Before us were the DWÄRGAR leader, slumped on his throne, cowering behind

locked doors. With him were the last of his retainers, a familiar adversary and
some of the last genasi we set out to rescue. Much to my surprise however,
instead of seizing their chance to join us, they turned against us. Did they fear
the Branded King to the point they felt no other option than fighting us would
save them? Or had they been swayed to willingly join whatever cause the
Branded King has? Maybe they were controlled magically like other prisoners
we encountered? The reason didn’t matter really, all turncoats will meet the
same fate.
We clashed in fiery battle among the flames whirling in the throne room.
Locked in combat with the masked cultist his words seeped into my mind,
questioning my persistence. My wounds mounting from previous battles and
the mental assault had me reeling, almost falling before Luna came to my
rescue. It’s become a bit of a recurring theme, but I don’t mind it. Getting up on
my feet I approach the DWÄRGAR king, intent to get some well-deserved
revenge. However, upon inspection, the old DWÄRGAR was nothing but a husk.
There was no life, ambition or hope behind his eyes. Nothing I could rob him of
that would give me some satisfaction. As I grabbed him, I felt nothing but pity
for the fool, and as strange as it was, I got the feeling he felt relief as I dropped
him down the lava filled chasm.
Exhausted and filled with doubt I slumped down on the throne, feeling just like
the old king. These last days had been incredibly strenuous. Burnt by flame and
magma, slashed and torn by claws. Strangled by tentacles and demonic beards.
Almost brought low by sickness caused by my own powers. Even now I can feel
it flaring up again, blue marks creeping across my skin. The words of the cultist
lingered in my mind, why did I keep fighting? Why did I endure all this pain? I
wasn’t a soldier anymore; I had no obligation to suffer for an obsessed
archaeologist. Yet when I gazed over the battle, seeing my friends mop up the
last enemies I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to be together with Luna, the
object of my desire. I wanted to have my revenge against the people who
wronged me side by side with Auros. I wanted to see Jhessail grow rich and I
wanted to know who the hell this Ulfdrak fellow really is. Hell, this hero schtick
has really grown on me. To leave the world a better place than it was before
gave me fulfilment I’ve never felt before. And though it may not make up for all
the terrible things I’ve done, it sure is better than dying in some old mud hut,
filled with resentment until the bitter end. I’m not going to succumb like
DWÄRGAR king, as long as there is life in me I’ll keep fighting for a better world.
After the battle was over we recuperated and set out for the final push. With
the elemental slabs in our collection we traipsed into the heart of the Branded
Kings realm. On the way we encountered a rune etched arc. Unable to decern
it’s purpose we pushed onward to a bastion. Brazenly we crashed through the
gates and defeated the first set of guards. Bound to a chair were one of the last
genasi we were looking for. She had seemingly succumbed to rigorous torture.
It was a terrible sight for poor Gale to behold, but as horrible as it sounds it
gave me some small bit of hope. It showed me that there was still depths of
awfulness I hadn’t sunk to.
After offering retribution we pushed deeper down the bastion, encountering an
execution in progress. A genasi trapped in some sort of killing device was
guarded by some new foul creature we had not encountered yet. We quickly
swept the opposition out of our way and rescued genasi from the branded
kings cruel and twisted methods. I do look forward so to bringing the Branded
King to his knees, showing him that there as some evil we just can’t tolerate in
this world. He doesn’t need to worry, I’ll fill his shoes just fine when he’s gone..