Bangar Ruinbringer

Bangar Ruinbringer

Race

Charr

Rank

Legendary

Location

Forging Steel
(Shiverpeak Mountains)
Hall of Monuments
(Eye of the North)
Upper Blood Keep
(Grothmar Valley)

Organization

Blood Legion
Dominion
Frost Legion

“

Warband above self. Legion above warband. Charr above legion... Charr above all.

— Bangar Ruinbringer

Bangar Ruinbringer is the Imperator of the Blood Legion, the supreme commander of the Dominion, and the sire of Ajax Anvilburn. Although charismatic, he is considered a "wild card" among the current three imperators of the charr High Legions, and is said to be both distrustful and prone to rage. He has a strong hatred for humans, which overcomes his suspicions about the other two imperators to retain a shaky alliance against the Flame Legion. He rules from the Blood Citadel to the east of the Blazeridge Mountains. Bangar and Iron Legion Imperator Smodur the Unflinching are both known to be vying for the mantle of Khan-Ur.

After helping the Elder Dragon Jormag awaken, Bangar becomes the Voice of Jormag but loses the role after Jormag's demise. He is succeeded as Blood Legion Imperator by Crecia Stoneglow.

Biography

Early years

Banner depicting Bangar with the Blood Legion symbol.

As a cub, Bangar Ruinbringer was raised on stories about humans skinning charr and using their fur and horns as armor, and he had spent almost all of his adult life in direct opposition to them. He lost people he cared about—members of his warband, good soldiers, friends—in the human-charr conflict, and he lived and breathed this narrative for fifty-odd years. His distrust for humans and the other races of Tyria stemmed not just from prejudice but from historic wrongs committed against his people. While serving in the Blood Legion, Bangar had a relationship with future Vigil General Almorra Soulkeeper, whom he viewed as his fire and blood. The affair led to Bangar siring at least one of Almorra's cubs, Ajax Anvilburn.

After becoming the Blood Legion Imperator, Bangar gained a reputation as a charismatic but stern leader prone to rage whom few would dare to question. He did not trust the Ash Legion and preferred to send his own soldiers on covert ops missions whenever needed rather than relying on the other legion's finest.

In the past, Bangar took in the young Crecia Stoneglow and her dam who had fled from the Flame Legion. He placed Crecia in a local fahrar so she would be raised according to the values of the Blood Legion although Crecia never forgot her roots and whom she and her dam had left behind. While growing up, Crecia joined the Stone Warband alongside Rytlock Brimstone, and Bangar took note of the pair.

Some time after Crecia and Rytlock had graduated from the fahrar, Bangar ordered them to infiltrate the Flame Legion and sabotage it from the inside. In the Blood Imperator's view, a female charr like Crecia was perfect for the mission as the Flame Legion, who belittled females, would not suspect her of being a spy for the Blood Legion. When Rytlock eventually returned from the enemy garrison alone, Bangar was initially furious at him for blowing his cover and disobeying orders until he learned that Rytlock had stolen Sohothin, a recovered magic sword once wielded by Prince Rurik of Ascalon and which had been intended for Flame Imperator Gaheron Baelfire, from the Flame Legion upon his departure. Bangar would later learn that Crecia had stabbed Rytlock in the leg after the theft and sounded an alarm in the garrison to make the Flame Legion chase after him in order to take suspicion off herself so she could continue carrying out her mission for the Blood Imperator.

Deciding to use Sohothin as a propaganda tool against the Flame Legion, Bangar sent Rytlock and the Stone Warband on the front lines. Although Rytlock used the sword with diligence at first, his fame as a legendary Flame Legion killer and wielder of Sohothin gradually emboldened him and made him ignore his superiors' orders. Bangar summoned Rytlock to the Blood Citadel where he voiced his displeasure and that he had considered executing the reckless warrior for the acts of defiance. Although he justified his arguments with Rytlock's disobedience having needlessly endangered his fellow soldiers in battle, he also made it clear that he did not like Rytlock believing he was better than the imperator himself.

Instead of executing the warrior or making him a gladium as punishment, however, Bangar promoted Rytlock and sent him on "a tour of the legions" so the warrior's presence would "motivate" the other High Legions. As he delivered the punishment masked as a reward, Bangar enjoyed the thought of Rytlock, who did not hold a high opinion of the other legions at the time, being miserable abroad more than he enjoyed winning their verbal clash.

Bangar promoted Crecia to his second-in-command some time after her return to the Blood Citadel from her successful undercover mission. As a tribune and Bangar's head of security, Crecia used her influence to try to persuade Bangar to reach out to the Flame Legion and make a truce with them. The Blood Imperator, however, rejected her offers each time, even after Gaheron Baelfire's demise had left the Flame Legion fractured.

Bangar remained suspicious of the other legions and their motives, however. At one point he had his forces steal Iron Legion cannons which he aimed at the Black Citadel as a deterrent. It was only thanks to Crecia's intervention that the Blood Imperator decided not to carry out his threat as he often listened to her advice. Bangar's growing paranoia and hate eventually distanced him from Almorra when she realized that he had poisoned their son Ajax's mind with his pro-charr views and hatred of other races. Bangar's influence would lead Ajax to join the warmongering Renegades and eventually become their leader.

Modern developments

After leaving Destiny's Edge in the aftermath of the failed battle against the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik and returning to the Blood Legion in 1320 AE, Rytlock was accused of being a traitor for collaborating with humans such as Logan Thackeray and was demoted to scrapper with Bangar doing nothing to prevent the demotion. However, Rytlock rose quickly through the ranks by killing any superior that insulted him and taking their position until he reached the rank of tribune. As a result, Bangar assigned him to the Iron Legion's territory in Ascalon as a Blood Legion representative to join another tribune, Fierhan Sparwind. Due to his troubled past in the Blood Legion Homelands and his strained relationship with both his imperator and the Stone Warband, Rytlock rarely visited the homelands and his many cubs. Bangar took it upon himself to become a father figure to Rytlock and Crecia's son, Ryland Steelcatcher, and watched Ryland's career in the legion with great interest.

