LORDS OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN 54

Young queen Astrid married a nobleman of Vanaheim in 2911, but their troubled union produced no heirs.  There were rumors about the desires of the Prince Consort for…other fare.

Lord Berjen Odlest died in 2915 in Antiphia, where he spent his final years entertaining the rough-cut nobility of that small city.

Sorst Sorisen and Prince Madren governed the cities of Berjelm and Vanaheim in era of unprecedented graft, villainy and personal excess.

Princess Siffa, last imprisoned daughter of King Bjarnalf, died alone in 2913.

Lord Tychon reorganized the army, placing fourteen thousand cavalry under the command of Prince Athansios at Cadares. Meanwhile, King Gares spent nearly two years working to improve the position of his nephew Athansios within the court.  Athansios repaid this kindness with treachery, moving to imprison his uncle Gares and declare himself king of the Harkorians.

In the ensuing scuffle, Athansios’s troops moved throughout the capital, seizing those loyal to the king.  Gares appeared and made an impassioned speech to the army, but soldiers loyal to Athansios captured and killed their monarch, presenting the young usurper with Gares’s head.  Athansios made a show of outrage, executing the regicides.  He was careful to imprison Queen Eleni and her three children in luxury.

Despite the shock of the usurpation, the nation of Harkoria remained stable.

In 2913, seven thousand Aelissian troops arrived at Cadares from across the Golden Sea and helped to defend the capital.  These were under the command of halfling King Jay Morningsong and included four thousand elite Aelissian Slingers

The taurids of Brythnia recruited three thousand centaur cavalry at the Great Meadow. King Brangus gave most of his troops to Hellenas Springbuck and then set off eastward with two thousand five hundred troops to conquer the lands of Lauriacum and Calodunum.  Nearly that many halflings of Lauriacum were joined by a thousand archers from Calodunum, giving the halflings the numerical advantage.  Likewise, the halflings of Lauricaum used their remarkable knowledge of the woods against the lumbering centaurs and inflicted a hard-won defeat on Brangus, killing nearly a thousand of his cavalry.  The brash king ordered a second attack in the summer of 2912 and this time the king was slain by a halfing slingstone and his troops sent reeling back in disorder to Gistares. Some two thousand centaurs lay dead.

Klytie Tallplain, with twelve hundred mixed troops marched north and raided the Cendarinne mountains.  The rigors of the mountains, the patrols from Waertag and Klytie’s own limited military skills doomed the raid to defeat. Klytie was wounded by the orcs and only four hundred of her troops escaped to the Dacian Hills.

Hellenas Springbuck and eight thousand centaurs garrisoned the Great Meadow. Zosime Redmare and two hundred light cavalry were sent on a suicide mission to raid the Worldspine Mountains.  They accomplished their mission in Idiolum.  None made it back.

Mon Brandobaris captained the small Aelissian navy until his death in 2913.

In the same year, workers and students in Port de Brises rose up in protest against monarchical excess and declared it to be a free port.

Gold arrived in shipments from the Neldorean elves.

Sir Gawain traveled to Launds and claimed the land for the crown.

Sir Edward of Malidisant died in 2915 of the bloody flux.

Word came from the priests of Agaleus that Queen Elevuil was dead, though none knew how.  Her widower, Prince Xhantor, became the new king of the Whisper Wood.

Súrionlath Tiriya led the refugees of Malcian into the Riftmarch and saw them settled there, then led a thousand elves south to garrison Eämbar.

Lord Lossëhelin returned from Brythnia and sailed south to Har’akir where he retrieved the army Lady Alarielle.  Her elven archers were returned to Elenuil, but Alarielle and her Eagle Riders were sent north to Brythnia.  Angered by the long distances and time away from their homes, they rebelled against the rule of Elenuil and went their own way.

The elves sent shiploads of gold to Corland, but received nothing in return.

Missionaries sent to the Llyran province of Nova Valis alienated the human population, driving them even further into the Dark Court camp.

Sir Baren convinced the men of Maicutis to allow the transit of Crusader armies, while a battalion of fervent priests converted many of the Maicutans from their ancient religion to that of the Grail.

Regent Sir Waylan died in 2914, leaving young king Vincent only twelve years old.  The nobility of the Exarchate vied for the powerful position of regent, and the wily lord Baren won.  Then, just weeks after his investiture, the bloodthirsty knight slew both Vincent and his young mother with his own bare hands, declaring them to have been in league with the dark forces of the Pit of Gelorum.  In charge of half the army and in control of the capital, Baren declared himself to be Exarch on the spot.  The skittish nobility agreed to his demands.

Meanwhile, Sir James and Sir Kurtis raided into the horrific wilds of Barrandia with eight thousand soldiers.  They found nothing worthy of plundering,

Grand Master Fidelius established an Order Perceptory in the Brythnian capital of Tauropolis, while Mistress Veneficus tried and failed to establish one in the rebel Conorrian region of Eatris.

