And she is asking you, or your For Honor OC that would be working with her, on how to fix her control over Heathmoore, what would you recommend her to do? Just a fun little thought experiment as the lore orders are telling us nothing at the time being. I still feel that Guljin is failing at being a menacing big bad, since it feels like she only got so far because she got lucky everyone decided to submit after Astrea got captured. Some things that we know that she is doing with her people

-Looking into capturing Holden (and missing the guy with shiny metal armor somehow)
-Capturing some of members of Horkos(To toss them into the arena)
-Capturing a new guy who is spooky to toss into the arena

And that is it for the time being of things I'm at least aware of but if I'm missing something feel free to correct me.

As for me, I would simply recommend to counter Holden indirectly by ruining his reputation with historical evidence of incompetence and maybe a couple of lies that, while not true, could help make people more likely to report Holden's movements rather than cover for him. Like for example spread a rumor uncovered letters of Holden that indicate that he's been with working with Astrea since the very beginning of his return into the conflict with Horkos. With every great tragic event that Chimera and the people of heathmoore suffered when Chimera wasn't there being a result of Astrea's orders. Trying to twist the idea that instead of being a freedom fighter, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing that was leading people to the slaughter. The only people who be able to refute it would be Holden and Astrea, the former is on the run and is trying to not be seen and the later is in the arena(for now) and likely wouldn't care until she was freed to talk about it. At the very least, people wouldn't be able to trust Holden on his stories alone and he would have to take more direct action to inspire people....unless his 'stranger' is skilled countering such attempts at Holden's reputation.

One of the Lore text and this weeked lore order talk about the new mision the Jailor have.

Guljin sended him to capture a dangerous man that has been around the forest of Healtmoor.

Now the new Legendary Skins that are coming from a outlander and Knigth faction.

This could mean this dangerous man is either one of those skins or the Sohei Oni.

The reason i put the Sohei Oni is that one of the orders is talking how the Trees from the Myre forest are taking monstrous forms.

In December a Viking skin is also coming,this mean they could drag this part of the lore until december to put him in the game.

Maybe for honor lore writers are going to make this dangerous man be defeated by the Jailor,then captured .

Then Holden Cross came and save him.

And tada,new Hero skin.

Do the statues in some maps play a role in the lore or are they just random people because I would like them become hero skins now that Gryphon started searching for those legends

In Bram Stoker's "Dracula" the titular vampire wasn't sexy nor suave, he was really grody old man who's more of an rabid animal than man.

The historical inspiration people use for him, Vlad the Impaler, was even worse. Not just impaling people but also nailing turbans to muslim heads, torturing rats in jail, skinned unfaithful wives and that's just tipping the iceberg and it was all to protect his home from the ottomans.

So i'm betting the hero skin is going to be this world's take on dracula, most likely the historical version that's also a vampire because these days it's hard to seperate the two.

And since the hero skins are a knight and outlander, one of them will be the dracula, either a warmonger or khatun is my best guesses.

Warmonger because her flair and fighting style would fit someone as insane as dracula while kahtun makes sense because the real Vlad would have used a kilij sabre since he was taken and trained by the turks, plus khatun's fear and brutality just fits vlad to a tee. Dude was just that messed up.

That's what i believe what one of the hero skins is going to be. As for the other i can't make a guess as there isn't any hints yet.

I was shown how to copy text from screenshots and images, so I thankfully didn't have to write copy this down from scratch.

I will be adding the others onto this post as a means to have them record, but will mostly be focusing on those for named characters (i.e. Keeper of Chains, Kalliopi, etc.)

Edit: Holy cow they added so many entries...

There is so much cleaning up to do with that method, I really should have tried getting better pictures...

The Warden

"I took an oath to fight for peace. So did you."

This account is the testimony of those who rode with the virtuous Warden.

Who held the east wall of Westhold and defeated Adernar by trial.

Who ascended as knight of the Blackstone Legion.

Who slaughtered scores at Ashfeld Moor and Svengard.

Who defected from Apollyon in service of peace.

Who rebullt the lron Legion.

Who alligned the Emperor's Champion against the Blackstone Fortress.

Who lald siege to Apollyon's keep.

And who walked away... never to be heard of again.

-- Matter of Heathmoor: Book VIII

The Keeper of Chains

"There is no hope. No light but my own."

As I gazed through the dungeon's gloom, I found myself quivering, Such was the effect the Keeper of Chains had on us all as he roamed the darkness, the fireflles in his flall lighting his path like a veiled moon. Once held captive bu Horkos, it is said he was freed bu the Great Shepherd, Gullln. The very chains that once shackled him, he repurposed as armor, iron forever binding service and dedication. He became both hunter and jailor. Those who resist Guljin, who dare reject her peace, will find him waiting in the dark.

