The History of Eskir

Year 0

The Gods are dead. They were defeated and banished by the Emperor on the
continent of Antarus. This marks the end of the Chaotic Age and the beginning of
the now proclaimed Golden Age of Humankind. Not a lot is known about this time
since historiography has not been practiced by the humans and many transcripts
by elves and Dwafi have been lost during the ages. After his victory over the gods
the Emperor founded the Silhus-Empire and unified all human nations. Then he
retreated into a magnificent palace build in his new capital of Mihilith, presiding
over his empire. After Godfall only a handful of high nobility and truly capable
individuals were ever allowed an audience with the Emperor. The palace is mainly
sealed to the general public apart from the emperors royal guard, who swear an
oath to never leave the palace, and servants that all come from the highest tiers
of nobility. No one knows how old the Emperor really is, but the few that ever met
him describe him as a grown man in his prime with pitch-black short hair whose
gleaming grey eyes seem to penetrate into ones soul.

The monks of the Aryasuri cloister also decided to leave the continent due to
them fearing cataclysmic social consequences following Godfall. It has not been
recorded how they managed to make their way to Okarnis, but they settled in the
small mountain range that divided the Provinces later known as Rye Cradle and
Diskar Lowlands.

Year 187 After Godfall

The Dwafi Kingodms on Antarus declare war on the blossoming human empire for
their transgressions into and mining in Dwafi sovereign territory. At that time the
Frosttoungue Mountains were largely controlled by the Dwafi and their power
seemed to be equal if not above the Empires.

Years 203 - 218 AGF

After several years of war, a faction within the Dwafi nation betrayed their
brethren. Several Thaigs, which is the name the Dwarfi gave their cities, split
from the kingdom and allied themselves with the Empire. After this, Dwafi defeat
was all but inevitable. Their armies were shattered and several strongholds were
eradicated in the span of a few years. The process of decimation lasted until 218
until the last Thaig in Antarus fell and its population was massacred. The Dwafi
that split off from their kingdom adopted a new name, now they were called
dwarves, and were integrated into Empire society as builders and artisans. The
few dwafi that survived the Decimation fled to the continent of Okarnis to start
anew and rejoin the Dwafi Kingdom in the South.

Year 221 AGF

After witnessing this massacre the Elves became afraid since a similar fate might
befall them. They departed the continent en mass for the southern continent to
rebuild their culture in safety. Until then the humans had not developed the
technology needed to build ships that were able to traverse the strong current of
the Parting Sea, separating the two continents. The Elves that left Antarus
reconnected to their long lost brethren of the Okarnis elven kingdom and the
elven race was at long last unified once again. However, some Elves also stayed
back on Antarus and were integrated into the Empire. They also enjoyed a high
standing since their cultural achievements, like the theatre or music, were far
above anything that humans were able to create.

Years 290 - 295 AGF

As it turns out, the elven exodus might have saved them. In the year 290 AGF the
Humans declared war on all other races and forcefully unified the northern
continent. They burned Draconia, the city-state of the Dragonborn, to the ground
in 292. All of the dragons they took care of left for Okarnis after a few of them
had been slain. In Hillside, the nation of Gnomes and Halflings, humans forcefully
moved the population out of their own homes and confiscated their wealth.
Starting from this day neither Gnomes nor Halflings could life in their own capital.
Isgas, the stronghold of Tieflings and city of the arcane, also fell 295 even though
they resisted the Empire the longest. Most of the population was taken as slaves
for Empire nobles while the rest were forced to rebuild the city using a style that
would be more accommodating to humans.

All of these races were integrated into the Empire and labeled as lower races.
They differed from the dwarves since they were not allowed to become
merchants or own land. So all they were left with were low-paying labor or
degrading jobs.

Year 358 AGF

The first Empire ship lands on the north coast of Okarnis. The same year their
first city, Diskar, is founded. The Empire claims the land to the north and calls it
Diskar lowlands. They encourage dwafi and elven settlers in this territory to
vacate their land, sometimes by murdering them.

