THE
SEVENTH AGE: (year one):
Lacjasu Rual Erala, after the death of Lord
Komaaks, traveled to Ingara. He hired on as a bartender in Castle Darksword
on the outskirts of Ingara.
Unbeknownst to the owner of Castle Darksword, Lacjasu also worked for
Merandius the Lich. Baron Xanath Darksword, a Ingaran lord, made contacts
with entities from the upper planes to construct a special suit of armor. These entities commanded the Ingaran baron
to do ten good deeds of a scope great enough to warrant the suit of adamantium
plate armor. Lord Darksword also began
to spread the religion of Ereveren Ellisear in the Elf lands. He spent the rest of the year accomplishing
the ten good deeds.
Merandius the Lich promised Lacjasu that he would, in time, return Lord Komaaks to Inzeladun. Merandius used his magic to create omens that the orcs would recognize to foretell the return of their king. Merandius traveled back in time, took a sample from the living Lord Komaaks, and began to create a clone of the monster.
Lord Tregillish Mul of Lamapacher began a campaign of destruction,
killing every Orc he found in Lamapacher.
Most of the Orcs fled into the unknown lands.
The Orcish priests and shamans began to prophesy the return of Kozad
Jardak.
The Paladin Han
Dirgon, King of Amn
since the Fourth Age, abdicated his throne in favor
of his son when his beloved wife died. The
Paladin left Amn to wander Inzeladun and combat any evil he could root out.
Andar
Tertictandon, High Priest of
Zeus and Athena, was thrown from his country, Andarland,
wrongly. He wandered Inzeladun for about a year, preaching the laws of Zeus
and Athena.
Prince Tamar Tauros of Ingara was
made into a street urchin at the age of 8.
His family was killed by traitors high in the Ingaran hierarchy.
Kronos I, Arch Mage Sovereign of Black
Magic, High Priest of Set, and Pharaoh of Khemt
sent troops to the City of the Sun. They
were repelled by Captain Ameen's troops.
Nepankhra, High Priest of Ra and ruler of the City of the Sun promoted
the strategist to the rank of General.
Amrax the Good left Odhirran to stay
in Latipac City in Indor. He held
several conferences with Grindill the Arch Mage Sovereign of Neutrality, Thigru
Thorkisen, Marlorn the Illusionist, and Groll the Chaotic. Killren, excluded from the sagely meetings,
attempted to stop the magic flow to the involved magicians. That attempt was aborted when Grindill and
Amrax displayed an inconceivable countermeasure.
Thigru Thorkisen returned from
Indor and began his order of magic in earnest.
Wearing blue robes, Thigru's school grew into strong power due to their
unity and loyalty, unlike the other orders of magic of the day. The Blue Robes were based in a floating castle
conquered by Lord Komaaks prior to his death.
Drychtnoth
erupted into a bloody civil war. A
small order of mages, known as Warlords, began to rise into even greater power
in Drychtnoth. In the past, the warlords were but a small
branch of Drychtnothian Red Robes. Now
they grew and they slaughtered the other branches of the Red Robes (The Academician
Branch was permitted to survive in an altered form). The priests of the gods of war gathered together
to worship one god of war...Olanigan, a
name of terror from the First Age of Man.
Battles raged from one end of Drychtnoth to the other.
Nyandar utilized the respite from fighting to further their own civilization. Men slaughtered each other in the name of Olanigan.
The priests of Olanigan fueled the raging flames of hate and war as
the Warlords made the strategies by which the soldiers and innocents both
killed and were killed by.
Glauraith
the Crypt Ranger was in Drychtnoth during the rebellions.
He killed a Red Robed necromancer.
Upon hearing of a vampire in Ingara, Glauraith left Drychtnoth before
the rest of the Red Robes could avenge the murder.
In Ingara, Glauraith rescued some Elves from a King Wight and his foul
followers. He was rewarded by the
Elves with a "shroud of Sol's embrace".
He went on to kill the King Wight and the vampire he was hunting. Glauraith's name as a successful crypt ranger
became well known in Ingara and Drychtnoth.
A knight
of the Silver Tree, Sir Galan of Silvergate,
was transported to Azrael. There, he destroyed a small city that was dedicated to a god inimical
to Saud the Destroyer (another Azraelian god) and was given the name "Yam
Ibn Saud" by the natives. Yam
ibn Saud traveled north with Hiss the Lizard Man after destroying that southern
city and encountered a barbaric tribe of nomads, who thought that Yam ibn
Saud was a coward due to his wearing of armor. One of the nomads, named Morgul, doubted Yam
ibn Saud's boasts and challenged him to a personal duel. Morgul defeated the young armor clad warrior.
When Yam ibn Saud was healed of his wounds, he rechallenged the young
barbarian. Again, Morgul defeated him. Soon,
Yam ibn Saud challenged the barbarian again. A third time Morgul defeated the knight from
Silvergate. Deeming the barbarian
"worthy" (and knowing a good adventuring companion when he saw one),
Yam ibn Saud offered the barbarian an opportunity to leave his tribe and lead
a life of high adventure. Admiring
the knight's courage and persistence, Morgul agreed to accompany him.
