has Dolyaks and carts, we have an entire caravan set up. But it's important that you hurry."
Both visitors got to packing everything into more empty sacks that Hilas brought from the hut behind the camp. While they did, the Lightbringer continued to explain. "They vary or rearrange from there, but all Lionguard deployments go to Crossroads Haven first. We have contacts at Edenvar's homestead, we can stock up and send you after their main army from there."
The Commander had been to Hoelbrak before, so he had a very vague idea about the geography. "I suppose that means we're crossing the pass to the north?"
"Breakneck Pass? Yes. Not only that, but we need to get there before they do. We need to keep enough of a distance from them that they don't recognize you two. We travel ahead of them, then diverge from their path and travel through the forest, move north separately and then wait for them to pass at Edenvar's. Then we make plans to infiltrate Crossroads Haven from there. If we can get into Crossroads Haven while the Lionguard is still there, we can find out where their newest deployment is headed."
They rushed to finish preparing and left Hoelbrak through the same very narrow path that barely had enough room for more than two people to walk side by side. They passed the large wooden gate to the more snowed hills over the forest to the east, and after only two hours of marching north, they could already see a Norn waiting for them at the pass with two Dolyaks.
And once they got closer he waved at them. "Hail. The Pact Commander in the flesh? There's a pleasant surprise. I'm Hovar, the dolyaks are mine. Go ahead and load this baggage onto the carts, I'm surprised you got this far holding all this stuff."
While Breakneck Pass was not nearly as cramped with what little of an entryway had been carved between Hoelbrak's gate and the lodges, it still wasn't enough to march armies through unhindered. The Commander started to see why the Sylvari had been in such a hurry. The Lionguard would have to divide their troops across a longer stretch, so they would take a long time to cross the pass but it also meant that by the end of it, they would have a major head start over anyone trying to follow from behind. Especially if those following from behind were to avoid detection.
For hours and hours, it was just them, marching through the pass with the dolyaks in tow. The sky grew dark and the winds of an impending storm howled through the pass over the puffing sounds of snow squashing under their feet as they paced along the road. The icy wind struck their faces relentlessly, worsened by the snowflakes catching onto them.
"The Lionguard is marching through this?"
"I doubt it!" The Norn replied, still leisurely strolling against the currents. "They will make camp on the southern base and march through after it lets up. Keep moving, I have a safe house to the north, at the foot of the slope."
They kept pushing through, frequently brushing off the mounting snow that covered their bodies and followed the cliff wall to the left, which extended long past the narrow pass, all the way to the forest of Taigan Groves. The pine trees packed this forest more densely than down in Borealis Forest, but every single branch and every single twig on them was covered in a thick layer of snow, as was the ground.
The strained and exhausted travelers were led to a hard turn to the left, far off from the paved road. They veered off into the forest, without straying too far from the slope above, until the Norn zoned in on one group of trees in particular. Three of them, very close together considering their size. He passed by the trees and fumbled in the snow searching for something.
He found a rope and pulled it up, opening an enormous trapdoor as he did. The 'snow' covering it appeared to be something that merely looked like snow and was attached to the top. He flipped it open, making enough room so that the dolyaks could descend down the slope beneath. The Commander and the others quickly followed inside and after the Norn followed suit, he lit a torch on the stone wall inside and then returned to the exit. He used the same rope to pull the long and heavy hatch back up, and tilt it to the closing side. Then he removed a metal chain link that attached the rope to the hatch and let the hatch fall back into place with the rope inside
"Safe and sound, " the grumbling giant commented, while lighting more of the torches. The interior appeared to be a cave, but with strange, obviously manmade bricks and stone molds forming the side walls inside. It was a room quite a bit larger than the slope at the entrance. The wind howled through vents connecting to multiple spots at several heights. Enough to make loud noise, but not enough to carry the icy winds of the hills with them. "They'll be following the road to get to their first stop, so even if by some miracle they outpaced us, they'd march right past us by miles without noticing a thing."
The Commander, Rox and the two Sylvari had all collapsed onto the floor, sitting in place, shivering from the lingering cold and exhausted to the point of almost passing out. "You all look terrible." The Norn continued. "Come, get to the quarters down the corner." The Commander, still out of it, got up to check what he was referring to. He went to the wall further inside that the Norn was gesturing to, and sure enough, the walls parted to a homely corridor off to the side, branching off into more unlit chambers and at the end, a room with several beds covered in heavy pelts. When the torches here were lit, the others followed and everyone was relieved to find at least some warmth and separation from the stone floor.
