Skirmish at Runestone Summit

Date
 Place
 Outcome

Katheryne Sévérine
Alec Kylar

The **Skirmish at Runestone Summit** was a conflict between several members of the Eternal Companions and the last remnants of the Corvus Renegades, and took place at Runestone Summit at the end of the Quest of the Twisted Oak. The Rune Rogues gave logistical assistance to the Eternal Companions.

It resulted in the destruction of the Corvus Renegades and the death of several key figures within the Eternal Companions. Though the conflict was small on scale it proved to be a major victory for the Eternal Companions due to the death of Imperator Far'ukor.

## History

lIn total, 22 members of the Eternal Companions attended the event, including:

* Ikeda Cao
* Katheryne Sévérine
* Alec Kylar
* Berny
* Khardan
* Khadal †
* Dregg Ortega
* Ecbert
* Monica Cantu
* Hyun-Shik Pham
* Isamu Ha
* Ryan Ingram
* Jae Karune
* Sendoh Tran †
* Konar Huynh †
* Davith Stone †
* Norbert
* Rashid Cassius † (Norbert's Boyfriend)
* Thomas Dau (name needed) †
* Johnny Nguyen (name needed) †
* Lateef Xalvador †
* Rainydayas (Hyun-Shik girlfriend)

### ***Prelude***

For several months after the Culver Trial, in which the majordomo of Culver and its citizens condemned those responsible for the Culver Massacre, Executor Ikeda and his task force searched for those who escaped justice, especially Imperator Far'ukor. Spreading his forces far and exceeding many of his resources to find him, Ikeda eventually enlisted Alec's secret squad, the Rune Rogues, to track down the wanted man. Meanwhile, Far'ukor and his remnant forces ventured into the Torrance mountains in search of shelter; the Imperator's path lead him into the Twisted Oak Valley, a place that would conceal him from the hierarchies and governments that sought after him. Whilst the Corvus Renegades settled into their new home, the Rune Rogues, being expect trackers, made progress in tracking him down.

On September 12th, while Far'ukor's forces raided a mountain village, a denizen revealed a hidden location in the Twisted Oak Valley that held multiple Rune stones. Having learned months prior from Doug Dogo that Ikeda's forces utilized runes in their weapons and armor before combat, Far'ukor took heed of the location of Runestone Summit and began a long, grueling trek to its location. The denizen who revealed the location was an elder named Magul and dared not triful with the powers of the Runes and warned Far'ukor, but was brought as a prisoner and later forced to do labor. By the morning of September 14th, the Corvus Renegades reached the summit and began harvesting the runes to sell or use in future endeavors. The next day, two of Alec's agents of the Rune Rogues, Ladislav and Azorian, saw what was transpiring on top of Runestone Summit during a scouting mission; they returned to Alec and reported their finding of the Corvus Renegades, alas Alec informed Executor Ikeda that immediate attack would be wise before the Corvus Renegades could use the runes to their benefit.

"*You will soon be dead, and then you will own just as much of this earth as will suffice to bury you.*"
—Magul warn's Far'ukor of his imminent demise.
Magul was defiant against his captors, assuring them of their failings in future endaevours and warned Far'ukor that he forsaw his death. Far'ukor payed no heed to the elder's warnings yet remained intrigued, thus took a dozen of his soldeirs and ventured north to a roadside tavern on the outskirts of Twisted Oak Valley to find relaxation. Before his departure, Far'ukor took with him a recently discovered Ber rune from the summit. Magul remained at the summit as a captive by Far'ukor's men and forced to dig up the runes within the stone. Sebastian Blatchford, a heavy-armor juggernaut and Far'ukor's right-hand, was left in charge of the Renegades in the Imperator's absence.

On the night of September 15th, Ikeda and his followers set up camp as a rendezvous point and the Rune Rogues pressed forward on scouting the valley. While everyone rested, Katheryne, Lateef and Alec prepared their comrades for battle by enchanting their armor and weapons with magic; Ikeda, Bernardo and Khardan formulated a plan to ambush the Renegade soldiers who remained on top of the summit. On the morning of September 16th, Monica tasked herself at scouting the hills surrounding the valley and evaluating the perimeters, in which Isamu, Taylor, Davith and Khadal volunteered on helping her.

### **The Showdown at Salty Dog Tavern**

Sometime on the morning of September 16th, Khadal the Barbarian, brother to Khardan, saw fit to find food and rest at the roadside tavern Salty Dog on the outskirts of the Twisted Oak Valley. Monica Cantu and her shadowcat mount The Dame crossed paths with Khadal while searching the hills for Renegades and insisted she go with him to share each other's company with a drink. By noon, they came across the roadside tavern hosting several of Far'ukor's men. Among them, Monica recognized Konar's wife Ona held captive by the Imperator, alerting her; Monica sent her shadowcat back to the rendezvous to call for help, whilst Khadal made for the entrance before being convinced by Monica to stop and wait for backup, but they were discovered by one of the soldiers and entered the tavern. Though several of the soldiers were fearful of the Khadal the Barbarian, Far'ukor made friendly conversation with him, not knowing the pair were members of the Eternal Companions, and offered them a place in their band. After Khadal refused and the two men traded insults, they engaged in a fight.