Master Pilum spent five years attempting to reason and negotiate with the prognosticants who had taken over the Order Fortress.  He promised that stifling rules would be reviewed, students might have access to the desired Order of Might tract, and any who wished to leave the service of the Dawn were free to go – The Order keeps no one against their will. Pilum emphasized that the occupation of the Order Fortress and disruption of its affairs served only the Dark Court, which both the Dawn and the writers of the Order of Might opposed.

Shortly after the prognosticants ended their siege, Master Pilum died of a heart attack in 2915.

Meanwhile, Lord Elvand sailed up the Raethalas river with thirty-five hundred men and two thousand undead troops to confront the Bekanai tribes at Braelin Don.  He expected to meet orcish allies there, but these never arrived.  The Bekanai did arrive, however, in great numbers.  Ten thousand Bekanai soldiers and horsemen from Braelin Don, Odhar and Aonach stormed into the woods to oppose the invaders.  Elvand was greatly skilled, but hampered in the woods and by small numbers.  At the end of a brutal fight in the forests, both armies retired from the field.  Elvand’s army had lost two thousand troops, while the Bekanai had lost only a few hundred.  Elvand sailed back down the Raethalas to Denavine.

Barathor the Mighty gathered the feudal armies of , Black Forest, Firefields and Silvator together at Silvator to guard against invasions.

The Ascars began the cultivation of the plains of Thessol, fallow since the Airnim Horde had

Silverskein and Blatharg, silver-tongued devils that they were, convinced the tribes of the Cendarinnes and Rimehorns to increase their ties to Gargath.  They hardly had to kill anyone at all.

Dregog, a powerful shaman, complained about the task set before him, the mere counting of the king’s possessions and tributaries.

Blayth of Napoca, an ally of Orkgoth’s helped to re-colonize the regions of North and South Worldspines with the very orcs who had just fled the regions.  Needless to say, the settlers were unhappy about their new orders.

Twelve hundred Brythnian taurids under Klytie Tallplain raided into the Cendarinnes, but were stymied by the region’s defenses.  Klytie herself was wounded.

The orcs received support from Ascarlon in the form of gold and livestock.

The Imperial Flag

The hobgoblins of Carhallas recruited three thousand mixed troops at Carhallas and sent five thousand troops south under the command of General Lurgott. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Maugroth set out west from Lederata with much of the garrison, abandoning the siege of Colanum, which remained in Conorrian hands.

Maugroth linked up with Lurgott at Mamucias. With generals Ah’shkratt, Lurgott and Ak’kratush, Maugroth commanded an army of fifteen thousand hobgoblins.  He marched through Dhûnazhar at Crisias, and encamped in Aquae Albanesis in the winter of 2912. General Ah’shkratt died in camp that winter. The next spring, Maugroth joined his army in alliance to that of Ascarlon and marched south to attack Adoria. (See The War of Imperial Succession, below).

Back in Sauthor, the Emperor died in 2913.  Word reached Crown Prince Maugroth shortly after his victory over the defenses of Adoria late that year. Without proper administration, all contact was lost with the garrison of Lascuta.

Gnaeus Marcellus, a leader of the Eastern Conorrian Empire, entered the region of Adumar in 2913 and the party of War Wizards with him summoned a horde of fire imps who set about attacking the tiny garrison of cavalry.  Gnaeus himself added to the carnage by the use of a deadly Firestorm spell to slaughter the fleeing survivors.  The human invader then directed the fire imps to tear up the postal road through the region, severing Carcaroth’s link to Lederata.  That distant region did not rebel…yet.

The Empress-Regent, a devout worshipper of the gods of Woe, contributed large sums of cash to the Duskwood Reavers of Azhran.

Lord Panchotoniax traveled into the steppe to make treaties with the nomadic tribes.  He managed to get the horsemen of Gastos to agree to the Great Kingdom’s sovereignty, but was blithely ignored by the men of Torava.

Crown Prince Namardil ruled the realm from the throne of Dalariadh.  In 2911, his wife Chanths gave birth to a baby girl, a dark-eyed beauty who stole her father’s heart (perhaps someday she’ll do it literally).  The infant girl was blessed by the priests of Malbor and the fey priestesses of Evaless.

Meanwhile, King Eldareth and most of his court began to ride across the realm, encouraging the pacified elves of Celendor to support the Forest Realm.  At Rainas and Nimbreth, they met with local leaders and offered them power, wealth and training.  In Vethosas, they extracted tribute by means of threats and a few well-considered murders.

Killkrantor the Remonstrator, the dynamic knight of the Duskwood Reavers gave stirring speeches about the freedom and power of the Dark Court in the western city of Minnuin, convincing many of the local nobility to convert.

In 2914, strange stories began to filter into the civilized regions of the north that some nameless power of the ancient world dwelled in Bornil and had awakened.  A black castle and a great winged serpent colored as black as pitch were rumored to serve this power.  None who entered that mountainous region came back, so no one knew the truth of the stories.