Years 371 - 395 AGF

In the last few years the number of human settlers increased drastically. They
laid claim to several regions, like Rye Cradle and forced out the other races living
in these areas. When they started to force their way into the elves territory,
Esthar Plains, the elves retaliated. This is the beginning of the First Okarnis War.
Seeing as they still bore a grudge against the Empire for the Decimation in 218
the dwafi kingdoms joined the Elves to push back the humans and free Okarnis
from them once again.

At first the OW I favored the Alliance who managed to push back the humans in
Rye Cradle. However, in the year 379 AGF the Empires first and eight Legion
landed in Diskar. These legions were made up of some of the Empires finest
warriors, each having a rather sizable uniform of thralls made up of the lesser
races with them. These legions tilted the tide of battle and forced a standstill.

In battles they used their contingents of lesser race thralls as their vanguard to
rough up the enemy army just to annihilate them once they were weakened.
After every battle they subjugated the surviving soldiers of their opponents and
forced them into their vanguard using arcane brainwashing. This method of
warfare was very effective, albeit brutal and inhuman. However, over the course
of the war they inflicted so huge casualties on Dwafi and Elves that a peace was
reached in 395 AGF. The peace treaty that was negotiated allowed the humans to
settle as much territory as they want as long as they do not violate the individual
sovereign territory of the other powers.

Years 430 445 AGF

After more than three decades of peace, commerce and expansion, war broke out
again. This time around the Empire pushed into the Ulthar mountains to gain
access to the vast treasures in them. That was something that clearly violated
the peace treaty from 395 and the dwafi declared war on them once again. This
time around the elves refrained from joining the hostilities. Elven reproduction
does not proceed as fast as that of the humans or other races, which is why they
did not manage to regain their strength from the previous war. The conflict also
did not concern them enough to justify another war.

The OW II was another bloody and brutal confrontation which cost both factions a
lot. However, once again the Empire was able to succeed in their efforts. In the
last battle of the war at Horned Pass, the dwafi army was utterly crushed by the
Empire forces and the Dwafi King, Therebald Greybeard the Resilient, was slain.
After that the Runehammer clan took over control of the Dwafi capital in Crags
Abyss, but was unable to rally the remaining Dwafi into further resistance to the
Empire. In an unfavorable peace treaty, the beaten Dwafi Kingdoms were forced
into the position of a Vasal and needed to submit to Empire rule. From then on
the Dwafi were, albeit an unofficial, part of the Empire. The Empire allowed them
to govern themselves but they had to pay tribute in the form of rare gemstones
to their overlords.

Years 470 - 474

The first Ork Invasion took place. A few Ork clans formed a brittle alliance and
invaded the provinces of Diskar Lowlands and Nightcradle. They were poorly
organized and equipped, but managed to fight two of the imperial Legions to
almost a standstill. But fighting amongst themselves ultimately led to their own
downfall. The Province of Brightshire Bog, which was then still known as the Ork
Swamp, was taken from them when the Empire chased their retreating army.
Soon after the imperial victory, the city of Brightshire was founded and the
Province renamed into Brightshire Bog. The city itself was fortified greatly to
withstand further Ork incursions.

In 473 the council of Mihilith, the empires foremost governing entity apart from
edicts directly passed down by the Emperor, enacted the Purity Edict. The edict
forbade the Lesser Races to live, work or serve in the territory of Antarus. In
addition, steps were taken by the military to evict the settlers of non human
descent from the continent. Apart from the occasional slave in service to
highborn nobles no members of the Lesser Races were allowed on Antarus soil.
Huge swaths of the population of the northern continent were moved over to
Okarnis where they had to start anew. It was a process that only found its
completion in 580 but had wide social and economic consequences. At the end of
this forceful relocation of the people only Dwarfs and Elves who were loyal to the
Empire were allowed to remain.

Years 502 520 AGF

Once again the peace was broken. This time, the Elves aggravated the Humans.
In the past century Humans became full of themselves and started settling in
Estar Plains once again, claiming part of the plains for themselves. The elven
Council did not want to start another war but faction within their nation started a
guerilla war against the human settlers. After a few massacres took place, the
Empire sent its Legions to calm the situation. The guerilla fighters were found and
executed, but the act of moving an entire army into elven sovereign territory
could not be ignored anymore. Thus, the third Okarnis War had begun.

