Ironfang Legion

The Ironfang Legion was once one of Molthune's most feared military formations, a specialized regiment composed largely of monstrous soldiers commanded by disciplined officers. Molthune employed the Legion as shock troops along its frontier wars, valuing their strict military culture, battlefield coordination, and willingness to undertake brutal campaigns that regular troops might hesitate to carry out. The Ironfang Legion earned a reputation for ruthless efficiency and unwavering discipline, often deployed where Molthune needed overwhelming force or relentless pursuit of its enemies. Their presence on the battlefield was enough to unsettle even seasoned Nirmathi fighters, who knew the Legion’s tactics favored ambushes, fortified positions, and coordinated assaults.

The Ironfang Legion is organized and disciplined, originating from a magical stone tower in Phaendar. They led an assault that resulted in the town being overrun and set ablaze. Their presence is characterized by a willingness to engage in brutal combat, as demonstrated by the corpses of townsfolk who fought to defend Phaendar's Bridge. During a confrontation at Phaendar's Bridge, a Fahrak directed his soldiers while the Party attempted to ambush them. The Ironfang Legion displayed tactical awareness, moving cautiously and coordinating their attacks. In battle, they fought fiercely, with a captain engaging directly with the Party while recruits provided support. The Party ultimately defeated the Ironfang Legion, killing the officer and his troops before collapsing the bridge to prevent further pursuit. Following the battle, a large squad of Ironfang Legion appeared from the Phaendar side, prompting the Party to escape rather than engage further. The Ironfang Legion caused significant casualties among the townsfolk, and their organized nature posed a substantial threat to the survivors seeking refuge in the Fanwood.

Ironfang Legio, took control of Phaendar, attacking the town and creating a presence near The River. They are constructing a palisade around Phaendar and are associated with a large black Tower overlooking the town. Scouts reported that Ironfang Hobgoblins were converting Phaendar into a military site and building a palisade. Observations revealed that most wooden buildings had been burned, and surviving structures were being dismantled for timber as Ironfang Hobgoblins fortified the area. There were indications of preparations for a river crossing, leading to the conclusion that Ironfang Hobgoblins intended to remain in Phaendar rather than conduct temporary raids. A trader reported fleeing over the bridge during the Fahrak Scout attack. Known for their brutal tactics, the Legion exemplified their ruthlessness with the display of the mutilated elder at Gristledown. The Legion was associated with a raid involving at least a dozen human-sized raiders who forced the townsfolk toward a southern building near a Mass Grave. The elder's skinned body was found nailed to a wall, serving as a warning to those who might resist the Ironfang Legion.

They are now recognized as a red-and-black-emblemed unit operating independently in Phaendar, responsible for the Ramsgate massacre and occupying Phaendar without visible Nirmathian or Molthuni flags. Compared to earlier recruits, these Hobgoblin Mercenaries Tied To Maltheum are noted to be more disciplined and hardened. They repaired a bridge and established a small guard Main Camp on the far side to protect their work, supervising and enforcing labor from humans forced to work on Phaendar’s fortifications. The Ironfang Legion, operating near Mathis and Nirmathas, is known for invading villages, killing, and enslaving people while attempting to establish a homeland in the region. Their presence is marked by heavy-boot prints and hobgoblin-made arrows found at sites of violence. The Ironfang Legion set a fire resulting in two charred bodies found high in a tree, using flasks containing alchemist’s fire to ignite the blaze. Arrows matching hobgoblin manufacture were lodged approximately 100 feet away and in the tree. Heavy-boot prints characteristic of the Ironfang Legion led north from the tree. During an encounter, a patrol of Ironfang scouts was equipped with superior gear, including composite shortbows and improved armor, while their leader wielded a magical crossbow. The patrol did not carry travel provisions, and the leader and remaining scouts fought, with the last scout shouting that Ibzairiak knew what Fangwood Six had done before being killed.