Khadal eliminated several of the renegades during the tavern brawl, whilst Monica attempted to rescue Ona from the clutches of Far'ukor. The Imperator and his remaining minions eventually spewed out of the tavern and onto the road. Amidst the fighting Far'ukor inserted the Ber rune he had taken earlier into his right forearm, thus enhancing his blows. Khadal followed in pursuit and challenged Far'ukor, but his opponent declined and moments later Renegade cavalry arrived and surrounded the Barbarian while Monica hid from view.

Khadal dropped his weapon and surrendered peacefully but was left to the mercy of Far'ukor and was executed by a volley of arrows from the horsemen. Distraught by her comrades death, Monica's shout of grief revealed her location to her enemies. Meanwhile, Alec intercepted the The Dame and recognized the shadowcat's heightened alertness, and assumed that Monica's absence meant trouble was not far.

Alec arrived upon The Dame to witness the death of Khadal, then he intervened and saved Monica from her own execution by miraculously slicing the bows of the archers who had lined up to kill her. Alec's shadowstrike drove fear into the nearby horses, and Alec and The Dame jumped into action to slay any Renegades that crossed their paths. Far'ukor, using his enchanted sword, crossed blades with Alec and surprised the Dark Templar with the blade's tremendous power; The Imperator taunted the Dark Templar by revealing the sword's origin through Doug's involvement in reluctantly crafting it. While Alec dueled Far'ukor amidst the chaos, Monica mounted The Dame as it scared away the cavalry and fled into the Twisted Oak Valley in search of Ikeda, leaving Alec behind on his own request.

As Monica and The Dame raced back to the rendezvous, she glanced back at Alec one last time and witnessed him struggling an intense duel against the Imperator. Renegade horsemen pursued her into the forest in an attempt to stop her but ultimately failed after she and her shadowcat used the trees as their advantage to flank the Renegades. Nearby, Isamu heard the commotion and intervened by aiding her by slaying two of Far'ukor's horsemen.

The pair safely made it back to Ikeda and warned him of Khadal's death, Far'ukor's whereabouts, and Alec's unknown fate. When Monica revealed out loud that Ona was still Far'ukor's captor, Konar left in a fit of rage to go track down the Imperator and rescue his wife; Chan volunteered to follow and aid Konar as an act of insubordinate, for Ikeda commanded both of them to stay as a group and to not wander off, but both ignored his orders. Khardan also showed grief and rage in the news of his brother's demise.

### ***The Skirmish***

With battle imminent, Ikeda gathered his band and began setting up an ambush at the Runestone Summit. With Alec still missing, Ikeda informed the captain of the Rune Rogues, Sir William Grandison, of the events that transpired and requested that he and his men set a perimeter around the Twisted Oak Valley. Sir William complied with Ikeda's instructions and told the Executor to blow the horn twice if he needed reinforcements from the Rune Rogues.

Meanwhile at the tavern, Alec escaped from Far'ukor and his men during the showdown and returned to the valley to search for his comrades. Elsewhere, Davith Stone was captured by Renegade soldiers during a scouting mission deep within the Twisted Oak Valley, but his whereabouts remained unknown by his comrades for a duration. Davith was beaten and tortured for a duration after being captured.

An hour past noon, Ikeda's forces closed in on Runestone Summit. Meanwhile, with Davith now a prisoner along side Ona, the squire attempted to free her but was caught and was nearly beaten to death by Sebastian. The beating was interrupted by Magul, who came to plead for their lives. When Far'ukor returned to the summit alongside his remaining horsemen after the tavern brawl he warned Sebastian about the imminent threat and had his soldiers prepare for battle; the Imperator ruled that Davith be executed and Ona stay close to himself due to his infatuation with her. Magul was beaten for his insolence and forced to return to his slave labor.

"*I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing — I was born with the 'Evil One' standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since.*"
—Imperator Far'ukor speaks about the reason he kills, shortly before his demise.

Not far away from the summit where the prisoners were being held Alec intercepted Konar and Chan who planed to intervene on behalf the prisoners; he warned the duo that they must wait for Ikeda to commence his ambush first.

For a short period Imperator Far'ukor confronted Magul the Elder about the future and the possibility of escaping the valley alive and asked why the elder attempted to save Davith and Ona. Magul told Far'ukor that selflessness and compassion for people is how he had grown old and wise. Alas, Far'ukor revealed his thoughts about the true nature of his being and that he viewed himself an evil man. Despite Far'ukor murdering the denizens of his village and destroying his home, Magul showed sympathy for the Imperator and reluctantly agreed that all men have both shadow and light within them.