Unlike earlier conflicts the Empire was prepared for it. Four full Legions were
mobilized and even the Dwafi were conscripted into the fighting force. In the
early years of the conflict the Elves were able to prevent Estar Plains from falling,
but it did not take long and the sheer amount of men that was thrown at them
overwhelmed them. Following this shift in power the elves had lost Esthar Plains
in its entirety by 515 and resorted to guerilla tactics to prevent further advances.
However this tactic only worked for a year or so until their capital, Illithit, was
surrounded. What followed was the Concordat of Illithit, the complete submission
of the Elves to Empire rule. Now all the major races of the southern continent
were under Empire rule. However, unlike the Dwafi, the elves did not receive their
own territory and were fully integrated into the Empire. Esthar Plains and the
bordering great forest were made into a habitat for them in exchange for their full
cooperation. Of course, humans were still able to settle in these areas, but
promised to not settle in locations that elves had already colonized.

Year 566 AGF

In the peaceful years after the Concordat of Illithit the Empire prospered. Apart
from the occasional Ork incursions into Brightshire Bog, which were dealt with
swiftly, no major conflicts arose. Then on the 5 th of Iunos the first child of the
Emperor, Zarathan was born. Even in his younger years the prince displayed
magnificent feats of strength and intelligence. Once he was in his teens he was
able to fight most of the Empires best knights to a standstill. Also, a great affinity
for magic was discovered. When only 15 he was able to cast spells of 7 th level, a
feat many sorcerers and wizards only achieved when in their fifties. Apart from
teaching him a wide variety of martial fighting styles and arcane knowledge,
young Zarathan was also instructed in the art of warfare and civic theory. His
destiny, at least as far as his teachers were concerned, was to become the most
notable general and right hand of his father. It also seemed like he was affected
by the same magic as his father since he stopped aging once he reached
adulthood.

Year 597 AGF

Finally finishing all of his studies Zarathan was among most capable fighters and
mages the Empire had ever seen since his father. As his first official assignment,
he was instructed to quell civil unrest and possible threats in Okarnis. He arrived
in Okarnis with his personal and loyal legion in 600 AGF. He was tasked to assist
the governor-optimus, the de facto ruler of the southern continent, with
controlling the dangers to Empire supremacy on the continent. With the complete
human supremacy in Antarus assured by the Purity Edict and every last member
of the Lesser Races evicted social turmoil rose up in the empires Provinces.

Years 601 621 AGF

His first few years after arriving in Okarnis he implemented a few new laws that
gave a few more rights to the lesser races. However, this did not stop civil
unrest from escalating into full blown revolts. Especially since only a few of the
Empire provinces adopted his new laws. After subduing some revolutions started
by the lesser races in 619, he came into contact with Feyliss, the elven princess.
For a while she was dissatisfied with the Concordat of Illithit which her late father
signed. Her brother Linthal, who presided over the elven throne, on the other
hand was a firm believer in the Emperor and supported the concordat. This led to
Feyliss to try and take the throne of her brother, believing that the elven
civilization had no future under Empire rule. A war amongst the Elves broke out
where Zarathan sided with the princess. However, after the Emperor himself
ordered him to stand down he withdrew from the conflict. When Feyliss and her
followers were ultimately pushed back and in danger of being wiped out,
Zarathan allowed her and the other Elves under her command to flee into the
Great Forest who was largely uncharted territory. In the north of the forest they
found a new home and adopted the name of Drow, with Feyliss as their queen.
The civil war ended, but the powerful elven nation was a caricature of its former
power. There were the occasional border skirmishes between the High Elves and
the Drow but no open conflict.

Years 628 630 AGF

Shortly after the civil war amongst the elves another crisis demanded Zarathans
attention. West of Okarnis word spread of a terrible magic at work that raised the
dead. He and his legion arrived on the shore of the island Arith where these
strange rumors originated. There he learned of a cult of necromancers who lived
in a small fortress on the islands biggest mountain, Nostros Peak. Investigating
this cult, Zarathan came into contact with Dunsul. Dunsul was the former
Archmagus of Mihilith and vanished on an excursion into the southern regions of
Okarnis during OW III in 511. He was considered one of the most powerful magic
wielders of the Golden Age and was one of the few that ever were granted an
audience by the Emperor. During the Great War Dunsul met a vampire noble that
taught him about necromancy. Knowing he could never research this school of
magic from within the Empire, he made off to a remote location, namely the
island of Arith and started his research there.

