Outside of the legend of Durgan's Lucky Charm, the second most popular legend in the Strongarm mythos is the Exile. During his search for the earring, Huan Strongarm finds himself stranded in a distant land; this is actually where he finds the mythic earring, with the last stretch of the story being his return journey. I was actually able to figure out which country this was, and let me tell you: Leon got up to some pretty crazy shit. They have a giant dog statue in the capital city to this day that they worship as a divine messenger.

It has a bracelet on its left foreleg with an axe tucked into it. In its right ear is an earring, on its head is a helmet with dwarven runes, and in its jaws is a red sword. Just another chapter in the legend of Huan Strongarm.

The reason why I bring this up so early is because it seems that certain parties were aware of the Exile well in advance: the second most high authority among the dwarves is the Keeper of Lore, who has held the duty of recording their history since time immemorial. Generations of these Keeper have been infuriated by the same blank spot in their otherwise immaculate records: the Fate of Rhukha, a hero as legendary to them as Huan Strongarm is to us today.

It's strange, really. Here I am, diving into the last nooks and crannies of history for information on the life of a legendary folk hero, and I learn that he was tasked by the dwarves with diving into the last nooks and crannies of history for information on the life of a legendary folk hero. It makes me wonder if Rhukha also walked in another's footsteps, and if that hero walked in another's in a great chain stretching back into antiquity.

The thought makes me smile.

Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale, by Lufas Maphaahl

Leon left his friends behind, following the Keeper of Lore into Saanavarh's religious sector. Behind the great pyramid that acted as their theological hub was a great mural carved into the wall of the volcano, depicting a host of images and indecipherable dwarven runes.

"I understand that you call yourself the Knower of Secrets," remarked the priest. "Then you must already be aware of the Lore Stone: in it, I carve our history. From our Creation, to our occupation of the plains, to our retreat from the dungeon hordes, to the arrival of the Great Serpent, to the arrival of the founders of the Kingdom of Holfort. For generations, the Keepers of Lore have carved the history of our people. Under our watchful eyes, the memory of the dwarves shall live eternal."

"Right," nodded Leon, sitting back on his haunches as he examined the mural. In the game it had been too dark to see the Lore Stone properly, but his supernatural eyesight let him absorb it in all its splendour. It was beautiful, in ways that only something crafted with love and reverence could be. "You mentioned 'secret things' earlier: if that was a reference to me being the Knower of Secrets, then I'm sorry to say that I don't know a whole lot about dwarves."

The Keeper laughed bitterly. "Figures. I thought that would be too easy." He ran his fingers sadly over an older section of the Lore Stone; curiously, it had been left blank. "If you don't know what I want to know, then do you perhaps know the true location of this earring you are searching for?"

Leon looked cautiously over his shoulder to make sure his companions weren't listening; they were enjoying the journey, and he really didn't want to spoil the final twist. "It should be in Darhan," he whispered. "Why do you ask?"

"Your battle with the Wolf is not expected for some time, and it is not impossible that you might go there in search of your quarry. The reason I bring this up, Lord Huan, is because you are not the first to travel to that land in search of mystical trinkets. One of our own once walked this path, never to be seen again."

Leon put two and two together. Only one dwarf hero was ever mentioned in the game's flavour text. "Rhukha," he said slowly. "You're talking about Rhukha. But Darhan is… I don't even know how far away it is! How could Rhukha fly all that way when every dwarf to ever live has had a pathological fear of airships?"

This seemed to annoy him slightly. "You mean like how you have a pathological fear of ghosts?"

A deep growl resonated from the wolfdog's chest. "Who the fuck told you about that?"

"No one in particular." The Keeper pointed at the Lore Stone, just above the blank section where the Fate of Rhukha should have been. "He used this."

The mural depicted an ancient structure: the stone platform was surrounded by four statues of winged lions, and between each of them was a small flight of steps. In the centre of the platform was a circle of blue light, into which a blurry dwarven figure (presumably Rhukha) was disappearing.