(Year
Two) : Lord Xanath Darksword was awarded his requested
suit of magical adamantium plate armor by the Powers of the Seven Heavens.
Grunt
the Half-Ogre, after having left Xanath Darksword's company seven years ago,
had been wandering about Inzeladun, avoiding habitation. However, his deeds of goodness soon won him
a following of Orcs. These Orcs were of
a rare type and were good of heart. Grunt
the One-Handed soon had a small army of Orcs dedicated to goodness.
Merandius continued the growing and
education of the clone of Lord Komaaks.
He altered much of the half-ogre clone's memories and made him more
controllable than the original monster.
Sir Galen, Yam ibn Saud now,
continued his adventures in Azrael with Hiss and Morgul. A fourth person soon joined the group. She was called Demi. Demi's origins were shrouded in
mystery. Soon Yam ibn Saud came to a
deserted village in the desert. The
only sign of life was a little girl.
The village had been destroyed by a chimera. Yam ibn Saud vowed to destroy the beast and he did so when the
chimera resumed its attack on the village the next evening. The child, Nefertiti, was adopted by Yam ibn
Saud. Yam ibn Saud began to call the
child Nef.
Glauraith returned to Drychtnoth to
battle a mummy from Dagam.
He also destroyed three more ghosts during the course of the year.
The Drow began an attempt to take over
the Elflands. Xanath was called by
the Princess of Elfland to help, but he was occupied with affairs of state.
Sir Adilbrand Noblesword, Duke of Kalen, Cavalier Commander of the
Knights of the Crown rose to the job. He and his Legion of Three Hundred rode with
due haste to the distant Elflands. Sir
Adilbrand and the Three Hundred all but destroyed the Drow nation. Sir Adilbrand himself, wielding his
vorpal battleaxe, executed all the Drow "royalty", one by one,
a mere six months after the initial invasion.
An Elvish hero now, Sir Adilbrand and the Three Hundred patrolled the
Elflands for several months after this before going home aboard Sir Adilbrand's
Drakkar fleet.
During the time of Sir Adilbrand's
attacks on the invading Drow, Yam ibn Saud, the terror of Azrael, heard of The
Desert of Kaantar...the uncrossable desert ruled by a villainous dragon. Upon hearing that the desert could not be
crossed upon pain of death, Yam ibn Saud decided to cross the desert. He gathered all the intelligence he could on
Kaantar the Blue Dragon and on the famed Heart of the Desert. He gained the Shield and Sword of the Desert
and went into The Desert of Kaantar with Hiss, Morgul, and Demi. Nef bint Yam remained in the care of
Morgul's tribe of barbarians. The Sandy
Sea caused the most difficulty to Yam ibn Saud and his warriors, but they
passed through it to the heart of the Desert.
They confronted Kaantar and defeated him, taking from the ancient dragon
the Heart of the Desert. Yam ibn Saud
was now the Power behind the dreaded Sandy Sea and the entire Desert. The Desert of Yam ibn Saud became even more
deadly and infamous than ever. Kaantar
lived and was subdued and finally retained in a subterranean lair near the castle
of the Desert.
The Crown of Might worn by Lord
Komaaks during the Sixth Age was lost in Drychtnoth. The paladin Gwydion found the ancient relic in a dark cave near
the site of Lord Komaaks' last battle.
(Year Three) Baron Xanath Darksword began to rise even further
in political power within Ingara. Allied
with Baron Cassius Armius the Paladin, the lady known as "the Duchess"
(who was higher in Ingaran Hierarchy than Darksword) and Baron Valadus Augustus,
Xanath had strong support on the Ingaran Council.
He attempted to convince the council to allow himself and Thigru Thorkisen
to buy a large sliver of land north of Xanath's barony.
The council, unwilling at first to sell such valuable Ingaran property,
agreed after Baron Ignatius (Grindill in disguise) charmed the council and
caused them to allow the purchase of land.
The purchase was made, and the two established Universitayt, a "kingdom"
of scholastic learning and a home base for the Blue Robed Order of Magic.
Merandius implanted the methods of
combat and war into the growing clone of Lord Komaaks. He continued to toy with the clone's
memories, adding and subtracting as he felt was warranted to accomplish his
goals.
The wars in Drychtnoth began to
subside. A council of Warlords took the
place of the former High Kings. As the
Warlords tried to instill peace, the priests of Olanigan continued to foster
hate and bloodshed, now directing the hatred and bloodshedding toward the
Warlords, who tried to take power away from the church of Olanigan.
Silvergate,
prospering under the rule of the Red Knight, began to expand its borders. Nepankhra the High Priest of Ra
(once Max the Guardian of the Silver Tree) continued to rule The City of the
Sun peacefully, yet arming them and preparing them for a hoped for civil war
in Khemt. General Ameen, one of Nepankhra's trusted advisors,
began to secretly train an army for his High Priest north of Khemt, in the
Unknown Lands. General Ameen, while
completely loyal to Nepankhra, was also unwittingly under Grindill the Arch
Mage's control.