It did not take a long time and he was so immersed in this school that he
managed to extend his own life indefinitely to further his research. The
possibilities necromancy offered him were so plentiful that not even after more
than a hundred years he fully mastered it. Additionally, there were almost no
records of this school ever found and he could not rely on other peoples work to
enhance his progress. It was exhilarating. In Dunsuls mind, he created a path for
future generations also delving into necromancy. Taming it for the use of the
general public and eradicating the possible harmful side effects.

Zarathan was intrigued and spent the next two years with the old wizard and his
students, learning from him and developing his own magic capabilities. When he
left for the mainland again, Dunsul accompanied him as his mentor and most
trusted adviser. The necromancers disciples remained on the island, guarding
and furthering their teachers research.

Years 630 635 AGF

When Zarathan returned to the mainland grim tidings of another Ork invasion
were brought to his attention. Together with his Legion and his advisers he led an
expedition into the Ork Wastes. There he met Chieftain Goregrutz of the Orkrox.
After some initial battles, each ended without a clear victory, both warriors met
on the field of battle to settle their differences in a one on one fight. Even though
Zarathan was a magnificent fighter and learned from the best the Empire had to
offer, he could not best the sheer ferocity of the berserker. Their duel lasted for
an entire day and night, but it ended with both parties falling unconscious before
either could deal a finishing blow. Days later, after each of the leaders was
retrieved by their individual armies they met on the field of battle again. This
time Zarathan did not come armed but brought a wagon of ale with him. Again,
days passed and when scouts found the two adversaries, both were lying next to
an empty cart of ale, completely drunk.

After this strange meeting both leaders were close friends. When their drunken
stupor faded Zarathan decided to assist Goregrutz in uniting all the different Ork
clans under his banner. With the combined might of these two generals it only
took about 2 years to defeat most opposing factions and unite all the Orks on
Okarnis. Together they formulated a pact that the Orks were allowed to reclaim
most of Brightshire Bog apart from the human settlements and Brightshire itself.
In exchange for them not pillaging the villages and settlements, the Empire was
required to pay some form of compensation to the united horde. This
compensation could come in the form rare meats or materials for better
weapons. To control the bloodlust of the Orks Zarathan commissioned the
creation of a great arena right on the cusp between the Ork Wastes and
Brightshire Bog. In this arena the strongest fighters of the Empire tested their
mettle against the Orks and vise versa. The winner was usually paid in enchanted
equipment and glory.

Years 636 645 AGF

While overseeing the construction of the arena, Zarathan traveled to the vampire
city Brimstone. The vampires had begun to become more aggressive in previous
years and he wanted to stop needless bloodshed before it started. At the court of
the vampire lords he had to apply all his knowledge of courtly demeanor and
survive several intrigues. However, he also found a valuable ally. The vampire
prince Nachtklinge, which was his official title as well as the name he was
addressed with, helped him to find a peaceful solution to this problematic
situation. Nachtklinge who was impressed by a human surviving 2 entire years at
the vampire court, as well as his negotiation skills, swore fealty to Zarathan. He
and his kin became Zarathans Keeper of Secrets, a spy organization and
consortium of saboteurs that intervened in situation where martial prowess was
of no use.

Following his time at the vampire court he returned back to Diskar where he
started to improve the situation of non-humans within Okarnis. Through cunning
and brilliant application of his negotiation skills he was able to pass a few laws
that vastly improved the living situations and work permissions of the Lesser
Races. While he was in the area he also went to meet with the head of the
Aryasuri cloister. There he was being taught several techniques and teachings
that the millennia old cloister had accumulated. During his time there he also met
the cheerful shadow monk Roku.

