Saii

Part 6: The aftermath, Glilin's elevation and the Great Agreement. Now we come at last to the changing of the lands; to the decimation of the races. We come to the withdrawal of the Gods, the creation of the Eternals, the coming of the Wraith. This story is still being written, for it is ours and that of our fathers. I write only two score years after the event, and I remember it well - the aftermath.

Within days a flood of high quality ordinance moved from the Northern Valleys to the armouries of Gaia and Minos. These were closely followed by legions of highly disciplined Dwarves outfitted in heavy armour, carrying near-unbreakable weapons and headed by Glilin himself. They reached the front lines in time to swing the outcome of the war's deciding battle, at the gates of Portland. The momentous day is described in greater detail in the story of Folis and Salia, but suffice to say here that Selain's army was beaten - though not broken. Both sides agreed on an end to the war, which seemed to have ended as a draw, neither side being confident enough to resume hostilities.

Glilin looked upon the war, and found the cause of this inferior metal to be Orchan work. Controlling the Second Continent, they owned the ore mines where the best iron was to be found, yet cared little for the process of extracting or smelting it properly. The result was cheap, brittle metal that was simply not usable in his high craft. Glilin decided that this was a cause the Dwarves should fight for, and used his immense influence within the Dwarven community to call a gathering on the subject. Glilin talked long into the night at this meeting, shouting down agents of Selain who attempted to silence him, and to the surprise of all, including himself, found there to be a huge sympathy for his cause. All the Dwarves had suffered from a lack of usable materials, and a motion was swiftly passed to join the Aluwenists in their struggle.

A Dwarf in the truest sense, Glilin excelled at craftsmanship in a way not seen since Dvar himself walked above, and had for most of his life ignored the world outside his workshop. His weapons were world renowned, his tools were to be found nowhere else, and his jewellery was made in such exquisitely fine ways that friends would fight to hold it. Yet as he reached the nadir of his life, Glilin began to notice the inferior quality of the metals his brokers could find for him, and he turned his gaze outwards to the world beyond in anger.

First was Minos' 'Purge of the Undesired', a massive spyhunt which ripped through the ranks of the army, exposing traitors at the highest levels. Second was a discovery made by interrogators that the hold of Selain over his minions was based on a drug his men had grown dependent on, the ingredients of which were known to him alone. Repeated tests proved this to be true of not only his spies, but of the Orchan peoples as whole, whose water Selain had tarnished until, Male, Female and child they became addicted. Without continuous supplies of the drug, Selain could not guarantee the loyalty of his men. Third, and most important of all, was the coming of Glilin.

While this teaching went on, the armies of the Second Continent marched South, breaking the enemy flank further with every passing day until finally Unolas ordered a full retreat to prepared Orcish defences at Portland, awaiting the advent of Selain and reinforcements. It would be weeks before Selain's arrival, and over this time the training of the Wizards was completed, but three other happenings would contribute to the outcome of the war while this lull continued.

The capture of Unolas' books of magical learning proved as important as the victory itself, for within them lay 300 years of translated instruction on the magical arts, open now for Elves and Satyrs to learn - and learn they did. Gaia helped members of both races to become adept in using powerful essences, creating over the following weeks a small cadre of Wizards taught to the most dangerous standards.

No problem at all go for it . I like the angle you're coming from too, giving the Orchans some nobility and a reason why they'd support Selain even when he's being a bit of a mercenary :wink:.

Oh I getcha. The Mynadar story would most likely have taken place after my history finishes, especially as Mortos is imprisoned throughout the period I'm writing about. ------------------------- The Orchan forces guarding Pine Town, led by Unolas himself, were caught completely unaware. Selain's spies had no way of communicating a decision made by Gaia while at sea to change destination and swing around to the North. It was a massacre. Thousands of well-rested Satyrs and Elves swept through the main gates, smashing into the unprepared enemy camp full of Orcs and Ogres, lounging around just a mile away. So fast was the rush that Unolas himself was caught out, causing a complete rout in his forces as they saw his Headquarters overrun. Immortal, yet shocked beyond reason, Unolas fled in terror, leaving his tomes of magic behind and his Orchan students to be slaughtered.