In the following years, Bangar often had strong disagreements with General Almorra Soulkeeper, who had once been a member of the Blood Legion before she had become a gladium and founded the Vigil in the aftermath of Kralkatorrik's rise. Bangar and Iron Imperator Smodur the Unflinching both vied for the title of Khan-Ur although neither made a move against the other while they had to focus on other threats to charr interests such as Ascalonian ghosts, Branded, Flame Legion, and ogres.

Bangar's hatred of humanity remained even after Dougal Keane's successful covert mission to retrieve the Claw of the Khan-Ur on behalf of Almorra and Ash Imperator Malice Swordshadow led to talks of a ceasefire between charr and humans from 1324 AE onward. Despite his views, however, the Blood Imperator did not openly oppose the Ash and Iron Legions and ultimately joined them in signing the ceasefire agreement. This agreement ended the lengthy charr siege on the Stronghold of Ebonhawke and led to further negotiations between legion representatives and human ambassadors at Summit Peak, which would result in the signing of the Ebonhawke Treaty. According to Smodur, Bangar had only agreed to the treaty because he could not afford a war against the other High Legions on top of dealing with other threats at the time.

Bangar committed his troops to Smodur's region in Ascalon to assist the Iron Legion although the Blood Legion cohorts stationed there sometimes clashed with the other legions about how to handle the enemies they were facing. Since the negotiations for the Ebonhawke Treaty began, several rogue charr warbands defected from all the three High Legions and became Renegades. This rogue faction continued fighting against humans in Ascalon and tried to goad their fellow charr to brawl despite the imperators' protests. Blood Legion defectors were particularly numerous among the Renegades.

Bangar eventually learned of his son Ajax's death at the hands of the Vigil who had conducted an operation against the Renegades in order to secure the armistice talks for the Ebonhawke Treaty in 1325 AE. The Blood Imperator mourned his fallen son, believing him to have been a hero of the charr, and grew bitter towards Almorra who had been fighting alongside other races in the Vigil. Malice had sent her spies to investigate Renegade activities; however, she did not find any connection between Bangar and the Renegades at the time beyond Ajax's parentage.

After Nicabar Steelweaver had defected from the Renegades and sought to find a place among the Blood Legion by participating in the Ooze Pit Trials with other gladia, Bangar took note of him. The Blood Imperator contacted one of his tribunes discreetly and ordered them to make sure that Nicabar would be added to the ranks of the Steel Warband without revealing that Bangar himself had influenced the decision.

The Icebrood Saga

Prologue: Bound by Blood

Bangar addresses the High Legions during the All-Legion Rally in Grothmar Valley.

Once news spread of the Pact's victory against Kralkatorrik and Aurene's ascension as a new Elder Dragon in 1332 AE, Bangar began pondering about Aurene's role in the world that would come after. He decided to finally follow Crecia's advice and offer a truce to any member of the Flame Legion who were willing to hear him out. When a Flame Legion faction led by Efram Greetsglory accepted Bangar's invitation to travel to Grothmar Valley, Bangar demanded that the faction hand over their cubs to raised in the Blood Legion's fahrar as a sign of goodwill. Despite the Blood Imperator's show of support, both male and female members of Efram's faction were viewed with distrust, and their cubs were bullied in the fahrar.

Bangar took credit for the truce with the Flame Legion and sent invitations to his fellow imperators as well as other notable Tyrian figures such as Almorra, the Pact Commander and members of Dragon's Watch who had contributed to Kralkatorrik's demise. While he made Crecia handle the logistics of the festival, he allowed her to talk him into inviting Rytlock to the festival too despite his reservations about including him among the guests.

The Blood Imperator ostensibly framed the invitations to be for a celebration of Kralkatorrik's death while using the opportunity to have the legions gather in one place so he could host a political All-Legion Rally and promote his views of charr unity under strong leadership in the changed world. The Blood Imperator brought out his private reserve rum among other beverages to be served to thirsty soldiers from all the legions at the Rank 'n' File Pub.

To cement the Blood Legion's symbolic strength in the opening ceremony, Bangar had the grown-up Ryland, who had been promoted to the rank of centurion, to deliver a killing blow to a Branded devourer in ritualistic combat. As the fight was about to conclude, more Branded suddenly erupted from the ground much to the audience's surprise, and the guests had to defend themselves from the sudden attack. The invasion stopped when Aurene flew by the arena and Branded the devourer broodmother in her wake, startling and angering Bangar and many other charr who viewed the inteference of the Elder Dragon as the Pact Commander flaunting their power in front of everyone. In a subsequent conversation with Rytlock and the Commander, Bangar showed his disappointment and ordered Rytlock to meet him in private later while voicing his hope that Rytlock would not embarrass him during the festivities.

In the meantime, the Blood Imperator ordered his Minister of Morale, Varinia Stormsounder, to ensure that the message of "One Charr" would be promoted throughout the valley via announcements as well as via other tools of propaganda such as posters about Bangar and legion brotherhood, and songs of the Metal Legion band. Although some members of the band had reservations about trying to make Bangar's name rhyme in the lyrics or having an outside influence alter their message for political purposes, they allowed the song "Bound by Blood" to be revised according to Varinia's wishes. Some of the perceptive people in the audience spotted the propaganda in Bangar's speech during the opening ceremony and in the lyrics in the concert, and they voiced their complaints about the troubling undertones of what kind of a message was being conveyed to the masses.

Unbeknownst to the guests who were enjoying the festival, Bangar subtly let the assembled charr who shared his vision know of the true reason why he had organized the All-Legion Rally: he had wanted to reach out to like-minded soldiers across the four legions who had the charr's best interests at heart and who, like him, worried that the Pact might use Aurene as a weapon against the charr in the future if left unchecked. In the Blood Imperator's view the balance of power had become asymmetrical. The charr needed to answer this escalation by fighting fire with fire, and he had the means to achieve this goal.

Bangar goads Rytlock Brimstone to kill him and replace him as imperator during their reunion.