Roku was the head of the Shadow Moon sect within the cloister. Starting at a
young age he was taken in by the cloister and trained by the best masters in
every field. However, the young Roku had an uncanny affinity for vanishing in the
middle of training and relaxing outside of the cloisters walls, no matter how
much attention was paid to him. Therefore it was decided that he should be
taught in the art of Moon Shadow. This sect within the cloister was the most
formidable group of spies and assassins that all of Eskir had ever seen. After only
a few years of service within the Moon Shadow, Roku managed to climb all the
way to the position of Avatar of the Moon, and with that title became the head of
the entire sect. He went on a series of assignments and always returned
successful, no matter how impossible his odds seemed. However, during his
travels he witnessed the unfairness and prejudice towards the Lesser Races. Due
to his well developed sense of justice he started to reach a breaking point. When
he met Zarathan, both of these men recognized an immense strength in each
other. For hours they discussed and philosophized and in time, Roku recognized
the potential for change in the prince.

But then on the 8th of Maradis of 645 AFG something happened that would greatly
change the face of Okarnis. On this particular evening an assassin from Antarus
tried to kill Zarathan while he was strolling through the cloister gardens. He was
only saved by hairs breath when Roku noticed the incursion in the cloisters inner
sanctuary in time. Zarathan ordered Nachtklinge to interrogate this assassin and
after the night was done he knew who send this assassin. The Emperor himself
tried to have his own son killed for he became too popular and powerful on the
southern continent. By that time Zarathan was viewed as almost a savior by the
Lesser Races and he had gathered a consortium of powerful people as his allies.
With the assassination attempt foiled Zarathan left the cloister and made towards
the south to rally his allies the Orks, because he knew that when the Emperor
wants someone dead he usually succeeds.

Roku who had witnessed all that transpired was furious with rage. The one he
thought could turn the Empires wicked ways around almost died. Even more, they
tried to do it in his home, the place he swore to protect. He decided to appear to
his brothers in the cloister and fight alongside Zarathan should he need their aid.
Alas, the abbot, a wise and old man and someone that was almost like a father to
Roku, forbade it. Even though he was honor bound to his oath to the cloister he
decided to do what he thought was right and gathered his Shadow Moon and
followed Zarathan. A few monks from the other sects within the cloister also
joined him for they also believed that only the survival of the prince could bring
about change.

Years 646 659 AGF

In most history books referring to this era the 8 th of Maradis was commonly seen
as the starting point of the fourth Okaris War. Zarathan rallied all his forces,
starting with his own legion, two full legions of Orks under the command of
Goregrutz and one legion full with Drow archers sent by Feyliss, who also joined
him on the battlefield. Even the vampire lords, sick of the Empires meddling also
sent several units to his aid. All his troops combined, he fielded almost 10.000
soldiers when he first started his conquest of Okarnis. In the span of one year his
forces managed to siege and occupy all major settlements and fortresses of
Brightshire Bog as well as Nightcradle. With that he controlled the entire south
and set his eyes onto the most important province in the entire area: Rye Cradle.
Rye Cradle was the region with the most fertile soil and mildest climate which
made it perfect for crops as well as animal husbandry. Managing to control it
would put most of the continent at his mercy. However, the Empire did not sit idly
by while he was taking over more and more provinces. Eight full legions under
the command of Grand General Kringer were mobilized, three of which came
from Antarus, to face off against him. In addition, the Elves also were called to
arms and mobilized an another legion. The dwafi, who were still controlled by the
Empire were also forced to mobilize and march against Zarathan in 649 AGF.

A few miles before Zarathan and his allies reached the capital of Rye Cradle,
Eandris, the elves engaged them. The elven legion, which could traverse the
terrain faster than the Humans or Dwafi harassed them during their approach
what forced Zarathan to stop his approach. Due to their mobility it was
impossible for the allied army to engage the Elves in melee and after a few hours
their reinforcements arrived. While the full brunt of 8 imperial legions crashed
into the rebellions battle formation, the Dwafi approached from the rear
seemingly unnoticed. Even though they had superior forces, the Empire was not
able to break through the center of bloodthirsty Orks or avoid the hail of piercing
arrows sent by the Drow from the back lines. Still, their numbers showed and
little by little the rebels were pushed back. Then finally the Dwafi appeared on
the battlefield. Two entire legions led by Ysmir Runehammer, King under Crags
Abyss, charged in to finally obliterate Zarathans insurgency. Alas, to the surprise
of the imperial generals, they did not flank the princes force but their own. With
a loud roar the Dwafi let loose all of their pent up anger and frustration at their
years of servitude while they started to decimate the imperial forces. Within
minutes the legion positioned at their left flank crumbled and ran.