"A Cullis Gate?" Leon blurted, leaping to his feet as his tail wagged furiously. Cullis Gates formed a network of teleportation portals that spanned most of the world, and had very obviously been ripped off from Fable. "There's a Cullis Gate here? In Holfort?"

"There is," smiled the Keeper. "And it leads straight to Darhan. You can use it for yourself… provided you have the key."

Leon's tail stopped wagging as he eyed the dwarf suspiciously. "What key?"

"The Lore Stone refers to it as the Prism. And it just so happens that I have it in my possession."

He pulled a small box from his robe, opening it so that Leon could see inside: the Prism was a crystal shaped vaguely like a Varla Stone, gleaming with soft, pale light.

"I can give it to you right now," promised the Keeper. "Provided you do one thing for me in exchange: while you are in Darhan, I want you to learn what you can about the Fate of Rhukha. It is a long cherished wish of my people that the blank slate be filled."

Leon thought about it, his tail wagging pensively; he honestly hadn't fully committed to recovering the earring, as the Harp of Dreams had already promised him a cure if he dealt with Elodach. "What did Rhukha need from Darhan, exactly? Why go to the trouble?"

The Keeper of Lore smiled wryly. "When the Great Serpent arrived with her granddaughter in her jaws, a panic gripped Saanavarh like you could never imagine. We were terrified of this massive, alien creature, and of its fellows that may yet lurk beneath the dark and unknowable sea. We desired a weapon: something to sever the sea from the continent forever."

"Wouldn't that take away all your drinking water besides the rain?"

"I understand that the Elders at the time weren't a fan of thinking things through," said the dwarf dryly. "They became fanatically focused on their imaginary weapon. Logic and reason were abandoned, as was basic common sense."

Leon tilted his head, his ears flattening thoughtfully against his skull. "So, this weapon… it was in Darhan?"

"Not exactly." The Keeper pointed at the section of the mural that described what happened to Rhukha before he passed through the Cullis Gate. "Long ago there existed a human mage named Nutengov, who created a potion that could turn water into ice. He passed through Holfort - long before anyone called it by that name - in search of ingredients. A single drop of that potion fell into a river, and for ten years it remained a solid block of ice. Had the entire vial been used, all the water of this world would have been frozen."

"You know that's the apocalypse you're describing, right?" Leon whined. "You're saying that this man could have ended the world if he'd done a whoopsie and dropped it by mistake."

"Scary, isn't it?" They both took a moment to shiver before he continued the tale. "Nutengov was a member of the Dakhanim of Prince Vodan. A master of skullduggery, Vodan was leader of the Aegosi Clan."

"Whoa! Hold up!" Leon yipped in alarm, his fur standing straight up from his body. "The Aegosi? As in the legendary assassins? Those Aegosi? You know that it's rumoured that they've murdered gods, right?" He paused, recalling an unfamiliar proper noun. "Wait… Dakhanim? I don't think I've heard of them before…"

"The name means 'Shadow Scribes' in their native tongue," explained the Keeper. "The Dakhanim mastered the secrets of invisible writing and magical parchment. They wrote codes and ciphers that could only be deciphered with powerful magic. This is why Nutengov's spells have never been found: to the untrained eye, the parchment on which they were written would appear to be blank."

Leon nodded slowly, digesting the information. "Right. So if Rhukha thought that he could find this doomsday recipe in Darhan, then that means… Rhukha never discovered the Cullis Gate. Nutengov did. Rhukha followed him through because he was following his trail."

"Precisely," nodded the Keeper. "It was a dark time for the dwarves: the Great Serpent turned out to be a grieving grandmother who meant no harm, and even if she did and the potion was concocted we would have ended the world in ice and cold. Fear and paranoia make poor neighbours."

"So you just want me to find out what happened to this guy?" Leon clarified. "That's it?"

"Huan!" Leon yipped in surprise as Olivia piped up behind him, the other bipeds trailing behind her. "Why did you leave?"

"Greetings, young lady," bowed the Keeper. "The God Hound was simply agreeing to a small errand. Would one of you be willing to carry this in his stead?"