The others joined them and each claimed one of the beds for themselves, happy to finally get some rest. They had been marching for over a full day after all. The Commander kept himself awake unlike Rox, who started snoring within a matter of minutes. "Wait, I didn't see you open any locks. Is this place really safe?"
The Norn didn't seem worried. "All the exits can be secured from inside and only a handful of people know it exists. Even most of the order doesn't, it's my safehouse and only friends of mine know. Even if someone else knew about it, they wouldn't expect us here. At least not right now."
That was relieving. Enough so that the Commander was able to fall asleep alongside all the others. Their stay here was long. They took turns staying guard, and one time when only the Commander and Hovar were awake, the Norn explained that they wouldn't have a safe hideout like this for quite a stretch so it was important to be as well-rested as possible when they left.
After a long series of naps on everyone's part, it was time to depart. The two Sylvari fed the dolyaks one last time and then headed out. They followed a long uneven corridor, tilted in parallel with the slope of the hill above them, until they got to the other exit. The Norn opened the large lock that held the two equally thick steel rings connecting the exit hatch and the floor. Then he raised the hatch, which led into what looked like a natural cave at first, but seemed weirdly small, with a large boulder right in front of them.
Hovar went ahead, grabbed the boulder and pushed it forward. At first it didn't budge, but after he leveraged his leg and used both arms, it eventually lodged itself out of the wall. The boulder gave way to the outside. He pushed the boulder further out of the way, so that the dolyaks could get through. Followed by everyone else. They were still on the same slope as before, but further up to where it plateaued. Up here, they were far, far away from any place where they had to worry about running into the Lionguard. Their real problem was of a different nature, as the Commander could quickly see upon inspecting the path to the west.
Along the northern cliff to the west of them lay the bulky and bulbous stone walls that the Jotun, brutish cave-dwellers as tall and broad as any Norn, used to mark their territory. The barricades had wide openings, but the purpose of them was not to physically obstruct. They were a warning, a means to say "This far and no further." The barricades were bafflingly smooth considering they were made of stone, it must have taken ages to grind them into that shape.
To the west lay the tall stone bulkheads leading into their fortress, crude and chipped from stone but with the hallmarks of Jotun craftsmanship. The area around it was covered in snow, any trees that once stood had been reduced to stumps. And around it, barricades had been erected, signifying the Jotun's claim to the land. Varont pointed to the north. At the jagged rocks between the outer wall and the cliff. "You think we can get through there?"
"Don't think so, " he replied. "There's not enough room." There wasn't even an actual path, it was just the upper edge of the cliff. They would have had to climb through, at great risk and a great loss of time, and they had no hope of getting the dolyaks through there either. It wasn't an option, they had to march right through Jotun territory. Square past the actual fortress further west, but still between the walls marking what area the prehistoric brutes laid claim to.
"It will be alright, " said the Norn. "I've been through this area many times, the Jotun must be aware that I'm not a threat."
So they marched on, uncertain about this whole idea. And sure enough, they were spotted by a scout. They kept walking at first, but not long after he left, an entire troop of large, hulking blue-skinned monsters like himself appeared marching after them with swift but heavy steps, all with a murderous look in their black, feral-looking eyes. They wore nothing but sparse, improvised tunics fashioned very crudely from animal furs, and most of their skin was littered with small symbols painted onto their bodies in black and white. The Commander and the others continued onwards, with the Jotun, all armed with large wooden clubs, coming after them. They actually managed to cross the first half of their trek through the Jotun's territory before the troop came too close to ignore them.
They stopped. Lightbringer Varont said: "Keep your weapons ready, but lowered, " which they did. Several of them stood there motionless, so as to not set off the Jotun unnecessarily. Waiting for them to stomp their way, crushing the snow beneath their feet. The brutes only stopped, once they were close enough to be heard when shouting.
The Norn waved at them. "Greetings, strangers! What can we do for you?"
One of the Jotun, virtually identical to the others, stepped forward. "You are encroaching on our land."
Hovar bowed to them and apologized. "I'm sorry, we are just travelers, seeking a fast way to the north. I've been through here many times and have not hurt anyone. You must know we mean you no harm."