Bangar reached out to the Renegades and had them collaborate with Ryland Steelcatcher who gave orders to kidnap the Commander's companion Gorrik as Bangar believed that the asuran scientist might have useful intel on Aurene's strengths and weaknesses. Bangar also instructed the Renegades to stay put, observe the valley and not make a move on the other imperators until he had "evened the odds." He told Ryland to get close to the Commander's other ally, Braham Eirsson, and make their tour of the valley ostensibly be about racial cooperation while Ryland would trick the norn into getting drunk so he could steal Braham's fire-enchanted bow which the Blood Imperator required in the future.

At the same time violence against non-charr escalated throughout the festival as frustrated charr from all legions took their anger on the guests, including members of the Vigil, with nearly fatal results. Some troublemakers, who included not only adult charr but also teenagers and cubs, even targeted their fellow charr who had been seen interacting with outsiders. An angered Almorra confronted Bangar about the violence and told him to keep his soldiers in line while Bangar tried to calm her down by explaining that she was overestimating his influence and that a little violence was nothing out of the ordinary in charr parties.

Unimpressed, Almorra left the Blood Imperator who soon met with not only Rytlock but Crecia and the Commander who had accompanied the tribune to deliver a message about the increasing acts of violence. Bangar brushed off the trio's accusations, however, and reminded everyone present about how charr had been hunted like animals in the past and how they had always had enemies to fight against.

When Rytlock came to defend Aurene and the Commander in the argument, Bangar suddenly switched the topic to Rytlock neglecting the Blood Legion for many years and how the tribune had only been invited back out of sentimentality. The Blood Imperator viewed Rytlock as a disappointment and pointed out that he had been a better father figure to Rytlock's son than the absent Rytlock himself had been, which provoked the tribune into punching him. Accepting the blow with a sadistic smirk, Bangar responded by punching Rytlock in return, which led to a vicious brawl between the two charr until Rytlock overcame the imperator who then expressed pleasure at seeing Rytlock finally baring his fangs like a true charr should.

Bangar goaded Rytlock to kill him and thus become the new Blood Imperator, but Rytlock ultimately hesitated and left the office, not wanting anything from Bangar anymore. Bangar openly showed his disappointment while Crecia pointed out that the Blood Imperator had wanted Rytlock to react the way he did. In response, Bangar dismissed her and briefly asked the Commander about whether Aurene or Rytlock were harder to keep in line, before he told the Commander to leave the office as well.

Once Bangar learned that Ryland's mission to secure Braham's bow had been successful, he and Ryland wasted no time and slipped out of the Blood Keep while being joined by several dozen heavily armed warbands from the Renegades and all the four legions whom the Blood Imperator's agents had rallied behind him. They headed for the Shiverpeaks Pass where they used Iron Legion explosives to blow up the bridge behind them to prevent anyone from following them. Before heading farther north in the blizzard, Bangar addressed the assembled warbands while holding Braham's bow in his claws and announced his plan in clear terms: the charr would even the odds against Aurene by getting their own Elder Dragon—Jormag.

Shadow in the Ice

Bangar prepares to finish off the Pact Commander with Braham Eirsson's enchanted bow while Ryland Steelcatcher stands guard.

The charr army ventured into Bjora Marches where several charr were affected by Jormag's whispers via the dragon champion Drakkar. Not wanting to risk losing his army to the Ice Dragon, Bangar resolved to take Ryland with him as the pair traveled to Drakkar to kill the champion and silence the whispers. Although they were being tracked by Crecia and Rytlock who tried to catch up with them unseen, the charr army managed to keep their distance.

Bangar and Ryland tracked down Drakkar into an icy cave south of Drakkar Lake in 1333 AE just in time to witness the Pact Commander and Braham, who had been reunited with Crecia and Rytlock, being close to succumbing to the power that had been controlling Drakkar all along: the Whisper of Jormag, a piece of the Elder Dragon. Bangar rallied the nearly defeated heroes and told them to stand up as they faced the Whisper together. Using Braham's bow, the Blood Imperator ultimately vanquished the weakened Whisper and gloated his victory to the party.

As the party confronted Bangar about the theft of the bow and that he tried to claim credit for the kill, Bangar revealed his aspirations to become Jormag's champion and intended to use Drakkar's death as proof that he alone could control the Ice Dragon. Rytlock tried to convince Ryland to stop following Bangar, but Ryland remained loyal to his imperator and responded by asking where Rytlock's loyalties lay as a member of the Blood Legion.

When the Commander tried to persuade Bangar to stop his mission as Jormag could not be controlled, the Blood Imperator responded by shooting the Commander with the enchanted bow while stating that a confrontation between them would always end this way. Before Bangar could finish off the Commander with another arrow, the enraged Braham accessed his totem ability to Become the Wolf and attacked the two charr. Ryland stepped in the way to face Braham's wolf form, only to be wounded by the transformed norn. As Crecia and Rytlock lifted the wounded Commander with the intention to retreat, Bangar and Ryland left the cave as well as their new mission was to return to charr lands to convince the High Legions of the Blood Imperator's power.

Visions of the Past: Steel and Fire

With Aurene's help and the magic of the Scrying Pool, the recovering Commander gazed into visions of the past in the Eye of the North, reliving the Steel Warband's journey to the Far Shiverpeaks and experiencing Ryland's adventures with Bangar before the battle against Drakkar. Following the rogue warbands' initial departure from Grothmar Valley, Bangar had ordered Ryland and the Steel Warband to establish a route to Bjora Marches in order to bring in more supplies and additional forces. An advancing blizzard had made several choppers crash and threatened to block the intended route north, however, forcing the Steel Warband to take a detour through Stone Summit ruins in order to reach their destination.

Unexpected battles with the remaining Stone Summit and their Ancient Forgeman forced Ryland to shoot a distress flare to summon reinforcements; however, Bangar arrived to the ruins in the company of two captains and only after the battle had already been won. The Blood Imperator questioned why the warband was late and wondered why the distress signal had been used. Although Ryland claimed the use of the flare had been a miscalculation, Bangar had his doubts. The imperator had nevertheless noticed the threat the blizzard posed to his forces, so he ordered Ryland to accompany him into Darkrime Delves so they could find an alternate route through the pass.