Olivia accepted the box with a bemused smile. "Why? What's in the…" The fairy opened it for a closer look, her eyes widening as the light from the Prism illuminated her face. She slammed it shut before the bipeds could see what was inside. "Where did you get this?" she hissed. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's something we might need later," said Leon. His bracelet flashed as Sir Onemore returned to his natural form.

"I can take it," he offered politely. "I have plenty of room in my… chest gem? Is it weird that I've never named it?" He looked down at the gem on his chest before holding out his hands, but Olivia hugged the box to her chest.

"No! I mean… maybe I should carry this. Just to be safe."

Leon flicked his ears as Moz bowed graciously, morphing casually back into a bracelet. "It's not dangerous, is it?"

"No. But it is very, very old. It historical significance is-"

Leon snorted. "I can't believe you had me worried there. You nerd."

Olivia turned bright red, her cheeks puffing out cutely. "I am not a nerd!"

"Are so." Leon assertively led the group away, exchanging discreet nods with the Keeper of Lore.

As Saanavarh wasn't exactly built for tourism, this was more or less their cue to leave. They made their way back to the city entrance, where the dwarves had been keeping an eye on Leon's saddlebags. "I have a question," said Chris.

The bipeds were stuck waiting as the dwarves helped the wolfdog slip into the harness. "About what?" Already, Julius looked bored. Truly he had the attention span of kings.

"What about the ninjas?"

Brad gave him an odd look. "What ninjas?"

"When Huan listed everything we could expect to run into, one of the things he mentioned was ninjas. I kind of assumed he meant the dwarf ninjas of legend. But since we got here we haven't seen any ninjas at all! What gives?"

"Ah," said Leon guiltily. He obediently raised his paw as the dwarves adjusted the straps around his leg. "That may be my fault."

There was a pause as Olivia translated. "How is it your fault?" Jilk asked. "It's not like they're hostile. Holfort and Saanavarh have been at peace since before anyone can remember. I would assume that they just didn't have reason to attack us."

Leon paused to gather his thoughts, his tail wagging slowly. "Jules?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when the Guardian of the Stone Portal said… what was it… that he could buy your entire kingdom?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you remember how I sort of cut you off before you could get offended? Well if I hadn't, there would have been a huge argument and we wouldn't have been allowed into the city. We would have had to go through something called the Ordeal of the Labyrinth: it's basically a series of trials and puzzles that the dwarves have to pass through before they can swear an oath to the Ulsadana. There are a bunch of monsters, and one room is full of ninjas that were banished for some crime or another. That was what I was talking about."

He was so obviously embarrassed that some of them began to laugh. "Then why did you stop him?" Greg demanded. "If you'd just stayed quiet…"

"Because I forgot, okay!"

While everyone else was chatting, the Guardian of the Stone Portal inched guiltily up to the Prince. "While we're on the subject, I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

He got a confused blink in return. "For what?"

"You know…" The grizzled dwarf coughed awkwardly. "For the whole buying your kingdom remark. That was… That was really rude, and you had every right to be angry. I apologise."

Julius cringed slightly. "That's fine, I… I know where you're coming from. I heard what my dad did the last time he was here."

"Then why did I bother wearing this outfit?" Chris was saying. "The whole reason I put it on was to blend in with the other ninjas!"

"In Saanavarh, ninjas wear armour made of green and black stone," Angelica pointed out. "That is an incredibly stupid idea."

Everyone clambered into the saddlebags as soon as they were in place, waving goodbye to the dwarves as Leon bounded away over the countryside. After a couple of minutes they were back at the capital, the giant wolfdog slowing to a trot as he padded through the main gates. It was hilarious how quickly the people of Holfort had become accustomed to his presence.

"Hey kids!" Jarl waved. He helpfully removed the saddlebags once everyone had disembarked. "How was your trip?"

"There was a dire lack of ninjas," muttered Chris darkly. "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined."

"Huan!" Rana squealed. He ran out of Jarl's shop and threw himself into Leon's fur; the wolfdog yelped slightly in surprise, as he had almost forgotten that Olivia had a younger brother. "You're so fluffy! So fluffy!"

