(v) The War of Darkness (Part 3)

The Coming of the Dragon Lords

It was in this moment of despair, as the courage of the Men of Thaeìn failed and the marching armies of death were bare moments away, that the salvation of Thaeìn came to be. For years, only the kingdoms of Erârün and Kiriün had made preparations for war against the armies of darkness, and it was against these two kingdoms that the Duithèn had urged Urkûl and Pulväen to first move. But these were not the only kingdoms in Thaeìn, and in the North of the land, the Dragon Lords watched as the armies of Aélûr marched across the great Bridge and against the kingdoms of the South. They remembered well how the Duithèn had attempted to corrupt them and their Dragons, and looked down upon the weaker kingdoms of the South as they slowly turned to despair under the withering influence of the Duithèn.

But as the War of Darkness took shape, they became aware that, should the southern kingdoms fall, the Hochträe and eventually their own lands would come under attack, and they were uncertain that they could resist the combined forces of the entire world against them. Having long chosen to […]

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(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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