Steel Hand is a Kai Grand Master, and one of the most senior of the New Order of the Kai.
Personality[]
Steel Hand is a strong believer in promotion through merit. Grand Master wonders if Winter Oak's promotion, accelerated with the power of the Lorestones, clashes with this belief.[1] He also has a strong sense of humour.
Skills and abilities[]
Steel Hand is one of the New Order Kai's most skilled Grand Masters. He is a master of unarmed combat, and when wielding a weapon, is particularly adept with a Sword, Broadsword, Mace, Warhammer and Axe.[2]
Steel Hand finds Brotherhood magic fascinating. He was impressed with Lone Wolf's mastery of Kai-alchemy (the Kai Order's interpretation of it),[3] and upon reaching the rank of Grand Master himself, Levitation was the first spell he begged Lone Wolf to teach him.[4] He has also learnt the Grand Master skills of Elementalism[5] and Grand Pathsmanship.[6]
As of The Dusk of Eternal Night, Steel Hand is one of Lone Wolf's most-senior Kai Grand Masters. Alongside Grand Master, he is entrusted as Kai Marshal, one of the highest martial ranks during the Battle of the Ruanon Homelands.[1]
History[]
Kai Master[]
Kai Masters Black Hawk, Star Lynx, Blazer, and Steel Hand.
Steel Hand was born as Lorin, to a daughter of King Fars II, making him a great-great-grandson of King Ulnar I.[7]
He joined the Kai Order as a child,[7] quickly rising through the ranks, becoming one of the few to achieve the rank of Kai Master, and one of the most-promising. He was one of four Kai Masters dispatched by Firestone (the second-most senior Kai Master after Lone Wolf) to apprehend Wolf's Bane.[8]
Kai Grand Master[]
Steel Hand later reached the rank of Kai Grand Master.
In MS 5102, the forces of darkness had begun to stir once again. Steel Hand, alongside Lone Wolf, Lord Rimoah, Guildmaster Banedon, and fellow Kai Grand Masters Black Hawk, Star Lynx and Swift Sword, journeyed to the Kai Monastery on the Isle of Lorn, meeting Grand Master and Blazer, leaders of the Kai Monastery there. Here, Lone Wolf revealed that agents of Good had discovered that Evil had begin to muster all over Magnamund, and that the Kai Grand Masters present were to be assigned quests to investigate and destroy these threats. Steel Hand was given the task of investigating Emolyria, where the Acolytes of Vashna had congregated.[9]
Captured in Zekgazad[]
Steel Hand discovered a fortress, Zekgazad, had been constructed beneath Emolyria, and that the Nengud-kor-Adez had somehow migrated from Helgedad to the Maakengorge. Like it did in Helgedad, the supernatural fire served as a furnace to power Zekgazad. He also discovered that the forces of darkness planned to revive Archlord Vashna, but also possessed an alternative plan to revive the Chaos-master in Magnamund. While destroying a sarcophagus intended for Vashna's resurrection, Steel Hand was captured.[10][11] He was imprisoned within the Chaos Prison, where he was tortured and starved.[12] During his captivity, he made a bargain with the powers of Chaos, exchanging the use of his left arm for a Chaos-seed, which could guide someone through the Chaos Prison.[13]
After Steel Hand failed to return from his mission, Lone Wolf, sensing Steel Hand was still alive, sent Grand Master to rescue him, as well as completing his mission. Grand Master discovered that Steel Hand was a descendant of King Ulnar I, a prerequisite for the ritual to revive Vashna, and that a Shadow Gate had been constructed to communicate with the Chaos-master in the Daziarn, in order to retrieve the Dagger of Vashna, the second prerequisite. Grand Master met Steel Hand in his prison, where the Chaos-seed was passed over. Grand Master then successfully destroyed the Shadow Gate (and the Chaos-master in the process), and returned to free Steel Hand. The two Grand Masters fought their way through Zekgazad to escape, but at the surface, Steel Hand was captured and prepared to be sacrificed by Luthos Vorgada. However, Grand Master had given their Nyxator Mail to Steel Hand,[14][15] protecting Steel Hand from the Dagger of Vashna, allowing Steel Hand to throw Vorgada and Dagger of Vashna into the Maakengorge. However, a part of Vashna's spirit lived in the Dagger, and although the Dagger was destroyed in the Nengud-kor-Adez, it revived Archlord Vashna, combining him with the Nengud-kor-Adez. The Nengud-kor-Adez rose from the depths, consuming Emolyria.[16] Grand Master and Steel Hand escaped Emolyria with the help of Banedon and Lord Rimoah on the Comet starship, where they reported their findings to Lone Wolf.
