Last Updated (Wednesday, 07 December 2011 17:09) Written by S. Mulhall Wednesday, 07 December 2011 17:07

The Battle:

Per Xenin Fel’s instructions, the Garkanan forces were not met at the borders of Syre, but instead allowed to enter unmolested and approach the capitol, Gallindal. His reasons for doing so were unclear at the time, even to his Xendallus forces, but Xenin had a plan and kept his own counsel. Prince Alein and his advisors knew there was something they were missing, and decided on course of being proactive rather than reactive. With a bold stroke, they allowed the enemy scouts to assume they were going to strike camp a half a day’s travel from Gallindal, as night set in. After a short rest, they marched under the cover of darkness.

Now, one important concept to understand here is that the Xendallus allies knew absolutely nothing about Xenin Fel and his minions. To this point, they took orders from King Cainan Xendallus and his command structure. None of them knew that at the heart of Syre festered a foul malignancy that wanted all living life to be extinguished, including those that served him. This knowledge didn’t come until later, until it was almost too late.
Befittingly enough, the first battles of the war took place in almost full darkness, as cloud cover trapped the light of the moon. A cold wind blew from the north, bringing biting cold and even a slow, drizzly mist. While ominous in nature, the Garkanan forces took their morale from the Prince, who, with his crystal sword, was a veritable light in the darkness. Though outnumbered and attacking fortified positions, the Garkanan forces fought with the power of righteousness, believing theirs to be a most just cause. Despite this, they found themselves in danger of being pushed back and even overwhelmed.

Every battle has turning points, and this battle was no different, except maybe there were more than a few moments that could have decided the outcome. Here they are, listed in the order they happened:

1. The Battle of Jezail’s Reach- It was past midnight on Friday, and the Garkanan forces were in disarray. After the relative ease in which they moved through the Kingdom of Syre, they found themselves quagmired on the Xendallus defenses, and then subject to a brutal counter-attack by the outnumbering Xendallus forces. The Garkanans were in retreat mode, their morale broken at the sudden heavy resistance they faced. Jezail’s Reach, an area several miles outside of Gallindal became a rallying spot for Garkanan forces, and the rally/counter assault was led by a young knight named Sir Lorin Saravatum. As the Xendallus forces broke through the clearing, he engaged Lord Drathan Xendallus and slew the Commander of the Eastern March. Through his actions, the broken morale was recovered and the Garkanan forces led a counter attack that the Xendallus forces were not ready to engage. This caused the Xendallus forces to enact an ordered retreat, as both sides re-consolidated and settled in for the conflict that would take two weeks to finish and would decide the fate of the future of Mythir.

2. To the Brink- 2 days into the conflict, the Xendallus forces settled in for a protracted siege. Skirmishes, and some full-fledged assaults took place, but each time the Garkanan forces found themselves pushed back. Knowing the Garkanans could not keep up the attacks indefinitely, special operatives of the Xendallus forces snuck behind the lines and did a strike on the Garkanan supplies, in an effort to break the morale of the Garkanan forces. The Garkanans were able to drive the Xendallus back and protect their supplies, but it was a close call, and if the Xendallus had succeeded, the Garkanans would have found themselves in dire straits.

3. The Reaper Returns - In life, Sir Craetus Von Reinhardt was a cruel and vile knight, a legendary slayer who drew pleasure from the pain and devastation of others. In life it was said he personally sent 3000 men, women and children to his prescribed master, Death. In death, he returned as a Living Dead knight, and his reign of terror grew exponentially. The Lord of Death was so pleased with his efforts hat a harbinger was sent to be his personal assistant. It took the combined forces of his own family and those of neighboring kingdoms to bring him down. Unbeknownst to most, his remains were interred far away from his lands and in secret. The King of Syre “offered” to put him to “rest” in his own kingdom. 500 years later, the Xendallus forces went to dig his remains up and bring them to the caverns underneath Gallindal. Ironically, as fate would have it, a force of Garkanans had set up their command right outside the graveyard Sir Craetus was buried. A pitched battle ensued, but in the end the Xendallus won through and took their prize.