Aeliniel incited the Dark Court worshipers in Rainas to rise up and slay the priests of the Lords of the Grail.  Her words, fell and sly, were heard throughout the region and soon a fanatical army rose up to do just that.

Grand Master Nath-Imperator Melenchlaenith the Archdisrupter summoned demons to create dark and bountiful gardens in Nimbreth.

The wizard Prince William Shroud died at the age of eighty four shortly after returning from an adventure abroad. King Keriadoc appointed his daughter Lily to replace the deceased prince on his council.

He made peace with his brother-in-law Atanius, who agreed to accept the title of Exarch. In return, Atanius removed his troops from Faloricum and joined the Conorrian coalition marching against the Western Protectorate.  Thandoros also ceded the right to control both Faucrion and Sabratha, though Sabratha immediately revolted and refused the rule of Eleucria. When Faucrion was not garrisoned, it also rebelled and declared itself independent.

Thandoros also made peace with Draximus, who agreed to accept the title of Imperator Secundus (theoretically junior to Thandoros’s Imperator Primus.) To seal this arrangement and end the war, Thandoros married Draximus’s daughter Honoria.

But the Emperor of the Conorrians refused to make peace with Decimus Brutus and the Western Conorrian Protectorate.  Perhaps it was because Decimus was not from any great and noble family,

An assassin disguised as a member of the Emperor’s guard tried to attack Decimus Brutus with a halberd that burned blue with a strange icy radiance.  The assassin killed many guards but was himself slain before reaching the Emperor.

Moreover, a rumor spread throughout the army that the new emperor would be unable to pay his troops, and confusion spread through the ranks.  But alert lictors quelled that sort of talk with a few well-placed arrests.

The army of Ascarlon crossed through Western Conorrian territory twice, in 2912 and 2915, both times traversing through Lenicum.  They neither asked nor received permission, and the garrison of Port Infernum did not emerge to challenge them.

Decimus Brutus was saddened, but not surprised when a coalition of troops from Conorria, the new Exarchate of Adoria and the Grail Primacy invaded Anicium in 2912.  (See The War of Imperial Succession, below).

Under his agreement with the Emperor, Atanius sent his eleven thousand soldiers (including four thousand Conorrian Legionnaires) to support the Imperial coalition invading the Western Conorrian Protectorate.  (See The War of Imperial Succession, below).

Admiral Lysandros garrisoned his ships in the harbor of Flavium and marched north to Eleucria, where he presided over the short-lived defense of the city. (See The War of Imperial Succession, below).

The Adorians sent grain and livestock to the Grail Primacy.

Draximus named his other daughter Lucilia to his council, and named his son Calixtus as his heir and successor. He also fathered twin sons in 2912.

Gnaeus Marcellus entered the Carhallas-controlled region of Adumar in 2913 and the party of War Wizards with him summoned a horde of fire imps who set about attacking the tiny garrison of cavalry.  Gnaeus himself added to the carnage by the use of a deadly Firestorm spell to slaughter the fleeing survivors.  The human invader then directed the fire imps to tear up the postal road through the region, severing Carcaroth’s link to Lederata.  That distant region did not rebel…yet.

The Primacy received grain and livestock from both the Exarchate of Adoria and the Llyran Republic.

Grail missionaries worked to eliminate the power of the Dark Court in Nova Valis, Akir and Vahdin.

Patriarch Henrikos left Har’akir and returned to the Holy City of Conorr, taking up command of the garrison of four thousand.

Bishop Kheldar attempted to consecrate a cathedral in Tarrentica.  He failed at this, dying in Tarrentica in 2914.

Bishop Iaso marched from Conorr to support the

The Order of The Dawn began to aid the dwarves from its base in Phaedon, supplying Dhûnazhar with some much-needed infrastructure.

King Valand II married a noblewoman from one of the more influential Khelem Vala clans and fathered a son in 2913. He took command of the main Dhûnazhar army, thirteen thousand dwarves, at Khelem Vala.

Lords Torak and Garag Blood-Axe traveled to Azhan Madhor and convinced Prince Doran to become the economic ally of Dhûnazhar.

Princess Valandra concentrated the army under the command of the king and then looked for signs of traitors in the realm. She found none.

The hobgoblins of Carhallas crossed Dhûnazhar territory twice, in 2912 and 2915, both time marching through Crisias flying flags of truce.  (See The War of Imperial Succession, above).

A horrid magical curse settled over the land of Kiril Zelen, wilting crops, spoiling beer and causing sheep and goats to wither.

Exarch Voromë  moved his army of five thousand elves to the Carhallas border in Ganthus Longa, expecting an attack that never came.

The Banner of Pelendur

The Shield of Pelendur

King Gregor and his allies assembled a defensive force of ten thousand soldiers at Othona and defended against an expected attack that never came.  In 2915, Gregor and his army departed Othona for the east, leaving a garrison of two thousand at Othona.

In 2914, strange stories began to filter into the civilized regions of the north that some nameless power of the ancient world dwelled in Bornil and had awakened.  A black castle and a great winged serpent colored as black as pitch were rumored to serve this power.  None who entered that mountainous region came back, so no one knew the truth of the stories.