As they explored the delves, Bangar explained that the use of Braham's fire-enchanted bow had been a propaganda tool rather than a strategic weapon and that he believed how subjugating Jormag should not be too difficult if the Commander had already succeeded with Aurene. The Blood Imperator also revealed his dream of founding a charr empire that would reach from the Shiverpeaks all the way south to Cantha, ushering in a new age of charr supremacy.

As the pair advanced deeper, they came across Almorra who was being pursued by the Sons of Svanir. After deciding to join forces with the pair to battle the inhabitants of the delves, Almorra revealed what the Sons of Svanir had done to the Vigil at Bjora Marches and urged Bangar to send his forces to aid her. Bangar and Ryland ignored the general's request, however, and tried to convince her to help them with their plans instead.

Ryland got briefly separated from the rest of the group, and Bangar and Almorra continued to bicker and shout at one another as they moved forward, arguing over the present turmoil that Bangar was causing and their troubled past together. When Almorra mentioned their son, Ajax, and insinuated that his death had been due to Bangar's influence, Bangar became enraged. They yelled at one another over their incompatible views on how to deal with Jormag: Almorra wanted to kill the Elder Dragon, while Bangar wanted to tame it and bend it to his will, which Almorra did not think was possible. Finally, their arguments escalated to the point that they began fighting one another, and Almorra, although weakened in Svanir captivity, still had enough strength to knock Bangar back just as Ryland reunited with them.

Almorra Soulkeeper's demise at the hands of Bangar.

After questioning Ryland and learning that he would remain loyal to his imperator, Almorra felt that she had no choice but to defeat Ryland too to stop Bangar's plans. The two charr clashed, and Ryland ultimately disarmed the general after a fierce battle. As Almorra lay on the ground beneath Ryland, the recovered Bangar approached her with a dagger in hand and revealed his feelings for her while he tried to win her over one last time.

When Almorra stated that the imperator had never loved her and that his actions would not preserve but end the charr, the angered Bangar stated that the general was too wounded to be saved and that Ryland should mercy kill her with the dagger. Ryland hesitated, however, due to Almorra's heroic status in charr society. Almorra used the last of her strength to stand up and face Bangar one last time while stating that the imperator had now lost another son, inciting Bangar to stab her with the dagger in rage.

As Almorra's body fell to the ground, Bangar stopped to think for a moment, before coldly ordering Ryland to get rid of the body. He also voiced his disappointment at Ryland being more like Rytlock than he had expected much to Ryland's dismay. In response, Ryland took Almorra to the other exit of Darkrime Delves and buried the general under stones from the surrounding rubble, where the Commander would eventually find her in.

No Quarter

While the Commander was experiencing the visions and recovering from the wounds Bangar had inflicted, the Blood Imperator spent his time spreading propaganda about his triumph over Drakkar and winning several battles against any charr forces that opposed him. Bangar persuaded several warbands to follow his lead and defect from the rival legions, naming his new cross-legion faction the Dominion.

As weeks passed, the Dominion amassed at the Drizzlewood Coast in the Woodland Cascades and slaughtered the human, norn and tengu denizens there while occupying their former settlements for military uses. Some Dominion soldiers protested killing civilians who posed no threat to the army, but Bangar told them that the non-charr deserved no mercy after what their kind had done to the charr's ancestors. Bangar promoted Ryland to tribune and ordered him to take the territory and hold it until further notice.

Jormag Rising

While taking over key strategic locations in the Drizzlewood Coast, Bangar allied himself with the Sons of Svanir despite opposing them back in the Bjora Marches. The Blood Imperator's new Svanir allies helped him capture four magically potent totems of the Great Spirits of the Wild—Bear, Raven, Snow Leopard, and Wolf. He intended to use the totems to trap the four Spirits in the corporeal plane, corrupt them, and take their magic for himself in a twisted ritual so he would look more appealing to the magic-hungry Jormag while using the Spirits' magic to dominate the Ice Dragon, just like he believed the champion Drakkar had used the three Lost Spirits' magic to seemingly control Jormag.

The Blood Imperator had his forces and the Svanir fortify the mountains surrounding the Sanctum of the Wild, a magically potent and sacred site where the norn had first made contact with the Spirits of the Wild and where Jormag was currently recovering under the ice, and built the Frost Citadel to act as his new base of operations. Bangar used his shamans and the Svanir to build a complex system of blood processors within the citadel. The processors fed Jormag's blood into a machine that frost shamans could use to mass convert Dominion soldiers into the Frost Legion, an army of ice-empowered charr who seemingly retained their individuality despite being corrupted into icebrood. Bangar believed that converting enough charr into the Frost Legion would speed up Jormag's awakening, after which he would subjugate the Ice Dragon and become the ruler of not only the charr but dominate the entire world.

Eventually the forces of the High Legions, now calling themselves the United Legions, landed in the Drizzlewood Coast to fight Bangar head-on. However, the Blood Imperator held field advantage thanks to his many camps and had the Steel Warband keep the legions locked in battle until they pushed the legions all the way to Umbral Grotto. Bangar also had the Dominion plant listening devices throughout the coast to spy on the legions while also using his Minister of Morale, Varinia Stormsounder, to spread propaganda in order to sway legionnaires to defect to the Dominion. The strategy was initially successful as several soldiers defected while Bangar gloated that Crecia's forces were even easier to face than he had expected.

The United Legions managed to turn the tide of battle with the arrival of the Pact Commander as well as Seraph forces under Logan Thackeray's command, leading to them capturing several Dominion bases and killing all of the Steel Warband save Ryland. The legions were unable to push forward, however, as the Frost Legion appeared and took over the bridge at Wolf's Crossing. The presence of the Frost Legion, heavy bombardment, and the ice blocking access to the north forced the two armies into a standstill while the legions tried to desperately hold the ground they had taken.

Some time later, however, the ice mysteriously retreated north, allowing the legions to push deeper north where they learned about the conversions in the Frost Citadel. Although Ryland succeeded in assassinating Iron Imperator Smodur who had been responsible for killing Ryland's Steel warbandmate Cinder Steeltemper earlier, the rest of the United Legions leadership managed to regroup and assault the Frost Citadel. While the legions focused on defeating the Dominion and Frost Legion tribunes and stopping the conversion process, a strike team consisting of Braham, Crecia, Rytlock and the Pact Commander used a back door to reach the Sanctum of the Wild to reach Bangar and Jormag.

