I don't have any sympathy for polar bears, or any species that eats its own young, but I had sympathy for the Kodan. Despite being anthropomorphic polar bears, they did not eat their own young. Instead they built kick ass cities on top of icebergs and were slowly fleeing south because a malevolent primordial dragon woke up and didn't like that there were people living. Not just living near him. Just living.
What a fucking dickhead.
That's why the family and I are currently on the Honor of the Waves, one of those kick ass iceberg cities that got attacked by one of Jormag's Claws, a type of lesser dragon empowered to terrifying levels by Jormag's dragon energy and corruption. The city is sinking leisurely and while that is a cause for concern, the real threat comes from the Icebrood and the Sons of Svanir attacking the city for slaves and loot.
The Sons of Svanir are a faction of the Norn, a human-like race of nine foot tall giants who run a far higher core temperature and are highly insulated against freezing temperatures, enabling them to live comfortably in the frozen reaches of the world. The Sons are a splinter faction off of the normal Animal Spirit worshiping Norn in that they worship Jormag, and they do this in spite of the fact that the dragon has run the Norn and many other races from their homes and corrupts them into ice monsters.
If you are thinking that these guys are a scum tier bag of dicks that need to be wiped from existence, then you get the picture.
The Icebrood are the ice monsters Jormag turns everything into. Many of the Sons of Svanir become Icebrood, and the Icebrood like to kill everyone non Icebroody.
They came to take everything from the Kodan, and their plan was good, but they failed to account for a family of interdimensional ass kickers passing through. Few plans survive contact with the enemy, but none survive contact with us.
I split Kulag the Fallen, a champion Svanir Elementalist from clavicle to testicles with a mean overhand flaming greatsword chop while doing my best human torch impression. That's the beauty of this world's magic. I can breath out a river of holy fire on a platoon of heretics and infidels and not burn any of my friends or the buildings and terrain around them. The magic system's IFF capabilities are on so on point I can be blasting max power constantly at my friends and they'd never be inconvenienced by it beyond the brightness making it hard to see what is going on.
Both Jack and Medusa had followed my lead in greatsword supremacy and wielded an axe and dagger respectively. Wanda would get there once she unlocks the Reaper Elite Specialization, but for now she has to run around with wimpy virgin duel daggers while we wreck face with our hefty Chad greatswords.
The enemies here were tough, the best of both the Icebrood and Svanir's rank and file soldiers led by a series of champions. Cutting the champions felt like hacking into stone rather than flesh, doubly so for those covered in Jormag's corrupted ice, and they all knew how to move and fight far better than their more linear focused allies.
After slaying Kulag the rest of the battle in this area was clean up work.
When the sun set, the Icebrood and the Svanir ran off to lick their wounds and convince more of their friends to come throw themselves into the meat grinder. The Honor's Claw, the chief Kodan, sat next to us at our table after the battle.
"Tiny Norns." He greeted us, "You have once again prevented the enemy from taking their goal and given us more time to evacuate our people and possessions from this place, but I must ask you to leave now while you still can."
"How many times do I have to explain to you that we aren't tiny Norns." I grumbled, "We are big Humans."
"Humans are very small, and die in the cold." The Claw explained like he hadn't said this before, "Norn are large, and live in the cold. Thus you are, tiny Norns. But whether you be tiny Norns or big Humans, you must leave tonight."
"Why would we leave?" Wanda asked, "We have these frosty fucks by the balls."
"They will not return for further battle." The Claw shook his white polar bear head, "The Voice has foreseen that tomorrow, Jormag will send his Claw to the field. We believe that you will be able to stand against it, perhaps even defeat it, but to do so will send a signal to the Elder Dragon that the world is not yet ready for. Jormag must be content with his current pace, and if the rear guard of our people must fall to keep it that way until the world is ready, then so shall they fall."
The big armored bear man took out multiple high tier bags of holding from a sack and reached inside of one to pull out an Orichalcum ingot.
"The Frostgorge Sound is a fine place to gather crafting materials." He placed the ingot back into the bag, "The Kodan hoped to strip it of these, to both deny them to the enemy and provide the resources that will be required for the fight against the dragons. I have placed many items of such quality into these bags and now entrust them to you, both as our thanks for your valiant defense of our people, and our hope that with some proper equipment your family will be strong enough for wars to come."
"Dude." I placed a hand on his pauldron, "You let us eat your food, kill your enemies, and have your nicest stuff. You Kodan are a damn fine people."
"We agree with that assessment." The Claw nodded his head, "Head south, to Hoelbrak, and forge your gear, then head west towards Divinity's Reach, to the village of Shaemoor. Destiny awaits you there my friends, and the fate of us all hangs in the balance."
Thanks for the call to action bro.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Traveling through the Wayfarer Foothills felt like a breath of fresh air after the FIreheart Rise and Frostgorge Sound, and Medusa's pet Arctodus and Polar Bear were fine moving down into the less extreme environment as they were supported by her Ranger magic. The pair of arctic bears could survive even in the heat of the desert so long as Medusa maintains their bond, but they wouldn't be comfortable. No one is comfortable in the desert.
As we moved south west from the Dawnrise Pass, we encountered the Lionguard's fortress, the Crossroads Haven, under siege from more of these Sons of Svanir jagoffs. How the Norn tolerate these violent extremists is beyond me, but I often find myself scratching my head in confusion at the nuances of sapient social interaction.
At least the human's have the excuse of not knowing who the White Mantle Society is, and thus have no way of knowing that their counterfaction is currently in their midst plotting their demise, but the Norn allow the Sons of Svanir a place in Hoelbrak, their cultural capital, where they can recruit new members to their frigid death cult.
After slaughtering the bastards outside the walls of the outpost, we were greeted with a hero's welcome by the Lionguard and the various merchants that use the trade route they protect.
The Crossroad Haven fort paired with another, the Twinspur Haven fort, to control the Ice Steppes, a vital trade route into Hoelbrak. Why the Lionguard did this rather than the Norn themselves boggles the mind a bit. They are essentially outposted here to defend the trade routes used by merchants from Lion's Arch, but you'd think the Norn's would have their own interest in ensuring a steady supply of… supplies to their capital, but I guess they are too independent individualist a people to get their shit together.
The Krogan in me applauds their dedication to individual badassery, but the God Emperor I have become wants to smack the shit out of them so that they can rally to prevent the end of their people in the face of the grimdark future the rise of the dragons brings.
Fuck it. At least the road down from the Twinspur to Hoelbrak was safe and pleasant.