Glacial Wastes Mission Report Finale: The Day of the Blizzard

[Narrator]

Prologue

Administrator McIvinson stood behind the icy fortifications. Built just this morning by the arriving I’tashi Peacebringers, rings of frosty fortifications now defended all routes on the open icefield into Jemison Post.

No longer the open, tent city of its past, Jemison Post was surrounded by defensive fort walls made of ice. And manning those walls were I’tashi slave-soldiers. Their collars shined as brightly as their armor, their artificed tridents firing a steady salvo of solar beams directly into the oncoming army.

For McIvinson it was strange having so many slaves around. While Grim had freed all slaves under his new rule, these slave-soldiers were not Grim’s. They were drawn from 50 districts of different PeaceLords to assemble Boriel’s personal army. But Boriel kept his promise to his new PeaceLord to protect Jemison Post, even bringing WarGiants, WarDragons and Airships to defend the city.

Administrator McIvinson was emotionally torn. Yes the added defenders made all the difference in holding their lines against the unyeilding, unstopping marching IceGuard. But for McIvinson, he worried about what it now meant for Jemison Post to have such a close tie to the I’tashi loyalists, the I’tashi Slavers, even if they themselves did not personally take part in slavery.

It would be one of the challenges faced by PeaceLord Grim and his new nation for a long time to come.

But as Administrator McIvinson watched as an I’tashi Rocket Rack devastated an entire column of IceGuard, he equally knew that without EEF support, Jemison Post didn’t have the military might to oppose the nations of this world without the backing of Boriel I’tash.

[Narrator]

Part 1: The Tower of the Cloud Slavers

Beyond the lands controlled by IceWyrms, further north than even Boriel dared to conquer, lived a colony of Cloud Slavers. These Cloud Slavers were old by even local standards, having moved into their Tower at the end of the Olgog-Yyan Wars.

The Tower was obviously of Yyan Gor design, similar in many ways to the structures that Lurtor and Eli had seen inside the Last Citadel of the Yyan. But unlike that brooding place, the Tower of the Cloud Slavers had been fully cleansed of Warmonger’s evil.

The Cloud Slavers were aliens of Ses’rus, unlike the Yyan, but the larger dimensions of Yyan buildings made them perfectly sized for Cloud Slavers and their brood. An despite only having ten floors, each had been packed by Cloud Slaver families.

When Lurtor, Eli, Nuria and Grim arrived, they could all tell much was amiss. The main doors were closed but the courtyard surrounding the tower immediately worried the four. Massively muscled Cloud Slavers who were obviously trying to protect the tower from attack, were frozen in place.

The sky above them had turned a strange shade of purple as the storm clouds above the tower had begun to gather and churn.

Lurtor knew many Cloud Slavers from Scribes colony. Lurtor had picked a strong looking one and mimic him. Lurtor completed the disguise with the proper clothing, smells, and troubadour actor’s disguise. As a skilled spy, being so dressed and hidden came naturally to him.

As they approached the tower, Lurtor advanced and knocked on the door soundly.

A moment later, a large chameleon-like eye, bulbous and rotating in its socket, came to the peep hole and voice could be heard. It was not speaking any tongue known to Earther or Olgog, but Lurtor translated the language from Cloud Slaver into something he could understand.

“You are not welcome here! This is the time of mourning. Our great leaders have all died of the frost. Now the young and the old alike must chant and churn and slave these clouds. Why do you even bother us? You are not of our tower, and your look like kinfolk from the far south.”

When someone answers he says “I am Hailhammer, I HAVE come from the south to help your tower. There has been a new Peacelord crowned in these lands. I’m here to introduce and help peace between your lands and his.”

“Hailhammer, I guess I must extend welcome in that case. But there is no Peace from PeaceLords. Every other one who has come here, came at the request of The I’tash to enslave us. But we have enslaved enough storms over the years that we could unleash a punishment upon The I’tash and so The I’tash always retreats south.”

“This time, we are here to discuss TRUE PEACE,” said Lurtor with a surety that came from his time as a Bladed Sun. He knew the consequences if their plan should fail, but they had chosen a harder route but one that could save everyone.

The Cloud Slaver could smell lies, a skill he had developed over many, many years. But Lurtor truly did believe in their mission of peace here, and the Cloud Slaver smelled it on him.

The Cloud Slaver finally sighed.