Prince UIfast III ruled the kingdom from the court of Vigilum.  Despite his efforts, his writ did not extend so far as his grasp.  The regions of Durobrivae, Iaurinum, Kiringlo, Valdior, Vindobala all rebelled against Pelenduri rule, cutting off trade along the Esharias river.

Elsewhere, the Llyrans evacuated all former Har’akir holdings save the city of Mica.

The Llyrans sent grain to the Conorrians at Echoriath and to the Great Church.  They sent gold to the Order of the Dawn.

Constans Ganoes Paran brought nearly ninety ships to patrol the Sea of Serpents prior to his death in 2913.  After that, his fleet returned to Tarrentica.

Herboric Marova explored the backstreets of Vastium…and disappeared.

Rafe Vatta attempted diplomacy in Dikhil, but died after just a few months of it.

The armies of Ahuran returned home. 

Queen Mary took a husband and died in childbirth as had Queen Jenny, her predecessor.  The priestesses of the Mother named Elizabeth Lynxpaw as her successor.

Sultan Ahmed, using a powerful spell and the offer of his own hand in marriage, made an alliance with his former capital of Mar Awas.  He also married his sister Elmura to Lord Falja, naming him a Prince of the Blood.  Unfortunately, Elmura died in 2915 of fainting sickness. The great hero Mardukar went everywhere the Sultan went, guarding the young man from all dangers.

Emir Ali and Prince Phal negotiated a feudal arrangement with Akir, while Prince Falja negotiated an economic treaty with the city of Agazier.

Emperor Dioges exerted his influence in Thymene, forcing the nobility of that cultivated land to acknowledge his sovereignty. Meanwhile, Lords Gildorn and Sylvain enticed Phalces entirely back into the fold of the Empire.

Missionaries of the Shadowed Primacy helped whip up religious fervor across the empire.

Missionaries spread out in Badar, Kesydon and Shenth, each achieving some degree of success in returning the lands to the faith of their fathers.

General Tanari sent Azril, son of Vuluk, to be a prince of the Holy See. Tanari himself took command of the main Luxurite army (thirteen thousand mixed troops) at Aysira.

Speaker Aspex built a powerful transport fleet at Aysira, but died in 2915.  Speaker Shozon hired both of Luxur’s national adventuring companies for secret missions. He died in 2913.

Lieutenant Husst traveled to Keferis, where he took up command of the pacified region as an ally of the oligarchy in Thedelos. He died in 2915, and his son took over as lord of Keferis.

Speaker Nealos worked tirelessly to regain the loyalties of the capital, now that most Thedelosians once again worshiped Udjo.

Pysus Ara Vata traveled to Naqada and established a monastery dedicated to the thoughtful contemplation of the Egg and the Scale. He took possession of the fabulous Dragonstone

Priest Luzilt traveled to Merwal and took up command of the Holy See’s garrison of light infantry.

Prince Azril of Luxur took holy orders and became a prince of the Holy See.

Missionaries to Badar successfully restored the native religion, ousting the fanatical devotees of the Dark Court.  That invidious sect continued to be popular with certain elements in the city, however.

Missionaries to Weshtayo failed to increase the status of Autumna with the humans and halflings of that nation.

With their king and crown prince still missing, the halflings were ruled by Regent Zuiya Zendowan until his death in the capital in 2913.  Although Zuiya had made it clear that his own choice for successor was Lord Vahdin, tradition demanded that the regency fall to Princess Carmina, as it did without incident.

Meanwhile, Lord Vahdin had moved an army of six thousand halflings to defend the wall at Shood, while Lord Fakhar had command of the home defense with five thousand troops and the Thariyyan navy at the capital.

Princess Regent Carmina traveled to Kildaruensis, where she offered Thariyya’s protection to the human tribes.  Seeing little protection there, the big folk of the desert rudely ejected the princess and sent her packing.

The feudal lords of Shai, Bari and Meheskar combined their three thousand troops and went on a

The effort to stamp out the Nurad dialect continued in the city of Eumana.

Emperor Jubal trained his youngest daughter Trinoch in the ways of rulership.

Crown Prince Tormak guarded the capital with an army of six thousand cavalry. Kragar Darkfist patrolled the waters around Agharra with forty-five warships, more than half of which were the huge Accolon Battle Galleys which only the warlocks knew how to build.

Enok Dunestalker traveled to Carru and made an alliance with the chieftains of that breadbasket region, arranging the marriage of an important noblewoman to the crown prince.

Gezz Half-Shadow appeared in Adoria along with the Ascar and Carhallas armies to deal devastation and ruin to the enemies of his gods (See The War of Imperial Succession, above). He received a large share of the plunder from that region as a tithe from the combatant nations.

Anastasia of the Icy Stare founded religious sites in the ancient seats of the Valesian peoples, while missionaries strengthened the

Maximus, Hammer of Malbor, traveled to the city of Ginch in Dursarc, where his attempts to increase the Primacy’s holdings were thwarted by political jockeying among the Warlocks.

