The Rift War

Fall of Caldera

The end of the Peace Years

Raughir felt the time to strike forth in earnest had come. His army, led by the great Fiend Saurgoth, under the guise of a mortal named Ardasir, swept north to Caldera, crushing towns and fortifications alike. Tynwald fell like a sand castle against a tidal wave. Dun Greum fell nearly as easily. Soon all of Tynwald was occupied by Imperial troops and others of Raughir's minions.

Fall of Dernfast

Raughir amassed his troops, and Durnalis itself prepared for the Uruadrim Imperial Army's black banner, and the legions of undead, Grunlings, Ogres, and Drakkloth that looked to destroy everything in their path. The attack came swiftly against the walled frontier city of Dernfast, the only Durnalian holding west of the Great Wall. But the Durnalians held off the attack for months. King Alandriach of the Sylvanhel arrived at that battle unexpected, with a handful of mighty warriors. Palamon d'Anadel bested the general Valdaran time after time, his powerful ancestral White Sword giving him strength against the Riftspawn unmatched among mortal warriors. But at last the overwhelming might of Uruadum, its sheer numbers and vile magicks, prevailed. Through secret tunnels the Durnalian forces retreated behind the Great Wall, and Dernfast fell.

Fall of Tower Varelle

The time was right. Durnalis was huddled behind the Great Wall, and unable to send aid now to its allies across the land, and the fierce winter made the North Sea all but impossible to sail troops from Northern Durnalis to the Elves in the East. Now Raughir gave Saurgoth a new quest. To complete their unholy conquest, the greatest threat must be destroyed. It was obvious; the Druids of the Valanhel must be destroyed. An attack of great might would be needed to assail the Druids in their mighty Tower. Raughir needed more than Saurgoth; Lothengwa and Avargurth were needed at the very least. The Demon-Lord knew it would be difficult to sway Raevnos, whom had left his service long ago. How it was that he brought Avargurth back to his side, after following Raevnos' defection will never be known. Of the nine Druids there were six: Kil-Gadron, Myshael, and Gamaliel, foremost, and Meniah, wife of Kil-Gadron, Mera, and Kahith. There, upon that day, an epic battle was fought and decided. There was little parlay, for there was nothing to be said. The might of magical powers, concentrated in such a place, both of righteous and evil, would never again be matched. It was not long after, the forces of Saurgoth gained the advantage, and even the arrival of the three final Druids, Kiriath, Jeribai, and Raphun, could not sway the favor in the Druids' hands.

The Druids fled back into the Tower, and Saurgoth in his arrogance ordered his minions to follow the Druids. Lothengwa followed not, allowing Saurgoth and Avargurth to end the weakened Druids and claim mastery for Raughir. The specifics of what occurred inside the Tower Varelle may never be known, but the outcome would become legendary. The Druids, summoning all their combined power, began to unravel the Nexus - the very essence of magic. Several of the Druids departed the tower to take the battle elsewhere, while three remained behind to see that the unraveling completed. The remaining Druids and Fiends alike were torn asunder with the tremendous explosion of magic, to be outcast into the Abyss for millennia to come.

Raughir Decides

Saurgoth was dead. Raughir had lost his Champion, but that would not dissuade the Demon-Lord. His plan had succeeded. The Druids were gone, and now only the last bastion of good, Durnalis, stood between Raughir and the world. He decided not to leave the fate of Eretha to Lothengwa; instead, the Demon-Lord himself would touch his feet against the soil and vanquish his enemies.

But the Allies were not quiet as Raughir assailed Varelle. Alandriach, King of the Sylvanhel, was with Prince Palamon d'Anadel in Durnalis with his greatest warriors. The ancient Black Tower of sorcery, knowing now to indeed be the time for action, lent their mighty magical aid to the Allies. Secret messages were sent via lone riders to King Gilain of Gharin. Preparations for an attack were underway.