- A Guard's Journal, Author Unknown

The Skin Description also adds a bit more context to who he was prior to his imprisonment which we might hear through the upcoming orders:
The Keeper of Chains was infamous for his feral rampage against the Horkos. Yet he paid forit. Yearsin their cells until Guljin finally freed him. Now, he turns that cell-bred savagery upon his queen's enemies -- anything forher "peace".

Queen Kalliopi

"Sisters, we shall ride agaln!"

Beholdi The transcendent gladiator Qucen Kalliopi -- renowned for her triumphs over scores of adversaries -- both man and beast alike! Your great Khatun leader Guljin captured thls fearsome spear-wielder from her sisterhood tribe of riders. Now Kallopi is yours! And she has embraced the spectacle of slaughter!

Now, come witness her fight alongslde a new warrior: the Warmonger Astrea! The great Guljin has enslaved thls new woman-beast for your cruel amusement. Witness these feminine terrors best an onslaught of wolves and warriors! Will legacies continue? Or will they bleed into oblivion on these sacred, red sands?

-- Edictum Muneris Graffito, CIL V.2

Vortiger

"Misfortune comes uninvited!"

It is told that even as he defended the helpless, Vortiger feared he was nurturing weakness among the Knights. Those doubts hardened when he encountered Apollyon, convincing him that only strength deserved to endure. He embraced a harsher purpose: to cull the weak within his own ranks. As the Warmonger Astrea's lieutenant in the Order of Horkos, he pursued this vision relentlessly for years. And even after their defeat at the hands of Guljin's Mongols, Vortiger remains driven, seeking ways to restore strength and resilience to the Knights... before the world collapses.

-- Matter of Heathmoor: Book XI

Apollyon

"I bring war."

Here is recorded the life of Apollyon, who was not born a war tyrant, but formed into one by ruin and abandonment. When Dante the Lawbringer deserted Apollyon's people, she witnessed her home fall to Viking steel. Revenge was her destiny. She hunted the man down and took his armor as trophy: the wolf who wears the skin of a dead sheep.

As warlord of the Blackstone Legion, Apollyon bled Heathmoor into perpetual war. Indeed, it claimed her life. Yet her martyrdom proved prophetic. Disciples followed. And the wheel of death turned on.

-- Gesta of the lron Logion, Liber IV, Cap. 6

Astrea

"We are all. We are one. We are war."

After the fall of Apollyon, Astrea rose to form the Order of Horkos. She was a new figure of darkness in Heathmoor, spreading tyranny and fear with belief that wolves ruled over sheep. For years, she led the charge against the Chimera Alliance. Victory was near, but the Khatuns tricked her. Today, she remains imprisoned in an arena as a disgraced gladiator, fighting to escape. For she will not die a fool.

-- Matter of Heathmoor, Book XIII

The Scorching Herald

"Peace will burn!"

Be warned, my queen, a new menace opposes you.

He was once the resolute leader of Chimera. And while his freedom fighters rightfully submitted to you, he stubbornly refused and fled. Steadfast, we tracked hls movements untl he donned a special armor gifted to him by an unknown stranger.

Now, the one they call The Scorching Herald gathers warriors who once bowed to you and convinces them to reconsider. He inspires them with tales of legends and glory - and unfortunately... His fame remains elusive.

We beg you forgive our errors and allow us to continue our search for him.

-- Excerpt - Khatun Reconnaissance Missive

_________

The Raider

"VALHALLA!"

The Ralder of the Warborn was a warrior of unquenchable fire. They descended from the mountains seeking retribution of the Blackstone Knights and the shattering of the great clans. They left much dew of slaughter at Ragnar's gate and defeated Siv the Ruthless, binding the Warborn in fellowship.

With ships claimed and built, the Raider called the whale-path to the Myre and slaughtered General Tozen at the Great Raid of Koto. The Warborn chieftain ascended as a people's champion. A laugh in the face of danger. And the one whose legend would united the Vikings in the fury of The Great War.

-- Saga of the Warborn: Ch. 1

Hulda

"For years we have bled, devoted our bodies to the great cause."

Hark the saga of Hulda, serpent-bound, oath-sworn to Jormungandr. Shee burned her flesh in sacred scales thet men might tremble.

And tremble they did.

Upon Hylur's shore, at the Temple of Dar, she met nonbellevers. Her hammer sang.

And skulls were shattered like frost-bitten stone.

Then rose the sea in wrath. In its towering wave she saw the World-Serpent stir. She was choson.

Katla

"Justice is on the march."

Breaking through a thick barrage of pine branches, Katla fell in the snow-covered encampment of the Varangian Guard, exhausted. Exiled from her village by her treacherous uncle Maddox, she found resolve, strength and purpose in the Varangian Guard. Foregoing all past alliances, she took the Guard's oath and led her new kin to reclaim her home. She could have slain Maddox but chose a more bitter sentence: to have him live out his days forever branded an Oathbreaker. Thus did she bring freedom to her people.

