No sooner had Darius returned to Tuskdale to confer with his advisors when General Kassil rushed in with urgent news. The Tiger Lord barbarians were invading Rostland – led by a Warlord named “Armag the Twice-Born”! Lady Jamandi requested immediate aid in the looming battle. Simultaneously, it appeared that monsters reminiscent of the Bloom were appearing again – but only on the shores of Lake Candlemere. While the second matter was certainly concerning, their duty to their ally and patron was obvious. They would immediately raise troops and head to the Glenebon Uplands in hopes of reaching Lady Jamandi’s forces before the battle began.
While Darius hastily organized troops, Amiri insisted on scouting ahead. As a Kellid Barbarian herself, she had some ability to walk among them and ask questions. Kassil also asked permission to go ahead – so that he could temporarily return to his position advising Jamandi’s army.
Upon approaching the Uplands, they encountered Amiri with a small party of barbarians and a priest of Gorum (Lord of Battle) named Gwart. He was the apprentice to Dugath – the barbarian shaman chief who had sided with them against the Defaced Sisters. Gwart claimed that many Kellid were sick of “Armag and his crazy witches”. He complained bitterly that rather than fighting for honor, glory, or profit Armag was leading them to slaughter for no apparent purpose. The forces of Brevoy were three times the size they had been led to expect, they had been allowed to pass through Pitax unopposed, *no-one* was paying them, and they didn’t have the numbers to win. He suspected that ultimate goal was to weaken Rostov’s army to someone else’s benefit – rather than serving the Kellid’s in any useful way.
Their plan was apparently for Amiri to infiltrate the barbarian camp and free Dugath – who had been imprisoned as a traitor. Then together they – and any others similarly imprisoned – would challenge Armag and the sisters. Meanwhile Gwart’s supporters would start a riot in the camp to divide their forces. Darius would first assist Lady Jamandi in driving off Armag’s army and then join the on assault the main camp.
Darius thought this plan was perhaps missing a few pieces… and Amiri admitted that she also had a personal reason to be in the vanguard. Her sister Nilak was a prisoner as well.
Amiri had left the Six Bears tribe due to disagreements over her place as a woman warrior, it is true. But it had come to blows in a disastrous attack on a marauding Frost Giant – with Amiri actually killing one of her fellow tribesman in an unsanctioned duel before being forced out. And in the process she had abandoned her younger sister – an apprentice shaman. Her sister was now the tribe’s Shaman, and furious with Amiri for abandoning her and (unintentionally) leaving her to deal with the angry spirit of the dead Frost Giant. The Six Bears had come into Armag’s disfavor due to Nilak’s constant unwelcome questions, and Nilak herself was held prisoner to be sacrificed with Dugath.
Amiri made her was into the camp in the early morning hours – blending in with the other Kellid as they awoke.
But when she located the prisoners, she found a Defaced Sister menacing Nilak – apparently not waiting until after the battle for the sacrifice!
This was too much for Amiri to take, and she immediately abandoned her ruse and slew the offending Sister.
This brought the attention of Armag himself. Despite his size and power, Amiri challenged him to a duel – a challenge he could not easily refuse and maintain respect in the tribe.
He was strong and skilled. Perhaps too much for Amiri to defeat. But she held her own and was gaining respect from the observers.
But the head Defaced Sister felt this was wasting valuable time. She interfered and paralyzed Amiri – ending the duel. There was much muted grumbling among the onlookers – this was considered highly dishonorable and borderline blasphemous. But none were willing to explicitly call out Armag and the Sister over it. Amiri too was now a prisoner.
Meanwhile Darius and Lady Jamandi prepared for the main battle. The barbarians were large, menacing, and included a few enslaved Hill Giants in their number. This would not be easy. But the barbarians were outnumbered and not well organized. If Lady Jamandi led the main forces in a defensive frontal formation while Darius circled around and hit the leaders, shaman, and giants from unexpected angles they were quite likely to prevail.
Kwan led the charge, slamming into the barbarian lines.
Maha was a bit more selective, strategically taking out scattered Hill Giants.
Darius went straight for the shaman and leader core.
While Angelique made entire swaths of the battlefield rethink their dedication to this conflict.
Approaching camp, they found Dugath and Gwart having taken control. But apparently Armag had abandoned his army in the middle of the fight! The Defaced Sisters had opened a portal taking him away from the battle. No Tiger Lord present would support him after that. But he still had an army back in Numeria who would believe his lies over Dugath and Gwart.
Gwart believed that Armag had been searching for the tomb of the original Armag the conquerer. His “Twice Born” moniker was because he styled himself the reborn incarnation of the original hero. Dugath believed Armag had found the tomb – and he and the Sisters had entered in search of…. something powerful hidden there. But none of Gwart’s records and legends gave much clue where that tomb might be.
Nilak asked Amniri to come visit her at the nearby Six Bears Camp. Amiri had not parted with them on good terms, but Nilak wanted to at least speak with her before leaving.
Jamanda and Kassil were thrilled with the victory. Natala Surtova – of the rival Surtova house also congratulated him – and she and Jamandi appeared to be jockeying for his support. But the Aldori had supported him from the beginning, while the Surtova had been neutral at best to this point – so he was not inclined to trade allies.
When they arrived at the Six Bears camp, there was a lot of commotion. The Six Bear chief had died in battle, and they had been *very* displeased with where he had led them. From the Giant Ghost Amiri’s misadventures had turned upon them, to getting them involved in Armag’s scheming and disastrous invasion, they were quite fed up. And in discussing possible replacements it dawned on them that – at every turn – Nilak had been there to pick up the pieces in the aftermath. They near unanimously chose to make her the new chief. In part because no-one else wanted the job after seeing what it had entailed the past few years. But never-the-less, a fine choice.
Amiri was still no longer welcome in the Six Bears tribe. A reputation as a kinslayer is not easily overcome – even by a chief. But at least her sister had forgiven her. That was worth something.
There was still much to do. Darius badly needed to consult with his advisors. He needed to commit forces to searching for Armag’s tomb. He still needed to deal with whatever was happening on the Candlemere. And Trisitian’s odd betrayl was still foremost on his mind. But at least they had delayed disaster for a time.
Author’s Notes:
This is the one section of the game that makes me almost like Amiri. She’s still a walking stereotype – a pop culture Conan with none of the intelligence and complexity of the original combined with a toned down Shar Teel. But at least here she has some humanity and motivation beyond revelling in combat.
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