At the age of 30, Grand Caliph Khalil al-Assad al-Zahir returned to his throne in Huzuz after 12 years of adventuring. He had seen many petty, despotic rulers in his travels that were taking advantage of the silence from the throne of Zakhara. He resumed his leadership, and, while not as effective a politician as his father, Khalil has taken a greater interest in the welfare of his people.
Marlorn the Illusionist, first mate on Sir Adilbrand's flagship, led the Drakkar fleet around the coast of Ingara deep into the sea of storms trying to catch Dimwall the pirate and Dorellon the Black. Dimwall and Dorellon escaped capture with the help of Grindill the Arch Mage. Marlorn bought an old tower on the east coast of Ingara (in Baron Cassius Armius's land). He gave Zren'f Winged her wizard's Test. She passed and was awarded Wizard status within her Art.
Yam ibn Saud had to put to rest several adventurers who felt that if
one man could best the Desert, then so could they.
The Desert of Yam ibn Saud consumed them forever.
Thigru and Baron Darksword worked on
completing the buildings needed in Universitayt. Thigru's organization of Blue Robes grew at a rather compelling
rate during this prosperous year. Rare libraries were found (often by clues
secretly supplied by Grindill) and exceedingly talented students and teachers
were arriving in droves.
Thigru wrote several books during
this year. He penned Thigru Thorkisen's Companion to
Grindill's Tome of Fire and Acid, and he authored Thigru Thorkisen's Tome of Transformations.
Baron Darksword found Princess
Allamahiny hiding in Lamapacher. The
daughter of the king overthrown by Kozad Jardak, Princess Allamahiny was
planning her return to power. She was
in league with the Lord of Magic as well as with Baron Darksword. Baron Darksword put her in hiding.
Glauraith the Crypt Ranger put to
rest five minor Drychtnothian ghosts during this year of the Age.
The ghost of Lord Komaaks began to
haunt the ruins of Itsitlawikanah. Xorquarthat
the Dragon, Lord Komaaks' steed and "child", also began to get restless,
hunting human settlements to destroy. Baron Darksword, Githoniel, and Zren'f went
to Lamapacher to put a stop to Xorquarthat.
Baron Darksword and Xorquarthat met and an unusual thing occurred. They bonded. Xorquarthat the Red and Xanath
Darksword were now linked mentally and emotionally. Baron Darksword took Xorquarthat from Itsitlawikanah to the mountains
behind Castle Darksword.
It should be understood that
Merandius and Lacjasu were behind the haunting of Castle Itsitlawikanah. The 'ghost' was never anything more than an
illusion. (note: although Xanath would believe in the ghost, I wish it to be
mentioned that Gwydion never believed it to be the ghost of chaos'
champion. Lacjasu and Merandius were
never able to fool the Wolf-Paladin).
Saywen the Cleric found a beautiful
lake in the mountains behind Castle Darksword.
He founded a temple to Poseidon on the shore of that lake. A band of nomads was discovered living on
Xanath's property to the east of the mountain range. These barbarians were horse-riding plainsmen, savage and
noble. Their chief soon struck a
friendship and a bargain with Baron Darksword.
The barbarians would be allowed to live their and raise their horses if
they agreed to patrol that part of his barony.
Killren, the Lord of Magic, finally
realized the terrible truth about the Tower.
Grindill sold several conjuration spells to a group of powerful witches
(who had no idea of his true motives, which was to stop Killren), admonishing
them to cast the spells only on the day of the Conjuction.
Xanath Darksword, along with his sword
Cinneroth and Xorquarthat the Dragon,
took a trip down to the world at the core.
Elah
Baruch Asha Sindarin completed his magical training.
As he left the Elvish lands he was kidnapped by agents of Grindill
and cloned. The clones were sent to different parts of
the planet (one even escaped to another reality altogether) after programming.
The original Elah and his trusty partner Hobsen (who was also cloned)
and Ruva Pa the ferret (likewise) was set free at the spot where they had
been taken, lacking any knowledge of the kidnapping. Grindill, needing another
mage clone, began to look at the Blue Robes for a possible candidate.
Xanath Darksword, Zren'f, Gwydion,
and Saywen Sea Drifter left their Ingaran barony to attack nest of pirates who
had been raiding their shipping. In the
pirate's lair, they encountered Diandain the Yellow and Dimilion Nerion the
Investigator. Diandain, Inzeladun's
only practitioner of Wild Magic, had spent much time infiltrating (with the
help of Nerion) these pirates and had gotten in over his head. With the help of Xanath and his companions,
Diandain and Nerion defeated the pirates and escaped.
Dimilion Nerion, the Elven
Investigator found in the adventure with the pirates, became a hired henchman
of Baron Xanath Darksword. Nerion
proved himself an invaluable ally to the Ingaran baron during several of the
next adventures.
(Year
Four)
Githoniel, High Lord Wizard of Castle Darksword, completed the telescope
he began to build. He discovered a previously unknown moon circling
the planet. He spent much of the fourth
year of the Seventh Age in his Laboratory with his experiments. He was helped
by his apprentice, Kidren.
