“Gather ’round, soldiers. Up ahead, you see the Stormcaller horn. The evil human sorcerer Rurik used it to massacre a charr brigade led by our ancestral hero Bonfaaz Burntfur.”
The Imperator’s Core is the center of the The Black Citadel; it is the heart of the Iron Legion. It is at the center and every canton circles around the core like a coil. This is where Smodur the Unflinching and the Tribunes of the Legions convene war councils and carry out their jobs.
Outside the core, it the Perimeter Loop, the streets of the Black Citadel, where marching warbands can be seen and heard. Behind the core, in the Bane. The epitome of charr culture. Blood and destruction, where charr or plebeian are pitted against monster or each other for glory and rights.
Perimeter Loop
IC01Soldier: Did you see those new arrivals come through town?
Soldier (2): The outsiders? Yeah. Something big is going on.
IC02Citizen: If I don’t blow off some steam, I’m getting in a fight.
Citizen (2): I know you. It won’t matter. You’re getting in a fight anyway.
IC03Scrapper: What’s your problem? I’m just having a little fun.
Adamant Guard: What it disrupts my city, your fun is my problem.
IC04Irena Airblade: These soldiers all trained hard at the fahrar, son.
Fost: They look mean.
Irena Airblade: Don’t worry. Your primus will teach you how to look mean like that too.
Fost: How come I can’t be a farmer, like you, Mother?
Irena Airblade: You may be, my boy. You’ll discover your talents at the fahrar, and then we’ll see.
Fost: I wish Father was here.
Irena Airblade: Your father’s very proud of you, but he had work to do. You’ll see him again soon. I promise.
IC05Citizen: Hey, norn.
Hildr Trollbane: Hey, charr. How’s the fight?
Citizen: It never ends.
IC06Blood Legion Soldier: Too bad we can’t get more norn allies to battle the Flame Legion.
Blood Legion Soldier (2): At least they’re joining the Vigil.
Blood Legion Soldier: True.
IC07Citizen: That asura merchant drives a hard bargain.
Citizen (2): Why do we bargain with them at all? This is our city.
Citizen (3): You’ve got to think bigger. Commerce is the difference between “our city” and “our great city.”
IC08Roz Swishtail: Hey. Is that what I think it is?
Gil Grittongue: Yeah. The magic horn that the human Rurik used to draw lightning and cannonball-sized hail down upon our armies.
Dann Sharpclaw: And beyond are the ruins of the human city of Rin. That was our vengeance.
Gil Grittongue: We showed them, huh? To the fallen!
IC09Citizen: You should show a little more respect for Scorchrazor.
Citizen (2): Yeah! She was a hero!
Citizen (3): A dead hero. Yesterday’s buried. I fight for today.
IC10Citizen: You got a problem?
Citizen(2): Yeah. It’s you. You want to settle it in the arena?
Citizen: I was ready to settle it in the street. Anytime, pal.
IC11Tira Quickfury: Gather ’round, soldiers. Up ahead, you see the Stormcaller horn. The evil human sorcerer Rurik used it to massacre a charr brigade led by our ancestral hero Bonfaaz Burntfur.
Tork Stalkfell: I already heard this story a thousand times. He blew in the horn, and it made fire rain down from the sky on our army.
Tira Quickfury: All right, smartytail. What else do you know?
Tork Stalkfell: I know that human, Rurik, amushed us without warning. If I’d been there, I’d have ripped his throat out.
Tira Quickfury: (chuckle) Good enthusiasm. Let’s get a closer look.
Tira Quickfury: Let me tell you a little something about humans: they love their magic, and they believe in gods.
Koris Stalktwister: How come we don’t kill them all then?
Tira Quickfury: They’re our enemy, and never forget that, but we have a greater enemy now.
Haras Stalkguard: I know! I know! The dragons!
Tira Quickfury: That’s right. The awakening of the dragons has shifted the balance of power across the land. We have a new, more pressing enemy now.
Haras Stalkguard: I think we should feed the humans to the dragons, then kill the dragons.
Koris Stalktwister: Don’t be stupid. The dragons won’t eat icky humans. They’d just throw them at us.
Tira Quickfury: Some believe as you do. Tribune Brighteye doesn’t want a truce with the humans. Others, such as Tribune Kindleshot, disagree. There’s a lot of argument about this.
Tork Stalkfell: Humans are scrawny. All the great heroes fought them, but they’re not a threat anymore, and they divide our army if we war with them.
Tira Quickfury: Well said. And on that not, let’s move on. Stalk warband, forward march.
IC12Citizen: Hard to believe a city burned to the ground here.
Citizen (2): If we don’t wipe out Flame Legion, it’ll happen again.
IC13Ash Legion Soldier: I never met a human that wasn’t skewered on the end of my weapon. Don’t care to, either.
IC14Soldier: My warband’s about to ship out. We’re being sent to the Blazeridge Steppes to help some Sentinels get back to the Brand.
IC15Citizen: Take my advice: don’t go to the Lion’s Arch.
Citizen (2): I heard it’s a good place to get things.
Citizen: Yeah, like a dagger in the back.
Imperator’s Core
IC16Citizen: I saw you at dinner last night. How can you eat that stuff?
Citizen (2): Meat’s meat, and a charr’s got to eat.
IC17Soldier: Flame Legion’s gone too far. They ought to have been wiped long ago.
Soldier (2): You know what they say: cut off a snake’s head, and the body dies.
Soldier: Yeah. All we have to do is chop off Gaheron’s head.
IC18Citizen: You’re in the Blood Legion?
Blood Legion Soldier: I am. I fought with Rytlock himself on the front lines.
