by Pirateaba
Ceria growled at Pisces. She looked over at Mrsha; the Gnoll was yawning widely, not particularly interested by the debate. Pisces noticed the look and frowned. He eyed Mrsha and then twirled his fingers.
A wind blew through the inn, making everyone look up. Ceria glanced towards the windows, and door, but they were closed. Pisces smiled as the wind blew at his robes, and then flicked his hands.
“You want a story based in facts, Springwalker? Very well, I suppose I can oblige you.”
“I never said—”
Too late. The lights in the room dimmed. Ceria looked around as the light from the fireplace seemed to grow behind Pisces and his shadow grew large on the wall. Mrsha looked up as Pisces snapped his fingers and sparks erupted in the air around him. Yvlon shot back from the table, swearing, and Ksmvr ducked. Ceria just batted at a flurry of glowing embers that flew past her.
“Stop the illusions, Pisces.”
He grinned at her, the air around him aglow with lights.
“Atmosphere is important, Ceria. Besides, if I am to tell a story, I might as well do it justice. Now…”
He coughed and his voice grew deeper, more resonant. Pisces turned his seat so he was facing Mrsha and the Redfang warriors, all of whom stared at him with sudden interest. He gestured dramatically and the shadows on the wall grew behind him as he spoke.
“Az’kerash. The Necromancer. You want to know his true intentions? Why he truly came to Izril? Well then, understand he was no mere [Necromancer]. He was once an Archmage of Wistram, acknowledged universally as one of the greatest magic users of all time. And though he was cast out and his name besmirched, his power in undeath was unmatched.”
“We know that. Get to the point.”
Pisces glared at Ceria, but went on, his shadows transforming into a vast and hooded figure behind him. Mrsha stared at it with wide eyes as Lyonette hugged her reassuringly, seeing lurching and shambling forms moving across the walls. Pisces’ voice was a low echo throughout the room.
“While the Antinium fought, the Necromancer sewed chaos among the Human cities in the north. He marched south, his small army growing with each day from the dead. However, his target was never any lone Human city—no. He travelled south, towards the Drake lands with a purpose. Not simply to destroy.”
“Oh really? You’re going to tell us he had a plan? Did it involve getting himself killed?”
Ceria smirked at Pisces, making him stop and frown at her again. She smiled, and then stopped when she saw Ksmvr putting a finger in front of his mouth. She looked around and realized she was the only one not taking Pisces seriously.
“Go on. What did the Necromancer want if he didn’t want to just kill people? Did he want something the Drakes had?”
Jelaqua leaned over her table, looking casually interested. Across the room, the Goblins were pointing at the shadow illusions Pisces had conjured and trying to make their own with their hands.
He grinned, and the room went dark except for flickering lights around his face. Mrsha squeaked. Ceria sighed.
“The Necromancer? He desired the treasures of the Walled Cities, of course. Not what was contained in the cities themselves either. Oh no. What he wanted was the secrets of the walls themselves.”
“Hey Pisces? I know you’re being dramatic, but I can’t see, and I’m trying to clean up the plates. Can you make it a bit brighter?”
Drassi interrupted, waving her claw in the air. The room grew a bit lighter and Pisces looked put out. He cleared his throat meaningfully as the Drake walked around the room, gathering plates.
“As I was saying—the Walled Cities contain a powerful secret. Consider them, for a moment. The famous Drake cities whose fortifications are practically impregnable against attack. Constructed in the age of Dragons, a bastion for Drake kind. Why is it that no other Walled Cities were ever made in the millennia since? Were they truly the product of great magics or is there another secret to their construction? The answer is simple: there is a secret, and it is one that is hidden in plain sight in the history books. Although perhaps only a [Necromancer] would be able to see it.”
“Oh really? You know the secret of how the Walled Cities were built? Well color me impr—”
Ceria felt something wet splat into the side of her face and yelped, breaking off from her heckling. She saw Mrsha glaring at her, a paw full of tonight’s dinner—spaghetti and meatballs. She’d hit Ceria with a meatball.
