{"id":110154,"date":"2020-03-10T19:00:40","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T19:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/BungieNet_ContentItem_48809"},"modified":"2020-03-10T19:00:40","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T19:00:40","slug":"remembrance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/03\/10\/remembrance\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembrance"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Some time during the late Dark Age.<\/i><\/h3>\n

Iron Lords Efrideet, Saladin, and Felwinter sat in a Warlock meditation chamber, around a massive oak table, in a keep on Felwinter Peak. A fire crackled in the corner out of the lips of a stone-lined hearth.<\/p>\n

A hand-written letter in messy scrawl rested atop the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cWarlord Shaxx accepts my challenge,\u201d Felwinter said, summarizing its contents. \u201cHe advises us to enter from the south wall, which has been destroyed. The front door\u2026\u201d He picked up the paper and scrutinized it again. \u201cIs undergoing weatherproof.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is your plan?\u201d Efrideet said, with some skepticism. \u201cHow did he get this to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis Ghost brought it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour plan is Ill-advised,\u201d Saladin said. \u201cAnd a waste of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one\u2019s beat Shaxx in a fight. Iron Lords or Warlords,\u201d Efrideet continued. \u201cMuch less take territory from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIkora has. And I believe I can,\u201d Felwinter replied, his eyes burning inside his sleek, Exo skull.<\/p>\n

Efrideet tapped the table with her fingers, and Saladin stared into the polished surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless either of you has a better idea? We\u2019re running out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saladin shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s true. Radegast wants to launch a frontal assault. Entire Lord fireteams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efrideet\u2019s eyes narrowed under her helm. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t. There\u2019s almost a hundred people in that castle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShaxx is holding those people hostage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey stay with him willingly,\u201d Felwinter replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Warlords might pull the trigger. But Radegast wouldn\u2019t,\u201d Efrideet repeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you seen Radegast lately? He\u2019s tired of the wars. No one\u2019s been at it longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s no excuse. We came under him to end the infighting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felwinter stood. \u201cThen let me do my part for the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The sky was completely white and there was a stark chill to the air as the trio entered the castle from a gaping fissure in the ruined south wall. As they stepped into the exposed hallway, the Iron Lords passed a few of Shaxx\u2019s people, who hurried away from them. One child cried in her mother\u2019s arms. They looked tired, but they weren\u2019t starving. And they were clothed for the oncoming inclement weather.<\/p>\n

The Iron Lords found Shaxx as they turned a corner, and the hallway opened up into the massive entrance of the keep.<\/p>\n

He was cautiously applying a fast-drying liquid polymer as a draft stopper underneath a set of ancient plasteel doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWon\u2019t that hold a little too well?\u201d Felwinter asked, as he strode up with the Iron Lords.<\/p>\n

Shaxx didn\u2019t stand. Or look at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll dissolve it when the storm is through,\u201d he said, liberally squeezing the paste with both hands from a gel tube.<\/p>\n

\u201cA brute force solution. I hear that\u2019s how you fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do what works with the tools I have,\u201d Shaxx said, standing to inspect his weatherproofing. \u201cWe\u2019ll freeze without this. The Ghostless would suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something you care about?\u201d Felwinter took a step forward.<\/p>\n

Shaxx turned to address the Exo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese people are under my protection. I owe them. Something the Iron Lords should ponder more often about those they protect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Iron Decree was drafted to protect the Ghostless,\u201d Felwinter replied. \u201cGive up your territory and join us. Let us show you how powerful your Light can become.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStrong words. I\u2019ll wager you said the same thing to Citan. Before you killed him and his Ghost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saladin looked to Efrideet in shock. She pretended she didn\u2019t notice, and kept a hand near her cannon.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour Decree disallows final-deaths of your opponents,\u201d Shaxx continued. \u201cYet you\u2019ve killed countless Warlords. And an Iron Lord, if the rumors are true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felwinter\u2019s eyes quietly blazed. He took a step closer. \u201cWere they friends of yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have friends. Just people I protect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could use your help,\u201d Felwinter replied. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou already have a Saint-14.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSaint serves the Speaker, not the Iron Lords. He thinks highly of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps I\u2019m not being clear. I\u2019m not going anywhere, and you lot aren\u2019t coming in. As long as I hold this territory, there will be no collateral damage from turf wars inside our borders. Iron Lords and Warlords be damned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour south wall says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re starting to piss me off. Are you here to duel or whine?\u201d<\/p>\n