Citizen: Then I’m buying you a drink.
IC19Citizen: Give me that you have. Time is wasting.
IC20Citizen: Why aren’t we winning this war? Why isn’t it over already?
Citizen (2): We need better leaders.
Citizen: What we need is a new Khan-Ur.
Citizen (2): Yeah, once we’ve got a Khan-Ur again, nothing’s going to stop us.
IC21Iron Legion Engineer: I was taught never to question orders.
Iron Legion Engineer (2): You were taught right. Fulfilling orders is your destination.
Iron Legion Engineer (2): Sometimes, however, you should question which road will get you there most efficiently.
Iron Legion Engineer (2): The most obvious one isn’t always best.
IC22Citizen: The city of ours is the greatest in the world. The pinnacle of charr achievement.
Adamant Guard: Well said, citizen, but we’re not done yet.
Adamant Guard (2): Hardly. This is the greatest in the world, and it’s only going to get greater.
IC23Blood Legion Soldier: There’s whiskey, and then there’s charr whiskey. I once saw a human try to drink charr whiskey. Ha! He never got his voice back!
IC24Citizen: Ah, rabbit jerky. That hits the spot.
IC25Soldier: If you cannot kill an animal, blind it or break a leg. Make it regret fighting you.
IC26Citizen: Sometimes I wish I was cut out for front-line duty, but like my primus always said: you can’t pick your talents.
Blood Legion Soldier: We need to be careful how much we praise our engineering advances. Worship of anything, even technology, is utter madness.
IC27Soldier: You hear anything from the front lines?
Soldier (2): Flame Legion’s still fighting. The line’s moving back. Slowly.
Soldier (3): We have to snuff them out once and for all and stomp on the ashes.
IC28Soldier: Have you tried that new military-grade jerky they developed in Rata Sum?
Soldier (2): No. How is it?
Soldier: Too dry. Too thick. Not enough juice. Reminds me of bone.
IC29Citizen: Hrm, a little raw rabbit would hit the spot. It’s a little bitter, but delicious.
Command Core
IC30Bhuer Goreblade: Erracus! Where in the flames is my flathead screwdriver? The little one!
Erracus the Wise: Some place I ALWAYS put it, Tribune. On your desk. It’s probably under all that junk.
Bhuer Goreblade: You’re lucky I tolerate your insubordination, Erracus. I could kick you into the Bane for less than that!
Erracus the Wise: And I’d kick your tail! You may not be a cub, but I’d whup you all the same, haha! And then salute you. Sir!
Bhuer Goreblade: Haha! Keep on thinking that, if it keeps you organizing my stuff. At ease!
IC31Iron Legionnaire: You hear about the battle at Smokestead? They say it was nearly a rout out there.
Iron Legion Soldier: Yeah, more than one warband got smashed. But it had its share of heroes, too!
Iron Legionnaire: True. I did hear about one warband. Also, Tribune Brimstone went up against Barradin himself!
Iron Legion Soldier: Wish I could been there. Seeing that’d almost be worth getting killed for.
The Bane
IC32Citizen: You ever fight a sylvari?
Citizen (2): I’ve seen them fight. They’re brave and clever.
Citizen: I talked to a human who wrestled one. He said they bend, but don’t break.
IC33Scrapper: I’m the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
IC34Citizen: What’re the odds?
Spectator: Depends on the fight.
IC35Citizen: So then he says, “if you wanted me to use my claws, all you had to do was ask!” (laugh)
Citizen (2): (laugh) Priceless. Hey, hold that though, will you? I… uh… got to go take care of something.
IC36Brawler: You think he’s got a shot?
Brawler (2): He’s got the reach, but he doesn’t have the stamina. He won’t go the distance.
IC37Brawler: I hate having to hold my claws when I throw a punch.
Brawler (2): You’ll get used to it.
Brawler: Yeah, but I feel like a cub fighting that way.
Brawler (2): This isn’t war; it’s a sport. You want to win, you have to play by the rules.
IC38Vigil Crusader: You guys don’t like losing, do you?
Ash Legion Soldier: Not at all. Winners live. Losers die.
IC39Brawler: I want you to hit me as hard as you can.
Brawler (2): If I did, you’d never get up again.
IC40Brawler: What’d ya tell that guy after the brawl?
Brawler (2): I told him to block more head shots.
Brawler (2): I wanted to see him get punched in the gut more.
IC41Brawler: You see the way he took that last punch?
Brawler (2): It’s like they say: the ones you don’t see hurt the most.
IC42Brawler: You’re getting better, but your edge isn’t razor sharp yet. Let’s do it again.
Brawler (2): Shouldn’t I save my strength for the actual tournament?
Brawler: There’s no such thing as too much practice, new meat. Ready yourself!
IC43Old Soldier: My old fahrar, nearly all gone now. I’ll drink to them tonight.
IC44Soldier: It cost him, but he wouldn’t leave his warband behind. Now, he has to be fed and changed like a cub, the poor wretch.
IC45Citizen: Put your claws away.
Citizen (2): Sure. Why not? I still have teeth.
Hunted Nolani
IC46Iron Legion Soldier: You know what? We need more cannons over the front gate.
Iron Legion Soldier(2): We can never have too many cannons.
IC47Iron Legion Soldier: The scouts on the towers make sure no one sneaks up on this place.
Iron Legion Soldier(2): If scouts can see it, the cannons can hit it.
IC48Iron Legion Soldier: Nothing going to get past these walls.
Iron Legion Soldier(2): These cannons have an answer for anything that comes our way.
IC49Citizen: I heard the charr in Lion’s Arch are having a tough time.
Citizen(2): Good.
Tyrian Tomes 