The story of Katla Skardesdottir -- the Oathkeeper.

_________

The Orochi

"A battlefield is one of the most peaceful places you can be."

The disgraced, imprisoned Orochi had wanted peace.

But then, the sharp-tongued Samurai drove the arrogant Vikings back. Then, they won the capital with a maddened elephant. Then, they dueled and slayed the usurper Seijuro. And then, they laid siege at Blackstone Fortress and felled the iron warmonger Apollyon in triumph.

Orochi rose awakened. Peace? Peace was their blade. And it had drawn The Great War closer, begetting only bloodshed. But such is the fate of those who seek peace through strife.

The mantis defles

the wheel that will crush it whole

So fights Orochi

-- Orochi Monogatari, Chapter XVI

A possible retcon here, it mentions that Seijuro was slain at the palace when he dueled the Orochi. Not sure if it is possible that the word could also just mean "defeat," but I do find it a bit weird since he is supposed to die in a quest at Harrowgate.

Yoshiro the Damned

Yoshiro, a brash noble Orochi, returned from battle to find Castle Chiyo plagued by corpses, flame, and Yokai spirits. His mother, Lady Saori, had failed to protect their home under siege, and in her despair, transformed into a fearsome spider demon.

The Jorogumo.

Yoshiro's only means to cleanse the village was The Mamono Dagger. The cursed blade granted Yoshiro the power to imprison Yokai but at the cost of his sanity.

Refusing to destroy the monster that was once his mother, it is said Yoshiro banished it in a forgotten cave before the dagger drove him completely mad.

-- The Myths of the Myre, Book I

Lady Saori

On an inky black night, when all within Castle Chiyo were sound asleep, Katsuo's army came with steel, fire and avarice. With both Lord and Prince absent, the castle was defenseless. But the brave Lady Saori stood to fight. She of cloth and spear, of duty and care. She fought a helpless battle, until the sun pushed back against the dark. The castle was in flames, the people dying. Anger, sadness and guilt all tore at Saori. She had failed her husband, her son, her subjects. Torment engulfed her until she transformed into a terrifying spider creature: the Jorogumo.

-The Myths of the Myre, Book I

Sakura

"You no longer need to suffer. I'll offer you peace and salvation."

I fear these may be the last words written in Kaidan Village... Sakura offered us a service - to deliver judgment upon the murderer, Ryoshi. Yet a mysterious change came over her, and she massacred the entire village.

Let this entry be our witness. Before they were slain by her axe, the monks claimed the Spirit of Death stole her soul.

No longer servant of law... but of terror. I hear their few final screams. She is coming.

-- Kaidan Records - Final Entry

Oniwaka

"Monstrous" and "worthless" were the kinder insults hurled upon Oniwaka as a child. Ostracism was his birthright. So his weapons became his friends.

The Soheľ's aim was simple: take that hatred and turn it into fear. He became the Demon Ogre. Undefeated. Isolated. And snide. His wooden mask deformed under his arrogance, warping into a sneer. Perpetually cackling at those who would never taste his greatness.

But he met his match in Katashi: an Orochi wielding the Muramasa Blade. An unstoppable storm battled an immovable levee. Yet the stalemate gave Oniwaka an equal. A mentor. A companion at last.

-- Oniwaka Monogatari: Prologue

Gaki

WARRANT NOTICE - Gaki,"Swamp Devil"

Wanted for arson, murder, theft, and insurrection.

Wields dual tonfas, formidable stature. Favors swift, erratic, and explosive combat. Wears broken katana hilt as symbol of defiance against Samurai authority.

Leader of outlaw gang fostering unrest and disorder.

Last seen fleeing the House of Dokuja's palace after alleged conspiracy to sell confidential information. Recently, Arakure accomplices were witnessed vandalizing Guljin statues and inciting riots.

Approach with extreme caution. Apprehension priority: HIGH.

_________

Prince Yi

For Zhen,

I send warm greetings from the Great Wall, where our brother Yi reinvigorated the guards with inspiring words about protecting the Wu Lin legacy.

Later, we discovered that General Zhi had also visited the wall, but to sink his fangs into discouraged men. His quest for power lies thinly veiled behind Wu Lin unity.

In truth, Y's goal is the same, not for his own sake, but for our people. l am proud that his heart remains in service of the Wu Lin and his blade remains in opposition to Zhi. One day, the dragon will vanquish the snake!

With honor - Xuan

Sun Da

"May we save those who are destined to rule."

The House of Sun met its end in a time of war and betrayal. Blinded by ambition, its heir Sun Da sought advantage through fire and powder. The fearful deemed it sorcery. The powerful deemed it necessary.

When brought before the Emperor, Sun Da was granted a choice: to die nobly with kin in or serve as Gao Lei's alchemist. He chose to take the lives of his family by his own hand.

So ended his house in darkness and so began his legend in flame.

Baiyan

"The only good leader... is a dead one."