Yeah grum's pretty much summed it up, I did post the whole story at once on an earlier thread but basically there's a huge difference between writing a short story for a book, which people can relax and read wherever, and something on the internet, which is better cut down into easily digestible pieces. The war shouldn't conflict with Tumaros' one. His is specifically set on the Grubani Penninsula and could have occurred at any time, likely to be long before mine (especially given the outcome). ----------------------- The deadlock lasted for a month, with Pine Town in particular suffering greatly from a lack of food, until an unexpected twist at the beleaguered outpost changed the course of the war. On the last day of autumn a fleet loomed large on the horizon, with patched and broken vessels limping slowly towards the coast. The starving inhabitants of the town at first feared that Unolas had mustered a great fleet to attack their weak coastal defences, until suddenly Gaia's flag was hoisted, fluttering brightly at the masts of every ship. With a great fanfare and a horde of supplies the remains of the Second Continent's Aluwenist army had arrived.

Nb// Sorry had to redo this, I hadn't registered when I first wrote it so couldn't edit. If a mod could delete the other one I'd be grateful. ---------------------------- It began in darkness, and ended in light, which is all that is certain in the forming of the world. No-one is sure how, or when, and most importantly why we are here, and with all the dangers we face who has the time to try and answer these questions? Certainly not the warrior, nor the miner, the harvester, mage or smith. All we know of the times we live in and what went before are the stories our elders tell, and the histories we believe to be true. The old men's tales differ for every race, for every foreign island and every different village. We will never know the truth of these things, we can only guess from the common threads of each confused and conflicted tale, and it becomes yet worse for every passing day that our times remain unchronicled. This work is a history of our lands, written at a time of crisis, when the very gates of hell are open, and the man-demon Qast brings terror to this world. It is a tome recording our civilisation, collected to safeguard the knowledge of our forefathers. But most of all, it is the finest work of the six races, a testament to their glories, their failures, and their Eternal Lands. **** The Gods, and the creation of the world: It is perhaps only fitting that the earliest tales, and perhaps the most accurate, can be traced to the great forest abodes of the Elves. They tell of a great birth of life in a time beyond their reckoning, from which none now survive. Their legend tells of six Gods, as different in form as in thought, who for time without end had debated their own existence and its reason. Endless conversations, rendered formless and weightless by their lack of structure, resolved only into the agreement that their first purpose should be creation - the making of a world in which to ground their theories and test their assumptions. They began in harmony, placing the ground beneath and the sky above, giving boundaries to the perception of those they wished to inhabit it. They created the inert plant and the active animal, to provide the concepts of time both moving and still. They created sea, and sun and moon, to balance the smallness of things with the greatness of concept. And they created the races, wrought in their own image and becoming more separate as their labours split their agreements regarding creation. Hume was the first to depart from the great unity she and the others had shared. She grew tired of the trees and animals, feeling that something lacked from this green and verdant land. She began to experiment with new creations, stones and metals were crushed, mixed and heated to create new and truly immovable hybrids. Hume found after constant experiments a concept she regarded as an improvement over the vague stillness of root and branch. Her race began to create buildings, and cut down the trees to fashion new more permanent things. They began to kill the animals and use their furs, and they began to eat to sustain themselves. No longer did they live and die as their god willed, but continued to live, drawing on the goodness of their god's other creations to survive yet longer. They became ever more independent of their mistress, yet kept their love of buildings and permanence. Dvar was the second of the Gods to follow this route, but was more careful in his experiments. His love of permanence was linked inextricably to a respect for the early creations it came from, and he worked hard to make everything worthy of their beauty. His work in metals and stones was vastly more worthy than that of Hume, and was reflected in the works of his race. Yet Dvar too eventually turned away from the early creations of tree and animal, as the intricacy and sturdiness of his work improved he became increasingly obsessed with it, and unwilling to participate in any sterile debates with the other Gods. He and his race became ever more immured in the comfort of their own work and homes, and as the race of Dwarves gained their own voice, and took to the eating of flesh, they became isolationist master craftsmen. Minos dreamt very differently from the others. He came to believe that permanence was desirable, but only in that it allowed him to watch his own tribe - his own mind - more closely. Minos found within himself the fascination that the others found in the world around them, and these were the strengths of the soul. Minos saw the trials of his race, and even placed more in front of them, to see how they reacted. He was enthralled by bravery, and shamed by cowardice. He tried hard to purge this second aspect, believing it to be the fount of the division between himself and the other gods, yet could not, and became anguished with grief over his failure. The Minotaurs, upon gaining independence from his will, seek constantly to live up to this desire of their God. They care not for beauty or the creation of things, they wish only for the honour of bravery, and the showing of strength. Aluwenwas the most stubborn of the Gods. She and her race never took to the views of Hume and Dvar, and she instead became enamoured with the concept of life and nature in all its brevity. She gave her race long life so they might learn more of this brevity themselves, and dedicated her time to studying the first of the God's creations. As the Elves began to crave their independence, their long lives and the influence of their creator gave them a deep love of everything that lives, and they over all the other races give most thanks to their god, appreciating the beauty of the world they have been given. Satyr, like Minos, was with Centau a true believer in change, though her belief did not translate itself into such madness as his. She instead found the sounds of the world to be a far greater source of change, and cherished the beauty of music. Like Elv, she loved the changing of leaves and animals, and ever sought to complement it with beautiful sounds. Her race became wonderful musicians as a consequence, and live deep in the forests where their music, and their nature, can remain undisturbed. Centau hated all suggestion of permanence, and found the attempts of Hume and Dvar to find it incomprehensible. Instead he sought endlessly for change, believing it the only means of finding solution to the endless nothingness he had come from. Cantau roamed the world he and the other Gods had created, running endlessly and glorying in change, endless change. His race constantly moved, and were killed and birthed daily under the weight of Centau's need. They were the only race to ever truly rebel against their God, influenced by the serenity of the Elves and betraying a doubt in Centau's own mind in doing so, by beginning to eat and live for longer than he wished. Deprived of his followers, and obsessed with his need for constant change, Cantau fell from grace, losing his sanity and like a beast racing through the plains and wastes of the world, fearful of an imaginary pursuit. Though the other Gods would try to console him, Centau was deaf to their words, and his final fate would be a dark one. Eventually, each of the races gained release from their dependence on the Gods, and went a seperate way. Yet their drives and pleasures remain to this day the same as those of their creators, and they will always be made in those images. *** There was one more God, and it disagreed from the start with the creation of the world. It argued with the other five Gods, tearing down the sky and the earth even as it came into being. It was horrified by the prospect of life, and of death, of change and permanence, and wished it all away. For an infinite time it fought the other five, destroying their thoughts and feeding their fears. The Orcs were it's own race, and reflected its dreadful hatred, yet in time, even some of them came to disagree with him, becoming the Orchans, a confused an unwelcome mix of human and Orc. This travesty, the mixing of one God's essence with another, turned the other Gods against their hate-filled brethren, and they punished it with fearful fury, casting it down beneath the earth to rot with its deviancies. There it remains to this day, and its domain is that of hell. It sits upon the Ebony Throne and forever plots to destroy this world. -------------------------- Next: The Gods, and the warping of their natures:

Nevertheless, Unolas made the best of a bad situation. Through his patient tuition of a select group of Orchan Warlocks in the ways of magic, progress was made, and as the last cities of the Second Continent fell into Selain's hands, Unolas achieved a stalemate. His forces held the North West, the Aluwenists the South East. The Humans, who remained neutral, formed a barrier to both sides in the centre of the conflict.

The First Continent proved a far greater challenge for Unloas, leading an uprising there in Selain's absence. Deprived of the bulk of Selain's armed forces, and with most of the population made up of his enemies, he had few resources to raise insurrection. Though he had some influence through Selain's network of informers and slaves, Unolas had nowhere near enough troops to take advantage of this, and his efforts to force a quick victory failed when an attack on the port to Isla Prima faltered against massive opposition.

The Second Continent fell within months into his hands under the force of pinpoint attacks by the Orchans and abortive counterstrikes by the untrained and poorly led Aluwenists, with only a courageous last stand by a force of Minotaur warriors holding the docks long enough for the rest of the army to flee. At this time a stroke of luck came their way, for they were not immediately pursued. Legends speak of a freak storm that wiped out the Orchan fleet in its dock, forcing Selain to wait for several weeks while repairs were made. Whether this is true or not, what is certain is the small Centaur populace of Portland spend one day of every year celebrating the sea.

The situation was more dire than it seemed for the supporters of Aluwen, for within their ranks lay a horde of spies and subverters built by Selain in his years of preparation. As the war began, Selain's knowledge of troop movements, supply lines and fortifications proved irresistible.

