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Item Story: Hoarfrost Pass
x Hoarfrost Pass: Centurion - Cicero is a centurion of the Empire, far south of the wastelands. Bade by the emperor to rescue his youngest daughter, kidnapped by a mysterious enemy, he finds himself struggling survive the uncharted wastes. At the infamous pass, he is challenged by a nomadic northern warrior, a barbarian. Cicero's sophisticated techniques best his opponent, but only just; Cicero is startled and impressed by the warrior's raw passion and strength. Although all he knows about the northmen indicate that they can't be trusted, he takes a risk and proposes a bargain: he'll spare his life if he'll help him navigate the land and find the princess.
Hoarfrost Pass: Northman - Stieg "the Wretched" has mastered survival in the wasteland. He was once known and feared for his "blood rage" in battle; eventually his ability became so consuming that he lost himself, attacking even his own comrades. His own people believed he was a devil and felt no empathy, and exiled him. One day he cast his runes and read that he would meet a stranger from a warm land who could change his fate. He finally meets him at the Pass, a warrior from the south empire; Stieg challenges him, believing his fate will change through battle, as it always has. However, his opponent's calm and controlled fighting style is new to him, and he finds he's unable to invoke his blood rage against it. Upon defeat, he agrees to the man's terms... with no intent to follow through. He vows to cut his throat at the soonest chance.
. . . . .
The warriors travel further into the wasteland, hunting for signs of the stolen girl. Each man keeps a vigilant eye on the other, watching for threats or openings. Since they study little else but their companion, they inevitably notice small details. Cicero observes the way Stieg finds fish under the ice, the practical way he carves animals and cures hide, how he tracks signs across the ice and snow. He realizes the Northman is not barbaric, merely better adapted to the land than to polite society. Cicero begins to wonder how this stranger would react to his homeland in the south, the great empire with its grand stone temples and shining gold sculptures, the likes of which have never been seen by northern men. Stieg, determined to betray his companion, begins to spy on Cicero during his training exercises. He is again impressed by his controlled technique, noticing his scarless body (compared to his own, scarred a dozen times) and recalling the ease of his defeat. He's suddenly no longer ashamed to have been beaten by this warrior, who has obviously seen battle yet never taken a wound.
On the twelfth night into their journey, Stieg realizes somewhat uneasily that he doesn't want to kill the Centurion. Meanwhile, Cicero imagines showing Stieg his faraway city, all the while knowing the Northman could never set foot there, where he would be viewed by those less observant as a barbarian, lower than a dog, and executed...
. . . . .
Far into the wasteland, Stieg and Cicero find tracks leading to an abandoned fortress on the ice. They split up to search, only to discover the fortress is not deserted... Cicero finds the princess in a high tower. She begs him to stay with her in the Northlands, away from her overbearing father. He refuses, determined to fulfill his duty to the emperor. The Princess' eyes grow empty... Stieg finds the princess in a low dungeon, readying her sword. She smiles darkly and says, "Two brave warriors... Two Princesses. One of us is real, possessed. The other..." She giggles. "My double is with the Centurion now. The Princess is a strong warrior... We have probably already killed him!"
With a roar, Stieg launches himself at the woman, and steel meets steel. She's strong, stronger than him, but she's from the same school of combat as Cicero, and so Stieg knows her techniques. Until suddenly, the second Princess appears, face twisted, and Stieg is overpowered, his axe knocked from his hand. The Princesses raise their swords together for the killing strike...
At that moment, Cicero bursts from the shadows and intercepts the blow, taking a near fatal wound to protect his friend. Stieg sees the blood, and slips into his berserker state. The Princesses are taken aback, not expecting this display of passion from the lone warrior. The pair suddenly find themselves at his mercy, and just as Stieg raises his axe to slay them both, he hesitates. At that moment, he realizes he can control the blood rage that he had been helpless against before. He chooses then to strike down the Princess with the shifting face, and leaves the other unharmed. She gasps and collapses, relief and gladness returning to her eyes. The Princess is saved!
Stieg agrees then to help the Princess and the wounded Cicero return to the southern warmlands. He binds the wounds carefully and they begin the journey back to the Pass, where they will part ways. On the last night, they have a large fire, and the Princess takes leave early to rest. In the early hours of morning, she imagines she hears soft whispering over the crackling of the fire...
. . . . .
Upon his return to the city, Cicero is offered the Princess in marriage for returning her safely. He tells the emperor, "We still don't understand the enemy which took her. I would rather have permission to travel north again, to investigate further threats to the empire." The emperor is reluctant to lose the hero, and deliberates for several weeks. At last, he agrees.
Meanwhile, Stieg travels west to his homelands. His people recognize that he is no longer enslaved to his blood rage and allow him to live among them again. Now he carries a different weight on his shoulders. One day, an eagle finds him, carrying the latest of many letters. It contains an oath, promising the sender will meet him at the pass before the month ends. Stieg reads runes before he sets out on his journey, and sees the quiet pattern of the dawn stars.
Long after Cicero has left his city, a whisper spreads. A shaken servant, a woman responsible for dressing and bathing the girl since she was small, tells it one evening to her close friends. She speaks of a small girl with a birthmark shaped like a cornflower, and a woman who returned from the Northlands who had no birthmark. She speaks of a darkness in the Princess' eyes that others do not notice. The next morning, the servant is gone.
Far in the north in a frozen fortress, a woman's body lies, the flower mark on her skin buried and secret with her, beneath the ice and snow.
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