The Jotun was no less upset and several of his armed brothers were standing still with their giant clubs hanging over their shoulders. Hovar was the only one that could compete with them in stature, they were all taller than the Commander or even Rox. "We tolerated you when it was only one or two of you at a time, but you are bringing larger numbers with you. This is an escalation. Why do you choose this path, when you have a paved road to the east?"
"There is an army moving north on that same road, and we are trying to avoid them."
"Excuses!", the Jotun in the front shouted at them. He raised his club and the others took that as their sign to do the same. "You want to get through our turf unscathed? Then earn it! A fight to the death. If you try to flee, we will kill you all the same!"
The Commander pulled at Rox' arm to get her attention. "Rox, I have a plan to beat them, but I will need you to charge into them."
She was shocked. "WHAT?" Her pupils shrunk more than he had ever seen them do that, to the point where they were slits. "You can't be serious."
"You've been through minefields, death traps, giant literal meat grinders and had the Citadel's entire artillery fire on you, and you got through all of it without a scratch. Those are just a few people with clubs, you'll be fine. Just take your new axe and mace and swing at them."
The Norn cut in, with as much confusion on his face as the two Sylvari had. "What are you playing at? This sounds like madness."
He turned to the others to explain. "Rox has something about her. Some call it 'luck', but she never gets hit by anything, no matter the odds. So when she charges into them, something will happen. I don't know exactly what, but they'll fail to hit her every time they try to strike. The rest of us don't have this kind of protection, so we need to kill them fast."
The Norn seemed willing to believe him, but the Sylvari were skeptical. Hilas voiced their concern. "I certainly hope you know what you're doing."
The Commander brought up another example to assure him. "When we were in Ascalon, the Ascalonian Separatists took us prisoner and roughed us up to intimidate us. They had her tied to a chair and tried to punch her for hours and couldn't hit her once. She'll be fine, trust me on this."
The two Sylvari agents looked to the Norn, who shrugged. "Unless he's lying, it certainly beats getting beaten to death." The Jotun were waiting for them to make a decision, still with their clubs raised, but it was clear they weren't just going to let them leave.
The human grabbed Rox by both arms to force her to face him. "Here's what you do. You just take that axe and mace the blacksmith made you and swing them at the Jotun. Just charge at them swinging your weapons. You're going to be fine. We're following right behind you, so they can't capture you either." She was hyperventilating, panicked with what he was proposing. He just turned her around, pointed at the Jotun and shouted. "Now go! Fight!"
She raised her weapons and ran to the brutes, flailing her arms about with no direction. The Commander kept some distance but followed after her first, inspiring the other three to do the same. When Rox arrived at the large, hulking man at the front, he raised the enormous club off his shoulder and set to swipe it down at Rox. But when he did, his foot slipped off the snow, sending his entire body tumbling to the front, barely missing the panicked Charr.
The Commander immediately stretched out his axe, channeled his spell through it and caused it to spin. His magic recreated the cutting motions right on the Jotun's neck, slicing it open and spattering blood. The other giants were confused for a moment, but then they all tried to descend on the bewildered woman. Two of them were shot in the head by the Sylvari. The Norn charged after her. One of the Jotun turned his attention to him and tried swinging down his club at him. The Norn surged to the side and sunk his axe right into the Jotun's neck with enough force to cut through a visible chunk of it.
The other Jotun that surrounded Rox and tried to hit her, all either slipped and fell, or had their legs swept off the ground by the stone and metal clubs from their fellow savages. Every time one of them tried to get up, they were struck by one of their own after they had gotten up, they all kept each other in a cycle of getting up, trying to hit her, hitting someone else by accident and then falling over themselves, only to start over again. They all either fell to the ground or ended up pummeled and knocked out by each other before they could hit any of their actual enemies. The Commander and the others had an easy time killing all of them one blue giant at a time.
Eventually, they were all dead, while Rox was on the ground, struggling to push one of the bodies off. They helped her get back on her feet. "Spirits…" the baffled Norn mumbled. "She's alive."
"Are you alright?" the noble asked her.
Rox, still out of it from this ordeal, fumbled about her head and took off her coat to feel up some spots on the rest of her body. "Seems like it. I don't feel hurt…at least not any more than the cold does." As soon as she was done, she hurried to wrap the heavy coat back around her.
The Sylvari were even more aghast at this plan working out. "I thought you had gone mad. How does this even work? Is this some divine protection?"
The Commander shook his head. "I have no idea what it is that makes this happen. I only know it does. Someone I met in Ascalon even claimed I had something similar. That everyone who tries to kill me, dies."