Far'ukor departed with a handful of his best warriors, leaving Sebastian in charge of the Renegade soldiers with an uncertain future after naming him the new Imperator. Far'ukor abandoning the summit came as an advantage to Ikeda's forces as their imminent ambush would prove all the more vital.

Sebastian, now the new Imperator, oversaw the Renegades prepare for battle as Davith was burned at the stake while Ona was taken by Far'ukor during his departure of the summit. Ikeda launched the attack, and all the Eternal Companions charged up the hill toward the summit in a pincer attack. While the charge commenced, Norbert shoot Davith with an arrow to end his suffering upon the burning stake. The Renegades soldiers, half of which were not fully prepared for a fight turned and fled, while the others brave enough were lead by Sebastian to engage their foes.

Elsewhere, Alec, Konar and Chan bared witness to the skirmish, and while Alec convinced Chan to aid Ikeda's forces, Konar remained focused on rescuing his wife and departed the summit to pursue Far'ukor; as Chan and Konar prepared to go their separate ways, Konar placed his hand on Chan's shoulder as a sign of friendship.

The Skirmish was ended swift as many of the Renegades struggled to fight on par with Ikeda's forces; both Ikeda and Katheryne observed the battle from a distance, and the latter utilized her arcane magic to aid and support her comrades during the fight. The pincer attack was divided into two separate groups and was lead by Khardan and Bernardo, respectively. While several members of the Eternal Companions were slain, most of the losses came on their opponents side.

Near the end of the skirmish a small group of the Renegade soldiers had surrendered peacefully. The highlight of the Skirmish was the one-on-one fight between Khardan the Barbarian and the Juggernaut knight Sebastion; both warriors fought on par and each struggled to get the upper hand during the entire duration of the skirmish. Ikeda bared witnessed upon an overlooking hill during the brawl and urged Katheryne to refrain from aiding Khardan with the use of her magic, explaining that Khardan wished for a fair fight. In the end, Khardan overpowered his heavily armored opponent and gave him a quick death.

Shortly after the skirmish ended, both Chan and Alec left the scene with haste to catch up with Konar's chase after Far'ukor. Monica, having caught wind of Konar's situation through Chan and Alec's erupt departure, followed them on her mount. The remaining Companions stayed upon the summit to rest and heal their wounds, while others detained the Renegades who surrendered, and a few grieved their fallen comrades, such as Norbert collapsing in despair upon discovering Rashid's corpse.

Elsewhere, Konar fought his way through several of Far'ukor's followers but was slain during single combat against the Imperator. Before slaying him, Far'ukor stabbed Konar through the heart in front of Ona and sent her into silent despair. Ona gave up on life after witnessing Konar's death and killed herself by falling on Konar's sword, rather than go to the beckoning Far'ukor, much to his dismay. Far'ukor and his men then proceed through the mountains and left the deceased lovers to lie to together.

Far'ukor's defeat came shortly after Konar and Ona's demise through Chan's efforts and the foresight given to him from Alec; knowing that Far'ukor's newly enhanced strength by the Ber rune and his wielded enchanted sword would prove a grave challenge, Chan's strategy to defeat him was to dodge his blows and strikes. In Far'ukor's final moments he and his Renegades were ambushed by Chan and Alec, as well as Monica and The Dame. While Alec held Far'ukor's remaining men at bay, Chan dueled Far'ukor who attempted to flee past a river. Chan successfully avenged the recently deceased Konar and all those he witnessed slain during the Culver Massacre by successfully besting Far'ukor in single combat.

### ***The Surrender***

There was great sorrow following the end of the skirmish; while the surrender forces of Imperator Far'ukor were properly detained, many of the warriors of the Eternal Companions grieved and reflected on the death and destruction left by the Imperator in the proceeding weeks. While Ikeda ordered the imprisoned Renegades to burry a mass grave for their fallen comrades, Katheryne meanwhile provided moral support to her allies. A hymn was sung by several members of the group during the burial.

Though initially eager to claim the runes dug up by the renegades, Ikeda opted to leave the summit unbesmirched and in the care of Magul. All the fallen who were associated with the Eternal Companions were buried properly with the exception of Ona and Konar, both of whom shared a grave. Davith, who had nearly burned alive, was removed from the crucifix and retrieved to be given a properly burial, as was Khadal from the Salty Dog tavern. Khardan stayed behind and alongside his brother's grave for nearly two days before his departure from the summit.

Alec tasked the Rune Rogues at escorting the prisoners to the nearest city to collect their bounties. Sir William Grandison credited Ikeda and the Eternal Companions to the townfolk, alas, news of the death of Far'ukor's at the hands of the Eternal Companions spread like wildfire. Meanwhile, the Eternal Companions took rest at the Salty Dog tavern for supper; a toast was raised by Executor Ikeda in honor of the fallen and the victory of slaying Imperator Far'ukor. Chan remained silent and unsettled by the events that had transpired. Magul was desperate to leave the horrific events behind and later journeyed south never to be seen again.