Book 3: The Fallen Rise
Overview
The third and final book in the Dosjoryan Tales/ Of Men and Gods series. In book three, Dosjorya is under attack by the ocean crossing Dargonian people who have been exiled from their homeland. Vasem has been killed soon after he and Lavel Sucoret return to their war-torn home. Azen Niarow hides in the shadows, contemplating which side to aid- which side affords him and his partner the best chance of survival. Dosjoryans, the Innena, and the Gendirlo must learn to put aside their differences and work together. Those who stand the best chance of leading the land to its survival rise to leadership, yet even their actions may not be enough. For the gods are stirring and this war has become their latest theater in their eternal war. Victory feels unattainable and survival is far from guaranteed, but when from death and hopelessness the fallen rise, no one and nothing will ever be the same again. A timeline of events can be found here.Synopsis
Disorganized, battered, and ill-prepared, Dosjorya struggles to hold back the onslaught of the Dargonians. Soldiers die, refugees flee deeper into the wilds, gods stir again, and hearts rend apart. Yet more than just the gods lay deep in the buried pages of history. Secrets stir and the dead rise, forever changing the landscape of the war and the beliefs of those fighting in it. Win or lose, Dosjorya and its heroes will never be the same again.Detailed Summary
Young, Damaged Men
While recovering from a self-inflicted stab wound to his abdomen, Lavel is gifted another Innen weapon by a fellow fallen Innen: a sword. The man who gives it to Lavel, an older man, believes Lavel can do more good with it than he can, and says that a sword might be more useful in battle than Lavel's lance, though a spear might be even better as Lavel is untrained in combat. Lavel is directed to the house of a retired weaponsmaster who would be able to train him enough to fight. Commander Mixsen works with the former leaders of the Order of Innena, Naten Rutze and Jedeo, to gather the most capable Innena to form a special group. All of these Innena are conjurer in some form or fashion, besides Andreiah Ultmer who has powers that instead come from a god. Dinshalow had recently had similar powers awakened when a scout from the Jowlklo brought him Destroyer's stone. They are tasked with dangerous missions where their abilities would come in handy, such as espionage and raiding behind enemy lines. Named the Special Troop, they are not fully considered part of the military though they do find themselves placed under a commander as any military troop would. Upon returning from one of their early missions, a supply train raid, they hear word that they are to have another member join them for an extremely dangerous mission in Tanfor. They discover that Lavel is the last member if the troop, and grow concerned over his mental stability and ability to complete the tasks ahead of him. Nonetheless, the group sets out for Tanfor, where it is decided Lavel would be the one tasked with setting aflame the Dargonian's store of explosive powder used in their advanced projectile firing weapons, while the rest attempt to cause a diversion. In a smaller battle elsewhere, Naten is injured and hides in a small cave with Jedeo, awaiting any sort of aid that can bring them to safety. Without the Order to lead and no such cooperation between the Innena and the military, Naten sees no other way to help in the war effort but to participate in some battles. While hiding, a young man stumbles in, an escaped prisoner of the Dargonians but clearly not from Dosjorya. The young man, Abiken Fomalp, is of the same group of people that Dosjoryans descend from, though this gives Naten and Jedeo no reason to trust him. Seeing that Abiken would know much about the Dargonians and even about the gods, Naten chooses to spare him and brings him to Hasenburg after help arrives. Abiken is to stay there and give information about the Dargonians while researching the gods, even when Naten and Jedeo must be elsewhere. Along the way to Tanfor, when troop leader Henler asks Andreiah to test Lavel's ability to fight, Andreiah finds himself in the grip of the same force that caused Lavel to commit murder in Sabro. Lavel is the only one injured from the ordeal, though he is quickly patched up by the healing conjurers. They all begin to wonder about external forces trying to divide them or kill them, as in both cases, there was a noticeable flash that contained the color orange. In Tanfor, Lavel manages to blow up the powder, but things do not go entirely to plan. He focuses on the task rather than his desire to search for Lasenia, though he is injured by the blast and subsequently captured. He dreams of Dargonians killing his parents and abusing Lasenia while torturing him. When Lavel wakes, unable to tell which of his visions were figments of his imagination and which were an outcome of his capture, he finds himself in Hasenburg healing from his injuries. The fact that he made his first conscious kills, as well as failing to think about searching for his sister Lasenia, crush him and he is temporarily removed from the troop. Other commanders wish to see what Lavel can do on a proper battlefield and request that he be sent to Tutori as soon as possible.Glimmer of Real Hope