At this moment, their right flank also turned inwards. The Black Knight, one of the
Emperors finest champions and Zarathans childhood rival, suddenly stopped his
assault and led his troops against the imperial armys core. This was when it
dawned on High General Kringer. This whole setup, Zarathan deliberately
positioned himself in a way where victory would seem assured for the Empire.
That meant that, what he had deemed a terrible lack of judgment fueled by his
previous easy victories, was in fact a carefully constructed trap to crush the
Empires main force. Unbeknownst to most people involved, Zarathan had sent
Nachtklinge to the Dwafi after his departure from the cloister even before he
started rallying his forces. From the beginning, he knew that when the time was
right he had an ally that hated the Empire even more than the Orks. To Kringers
dismay, Zarathans plan bore fruit. After only a few hours the imperial army
routed and fled back to Diskar. In total, the death toll was exuberant. Out of the 8
legions that remained loyal to the Emperor, including the Elves, only
approximately 4 returned to Diskar. The forces that werent massacred in the
battle were hunted down by Orks or Drow before they could reach a safe haven.

Additionally, Zarathan now fielded the equivalent of 7 legions and his numbers
only seemed to increase. With this victory he sent the message that even the
omnipotent Empire could be inflicted a crushing defeat, something that had not
happened since the Empires conception. All casualties that the battles inflicted
on the rebellion army were supplemented by the influx of new volunteers.
Especially the Lower Races flogged to his banner, since they more than anyone
else had suffered under the Empires oppression. By 651 his forces swelled up to
what would amount to 8 full legions, equipped with weapons and armor forged by
Dwafi. After conquering Rye Cradle, Zarathan besieged the Elves in Esthar Plains.
To cover his rear he positioned two legions in the Diskar Lowlands to block off any
advance by the Empire to aid their ally. With the remaining legions he managed
to force the Elves surrender and Feyliss could at long last reclaim her brothers
throne. Officially the Drow and Elves were now reunited and marched towards
Diskar, the last bastion of imperial rule on the continent.

Unbeknownst to everyone on the southern continent, the Empire in collaboration

with the finest dwarven smiths and artificers in Mihilith had begun the Titan
project in 650 AGF. Titans were massive rune-covered constructs made of mithril
and gold, encrusted with the most beautiful enchanted gemstones, which
encased a particularly powerful mage from the high council of magic. These
mages were able to amplify their spell casting ability by channeling their magic
through these enchanted gemstones. That meant that a level one spell would for
example be released with the potency of a 9 th slot spell. The downside was that
the mages in these titans would never be able to live a normal life again since it
was impossible to sever the connection between a Titan and his rider. An
additional problem with a Titans rider was that they were also unable to die of
natural causes since their flesh and soul itself was forever absorbed by the Titan
which meant that the mage himself would become the Titan. Nobody exactly
knew how this came to be, but some rumors state that it was the Emperor
himself who cast the invocation for each individual Titan. In total 5 Titans were
created. The current Arch Magus of Mihilith, Trindes, piloted the first and most
powerful of the Titans. The other 4, slightly smaller Titans were controlled by
Endru of the Maelstrom, Ingrith the Mistress of Flame, Perna Freezing Touch and
Fundir the Illusionist. These monstrosities made of magic and metal were sent to
finally squash the rebellion in Okarnis.
In the year 652 AGF the siege of Diskar finally commenced. While Zarathan was
occupied with conquering Esthar Plains the Empire managed to reinforce Diskar
with another 3 Legions, which meant that the defenders had 6 legions defending
Okarnis capital facing off against Zarathans 8. Even though he had the advantage
of numbers, the massive walls and strong plentiful defenders made a long siege
all but inevitable. Especially problematic was the lack of a potent naval force that
could match the Empires might. This meant that Zarathan was not able to fully
block of the harbor of Diskar or breach the capital by sea. While the Empire could
still supply its troops with resources and men from the mainland, the attackers
could not simply starve out their opponents. Still, Zarathan was content with this
situation. In his previous battles he destroyed most of the active military force
the Empire had at its disposal while his forces kept growing with each passing
day. The complete control of Okarnis also provided more than enough resources
to keep the war going for at least another 10 years. However, he neither knew of
the Titans that were being developed nor could he foresee how long the siege
would actually last.