The clone of Lord Komaaks was nearly
complete. Merandius and Lacjasu began
to prepare the final stages of the clone's introduction into the world in a
manner that the world would believe.
Thigru, with the assistance of one
of his Blue Robed students, Emorg the Elementalist, wrote the Second Companion to Grindill's Tome of
Fire and Acid. Thigru also
wrote the second volume to his Tome of
Transformations. He also
published several scrolls on his experiences in the Orient, revealing many
secrets of the Wu Jen and their training.
Maneton Starfighter and Boska Ardtain
arrived in Tintagel. Xanath didn't know
quite what to make of the pair, but welcomed them anyway. Githoniel realized the value of Boska's
technical skills and hired him on to help in his experiments.
Glauraith protected three
Drychtnothian villages from ghouls, helping them to evacuate, and escape into
Odhirran.
Yam ibn Saud lived a year of peace
in the Desert. No one attempted to
cross or to otherwise antagonize the powerful Yam ibn Saud. He spent the fourth year experimenting with his
powers. He met several of the more
powerful denizens of his Desert.
Baron Darksword began to have
political difficulties with the two baronies to the south of his. Cavalier Folcgrath the Black and Baron
Zimlaous both disliked the dark elf baron and his lands.
The ghost of Lord Komaaks was
invited to haunt Castle Darksword by the baron. He haunted the mountain fortress for some time, giving military
advice whenever the opportunity arose, and helping to defend the castle in case
of siege. This invitation by Xanath
would, in all circumstances, if the 'ghost' had been real, would have been
ludicrous. But Lacjasu, still in the
baron's employ, had made the bargain seem both reasonable and useful. Gwydion knew something was up and despised
the baron's decision. He spoke out
against it time and again, but Lacjasu's corruptive influence and Merandius'
insidious magic always won over the easily manipulated baron.
Sha'a, Baron Darksword's steward,
began to seriously organize a large spy network in order to keep tabs of things
within the barony. The assassin's
guild from Indor established a presence in Tintagel, led by Dagor Khan the
Grandfather Assassin. Baron Darksword
began to garner a reputation as a beneficent ruler. Almost daily he went out amongst his people to meet them
personally and to solve as many of their little, petty problems as he
could. Sha'a often accompanied his
excursions.
Githoniel, on the night of the
Conjuction, detected a massive build-up of magic to the east of their mountain
range. Upon investigation, he
discovered a coven of witches attempting to bring some powerful supernatural
entity to Inzeladun in some insane quest for power. Githoniel managed to defeat the witches and close the portal.
Also on the night of the
conjunction, an unknown entity took control of the Tower away from
Killren. This entity often masqueraded
as Killren in order to hide its true identity.
Glauraith destroyed a coven of
female necromancers on the night of the Conjunction while in Odhirran. He was hired by the Druids of Odhirran to be
the protector of their Holy Resting Grounds (graveyard). He worked this duty for four years.
(Year
5). Problems began to occur in Indor. Sir Adilbrand, Duke of Kalen, would refuse to follow the dictates
of King Gorack. Adilbrand, who had
very Norse attitudes about rulership, felt that many of the King's dictates
and demands were unreasonable, so he would ignore the commands.
A giant dinosaur-like creature
attacked Xanath Darksword's barony. It
was captured by Githoniel.
The forest seperating Lord
Darksword's barony and Universitayt became a home to a band of Druids and some
Elves. Lord Garnoth returned from the
Unknown Lands with the Druids. Xanath
and the Great Druidess became good friends.
With the Druids also came a shape-changer named Meanbh Ailladh, who
became very attached to Githoniel.
Githoniel, still very much a young Elf, took the panther-girl on as a
henchman. She moved into Castle
Darksword.
Azrael and the Desert of Yam ibn Saud began a war. The short war only lasted a couple of months, at the end of which, Yam ibn Saud pulled out. A tentative peace was called.
Thigru spent most of this year organizing
Universitayt, which was growing in enrollment almost faster than Thigru liked.
Githoniel gained a key to Heaven for
a service rendered. He began to learn
technical knowledge from the Archons and from Boska Ardtain. Metal "thinking machines" were
installed in Githoniel's tower. He and
Kidren also devised a method of transportation up from Castle Darksword to
Githoniel's tower.
A gnome named Hugh moved into
Tintagel and began a wonderful new tavern.
A magic shop also sprang up in one of the alleys of Tintagel. Githoniel and Xanath were mostly impressed
by a small magic item known as "cleaning cubes". Baron Darksword finished training Griffons
and riders for an air force. Llanelian
the Druid moved into Castle Darksword.
Political problems in Ingara began to grow. The princess Allamahiny wanted to go in and reclaim her family's
right to rule. Baron Darksword calmed
the princess down and let his Duchess know what was happening.
Drychtnoth
began a war with Nyandar.
The Priesthood of Olanigan now had minimal power, but the Warlords
discovered that the people of Drychtnoth would not follow the Red Robes if
they felt that Olanigan was not supporting them.
