The Lands Between - Age of Dragons

Chapter One - Aspects of the Crucible

"Come near and listen, to a tale not oft told,

Of two minds, two hearts, who shared one single soul,

One brother, one sister, a warrior each,

In search of the demon of Limgrave east,

And as they approached, and as they came near,

They learned not to always believe what they hear,

For the demon had turned into an ancient of old,

With two heads made of stone, one hot and one cold."

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"Just admit it, brother. We're lost, aren't we? I told you we should have gone west at the Dragon-Burnt Ruins," Gerta's voice rang out in the distance.

It was hopeless. They had been wandering around the heart of Limgrave for hours in search of this gods-forsaken mine. Gunnar hated to admit it, but his sister was right. He was in charge of navigation for this mission, and so far his tracking skills had proven lackluster. He had been hoping to avoid the area west of the ruins, as sightings of the great dragon Agheel had been reported around the area, but it appeared he had led them away from their destination entirely.

Gunnar and his twin sister Gerta formed two halves of the Aspects of the Crucible—a duo of Badlands warriors who offered their sword arms in defense of the citizens of Limgrave. They were children to the legendary Crucible Knights Ordovis and Siluria, leaders of Lord Godfrey's elite forces, who formed a union in the depths of the primordial crucible. As their children, warrior blood had coursed through their veins from the moment they took their first breaths in this world. Gunnar and his sister were blessed from birth by the primordial Great Tree, the eternal bringer of all existing life in the Lands Between. Aspects of the Crucible, they were called, for that is what they were—primordial beings brought into this world as avatars acting out the will of the crucible itself, just as Radagon did for the Greater Will.

Only, that wasn't how it had happened thus far. The twins were yet cubs when the Elden Ring was shattered. Godfrey was exiled, becoming Hoarah Loux once more, and the Crucible Knights were bound by their knightly oaths to remain in the Lands Between. Their parents were forced to choose between having their children participate in the Shattering or sending them into the Badlands on Hoarah Loux's campaign. In the end, they decided a war involving the demigods themselves was likely to be more dangerous than whatever they would face in the Badlands. Additionally, there was strength in numbers, and they favored the twins' chance of survival the closer they were to the chieftain's deadly axe. They were wrong.

Gunnar and Gerta bid their parents farewell and followed Hoarah Loux into the Badlands, where they became masters in the art of war. They quickly became generals in the chieftain's army, committing feats of valor with nothing but lowly Tarnished at their command. Unlike those they led, the Aspects of the Crucible never knew Grace and were accustomed to fighting without the blessing of the Greater Will. When they became of age, the siblings were officially ordained by their grandfather as Knights of the Crucible. They were gifted the sacred weapons and armor of their knightly order, each set nearly identical to the unique armaments of their parents.

Gunnar donned the traditional Crucible Axe armor reminiscent of his father, Ordovis. Thick, plate mail bronze in color covered his tall, muscular body. Three large axe blades protruded from the top and sides of his helm. His gauntlets followed suit with blades of their own around the elbow. An image of the Great Tree was carved into the chest piece, symbolic of the magic woven into the armor in the early days of the world. In his right hand, he carried a massive greatsword inscribed with ancient runes of the primordial crucible. A heavy greatshield featuring a dense, curved horn in the center was clutched in his opposite hand. In battle, Gunnar was able to call upon the Great Tree's primal energy, materializing a pair of spectral wings from his back and swinging a heavy, horned tail in a sweeping motion to vanquish tens of foes simultaneously.