The Visionary

In the Black Tower, the Archmage Aravik began to study the workings of the enemy more fervently than ever before. For years the particularly gifted, and ancient, man worked to find a weakness, a way to undo the very makings of the Rift itself. Though that was the goal of the Black Tower since its founding millennia ago, Aravik was the first High Sorcerer to actually practice the Dark Arts to better understand them. Aravik, and his constituents knew of the fate of the Tower of Varelle, but not so clear were the details. Since the fall of Varelle, a new visionary had arisen through the ranks of the Black Tower, and the details of the Visionary's coming were not well known. But time and again, the Visionary had accurately predicted the movements of the Enemy, and seemed to Aravik to understand much of the Enemy intuitively.

This Visionary was none other than Lothengwa herself, disguised with great magic so powerful even the Archmagi together could not see the truth. Raughir's desires were fast coming together.

Carnac Resists

The Emperor rose again. Cil ra-Durrog - the Demon-Lord - Raughir began leading the Southern armies north. As Saurgoth had done, Cil used Carnac as a hub to launch attacks against the north. Yet, with the lack of an iron hand upon them, the infamous Carnasians began to waylay Uruadum from his strongest point northward. Their home. It is no secret that Daerith Dreadblade, Knight of Durnalis, and former Captain of the Crimson Guard of Carnac, led many of Carnac to fight against the tyrants. The revolts and such would do little to stop Raughir's attack upon Durnalis. It would take much more than that.

Guiding the Hand of a Ghost

In Uruadum, an unlikely player in the fate of Eretha combed the land. Known simply as the Ghast. Mercenary, assassin, and bounty hunter; the man lived without care for any save himself. Hearing of Cil's hold over Carnac, and needing to flee Uruadum proper, the man left for the ancient city. Cil knew of his coming, and immediately offered the mercenary more than his price in gold, land, and titles. Thusly, he began to serve under Valdaran in war, and under Cil in subterfuge.

Durnalis in the North was massing one of the greatest armies it had ever wielded behind the Great Wall. Its Southern cities under attack from the Uruadum Navy from Tenigul, the generals of the Alliance knew that a move must be made against the Demon Lord's forces in Dernfast. With the combined might of their forces, under the leadership of the man who wielded the White Sword of Anadel, the Durnalians may very well defeat the Uruadum occupying force. The rightful wielder of the White Sword was a powerful enemy to the Riftspawn, and countered the enemy's dark magicks easily. Cil knew this, and contracted the Ghast, not of the Rift, to take the blade from the Prince. Fate must have been with him, for the Ghast took the Sword easily from the Prince, in the middle of his own army's camp.

Waiting Time

Hope for Dernfast now looked bleak: the Anhel had not arrived, the White Sword was gone, and Valdaran's army grew in number every day. The Ghast had not told Valdaran of the White Sword, and thus, Cil remained worried about its presence. He kept a staying hand on his finest general, not wishing many of his Riftspawn, including Valdaran, to die in a wasted effort. He would give the famous Ghast time.

Even as Cil waited, the Allies had devised a desperate scheme. Palamon and Alandriach led the best of their forces over a long-forgotten and now secret mountain pass between the Umbrael Highlands and Dun Greum. It was a dangerous trek, risking avalanche daily, but the Umbrael had strange magicks of their own, and together with a strange wizard named Mecmer, they proved enough to stabilize the snow. After a grueling march, the elite forces stopped on the mountains above Dun Greum, and waited.

The Great Cannon

The arrival of the Dwarven legions was not one of great glory. The battalions were few, but with them they had their most potent weapon: a mighty Cannon. Valdaran himself met the Dwarves there, and the Dark Born haughtily brought his forces out from their fortress to destroy the rabble. Palamon's Rangers relayed the message to the Dwarves: FIRE! A resounding boom echoed across the valley of Dun Greum, and a great roar responded. The great depths of snow came crashing down on the enemy from the mountains, destroying Valdaran's forces. Then Knights and Rangers, Elves and Dwarves, descended upon the hapless Uruadum forces. Valdaran's forces fought well enough to buy them an escape, and now from secret tunnels came more and more Dwarves. They prepared to assail Dernfast, to take it back.

