The Wrath of the Elder Tempest

Disaster / Destruction

The wrath of the Monumentals pushes the Kaldrold Clans to work together, which will lead to the establishment of a ruling power within Kaldrold and it's clans.

In an attempt to create a point of leadership to rally around, the Vikir Monumentals (Kaldrn Gods) create a monster to pose a threat to the six great clans of Kaldrold, known as the Elder Tempest. Communicating through Clan shamans, the Monumentals deliver their message: "One month. The Tempest awaits at the summit of the Himmengeir. Unite your chosen, or fall to ruin." Though some are inclined to heed the call, not all are so convinced, and while preparations are made in most Holds, the Veidrorg elders dismiss the warnings of the Shamans as a deceit, as an attempt to weaken their standing while bolstering the rival clans. This would be their doom.   The Chosen leave their respective holds in pilgrimage to Himmengeir's summit, lighting bonfires at their respective temples as a sign of respect to the Vikir. The flames turn blue and grow large, warding the Elder Tempest away from their homes, but not from the Hold of the Veidrorg. Descending upon the large settlement and surrounding lands, the Tempest decimates Veidrorg lands with screaming gales and ferocious lightning strikes.   Longhouses, stores and homes are blown away, while the land is scorched in a storm that lingers to the present day. Not all of the Veidrorg are killed during this decimation, and while their blasphemy doomed their homes, there were some who would strive to right this wrong. A pair of siblings, Tue and Thyra lead the relatively few survivors away from the Elder Tempest's wrath, before Thyra breaks off from the crowd to journey to the summit confluence as her Hold's chosen.   The Journey of the Six is sung about by Skalds to this day, as the Chosen join each other along the way, facing trials and dangers even before reaching the summit. The Bard and Barbarians from the Mudra and Klor clans respectively meet near the base of their mountainous destination, stopping to defend an outland village from a swarm of Gargoyles woken by the Tempest's wrath. The Jorren Eldritch Knight happened upon the Hesturan Scout and Hafran Cleric as they battled an Ettin during their ascent. Thyra, Champion of the Veidrorg, having left after her peers, would not join the other Chosen until much further up the slopes of the Himmengeir, where those chosen faced their penultimate challenge.   A pair of Goliaths belonging to the reclusive clans that call Kaldrold's mountains home stand blocking the heroes ascent. Though they bear no ill will towards the travelers, the Vikir have instructed that these Goliath brothers keep the final gate between the Chosen and their goal. One gifted with the magic of the mountains themselves, the other bearing arms forged in the very furnaces of the Monumentals. With these holy boons, the pair are almost able to fight the Six to a standstill, but the bonds forged by the travelers in this day long combat prove strong, forcing the Goliaths to submit.   The Goliath pair treat their adversaries to a meal and shelter before their final day, when the Six Vildr would climb the final steps to the Himmengeir's peak and banish the Elder Tempest from their lands. When the time finally came, and the Six lit the bonfire that sat atop the Heaven-Spear Mountain, the great storm serpent descended from the dark clouds above, the booming of thunder intensifying as it drew closer. The battle was upon them.   Lightning split the sky, while the howling gales from the Elder Tempest were so forceful that they cracked the mountain itself. Arrows were loosed, spells were cast and steel struck cloudforged scale in the chaos, as the relatively tiny warriors fought back against the gargantuan elemental. They dig their weapons in, trying to find purchase as the beast writhes through the airways, and the combat is not without injury. Knocked to the ground, the Hafran Cleric's shield falls from her hand, leaving her open to the beast's Howling Gale. Without stopping to think, Thyra leaped to her aid, snatching up the shield and holding her ground, saving both of them from being blasted from the mountain top.   The conflict lasted for almost a tenday, ending only when the Klor Barbarian tore through the Tempest's mass with his bare claws, finally tearing it's still beating heart from it's form. Upon their return to their Clans, these chosen are treated as royalty, with the grateful masses going so far as to award each of them the title of Jarl. Einer Godefroy, the Barbarian who claimed the Heart of the Tempest, was dubbed the Wild King, and each Jarl would swear an oath to unite and defend their homes when necessary. Though inter-Clan feuds would continue as long as there were Clans, and land to feud over, they would be honour-bound to assist one another, and defer to their Wild King in times of strife.