Grudgingly, the Warlords had to let the religion continue in order
to maintain power. A peace was drawn between the Warlords and the Priests. No longer could they publicly denounce each
other directly. The treaty, drawn
up and sworn to by the god of oaths, was placed in the Fortress of Drychtnoth.
From here on, every new Warlord
and every acolyte to the Church of Olanigan would have to swear by the god
of oaths that they would uphold the treaty.
(Year
Six).
The war between Drychtnoth and
Nyandar blazed on.
The priests of Olanigan and the Warlords began to work together in
this war.
Baron Darksword began to gather more
and more political clout. The political
friendship between he and the Duchess began to reveal more and more corruption
within the Ingaran government. The
exiled princess began to push for a revolution despite Xanath's warnings. An uprising began to seem imminent. The Lord of Magic did not like what he was
seeing. The Council of Ingara was a
simple matter to control. A single
ruling monarch was much more difficult.
Baron Darksword then made peace with Baron Cassius Armius (of the barony
south of Xanath's). The Lord of the
Tower opened up a channel of magic and found Nadam the First.
Thigru wrote The Third Companion to Grindill's Tome of Fire and Acid, Lore of Demons and Devils, as
well as a revealing look into the ranks and powers of witchcraft covens.
Lord Nadam the First arose from the
ranks of the dead to hunt again. The
Lord of the Tower had now set into motion the events that would eventually mean
the downfall of Ingara, Xanath's barony, and a world-wide catastrophe.
Amrax the Good discovered an
embarrassing fact about the Tower. To
keep Amrax from taking advantage of this knowledge, The Lord of the Tower
attacked Kronos the Black, Pharaoh of Khemt and framed Amrax. A small cold war between Kronos and Amrax
began to fester. Grindill stepped in
several times to stop them from killing each other. Amrax met Nepankhra, priest of Ra and ruler of the City of the
Sun. He established good relations with
the ruler of the Khemian city and with Nepankhra's two generals, Gunnthryd the
Paladin and Ameen the Myrmidon.
Yam ibn Saud had an adventure that
would forever earn him the friendship of the Storm Giants located south of the
Desert.
Neria the Bladesinger finished her
training and left the Elflands with Kera, a monk from the orient who had been
visiting the Elflands to gain "balance". They boarded a ship headed for Indor.
Githoniel and Thigru discovered a
parallel universe and traveled to it and met a man called Merlin and one of the
clones of Elah.
Elah Baruch Th'ria Asha Sindarin
(the original) traveled to Tintagel and met Xanath and Githoniel. Githoniel was surprised to see Elah and
equally surprised that Elah did not recognize him at all. Githoniel was not aware that this Elah and
the other Elah were two separate entities.
Zren'f had an adventure with
Troglodytes. She also traveled into
Khormyr to do battle with Uzoth the Demon.
Afraid she was in for more than she could stand, she attempted to gain
Baron Darksword's help, which he would not grant. She managed to do the deed herself, but she was not pleased with
Lord Xanath Darksword. Xanath would not
help her because there was nothing in it for him, or so he claimed. Obviously helping out friends and companions
meant nothing to the renegade Dark Elf.
Which of course, is a common attitude amongst the Drow. Perhaps Xanath wasn't as turned from their
ways as he pretended.
Tamar Tauros was "rescued"
from his life of crime by an aged oriental traveler. This oriental took young Tamar to the orient to learn the secrets
of the martial arts.
(Year
Seven).
Neria met Xanath Darksword. The
Ingaran baron rescued her from capture. She
was captured by an evil mage. They
had several adventures following in an off and on manner.
Thigru wrote his Fourth Companion to Grindill's Tome of
Fire and Acid. He also
published his translations of Wu Jen spells, Thaumaturgical Wu Jen Incantations. Now the Wu Jen spells could be cast by the
Tower Method.
Zren'f gained control of a portion of Khormyr, and claimed it for Ingara. She was made a baroness and a Lady of Ingara. Xanath Darksword became an Earl because of the acquisition. Lord Lacjasu became the new baron. Baron Lacjasu abandoned his tavern in Castle Darksword to Hugh, then he left to take up residence in Erala, a city of trees just completed. From here, Baron Lacjasu would take up his duties. Zren'f hired on a large staff, headed by Thutmekri, a priest of Ra as her steward. She took as her castle the Hall of Uzoth, the former castle of the Demon she destroyed. She named her barony "Fenimor Alanon". Lord Darksword, Earl of Adoriac, was given control of all the baronies of all Ingaran lands east of the Great Sea, subject only to the Council and the "Duchess".
Dodred Koj ("Grunt")
returned to renew relations with Lady Zren'f and Lord Darksword. He and his army of orcs took residence in an
abandoned keep in the corner of Baron Lacjasu's barony.
Neria, during the course of her adventures this year, acquired a magic katana and a cloak that allowed her to fly.
Gwydion the Paladin left Castle Darksword over several disagreements,
mostly concerning Lord Komaaks' ghost and Lord Xanath Darksword's politics
with "evil" creatures (particularly Dragons).
