#oc: suan kahn

[maddyaddy]

Suan Kahn, the Hammer of Dawn

"The leaden pilgrim badge, The drawn blade's subtle camber, To the City, the innocent make the hadj And they all follow Sol's hammer." -Proverb-quatrain of the Sunbreakers, attributed to Kahn Suan Kahn is regarded as a tragic figure in modern City lore. One of the Iron Lords, the Awoken woman had heeded the call of Radegast to rise above her previous wandering to become such. Her downtime passion laid in crypto-archaeology, particularly of religious texts. As such, she was considered invaluable to the Ecumenical Unitarian Church's efforts to recover the Holy Bible and the City Masjid's reconstruction of the Koran. However, her chief duty was that of training up New Lights - though the two did bleed into one another. Suan was a key liaison to the Sunbreaker independent order of Titans. Through the Iron Lord, an informal contract had been made for mutual support and observation. In turn, the Sunbreakers had taught her, out of respect, the rites of the Hammer of Sol. Suan was amongst a chosen few in this respect. At the time of her death, Kahn had taken on the Exo Glamdring as an apprentice after his performance at Twilight Gap. There was no small amount of admiration for Kahn on his part, in turn. In search of the lost Deuteronomistic histories, they had delved into the lunar data-vaults near the South Pole-Aitken Basin. However, they were soon ambushed by a son of Xivu Arath himself - Mekur the Black. Though details of what exactly transpired in the Basin vaults are unclear, only Glamdring returned alive, blood on his feet, a wound in his chest, with Suan's body in his arms.

[maddyaddy]

From atop the ridge on her destrier, Suan Kahn could see for miles. Glamdring’s Maccabees Company was holding firm their position in the dry lakebed, despite the Hive throwing all manner of dark magicks and fell blades at their positions. Desert winds kicked up, blowing coarse sands past the clashing armies. “We should press the advantage, while we have them fixed. My Iron Wolves can flank them!” Whipping her head around to face her fellow Awoken, Khan made her own position clear in a few words. She had to shout a bit, over the clash of newly-forged blades and gunfire in the distance. “I’m not so sure.” Zavala was equally laconic. His horse was a darker color, yet his silver armor virtually glowing in the harsh desert sun. He hesitated in the heat of battle. “I think we should hold our forces in reserve for the time being, Suan. Glamdring may yet hold, and better yet, push through.”

“I don’t count on it. His heels are dug in.” Suan determinedly said. This was the first time they had actually fought them. Previously, it was they ruled on the Moon, in defiance of right. Only in the previous few months, had their assumptions been proven false, and the nightmares spilled loose. “Order the attack, or I will go ahead and do it myself.” Casting her head upwards, she saw oily-black shapes circle overhead the Hive horde. Eaters of carrion. “Good omens. See?!”

“We cannot rely on the auspices alone, Lord Kahn. Wait!” Zavala raised his hand as the Iron Lord rode towards her waiting throng, the Iron Wolves. Closing it into a fist, he gritted his teeth. Such impetuousness. He considered, briefly, to spur his charger onwards. But he knew she will overcome, despite him.

“Go!” He barked to his adjutant. “Hold the others back; see that they do not follow the Iron Wolves! We must have our reserves!”

--- --- --- --- --- ---

They are mighty. Strong as lions, swift as eagles, the Iron Wolves plunge into the foe’s flanks. First to meet the enemy are the Forlorn Hounds, bear-like bearers of blades. These are relics of a bygone age, large and heavy lumps of rough iron. Their bite cuts through chitin not solely of the sharpness of the sword, but rather the weight of the weapon and the strength of the swing.

Suan and her retinue are right behind them, a hundred people in close order. Gone are the days when freedom shone, but they hearken back to the Golden Age. Sounding the charge, Suan leaps forth over the broken Hive. Her Sentinel Shield shoves them back, her hand-axe tears into them. Victory! Victory! Victory! Lord Kahn breaks them on her knee, sparing not the hammer, sparing not the sword. Her fearless heart pounds with adrenaline. Then she sees him. One of Crota’s lieutenants, the earl of the Black Suns. Before she can mount an effective defense, he is upon her. A great black death-shadow is cast on the Iron Lord.

The Iron Wolves suffer grievously that day.

[maddyaddy]

Glamdring's Quatrain

"When I did at last tire, My arms blood-stained and sore I saw a sky of green fire, And a dark promise of endless war." Glamdring-19 was one of the handful of survivors of the Great Disaster. By virtue of being on the other side of the Moon when the battle occurred, he escaped the fate of those at Mare Imbrium. Yet the scars were the same. Though Vanguard debriefings are usually privileged information, I can present the following excerpts: G: I hate them, you know, Commander. Z: Who, Glamdring? Who do you hate? G: The Hive. I have seen their black hearts; they have filial piety. A form of it. It makes their moral sickness all the more revolting. They will scour us from the face of the Earth if they are able. All to feed their brood, Commander. And we will not be the last. G: We must return, Commander. I am convinced of that. Either them or us. Z: I have forbidden it. No further cislunar expeditions. G: Folly.