“Only you four may enter,” the Cloud Slaver at the door said, “No Armies, no Wyrms. You will touch nothing and harm no-one. You will follow me and I will bring you to the Gathering Place.”

And the massive Yyan sized doors opened. The smell inside was strong, more like the smell of an animal warren than a Keep. Both Eli and Lurtor noticed despite a similarity in décor, the Cloud Slavers seemed to do their business inside, with piles of it in corners of some rooms drying to be used as fuel for fires. Its use added a very reeking smell to the Tower, especially any time the four walked past the mighty chimneys that heated the tower. But it was so warm as to be comfortable in here, and once one acclimated to the terrible smell, it was far preferrable to the deadly cold outside.

The Gathering Place was a few floors up, and the chamber was filled with twenty Cloud Slavers. They seemed to be involved in some complex ritual. In the room, looking like he had been ritually sacrificed was Lost Icicle, the friendly Olgog who had helped Grim and Lurtor time and time again.

How he had ended up here, far from his new holdings in Hobtla Mag’ol was unknown to the four heroes. But it was sad to see he had suffered such a fate. It made all four wondered how things were going in the Hobtla Mag’ol. It had been months since their last visit, and even then there had been a deep worry from both Grim and Lurtor that the White Fur leadership was firmly under the Sea Kings control. But there had been a bit of hope that Lost Icicle would gather enough White Furs to his faction to drive out the Sea Kings. Looking at the ritually murdered Olgog, Grim and Lurtor supposed not.

Once firmly in the Gathering Place with the attention of the Cloud Slavers, Lurtor will say “I bring you Grim the bastad and Prince and Peacelord of Jemison Post.”

Glancing at the body only for a moment, Grim turn to faced the Cloudslavers. "Greetings, honorable neighbors. My name is Grim the Bastard, newly minted Peacelord of Jemison Post and the Lands of the IceWyrms. I have come today to ask for your help in aiding me in setting right a grave error that was done by my companions and I.

Several months ago, we came in conflict with a group calling themselves the Frost. At that time, We acted rashly with out thought for the consequences for our actions. I will let this one explain more" pointing at Lurtor.

Lurtor nodded in agreement and said “This Belinda Frost seems a hurting being who is lashing out. Using your tower to destroy the world and everyone will blame those here. The weapons from space will destroy this tower to stop her if we don’t stop her. That Earther thinks he can. We must get him up there to try or Your clan could be destroyed.”

The Cloud Slavers seemed panicked when Lurtor described the orbital attack that would come down upon the Tower.

One Cloud Slaver grunted, “If these Earthers have weapons to attack us from Orbit, then the Frost may be right?Enemies who we cannot protect ourselves from? Even if we stop the mourning and help PeaceLord Grim against Belinda Frost, then what is to stop the Earthers from firing their space weapons anyway.”

“We cannot stop the Ritual of Mourning. If we do, the spirits of our dead kinfolk will not pass onward into the Great Cycle,” muttered another Cloud Slaver, angry that it was even suggested.

A third Cloud Slaver said, “Then do not stop the Ritual of Mourning, keep it going. The Ritual will not cause or prevent the storm that these strange outlanders describe. These events are unconnected.”

The first Cloud Slaver who had led them up here said, “HailHammer and his PeaceLord could have come with any army like all the PeaceLord before him but he did not. How do WE know if this Belinda Frost could not turn our Ritual of Mourning into something far more destructive? We do not, any more than we know if or when these Earthers will fire their weapons upon us.

But we do know one thing…Belinda Frost and PeaceLord Grim are outsiders and not our Kin. Therefore their grieveance is with each other NOT with us. My fellow kinfolk, let us finish our Ritual of Mourning, and simply let PeaceLord Grim and Belinda Frost deal with each other.”

There was nodding, grunting and even roaring in agreement. Yet despite the momentary spoken words, the ritual never slowed, with the Cloud Slavers still making intricate hand gestures and body postures for the ritual.

[Narrator]

Part 2: The Roof, the Roof, the Roof is on Fire…
The Roof was an open air auditorium with sloping seats and a large central stage. Each of the stone bench seats was Yyan sized so at first the heroes wondered why a strange staircase led downward to a flat surface. It was only looking at the entire top floor did they truly understand this place.