4. The Rescue - Out of the royal families that supported the Xendallus, the most unwilling were the DaMaeris family of Delor. The King of Delor, Nis’mael DaMaeris, was a strong and proud man, and the idea of being under the yoke f the Xendallus, who were ancient enemies, was unpalatable at best. King Cainan knew that the King of Delor’s true weakness was the love of his family, and in a bold move, the Royal family, including the King’s beloved daughter,Ish’abel, were captured while touring the Delor countryside. To keep his family alive, the King succumbed to the Xendallus request for support in the war and his Ara Rexanus item. The Garkanans knew of this circumstance, and sent a team of professionals, many his personal friends led by his champion, Sir Ellis the Redeemer, to rescue the DaMaeris family from the Xendallus dungeons. The infiltrators made it in, but found themselves besieged by horrific living dead and abominations. At the cost of great life, including the sacrifice of Sir Ellis himself, the surviving DaMaeris scion was rescued. In an act that turned the tide of the war, the Da’Maeris forces turned on the Xendallus forces, and with the combined might of the Garkanans, drove the Xendallus and their allies back to Gallindal itself.

5. The Henge - Just outside the city limits of Gallindal lay a site of ruins and dilapidated ancient stones that for ages past was known simply as “The Henge”. This site held a secret that not even one as old and crafty as Xenin Fel knew. Who did know about it, however, were the Wizards/Seers with the Garkanan forces, and as a result Prince Alein made this site his highest target priority. In a pitched battle that lasted for 2 days and was as bloody as any battle in the war, the Garkanans captured the site. From there, the Prince revealed to his allies the secret  the Garkanans had kept for so long…the existence of the Wizards who had been outlawed since after the First battle of Gallindal, a 1000 years before. These Wizards activated the secret, that this site was one of the “nexus” sites for the ancient Aiel Saire portal network. Once active, the prince stepped through one of the “portals” and was gone for several hours. When he came back, he ordered his troops into position, for a final assault on Gallindal itself.

6. The Grid - The Garkanans approached and surrounded the city, but were unnerved at what they encountered. A strange mist had arose, and of those Xendallus that were still alive, there were few. The mist had a purplish cast to it that seemed to glow in the night, and before the Garkanans disbelieving eyes, the dead, in which there were many, rose to their feet with hunger in their eyes and vengeance in their dead hearts. This was Xenin’s plan all along. He cared little for mortal concerns or even the Ara Rexanus. He needed the living to become dead, massive amounts of dead. Underneath Gallindal was the remnants of the Sargothian Grid, and once active, it would raise the many thousands who had died in this war as his own dead army, that he would use to conquer the rest of Mythir and start the 2nd age of Sorcerer Lords, except this time he would be the only one. This is why he ordered the Xendallus to stay in Syre, for only Syre still had an intact Sargothian Grid to use to raise the dead.