The Norn gestured to the pile of dead Jotun. "Considering all of them, I can't argue. But we shouldn't mingle here. This little incident is bound to draw their ire." He was right, so as soon as they picked any supplies they found off the Jotun, they resumed marching through their turf, to the north and away from their fortress. At least now, they had enough of a head start from where any other Jotun were, that if someone was sent after them, they wouldn't catch up too soon.
It took them an entire other day of traveling through the wide open field before they passed the territory markers. In the small forest beneath the cliff wall beyond, they found an alcove where they could make camp, with the wall wrapping around the corner enough that they weren't visible from a distance. Sure, the rest of the Jotun could have guessed they were here, just from the direction they came from, but it wasn't the only hiding place and they were sufficiently far away at this point.
From here, their travels were much less troublesome. It took some time wading through the snow. The only wildlife they ran into were an occasional minotaur, but those gorilla-like bulls were much easier to deal with than the Jotun. They had several days of simple, unhindered travel through the bent forest between the mountains. Further north from where they had been, there was a set of hot springs often visited by Norn. They went out of their way to take an unusual route further east to avoid it.
For a moment, they were worried about being due for more Jotun troubles, when they came across a small settlement of them further north, but when they were spotted, the Jotun made no effort to pursue them, and they even saw a few non-Jotun interact with them. They also came across a few small camps that were either abandoned or burned down. When they rested there, the Commander sifted through some of the charred wood, only to be interrupted by Hovar. "This used to be a Svanir camp, but they've been dealt with by now."
During their last week of travel, they wouldn't find any enemies, at least not live ones. To the west of the area, surrounded by rough, impure metal, they approached the oval opening of Moleberia, a surface-level Dredge town home to miners. Everything outside it was the ruin of a battlefield, the scale of which left the Commander, Rox and the Whispers agents stunned enough to stop and gaze at the destruction. The industrial molemen's broken vehicles and battered machine turrets were scattered between the plethora of dead bodies littering the ground. Countless dead bodies of Dredge that had come out to defend the cave's entrance covered the area. They looked like large, naked moles. Hairless and walking on two short, stubby legs. At least they did when they were alive. Red lanterns were affixed to the top of the molemen's hunched backs, all of the lights had long gone out. Their bare, foldy skin had turned pale, their bulbous eyes, usually regressed into their sockets to form a constant natural squint, were often pried open from the rage and fear they experienced in their final moments and their mouths were left open with their massive buck teeth out front, stuck furrowed in a perpetual, silent scream. Their bodies were blown open by cannonfire or turned to a bloody mess by swords.
Patches of black grime and piles of unused gunpowder darkened the snow around their dropped scrap rifles and here and there, between the fat bodies of the molemen, there were also dead humans, Charr and Sylvari, bearing the signature armor of the Lionguard.
When they first came across this sight, they carved out an open spot between it all so they could make camp inside the battlefield. Hovar and the Commander looked through the bodies, examining their wounds. The Commander was anxious, he was hoping to find something out of place, something to make it look like there was some misunderstanding. Maybe some third party that attacked both the Lionguard and the Dredge, prompting them to fight back. But there was no such luck, the wounds of the Dredge lined up with the blades and bullets of the Lionguard, and vice versa.
The Norn spelled out what the Commander dreaded to even think: "The Lionguard attacked the Dredge. The Lionguard was definitely the aggressor here."
"Then what about those battlements they set up out here?" the Commander asked, pointing to a range of barricades and defunct turrets that were built a little outside the holes forged around where the caves began.
"They wouldn't venture this far out unless they had to. And even if they would, if we assumed it were the other way around, the Dredge were out to attack Norn settlements and the Lionguard fended them off, why was the battle here, right on the Dredge's doorstep? Why not at Edenvar's, one of the fortresses or even the smaller homesteads in-between?" The Commander sighed, nodded and continued studying the bodies.
When everyone was gathered at the campfire, Lightbringer Varont confronted him about how much this was upsetting him. "So tell me, the Lionguard attacking the Dredge, I can see this is causing you distress. Why? The Dredge are an enemy, they've often had skirmishes with the Norn."
The Commander corrected him: "They WERE an enemy. The war with the Dredge was over. I know it ended because I was there. I helped them take out the last of their hostile leaders, and the rest were more open to making peace with the surface. If the Lionguard is really seeking out and destroying Dredge settlements, they are starting a new war that neither of us needs and without a doubt dragging the Norn into it."
