Althera, Amazon Sentry
Ho there! Do you know the ways of this foul place? I am a Huntress, daughter of Phaedra's empire, chosen of the Palomi Tribe. My sisters and I have tracked our foes to this mire, seeking vengeance for their foul deeds at our refuge on this fragment. We hoped to slay them quickly, but now we find that the Vorgrim Legion masses here, and that the Orcs of the Twisted Breeds live here in force. They have driven us back, and now we await reinforcements. The Palomi will honor your names if you do battle against our foes, and slay not any Amazons you find within this place. But beware! The enemy is strong here, and a dread fiend lurks at the heart of this swamp.
Who is this Vorgrim Legion?
That is a black name, once was held in high honor, but is now stained with the taint of sin, Chaos, and treachery. The Legion was born of folly, during the War of the Scourge, when the mightiest in the armies of Elves and Humanity joined together to form an elite army where the Firstborn and the Sons of Men would fight side by side, under joint command. The Legion won its greatest fame during the middle years of the conflict, when they managed to halt the advance of Chaos on many fronts. After the retrieval of Shadowbane and the turning of the tide, Malog the War God emerged from his long seclusion to answer the All-Father's call to arms. Malog himself took command of the Vorgrim Legion and led it to many victories. In their pride, the Legion slowly renounced its ties with the lords of Elves or Men, following their mighty general to death and glory.
The Legion's fate was sealed when Malog tried to betray the All-Father to His doom in the Pit of Chaos. The warriors of Vorgrim were abandoned and trapped with their dark master. Malog's treachery poisoned the name of the Vorgrim Legion forever: the tales and songs of its exploits were deliberately forgotten, and the few surviving members of Legion renounced it. But now the Legion moves again. Ever since Malog, reborn as Morloch the Destroyer returned to Aerynth, warriors and devotees of Chaos have appeared wearing the ancient suits of armor used by the Legion of old. Morloch is combing ruins and ancient places for enchanted relics of the Legion, and some fear that the Maimed God intends to reform the legion and use it to conquer all the fragments of Aerynth. Whatever their dark purpose here, they shall rue the day they trespassed in the realms of the Amazones!
What vengeance are you seeking?
My sisters in the Palomi tribe have claimed a rainswept forest elsewhere on this fragment as our new home and refuge. An ancient hold of Phaedra stands there, waiting to be restored. But a few days past the minions of Chaos swept the ancient ruins there, desecrating the sacred wells and ruining several altars we had worked hard to restore. The offenders wore the armor of the ancient Vorgrim Legion, long thought lost. We have tracked the villains here, and now they shall pay!
What is this Dire Foe?
A mighty champion of Chaos abides in the heart of this foul place. He is terrible to behold, and none of my sisters could withstand his dreaded axe. The Orcs and foul Vorgrim warriors all follow his slightest whim, and the fiend himself cries the name of Morloch himself! We now not why this swamp should be so sacred to him. There is another, a crazed old hermit named Mandemus who lurks at the edges of the swamp. He has much to say about Morloch and this new champion, if you have the patience to listen to all of his addled ravings.
