The Rise of the Eldritch
Although this unintended and uncontrollable aspect of
Ghyrrshyld's newfound power alarmed his peers, it appealed
to many of the Retribution’s (Retribution of Scyrah) most fervent supporters, who
wondered openly what it might signify for the fate of the
Iosan and Nyss peoples. One such individual was the mage
hunter Elara, a young warcaster whose skill in assassination
had earned her the nickname “Death’s Shadow.” In defiance
of orders from Ravyn and senior mage hunter commanders,
Elara fought at Ghyrrshyld’s side as the elves and their skorne
allies went on the offensive toward Aeryth Dawnguard in
the north. In the drive to push the infernals past the Iosan
Peaks, however, Elara was mortally wounded and swarmed
by infernals. Enraged, Ghyrrshyld counterattacked and
destroyed them in return, but to the horror of the victorious
elves and skorne, Elara’s soul returned to her lifeless corpse.
She rose to her feet again with her wounds healed, but she
was no longer a living elf. Instead, she had become an undead
facsimile, her pallid skin and dour countenance clearly
marking her as an Eldritch.
Elara was merely the first among many who fell in battle close to Ghyrrshyld to be brought back in this manner. Ghyrrshyld searched for a pattern to the fallen elves’ revival as eldritch but was unable to determine the cause. This was of particular concern to Hexeris, who began distancing himself from the elf lord. Making matters even worse was the reemergence of the ancient Cult of Nyrro. Seeing their fellow Eldritch fighting among the ranks of the living emboldened them to reveal themselves, and they soon joined the war effort. There was no time for the Consulate Court to ponder these dilemmas, for the enemy yet remained, and together, the Iosans, skorne, and eldritch began clearing all trace of the infernals from Ios.
With the infernals significantly weakened by a lack of souls upon which to glut themselves and maintain their numbers, preparations were made for one final offensive against the gate in the northern Bloodstone. Battle escalated on the border separating Ios from the Bloodstone Marches, with the combined strength of Ios and the Army of the Western Reaches burning through untold numbers of horrors and cultists
But instead of simply wiping out what remained of the infernals, Ghyrrshyld, perhaps foreseeing that hostilities between the two nations would inevitably resume once the infernals were no longer a threat, turned his forces upon the skorne. Shots from empowered Hyperions—the Iosans’ colossal myrmidons—wiped out unit after unit of skorne infantry while Ghyrrshyld, Elara, and other Eldritch hunted down and slew all the skorne commanders they could find.
Despite their great beasts of war and their superior numbers, the skorne were no match for the sheer destructive power of the Iosans. The Army of the Western Marches was thrown into disarray by the deaths of many of its leaders, but Archdomina Makeda led the remaining forces in a fighting retreat across the Bloodstone Marches, swearing eternal vengeance upon the Iosans for the many slain skorne heroes who had been denied their rightful exaltation.
Incensed by Ghyrrshyld’s treachery, the Consulate Court ordered Falcir of House Ellowuyr to execute the seemingly out-of-control Warcaster. Many Iosans, including priests of Scyrah, nobles of the most powerful houses, and—most of all—Vyros Nyarr had long harbored distrust and even enmity for Ghyrrshyld from the moment he stepped out of Scyrah’s presence, and with this betrayal, enough was enough.
Falcir, known among the nobility as “the Merciless” for her role as House Ellowuyr’s executioner, was aware of Ghyrrshyld’s past, and she had studied him in battle ever since his return to life, memorizing every swing of Voass and the casting of every spell in an effort to learn how to defeat him when the need inevitably arose. With the skorne on the verge of being driven across the Abyss, Falcir made her move at the insistence of the Consulate Court, who believed that victory was assured. Confronting Ghyrrshyld, Falcir poured as much arcane power as she could into him, locking away his strength and bringing him to his knees. With all her remaining might, Falcir struck Ghyrrshyld down and then, in order to ensure that he could not be revived, destroyed the arcanikal device that had given him such unfathomable power. The energy released upon the Mantle of Lacyr’s fracturing wounded Falcir so grievously that she was barely able to return to the Consulate Court to report her success.
In Ghyrrshyld’s absence, the elven armies were led by Vyros and Elara, and though the Iosans missed the fallen elf lord’s power at times, the Retribution of Scyrah succeeded in securing the Abyssal Fortress and defeating the last major bastion of skorne resistance in western Immoren. But many of Ghyrrshyld’s partisans, Elara chief among them, discerned the truth of his absence and disappearance. Without waiting to confirm whether the others were aware of her suspicions, and convinced that the Iosans’ salvation lay in Goreshade’s answer, Elara retrieved Voass and led her allies on a hasty flight across the Bloodstone Desert and back to Ios. A detachment was quickly dispatched to pursue her. With no time to waste, Elara first made for Ghyrrshyld’s laboratories in Iryss, where she retrieved several mortitheurgical artifacts and the products of Ghyrrshyld’s work with Hexeris. She then dispatched Nayl and other soulless warriors to secure the Fane of Lacyr and make sure that Scyrah and Nyssor were still there.
When the soulless came at last to the gates of Shyrr, they were denied entry by Ravyn, who was suspicious of their sudden arrival, which had come without word or warning from any other commanders. A standoff between Nayl and Ravyn ensued. Tensions between the attendant soulless and fane knights slowly grew as the impassive soulless refused to leave and disperse, while Ravyn and the fane knights refused to open the gates to the fane. Weapons were eventually drawn. The deadlock ended with Elara’s arrival. Perceiving the problem long before she made her presence known, she approached unseen and stabbed her commanding officer in the back with Voass, after which the soulless quickly cut down the fane knights.