Xanath "adapted" a green dragon and named her Klorin.
Merandius had armor, identical in
every way with the armor worn by the original Lord Komaaks, made for his
clone. He also created another frost
brand in the image of Jothstra. He
named it Jothstra Secundus. The clone
was complete and Merandius had it held in stasis until the proper moment for
Komaaks' 'resurrection'.
Amrax the Good supplied Nepankhra
the Priest of Ra with magically conjured weapons to use in the planned
uprising. He also warned Nepankhra of
an assassination attempt by Kronos, Pharaoh of Khemt. General Ameen rescued the high priest when the attempt occurred.
(Year
Eight). Lord Xanath Darksword, an Earl of Ingara, rescued
the avatar of Balder from Armageddon.
Neria acquired a red dragon egg and
hatches a baby red dragon. She names
the dragon Xanthrall. Over the course
of the year, she teaches it flight and how to breathe its fiery breath weapon.
Lord Xanath Darksword slew Lord
Tregillish Mul of Lamapacher. He
decapitated the Lamapachan lord and buried the remains in Lord Komaaks'
tomb. He placed the helmet in his museum. Lord Darksword also acquired one of the
glass swords made by Grindill the Arch Mage Sovereign and placed it within his
museum. He and Githoniel, along with
Xorquarthat the Dragon had many adventures during this year. By the end of the year, Xorquarthat took his
place as the King of Dragons, a position left vacant with the death of Rargad
in the Sixth Age.
Sir Adilbrand and King Gorack
continued to have problems in Indor.
Yam ibn Saud and Hiss and Demi
discovered a lost city beneath the sands of the Desert. A horde of people worshiping Yam ibn Saud
approached the edge of the Desert and founded a city.
(Year
9) Sultana Alurah bint Asrah took the throne of Hiyal after her husband
(the Sultan of Hiyal) died suddenly at a state dinner. After a brief bit of chaos, Alurah played one
faction against another, while remaining in close communication with her allies
in the Grand Caliph's court. Alurah
convinced the Grand Caliphate of Zakhara that she alone could quell her city's
rival factions, provide a sense of continuity to Hiyal's rulership, and ensure
the continued enlightened rule of her people. She accomplished all of these things by the
end of the first year of her rule.
Thigru nearly discovered the lost
library of the Tower, but the Lord of the Tower intervened and stopped its
discovery, for it is there that he hid the knowledge of the secrets of the
Tower.
Xanath Darksword, along with
Xorquarthat the Dragon, continued his quest for the Darksword. At one point, a demon prince was summoned
near the ruin of Itsitlawikanah. Han
Dirgon, Andar Tertictandon, and Lord Darksword defeated the demons.
Tamar Tauros, recently from the
orient, was shipwrecked on Bakuri, a jungle isle to the east of Zakhara. He was nearly eaten by cannibals, but was
rescued by Kulonga, a native warrior.
He and Kulonga managed to catch the attention of another ship and were
taken to Indor.
Princess Allamahiny gained a lot support
among the Ingaran people, and a civil war started to brew. Lord Xanath Darksword stepped in and stopped
the battles before the first started and reorganized the Ingaran government. Princess Allamahiny was restored to the throne
taken from her family by Lord Komaaks Nagutsikatsenu. But Queen Allamahiny had to answer to a subservient
council in a sort of checks-and-balances situation.
Khemt
began to infiltrate Khormyr. A civil war was started in Khormyr, those who
was loyal to the Khormyrian throne versus those loyal to the Pharaoh of Khemt.
Prince NuonJardak Nagutsikatsenu, Lord Komaaks' son, came to his majority
and was coronated King of Nyandar. Merandius the Lich saw his opportunity to introduce
the clone of Komaaks to the world. Lord
Darksword attended the ceremony and he brought the 'ghost' of Lord Komaaks
to see his son take the throne. While
in Nyandar, Khemian priests (supposedly under orders of Kronos, Pharaoh of
Khemt, but actually chronomancers that served the lich Merandius) 'resurrected'
Lord Komaaks. The clone of the former
King of Lamapacher changed his name to Lord Khalimatrah and traveled down
to Ingara. As he traveled he acquired
a new Orcish army.
The war in Khormyr blazed on. Refugees from Khormyr flooded into
Ingara. As a result, Ingara closed its
borders. Sympathetic to the plight of
the Khormyrians, Baroness Zren'f sent in Lord Khalimatrah and his Orcs to
rescue some of them, bringing them into Ingara under the name "prisoners
of war".
Nepankhra instigated the civil war
in Khemt. With the help of his longtime
companion Gunnthryd the Paladin,
Nepankhra gathered his armies.
Lord Khalimatrah, the clone of Lord
Komaaks, passed through Khormyr into the Unknown Lands. A snake bit him and he was attacked by 200
goblins. He killed 168 of them and captured
the rest. A blue dragon scared his
newly acquired army off. He subdued the
dragon and flew it to the nearest town, where he sold it for 10,000 gold
pieces. He bought a ship to take his
loot upriver. He was attacked by 100
buccaneers. Only 4 buccaneer mates and
some slaves survived. Lord Khalimatrah
marooned them on the coast and burnt their ship. He then slew an Annis within her castle, then took up residence. He changed his name back to Kozad Jardak and
became the ruler of a tribe of 300 Orcs.