The two continents swiftly divided. Woodland realms were transformed into fortresses of root and branch, while shambling Minotaur cities gained hastily erected walls and fortifications. The Orchans meanwhile took charge over their slower, more vicious Orc cousins, making their home in the great halls of the underworld, barricading the entrances against any incursion and abandoning their towns and cities.

Still editing, but not as thoroughly in the last few posts (I've had alot on). Ta for mentioning though, I have been getting a bit sloppy. ------------------- The Dwarves too were neutral in the beginning, having no God to spur them to fight and a natural isolationist streak inherited from Dvar. This left the Satyrs, Minotaurs, Centaur and Elves fighting an unforgiving horde of Orcs, Ogres and Orchans.

It should be made clear that at no point did the Gods personally intervene in the fighting. Mortos, Selain and Unolas were constantly aware of the superiority of the greater Gods, while Aluwen, Gaia and Glydoc refused to use their powers for fear of ruining the lands themselves with the conflict. An uneasy divine truce was to prevail throughout the war because of this.

Part 5: The Great War It should not be entirely surprising that the Humans are the only ones with anything approaching a complete record of the Great War. They and Elandria kept out of the fighting, refusing to leave their walled cities and abandon the permanence they loved for the death and desolation of the lands around them. For this they were hated by Glydoc, who bears a grudge to this day for Elandria's refusal to help, and loved by Selain, who saw in Elandria's neutrality the key to his victory.

Selain bared his yellow teeth, daring the other Gods to attack him. None did. "You no longer have power enough to cast us into the pit as you once did Mortos. You have lost both Centau and Dvar from your ranks." Selain smiled thinly. "Unolas and I have the powers of magic and alchemy to hand, and we shall spread these among our followers. The power they wield will destroy those few mortals who stand with you." Now he grinned broadly. "You have sown the seeds of your own destruction. For your naivety in elevating Unolas, for allowing the essences he has discovered to be used by all, you will be broken." And with a clap of thunder, they were gone. War had begun.

"Mortos has spent three long centuries helping you to learn your craft Unolas. You shall honour your bond." Aluwen was the first to regain her voice. In a tone breaking with hurt she whispered: "Unolas is this true? In your dreams did you listen to the voice of Mortos? Is this how you gained your power?" Unolas, shamed, looked to his feet. "IT IS TRUE." Shouts of anger rose from the floor as the Minotaurs, so close to their creator, reflected Glydoc's thoughts, yet the Gods remained still as Unolas rose from his throne and flew to the throne of Selain to sit by the usurper's right hand.

On cue, a sixth pillar began to rise from the marble below, a throne of blackest Jet was mounted upon it. A tall, wirey Orchan lounged across it, insolently staring at the Gods as they regarded him in stunned silence. "I am Selain, and I come to you as a son of the Ebony throne, to tell you I will be king upon the Eternal Lands. I shall suffer none who oppose me and call upon the new god Unolas to follow me, in payment of his debt to Mortos." There was more stunned silence from the Gods as they turned to the Elven God of Essence and saw a look of understanding spread across his brow.

Elandria, Gaia, Glydoc and Aluwen looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Aluwen was the first to speak. "He's got the hang of talking like a pompous ass then." "HE'S GOT A BIT OF AN EGO." "IT'S ONLY TO BE EXPECTED, NOT MANY PEOPLE CAN SAY THEY'RE GOD MATERIAL." The four seemed almost to have forgotten their audience as they started to discuss their newest member in a strangely chatty way, until a disturbance in the great hall caught their attention. A voice emerged from the crowd, slimy and rotten and accompanied by an acrid stench of chemicals. "I can."

With that, the wooden podium of Unolas began to change, rising and growing until gold began to shine from it. It shifted slowly to stand beside the others, and a throne grew from it for him to sit at. His form changed, lost its frailty, and he slowly raised himself straight to look down upon his former fellows, the mortals. He spoke with a voice that tasted of the elements, rumbling and rushing in thunder around the hall. "I... AM A GOD."

Finally Aluwen came to speak, and the Elves braced themselves. Her voice was that of the truth. It was not loud or coarse, neither smooth nor cultured. It was just a voice - yet it filled the minds of all those who heard it, and bellowed into infinity until the universe itself seemed to creak with the strain. "The mortals have discovered a great gift through you, yet it is a danger beyond their comprehension. We shall trust to your neutrality and better nature to help them in the ages to come. You are to be one with us."