The Blood Imperator was prepared for the assault, however, and had the Frost Legion and Sons of Svanir stall the party while he made finishing touches on the ritual via placing the totems of the trapped Spirits of the Wild around Jormag before feeding their magic into himself. The party managed to defeat Bangar's guards and destroyed nearby vat containment units to spill Jormag's collected blood. Undaunted, Bangar fought the party head-on and proved himself to be a formidable foe thanks to being empowered by the magic he had managed to leech from the Spirits.

However, Ryland arrived all of a sudden and managed to separate the fire-enchanted bow from Bangar. The tribune chastised the Blood Imperator for trying to manipulate the Elder Dragon by using the Spirits and the bow and that Bangar never had had a truly solid plan with all the leverage he needed against Jormag. Ryland locked himself and Bangar in a magical shield while surrounding each of the four totems with powerful magic, trapping the Spirits for Jormag to corrupt with the intention of feeding the magic directly to the Ice Dragon instead. Angered by Ryland's betrayal, Bangar fought against the tribune while the Commander used the distraction to free the Spirits before they could be corrupted. Joining forces once the Spirits had escaped and the shield had vanished, Ryland and the Commander's party fought Bangar together. Although they managed to weaken the Blood Imperator, they were unable to kill him as the battle had lasted long enough that Jormag had gained enough magic to finally awaken.

Bangar confronts Jormag in the Sanctum of the Wild.

As the Elder Dragon rose from the ice, Bangar greeted them, expecting to become the champion who would conquer the nations of the world with the Elder Dragon's power. Although Jormag promised to reward Bangar for delivering an army to them, the Ice Dragon named the Blood Imperator their new Voice instead, before letting corruption overtake the charr much to Bangar's surprise. The transformation forced a collar of frost around the corrupted Bangar's throat to entwine the Elder Dragon's presence with the Blood Imperator.

As Ryland approached Jormag next, the Elder Dragon focused on him and revealed that they had been watching his progress for some time. Jormag spoke of Ryland as a born leader who had waited his whole life for a role worthy of his talents. According to the Ice Dragon, Ryland possessed his sire Rytlock's ferocity and his dam Crecia's discipline, but most of all the young charr had rage seething under the surface. Jormag looked into Ryland's mind and saw what he had always wanted, and Ryland announced his desire to everyone present: he wanted to become Jormag's champion. The Elder Dragon granted the charr's wish, turning Ryland into a creature of ice and frost.

Following Ryland's transformation, Jormag told him to follow. Now that the Elder Dragon was awake, the next stage of their plan had been set in motion, and they needed to prepare for the future with their new champion by their side. Before leaving, Jormag offered Bangar to the Commander's party as a gift, reminding them about the promise from the Raven Sanctum that they would all talk to one another soon and that the Ice Dragon would look forward to their future conversations. Enraged by what he perceived as a betrayal, Bangar attempted to curse Jormag before the collar's power took effect and damaged his voice as it adapted to his new role as a conduit for Jormag's whispers like Drakkar had once been.

The weakened and humiliated Bangar was taken into custody to the Eye of the North where Aurene fashioned an enchanted cage to hold him should Jormag wish to use him to communicate with the party. Aurene's enchantment ensured that Jormag could not use Bangar to listen in on the conversations within the structure without Aurene's permission.

Conversations in the Eye of the North

Bangar was initially unable to speak as his throat was recovering from the transformation. When the Commander visited him later, the former Blood Imperator was reluctant to speak at first, but later reconsidered his stance and began talking at length about how he had been wronged. He had come to realize that Jormag must have been manipulating him all along, and he should have seen Ryland's ambitions manifest earlier. Bangar pondered if Jormag had ever manipulated Ryland or if the tribune's willingness to embrace Jormag had been a conscious choice without the Ice Dragon's interference.

When confronted by Rytlock, Bangar accused him of having forgotten what it meant to be a charr while fraternizing with the other races. He also blamed Ryland for having too much of his sire Rytlock's personality, which in his view had led to Ryland becoming unreliable and treacherous. Although Rytlock protested Bangar's accusations at first, he did admit that he should not have stayed away from Blood Legion lands for so long and that maybe Bangar had a point that he needed to refresh himself on how to act more like a charr.

When Aurene wished to speak to Jormag through Bangar, the former Blood Imperator initially refused as he did not like being ordered around. However, he was unable to prevent Jormag from taking over and using his body as a vessel to speak through, becoming a passive listener to the two Elder Dragons' discourse. After Jormag's presence had left Bangar, the former Blood Imperator swore to kill the Ice Dragon, which Aurene doubted. In another conversation, Jormag used Bangar to speak through once again while trying to convince Aurene that they were not a threat and revealing that Ryland was building an army in a remote location to prepare for the future. Afterwards, Bangar commented that Jormag was scared and was trying to manipulate Aurene, and Aurene admitted that Bangar, who had become the Ice Dragon's pawn, would know what it felt like to be used.

Bangar was eventually confronted by Crecia who had become the acting Blood Imperator. Angered and hurt by her mentor's betrayal, she demanded him to give her a reason not to kill him. When Bangar explained that Jormag had made him their vessel to speak through, Crecia did not accept the answer as the Ice Dragon could simply find another means to contact Aurene even if Bangar perished. When Bangar suggested that he knew Ryland better than anyone else and could offer valuable information about what he was likely to do, Crecia dismissed him yet again by pointing out that Bangar had not seen Ryland's betrayal coming and was just as uninformed about him as everyone else was. When Bangar attempted to win Crecia over one last time by suggesting that she would miss his sparkling wit, Crecia revealed that she already missed the charr she had once looked up to but she no longer felt any sympathy for the creature Bangar had let himself become.

