Hazlan - Nordenvall Fane

[Vastgoten]

Rumors are swirling in Nordenvall Village about an increased activity of the Red Academy. Whispers suggest that an instructor from the academy has been receiving students in the village, leading to an increased presence of red-robed wizards. This sudden influx has left many villagers feeling uneasy, as the sight of these enigmatic figures has become more frequent than some might prefer.

[Vastgoten]

Whispers are spreading through the village of Nordenvall that the esteemed instructor Azoth Sepret has been seen leaving the popular establishment, the Dancing Crane, under alarming circumstances. Witnesses claim that Sepret was stumbling and appeared to be in great pain. Those who were close enough observed that he was shivering uncontrollably and his teeth were chattering as if he was suffering from a heavy fever. Ignoring everyone around him, he made his way with great effort towards the Skoven Forest, taking the trail that leads to the illustrious Red Academy of Hazlan…

[Bereus]

A new and clearly foreign arrival in Hazlan; a knight in steel trimmed with gold and featuring a pattern of thorns covered by a dark grey tabard with a helmet topped by a draconic ornament has been seen seeking meetings with the priests of the Fane and speaks on the regular with those inhabitants willing to do so in an attempt to master the Vaasi language. The knight has not elaborated on the cause for meeting with priests of the Lawgiver beyond a desire to embrace the faith.

[DM Stygian Witch]

A dignified funeral service was attended by a small, intimate gathering of friends and family. The unexpected loss of Lord Jharco, the satrap, along with his niece and nephew, continues to be a poignant sorrow for the community of Nordenvall.

[Vastgoten]

As the mourning and funeral settles...
Whispers spread like wildfire among the Rashemi serfs of Nordenvall, ever since the murder of lord Perzavis. His death has left a dangerous power vacuum, and the household Mulan are thirsting for blood. The loss of their leader has shaken the household paving its troubles all the way to Nordenvall, and it is said that trusted servants have been dispatched across Nordenhazlan and beyond, tasked with delivering swift and brutal justice.

[Vastgoten]

Strange sounds drift from the old theatre in Nordenvall village, an eerie blend of mechanical clinks and whirs, interspersed with faint, discordant music. The air hums with the rhythm of cogs turning, the unsettling symphony spilling into the narrow streets. It wasn’t just the sounds—strange lights, flickering in unnatural hues, often escaped through the reception and spilled out to passing residents. These lights would cast eerie glows across the roads at odd hours of the night.

Even more disturbing to the local Mulans was the sight of Rashemi frequenting the theatre during these times.

"Surely, they’re there to sweep the floors or tidy up the stage, not… actually take part in the performance."

[Vastgoten]

Upon a dark, rainy night, a new arrival came to Nordenvall, bearing the presence and appearance of Mulan clergy.

The figure made his way directly to the fane, yet before entering the church’s heavy doors, he drifted aside toward the graveyard. Anyone watching would see him comb through the overgrown stones, as if seeking a name or mark long forgotten. After a time, he halted, his search seeming to end in failure; his jaw tightened as he bowed his head, gripping his amulet between white-knuckled fingers. Whatever words he spoke were forced through clenched teeth—a prayer, perhaps, or a vow lost to the night. Only after this ritual did he resume his path to the church, striding with a new, cold resolve, ready to commence his initiation rites.

[Vastgoten]

Among the Akolytes of the fane, whispers abound of Akolyte Azkhan Khorzavi, who, following a meeting with the venerable Biskop Taico, spent an inordinate amount of time in fervent prayer at the altar. His devotion was marked by acts of self-discipline, including the controlled scourging of his own back.

Only after several days did he emerge from the church, not in his customary priestly robes, but clad in armor of black and red. Soon thereafter, he was seen reporting to the captain of the Gudkaede, his demeanor bearing the weight of a newfound and grave purpose in service to their dark god.

[Vastgoten]

In the quiet aftermath of the Day of Penance, the villagers of Nordenvall witnessed an unsettling scene. The clergy of the Iron Faith escorted a foreigner to the cage outside the cathedral. Wounded and barely fed, the man spent several days confined like an animal, drawing whispers of confusion and unease from the locals.

“Why would he seemingly enter that cage willingly?” they murmured.

The answer became clear two days later when Akolyte Azkhan Khorzavi and Captain Ossur Fezim approached the cage. After a brief but intense questioning, the clergy released the man. Before a gathering of Mulan witnesses, the priest performed a solemn ceremony of absolution. The kneeling foreigner, humbled and penitent, received forgiveness for his past crimes under the iron gaze of the faithful.

[Vastgoten]

Whispers spread through the well-visited Iron Cathedral of Nordenvall as three men of the Iron Faith gathered in the sacred halls. Dommer Azkhan Khorzavi, Captain Ossur Fezim of the God-Chains, and their newest recruit, Disciple Konstantin Westergaard, entered the inner sanctum, vanishing behind heavy doors.

Hours passed, and still, they did not emerge. Some say they spoke through the long night, their voices low but firm. When they finally stepped out into the cold dawn, their faces were solemn, their eyes set with duty. Whatever was decided in that hallowed chamber, it was no small matter.

[Vastgoten]

Rumor has it that Dommer Azkhan Khorzavi met with a foreigner of notable status or wealth and performed the rite of the Iron Baptism. Given the light penance imposed, one might assume one of two things - either the subject was truly devout, or he had something to offer beyond just his soul…

[Iconoclast]

While the Gudkaede worked to build a pyre within Nordenvall Village, their Captain spent the night interrogating the shapeshifting witch, Peanut, once she was locked in the cage, a cage meant for criminal or beast.  Some felt that their prayers had been answered, that the village would sleep better this night, knowing that the witch's ashes, as many witches before her, would feed the Hazlani sky. But come later that morning, no tinder was struck ablaze. No witch was burned.  Some speculate that it may have been due to the influence of a foreigner, who has been a known herbalist in the village.  Whatever the case may be, the Gudkaede escorted shapeshifting witch to the eastern outskirts of the village, before the Captain of the Gudkaede issued an official proclamation of banishment.

[Vastgoten]

They say the cold winter rain clung to him like a shroud when he ascended the wooden platform that night. The disciples in red whisper of how he, the appointed Dommer Azkhan Khorzavi, unfastened his harness and let it crash onto the wet planks with a  clang, then sank to his knees in silent surrender.

They speak of the first lash, biting into his flesh without hesitation, and the second that cut even deeper. Supposedly, he only hissed, “Dark Lord, witness my pain, for I have failed,” as if the torment were both punishment and prayer.

Seven lashes in total, so the rumor goes, each one drawing more blood than the last, until the platform was slick with crimson and rain. Some say he screamed on the fourth blow, others that he remained eerily silent throughout. All agree that he finally collapsed, broken, but not at peace.

And so the word spreads among those of the cloth, a reminder that even the faithful are not spared the bite of the lash.

[Vastgoten]

“They say Dommer Azkhan Khorzavi conducted the Iron Baptism again, just before dawn.”
“Another foreign wretch?”
“No. A Mulan.”
“A Mulan? But… why? Born by the blood, already claimed.”
“Exactly. That’s what’s strange. What would drive one of the blood to the altar as a supplicant?”
“Or who commanded it.”