User blog:Eureka Enderborn/Jaukoehai Ironskin, defender of the defenseless

So. You've heard about Jaukoehai Sky'ki, irritable outcast with a heart of gold. Now it's time to tell the tale of a being who's got more than just a gold heart. I'll make some references here you won't get unless you've read my most recent blog post, so go read that if you haven't.

Jaukoehai Ironskin was born during the 100 Year War. His father was a Ka'leth (imagine if you gave a Human being the head, fur, claws and enhanced muscles of a tiger), and his mother was a High Elf. Such a union was unheard of. High Elves are terribly haughty and very few had ever mated with another species, let alone a Ka'leth! His mother was a duchess, and his father was a Paladin in the Order of Marr. His father, Fahrar Ironfur, was a rather well known explorer, and he often took leave from his duties as a paladin to indulge that habit. It was on a trip through the Faydark Forest that he met his soon to be wife. She had been captured by Orcs of the Crushbone Clan, and they were holding her for ransom. He managed to defeat the guards and rescue her, and they were married a short time later.

The young boy, Jaukoehai Ironskin, was raised mostly isolated from everyone else in his mother's estate in the High Elven city of Tunaria. Unfortunately, his mother had died in child birth, and while his father visited as frequently as possible, his line of work made it difficult. Jaukoehai was kept in the house and mostly raised by service men, and treated as one, as his mother's family considered him a stain on their family name. The boy showed immense interest in following in his father's footsteps, and he began to wear a helmet most of the time.

By the time the young hero turned ten, his father stopped showing up at all. Jaukoehai turned thirteen in the final year of the 100 Year War, and he took it upon himself to leave Tunaria and travel to Quinos where his father was. Not a moment too soon, as the city's population was completely turned into creatures of the night thanks to the Vampire Lord Mayong Mistmoor.

Upon arriving in Quinos, still helmeted, the young Jaukoehai discovered some very upsetting news. The Halfling home city of Rivervale had been corrupted by strange, other-worldly creatures from a place called The Void. Not much was known about them at the time, only that they were horrendous monsters born of shadow and evil capable of corrupting anything if given time. And his father had been there when the first attack happened. He had been captured and corrupted into one of The Void's enslaved servants.

Naturally, Jaukoehai wanted to go find his father, but then the Burning of the World and the Great Cataclysm occurred, and his hopes of doing so were dashed.

Jaukoehai refused to remove his helmet, and refused to give his real last name. He had it changed to Ironskin. He wanted to enlist in the Quinos Guard, but he was too young, so he started working at the docks. His bulging muscles and surprising endurance for his age made him quite useful at the busy port. They also got him noticed. By the time he turned sixteen, however, he had given up wanting to join the Guard for now. He used the money he had been saving up to buy a real helmet and suit of armour, as well as a sword, and he went out into the hills and mountains and valleys of Karan (the continent Quinos is a part of). With all of the recent destruction, many marauding creatures and unsavory things had taken up residence in the hills and mountains, and the villagers and the Quinos Guard was fighting constantly for survival outside of the city walls. Plenty of opportunity for Jaukoehai Ironskin.

Four years later, twenty year old Jaukoehai Ironskin returned to Quinos as a star. Many a tale had been told of the knight with no face wandering the hills smiting those who would seek to harm innocent people. There were even rumours that he had singlehandedly infiltrated an isolated valley where a tiny Dwarven garrison was besieged by a ruthless Necromancer, rescued the garrison, and slayed the dark sorcerer and all of his unholy soldiers.

Upon arriving back in the city, he was immediately allowed to enter the Quinos Guard. The Order of Marr would have gladly had him join them, but a Paladin must use holy magic, and Jaukoehai Ironskin cannot use any magic at all. Any within the city who doubted his strength and wits were immediately proved wrong, and he ascended to the rank of Knight-Captain in two years. Many wondered about his past, his race, his family, and how he had gotten to be so powerful, but he wouldn't tell.