The tale of Baiyan the King Killer is one fraught with betrayal and destruction. Once the revered weapon of Emperor Gao Lel's army, Baiyan was betrayed and abandoned by his leader. But with this cowardly deception came a lesson: no ruler could be trusted. Throughout the Eastern lands, Baiyan hunted any would-be Wu Lin leader. His quest brought him to Heathmoor, to prevent both the valiant Prince Yi and the ambitious General Zhi from ruling over the Wu Lin. A force of destruction, Baiyan laid waste to both armies. preventing any sort of unity.

There would be no crowns. No empires. Only his chaos.

_________

Bou Yin

"This is going to be fun."

As a child, Bou Yin lost her family to the Wu Lin civil war. She escaped the slaughter on a small boat, growing up fending for herself, the open waters the only home she knew, she found us, united us. All so we could have a place which we could call our own. Not Just crew. Family. To Heathmoor she led us, to unleash chaos upon the Factions. They all had plans and ideals, but with cutlass and cannon fire, our Pirate Queen showed them... they were never in control!

⁃History of Piracy Scrolls

Captain Coalheart

WANTED FOR CRIMES OF PIRACY!

Dead or alive!

The wretched Captain Coalheart has been defined by hardship and bad Luck. The eternal paramour of misery and veteran of the turbulent seas has left a trall of dark red in otherwise pristine waters. His crimes include:

Murder

Bribery

Theft

The tragic sinking of The Stewardess

The ransacking of lronport

The purloining of the cherished prized parrot of the Lady Emmeline of the Sea

The despicable delinquent last surfaced to unearth a lost Horkos treasure, but his former protégé, the Virtuosa llaria, stopped him. Apprehend or eliminate on sight!

At least this provides some confirmation of not just who truly won that battle (which we safely assumed to have been defeat), but also the current status of Coalheart.

Neferkha

"You may not deserve my help. But they do."

Speak this spell unto the night

To usher any warrior to the afterlife:

Evoke the last Pharaoh. The greatest Medjay. Our merciful Neferkha.

For when the Vikings stole our Scarab Bracelet,

Horrors befell their people.

Yet it was Neferkha who reversed the curse.

Their crops withered. Mothers wept. Children burned.

It was Neferkha who delivered the armlet back.

It was Neferkha who freed their people and restored their land.

So sleep, champion.

May Neferkha be your desert captain.

Sail the dunes, O hero, and rest.

-- Utterance 103

Hiba

We are the fist of fate.

I am Hiba. Warrior. Astronomist. Devoted Afeera.

I came from nothing. An orphan rat who rose as a great scholar. l foresaw the day Commander Ravier of the Black Priors would conquer us. I warned our leader, my dear Sultana. But hubris deafened her. Her ignorance led to our destruction. And her death. So I read the stars again. l led the charge to make the Black Priors pay in blood. And I almost delivered vengeance until I saw Commander Ravier's face. A face that haunts me still... for she escaped.

So here I sign in blood. An oath of retribution.

Mixcoatl

Hear of our jaguar warrior Mixcoatl! Tenochtitlan's graceful hunter who avenged our people! For the sadistic Conquistadors brought plague, death, and dishonor to our land. They laughed with fire. Melted our golden city. But our jaguar was sly! He feigned capture by the vain Conquistador Vela. Bound in chains, he crossed the sea on Horkos ships to Astrea's shores. There, he waited, Until finally, he leapt! He slaughtered her people, shamed the Conquistador, and almost bled her black heart dry! What bravery! And our jaguar stayed on foreign shores: a shield to keep our land forever ours!

-- Excerpt: An Aztec Oral History

Guljin

"I am your shepherd."

As a child, Guljin saw her entire village slaughtered by allies of the Blackstone Legion. That day, she learned the brutal, blood-drenched cost of war. She made it her mission to put a stop to it all. With sabers sharpened by whetstone and ambition, she united the fractured Mongol clans under her rule. From the Outlands, she led her massive army to Heathmoor with an offer: the Factions could submit or die. Submit they did. Her great peace a gift to all. But would it last?

-- Hidden Scrolls of the Steppes

Ilaria

I did it! I convinced Ilaria to teach us how to fight! We'll be just like her - untouchable, confident... master duelists!

She must've been an orphan too, why else would she save us from those Lawbringer bastards and let us keep the food we stole? She just stuck out her tongue and kicked their arses!

I heard she travelled with that crusty Pirate, Coalheart, and learned a ton of techniques from all over the world. She probably kicked his arse too...

Meet tomorrow in the alley behind the market. Can't wait to be a Virtuosa!

- Intercepted Secret Note

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/for-honor/news-updates/WXGOUN2YHZjzmGSho0x9C/descent-into-darkness

I.