Members of the Ironfang Legion include a sergeant named Escarbinus, a Lead Bugbear trained to fight with paired swords, troopers, and at least one mounted specialist who rides a giant wolf. The Legion operates convoys of supplies moving north toward a nearby Hobgoblin base and maintains patrols in the forest. The Party intercepted and seized a convoy belonging to the Ironfang Legion. A Hobgoblin later arrived at Cave Camp with an offer for support, claiming the Legion would provide for families and referring to recruits as "beloved slaves." The officer entered alone and signaled troopers outside. The mounted officer and his wolf, supported by troopers, assaulted The Cave but were engaged and killed by the party. The party recovered the officer's papers, which included a letter offering an alliance to the Zulgaths and notes detailing approaches to The Cave. A separate letter found on York was signed by General Azarcee, indicating that other Legion leaders were also sending contact and maps to The Cave. Scouts and hunters reported increased Legion patrol activity in the northern Forest.

The Ironfang Legion attacked Phaendar, skinned victims for their hides to use as tents, and is currently invading Nirmathas, believing they deserve land of their own. A detachment of the Legion was assigned to hunt Phaendar refugees; the attack on Phaendar was largely successful, though some refugees managed to escape. The Legion's lieutenant sent his son after the refugees, and a favored agent was dispatched on a separate mission but did not return. A centaur sent from General Azarci passed through an Ironfang Legion Camp seeking directions to the Zulgaths. The Legion employs a Giant Tower with crystal chambers that facilitate rapid troop movement between distant locations. Many members of the Ironfang Legion originated from the Fangwood in Isger, were displaced during the Goblinblood Wars, and previously served as mercenaries before seeking a nation of their own. The Legion tortured an escaped Fugitive, who subsequently declared he was no longer allied with them.

The Ironfang Legion controls The Road through the Fangwood, maintaining patrols of twenty to thirty soldiers and having the forest's animals allied with them. Their northern Fort serves as a base for a dragon, a horned, acid-spitting creature larger than a white bear. Hobgoblins killed the rangers stationed at the fort before Halk took control. Three hobgoblin corpses were discovered, mostly flayed and lashed to tables among the dead Redcaps. One hobgoblin had died from blood loss after being skinned alive; the redcaps attempted to attach skin from the two still-living victims to the corpse, likely to conceal the damage. Gundugar assessed that the redcaps had tortured Ironfang Hobgoblins for information before turning on one another in an effort to hide their actions. A camp of Hobgoblin Mercenaries Tied To Maltheum in a forest gulch was ambushed while cooking stew, resulting in the death of all members, one of whom carried a Wig of Holding. A Chernasardo Ranger later reported that Hobgoblin Mercenaries Tied To Maltheum occupied the forts and that their Ironfang nested atop Fort Trevalay's main Tower, where it had dissolved Rangers' bones with acid. The ranger advised avoiding The Road and traveling through the forest instead. Ironfang Hobgoblins attacked the fort with the assistance of a dragon. During the assault, the dragon severed a ranger's leg. The surviving prisoners were subsequently chained in the basement and left to perish. Ironfang Hobgoblins consumed Wine brought by a merchant, who later became the fort's Ghost.

Ironfang Hobgoblins contracted trolls to capture Fort Nunder and kill its rangers. They were allied with a dragon served by a druid and promised the trolls payment for the assault. Several weeks before Fangwood Six reached the fort, Ironfang Hobgoblins had passed through the surrounding hunting grounds. The trolls attacked Fort Nunder, causing significant destruction. After the assault, Ironfang Hobgoblins abandoned the trolls and declared the ruined fort to be their payment. The dragon and its druid later arrived at the fort, resulting in the dragon killing the troll leader. Following this, the trolls killed any Ironfang Hobgoblins who approached the ruins.

Hobgoblins are known to cause considerable trouble in the region. A blood-soaked clearing was discovered during wilderness travels, containing a severed hobgoblin arm still clutching a longsword. Drag marks led to a fissure, where giant beetles were found feeding on the remains of a Chernasardo ranger. After the beetles were destroyed, both hobgoblin and Chernasardo ranger corpses were located inside the fissure. Their wounds indicated that they had killed one another before the beetles arrived. Upon returning, reports confirmed that Ironfang Legion continued to cause significant issues.