“Mrsha! Stop that!”
Lyonette scolded the Gnoll as Ceria ate the meatball, resigned to silence. Pisces smirked victoriously and went on. Against the wall, armies of shadowy undead marched, pursuing fleeing Humans.
“Oh yes. The secret is out there. But as I say, hidden. Let us look at the facts: the last Walled City was built right as the age of Dragons ended. As the Dragons went into hiding and their species as a whole dwindled in number. The Walled Cities were meant to defend from Dragon and while many have fallen over the thousands of years that have passed, those that still stand have the same strength as they did in the days of yore. What magics could last so long? No—what materials could hold such enchantments without waning in power? Stone is weak compared to the onslaught of years. But what if there was another ingredient, another part of the walls that gave them their mythical strength? That is what Az’kerash discovered, what he desired above all else?”
“This is better than one of those street performances in the big cities.”
Jelaqua whispered to her teammates as everyone leaned forwards. Ksmvr spoke, his voice quivering with anticipation.
“What is this secret, Comrade Pisces? Tell us.”
Ceria resolved to kick Pisces if he didn’t have a good answer. The [Necromancer] looked around, his eyes glinting in the fire’s light.
“Why, Dragon bones of course. The Walled Cities are made with the strength of Dragons. The Drakes took the skeletons of their ancestors and placed them in the walls. That is why the Walled Cities are unique, why they are so powerful. And it is why the Necromancer marched south.”
At Pisces’ words, there was a gasp across the inn. Ceria froze, foot poised to kick. And then everyone jumped as they heard a crash of breaking pottery. Drassi had dropped the stack of plates she’d been carrying. She stared at Pisces, ignoring Lyonette as the young woman leapt to her feet to make sure Drassi wasn’t hurt.
“Are you serious, Pisces? Dragon bones?”
Pisces nodded, smiling in satisfaction as everyone gaped at him. He raised a finger, and the broken pieces of the plates danced into the air, neatly piling themselves up on a table.
“Of course I’m certain, Springwalker. I can’t verify the facts myself, as the Walled Cities’ secrets are jealously guarded, but I imagine the Lords and Ladies of the Wall know the truth. I wonder how those arrogant Drakes reconcile that fact? Perhaps they take comfort knowing they hide behind the bones of their ancient parents. Whatever the case…Az’kerash must have known, and so he marched his armies ever southwards, intending to form an army capable of razing a Walled City for himself.”
“But he failed. That’s the point, isn’t it? He never got past Liscor.”
Yvlon stared hard at Pisces, clenching her fists gently and rubbing at her metallic arms. Pisces nodded.
“Naturally, the Necromancer’s plans failed. His armies did indeed cross past Liscor while he besieged the city, and caused much damage to Drake lands, but he failed to achieve his goals because he failed to take into account the other factor in the war.”
Ceria looked around.
“The Goblins?”
Pisces grinned, and the shifting mass of shadows on the wall behind him turned into the silhouette of a huge Goblin with a crown. The Redfang Warriors looked around, suddenly the focus of the room. Pisces opened the book he was reading.
“Indeed. The Goblins. Or more accurately, the Goblin King.”
—-
Antinium in the south. The Necromancer to the north. It seemed like Izril was in chaos, but there wa
s no despair in the tails of the Drakes as they fought back against the hated Antinium. The war was winnable, and indeed, if the Humans could muster some backbone, the Antinium could be defeated again. That was the prevailing mood. At least, until the Goblin King arrived.
Velan the Kind had conducted a bloody war in Baleros, but it has to be said that he refrained from leading his armies deep into the jungles of that continent. Rather, he consolidated his forces, calling mighty Goblin Lords and Goblin Chieftains to his cause, swelling his army. He must have known the futility of any advance—the Four Great Companies of Baleros were all united against him, and a vast host had been formed to destroy him. But before the Balerosian forces could clash with the Goblin Lord, his entire army vanished into the sea.
That was the Goblin King’s master plan. That was why he had seized so many port cities—not to create a foothold, but to flee across the sea, to an easier target! And the naïve commanders of Baleros, the much-vaunted mercenary companies had given him the time to create enough ships for his armies in their cautious advance.
Yes, this historian will say it if no one else will! If the forces of Baleros hadn’t dragged their feet so, the Goblin King might have been eliminated before he could attack Izril! For that was exactly where his vast armada sailed.
The Goblin King’s armies crossed the oceans from Baleros, winning two notable battles at sea. The first, against a fleet of Minotaurs sent from their isles and the second at Wistram. The overconfident Minotaurs had expected to destroy the Goblin King, but their ships were no match for his Goblin Lords and the Goblin King himself.
It must be noted that the Goblin Lords each possessed a might on par with any Named Adventurer, and the Goblin King himself was reckoned a match for all but the strongest warriors in the world. Speculation has been rife as to what would have been the outcome if a famed warrior such as Mars the Illusionist had met him in battle. Alas, the outcome of such a duel will never be known, especially because the Goblin King’s armies prevented any surgical strikes against the Goblin King or his lords.
Nine Goblin Lords sailed with the Goblin King, each of different ability. Some were infamous for their might, such as Greydath of Blades or the Goblin King’s right hand, the Goblin Lord [Shaman] known as Tallis the Stormbreaker. Others were less distinguished, but the true terror of their abilities was displayed in the second battle as a force from Wistram sought to interrupt the Goblin King’s crossing.
The Archmage Balkizat sailed against the Goblin King’s army himself with a small army of [Mages], determined to sink the Goblin King at sea where his army was weakest. There he dueled Tallis the Stormbreaker in a magical battle that lasted for nine hours. On the ninth hour, Balkizat was slain by the Goblin King’s [Shaman] and the forces of Wistram retreated, hiding behind their magical walls until the Goblins had passed.
The defeat of an Archmage of Wistram marked a turning point in the perceived Goblin King’s threat worldwide. Other nations that had viewed themselves as removed from the struggle began to respond to requests for military assistance. But that would come too late for Izril. The Goblin King landed with the bulk of his forces in Cape Heathshell on the northwestern edge of Izril. From there he began invading the Human lands with a fury that exceeded that of both the Antinium and Necromancer alike.
Faced with this new and dismaying threat, the Humans finally roused themselves to definite action. Unfortunately, hubris still gripped their addled minds, which led to the disastrous decision by two of the Five Families to send an army against the Goblin King, as if he could be swept away so easily. A force of about a hundred thousand [Knights] and [Lancers] was formed and led by Fulviolo El and the famed twins, Petria and Ulva Terland.
This army met the Goblin King’s vanguard in a pitched battle three days after his forces landed. By all accounts, within ten minutes the Goblin King’s soldiers had routed the Human army and the Goblin King personally beheaded Fulviolo and Petria, while Ulva Terland escaped with her life. With a single stroke he broke the backs of two of the Five Families and obliterated their personal armies so thoroughly that less than a hundred survivors escaped the battle.
Despair had come for the Humans, and it was in the shape of Goblins it came, not from the Necromancer’s undead or the Antinium. The Goblin King’s armies rolled over all Human opposition, pushing towards what many considered the Human’s capital, First Landing, their oldest and grandest city on the continent.
Obviously, oldest and grandest is a relative term, since the Walled Cities predate the construction of First Landing by at least six thousand years, but it was the Human’s only claim to glory, and the metaphorical heart of their people. If the capital city of humanity on Izril fell, there would be no rallying point for the Humans.
Thus, the Five Families and every noble house within six hundred miles of the city gathered their forces for a desperate stand at the city walls. Eight Goblin Lords besieged the city for three weeks, leading charges that resulted in bloodbaths for both sides. But they were unable to take the city by sheer force of arms. At least, in the beginning.
The Five Families, the legendary founding houses that first invaded Izril from Terandria millennia ago are known to be fractious and distrustful of one another. However, as the Goblin King’s armies assailed the walls of their city and his forces ravaged their homes, the banners of all five families were raised in unison for the first time in over a thousand years.