This was when Prince Alein played his card, his ace in the hole. Knowing that the one thing all Kingdoms feared was a return to the days of the Sorcerer Lords, he activated the portal network and sent an important envoy through. Moments later, troops from the neutral kingdoms of Nuann and Korwell came pouring through, to support the Prince against this new threat. The true battle of Gallindal had begun, and it was the root of this war, the forces of Garkana against the Dead forces of the Sorcerer Lord, Xenin Fel.
The Prince’s advisor, and head of the Garkanan Wizards, Celwyn Camris, however informed the prince moments later that this would be for naught, as the undead forces of Xenin would delay the armies of Garkana long enough for the final Sargothian Pylons to become active, and cover Syre in a Zone of Death that would kill every living thing within its borders. Celwyn offered a last, desperate gamble, a low percentage move, but the only option left to them that could offer any hope of success. Underneath Gallindal, near the Sargothian pylons, was an inert, but still functioning portal-gateway. The wizards could attune it, at great cost of life to themselves, to the Hedge. Knowing time was precious, Prince Alein ordered it done. The portal was opened, though in doing so over half of the Garkanan wizards sacrificed themselves to do so. The Prince and his small force came through, to find themselves locked in combat almost immediately with the forces Xenin left to guard the Pylons. These forces included Sir Crateus the Reaper and King Cainan Xendallus the 3rd. In a pitched battle that lasted for an hour, Prince Alein revealed that the King of Nuann and Korwell had given him their Ara Rexanus, and in clash between the titans of their age, Prince Alein struck down King Cainan, and claimed the remaining Ara Rexanus. While this was taking place, the small Garkanan force managed to fight off Xenin’s forces, and even some of Xenin’s power itself (Xenin at this time was not fully re-manifested). They managed to overload the grid, which led to the undead forces on the surface to lose their animation. The feedback from the grid overloading also destroyed the limited manifestation of Xenin. The war was over, but at great cost to the survivors. Prince Alein Garkana, in a deal with the other Kings of Mythir, gave them back their Ara Rexanus, even the ones who had supported the Xendallus, but only if they swore feality to him and acknowledged the Garkana line as the true kings of Mythir. Seeing the power he was infused with, the kings knew they could not stand against him, not at this time, so in order to get back their Ara Rexanus items, they agreed. Only the Xendallus were not included in this pact, for Prince Alein, now King Alein the 1st, kept the Xendallus Ara Rexanus item and banished the surviving Xendallus from Syre, which he kept as his seat of Power.

Thus ended the Unification War and started the 1000 year reign of the Garkanans.

Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by S. Mulhall Wednesday, 23 November 2011 12:49

Background:

The Unification War had its roots in the end of the Sorcerer Lord wars, from 1000 years before, when mortals rose up against their Living Dead/Undead/Sorcery Masters and overthrew them, with the aid of the Champions of Enlightenment. The descendents of King Mythos, their identity proven by the Ara Rexanus item they carried, stepped forth in the aftermath of the chaos and each claimed a portion of the former Sorcerer Lord domains. These domains, governed by what were now called Kings, were brought to order and for most, a measure of stability. For 1000 years, alliances were made, wars fought, battles were won and lost, yet no King could claim dominion over another, as each was equal in power due to the Ara Rexanus item that gave that family legitimacy to the throne. This stayed the same, until the Xendallus family, using forbidden magics (in fact, all magics were forbidden during this time, and those who could practice such remained “underground”), raised their former fallen master, the Liche Lord Xenin Fel. Immediately he took control of the family and the land of Syre. Under the veil of darkness, he began raising his army of the dead, including some of his former servants that could be recovered. At the same time, King Cainan Xendallus the III took steps of his own to secure alliances, swaying several of the Kings of the East to his cause of a “unified kingdom”, where the Lords of the East would plunder and subjugate the Lords of the West. The idea of actually taking another King’s Ara Rexanus item had been tried, but had not been successful. With knowledge from Xenin Fel, King Xendallus had been given the secret to successfully take and “bond” another King’s Rexanus item. The Kingdom of Velkaria was the first to suffer this fate, as their King Heinrich was captured by Xendallus forces and his Ara Rexanus bonded to King Cainan Xendallus. With the Velkarians conquered and their forces absorbed into the Xendallus’s, the next to fall were the Ursolids of Talyngrad, and then the DaMaeris family of Delor. Delor fell without a blow struck, as King DaMaeris’s family was kidnapped and held ransom against his cooperation. In the East, only the Korwellians were able to hold off the advances of the Xendallus, due to their high aeries and treacherous mountain terrain.

