RP:An Exodus of Giants
Part of the Stirrings in Frostmaw Arc
The Leaving
Vornir Brimirsson stands on a platform at the head of his troops, their families, and all the citizenry of Frostmaw. At his side, bound and beaten, is Ezezil, Jarl of Frostmaw. Vornir’s axe rises high, hushing the crowd as he speaks. “My people! I have won. This eve, my warband broke Ezezil’s forces, and took his fortress by storm. By rights, the title and his life are mine. However, I choose to take neither!” Here, Ezezil looks up with a start, hope blooming in his defeated eyes as a puzzled muttering hums through the throng. “Long ago,” Vornir continues, “We warred with others of our own kind that had entered this world with us. Our ancestors wore down their numbers, and were worn down in return. Finally, before our kind could become extinct, our noble fathers severed ties with this world, moving our people here to the isolated world of ice we call home. For thousands of years we remained, untroubled by the small, chaotic races of the southlands. Our culture is strong, we are strong, and that is because we have been left to ourselves. Look at our Gualon cousins if you do not agree.” The crowd seems to agree, given the general sound of the murmurings. “But now look at us. The barrier has broken, and southlanders flood our lands. They caused this war, and directly and indirectly caused the deaths of many fine warriors. The barrier cannot be sealed again; I’d do it myself if it could. But Aramoth has spoken to me, his chosen, and has told me that our future can yet be as strong as our past. We must simply repeat what my forefather Jarn did when he led our people from Gualon so long ago. I will leave this land, and my family will too. I extend the invitation to all of you to accompany me, for I count all of you kin and I would not leave you behind. Let us migrate again, and leave behind the troubles of this tainted world. Who is with me?” At first, there is stillness among the crowd. Then, the captains of Vornir’s warband move toward him, followed by the soldiers and their families, who set up a chant. “Vornir! Vornir!” they rumble, the sound swelling to fill the air as more and more giants move to Vornir’s side of the area. Finally, the flow stops, leaving the people split: a little more than half on Vornir’s side, the rest hanging back. “Very well,” the paladin says. “So you have chosen. Those that are coming with me, gather what things you can carry on your backs and your mammoths. We leave in two days.”
When the departure time arrives, those staying behind can only be seen peeking out of windows. Ezezil, of course, has remained tied up in the center of town, exposed to the elements. Vornir appears in front of the crowd ready to leave, mounted on his mammoth and clad in full armor. On his head is a crown of white Everfrost, and his armor is gilded, causing it to shine spectacularly in the midmorning sun. “The god Aramoth will lead us to our new home. May it prove as worthy a testing ground as did this one,” the Jarl of the departing giants calls out. Then, with no further ado, he sets off, the column following him slowly. Before the new Jarl disappears from sight, a red gash can be seen in the air before him, opening wide to admit him and his mammoth, and remaining for the rest of the column. Once someone enters the portal they disappear, one after another until finally none remain, the portal snapping just with a thunderous noise after them. The giants left behind step cautiously out, peering after their vanished kin. No one speaks for a time, until finally one loyal guardsman unties the defeated Ezezil, who is quick to reassert his authority. The population of the giants is diminished greatly, but they live on, undaunted.
Vornir's post on the Frostmaw board:
I, and those giant loyal to our true heritage, bid these lands farewell. Today, I defeated Ezezil, but spared his life in favor of leading those giants who so desire to a better home. More than half of my people go with me, and I disassociate myself with anything further that happens here in Frostmaw. ~ Jarl Vornir Brimirsson of the True Jotnar
An OOC note:
This is my way of ending my RP in the most logical way I can think of. Because the Frostmaw Giants are not my creation, and because I don't believe in tearing out people's storylines for my own selfish reasons, I did not attempt to remove the subrace from the game entirely (I doubt I'd have gotten permission, had I wanted to). But, Vornir and his followers are gone from Hollow, and will not return. I leave Frostmaw the way I found it: NPC leader, open RP zone. What people do with it now is up to them, and them alone. Nothing of Vornir's style of governing remains, as it is all Ezezil's again. Have fun, folks.