With the way now open, Elara entered the fane with Ghyrrshyld’s mortitheurgical artifacts in tow. She found Scyrah and Nyssor seated inside the temple, as if waiting for her arrival. Steeling herself against the judgment of her gods, the Eldritch cut down the pair, thereby fulfilling Ghyrrshyld’s original plan.
Elara was merely the first among many who fell in battle close to Ghyrrshyld to be brought back in this manner. Ghyrrshyld searched for a pattern to the fallen elves’ revival as eldritch but was unable to determine the cause. This was of particular concern to Hexeris, who began distancing himself from the elf lord. Making matters even worse was the reemergence of the ancient Cult of Nyrro. Seeing their fellow Eldritch fighting among the ranks of the living emboldened them to reveal themselves, and they soon joined the war effort. There was no time for the Consulate Court to ponder these dilemmas, for the enemy yet remained, and together, the Iosans, skorne, and eldritch began clearing all trace of the infernals from Ios.
With the infernals significantly weakened by a lack of souls upon which to glut themselves and maintain their numbers, preparations were made for one final offensive against the gate in the northern Bloodstone. Battle escalated on the border separating Ios from the Bloodstone Marches, with the combined strength of Ios and the Army of the Western Reaches burning through untold numbers of horrors and cultists
But instead of simply wiping out what remained of the infernals, Ghyrrshyld, perhaps foreseeing that hostilities between the two nations would inevitably resume once the infernals were no longer a threat, turned his forces upon the skorne. Shots from empowered Hyperions—the Iosans’ colossal myrmidons—wiped out unit after unit of skorne infantry while Ghyrrshyld, Elara, and other Eldritch hunted down and slew all the skorne commanders they could find.
Despite their great beasts of war and their superior numbers, the skorne were no match for the sheer destructive power of the Iosans. The Army of the Western Marches was thrown into disarray by the deaths of many of its leaders, but Archdomina Makeda led the remaining forces in a fighting retreat across the Bloodstone Marches, swearing eternal vengeance upon the Iosans for the many slain skorne heroes who had been denied their rightful exaltation.
Incensed by Ghyrrshyld’s treachery, the Consulate Court ordered Falcir of House Ellowuyr to execute the seemingly out-of-control Warcaster. Many Iosans, including priests of Scyrah, nobles of the most powerful houses, and—most of all—Vyros Nyarr had long harbored distrust and even enmity for Ghyrrshyld from the moment he stepped out of Scyrah’s presence, and with this betrayal, enough was enough.
Falcir, known among the nobility as “the Merciless” for her role as House Ellowuyr’s executioner, was aware of Ghyrrshyld’s past, and she had studied him in battle ever since his return to life, memorizing every swing of Voass and the casting of every spell in an effort to learn how to defeat him when the need inevitably arose. With the skorne on the verge of being driven across the Abyss, Falcir made her move at the insistence of the Consulate Court, who believed that victory was assured. Confronting Ghyrrshyld, Falcir poured as much arcane power as she could into him, locking away his strength and bringing him to his knees. With all her remaining might, Falcir struck Ghyrrshyld down and then, in order to ensure that he could not be revived, destroyed the arcanikal device that had given him such unfathomable power. The energy released upon the Mantle of Lacyr’s fracturing wounded Falcir so grievously that she was barely able to return to the Consulate Court to report her success.
In Ghyrrshyld’s absence, the elven armies were led by Vyros and Elara, and though the Iosans missed the fallen elf lord’s power at times, the Retribution of Scyrah succeeded in securing the Abyssal Fortress and defeating the last major bastion of skorne resistance in western Immoren. But many of Ghyrrshyld’s partisans, Elara chief among them, discerned the truth of his absence and disappearance. Without waiting to confirm whether the others were aware of her suspicions, and convinced that the Iosans’ salvation lay in Goreshade’s answer, Elara retrieved Voass and led her allies on a hasty flight across the Bloodstone Desert and back to Ios. A detachment was quickly dispatched to pursue her. With no time to waste, Elara first made for Ghyrrshyld’s laboratories in Iryss, where she retrieved several mortitheurgical artifacts and the products of Ghyrrshyld’s work with Hexeris. She then dispatched Nayl and other soulless warriors to secure the Fane of Lacyr and make sure that Scyrah and Nyssor were still there.
When the soulless came at last to the gates of Shyrr, they were denied entry by Ravyn, who was suspicious of their sudden arrival, which had come without word or warning from any other commanders. A standoff between Nayl and Ravyn ensued. Tensions between the attendant soulless and fane knights slowly grew as the impassive soulless refused to leave and disperse, while Ravyn and the fane knights refused to open the gates to the fane. Weapons were eventually drawn. The deadlock ended with Elara’s arrival. Perceiving the problem long before she made her presence known, she approached unseen and stabbed her commanding officer in the back with Voass, after which the soulless quickly cut down the fane knights.
With the way now open, Elara entered the fane with Ghyrrshyld’s mortitheurgical artifacts in tow. She found Scyrah and Nyssor seated inside the temple, as if waiting for her arrival. Steeling herself against the judgment of her gods, the Eldritch cut down the pair, thereby fulfilling Ghyrrshyld’s original plan.
