When I played For Honor for the first time, I saw the ripe potential that game had for crossovers and stories. I clocked many hours in the multiplayer, discovering new armor and weapon parts to craft with. So I bring my three favorite classes into the realm of Middle-Earth during the War of the Ring. Now, for reference this will take place in the middle of Book One (The Fellowship of the Ring). They will take part within the main events of the stories, but mostly I will try to carve out my own events and conflicts (though I will try my absolute best to stick to not mess around with the lore nor the timeline). This includes bringing in OCs and the like, but don't worry, you'll be seeing some of the main characters walking about.

For languages, I have relied mostly on Google Translate and Reddit for the uses of Latin, Icelandic and Japanese. However, for the usage of Elvish, Black Speech and other languages, I will most likely butcher the grammar and syntax (even with help from other sites). Please don't be afraid to PM me corrections and proper translations regarding those matters. I'm always willing to learn!

I do hope you enjoy, and don't be afraid to offer suggestions as to what I can add later on! Middle Earth is large, and there are things even Tolkien haven't explained before!

Prologue: Divine Wind

It was the War of Wolves, a conflict set in motion by the master of the Blackstone Legion, Apollyon. A battle on the Northern Sea was commencing, a storm raging on as if the gods themselves were warring above. Three sides took part in this naval battle; The Knights of the Iron Legion, the Warborn Vikings, and the Dawn Empire Samurai. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as men and women fought on the boats of three factions, regardless of who or what was on them. The rain poured on mercilessly as the ringing of steel, the frenzied roars of warriors, and the dying screams of the dying echoed with the clashing of the waves.

Apollyon may have been yet another corpse now, but she certainly had her war.

Aboard a Viking longship, three warriors did battle in the watery furor. They were busy fighting off mere grunts and arrow-fodder as well as trying to keep themselves from going overboard on the rocking ship.

One was a Warden of the Iron Legion, donning a a set of interwoven silver-like metal plates in the Elner style atop chain-mail, topped by a Arcturus helmet to protect against a stray arrow or blade strike, and completed by segmentation along the torso, Dullahan style arms, and legs to provide greater dexterity in battle. His longsword, called Imperator was made by the best smiths of the Iron Legion, with an engraved Howard blade and blue Magnus hilt, combined with a silver-plated Garian guard, the face of a lion engraved in the center. He fought like the creature he bore upon his blue, white and silver tabbard, slaying both Samurai and Viking alike, all in the name of the Legion.

The second was a Valkyrie of the Warborn, wearing nothing more than a full-faced metal Siren helm with ram horns, green, pine and silver Spirel-style leather armor with Nebula metal plates along the furs. The skulls of rams are attached to her gauntlets, and most of the fur on her armor was that of a ram. Her thick bare skin was covered in tattoos, all souvenirs of past battles. The spear she carried, named Fjárhirðir, had a gold-embroidered Asger head and shaft, coupled with a steel-gray Zihrak buckler, covered in runes. Her long, thick blonde hair was braided in the back, though it was stained with blood as her spear impaled many grunts and her ram-crested shield breaking bones. They say that she, along with here weapons and armor, were forged by Thor himself, and she guide as many souls to Valhalla with glee in his name.

The third was an Orochi of the Dawn Empire, an assassin wearing gold, green and red metal plates in the Nunki style that covered most of his body with chain mail underneath, a traditional kabuto helm in the Hagane style with a coiled dragon crest, a dull gray mempo that covered his mouth and nose with dashes of tan paint that gives the image of teeth. His katana was named Kobura, designed with a gold dragon-headed Ikagura hilt, guard and Kusanagi blade, the image of a serpent running along the blade. Forged by his ancestors nearly 500 years ago and passed from parent to child, it was sharp enough to cut through the rain and the sprays of blood of foes as she struck with masterful precision. The Orochi was good at his work, and each kill brought him closer to his goals.

Foot soldiers of all factions fell to these three warriors, and soon the deck was riddled with bodies of knights, vikings and samurai alike. The three looked at each other with feelings of rage, blood-lust and determination as they began to circle up, locked in defensive postures.

"Sem deyr fyrst? (Who dies first)?" the Valkyrie asked as she hefted her spear.

The Orochi was silent, but the Warden began to murmur a prayer under his breath.

"Dominus est, da mihi potestatem habente occidendi inimicos meos. (Lord, give me the power to slay my foes)..."

The Valkyrie growled a little while looking at both warriors, then she let out a war cry while charging at the Warden. He blocked with his, though his eyes widened a little as he saw the Orochi take advantage of the block. The Warden then shifted his weight and shoved the Valkyrie towards the Orochi, who pivoted out of the way. She recovered just in time to block a blow from him, at the same time swinging her shield to smack the Orochi's head, sending the Samurai stumbling while dazed.