Demanding more answers, Crecia asked if Bangar had always been as hateful and manipulative and that she had simply been too devoted to him to realize the truth. When she accused him of murdering Almorra, Bangar tried to defend his actions by stating that Almorra had tried to stop him from saving the charr so he had been forced to act. However, Crecia did not accept the justification, pointing out that the former Blood Imperator had left a mess behind that she, as his successor, would now have to clean up. Crecia finally asked Bangar about his role as the Voice of Jormag and if the connection cut both ways so anyone could try to speak to the Ice Dragon through him. Bangar admitted that he did not know how the process worked, so Crecia tested it out by seeking Jormag's audience. However, no response came, and Bangar suggested that Jormag simply did not care about what mortals like Crecia had to say.

Witnessing a later conversation between Aurene and Jormag, Bangar learned that the Ice Dragon was preparing for the rise of their twin brother Primordus, the Elder Dragon of Fire and Conflagration, and the inevitable confrontation that would ensue between the rival Elder Dragons. Bangar was not pleased to be forced to listen to Jormag's persuasive speeches to Aurene in the following weeks as the Ice Dragon tried to win Aurene over so the two Elder Dragons would join forces against the Fire Dragon.

Champions

Chapter 1: Truce

Jormag uses Bangar as their Voice to converse with Aurene and the Pact Commander.

As increasingly violent earthquakes erupted throughout Central Tyria in the following weeks to herald Primordus's stirring, the Commander, Braham, and Rytlock converged at the Eye of the North to consult with Aurene and try to contact Jormag to learn more about the Ice Dragon's plans. Bangar recognized Braham and mocked him for attempting to reach out to Jormag as the former Blood Imperator did not think that the Ice Dragon would tell Braham anything he did not already know. Aurene tried to soothe Bangar's mind by reminding him that it would be easier for him to project Jormag's voice if he did not resist it. Much to Bangar's dismay, Jormag did respond to Braham's call although they quickly turned their attention to Aurene to convince her to prepare for a confrontation with Primordus while being dismissive of mortals.

Chapter 2: Power

As the days progressed and Primordus's destroyer minions began attacking in greater numbers, Jormag spent more and more time using Bangar as a vessel to manipulate Aurene while Bangar could do nothing but continue listening to the Elder Dragons' debates. When Aurene declared that she would not be manipulated to take sides and that she believed in the balance between Elder Dragons, Jormag begrudgingly accepted her answer although they pointed out that sooner or later Aurene would realize that inaction would lead to more destruction than actively aiding the Ice Dragon against Primordus. When Aurene tried to continue the conversation, Jormag's presence had already left Bangar who stated that the Ice Dragon was no longer listening. The former Blood Imperator also commented that Jormag had a point in the argument, and he used the "they" pronoun for Jormag for the first time during his time as the Ice Dragon's Voice. Frustrated, Aurene told Bangar that she did not ask his opinion, shutting him up.

Chapter 4: Judgment

Following the deaths of Jormag and Primordus in the Elder Dragons' clash at Anvil Rock, Bangar collapsed in his cell and was taken to a field hospital as his body had suffered grisly side effects from the release of the Ice Dragon's corruption. He survived the process.

Janthir Wilds

Having healed in captivity, Bangar awaited his trial for the next few years as the sudden Void and Kryptis attacks all over Tyria had forced the charr to defend their lands and put their plans for the former Blood Imperator on hold. During the inaugural meeting of the Tyrian Alliance in 1337 AE, the new Blood Imperator Crecia confirmed that the Dominion still existed despite suffering losses in the civil war and that Bangar continued commanding respect from his most loyal despite his imprisonment. Calls for another Khan-Ur to rise had increased among the charr population but the current imperators agreed that the legions would have to decide Bangar's fate before undergoing the Trial of Embers.

Locations

Ascalon

• Grothmar Valley
  • Upper Blood Keep
    • Imperator Ruinbringer's Office (from Coming Home to A Race to Arms)

Shiverpeak Mountains

• Eye of the North
  • Hall of Monuments
    • Scrying Pool (from One Charr, One Dragon, One Champion to Champion's End)
• Forging Steel

Story involvement

The Icebrood Saga

• Prologue: Bound by Blood
  • Coming Home
  • Bad Blood
  • A Race to Arms
• Episode 2: Shadow in the Ice
  • Voice in the Deep

• Visions of the Past: Steel and Fire
  • Forging Steel
  • Darkrime Delves
• Episode 4: Jormag Rising
  • One Charr, One Dragon, One Champion
• Episode 5: Champions
  • Chapter 1: Truce
    • Primordus Rising
    • Tidings and Misgivings
  • Chapter 2: Power
    • Roaring Flames
  • Chapter 3: Balance
    • Jormag's Madness

Combat abilities

Abilities

• Blood Legion Imperator

Effects

•  Icy Protection
•  Shackled

Skills

• By Bangar's Blades!
•   Double Chop
• Stab
• Slash
•   Cyclone Axe
•   Seismic Leap

Stolen skills

Dialogue

During the Confer with Bangar achievement

Note: To progress the achievement and be able to talk to Bangar again, simply leave and re-enter the Eye of the North.

First conversation - Check in with Bangar at the Eye of the North.

...

So much destruction. Don't you have anything to say for yourself?

Aurene: If he does, he can't say it. Unless Jormag chooses to use him, Bangar will need time for his throat to heal from his...transformation.

I'll come back later, then.

You'll have to talk eventually. After all, you're not going anywhere.

Second conversation - Bangar's rebuke.

(growls) Just because I can speak, doesn't mean I will.

I think Jormag might have something to say about that one of these days.

Bangar Ruinbringer: (growls)

Third conversation - Bangar's ego.

Commander.

Bangar. I'd like to talk—unless you're still sulking.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Came to check on my accomodations? Not to worry. Time of my life. Best cage I've ever been in. Plush.

Bangar Ruinbringer: If you're here to gloat, though... you'll have to get in line behind the big blue dragon and my former protégé.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Trust is in short supply at the moment. I get it. Believe me, I don't trust any of you either.

Bangar Ruinbringer: On the other hand, if anyone's trust has been abused, it's mine. Did I lie? Did I ever break my word?

Bangar Ruinbringer: I told everyone exactly what I wanted and what I would do to get it. That kind of candor is rare these days.

