Vulcan's Party is the main cast of characters in the video game Bound by Flame. They are a group of warriors who have gathered around the mysterious mercenary known as Vulcan for various reasons and joined him in his quest to stop the Ice Lords and liberate the World Heart.
After embarking on his quest, Vulcan gathered a party piece by piece, each one of them wishing to fight the Ice Lords to either regain their honor, save the world, take revenge, or, in the case of the undead Mathras, curiosity. Conflict would eventually arise between the elf Rhelmar and witch Edwen, with either of them turning on the party depending on if Vulcan decides to try to save the elves or use them as a distraction to attack the Blackfrost respectively. Vulcan would slowly grow closer to his fellow adventurers, eventually getting into a romantic relationship with one of them.
If Vulcan decides to kill himself to sacrifice himself to save the world or rule Vertiel, the party members go their own way and continue to strive towards their respective goals. Should Vulcan decide to fuse with the demon possessing him instead, they presumably perish along with the rest of the world.
Battle vs. The Warden's Party (Origins) (by MovieStuff65 and BeastMan14)[]
The winds howl, the snow biting savagely across the crags and cracks of the mountain. Up in the Frostbacks, it'd be the action of foolish to try and cross their treacherous peaks. These were the thoughts of the Witch.
"Why are do we continue to waste our time on this fruitless endeavor?"
Morrigan asked once more, using her staff as a walking stick as the party advanced. "After all, you don't even believe in the Maker. What makes you think this will even work?"
Alistair, the Templar, snapped back as he drew his cloak closer. "It doesn't matter if it works or not. We're not abandoning the Arl!"
Wynne nodded in agreement, but the others in the party kept quiet. Except Shale, that is.
"Moments like this make me elated I'm not one of the things." The golem happily stated, stomping easily ahead of the others, undeterred.
"Glad you're so sodding giddy, golem! I ain't used to this surface cold yet." Oghren bellowed, and Zevran nodded in agreement.
"You know, I think I'd stand a better chance against the Crows than up here."
Before the party could continue their bickering, a hand from their leader told them to hush. Drawing his sword and equipping his shield, the Warden ordered his comrades to prepare with a nod.
Alistair and Oghren quickly joined his side, the former activating Threaten and the latter slowly pumping up with Berserk. Wynne and Morrigan retreated behind them, activating their respective sustained spells while preparing their staves. Zevran retreated into the shadows, and the Warden looked around carefully.
To be frank, he didn't know why he was searching for the ashes of a crazy lunatic who believed in men in the sky. All he knew was that he needed a way to cure the Arl for his army, and this seemed to be his only option.
The Warden had no other options, and that frustrated him. Luckily, he felt there was something nearby to pound his anger away at.
That helped...a little bit.
As another burst of cold wind slashed at his face, Vulcan almost felt grateful for the intrusive, grumpy asshole of a demon living inside of him. His teammates, however, were not so lucky as to have a demon of fire corrupting their souls. “Remind me why we’re climbing this blasted mountain again.” Rhelmar grumbled. Edwen, showing no discomfort despite wearing what amounted to a black tablecloth, scoffed, and replied, “Because an item of great power lies on the other side. Perhaps you should have paid attention when I was explaining rather than staring at my ass.” Rhelmar glared at her, but kept his mouth shut.
Buffalo awkwardly cleared his throat. “Right. Now, would someone please tell me what exactly it is we’re looking for?” Edwen rolled her eyes, and Sybil, who had up until this point been walking by Vulcan, began to speak, “According to my research, it’s known as-” Mathras raised a skeletal hand, silencing her. “Allow to me handle this, sweet Sybil. We, dearest Buffalo, are searching for an artifact known as the Urn of Sacred Ashes. The ashes in question belong to Andraste, bride of a deity known as “the Maker”. I was never one for religion, but “the Maker” has always held much power in this region. These ashes, however, apparently contain magical properties, and if I suspect correctly, they could enhance Vulcan’s already considerable strength.” Buffalo, satisfied with the answer, grunted, and returned to trudging through the snow and trying to ignore the cold.
Fools. Thy only way to boost thy strength is if thee were to gift me your complete body. This “Urn” is nothing but a distraction from the World Heart. The demon angrily grumbled, it’s voice echoing through Vulcan’s head. Vulcan chuckled, and replied, “Well, once you get control of my legs, you can decide where we go.” Sybil turned to look at him, curious, and asked, “Is it speaking to you again?” Vulcan nodded. “It’s closer to whining, but sure.” Sybil’s look of curiosity became one of concern. “Are you sure you want to do this? If these ashes work, the power could overwhelm you and enable the demon to take control. If that happens,-” Vulcan laughed. “If that happens, then the worst thing that happens is that I take a few thousand Deadwalkers, and maybe even an Ice Lord or two, with me. Trust me, Sybil, I’m a big kid. I can take care of myself.” Sybil frowned, and seemed to struggle with forming her next sentence, “I know. It’s just, um, it’s just that I care about you, and I don’t know what I’d do if you died because of me.” Vulcan took her hand and smiled reassuringly, “And I care about you. Let’s just get up this mountain and get this over with so we can get back to camp.” The demon sounded disgusted. The love of mortals sickens me.
Just then, Randval, who had gone scouting ahead, returned. “The Knight sees the village we seek on the horizon. His companions should reach it before nightfall.” Vulcan nodded, then said,”Anything else?” Randval unsheathed his sword, which was black with a mysterious blood. “The Knight also encountered a new foe. They resembled Deadwalkers, but fell much easier.” Vulcan, puzzled, turned to look at Edwen, who shook her head. “It appears Blackfrost is using new troops. He did not mention it when he and I were working together.” Mathras spoke up again. “Tell me, Randval, were these creatures ghoulish in appearance, with gray skin, perhaps?” Randval nodded as he began cleaning his sword. “I see.” He lowered his head in contemplation for a few seconds, then began walking with a quicker pace. “I recommend we get to the village, Vulcan.” “Why?” “Because I have encountered creatures such as these before in my travels. They are known as Darkspawn, and when one encounters a few, a horde is often fast approaching, and I’d rather we not fall into their hands.” The party exchanged confused looks, then followed Mathras towards the village.
"Alistair, finish off the ogre!"
As Shale brawled and grappled with the mighty ogre, Alistair slammed his shield into its knee. The darkspawn buckled, and Alistair thrust his longsword into its face, finishing the beast.
"You know, I can sense darkspawn too. I knew they were coming..."
The Warden raised an eyebrow as he sheathed his sword, a pile of decapitated darkspawn surrounding him.
"Okay...I didn't. But I killed a bunch of them!"
"Sounds quite good for you Alistair- perhaps you will be more useful than a brief distraction for our enemies."
"Shut it, Morrigan- you have wounded my manly pride!" He replied, feinted pain in his voice.
"Maker, you two need to get a room. Ease the tensions a little, eh?" Zevran suggested, his trademark smirk meeting the witch's glare and Alistair's surprised look.
Oghren burst out laughing, Wynne rolled her eyes, and Shale sighed in contempt.
"It seems as if our dear Zevran has suffered severe head trauma- perhaps the old woman can fix him?"
"I amm sorry, Morrigan, but the sickness in his mind is far too strong for me. As for your's..."
A cough from the Warden stopped the bickering, and the group marched ahead towards Haven. As Morrigan caught up to her friend, he noticed a smile across his face.
"Ugh."
TBC
Expert's Opinion[]
TBD