Stone Warband

This article is about Rytlock Brimstone's warband. For an Ash Legion warband, see Stone Warband (Ash Legion).

The Stone Warband is the Blood Legion warband of the legendary Tribune Rytlock Brimstone. After many campaigns together, the members have become military officers in the Blood Legion who take their duties quite seriously. As the years have passed, Rytlock has grown distant from the warband who in turn have complicated views of him. Becoming a member of the Stone Warband is considered a high honor—and thus has high requirements.

History

Early history

The Stone Warband originated as a group of striplings, smallest charr cubs in the fahrar, who banded together under Rytlock Brimstone to fight bullies, and became a famous warband over the following years. While in the fahrar, Rytlock and Crecia Stoneglow often spotted ice elementals coming down from Shiverpeaks Pass. Despite being of the Blood Legion, Rytlock also spent some time in the Iron Legion's territory in Ascalon as a cub. He used to explore around Grendich Courthouse, believing there to be treasure.

In the past, Imperator Bangar Ruinbringer selected two members from the warband—Crecia and Rytlock—to infiltrate a Flame Legion garrison and sabotage it from the inside. Using her sex to her advantage, Crecia successfully poisoned food, stole plans and swapped orders under the noses of the Flame Legion who did not expect a female beneath their notice to be a spy for the Blood Legion.

While on the mission, the pair discovered that the garrison had received Prince Rurik's lost sword Sohothin which Flame Legion agents had discovered on the Ring of Fire islands and were intending to deliver to Imperator Gaheron Baelfire. Crecia objected to Rytlock's plan to steal the sword as it would compromise their mission and put them both in danger; despite her warnings, however, Rytlock killed the guards protecting the sword and begged her to leave with him. Intent on keeping up her cover, Crecia stabbed Rytlock in the leg and sounded an alarm to make herself look less suspicious to the Flame Legion who chased after Rytlock.

After delivering Sohothin to Bangar, Rytlock and the rest of the Stone Warband were placed on the front lines to participate on major assaults on the Flame Legion as a means to demoralize the enemy who would be seeing their precious magical artifact in the claws of the Blood Legion. The battles were won, and Rytlock's fame and pride grew with every victory while he also grew distant from his warband. He grew so proud and confident that he neglected to listen to the orders of his superiors, never intending to be pushed around again.

Rytlock's disobedience and recklessness led him to be summoned to Bangar who berated him for not following orders. 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.

Crecia successfully stayed undercover with the Flame Legion for years after Rytlock's departure. At some point she told Bangar that she had only stabbed Rytlock in the leg to make it "look good" in order to ensure the continuation of her mission. She was eventually promoted as the Blood Imperator's second-in-command, becoming his shrewd head of security as a tribune. In the past, Crecia and Rytlock had an affair which led to Crecia giving birth to their son Ryland Steelcatcher who was given to the fahrar to be raised in Blood Legion ways after he had been weaned.

Modern developments

As of 1319 AE, Rytlock had broken with his warband, then composed of "about a dozen" of each males and females, for reasons that he preferred not to state, leaving them "back east somewhere" while he began working alongside the Iron Legion on their campaigns in Ascalon. After joining Destiny's Edge and slowly gaining the human Logan Thackeray's approval to wield Sohothin during their adventures together, Rytlock began viewing Logan as a blood brother. To signify the growing friendship between them, Rytlock gave Logan a Blood Legion pendant, symbolically making him an honorary member of the Stone Warband.

After Destiny's Edge split up in the aftermath of the failed battle against the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik in 1320 AE, Rytlock returned to the High Legions and eventually rose through the ranks of the Blood Legion to become tribune; in the meantime, the remainder of the Stone Warband had become officers of at least of legionnaire rank who took their duties seriously.

In 1326 AE, the gladium Rox approached Rytlock and petitioned to join the Stone Warband, but was required to participate in several trials before being granted membership. Rox Whetstone, as she was provisionally known, destroyed Molten Facilities, attended the Queen's Jubilee in Divinity's Reach as the Black Citadel's official envoy, and took down Tequatl the Sunless in service of the warband. However, she failed the final test of slaying Scarlet Briar in favor of defending her norn friend Braham Eirsson.

Members

See also: Category:Stone Warband

• Crecia Stoneglow
• Logan Thackeray
• Rytlock Brimstone