Bangar Ruinbringer: And what thanks do I get? Jormag screws me over. Disfigures me! Hands the reins to my blazing apprentice...

Bangar Ruinbringer: So you can wipe that self-superior look off your face. I'm the aggrieved party here. You don't get to judge me.

Jormag and Ryland... How did THAT happen?

Bangar Ruinbringer: I should've seen it coming. Kid turned out to be more ambitious than I realized. He learned from the best.

Bangar Ruinbringer: And you people pushed him. His warband, Cinder. That was your big mistake. You made it personal.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Or Smodur did. To Ryland? Distinction without a difference.

You think Jormag always just meant to use you?

Bangar Ruinbringer: I don't know... You asked me before this, I would have said no chance. No one "mind-controls" Bangar Ruinbringer.

Bangar Ruinbringer: But the way it played out... Was there an inflection point, a specific moment when...? If there was, I didn't know.

Bangar Ruinbringer: I never felt for one second like my mind wasn't my own. But... I heard the whispers. Maybe that's all it takes.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Funny thing: anybody mentioned whispers to Ryland? He genuinely seemed to have no idea what they were on about.

Bangar Ruinbringer: He might have been the one person Jormag DIDN'T whisper to. Yet Jormag chooses him... I think about that a lot.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Jormag doesn't make you do anything. It doesn't have to. All it has to do is persuade you to want what it wants.

Bangar Ruinbringer: And if you want it already? So much for the better. No need for whispers.

Bangar Ruinbringer: At this point, I think that's as much insight into Ryland Steelcatcher as you're ever gonna get.

[Walk away.]

Fourth conversation - Rytlock speaks his mind.

Rytlock Brimstone: Hey, Commander. I've got some things I need to say to the prisoner. You might as well stick around to hear them.

[Rytlock Blames Bangar for Ryland]

Rytlock Brimstone: How could you let this happen?

Bangar Ruinbringer: Be more specific.

Rytlock Brimstone: You know what I mean! How could you let Ryland do this?

Bangar Ruinbringer: "Let Ryland"—? You were there; you heard it all. This was not the plan.

Rytlock Brimstone: "The plan" so brilliant, you never even noticed my son was plotting against you?

Bangar Ruinbringer: Got me there. I don't have an answer. Maybe I'm losing a step. Maybe I was too focused on creating a future for the charr.

Rytlock Brimstone: You mean a future for yourself!

Bangar Ruinbringer: Or maybe I was so busy seeing the Stoneglow in him...I forgot about the Brimstone.

Rytlock Brimstone: The hell is that sup—

Bangar Ruinbringer: I mean, you've clearly forgotten yourself. Charr don't have "sons," Rytlock. Crecia knows that. Everyone knows that.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Everyone but you.

Bangar Ruinbringer: You should have stayed gone.

[Rytlock regrets staying away from the Homelands for so long.]

Rytlock Brimstone: I shouldn't have stayed gone. I should've come back. A long time ago.

Bangar Ruinbringer: You think that would've changed anything.

Rytlock Brimstone: Couldn'ta hurt.

Bangar Ruinbringer: You've been fraternizing with other races too long, Brimstone. We're charr. We don't do regret.

Bangar Ruinbringer: We make choices, and we own them. Good or bad. We win, we take the glory; we lose, we take the shame.

Bangar Ruinbringer: What we don't do is sit around agonizing for years about it. You've forgotten what it means to be charr.

Rytlock Brimstone: Maybe you're right...

Hold that thought.

Fifth conversation - Aurene versus Jormag.

Aurene: Champion, I sense a stronger presence around Bangar. Perhaps Jormag is ready to break their silence.

It's about time. Let's see what the Elder Dragon has to say.

Aurene: I would like to speak with Jormag.

Bangar Ruinbringer: I don't take orders from you.

Aurene: I'm afraid it's no longer your choice.

Bangar Ruinbringer: The hell it—

Voice of Jormag: Aurene, the dragon of prisms. Lovely as an ice crystal. It is nice to finally speak with you.

Aurene: Jormag. The Dragon of Ice and Persuasion. You worked so hard to get them to wake you. Why? What is it you want?

Voice of Jormag: What I've always wanted: to be free and to preserve Tyria.

Aurene: You whisper to vulnerable minds—turn allies against each other. This one—your voice—you've practically made a slave.

Voice of Jormag: Nothing was done that he did not invite upon himself. These weeks have shown you: I am not the enemy of your mortals.

Voice of Jormag: I value this world, Aurene. Perhaps we two are more alike than you think.

Aurene: I'm the youngest Elder Dragon, but I wasn't born yesterday.

Voice of Jormag: Your fear and focus are misplaced. I am not driven to madness and mindless rampage like your grandfather.

Aurene: (stunned silence)

Voice of Jormag: I've hit a nerve. Apologies. We can continue this conversation another time.

Aurene: Wait—

Bangar Ruinbringer: I will kill that bastard.

Aurene: I very much doubt that.

I'm not quite ready to listen to Jormag.

Sixth conversation - Jormag's secret.

Aurene: I still haven't been able to pinpoint where Jormag has disappeared to, Champion. They're very adept at hiding themselves from me.

That makes me nervous. I'd like to know what Jormag's planning.

Aurene: Jormag, will you speak with us again?

Bangar Ruinbringer: Don't do thi—

Voice of Jormag: Mortals are[sic] curious creatures. Changed since the last time I was fully awake. Yet their lives are still so ephemeral. Pitiable.

Aurene: You look down on them. That's a flaw.

Voice of Jormag: Oh, there are some exceptions. I can see why you've bound yourself to your commander.

Aurene: Not bound. Chosen, and reciprocated.

Voice of Jormag: Yes. Yes, just so I suppose. I admit, now that I have one of my own, I understand the appeal of such a partnership.

Aurene: So Ryland is still with you.

Voice of Jormag: Of course. He's surprisingly easy to talk to—and an excellent strategist.

Aurene: That's the opposite of reassuring.

Voice of Jormag: It's been months since I awakened, and you still don't trust me.

Aurene: You raised an army. I'm betting you raise one still.

Voice of Jormag: An army led by my Champion. Just as you have.