The Dargonians push through the forests, though slower than before as the Dosjoryans have begun to learn how to fight human armies effectively. In Tutori, the Dosjoryans score their first major victory against the Dargonians and completely stop their advance for the time being. Along with having Lavel use his powers to manipulate part of a river, a clan of Failers volunteer their talents towards the battle. The success gives many hope, though Dosjorya's leaders fear the victory is a mere fluke. Still, it showed that humans and Gendirlo can work together. Naten is fully pulled away from combat and told to do all he can with his limited power to gather the Innena and willing Gendirlo and direct them to help the military. He sends the Special Troop, this time with Lavel present, to search through the mountain settlements and refugee camps for anyone capable of bonding to a Gendirl and have them sent to Hasenburg. In Tanfor, Lasenia finds herself among other female prisoners and becomes friends with a few, including a slightly older woman named Senyda who lost her husband and her unborn child because of the Dargonians. The two are among those who are sent to the house of an older Dargonian man who promises safety in exchange for information and service. Lasenia's last name intrigues the man, Soorel Thyah, who had heard of Lavel and knew the last name, though he withholds some information from Lasenia. This is her first hint that Lavel might be alive and in Dosjorya, though she hears nothing about where Vasem might be. She and Senyda hope that maybe Lavel would use his powers to rescue them.The Rule Breaker, the Rebel, and the Savior
In the mountains, Lavel breaks the cover of his group in order to fight off a troop of Dargonians who were about to ambush a traveling family just outside of the village where Andreiah's wife and children were hiding. The Dargonian troop is too large for them to safely fight without help from the village but the rest feel obligated to follow Lavel to ensure he is not killed in his foolishness. The Dargonians are killed, though three members of the troop, including Henler's partner Sophikat, are killed. More are injured and they are unable to save the family. Lavel is placed in a prison inside the village for insubordination. Answering Soorel's summons about using Lasenia to bait Lavel into visiting Tanfor, a man named Zukaral Joca visits them and takes custody of Lasenia. Soorel is weary of relinquishing Lasenia, seeing her as an important piece of strategy and knowing Zukaral's history of speaking out against Dargon. But Zukaral has gotten Soorel's son, Harmicdon, to trust him, and agrees to the arrangement. Lasenia is brought to Zukaral's base in Tanfor, which is unknown to the Dargonians loyal to the government. Where Soorel wanted Lasenia to draw Lavel into a trap, Zukaral wants Lavel to help him defeat the Dargonians from the inside, and does not explain this until he and Lasenia are well away from others. Many things begin to happen at once. Lavel is given a punishment for his insubordination. While recovering from the bite of the whip, he receives dreams of an unknown entity, one that has a name known to many Dosjoryans: the Nameless Innen . Not much is known about them, but it was they who formed the first Innen bond and negotiated the end of the war between the Gendirlo and first humans who arrived in Dosjorya. They are unable to speak in Lavel's dream for very long, but hint that they are not what anyone thinks they are. At the same time, Supreme Commander Crabilon summons many esteemed commanders and tells them that one of them will be taking over his position. All who remain and are willing to accept are given positions of power in the military, many of which are new and are a desperate ploy to help find victory. Mixsen is chosen as Supreme Commander, a position that is now a little less powerful but still the most important.During the Tanfor Mission
Lavel, Andreiah, and Dinshalow are sent to Tanfor alone, tasked with espionage. Lavel is free to search for Lasenia when his duties permit. They continue as such, gathering a fair bit of information, when they hear word of a meeting of Dargonian generals in Tanfor's citadel. They position themselves to listen, and hear many interesting points, but they are horrified to hear that the Dargonians want Lasenia for certain purposes, including to marry the Dargonian king as a show of conquest and mingling between the two nations. Lavel grows angry and bursts out of hiding. The three fight their way down the heavily guarded citadel, knowing there was no other way out at that point. They stop to rest at night and are found by the Dargonians. The Dargonians force them to become prisoners at the threat of killing a woman Lavel fully believes is Lasenia. Upon taking the Supreme Commander role, Mixsen meets with a group of Coloktialo who promise to help persuade the Gendirlo to fight, but at a price. Mixsen and the Coloktialo negotiate alone, and neither is happy with the outcome, though both grudgingly accept the terms. Mixsen speaks of the terms to his other officials, as well as of the events of the meeting, and everyone is convinced that Mixsen is in need of guards in case the Coloktialo try to assassinate him for not bowing to their demands. Abiken digs up hints of something on Xazdos Volcano, something that might hold the key in training Lavel, Andreiah, and Dinshalow enough that they could possibly defeat three Dargonian Priests who are gifted with god powers. Though the Priests have not been sighted yet, there are few boats left to complete the journey and soon they will arrive, regardless of whether or not the Dosjoryans are prepared. Naten thinks about sending the three to the volcano once they return from Tanfor, though is