Bringing up the consequences that the Norn would have to face, drew Hovar's attention. "If that's the case, then we have all the more reason to go after them. We need to know how bad the situation is and how much of it we can salvage." The fact that the Dredge lived exclusively underground and so isolated from others was a detriment. If more of the Norn had known that the Dredge weren't out for war anymore, then they might have done more to foil the Lionguard's attempts to change that.
The Commander had lived with the belief that he didn't have to worry about the Dredge, that their revolution had left them so weakened that there was no threat of conflicts for years to come, but apparently one could always trust Scarlet and her willing servants like Anise, Riel Darkwater or this 'Captain Kiel' - whoever that was - to destroy what little reprieve in the world there was.
In the end, Hovar was right. The destruction wrought here only gave all the more reason to get to the bottom of this.
After a few days of wading through the grisly sights, they crossed the last of it, and it was time to head east, to Edenvar's. Edenvar's Homestead, usually shortened to 'Evenvar's', was a large lodge not far from the road to Crossroads Haven. It wasn't anywhere near the colossal constructions in Hoelbrak, but it was still a sizable building visited by many people who lived nearby. It was surrounded by tents where Norn craftsmen of various kinds lived and worked, fashioning anything from weapons or clothing to wooden carvings of their spirit animals.
The moment they approached the compound in front of the lodge, one of the Norn, a man with short, dark hair, dressed in more elaborate clothes than most seen in Hoelbrak, welcomed them with open arms. "Hovar, how nice of you to visit! We don't get many traders coming here as of late. What can I get you and your fine compatriots?"
The self-appointed leader of their little caravan went ahead to meet his friend half-way. "I'm on different business than trade here, I'm afraid. We will need new provisions, but otherwise, only the bare necessities for travel."
The other Norn stopped for a moment - the Commander guessed that Hovar's words involved some cue between Whispers agents - and then clapped his hands together. "Of course, but first, let's get you some shelter. Come around." He walked past them and waved for them to follow him, past the tents immediately outside the lodge and around to the back of the building. "I'll show you a place to stay, and then you can come to the lodge, enjoy the warmth of the fire."
Behind the lodge, there were a few huts, larger than any hut the Commander knew of other races, but barely big enough to fit everyone. "Here, those two are free. You can stay here while you prepare to leave." They were huts in size - relative to what a Norn understood as such - but they were actually complete houses, made of solid wood, with walls covered in furs on the inside. Expensive for something small like this, but very good for isolating sound. They had to leave the dolyaks in the hut immediately next to the one they were supposed to stay at.
With everyone inside one and the door closed, the host's demeanor changed. "I suppose I can involve those two in anything we do?" He pointed at the Commander and Rox."
Hovar introduced them. "This is the Pact Commander, and some Charr he met in the Black Citadel. He's here to investigate the Lionguard."
The host put his felt hat on a nearby table and then folded up his arms. "I can see why. If you came here from Hoelbrak, you've probably noticed what happened to the Dredge in the west. They passed by this homestead, out for blood. They marched right into the caves and whatever they did in there, it drove the Dredge in enough of a frenzy to not just fight back but push them back all the way outside. What started out as a skirmish, turned into a bloodbath that went on for weeks."
"But why?" the Commander asked.
The host shrugged. "I don't know. If it were to 'combat Dredge imperialism' like they claim, they'd be stationing troops around Norn homesteads, not sending them into Dredge tunnels."
Hovar brought things back on track. "There's another set of Lionguard troops headed to the Haven. They should be arriving in about a week, maybe a little more if they dawdle. The Commander and his friend are planning to tail them. But to do that, we'll have to navigate the fortress, maybe even infiltrate it."
The host's expression lightened. "Now that, I can help with. Follow me, but avoid talking about any of this while we're in public." He opened the door again and led them around the lodge, back to the front and inside. The much-welcomed heat of the fire in the middle filled their lungs and soon their entire bodies, after the ages of traversing the aptly named Shiverpeaks.
Norn of varying stature stood in groups, drinking from mugs, talking and laughing about trivialities, without a care in the world. It just went to show for the Commander, that no matter how grim the matters he looked into were, for many people, it was as though everything was fine. Then again, it was important to make sure it stayed that way. The worse things got, the more people could no longer ignore them. He fought to preserve the sheltered life they had, and so that one day, more could live stable lives like this.