Felwinter guessed that Shaxx now stood a little more than three feet from him.<\/p>\n

The Iron Lord stepped forward, dragged a Solar sword from the air, and thrust it at Shaxx. The Warlord turned his stance sideways as the burning blade sang past his helm, ducked the horizontal cut that followed, and stepped back as Felwinter drove the blade into the stone floor. The chamber erupted with ethereal fire and Solar Light\u2014<\/p>\n

Shaxx\u2019s backfist took Felwinter\u2019s head from his shoulders in a shower of sparks. The Iron Lord\u2019s Light died with his crumpling form. <\/p>\n

Efrideet coughed as Saladin blinked inside his helm.<\/p>\n

Felwinter\u2019s Ghost unfolded above his prone corpse and the Iron Lord reemerged from a pillar of cascading Light.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have used your Void instead,\u201d Shaxx said. \u201cYou could have brought the whole fort down on us. Gained a fighting a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Iron Lord shook his head. \u201cYour people wouldn\u2019t have survived that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaxx\u2019s hands engulfed Felwinter\u2019s shoulders like descending moons. \u201cI would have stopped you. But I like your thinking. Now get out.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Warlord left the chamber without looking back, towards the direction of the south wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need more time,\u201d Felwinter said, before Saladin or Efrideet could utter a word.<\/p>\n

Saladin shook his head. \u201cRadegast already assigned us to strikes against the House of Devils. There\u2019s an uprising in the Cosmodrome. This was our shot to deal with Shaxx alone and we failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne Lord makes no real difference on a strike against the Fallen. Buy me time and I\u2019ll solve this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have time. You said it yourself. The Warlords will attack this fortress en masse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if I challenge again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe literally took your head off,\u201d Saladin replied.<\/p>\n

Efrideet had a hand on her helmeted chin. \u201cWe can buy time. Warlords in this region respect a prolonged challenge against Shaxx.\u201d Her eyes flickered to Felwinter beneath the helmet. \u201cShaxx has multiple confirmed kills. Final deaths. It\u2019s no small thing to challenge him. Most of those cowards won\u2019t, and they\u2019ll gladly let you try again, \u2018til Shaxx decides to go after your Ghost\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Felwinter stared at the weatherproofed plasteel doorway of the chamber. \u201cI have a feeling that won\u2019t be a concern,\u201d he replied. \u201cBesides. These people will never repair that south wall alone. The oncoming storm will be their end. I\u2019ll help them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChange of plan, then,\u201d Saladin said. \u201cYou\u2019ll buy time for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d said the Exo.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep Shaxx busy until we finish this business with the Fallen. Then we\u2019re coming for this castle. Efrideet, if I could have a word?\u201d Saladin asked, his cloak flowing around him as he departed in the same direction as Shaxx, leaving Felwinter alone in the chamber.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Efrideet snorted. \u201cYou didn\u2019t know?\u201d she exclaimed over the wind as she and Saladin descended the mountain on a gravelly, snow-covered road.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Felwinter is an oathbreaker?\u201d Saladin shook his head. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve never wondered why Radegast hates his guts?\u201d she said. \u201cThat takes a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgreed. Why has he abided this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one of Felwinter\u2019s confirmed kills broke the Iron Decree. He provided ample evidence. Ghost-killers, murderers, and worse. All of them. But he never asked for permission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFelwinter is no Saint-14. Why does he do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe calls it operational necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saladin scoffed. \u201cI\u2019ve never heard an Exo talk like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re usually more expressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes this change the plan?\u201d<\/p>\n

Saladin looked up at a trio of circling carrion birds as they walked. \u201cThere is no plan. We\u2019ll quell this Devil uprising, then strategize a frontal assault with the full force of the Iron Lords behind it. Hopefully Felwinter keeps Shaxx busy until then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efrideet shook her head. \u201cPeople will die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Warlords attack him first, it\u2019ll be catastrophic. Shaxx forced our hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Shaxx and Felwinter watched Efrideet and Saladin descend the snow-covered mesa from the shattered south wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I told you to get out,\u201d Shaxx broke the silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean to challenge again,\u201d Felwinter replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot today,\u201d Shaxx shook his head. \u201cMy Ghost believes it\u2019ll snow before nightfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

