"Let Them redraw Their borders. We shall take Their world, and turn it inside out!"
(Pronouncement of MIRIMI, Temple of Peace on Earth, Rockholme, 24 Sarm 2501)
"See this right glove? I turn it inside out, and it’s a left glove. Do it again, and Presto! It’s a right one again! We are back to where we started."
(Lirra, the Mad Poet; ‘Magic without Magic’)
On the second day of Jerem 2501 the Temple of Peace on Earth made the following announcement:
"The warlike forces of the Valdrean Empire and of the fortress-people of Rockholme are readying for a further escalation of their conflict, into pitched battle between their principal groupings in and around the city of this Temple’s Second Site.
"This we cannot tolerate. Enough is enough; this ridiculous insistence on fighting to the bitter end will lose the struggle for everyone.
"Accordingly We have told the protagonists that they must settle their differences by peaceful means. We have offered the auspices of the Rockholme Temple of Peace on Earth to help them reach such a peaceful settlement, but, We have told them, if there is no significant prospect of Peace, and in particular no armistice, within one week from last night, then the Temple will put a stop to any further fighting itself."
This was soon followed by a proclamation from the Valdrean Emperor, Arril I, that, whilst the Empire welcomed any peace initiative, it deplored intervention in its internal affairs, of the kind threatened by the so-called Temple of Peace on Earth. He had asked the TPE to convey to the Bandit leaders an offer that if they surrendered, they would be granted the honours of war, and avoid a dishonourable defeat. They had chosen not to accept this merciful offer, and would now pay the price for their folly. Should the TPE seek to interfere, it would forfeit its right to reside in Rockholme, and would find itself in conflict not only with SARAN, but also with the Bandit Gods.
Fighting now broke out once again in Rockholme. Having ignored the chance of peace, both sides sought a result before the 7th.
On the 5th the Church of ESCUS in the Kingdom of the North issued its own statement on the situation in Rockholme:
"We wish to see the speedy conclusion of the conflict in the Bandit Kingdom. Domination on any scale by ruler or religions dedicated to selfishness, tyranny, and all that is Evil, is abhorrent to us, and to all who follow the path of Good.
"We therefore rejoice in the downfall of the Evil leaders of the Bandit Kingdom, and will freely aid the many who hope to raise a just regime in place of the old barbarism.
"We perceive that this age-old conflict possibly hastens to a final conclusion, and we distrust any means to end the conflict which permits the persistence of Evil as a power in the western lands. Whilst we approve of peace and encourage it (as we encourage everything selfless and of benefit to all), we OPPOSE any form of Domination or Mindwiping by the so-called ‘peaceful’ which might bring about a forced, artificial, and uneasy peace of an ephemeral nature.
"We urge that the Temple of Peace on Earth REFRAINS from further escalating conflict by using the Higher Powers or following a course which is DIVISIVE amongst the opponents of a united Evil.
"We remember the last ‘aid’ in Rockholme by a Champion of Peace - as a result of whose oracle hundreds of unnecessary deaths were caused, including Faithful of ESCUS, and the war clearly PROLONGED.
Harrek, Lord Protector"
True to his word, Harrek then came to Rockholme to join the many other adventurers (including King Bjørn XVII) who were fighting on the Valdrean side.
Zergal was still under siege in his fort by Hugran, who was testing Zergal’s defences with assaults, mostly adventurer-led. Maglan had held Arril at the City Gates until the 5th, when the clerics of SARAN blew away the Gates with an Earthquake, and Arril led the Imperial Guard into the breach, accompanied by Bjørn, Diaster and Kravar. The Army followed, and the Battle of Market Fields began. Outside the picket lines of the Imperial Army encircled the City.
As the 6th dawned, Hugran assaulted Zergal’s fort once again. The Bandits and their anti-adventurer squads responded; but this was only the diversionary attack. When the adventurers (who were learning to resist the tactics of the Wolves, as Zergal called his anti-adventurers, and their supporting suicide troops) withdrew, Hugran (who was at their head, along with Bjørn) led them to spearhead the main attack, from outside the City against the weakest point of the defences (identified in his preliminary assaults). They surprised the Bandits, and burst into the main compound of the fort. Zergal withdrew his forces into the keep.
Hugran regrouped his now scanty forces, and sent forward a herald, under a flag of truce, to hail Zergal and his men as valiant foes, and offer them their lives if they surrendered now. "Go to Hell!" called someone from the keep, and a crossbow bolt was fired, just missing the herald. Hugran, Bjørn, and the adventurers then led the final assault, upon the keep. Once again Zergal proved himself a master of defence, and the Valdreans had to take his keep room-by-room, corridor-by-corridor. But his men were now too few to hold them, and especially the adventurers, for long.
At the very last moment Zergal played the ace he had been holding up his sleeve. Some three-dozen Balrogs erupted from the dungeons, killing all in their path. The Valdreans were by now in no condition to stand against such foes, and Hugran was forced to retreat to his former positions outside the fort.
That afternoon both Hugran and Zergal regrouped, whilst small groups of Balrogs swooped on Hugran’s positions.
By the 7th, Arril held most of Market Fields, had crossed the River Doloren in several places, and was engaging the forces of Maglan (in the West) and Cromach (in the East) in the fringes of the built-up areas of the Lower City. Arril was always leading from the front, with the adventurers in the thick of the fighting, Diaster and Kravar close by. Tactical command of the army therefore devolved upon the Lord Marshal of Valdrea, Tindral, 2nd Champion of Gytrasan. In the Upper City the two sides were no more than skirmishing. Increasingly the combat was becoming dominated by adventurers and Balrogs. The former had been reinforced from Arril’s adventurer corps in the Lower City, and now included Diaster, Kravar, and Harrek.
The TPE initiative appeared to have failed terribly. But it was no idle warning at the end of their announcement a week ago. For two nights and two days the Clerics of FIDAR, PAREL, WACON, SHELDA, ORIL, MIRIMI, RAYLIT, KOROS, and CAERULAS had been praying to their respective Gods in the Rockholme TPE for two great Spells, to affect the whole City: a Peacing and Swords to Ploughshares. The Clerics of ESCUS, however, had been praying for "the right solution". But, on the 7th, reputedly at the instigation of SARAN and ESCUS, both KOROS and SHELDA disassociated Themselves from the Peacing, and the latter three started evacuating Their followers from the Rockholme TPE.
So it was that, as night fell, the Spells of Peace were severely limited in the effect they took. The new Alliance of SARAN, ESCUS, KOROS and SHELDA protected the Valdreans, and the Gods of Heaven and Hell protected the Bandits. It is difficult to say the exact proportions of men and weapons affected by the Spells of Peace, but it must have been between 10 and 20%. No major characters or weapons were affected.
At the same time a series of explosions ripped across the TPE, the air above the TPE erupted in magical combat, and so did the top of Mt. Anar. WAGREN, ZAKEL, ALTIS and HAERIM were attacking the Rockholme TPE, and SARAN, ESCUS, KOROS and SHELDA attacking Heaven. Both attacks were blocked, and the attackers withdrew; but amongst the casualties suffered by the Higher Powers was ORIL, Goddess of the Harvest and of Fertility, sole God of Good Chaos, and Member of the TPE, destroyed by WAGREN.
In Rockholme the fighting became bloodier still; the Peaceful fell victim to the unpeaceful, and even the ploughshares were used as weapons by the mobs that rose up against the Valdreans. Arril withdrew behind the Doloren, under heavy pressure from Maglan, but Cromach failed to follow up the advantage. In the Upper City all was confusion. Amongst the casualties was Diaster of Jalaskir.
The Gods of Heaven and Hell now returned to the TPE, bringing fire and destruction that swept over and overcame it. The TPE Higher Powers were driven off. They returned, with SHELDA, KOROS, and ESCUS, to assist Their Faithful, and were driven off again, SHELDA taking wounds that halved Her Clerical strength.
The remainder of the Faithful fled the TPE as the Powers of Evil tore it, and them, apart. Hugran’s forces were routed, and a triumphant Zergal took the Citadel.
The following morning the Bjarmigen TPE issued this announcement:
"We regret the refusal of the combatants in Rockholme to come to their senses, and We deplore the intervention of Gods with vested interests in the continuation of the war there; intervention which has cost the lives of many, and will cost the lives of very many more.
"We further regret the decision, already in effect, of the Temples of KOROS, SHELDA and ESCUS on Earth to disassociate Themselves from this Temple. These Gods have aligned Themselves with the principle of War, and We wish it to be known that those who worship Them, or SARAN, are supporting the use of killing to achieve one’s ends. We repeat that NOTHING can justify the deliberate termination of another life.
"Lastly We grieve the tragic loss of Our beloved sister, ORIL, Whose life was taken as She defended this Temple, and its members. We acknowledge too the sacrifice of SHELDA, weakened by damage She took when She, KOROS and ESCUS came to Our aid in the last moments of the Rockholme TPE. We thank Them for what help They provided.
"That ORIL was the God of Peace on Earth Who was destroyed was no accident. Pray to the new Gods of Good Chaos, for CHARIAM. Demigod of the Crops, will need all Their power to retrieve the autumn harvest, which WAGREN took from you when He destroyed ORIL. Be sparing with your spring crop; it must sustain you through a winter which the Gods of War will seek to make much worse for you than the last.
"Only Peace can save you now. Believe Us today, or regret it later."
The Temples of KOROS, SHELDA and ESCUS on Earth then moved to Church land in Memorial Park, Bjarmigen.
The new Gods of Good Chaos are TIPRE, Goddess of Luck, and OPSOR, God of Hope; both promoted Demigods, both now Clerical. They had this to say:
"Tired of the same Old Gods? Have Faith in the Good Things which could be yours, if you try one of Us instead!"
© P. R. Wild, 28 March 1985
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