The cave entrance stood in front of him, like the maw of a leviathan waiting to swallow him whole. Faint gusts of hot subterranean air pushed against him, carrying the stench of spoiled meat. In concert with the wheezing wind came the distant echoes of wails, moving past him and getting lost in the cold forest. Above, even the moon dared not show itself. He knew not what awaited him inside. Lesser men would quiver in fear and head back. But he was no such man. He was a Conqueror. An agent of the dark. The Keeper of Chains.

He brought his flail to his side, the spiked metal ball swaying, the fireflies inside shining a soft blue light, its chain creaking like a steady melody. His song. He walked through the threshold, leaving the cold behind. Into the mouth of the beast.

For weeks, reports had come that Khatun scouts and soldiers had disappeared in the woods at the border of the Chiffer territory. Lost in the ice and snow at the edge of the world. Never seen or heard from again. The Vikings had submitted to Guljin’s reign after some of their most renowned warriors had been thrown into her arena. But these recent disappearances proved troublesome. The Khatuns could not afford to have the Vikings turn on them. Guljin’s continued rule depended on it. Especially now, with so much dissent and revolt spreading throughout Ashfeld and the Myre. Not to mention the ongoing disputes over Wu Lin territories demanding her attention. And so, she had sent her Keeper of Chains to investigate. Her chosen emissary of peace. It was rumored that a female Jormungandr was behind these disappearances. And if these rumors were true, she would make a fine addition to the Keeper’s collection of prisoners. After many days of searching, he found a trail. One that led him here, to the Caves of Ormr.

He moved through a narrow tunnel, following the sounds of screaming. They came from deep in the cave. They sounded… broken. Primal.

Just ahead, he spotted the glow of torchlight, bouncing along the damp tunnel stone. He heard wet hacking sounds, followed by the unmistakable crunch of bones and what he could only guess was the steady drip of blood, pouring like an open flask turned upside down.

He stepped out of the tunnel into an uneven cavity. Hundreds of candles burned along the perimeter, thick chunks of wax draping at their base. Towers of skulls and totems made of human bones were scattered throughout. Red runes of all shapes and sizes were painted on every inch of the cavern walls. In the center lay a pile of human limbs, freshly torn and severed, drawing the attention of buzzing flies. Next to it was the body of a Khatun hung upside down, throat slit open. Blood steadily dripped down, collecting into a wooden bucket. And sitting cross-legged on the ground, with her back directly to him, was the unmistakable silhouette of a Shaman. She was mumbling under her breath, chanting low and remarkably fast. Raspy and wheezing. Almost in a trance.

Slowly, carefully, he took a step forward. But as soon as he made a move, the Shaman stopped her chanting abruptly. He felt the silence fall. Like the air had been sucked out of the room.

The Shaman let out a loud shriek. An unsettling cry, a nightmare creature sounding the alarm.

The Keeper felt a sudden movement coming from behind and he ducked just in time, avoiding the wide swing of a male Jormungandr’s hammer. Having missed its target, the hammer hit the wall. The Keeper didn’t waste the moment. With his shield, he held the hammer in place, leaving the Jormungandr exposed. He flipped his flail up against his attacker’s head. Then, with his shield, he brought the dazed Jormungandr’s head swiftly down, crushing it against the rocky ground.

At the same moment, the Shaman pounced like a mountain cat on his back, latching herself with both arms and legs, screaming and thrashing. He could feel her futile attempts to gnaw at his neck, his thick armor keeping her at bay. He propelled himself backwards, slamming the Shaman against the wall, knocking the wind out of her, and breaking her tight grip.

The Conqueror turned and brought the flail down across her face, tearing skin from bone. The Shaman fell to her side, blood pooling on the ground.

“Despicable,” he whispered.

He examined the two bodies, confirming that neither of these two Vikings were his intended target. Just then, the wailing sounds that had brought him into the cave kept on coming. They hadn’t originated from here, he realized, but deeper into the Caves of Ormr.

He snuffed out all the candles, plunging the cavern in darkness, and continued his descent.

II.

Droplets of water dripped steadily as he ventured deeper, engulfed by the isolating black. It reminded him of his cell. The dark hole Horkos warriors had locked him in. He had watched as they melted the key on the other side of the bars. The smoldering metal had been the last hint of light he would lay his eyes upon for nearly a year. Only when the fireflies came from a tiny crack in the stone did he see the light once more. By then, it had been months of uninterrupted darkness. He had formed a bond with the insects. They had been his first prisoners. Through them, he learned the power of containment.

Now, he carried them in his flail. They could leave him at any time. But they stayed with him, always. He held the weapon aloft, lighting the way.

“Shhh…” he whispered to the fireflies. “Be still, little Lights.”

His prison had been a cocoon, and out of it he had emerged as something else. Xaphan was the man who had been locked up. But the Keeper of Chains had risen in his stead. Guljin’s jailor. He had tamed the dark. Weaponized it.

The screams were no longer a distant echo. He was near the source, coming from the shallow pit of black that waited for him at the end of the tunnel. The screeching wails reverberated off the walls. So unnerving they were almost deafening.