Lone Wolf later created a new synthetic hand made of metal to replace Steel Hand's damaged hand, the irony of his Kai name not being lost on him.[17]
Vashna's return[]
In MS 5103, during the events of The Dusk of Eternal Night, Steel Hand was given the task of escorting Banedon to a War Council in Ruanon, as Vashna's undead army advanced. He was joined by Grand Master, Blazer and new Kai Grand Master Winter Oak. They detected the presence of Helghasts, although Steel Hand asked Winter Oak not to be so reliant on his Sixth Sense. Steel Hand broke off from the party to hunt the Helghasts, joining the War Council late, where Lone Wolf made him Kai Marshal (alongside Grand Master), leading a battalion of Kai Lords in the upcoming battle.[18]
During the battle, Archlord Vashna revealed himself to the forces of Good, tearing open the battlefield with the power of the Nengud-kor-Adez. Lone Wolf met Vashna in battle and forced him to retreat with the power of the Sommerswerd, but not before Vashna threatened to bring the power of the Nengud-kor-Adez to Sommerlund and Durenor, unless he was met in battle in Zekgazad, as the power of the Sommerswerd was ineffective underground.[19] Gwynian the Sage, who had arrived from Southern Magnamund, however, provided more disturbing news: A Naarvakim plot to revive Agarash the Damned, the True Son of Naar. With Vashna being a more immediate threat, however, Lone Wolf sent Grand Master and Blazer to help investigate the Naarvakim, whilst he and Steel Hand confronted Vashna in Zekgazad.[20]
Lone Wolf and Steel Hand successfully infiltrated Zekgazad again, which had been rebuilt, also avoiding several ambushes by the Heldajdok-taagim. Lone Wolf had learnt how to master the power of the Sommerswerd away from the Sun, but had not comprehended the bond between Vashna and the Nengud-kor-Adez: After slaying Vashna, he was reincarnated from the Nengud-kor-Adez, again and again. Vashna toyed with Lone Wolf, eventually impaling his heart with a spear of liquid fire, leaving a void where a fire raged. Steel Hand was forced to rescue Lone Wolf, retrieving the Sommerswerd, and the two fled Zekgazad.[21]
In the gamebooks[]
Steel Hand first appears in Wolf's Bane, as one of four Kai Masters helping Lone Wolf capture Wolf's Bane. He later makes a minor appearance in The Storms of Chai, where he is given his quest to investigate Emolyria.
He is a major character in Dead in the Deep, where Grand Master is given the task of rescuing him and completing his mission. A Platinum Amulet must be given to Steel Hand to allow him to escape. His Kai Weapon may be retrieved by Grand Master, which is sealed in the Temple of Karaushnitt within the Chaos Prison. Grand Master will be tempted by the power of Karaushnitt, possibly leading to death. After rescuing Steel Hand, despite his injuries, he remains a formidable fighter. Whenever he fights alongside Grand Master, any Endurance points losses may be halved,[note 1] and the following Combat Skill bonuses may be applied:
- +15 if Steel Hand's Kai Weapon was recovered
- +10 if Grand Master lends Steel Hand a Sword, Broadsword, Mace, Warhammer or Axe
- +5 otherwise (including no weapon being lent, meaning Steel Hand fights in unarmed combat)
As the two Kai Grand Masters escape Zekgazad, Grand Master notices the toil on Steel Hand, and has the option to lend their Nyxator Mail to him. Grand Master still gains the bonuses when they fight together, however. Grand Master must lend their Nyxator Mail to Steel Hand to avoid an instant death scenario later on.
Steel Hand makes a minor appearance in The Dusk of Eternal Night, as a Kai Marshal (like Grand Master) in the Battle of the Ruanon Homelands. He later accompanies Lone Wolf to Zekgazad to confront Vashna, although Lone Wolf is unable to defeat him, and the two are forced to flee.
Notes[]
- ↑ The book does not mention whether losses should be rounded up or down.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Dusk of Eternal Night: Prologue
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §2
- ↑ Wolf's Bane: §66
- ↑ The Storms of Chai: §180
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §160
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §225
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dead in the Deep: §121
- ↑ Wolf's Bane: §238
- ↑ The Storms of Chai: The Story So Far...
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §175
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §219
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §145
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §250
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §225
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §85
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §350
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: The Story So Far...
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: Prologue
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §175
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §212
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §2