"All you out there! Mighty Heroes and Champions! Before my tale is told you shall have, each of you, a taste of Chaos."
(The Starweb)
The Cascade is spent - for now. Withdrawn once again from the forefront of human affairs, the Gods ponder the lessons on the recent conflict, and plot Their next moves on the multilayered checkerboard that is Anarea. Meanwhile within the very fabric of the board something stirs. Chaos seeps into the World, and though much of it is eradicated by the Forces of Law, much still insinuates itself into places it is not easily found. Should it resurface it can become both vulnerable to attack and deadly in its manifestations. Such are the symptoms diagnosed by the Valdrean Empire in the Bandit King Corex, and so, with the Evil threat now in abeyance, they prepare to make war on him. They shall have a taste of Chaos, but they are ready to spit it out.
When Peace came to the bloody field of Second Garf Lea, the Sun broke through the last shreds of the stormclouds to reveal the full extent of the carnage. CAERULAS then declared Himself to be a Clerical God, and was admitted to the new Temple of Peace on Earth through the agency of His Representative on Earth, Ichixal (who had come from a race of Sun-worshippers in the far East. Work began on a Temple of CAERULAS on Earth at the T.P.E. Site in Bjarmigen, and missionaries set out from Garf Lea to spread the Creed of the Sun across the known world.
CAERULAS then avenged Himself on the Gods of Hell, for forcing Him to carry Them into Their attack on Heaven, by carrying a party of Kostof II, Arril of Tarm, Thórad Lawsayer, Dválin Nínkhâsa, Harrek, Toban, Sabrah and Julietta into Hell to raid the Treasure House of HALKI on the night of 25 Weven. The Axe of the Northern Kings was lost in the fight, but Kostof II succeeded in penetrating the Treasure House and recovering the Axe of Dválin for SARAN.
But their victory was short-lived. On 3 Iarom the Wave of Terror returned to Dwarf Hold, Dválin was bloodily murdered, Thórad assassinated, and the Axe stolen once again.
It now seemed the tide was turning in favour of the Forces of Evil. The last of the wave of Evil armies out of the North West had entered the fray in the West March of the Kingdom of the North, and marched on the fortress town of Castle Aptal. Meanwhile a smaller force secured the Mern Gap. A Teleport Block appeared all round Castle Aptal, and this led to bursts of bitter fighting as groups of Nazgûl and Balrogs sought to prevent King Bjørn from bringing in adventurers outside the Block during 1 and 2 Iarom. The climax was a combat between the Lightning Demon that appeared at Garf Lea and Angels of SARAN and ESCUS. As far as can be told, the result was that the Lightning Demon and the Angel of SARAN took each other out.
The Evils stormed Castle Aptal on the night of the 2nd. Reinforcements had arrived in the nick of time for the defenders, led by Bjørn and Warden Varel. The battle took place in a storm of hurricane force, out of which came WAGREN's beams of Destruction from Heaven. (He had already used this beam to attempt the assassination of SARAN at the Temple of the Sun Diamond in Valdran on the night of 24 Weven, but She was elsewhere.)
The Northeners fought, and died, bravely, in the great tradition of their forefathers, but the Evils were unstoppable in their ferocity, and Castle Aptal fell. Few escaped the battle and subsequent massacre. But the King survived, with Harrek, Chasok, Iccy, Toban and a few horsemen. He buried an axe in the ruined post of the bridge that bears his name, and swore to return for it.
Kostof II had been captured by the Balrogs. They threw him into a Sphere of Annihilation, but he, and both his Magic Swords, survived it, escaped, and Word of Recalled to Valdran later on the 3rd.
There he resumed his duelling. He had previously failed to take the Mastery of the Imperial Games 24 Weven, but had succeeded in taking the Lord High Executionership (and with it the Magic Sword of the office) 1 Iarom. Now he embarked on a rapid sequence of Normeikl Championship Duels, culminating in a bid for the top five positions (the last of which is the Lion Throne) on the 4th. He lost the duel for the Fourth Championship, but arranged a further bid for the top in a month's time.
The Temple of Peace on Earth reached Eralham, at the mouth of the River Garf, on the 3rd. There the Temple of SARAN on Earth, escorted by the Valdrean Expeditionary Force, left it, returning to the Empire. Here too the Kyrians and the Dwarves departed; Zorgar of Kyr with the body of his father, the late King Kargax; the Dwarves with nothing but grief for their captured King. 18,000 Peaced Orcs were allowed to go in peace, and they retraced their steps up the Garf. The Temple itself headed North with a much reduced escort.
The Peaced Orcs added the garrison of Fobren to their number on the 9th, but met fierce resistance from the Orcs at Hotif on the 10th. Balrogs appeared and started a massacre. FIDAR responded by sending in a powerful servant of Hers, who gave His life to bring Peace to Hotif. The Orcs now dissipated into the forest, and the high road was open again - for those who cared to risk it.
On the 6th Bjørn led 18,000 Northeners out of Torriben to retake Castle Aptal. But the Evils, their sack of the town complete, moved out that same night and escaped into the Forest of Mern. Bjørn detached a small force to reoccupy the lost territory and pick off any wandering orcs, and headed back to Castle Mern with his main force. Meanwhile Harrek called upon the rest of the levy East of Bjarmigen.
The Evils broke out of the Forest into the Mid March, taking the small town of Kariz on the 12th. They were now threatening Bjarmigen itself. A banner of ALTIS appeared on the Temple site in the city on the night of the 13th, but was swiftly torn down. However the Evil army turned away that same night, and marched off through the Mern Gap into the wilderness beyond.
The T.P.E. reached Grinen on the 12th, and Bjarmigen on the 23rd, where it took up its new site and the festivities began. Bjørn had given his father a funeral with the full rites due to a Northern King on the 19th. Now he turned to the Coronation of himself as King Bjørn XVII and of his Queen Yolande, which was held 1 Aval 2501.
Peace had come at last to the Kingdom of the North, and there was much rejoicing. There was also much to do. Bjørn held a meeting of the new Privy Council 2 Aval, when the new political set-up, pursuant to the Treaty of Bjarmigen, was formally announced.
Meanwhile Prince Kostof II had been leading a Dungeon Expedition of his Normeikl Fellowship of the Third Empire. He returned 2 Aval for an important meeting of the Valdrean Privy Council. This was part of the on-going reorganisation and rationalisation initiated by Emperor Kostof I following his declaration of the Third Empire of SARAN. The day before, for instance, it became illegal to practise Elementalism within the Empire without a licence (costing 7GP per annum) from the Academia Magicae Valdrensis, directed by Toban of Normeikl. The Privy Council now relaxed the restriction on Teleportation into the Empire, which had previously required a stop on the border. They allowed it to "approved points". One such point was approved: in Valdran on the old Temple of Heaven on Earth site. They also strengthened the laws against Demon Summoning by forbidding any Valdrean, on pain of immediate death, to sell his soul within or without the Empire. This law is not retrospective, beyond 24 Weven 2500.
4 Aval Kostof II returned to the Arena before a record crowd to resume his challenge for the Lion Throne. In a brilliant display of magic and two-sworded combat he took the Fourth, Third and Second Championships of Normeikl. It was expected that Kostof I would now formally concede, and father and son approached each other across the Arena.
Shouting a challenge, Kostof I struck at Kostof II with the Sword of the Emperors. He missed, and Kostof II hit him back in the chest with the Imperial Flame. Kostof I struck again, Kostof II parried him with Terminus Est, there was a tremendous explosion, the Sword of the Emperors was blown out of Kostof I's hand, and he fell to the ground. Kostof II struck Kostof I a second time in the chest with the Imperial Flame, Kostof I pointed a Finger of Death at Kostof II, and killed him.
At the cost of his eldest son and heir, Kostof I holds the Lion Throne still, but is now under challenge from Arril of Tarm for 11 Aval, as the Imperial Guard put down riots in the streets (for Kostof II was a favourite of the people). The new Crown Prince is seventeen year old Sandro, who first entered the Arena in the warm up duels before those which led to the death of his brother.
Individual reports and experience updates are "in the works", following which your orders are requested for the period 5 to 26 Aval 2501.
© P.R. Wild, 24 July 1983
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