Edric Stormwing established a church in the arid coastal region of Ishku, but met with heresy and contention that blocked his spread of power into Port Hellmaw.  Meanwhile, the allied lords of Teush and Ishi marched south to defend that new city on the Ymarian Sea.

Queen Madariel

Queen Madariel ruled her ancient realm from the throne of Lantar, and raised her son Mithriel

Elsewhere, the elvish court took it upon themselves to work against the spread of the Dark Court. Priests wrote great works of holy praise for the lives of saints, thus raising the religious fervor of the nation to a fever pitch.  Missionaries traveled to Hecaladon to begin the reconversion of that marshy realm.

Prince Alitcean convinced the nobility of Oromardi to support the state religion. Though many in the peasantry remained stolidly supportive of the gods of woe, there was a general conversion to the Lords of the Grail, at least to outward appearances.  The prince then went on to begin the conversion of the nobility in Dimbe.

Similarly, Alvar Brookseeker preached to the noble families of Kalrondo, while Thingold of Gaja and Sielvean of Daio preached in Jebelam.

Evarear Darkblow attempted to gain closer ties to the newly-converted city of Oromardi, but the great elves of that city feared to move so quickly toward the embrace of Empire that their subjects rose up against them.

Vraaka ruled over a peaceful period in his kingdom’s history, fathering two children and overseeing the expansion of Breeka as well as the continued improvements in the northern province of Arran.

Lord Mazkal continued the negotiations with the fiercely independent Oiohutans, but little further progress was had.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Olo*go recruited two thousand light cavalry and rode to the border of Mekebele, where he boldly raided the jungle of Prorte and the farmland of Menrat. Unfortunately for Olo*go and his troops, they ran squarely into the Menrat orc horde and were slaughtered for their temerity.  The orcs nailed Olo*go’s head to their chieftain’s shield.

Lord Vawhee*ta began diplomatic negotiations with the wild tribes of Idhe.

In 2914, a terrible plague spread across Sendahl.  It was like the dreaded black plague, but spread upon the very air.  Tens of thousands died in a very short time.  The cities of Nyange and Bwayo became mere shells in which the anguished survivors struggled for scraps of food and no animals were to be seen.  The countryside was also hard-hit, as populations dropped dead in the fields or fled the coming of death.  The army and merchant navy were devastated both by casualties and by mass desertions.  It was the worst disaster in the memory of any, and many prophesied that the end of the world had come upon them.

Banner of Khor-Naland

Lords Blorin and Gamli continued diplomatic negotiations with the fiercely independent dwarves of Shtekkten and Zhunekru.

Princess Shariel and Lady Elveriadne led colonists to Kulahan but found that the wars with Torquas had left the region poorer and less ready for colonization than they expected.  Still, Elveriadne led a mighty host of thirteen thousand soldiers to protect the colonists.

Engineers continued to drive the Pallurien road toward Jarende.

King Cuitláhuac married a noblewoman and fathered a daughter.  His wife died in childbirth the following year.

Meanwhile, Lord Ezhuahuacatl assembled an army of five thousand warriors and plunged into the jungles of Chesu and Chiktelsa with orders to stamp out the spread of the Dark Court.  Energetic and daring, Ezhuahuacatl decided that nothing short of enslavement would end the hideous worship of demons and so his armies attacked the jungle villages.  He was shocked by the stiff resistance he met in both regions, where skilled leaders fought

Prince Nurudeen watched the coasts with seven thousand mobile troops.

Meanwhile, Lord Jalalud preached the seductive power of the Dark Court to the nobility of Sartus while Lord Firas enticed them to pay tribute to the Sultan.

A great hero, Radhrir of Sartus, was inspired by the speeches of Jalalud and Firas.  He left his lonely tower (for he was a mage of considerable power) and offered his services to the Sultan.

The elves were clearly the better sailors and had the advantage of numbers, and the two admirals (Feantë and Markand of Ruanach were evenly matched.  But the Ruans had the mighty Blacksails, larger, faster and better armed than the small elvish swanships.

Feantë and his elves outsailed the men of Ruanach, but to no avail.  The crushing weight of the Blacksail rams sheared through the elvish hulls like pike through trout. The entire elven warfleet was sunk or too badly damaged to fight.  Many of the transports were likewise captured by pursuing Ruan ships.  But the elves had inflicted serious casualties themselves.  Fully half the Ruan fleet was sunk or burning, and many of the rest were able only to limp back to port or beach themselves before sinking.

Feantë himself was wounded, as was Lord Ben-Har of Bapanda.  Both escaped with their lives, and once in port Admiral Feantë worked his elves tirelessly to repair the damaged fleet.

The Ruan fleet took eight swanships and two transports as prizes.

Prince Emmyn began negotiations with the elves of Indrata.

The shamans of the spirit cults held a great ceremony, firing the religious fervor of the nation.