Over the Kunyori Sea

Meanwhile in Lun'sar, Linsaki, first made of the Dark Born sat upon her throne. She had wants and desires besides Raughir's conquest. She was infatuated, if nothing more, with the Ghast, whom she had been using to dispatch other noble households of her province for several years. He would have no master, however, and scorned the Dark Born, drawing her hate and ire. She knew more of his origins than most, for he was not a normal mercenary, but bred from a stock of men holding their own honor codes and mental abilities. They were the Hynsadian Monks, whose abode overlooks the Kunyori Sea in the far south. Upon finding the Ghast's teacher, whom he called Father, she demanded to know his whereabouts. The elderly man would not tell her, and Linsaki in her rage slew him wordlessly.

A Stroke of Fate

Cil waited for the Ghast. The Ghast had arrived in Carnac, and Cil could feel him, and his gift. But when the two met, the Ghast ordered Cil to deliver more than the promised payment for the Sword, demanding the death of Linsaki and all her lands. Such arrogance and indiscretion would have been the death of the Ghast, as Cil revealed himself to be Raughir, the Demon Lord! Raughir unleashed a tremendous attack of evil upon the Ghast, but the Ghast had with him the White Sword. This Sword was forged with just one purpose: the destruction of all Riftspawn. It held a grasp upon the spirits of all its past wielders, Kings, Princes, and Paladins of Miranis who had dedicated their lives to the destruction of Raughir. It was forbidden for any but those of the line of Miranis himself to draw this blade, but its will was great that day. Rather than the Ghast wielding the Sword, it is better said that the Sword wielded the Ghast. It sliced Raughir's hand clean from his arm, the Ghast holding it weakly as it acted of its own volition. The manor of Raughir imploded into the ground below, and a swarm of bats raced for Uruadum. Raughir was beaten, if not utterly defeated.

The Archmagi's Plan

Aravik learned of Lothengwa's plan in the Black Tower. He and the other Archmagi kept a steady eye on the Temptress's activities. They planned to turn her own will against her, and use her as an unknowing counterspy. They were careful to keep the secret, as always, from anyone else but themselves. Davril, Palamon's brother, had been ousted from the league of the Black Tower, his refusal to dabble in the black arts causing Aravik much strain. The young are foolish, and certainly Davril's youth caused such foolishness, and it was decided the Black Tower would press onward without him.

Liberation of Carnac

Carnac had not forgotten. Occupation to the Carnasians was unacceptable. For many generations different groups had tried to do such, as it was the gateway from north to south, and east to west. Yet, they were determined not to allow this to happen again. They looked to their present captors, the weakened Uruadrim rule, and bided their time.

When the Durnalian army arrived and laid siege to Carnac, those inhabitants rose up against Uruadum. It was not as long a siege even as Dernfast had been, but simply an expulsion. Yet, the tensions between those very inhabitants and Durnalis, the new 'protector' of Carnac, ran high.

The Chosen

Carnac quickly became the headquarters for the Durnalian land attacks against the northern Uruadum province of Drakkar. One day a sight not seen in Carnac for hundreds of years greeted the eyes of the Allied leaders: two great dragons soaring from the North. They alighted there, and upon their backs were the Druids and Davril. Now was the time to strike at Raughir himself. A vision had told the Druids that Raughir was regaining his might at Funeng, and the Dragons were ready to fly a small group of the best warriors in the land to Funeng, the island of the Darkspire.

Haste was needed. Palamon d'Anadel, King Alandriach of the Sylvanhel, Serbitar the Golden atop his great Griffon, Droughan of the Diamond Battallion of Gharin, Davril the ex-Archmage, Kir-Galean the Ananhel Knight of the Black Rose, and Daerith the Dreadblade were the chosen warriors. But Daerith could not be found. Palamon sent an urgent message to all of his best knights to find Daerith and summon him, but they could not find him. He also had called to his "uncle" Demandred and gave him a letter detailing their plan in full. Demandred set out immediately.

A week had passed since the search for Daerith had begun. Palamon's son Arcite, much to his father's dismay, took Daerith's place among the warriors. Demandred set out searching for Daerith, speaking as he always had to his ancient spear which supposedly spoke back - but only to him.

The White Sword of Anadel was nowhere to be found, but the heroes hoped their magics and the Elven blades could do what the White Sword was prophesied to do. It was, they reasoned, their only chance. Even the immortal Elves agreed. As the dragons and the griffon flew from Carnac to Funeng, Demandred was wandering Drakkar, with no clear idea of where he was to go, to find Daerith and the White Sword.

Assault Upon Uruadum

Raughir was regaining his strength. Entire villages were claimed for sacrifice, and even age-old Uruadrim cities, towns, and even provinces were thinking nothing of loyalty to an Emperor of such cruelty. But to revolt would mean utter annihilation. Durnalis, sensing the weakness of the Enemy, began to escalate the conflict. Many ships sailed toward Akar, and Tenigul itself, to attempt to destroy the city believed to be the center of Uruadum's fearsome military, and hoping to kill the will of an army already lacking in morale. On land, they invaded the northernmost province of Drakkar, and the united army of Anhel, Dwarves, and Durnalis utterly destroyed Valdaran's remaining army at Durcarrack fortress. An assault upon Uruadum itself, a deadly proposition for both sides, appeared imminent.

As his northern armies were being destroyed, and his navy was being obliterated, even as his great coastal cities were being bombarded, Raughir secretly gathered a huge army, of many different creeds and clans of Uruadum, waiting for Durnalis to overextend itself, and finally for Lothengwa's plan to succeed.

Finding Daerith

The White Sword was a weapon with a mind of its own, and the spirits of generations of Kings and Princes of the Line of Miranis could speak to its wielder. The bearer of the Sword was, if just barely, of that Line, though he knew it not, and the spirits guided him through the desolation of Drakkar. This bearer, the Ghast as he was known, happened upon the city of Aduunwath, a recently liberated city now under the Durnalian Prince Kellinan. There, he and Demandred arrived at the same time, and happened to go to the same tavern. Inside, drunk and consorting with various women, was none other than Daerith the Dreadblade.

Valdaran's Death

As soon as the Ghast and Demandred Callandor arrived at that Inn, the servants of Evil which had been in the guise of beautiful seductresses delaying Daerith shed their disguises and attacked Demandred and the Ghast. The Ghast was heedless of the attacks, however; comatose he seemed. Blindly he seemed to stumble through the Inn, and hand the great Sword to Daerith. Demandred and a hooded warrior, later revealed to be Captain Natalya Romanova, fought against tremendous odds there; Valdaran himself arrived from the street to keep that mighty Sword from reaching Daerith. But it was for naught. Demandred and his ancient Spear killed Valdaran in an unlikely victory, and the Sword reached the hand of Daerith. How Daerith and Captain Natalya of the Screaming Eagles mercenaries arrived at Funeng has not been told, but some old men still swear that their father's father had seen a potent spell summon them from the tavern that night.

Opening of the Rift

In the Black Tower, the Visionary pleaded for the High Council of Sorcery to keep the Shadow Rift shut, no matter the cause, for if it was opened now, the world would surely end. Aravik knew Lothengwa meant it to be a trap, and used his powers, as well as the other Archmagi's powers, to breach the Rift, believing it to be what Lothengwa wanted never to happen. But Lothengwa knew for much of the time that Aravik knew of her disguise, playing on the Black Tower's arrogance, the time came for her ultimate deception. So it was done. Raughir was whole again. Throughout the lands and over the seas, the magicks of the Uruadum forces was greater than it had ever been. All was lost, it seemed.

Raughir Appears

Near Funeng, the heroes were flying toward the Darkspire as the dreaded Rift opened. The heroes landed, and the Dragons took to the air, with only Palamon and Alandriach astride the great creatures. Raughir flew up from the Darkspire of Funeng in all his hideous glory to meet them. From the skies creatures of untold evil flew forth from the Rift. Lothengwa had been successful, but she had failed as well. For she had underestimated the might of the Archmagi in their own Tower, and they slew her. Aravik died in that battle, as did two other Archmagi, but the rest had survived. Wielding the mighty Staff of Albarin, they strove to shut the Rift. The Druids, weakened as they were, lent all their magic as aid.