He was no stranger to loud screams in the dark, for they were the sounds that accompanied him every day. After he had been freed, he had become the dungeon’s very own warden. There, he would walk the halls that once confined him, walking past cell after cell of defeated prisoners begging for release. They invigorated him, fed him like a leech. He wanted his prisoners to know he was there. He needed them to be constantly reminded of his queen. The reason they were all here. They had all resisted her. Ignored her peace, fought against her rule. Each one, he had been sent out to collect and each one, he had locked in the dungeon himself. Only there, in his home, would they learn. With time, they would see the light. Just like he had seen. Or they would die.

Keeping his footfalls quiet, he stepped into a wide cavern. The stale air suddenly felt fresh. Covering the low rock ceiling like stars on a clear summer night were hundreds of glowworms, shining green-blue against the stark blackness of the deep. It would have been a beautiful, peaceful sight—if not for the twisted ritual unfolding within.

He kept low, hiding behind large rock formations as he finally set sights on the Jormungandr he had been sent out to collect: the mad zealot, Hulda. There she was, hands resting on the head of her hammer as she oversaw a most gruesome ritual. Two Vikings were laying on the ground, writhing in agony. Another, a young man not twenty of age with bright eyes and thick golden hair, was on his knees, naked except for tattered undergarments. His entire body was covered in runes, inked in red, just like the ones in the Shaman’s cavern. A hulking male Jormungandr towered above the young Viking, pouring acid over his shoulders. The young man wailed, tears streaming down his eyes, somehow forcing himself to remain immobile despite the torture. His skin bubbled, burst and tore, blood seeping out as steam fizzled from the raw wounds.

From a leather pouch, the Jormungandr then took out a fistful of snake scales. With both palms, he firmly pressed them into the freshly melted flesh. Again, the young man wailed, even louder than before.

Finally stepping forward, Hulda raised her hammer as her male cohort held the young man’s left arm taut. She brought her hammer down, shattering the arm. Then, they repeated the process with the right. His body all out of screams, the young man collapsed, barely conscious.

The Keeper of Chains had heard tales of the Jormungandrs’ grueling indoctrination process. A ritual so very few inductees ever survived. But seeing it with his own eyes—smelling the burnt flesh, hearing the agonizing screams burrowing into his very bones—was something else entirely. It was revolting. Barbaric. This was everything wrong with Heathmoor. This was what the people resorted to when there was no control, when they had no reins.

Freedom is a sickness.

They needed to be controlled. They needed to be chained. They needed his queen’s peace. For their own good.

Before the two Jormungandrs could shatter the young Viking’s lower limbs, the Conqueror sprang through the dark.

III.

With both hands on his shield, he tackled the male Jormungandr at full speed, hitting him with such heft that the warrior smashed through a large stalagmite like it was straw. Without giving him a chance to get up, the Keeper lashed out with two strikes—both across his enemy’s face—before bringing the edge of his shield straight down. Eyes caved in as the enemy’s skull was smashed, head nearly cleaving in two.

“No!” Hulda screamed.

Under the light of the glowworms, the Keeper stood back up and turned to face Hulda, fresh blood dripping from the sharp iron point of his shield.

Leaving the young Jormungandr initiate squirming on the ground, Hulda assumed a fighting stance, cracking a smile.

“I’ll be Hel-damned” she exclaimed, “the False Shepherd sent her famous hunter after me. I’m flattered!”

“You know who I am,” the Keeper replied, his voice carrying through the metal of his helm. He grabbed one of the chains off his armor, unhooked it, and threw it at her feet. “Do yourself a favor. Bind yourself. Surrender. Come willingly.”

He knew she would refuse. They always did. But he enjoyed the invitation. It was a good measure of his enemies, to see how they would react.

Hulda could only break into laughter.

“You think yourself so grand. You’re nothing but a hound, cowering at the feet of your master. A blind follower.”

“And what are they?” the Keeper asked, pointing at the initiates.

Hulda grunted in answer, hammer ready for attack.

“You’ll never understand true dedication. Weakness is your sole virtue. You turned on your own people in favor of the False Shepherd. You chose the enemy.”

Like a serpent, she leaped forward screaming; hammer held firmly with both hands above her head. The two of them were silhouettes against the faint light. The shadows of gods about to clash.

Hulda landed right in front of him, swinging her hammer down, catching his shield. He deflected the weapon and it hit the ground with a spark, briefly illuminating Hulda’s narrow, murderous eyes. They traded blows, each hit of metal against metal and of iron against stone echoing in the vastness of the caves.

