Post by Vaklu on Jul 13, 2017 22:46:33 GMT
The far north,the last real frontier left. A land of deep snow and wild storms. In full winter men, elves and orcs froze to death if exposed for more than a few hours. The jotun were hardier but the land was still dangerous. They needed to take care in dressing warmly and not overextending themselves, more than a few of the more fearless colonists had gone out only to be found come spring as huddled lump. The weather wasn't the only danger, the beasts that made their homes here were more than happy to prey on the unwary. Packs of grey wolves stalked the massive elk herds that roamed the Hezoran Plains and Cave Bears roamed the great forests further north that could shatter trees with the swipe of a paw. But the king of the northern predators made it's home near the crown of the world. The great lizards known as Icedrakes. The smallest was Fourteen feet tall at the shoulder, with larger specimens reaching twenty-five feet. They could burrow through ice and snow and lay in wait for days. And they were devilish fast with powerful tails, rending claws and mouths filled with razor fangs. Hunting them had quickly become a favorite pastime among the jotun. The fact that half the hunting parties never came back simply meant a successful hunt was all the more prestigious.
Then someone found a clutch of eggs. After a few false starts they'd figured out how to train Icedrakes to carry a jotun rider. For centuries the jotun had never been able to find a beast capable of bearing their weight. Now they had, and they were as deadly as their masters. Jarl Eldgan Firebreather first raised the Icedrake Cavalry to patrol the Northern Jarldom with the speed the Elonese Rangers did their own borders. The difficultly of keeping the beasts always kept their numbers small and gaining entry to their ranks a mark of honor.
The third troop had been on patrol for a week when they'd come across the wreckage of the farmstead. It had been torn asunder, bodies were strewn about littering the ground like toys after a child's tantrum. One of the men held the barest remnants of a shield. All that remained was the handle and the twisted steel rim. Sergent Jarn had never seen this type of carnage before even when a wild Drake had come down three winters ago. It hadn't even been able to flatten a long hall and it had been nearly twenty-two feet at the shoulder. Something big was out there, and it was hungry.
Then someone found a clutch of eggs. After a few false starts they'd figured out how to train Icedrakes to carry a jotun rider. For centuries the jotun had never been able to find a beast capable of bearing their weight. Now they had, and they were as deadly as their masters. Jarl Eldgan Firebreather first raised the Icedrake Cavalry to patrol the Northern Jarldom with the speed the Elonese Rangers did their own borders. The difficultly of keeping the beasts always kept their numbers small and gaining entry to their ranks a mark of honor.
The third troop had been on patrol for a week when they'd come across the wreckage of the farmstead. It had been torn asunder, bodies were strewn about littering the ground like toys after a child's tantrum. One of the men held the barest remnants of a shield. All that remained was the handle and the twisted steel rim. Sergent Jarn had never seen this type of carnage before even when a wild Drake had come down three winters ago. It hadn't even been able to flatten a long hall and it had been nearly twenty-two feet at the shoulder. Something big was out there, and it was hungry.
