Steel & Flames --- Re-Cap and Aftermath
The Adherents were first called upon by the Priory many months ago. They were sent to investigate a number of strange and erratic dredge attacks upon the Mantelet Refuge. The Adherents arrived to find the ancient monastery under assault. The Mountain took up a banner of war and charged into the exposed dredge rearguard, decimating the assault force easily.
As the Adherents stepped into the Mantelet Refuge, a tired yet concerned Magister told them of what the dredge had done... A portion of the monastery's personnel was kidnapped by three, immense dredge tanks. The Mountain resolved to intercept the tank column and free the Scholars.
The battle that followed was a marvel of tactical ingenuity. The bulk of the Adherents' small force went ahead, fixing to intercept the tank column directly whilst Goedheim and Jinntok chased after them, harassing them with a number of hit and run attacks that managed to disable one of their tanks. The battle came along nicely afterwards, two of the three tanks were decimated. The dredge Commissar, Antov, was captured by the Adherents. It was not a complete triumph, however. Though the third tank was forced to abandon the Scholars, it took in their stead one person: Goedheim, The Mountain
The Adherents and the Priory then began a rigorous, three day interrogation of the dredge prisoner. in their search for Goedheim, the Adherents tried many forms of interrogation, from torture to magic. They all failed. It was not until Naensi and Rija came along that they managed to extract the truth from the Dredge's words. Antov was then left for Rija as the Adherents prepared for their next great task.
Varr Yoggson and Naensi then led the Adherents into the depths of a massive dredge mining complex where Goedheim had been held captive by a flame legion shaman, Decimus "Blaze" Fourpaw. Using their wits, the Adherents snuck into the complex within dredge mining suits, only to find Goedheim captured within complicated and strange fused-technology machinery. They broke their friend out of the machine and managed to carry him out towards the exit without too many incidents, the dredge seemed afraid to engage them.
It wasn't until they could see the exit that Decimus showed up and with a blast of flame-legion magic unleashed the curse they'd placed on Goedheim. The Mountain awoke from his unconscious state and spawned a massive, godforged hammer from thin air. The Mountain's eyes were alight with the flames of hatred and his body developed some evidence of molten taint, his hands becoming encased in a lava-like substance so that he could hold the mighty hammer.
Through the efforts of Peggy Deathface, Varr Yoggson, Naensi, Jinntok and Victoria Hale, the Adherents managed to subdue the Mountain's flaming rage, taking him back home to the Scholar's Cleft where the Priory handled his recovery.
Once awake and well, The Mountain got to work reinforcing the Scholar's Cleft and warning the Adherents of the coming danger: Decimus would stop at nothing to have the hammer in his hands once more. The Mountain explained what had happened during his captivity, what they'd done to him and what they would do now.
A full-scale Molten Alliance assault was coming for the godforged hammer that Goedheim held as his weapon. The Battle of Flame was coming.
After the Adherents had prepared, calling in favors from numerous, different groups... Decimus and his army finally arrived at the Cleft. The Battle was now inevitable.
The Adherents had a number of powerful assets, a Study of Priory Scholars, fifty-strong. A group of Priory forward infantry armed with glass armor and weapons, defending the gates in a mighty phalanx formation. A vigil laser battery, experimental at best and a couple of Whispers agents ready to assassinate whomever The Mountain pointed them at. This ofcourse, aside from the heroes that dotted their line... Both new members and old: Deathface, Demetrius The Small, Jinntok, Praetorridus, The Mountain, Dai Musheron and, ofcourse, Naensi.
When the Molten Alliance arrived, their machines of war caused ash to fall from the sky along with the snows of the Shiverpeaks, the belching smoke of their warmachine gave the area an air of hopelessness, the great flames from the Effigies removed hope from the Priory, yet The Adherents would fight on, even against the impressive force: Two dredge APCs with twenty-five dredge soldiers each, a charr warband, twenty strong. Three mighty flame-legion effigies and leading their forces, Commissar Yegor and Shaman Decimus.
Two armies ready to meet upon a field of battle. Two leaders with a powerful vendetta against each other. Two groups known for their martial prowess and strength in war. The stage was set, all that was missing was a contribution by nature: As The Mountain and Decimus glared at each other underneath the frozen tears of the Shiverpeaks... A snowstorm lifted and denied them all visibility of each other. The only thing visible through the thick veil of snow were the three effigies, burning as bright as the sun.
Dredge forces were eradicated in a joint effort by Demetrius, The Mountain and the Priory forces. Jinntok and the Whispers agents wreaked havoc behind the scenes, while Praetorridus and Dai Musheron worked on keeping their own forces unharmed. Between Deathface and Naensi, the three effigies were destroyed.
Seeing victory in his grasp, The Mountain bellowed out a rousing speech and ordered a charge against the weakened Molten Alliance. The Adherents rushed forth and crushed whatever forces remained. Dai Musheron claimed the life of Decimus whilst Deathface managed to kill the dredge commissar, Yegor. Victory was theirs to take and they did. The enemy forces were slaughtered to the last one.
The message was clear: Fear the Adherents of Ossencrest, for they fight as brothers and sisters.
In the aftermath of the battle, the Adherents salvaged what they could from their enemies' dead bodies, Nezmira selling them off for a total of about one hundred and fifty gold. The interrogated Commissar Antov joined their ranks after spending time with Rija, claiming: "I cannot go back to Dredge society... Not after what she did." The Mountain's pride was bloated, he had never seen such bravery in the battle and he is glad to be fighting alongside his guild.
The Priory has handed over full control of the Scholar's Cleft to the Adherents whom codenamed it: Fort Kegcrusher, after their leader's previous title. Finally, The Adherents have bolstered their trust in each other, after such a mighty battle, they are more willing to fight alongside their comrades and even more skilled at it.
However, they lost many of the assets they'd been given prior to the battle, the Study of Scholars returned to the Priory, where they now stand guard against any who would dare attack their home... The Whispers Agents faded once again into obscurity and the vigil laser battery was damaged during the battle. Dai Musheron has resolved to fix it, but first they must find someone capable of doing so.
Musheron has also set a number of directives for the guild, the most important one being: Recruit. It is his belief that in the coming years, they will need to bolster their numbers for dangerous tasks and adventures will come and it is better to carry them out in force.
The Ossencrest Adherents are poised to become a significant force in the future.