The Last Battle

The Dragons and their riders, and Serbitar, flew with unparalleled rage against the Enemy. Davril worked his powerful magic from the ground, but now the very seams of the Ley Lines were being torn asunder, and his magic was severely weakened. The spell was finally released. Serbitar died protecting Davril as he wove his spell, but the Golden One had slain a half dozen Fiends before his own death. Alandriach lept from the back of Daurbrann, and with skill befitting an immortal, sliced Raughir's wing clean from his back. The two tumbled down atop the Darkspire, but the Elven King was not dead yet, though the fall was great. As Droughan climbed the spire, Daerith and Natalya arrived at Funeng. Had this been Davril's doing? How they arrived there was a mystery even to Daerith and Natalya. But now the White Sword had arrived, and the great Dragon, whom madness had taken but was now whole again, flew down to allow Palamon to take the sword. Exhausted, the strain of working magic against the overwhelming power of the Rift having nearly killed him, Davril now turned his magic to aid that of his once-brethren.

Raughir was no fool, however. He wielded great magics as well, and with the Rift open, he was even greater. With an upraised hand, he rose the Darkspire even higher, and separated the Paladin from his sword. But Daerith threw the weapon to his friend, and his aim was true. The Paladin gripped his sword, but was instantly rocked by two life-ending blows from the Demon Lord, whose infernal weapon had sprung from his very flaming claws. But Palamon did not fall. His ancient armor was ripped asunder, and he was bleeding profusely, but the wounds somehow healed themselves. Alandriach rose to the side of the human warrior, and sliced at Raughir himself. But the Elven King was not whole, and Raughir, with one blow, knocked him from the Darkspire to his death.

Droughan realized that he could not arrive at the battle against Raughir, and ran down now to defend Davril as he continued to weave his spell. Kir-Galean joined him. In the skies, the great dragons battled the enemy. Daurbrann, seeing Palamon alone against Raughir, flew down to the Paladin's aid. With wings outstretched, he flew at the Demon Lord, and pinned him to the ground. Even as he did so, his claws began to turn to blackest Obsidian, and soon he was nothing but a massive black statue of a Dragon, jaws spread and right front claw raised to destroy his enemy. Raughir released himself from the grasp of the statue, and Palamon attacked. Thrice his sword bit deep into the flesh of Raughir. The White Sword defended Palamon from blow after blow of the Demon Lord, but Raughir's skill was far greater than the mortal man's. In a fury of hideous might and magic, Raughir sliced Palamon's hand from his arm, with such force that Palamon spun and fell back, unable to move, dying from his many wounds.

Raughir laughed and looked at his now defeated enemy. In the face of victory, Raughir spread his hands to the sky, and a terrible bolt of dark energy lanced from him to the Rift, and then to the Dragon in the sky. Down he crashed, and the Fiends which he battled alone now descended upon Davril and his defenders. Kir-Galean and Droughan fought valiantly against the tides to defend the mage behind them. But, unnoticed by friend and foe alike, Palamon's son Arcite had climbed the Spire and now reached for the Sword. As he reached for the weapon, Kir-Galean fell to the onslaught, and Droughan was quickly being overcome as well. As he took the sword, Raughir turned to face him. Now Droughan too fell. The young man drove the sword straight through the Demon Lord's heart, and fire spewed forth from Raughir's chest, consuming Arcite. At just the same time, Davril, the Druids, and the Archmagi sealed the Rift, and the backlash of magic from doing so consumed them all. A great explosion could be seen across Eretha as the Black Tower's tremendous magic was released.

At last, Daerith the Dreadblade arrived at the top of the Darkspire, his own twin sabers drawn. He looked over to his friends as father and son lay dying next to each other. Curiously, neither was in pain, he noticed, and he heard their last words to each other. These he would always keep secret, he vowed to himself as he surveyed the death and destruction, sheathing his twin sabers. The fight over, Daerith reached down to take the Sword, which was broken off halfway up the blade, and half-charred.

As he had always done, Daerith had survived. He looked around the isle, and there he saw the navy of Uruadum sailing away. Raughir's army, which could have destroyed the heroes, Daerith realized, had deserted him. So it always is, he thought to himself. He turned to Natalya, and the two descended the Darkspire. A ship under the command of a pirate Daerith had once known was somehow waiting for them. They boarded, and sailed away. Daerith watched the island as it disappeared from view, and then turned away as the ship sailed for Dremanow.