Princess Emma sailed south with Lords Branoic, Karltone, and Schmitzohne. Leading an fleet of six warships, twenty transports and four thousand troops, she stormed the beaches of Acclimea.  Simultaneously, Faeaid of Rhundal led fourteen hundred troops into Acclimea from the south.  Emma lost four hundred men in the landing and another twelve hundred in hard fighting.  But the elves of Acclimea at last capitulated and agreed to pay tribute to Ukanve.  Lord Faeaid of Rhundal was killed in the fighting.  The entire army accompanied his body back to Rhundal. 

King Ragnar ruled from the throne of Vikitana and trained his young son Erik in the ways of command.

Missionaries to Tuanani completed the long process of converting the natives away from the dwarven religion of the Grail and towards the more proper human worship of the great spirits.

But the real dwarven obsession (and who can obsess like a dwarf?) was the building of fortifications.  Walls, tunnels, forts, fortresses, trenches and redoubts, both obvious and hidden, were made to riddle the length and breadth of the dwarven realm. The land bristled with defensive works so that it seemed there was hardly room for the shepherds to pasture their flocks.

King Vorin retired two thousand infantry, instead training the dwarves to be cavalry, riding upon stout shaggy horses.

His son Tolon fathered another son.  Meanwhile Tolon’s first son Durm was promoted to the rank of Prince of the realm.

Lords Bolan, Talon and Korin convinced the prince of Tyakukta to join his province with the Principalities, taking oaths of fealty to King Vorin.

His son, Crown Prince Sthor and Lord Kaar traveled to Batis to begin negotiations for a more extensive Confederation.  Likewise his brother Prince Boaz traveled downriver to Samilen and discussed the matter of the dragon with Lord Pythek of Samilen.

In Eumela, the King spent his family’s treasury to begin the cultivation of that forested region.

Missionaries in Eumela struggled to overcome those sent by the God-Emperor of Shanatar, and the province’s religious loyalties hung in delicate balance.

Migdala orderd Javah and Lord Tulah to combine their armies and march on Zeynif, bringing this troublesome dragon to heel.  What was a mere dragon when faced with the will of a living god? Combined, Javah and Tulah led a force of thirty thousand infantry and cavalry, including nearly two thousand Shanatar Immortals

They expected to meet the dragon in Zeynif, but were surprised to encounter it in Balasir, already slaughtering local officials, mayors and soldiers.  Drawing their glowing magic weapons, the army of the God-Emperor charged the ancient beast!

The battle joined, Azidahaka lay about him with his fiery breath and the force of his demonic will.  Where he glanced, there men froze in their tracks and died

The city of Mukatir continued to grow, recovering from the devastating fires of decades before.  Meanwhile, public baths and large caravanserai were added to mighty Azhkatûm.

Sultan Kazad married daughter of his friend, Prince Mahir, the Princess Shehir Izad Al Navilok. She gave birth to a son in 2914.  Kazad retained command of the bulk of the army, but delegated command of four thousand heavy elite cavalry to Lord Darzed.

Lord Masket opened diplomatic negotiations with the tribes of Carrez while Vizier Al’Han tried unsuccessfully to sway the nobility of Zahmer away from the Tokran Heresy.

Lord Khosrow led a delegation including Lord Orland and Prince Danush to Yezdarna, where they negotiated tribute from the hillmen, sealing this bargain with marriages to the King’s four brothers Kavad, Nashvad, Nariman and Zand.

Ill vapors arose on the waters of the Chamir river, and these were blamed for many deaths in Vaudan.  Prince Danush and Lord Barzin succumbed in 2911, while King Kavan died in 2912. All the children of old king Eldred also perished during this period: Delaram, Zakaria, Ishkult and Barmak.

After the death of King Kavan, the crown went to his eight-year old son Zamyad.  Prince Afshin was declared Zamyad’s protector and Regent, but he too passed away in 2914. The nation rode through these turbulent times with remarkable passivity, and Kavan’s twin Kavad was named Zamyad’s regent.

King Kaedhrol Greyfeather and Tarja Elsila began negotiations with the elves of Vizhios.

Prince Auvo Kaedhrol ruled from Badmira in his father’s name. He ordered Raimo Kaavi and his eight thousand troops at Lappi to seize merchant shipping belonging to the Kolyut Hegemony.  The tiny riverine fleet of hobgoblin merchants managed to escape without a ship being seized, although several hobgoblin sailors were imprisoned.

Mainos sent elven missionaries to Diangam in Ahandu.  Though they sought to strengthen the cause of Orithia, they managed only to convince the sauruses that Orithia was a foreign religion with alien goals.

The hobgoblins of Pozitlok declared they would not continue their fealty to a heretic, and so forswore their oaths to Shkoyemri.  Lord Baga declared himself opposed to the king, and fled from the capital.  Kovrat of Berat and Arpad of Kaletor both refused to follow Gansukh, despite ruling over populations that were predominantly Falesian.  Gansukh’s agents whipped up Falesian fanaticism in Berat, and as a result, Falesian partisans within his own military captured and hung Kovrat. 