Aurene: And what do you plan to do with your Champion and your army?

Voice of Jormag: Guard the future. And my freedom. I am not the threat, Aurene. Focus your attention on what is coming. Not on me.

Bangar Ruinbringer: (growls)

Bangar Ruinbringer: Frigid lizard is scared.

Aurene: Of us?

Bangar Ruinbringer: Not likely. And knowing what it is won't change the fact that they're playing you, like a fiddle.

Aurene: You would know.

I'll be back later.

Seventh conversation - Crecia weighs in.

Crecia Stoneglow: Commander. I've got some choice words for my former imperator.

[Crecia's gloves are off.]

Crecia Stoneglow: I didn't trust you before, and I sure as hell don't trust you now. Give me one good reason not to kill you.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Maybe you weren't paying attention, but the Ice Dragon stuck this thing on me. Apparently I'm its spokes-charr.

Crecia Stoneglow: Yeah, I'm pretty sure if Jormag needs to talk to us, they'll find a way to do it, with or without you. Try again.

Bangar Ruinbringer: I know Ryland better than anyone. Better than you; far better than Brimstone. I can tell you what he's likely to do.

Crecia Stoneglow: Recent events suggest otherwise. Last chance.

Bangar Ruinbringer: My sparkling wit...

Bangar Ruinbringer: You'd miss me.

Crecia Stoneglow: I already miss you. I've missed you for months. The mentor who taught me half of all I know? That charr, I mourn. Not you.

Crecia Stoneglow: You I just pity.

[Crecia needs answers.]

Crecia Stoneglow: What happened to you, Bangar? Were you always like this? Was I just blind to it?

Bangar Ruinbringer: "Like" what? "Blind to" what?

Crecia Stoneglow: The hate. The sociopathy. Flames, you murdered Almorra!

Bangar Ruinbringer: She wanted to stop me.

Crecia Stoneglow: She told you the truth! Time was, you expected that. From me at least.

Bangar Ruinbringer: Everything I did, I did for the charr.

Crecia Stoneglow: Yeah... You keep telling yourself that. While I clean up your mess.

[Crecia cuts to the chase.]

Crecia Stoneglow: So Jormag can speak to us through you.

Bangar Ruinbringer: That seems to be the idea.

Crecia Stoneglow: Does that cut both ways? Say we want to talk to Jormag? We just say whatever it is to you, and Jormag hears it?

Bangar Ruinbringer: You're assuming it gave me an instruction manual. I have no flaming idea.

Crecia Stoneglow: Let's try it. JORMAG! Elder Dragon of Ice and Persuasion! I request an audience!

Crecia Stoneglow: I am Crecia Stoneglow, Imperator of the Blood Legion! Will you parley?

Crecia Stoneglow: So it's a one-way thing.

Bangar Ruinbringer: I'm the Voice of Jormag. Not the Ears of Jormag. Or maybe it just doesn't care what you have to say.

That sounds personal. I'll leave you to it.

Eighth conversation - Jormag's enemy

Aurene: Champion, the energies deep beneath Tyria are churning. At first the shift was so quiet I hardly noticed. But it's growing—and I'm afraid this is just the beginning.

Yeah, it's hard to miss the earthquakes now. Jormag's got to be involved.

Aurene: Jormag, we need to—

Voice of Jormag: I've been waiting for you. I can be patient, Aurene, but I hope you'll be quicker to act in the days ahead.

Aurene: Primordus.

Voice of Jormag: His hunger will grow as he stirs. Destruction is not far off. You and your Champion have already seen signs.

Aurene: You knew this would happen, but you still chose to impose your waking—and Primordus's—on the world.

Voice of Jormag: And you chose not to intervene. Despite your power and potential, you left it to mortals.

Aurene: It's their world as much as mine. There was nothing to be gained—

Voice of Jormag: Oh, little sister, how wrong you are. Careful you don't learn the lesson too late.

Aurene: So then you kill him.

Voice of Jormag: That time will come, but not yet. My twin will awake. And he will set the world ablaze.

Voice of Jormag: Look to that world, Aurene. Very soon you will have to make a choice—if you're to have any chance of saving it.

Bangar Ruinbringer: (growls)

I need a moment to prepare myself for serious talk.

Gallery

Screenshots

• 

  Bangar smirks after goading Rytlock Brimstone to punch him during Bad Blood.

• 

  Bangar and Ryland Steelcatcher confront Jormag in the Sanctum of the Wild during One Charr, One Dragon, One Champion.

• 

  Bangar's transformation into the Voice of Jormag during One Charr, One Dragon, One Champion.

• 

  Icebrood Bangar.

Concept art and promotional

• 

  Alternate Bound by Blood concept art with Bangar by Matthew Pugnetti.

• 

  Bound by Blood concept art by Zhengyi Wang.

• 

  Banner variant depicting Bangar.

• 

  Bangar's introduction in the Living World magazine.

• 

  One Charr, One Dragon, One Champion loading screen with Bangar and Jormag.

Related achievements

• Prologue: Bound by Blood: Meet Your Imperator (0)
• Prologue: Bound by Blood: Model Diplomat — Give Bangar what he wants during his speech. (1)
• Jormag Rising: Confer with Bangar — Speak with Bangar Ruinbringer at the Eye of the North. (2)
• Jormag Rising: Intelligence Gatherer — Intercept all of Bangar's orders. (3)

Trivia

• Bangar is voiced by Graham McTavish.
• Bangar has his own leitmotif, called "Bangar's Theme".
• Bangar wears Dreadnought Spaulders, a Dreadnought Hauberk, Dreadnought Fists, Dreadnought Tassets and Dreadnought Warboots. After being corrupted, he wears a unique corrupted version of Dreadnought armor.
• "By Bangar's blade!" is a common Blood Legion saying, while "All a real charr needs is their claws and teeth." is a saying attributed to Bangar.
• In The Icebrood Saga Announce Trailer, Jormag's speech is addressed to Bangar.

See also

• Bangar's Private Reserve Rum
• Voice of Jormag

Associated items

• Journal of Dominion Military Orders
• Mini Bangar Ruinbringer