The Druids of Odhirran
gave Glauraith a special javelin in return for his years of faithful service. The javelin would launch itself at vampires,
impaling them, then immolating them. The
javelin would separate into hundreds of ravens which would then coalesce back
into the javelin for more hunts. Glauraith
then traveled to Nyandar and killed another vampire and the necromancer that
created the undead thing.
King Gorack exiled Sir Adilbrand
Noblesword from Indor. Sir Adilbrand
swore to conquer Indor and kill King Gorack.
The former Duke of Kalen took refuge in Universitayt.
(Year
Ten). Amrax and Kronos began to maneuver for attacks. Grindill attempted to stop them. Kronos attacked Grindill and mortally wounded
him. Lord Darksword took Grindill
and had spent a lot of time trying to save the Arch Mage Sovereign.
Grindill's body died, but Xanath managed to store Grindill's soul in
a gemstone. Githoniel located a place where Grindill kept
a clone of his body. They went to
the moon Untamos and got the body. As
Grindill entered the body, Amrax attacked and killed Grindill forever.
Glauraith traveled to
Lamapacher. Here he killed seven
vampires during the course of the year.
Kulonga and Tamar traveled to Ingara.
Dagor Khan, the Grandfather of Assassins in Ingara died shortly afterward.
His headless body and several of his assassins' bodies were found on
the throne of Castle Darksword with a note concerning displeasure with the
Earl's relations with such evil people as Dagor Khan.
Assassination attempts begin on the
Queen of Ingara. Lord Xanath Darksword
saw to the safety of the Queen by hiring a body guard known only as "Ninja".
Nepankhra, General Gunnthryd, and
General Ameen manage to successfully take over fully a fourth of Khemt in an
amazing battery of attacks and sieges.
In response to his losing battle, Kronos attacked Azrael and redoubled
his attacks in Khormyr. Azrael put up a
brilliant defense and repelled the Khemians.
Han Dirgon vowed the death of Amrax
for the killing of his friend, Grindill.
Amrax managed to hold off the Paladin's attacks.
The armies of Nepankhra destroyed a
major stronghold for the Khemian armies.
General Ameen led the glorious attack, but was killed in the fighting.
General Gunnthryd developed a winning strategy against the loyalist
Khemians and implemented it. Gunnthryd
himself chased Kronos the Black, Pharaoh of Khemt out of the country.
Yet another glorious victory for the rebellion.
Lord Khalimatrah, the clone of Lord
Komaaks, assassinated the Council of Ingara, leaving the Queen in full power,
no longer just a figure head. Ninja
smuggled the Queen into the Eastern Barony of Lacjasu to protect her from
assassination.
The Lord of Magic decided the best way to protect himself from attack would be to seriously harm the magic community of Inzeladun. He began to work in earnest to cause all of their destructions. He caused the Grey Robed Mages to mass and attempt a foolhardy attack on Kronos.
Kronos fought and destroyed the Grey
Robed Mages of Inzeladun. He brought
all of his Black Robes out of Khemt.
(Year Eleven).
Nepankhra and General Gunnthryd the Paladin defeated the loyalist Khemians
at the Battle of Ra's Peak. The rebels
had won. Khemt was promptly renamed "Ameen"
after the brave general who had served so well.
Glauraith became a guard for a band
of gypsies who gave him many potent magicks for combating the undead.
Sir Adilbrand began to march his armies toward Indor. King Gorack readied his defense.
He brought Han Dirgon, Andar Tertictandon, Killren, and Sir Galen to
his aid.
The
power of Set began to grow in the west due to the wars in Khormyr. To combat this, Lord Xanath Darksword
summoned the original Guardians of the Silver Tree together. Once the six surviving Guardians were
gathered, they resurrected Sir Grimhelm and the Silver Tree was restored.
Upon
learning this, King Gorack sent for Sir Grimhelm, requesting his aid and the
help of the rest of the Guardians. He
told them that Kronos would undoubtedly get involved in this battle, for so he
was promised by The Lord of the Tower, and that by helping Indor, he could
accomplish his goal of defeating Set in the west. Sir Grimhelm was made his General.
Sir
Adilbrand attacked Indor in force shortly thereafter. The sea battle, led by Marlorn (Sir Adilbrand's first mate),
lasted only briefly. Gorack's fleet,
helped by Thumedan, Killren, and Groll defeated Adilbrand's navy. Marlorn the Illusionist was killed, and it
was discovered that he was nothing more than a sentient illusion created by
Grindill during the Fourth Age.
Sir Adilbrand's first land attack on
the eastern border of Indor was unsuccessfully defended by Gorack's forces in
the Battle of Molluc. Diandain the Wild
(on Adilbrand's side) disintegrated the armies' clothing (causing movement in
metal armor to be painful at best).