As Gansukh’s army marched into Berat to reassert control, Arpad of Kaletor saw the handwriting on the wall and fled the kingdom by sea.  Both Berat and Kaletor became tributary states to the kingdom.

Gansukh died of a massive heart attack in 2912, and many saw this as the judgment of the gods.  The enormously popular Lord Baga tried to rally the army against the Falesians, but Princess Miyu seized command of her father’s army and had Baga put to death. She declared herself devoted to the Falesian faith.

Despite universal expectations, Miyu did not declare herself queen of Uheju.  Brilliant and vain, as well as a famed sorceress, she had little patience for the demands of rulership.  She declared herself regent for her younger brother and swore bloody revenge on any who opposed him.

Of the regions still comprising the kingdom, only the homeland of Kannguheju remains loyal to the Orithian cause.

The orthodox rebels under General Olizha soon stormed into Kasadir.  They were six thousand strong, but starving in the forests and plains of the west.  They had to take Kasadir and Tamiyot and gambled all on this one throw of the dice.

Olizha was the professional, a smart, dangerous general, while Zlawa was merely prudent and wise. And Olizha had more scouts and more cavalry. But Queen Zlawa was also a sorceress and her men were defending their homeland, which made both she and they dangerous.

The Orithian rebels infiltrated their way into Kasadir before the Falesian loyalists knew where their army was.  They struck hard and fast, taking small garrisons and crossroads silently before the alarm spread.  The rebels had the upper hand from the very beginning.  But although they drove the loyalists before them at first, they soon ran into Kasadir’s fortifications.  Five strong castles stood in the way of the rebel dreams, and they held out against the worst Olizha’s forces could throw at them.  This provided the chance that Zlawa needed to rally her forces and drive the rebels back.

In the end, the rebels lost nearly fifteen hundred dead as they were forced to retreat from Kasadir.  The loyalists lost nearly a thousand, but their raw recruits were now veterans, battle-tested and green no more.

Elsewhere, Prince Maejith attempted to sway the hobgoblins of Inni to join

Lords Oatltehe and Pahualax were stationed in Chojde for just such an eventuality and labored to ensure that the province did not fade from Zathurrin’s power.  In fact, they so impressed the local nobility that they managed to strike a treaty of economic alliance.

Ahandu missionaries labored to return Diangam to the faith of Orithia, while Princess Princess Tzazlat and Princess Tzazless held court among the nobility fo the region and in Jembahuan for the same purpose.  The missionaries were somewhat hampered in this effort by the abrasive (to saurus ears) preaching of the elves of Mainos, whose foreign ways and race turned many against Orithia.

Lord Obi received command of four thousand elite light infantry at Aone and marched them to Venil, where he presented them to Lord Ystris.  Obi then went on to forge an alliance between Venil and Aone.

Lord Ystris died at the age of forty-five in 2914.

An ominous silence reigned in the Sea of Fallen Stars.  No sorcerous storms raged there as they had for the last ten years.

The King and Queen blessed the lands of Sunahm and Menmanga, respectively.

Prince Marahel forged an economic alliance with the southern region of Sunatosuk, while Lady Halath demanded tribute from the elves of Menytu.

Queen Sara set out with ten warships to chart the eastern coasts, and managed to produce a fine rutter of Silver Bay before perishing in the cold winter of 2912.  Her fleet bore her body back to the capital for a state funeral.  Her son Mardule the Younger assumed the throne.

Lord Gerald the Chaste died in 2913 of pneumonia.

Prince Bastian the Bold forged an alliance with the woodsmen of Ait.

The famous diplomat Lord Shakiru died in 2911 at the age of sixty-five.

The land of Bayindu was inundated by high waves and flooding, but there was nothing there to damage.

Admiral Ha-Lukko patrolled the waters around Tauntum with five warships.

King Mardeis and his court engaged in diplomatic maneuverings across Kebe and Ateside designed to place in power nobility loyal to Belgramma.  The chieftains of Ateside agreed to recognize the sovereign power of the king.

The built a small port on the Kebe Straits, giving it the lilting name of Daemonshore.

In 2912, Prince Alstan was elevated to Crown Prince, first in line to the succession.

King Laoghaire tried to soothe the masses of Orbelain with extravagant entertainments, but this only angered the already restive mobs who patrolled the streets.

Lord Tirechan sought and received a tribute from the tribes of Iganchi.

Missionaries failed to dislodge the faith of the Cult of Evaless from Emparar and Awibiat, but Bishop Venator Shaele, with fiery speeches and sample executions, convinced some of the nobility of Therses to convert.

But when he arrived at the Ruan homeland of Daal, he found a rougher reception.  Princess Neva of Ruanach commanded an army of ten thousand infantry, anchored by five large castles. But Arcanon had plans for this great Ruan general and that very night she was wounded as members of her own guard attempted to kill her.  Neva was forced to command the army from her bed overlooking the battlefield.

