Chaosnorth: Xan joins the Alliance

Chaosnorth — Xan is missing

Warlic called the Hero away from battle. Xan was missing, and Warlic suspected the pyromancer thought the Thirteenth Chaos Lord was coming for him. The Hero thought Xan would be a powerful ally. Warlic agreed, if they could be sure Xan would stand with them.

Chaosnorth — The ice-house

They found Xan hiding in an ice-house. He blamed them for leaving him with scraps of power. Since the eyes had opened and the Chaos army had come, his fire had begun to fizzle. Tentacles were already trying to get in. Xan was convinced Chaos had come for him, and he meant to keep it outside.

Xan showed them what had happened to his magic. The Hero asked whether Xan had been able to use ice before. Warlic suspected nearby Chaorruption had twisted the inversion spell on Xan’s ring, turning weak fire into strong ice. He thought Xan would help them once they convinced him Chaos would not take him.

Chaosnorth — The breach

The Hero cleared Chaos attackers to show Xan they had come to help. They fought the Chaos mages and recovered the Tempus Chaos Amulet and the Book of Chaos and Flames to help protect him. The Hero also removed Chaos Gems that might be speeding up the change in Xan’s magic. By the time the Hero brought back proof that they had dealt with the spies, Chaos had breached the hideout.

The Hero fought a Chaorrupted illusion of Xan. Chaos meant to make him think he was already on its side. Xan accused the Hero of killing him and somehow leaving him alive. Warlic explained that Chaorruption had broken through the castle’s defenses. Xan vowed to make Chaos suffer for it.

Chaosnorth — The choice of power

The Hero offered to remove the inversion ring so Xan could use fire again. Then Warlic received an urgent message from Gravelyn. He said he could magnify Xan’s new ice powers faster than the Hero could remove the ring. The Hero promised that after the war, Xan could choose his own power. After years of fighting Xan, the Hero still saw him as a person entitled to make his own choices.

Chaosnorth — The eyes go blind

Xan swore he would never become a beast for Chaos, then turned his new ice magic against its forces. The attack surprised the Hero, who said Chaos would recover but the blow should give Gravelyn the time she needed. Xan said Chaos’s many eyes were blind.

Warlic told Xan the Alliance was in his debt. Xan warned that he always collected his debts. The Hero asked Warlic to make sure Xan would not turn on them. Xan said he faced only into the winds that carried the smell of the twisted. The Hero accepted that for the moment and welcomed him to the Alliance.