 \u201cYes,\u201d Felwinter said. \u201cWhat did this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFallen Walker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo amount of Golden Age polymer can repair this wall before that storm rolls in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Shaxx agreed. \u201cMy Light will be the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Ward of Dawn? Your people will freeze. A Well of Radiance is what you need. My Light will be the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think my Hammer of Sol wouldn\u2019t burn bright enough to last the storm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course it would. And you\u2019d set this castle ablaze. Leave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI leave my people to no one. But if you\u2019re seeking shelter, you\u2019re free to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou call them \u2018your people.\u2019 You rule them? Like a king?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome kings don\u2019t know the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

A light dusting of snow started to fall.<\/p>\n

“Does your mountain have a name?\u201d The Iron Lord asked the Warlord.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI call mine Felwinter Peak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I look like I care?\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

For days, the storm had kept anyone from traversing the mountain path. Between Felwinter and Shaxx, the people of the castle were safe from the elements.<\/p>\n

Saladin and Efrideet had sent word the Fallen campaign would last at least another few weeks.<\/p>\n

So Felwinter challenged again. Shaxx accepted. Iron Lord met Warlord at the backfield beyond the shattered south wall.<\/p>\n

Felwinter aimed a palmstrike at Shaxx\u2019s center of mass. The Warlord slipped sideways, narrowly avoiding the burst of Void Light that blossomed forth, and cracked a backfist into Felwinter\u2019s skull, sending him sprawling backwards.<\/p>\n

Felwinter struggled to a knee, then to his feet, his long coat flowing around him. A fissure of sparks sprayed from his skull. \u201cHow many Warlords have challenged you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost count a century ago,\u201d Shaxx replied. He stayed in his sideways stance, waiting for the Exo to make a move.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will never stop. Never rest,\u201d Felwinter said. \u201cAnd the Warlords are just like me. They refuse to end each other, not because of a code, or an Iron Decree. Because they\u2019re afraid to die. And they will plague this world forever.\u201d Felwinter raised his arms in a striking position. \u201cHow many of us will you fight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs many as I need to.\u201d Shaxx closed the distance, slipping past the Exo\u2019s guard and snapped the back of his fist into Felwinter\u2019s temple, which promptly shattered.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The skies were clear, so Felwinter challenged again the day after.<\/p>\n

Shaxx accepted. <\/p>\n

They met on the backfield.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will your people last out here?\u201d Felwinter asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLonger than you,\u201d Shaxx replied.<\/p>\n

It was true. A flying knee separated the Iron Lord from his head within seconds of a short melee.<\/p>\n

When the Exo\u2019s Ghost put him back together, Shaxx was already halfway back to the south wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long do you expect them to stay here?\u201d Felwinter called after him.<\/p>\n

The Warlord turned back. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long do you expect your people to stay? They will not survive the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a way. If you won\u2019t join the Iron Lords, let us help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour wars have left my people homeless. And worse. They would never trust you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you asked them to, perhaps they would. You\u2019re the king.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m no king.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have nothing to prove to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProve it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Weeks later, Efrideet and Saladin brought a silver army with them, gleaming weapons in their hands.<\/p>\n

Nine Iron Lords dismounted their machines at the foot of Shaxx\u2019s mountain.<\/p>\n

Twelve Warlords armored in eclectic styles from across the region opposed them at the path that led up to the mountain peak. Particle weapons hummed to operational life on both sides. Slug rifles racked and readied. <\/p>\n

Felwinter and Shaxx watched them from the ruined south wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour friends are here to back you up,\u201d the Exo said. \u201cIf they need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have friends,\u201d Shaxx replied. \u201cAnd they don\u2019t need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell them. Stop this before the shooting starts,\u201d the Exo said. \u201cYour people will not survive this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a threat?\u201d the Warlord asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. They\u2019re not like us. Everything they might become dies with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaxx stared down at the Iron Lords. \u201cYou people involve yourselves in matters that are not your own. Especially Radegast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRadegast is scattered. He thinks he has the weight of all those we protect on his shoulders. No one has that kind of strength. Not even a Lightbearer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you back them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the Iron Lords are going to change the world; no one can stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI stopped you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour people will not survive this. Tell the Warlords to stand down. They\u2019ll listen. They fear you. You\u2019re not bound to an Iron Decree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaxx shook his head. \u201cThey fear that everything they might become would die with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The other Warlords had departed.<\/p>\n

