We found several Unbroken survivors right where Elia said we would, guarding a deep cave system to the North. Suspicious at first, they became much more hospitable when an approaching Disfavored patrol drew iron and charged us – my assembled party as much as the Unbroken. As the last shout of battle faded into the fierce winds, Elia approached, bloody but unbowed. She had managed to rescue as many of her people as she could from the Disfavored onslaught, and offered her thanks, though she knew I had little interest in that, over more useful reciprocations.
“The Steadfast Insignia was a powerful artifact carried by Regent Aspison, long before the war. His soldiers grew more daring on the battlefield as they saw him join the fray, and as its reputation grew, so did its power. They say it could marshal forces to stand tall against any threat, give them the strength to march with purpose against any foe. With something like that in our hands, there’s no doubt you could cross the windwall.”
Of course she had no luck finding the insignia, even after two years of dedicated searching.
With much of the local Disfavored dead or scattered in the wind, and her own forces thrown into chaos, Elia decided to gather as many comrades as possible and head North, away from the blasted lands she once called home. “I’ll come back, if you put an end to that Edict,” she offered, shrugging. “Too many have died here for nothing.”
Before leaving she suggested I turn my attention toward the oldwalls which formed the Western edge of the area, that Regent Aspison was known to have frequented them for reasons lost to time. I didn’t let her know that I had already approached the area once, or the true nature of the powerful relic I found nearby. The fewer people who thought the oldwalls a safe place to explore, the better. Some magics were not meant to be delved by the common person.
Sighing, wiping blood, dust, and grime off of my face and hands, I turned to my companions. “Back to the oldwalls, it seems.”
There’s no chance the Regent died just inside the walls, making the search for his artifact a short and less-than-eventful one, but I did hope that would be the case as we began once again to march Westward, toward the tall spire piercing the heavens.
