Aaron Thattchir II

Part I

The Temple of Raema, a homage to a near dead culture sat atop a mountain in the Kingdom of Xou.  Inside lived the Vo-Shun, Warrior Monks that train for years to use their blades to control elements.  Among these was Aaron Thattchir, a man who had come there a mere ten years earlier.  His short black beard was now long and dark gray, his guns long unused.  He awoke one night with a dream that he could not explain, so he went to Han, the leader of the temple, a man of 103 years of age.

He told him that a great evil rose in a distant place known as "Fah She Gin", and that he would have to destroy it.  It was known in the common tongue as The Holy East.  Aaron grabbed his weapons, his black iron breastplate, his black trenchcoat, and hat, and his flame bladed sword, and set off down the mountain.  He managed to stow on a boat heading to South Equestria, he landed in Sherwin and realized he needed better protection for the journey.

He was in luck because a Dwarven trade caravan was on its way to the stronghold of Karazda.  He met with the Dwarves and attempted to speak, none of them spoke Commoners Tongue, only Drazad, Equin, and Northern.  Luckily for Aaron, he had become quite fluent in the Northern Tongue over his time with the Kreuden Knights.  He managed to convince the group to let him go with them to Karazda. 

He walked with the Dwarves who rode on the backs of boars for three days until they reached the River of Stone that cut through the Stone Hills and all the way to Karazda.  There waited a longship made of black oak and Dwarven Steel that seemed to sail with the wind of gods at its back.  They boarded the ship and left to the city, they traveled for two more days until they reached the great city’s river gate.

The river gate opened, allowing the ship to enter the grand city.  Upon discovering that the caravan had brought Aaron with them they captured him and took his weapons since many of them could not speak either Northern or Common.  He was placed in the dungeons deep under the city.  This was until a Dwarf Guard came to him and brought him to king Torigg the Under.  King Torigg was a bulky man, his beard was dawned by rings of gold and silver and a grown of rubies rested upon his head.

He spoke the Common Tongue and conversed with Aaron

“Greetings tall man, I am Torigg the Under, King of Karazda, what brings you into my stronghold?”

Aaron opted out of being an asshole and bowed and spoke to him

“Great king, I was brought here by your caravan, I am here to find armor to help me on my journey to the Holy East to fight the great evil that has emerged,” 
“Follow me, Tall Man, we shall forge the greatest armor both Tall Man and Dwarf can have”

Torigg, Aaron, and two Dwarven Guards armed with axes and shields made their way to a lift, to short for Aaron to stand straight up inside.  They descended to the deepest part of the stronghold, down to the powerful Ruedion Forge. A forge that was far older than the dwarves that controlled it.  It was built by the Ancient Crystal Empire and is supposedly one of possibly thousands.  This is the only known one in Niln and is said to burn hot enough to forge black iron.  The forge is massive and located at the deepest point in the city.

As they made their way to the forge, they met with the Forge Master Girium Steel Hand.  He greeted the group.  He had a thick black beard covering his chest, he wore goggles and thick gloves and carried a large Dwarven Steel that looked almost like gold.  Girium walked up to King Torigg and asked him what the Tall Man was doing there, it was explained he needed strong armor for a journey to the east upon hearing this Girium began his work, lighting the hot forge and using a mechanized rail cart system that moved the black iron from a storage chamber.

For uncounted hours, the dwarf worked at the blazing hot forge, until Girium had forged two forms of armor, a black iron mail shirt, and a black iron breastplate he was also given black iron and leather gauntlets.  Aaron did not leave immediately, he had learned from books on the dwarven race that they were very accustomed to the idea of returning the favor so to speak.  So Aaron spent time assisting the king and his subjects with miscellaneous tasks, he would also learn magic from the Dwarven Mage Hargal the Blue.  

He learned spells to strengthen his weapons by carving runes into them.  He also learned healing magic.  It was nearly a year before he set out to the Holy East, but before he did King Torigg came to him and handed him a Dwarven War Axe with a rune carved on its side, as he handed the ax and its leather cover over he spoke in his heavy voice:

“Take this ax on your journey, it is made with Dwarven Steel and will return to its wielder, no water where they sit”

He graciously accepted the gift and departed from the stronghold, as he watched the massive doors to the city close behind him, he realized that he had begun yet another journey to the unknown.