Shaxx stood with the Iron Lords on the path up the mountain.<\/p>\n

He stared down at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho won?\u201d Efrideet asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cShaxx,\u201d Felwinter said. He patted Shaxx on the shoulder. \u201cShaxx did.\u201d The Exo pulled Efrideet aside to arrange an evacuation plan for Shaxx\u2019s people to Vostok Observatory in the Cosmodrome.<\/p>\n

Saladin and Shaxx stood in silence as the other Lords began their march up the path.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello,\u201d said Saladin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello,\u201d Shaxx said.<\/p>\n

They shook hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cIron Lord Shaxx?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Felwinter, Saladin, and Efrideet sat at a massive oak table on a keep atop Felwinter\u2019s Peak.<\/p>\n

A holographic blueprint of Shaxx\u2019s castle hung in the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will take some time to breach the security codes,\u201d the Exo said, indicating an underground extension a mile under the fortification. \u201cBut this is it. One of several across the Earth. Perhaps across other worlds. Some are tied to more important systems than others. All Golden Age. Some hide weapons. Armor. Nanites.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Saladin asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Seraph Bunker. Rasputin tech.\u201d<\/p>\n


Some time after\u2014during the Late Dark Age.<\/i><\/h3>\n
\n

\u201cYou seem far too obsessed with these \u2018Warminds,\u2019\u201d Timur said to Felwinter.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been walking for hours, dipping in and out of Fallen territory. Timur made no effort to avoid them, and Felwinter followed his lead. He didn\u2019t know where they were going. Timur had been talking almost nonstop, though. Asking Felwinter what he knew about SIVA. What he thought the Warmind might have to do with it. It was lucky that Felwinter already had a reputation for keeping quiet. <\/p>\n

He played dumb when Timur asked about Seraphs. Timur was easy to rile up that way. It was good; it made Felwinter feel like he was still in control.<\/p>\n

As they tore through another round of shanks, Felwinter fell back and let Timur do the heavy lifting. When Timur spoke again, his voice was breathless with a passion and enthusiasm that Felwinter couldn\u2019t feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you ever wondered what it is that calls to you in that void of memory,\u201d Timur breathed, <\/p>\n

\u201cwhere the edge of the past infects your present?\u201d<\/p>\n

Felwinter was tense with expectation. He felt the world contracting around him until nothing existed but the sidearm in his hand. He heard his Ghost in his helmet comms, whispering: \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timur strode recklessly ahead. He expected Felwinter to watch his back, and he did. Watched him walk. Watched his Ghost, too. There were a lot of Fallen out here. Anything could happen to either of them. It would be easy to tell this story back home.<\/p>\n

“Don’t jump to conclusions,\u201d his Ghost whispered as they fell behind, but Felwinter heard uncertainty in her voice. He adjusted his grip on the sidearm, lifting his hand a little\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 and dropped it again as Timur turned around. \u201cIt\u2019s an itch you can\u2019t scratch, isn\u2019t it? Well, maybe you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felwinter’s expression was blank. His finger twitched on the sidearm.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think I am one of them?\u201d he asked as Timur turned back around to lead the way. \u201cThat all Exo are?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLord Felwinter, I know what you are,\u201d Timur said with a laugh in his voice. Felwinter lifted the sidearm again. An familiar dread coiled in his chest. He saw his future changing. Again. He saw himself running. Again.<\/p>\n

He was so tired of running.<\/p>\n

The sidearm was level with the back of Timur’s head.<\/p>\n

Timur had a smile in his voice when he spoke next. \u201cI know what you are,” he said. “And you are no Warmind or even one of its puppets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felwinter\u2019s arm dropped and swung at his side, as if all his energy had gone out of him all at once. It was impossible, but he almost felt lightheaded. His Ghost whispered something again, but he didn\u2019t hear it over his own relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome,\u201d Timur said. He walked with the arrogance of a man who didn\u2019t realize he\u2019d brushed shoulders with Death. \u201cYou must see this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some time during the late Dark Age. Iron Lords Efrideet, Saladin, and Felwinter sat in a Warlock meditation chamber, around a massive oak table, in a keep on Felwinter Peak. A fire crackled in the corner out of the lips of a stone-lined hearth. A hand-written letter in messy scrawl rested atop the table. \u201cWarlord […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bungie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}