The West, however, did not stand by while this took place. Terovia and Caiern built more defenses on their borders, while Nuann strengthened the Fey Glamour that protected their forests by use of their allies. Small Maglyon, the westernmost kingdom by the sea, alone appeared to make no gestures of armament. But this was because they carried a secret, for over a 1000 years, that no one in any of the other kingdoms knew.

When the Sorcerer Lord Wars were over, many examined what trapped them to the Sorcerer Lords/gave them power in the first place, and it was decided that it was the magical might the S. lords learned originally from the Elves, before the fall of Mindalyn. This led to a great backlash against any and everything “magical”, and in an unprecedented act of unity, all 9 kingdoms banned the use of “magic” and its manipulation. For close to a thousand years, it was illegal to cast even the simplest cantrip, across all the lands of the descendents of Mythos. Or so it seemed. The reality was, every land had its practitioners, and some, such as Nuann with their fey/elven influences and Syre, with its death/dark arts influences, still encouraged those select within their realms. However, the main violator of this ban was the small Kingdom of Maglyon, whose family was told at the time of the founding of their kingdom that for the sake of their future, they must protect and even allow to flourish those who would manipulate mana. And this mandate they followed, secretly hiding and guiding those who would become powerful. This hidden “magiarchy” within Maglyon guided the actions of the small nation by its Council of Wizards. When the Xendallus started their warmongering, the council knew something else was at play, and sent the young Prince of the Realm, Alein Garkana, to the Crystal Lake in the Valley of the lost, by the Mountain of Spires. Every heir to the legacy of Mythos spent a fortnight by the lake, and those who were accepted to the Legacy came back, enriched with knowledge. Those who were not accepted, never came back at all. It just so happened that Prince Alein’s 18th name-day coincided with the events taking place in the East, and the Council felt this was an opportune time, for the young Prince might be shown what was actually taking place.

This plan was not only prudent, it worked better than any had hoped. The young Prince did come back with the true knowledge of what was taking place. He was changed, in many ways. An air of confidence and resolve replaced uncertainty. In one hand, as he walked into the nearby valley after his sojurn, was a sword made of white crystal. In the other hand was the head of an Ereptor assassin, sent by Xenin Fel to prevent this exact occurrence. What should have been a joyous time for the prince completing his Name-day quest quickly turned to tragedy and grief as it was discovered not only had Xenin struck at the young price, but also at his family, killing any and all other members of his line, including his father, the king. The assassins also took the Garkanan Ara Rexanus back to King Cainan, preventing Alein from assuming the mantle of King. Instead, he proclaimed himself as a Champion, and vowed vengeance on the Xendallus family. The unlikeliest Kingdom was standing up and declaring war against the most powerful Kingdom, when no other kingdom would. It was the stuff of legynd.

This started the brutal and long campaign, known as the Unification Wars. Prince Alein had no Ara Rexanus of his own, and he knew that without its power, he could not command armies nor stand up to the Xendallus. This meant he had to do what was previously unthinkable, and command/conquer his neighboring kingdoms to give him their Ara Rexanus. He never would have taken this course of action, except he was given a vision of what the world would like if the Xendallus, and more importantly, their liche lord master, Xenin Fel, won. Over the next few years, he campaigned against the other kingdoms, and through a series of improbable outcomes, managed to win and capture the Ara Rexanus of Terovia and Caiern. While this did not make him the equal of King Cainan Xendallus, it did allow him to challenge. He marched his armies in a straight line to Syre, ignoring other potential targets, because he knew time was of the essence. Many thought it was an insane plan, to attack the Xendallus on their home territory, without campaigning and weakening their infrastructure first by attacking logistical targets, but Alein would have none of it. This outcome would be decided at the ancient city of Gallindal, where Prince Alein would attack the heart and strength of the Xendallus forces.

And so began the 2nd battle of Gallindal...

