(v) The War of Darkness (Part 2)

The Onslaught of Aélûr

The commanders of Urkûl ordered an immediate attack, hoping to drive back the armies of Thaeìn and allow the time needed to move the entirety of their army across the Bridge. They were certain that, with the full might of their army at their disposal, the Men of Thaeìn would be powerless to resist.

In the mists of the morning, a wave of Men, monsters and skøltär moved silently to the line of Men surrounding them for a mile or more, intending to break upon them as they yet rested. To their dismay, the armies of Men stood ready, hundreds of mounted soldiers wielding sword and axe and spear. Urkûl had also not reckoned on the aid of the Illuèn, who had great experience with the tactics of darkness. The battle was swift: hardly advancing, the Men of Thaeìn cut down their enemies as they advanced, and in the cover of the mist swept back around them and cut them off from the rest of their army. Few Men of Thaeìn fell, with great casualty among the soldiers of darkness.

As the day grew (though not in light, as the sun was now permanently blocked by […]

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(v) The War of Darkness (Part 1)

The Alliance of Illuèn and Men

Daevàr watched as his people, despite their resilience, slowly withered under the darkness brought upon them by the Duithèn. Rumor grew of the gathering armies of Aélûr also, and the king began to fear the ruin of his kingdom, the downfall of his people, and the demise of all light in Erâth.

He appealed to the neighboring kingdom of Kiriün, and found them under the same spell of darkness. Long masters of the land, the crops of Kiriün were now withering, and their fruit failing. Daevàr spent long hours with Starüd, the king of Kiriün, speaking of the coming darkness, and the possibility of attack from the East. Daevàr was a strong king, and vowed not to let their lands be taken. He proposed that their armies should move upon the lands of the East while their armies were yet amassed, but Starüd did not agree. Refusing to accept that they might be attacked, he claimed instead that if their own kingdoms were already drowned in such fear of darkness, the lands of the East, long under the power of the Duithèn, must be incapacitated and unable to mount an assault of any kind. […]

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(iv) The Corruption of East and West

So the lands of Aélûr and Cathaï were corrupted by the Duithèn, under the deathly watch of the Namirèn. Eight kingdoms of Men were under the influence of darkness, and tended less to their own, and instead turned to their neighbors and sought to conquer them. Each kingdom saw itself as the one true ruler of their land, and tension began to mount between each realm.

The Duithèn, of course, encouraged this hostility, for it was in their plan in the conquering of Erâth that the kingdoms of the West and the East should mount a unified assault against the lands of Thaeìn. So divided, each kingdom would do nothing more than squabble among themselves; should one kingdom arise dominant, however, that ruler would have the power of an entire continent at their hand. The Duithèn were certain of their success.

The Exile of the Illuèn

Before the dark peoples of Men could be united, though, the Duithèn perceived one force that could yet bar their way. As long as the power of the Illuèn was felt in the realms of Men, the full influence could not be realized, and the beasts of […]

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