hesitant because no one has ever visited the island and returned alive. That is, until he hears of a Kundeg, Tae, who had previously been helping him and who admits to have visited Xazdos. The Dargonians torture Lavel, Andreiah, and Dinshalow in order to learn from them as much as possible. They do not intend to let the three live after they murdered countless generals as they pose a grave threat to average Dargonians, but they will not execute them right away. The Dargonians do unspeakable things to utterly break them and cause Lavel to do unspeakable things when other methods did not work well enough to get him to share Dosjoryan secrets. The woman they believe is Lasenia is used as collateral to ensure none of them even think about using their power. The woman forced to endure abuse by Lavel's hand is Senyda, who had been giving them food and water throughout most of their imprisonment. When the Dargonians are finished, the three of them, and the woman they say is Lasenia, are sentenced to public execution. Zukaral catches wind of the execution and knows he needs to stage a riot in order to save them. He tells Lasenia what is going on, and then tells her and others to hide. His sympathizers cause a commotion just as the execution is beginning, so that the prisoners are already out in the open and able to escape. Zukaral's uprising fails, however, to completely disrupt Dargonian society, and soon he tells Lasenia the true reason he wants her. She is a little upset, but wants to still help change Dargon's society even if it means being the one to kill their king. Lasenia is grateful that Zukaral gave Lavel a chance to escape certain death.Desperate Moves
Andreiah could not walk at this point, and all are weak. The executioner manages to kill the woman before the rest escape. Close to giving up entirely, Lavel finds just enough resolve to carry Andreiah and fight though the guards to reach the Sythen River. Injured, exhausted, and full of sorrow, all of them need rescue in order to make it back to Hasenburg alive. A Gendirl scout finds them the next day and sends for help. Mixsen heads out to River's Edge, hoping to oversee what could possibly be the last big battle before everyone prepares for winter. Before leaving, Mixsen is told about the possibility of old records, or something that remembers old records, on Xazdos. Aware of the threat of the Dargonian Priests, he gives his consent to send Andreiah and his group, along with Abiken, to the volcano. Just as two Nackadongo Innena, carrying healers instead of their partners, arrive, Lavel is beyond tired from having to swim with Andreiah on his back. The Dargonians had found them and the ocean was the only safe place, until one of their boats approached. The Nackadongo rescue Andreiah and Dinshalow but Lavel begins to sink beyond reach, only alive because of his power. The Maker of Gods takes hold of Lavel, who is too tired to resist, and uses Lavel to kill all of the Dargonians. Lavel is then left on a beach with the obligation to follow Maker's will, and rescued by the Nackadongo. They are taken back to Hasenburg to recover. Lavel and Abiken are destined to head for Xazdos Island with the Kundeg Tae, who later reveals himself as Lavel's old friend, Ahn. Andreiah and Dinshalow are sent to River's Edge to help defend the city while Andreiah's legs heal. The battle for River's Edge becomes one of the longest battles in Dosjorya, spanning over several days. On the second day, a Dargon soldier infiltrates the city and shoots Mixsen with a disguised version of their projectile firing weapons. One of the small projectiles, filled with various non-lethal poisons, hits him in the eye and he is no longer able to oversee the battle. Despite this, his prior preparations and the help of the Gendirlo swing the battle in Dosjorya's favor, and the Dargonian army is chased away back to the grasslands.Winter
As winter sets in, the battles slow down. Lavel, Abiken, Andreiah, and Dinshalow discover a hidden clan of Hahklemems living within Xazdos Volcano, descendants of their species who hid away with knowledge of the gods before their kind tried to take power over the Gendirlo. Months pass where they continue to recover from their ordeal in Tanfor and learn all they can from notes made by long dead Gendirlo who once had the same powers as them. Focused on strengthening their power, fighting skills, and their ability to heal, there is much they skip, but no one knows how long they have to learn. Abiken aids them all and memorizes training exercises to be used once they all leave. Once the land thaws, the battles rage again, and those on Xazdos return, waiting for any sign of the Dargonian Priests. One such Priest sneaks into Hasenburg and reveals to Mixsen that they wish not to destroy Dosjorya, but instead to fight the gods and want to ally with the Dosjoryan Priests. He says Maker helped kill Vasem. No one knows if his words are true, though Lavel begins to believe the part about Vasem's death. More time passes before all Dargonian Priests are found in one place, in the same place as the Dargonian King. Lavel, Andreiah, and Dinshalow head for the boat holding their targets one night, knowing that none of them may live to see the sun rise again.Battle for the Fate of Dosjorya