From the elements carved into this floor of the tower, Grim could tell (comparing it to the scroll work translated for him by Bry and Bliss at the Transit Point), this tower had originally been designed by the Warmonger’s Servants to capture, contain and possibly wound the Ancient Evil know as Xephon of the Sky. But that had been its designed use at the height of the K’ias Wars, and now it was nothing more than a relic of old times.

Its power over the air above it was immense, holding and shaping air currents with enough power that it was like being in the eye of a tornado. Here it was calm, but looking over the side there were gale force winds.

The amount of supercharged wild Air Leyas here also explained to Lurtor instantly why Warmonger had sent his Ice General and not his Air General. Even a powerful Aeromancer could suffer burn out trying to use Air Leyas up here. The Cloud Slavers were probably protected because their species evolved on the dimension where Air Leyas is most abundant.

But Lurtor, Grim and Nuria knew they had no such luck.

That was when Belinda Frost finally noticed them. She was hidden by a strong igloo, but they could hear her voice from inside.

“You murder-hobos killed my family, you kidnapped my nieces and nephews. You sick monsters have unleashed an army of killer clones, and imprisoned my old friend Bysos Borak for no crime other than getting hired by people you don’t like in an area you decided to take over!” roared Belinda Frost as her aura raged, “And no amount of money or apologies will give me back those people I love, or the months I was trapped wandering the ice alone. Those months of loneliness, and hunger, where I barely survived.

When the only two settlement around are the ones that killed your family, what do you do then???
That is when your only choice is to become an Outlaw…

I was lucky to have Snowy Touch save me, and showed me the way to survive in the harsh terrain.
But I was luckier still when Queen Unixah gave me the path of Warmonger, and the tools to hurt you the way you hurt me.”

It was Eli who stepped forward this time. He had a genuine look on his face, and his voice rang true as he spoke, "One, I’m not sorry. Got no time feel sad.

Two, grow up. You, me and the rest of these people I’m with have been played ever since got here by Warmonger.

Third, your family is fine and taken care of. I’m serious. ”

Eli points outside and turns back to Belinda. She was about to say something rudely about the storm winds making it impossible to make out who the little ants down on the ground floor are, when Lurtor raised a hand and used technomancy to enhance the images showing Buffy next to Molly, with the crowd of the Frost Mercs standing behind them.

Eli saw a glint of sadness and hope in Belinda’s eyes and he pressed on,
“You, disappeared for a couple of months and become the Queen of Cloud and Ice.

You are poised to end most life on Refuge. Dancing to the piano strings of some ancient evil so it can get it’s jollies off, because it didn’t get enough hugs when it was a child.

That’s not you. You have a family."

His expression softens.

“I’m no good with children. Ask my wife. Then again me and she, not so good with our child.”

“Screw you Eli,” was heard outside the tower.

“I mean we have my was-dead boring Aunt Maud from another dimension, and her pacifist widow-wife Lilth from this dimension taking care of the little brat,” Eli shudder.

Eli held his head. “Egh, pacifist… that’s not right. Plus that red beard gog immutable we hired to bodyguard our child because of killer Hitlers…”

“Danm it, focus Eli. It’s not about you,” was further heard outside.

He looked back to Belinda. “Hell, ask Molly what a screw up I am. The past can not be changed. Only learned from.”

“Your family is back. You’re powerful as hell. You got more options.”

“Work with us instead. You’re not an outlaw, you’re not a tool and you’re not dumb. You have great potential. Can set you up nice place for a settlement. You and your kin could sit pretty there. New future mayor of McGraw Harbor bears you no ill will. Also, got a friend who can help you cope with the horrors you went though.”

“Not a bribe. The Glacial Wastes needs more stable leaders. Better direction.”

“Anyhow, whatever you decide, don’t be Warmonger’s pawn. Be your own person. Belinda you know what is right.”

They could not see Belinda, she was inside the igloo, but they could hear her breathing. And they could hear when it seemed to calm.

The igloo melted away, and Belinda stepped out. She looked Eli in the eye, and she could tell he was being honest. She wiped a tear away from her eye, and as it fell it turned into a hardened crystal ice droplet.

She gave a near smile as she looked off at so much of her family looking okay. She searched the faces for Boz Frost, but he was no where to be seen, but she did recognize Bysos Borak among the crowd.

A small sniffle and then Belinda’s gaze became hard again, but not at Eli and friends.