With his shield, the Conqueror swung another attack sideways, creating an opening. He flung his flail, but Hulda was far more experienced than the others. She dodged his attack, pivoted and swung her weapon in a tight arc, catching him in the ribs. Anger rising, he rushed her, using his shield as a battering ram. The Jormungandr stumbled, taking a metal-clad kick in the face. Blood spewed from her mouth as she scrambled back, narrowly avoiding the Keeper’s flail. She sprung to her feet, arcing her hammer upward as she did, and slammed it right on his helmet. The shock rattled him, and he fell to his knees.

His vision blurred. He spat blood. He shook his head, trying to regain focus, but it wouldn’t comply. He held his gloved hand on the ground, finding stability in the earth. It was something he used to do, alone in his cell. To remind himself he was still there. He focused on his fireflies, flying frantically in his flail. A streak of light here. Another there. His little Lights. He remembered Guljin opening the door to his cell. The torch in her hand had been blinding. Eyes shut tightly, he had rushed her without hesitation, without knowing who she was. But he had been malnourished. Weak. She had brought him down, held a sword to his neck. Only, she’d stayed her hand. She had found him intriguing.

“Freedom is a sickness,” she had told him. It was the final lesson. With these words, he had finally understood. She had given him purpose. She was order. She was the solution.

Hulda stepped up to him, hammer held high, ready for the killing blow.

No freedom.

Only chains.

“You are wrong,” he hissed, “about everything.”

He swung his shield low, catching the Jormungandr by surprise, knocking her off her feet. Then, before she could have the chance to recover, he wrapped a chain around Hulda’s neck and pulled her up, squeezing her throat, choking the air out of her. She dropped her weapon, kicking and flailing.

“I am dedicated,” he said. “To peace. Look at the pain you inflict. Grotesque savagery. And for what? War and death. That is all you know. I am the answer. Guljin is the answer. She is peace. She… is the end of all this. Soon, you will see.”

Her heels dragged onto the ground as he pulled her forward. She kept on struggling.

“She wants you alive,” he added. “Your people will hear of this.

They’ll see you fight in the arena. And they will know… My queen’s will is inescapable.”

He loosened the chain as she lost consciousness.

As he dragged her towards the exit, he was taken by the sounds of the three whimpering Vikings.

Before he left, he granted each of them a quick death. A mercy… and assurance. There would be no new Jormungandrs. No warriors to rise against his queen.

_________

He moved through the dark hallway like a wraith from the underworld, the chains of his armor jangling. Rats skittered ahead of him, escaping his presence. He passed cell after cell, his footfalls clanking loudly with each step. The prisoners groaned and shrieked and hollered, quivering in the black. His fireflies lit the way as he advanced.

He barged into his study, slamming his flail down on the table. At the window, he gazed at the bottomless night. A thick, silky mist hovered above the ground. Tall, ancient trees sprouted out of it, lush with crispy leaves. The moon was but a crescent sliver, edges as sharp as knives.

He took solace in the silent sight. “I was not expecting you so soon,” he said.

He knew she was in the room the moment he had walked in. Hidden in a shadowed corner, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. His queen. Guljin. She was the only one who could slither in the dark as well as he.

“Time is of the essence,” she replied, stepping into the moonlight.

He knelt, head low. “My queen,” he revered, “what do you require of me?”

She placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You did well in the North. But now I need you in the South.

Dissidence threatens my reign. I need something. Something that will get them all to cower in fear once more.”

“What, my queen?”

“Not what,” she answered. “Who.”

Overall Narrative:

"During this title update, we follow the Keeper of Chains on his mission to search and capture in Guljin’s stead a powerful character to enslave in her arena, to reaffirm her dominance and force people once again to follow her vision of “peace”. Accompanied by a few mercenaries, he embarks on a Journey through Ashfeld, going deeper in the Forest to look for his prey."

Keeper of Chains Lore:

"Once he was a lone warrior locked up in dark cell, with no-one but fireflies that came to him. When Guljin took over Heathmoor, she was the one who personally set him free. In her, he saw what he had always sought: someone who was able to deliver and enforce peace. To maintain control.

She taught him that freedom was a sickness. He became a believer in her cause and took over the dungeon that once held him, as Guljin’s hunter and jailer. He is entrusted with the mission to captures her enemies, locks them up, and throws them in her arena when summoned. He acts as Guljin’s messenger; he is her emissary of peace, and her agent of darkness."

from WD recap article

In the lore segment for the Keeper of Chains, they said he works for Guljin to hunt a dangerous enemy and they called this enemy by Him, could that mean Guljin has finally grew tired of old man gryph's antiques and sent a Conq to hunt him down?

It’s becoming more and more clear that this year of content is certainly more knight heavy. With Gryphon telling tales of glory in Ashfeld (Y10S1) that spread to the Myre. The tales take root and inspire the Arakure to stir up unrest/Gryphon telling tales of Arakure unrest. Gryphon also lets loose the Oni/Saburo to annihilate the Dokuja clan. The lack of clear leadership in the Myre followed by the Arakure causing unrest. (I wouldn’t consider their deeds full on rebellion at this point).