On the boat, they find many enslaved prisoners, including Senyda from Tanfor. In the throne room, they encounter the king and the Dosjoryan he chose to marry: the real Lasenia, captured when Zukaral was killed, dressed as a Dargonian with her mind altered to the point that she has great difficulty remembering her real identity. Lavel kills the Dargonian king and tries to get Lasenia to fight through the mental haze. He succeeds briefly and that is all he needs to know she is really his sister. He is saddened by the fact she carries in her womb the Dargonian heir. Once on deck with the freed prisoners, they see signs of Azen's presence, whom they all believed dead. The Priests stand on shore, waiting, and they allow the prisoners to be sent on their way towards Hasenburg before anyone thinks of attacking anyone. They talk directly with the Dosjoryans, trying to convince them that the real enemies are the gods themselves. Azen and Sonota hide nearby, listening. They reveal themselves when they catch on to what the Priests are trying to convince Lavel of doing: destroy the world for them. To everyone's surprise, Azen and Sonota side with Dosjorya. Andreiah and Dinshalow team up against the Strength Priest. Azen and Sonota fight against the Swift Priest. Lavel is left to fight the Sorrow Priest, believed by the Hahklemems to have the most dangerous element. Easily overpowered, Lavel is thrown back into the ocean and Maker attempts to take over. Lavel successfully fights back and curious, the god allows Laval to return to the fight on his own. On land, he and Azen end up together fighting two Priests. The God of Sorrow causes Azen to hallucinate much like Lavel and Andreiah have in the past and Lavel fights to break it. Once he does, Sonota manages to kill the Swift Priest and flies to aid Andreiah and Dinshalow who were injured and struggling. Azen lies unconscious and Lavel is severely injured by this point, but he must face off against the Sorrow Priest. Power and strength nearly depleted, Lavel struggles to fight back, especially when the God of Sorrow begins to lend its power to the Priest. In a last desperate ploy, Lavel attempts to redirect a fatal bolt of lightning back at the Priest using a stream of water, and succeeds. The move costs him more power than he had left and without Maker aiding him, Lavel had drawn from his life force and aged himself. The Strength Priest is soon defeated. Everyone is injured, but Lavel and Dinshalow suffer the worst injuries and are the first to be sent to Hasenburg. Andreiah joins them, unwilling to be away from Dinshalow.Aftermath and the Beginnings of Peace
Angered over the loss of their king, the Dargonians stage a massive attack on Hasenburg, abandoning many of the settlements they once held. Their attack is very sudden and many fear Hasenburg may fall, negating any recent gains the Dosjoryans made recently. Within the city, Dargonian assassins constantly seek out those in power and try to kill them. Everyone had a brief window of warning of the assassination attempts, and while some attacks come close to succeeding, everyone manages to survive until Azen and Sonota kill enough of the kings replacements that Dargon has no choice but to promote an interim leader who is willing to negotiate for peace. Negotiations go on for many weeks. During this time, Lavel seeks to settle his debt with Senyda after being forced to abuse her. Lasenia begins to heal from her forced alternate identity. Azen works to clear his name while sharing advice on how to prevent what happened to him and Resdie from ever happening again. The Hahklemems reveal themselves to a wider audience, earning much hate but also causing the Coloktialo to reveal their true intentions: kill all humans using the influence they have over the Gendirlo while both the Dosjoryans and Dargonians are at their weakest. Near the end of negotiations, when much has already been decided upon, Lavel receives a summons from Maker, who no longer has a reason to keep Lavel alive. Lavel fights back as he intended to, wanting to get his revenge for Vasem's death. The Nameless Innen and anther unknown force aid Lavel in forcing the gods back into a real slumber for a long time. After returning to Hasenburg knowing he lost his ability to form an Innen bond because of Maker's attempt at a counterattack, he attempts to kill himself and nearly succeeds. As negotiations turn to triumph, Lavel's condition worsens and healers are no longer hopeful that he could survive his injury. Mixsen organizes a ceremony to end Lavel's suffering, but then Lavel seems to return to life, healed and wanting to live on. He cannot reveal why, but as he sat on the cusp of death, the Nameless Innen gave him one last gift: a piece of Vasem's soul. Maker had imprisoned Vasem's spirit after death, for those with power do not fade quickly after death. Vasem aided Lavel in the fights against the Priests and Maker, and wishes to use what is left of himself to end Lavel's searing agony. Lavel accepts. The Dargonians are sent to live in the Plains beyond the mountains. Dosjorya begins to rebuild after the war. The Gendirlo come to grips over the aspirations of the Coloktialo and the reveal of the Hahklemems. Most who played a large part in leading Dosjorya to its survival settle in Hasenburg, though Lavel is encouraged to settle in Axon to avoid nightmares and bad memories from resurfacing. Senyda follows him, the two having become acquaintances after moving on from Tanfor. Both admired each other's character prior to the incident and were willing to remain friendly, for Senyda's home was Axon and Senyda wanted to keep an eye on Lavel for Lasenia's sake. The land and its inhabitants suffered greatly, but finally found hope and a bright future.
by Jen Wright (Jen963)
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