Cattleya wandered out after him, instantly causing Angelica, Earis, Guts and the five love interests to forget what they were doing and stare at her chest. "Will you be staying for lunch? You shouldn't get so busy that you forget to eat."

"Sure!" Julius beamed. "We'd love to-"

"No!" Leon interrupted. "You boys are going back to the palace, and you are going to put on some decent clothes. If you absolutely have to cosplay as someone, it can be someone who isn't me."

"But Huan-"

"Or you can intrude on Olivia's home uninvited, and make her hate you. It's your call."

The Prince and the wolfdog stared eachother down, the latter's tail thumping glibly against the pavement. "Dammit!" Julius shouted, and ran off. "I'm going to eat and get changed and then I'll be RIGHT BACK!"

"Bye," waved Leon smugly. The other four love interests toddled after him, leaving only Earis, Angelica and Guts.

"You three are welcome to stay," offered Jarl. "I mean, those other boys would have cleaned out all the food we have, but just you should be fine."

"Sorry," smiled Earis. "But we were told to protect the boys until the end of the day."

"Thanks anyway," added Guts.

Jarl waved as they jogged off, turning to the Duke's daughter with a friendly smile. "What about you? Any friend of Livia's is a welcome guest at my table."

"T-Thank you!" Angelica blurted, looking slightly flustered at the offer. "But I… uh… I don't know Olivia as well as the others do, so I probably shouldn't…"

"Nonsense," laughed the fairy, looping their arms before she could escape. "The more the merrier!"

It surprised her a little how well she got along with Olivia's family. Neither Jarl nor Cattleya knew who she was, and spoke to her with refreshing familiarity. Rana chattered at her excitedly about the dwarves, while Leon rolled adorably in the insanely comfy dog bed.

"Miss Angelica," smiled Cattleya; everyone had finished eating and Rana was fluffing Leon's fur. "Olivia tells me you have a fiancé!"

Leon's ears flicked slowly.

"I do, yes," nodded Angelica. "We don't talk much, though."

"Maybe that's just because you never interact in a casual environment," suggested Olivia. "You should take some time to get to know each other without any politics in the way."

Leon cringed. He was suddenly reminded of the Prince's apology, and the heartbreakingly false hope he had seen on Angelica's face. He rolled to his feet with a huff, ambling out of the room so he no longer had to listen.

"By the way," asked the Duke's daughter curiously. "What does Huan look like? In human form, I mean."

The fairy looked around surreptitiously. "Just between us girls?"

"Sure."

"He's GORGEOUS!" Olivia gushed. "He was turned back for a while in Canaria, and he was completely naked. I saw everything. Ev-e-ry-thing."

She drew her hand down her body for emphasis; her mother's eyebrows shot upward, while Angelica turned bright pink. "R-really? That's… uh… I mean…"

"His muscles were just fabulous!" Olivia continued. "He had the body that the god Greg worships wished he had!"

Angelica tugged awkwardly at her collar. "Is it hot in here? Or is it just me?" She took a nervous sip of water.

"Also he's really well hung."

She dramatically spat her water across the room; Cattleya would have offered her a napkin, but she was laughing too hard to do much of anything. "Olivia!" Angelica coughed. "Not appropriate!"

"Kidding!" Olivia laughed. "I just wanted to see if I could make you spit take!"

Outside, on the opposite side of the street, Leon flopped on his belly and covered his ears with his paws. "I can HEAR you," he grumbled. "What the hell does she mean by 'kidding' anyway? And why is she avoiding talking about my face?"

Never had someone complimenting his junk been so discouraging. Be ashamed, Leon. Be very ashamed.

Side Quest: The Fate of Rhukha

Summary: one of two side quests you can get in Saanavarh, along with Secrets of the Dakhanim. If you happen to be playing along while this, then DO NOT MISS THESE QUESTS! The rewards are some of the best equipment in the game.

The Prism is an important plot item from the third act of Chains of Satinav, and is used to open a Fairy Gate rather than a Cullis Gate. I had a weirdly hard time describing it, and comparing it to a Varla Stone was the best I could do.