The Warden shouted as he began to unleash a flurry of attacks on the Valkyrie, who countered as many attacks as she could with her shield. The steel-coated base managed to stop the blows long enough for the Orochi to recover and attack the Warden from his right. He faced two fronts now, blocking attacks until all three locked weapons, grunting and growling as they pressed in.

"Þú misstir mig, hálfviti (You missed me, idiot)!" The Valkyrie hissed out.

Soon, she ripped her spear out, causing the Warden and Orochi to stumble at the sudden interruption. In the next moment, she shield-bashed the Warden into the Orochi, causing them both to stumble and slip on the slippery deck. They both cursed as they landed on bodies, though they acted quickly in getting up. The Valkyrie attempted to stab the Orochi while he was down, but the spearhead met a different body than the Samurai's. He had used a dead Iron Legion grunt as a meat shield to take the blow, to which he shoved and sprung up, knocking the Valkyrie back with a spinning kick. The Warden had recovered by this time, and when the Valkyrie had been knocked back, he shoulder bashed the Orochi into the mast of the ship, stunning the man.

"Miserum (Pitiful)!" He shouted while going in for a quick strike.

The Orochi gasped as he saw the blade coming, and moved just in time to avoid the strike. The blade grazed over his ornament as it struck the wood, leaving it embedded partially. The Warden cursed loudly as he yanked it out, only to be tripped by the Orochi's leg. He fell onto his back, though he raised his sword to block a heavy strike from him. He rolled back onto his feet, raising his sword and locking eyes with the Samurai, who assumed a guarded stance.

"Jinjyo ni shoubu (Let's have an honorable showdown)!" The Orochi hissed.

And that is what would have happened had not the Valkyrie rushed in and blitzed into the Orochi with a roar, slamming him into the ground with her shield. The Orochi shouted "NANI (WHAT)?!" in response, though he managed to bat away a spear-strike before springing back up to his feet. The Valkyrie chuckled a little as she held up a defensive position against the Orochi, but soon was flanked by the Warden, the three forming a triangle of death.

Suddenly, they heard the creaking of wood and the roar of the ocean growing louder. The ship began to sway roughly as the waves picked up, causing the three warriors to stumble and lose their balance. The Valkyrie and Orochi clung to the mast, whereas the Warden lost his balance and slipped, sliding down to the edge of the hull. He would have slid off into a watery grave had he not grabbed one of the ship's decorative shields, keeping his upper body above while his legs were submerged. The longship then rocked back, throwing the Warden onto its deck and causing him to slide with the many corpses to the other side.

The Orochi and Valkyrie had recovered once the ship had returned its center of gravity, though the latter had their legs taken out from underneath them by the sliding Warden, with the former jumping at the last second. The Warden's hand shot out and gripped the mast, stopping him from sliding any further, though he didn't have time to get up. The Orochi was upon him, bringing down his katana on the Warden's longsword. He managed to parry the blow and shove back, sending the Orochi stumbling into the recovering Valkyrie. He fell over her and landed on his backside, giving the Valkyrie the advantage. She started to raise her spear to strike, only to hear the loud grunt of the Warden behind her. She raised her shield to block the blow, parrying the attack and sending the knight stumbling.

Right as the Orochi stood up, he let out a roar as he kicked the Valkyrie in the back, sending her into the Warden and collapsing them both onto the ground. The Valkyrie landed on top of the Warden, which in turn she rammed her knee into his crotch. Instead of feeling cloth or weaker chainmail, her leather-capped knee struck hard steel plate. She roared out in pain and rolled off the Warden, who was chuckling until he was forced to block a strike from the Orochi. In the midst of the strike, he parried the blade so that it ran forward, causing the wielder to stumble forward. Rolling back as the Orochi stumbled onto him, the Warden launched him forward with his legs, sending the Samurai skidding towards the front bow of the ship. The Warden had managed to roll up and resumed his stance, only to be knocked down by the impact of another longship colliding with their own.

He fell to his knees and began to curse, only for the stream of curses to grow as he saw that the other ship had caught, set ablaze by either a lightning strike or a barrage of oil-fire arrows. Both the ships' were caught together, the yardarms crossing and locking in as well as the oars of the burning ship crashing into splinters and the forestays of both ships tangling. To make matters worse, the sail was beginning to catch. The Orochi and the Valkyrie saw this too, and they had thoughts about jumping ship, perhaps swimming to another longship. However, there wasn't another vessel within swimming distance, and given how fatigued they were, they would drown in the process. So, there was only one thing to do.

"Interficiam velis (Cut the sails)!" the Warden shouted while pointing at the yardarm with his longsword.

Despite not understanding the language, the Orochi caught on then rushed forward towards the mast. He sheathed his katana and then motioned for the Warden.