By the age of thirty he had become a world-renowned celebrity. His exploits were sung by bards in taverns all over the world. For not only was his martial prowess unmatched, but he was also a man of kindness and integrity. He was never one to flaunt his celebrity status, in fact he often shied away from it. But wherever there was a gloomy child in Quinos, he'd be there to brighten up its day. Wherever there was a family in winter that couldn't get a fire going, he'd be there (with a wizard in tow).

Pretty soon, he was presented with a brand new suit of armour by the queen of Quinos herself. This new armour was not only thicker and more knightly looking, but it had also been treated with a special magical ointment to ensure that it was always highly polished (to the point where it quite literally glittered in the sunlight). The real kicker in terms of equipment, however, came when he discovered that the forces of Felkyah had set up encampments in a small forest on Karan, and this could only be precursor to an invasion. Desiring to nip this in the bud, the Quinos Guard gathered for an attack. As they prepared, however, something happened that hadn't in three centuries.

The city of Quinos was founded by King Antonius Bayle, and he had a Claymore of untold strength, called the Quinos Claymore. This Claymore became a symbol of the strength and will of the people of Quinos. However, after Antonius Bayle died, the symbols on the blade stopped glowing green, and it became nothing more than a sword. However, when Jaukoehai passed by the safe where it was kept, it glowed faintly. The guards noticed this, and informed the queen, who informed Jaukoehai. She had him take up the sword just to see what would happen. Sure enough, the sword blazed to life once again. However, it began to warp and contort itself until it formed a tower shield, immense and powerful yet beautiful and elegant. Equipped with this shield born from this fabled weapon, he lead the Guard in a crushing victory against the advance army of Felkyah.

Accelerate forty years or so, and Jaukoehai Ironskin had shown no signs of aging or slowing down. By now, his twin had been born from the vats in Gorowyn. Jaukoehai Ironskin decided that it was finally the time to face his past and go looking for his father. He acquired for himself a small boat and no crew but himself, his twin and Denva Loogei, and a wizard named Firus Scorchtouch, who was there to deal with any enemies that Jaukoehai himself, with his total lack of magical prowess, would have difficulty against. Together, the four fought through the corrupted animals and Halflings on the once peaceful island that was now beset by a dark cloud. It wasn't until he made his way toward the source of The Void's invasion that be met hos father blocking the way.

The duel was short yet gruesome. The son easily outpaced the father, and the Ka'leth in corrupted black and purple armour fell. But before Fahrar died he whispered something. Not even Jaukoehai's twin is sure what was said, but Jaukoehai immediately left and never returned to the island.

Then came the fateful day two years later, when the Quinos Guard learned that a host of NINE Dragons and an unknown number of Draconians were raving towards Quinos. One of those Dragons was the last of the Dragon Emperors. They were hell-bent on destroying Quinos, and the city didn't have the necessary time to set up their anti-Dragon defenses.

And so it was that Jaukoehai Ironskin, alone, walked out of the gates of Quinos to delay the host. Naturally everyone thought this was suicide. Even he couldn't stand against NINE Dragons and a host of Draconians. And yet, he left anyway. And sure enough, the Dragon host arrived fourteen hours late, ample time to set up anti-Dragon defenses. Once the Quinos Guard had repelled the attack, they went searching for the hero who had risked his life to buy them time.

They found him in the middle of a black crater. To one side of him, his hammer lay shattered. To the other, the Quinos Claymore had gone dark again, turned back into a sword. Nearby lay the corpses of five Draconian Warlords. Slightly further away lay the corpse of the Dragon Emperor and his second in command.

They bore his corpse back to Quinos and layed him to rest beneath the statue of the Quinos Claymore, never once removing his helmet, as he had always wished.

And there his body lays still. There are those who refuse to believe that he is dead. Most of them cite the fact that, though nine Dragons had come to attack Quinos, and Jaukoehai killed two, only six actually managed to make it to Quinos....