Now Arcanon held nearly all the cards: Elite troops, more cavalry, more scouts, and excellent battle intelligence.  Nonetheless, the battle was a near thing. Seizing the castles and driving back the Ruan

Roojak Stone marched five thousand light infantry and cavalry east into the hills and launched a war against the tribes of Partinji and Pengana, defeating and enslaving them with relative ease.

Gload Duncan, with a similar army set about the tougher task of reconquering Irnatra and Makuwai.  As usual, these tough regions fielded experienced commanders and fought fiercely. After submitting to Kolyut rule, both regions erupted into yet another wave of violence when Gload Duncan enforced the supremacy of the Dark Court religion. By the time he left Irnatra and Makuwai pacified, Duncan had only two thousand soldiers, even though he wisely allotted time to regroup his army after battle.

Once in Inda, Gload Duncan had to put down yet another insurrection in that region, as Hegemon Moodor’s rule was too weak to enforce discipline in such a distant region. This was a less violent affair, but it still cost Duncan two hundred light cavalry.

Sadly, both of Ruanach’s legendary leaders, admiral Markand and Princess Neva died of natural causes in the years following their battles, leaving only untested generals behind.

Prince Edmor wooed and won a wife in Bendraj, bringing the region fully under the control of Fashanru.  He chased Threnish Prince Roberton out of the region and sailed thirty-five hundred infantry south to reinforce Fashanru in 2915.

Lord Giorn also negotiated the diplomatic union of

Devotees of Nuree carried it beyond the shores of Ahum.  The Vallende elves of Depoken on the island of Mairtho had little interest in the complex theology of the mainland, but the Khovar elves of Sandor in the south found it to be both fascinating and enlightened.  They abandoned their old worship of the spirits of nature for Nuree’s promise of salvation.

Prince Karelak Roguewillow and Stonehill Rabbitjumper of Dhal traveled to Panka on the Ruanach border and concluded a treaty to sell its lumber and hides in the ports of Saumya and Nikitr.

Sathla missionaries entered the southern province of Ankamal and propounded the word of their foreign and scaly god.  Surprisingly, some of the halflings of Ankamal were receptive.

Ancient Raj Algoz finally died in 2913 at the age of one hundred one.  Rumor has it that he walked into the hills of Rudhavi to the headwaters of the Virit river and sat down on a high tor to wait for death.

His son Taurog became the Raj of Virityal at the age of seventy-seven.  Though also ancient for an orc, Taurog showed his age.  Few expect him to live much longer.

It was a time of death among the leadership of the Raj.  Marak Boarslayer died from a hunting wound. Garkog died in battle over a debt of honor. Prince Jausor was slain by his consort for preferring gambling and drink to her company. Tulak died peacefully in 2911. Prince Lurg died of internal wounds received during a club-fighting match in the combat pits of Chharit.

The spate of deaths ensured the failure of a diplomatic initiative in Prirama.

Shipwrights in Amanal on the Sudaran sea completed twenty elaborately-carved warships.

Lord Norz continued diplomatic maneuverings in Virunir.

Prince Hexotta continued as ambassador to Anku Elevya until his mysterious disappearance in 2912.

Lord Ssshiz died in 2911 during a drunken brawl over a old family rivalry.  Prince Ecmundi of Ammanit died in 2913 at the age of fifty-six. Goquax, brother of Emperor Gortoc, was raised to the royal council in his place.

For several months in 2911, the Royal Court made Zaoism fashionable among the nobility of Puntama.  Approximately half the nobility had converted to the state religion by the time the Court left for Anku.

Prince Zao Choum and Ayathis of Aya traveled to the forests of Macaran and worked to convert the nobility there.

Missionaries went far upriver, living among and preaching to the Laorang giants of Okimo.  The giants listened thoughtfully and declared that they had seen the light of Zaoism.

Prince Hexotta of Rajahdan disappeared from his official residence in Tan Chang, shortly after declaring that he was the ambassador of Rajahdan.  His retainers insist that he was kidnapped, but Anku officials are baffled as to the cause.

Empress Nadya traveled to Mersemb and offered its chieftain the ultimate prize in exchange for his loyalty: herself.  She married him and elevated him to Royal Consort.  Her daughters Terysa and Kalissa learned much from this exchange.

Lords Hu Shan and Reke extracted a promise of tribute from the men of Tanu in Mukarma. Meanwhile, missionaries in Mukarma failed to adequately consider the differences in race and language and wound up turning many humans away from Autumna and back to Nuree.

Elven engineers built several strong castles in Hanaze, and small towns developed around each of these, helping to knit the region together.

Though he felt no touch of age, Emperor Sakurako Hideyoshi appointed his Empress, Airi, to be his successor in the case of his untimely death.

Airi spent her time in Karikom, creating a system of effective tax collection.

A new road was begun leading east from Suwelho towards the jungles of Kupenda. Vallirion Sharpeye preceded it, moving to the Fuama peninsula and notifying the reclusive elves of that distant region that they were now a part of the Emerald Realm.