"Watashi o būsuto (Boost me up)!"

The Warden looked at the Orochi with a raised eyebrow, but then he understood after the Samurai pointed upwards. He sheathed his longsword upon his back, then he got on one knee in front of the mast. The Orochi ran back and then did a running jump, landing on the Warden's back and using him as a springboard to get higher on the mast. As he did, the Samurai took a risky move and rebounded off the mast and grabbed onto the starboard shroud. Had his grip been weaker, the slippery rope and mast would have lead him to his death. Nevertheless, he climbed up as fast as he could, struggling to catch up to the sails before the fire could entirely consume it.

Meanwhile, the Valkyrie was working to free the ship away. She looked at the Warden as he was working to unhinge the decorative shields as well as the smashed oars in the rower's seats. She saw the riggings and knew she'd have to cut them, but it'd have to be on the burning ship. So she took a running start then vaulted over the hull rail onto the burning ship, sprinting towards the front rigging and forestay. She didn't take notice of the screaming and burning warriors around her, though she did fend off a berserk and burning Kensei Samurai, fending off his huge Nodachi with her spear before she shield-bashed him in the face then threw him off the ship into the water. She then worked her spear to cut the caught forestay, hacking the rope off with her spear.

"Komdu, stykki af skít (Come on, you piece of shit)!" she cursed as she continued to hack through the rigging while fending off burning foot soldiers.

Up on the yardarm, the Orochi had trouble balancing upon the beam merely a hand's width thick. The rain had practically blinded him while his tabi boots slipped more than once on the slippery wood. He fell at least three times, clinging onto the wood until he got close to the blaze. He pulled himself up and drew out his katana, starting to slice away at the burning yardarm and sail. Given the conditions, he couldn't make a perfect slice, but with willpower and endurance, he managed to cut the yardarm free of the burning ship's own. Now he had to cut the sail that had been burning. He saw no other option, and with a yell he jumped off and drove his blade into the sheet. The edge cut through the cloth like butter, and it didn't slow his descent until he to cut the cloth free of the fire.

However, as the katana came free, a final snag in the sail caused it to yank out of the Orochi's hands, landing on the deck of the ship. He cursed loudly as he saw it land, though he fell in between the gap of the intertwined ships, landing in the water. The Orochi could swim as well as anyone, but only a broken oar stub had saved him from going under the waves. He took a deep breath as he surfaced, and had begun to climb out. Suddenly, a steel hand reached and gripped his own and was yanked onto the deck. The Orochi coughed a little as he rose to his knees, then he saw the thing that had saved him: The Warden himself.

It was around that time that the Valkyrie had finished hacking the rigging and ropes, untangling the lines. She let out a grunt of success as the ship came free, but then saw that another wave was forcing the ships apart. The Warden had freed the oars already, and now she had to act quickly. Letting out a grunt, she took a running start and vaulted up to the railing, then leaped as far as she could. It was a close shave, but the Valkyrie managed to grab onto one of the shields as the burning boat was pushed away. To her horror though, the damage the ship had received loosened the hold of the shield, and it started falling under her weight.

"Oh ríða (Oh fuck)!" she cursed aloud.

If it were not for the Orochi and the Warden's quick reactions, the Valkyrie would have been sucked under the choppy waters. They gripped her forearms and yanked her onto the deck, and all three laid there in a pile of panting bodies. They were strong warriors, but the actions had worn them out. Their weapons were held tight even then though, and the Orochi was the first to get up and back away from the others. He could have killed them in that moment, but through his labored breathing, he figured it was only right to give them a breather. After all, the group had just worked to save their own hides from being incinerated then drowned.

Soon, the Warden and the Valkyrie stood up, the former's hands on his knees and longsword resting on his back and the latter sitting on a barrel with spear and shield resting against her chest. The rain seemed to get heavier as well as the intensity of the thunder, but the three paid no heed to the storm nor the furor that seemed to be further off. The Warden coughed a little before standing up and looking at the Valkyrie and Orochi, and he gave a nod of respect to both. The Orochi returned the gesture as well as the Valkyrie, though when she stood up all three's hands were close to their blades, ready to draw should one make a move.

"Do any of you speak the Common Language?" he asked, his Ashfeld accent giving him the air of an intelligent knight.

"Yeah, I speak it." the Valkyrie responded, her own Valkenheim accent rough and coarse but still somehow sounded feminine.

"I speak the barbarian tongue." The Orochi responded, his usually refined and sharp accent butchering the pronunciation of the words.

The Warden nodded in response, then he stood straighter in his place before casting a glance at the ship.

"Not bad work, actually. We only scorched part of the ship."