For 6 years the battle raged on until Zarathans forces finally forced their way into
the city. But when they breached the main gate and rushed into the city they
were greeted by 5 behemoths, shimmering gold and silver in the sunlight. Within
seconds they released massive blasts that incinerated all of the vanguard.
Neither Zarathan nor his generals knew what had transpired when a thundering
explosion followed by screams of dread were heard from within the wall. Before
they managed to scout ahead to figure out what had transpired the 5 giants
stomped out of the gates followed by 6 full imperial legions eager to get payback
for their earlier defeats. Before he could assess the threat that these new
machinations posed to him and his army, they started blasting and channeling
devastating attacks into the midst of his main force. Panic and desperation
spread like wildfire in his army. Even his allies seemed shaken by what they
witnessed. Even though he desperately tried to reorganize his ranks, the imperial
soldiers already started a slaughter. Desperately he pulled in 3 of his reserve
legion but all was for naught. His perfectly planned battle plan could not cope
with the destructive power the titans possessed. Never had Eskir seen such might
ever since the Gods had vanished. A retreat also was out of the question since
fleeing from such an enemy could very well mean complete and utter defeat. He
would probably also lose the support of the Lesser Races for they surely would
cast away their ambitions and hope of ever beating the Empire. The only way left
was to take care of the problem and fast.

While he did manage to regain some semblance of order and control over his
army in time, the situation did not improve at all. During the battle Zarathan and
his allies made one last ditch effort to turn the tide. With their combined strength
they faced off against Endru of the Maelstrom and even managed to destroy him.
However, this gained them the attention of all the other Titans all at once.
Surrounded and cut off from their main force they fought for their own survival.
Still, no matter how bravely or honorably they struggled, they were no match for
4 Titans all at once. The first one to fall was The Dark Knight, shielding Zarathan
from a massive blast with his own body. The rivalry between these two men had
led him to deeply respect the prince and if anyone would best him, it could only
be him. The next that fell was Nachtklinge. While he managed to do a massive
amount of damage to Ingrith he lost his footing and was hit by a blast from Perna.
The blast was so powerful that his body was fully disintegrated. When Ysmir saw
that they were losing members left and right he blew into his enchanted horn and
summoned his royal guard to him. It was his last trump card and he wanted to
save his allies by sacrificing his best soldiers to cover their retreat. It took only
one blast from Trindes to wipe out all of the elite warriors that Ysmir had
summoned and wound him aswell. Though the hardy dwarf was badly seared and
lost one arm he screamed out in rage and charged the Arch Magus. With a deep
rumble, the brave dwarf disappeared beneath the Titans foot.

Fueled by rage and sorrow, Zarathan cast his most powerful spells and engaged
the Arch Magus. They cast their spells towards each other for minutes, no one
seeming to gain the upper hand until finally a concentrated magical ray hit
Zarathan right at the lower torso. Grasping for air and blood-soaked the prince
fell onto his knees. Never had he met an enemy that so utterly outclassed him.
His remaining allies who were facing the other Titans noticed Zarathan going
down and rallied around him, they gave him to Roku who was the fastest of all
the remaining fighters and charged their foes, creating a distraction for the monk
to bring Zarathan to safety. When he reached the front lines Roku tasked one of
the soldiers to bring their leader away from here. He himself turned around and
rushed back to the remaining champions of the rebellion, hoping that he could
somehow help them or find a way to break their enemy. That was the last time
anyone from the rebellion ever saw one of Zarathans generals.

Shortly after the disappearance of Zarathans allies the command structure of the
army collapsed and all his troops were routed. He himself was in a coma, being
brought to a remote and hidden location. His personal guard swore a vow to
guard and hide him until the day he would wake and lead them again. An oath
that only their children and childrens children could see fulfilled. The war
however ended shortly after the siege of Diskar. By 659 AGF order was once
again restored to the continent and the empire reigned supreme.

Year 1008 AGF

After almost 350 years, Zarathan regained enough strength and magical power to
finally be able to bring back a few of his former allies. Goregrutz, Dunsul and
Roku awake in a dim lit chamber, extremely weakened and confused what will
be in store for them, and how did the world change in their absence?