Each of the five houses opened their garrisons and sent their scions to the front. Of their number, Lady Magnolia Reinhart and Lord Tyrion Veltras were most notable for their accomplishments during the war. It was Lord Tyrion who took command of the defense of the city, establishing his prowess as a military leader while Lady Magnolia marshaled the rest of the land’s nobility in defense of their home. And it was she who implemented a tactic born of sheer desperation as the Goblin Lord’s forces began to overwhelm the city’s defenders.
While every [Lord] had been called into military service at the start of the conflict with the Goblin Lord, the [Ladies] of the realm had refrained from taking part in the fighting, due to some Human notion of sentimentality. However, the desperation of the Human defenders finally spurred the female nobility to act. Two weeks into the slaughter, Magnolia Reinhart and every [Lady] in the city appeared on the front lines and lent their Skills during the battles against the Goblin Lord.
It is at this point that some explanations are required for readers unfamiliar with Human culture. It is a peculiarity of Humans that their female population, especially their nobility, refuses to take part in most battles unless specifically trained in combat. The idea of gender segregation is, of course, completely foreign to Drakes, Gnolls and most other species, but it remains a romanticized Human notion. And indeed, up until this point, although every [Lord] had taken part in the fighting, no [Lady] had entered battle in person.
Now however, the [Ladies] appeared en masse, going into combat with their personal escorts and lending their Skills to the Human warriors. Most [Ladies] possessed only the lowest-level of combat Skills, but as any [Tactician] worth their salt will note, the heat of combat rapidly increases one’s level and grants combat-based Skills. Thus, although weak, the Skills of hundreds of [Ladies] were multiplied across the battlefield, allowing the Humans to push back the surprised Goblins. It must also be said that the psychological impact of seeing their female nobility willing to risk their lives in battle strengthened the Human soldiers’ resolve, adding to their sudden strategic advantage.
This daring tactic surprised the Goblin King, as did the unusual skill and courage of the Human defenders, a rarity in their species as a whole. He quickly realized the nature of the Human’s comeback however, and enacted a plan of his own to destroy the Human’s vestiges of hope. The Goblin King ordered his vassals to target the relatively undefended [Ladies] as they hid behind the front lines. And there began the slaughter known to the world as the Sacrifice of Roses.
The Goblin Lords pinpointed the ranks
of the [Ladies], leading charges in person to slaughter the helpless nobility where they stood. The defining aspect of the battle however, was that the Humans, uncharacteristically, refused to run when their death was imminent. Rather than flee and break the battle lines, they fought to the last woman, holding their ground long enough for their soldiers to enact blood vengeance on the Goblins who had pushed so far into their lines. One of the lesser Goblin Lords, Murmar, was confirmed to have been slain as the result of these defensive actions. However, the cost came at the near-total annihilation of each [Lady] targeted.
This valiant defense of their home at the cost of their own lives became a defining moment in the Human resistance against the Goblin King, an icon that demonstrated the courage of Izril even in the face of overwhelming odds. The Sacrifice of Roses became a rallying cry across Izril and has been lauded to this day as a defining moment of courage.
Perhaps too much so. If this humble [Writer] may be so bold as to interject his own opinion at this point, much has been made of the sacrifices of the Human nobility of Izril during the Second Antinium War. However, I would characterize their sacrifice as valorous, but not above that of any Drake or indeed, Human [Soldier]. Accounts of Ladies of the Wall participating and falling in battle are verified and recorded—why should Humans take more credit for what was, in truth, a rather costly and ineffective strategy employed in a single series of battles?
Lest I remind you dear readers, the Human [Ladies] of Izril only took to the front lines as a last stand. Is their singular moment of sacrifice worth more than any bereaved Drake family mourning the loss of a [Soldier]? It was an acceptable measure taken in a desperate situation, not, I feel, a moment of true heroism as has been claimed by others.
“Stop reading that.”