Last Updated (Wednesday, 16 November 2011 13:58) Written by S. Mulhall Wednesday, 16 November 2011 13:57

Garkanan Side:
Kingdom of Maglyon: Garkanan Family (Prince Alein (ah-leen) Garkana)
Kingdom of Terovia: Weslent Family (King Johan Weslent)
Kingdom of Caiern: Donagil Family (King Collen Donagil)

Xendallus/Orymm Side:
Kingdom of Syre: Xendallus Family (King Cainan Xendallus the 3rd)
Kingdom of Delor: DaMaeris Family (King Nis’mael DaMaeris)
Kingdom of Velkaria: Von Reinhardt Family (King Heinrich Von Reinhardt)
Kingdom of Talyngrad: Ursolids Family (King Kyosta Ursolids)

Neutrals(for the start of the battle)
Kingdom of Korwell: Exeter Family (King Aeros Exeter)
Kingdom of Nuann: Tuathal Family (King Sidhe Tuathal)

Last Updated (Thursday, 27 October 2011 05:16) Written by Sean M Thursday, 27 October 2011 05:15

The Past-1011 years or so before, at the borders of the Kingdom of Syre

The white and grey dappled horse neighed loudly as another horse approached. The rider of the white and grey calmed the horse, and continued to survey the surrounding lands from his vantage point on the overlooking cliffs. He sighed, and turned to his oldest friend, approaching on a massive black charger. For all their sternness, the man and his horse could have been chiseled from stone.
“My Prince…it’s time. The forces are massed, the logistics are in place and everyone seems ready. The invasion is ready to begin.” The man’s voice was like the presence the man carried, hard, cut and ready for war. Some men were just born to it. It was instinctual, like breathing or swallowing. This man was one such as those.
“Nay, we are not invaders, Sir Ellis.  We are liberators, not invaders. For too long this Kingdom has been under the sway of the Xendallus and their foul Sorcerer Lord Master. And look at this realm.” The prince gestured to the lands below.

Sir Ellis the Redeemer, as he was known, took in the site below him. The lands were green and vibrant and teeming with life. It seemed strange that lands this rich would be under the fist of those as foul as the Xendallus and their liche master, Xenin Fel. It didn’t seem possible, and he said as much.
“It is a paradox, but one that will shortly be rectified. I know not why the Xendallus forces seemed to have withdrawn to closer to Gallindal, but this is a mistake by them, one we will happily take advantage of.  These lands, once we have conquered, will be ours to rule. No longer will we be relegated to far away Maglyon. I will take these lands; I will take Gallindal, and turn them into something great, something worthy. What was once, shall be again. I will make this into the Land of Roses.”

Prince Alein Garkana raised his hand, and at his signal, the columns of troops below began the march into the Kingdom of Syre, towards Gallindal.

So began the last battle of the Unification Wars, known as the 2nd Battle of Gallindal

The Present-just outside of Rosehaven

Corporal Marks had seen some strange things in his time. When back in the Kingdom of Korwell, an enlisted man in his Majesty’s army, he once saw Sir Jannick the Black Lion knight cut three Orcs in half, at the waist, in one blow. He had seen the dead walk, ice creatures invade, elementals running amuck.  He was even witness to the Explosion of Cardross, when Sir Tairengail Saravatum sacrificed himself to destroy the main armies of the Sorcerer Lords.
Still, he was bit unnerved when out of the ground rose ghostly apparitions around him. They were some sort of soldiers, some sort of manifestation that was disgorged from the land itself. As they came into existence, he saw one side was wearing the old tabards of Garkana, with the rose symbol upon their chest. The other side wore black tabards with a strange device that reminded him somewhat of the symbol of the Orymm he had fought.  His surprise and perplexion became more pronounced, as two manifestation-soldiers saluted him. Each spoke, one saying “The Garkanan Forces are ready for your orders sir” and the other saying “The forces of the Xendallus await to obey your commands, my lord”.

He removed his helmet and scratched his head, confusion still reigning on his features. It was going to be an interesting next several days…