Salt’s Account: Restoring the Eagle Clan

The Eagle Clan is one of several peoples of the Land of the Five Fires. They hold eagles as sacred spiritual guides, and for generations they have maintained an ancient ceremonial fort known as the Hall of Eagles, which stands at the heart of their traditions and identity.

During the war against the Master, one of his lieutenants led armies of beastmen into the Land of the Five Fires. They destroyed Kuzhu Kala and laid siege to both the Hall of Eagles and the fortified town of Banua before finally being defeated. Kuzhu Kala was destroyed completely, and although the people of Banua repelled the invaders, the beastmen established a permanent presence in the Hall of Eagles. A remnant remained there even after their leaders were destroyed.

In recent months, these beastmen had become an increasing threat, attacking settlements throughout the land. Determined to reclaim the Hall of Eagles, about forty Eagle Clan warriors, led by their khan, Qorchi, marched to retake the fortress. None of them returned.

To investigate, Wu Jin Fen, Bangqiu, and I transformed ourselves into birds and flew to the occupied fort. While scouting the fortress, we discovered that many of the missing Eagle Clan members were still alive and being held prisoner. I used my magical yurt-- or apartment—an extradimensional refuge that I can carry with me—to rescue as many captives as possible. Since the yurt could hold only twelve people, we were able to evacuate twelve prisoners and bring the first survivors safely home.

Later, Bangqiu and I returned for a second rescue mission. Because we were transporting companions who could not transform into birds, we were able to rescue only nine additional prisoners, but once again we escaped successfully.

The next expedition included me, Nekhil, Fen, Bangqiu, Bo-Jing, Tetsukichi, and Mustafa. We fought through beastmen and a group of disturbing human allies, including a mysterious woman who fought alongside a trained leopard. During the battle, Mustafa successfully hypnotized one of the enemy guards, and that gave us an unexpected advantage.

After we secured the area, I rescued additional prisoners by flying them to safety. Then I transformed myself into a wolf and secretly followed the hypnotized guard deep into the bowels of the fortress. We carefully explored the underground passages, memorized the layout, and made our plans for a final assault.

When the attack began, we moved swiftly through the stronghold, bypassing obstacles and striking directly at the enemy leadership. Magical barriers divided the enemy forces and prevented them from supporting one another, while repeated blasts of powerful steam magic devastated our opponents.

In the final battle, we discovered the greatest tragedy of the whole campaign. Qorchi, the missing khan of the Eagle Clan, had succumbed to darkness and now stood with the enemy. Although we defeated him, I was deeply saddened that he could not be saved. His burned body showed unmistakable signs that he had already begun transforming into a beastman. We destroyed the remaining enemies and ended the corruption that had consumed the fortress.

With the battle won, Mustafa used powerful magic to allow us to pass directly through solid stone walls, making a dramatic escape from the fort. Along the way, we rescued the remaining survivors, including several prisoners who had been discovered wounded, alone, and hiding throughout the fortress. These survivors described horrific torture they had endured—some of it inflicted by Qorchi after his corruption.

We returned to the Eagle Clan carrying both the rescued prisoners and Qorchi’s body. We were welcomed as heroes. The clan’s council of elders gathered to determine the future of the Eagle Clan and unanimously proclaimed Tetsukichi the new khan of the Eagle Clan.

After the celebrations, we divided the treasures recovered from the fortress. Most of them were valuable pieces of jewelry, including finely crafted adornments made for giant cats, but the most significant prize was a Ring of Plant Control, a powerful magical artifact. Together, we agreed on a fair distribution of the recovered items.

Our campaign ended with the Eagle Clan’s sacred fort reclaimed, its surviving people rescued, and a new khan chosen to lead them. It was a great victory, but one tempered by the tragic fall of Qorchi—a reminder that even the strongest leaders can be consumed by the darkness they seek to fight.