Glaciers of the North --- Bane of Kodan, Re-Cap and Aftermath
The Adherents gathered in Fort Kegcrusher in hopes of going out in search of Vulfoliac. Instead, their mighty quest was interrupted as a Kodan of bloodied fur stepped through the open gates of the welcoming keep. This kodan known as "Winter's Rise" came to them with ill tiding, asking-- Or begging-- for aid from the mighty Adherents.
The Mountain's good will is boundless, it wasn't long before they'd packed up and readied their blades for a battle against the Sons of Svanir whom had assault the kodan village from which Winter's Rise came, first they sought to debilitate the Icebrood's hold on the area and acquire a small group of kodan to aid in the assault. They sought out the nearest stronghold of Icebrood and fought bravely against insurmountable odds, the battle was going in their favour, however soon a massive, corrupted shaman showed himself.
The Adherents were captured. When they came to, the only thing they could see was Winter's Rise being dragged off, a bloody trail behind him. There were Sons of Svanir surrounding them, at least a hundred of the dragon-worshipers. However, they did not strike them down, instead they remained in a tight circle around them... This did not bode well for the Adherents.
A towering figure stepped through the Sons of Svanir, an icebrood norn covered in Jormag's tell-tale corrupted dark ice. This norn, The Bane of Kodan, as he called himself... Forced the Adherents to fight in a gauntlet for their lives.
First, The Bane called upon the still-living denizens of the village, seven or eight corrupted kodan charged at the Adherents, their unstoppable rampage was bolstered by Jormag's corrupted might. Second on the list was The Bane's pets: A pack of Icebrood wurms and their enormous alpha wurm, Glacius.
It was only through the combined efforts of The Adherents that they managed to conquer the Gauntlet. Praetorridus called upon his powers to aid and empower his allies. Jinntok cut through the ranks of his enemies, decimating those who dared to stand against him. Momar Al Shadiiz earned the right to call himself an Adherents as he leaped about the battlefield, sparing his allies the grasp of death, whilst dishing it out in full himself. Deathface called upon decrepit monstrosities to slay her enemies for her, whilst she kept a close eye on the battlefield and systematically eliminated any threat that she deemed 'too dangerous'. Etherion Voltain's aim was truer than any other's, his arrows pierced the thick hide of Wurm and Kodan alike, ending their lives before they had a chance to fight and The Mountain's mighty hammer slew so many wurms, that he forged a weapon out of their corpses: THE WURMHAMMER!
The Adherents fought as one and this allowed them to conquer any foe, even Glacius. The Mountain was given the right to the final blow on the defeated wurm and after a brief prayer to the Spirit of Wurm, the corrupt, yet mighty, beast was slain with a final strike to it's still-beating heart.
When the Adherents overcame every challenge The Bane gave them, he himself stepped into the arena, summoning Icebrood Elementals, The Bane challenged The Mountain to single-combat, an honorable duel. The Elementals kept the rest of the Adherents tangled up whilst the Bane and the Mountain, two colossal norn, met in a battle which shall be sung of by skaalds for generations to come:
"The very ground shook as their weapons clashed, flames sparked from The Mountain's godforged molten hammer, whilst corrupted ice spread from the Bane's cursed Jormag-empowered blade... The Shiverpeaks wept frozen tears as norn fought norn in the name of false Spirits... Eventually, the two found themselves evenly matched with weapons... The norn eschewed their powerful armaments and instead fought the way norn were born to: With their fists. The battle lasted a good fifteen minutes before The Bane summoned forth the powers of Jormag to corrupt The Mountain's will..." - Kodan Retelling of the tale.
The Mountain was then forced to fight his own: He beat down Etherion Voltain, whom attempted his best to defend himself, but his arrows were no match. He fought Deathface whom had to resort to her Lich Form to be able to match The Mountain's might, she shattered his arm and he shattered her magic, throwing the necromancer atop Etherion, he prepared to kill the two of them... However, The Mountain's will is unmovable, he is a stubborn, rock-headed man and he would not be taken by Jormag's bedamned will.
The Mountain managed to stave off Jormag's corruption, claiming that he saw a Spirit of the Wild show itself before him and him in his internal struggle against The Dragon. The Adherents were saved by The Mountain's stubborn nature.
The Sons prepared for a battle as the Adherents regrouped and turned towards them, even with a shattered arm, The Mountain could do battle against a few dragon worshipers, he said. However, The Bane of Kodan ordered for the Adherents to be let through...
"Another great battle, for another time." - The Bane of Kodan, as he allowed the Adherents to escape with their lives.
--- Aftermath ---
Now that they've been freed, yet shamed, The Adherents are preparing plans to liberate the Kodan village. The Bane had already begun fortifying his new stronghold, yet The Adherents would gather an army to assault it. First, they sought to find Lone Roar, the village's Claw of Koda. With Lone Roar, they would be able to rally the remaining kodan behind their Stag Banners and defeat The Bane once and for all.