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Message: <blockquote data-quote="papa_laz" data-source="post: 497288" data-attributes="member: 7992">The FortificationAs the patriarch-general and his subordinates basked in the power they now held, it was clear that they would not hold it without a decisive plan of action. Recruitment was doubled, and soon the Church's armies numbered thousands of supremely trained and equiped soldiers. Fortification of the state began shortly after, and the towns of southern Korvell found themselves enclosed by 12ft high walls. Watch towers dotted the countryside, providing both garrison for troops and an effective means of long distance communication.The CleansingWhilst the majority of the populace was by now totally dedicated to the worship of The Scourge, not all members of the community were so willing to adhere to the totalitarian ideals of the Church. It was during the period of fortification, shortly following the decleration of the states independance, that the process of "cleansing" was carried out. Anyone who denied Hextors divine right over their souls was declared a dissident and thrown in to the vast dungeons beneath Hextors imposing fortress-temples. Here they were interogated, tortured and eventually killed. Those imprisoned included intellectuals, criminals, worshippers of deities other than Hextor and anyone else who was deemed a threat to the Church's power. A ban was declared on any organisations that held power, and all guilds were quickly abolished and their leaders killed. Any temples dedicated to deities other than Hextor were burnt to the ground, and their priests imprisoned and subsequently executed in bloody public ceremonies.The CrusadeHowever, these actions did not go unnoticed by the outside world, and soon the Church was faced with the wrath of an army of crusaders. Numerous good aligned faiths had gathered their forces in Nothern Korvell, intent on avenging their bretheran and freeing the land from tyranny. This was much to the delight of Sario, who despite being too afraid to contribute to their efforts, saw in the crusaders the opportunity to reclaim power of the rogue state. But they had underestimated the Church's might, and after heavy casualties on the open battlefield, the crusaders resorted to a prolonged campaign of guerilla warfare. After perhaps a month of bloodshed, the remnants of the crusading army fled from Korvell with their morale in tatters. The crusaders had held little chance against a force who commanded the hearts of the people so thoroughly, both on and off the battlefield. In retaliation, the Church launched a series of attacks against the organisations who had dared defy the might of Hextor. In the months following the incursion into southern Korvell, the skies of the southern lands were blackened by the smoke that billowed from the temples of Heironeus and Kord. So decisive was the actions of church's infamous Hell Hounds, that never again was the divine right of Hextor tested. And within the black fortress's his minions schemed, for when the time came, the armies of the Scourge would march across the continent, carving an empire from the blood of martyrs. And utop the pyramid of skulls they would sit. And then they would laugh, for all the domain of Narras-Caer would be theirs...</blockquote>

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