“I accept your offer and what comes with it,” Belinda Frost said, “Unixah has gathered an army of White Furs, all former members of the Hobtla Mag’ol. She has indoctrinated them into her twisted mixture of the Warmonger Cult and Morgothianism. She said has renamed these White Furs as Headhunters and plan on sending them against your settlements at the height of the storm and the height of the Sea Kings invasion that will be timed to follow the storms devastation.”

Snowy Touch stepped out from the shadows, his spear pointed at the heroes. The little white fur placed himself between the four and Belinda, as if he were trying to protect her.

“Do not tell them such things!! Belinda, if Unixah learns you said these things, she will kill you or worse. Plus these people are the evil ones. When they attacked my first mistress Drella, they took away her power over the Leyas. They will do the same to you!! Don’t trust them, especially that one,” Snowy Touch said as he pointed to Grim, “He is the one that shot mistress Drella and she is probably wasting away in their prisons.”

Grim looked at Snowy Touch without malice, “The Illuminated that you followed was released back to her people. Since the conflict we had with the two of you, we realized that we had just been reacting blindly, instead of thinking. We have tried to make amends.”

Snowy Touch’s spear wavered. It dipped low, its End of Worlds claw-blade cutting deep into the ground like a hot knife dropped on butter.

Grim looked Belinda firmly in the eyes and said "Queen Unixah was just the king’s bodyguard when last we talked to her. She wishes to rule these lands in the name of the Warmonger.

Ask yourself, Why did she give you power and point you at us? Is it because she is afraid of the fact we will not bow to her rule? That She would rather use you as a Catspaw then to risk herself and her followers?

Yes, We were wrong to treat you and yours that way. But your nieces and nephews have not suffered in their time with us. In fact, Eli’s wife has been working with them to help them regain the ability to tuen back to their original forms."

“IF you must kill someone to slake your anger, kill me. In fact, kill me once for every member of your family that you feel I’ve harmed. But leave innocents out of it and call off your army of IceGuards. Their attacks endanger your family and nieces and nephews. Don’t become a monster that would endanger your family. Don’t be what you accuse us of being.”

Belinda placed a gentle hand on Snowy Touch’s arm, and the Olgog sheathed his spear.

“No more people need to die,” Belinda said, “Snowy Touch and Blizzard Blue are with me. They can come live with my family at this place that Eli described.”

“I think we can all agree to that,” said Eli feeling an overwhelming feeling of relief, “But before we go, do we have to do anything to shut off that storm?”

“Yes, I need to tap back into it and dissipate it. The pain and mourning of the Cloud Slavers are what I have been manipulating to power this storm.”

“Yes their Mourning Ritual,” agreed Lurtor, “I was wondering about that.”

“Unixah assembled all the rival White Fur leaders under Lost Icicle, and sent them all on a suicide mission against the tower. No support, no subordinates. Just a deadly charge to death by lightning,” said Belinda.

“Lost Icicle die the best,” smirked Snowy Touch, “He kill chiefs before he die. Made White Furs proud.”

“It also distracted them long enough to allow us to take the tower’s roof,” said Belinda, sounding less than proud about the white furs charge.

Grim worried that if the White Furs opposition leadership was gone, then only King Hobtla Mag’ol himself and Unixah were ruling. It would be a bad, bad time to be living in Hobtla Mag’ol. He also knew it would mean the flow of White Fur refugees would be cut off.

[Narrator]

As Belinda got into the position to begin dissipating the storm, something large stepped from her shadow. Towering over her was Blizzard Blue, the Bestial, who had served as her third in command. Blizzard Blue drove one claw forward into her chest. The claw erupted from the front of Belinda, holding her up like a human shield in front of the monster.

“No one betrays the great and powerful Warmonger, Belinda,” said Blizzard Blue snarkily, “You cannot just turn your back on this mission. My new Queen Unixah ordered you to do it. And you will, even if I have to kill you and absorb the Frost General sigil myself to do it.”

And in that moment to the shock of all involved is what he did. Blizzard Blue used his other claw to carve out Belinda’s heart and eat it. There was a sound like an explosion, and Blizzard Blue’s aura began to glow and then corrupt under the force of the Frost Sigil.

His fur began turning blue in more places, and soon his face chest and shoulders all bore the symbol of the caged eyes of warmonger. His claws lengthened. The one still holding Belinda Frost’s body, held her shield like as Blizzard Blue converted her back to life.