The warriors regarded their work, but when they looked out at the battle happening in the distance, all three felt mixed feelings at the battle. Loyalty tugged at their minds, how they should be killing each other in the name of their factions. After all, were they not each other's mortal enemies? But then again...look at what they had done together. They had saved the ship through cooperation - granted out of necessity - but they worked well and efficiently. Perhaps there was another way?

"So...what do we do now?" The Valkyrie asked.

"I say we sail back and then go our separate ways. I do not wish to kill either of you here." the Orochi suggested.

"I concur...but I'd like to know your names, please." The Warden asked.

"What for? We're probably gonna get gutted the minute we get there." the Valkyrie predicted.

"Perhaps, but what if we don't? There's always a chance we might live to see another day, and if I should encounter either of you on the field, I'd rather not kill you without purpose."

The Orochi and Valkyrie looked at each other, and then she shrugged.

"Can't argue with that. Name's Vinnsluminni. Astrid Vinnsluminni."

"Ryouichi Hayate." The Orochi introduced himself with a brief bow.

"Sir William Rayner. Pleasure to meet you all." the Warden added.

"So, we all know each other's names...but how are we going to get back to the battle?" Astrid asked as she pointed to the oars.

The Warden didn't think of that, and he cursed softly in Latin. They weren't going to go anywhere without oars, and he realized his mistake in smashing the vital pieces.

He was about to speak when he realized that the choppy water had gotten calmer, and that he could hear a surging off in the distance. Turning to the source of the noise, his eyes widened in horror as he could make out a force coming through in the rain. It made him take a step back from the railing, still unable to comprehend his sight. Ryouichi and Astrid turned to see what spooked William so much, and they blinked in shock as well.

"Kamikaze (Divine wind)..." Ryouichi murmured aloud.

He gulped a little as he saw the large wave fast approaching, growing more and more in height. All three stumbled to keep themselves stead as the rocking began to grow rough, but Astrid took a deep breath and stood her ground, facing the rogue wave with determination.

"Why do you stand like this?" William suddenly asked.

"The Old Father wove the skane of your life a long time ago, Warden. Go hide in a slot or something, but you won't last an instant longer. Fear profits a warrior nothing." she replied with a grin behind her helmet.

William stared at the woman, but she had a point. There was really nothing they could do to avoid the rogue wave, so what was the point of fear? He swallowed it with much effort, but he took comfort by drawing his sword and kneeling down. He had begun to pray in Latin, whispering the oath he had made and giving thanks to God above that he had lived well.

"A shame...I wished to die upon the battlefield. But...we cannot choose our ends. Karma, neh?" Ryouichi replied as he knelt down on the deck, folding his hands in his lap.

"Any regrets, boys?" Astrid asked as the wave grew closer, the rumbling now drowning out the thunder.

"No. I have lived a good life." William replied.

"I have no regrets." Ryouichi answered, eyes still closed.

"Good, 'cause neither do I. Only thing I wish I had was a good mug of ale." she stated with a chuckle as she sat down in between the warriors.

"Mmm...a cold beer would have been wonderful now." William murmured.

"Hai (Yes), I would have loved to enjoy one last shot of Sake." Ryouichi added.

The three warriors chuckled a little, though they grew silent as the rogue wave arrived. The force of the wave darkened the sky and drowned out the rain they felt thudding on their armor. It was the end for sure, but all three were at peace to different degrees.

"See you in Valhalla." the Valkyrie concluded.

Then the wave struck, capsizing the longship and sending all occupants into the ocean. They were helpless against the power of nature, and let themselves be drifted into oblivion. Each one of them began to sink into the water, their weapons held firm in their hands, and they thought the could see a light in the darkness of the ocean. It was a bright light, perhaps the light to the next world or to Valhalla, they did not know. All they knew was that death had come at last, and soon they slipped into the darkness, unknowingly that something was dragging them up...

The Rogue Typhoon as the freak wave was known in the records of the land, wiped out two-thirds of the entire fighting force, killing Knight, Samurai, and Viking alike in its blow. All three factions suffered heavy losses, putting the war on hold for quite some time. The leaders of the three factions, Lord Holden Cross of the Iron Legion, Jarl Stigandr of the Warborn Clans, and Daimyo Aya of the Dawn Empire saw this as a chance to make peace. Negotiations continued throughout the war, and just as peace could be held, fighting broke out again. However, the thought of the Rogue Typhoon echoed in the veterans of that battle, and they had learned to fear the ocean.

The names of the Warden, Valkyrie and Orochi were marked as missing in action. No one could count the bodies of the dead that floated in the water, nor could most be found. The deep had claimed thousands upon thousands of lives that night, and those three warriors were another statistic among the dead.

Just another casualty of war...right?

As stated before, don't be afraid to offer suggestions and what I can do to improve in your reviews!