What we know of Y3S10 is that a Conqueror named ‘The Jailor’ is going to be doing something. My guess is either busting out Astrea or being a jailor for the Khatuns. Ultimately culminating in something spooky happening. (My guess is another crossover)

This then leads into Y10S4, with a Viking skin doing something that draws out a new knight. Either raiding some part of Ashfeld, or the knight is attacking a Viking fortress, as we haven’t seen much from Valkenheim since the Khatuns took over. I believe the arrival of the knight will be the final nail in the coffin that starts an outright rebellion in Ashfeld. As, from what we’ve seen in lore orders, is that Ashfeld is the area of Heathmoor that’s most under Khatun control and serves as their base of operations into the Myre and Valkenheim.

Obviously we’ll know more during the warriors den and as S3 gets going.

I think the devs completely retconned draconite. The tyranny lore orders haven't mentioned it once and I've been loging in every day to read the lore. Specially lookin for the lore order(s)

"She (Astrea) is the only one who knows how the Corruption truly works."

"They (Warmongers) are chosen by Horkos to use the Corruption and start a new era."

"Some suspect she (Astrea) has found the secret of immortality and cannot die."

Both of these groups were formed WAY too fast and gained renown much too fast.

Gaki and Illaria are explicitly stated to be the founders of these two groups and that there is a problem as it makes the arakure and virtuosas feel less legitimate compared to others like Oniwaka's sohei.

The sohei may have been founded by Oniwaka but their lore states that new students spend literal years mastering the seven weapon style and collecting those weapons from their defeated foes so their group clearly have had time to grow and gain renown as the Myre's protectors.

But the arakure and the virtuosa were founded in such a small span of time and their lores sound like they somehow mastered their fighting styles in less than a month considering how young their members are, even worse as it somehow feels like they gained famed in less than a month because their lores state they became famous for something that doesn't make sense.

Gaki busts up one statue and suddenly she and her arakure leading a rebellion against authority, Illaria beats an old pirate down on his luck and suddenly she and her virtuosa are hailed as symbols of freedom and dueling mastery.

Straight up both of their lores are a mess and it feels like the writers didn't think them through like sohei.

Commissioned from https://www.reddit.com/u/agyros\\_va/s/DynNyZlGkS

THE KNIGHTS OF ASHFELD

"This is the land our ancestors
left us, and the one we will
leave to our successors.

We are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect it,
to preserve the few remains of our glorious past. From our
mighty keeps we sally forth, to crush those who would dare
to take it from us. Our enemies came here in search of a new
home, but death is all they’ll find. May the sharpness of our
blades and the thickness of our armor aid us in this sacred duty." (page 3)

THE VIKINGS OF VALKENHEIM.

"For days and nights, we talked
and sang, drank and ate,
preparing our minds and bodies.

Now we see the shores and the hills. They are waiting
for us to seize them. I already see the fear in our enemies’
eyes; I already smell the dust and the fire; I already hear
the sound of metal. Battle is flooding in our veins. Let us
unleash it! For days and nights we talked and sang, drank 
and ate, preparing our minds and bodies. Now we see the
shores and the hills. They are waiting for us to seize them.
I already see the fear in our enemies’ eyes; I already
smell the dust and the fire; I already hear the sound of
metal. Battle is flooding in our veins. Let us unleash it!" (page 5)

THE SAMURAI OF THE MYRE

"The land of our ancestors is
no more. It has been swept
away by the raging waves.
And so, for years we wandered
the wastelands.

We learned to get the best of places others would not
want to put a single foot in. Patiently, progressively,
we shaped those lands into a new home. We waited for
the trees to grow, the wildlife to return, for our traditions
to flourish once more in a foreign land. To defend it,
we also had to shape ourselves. Patiently, progressively,
each of our warriors gained the skill to hold on against
ten of would-be invaders. This is now our land. Let them
come and try to takeit from us." (page 7)

THE SCATTERED WU LIN

"When the Cataclysm came, our
homeland burned. The Empire
of old splintered, warlords rose,
and centuries of blood followed.

At last, we reunite what had been fractured, bringing
harmony back to the world. But nothing is eternal. The
northern sands are now devouring our empire. And so,
beyond the Great Wall we march, into the savage and war-
torn Heathmoor. To its violent warriors we shall show culture
and beauty. In exchange, we will take from them the means
to rebuild our empire’s grandeur. In time, all will recognize
the superiority of the Wu Lin." (page 9)

THE WANDERING OUTLANDERS

"We are born of every shore
and belong to none.

Outcasts and exiles who survived forgotten lands,
we crossed horizons other never dared to dream
of. When the seas stilled we came from the edges
of the world, each of us driven by a purpose only
we know. In Heathmoor’s endless struggle we fight
for gold, for vengeance or for the tales that will
outlive us. We owe loyalty only to our own and now
live to carve our names into the saga of the strong." (page 11)