“Oh Belinda, I would not let you die to easily,” sneered Blizzard Blue, “You remind me of my former master Tiordane. You cannot imagine how much I made him suffer when I learned he tried to betray Queen Unixah. He nearly succeeded in turning half the fleet against her.

Now he is strapped to the front of Warmonger’s Flagship like a battering ram. A much better use for one foolish enough to betray Warmonger.

I wonder what your punishment will be?”

Belinda was alive again, converted back to life by Blizzard Blue for use as a human shield. She could feel his claw embedded in her spine, and her legs draped uselessly. She was held up by his strength alone. She tried to call upon the IceGuard army, but she knew by turning on Warmonger in this moment she had lost her control over them.

Lurtor tried to knock out Blizzard Blue with a lullabye enhanced by the Leyas, but unfortunately the new Ice General of Warmonger would not go down so easily.

Lurtor drew his cannon and tried to fire, but Blizzard Blue saw it coming and raised up Belinda to take the hit. It blasted a chunk from her leg, but luckily it was below her severed spine so she did not feel it.
Lurtor held his next shot not wanting to waste it on just further injuring the human shield.

Blizzard Blue roared with laughter, “I was born into the service of Warmonger. That is the only reason my species exists. You who are NOT the Children of the K’ias do not understand.

My Culture will eradicate yours as promised by Warmonger long ago. When the Sea Kings control Vima, then the threat of Earthers and Olgogs and Children of the Falosini will be gone.

Next we will conquer the Vampires of Ha’kidon, and this planet will be ours. And once this planet is ours we will open the gates at the Last Citadel of the Yyan and Warmonger’s entire kingdom will come through.

It will be his vision made real.”

“And torment and pain for all,” whispered Nuria, knowing what Blizzard Blue was describing from terrifying dreams that tormented her own sleep. Dreams that had stopped when Rogarth had cleansed her of the Fire General Sigil. Nuria looked at Belinda Frost and felt a pang of regret.

There but for the grace of the universe, go I, she thought. In many ways Belinda Frost had been Nuria’s mirror, a person torn from where she was comfortable and supported to a place far away to be a pawn for a dark god. A person who had tried to gain power and a feeling security despite a largely cruel world, and had been given a choice. In the end both Nuria and Belinda had turned away from Warmonger’s dark machinations, but not without tramatizing pain and immense loss.

Blizzard Blue roared with laughter again. Now the storm was growing in intensity around the Tower, and energy bridges were opening an army of IceGuard were pouring out.

Lurtor used a shadow to tap Blizzard Blue with the rod, but without the sigil of the Fire General to power it, its power was not strong enough. Lurtor tried again, to no avail.

He turned to Nuria, “The Rod it isn’t working right.”

Nuria smiled a sad smile, “The rod can still banish normal summons, Lurtor. But to do what it did against Pelonious it needed to be wielded by another General of Warmonger. One General of Warmonger to defeat another.”

That brought a raised eyebrow from Lurtor, “You are a General of Warmonger.”

“By selection much like Belinda, not by personal choice,” said Nuria as fire grew around her, “And no longer. The Daemonsbane cleansed it from me.”

“So we CAN’T banish the IceGuard army?” asked Grim with concern.

Eli said, “We can try shooting him in the face?”

“Tried that,” whispered Lurtor, “He is using Belinda as a human shield in case you cannot tell.”

Nuria said, “I have an idea…draw his attention if you can.”

Snowy Touch was already in motion, with his spear at the ready. The spear darted in, and severed one of Blizzard Blue’s arms. Belinda Frost dropped away, Blizzard Blue’s claw still embedded in her chest. Snowy Touch grabbed her and dived into a shadow taking her safely away from the bestial’s grasp. Snowy Touch drove his spear into Blizzard Blue’s thigh from the shadow moments before the shadow closed.

Now one armed, with a spear through his thigh, Blizzard Blue prepared to release the entire storm as an attack. No longer caring to target it, as the plan had intended, he would kill all life on the planet in a single stupid strike.

At that moment, Nuria leapt forward. Her fireleap boots carrying her up and directly into Blizzard Blue and carrying the pair of them clean off the tower and into the super storm. Nuria tumbled and rolled, artifacts trying to slow her down enough to prevent injury.