Gorack's host withdrew.
The
Battle of Kalen's Border was a massacre for Gorack. Adilbrand's contingent of Winged Folk and Red Dragons were led by
Lady Zren'f of Ingara. Gorack's border
defense consisted of 100,000 soldiers, Han Dirgon, Alphonse the Gnome, Groll,
Saret, and General Grimhelm. Lady
Zren'f escaped with most of her Winged Folk, but lost all but three of the
Dragons, but Gorack's border army was entirely destroyed (except for those
individuals named above). Distraught
over the massive loss of life in the heroic battle (for she was ever a fighter
who disliked fighting), Lady Zren'f withdrew back to Ingara, abandoning
Adilbrand and the Winged Folk. Lord Xanath
Darksword likewise pulled back from the fighting.
Sir
Adilbrand's northern army entered Indor without interference. Sir Grimhelm, thinking that Adilbrand would
follow him into the mountains, ordered a general retreat out of Latipac City
into the Osgeld Mountains. Gorack had
an army of experienced mountain fighters, Adilbrand didn't. General Grimhelm was attempting to
capitalize on that weakness. But Sir
Adilbrand did not behave as expected.
He simply marched into Latipac City and declared himself King of
Indor. This turned the invaders into
the defenders and the defenders into the invaders. King Adilbrand did not even try to go into the mountains. He knew better.
General Grimhelm
decided to use magic to turn the tide. He
invaded Grindill's Mountain Castle and gained access to Grindill's weather
controller. It soon began to rain over Latipac City.
The water rose (Latipac is an island city), but Amrax the Good arrived
and placed a dome over the city. Grimhelm ceased the rain.
Sir
Grimhelm hired Kozad Jardak and his Orcs to tunnel under the city. Lord Jardak ordered his former henchman,
Lacjasu Rual Erala, who was part of Adilbrand's leaderless Winged Folk force
(due to Zren'f desertion), to come help Sir Grimhelm.
Having
already killed the Grey Robes, Kronos marched into Indor with all of his Black
Robed Order. Thigru Thorkisen and his
Blue Robes flew into Indor in his floating castle. Amrax ordered his White Robes to join with Thigru's Blue Robes
and meet Kronos and his mages on the battlefield. Grimhelm ordered The Lord of the Tower to destroy Thigru's
fortress. The Lord of the Tower
destroyed the captured Wind Duke that held the castle aloft and the structure
fell to the earth. Only a dozen Blue
Robes were left alive. Thigru was taken
as a prisoner of war. Kronos and his
Black Order were approaching. Amrax
attacked Sir Grimhelm in the mountains.
Sir Grimhelm, Han Dirgon, Kozad Jardak, and others (including Sir Galen)
defeated the wizards soundly.
Kronos
and Amrax met at the Battle of Magic the next day. The magic war between the good and the evil was soon threatening
to rip apart the structure of the Prime Material Plane. The Lord of the Tower decided to
interfere. He also knew that for a
while his problems would be solved and his fears abated. He went back to the Tower and activated it. The Tower absorbed and pulled the magic away
from the warring magic-users. The
drained magic-users were killed instantly.
The only survivors were Sha'a the Elf and Kronos the Black. The resulting torrent of magical energy that
was pulled from the battlefield utterly destroyed everything in its path on its
journey to the Tower. Ingara, which lay
between Indor and the Tower, was totally destroyed. The Lord of the Tower began to work on the magical orders of the
north. He had to destroy them as
well.
Kronos
ran off. Sir Grimhelm, finally given an
opportunity to fulfill his vow to end Set's influence here in the West, chased
after him. The other Guardians and Han
Dirgon went with him. Kronos was killed
by Sir Grimhelm and Grimhelm cursed his name and his god and, in the name of
the Silver Tree, forbid Set to ever gain a religious foothold in the West.
General
Grimhelm, using the tunnels Kozad Jardak and his Orcs built, and the Dragons
and Winged Folk Lacjasu brought, ordered an attack on Laticpac City.
During
the Battle of Latipac, Sir Adilbrand Noblesword perished by way of his own
axe; Paladin Han Dirgon killed Sir
Adilbrand. Han Dirgon also perished later in the battle. Andar the High
Priest, Trumulf the Terrible,
King Gorack, Angolar the High Priest, and Lord Thror the Dwarf all died. Valkyries came and took the souls of the
slain. It is said that the spirits of
Sir Adilbrand and Han Dirgon shook hands in friendship as they were taken to
Valhalla to serve as commanders of the Einheriar of Odin. The
son of the late King Gorack, Lord Thror MalGorack, took the throne of
Indor.
Up
in the north of Inzeladun, The Lord of the Tower had been hard at work. A similar war had taken place that involved
Nyandar, Drychtnoth, Nytoj, Jyrune, Odhirran, and the Border Kingdom. The Magic War in the north did succeed in damaging
the Prime Material Plane and all the magic users in the north died, but for
a few. The Rupture destroyed most
of the above-ground metals in Inzeladun and killed untold thousands of people.
This period is known as the Destruction.