Blizzard Blue was not so lucky as his artificed cloak was torn to tatters by the gale force winds. The Bestial tumbled high and low, before finally being ejected from the bottom of the storm. As he plummeted towards the ground, he tried to pray to Warmonger to spare his life, but Warmonger had never been in the business of sparing peoples lives.

On top of the tower, the now uncontrolled superstorm, split into multiple smaller storms, raging in all compass directions.

[Narrator]

Epilogue: the Frost District

It was beautiful sloping hills, icefields and rocky coastline that extended from McGraw Harbor northward along the coast. Like a strange rural community there were small igloos dotting the coastline from the port of McGraw Harbor at the south, to The Frost Hot Springs at the north.

Before his death, Blizzard Blue had revealed to Belinda that this area of coast had once been home to his family before they were killed by Eli McGraw. Belinda saw it fitting to put a gravestone here for the angry bestial, and in memory of his family.

They had never found the body, though Snowy Touch had found his spear covered in Blizzard Blue’s frozen blood out on the ice. The IceGuard had returned to their home dimension, the siege around Jemison Post ended, and Belinda and the heroes were pretty sure Blizzard Blue was now dead.

Here at the hot springs, Belinda could look south and see the snowy coastline. She knew Snowy Touch was out there, hunting for food, or teaching the Frost Mercs how to hide their structures.

The Frost Mercs had taken up a place of honor in this semi-rural district extending from the north of McGraw harbor. It was miles and miles of land, enough to form its own settlement eventually, but right now Belinda had no interest in conquest.

She turned to Bysos Borak who was working the counter service for the Hot Springs.

“I never expected the Glacial Wastes to look so beautiful.”

[Narrator]

Rewards

Grim gains Honor of the Cloud Slavers. The Cloud Slavers will now keep Jemison Post free and safe from storms and will warn Jemison Post of any storms they cannot control.
He also gains Profession(PeaceLord) 4, and gains any Jemison Post Peacebringers or Defenders who play in a game with him automatically gain an additional 3 H.P. and +1 bonus to Dodge because of how inspired they are by Grim’s presence.

Lurtor gains Spymaster Extraordinare. Lurtor may now pass freely among both the Cloud Slavers of the Tower and the Cloud Slavers of Deryyanheim under his now fully supported alter ego HailHammer.
He gains Profession (Spymaster) 4, and gains any VLAD agents or Fort Lendill agents who play in a game with him automatically gain an additional 3 H.P. and +1 bonus to Hit because of how inspired they are by Lurtor’s presence.

Eli McGraw gains The Frost District. The Frost Mercs have settled the area between McGraw Harbor and the Hot Springs. They will hold this area for McGraw Harbor which they now consider themselves a part of. Belinda Frost now runs the Hot Springs along with Bysos Borak. Eli may continue to benefit from having Molly around as she considers Buffy and Eli her new Aunty and Uncle.
He also gains Profession(Mayor) 4, and gains Eli McGraw may now use his contacts in the Banking Guild to make investments on behalf of other players. The way this works ingame is any character who chooses to invest in McGraw Harbor may double any ghaz won during a mission (to a maximum of 1,000 ghaz). For Example. in a game where the players defeated a Bandit king and each got 500 ghaz as loot, because Eli is present in game, anyone can choose to invest with him and get 1,000 ghaz instead. If they had each got 250 originally it would double to 500. But Eli chooses who can benefit from this bonus. Eli himself does not gain this double reward only those who invest in his Port.

Nuria gains Master of HER own Fate. Nuria is fully freed of the curse and sigil of Warmongers General. She can now travel freely without worry, including to and from the Prison Dimension of Les’tas’tral and the Warmonger Cult will no longer seek her out. She automatically gains the respect of the following characters who can sense it on her: Rogarth, Azrael, The Bladed Sun, Berototh, Ceroj, I’tash, Calphas, the Druid’s Council, Unit 817 Redeemers and any Nightmare Lord. Most importantly Da’uhnb will never attack her on sight (she has to be violent against them first), and Quall Queens will always spare her from implantation.
She also gains Leyas Rating 5, and gains protection from Possession. Nuria can never be possessed by an Ancient Evil. She can be affected by Neliff mind control but not the mind control by Ancient Evils or Demonic forces.

Grim, Lurtor and Nuria lose access to their sentient hovertrucks as those hovertrucks are returned to their lives as children among the Frost Merc group.